Controversy and the New Missal

I am feeling a bit unsettled this afternoon. I was in the book center just in time for a kind of debate on the new missal. The gentleman (who has clearly been reading the wrong magazines!) expressed his dissatisfaction with the upcoming translation says he has heard only negative things from priests, some of whom have even said that they would not want to celebrate Mass in public once the new Missal is in use (a sad statement, to be sure)...  Obviously, it's a matter of the circles one travels in; I have mostly come across priests who are glad that the richer texts are going to be implemented soon, even though it's going to be quite a challenge for the celebrant, since most of the changes affect them directly. Our visitor's main issue is with the way the new translation will affect the words of consecration.

It's true. The consecration itself has been retranslated. And not for the first time, given that we are talking about words that Jesus originally said in Aramaic, and that have come to us in two slightly different versions. Starting this Advent, we will hear that the "chalice" contains "the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins..."
What gives? Didn't Jesus die for everyone? Are we being exclusive here?

Actually, in my talks on the Mass, this is one of the crucial areas that I look at, and it is the poster child for Sister Anne's Liturgical Language Postulate: "When a word or phrase in the liturgy makes one look up and scratch one's head in puzzlement, one can take this as an indication of the biblical or otherwise ancient provenance of said word or phrase." In other words, unexpected phrases are probably from the Bible (or at least the Fathers of the Church). That we look up in puzzlement is a sign of how little we really know the Scriptures and how they guide the way we pray.

So, "the many."

We know Jesus died for everyone; that's a dogma of faith, so it's certainly not being challenged in any way. Where does this "many" come from?

Actually, Pope Benedict's new book looks at just this phrase. He notes that it comes to us most directly from the Gospel itself: Jesus, at the Last Supper, probably used the Aramaic term. But in doing so, Jesus was himself quoting the Bible! The famous Suffering Servant of Isaiah would "give his life as an offering for many and win pardon for their offenses."  In the context, Pope Benedict tells us, that "many" most likely meant "all Israel," "the whole people Israel." Only as the Gospel began to be received by "all the nations" did the early Church recognize a fuller meaning to that "many."

But wait, there's more! Pope Benedict also refers in passing (but with a nod of approval) to a contemporary scholar's suggestion that there is a "sacramental" angle to the term; that the words in the consecration most directly refer to the blood of the Covenant, which will be "poured out" from the Chalice for the "many" who will drink from it in Holy Communion. Clearly, here we do have a restricted meaning: Christ died for all, but "all" do not receive him in Holy Communion, though "many" truly do. 

And as we are sent out from that Holy Communion to share the Gospel with the world, it is for us to do our part that more and more of that "all" join the "many" at the altar. That's what evangelization is.

New Missal

Okay, so far the indications are that unedited audio from my talks on the new Missal would be better than waiting (months) for a more polished presentation. So... you still have to wait a while.
To make the wait easier to endure, here are two sites where you can see (and hear) what the new Missal will be like. (It will have its own musical settings for chanted liturgies.) What an impressive amount of work went into preparing these free resources for us!
Corpus Christi Watershed : video showing the notation while a voice sings the chants for the Order of the Mass. Corpus Christi Watershed is a non-profit in support of Catholic artists. 
ICEL's music page for the musical notation of practically the whole missal. ICEL was the group that did the grunt work on the new translation.

I was in Milwaukee last night, giving a talk on the Liturgy of the Word. I've been attempting to record my talks, in the hopes of making them available online. I just don't know when I would have the time to edit them. (More work?!) Would you be interested in "raw" recordings of talks on the Mass? Or should I really attempt to edit them a bit?
I have two more talks for the series at St. Josaphat's; it's been a lot of fun. (Plus, I am listening to "Jesus of Nazareth" vol. 2 on the long drive, so the weekly trek has been intellectually and spiritually enriching!)
Meanwhile, I have been reflecting on a homily I heard yesterday at St. Peter's. Father Bob Pawell focused on the "little people" in the first reading; the unimportant ones in society were actually the ones who carried the story of Naaman forward from beginning to end! And I thought what a good idea that was for spiritual reading: to look at the "little" people in a Bible passage and not just the "major players."

A "clean" bill of health

We welcomed Sr Lusia home yesterday after more than three months of cancer surgery, treatments, etc. So far, the doctors have given her a clean bill of health, and she is determined to do her part to keep it that way.
Today's readings are about a "clean" bill of health, too! Actually, Naaman the Syrian is one of my favorite biblical characters. I think I just like his unvarnished honesty. When the prophet told him to just bathe seven times in the Jordan to be healed of leprosy,  he did not hide his disgust. What a stupid suggestion! Bathe in the Jordan?! A Syrian with any sense of pride wouldn't even consider that a river. No, Naaman did not seek cleansing of his leprosy from a mere bath: he expected grandiose gestures, maybe some incantations... the whole prophetic package.
So, it would seem, did the people of Nazareth. The local boy who stood up to do the reading that Sabbath day was so...ordinary. And there he was, proclaiming that the Scriptures they had just heard (from the visionary prophet Isaiah, now there was a man of God!), were fulfilled in their very hearing, right before their eyes.
Naaman and the people of Nazareth faced a stumbling block because of their expectations.
I find the same thing happening to me more often than I'd like to admit.

The question is not whether expectations are good or bad in themselves, but whether our expectations are valid. If they are, then rejection of a purported message (or messenger) is appropriate. Our expectations (or standards) should help us recognize the truth, recognize true worth. But what if our criteria themselves are faulty? Where do our expectations come from? What is their basis? What do they presume is the "good" we are looking for? Lent is the perfect season to examine our expectations.

Sad to say for our sense of theatrics, God is not ashamed to work through ordinary and unglamorous means. He doesn't always measure up to our expectations.

Ecce Ancilla: Ecce Homo

Today's the great Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. (What a fabulous title!) It's the day of the "Behold the handmaid of the Lord" (Ecce ancilla Domini), but also the dawn of the "Behold the Man" ("Ecce Homo"), because it is the day the eternal Word took on the human nature he retains forever.
One person who doesn't get a lot of attention today, but who really deserves it, is St. Joseph. Even though "the Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary," and it was she who "conceived of the Holy Spirit," Joseph's life was also being changed forever by what happened--only he didn't find out about it right away.

