Daily Prayer for Priest O my Jesus, I beg You on behalf of the whole Church ... give us holy priests. You yourself maintain them in holiness.
O Divine and Great High Priest, may the power of Your mercy accompany them everywhere and protect them from the devil's traps and snares, which are continually being set for the souls of priests.
May the power of Your Mercy, O Lord, shatter and bring the naught all that might tarnish the sanctity of priest, for You can do all things. - St. Faustina (Diary, 1052)
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The Gates Of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against It!
Father Frank Pavone-The need to end abortion is our world’s first obligation at the moment, because nothing takes more lives, and no right other than life itself is more necessary to secure if all our other rights are to be preserved.
The war against the unborn can only ultimately be stopped by and through the Church. When we mobilize the Church, when we fully activate and encourage the Body of Christ to use the natural and supernatural gifts given to us to overcome the Culture of Death, then victory will be achieved.
Imagine the vast structure of the Catholic Church. In the United States alone, we have nearly 19,000 parishes, 8,000 schools, and over 41,000 priests. Each diocese and parish has means of communication with the people they serve on a daily basis. Just from a natural, sociological point of view, this is a vast network of interaction and communication, geared precisely to helping people love God and neighbor. Imagine what can happen if our priests infuse that vast structure with clear, vigorous, and compassionate pro-life teaching and action.
The Church is the only institution that has a Divine guarantee that it will prevail over the culture of death. “The gates of hell will not prevail against it,” the Lord said (Mt.16:18). In a battle, a gate does not go into the battlefield to attack the enemy; rather, it stands still to defend the city against the attack of the enemy. It is the Church that is on the offensive against the gates of hell. Those gates cannot withstand the power of heaven. The gates of death fall in the presence of eternal life. Sin melts in the presence of saving grace. Falsehood collapses in the presence of living truth.
To fully exercise those gifts and apply those tools to the specific problem of abortion, therefore, does not so much require more structure as it does more spirit, more awareness, more courage, and more determination to use both the means and the opportunities we already have.
We will win; after all, it’s an unequal praying field.
Fr. Michael Rodriguez whose column from the El Paso Times we posted earlier, gets rebuked by his Bishop. This is a difficult situation for us at Courageous Priest, because we will not attack our priests. However, we will post when a priest calls out a fellow priest for legitimate doctrinal or theological errors. Read this as you will quickly see our dilemma, where Fr. Rodriguez gets rebuked by his bishop.
- Thankfully Fr. Z did his usual commentary with his emphases and comments.
Bishop Armando X. Ochoa: Catholic Church advocates compassion
By Bishop Armando X. Ochoa Guest columnist
Posted: 08/22/2010 12:00:00 AM MDT
As Bishop of the Diocese of El Paso and chief teacher of our local church,[Which means, rightly, that Fr. R is not...] I would like to share some pastoralreflections [NB "pastoral"] on certain issues that are important for the well-being of all God’s people.
First of all, I would like to state that previous columns claiming to speak for Catholic Doctrine were the personal opinions of individuals and do not necessarily express the belief of the Catholic Church. [Right. The opinions of Fr. R do not, of necessity, express the belief of the Catholic Church. But, do Fr. R’s view by chance coincide with the Church’s teaching? Let’s review. Abortion is murder of an unborn human being. CHECK. Homosexual actsare objectively sinful. CHECK.]
[But here is new information…] I continue to pray for peace along our region and offer my condolences to the families on both sides of the border who have lost loved ones to the ongoing unrest. [There is a lot of tension in El Paso.] I am also concerned for the families who have had to leave everything behind to escape the violence in Ciudad Juárez. It is my ongoing prayer that our two border cities can work closer to build a more peace-filled community. [So, the bishop is situating Fr. R’s comments in the context of the region’s tension. Fr. R’s comments were addressed to all Catholics, and therefore most of the Latio community. The bishops implication is that Fr. R’s comments have made that tension worse. I don’t know whether that is the case or not, but it is clearly the bishop’s concern.]
