Scripture and the News

Greetings,

The sex scandal has been in the new constantly.   It seems that the media is doing everything at their disposal to try to bring Pope Benedict down.  They are trying to make connections to him that don't exist.  Any abuse is a tragedy, but it seems certain groups are using this abuse in a concentrated attack.  It made me reflect on this scripture:

Zechariah 13:7    "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me," says the LORD of hosts. "Strike the shepherd, that the sheep may be scattered..""

They want to scatter the sheep by attacking the shepherd.  Let us pray for the Pope.   In the Pope's inargaral address he asked for our prayers.    Here is the prayer the Poped asked for:

My dear friends
at this moment I can only say:
pray for me,
that I may learn to love the Lord more and more.
Pray for me, that I may learn to love his flock more and more
– in other words, you, the holy Church,
each one of you and all of you together.
Pray for me,
that I may not flee for fear of the wolves.
Let us pray for one another,
that the Lord will carry us
and that we will learn to carry one another.
[Pope Benedict XVI, 24 April, 2005]


peace

Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross are a wonderful devotion, especially during Lent and Holy Week.   Read what is happening in the station.  Say the prayer.  then look at the picture.  Meditate on the scene:  What is Jesus thinking and feeling? What is happening to the bystanders?  What does this mean in my life?  What does this scene say about God, etc.?    Then say the prayer at the end.  Just so you know the prayers I am using are same as the pope used a few years ago.    The Pictures of the Stations are from Holy Cross Parish in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.

FIRST STATION

Jesus is condemned to death

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, you accepted an unjust judgment.
Grant to us and to all the men and women of our time
the grace to remain faithful to the truth.
Do not allow the weight of responsibility
for the sufferings of the innocent
fall upon us and upon those who come after us.
To you, O Jesus, just Judge,
be honour and glory for ever and ever.

R. Amen.

SECOND STATION



Jesus takes up his Cross

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ, who accept the Cross at the hands of men
to make of it the sign
of God’s saving love for humanity,
grant us and all the men and women of our time
the grace of faith in this infinite love.
By passing on to the new millennium
the sign of the Cross,
may we be authentic witnesses to the Redemption.
To you, O Jesus, Priest and Victim,
be praise and glory for ever.

R. Amen.


THIRD STATION


Jesus falls the first time

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

O Christ, as you fall under the weight of our faults
and rise again for our justification,
we pray, help us
and all who are weighed down by sin
to stand up again
and continue the journey.
Give us the strength of the Spirit
to carry with you the cross of our weakness.
To you, O Jesus, crushed under the weight of our faults
be our praise and love for ever.

R. Amen.



FOURTH STATION


Jesus meets his Mother

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

O Mary, who walked
the way of the Cross with your Son,
your mother’s heart torn by grief,
but mindful always of your fiat
and fully confident that He to whom nothing is impossible
would be able to fulfil his promises,
implore for us and for the generations yet to come
the grace of surrender to God’s love.
Help us, in the face of suffering, rejection, and trial,
however prolonged and severe,
never to doubt his love.
To Jesus, your Son,
honour and glory for ever and ever.

R. Amen.


FIFTH STATION


Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his Cross

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

O Christ, you gave to Simon of Cyrene
the dignity of carrying your Cross.
Welcome us too under its weight,
welcome all men and women
and grant to everyone the gift of readiness to serve.
Do not permit that we should turn away from those
who are crushed by the cross of illness
loneliness, hunger or injustice.
As we carry each other’s burdens,
help us to become witnesses to the gospel of the Cross
and witnesses to you,
who live and reign for ever and ever.

R. Amen.


SIXTH STATION


Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ,
you accepted a woman’s
selfless gesture of love,
and in exchange ordained
that future generations should remember her
by the name of your face.
Grant that our works
and the works of all who will come after us
will make us like unto you
and will leave in the world the reflection
of your infinite love.
To you, O Jesus, splendour of the Father’s glory,
be praise and glory for ever.

