Posted on 10/29/2005 3:00:24 PM PDT by Salvation
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Sunday, October 30, 2005 Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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October 30, 2005 Thirty-First Sunday of Ordinary Time
Today is the feast of St. Denis, bishop and martyr and companions and St. John Leonardi, priest. Their feasts are superceded by the Sunday liturgy.
Sunday Readings The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10. This reading states that this is a people who had wandered from the way of belief in God. The prophet chastises and threatens the priests of the temple. The second reading is from the first Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13. St. Paul is especially grateful that the Thessalonians received the word as from God, not men. The preacher of the word of God is well aware of his responsibility in proclaiming and preaching that word for he asks in the prayer before the gospel that the Lord will cleanse his heart and lips as he did Isaiah's for he is aware that it is God's word that is to be preached, not his own, or on his own terms. Excerpted from A Celebrants Guide to the New Sacramentary - A Cycle by Kevin W. Irwin The Gospel is from the Gospel of Matthew 23:1-12. As this picture of the Pharisees is painted by none other than Christ himself, we can have no doubt but that the description given is the truth and nothing but the truth. In spite of their great knowledge of "the law and the prophets"the divine revelation God had given to the Chosen Peopleand of their many strict observances of that law, they were not pleasing to God. All their good works and all their learning were spoiled by the vice of pride which made them seek earthly glory for themselves and prevented them from giving glory or thanks to God. Their religion was an empty external cloak which they used to attract attention and honor to themselves. Internally, they were so full of their own importance that there was no room for God in their hearts. Our divine Lord warned his disciples, and through them all of us, to avoid that pernicious vice of pride. It should not be hard for any true Christian to avoid this vice. We know that every material and spiritual talent we have has been given us by God, so we must give glory to God for any gifts we possess and not to ourselves. St. Paul reminds us of this fact when he asks us: "What have you that you have not received, and if you have received it why glory in it as if it were your own?" We owe everything we have to God and we should use all the gifts he has given us for his honor and glory, and for that purpose alone. Do we always do this? Are we never tempted to look down on our less fortunate brothers? If we have got on well in our temporal affairs do we attribute our success to our own skill and hard work or do we thank God for the opportunities he gave to us and not to others. If, aided by God's grace, we are keeping his commandments, do we show contempt for those who give in to temptations which we did not have to meet? The best of us can profit from an examination of conscience along these lines. If our external observance of the Christian rule of life is motivated solely by love and gratitude to God all is well. But if our hearts are far from God and our motives in our religious behavior is self-glorification, we are in a dangerous position. The sinners and harlots of Christ's day repented and were received into his kingdom; the Pharisees, unable to repent, were left outside. Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.
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Images of the Father |
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10/29/05 |
"Call no one on earth your father" (Mt 23:9). You might think that we priests "fathers" feel a little awkward every time we read these words. But not really. Because we are not to understand them in a slavishly literal sense. |
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Faith-sharing bump.
Prayers offered up for a safe Halloween celebration for all those celebrating: may all safety procedures be followed, no accidents, keep drunk drivers off the roads.
Exactly what I thought when I read it.
October 30, 2005 Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I (Malachi 1:14b-2:2b, 8-10)
Reading II (1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13)
Gospel (St. Matthew 23:1-12)
In the first reading today, God, speaking through His prophet Malachi, speaks to the priests and says to them, You have turned aside from the way I have taught you, and you have led many astray by your instructions. Therefore, I have made you contemptible before the people. Never before have these words been so true as they are now. What I have to say today is a tragedy, but it needs to be said because once again the bishops of the United States are trying to cause a scandal and to destroy our children. Parents need to be aware of what is going on.
Back in 2002, after the bishops very hastily put together something that they call Protecting Gods Children, the charter for protecting children from sexual abusers, one of the things that was put in there, and this is something that is certainly laudatory, is that they wanted to raise awareness of child sexual abuse in all of the dioceses of the United States. Well, they have just recently interpreted their document to determine that that means every single diocese in the United States is absolutely required to have programs that are going to raise this awareness. Again, by itself that sounds very good; however, there are two different elements to this thing.
The first part of it is something that all employees, as well as all volunteers who would work with children in any capacity, are required to take. We just did that last week under obedience from the archbishop, and what I can tell you is the program by itself was worthless enough. It was fairly innocuous, didnt say much, except for two points that really stuck out. Number one, they were presenting a series of myths regarding sexual abuse. One of the myths that they put up there was that homosexuals are more likely to commit child sexual abuse than heterosexuals. The reason they put that up there is because if you look at the numbers in America, first of all, remembering that only 2% of people in America call themselves homosexual (98% do not), they look at the numbers and they say, Look, these 98% of the people committed more crimes of sexual abuse than these 2%. That is true enough. However, if you look at the ratio of sex abuse crimes committed by the 2% as opposed to the 98%, there is no comparison. In fact, in the Church more than 85% of all the sexual abuse cases that have been pressed or come forward are homosexual. So it is a deceptive lie. Then they went on to say something else which really struck a chord in me; it said, Parents must monitor all programs that their children would be involved in. Well, I couldnt agree more, except that the program the bishops are forcing upon our children the parents are not allowed to monitor. That is the reason why I am here to speak against this, because you need to know for the sake of your children what is going on.