The Church has been unmistakable about its consistent defense of the unborn. It continues to call every Catholic and person of good will [Fr. R also addressed all Catholics but he did not speak explicitly about non-Catholics who are people of good will.] to understand the Church’s teaching on the death penalty and other end-of-life issues. Every child has a right to life.
Likewise, the Church is a supporter of the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. These teachings come from a tradition that wants to promote the good of society. [Not just "from a tradition". If I am not mistaken, they come from God, and from God to us through both tradition and reason in light of the natural law. But pay attention…] My concern in writing this reflection is not to change these teachings, [quod Deus avertat]but to offer a more pastoral understanding in dealing with them. [There is that "pastoral" again.]
When we talk about abortion and homosexuality, we are talking about human beings dealing with all kinds of concerns and unresolved challenges. Our Church does not want to simply judge and condemn, but first to offer Christ’s love and compassion. God’s first and primary law is love and how love of others is at the same time our love for God. [Okay. This is so. At the same time, when Jesus saved and then forgave the woman caught in adultery, He admonished her to sin no more. It is also a work of mercy, a dimension of compassion, both to admonish the sinner and instruct the ignorant. It may be – and this is just supposition on my part – that many Catholic and non-Catholic alike, have never heard some of the things Fr. R wrote expressed with that sort of stark clarity. Is it possible that stark clarity can also be a tool of the compassion His Excellency affirms?]
As Church we want to journey with everyone as they search for meaning in their lives. [This is the language most people are used to hearing and reading.] We believe that Christ offers this meaning. The use [wait for it…] ofharsh words of condemnation is not the approach Christ invites us to havetoward one another. Intolerance closes the door to learning and deeper understanding of each other. [Let’s pick this fine and correct statement up and turn it about and examine it from all sides. What popped into my mind as I read this were the Lord’s harsh words in Matthew 23. Surely the Lord was not lacking in compassion even as he verbally thrashed the Pharisees with the truth. St. Paul, invoking the meekness of Christ, in 2 Cor 10-13 doesn’t mince words about those who have sinned and have been admonished more than once. Was it a lack of compassion that drove virtually every single Father of the Church to use scathing invective when defending the Regula Fidei and Tradition? Have Popes who issued stern condemnations and anathemas throughout the Church’s entire history been without compassion? Was there a dearth of compassion at the Second Vatican Council when the Council Fathers stated in Lumen gentium 14 that people who reject the Church, knowing that it is the Church Christ founded,cannot be saved, or when they taught in Gaudium et spes 51 that abortion is an unspeakable crime? In every one of these examples, there were high tensions in the community. I am not disagreeing with His Excellency, mind you. I am musing to myself about what constitutes "pastoral" and "compassion". At the same time I am thanking God that I am not now nor ever will be a bishop, who actually has to make decisions about this dilemma.]
Furthermore, it leads to divisiveness within the body of Christ. [cf. Matthew 10:34.] It is time for us to learn how to work with each other, even when and if we disagree. Too many people have suffered because of a profound lack of compassion and a perceived arrogant intolerance.
Recently, in our scriptural readings, we have seen that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land after the exodus, they encountered the Canaanites, whom they considered to be a sinful race which was to be exterminated. This mind-set persisted until the time of Christ. [But Christ and the Apostles, and the Fathers, and Popes down through history somehow kept using hard language. Did they fail to understand something about being "pastoral"? Pope John XXIII at the time of the Council said that he wanted the Church to shift her style of teaching. Fine. But see my examples of the Council’s teaching, above. There were still moments for blunt language.]
