Comments on article: "It's all about God," by USC

Why doesn't the average parish in America pay attention to testimonies like that offered in this article ?

Most parishes in which I've been involved have, at one point or another, started a push to get more people to register at their church. Inevitably, this type of campaign has resulted in flyers for Polka Masses, guest speakers that seem like they'd fit in at a comedy club, promises of full bands with drums, horns, and guitars, and constant assurances that "all are welcome." This all translates to a dumbed down Mass that creates a sense of being lost in a crowd rather than a sense of a transcendent encounter with God.

I've even talked to a few priests and liturgical committee members about the possibility of offering at least one of our five Sunday Masses ad orientem, in Latin, with Gregorian chant. The consensus? People will leave the church in droves if the parish takes that type of radical approach.*

Sad to say that, while this contention regarding what might cause a mass exodus from the church may or may not be true (how can we know?), what does seem to be true is that, in most parishes, the only changes that appear to be logical in the context of what's happened to the Mass over the last 40 years, are those changes that move the focus of the Mass farther and farther away from God.**

I pray that articles like this one by USC have an impact at the parish level.

*For those of you keeping score at home, it seems to me that the last time people left the church in droves was when tradition was all but rejected for the novelty, innovation, and minimalism that have become part and parcel with the Mass of Pope Paul VI. While that form of the Roman Rite was enthusiastically received in the beginning, it did not take long for the details/ambiguity of the committee documents to be used to justify the infestation of Catholic worship by all manner of novelty and innovation. This was when people lost the sense that worship was built upon solid rock. As far as keeping people in the pews in our time goes, what is it worth if we are confronted daily with evidence that over half of the Catholic population refuses to behave like Catholics, presumably because they have improperly formed consciences? No space to focus on this here, and in an attempt to avoid getting too personal, one need go no further than considering the voting record of Catholic laity and some (but definitely not all) Catholic politicians.

**Pope Benedict XVI's Summorum Pontificum and the new translation of the "Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite" actually provide a more traditional line of reasoning when it comes to the liturgy. One could consider this to be a turning point, opening the door to a true restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass; HOWEVER, for whatever reason, with our current pontiff, I have more of a sense that the wind is blowing in the direction of 1972 rather than 2015. Much of the helpful and consoling terminology and liturgical focus of Pope Emeritus Benedict seem to have been relegated to the proverbial back burner.

Comments on USC's "7 Reasons...." article

This article should be made into a flyer and put in all of our churches. 

Ever since I converted to the Catholic Church, I've read and heard about the "lost" generation of Catholics who were not properly educated in our faith, and consequently, could not educate their children. It's my understanding that it was this process of unlearning the faith and rejecting Tradition that led to what Pope St. John Paul II referred to as a "silent apostasy" in the Church. He coined the phrase "new evangelization" as a strategy to bring these people back into the fold. 

Pope Emeritus Benedict, Archbishop Sample, Cardinal Burke, to name a few of the prominent voices of traditional liturgy in our time, have written and spoken of a "renewal of liturgical understanding" (from Ratzingers's _The Spirit of the Liturgy_) as the key to combating this silent apostasy. In this respect, as enticing as the Charismatic Renewal seems to be for certain types of people, the CR introduces a high potential for a long-winding detour away from the truth of the Catholic Church. 

As a youth, I went through the charismatic wringer which, ultimately, hangs one out to dry, spiritually speaking. By embracing emotion as the catalyst for worship, one tends to go whichever way the wind blows under the grievous presumption that whichever way the wind does blow is evidence of the Hand of (your own personal buddy-buddy) God. So, if a modernist theologian comes up with an exciting new take on certain scriptural texts, and one's emotions are tweaked by the presentation of this theological opinion, then it's true for that person. As a young charismatic, I belonged to a group that embraced something we liked to call  the "teaching of the Spirit," which, to my eyes, is the path to which the Charismatic Renewal leads. Every person is obligated to "listen" for the "Spirit's" direction as they read the Bible, worship, offer "praise," engage in a devotion, drive their car, and, using the example in the article, decide which vegetables to take at the cafeteria. Each time we listen to the Spirit, we establish our own personal traditions, some of which might be outside of the Voice of the Magisterium or unprecedented in the Church, in the context of, Mass, for example. Some of these personal traditions even reach into the realm of superstition. These traditions might start off small, like "must eat carrots on all Tuesdays...must take the back way to work on Monday and coming home on Fridays...must fling my arms in the air at the end of the 'Our Father'...anyone who doesn't weep during the communion hymn just doesn't 'get it'...." but, just as unchecked venial sin leads to mortal sin, this approach introduces error which seems small but only grows and multiplies.

