Regrettably, No Comment

The church prepared for a Requiem Mass in my own parish.

 

I was somewhat surprised this morning to receive a phone call from  The Tablet journalist, Christopher Lamb asking me if I would like to comment on - according to his information - the fact that my Archdiocese of Liverpool is to commission 22 lay people to preside at funeral services.

I don't know if this is so or not.  We did have a leaflet through to all the parishes recently entitled "Planning a Christian Funeral" that mentions that a funeral may be led by a "Lay Funeral Minister" (you can read it here at the Archdiocesan website - scroll down to the 5th heading.)  I have heard that such things do already happen in the Archdiocese where, apparently, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion lead the Service!  I presume this is because of the shortage of sacred ministers in the diocese - 146 active and 74 retired (excluding Religious) and 106 Permanent Deacons.

However, you will not be reading my interview in The Tablet, as I felt I had to tell him that, regrettably,  I had "No Comment" to make.

Where have all the celebrities gone when it really matters?

Many other bloggers, including  Fr Ray Blake, have posted about the case of the Russian girl band who desecrated St Saviour's Cathedral in Moscow and have now been sentenced.  There has been great outcry from the Western media and figures of popular culture, such as Madonna and Sting, whining about human rights and freedom of speech but contrast that with the many, many human rights abuses against vulnerable people with no voice going on every day in countries such as Pakistan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia.

In Pakistan Rimsha Masih, an 11 year old Christian girl with Down's Syndrome, has been arrested for supposedly burning pages of the Quaran. (Fr Tim Finigan here and the British Pakistani Christian Association here.)

In Saudi Arabia 15 girls died in a school fire after police forced them back into the blazing building because they were not wearing the correct Islamic dress.  (See here - even the BBC manged to report it!)

In Nigeria the ongoing attacks on the Christian community resulted in three more dead after a car bombing outside a church this week.  See here.

At the Thinker Blog, Bill Warner posted on The Silence of the Pulpits  yesterday suggesting some reasons for why we hear so little of these atrocities and others - not just against Christians - which makes interesting reading.

But for these outrages against human rights and attacks on freedom, where is the outrage we have seen against the women from Pussy Riot being arrested in Russia?  Where are Madonna and Sting when it comes to defending disabled 11 year old Christian girls?  NOWHERE.  The women of Pussy Riot knew just what they were doing.  They are articulate, middle class, politically active women with liberal views.  I heard a piece on Radio Four the other day where the journalist had been with them at their rehearsals for the song they were to desecrate the Cathedral with, practising and being interviewed.  It was an act that was conscious, well prepared and media aware.

But why is it the liberal establishment of press and pop stars will rush to defend these savvy types but not those who really need someone to speak out for them - those with no voice, those who are really vulnerable, those terrified for their lives to speak out or even profess their faith?  Their liberal care and outrage of figures like Sting and Madonna is hollow and self-serving.  Speaking out in support of the women of Pussy Riot gets the liberal media massaging their egos and they can present themselves as modern day heroes but who wants to speak up for disabled Christian girls in Pakistan that might only win you bad press in the Islamic world?  

Not Sting or Madonna, it would seem.

The Black Stump

Due to the kindness of friends I am enjoying a case or two of a red wine that I particularly like - the Black Stump Durif Shiraz 2009, which is rather good. "Velvety, voluptuous, and irresistible" according to its review! 

Why am I telling you this?  

I came across an article in the latest issue of the Chesterton Review (which first appeared in the online Crisis Magazine) by Sean Daley about a Catholic manner of drinking - all very Chestertonian.

Here it is below.

The Lost Art of Catholic Drinking

There is Protestant drinking and there is Catholic drinking, and the difference is more than mere quantity. I have no scientific data to back up my claims, nor have I completed any formal studies. But I have done a good bit of, shall we say, informal study, which for a hypothesis like this is probably the best kind.

To begin with, what is Catholic drinking? It’s hard to pin down, but here’s a historical example. St. Arnold (580-640), also known as St. Arnulf of Metz, was a seventh-century bishop of Metz, in what later became France. Much beloved by the people, St. Arnold is said to have preached against drinking water, which in those days could be extremely dangerous owing to unsanitary sewage systems — or no sewage system at all. At the same time, he frequently touted the benefits of beer and is credited with having once said, “From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world.”

Wise words, and St. Arnold’s flock took them to heart. After his death, the good bishop was buried at a monastery near Remiremont, France, where he had retired. However, his flock missed him and wanted him back, so in 641, having gotten approval to exhume St. Arnold’s remains, they carried him in procession back to Metz for reburial in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles. Along the way, it being a hot day, they got thirsty and stopped at an inn for some beer. Unfortunately, the inn had just enough left for a single mug; the processionals would have to share. As the tale goes, the mug did not run dry until all the people had drunk their fill.