That happens with us, too, doesn't it? Something done by someone else, in another place, may have a profound and lasting impact on us, but we may not come to know about it. We go on, day by day, unaware that things are no longer what we thought they were. All along, something new had entered in. Most frequently and most significantly on this earth, this is the experience of fathers--which  makes today's feast particularly suitable for praying for the fathers of newly-conceived children.

Today is also the day of my annual "Angelus Project" campaign to promote the praying of the Angelus three times a day as the Catholic "call to prayer." Just this week I read yet another study* showing how far American Catholics are from a deep understanding of what the Church teaches, and how it is based on Divine Revelation. If we could restore the practice of the Angelus, three times a day remembering the core of our faith and three times a day taking Mary's response as our own, I think we could transform the face of Catholicism.

*Later in the day...
See here for an interesting peek inside the agenda-driven funding for that "study."  A bit of a relief to realize that it wasn't a genuine study after all.

Is Lent a "Joyful" Season?

There's a bit of a running joke in our community about Lent. Some sisters love everything about it. And then there's Sister Helena. For her, Lent itself is a penance. And it is particularly galling that one of the Lenten Prefaces (that long prayer the priest says leading up to the "Holy, Holy, Holy") has us pray, "Each year you give us this joyful season..."
You know, that didn't sound quite right to me, either. Happily (!), this will be the last year we call Lent a "joyful season." In the new Roman Missal, the (more literal) translation of that same Preface, we thank God "for by your gracious gift each year your faithful await the sacred paschal feasts with the joy of minds made pure, so that, more eagerly intent on prayer and on the works of charity, and participating in the mysteries by which they have been reborn, they may be led to the fulness of grace that you bestow on your sons and daughters. And so, with all the angels..."
That's not to say that there isn't a "sober joy" to the season, but it's in its effects, not in the season itself!
Sr. Helena stands vindicated.

Ranked with the best!

One of the greatest delights of my life at present lives almost a thousand miles away from here. She is two years old, and her name is Leah.
If Leah sees her mom or grandmother (my sister) on the phone, she assumes they are talking with me: "I want to talk to Aunt Anne." 7 of my 8 saved voice mails are of her precious little voice saying little more than "Hi, Aunt Anne." (She is my great-niece; so far, the one and only of that generation in our family.) Listening to one of those saved messages is a sure cure when I'm feeling overwhelmed by the piles of stuff in my office, although the mess remains...
She saw my picture on the fridge, and clutched it like a treasure. When I am in town, she runs toward me and wraps her chubby arms around my knees. Once in a while I am blest to be near the computer on my sister's baby-sitting day and we visit by Skype, and Leah presses her face so close to the computer screen that all I can see is the top of her head.
What did I do to merit such devotion? I had no idea...until on my last visit with Leah I was introduced to the Madeline books.
I owe it all to Miss Clavel.

Well, maybe not "all" of it. Leah's other grandmother takes her to Church, and has clearly introduced the Virgin Mary as "Jesus' Mommy," and my sister has a statue of Our Lady in the backyard.
For two-year-old Leah, I seem to be the incarnation of those two formidable blue-veiled women. It's a bit daunting to think about, but I'm mighty glad to be ranked with them at least in the mind (and heart) of a little child.

How do you "use" movies?

Here's an interesting reflection from a Tribune columnist about disaster and war movies. I was struck by the comment by a Columbia College film professor who said, "disaster movies are essentially biblical stories.... nature wipes out the sinners and the ones who remain are redeemed."
Reading it, I was reminded of something I learned while stationed in Rome in a very international little community. Though four of the sisters were Italian, two of them were missionaries on a sabbatical. In total, the community had come together from Italy, Portugal, France, Congo, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and the U.S. (The Malaysian sister who was supposed to be in our community ended up with a complicated fracture--so we visited her in the hospital.)
My room was near the living room, and one of the sisters used to watch TV quite late. The sound effects were barely muffled by the thin walls, and the movies generally seemed quite violent. This troubled me. As Daughters of St. Paul, we're supposed to be offering reparation for the misuse of the media, and I couldn't see how watching violent programs fit in with that. So I asked the sister about it.
This sister was the missionary from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At least, that was the most recent name given by the nation's leaders. Until just a short time before our year together, it was still "Zaire." Sister had been stationed in Kinshasa when civil war broke out. The community used to barricade themselves on the upper floor every night during the bombardments, dressing in as many layers of pants as they could in order to thwart would-be rapists. In the morning, they would sweep pieces of mortar shells off of the rooftop terrace and place them in a bowl in from of Our Lady's statue. They saw indescribable atrocities happen in the streets right outside their convent. When some stability came, and sister was able to return to Italy for retreat and a bit of recovery, she found that in some inexplicable way, movies depicting war, fighting and disaster helped undo some of the trauma she had undergone in real life. I know of another sister who found that Steve McQueen  movies helped her work through the traumas of her past. I loved that nun, but I couldn't stand sharing movie nights with her! (Not that I am a movie person, myself; for me, movies are just an excuse to crochet or eat popcorn.)
What kind of movie watcher are you? Do you "use" movies?

Measure for Measure

I noticed something about today's Gospel, Jesus' teaching, "Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned....give and it shall be given to you, full measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over..."
Even though it seems common currency to think of God in terms of judgment and condemnation (or, as one snarky blogger put it, as the cosmic "sheriff"), Jesus' words indicate that those are human actions that recoil on the self-appointed judge measure for measure. Those "shalt nots" do not correspond to divine qualities (Jesus himself said, "The Father judges no one" and "I will not be the one to condemn you"), but the positive injunctions do: God pardons, God forgives--and God does that according to God's own measure, which is to say, in unmeasured abundance.

