Recent Posts

Most Used Categories

Year: 2008

You are Here :
Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC

Feast of Divine Love

From Holy Name Parish in South Deerfield, Massachusetts and Fr. Randy Calvo: Don’t Let It Pass Unobserved

December 8th is one of those sacred days on our church calendar that is unique to the National Catholic Church. That it is unique bothers some people because they associate it with separation, that if no one else has it and we do, then we are different, and different implies separate. I never appreciated the logic of this reasoning. I know when studying the four Gospels, for example, that the unique materials in each one of them are invaluable in our attempts to understand the perspective and purpose of the author. The unique materials do not separate the Gospels from each other; they enhance one another so that we can have a fuller understanding of the Good News. They look at Jesus from different angles, not giving us separate pictures of Him, but rather a more developed one.

The Feast of Divine Love is unique, but that is part of its importance. It could only have arisen in a church such as ours, from a perspective such as ours. It says much about who we are, and also in that process about how God has revealed Himself to us. This feast day replaces the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which refers to a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church issued by Pope Pius IX in 1854. The same Pope associated this teaching and feast with his resistance to the emerging democracies of the modern world. He issued the Syllabus of Errors intentionally on this date in 1864. This official document ridicules the authority of human reason, intellectual progress and science, freedom of religion and ecumenism. It states that the church should have temporal power, even military power, and that not only should there be no separation of church and state, but that the church should stand above the state.

The feast of the Immaculate Conception was also used by this Pope to sanction his own infallibility. He opened Vatican Council I on this date in 1869. This Council declared in 1870 that the Pope’s authority is universal and infallible. This new proclamation set off a series of events that led to the creation of the Old Catholic Church. Old refers to the old ways of the church before the Pope had himself newly declared infallible. In 1907, Fr. Francis Hodur was consecrated a bishop by the Old Catholic Church in Utrecht, Holland. With his consecration, Bp. Hodur signed the Declaration of Utrecht, which was promulgated in 1889, in direct opposition to the theology of Vatican Council I. With that act, Bp. Hodur, on behalf of our church, formally and specifically rejected the new theology of papal infallibility.

By this same act, he also endorsed the Old Catholic rejection of the new dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and for fundamental theological reasons. Mary is the source of Jesus’ human nature. If her human nature is not our full human nature, that is, if she is born free of —original sin— and we are not, if, in other words, she is born —immaculate— and we are born sinful, then the nature she passes on to Jesus is not ours. If that is the case, then Jesus’ incarnation and thus His act of salvation, is compromised. We, therefore, must reject the theology of the Immaculate Conception.

We have been and are a progressive, democratic Catholic church, and since we have formally rejected the theology of this day and the theological pronouncements associated with it, it is only logical that we would replace the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with a theologically more tenable celebration. That celebration is the Feast of Divine Love. The Feast of Divine Love speaks about creation as a testament of God’s love. The physical universe is a wonder to be marveled at, not one to be ridiculed as inherently sinful. We are stewards of creation when made in the likeness of God, not its masters. This being the case, reason, science and progress are not to be fended-off in fear or anger, but embraced as part of God’s revelation (see Romans 1:20). Likewise, reason and free will are how we are created in God’s image as an act of divine love. For these to flourish we must advocate for democracy in the state and the church. This is our feast day in a practical and profound way. This is our perspective that we alone share with the world about God to better understand God. Don’t let it pass unobserved.

Fathers, PNCC

December 8 – St. Jerome from the The Letters of St. Jerome

Have we, brute beasts that we are, ever done the like? Why, we yawn if we read for over an hour; we rub our foreheads and vainly try to suppress our languor. And then, after this great feat, we plunge for relief into worldly business once more.

I say nothing of the meals with which we dull our faculties, and I would rather not estimate the time that we spend in paying and receiving visits. Next we fall into conversation; we waste our words, we attack people behind their backs, we detail their way of living, we carp at them and are carped at by them in turn. Such is the fare that engages our attention at dinner and afterwards. Then, when our guests have retired, we make up our accounts, and these are sure to cause us either anger or anxiety. The first makes us like raging lions, and the second seeks vainly to make provision for years to come. We do not recollect the words of the Gospel: —Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?— The clothing which we buy is designed not merely for use but for display. Where there is a chance of saving money we quicken our pace, speak promptly, and keep our ears open. If we hear of household losses —” such as often occur —” our looks become dejected and gloomy. The gain of a penny fills us with joy; the loss of a half-penny plunges us into sorrow. One man is of so many minds that the prophet’s prayer is: —Lord, in thy city scatter their image.— For created as we are in the image of God and after His likeness, it is our own wickedness which makes us assume masks. — Letter XLIII. To Marcella.

LifeStream

Daily Digest for 2008-12-07

facebook (feed #7) 8:16am Updated status on Facebook.

Deacon is having a great time learning about Facebook.
facebook (feed #7) 8:38am Updated status on Facebook.