Now, I’m not saying that Catholic drinking involves miracles, or that a miracle should occur every time people get together to imbibe. But good beer — and good wine for that matter — is a small miracle in itself, being a gift from God to His creatures, whom He loves. And as G. K. Chesterton wrote in Orthodoxy, “We should thank God for beer and burgundy by not drinking too much of them.” In other words, we show our gratitude to God for wine and beer by enjoying these things, in good cheer and warm company, but not enjoying them to excess.

Just what constitutes excess is for each person to judge for himself. However, we now approach the main difference between Catholic drinking and Protestant drinking. Protestant drinking tends to occur at one extreme or another: either way too much or none at all, with each being a reaction to the other. Some people, rightly fed up with the smug self-righteousness of teetotalers, drink to excess. And teetotalers, rightly appalled at the habits of habitual drunkards, practice strict abstinence. It seems to occur to neither side that their reaction is just that: a reaction, and not a solution. If they considered it a bit, they might see a third way that involves neither drunkenness nor abstinence, yet is consistent with healthy, honest, humane Christian living.

Here we encounter Catholic drinking. Catholic drinking is that third way, the way to engage in an ancient activity enjoyed by everyone from peasants to emperors to Jesus Himself. And again, it is not just about quantity. In fact, I think the chief element is conviviality. When friends get together for a drink, it may be to celebrate, or it may be to mourn. But it should always be to enjoy one another’s company. (Yes, there is a time and place for a solitary beer, but that is the exception.)

For example: The lectures at the annual Chesterton conference are themselves no more important than the attendees later discussing those same lectures over beer and wine (we tend to adhere to Hilaire Belloc’s rule of thumb, which is to avoid alcoholic beverages developed after the Reformation). These gatherings occur between talks, during talks — indeed, long into the night — and we typically fall into bed pleasantly stewed. I cannot imagine a Chesterton conference without this. And yet I also know how detrimental it would be if we all stumbled back to our rooms roaring drunk.

Avoid each extreme — that’s how you drink like a Catholic. This is the art of Catholic drinking. There are plenty of our brethren who consider drinking somehow immoral, and there are plenty of others who think drinking must end with great intoxication. But the balanced approach — the Catholic approach — means having a good time, a good laugh, sometime a good cry, but always with joy and gratitude for God’s generosity in giving us such wonders as beer and burgundy. Remember that, and the lost art of Catholic drinking may not remain lost.

Assumpta est Maria

Fr Z has picked up a piece from the Catholic Herald by Michael Jennings on Why the Church should make life harder for Catholics.

You will get the drift from what he says about Holydays of Obligation:  

More mollycoddling is in evidence with the recent transferring of various feast days to Sunday. This has saved Catholics a trip to church or otherwise having another thing to own up to in Confession – that’s if they happen to be part of the majority who don’t do Holy Days of Obligation.

Certainly, we had less than half of Sunday's congregation at Mass today, despite a fulsome reminder on Sunday that our commitment to the Assumption should be just as it is for a Sunday.  Mind you, it's hard to expect Catholics to turn up today when so many other Days of Obligation are transferred to the nearest Sunday. Common sense tells people that they can't be that important if we can chop and change them around with so much ease.

Anyway, we had a lovely celebration of Our Lady's Assumption into Heaven with a simple OF Mass this morning with a little singing and Missa Cantata this evening.

There is a good piece by my friend Fr Leon Periera, O.P. over at Linen on the Hedgerow.  Thank you for this morning's homily, Father Leon!

Hail Queen of Heaven

Transalpine Redemptorists

 

Congratulations to the Transalpine Redemptorists who have announced today that they have been granted canonical recognition as a Clerical Institute of Diocesan Right by His Lordship the Right Reverend Dom Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B., Bishop of Aberdeen.  

Great news for the Church in the U.K. as I understand that they have men ready to ordain and hopefully this can now take place.  As orthodox thinking and Traditional groups come fully into the Church under the pastoral care shown by Pope Benedict the dioceses in this country will find themselves influenced for the good by staunch supporters of the Holy Father and exemplars of living Catholic life to the full.

Well done to Bishop Hugh as well for sorting out this long overdue recognition.

 

Official Statement

from the

Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer

On this festive solemnity of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God body and soul into Heaven our spiritual joy and fraternal rejoicing is great indeed:

 

Beneath Her mantle and on this occasion of Her solemn feast, today, 15 August, 2012, our community, The Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, has been granted canonical recognition as a Clerical Institute of Diocesan Right by His Lordship the Right Reverend Dom Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B., Bishop of Aberdeen.

We invite you to rejoice with us on this solemn feast of Our Lady through Whose Perpetual Succour, we have received a great favour from Our Lord. 