First of all, the bishops hired a woman by the name of Teresa Kettelkamp to be the head of this Protecting Gods Children program. Ms. Kettelkamp has affiliations with some pro-abortion movements and organizationsthe Feminist Majority, for instance. Ms. Kettelkamp claims that she is not pro-abortion, but at the same time she also claimed that she has never heard of or met a woman named Eleanor Smeal, who is the head of the Feminist Majority. But it is very interesting that if you looked on their website, Ms. Kettelkamp was on an advisory board for an arm of that particular organization, and she also received an award from that organization that is called the Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award. That is annually given by Eleanor Smeal at a banquet. So unless Ms. Smeal was sick or something that night, there is no possible way that Ms. Kettelkamp could not have known who she was and she certainly cannot claim that she has never met her.
This woman recently sent out a memo to every bishop in the country. In that memo she said that every single child in a Catholic school setting, whether that be the regular school or CCD, is required to take a Safe Touch Program. Now, mind you, this starts in kindergarten. There are only two groups of children who do not have to take it: number one, children who have had a similar program in a public school (Since when do we teach regarding sexuality exactly what they teach in the public school about sexuality?); and number two, the parents who will sign a form for the insurance company to opt out of this hideous program. Even if you decide to opt your children out of the program, of course they are going to come back into the classroom with a bunch of kids who have just been through the program and they are going to be affected by it anyway. But the reason why Ms. Kettelkamp tells us that every child in the Catholic schools is absolutely required to take this is because we cannot trust parents to teach their children these things because we know, she says, that some child abuse takes place in the home. Isnt it interesting that the reason this unfortunate thing was even started is because of all the child sexual abuse that has taken place in the Church, yet we are going to say that because a few occasions of child sexual abuse take place in the home we therefore are going to vilify all parents and we are going to say that we cannot trust parents to teach their kids. But we in the Churchwho have scandalized the whole world by what is going onwe can trust ourselves to teach our children what is good for them.
Well, I recently had an opportunity, much to my chagrin, to be able to see one of the books. This by itself was pretty astounding because as a parent if you want to monitor this program they will not let you. In the dioceses where such programs have been implemented, parents who have objected just tend to get pushed aside. If they continue to press then they show them a marketing book. Of course, they took everything offensive out of that particular book so the parents can look at that. And if you continue to push, reluctantly they will allow you to sit down in a principals office and look at the book that your five-year-old is looking at. I got to look at that book and it was disgusting. Keep in mind also before I say anything else that a number of the supplementary materials on the bishops list of books that the children should be looking at are approved by Planned Parenthood. At least four of the people on the Board of Directors for this program that we are being required to take that they call VIRTUS, which interestingly is a word that means truth, have some very, very unfortunate affiliations with Planned Parenthood organizations, or Planned Parenthood affiliated organizations, or SIECUS, which is a radical feminist pro-abortion group. Yet these are the ones who are telling us what our kids ought to be looking at.
In this particular book, which I will spare you the details, it began by having our five-year-old children, after looking at a line drawing of a bunch of nude people, turn the page and they have anatomically correct names for all of the genitalia and the children are to repeat these out loud three times. These are five-year-olds. I had to go back and call a friend of mine who is a nurse and say, Can you tell me what this word means? Ive never heard it before. But our five-year-olds are supposed to be repeating it. They claim that this is not a sex-ed course, but rather they say, This is a Safe Touch course. In one of the books, after repeating all of the vulgar words as well other things, the children then are to draw pictures on a silhouette of various body parts, although it says, Not the private ones. They just repeat the words for the private parts, but they dont have to draw those.
These things are nothing short of disgusting, and, if I may say, they completely violate the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Let me read to you from Paragraph No. 78 of the Vatican document called The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality:
It can be said that a child is in the stage described in John Paul IIs words as the years of innocence from about five years of age until pubertythe beginning of which can be set at the first signs of changes in the boy or girls body (the visible effect of an increased production of sexual hormones). This period of tranquility and serenity must never be disturbed by unnecessary information about sex. During those years, before any physical sexual development is evident, it is normal for the childs interests to turn to other aspects of life. The rudimentary instinctive sexuality of very small children has disappeared. Boys and girls of this age are not particularly interested in sexual problems, and they prefer to associate with children of their own sex. So as not to disturb this important natural phase of growth, parents will recognize that prudent formation in chaste love during this period should be indirect, in preparation for puberty, when direct information will be necessary.
The Church is very clear on a couple of points: number one, that during the innocent years of a childs life they are not to be assailed with all kinds of information regarding sexuality; number two, that it is not for a Catholic school to be teaching this filth. It is for parents to teach sexuality to their children, not for us to try to indoctrinate children in some Planned Parenthood idea of what sexuality is supposed to be. The bishops program has gone directly against what the Catholic Church teaches regarding sexuality itself. It makes it entirely base and disgusting rather than something which is exalted, holy, and beautiful.