Japan update

We've been able to get news from our sisters in Sendai, Japan, whose lives were so drastically disrupted by the earthquake last week. The sisters (all of advanced age) are safe, and they still have a place to live, although it is a shambles. (They live uphill, so the tsunami did not reach them.) They and their neighbors are sharing the rice and canned food they have on hand. The Sendai book center is a wreck, but that didn't stop one of the sisters from going down and attempting to establish some order in the place! (Having something to do is almost a necessity in a time of chaos.)
The Pauline website has two video prayer services, and downloadable resources for prayer and for helping children face disaster; these can be found on the page with the news.

Until March 25, PBM is offering the Healing Psalms and Prayers app for free.  Visit the iTunes app store  to download. If the app brings you peace, kindly consider posting a review in the iTunes store.

To help the sisters in Sendai, click here.

Bits and Pieces

Happy St. Joseph's Day! May the head of the Holy Family provide for your needs, sell your house...  in a word, provide for your needs, both material and (above all) spiritual.
It's also the Holy Father's "name day" (his baptismal name is Joseph), so here's a prayer to St. Joseph, patron of the Church, adapted by one by our Founder:

St. Joseph, protector of the universal Church,
look kindly upon the Pope, the bishops, the clergy, the religious and laity. Pray for the sanctification of all.
The Church is the fruit of the blood of Jesus, your foster Son. We entrust to you our prayers for the spread of the Church, for her freedom, for her unity.  Defend her from errors, from evil and from the powers of hell as you once saved the threatened life of Jesus from the hands of Herod.
May the desire of Jesus come true: "That there be one fold under one shepherd."

And on to the tidbits:

This is encouraging! Our mission, seen (and lauded) by someone outside the community...

I'll be "outside" today, myself giving my third talk at St. Paul's Parish in Joliet after the 4:30 Mass. Tonight's topic: the Eucharistic Prayer. Then on Monday, it's back to Milwaukee (St. Josaphat's Basilica) for my second talk in the series on the Mass.

How is your parish preparing for the new Roman Missal? I heard of a family from one midwestern diocese (which shall go unnamed) where members working in parish and diocesan offices didn't have a clue that something new was coming. Has that been the case for you?

Raqa

Today's Gospel has that untranslated (and possibly untranslatable) epithet "raqa" in a prominent place. It's clearly an insult, whatever the specific meaning. And Jesus says that using it can set us up for judgment. 
Today I learned that one of the Franciscans at St. Peter's found himself on the receiving end of someone's translation of raqa: immigrant pig. I don't know what the circumstances were; Father doesn't wear his habit on the street, so it could have happened in any "chance" encounter. Whoever threw that insult at him probably didn't realize that the pig in question is an American citizen, though he was born elsewhere. What if that person is a Catholic? The immigrant pig may be on the other side of the altar at Mass on Sunday. "Judgment" in either case doesn't have to be eternal: I suspect that the speaker would find him/herself judged simply by learning the fuller truth about the immigrant pig they encountered on a spring day in Chicago.
"Raqa" may not be in our vocabulary, but we all have our preferred ways of dissing or dismissing someone. Lent is a good time for noticing that, and beginning to learn the fuller truth about the people we tend to write off.

Up for laughs

In the past weeks, two major religious groups have been on the receiving end of one or the other sharply-edged comedic barbs.  Trey Parker and Matt Stone's musical “The Book of Mormon” is playing on Broadway. According to the “South Park” duo, the Mormon community is not a target, but a “vessel or vehicle” of social commentary. Given the cartoon's reputation, I actually believe that. (Not that I'm tempted to buy a ticket to a musical that depends on vulgarity to keep things on pace.)

Meanwhile, in TV-land, Bill Maher had some fun of his own, repurposing a lay Catholic movement's “Come Home to the Catholic Church” video spots to tar every priest in the world with the brush of pedophilia. You can't exactly say that this Ash Wednesday spoof was “social commentary”: I did an Internet search for “Bill Maher hates Catholic church” that yielded 1.4 million hits. (The man is in my prayers.)

It can be a fine line that separates humor from ridicule. The deciding factor isn't how it is received, but how where it came from.

Here in Chicago, one of the longest-running shows in history is set in a Catholic school classroom. “Sister” is still in charge at “Late Nite Catechism” and its spin-offs. Sometimes older Catholics who haven't seen it express the fear that it sets “da nuns” up for ridicule, but the improv routine never goes that (cheap) route. The show's creators have even taken a special interest in raising money ($2 million so far) for the retirement needs of the Catholic school teachers whose legendary idealism and strictness inspired the schtick in the first place. (Chicagoans: Mark your calendars now for the May 28 performance of "Sunday School Cinema"--a fund raiser for our documentary film project!)

As long as our religious communities are having an impact on society, we can expect to provoke interest, exasperation and … humor, both within and without. As St Teresa of Avila, the 16th century Spanish mystic, is said to have remarked, “Lord, preserve us from sorry saints!”

Chicago Tribune inviting religion to the table

The Chicago Tribune is valiantly giving the religious community the opportunity to reflect on current issues and events. Naturally, though, if they don't find readers, we can expect less and less of the same: which news organization in today's culture has extra resources to invest in items of little interest? So if you have any opinions or convictions in areas like the Defense of Marriage Act, conditions in Israel or Palestine, the death penalty or other moral and ethical areas of society, frequent the site and make your own voice heard! Whether you agree with the contributor or not, why not share the link with others and invite their input, too? The Holy Father wants us to engage in conversation; that is why the Pontifical Council for Culture is inaugurating its own "Courtyard of the Gentiles."
My own biggest challenge as a sometime-contributor to the Tribune's blog is making sure that I know at least something of what I dare to write about, because any time we write (or comment) as Catholics, readers presume we are informed Catholics. They may even take what we throw out in an offhand way as the official stance of the entire Catholic Church! And since so many Tribune readers may already be alienated by the Church's little-understood teachings, I usually send in my posts with a good measure of fear and trembling, lest I misrepresent the Church. (I am so glad that Robert Barron is one of the other Catholic bloggers for this page!)

Getting a little context

Today's "Jonah" readings sent me to my bible for "the rest of the story." Instead, I got an interesting perspective on the Gospel: the verse before today's Gospel is: "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it."
Like the people of Nineveh.

It's Catholic Media Promotion Day!

