The Spiritual Power Of “Popular Devotions”

By JAMES MONTI

The midnight Mass of Christmas, when celebrated with all the “pomp and circumstance” that befits the Incarnation of the Son of God, can be a very powerful spiritual event in our lives, leaving in its wake impressions that can profoundly shape the course of our path in entering the new year to follow. Even those Catholics who sadly neglect their faith for most of the year feel instinctively drawn to it and show up in large numbers.
At a Christmas midnight Mass I attended last month at St. John’s Church in Stamford, Conn., what particularly struck me was the manner with which a statue of the Christ Child was borne to the altar in the entrance procession. Behind the acolytes and clergy leading the procession there came into view a magnificent gold canopy carried by four older acolytes. Beneath this baldachin the pastor held aloft the simple figure of the Infant Jesus, which was subsequently enthroned atop the church’s splendid high altar aglow with the golden light of forty wax candles.
Like so much of what the Church does in communicating the faith to us through the senses, this scene depicting a baby treated as the highest royalty, symbolically expressing what the Magi expressed in presenting their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, drove home just how utterly incredible is the sacred truth we profess in believing that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
The above rite of carrying a figure of the Christ Child in the entrance procession of Christmas Mass, most famously observed in the papal liturgy, is not to be found in the rubrics of the Ordinary Form Roman Missal, nor in those of the 1962 Extraordinary Form Missale Romanum, nor in any edition of the Caeremoniale Episcoporum (“Ceremonial of Bishops”).
Yet it is a venerable and highly laudable tradition of devotional origin fittingly inserted into the Christmas liturgy. And it aptly illustrates the value and importance of those forms of Catholic worship and practice that are known as “popular devotions.” … Continue Reading

The Dowry Of Mary . . . Many Catholics Can Share In The Upcoming Rededication

By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY

In the centuries before the Reformation, England was regarded as the Dowry or “special portion” of our Lady — that is, the country was particularly noted for its Marian devotion. This came at least in part from the act of King Richard II (who reigned from 1377-1399) in offering the country to her in the fourteenth century.
The famous Wilton Diptych, a small painted portable altarpiece, depicts him kneeling before our Lady, the Christ Child and accompanying angels, and offering his kingdom as a “dos” or dowry to the Blessed Virgin, and thus entrusting it to her protection.
It could be said, though, that the idea of England as the Dowry of Mary extends beyond the physical nature of the country, and also applies to believers within it — but since this dedication is something that was clearly meant to be ongoing, then it continues today, which means that the descendants of those people who were alive then also share in the blessings of this dedication.
But the interesting point is that those descendants didn’t just stay in England — many of them emigrated and went to places such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. Therefore, in a certain sense, the descendants of those people, who are now living overseas, could also be said to share in this dedication.
Be that as it may, the whole Dowry principle has suddenly become more much relevant given the fact that England will be officially rededicated as the Dowry of Mary this spring. The Rededication program has been launched by the bishops of England and Wales and will culminate in a rededication of England as the Dowry of Mary on Sunday, March 29, 2020.
As a lead-up to this, over the past two years the Statue of Our Lady of Walsingham from the reanimated ancient shrine has been visiting every Catholic cathedral in England with a mission to pray for the re-evangelization and conversion of the country. … Continue Reading

Sunshine The Eskimo

BY JOE SIXPACK

Years ago, a bishop of Alaska told of an Eskimo boy, John. He was called Sunshine before he had a Christian name, as his parents were pagan. Once when he was two years old, Sunshine had convulsions; he couldn’t breathe and seemed to be dying. Holding the babe in her arms, the mother looked at the father. She told him she would take the child outside and leave him to die, because no one must be allowed to die inside an Eskimo igloo.
The bishop was present and decided to baptize the boy secretly. The mother stepped past the bishop to carry the child outside. He stopped her and asked for some water. He dipped his handkerchief into a sealskin bucket and, whispering the words of Baptism, squeezed the water over the child’s forehead. Almost before he had finished, the child sighed deeply, opened his eyes, and asked for a drink. The parents were overjoyed and later became Catholics themselves.
This story vividly demonstrates a point about Baptism. Just as God miraculously gave Sunshine physical life during the administration of the sacrament, Baptism does indeed actually give life to the soul. “Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: ‘Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1213).
Jesus made Baptism absolutely obligatory (Mark 16:15-16), because it’s necessary for salvation (John 3:5). The ordinary minister of Baptism is a priest or deacon, but anybody can baptize in case of emergency. For emergency Baptism to be validly given, the following conditions must be met: (1) the person baptizing must have the Church’s intention; that is, that Baptism take away sin; (2) the person baptizing must pour water on the head three times in such a manner that it flows over the skin; and (3) at the same time that the water is being poured, the person baptizing must say: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” … Continue Reading

Bishop Strickland . . . The Real Presence Of Jesus Christ In The Eucharist – Continued

By MOST REV. JOSEPH STRICKLAND

A recent Pew Research study revealed, to the shock of some, that “just one-third of U.S. Catholics (31 percent) say they believe that during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.” I was not shocked. I was heartbroken. It is sadly reflective of the drastic failure in many efforts to teach the Catholic faith since the Second Vatican Council.
The Bible, the early Church Fathers, the Christian Tradition and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church all teach that the bread and wine consecrated at Holy Mass truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the Divine Son of God. This great mystery is at the heart of the Catholic Christian faith.

