Thoughts and opinions from a Priest in the PNCC
My blog was down from 11pm on January 9th through about 2pm on the 10th. It appears to have been a database issue. I feel like Mr. Spock – Captain, we have a database issue of unknown origin.
The folks at the Yahoo help center (who were very nice) directed me a special E-mail address for database issues (Yahoo uses MySql as the Word Press back end).  They have rebuilt the database. I’m happy, problem solved (I hope).
Thank you Yahoo tech folks.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus,
The PNCC Solemnity of the Humble Shepherds is part of our rich heritage, and is another one of those unique feasts and solemnities that are not celebrated in other Catholic or Christian churches.
Who were these shepherds and why does the PNCC celebrate them?Â
First of all, they are like us and our ancestors. They were, in a particular way, like the men and women who worked to build and spread the PNCC across the United States and the world.
Remember that not many of our founders were rich, well educated, movers and shakers. They were not people of power, means, and status. They were humble working people. They knew that their bread came by the sweat of their brow. They knew what it meant to stand together, to help a neighbor and co-worker, to be strong in family and in faith. They knew that their families were where the seeds of hard work, devotion to God’s Church, and love were planted. They knew by first hand experience what the motto they left for the Church says: Truth, Work, and Struggle and through these Victory!
It is too bad that there aren’t similar solemnities and feasts worldwide.Â
You know that the struggling Church is the Church that is sustaining the rest of us. Look at the Church in Africa where strong, traditional Christianity is practiced, and where many suffer for the faith. Look at the suffering Church in the Middle East and Asia where the penalty for faith in Jesus Christ is death. Their values, their martyrs blood is what makes us strong. The blood of martyrs is indeed the seed of the Christians.Â
Like the suffering and the martyrs of today, and our humble immigrant ancestors, these shepherds were poor.Â
The shepherds were not rich men living on a ranch and raising sheep. They were rough and tough men, who lived out in the scrub and on the hillsides. They did not spend their evenings and nights in a house, rather they spent their time with the sheep —“ watching them, protecting them, and sleeping near them.  They were loners.  They were cunning, fearless, vigilant guardians whose deep and fierce love for their flocks made them a formidable force. They inherited their trade from their fathers and passed it on to their sons.
These rough, tough, hard men were used to hard work. The shepherd didn’t have much: He had an animal skin bag in which he carried his food —“ bread, dried fruit, some olives and cheese. He had his sling which he used as a weapon. He had a staff, a sort of short wooden club often studded with nails, which hung on his belt. And he had his rod —“ the shepherd’s crook.
The first visitors to the Christ child were these men, whom we honor today. The heavenly host came to them in all its majesty. These rough cut men did not disbelieve. They did what they were trained to do. They went to see. On seeing they believed.
We honor them not just because they trusted, saw, and believed, but because they gave glory to God for all of it. For what God had done.
Do we glorify God for what we have heard and seen?Â
Is your first thought as you leave the church, thank you God for bringing Your light into my life? Is your first thought one of praise for God forgiving your sins, giving you His Word, and for His Son’s coming into your body, heart, and soul? Is your first thought, thank you God for allowing me to be here today?
God I praise You. Repeat it with me. God I praise You. Repeat this constantly. Repeat it every morning and each night. Repeat it at meals, at work, and at rest.
My friends,
Creation is marvelous. Like the shepherds we are very much in touch with creation; the things around us. Like the shepherds we are tasked with hard work. And, like the shepherds, more than the created has been revealed to us.Â
We know God. We know Him because of His Son, Jesus Christ. We know Jesus Christ because of the Church. We know God by God’s mercy only, because God wants us. We can do nothing to make God love us or save us.Â
Today’s second reading bears repeating:
When the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, He saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.
Like the shepherds we must be thankful for being allowed to hear and see. We must come here more and more and do so with the sole intent of glorifying and praising God. We do so by our worship of him, by our sorrow for our sins, and by constantly taking him into ourselves.
Miłościwy Boże, racz nam odpuścić przewinienia nasze za wstawieniem się i przyczyną św. Wilhelma, biskupa, i dopomóż nam, abyśmy cnoty jego naśladując, mogli dostąpić błogosławieństwa wiecznego. Amen.