R. Amen.


SEVENTH STATION


Jesus falls the second time

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ,
you fall under the weight of human sin
and you get up again in order to take it upon yourself and cancel it.
Give to us, weak men and women,
the strength to carry the cross of daily life
and to get up again from our falls,
so that we may bring to future generations
the Gospel of your saving power.
To you, O Jesus, our support when we are weak,
be praise and glory for ever.

R. Amen.


EIGHTH STATION


Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

O Christ, you came into this world
to visit all those who await salvation.
Grant that our generation
will recognize the time of its visitation
and share in the fruits of your redemption.
Do not permit that there should be weeping for us
and for the men and women of the new century
because we have rejected our merciful Father’s outstretched hand.
To you, O Jesus, born of the Virgin Daughter of Zion,
be honour and praise for ever and ever.

R. Amen.


NINTH STATION


Jesus falls the third time

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ,
through your humiliation beneath the Cross
you revealed to the world the price of its redemption.
Grant to the men and women of the third millennium
the light of faith,
so that, as they recognize in you
the Suffering Servant of God and man,
they may have the courage to follow the same path
which, by way of the Cross and self-emptying,
leads to life without end.
To you, O Jesus, our support when we are weak,
be honour and glory for ever.

R. Amen.


TENTH STATION


Jesus is stripped of his clothes

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus,
who, with supreme dedication,
accepted death on the Cross for our salvation,
grant to us and to all the world’s people
a share in your sacrifice on the Cross,
so that what we are and what we do
may always be a free and conscious sharing
in your work of salvation.
To you, O Jesus, Priest and Victim,
be honour and glory for ever.

R. Amen.


ELEVENTH STATION


Jesus is nailed to the Cross

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

O Christ lifted high,
O Love crucified,
fill our hearts with your love,
that we may see in your Cross
the sign of our redemption
and, drawn by your wounds,
we may live and die with you,
who live and reign with the Father and the Spirit,
now and for ever.

R. Amen.


TWELFTH STATION


Jesus dies on the Cross

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ,
in the moment of your agony
you were not indifferent to humanity’s fate,
and with your last breath
you entrusted to the Father’s mercy
the men and women of every age,
with all their weaknesses and sins.
Fill us and the generations yet to come
with your Spirit of love,
so that our indifference
will not render vain in us
the fruits of your death.
To you, crucified Jesus, the wisdom and the power of God,
be honour and glory for ever and ever.

R. Amen.


THIRTEENTH STATION


Jesus is taken down from the Cross and given to his Mother

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ;
vita dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus...
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte
et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exilium ostende.
Implore for us the grace of faith, hope and charity,
so that we, like you,
may stand without flinching beneath the Cross
until our last breath.
To your Son, Jesus, our Saviour,
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory for ever and ever.

R. Amen.


FOURTEENTH STATION


Jesus is laid in the tomb

V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus Christ,
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
you were drawn by the Father
from the darkness of death
to the light of a new life in glory.
Grant that the sign of the empty tomb
may speak to us and to future generations
and become a wellspring of living faith,
generous love,
and unshakeable hope.
To you, O Jesus, whose presence, hidden and victorious,
fills the history of the world,
be honour and glory for ever and ever.

R. Amen.

FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION

This picture is from the Stained Glass window of the Annunciation at Holy Cross Parish in Kaukauna   Notice the Angel, the Holy Spirit.  Notice the Angel is on a cloud.  In our stained glass windows there are Clouds surrounding Every supernatural event.

Today, Thursday March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation.  On this day we celebrate when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that through the Holy Spirit she will have a child and name him Jesus.   We also celebrate Mary saying "YES" to God's plan for her life.   God called Mary, and Mary said YES.  What a wonderful model for each of us.