Jesus still tells His disciples what He taught the first disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you,” to which many of the disciples responded, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” As a result of this, “many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him” (John 6: 22-71).
Sadly, the Pew statistic reveals that many contemporary … Continue Reading

Gilligan’s Island

By DEACON MIKE MANNO, JD

I don’t share too many personal stories, but here is one that I posted on Facebook. It’s about a little kitten that has come into my life. Now I’m not really a cat guy. In fact, all my life I’ve been a dog guy. Oftentimes having two at the same time.
My most recent four-legged friend is a rescue by the name of Buster, whose companion, Bo, crossed over the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago. Buster is fourteen and in good health, but slowing down a bit.
I’ve had a Bailey and a Bentley, as well as a Roxie. My most memorable dog was Ginger, who hung around me during my grade school years. I’ve also had a Paisan (Italian for buddy), and the earliest dog I remember I named Meat Ball.
But a couple of months ago my wife found a small litter of kittens — only about a week old — abandoned in our front flower garden. We took them to our vet but, unfortunately, only one survived. Since I’d never had a cat before this was a new experience, but after bottle-feeding this little kitty for five weeks, we kind of bonded.
I named her Gilligan after Luanne had to correct me several times for saying “good doggie.” I then started to call her “little buddy,” which reminded me of the Skipper and, well, the rest you know. She’s about six months, cute as a baby kangaroo, stubborn as a mule, and can be, but not often, as cuddly as a koala bear.
Fortunately, she allows us to stay but otherwise she has the run of the house. She’s fallen into the toilet twice, the garbage numerous times, and found herself inside the refrigerator once and will probably do it all again.
Over Christmas, we dared not to put up a tree since she had climbed all over the plants Luanne brought in for the winter. We had to put them in the laundry room until spring. A couple of years ago when the Late Bo was blind we went several years without a tree, since we didn’t want to move the furniture to accommodate it because poor Bo would have had a hard time navigating the house. So that didn’t bother us too much. … Continue Reading

A Leaven In The World . . . Struggle Over Celibacy Is About Church’s Identity

By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK

The latest dust-up in the Vatican over clerical celibacy is just more evidence that two forces are at work in the Church today: One seeks to more and more accommodate the world while the other prioritizes getting to Heaven.
The post-synodal exhortation for the Synod on the Amazon is soon to be released. There was much talk during the synod of relaxing some of the customs and traditions in the Church that are suspected by some of discouraging the practice of the faith. One of these is thought by those who have the Pope’s ear to be clerical celibacy.
Someone allegedly made a comment during the synod that the people of the Amazon “don’t understand celibacy so they should not have it,” or something to that effect. With that kind of logic, soon folks will be saying we shouldn’t have God either because we don’t understand Him.
That is a sure sign of accommodation to the world: impatience with supernatural values such as celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom in imitation of Christ. Some commentators maintain that there is an embarrassment on the part of some leaders in the Church with Magisterial teaching on marriage and sexuality. The disparagement of celibacy in the priesthood is seen as part of this desire to accommodate bourgeois or Protestant morality in the hope that more will be accepting of the faith.
In the exhortation on the Amazon Synod, reportedly to be promulgated late this month or early next month, Pope Francis is expected by some to push for a change to the practice of admitting only celibate men to the priesthood.
News came also this month of a new book — From the Depths of Our Hearts — to be published collaboratively by Robert Cardinal Sarah and Pope Emeritus Benedict supporting the longstanding custom of clerical celibacy in the Latin Rite. When the book was announced with pictures of the cover showing the photo and name of Benedict emblazoned thereon together with Cardinal Sarah, Pope Francis, it is alleged in a recent report from Antonio Socci, angrily summoned Archbishop Ganswein and ordered that Benedict’s name and photo be removed. Ganswein obediently ordered Sarah to make the changes, saying the reason was that Benedict did not agree with the proposed format naming him a co-author. … Continue Reading

The Culture War Comes To The Old Dominion

By PATRICK J. BUCHANAN

Since 1969, “Virginia Is for Lovers” has been the tourism and travel slogan of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Advertising Age called it “one of the most iconic ad campaigns in the past 50 years.”
But the Virginia of 2020 seems to be another country than the friendly commonwealth to which this writer moved four decades ago.
Charlottesville, home to Thomas Jefferson’s University of Virginia, has become famous as the site of a 2017 Klan-Nazi clash with antifa over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee from a municipal park. During the clash, protester Heather Heyer was run over and killed.
There followed the inauguration of a new Democratic governor, Ralph Northam, in 2018 and a new attorney general. Both, it was learned, had masqueraded in blackface in their college days. And two women accused their colleague, new Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, with rape.
Resignations were demanded. But all three hunkered down, and the crisis abated. Now a new cultural issue has emerged.
First-term Cong. Jennifer Wexton, from the D.C. suburbs, has denounced … Continue Reading

Neither Left Nor Right, But Catholic . . . Economics, American Ideologies, And Catholic Social Teaching

By STEPHEN M. KRASON

(Editor’s Note: Stephen M. Krason is professor of political science and legal studies and associate director of the Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is also co-founder and president of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists and a lawyer. Among his books are: Liberalism, Conservatism, and Catholicism; The Transformation of the American Democratic Republic; Catholicism and American Political Ideologies, and a Catholic political novel, American Cincinnatus.)