Don't beware the ides of March! It's a brand new day with a brand new name: Catholic Media Promotion Day! Here's how to observe it:

1. On March 15, 2011, everyone with a blog, podcast, or Facebook page should list their favorite 3 blogs, 3 podcasts, 3 other media, 3 random Catholic things online, and their own projects.
2. Then, post the link to your list on March 15th on the special Facebook page created for the occasion.
3. Additionally, to help get the word out, press are asked to write articles and press releases for this day.
4. Lastly, on March 15th, go to iTunes and leave at least 3 positive written reviews for various Catholic podcasts and 3 positive written reviews for Catholic mobile applications*.

So, in observance of this First Ever Catholic Media Promotion Day, in fulfillment of part 1, as a Catholic blogger I would like to highlight:

3 favorite blogs
This is hard; I have a whole subsection of bookmarks on my browser titled "Great Catholic Writing."

1. Jennifer Fulwiler's Conversion Diary The best of the Catholic mommy bloggers.
2. The Dutchman's FestungArnulfinger (An interesting Chicago convert to Catholicism, via socialism--which he still strongly identifies with--"Dutch" posts infrequently, but with insight and ironic accuracy.)
3. Courageman: A D.C. Catholic man who writes honestly about issues affecting his life as a person who is committed to his baptismal pursuit of holiness, while struggling with same-sex attraction. Not a frequent blogger, and certainly not PG material, but profoundly insightful.

3 top podcasts
Confession here. I hardly ever listen to podcasts on a regular basis. But here are a few I can recommend, even though I am only a random listener:

1. Word on Fire Father Robert Barron's video commentaries. Do we have a more articulate, engaging and informed spokesperson today for the Catholic Church in America?
2. Among Women with Pat Gohn
3. Here's a new one, focusing on Catholic liturgy and coming from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in collaboration with the University of Dayton. Or maybe the other way around. I think they are still finding their voice, but the content is what counts: Beyond the Words, with Emily Strand. 

3 "other media"

1. NET NY TV: for the Diocese of Brooklyn's quality programming.
2. Pope John Paul's Theology of the Body talks. Yes, it's a book, but that's still media, right? And media with a track record of changing history, which TOB is surely meant to do, in the Holy Spirit's grand design. (The link lets you see inside the book.)
3. The "State of Grace" albums by Paul Schwarz. You'll find them in the "New Age" section of your music store, but they're built on the solid rock of ancient Church music (mostly). I find the "Magnificat" tracks of Vol. 2 wonderful for prayer. (Of course, it helps if you know at least a little Latin!)

3 Random Catholic things online
Right now, honestly? Resources on the new Roman Missal: 

1.


2.


and 3, this medicine for the human soul (10 million views so far!). (It's "Catholic" because it's such a celebration of the gift of human life.)


My own projects

First off, the Singing Sisters Channel on YouTube, where you'll find videos from our recording studio, snippets from our Christmas concerts and Sr Julia's "Best Catholic Books" video book reviews. The Daughters of St. Paul Choir also has a Facebook page (see the sidebar and us!); I manage that along with Sr. Sean and Sr. Tracey. (It's a soprano plan to conquer the world!)

A few specialized video channels on ustream.tv: Theology of the Body (our monthly online study group, led by Fr. Thomas Loya, also has a matching blog where you can find links to the study group's chat transcript and notes); Catholic Faith and Life (random Catholic instruction and spirituality); Pauline Spirit (news and reflections specifically related to our community); Discernment.

As if one blog wasn't enough: Paulines in the Loop (news and info from our downtown Chicago bookstore); The Angelus Project (a static page devoted to resources promoting the praying of the Angelus, our three-times-daily Catholic "call to prayer"); plus, I maintain Sr Julia's "Best Catholic Books" blog, too (there she is in my Mom's living room).

You can also find me on Twitter and Plurk; I'm the only "nunblogger" there.

On the road

I'm off to Milwaukee today, to begin a series of Monday night talks on the new Missal (at St. Josaphat's Basilica). If you are in that area, join me there at 5:30 tonight for soup and 6:30 for the talk.
Meanwhile, all weekend I have been engaged in a running comments-box conversation with someone who has a pitifully narrow conception of salvation. (And of God, too? It sure seems like it.) You might want to join in.

Catholic Media: share the love

I'm shamelessly copying and pasting Father Roderick's post from the SQPN website:

Greg Willits from The Catholics Next Door came up with a great idea: to make March 15 ‘Catholic Media Promotion Day’, a global call to action to use Facebook, Twitter and blogs to promote all the great Catholic content that is out there on the internet.
“There’s Strength in Numbers,” Greg says. “Let’s get the Word out on one day about Catholic New Media.”
Four steps to join in this common effort to promote Catholic new media:

1. On March 15, 2011, everyone with a blog, podcast, or Facebook page should list their favorite 3 blogs, 3 podcasts, 3 other media, 3 random Catholic things online, and their own projects.
2. Then, post the link to your list on March 15th on the special Facebook page created for the occasion.
3. Additionally, to help get the word out, press are asked to write articles and press releases for this day.
4. Lastly, on March 15th, go to iTunes and leave at least 3 positive written reviews for various Catholic podcasts and 3 positive written reviews for Catholic mobile applications*.

Link: http://www.facebook.com/promotecatholicism (don’t forget to ‘like’ the Facebook page!)


*Sister Anne adds: might I suggest the following apps Beginning Contemplative Prayer, Healing Psalms and Prayers,  The Rosary Miracle Prayer.

Jesus of Nazareth, vol 2

I was privileged to participate in a teleconference on Wednesday with a number of luminaries from the world of Scripture, including Ben Witherington III, whose books I have really enjoyed, and Rabbi Jacob Neusner, a longtime correspondent with the Holy Father, whose book plays such a prominent part in the Pope's first volume.

One of the things that has struck me especially about these two books is the way the Holy Father is exercising his office as Pope through them. Not by handing down official teaching, but by offering his own theological reflections, filling what he sees as a serious gap in the way the Bible is being read and studied, and inviting others into the conversation. The two Protestant professors in yesterday's conference both expressed profound appreciation for the Pope's writing, and said that this new book is one they would unhesitatingly recommend to their seminary students.