Please NOTE the date:  March 25.  This is exactly 9 months before Christmas.   Love the way the Church works its holidays.  The same thing happens for Mary.   The Birth of Mary is celebrated exactly 9 months after we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

TOLKIEN FANS:  If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings books by JRR Tolkien, then you will know that there is ONLY ONE date giving in our dating system.   The Ring of POWER was destroyed on MARCH 25.  The Ring of Power was destroyed on the FEAST of the ANNUNCIATION.   The Ring of Power was destroyed on the same day that God was Made incarnate, and took human flesh in the womb of Mary.    This is the day that begins our salvation.

Here is an ancient prayer for this day.  Pray it, and meditate on it:

Today is the beginning of our salvation,
And the revelation of the eternal mystery!
The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin
As Gabriel announces the coming of Grace.
Together with him let us cry to the Theotokos:
"Rejoice, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with you!"

Here are some other pieces of art of the annunciation.  Enjoy meditating on them:

Clergy sex abuse, and objective look at the issue

In the news pedophile priest scandals are surfacing in Europe.  We need to look at this tragedy from an objective perspective.  Philip Jenkins is a professor at Penn State.  He is NOT a Catholic.   He has written a very objective book on this topic:

http://www.amazon.com/Pedophiles-Priests-Anatomy-Contemporary-Crisis/dp/0195145976

This was summarized in an article by Jenkins at:

http://www.zenit.org/article-3922?l=english

Another Catholic author on another blog summarized the article and book in the following bullet points.  I believe that any abuse is a horrible thing, and anyone who violates that trust should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.   However, priests are being portrayed in a biased way in the media, and we need to understand the situation.  Please read the articles/book or at least this summary:


•Priestly celibacy is not the issue - married men are more likely to abuse children than unmarried

•Most child abuse takes place within the home.

•All religious groups have pedophile scandals, and the Catholics (while the largest religious group) are at the bottom of the list statistically.

•Child abuse is prevalent in all areas of society: schools, youth organizations, sports, etc.

•Statistically, of all the professions, Christian clergy are least likely to offend. Doctors, Farmers and Teachers are the professions most likely to abuse children--not clergy.

•Among clergy offenders Catholic priests are least likely to offend.

•Catholic cases of pedophilia make more headlines because of anti Catholic prejudice and because the Catholic Church is bigger and more lucractive to sue.

•Pedophilia and Euphebophilia are different problems. The former is sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children. The latter is attraction to teenagers. Most cases branded 'pedophila' are actually 'euphebophila.'

•Most of the cases of euphebophilia are homosexual in nature, however the politically correct do not want this problem to be associated with homosexuality.

•The number of Catholic priests guilty of pedophilia is very small.

•What we now call 'cover up' was often done in a different cultural context, when the problem was not fully understood and when all establishment organizations hushed scandals. They did so for what seemed good reasons at the time: protection of the victims and their families, opportunity for rehabilitation of the offender, the avoidance of scandal to others. It is unfair to judge events thirty years ago by today's standards.

•When lawsuits are looming people smell money. We must be wary of false accusations.

•The accused must be entitled to a fair hearing. The church should insist on hard proof of the abuse, and for the sake of justice, ensure that the innocent are not prosecuted.

•When guilt is established the offender must be punished, not sheltered.

•Distinctions must be made between types of abuse. Some offenses are worse than others. Verbal abuse or corporal punishment during a time when that was acceptable, while lamentable, is not the same as sexual abuse or extreme physical abuse.

•Sexual abuse of an adult, or a sexually experienced older teenager is wrong, and damaging, and should be punished, but it is not the same as the sexual abuse of a younger, innocent child.

•Number of offenses must be considered. One lapse is not of the same seriousness as repeated, persistent and premeditated offenses.

Bishops Reiterate Opposition to Health Care Bill

From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
WASHINGTON—The U.S. bishops urged the House of Representatives to fix flaws in health care legislation or vote against its passage in a March 20 letter to House members. The letter was signed by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chair of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, chair of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chair on the Committee on Migration.

Read the letter here

www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2010/10-051.shtml

Meanwhile, take three minutes and call these guys. Tell them not to cave.

