An Aid To Memory

This new document, Admission to the Priesthood and Homosexuality is causing a firestorm…Folks on both sides are pumped-up, and once again bringing out the rhetoric, some I am sure without actually bothering to read the document. People have been asking my opinion on it, and I have been writing this over the course of a few days, so here goes:

Not much is new here. The problem really is that a lot of people don’t care for the Catholic Teaching on homosexuality to begin with. Even if this document contained nothing new or developed over what the catechism says, it would still royally tick-off a bunch of people. On one side, many are used to denominations that take no real stand on the matter or that officially bar practicing gay clergy, but fail to enforce their own rules. When the Catholic Church actually affirms what it teaches, it gets folks in an uproar (as the Methodist Church did when it actually enforced its own disciplines a few months ago). Other Christians could not fathom how the same document that prohibits active homosexuals from being ordained could say, "while profoundly respecting the persons in question…", because for some, their disapproval of homosexual behavior is purely on account of homophobia.

The document, as I read it, says that men who regularly commit sexual acts with other men cannot be admitted to the priesthood. Ok, this is no shock, as it is consistent Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant teaching on the matter. It also says men into the "gay culture" cannot be ordained. This probably means that if you are attending rallies for gay marriage, picking up men in gay bars, teaching against Catholic Tradition on gay marriage, etc, you aren’t fit for ordination. Of course, the document seems to include *all* men who are active in the "gay culture," not just gay men into it. Again, if you read the canons of past Church councils, this prohibition is not new, as heterosexuals are expected to refrain from doing similar things.

The big issue seems to be that men with "deep-seated" gay tendencies are barred from the process, and must demonstrate that these tendencies have passed after a 3-year probation period.  This is actually not that surprising. The Catholic Church teaches that a homosexual orientation, despite the orientation itself not being sinful, is still intrinsically disordered.  The document seems to connect deep-seated homosexual tendencies to an uncontrolled sexual desire, and thus an inability to be celibate, something heterosexuals would be screened for as well. Again, I think the complaint is with Catholic Teaching on the matter for many folks, not just this document.

Besides, what is "deep-seated" is left to the judgment of the local individuals involved, so I highly doubt that a holy man who follows Catholic Teaching and morality, but who happens to like men to some degree, is going to be denied entry into the priesthood. While some folks "know" that the Church is homophobic and will therefore use this document (in collusion with George W. Bush no doubt) to never ordain another gay man, I just don’t see this fanciful scenario coming to pass.

Is this document an answer to the sexual abuse problem? No. It may be the answer to the gay subculture that has developed at many Catholic seminaries. It may serve to remind bishops, priests, and those in holy orders what Catholic Teaching is regarding proper sexual relationships, and why those actively and persistently involved in inappropriate sexual activity cannot be ordained. As to the sexual abuse problems, I don’t blame gay priests at all; I blame the poor management (i.e. sinful covering-up) of the bishops involved, not to mention an inadequate process for screening/forming priests. It is better management, more education, stronger discipline (you do it once, you’re out and in jail), and a longer and more comprehensive discernment process that will prevent this from happening so often.

As an example, the diocese I live in has had few if any complaints about sexual abuse by priests in the last 20-some years. Why? Is it because our diocese ordains married priests? No. Is it because we have no priests? No. It is because our diocese has a strict screening policy for clergy and lay people, an even stricter process for dealing with known sexual abusers, and educates all of its workers and volunteers on sexual abuse prevention and reporting. We have had these policies for years.

That is my take on the document… There are no real surprises, but this is probably why a lot of people don’t like it! My opinion overall? I think it is a useful document, but I hope it doesn’t bar from the priesthood good, holy men who may have a gay orientation, but who are willing to follow the Church and live celibate lives.

Mozilla has released a new version of Firefox, its popular web browser. I use Firefox most of the time now instead of Explorer. It is not that I am against Microsoft or anything, it is just that I like Firefox better. It is quicker, more safe from hackers, and conforms to the W3 consortium’s html standards, unlike Explorer. Pages look like they are supposed to with Firefox. As an example, view this page with Firefox (or Netscape) and then with Explorer. Even my own page ChurchYear.net doesn’t look correct on Explorer. The gray bar on the left is supposed to stay put and function like a frame. This is not an ad for Firefox, but I do like it.

Check out the article by Fr. Jay Scott Newman, Worshiping the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness. I think Fr. Newman gets it right, and if his suggestions (although they are not really "his," but rather reflect a new liturgical movement of sorts) were implemented, we would once again understand what it means to worship the Lord with beauty.

Finally, Advent is here! Christmas is just around the corner. Here is what I am doing that is Advent and Christmas related, as well as a few thoughts about the season:

I just got out my advent wreath. I made a new one, since my mom needed some greenery for a decoration, so I gave her my old piece of greenery. The new one is pictured below on the right. Unfortunately, I have to place it on a chair for lack of room, so the setting is hardly romantic!

- I also got a few holiday decorations up. The photo of them is above on the left. Notice the nativity set, minus the baby Jesus and wise men. Also a few gingerbread folks are hanging around a gingerbread house. I didn’t want to get them too close to the Nativity set, because the Bible doesn’t say anything about gingerbread men being present at Christ’s birth. There is a candle, a few tart burners, and a little glass holy family icon.

- Can’t decide what to get that theologian friend or spouse of yours for Christmas? How about the Early Church Fathers 38 Volume Set? While the translation is old, the scholarship a bit out-of-date, not to mention a strong anti-Catholic and anti-Orthodox bias to the notes, the whole set is just over $200 right now.

