Since I told you in my last post that I wasn't going to soapbox, here's some links to people who are doing it very well in my stead, thank you very much:
www.vivificat.org
www.deoomnisgloria.com
4/05/2005
Soapboxing on the Media
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3 comments:
In response to a BBC article on a girl with a rare disorder preventing her from ingesting the gluten in the communion wafer, I wrote the following:
"The Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has already spoken very clearly about this matter: the girl, to be admired in her devotion to the Eucharist and her desire to participate, has missed
an important element of Eucharistic Doctrine, developed fully by St. Thomas Aquinas centuries ago: that the entire corporeality of Christ (body, blood, soul, and divinity) is fully present in both species of the Eucharist (both host and cup). Therefore, while the Church greatly encourages the faithful
to receive Christ under both species, it is not absolutely necessary to receive both in order for the Communion to be valid.
While she may regrettably be unable to consume the wafer like all the other children, she is by no means "barred" from communion. In fact, her unique reception of the Eucharist at the Cup alone would be a marvelous witness to
this important doctrine regarding the Eucharist for the other children. I hope a solid catechist gets ahold of her parents and maximizes on this highly teachable moment! I believe her taking from the Cup alone would be a poignant statement that her pangs of embarassment are identified with the pangs Christ suffered in his Agony in the Garden."
I was also sent the following BBC article (here is an abstract):
"Head-to-head: Challenges for new Pope./ Pope John Paul II was renowned for his social conservatism. Some Catholics say it is time for the Church to modernise. Others say the new Pope should continue where the last left off. Author Dr Lavinia Byrne, a former nun and supporter of the ordination of women, puts forward her point of view, followed by Italy's Europe Minister, Rocco Buttiglione, a friend of the late Pope John Paul II, who failed to become an EU commissioner in 2004 after describing homosexuality as a sin."
This was my response:
"I don't think the teaching on women's ordination is a challenge for the next Pope; I think it's a challenge for Lavinia Byrne, who apparently has failed to accept the CDF's rather unequivocally definitive statement on the question of women's ordination. It's not the Church that needs to become more enlightened; it's Lavinia Byrne who needs to reconsider the change she's proposing.
Similar to the sacrament of Eucharist, the sacrament of Holy Orders is not a "rule" that can be "amended". It is a gift given by Christ, and it is the Church's privelege to offer authentic expressions of the Sacraments. You
said in your last email that it doesn't matter if the Host has wheat or not, but on what authority do you make this claim? What gives you or the Vatican the right to decide what should or should not be consecrated during the Mass? It is not something the Vatican has the authority to change, and they've made that very clear. It is a form given by Christ.
Similarly, the Vatican has made it very clear that it does not have the authority to ordain women. To do so would be a departure from Christ; and that which is not Christ is...not Christ, not authentic, not True.
I don't know that the BBC's claim that JPII was "renowned for his social conservatism" is a very accurate one. He's often labeled 'socially progressive and morally conservative', but I've never heard him referred to
as 'socially conservative' before. And what do they mean 'modernise'??? Is it the duty of Catholics to be 'hip and cool' or is the duty of Catholics to
follow Christ? If we're trying to be authentically Christian, should we worry about being 'modern' or being true to Christ? 'Modern' becomes a rather hollow term in this light.
And Lavinia's statement that the Church is too centralised and just like the Kremlin seems extremist. I suppose if I were as close-minded as Ms. Byrnes, I'd find the Church's exercise of authority totalitarian. But a more generous mindset would recognize that nothing is more liberating than humble obedience to Christ's teaching. Christ promised that His yoke would be heavy, but the burden light. If we decide to cling to OUR vision of what should or should not be, we will never find room for Christ's vision to
enter in. And in Christ's vision, all is as it should be; there is a peace in that letting-go, a freedom in that release. I hope she is able to discover that peace."
Then I received the BBC article available at the following URL:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4416419.stm
Some highlights:
"German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who heads the Vatican department once known as the Holy Inquisition, has two unofficial fan sites."
"The former Bishop of Evreux in France, Jacques Gaillot, has ventured even further into cyberspace, establishing what he calls his 'diocese without borders'. The Vatican sacked the 'red cleric' from his post in Evreux for his liberal views, placing him in charge of the Diocese of Partenia instead. But the appointment was actually a punishment, since Partenia no longer exists. The once bustling centre of commerce located in modern-day Algeria disappeared beneath the sands of the Sahara 1,500 years ago. In response, the bishop developed a website where he can preach with passion to millions."
Can you tell me what's wrong with this information, and if so- do you see why I'm fed up with the BBC?
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