A few years ago, some months after Volume 1 was released, I was reading the book in an airport. A woman at my gate saw it and said to me, "My church group is doing a study of the Pope's book." It was a Protestant church.

What that said to me is, here is the Pope, reaching out to each and every reader of the Bible, whatever their theological tradition, and offering to start a global conversation, a global movement centered on the Scriptures and the person of Jesus. No other Christian leader is in a position to do something like that.

But he's not doing it in a "papal" way; he's writing as "Joseph, your brother."

Listen to Wednesday's press conference here!

Who is Jesus?

You've seen the trailer, now read the book! 20% off for 5 days only! Kindle version, too!

Jesus of Nazareth, vol 2: a look inside

Pope Benedict's second volume of reflections on the life of Christ (“Jesus of Nazareth, Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection”) was released today, in time to provide substantial Lenten reading for thousands of Christians. Rabbi Jacob Nuesner, author of “A Rabbi Talks with Jesus” (a book which Benedict read and engaged in the first volume of “Jesus of Nazareth”) met with Benedict last year and was saddened to hear (from the Holy Father himself) that this was the “last book” that we can expect from the professorial Pope. The Holy Father has made it clear that in this book, as in the preceding volume, he is writing in his own name, not offering official papal teaching. This is Joseph Ratzinger the biblical scholar addressing us, not the Successor of St. Peter writing authoritatively ex cathedra. Still, given the writer's prominence, his thought is sure to have more impact than that of other equally eminent academics.

In one of the three portions of the book made public ahead of the release date, Benedict dealt with the issue of responsibility for Jesus' death. Of course he restated the clear teaching of Vatican II: “what happened...cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today” (Nostra aetate, 4). He also reinterprets the “blood libel” of Matthew 27:25, a passage often invoked as justifying every sort of malice against the Jewish people (how Christian is that?). Not only, Benedict notes, was this cry (“His blood be upon us...”) attributed to an unspecified “mob” (who certainly could not represent a whole people), the words themselves have to be read in the light of Christian teaching: The blood of Jesus “is not poured out against anyone; it is poured out for many, for all. … these words are not a curse, but rather redemption, salvation.”

This is lovely, but it's not exactly new.

The part we haven't heard before, at least not from a Pope (it's been in official Church documents since 1965), came earlier in the book. The Pope seemed to be mirroring comments made a few years ago by Cardinal Walter Kasper (comments that got him pilloried in a certain wing of Catholic blogdom). It was so unexpected that I got on the phone and called a few theologians to make sure I was getting it right. The context was the missionary dimension of Christian life in these “times of the Gentiles.” Clearly a critical issue for the Jewish people, whose collective memory includes “forced conversions” and a diabolical “final solution.”

What did the Pope have to say in this regard? “...[T]he question of Israel’s mission has always been present in the background. We realize today with horror how many misunderstandings with grave consequences have weighed down our history. Yet a new reflection can acknowledge that the beginnings of a correct understanding have always been there, waiting to be rediscovered, however deep the shadows” (page 44).

As an indication of what that “correct understanding” might be, he cites the current (Cistercian) Abbess of Mariastern-Gwiggen (Austria), Mother Hildegard Brem in her commentary on St. Bernard's letter to his former student, the Trappist Pope Eugene III: “...the Church must not concern herself with the conversion of the Jews, since she must wait for the time fixed for this by God, ‘until the full number of the Gentiles come in’ (Rom 11:25). . .” (quoted by Benedict XVI from Brem's Sämtliche Werke, ed. Winkler, I, p. 834; that's Mother Hildegard in the photo).

The Pope did not elaborate on Mother Brem's interpretation, giving us to understand that it echoed his own thought. Without at all downplaying the role of Jesus as universal savior and fulfillment of the Scriptures of Israel, or the need for Christian integrity in witnessing to him, Joseph Ratzinger seems to be affirming what his predecessors since “Good Pope John” have said: for Catholics, the Jews are and remain truly “elder brothers” with a vocation, a mission, all their own during this "time of the Gentiles." I hope that the people who objected so strenuously to Cardinal Kasper's remarks don't try to downplay the Pope's by dismissing them with the excuse that he is writing not as Vicar of Christ but as a private theologian, true as that may be. If anything, they should try to understand all the more why they disagree with this particularly eminent private theologian.

The Pope is not telling us to discourage Jewish inquirers who, following their conscience, seek to learn more about their most famous brother, but it does tell us that we should be directing our missionary efforts not to the people "whom God foreknew" but to people who don't know the God of revelation. Lord knows, there seem to be plenty of them in our neighborhoods and places of work.

An earlier version of this post was prepared for the Chicago Tribune; I'll link it if it appears.

Waiting for Thursday

Which one's yours?

You've got Ashes!

Wow, AOL's featured video today is Archbishop Dolan of New York talking about Ash Wednesday!
For me, the day has taken on a new angle. I was praying for the Holy Spirit to really be my Lenten guide and open me to whatever and wherever would most please the Lord. I found myself reflecting on the book of Genesis: Lent is like the "chaos" over which the "Spirit of the Lord" hovers in view of a new creation. That's what the first Easter was, of course: the first day of the new creation. And that's why we have Lent: to be a new creation ourselves! For those in the RCIA that has a profound expression in Baptism. For the rest of us, grace can always bring us to new and unexpected life!

On the threshold of Lent

Too bad the Liturgy doesn't recognize Mardi Gras! Can you imagine the special readings we might get? And yet the readings we "happened" to get on this Tuesday of the 8th Week in Ordinary Time turn  out to be so fitting. Although not at first glance.
I have to admit that when I was preparing for my meditation last night, I kind of sighed. Tobit again? I just don't know how to mine the depths of a cute story where all the good stuff comes at the end--which we won't be seeing until some time in June when Ordinary Time picks up again. And yet there is a commonality with today's very "get-ready-for-Lent" Gospel of "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God." Because in today's passage from Tobit, the narrator, newly blind and somewhat paranoid, insists that his wife give back the goat she had received as a bonus for her work. "Give it back to the owners!" he demanded. 
Tomorrow we will hear from Jesus what we are supposed to "give" for Lent. It won't be a surprise: Give to Caesar what is Caesar; to God what is God. Render to each his due. Do justice.