With his arrival, he indicated that this outlook was no longer to be held by his followers. Jesus’ own response to the marginalized was always one of love. He constantly preached that love is not exclusively for those who are dear to us. He proclaimed that we must love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. [To the marginalized, yes! Look how he treated the lepers and the blind and lame and diseased and widows and Samaritans and some public sinners. He was gentleness itself with some public sinners. But not all public sinners. I cite: ""Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness." ]
Our love for others is to be like his own, all inclusive. Every individual is made in the image and likeness of God and for this reason all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
God is the judge of our lives, and we are called to spread his Gospel of compassion and justice. [Were Fr. R’s comments in his op-ed unjust?] While it is important to offer a teaching on human sexuality which may not be popular in modern society, the Church, nonetheless, upholds that each person be treated with dignity and respect. [QUERY: Does that mean that we never say that a sin is a sin?]
I urge all of our pastoral agents to reach out to individuals with a homosexual orientation and their families with compassion. This can be done without compromising Church teaching in any way because our pastoral care demands no less from us.
The Most Reverend Armando X. Ochoa, D.D., is Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso
- Please only charitable comments about the Bishop and let’s promise to pray for this situation.
- How do you think Fr. Z handled this situation?
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Thank you and God bless you.
Denver, CO (CNA) edited for length- At a recent film event in Denver that explored the topic of violence in movies, Archbishop Charles Chaput weighed in on the issue, telling CNA that he believes violence to be appropriate in film only if it’s the kind “that teaches us not to be violent.”
 Archbishop Charles J. Chaput CNA caught up with Archbishop Chaput following the event, who explained the significance behind his decision in taking time from his schedule and attending a relatively small, independent film seminar.
“I chose to participate because I think that it’s important for the Church to be involved in the culture and in the broader society and I think movies are hugely influential,” the Denver prelate said.
“So I jumped at the opportunity to speak, just so the Church would have a face here,” he added, “but also to meet the community that gathers for this kind of discussion because I think it has a huge impact on our culture and I think it’s important for them to know that the Church is both interested and aware of what’s going on.”
CNA then asked Archbishop Chaput if violence is ever contextually appropriate in film or if it is gratuitous in all instances.
“I think the only kind of violence that’s good in movies is the violence that teaches us not to be violent,” he underscored. “I think sometimes that graphic violence can demonstrate how damaging violence is.”
War movies, for instance, “really teach us that war is always horrible and always to be avoided,” he noted.
Archbishop Chaput then cited the example of an earlier clip shown from the movie “The Godfather,” where scenes that show a mob boss attending a baptism and repeating the vows are juxtaposed with images of the mob boss’ enemies being ruthlessly killed at his behest.
“’The Godfather’ violence demonstrates hypocrisy and how people can say one thing and lead entirely different lives,” the archbishop said. “When you’re confronted with that in such a graphic way, it makes you look at the hypocrisy in your own life.”
The prelate added a caveat, however, saying that violence in film “always has to be the kind of violence that educates us on the ugliness and damage” of violence in real life.
Archbishop Chaput also spoke on his own love of film and earlier aspirations as a young boy to be a stunt man when he grew up. He then commented on the gifting and potential influence for the good those in the movie industry have.
To “those who are involved,” in the industry, he noted, “I congratulate them and bless them and I hope that they really will use their talents to make sure that film is transformative of society in a good way.”
Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s President-Elect Was Refused the Nomination After Questions About His Open Dissent Concerning His Living Relationship
By Jesse Bogan and Tim Townsend, St. Louis Post Dispatch (edited for length)- A board member of a Catholic nonprofit organization who was told he could not become board president because he is gay is trying to rally support to modify the group’s rules.
Jeffrey Goldone, who has been a vice president on the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of St. Louis board of directors for five years, was nominated for president in May. He accepted the nomination but was dropped from the running several weeks later.
“I was told that I could not run for president because my living relationship goes against Catholic moral teaching,” which could bring ‘shame and embarrassment” to the society, Goldone wrote in a Aug. 2 letter addressed to “fellow Vincentians.”
Goldone has been in a relationship with his partner for 20 years.
“We are truly blessed by God to have each other and to have Jesus Christ in our lives. How could we be the source of ‘shame and embarrassment?’ ” he wrote.