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Jane Clark Scharl wrote an article in Crisis in December 2019 discussing how the Republican Party has moved away from an extreme notion of capitalism — of economic freedom — that characterized it in the past and so is now more in line with Catholic teaching. She suggested that this is a result of the Trump presidency. She is correct in her assessment about the Republican Party, but this development predates Trump.
It was apparent in the principles and policy positions set forth by the Republican Party in 2012, the year that Mitt Romney was its presidential candidate — even if, as she mentioned, he didn’t identify with them.
In two books, 25 years apart, I examined how American liberalism and conservatism measured up to Catholic social teaching as enunciated in the papal encyclicals. In those books, I looked at how each of the major American political ideologies conformed to or contrasted with that teaching both on basic political philosophy and in major public issue areas. Regarding the former, I considered the thought of representative thinkers and commentators of each ideology, and on the latter I examined particular national party platforms that were reputed to be especially liberal (for the Democrats) and especially conservative (for the Republicans).
I determined which ideology was closer to Catholic social teaching in each of the areas examined and then came to a conclusion about which ideology overall was closer to the teaching. My first book, in 1991, examined the ideologies from World War II until then, which meant that two versions of liberalism had to be looked at — that before the late 1960s and that after then (what Catholic historian James Hitchcock called the “old” and the “new” liberalism). After the 1960s, liberalism distinctly moved to the left. What my analysis showed was that conservatism was closest to Catholic social teaching, but just slightly more so than the old liberalism. The new liberalism was far behind. … Continue Reading

My New Home… A Stranger In A Strange Land

By REY FLORES

I recently moved to Omaha, Neb., to be near my family. At this point, it isn’t exactly my favorite place in the world, but my much-loved wife and children are here, and I would follow them to the ends of the Earth.
I must admit it has been somewhat of a rough ride the past few years, and now I’m living in a town that I’d only visited twice before. I challenge anyone to just drop everything for the love of marriage and family.
Like anywhere else, Omaha has its interesting parts, neighborhoods, and attractions. The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is supposed to be second in the nation only to the San Diego Zoo, though I’ve yet to visit it with my sons. The zoo was founded at the end of the nineteenth century, and now features thousands of animals from around the globe, 160 acres of exhibits and gardens, which include seven acres of indoor exhibits, so there should be plenty to interest anybody.
The Old Market area, along with nightlife in the Dundee neighborhood, seems like a fun place for twenty-somethings, but as a family man my age, that’s no longer the kind of scene for me. There are, however, a few gift stores featuring every kind of kitschy pop culture antique and collectible one could ever imagine.
There is one great place I’ve visited a few times with my four sons called Hollywood Candy, a place that would give Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory a run for its money.
As happened historically with most Midwestern urban areas, there took place the great migration to the north when slaves were freed. Many neighborhoods like Chicago’s Hyde Park and Bronzeville thrived, and continue to thrive today with black Americans who pursued higher education and economic opportunities. I don’t know whether or not Omaha ever had a black community like these, however.
The North Omaha area reminds of the generational blighted areas like Chicago’s west side, where less educated impoverished people tended to flock to, often lacking economic and employment opportunities. The blight, homelessness, and despair are truly a sad thing to witness. … Continue Reading

Some Gifts In Strange Packages From 2019

By MSGR. CHARLES POPE

(Editor’s Note: Msgr. Charles Pope is the pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Parish in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. This commentary first appeared on his blog dated January 1, 2020. It is reprinted here with Msgr. Pope’s kind permission. All rights reserved.)

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It is hard to describe 2019 in glowing terms for the Church, both in the United States and around the world. I will not recite every gory detail here but this year saw a further unfolding of the drama of sexual abuse, the coverup of sexual abuse, and the deposing of several bishops and other clergy for this reason, and with more likely to follow in the year to come. All this led to further discouragement that ensued among both clergy and the faithful.
Can anything good possibly come from 2019? None of us can say for certain, but we do know that God can write straight with crooked lines; He can make a way out of no way. Some of God’s greatest gifts come in strange packages. Though I am a known critic of many of the events of the past two years, I would like to point out some positive effects that have occurred. I pray that these do not become overcorrections, which can sometimes be as bad as the evils they replace.

The laity has found its collective voice.

Many of us can remember a time when it was almost unthinkable to say anything negative about a priest or bishop. Even if one saw evidence of problematic behavior by a clergyman, mentioning it was verboten. There was a kind of excessive deference to Church authority. Because the priest was holy and had given his life to God, questioning or opposing him was tantamount to questioning or opposing God. … Continue Reading