• Editorial - Op Ed
• Bulletin Board, Announcements, Calendar
• Welcome and Website Protocol
• Article Archive

Print this page

Article Categories

• Book Reviews
• Open Letter
• Editorials
• Notes, Quotes & Comments
• Pastor's Study
• Project Millstones
• Sidebar Comments
• Weekly Message

Links

AMERICA Magazine
A balanced Catholic weekly magazine published by the jesuits of the United States for an intelligent Catholic readership. Go online to subscribe.

Liturgy
This link will keep 'parishioners-at-large' in touch with current creative liturgy sources and resources that respect a variety of 'traditions' within the Church.

Voice of the Faithful
A 'movement' of lay Catholics 'inspired' by the abuse scandal calling for greater accountability of bishops to 'Catholics in the Pew.'

Survivos' Network for those Abused by Priests or Religious
A National Network of self-help support groups for people abused by clergy or religious.

Bishop Accountability
Vital information about the disclosure of sexual abuse and related issues affecting Catholics in the pew and the manner in which Bishops continue to exempt themselves from accountability

National Catholic Reporter
A national Catholic lay newspaper covering events not usually covered or presented with a clerical bias in the local diocesan press or but of concern and interest to Catholics.

COMMONWEAL Magazine
A 'lay' Catholic weekly publication with an accent on an intelligent analysis and commentary on curent issues, trends and concerns of interest to Catholics.

Search

Daily Scripture

+ 5th Week in Ordinary Time

It still has meaning.

1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13 Psalm 132:6-7, 8-10 Mark 6:53-56

The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary, the holy of holies of the temple. There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets which Moses had put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel. [1 Kings 8:6, 8]
_
In recent years there has been much discussion in liturgical circles about the proper location of the tabernacle in the worship space. The directives implementing the Constitution on the Liturgy by the Second Vatican Council prescribed that the tabernacle be located in prominent location in the church or chapel, preferably in a chapel dedicated to the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament and appropriate for veneration. In any case, it was not to be located on the altar table used for the celebration of the Eucharist. As a result in many churches renovations, the tabernacle was moved to the ‘side altar’ previously used for the veneration of the Blessed Virgin or St. Joseph and in some churches, it was placed on the old altar previously used for Mass. In situations the old altar was replaced with a permanent pedestal on which the tabernacle was placed.

In liturgical matters, nothing is simple. Those of a more conservative disposition insisted that the location of the Tabernacle on the side altar reduced the status of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist thereby diminishing its meaning in the devotional life of the faithful. Others of a more liberal persuasion opined that in fact, the location in a separate chapel within the church assigned to the sacrament greater prominence thereby increasing the devotional aspect. Moreover, in as much as an emphasis of the ‘action’ of the Mass as the repetition of the “Lord’s Supper” was promoted by the Council, it seemed to liturgists that the location of the tabernacle in the main sanctuary behind the free standing Eucharist table would compete with the ‘action’ of the Mass as a sacred meal.

The most recent prescriptions in the United States provide that the tabernacle be located in the main sanctuary on suitably ornate pedestal. It is ironic that in the major basilicas including the basilica of St. Peter in Rome, the tabernacle is located on a side altar that is not very prominent.

Whatever the location, it should not be a bone of contention worthy of a liturgical battle. The public and private devotion to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is rooted in the long tradition of the Church and should not be disparaged. In the same way in which the tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments was symbolic of God’s presence in the temple, so too, the reservation of the Eucharist Bread has been one of the longest-standing practices of the devotional life of Catholics. It is intended to extend the meaning and the effects of the Eucharistic celebration into the life of the faithful who continue to spend time in prayerful meditation on the mysteries of the life of Jesus not the least of which is his faithfulness unto death on the cross for the salvation of the world. The two aspects of Eucharist need not be in competition. The ‘Mass’ continues to be considered a “sacrificial” meal. But we need to be clear that its connection with the passion and death of Christ even as the lamb of God is not to suggest that his death was mandated to satisfy and angry God. That in my opinion is not an appropriate application of Old Testament sacrifices. No, Jesus sacrificial death was the completion of his entire sacrificial life of unqualified and indiscriminate love in the same way as the sacrificial love of partners in marriage offer their sacrificial love to one another or in the manner that Mother Teresa offered her live in sacrificial service to victims of poverty in the streets of Calctta. It is in this sense that devotion to the Eucharist in the tabernacle takes its extended meaning.

During the celebration of the Eucharist, we become what we eat. Through our devotion to the Eucharist reserved in the tabernacle, we are reminded that the Eucharistic presence in our mind, heart and soul extends into all the good works of our lives with the hope that we too will always think and act with the same sacrificial love as did Jesus in his earthly life.

This Far By Faith: Voting as a Faithful Citizen

Tuesday October 21, 2008

By Most Rev. J. Terry Steib, S.V.D. Bishop of Memphis Tennessee, courtesy the National Catholic Reporter, Kansas City, Mo., Oct 21, 2008.

Bishop Steib was honored by the National Catholic Educational Association at its annual convention in Atlanta earlier this month. His thoughtful presentation to the convention assembly is worthy of note in the light of other bishops who have come close to telling Catholic voters how and for whom to vote.

As a nation we are currently involved in the process that will lead to the election of the next President of the United States. The debates between the presidential candidates and the vice-presidential candidates have been aired. Sides are being taken based on party lines, or on issues of particular interest.