Deacon has just installed Facebook on his iPhone. Now I’m connected.
lastfm (feed #3) 1:12pm Scrobbled 5 songs on Last.fm. (Show Details)
blog (feed #1) 2:01pm December 8 – St. Jerome from the The Letters of St. Jerome
Homilies,

Second Sunday of Advent (B)

First reading: Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11
Psalm: Ps 85:9-14
Epistle: 2 Peter 3:8-14
Gospel: Mark 1:1-8

—Prepare the way of the Lord,—¨
make straight his paths.——¨

By water, the Holy Chrism, and the decent of the Holy Spirit we are consecrated, each and every one of us, to proclaim the Lord, to prepare the world so that each and every person might desire to receive Him. It is an awesome and formidable task and I think we are a little afraid of it. Our fears might be related to having a particularly low opinion of our abilities. They may even relate to the ultimate fear, the fear that Jesus is right.

As to our low opinion of our abilities, that’s probably a good thing. If we fail in humility we just might think that that we can move forward, saying whatever we will, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Church. That, of course, is a big problem in this day and age. We lack in humility, in thinking that it is some sort of insult to subject ourselves to the guidance of the Church, of Holy Scripture, and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. If we truly think ourselves unworthy we step out of false pride, out of self-reliance. We cast our hope on the Lord and the grace of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah gives us God’s command:

Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:—¨
Here is your God!—¨
Here comes with power—¨
the Lord GOD,—¨
who rules by his strong arm;—¨
here is his reward with him,—¨
his recompense before him.—¨

We must not fear. We have to place our reliance on God and trust in the Gospel of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have to take up Jesus’ charge to us and we have to get out there, knowing we ourselves are incapable, but that God will give us the strength and the words we need.

We sit here week after week, many of us since childhood, and we listen to the Gospel. We know the things we are to proclaim. Love God, love each other, come to God through our Lord and Savior for He is the way, truth, and life.

Jesus has given us numerous examples in regard to fear. We must not fear living our lives as faithful witnesses. We are not to fear the consequences of our witness, but are to rejoice in them, because the consequence of witness is eternal life. So do not fear. Listen to these words, words which we will hear in the coming Christmas season. Jesus tells us:

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechari’ah, for your prayer is heard— (Luke 1:13)

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary— (Luke 1:30)

An angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear (Matthew 1:20)

And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people (Luke 2:10)

And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.”
And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:10-11)

Do not be afraid, but get up and do as the Lord asks. Like Simon Peter, Andrew the First Called, and the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John, we have to take up the mantle, casting ourselves entirely into the hands of Jesus. He will give us all we need so that His word might be proclaimed.

Brothers and sisters,

We may fear that Jesus is right. That thought, that truth, which is an ultimate truth, forces us to face the reality of our lives, and our bodily death. The Holy Apostles continually urged their flocks to focus on the ultimate reality. Now some people got lazy, thinking they wouldn’t have to do anything because Jesus’ second coming was right around the corner. We still have those people with us, the ones awaiting the rapture, the millennialists, the doomsday cults. Saint Peter was speaking to those people, reminding them:

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved,
that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years
and a thousand years like one day.—¨
The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard —delay,——¨
but he is patient with you,—¨
not wishing that any should perish—¨
but that all should come to repentance.

He goes on to remind them that:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,—¨
and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar—¨
and the elements will be dissolved by fire,—¨
and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.

Because that day will come we cannot wait. We must set aside time each and every day to focus on our advent. We are in a constant state of preparation, a state of waiting. In that state we must live as the Apostle details when he says:

what sort of persons ought you to be,—¨
conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion,—¨
waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God

With Peter, we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.—¨

Friends,

We await the new heaves and the new earth, the new and eternal Jerusalem. In our waiting, our anticipation, in the midst of this on-going advent, we need to focus on our mission. We must reach each and every person, without fear, and with the words the Holy Spirit will give us. We must reach out to those who do not know Christ, who hate Him, who run from Him, who think they have been hurt by Him and His people. We must do so, not through criticism and demands, but in the love of Christ Jesus. We must reach them in their homes and businesses. We must be the first to open the door of welcome.

When we reach out, when we minister, when we follow the example of John and go out into the wilderness of a world that does not know or love God, we are doing what God asks of us:

Go up on to a high mountain,—¨
Zion, herald of glad tidings;—¨
cry out at the top of your voice,—¨
Jerusalem, herald of good news!—¨
Fear not to cry out—¨
and say to the cities of Judah:—¨
Here is your God!—¨

Go forth without fear, with a sense of immediacy — living in our on-going advent. Do not despair and leave apathy behind. Go and tell. Here is our God. He waits for you. Come to Him and find all you need.

Amen.

Fathers, PNCC

December 7 – Pseudo-Jerome from a commentary cited in the Catena Aurea

According to the above-mentioned prophecy of Isaiah, the way of the Lord is prepared by John, through faith, baptism, and penitence; the paths are made straight by the rough marks of the hair-cloth garment, the girdle of skin, the feeding on locusts and wild honey, and the most lowly voice; whence it is said, —John was in the wilderness.—

For John and Jesus seek what is lost in the wilderness; where the devil conquered, there he is conquered; where man fell, there he rises up.

