[father_elijah]

This is a draft. I pray this be helpful.

[father_elijah]

Bump

[Orual]

8. Ask the Holy Father to restore the prayer “St. Michael the Archangel” to the close of every Mass.

I didn't realize that the Novus Ordo had removed the prayer to St. Michael at the end of Mass, too. How sad for them.

I would add one more item to your list:

14. Define as anathema all the changes made to the liturgy and the Church at Vatican II. Erase forever the Protestanized English Mass, get rid of altar girls, throw away that stupid table that replaced the altar as the center of adoration, no dancing, no guitars, no laymen on the altar, forbid Communion in the hand, no pop tunes - blot out forever of all those insults and the hundreds more that did nothing but produce a bland and souless Novus Ordo and restore the dignity and sanctity of the Catholic Church as it was before the liberal elements within the Church destroyed it.

[chit*chat]

It is my belief that those who know and do not speak/act on behalf of Christ will be judged more harshly than those who sin. c*c

[Diago]

This looks good. I'll be back to review it more closely later. When you get your final draft let me know, and I'll e-mail it out to some folks.

[Vince Ferrer]

Good suggestions, but unfortunately those are suggestions for someone else to do, leaving us with sitting around and hoping things will get better. Your title is "What can we do?" I think now is the time to get heavily involved in the life of your parish. Volunteer to be on any commitee, fill any position. If you don't like the music, you can change it by being one of the musicians. If you don't like where the money is being spent, be on the committee that spends it. Priests, even unorthodox ones, are busy, and rely on lay people to do much of the work in the church.

[ventana]

Prayerful, thankful, bump. V's wife.

[B Knotts]

7. Ask the Holy Father to suspend the US National Conference of Catholic Bishops and to appoint either a triumvirate to clean house or an Inquisitor General to root out evil and liberate the Church in the USA from error and crime.

I agree, but I shudder to think of the field day the media would have with the appointment of an "Inquisitor."

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

Thank you for this reasoned post. I think, as the tawdry flood of news has broken I have been forced to come face to face with a terrible realization--that I have actually lost my faith in the existence of God and in the possibilities of Western Civilization. The idea of the Church--that is, the remembrance of the Church as passed down by my ancestors, was the last hiding place for me. It was the last cultural refuge.

I really don't think the "Vatican II People" understand how devastating the act of stripping our rituals of their aesthetic heritage has been for us "post-Vatican II People" who are struggling with our faith. (Or maybe they understand all too well!!) The idea of "god" as fashioned by the Catholic Church down through the ages, and adorned with unmatchable musical, artistic, intellectual and architectural expression, was the best IDEA for a god ever imagined. I can't begin to express how the smashing of this tradition has hastened the loss of faith for many people. When the struggle came there was no ancient ritual to fall back upon for support.

The Mass, as it is currently "presented" in many parishes out in the "sticks" is an unbearable aesthetic affront. It amuses me (grimly) when I see pasty-faced old nuns being interviewed on TV asserting that Catholics don't attend Mass because they want to see women as Priests.

And don't get me started on the "music". To anyone with any muscial taste the thing that passes for music in most Churches it is an abomination. It is so bad that it makes me mad. It literally drives a person--whose faith is already in tatters--out the back door.

Also, don't get me started on the sheer insipidity of many priests in the pulpit. I know the crisis right now is about their abusive homosexuality. But the insipidity is also a terrible thing to behold. In most pulpits the priests could put on black face and do a fine imitation of Oprah.

Well, it's pointless to keep whining. And, I believe hopeless. The Church heirarchy has adopted the same suicidal cultural position as the Western Elite in general. For the political and economic Elite I can shrug my shoulders and survive on bitter wise-cracks from the sidelines. But, for some reason, my rage against the Church heirarchy knows no bounds. I think it has something to do with the fact that my parents died last year. And the memory of my grandparents and all of my great aunts and uncles and the way they practiced and lived their faith. The University heads (oh god, don't get me started on THAT subject) Bishops, Cardinals, yes, and the Pope have all spat upon their graves and made a mockery of their intelligent faithfulness.