Ultimately, abiding in the "teaching of the Spirit" promotes modernism in evolution theology, truth in flux. The Commandments are still acknowledged, but the details of the Church's teachings on the Commandments are only accepted according to one's conscience under the presumption that every thought, word, and deed are directed by the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because that individual desires it to be so. In some cases, as mentioned above, perhaps a brand new theological opinion offering new insight is embraced by the "teaching of the Spirit" even though that opinion does not provide the scope and depth of the original Catholic teaching. The CR, in my opinion, creates followers of men and their theological opinions, not followers of God. 

I've been reading Fulton Sheen's _The Life of Christ_ and, as I read this article, I thought of two quotes from his section on the multiplication of the loaves. To paraphrase the first quote, the crowd that had received the loaves sought to make Jesus king, but not the King He was born to be. Instead, they sought to make him a king of earthly miracles, a king who would fill their stomachs and make exciting magic for them. Sheen wrote, "They looked FOR Jesus (for the miracles) but did not look TO Jesus (to His Divinity for salvation)." 

Archbishop Sheen concludes: "Excitement is not religion: if it was, an 'Alleluia' on Sunday could become a 'Crucify' on Friday."

Maleficent

A movie review by Father Scott Archer

May 31, 2014

"There is evil in this world; hatred and revenge," Maleficent tells the young Princess Aurora. There is, however, also holiness, love, and forgiveness. Directed by Robert Stromberg and starring Angelina Jolie in the title role, this is the unexpected message one takes from the Disney film Maleficent, a dazzling presentation of “the true story behind the story you thought you knew.” Based on the tale of Sleeping Beauty, the director takes us into the world of one of literature’s favorite villains. It is a world of castles and fairies, evil men and wood-creatures, and magic and curses. It is also, however, a world in which we find a very Catholic message.

This movie successfully symbolizes what others such as the Narnia series fail to achieve. I have been preaching from the pulpit for many years that no matter how greatly we have sinned, no matter how far we have fallen, we are forgiven if we are truly contrite and receive the forgiveness of God in the Sacrament of Penance. No, the Sacrament of Penance is not overtly presented within this film; that is for the Catholic to see with a Catholic eye. But the message of a fall from grace, repentance, and redemption are at the heart of what the writers and director convey to the audience.

The acting is sufficiently good. It is a story moved along by the action and message, yet I cannot imagine anyone but Jolie playing Maleficent. She is graceful to the point of leaving me somewhat awestruck, even when she is performing her evil deeds. The role of Aurora could have been played by any number of young actors, yet Elle Fanning portrays the sweet innocence that is required of her without turning Aurora into a simple caricature.

Like many, I've grown tired of the use of CGI in movies, but it is used to good effect here. It is, after all, a fantasy. I watched this in 2-D because I wanted to see if it worked without things “flying” in my face. It does, and for that I am grateful. The beautiful score by James Newton Howard also enhances, rather than distracts from, the action and emotion. It carries your heart as high as Maleficent can fly.

Despite its PG rating for fantasy action and violence, I would maintain this is a movie for all ages, except sensitive young children. It truly can be enjoyed by adults and young people. It is not a Catholic movie, nor is it filled with Catholic images, but it has a message that Catholics will recognize as an age-old tale of sin and vengeance and—in the plot’s denouement—contrition, love, and redemption. I highly recommend it.