Berry (202) 225-4076

Cueller 202-225-1640

Kaptur(202) 225-4146

Rahall (202) 225-3452

Building our Church!

Greetings,

In 1913 Holy Cross Church burned to the ground.  Immediately the people of Kaukauna gathered together, and by Christmas of 1916 built a new Church.  Here is the first construction pictures as our new church was going up.  The scaffolding you see is in front the new sanctuary.  The people of that day were very poor.  They had nothing, but God was the center of their life, and they built our church.

This picture is our roof.  You can see that any building a structure.  I always find that it is fascinating to see the guts of a building.

Here we see that the church is almost finished.  None of the windows are in yet, and everything looks so NEW.   This was the beginning.  A couple of months after this picture began YEARS of worship

I began talking about building Holy Cross Church.   We have these great pictures of the building.  However, this is not really building Holy Cross Church.   Holy Cross Church are the people gathered around the altar of God in worship.  It is a community formed by faith into body of Christ.  Yes, the building is very important, however, it is the people on a pilgrimage to the new and eternal Jerusalem that make up the Church.    Let's build the Church.

Happy St. Patrick Day!!!

Greetings,

It may be fun to celebrate this day with green food, and green beverages, and boiled meat, but if you really want to celebrate St. Patrick you will enter into his Spirituality.   St. Patrick always began with Trinity, and then focused on Christ.  Patrick saw all life as Liturgical.  We are all part of a cosmic liturgy worshiping God with every moment of our day.  His famous prayer was the 'Breastplate of St. Patrick", or Lorica.  This was his morning prayer and meditation.   If you really wanted to celebrate Patrick, begin your day with this prayer(Or at least try it for the rest of Lent).

I arise today, through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the threeness, through confession of the oneness, of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today, through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism, through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial, through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension, through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today, through the strength of the love of the Cherubim, in obedience of angels, in the service of archangels, in the hope of the resurrection to meet with reward, in the prayers of patriarchs, in prediction of prophets, in preaching of apostles, in faith of confessors, in innocence of holy virgins, in deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through the strength of heaven; light of sun, radiance of moon, splendor of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of wind, depth of sea, stability of earth, firmness of rock.

I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me: God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak to me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to save me, from the snares of devils, from temptations of vices, from every one who shall wish me ill, afar and anear, alone and in a multitude.

I summon today, all these powers between me and those evils, against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul, against incantations of false prophets, against black laws of pagandom, against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry, against spells of women and smiths and wizards, against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today, against poisoning, against burning, against drowning, against wounding, so there come to me abundance of reward. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me, Christ in the eye of every one that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today, through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the threeness, through confession of the oneness, of the Creator of Creation.

Transcendence of beauty

Beauty in poetry, beauty in Song, beauty in music, beauty in any way helps us to transcend ourselves and to be open to something greater.   That is the goal of a beautiful church.  Recently I posted on the symbolism of a church, but sometimes the shear beauty is enough to raise your hearts and minds to God in worship.  Enjoy this different pictures of churches.  They are different styles, but I would still encourage you to find  symbolism in them.   Enjoy the beauty.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Of the 6 Churches Do you have a Favorite?

I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart

Greetings,


Today I was meditating on the first reading, which was Moses’ encounter with God in the Burning Bush. When Moses asked for God’s name he was told that: “I am who am…. Tell them ‘I am’ sent you”. God is not just a being within creation, but rather he is being itself. He is the creator and he sustains all existence every second. This means that God is the Lord of all creation and beyond any comprehension of him. God is so far beyond our comprehension that we would know more by saying what God is NOT rather than who God is.

It is important to recognize how far above of God is. When we recognize this distance between us and God it leaves us in an AWE-inspired silence. Whenever we worship at Mass, whenever we come before God in prayer our first response before anything else is silence. It is when we stand before God in life changing adoration and awe that we will begin to have a real relationship with God. We begin with prayer recognizing that God initiates all communication and we begin are listeners. We need silence when we encounter God. Pausing for a minute after the homily or after communion is not enough. We are encountering God in the holy of holies of the Soul! As God speaks to us in silence we are swept up into the conversation of the most holy Trinity.