“We believe that active gay men and women bring a multitude of talents and abilities to our society that are to be shared with all, especially those who are in need,” Goldone states.
The petition quotes the rules as saying, “Vincentians oppose discrimination of all kinds and work to change the attitudes of those who view the weak or those who are different with prejudice, fear or scorn, attitudes which gravely wound the dignity of others.”
On the other hand, a section of the rules states that the “Society recognizes the right and duty of the diocesan bishop to confirm that none of its activities is contrary to Catholic faith or morals.”
Goldone, when contacted by the Post-Dispatch, said the rules are “in conflict with each other, and I want them to be within agreement of each other.”
Goldone took his concerns to Carlson and met with him.
 Archbishop Robert Carlson Ronald Guz, the outgoing board president, said the organization didn’t make the decision, but rather “the Catholic church did” in its teachings.
Archbishop Carlson, in a statement to the Post-Dispatch, said: “The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has a regulation that members running for president live a life according to church teaching. I clarified what church teaching is in the matter of homosexuality.”
The catechism of the Roman Catholic Church labels homosexual acts as “acts of grave depravity” and “intrinsically disordered” because they “close the sexual act to the gift of life.”
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of St. Louis is part of a lay organization that spans 140 countries. Its national headquarters is in St. Louis. The organization is affiliated with the Congregation of the Mission, a Catholic order founded by St. Vincent de Paul and commonly called the Vincentians.
Goldstone points out that he has volunteered countless hours and helped raise money for the last several years. His petition argues that it is “inexcusable” that he was allowed to serve as vice president and in other roles, yet be denied the chance to serve as board president because of his lifestyle.
“If the organization is truly a Christian organization, it must not discriminate against anyone,” the petition says.
Can you please take a second and leave a comment? Did Archbishop Carlson do the right thing?
My Dear People,
 The Assumption of Our Lady is a stark reminder of what our life was meant to be before the fall of Adam and Eve. Our first parents enjoyed a complete and perfect union with their Creator. It was “sin-free”. There were no barriers between God and them. Then entered sin. The devil knew what he was doing when he temped Eve. Her desperate need to know, led her down the wrong path. Once there, she included Adam. And so the account goes in the Bible.
Now the New Eve, Mary, and the New Adam, Jesus, repair the breach between the Lord and us. Mary was sin-free from her conception until her Assumption into Heaven. Her perfect YES (Fiat) opens the door to our restoration with the Father. This “Fiat” opens the gateway for the birth of Our Saviour, God the Father knew what He was doing when He kept Mary free from all sin and corruption. Our Lady remained in complete union with the Holy Trinity. She was conceived and died in the total peace. And so we celebrate this feast of Mary being brought body and soul into eternity. It is a reminder of where we were suppose to be. She prepares the way of the Lord for us. Stay close to Mary and She will always lead you to Her Son.
Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark Bozada
Like our Blessed Mother, may we say “YES” to what God calls us to do. Always remembering that God is doing great things for us.
My Dear People,
Paying attention to the signs of the times has never been more important than right now. We are watching history unfold before our very eyes. As Catholics, our vision needs to include Sacred Scripture, and the Holy Tradition intimately connected to the Bible. Without this corrected to the Bible. Without this corrected vision, we might miss the importance of world and history unfolding rapidly in His own day.
 Fr. Mark Bozada with his Godson, John Paul In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us another parable about “readiness”. The welcome the Master’s return. A good steward is always exercising the gifts of the holy Spirit within the framework of his/her vocation. God’s expects payment from the gifts given and Baptism and Confirmation. And so, as we draw closer each day to Our Lord’s Second Coming, wise stewards will be sober and awake. We cannot get drunk in the obsessions and cares of this world. We must be alert and ready to welcome Jesus, whether on our deathbed, or otherwise. Stay vigilant. Pray, Pray, Pray.
Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark Bozada
May we be always be awake and ready to welcome the Lord when He returns.
