Anglican Update

I haven't posted a link to an 'Anglican-communion-teetering-on-the-brink-of-oblivion' article recently, so here you go (courtesy of First Things, of course). Article author Jordan Hylden suggests:

The solution to the current crisis in Anglicanism, as more and more have been
coming to realize, is clear—walking together under the authority of the one Lord
Christ Jesus as revealed to us in Scripture.

That doesn't seem too difficult, does it? Quoting from the article again, pray that "mutual trust, promise-keeping, selflessness and community" prevail instead of "pridefulness and autonomy", and that all Christian churches may be one.

Sacramentum Caritatis Bulletin Articles - #3

Click here for part 2 & link to part 1:

For St. Jude's 9/2/2007 bulletin - Thanks, Fr. Fox!

SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS - Part 3
This is the third part of a series of bulletin articles on the March, 2007 apostolic exhortation from Pope Benedict the XVI entitled ‘Sacramentum Caritatis (The Sacrament of Love)’. For further study, refer to the 1st 6 paragraphs of SC.
The three sections of Sacramentum Caritatis are all titled after the ‘Mystery’ of the Eucharist. Each part is named ‘The Eucharist: a Mystery to be…(…Believed’, part 1) (…Celebrated’, part 2) (…Lived’, part 3). A quick scan of SC shows that Pope Benedict uses this term throughout the exhortation at least 70 times. This emphasis is an important insight in and of itself, but it requires us to understand the meaning of the word ‘mystery’ in the context of our faith.
The mysteries of our faith are realities that extend beyond our knowledge and comprehension. Our understanding of these mysteries is limited by our human nature, but made real to us by God’s revelation. In the Greek language of the New Testament, the word for ‘mystery’ (musterion) appears 27 times. When that same term is translated to Latin, the term that is often used is sacramentum, which is also from where the Church’s term ‘sacrament’ is derived.
Consider other common Church usage of the term ‘mystery’: to Eastern Rite Christians, what we know as the 7 Sacraments are referred to as Mysteries; the Paschal Mystery, where we refer to the Incarnation, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of God in human form; at Mass, when we may be invited to prepare to ‘celebrate the sacred Mysteries’, or during the Memorial Acclamation of the Eucharistic Prayer where the priest invites all to ‘proclaim the Mystery of faith’.
When Pope Benedict writes, ‘[t]he Eucharist is a "mystery of faith" par excellence: "the sum and summary of our faith."’ (SC ¶6), he focuses us on the mysteries we believe. This belief invites us to encounter and know Jesus Christ, the Divine Son who became man, suffered and died and rose to make atonement for our sins and to unite us to God. This encounter and knowledge is given to us in the breaking of the bread - the real and substantial presence of Christ, body, blood, soul, and divinity, in the Eucharist.

adapted from presentations written by Rev. Martin Fox, published at http://frmartinfox.blogspot.com; alt. GPW

Grill-out with Seminarians

After the 11:00 Mass at St. Jude this past Sunday, the Cincinnati Serra Club hosted a grill-out for the seminarians who begin classes at Mt. St. Mary's of the West this week. The Mass was beautiful, and the grill-out was awesome. It was beautiful to meet and see the new and returning seminarians (including St. Jude's own Marty Bachman, Rev. Mr. Jason Bedel from St. Martin of Tours, Shawn Landenwitsch from Visitation, and Will Egan from St. Catharine of Siena).

The generosity and support of the Serra Club and the hospitality of several St. Jude families and vocations-friends (including 6 of my favorite blondes) made for a very joyful atmosphere. See all the pictures here.

'We Watched the Conception...'

When 8 yo Audrey told me what she did at the party with Claire tonight, I wondered if we might need to supervise her activities a little more closely...thankfully, that's not the case:

Vive el Concepcion!!!