But the name, John, means the grace of God, and the narrative begins with grace. For it goes on to say, —baptizing.— For by baptism grace is given, seeing that by baptism sins are freely remitted.

But what is brought to perfection by the bridegroom is introduced by the friend of the bridegroom. — On the Gospel of St. Mark, Chapter 1:1-8.

LifeStream

Daily Digest for 2008-12-06

blog (feed #1) 12:05pm Eternal rest grant onto him
lastfm (feed #3) 12:19pm Scrobbled 13 songs on Last.fm. (Show Details)
twitter (feed #4) 1:48pm Posted a tweet on Twitter.

Listening to Ancient Faith Radio, polishing up my homily.
blog (feed #1) 2:01pm December 7 – Pseudo-Jerome from a commentary cited in the Catena Aurea
blog (feed #1) 2:02pm Second Sunday of Advent (B)
twitter (feed #4) 2:39pm Posted a tweet on Twitter.

New blog post: Second Sunday of Advent (B) http://tinyurl.com/5cqf2r
Christian Witness, Current Events, Perspective, ,

Eternal rest grant onto him

On Friday the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Alexy II passed on to eternal life. May the perpetual light shine upon him.

Like Russia he was an enigma, and because he lived during these moments in history he was more so.

I think we, as Americans, fail to perceive the complexities of life in other countries, and especially in countries we perceive as threats. We tend to view things as black and white especially when the media and government feed us “acceptable perspectives.” Think back to communism in the Soviet Union and that imposed by Russia upon the states that were sold off by their British and American allies (yes, our leaders sold people into slavery and death). We think of intellectual oppression, gulags, and a lack of toilet paper and shoes. Of course things on the ground, day-to-day life, relationships between families and friends were far more complex.

A funny story. When I was in Poland for the first time I marveled at the fact that people knew and appreciated all sorts of American and British music from the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s — Paul Anka, the Beatles. I was indoctrinated to think that people sat in apartment blocks, poorly built buildings, shivering in small apartments filled with at least 10 bodies, weeping over their misfortune, longing for democracy. I thought that the music they were referencing was verboten. In retrospect it was silly, but I needed that encounter. I needed to hear their stories before I could truly understand the reality, the positives and negatives of the system.

Right now some of Poland’s former leaders are on trial. Here’s a reference to: Poland’s former leader on trial from the BBC.

Poland’s last communist leader, General Wojciech Jaruzelski, has gone on trial accused of committing a crime by imposing martial law in 1981.

I sincerely doubt that these were great or brave men in the majority of their actions. Rather, they were weak and selfish in many rights, using the system to their benefit, accommodating base principals. The real tragedy is that happens in every system, including the good old U. S. of A. It is one of the reasons I sincerely dislike the process of lustration. Men and women will take advantage regardless of the system. These folks will not be the protesters, the ones who stand behind barricades fighting to change the system. Those actions are for the poor and disenfranchised. These folks — the ex-communist businessmen, the oligarchs — just morph into the proper role for the times. The system has changed, but in name only; only in its methods of exploitation.

So this was the environment for Alexy, for the clergy subject under these systems. Did they make unfortunate choices, did they make errors, were they less than absolutely perfect? Certainly. Will they do so under the current system? For sure, just look to the sins of religious leaders in the United States. Before we judge, or throw stones, or expect absolute perfection, let’s take a moment to understand, to talk, and to encounter. We will find that nothing is black and white, nothing is perfect, nothing is as we have been led to believe.

What does matter is that all of us, like Alexy II, are on that road to God. Climbing the ladder to that ultimate union includes the discovery that perfection exists in God alone. Our love for Him, our desire for life in Him, are the impulses that grow as we grow closer to Him. If we focus ourselves on our climb and the rooting out of our imperfections, then we will have made real progress.

Fathers, PNCC

December 6 – St. Leo the Great from his sermons

And so, dearly beloved, do ye who with the whole heart have put your trust in the Lord’s promises, flee from this unclean leprosy of avarice, and use God’s gift piously and wisely. And since you rejoice in His bounty, take heed that you have those who may share in your joys. For many lack what you have in plenty, and some men’s needs afford you opportunity for imitating the Divine goodness, so that through you the Divine benefits may be transferred to others also, and that by being wise stewards of your temporal goods, you may acquire eternal riches. — Sermon 17, On the Fast of the Tenth Month, VII.

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC,

And the bishop cried

I simply liked this post from OrthoCuban (the Rev. Ernesto M. Obregón of the Antiochian Orthodox Church): And the bishop cried.

…And, so, I am glad to say, —and the bishop cried.— Yes, he does dress up like a Byzantine emperor and he does sit in the middle of the church. But, in his case, he sits in the middle of the church like the heart sits in the middle of the body. May God grant him many years.

The post so reminds me of our bishops in the PNCC. They are men with the gift of discernment and most especially men who are fathers to their flock. May God bless them with many years. Sto Lat!

All Right Reserved © 2005 - 2023