Well, it's still Mardi Gras, and the community invited our Holy Family members, Bill and Madeline, for evening prayer and dinner. Nothing fancy, but it will at least sport the day's colors. That's right: purple, green and gold dinner. (Don't ask.)

I'm still reading an advance copy...

But Fr. Barron is already writing about it!
I will be writing later about something rather surprising I found in the Pope's reflections. (It's sending me to do research!)

The next synod

We just got the Pope's official "post-synodal apostolic exhortation" from the last Synod (on the Word of God) and now we have the preparatory document (called the "lineamenta") for the next world synod of bishops (in 2012). ave you read the earlier document, "Verbum Domini"? I am still working on it. I don't want to give it short shrift. Thankfully, there's still time before the next synod!
The theme for 2012 will be "The New Evangelization"--not just leaving it at that, but defining it: "The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith." Just by that alone, you can tell that this is going to be a meaty encounter. I haven't read the lineamenta yet (I downloaded them to the "new old" Kindle that my sister gave me), but I strongly suspect that they will have a lot to suggest to me and my community as we look at how to spread the Gospel in the widest possible radius.

Jesus in the Temple

Today's Gospel takes us in and out of Jerusalem (and the Temple) more than once, with the scene of Jesus "cleansing the Temple" in the middle of the narrative. Thanks to having access to (cue the happy dance) the embargoed full text of the Pope's upcoming book on Holy Week, I found that what he wrote about the Temple incident really made a difference in how I read today's Gospel. Not that you'll get any spoilers from me. (I wouldn't want to put at risk my chances for getting future advance copies of papal and other books.)
At any rate, what I noticed for the first time is how Jesus is acting here in defense of the Gentiles. The moneychangers and the sellers of doves (and other animals, according to the other evangelists) had set up shop in the only place in the Temple non-Jews had any access to. (Archaeologists have found the stone markers with their warning that Gentiles who went beyond that point did so at the risk of their lives.) When Jesus went up to the Temple that first night and "looked around," what he saw was that the Court of the Gentiles was filled with activity ordered to the needs of Jewish worshipers for sacrifices the Gentiles could not offer. The next morning, when Jesus "cleansed" the Temple, he was restoring the Court of the Gentiles to the Gentiles.
"My house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples," Isaiah had written. And Jesus, the Word, repeated that message with even more meaning. Even when that Temple of stone would be destroyed, there would be a new Temple of living stones, where everyone would have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Great news for Kindle users: You can pre-order
Jesus of Nazareth, vol. 2 and it will be automatically downloaded on the release date!

Update from Pakistan

I haven't heard how yesterday's assassination  has affected our sisters in Pakistan, where we have several communities (including one in Islamabad, where the killing took place) and a good many Pakistani sisters. (Back in 2008, a bombing in Lahore devastated our book center there--it was not the intended target, but was collateral damage in a political attack.)
Anyway, an update from the Catholic missionary news service follows; here's a link to secular coverage of today's public protest by the Christian minority.

ASIA/PAKISTAN - Closed schools, prayer and Christians protesting about Bhatti's murder, tomorrow the funeral

Faisalabad (Agenzia Fides) – The Christian community in Pakistan, convulsed by grief after the murder of Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, is reacting to the event with spontaneous demonstrations of peaceful protest, with vigils of prayer and with the announcement of three days of public mourning from Friday, 4 to Sunday, 6 March.
The Catholic community and all Christians in the Diocese of Faisalabad, where Bhatti was born, organised today, 3 March, a public procession of prayer and solidarity on the streets of the city, showing their sorrow for the loss of Minister. A candlelight vigil with “prayers and spiritual songs” is also being held this evening in Islamabad. These initiatives are “a testimony of faith to gather together around the memory of this martyr, to remember his message, asking God for the strength to go on in this state of suffering, as an exiled people,” a local priest told Fides.
Tomorrow morning, 4 March, proclaimed a “day of fasting and prayer”, Bhatti's body will be brought to the church of Our Lady of Fatima in Islamabad, where Archbishop Anthony Rufin, the local Archbishop, will celebrate a memorial Mass in the presence of the Bishop managing the Affairs of the Nunciature, Bishop Josè Luis Dias-Marilbanca Sanchez, since the new Apostolic Nuncio, Monsignor Edgar Peña Parra, has not yet been installed in the office.
Later the Christian community will unite, together with all people of good will, on the evening of Friday, 4 March in Kushphur (which means “City of Joy”), the Catholic village in the Diocese of Faisalabad for the celebration of the funeral. The funeral Mass will be presided over by Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad, and concelebrated by the Bishops of Punjab. A large number of civil authorities, Christian, Hindu and Muslim religious leaders and human rights activists are expected to attend.
Yesterday, after news spread of the murder, spontaneous demonstrations were held in all major cities of Pakistan: Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Multan and Quetta. Christian groups took to the streets protesting the “absence and inaction of the State” in a murder which, according to a Fides' local sources is “clearly motivated by religious hatred.”
In a joint statement, sent to Fides, the Catholic Church and Protestant Churches of Pakistan remember Bhatti as “a statesman committed to inter-religious harmony”, saying that his assassination underlines “the issue of protection for religious minorities, of their life and their freedom.” The Christian Churches urge the Government to “raise the problem” and to “take concrete steps to halt extremism in Pakistan.” If the country becomes “a killing field of democratic and liberal people who exercise freedom of conscience and expression”, it will legitimise the criminals who are trying to take over the country. The Churches condemn the use of religion as an “instrument of threat and suffering for the people” and announce three days of mourning in which all Christian schools and institutions will remain closed. Christian communities of all faiths will carry out moments of prayer and fasting. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 3/3/2011)

ASIA/PAKISTAN - Bhatti “killed for religious hatred” which is being fueled in public schools: missionary's analysis