I’m probably one of the few Christian bloggers who are not coming out hot and heavy for the Alito nomination. Let’s go Alito, he’s our man, etc., etc.  Well I’m not coming out for him, nor for anyone else.
I like the voting booth. It’s private —“ and that’s a protection. My vote is between me, the machine, and God, and you know Deus ex machina. It’s why we as the faithful must work to stop evil, must pray diligently, but must not yoke ourselves to anyone, most especially to someone in the government realm.
The problem as I see it comes down to this:
He’s a Politician: Anyone in the judiciary or any other public office is subject to the old give and take. Whether it be to financial supporters or interest groups what wield power, no one is true to who they are. They can be, but alas are not. Our system is too corrupt to allow it. Can you imagine if he were to be honest about abortion or a thousand other things? Rather, he will say what he has to. If he were honest, the old ‘borked’ adage would be gone. It would now be ‘roasted ala Alito.’ Even Peter capitulated under pressure in the outer court of the High Priest. Can we expect more from Alito?
Where does he stand? Caveat emptor —“ how many Supreme Court nominees, once appointed were not who people thought they would be? Plenty, and the Presidents’ that offered up the nominations were as surprised as the interest groups. I don’t want to try to foretell the future of another person. I don’t believe in fortunetelling in the first place and secondly I can’t even predict my own future. Even if he had a slew of published decisions and writings expounding on the evils of abortion, euthanasia, or other pertinent subjects (he’s be dead already), it is already in the past. The past can give us a clue, but only a clue.
Outward signs: OK he is Catholic, ethnic, has two children (good family planning I think), belongs to the right societies. He has some good decisions and was nominated by an allegedly conservative president. But remember the oft quoted Henri IV, ‘Paris is well worth a mass’.  It has been said that this quote shows the depth to which people would go for power. While some scholarship reports it as being apocryphal, it is in any event a statement that makes the case very clearly —“ we do not truly understand another man’s motivations.
What’s the right thing to do:Â Instead of pretending to read the political tea leaves, instead of pretending to know who gave whom private assurances and what secret litmus tests were administered, maybe, just maybe, we should pray twice as hard.
Pray that whomever is confirmed is a person of integrity. Pray that the other Justices will be enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Pray that those who are blind to government sanctioned murder will have their eyes opened. Pray that their decisions on cases move to affirmatively end abortion, euthanasia, and thousands of other evils. Pray that the states do not allow abortion and euthanasia to continue.
For me and my house we will pray.
O święty Makary, wzorze pustelników, któryś porzucił rozkosze świata, ukochał samotność i umartwienie, uproś mi u Boga tę łaskę, abym zwyciężał próżność, chełpliwość i wszelkie pokusy światowe, a poznawszy marność rzeczy ziemskich, przez pokutę starał się o wieczną szczęśliwość. Amen
O św. Sewerynie, nieustraszony głosicielu Ewangelji świętej i szczególniejszy opiekunie sług i niewolników, uproś nam u Boga tę łaskę, abyśmy względem bliźnich naszych kierowali się prawdziwą miłością bliźniego, i w ten sposób zasłużyli sobie na miłosierdzie w dzień strasznego sądu. Amen
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
My brothers and sisters in Christ
Does this statement strike you as odd? Herod didn’t even know what he should have —“ where the Christ was to be born. The king of Judea did not know. He had to check his reference library.
Not only did he not know, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Not only did he not know, he was oblivious to the signs all around him.
Why?
Maybe he thought it wouldn’t happen. Maybe he thought it would be different.  Certainly all of Jerusalem (except perhaps Simeon and Anna) thought it would be different.
How like people today!
And like people today, they held onto their expectations while they nailed Him to a tree. They held unto their expectations even though they saw the signs and heard the Word. They held on in the face of the fire of the Holy Spirit and the subsequent teaching of the Apostles. They are still holding on today.
But what about us. We, the gentiles. The outsiders. Paul tells us exactly:
We are coheirs,
members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus
through the gospel.