Sacramentum Caritatis Bulletin Articles - #2

From St. Jude's 8/26 bulletin (click here for Part 1):

Sacramentum Caritatis is organized into three parts, all titled ‘The Eucharist: a Mystery to be…(…Believed’, part 1) (…Celebrated’, part 2) (…Lived’, part 3). In the Introduction, Pope Benedict writes of the Eucharist as the ‘food of truth’, and connects the ‘innate and irrepressible desire for ultimate and definitive truth’ that we all have to ‘[t]he Lord Jesus, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), [who] speaks to our thirsting, pilgrim hearts, our hearts yearning for the source of life, our hearts longing for truth.’ (SC, ¶2)
This introduction immediately establishes the real and uncompromising tone the Church uses in its teachings about the Eucharist. Christ is truly, really, and substantially present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist. The truth of the ‘Mystery to be Believed’ is eternal and unchanging, not relative or symbolic.
When the Holy Father writes about the Eucharist throughout Sacramentum Caritatis, he teaches us that the sacrament itself and the celebration of the sacrament (the Mass) are one reality. To preserve our faith in the truth of the sacrament, it’s important to be faithful to the instructions the Church gives about the ‘Mystery to be Celebrated’.
The third part (‘A Mystery to be Celebrated’) follows naturally from our faith in and nourishment from the food of truth. Our encounter with God Himself in the Eucharist must continue to change us, and from that should flow a life lived in truth.

adapted from presentations written by Rev. Martin Fox, published at http://frmartinfox.blogspot.com; alt. GPW

Sacramentum Caritatis Bulletin Articles

With Fr. Martin Fox's inspiration and help, I'm going to attempt to write a very concise and simple bulletin review of Sacramentum Caritatis over the next several weeks. I wouldn't recommend it before Fr. Fox's insight and depth, but perhaps a 'Cliff's Notes' introduction in a church bulletin may lead others to dig a little deeper, and heaven knows how deep the Holy Father can take us.
If you haven't, read the exhortation along with the talks Fr. Fox has posted, beginning here (part 1) and continuing on his blog.
This introduction to the series for St. Jude's bulletin began last weekend:

SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS
Last March, the Vatican published an apostolic exhortation from Pope Benedict the XVI entitled Sacramentum Caritatis (The Sacrament of Love). Sacramentum Caritatis (SC) was the final document of a Synodal Assembly from October, 2005, which Pope John Paul II had convened to conclude the Year of the Eucharist.
The purpose of the Synod to end the Year of the Eucharist was to promote the reality, joy, and value of the Eucharist to the Catholics of today’s world. Forty years after the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the Synod evaluated the reception of Vatican II’s liturgical renewal, and found that, “[t]he difficulties and even the occasional abuses which were noted, it was affirmed, cannot overshadow the benefits and the validity of the liturgical renewal, whose riches are yet to be fully explored.”
(SC, ¶3)
SC is organized in 3 different parts: The Eucharist, a Mystery to Be Believed; The Eucharist, a Mystery to Be Celebrated; and The Eucharist, a Mystery to Be Lived. Over the next several weeks, this space in the bulletin will summarize different parts of SC, and attempt to shed some light on what this important document means to our local and universal church. If you’d like to read the document for yourself, it’s available on the Vatican’s web site, the US Bishops’ web site, or from EWTN (http://www.ewtn.com/). The parish has a limited number of copies available through our lending library, too. Please contact the parish office if you’d like to reserve a copy to borrow.

Have You Prayed for Vocations Today?

Vocations article by Benedict Groeschel for First Things magazine. My money one-liner:

We have only to look at the offerings of retreat houses run by some religious congregations to discover how silly people intending to be serious can sometimes become.

The Cliff's Notes quote:

Corruptio optimi pessimum, the old Latin proverb runs: Corruption of the best becomes the worst. We have seen it for forty years. The generation formed since John Paul II became pope is clamoring for something better.

(HT: Roman Catholic Blog and new bookmark Roman Catholic Vocations blog)

Vacation - Leg 2

We drove from Naples to Ft. Myers earlier this afternoon, and will be staying at Mia's sister & brother-in-law's home for the rest of vacation. Sharon and Noel Pooler have the nicest home I've ever been in. We'll get some pictures posted soon on the family page. It's unbelievable how fortunate I/we are to go from the Cranley's beachfront Naples home to the Pooler's...
Vacation reading is going well, but slow. I'm only 100 pages into the syrupy Southwell life story, but I've appreciated having the time to pray morning & evening prayer. Kids are having fun...we're getting new pictures & entries to the family blog almost every day.