We also announce the community’s public profession of vows that will take place in Our Lady’s Chapel (at the head of the pier) Stronsay, on 22 August, feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 18.15 (6.15 p.m.). 

The profession will be celebrated by His Lordship, the Right Reverend Dom Hugh Gilbert, O.S.B., Bishop of Aberdeen.

Olympic Fireworks

I was surprised that I actually took to watching the Olympics and enjoyed it!  Cycling and sailing, diving and swimming, athletics and boxing (although not the ping pong).  It called forth a proper sense of national pride and respect for the athletes who worked so hard and with such dedication.

What I didn't much care for were the opening and closing ceremonies, which seemed self-indulgent and appeared to exalt not dedication, hard work and commitment but all the very opposite qualities of instant fame, self-gratification a mish-mash of unrelated  P.C. approved "good bits" from history and culture without reference to any foundation of where that culture might have come from (Christianity - and more specifically, Catholicism, by the way).  In the closing ceremony we couldn't have Churchill speaking any of Churchill's words (strangely popping out of the top of Big Ben's Tower like some manic Punch and Judy show) but rather, something from Shakespeare's Tempest.  Nothing wrong with either Churchill or Shakespeare but why mash them together?  

I thought that the opening ceremony was like a second rate West End show while all the music for the closing ceremony could have been nicely packaged together in a twenty minute slot - although, for the most part, I would have chosen different music.  If you are going to have Queen's Freddy Mercury at the Olympics, then why not the obvious choice of "We are the Champions"?  No doubt the line "no time for losers" was considered un-P.C. even though in 2011 this song was  named by a team of scientific researchers the  the catchiest song in the history of pop music! Most bizarre of all was the choice of John Lennon singing "Imagine there's no countries" in the presence of thousands of athlete who had just proudly represented their respective countries - with the winning medalist introduced as "representing" their country with flags, national anthems, etc.  A close second was The Who - singing "My Generation" at nearly seventy years of age. (I would have prefered Dame Vera singing "We'll meet again" - much more fitting & she's not much older!) So much of the music choice was dull or rather obscure (and no, not just because I'm not with it enough to know what I'm hearing).

I liked the fireworks, though.

I am inspired to write now after just reading Joseph Pearce's piece "Slimy Limeys" at the St Austin Review Blog. He's certainly fired up!  Here are Joseph's fireworks for your edification:

Against my better judgement I watched the closing ceremony of the London Olympics last night. I was expecting the worst and it was even worse than I expected! The whole thing was a nasty and narcissistic celebration by the denizens of modern Britain of how wonderful it thinks it is. It was a debauched celebration of atheism and hedonism, including schoolchildren singing Lennon's atheistic anthem, Imagine, as hundreds of people came together to create a giant icon of Lennon's face. Lennon, the most ethno-masochistic and anti-Christian of the Beatles, had once claimed that the "Fab Four" were more popular than Jesus. Judging by last night's closing ceremony, he is right. Everything is more popular than Jesus in modern Britain. The Son of God is well and truly hated as is His Church. Anti-Catholicism reared its intolerant head during the ceremony as dozens of roller-skating women, dressed as nuns, cavorted across the stage, lifting their habits to reveal their underwear.

Another feature of the closing ceremony was the celebration of the homosexual lifestyle, demonstrated by the resurrection on the big screen of Freddie Mercury to lead the crowd in inane chants. There was also a performance by the leather-clad George Michael, sporting a skull on his belt buckle, symbolic of the culture of death of which he is a symbol. There was much more that was much worse but I don't have the stomach to continue with the litany of smut.

As an Englishman, I might have felt ashamed of such a spectacle. Instead I just felt as if my body had been covered with slime. I also felt a great sense of gratitude that I had shaken the smut and dirt from my sandals and had left the sordid culture of which I was once a part. Deo gratias!

As for the land of my birth, I am reminded of the words of C. S. Lewis who would have been as appalled by last night's spectacle as was I. In The Great Divorce, he wrote that in the end there are only two possibilities for each of us. We can either say to God, "Thy Will Be Done", or else God will ultimately say to us, "Thy will be done". Modern Britain has what it deserves; it has what it wants. The slow and tortuous decay of its barely living corpse will continue until it dies of self-abuse. Its passing will be a blessing.  

Mass of Ages

I was interviewed recently by Greg Murphy, the Editor of the Latin Mass Society's "Mass of Ages" magazine.  It has now appeared in their autumn edition. Click on the pictures to read or HERE to go to a PDF format.  It is for a short series on priests who blog.  Last time it was Fr Tim Finigan - so I am in good company!

Greg has only been the editor for just over a year but the magazine looks and feels much improved in his time there, so congratulations to him and to the LMS. I would strongly recommend that readers who do not already, should consider subscribing to this regular publication through their website.