As I said I appreciate your reasoned words. But I can't help fantasizing about using an old bull whip we've preserved from the family's first cattle ranch in this country on one of the "enabling" Bishops or Cardinals. Driving them out into the streets bloody and screaming while I utter some medieval incantation. ( But they'd probably enjoy it too much.)

Anyway, if there is a god, I'm glad he allowed my parents to pass away before the full force of this corruption hit the news. That's the first time all year I've been able to think that. It's one hell of a way to find comfort......

[DreamWeaver]

Bump

For later reading

[marbren]

Believe in Jesus, he is faithful. Understand that the church, any church, is full of unreliable sinners. Jesus is who we believe not the church.

[LJLucido]

I'm not Catholic, but I'm encouraged that faithful Catholics care enough to defend their Church and to exert pressure for reform. You have my sincere prayers and best wishes in your efforts.

[NYer]

Great post, father. Here's one more request I would like to see added.

Ask the Holy Father that churches be required to restore the Tabernacle back to its proper location, in the center of the altar.

In my parish, the Tabernacle sits off on the side while the priest sits front and center. I personally spend most of my mass time focused on that Tabernacle and the flickering flame above it, a reminder of Christ's presence amongst us. He is the love of my life and no prelate should be allowed to upstage Him.

May God bless you in your work here on FP.

[Jmouse007]

Prayers, lamentations and calls for "cleansing" are not going to solve the problem. The problem revolves around two separate issues. It rests with the fact that the corrupt and nefarious RC leadership which perpetrated the problem refuse to do the proper and honorable thing by resigning their positions. Instead THEY remain in charge of dealing with the problem!

Examples = Law and Eagan, et al. KNOWINGLY hid the problem of priests raping and sodomizing boys from the church community at large and from the legal authorities while allowing the perpetrators to continue in their perverse and damning activities by just moving them to another parish.

Instead of cleaning up it's act, what does the "church" do now that it is in the open? It keeps these aiders and abettors in positions of power with the approval of the pope (*note the pope made no call for them or others involved to step down or be removed from their leadership positions, only words of supposed "sorrow' and regret over what he knew has been taking place all along! They assist in the rape of hundreds, perhaps thousands of boys and they are now going to see that the church cleans up it's act? They assure their flock that who better than they, should stay and lead through this "dark" time. What a load of manure. This is the reason why many (except for those blindly loyal, no matter what the charge)are calling into question the supposed qualifications of these individuals to continue in positions of leadership.

Many within the church are tainted by unwavering loyalty to church dogma, rather than the Word of God. The second half of the coin/problem rests squarely with the issue of the RC doctrine concerning celibacy. God's Word is clear regarding the issue of marriage and the end times:

1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.

4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;

5 for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. (2Tim.4:1-5)

God says marriage is good and that those who FORBID it are teaching doctrines of demons (I didn't say it, God did. So don't blame me or accuse me of "catholic bashing". If you have a problem, take it up with God, because He wrote the rule book not me). This results in what has been happening within the priesthood. Men who have God-given sexual desires, who have been forbidden by the church of Rome to fulfill them within the God-given role of marriage are exercising those desires through sodomy and the raping of boys. Through this doctrine the church has sown wind and reaped a whirlwind of sin, immorality, spiritual, emotional personal and financial destruction. Those are the facts. As for the man made doctrine of celibacy, according to the Apostle Paul, the Apostles, EVEN the Apostle Peter certainly didn't follow it:

"Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?" 1Cor. 9:5

While there may have been discussions on the topic of celibacy within the Church of Rome early on, up until 1000 years ago priests could marry! But the church implemented "celibacy" as a direct means of making sure that church property didn't end up in the hands of priest’s sons. It was a property issue NOT a spirituality issue. It should also be noted that if a married minister was to convert to RC and become a priest, under RC law, he could stay married! Yes he would undergo a probationary period, and granted if his wife were to die RC dogma says he can't re-marry, but he can serve as an RC priest and be married. Talk about a double standard. But that is what happens when you teach the traditions of man as the doctrines of God. These are the facts, but many within RC feel threatened and fall back on blind loyalty to the supposed perfection of the pope and the supposed glory and grace of the priesthood of the RC church.

