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Year: 2008

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Homilies,

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First reading: 1 Kings 19:9,11-13
Psalm: Ps 85:9-10,11-12,13-14
Epistle: Romans 9:1-5
Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.

Today’s lessons are about leaving Jesus, fear, finding Jesus, fear, and finding Jesus again.

The disciples set out in the boat leaving Jesus behind. We do that, almost weekly. We set off for our lives and leave this moment with Jesus behind. We get farther and farther away from the perfect reality of Christ and the sanctuary of His Church, setting out on the sea of life in our little boats.

Now our boats my be a Ford or a Chevy, they may be a Harley or a bicycle, they may be our houses, well insulated from everything on the outside. As the memory of our time with Christ fades we find ourselves out in those boats being buffeted by the sea.

The sea is terribly stormy. The world is awash in misery. Our well insulated houses are loosing value by the day, our credit cards are overextended, our country, once an indomitable financial powerhouse is loosing its place to China. Our military power, for all its technology and might, can do little against entrenched enemies and fourth generation warfare. Our jobs and retirements grow less and less secure. As we drive along in our cars we don’t even know if the next bridge we cross will fall into the chasm below. We are terribly afraid. We are so afraid that Jesus gets pushed right out. The waves are crashing over the bow and Jesus is nowhere in our lives.

Suddenly we see Jesus. Hey look! its Jesus! We experience a faint recollection. Someone mentions Him. The Spirit keeps working at us until we faintly pick up on the message. Like Elijah, the voice is like a whisper, look here comes Jesus. We stop and whisper a silent prayer in return, Jesus help me. We return here, to church, and for a brief moment we feel like we’ve found Jesus again. We may even hear Him saying:

—Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.—

When we recognize the voice we react like Peter calling out:

—Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you—

He says, —Come.—

Brothers and sisters,

We begin again on our journey to Christ. In fits and starts we find ourselves momentarily empowered. God is more than this. The Christ is more than mortgages, credit cards, wars, insurrections, and rickety bridges. We almost find ourselves on the verge of putting our trust in Him.

when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened

…and began to sink. So do we. That final act of trust, of saying no to everything we think is solid, and putting our faith, hope, and trust in what is eternally solid, seems to be the step we just will not take, a step that eludes us.

To take that step on a surface that seems to melt under our human feet, like the water melted under Peter’s feet, takes something extraordinary. For now we just call out:

—Lord, save me!—

Be assured, our Lord and Savior is here. He stretches out His hand and He catches us. He puts us back on solid footing and asks us to trust, to trust even when we think there is no ground beneath us at all.

My friends,

The Lord is continuously reaching out to us. He is continuously calling us back to reality. It is not the reality we perceive with fearful eyes and minds, but the reality that is eternal, the reality we see with the eyes of the soul.

Now for that extraordinary final step. Nothing extraordinary at all really. It is simply this. We must live. We must lives our lives and, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Church, we must continually remind ourselves that the Lord’s hand is reaching for us. That He is helping us. That He is drawing us to safety – the only safe assurance worth having, life that is lived at one with God.

So we say: Do not be afraid of the storm and do not be afraid of the mistakes, of the times where we forget of Jesus. He is here, to be found again and again. He us here for us. We are secure in Him Who is our salvation. Amen.

Fathers, PNCC

August 9 – St. Ignatius from the Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians

For this end did the Lord allow the ointment to be poured upon His head, that He might breathe immortality into His Church. Be not anointed with the bad odor of the doctrine of the prince of this world; let him not lead you away captive from the life which is set before you. And why are we not all prudent, since we have received the knowledge of God, which is Jesus Christ? Why do we foolishly perish, not recognizing the gift which the Lord has of a truth sent to us? — Chapter 17.