Who Else Wants To Keep Track of Fr. Mark Bozada?
We do at Courageous Priest! You can follow Father Bozada by simply entering your main email address on the top right hand side and then confirming the request in your email box. Please don’t forget this important step. 30 seconds, that’s it. By doing so you will get the latest, not only from Father Bozada, but also from all of his courageous counterparts, like Archbishop Burke, Archbishop Chaput and Fr. John Corapi. If you need some technical assistance go here.
Do you want to know why Michael Brown of Spiritdaily did a featured article on our courageous priest? Then read his article, The “veil” is “thinning.” – Father Mark Bozada
Here are some more post from Father Bozada.
What’s At Stake is Our Cultural Sanity and Viability!
Bishop Thomas Olmsted-Living in an age of relativism and one marked by sound-bite triviality rather than thoughtful reasoning, such labeling of opposing opinions as “hang ups” may come across as persuasive to some. But if looked at logically, and especially if seen from the perspective of God’s plan for marriage revealed in the first chapters of the Bible (as well as from the perspective of natural law), it comes off as absurd and only nominally rational.
What is at stake here is cultural sanity and viability. Defending the clear nature and purpose of marriage is not discrimination against homosexual persons. Why did God create both men and women, not just one sex? Is it merely accidental that one is born either a woman or a man? Is femininity or masculinity of little import? Does it not matter if a child grows up with no mother but two fathers? Does the pandemic of cultural ills born of father-less-ness in so many of our homes teach us nothing? Is it really all that difficult to fathom that God had a plan for marriage, which He wove into the very fabric of human nature? This plan is so deeply embedded in our human nature that every culture in history has recognized it and enshrined and protected it in law and custom. Marriage being exclusively between a man and a woman was not an idea created by these cultures but, rather, a truth received by them as something handed down from a higher authority.
Is ours an enlightened age that is wiser than previous ones? Are activist judges helping us finally to rise up and overthrow the “hang ups” of billions of people who have gone before us and to free us from the shackles of religion? Or is another explanation not possible: that these activist judges are products of the ideology of the sexual revolution who are now imposing their ideology upon our society?
Courage in taking up the Cross
We need to again recall the key distinction, when considering homosexuality, between the homosexual inclination on the one hand and homosexual acts on the other. Whoever engages in homosexual acts commits serious sin, as both the Old Testament and New Testament teach (Cf. Genesis 19:1-29, Romans 1:18-32, I Timothy 1:10) and as Christian Tradition has consistently affirmed (Cf. Catechism, #2357). However, persons with homosexual inclinations but who do not engage in homosexual acts are not guilty of sin at all. No more or less than other persons, Christ calls them to holiness of life, inviting them as He invites us all to take up our cross each day and follow after Him. All who follow Christ are given the grace to live the virtue of chastity; and they can joyfully do so with a clean heart.
Love and truth go hand-in-hand. Everyone who experiences true love knows this — we want those we love to know the truth. As Catholics, we want to love people authentically and not in a mediocre way that would ignore dangers in a person’s life out of a shallow concern for political correctness. We need never worry that speaking the truth clearly and charitably is a violation of love.
Both Church teaching and the study of reality, the natural law, show that homosexuality is an objective disorder — that is, it does not correspond to the God-given reality of the sexually differentiated human being. Therefore, to condone the homosexual lifestyle is never a move in favor of a person’s true happiness. Moreover, to change the legal and societal definition of the fundamental institution of marriage in order to suit an adult sexual preference is a selfish and irresponsible corruption of the truth. The truth is that the reason why the state cannot redefine marriage is because it never defined it in the first place; it is a truth received, not created. It is God who defined marriage. For the state to redefine marriage will certainly have a negative impact on love, especially for children, who suffer most when marriage is weakened.