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) – Shahbaz Bhatti was killed “because he was a Christian, an infidel and a blasphemer.” His assassination is part of a “religious war to eliminate those who wish to amend the blasphemy law. By the grace of Allah, those who are members of the Commission to review the law, will go to hell.” Local sources report to Fides that these are some of the statements contained in the leaflet claiming the murder of Minister Bhatti, several copies of which were left by the commando that killed him and which were signed by the network of Taliban groups “Tehrik-i-Taliban- Punjab”.
These claims show that “Minister Bhatti was killed for religious hatred,” Fr Robert McCulloch, SSC, told Fides in an interview. He has been a St Columban missionary for over 20 years in Pakistan and has direct contact with the Minister's family . “The killers have made another tremendous step forward in the name of religion. All those who are committed to the reform of the blasphemy laws are in danger,” says the missionary.
The murders motivated by religion - remarks Fr McCulloch – are advocated publicly in Pakistan by Islamic extremists who define them as “acts that are pleasing to Allah and that guarantee immediate salvation.” These are statements that a civil state should stop. “How many deaths must we wait for until the civil authorities and moderate Muslims take a position together and institute effective measures against such a barbaric and perverse use of religion?”, the missionary asks.
The analysis of Fr Robert continues: “Religious hatred is cultivated and nurtured in Pakistan's public schools” which have become “closely linked to the madrasas”. One reason for the spread of this mentality “is a distorted education system. The distortion of facts in school textbooks is a major source of extremist tendencies, which have a devastating impact on society.” In some official texts, religious minorities are completely excluded and not even considered “part of the nation.”
“The primary source of the corruption of human values and the political manipulation of religion in Pakistan - which justifies the 'legal persecution' of Asia Bibi and the elimination of Bhatti – is in bad education programs, introduced by the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s and maintained by the Pakistani government until now,” concludes the missionary. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 3/3/2011)

Yet another martyr

Just over a month ago, I posted a Fides News Agency article about the threats against a brave public servant in Pakistan. Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, a Catholic, was the Federal Minister for Religious Minorities in this country where "anti-blasphemy laws" are often used to cover up vicious attacks against Christians. Bhatti had made a strong public commitment to have those unjust laws overturned, and for that he was targeted for an assassination that took place just this morning. Despite the threats against this government official, he had no bodyguards or escort.
We really need to pray for the Church in Pakistan, which as a nation has become progressively more radical in betraying its own constitutional recognition of equality of all citizens without regard for their religion.

Here is the Vatican news service item:

VATICAN CITY, 2 MAR 2011 (VIS) - Given below is the text of a declaration made this morning by Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. concerning the assassination of Shabbaz Bhatti, the Pakistani minister for minorities.

  "The assassination of Shabbaz Bhatti, Pakistani minister for minorities, is another terrible episode of violence. It shows how right the Pope is in his persistent remarks concerning violence against Christians and against religious freedom in general.

  "Bhatti was the first Catholic to hold such an office. We recall how he was received by the Holy Father in September last year, and how he bore witness to his own commitment to peaceful coexistence among the religious communities of his country.

  "Our prayers for the victim, our condemnation for this unspeakable act of violence, our closeness to Pakistani Christians who suffer hatred, are accompanied by an appeal that everyone many become aware of the urgent importance of defending both religious freedom and Christians who are subject to violence and persecution".

OP/                                                                                                   VIS 20110302 (180)

 

Here are the Fides Agencies' articles:

ASIA/PAKISTAN - Minister Bhatti killed, a “martyr of the blasphemy law”

Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) – Grief and terror within the Christian community in Pakistan: the Federal Minister for Religious Minorities, Catholic Shahbaz Bhatti, was killed this morning in Islamabad. Fides' local sources report that the Minister had left his home to go into the office. He was in the car with his niece and driver. He did not have an escort. Suddenly a small Suzuki car came up next to the Minister's car and and fired a shot at the window of the driver, to stop him. A group of armed bandits pulled the Minister out of the car and hit him with a hail of bullets fired from automatic weapons for about two minutes. The commando unit then fled. The driver took the Minister to the hospital in Islamabad, but Bhatti was already dead. Responsibility for the shooting has not taken officially, however, from initial investigations it appears that the attack can be attributed to Taliban groups who left leaflets signed "Tehrik-i-Taliban-Punjab” at the scene of the crime.
Local Fides sources wonder why the Minister, who was already the subject of public threats by terrorist groups such as Laskar e-Toiba (see Fides 4/12/2010), was left without an escort. Priests and sisters in Pakistan have not hesitated to define Bhatti as a “martyr”, someone who “gave his life in defending the rights of religious minorities, especially Christians.”
In a heated reaction, Peter Jacob, Secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, a personal friend of Bhatti, tells Fides: “We are in a state of shock and panic: the Catholic community, all Christians, are traumatised by this latest murder. We feel bewildered and defenceless. This murder means that the Country is at the mercy of terrorists, who can afford to kill high-ranking personalities. We feel very vulnerable: they are more powerful than defenders of human rights and religious minorities. We strongly condemn this barbaric act. Now is the time of mourning, then we will decide what to do as Christians.”
Bhatti, 42, had been appointed Federal Minister for Religious Minorities in the recent Government reshuffle, a position he has held since 2008. He was born in the village of Khushpur near Faisalabad, in Punjab, known as “the Vatican of Pakistan”, as it is a village founded by the Dominican friars, which has brought forth many Pakistani priests, sisters and men and women religious.
In his work as a human rights activist and for religious minorities, Bhatti founded the “All Pakistan Minorities Alliance” and the “Christian Liberation Front”, organisations which are very active in civil society. He was a lieutenant in the struggle for the revision of the blasphemy law, which cost him his life. In recent days he had reassured Fides, in confidence, that the “Commission for the Revision of the blasphemy law”, ordered by President Ali Zardari under the guidance of Bhatti, was not an abandoned project, but continued away from the spotlight. Recently, he loved to say: “I burned my ships,” referring to a commitment that involved all of his existence, that he could not step away from. In a recent interview with Fides (see Fides 12/02/2011) he said he considered his service in politics as a “testimony of his faith in Christ.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides 2/3/2011)

ASIA/PAKISTAN - Bishops on Bhatti's murder: “A tragic example of the intolerant climate in which we live”