Fathers, PNCC

August 8 – St. Ignatius from the Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians

It is better for a man to be silent and be [a Christian], than to talk and not to be one. It is good to teach, if he who speaks also acts. There is then one Teacher, who spoke and it was done; while even those things which He did in silence are worthy of the Father. He who possesses the word of Jesus, is truly able to hear even His very silence, that he may be perfect, and may both act as he speaks, and be recognized by his silence. There is nothing which is hid from God, but our very secrets are near to Him. Let us therefore do all things as those who have Him dwelling in us, that we may be His temples, and He may be in us as our God, which indeed He is, and will manifest Himself before our faces. Wherefore we justly love Him. — Chapter 15

Fathers, PNCC

August 7 – St. Ignatius from the Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians

Take heed, then, often to come together to give thanks to God, and show forth His praise. For when you assemble frequently in the same place, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and the destruction at which he aims is prevented by the unity of your faith. Nothing is more precious than peace, by which all war, both in heaven and earth, is brought to an end.

None of these things is hid from you, if you perfectly possess that faith and love towards Christ Jesus which are the beginning and the end of life. For the beginning is faith, and the end is love. Now these two, being inseparably connected together, are of God, while all other things which are requisite for a holy life follow after them. No man [truly] making a profession of faith sins; nor does he that possesses love hate any one. The tree is made manifest by its fruit; so those that profess themselves to be Christians shall be recognized by their conduct. For there is not now a demand for mere profession, but that a man be found continuing in the power of faith to the end. — Chapters 13 & 14.

PNCC

quasi-Vagantes of the PNCC

For those who might not know the PNCC has its own vagantes. It’s really an interesting phenomenon. Frankly, if the bishops gathered at Nicea had known about vagantes they might have included their existence as one of the marks of the Church. ‘One, holy, catholic, apostolic, and has vagantes.’

One of the reasons I decided to cover this issue was the fact that one of the groups reached out to me with the simple request, “Potrzebujemy kontaktu z Wami!” Not likely… Also I refer to these folks as quasi-Vagantes because none of them has ventured to obtain episcopal orders. As soon as they start adding Archbishop-Metropolitan and Catholicos to their titles then they’ll have achieved — well nothing but fancy titles.

Some of the notables are:

The “Very Rev.” Thomas Rudny who claims to pastor the Holy Cross PNCC of New York. As far as I can tell there is no existing church building but he has been known to hold services at Holyrood Episcopal Church at Fort Washington Avenue and 179th Street in New York City.

The “Polish National Catholic Church in Poland“The PNCC only recognizes the Polish Catholic Church as the Church founded in Poland by our founder and first Prime Bishop Francisek Hodur. The Polish Catholic Church is a sister church to the PNCC. The PNCC does not recognize, nor does it have any relationship with the Polish National Catholic Church in Poland movement. See the PNCC website for an official statement. which is run by several priests, the “Rev.” Tomasz Rybka the Administrator of Good Shepherd parish outside Warsaw, Poland and who is also the Director of the “Samarytanin” retirement home adjacent to it, his father, the “Rev.” Jerzy Rybka, the “Very Rev.” Franciszek Rygusik and the “Rev.” Ludwik Szumowski. Their Bishop is “Archbishop” Augustyn Bačinskí½ of the Slovak Catholic Church which broke away from the Union of Utrecht shortly after the PNCC did.

It looks like the Slovak Church did not have bishops of its own at the time of their break with Utrecht. It also appears that they moved to seek episcopal orders from Archbishop António José da Costa Raposo, a vagante Bishop in the Costa line who runs the Apostolic Episcopal Church in Portugal. Like many vagantes “Archbishop” Bačinskí½ claims a mixture of Old Catholic and Orthodox orders. He has allied his church with various other vagante movements.

It should also be noted that these various movements have joined together in a loose confederation called the World Council of National Catholic Churches (note that their website seems to have disappeared). Included in this group is the Rybka group, Archbishops Costa Raposo and Bačinskí½ and the “Very Rev.” Anthony Nikolic of the “Canadian National Catholic Church.”