In this program that we had to go through, I raised my hand and pointed out a few of these things. The man who was facilitating it did a reasonable enough job, other than the fact that he did not even know the name of the program; but beyond that, when I asked the questions, he refused to answer them and he just kept saying, This program is only for adults, that is, the program we were taking as adults. When I said, I know that. Im talking about the one that is being forced on the children in school, he kept saying, No, this program is only for adults. Then when finally pushed, he said, No, its up to each individual parish to decide whether or not they are going to have this program, and even from there it is up to the individual teacher to decide what words to use that would be appropriate to the children. That is directly contrary to what Ms. Kettelkamp has told the bishops. Beyond that, thanks be to God, the pastor of this parish stood up and very courageously said in front of everybody, This program will not be implemented in the Saint Agnes School. Thanks be to God, at least we will not have to worry about it here, but you need to tell your friends because it will be implemented in almost every school throughout the United States.
In case you think that I am speaking completely out of turn, I am going to read to you a few questions about this program that Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, Oregon has written. Bishop Vasa is a very interesting man because in this case he is a member of the Bishops Committee on Protecting Gods Children. So this is not just some renegade bishop out there who thinks this is stupid. This is somebody who is a member of their own committee and he is refusing to allow this program to be implemented in his diocese. Let me read to you the questions that Bishop Vasa asked:
Are such programs effective? Do such programs impose an unduly burdensome responsibility on very young children to protect themselves rather than insisting that parents take such training and take on the primary responsibility for protecting their children? Where do these programs come from? Is it true that Planned Parenthood has a hand in or at least a huge influence on many of them? Is it true that other groups, actively promoting early sexual activity for children, promote these programs in association with their own perverse agendas? Do such programs involve, even tangentially, the sexualization of children, which is precisely a part of the societal evil we are striving to combat? Does such a program invade the Church-guaranteed right of parents over the education of their children in sexual matters? Do I have the right to mandate such programs and demand that parents sign a document proving that they choose to exercise their right not to have their child involved? Do such programs introduce children to sex-related issues at age-inappropriate times? Would such programs generate a fruitful spiritual harvest? Would unsatisfactory answers to any of the questions above give sufficient reason to resist such programs?
Then he goes on to say:
There are many concerned parents who have indicated to me that the answers to all of these questions are unsatisfactory. If this is true, do these multiple problematic answers provide sufficient reason to resist the charter interpretation? At very least, even the possible unsatisfactory answers to any of the questions above leaves me unwilling and possibly even unable to expose the children of the diocese to harm under the guise of trying to protect them from harm.
That, thanks be to God, is a man who has his head screwed on straight. When we are making a five-year-old child responsible for his or her own protection rather than the parents being responsible for that, when we are taking away the God-given right of parents to teach their children regarding sexuality and taking it on ourselves, when we are telling parents to monitor the program but not allowing them to do so, there is something seriously wrong with this program. It is time that parents stand up, plant their feet firmly on the ground, and say, No. This is especially necessary for the fathers because it is your job especially to protect your children. You cannot allow them to be brainwashed and to be violated by things that are inappropriate for these little children to hear and to see. This is not what the Church is supposed to be doing, and yet this is being forced down the throat of every single child who has any affiliation with a Catholic school in this country. It is time that we stand up and simply say, NO.
* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.
SIECUS, I'm still trying to find out whether our tax dollars fund this organization or not.
Sunday, October 30, 2005 Meditation Matthew 23:1-12 Here are some unsettling questions: Am I happy to help others without being praised? Am I content when my good deeds go unnoticed? Are there ways that I give only lip service to my beliefs? As uncomfortable as such a question-and-answer session may be, it can reveal attitudes that Jesus wants to heal so that we can know his presence more powerfully. Jesus warned his disciples not to imitate those scribes and Pharisees who didnt put their own teachings into practice yet expected everyone else to do so (Matthew 23:3-4). He reproached them for performing all their deeds to be seen by others, and for taking pride in their positions and in public honors (23:5-7). They seem to have thought that the gifts and responsibilities God had given them came from themselves and not from a gracious and generous Father. Whats worse, they were using these heavenly gifts to intimidate their fellow Jews. In trying to overcome this kind of pride ourselves, we should not assume that God wants us to hold a negative view of ourselves. He actually delights in our achievements. He even wants us to take pride in thembut not in a way that steals from him. Its good to be pleased with our work and proud of our abilities. But when we begin to act as if weve accomplished things on our own, without Gods grace, or to think that our gifts make us better than other people, we need to remember Pauls admonition: What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift? (1 Corinthians 4:7). Today at Mass, offer yourself and your gifts to the Lord. Let him teach you how to use them in a way that gives him glory and advances his kingdom. Let him teach you the way to godly pride. Lord, everything I have comes from you. My talents, my abilities, even my desire to serve youall are your gifts to me. I place myself in your hands. Have your way with me, and fulfill your purposes through me. Malachi 1:142:2,8-10; Psalm 131:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9,13 |
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Off to check out that link on priests.
I can't access the link in post #11.
I was just quoting a line from the reading...and making a comment.
It can be applied to today's priests.
OK, understood.
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