Upholding the truth about marriage
We have great need to rediscover the good news of God’s plan for marriage; and we need to resist in the public square all efforts to label this plan as a “hang up” of the past. Labeling homosexual “marriage” as “a right” is not an enlightened idea of the 21st century. It is a novel form of a resurrected falsehood from more than 2,000 years ago. It will not stand the test of time, just as it cannot withstand popular opinion now.
In every state in our nation where this issue has been put to a vote of the people (31 of the 50), traditional marriage has won. It is only some activist judges, exercising raw judicial power over and against the will of the people, who have pushed their agenda of so-called “homosexual marriage” on the people.
The Lord calls us to love our enemies and to pray for their conversion. Let us do that. He calls us to affirm the human dignity of every human person, including those who struggle with homosexual tendencies. We gladly do that. He also gives us the grace and responsibility to stand up for the truth in the public square, especially the truth about the fundamental institution of society, marriage. Let us do this with courage and compassion, while speaking the truth in love. Let us keep in mind the words of our Savior: Do not be afraid; I am with you always.
DEBUNKED! ! !
Msgr. Charles M. Mangan & Father Gerald E. Murray – Homiletic & Pastoral Review – These brave priests give 14 reasons why a priest chooses not to wear his collar and then debunk them. This is a follow-up post to 23 Reasons Why A Priest Should Wear His Collar.
 Fr. Richard McBrien - "My Roman collar is my television uniform. You don't see the apostles with Roman collars on. It's a custom. "
- “I need time for myself.” Priests, of course, need time for themselves, especially for prayer. Yet, a priest is a priest – always. Apart from the times noted in the introduction (recreation, vacation, etc.), there is no need to dress as a layman. The priest should take his personal time as a priest and nothing else.
- “I want to relax.” We make a big mistake when we equate wearing the collar with not being relaxed, and relaxing with being out of the collar. The naturalness of the priest should include wearing the collar without constantly averting to it. We should go about our daily duties, which include relaxing, without feeling uncomfortable about our priestly garb. It should become second nature to us.
- “My ministerial and personal lives are separate.” To have a “split personality” is never healthy. No priest can temporarily put his priesthood on the shelf. To hide one’s priesthood may often be symptomatic of a desire to engage in something sinful, or – at the very least – disedifying.
- “I need diversion.” If you mean the type of diversion that you would be ashamed to be seen enjoying while in a collar, then forget the diversion, not the collar.
- “Those who always wear their collars are insecure and seek to hide behind their uniforms.” The Roman collar is hardly a work uniform which is removed at the end of one’s day. Rather, the tried and true wisdom of the Church has determined that such garb best represents who the priest is. The collar is the established manner in which ordained ministers live out their ecclesial vocations both in the private and public spheres. True, some may think themselves better because of what they wear. But the collar and habit should not be dismissed out-of-hand on that basis. Priests and religious are weak and tempted. Wearing the appropriate clothing can strengthen those who totter on the brink of grave sin. On the other hand, those who do not want to appear in public as they really are seem to be suffering from a type of insecurity.
- “I do not want to stand out in a crowd.” This is part of the glory and at times the sacrifice of being God’s chosen servant: priests stand out not because of their own accomplishments or merits, but because they represent Jesus Christ. Priests are different, but not thereby strange.
- “The Roman collar erects a barrier between me and my people.” Some priests have publicly stated such. (For example, a priest-tribunal official and another priest involved in ecumenical work both asserted the necessity of not wearing the Roman collar for fear that they would insult non-Catholics and those hostile to Church teaching.) Could it be that some think that what the collar signifies – Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church, the priesthood – are obstacles? Priests must relate to others as priests, never in spite of being priests.
- “I can’t be one of the guys when I am ‘dressed up.”‘ To which we answer, “Good, because a priest is never just one of the guys.” Furthermore, wearing the collar is not “dressing up.” Rather, a priest wearing lay clothing (apart from legitimate exceptions) is himself constantly dressing up as someone he is not.
- “I don’t want to offend non-Catholics or be provocative in our pluralistic society.” Some took offense at Jesus as he walked the streets of Palestine. Are we trying to be “nicer” than he? Are we perhaps afraid to suffer for the sake of his name?