The Canadian church itself is interesting in that the Rev. Nikolic runs St. Anthony’s Mission out of St. John’s PNCC Cathedral in Toronto which was seized by some parishioners in an attempt to break away from the PNCC. The cathedral parish is apparently being run by the Rev. Zbigniew Kozar and Utrecht, up until recently, had recognized the breakaway group at St. John’s as its “official” North American mission. Utrecht provided them with some Episcopal oversight (see Dependent churches and municipalities under the jurisdiction of the IBK) as a slight to the PNCC. However the group may be moving toward the WCNCC and Costa Raposo because the February meeting of the Utrecht Bishop’s Conference concluded: Since 2005 the Bishops’ Conference has sought, together with the Episcopal Church, to encourage groups within the USA who call themselves Old Catholic and who could be taken seriously as a movement to work together. However, it must now be accepted that these attempts have failed as mergers have broken up again and new splinter groups have formed. The Bishops’ Conference has therefore decided to pull out completely from this area and will, in future, refer any requests to join the Union of Utrecht from so-called Old Catholic movements in North America to the Episcopal Church.

The “Reverends” Kozar and Nikolic are not part of the PNCC and seem to be little more than a conglomeration of quasi-vagantes. Because the breakaway elements in the Cathedral have allied themselves with either Utrecht or the Episcopal Church the Episcopal Diocese of Toronto works with them. The PNCC has brought suit for the return of St. John’s Cathedral. The official site of the Polish National Catholic Church’s Canadian Diocese is here.

Oh how the world of vagantes turns…

Fathers, PNCC

August 6 – St. Ignatius from the Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians

And pray without ceasing in behalf of other men. For there is in them hope of repentance that they may attain to God. See, then, that they be instructed by your works, if in no other way. Be meek in response to their wrath, humble in opposition to their boasting: to their blasphemies return your prayers; in contrast to their error, be steadfast in the faith; and for their cruelty, manifest your gentleness. While we take care not to imitate their conduct, let us be found their brethren in all true kindness; and let us seek to be followers of the Lord (who ever more unjustly treated, more destitute, more condemned?), that so no plant of the devil may be found in you, but you may remain in all holiness and sobriety in Jesus Christ, both with respect to the flesh and spirit.

The last times are come upon us. Let us therefore be of a reverent spirit, and fear the long-suffering of God, that it tend not to our condemnation. For let us either stand in awe of the wrath to come, or show regard for the grace which is at present displayed—” one of two things. Only [in one way or another] let us be found in Christ Jesus unto the true life. Apart from Him, let nothing attract you, for whom I bear about these bonds, these spiritual jewels, by which may I arise through your prayers, of which I entreat I may always be a partaker, that I may be found in the lot of the Christians of Ephesus, who have always been of the same mind with the apostles through the power of Jesus Christ. — Chapters 10 and 11.

PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia

U. S. Soldiers on pilgrimage to Jasna Góra

From the AP: Hundreds of US soldiers join Polish pilgrimage

WARSAW, Poland (AP) —” Hundreds of soldiers in camouflage set off Tuesday on a 10-day march to Poland’s holiest Roman Catholic shrine —” among them five Americans hoping to deepen ties with an ally.

Five members of the Illinois National Guard traveled to Poland to make the 180-mile (290-kilometer) trek on foot —” alongside Poles, Germans and other Europeans —” from Warsaw to Czestochowa, site of the revered Black Madonna icon.

Though the 300-year-old pilgrimage has deep religious and patriotic resonance in mainly Catholic Poland, the main purpose of the U.S. contingent, a tradition that has started in recent years, is to show solidarity with Poland —” an ally in Iraq and Afghanistan —” and other nations.

It’s a chance “to come together and share a little bit, and hopefully develop closer bonds with foreign militaries in a non-combat type setting,” said Master Sgt. Roman Waldron, 37, from Springfield, Illinois.

Before embarking on the pilgrimage, the pilgrims attended an early morning Mass at the Field Cathedral of the Polish Army, where a priest blessed them with holy water. They were also told to set a moral example and refrain from drinking or smoking during the march.

The Black Madonna —” which legend says was painted by St. Luke —” was brought to the Jasna Gora monastery in Czestochowa in 1384.

Many miracles have been attributed to the painting, including a 1655 siege during which 70 monks and 180 supporters held off nearly 4,000 soldiers from the Protestant Swedish army and inspired Poles to rise up and throw out the invaders.

Sgt. 1st Class Evan Young, from Rock Island, Illinois, believes the pilgrimage is going to be even more meaningful than he had first imagined.