Law and Eagan (along with numerous others) are corrupt and should go. Don't blame the media, yes they are snakes but all they are doing is reporting the facts long hidden by the church. The problem does NOT lie with the media or someone else. The problem rests with them as well as the sodomite priests and those priest who have been raping children and getting away with it with the approval of their leaders through their choice of moving them around rather than reporting them to the authorities.

You asked the question "what should we do?" The answer is simple, allow priests to marry, throw out the homosexuals and pedophiles and get rid of leaders like Law and Eagan. It is time for them and others involved to be shown the door.

Unfortunately, none of this is going to happen, they are powerful men, in love with their positions of power. If the church were to act to get rid of them and end the unscriptural doctrine of celibacy then of necessity the act would show that the church and it's leader are NOT infallible. That is a truth and price it is unwilling to admit or pay, mores the pity.

Dr. S

[grumpster-dumpster]

Bump to myself for later comment (maybe). Thanks for posting this "draft."

[Conservative til I die]

Sounds OK to me. As long as you didn't include some stupidity like "Allow married priests" or "Ordain female priestesses."

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

I agree about requiring pro-abortion politicians to recant or face expulsion. This should have been done a long time ago.

[Pyro7480]

8. Ask the Holy Father to restore the prayer “St. Michael the Archangel” to the close of every Mass.

Sir, I don't know if you've heard about this, but Pope John Paul II came very close to this. I got this excerpt off this website: Arlington Catholic Herald. All we need to do is get him to make it mandatory. I recently rediscovered the traditional pre-Vatican II strong devotions to St. Michael and St. Joseph (at a college Catholic oratory/chapel no less!) and have been praying the Rosary more often too. I hope these traditions can help overcome my personal weaknesses, through the intercession of these saints, to God, in the Everlasting Trinity.

The Prayer to St. Michael

---

By Fr. William Saunders
^{HERALD Columnist}

Why has almost every Catholic Church in Northern Virginia suddenly acquired a statue of St. Michael and suddenly added the prayer to him as part of the Mass? Was this an edict handed down from the Bishop? -- A Reader in Alexandria

St. Michael the Archangel, whose name means, "one who is like God," led the army of angels who cast Satan and the rebellious angels into hell; at the end of time, he will wield the sword of justice to separate the righteous from the evil (cf. Rv 12:7ff).

The early Church Fathers recognized the importance of the angels and archangels, particularly St. Michael. Theodoret of Cyr (393-466) in his Interpretation of Daniel wrote, "We are taught that each one of us is entrusted to the care of an individual angel to guard and protect us, and to deliver us from the snares of evil demons. Archangels are entrusted with the tasks of guarding nations, as the Blessed Moses taught, and with those remarks the Blessed Daniel is in accord; for he himself speaks of ‘the chief of the Kingdom of the Persians,’ and a little later of the ‘chief of the Greeks,’ while he calls Michael the chief of Israel.’" The Church Fathers would also posit that St. Michael stood guard at the gate of paradise after Adam and Eve had been banished, and he was the angel through whom God published the Ten Commandments, who blocked the passage of Balaam (Number 22:20ff), and who destroyed the army of Sennacherib (2 Chronicles 32:21).

St. Basil and other Greek Fathers ranked St. Michael as the Prince of all the Angels. With the rise scholasticism and the exposition of the "nine choirs of angels," some said St. Michael was the prince of the Seraphim, the first of the choirs. (However, St. Thomas Aquinas assigned St. Michael as the prince of the last choir, the angels.)

St. Michael the Archangel has been invoked for protection on various occasions. In 590, a great plague struck Rome. Pope St. Gregory the Great led a procession through the streets as an act of penance, seeking the forgiveness of and atoning for sin. At the tomb of Hadrian (now Castle Sant’ Angelo near St. Peter’s Basilica), St. Michael appeared and sheathed his sword, indicating the end of the plague. The Holy Father later built a chapel at the top of the tomb and to this day an large statue of St. Michael rests there.

Therefore, in our Catholic tradition, St. Michael has four duties: (1) To continue to wage battle against Satan and the other fallen angels; (2) to save the souls of the faithful from the power of Satan especially at the hour of death; (3) to protect the People of God, both the Jews of the Old Covenant and the Christians of the New Covenant; and (4) finally to lead the souls of the departed from this life and present them to our Lord for the particular judgment, and at the end of time, for the final judgment. For these reasons, Christian iconography depicts St. Michael as a knight-warrior, wearing battle armor, and wielding a sword or spear, while standing triumphantly on a serpent or other representation of Satan. Sometimes he is depicted holding the scales of justice or the Book of Life, both symbols of the last judgment.