Within the past few weeks, some denominations have taken on the task of challenging the policy of the IRS concerning the Church and politics. They are deliberately endorsing candidates and urging people in their congregations to vote for those persons in order to force the IRS to determine if the current policy of forbidding such endorsements is proper. (I disagree with this approach because of my deep respect for the non establishment of religion clause in the First Amendment to our Constitution.)


A number of Catholics have been asking their bishops to endorse candidates. In the past two weeks, I have received letters from well-meaning people telling me for whom I should vote and how I should inform parishioners regarding the candidates for whom they should or should not cast their ballot. However well-intended the writers are, it is not my duty nor is it my role to tell the members of the community of faith in the Diocese of Memphis how to vote.


My ministry is to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ as announced in Scripture and articulated by the Church so that our people can make good and wise decisions in their lives. My ministry is to make certain that all Catholics in the Diocese of Memphis cast their vote using a well-informed conscience as a guide.

We Catholics are vested into the very fabric of our society. Within the fabric of society, we participate in the public life and we vote because it is part and parcel of being baptized. Our faith teaches us that participating in the public life of our city, state and nation is a moral obligation. If we are going to bear witness to Christ in all that we do, then we must bear Christian witness. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states boldly: “As far as possible, citizens should take an active part in public life.”


In the letter, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the bishops said, “We Bishops have the … responsibility … to provide moral guidance on the moral dimensions of public decisions, and to encourage the faithful to carry out their responsibilities in political life. In fulfilling these responsibilities, the Church’s leaders are to avoid endorsing or opposing candidates or telling people how to vote.”

I am in agreement with this statement which was issued last November. Pope Benedict XVI, in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, said, “The Church cannot and must not take upon herself the political battle to bring about the most just society possible. She cannot and must not replace the State. Yet at the same time she cannot and must nor remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.”


According to our Holy Father, we disciples of Jesus cannot remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice; this means that we must be part of the game. However, politics is not just a game; it is instead a part of the commonwealth of our lives. Just as we cannot avoid drinking water in order to live, so also, as faithful Christians we cannot avoid being involved in the political process and remain good Christians. But if we are to be involved in the political process by voting, then we must have formed our consciences well.


How do we do that?

First of all, we must have a desire to embrace goodness and truth. That means basically that we must study and understand the scriptures and the teachings of the Church as her teachings relate to the many issues we face as a nation.

Secondly, we must carefully examine the facts and the background information that are available to us about the various candidates.

Thirdly, we must prayerfully reflect on what is the will of God for us in this particular set of circumstances.


Voting with a good conscience is not an easy task. It is much easier to give in to the sound bites and the catchy phrases. It is much easier to go the party line blindly and mindlessly. It is much easier to choose because of personality rather than the content of character. It is easier to say “I just like him or her; he or she is one of us” rather than to ponder, reflect, and pray for our choice prudently.


As we form our conscience, we must be aware of the need for prudence. Prudence is not easy to define, but according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, prudence helps us to “discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it.”


So, when we are presented with candidates whose views do not reflect the full teachings of the Church, what are we to do? The spiritual writer, Father Ronald Rolheiser, OMI, has written in his book Secularity and the Gospel: “In an age of increasing violence, fundamentalism, and the myth that God wishes to cleanse the planet of its sin and immorality by force, perhaps the first witness we must give to our world is a witness to God’s non-violence, a witness to the God revealed by Jesus Christ who opposes violence of all kinds, from war, to revenge, to capital punishment, to abortion, to euthanasia, to the attempt to use force to bring about justice and God’s will in any way.”


What Father Rolheiser says here, as I understand it, is that we cannot be a one issue people. We must recognize that God, through the Church, is calling us to be prophetic in our own day. If our conscience is well formed, then we will make the right choices about candidates who may not support the Church’s position in every case. The Bishops of the United States have written, “There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate’s unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons. Voting in this way would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil.”


A person might choose not to vote, but voting is a necessary part of our witness to Jesus Christ and a witness to our Baptism. So, sometimes hard choices will have to be made. Being Catholic has never been known to be an easy path to salvation. Jesus never promised us a rose garden devoid of hard choices. He did, in fact, tell us that if we were to be his followers, we must pick up the cross daily and follow him. Part of the cross in the upcoming election may well be in realizing that different people may in good conscience arrive at different decisions about how they will vote.


I pray that we will take the time to reflect prayerfully and carefully on the words that have been written at greater length in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. Then with well-informed consciences, and with our hands firmly in God’s hands we will be able to vote in a way that is prudent and that will give us the peace of which St. Paul speaks, ”..the peace of God which is beyond all understanding.” (Phil. 4,7)

_____

And this little addendum traveling through cyberspace is apropos of Bishop’s Steib’s remarks. The author is unknown.

A Pro-Life Litany

I am more than pro-birth, I am pro-life.

I do not believe in unprovoked wars (which kill innocent people). I am pro-life.

I condemn torture. I am pro-life

I do not believe in the death penalty. I am pro-life.

I believe those we incarcerate must be taught skills so they can live in society. I am pro-life.

I work to eliminate racism. I am pro-life.

I do not believe that we should give obscene smounts of money to oppressive governments. I am pro-life.

I do not believe our government should train other governments to produce death squads. I am pro-life

I believe that everyone in the world should be able to live with healthful conditions. I am pro-life.

I believe that the social teachings of the church provide a strong foundation beyond being just pro-birth. I am pro-life.

I am more than pro-birth. I am pro-life..

As Jesus says in Matthew’s Gospel: “Now, what do you think?”

Author Unknown.