- I just got out some of the Holiday CDs (I say "holiday" not to be PC, but because the CDs are technically a mix of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany music). Some of the artists: The Crash Test Dummies, Rod McKuen, New Christy Minstrels, Neil Diamond, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Johnny Cash, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and more. Enjoy Advent!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my blog readers. While we should reflect on what we are thankful for every day, Thanksgiving is a time set aside to specifically give thanks.

I started the day with the Eucharist, the ultimate Thanksgiving, partaking of the body and blood of Christ. Even the greatest turkey and dressing pales in comparison to this. However, there is no rule you only have to have one Thanksgiving…I will be eating the turkey and dressing soon, with my family and girlfriend.

I urge everyone to reflect on what you are thankful for, and show your thankfulness to the important people in your life.

Image on left: our Thanksgiving table before dinner

The Pontificator has provided us with an essay by Anthony Esolen looking at the proposed changes to the Roman Missal. It is well worth reading. Many of us hope that the days of politically correct, castrated, and banal liturgies are behind us.

Here is an excerpt:

I will add here, too, that there’s a reason why everybody remembers the wedding formula from the old Anglican service: it’s precisely because it is NOT in the register of everyday speech that we FEEL it as touching upon the holy. If you want to instill in people a sense that they are approaching holy ground, you have to warn them to take the sandals from off their feet. There is nothing “elitist” about this: in fact, in my experience, the elites are all on the side of destroying such aids in popular piety, just as they were all on the side of removing from secular poetry all those quaint devices that the typical person still likes, such as rhythm and rhyme.

Just to add my two cents: with the new translation of the Roman Missal being proposed, it looks like Catholics no longer have to endure weak liturgy. As for the mainlines, based on the proposed new liturgies I have seen, it seems like the journey into flakiness is just beginning. I hope the mainline liturgical planners prove me wrong, but when you have more concern for excising male pronouns from the liturgy than holding to the ancient faith, I have to wonder.

And just so you know, I am not being elitist and saying that the Mass should be hard to understand or exclude the average person. However, I for one would like to see people given the chance to appreciate good liturgy, as opposed to assuming they are not up to the task. Denying the average Joe a chance to pray a dignified Mass because he "may not understand it," is in my opinion the elitist position, because it assumes the average person is too dumb to appreciate the things that we appreciate.

Advent begins on Sunday, marking the beginning of the new Church Year. December is a fairly busy time in the Church Year, and besides Advent includes The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Christmas, and the Feast of the Holy Family.

I always have loved Advent and Christmas. Growing up these had profound meaning, and made the rest of the year seem rather plain. It seemed like that at Advent and Christmas, it was OK to get liturgical, and embrace tradition. I always joke (although there is a large amount of truth here) that I became a liturgical Christian because I wanted it to be like Advent and Christmas every day of the year.

On ChurchYear.Net, in addition to the above links, we have: Advent Prayers, Advent Hymns, Advent Wreath Prayers and Readings, Christmas Prayers and Holy Family Feast Prayers. Like I said…it’s a busy time.

Image on left: Advent Wreath, taken by me.

Jonathan tells us why coffee is a pope-approved drink! In case you still aren’t sure that drinking the sweet, dark liquid is fully compatible with the Catholic Church, this image on the right will leave no doubt! Notice how St. Francis gives his approval to my cup of hot coffee.

Right now at home, I am drinking the cheap stuff with Ginger Bread creamer, and when I manage to stop at a Speedway, I am getting hooked on their Colombian with Eggnog Creamer.

Today is Christ the King Sunday, when we celebrate Jesus Christ as ruler of the cosmos. While some folks take issue with any "king" language, I don’t think "Christ our Democratically Elected Leader Sunday" has quite the same ring to it.

We (at least where I live) are now in the later stages of autumn, meaning all that is left are skeletal trees and brown landscapes. For some reason, I always find the later autumn to be just as beautiful as the early autumn when the leaves are turning bright colors. The sparseness, stillness, and deadness all have a certain effect on me. Maybe it is the early, dark, nights, that stir romantic feelings. If you look at the photos on the left and right (which I took earlier this evening), maybe you will see what I mean.

Here is what I have been reading:

A "catholic" going against clear ancient and modern Catholic consensus to justify 20th century Protestant mainline innovations? Yep…check out the Anglican Scotist’s recent post. Just so you know, I don’t always agree with a lot of what the Scotist posts, but I do respect his attempts to engage theological and moral issues.

Unless I am misreading his post, my biggest issues with his recent post are a)his confidence in his own ability to discern the mind of Christ (or at least confidently discern where Christ’s mind is not), not to mention he doesn’t tell us exactly how to find the mind of Christ, and b)his willingness to so readily dismiss the Catholic consensus when it doesn’t suit his beliefs. I guess I take issue with another point as well: The Catholic consensus is not a democratic super-majority, but the Church upholding and contextualizing Apostolic Tradition, as the truth unfolds in a variety of time periods and contexts. The Church has resisted making popular beliefs dogma if they contradict Apostolic Tradition, no matter how popular. Also, if the Catholic consensus consisted of the views of the majority, we would be Arians today, who were in the majority for a fairly long time in the 4th century. Yet despite Arianism’s massive popularity among the clergy, laity, and bishops, many Church Fathers bitterly resisted it, and the Church councils of the time came out against it, although compromising to some degree with moderates on both sides.

I have no reason to respond in more detail because replies to his recent post have been posted over at Ithilien and Pontifications, and they do a fine job.

In the news, Supreme Court Nominee Samuel Alito seems to oppose abortion. Good for him. Since when did supporting the right to suck a fetus out a woman’s womb become the litmus test for being on the nation’s highest court?