Jesus came from God to draw us back into God. All our life is a return to God. Christians all through the ages are drawn into this relationship of Jesus with his Father. We need to recognize who God is so that when we come before God in prayer, we will Adore, and worship in awe!

peace

Theology of our Church

Greetings,

Catholics can worship any place. Where ever we gather in the Spirit and pray, it is a good thing. In places where our faith is persecuted, altars are/were set up in forests, in homes, or any place Catholics could gather for Mass.

However, our Churches are built to aid us in our worship. Our goal is to imitate the worship of Heaven as seen in the book of Revelation.  Our Parish has LOTS of great symbolism. Lets take a look at it:

1. Many Churches are built in the shape of a Cross(The floor plan is in the shape of a cross). This is because we are to become a cruciform People. We are to take up our Cross and follow Jesus and we are to be formed by the cross. In baptism we die with Christ so that we can Rise with Christ. In our area Holy Cross, Kaukauna; St. Mary’s, Kaukauna; St. Francis, Hollandtown; and Holy Name, Kimberly are examples of this.

2. The Church is the shape of the cross, and if you look at the floor plan from above, the Altar is where Jesus' head would be on the cross, and the people are where the body would be. This lets the People know that the Church is the body of Christ, while Christ is the head. The very shape of the Church helps us know who we are: We are the body of Christ, with Christ as the head.

3. The Nave: This is the main part of the church where the people sit. There are often ribs on the ceiling of the Church. These ribs originally were there for structure, but are continued even to this day. Why? The ribs looks like the bottom of a ship. And the word Nave for this part of the church comes from the Latin word for Ship(Where we get the word Navy). The symbol is: The church is a ship. In the midst of the turbulent seas of the world, we are saved when we are in Christ's ship journeying to our True home, which is heaven. Seeing the Church as a ship, the church is called: The Barque of Peter, (the boat of Peter)

4. Our created world can be seen in three different theological realities: There is the Unredeemed world, the Redeemed world, and heaven. This three part division is also seen in our churches.

A. The sanctuary, the front of the church where the altar is symbolizes heaven. The altar is here. Often there is a redos(back altar) that looks like a city. This symbolizes the heavenly Jerusalem. The sanctuary has Candles, Incense, and the people are wearing white robes. All these come from Revelation 4 and 5 as seen in the worship of heaven. When worship is focused on the sanctuary we begin by joining the Angels and saints sininging "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord...." Notice this is found both in Revelation, and the angels are singing this is Isaiah 6. It is the heavenly Jerusalem.

         

B. The Nave is a symbol of REDEEMED Humanity. This is the place where those who are redeemed in Christ gather to worship God. Notice that holy water fonts are place at the entrance of this space. As you enter you dip your hand in holy water to recognize that your are redeemed in Christ by your baptism. As you leave the space you again recognize your baptism, and as a redeemed person you go into unredeemed world to evangelize. There are often Plant images in this space to remind people of the garden of Eden.

C. Outside of the Nave such as the gathering space, or outside the church is a symbol of Unredeemed reality. This is the our mission to bring people to the redeeming power of Christ.

D. Example: At baptism, the unbaptized person is NOT redeemed. We meet them at the door of the church for the baptism. After the baptism they come into the church and they are to live as a redeemed Christian all their life.

E. Example: At a funeral: We meet the Casket at the door. We use all of the baptismal symbols to show that this person was baptized and redeemed in Christ. God always remembers his promises. Then we bring the body to the front of the Church, right up the Sanctuary(symbolic of heaven), and we pray for the person.

5. The building is NOT necessary, but if you understand what the building is saying it will help worship, and help Christians to understand who we are and what our mission is.

Peace