- “Clerical clothing is for a clerical Church – I believe in the radical equality of all believers.” There is no such thing as a clerical Church which will pass away. There is just one Church, and the priesthood is a constitutive part of the Church which cannot be abolished. The equality of all believers does not contradict the diversity of vocations and states of life in the Church. For priests to self-exempt themselves from one of the duties of priestly life – the wearing of the Roman collar – is a form of clericalism which denies the faithful their right to know who their priests are in order to call upon them for priestly ministrations whenever necessary.
- “My work with young people is hampered by the collar.” Many priests attest that their ministry to youth is enhanced, not hindered, by the wearing of the collar. Young men and women cannot help but detect the priest’s love for and dedication to the Lord and the Church. Since there is no reason for the priest to demonstrate that “I’m just like you” (because he is not) the priest can be content to wear his collar when around young people, knowing that he has nothing to prove or hide. He need only show the love and compassion of the Savior.
- “Clothes do not make the man – the people of God can see my priesthood by the way I live, not by the way I dress.” This statement as it stands is true. But the legitimate, Church-sanctioned vesture of the priest does not somehow mask who he is; instead, it highlights that he is indeed a priest who is required by the Church to dress accordingly as he seeks to imitate the First Priest.
- “External symbols are not my thing – I am who I am, not what other people want me to be.” Exactly. As priests, we should be priests and happily, humbly give that clear message to others. When collars were quickly taken off a few decades ago, the common argument proclaimed was: “What’s really important is what’s inside me . . . I don’t need an article of clothing to define my priesthood.” Our lives should unabashedly display these characteristics; otherwise, we might be simply seeking our own interests and not Christ’s. We use symbols all the time, and need not be embarrassed by them. To obediently and humbly wear the collar expresses one’s submission to the authority of God and his Holy Church.
- “Priests who always wear the Roman collar are rigid, arch-conservative, inflexible, elitist, vain and selfish attention-seekers. I am not one of them.” The assertion is made that priests who dress as priests possess an unhealthy desire to be continually needed and recognized; they only wear the collar for adulation and to “lord it over” the laity; they are looking for “clergy discounts” and “freebies” at stores and restaurants. That is an unfair assessment of men who are trying to live as the Church mandates. The collar should mean a simplicity of life and a corresponding humility before Almighty God. For a priest to say, “I’m not like those poor guys who wear this Tridentine-imposed relic of clericalism,” is perhaps a means of easing his conscience when it rebukes him for not doing what the Church demands of her ministers.
Source: Msgr. Charles M. Mangan & Father Gerald E. Murray. “Why a priest should wear his Roman collar.” Homiletic & Pastoral Review (June, 1995).
THE AUTHORS
Msgr. Charles M. Mangan has been appointed by His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, to a position serving the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Ordained in 1989, Msgr. Mangan formerly served the Diocese of Sioux Falls in several parishes.
Father Gerald E. Murray is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and was ordained in 1984 after completing studies at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, N. Y. Currently he is studying canon law at the Gregorian University in Rome.
Why Does Your Priest Choose Not Wear Their Collar?
Please Leave Your Thoughts.
Father James Farfaglia (Read Entire Article here) - The summer following the tragic events of September 11, I took the time to visit New York City and “ground-zero” during my home visit to Binghamton, NY.
As we got off of the subway and walked towards “ground-zero”, I quickly began to perceive the horrific suffering of the innocent and the heroic. Hundreds of people lined up along the fences to look, to pray, to remember and to cry.
As I gazed upon the craters where the towers once rested, the infamous iron cross, the American flag proudly flying in the gentle breeze and the countless memorials erected along the surrounding sidewalks, I reflected upon the fundamental questions of human existence. Who am I? What is the purpose of life? What happens when this life comes to an end?
In light of these questions, is the salvation of your soul worth more than the home that you live in, the school that your children attend, the size of your portfolio or the car that you drive?