“Originally when I was given the opportunity I thought it would be kind of a neat way to see Poland, but then I started doing research on the Black Madonna and the siege and I thought it’s part of a much bigger thing,” said Young, a 45-year-old who grew up Episcopalian.

“It’s pretty neat to be taking part in this, and help improve relations with Poland and other countries that are here,” he said.

Only one of the five American soldiers is a Catholic. They will sleep in eight-man tents set up along the route by the Polish army.

The soldiers were trailed by thousands of students and other pilgrims in Warsaw, and will eventually join up with thousands more expected to converge on Czestochowa next week, ahead of the August 15 [Roman] Catholic holy day marking the Assumption of Mary…

My the Blessed Mother watch over them and instruct them in the ways of her Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

O, God, the strength of those who put their trust in Thee; Bless we pray, our soldiers, sailors, servicewomen, and airmen; our chaplains, doctors, nurses; and all enlisted in the service of our country. Give Thy holy angels charge over them to protect them from all harm; deliver them in all temptation, and if it by Thy gracious will, bring them safely home. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. — A Prayer for Those in the Armed Forces from A Book of Devotions and Prayers According to the Use of the Polish National Catholic Church.

For more information on this annual pilgrimage see Polskie Radio – Poland on pilgrimage.

Everything Else,

Caution Twitter users

From the BBC: Hi-tech criminals target Twitter

Micro blogging site Twitter is the latest target of cyber criminals who are increasingly finding fertile ground on social networks.

A fake Twitter profile with a malicious payload has been spotted by security firm Kaspersky.

It purports to link to a pornographic video but downloads a fake version of Adobe Flash which installs programs capable of stealing data.

The attack is believed to be the first to target Twitter.

Social net

The attack is believed to have originated in Brazil because of the language it uses, the servers it calls on to download trojans and the e-mail address used to collect stolen data.

The fake profile has a name that means “pretty rabbit” in Portuguese. It tries to convince users to download the fake Flash video viewer in order to watch the associated video.

It comes as Kaspersky also releases details about two worms that target social networking sites MySpace and Facebook. More variants of these worms are also starting to turn up…

Fathers, PNCC

August 5 – St. Ignatius from the Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians

Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, which is at Philadelphia, in Asia, which has obtained mercy, and is established in the harmony of God, and rejoices unceasingly in the passion of our Lord, and is filled with all mercy through his resurrection; which I salute in the blood of Jesus Christ, who is our eternal and enduring joy, especially if [men] are in unity with the bishop, the presbyters, and the deacons, who have been appointed according to the mind of Jesus Christ, whom He has established in security, after His own will, and by His Holy Spirit.

Take heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup to [show forth] the unity of His blood; one altar; as there is one bishop, along with the presbytery and deacons, my fellow-servants: that so, whatsoever you do, you may do it according to [the will of] God. — Greeting and Chapter 4.

Fathers, PNCC

August 4 – St. Ignatius from the Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians

For, since you are subject to the bishop as to Jesus Christ, you appear to me to live not after the manner of men, but according to Jesus Christ, who died for us, in order, by believing in His death, you may escape from death. It is therefore necessary that, as you indeed do, so without the bishop you should do nothing, but should also be subject to the presbytery, as to the apostle of Jesus Christ, who is our hope, in whom, if we live, we shall [at last] be found. It is fitting also that the deacons, as being [the ministers] of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, should in every respect be pleasing to all. For they are not ministers of meat and drink, but servants of the Church of God. They are bound, therefore, to avoid all grounds of accusation [against them], as they would do fire.

In like manner, let all reverence the deacons as an appointment of Jesus Christ, and the bishop as Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the Father, and the presbyters as the sanhedrim of God, and assembly of the apostles. Apart from these, there is no Church. Concerning all this, I am persuaded that you are of the same opinion. For I have received the manifestation of your love, and still have it with me, in your bishop, whose very appearance is highly instructive, and his meekness of itself a power; whom I imagine even the ungodly must reverence, seeing they are also pleased that I do not spare myself. But shall I, when permitted to write on this point, reach such a height of self-esteem, that though being a condemned man, I should issue commands to you as if I were an apostle? — Chapters 2 and 3.

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