Lahore (Agenzia Fides) – “We condemn the assassination of the Catholic Minister for Religious Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti. We are devastated and deplore this anti-life gesture. This is a perfectly tragic example of the unsustainable climate of intolerance in which we live in Pakistan. We call on the Government, the institutions, the whole country to recognise and take decisions about these issues, because there must be an end to this situation, where violence prevails.” Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore and President of the Episcopal Conference of Pakistan made this statement to Fides, commenting on the murder of Minister Bhatti by a terrorist commando this morning in Islamabad.
The Bishops are preparing an official statement and have planned an emergency meeting to assess the situation and decide on a strategy for the future. On the one hand they want to protect the faithful, Christian leaders and all those who are working for respect for human rights and the revision of the blasphemy law (possible new targets for the extremists). On the other hand is the desire to “awaken” public opinion nationally and internationally to call for help to combat the terrorism that is devastating the Country.
Bishop Joseph Coutts of Faisalabad and Vice President of the Episcopal Conference agrees, telling Fides: “The murder of Minister Bhatti is a great tragedy, not just for the Christians in Pakistan but for the whole country, as he was a Federal Minister. Last month, a Muslim, the Governor of Punjab was killed, today Bhatti. We are alarmed: it is the sign of the fanaticism that indiscriminately affects all those who are committed to the defence of truth, justice and peace.”
Bhatti was originally from the village of Khushpur in the Diocese of Faisalabad. Bishop Coutts remembers him thus: “He was a genuine, transparent person, of great courage. I had great respect for him. He knew he was in danger, but he would not pull back. The village of Khushpur is in mourning and the most profound sorrow. We will pray for him intensely.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides 2/3/2011)

ASIA/PAKISTAN - Breakdown of Christians in Pakistan

Rome (Agenzia Fides) - Of the population in Pakistan of 185 million inhabitants, 96% are Muslims, and 2% are Christians. Among these, Catholics are slightly more than one million. Christians, with Hindus and Sikhs (the remaining 2% of the population) live in a state of daily discrimination and social marginalisation.
Even before the partition between India and Pakistan (1947) - which gave birth to the nation – there were so-called “Dalits”, those outside the caste system according to the rigid social classification that exists in India. Their condition of subordination has not changed in the Republic of Pakistan. Religious minorities are discriminated against today in access to education, employment, and public office.
The Constitution of Pakistan written by the founder of the country, the Muslim Ali Jinnah, proclaimed the principle of equality of all citizens before the law, “without distinction of race or creed”. But since 1980, with the Government of dictator Zia-ul-Haq, the country has undergone a progressive Islamisation of society, law, politics, and education. In this context, the situation of minorities has deteriorated, mainly because of some measures such as the “blasphemy law” (Article 295b and 295c of the Penal Code) and the “Hudood Ordinances”, rules of criminal law based on Islamic law.
According to the 2009-2010 Report by the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace in Pakistan, currently “the trend of violent acts against religious minorities is growing”; the blasphemy law is Damocles' sword against minorities; freedom of religion “is reduced to a myth”, and “in the face of the Government's apathy, urgent action is needed to protect human rights.” Between 1987 (since it has been in force) and 2009, 1,032 people have been unjustly affected by the blasphemy law. Religious freedom has been gradually eroded: from 2005-2009 there are 622 registered cases - just the tip of the iceberg - of forced conversion from Christianity to Islam.
The Catholic Church has 7 Bishops (for six dioceses and an Apostolic Vicariate), 279 priests (including 127 religious priests), 76 men religious, 799 sisters, 53 lay missionaries and 702 catechists. The Church is very involved in schools and in social work, interreligious dialogue and in the defence of religious freedom and minority rights. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 2/3/2011)

Pope's book--sneak previews

The Pope's new book (won't be out until after Ash Wednesday) is being released, it seems, in tantalizing tidbits. I got an e-mail today tipping me off to a well-connected readers'  blog post from which I was able to find those pre-released tidbits for myself (and for you, dear Reader). The trouble is, reading those paragraphs is stirring up my appetite for a book that I won't be able to, um, devour, for over a week! (That is just torture!)
Torturous or not, you really should read that post for what the Holy Father says about some of the most controversial passages in all of Scripture related to the death of Jesus. We all need to assimilate his wisdom and balance, and especially his focus on the Lord.

Offer it up!

As Lent approaches (next week!), lifelong Catholics of a certain age might remember the typically Catholic refrain "Offer it up!" Facing a let-down? Offer it up! Closed the car door on your hand? Offer it up! Don't like green peas? Offer it up! In other words (as we also heard), "make a little sacrifice." We got used to a kind of metaphorical or spiritualized use of the concept of sacrifice.
Not so for Sirach and the people he was writing for. The sage was living in Egypt, in a large Jewish community. Perhaps he saw many of his fellow Jews falling away from Torah observance in that land of exile. It wouldn't be surprising: when your spiritual life is limited to liturgy, it can fade pretty fast. And for the Jews, to be away from Jerusalem meant being far from the Temple, the only place where sacrifice could be offered. Since they couldn't offer the sacrifices, that most visible and striking expression of faith and praise, it could be that other expressions of faith were all the more easy to shrug off. So the old Jesus ben Sirach offers a new spin on sacrifice. He shows his fellow exiles how they can offer acceptable sacrifices even when the Temple was inaccessible, suggesting six different forms of "spiritual sacrifice" that we Catholics readily recognize as part of our own tradition--and that we are encouraged and expected to practice in a special way during Lent.
Look at Sirach's line-up:
Keeping the Law (Torah) = a great oblation
Observing the commandments = a peace offering (this is a specific kind of sacrifice)
Works of charity = an offering of fine flour
Giving alms = the sacrifice of praise
Refraining from evil = pleasing the Lord
Avoiding injustice = atonement
So, Sirach says, no one has an excuse for coming into the Lord's presence "empty-handed": "all that you offer is in fulfillment of the precepts." Plus, God will repay "sevenfold"! (And the Gospel tells us that this is now "a hundredfold"!)

Have you started planning for Lent? What forms will your sacrifice take?