Let us recall words from this Sunday’s Old Testament reading: “Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1: 2).
World Trade Center, symbol of economic power and prosperity, was snuffed out in a short span of time. All of the fallen faced their creator without their home, their education, their investments or their car.
For the fallen, this life had ended and eternity began. But for the millions that remain, it seems that for the majority, life goes on unchanged by the apocalyptic events of September 11. The fundamental questions are never asked and no desire for transcendence occurs.
Atheism causes disbelief in God. Nevertheless, the atheist is usually passionate about an ideological cause. Secularism is different. It suffocates the soul and kills it. The secularist is only interested in the here and now. The desire for eternal life is converted into passion for money, sports, entertainment, pleasure, and fame.
As we read this Sunday’s second reading from Saint Paul, we are reminded how to find meaning in life, establish a hierarchy of values and place priorities in the things of eternity. “If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3: 1-3).
As I contemplated the large empty craters that once gave support to the Twin Towers, I recalled the familiar words of Ash Wednesday. “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”. These words tie in perfectly to the words that we pray in this weekend’s responsorial psalm: “You turn man back to dust, saying, ‘Return, O children of men’. For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night” (Psalm 90: 3-5).
As a Catholic priest I have often seen death close at hand. For almost twenty years, I have prayed at the side of little babies, children, teenagers, adults in their prime, and adults in the twilight of their lives as they died. Death comes at any age.
No matter how many advances science may bring to our contemporary world, no one will ever be able to keep people from dying. Dying is a part of life. It is part of our earthly existence.
When we were little children we learned the simple, yet profound truth from our catechism lessons about our existence. Why did God make me? God made me to know him, to love him, to serve him in this world and to be happy with him in everlasting life. Here lies the plain truth about our life on earth. We will not be here forever.
Life is like a bus ride. We move forward with our bags packed, hoping that when the bus stops and the door opens, we will be at the right location. We must remember the fundamental truth of Revelation: eternity consists of three states: heaven, purgatory and hell. To deny the existence of purgatory and hell is to deny Christianity. To tell people that everyone is going to heaven is to deprive them of the truth. It is a lie to tell people that everyone is saved. Moreover, when people accept this lie, the very lie may even endanger their eternal salvation because they will no longer be using the necessary means of salvation in order to gain eternal life.
“Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator” (Colossians 3: 5-10).
One day each of us will stand before God for judgment. We will stand before God without a lawyer, without family and friends to support us. We will stand alone before Almighty God. Each day could be our last day on earth. We should each ask ourselves today, if I were to die today, how would God judge me? Is there any particular sin, attachment, or attitude that might be an obstacle to my eternal salvation? Rather than becoming sad when we consider our own death, the reality of leaving this life and facing God for judgment should lead us to continual conversion.
Let us remember the words from this Sunday’s gospel passage: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (Luke 12: 15).
My Dear People,
Are There U-Haul Trucks in Heaven?
There is a television program that deals primarily with people who “hoard”. They can never get enough of anything, and so they buy and buy and buy, things that are not needed. It is a real sickness. Why are some people so compulsive when it comes to material goods? Jesus asks this question in the Gospel this Sunday. Jesus says, “The things you have stored, to whom will they belong after you die?” There are no U-HAUL trucks in Heaven. A casket can only hold our mortal remains. So why are we so obsessed with having “more” things? Perhaps the answer can be found in the quality of our relationship with Christ.
When Jesus called His Apostles and disciples, He required that they leave all “things” behind in order to follow Him. “The birds of the air have nests and the foxes have dens, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” The cure for “hoarding” and obsession for goods lies our need to get reconnected to Jesus Christ. Prayer and fasting is the quickest way that leads to Him. Become rich in the sight of God, and know His great love for you.
Entrusting you to the care of Our Lady,
Fr. Mark Bozada
May we learn to see the difference between the simple things we need and the many things we want.
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