My family in Christ,
Through the preaching of the Gospel, our baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit we are the adopted sons and daughters.
Adoption, it has been said, is an act of knowing love. You cannot really rush into an adoption. You have to plan, prepare, be interviewed, wait and wait, and the wait some more.Â
We, the gentile community, waited a long time. We had no foreknowledge, and very little preparation for our Savior. We didn’t have an expectation of anything. But we are adopted. We are grafted onto the vine. We are co-heirs, members, and co-partners. And God did this by an act of knowing love. Love for you and me.
We are not accidental family members, in-laws, or a distant cousin. We are the sons and daughters of God.
No, the king did not know. The people did not know. The scholars only knew the technical details. The gift of knowing was given to the magi by the Holy Spirit. They were given the gift of a seeing heart. Like O Henry’s —Gift of the Magi—, their hearts were motivated by love.Â
The Magi had no foreknowledge, but they saw the signs. They had no ancient gift of faith, but fell on their knees before Jesus, presenting their gifts.
You are here, you see the signs, the child, the manger, the mother and father, shepherds and magi. You are here to be forgiven your sins, to hear the Word, and to feast on His body and blood. You are here to present your gifts, not of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but the gift of yourselves. You are here each week and work very hard to bring others to Christ.
By your adoption you are made part of the one Body of Jesus Christ. Because of your adoption you are motivated by the love of God. Because of your adoption you wish to include everyone. All because of His sacrifice offered for you and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Come, children of the King, kneel before Him! O come let us adore Him!
Check out Polish parishes? Why? and article by the Rev. Czesław M. Krysa, SLD, President of the WNY division of the Polish American Priests Association and a well known author, historian, and ethnographer. It is the introduction to a series of article that appeared in Buffalo’s Am-Pol Eagle newspaper.
I especially like the disccussion points.
Each week of the Advent and Christmas season, this column will discuss one of the following Pol-Am faith VALUES, which make us as a community unique:
—¢ family as the domestic church
—¢ senior family member as tradition bearer
—¢ central role of the priest
—¢ memorial of the deceased
—¢ solicitude for the poor
—¢ meal as hospitality
—¢ solidarity with nature
—¢ language and music.Â
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Nieskończony w łaskawości Boże, który sługę swego Juljana napełniłeś umiłowaniem cnót wszelakich, użycz nam tej łaski, abyśmy idąc za jego przykładem, postępując z cnoty w cnotę, żywot doskonały wiedli. Amen
In the ‘if you live by the sword you die by the sword’ category:
Catholic Church Is Dealt a Blow in Asset Dispute
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL – December 31, 2005; Page A3A federal bankruptcy-court judge in Portland, Ore., ruled Friday that the Catholic archdiocese there can’t shield the sale of parish assets from compensation claims made by victims of sexual abuse by priests.
In a decision that could have national ramifications, Judge Elizabeth Perris found that sex-abuse victims, who have filed about 100 outstanding claims with potential damages of at least $300 million, may seek compensation from assets including parish churches and schools within the diocese.
While a victory for abuse victims, the decision represents a blow not only for the diocese but also for Catholic parishioners in Portland and across the country who are trying to protect church properties and bank accounts from liquidation.
Ruling in the bankruptcy case of the Portland archdiocese, the judge denied the diocese’s claim that its extensive real-estate holdings—”valued from $400 million to $600 million—”shouldn’t be available to pay creditors’ claims because they are held in trust for the parishes as beneficiaries. The diocese contended that victims should only be entitled to diocesan possessions, valued at around $19 million, including the bishop’s residence and chancery.
Although the diocese said that the question should properly be decided under canon, or church law, the judge wrote, “Who owns the property is, quite simply, not a theological or doctrinal matter.”