As Catholics, we have remembered through our liturgical rites the important role of St. Michael in defending us against Satan and the powers of evil. An ancient offertory chant in the Mass for the Dead attested to these duties: "Lord, Jesus Christ, King of Glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful departed from the pains of Hell and from the deep pit; deliver them from the mouth of the lion that Hell may not swallow them up and that they may not fall into darkness, but my the standard-bearer Michael conduct them into the holy light, which thou didst promise of old to Abraham and his seed. We offer to thee, Lord, sacrifices and prayers; do thou receive them in behalf of those souls whom we commemorate this day. Grant them, Lord, to pass from death to that life which thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to his seed."

In the Tridentine Mass since the 1200s, St. Michael was invoked in the Confiteor, along with the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptizer, and Saints Peter and Paul; the invocation of these saints inspired the faithful to remember the call to holiness and the sinlessness of the Church Triumphant in Heaven.

For the greater part of this century, the faithful recited the prayer to St. Michael at the end of the Mass. Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903) had a prophetic vision of the coming century of sorrow and war. After celebrating Mass, the Holy Father was conferring with his cardinals. Suddenly, he fell to the floor. The cardinals immediately called for a doctor. No pulse was detected, and the Holy Father was feared dead. Just as suddenly, Pope Leo awoke and said, "What a horrible picture I was permitted to see!" In this vision, God gave Satan the choice of one century in which to do his worst work against the Church. The devil chose the twentieth century. So moved was the Holy Father from this vision that he composed the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel: "St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle! Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into Hell Satan and all the other evil spirits who roam about the world seeking the ruin of souls." Pope Leo ordered this prayer said at the conclusion of Mass in 1886. (When Pope Paul VI issued the Novus Ordo of the Mass in 1968, the prayer to St. Michael and reading of the "last gospel" at the end of the Mass were suppressed.)

Finally, St. Michael figures prominently in the Rite of Exorcism, particularly in the case of diabolical infestation of places. Here the priest prays: "Most glorious Prince of Heavenly Army, Holy Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle against the princes and powers and rulers of darkness in this world, against the spiritual iniquities of those former angels. Come to the help of man whom God make in his own image and whom he bought from the tyranny of Satan at a great price. The Church venerates you as her custodian and patron. The Lord confided to your care all the souls of those redeemed, so that you would lead them to happiness in Heaven. Pray to the God of peace that he crush Satan under our feet; so that Satan no longer be able to hold men captive and thus injure the Church. Offer our prayers to the Most High God, so that His mercies be given us soon. Make captive that Animal, that Ancient serpent, which is enemy and Evil Spirit, and reduce it to everlasting nothingness, so that it no longer seduce the nations."

In the Spring of 1994, our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, urged the faithful to offer the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel. He also made the strong suggestion that the recitation of the prayer be instituted at Mass once again. (Note that the Holy Father did not mandate the recitation of the prayer at Mass.) Clearly, the Holy Father was responding to the grave evils we see present in our world — the sins of abortion, euthanasia, terrorism, genocide, and the like. As we approach the millennium, Satan and the other fallen angels are doing their best to lead souls to Hell. We need the help of St. Michael! For this reason, many parishes have erected a shrine in St. Michael’s honor or offer the prayer at the end of Mass or after the petitions.

Fr. Saunders is dean of the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College and pastor of Queen of Apostles Parish, both in Alexandria.

Copyright ©1998 Arlington Catholic Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

[BlackElk]

Bump

[eleni121]

As a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church, I grieve also for the difficult time the RC Church is living through at this time of attacks on Christianity all over the world (has it ever ceased?)

It couldn't have come at a worse time...and yet it seems to me that the spirit of Christ is guiding this latest struggle within the RC Church as well as many other branches of Christianity. The EO Church (in particular the Greek Orthodox) went through a similar upheaval several years ago and survived.

[Salvation]

Stations of the Cross?