The judge is right and you’ve entered his realm.  The title to all church property in every diocese in the United States is held in the name of the Bishop Ordinary only. He is the sole trustee for the diocese, the parish, and for any and all assets. He can do what he sees fit with the assets as long as it is in keeping with Canon Law. It’s been that way since the 3rd Council of Baltimore (1884). From the Catholic Encyclopedia:
[The] Third Plenary Council of Baltimore (1884), in its decrees on the subject of church property, urges the bishops to place all church property under the protection of legal incorporation, where it can be done safely, as in the State of New York; where such incorporation cannot be made it requests the bishop to have himself made a corporation sole and thus hold the property as any other corporation would; and where this cannot be done it permits him to hold the property in fee simple” (Rev. J. M. Farley, now Archbishop Farley, in “The Forum”, June, 1894). Â Â
People just keep thinking, ‘hey, this is my church.’ No, sorry, it is not and never was. It is one of the reasons that the PNCC broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. It is why the Bishop can close your parish. He doesn’t need that white-wash committee of laity and a few nuns. They are there only as a faí§ade. If the Bishop says so, it is so. Only the Roman Pontiff or his delegated authority in the Curia can overrule your Bishop.
Back to the WSJ article:
The judge also rejected the argument of the Portland diocese’s 390,000 Catholics, who were named a separate defendant class, that civil law would bar the diocese from selling assets against parishioner wishes. “Under civil law, the parishes and high schools are not separate civil legal entities,” Judge Perris found.
A written statement issued by the diocese said: “We feel strongly that this decision is not supported by the facts or the law, and believe it infringes on Archdiocese’s right and the parishioners’ rights to freely exercise their religion. We will review our options to appeal.”
Sure, but the civil court will look at the documentary evidence. Who holds title to the property? It is the Bishop as CEO and trustee for the corporation —“ i.e., the diocese.
He is in effect ‘the diocese.’ The Church is certainly the body of Christ in all its constituent members. However, the church (small ‘c’ meaning its physical belongings) has nothing to do with the members.
When the Church subjects itself to the civil courts you will get a civil court verdict. Did you expect an ecclesiastical decision based on Canon Law from the United States Bankruptcy Court? You are not dealing with the Rota.
As you appeal, the decision takes a higher level of precedence. It goes from a decision applicable in the Federal District to one applicable in the Circuit and eventually, if taken to the Supreme Court, applicable nationwide.
Although Judge Perris’s decision and a similar ruling by a bankruptcy-court judge in Washington state in August aren’t binding on judges in other jurisdictions, they are expected to influence cases cropping up across the country that also deal with control over church assets.
Catholics in Boston, New York and elsewhere are fighting the closings of their parishes by contending that they, rather than the diocese, have control over churches, schools, bank accounts and other assets. These internal battles have become so heated that the St. Louis archdiocese recently excommunicated leaders of one parish who refused to turn over assets to the bishop, a subject of a page one Wall Street Journal article on Dec. 20.
Abp. Burke in St. Louis had to beg St. Stan’s for its $10 million because by act of a Bishop 125 years ago the property was deeded to the parish council, not the Bishop. Thanfully these people saw what was coming and said no. Abp. Burke wants it one way, Portland and Spokane want it another way. The R.C. Church and its bishops look like keystone cops. Where’s the USCCB? Shouldn’t the bishops speak with unanimity on issues? Not in the United States!Â
Each is in charge of his personal fiefdom. Each feels completely separated from the center. Each proclaims the strength and unity of the Church and —Ex Ecclesia Nulla Salus— (Outside the [Roman Catholic] Church there is no salvation), all the while each chooses his own way. Who may/may-not receive the Eucharist, will I follow the Church’s rules on homosexuality and seminary life, and whatever else (architecture, music, liturgy, inclusive language..).
The poor Roman Catholic faithful are faced with an episode of cognitive dissonance. Their bishops say one thing, but do another.
Another federal bankruptcy judge sided against the Spokane, Wash., diocese in a similar bankruptcy ruling in August. The Spokane bishop has appealed.
David Skeel, a University of Pennsylvania law professor, said that the Portland ruling hurts parishioners nationwide who contend that dioceses cannot close churches or take assets on their own. “What this opinion confirms is that the archdiocese is in charge, with respect to the property,” he said. He added that the decision is likely to unsettle parishioners by making clear that parishioners will ultimately pay for the abuse scandal. “Even if…the priest was never in their parish, they still pay the price,” he said.
Yep!