Praise be to God the Holy Father is here!

[anamchara]

I’ve noticed that there seems to be a great deal of threads focused on the Music and the Mass yesterday in DC.

Let us instead rejoice our Holy Fathers visit and talk about the blessings he has brought with him.

Let’s talk about the reasons he is here, which are many!

I will start by talking about how incredibly lifted I was at the Mass yesterday. This is my first time as a Catholic seeing the Pope in our country. The energy was fabulous! The Holy Spirit was there!

I was also very touched and moved watching the news last night about the victims of abuse and their visit with the Pope. I was in tears as I could only imagine how painful it was for them but also the release they must have felt with our Holy Fathers gentleness. I pray this will help in their healing. Bless the Holy Father for doing this.

He spoke today at the United Nations as well, how did everyone feel about that?

 

[Maritsa]

I liked his call to return to confession in his homily. The news hasn’t seemed to pick up on that part yet. I think it should get more publicity.

Is there a transcript available yet? I would like to reference it.

 

[ibkc]

I liked his call to return to confession in his homily. The news hasn’t seemed to pick up on that part yet. I think it should get more publicity.

Is there a transcript available yet? I would like to reference it.

There is a transcript here on Fr. Zuhlsdorf’s blog. Fr. Z has inserted his own commentary in red but if you aren’t interested in that, just read around the red.

 

[Maritsa]

There is a transcript here on Fr. Zuhlsdorf’s blog. Fr. Z has inserted his own commentary in red but if you aren’t interested in that, just read around the red.

Thank you very much!

Here is the passage I was referring:

In today’s Gospel, the risen Lord bestows the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and grants them the authority to forgive sins. Through the surpassing power of Christ’s grace, entrusted to frail human ministers, the Church is constantly reborn and each of us is given the hope of a new beginning. Let us trust in the Spirit’s power to inspire conversion, to heal every wound, to overcome every division, and to inspire new life and freedom. How much we need these gifts! And how close at hand they are, particularly in the sacrament of Penance! The liberating power of this sacrament, in which our honest confession of sin is met by God’s merciful word of pardon and peace, needs to be rediscovered and reappropriated by every Catholic. To a great extent, the renewal of the Church in America depends on the renewal of the practice of Penance and the growth in holiness which that sacrament both inspires and accomplishes.

 

[anamchara]

There is a transcript here on Fr. Zuhlsdorf’s blog. Fr. Z has inserted his own commentary in red but if you aren’t interested in that, just read around the red.

Thanks, I’m reading it now.

 

[Jeanette_L]

Anamchara, this is my first time also as a Catholic to experience a visit from our Holy Father to our country and I am very excited!

I am so thankful for this pope, his gentle manner and his thoughtful approach to his role as the universal pastor of Christ’s Church, he has been a great blessing to us, as was his predecessor, John Paul the Great.

I love his energy, his ability to speak clearly and succinctly, with authority and always with great humility.

I very much enjoyed the Mass yesterday and the talk he gave at Catholic University and at the John Paul II Cultural Center.

I missed today’s events, I am hoping to catch the reruns on EWTN this evening.

I shall return!

 

[JReducation]

Besides the mass, which is always a powerful experience when a pope precides, I was awe struck my the reception he got from the Jewish community in Washington and NY. I was especially touched by how he makes it a point to remember our connection with the Jewish faith.

Also, his manner of speaking is never confrontational, as we so often see on these threads in the name of Catholcism. Here is the head of the Catholic Church telling truth without causing anger, being condescending, or diminishing who each person is.

I was touched when the Pope said that being in the synagogue reminded him that Jesus once read the scriptures and prayed in a place such as this. I don’t believe that was an accidental statement. I believe it was mean to point out to Christians and Jews that Jesus is the binding force or the bridge between us.

Another beautiful part of the Holy Father’s visit is going to come tomorrow when he visits with children who have varying disabilities. John Paul II had contributed to the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of the Disabled. Unfortunately, many Catholics have never read that document or those who read it, forgot an entire paragraph in it written by John Paul II.

As a result, the Catholic laity in the USA has not done as much as it can do for children and adults living with disabilities. The Holy Father’s undertaking to spend time with these children should send a message to the laity, whose primary duty it is to minister to this population.

I am also glad that Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap was able to pull off a visit the some of the victims of sexual abuse. I know that Sean really wanted to see this happen. He had invited the Holy Father to Boston. It was beautiful to hear that the Holy Father made time in his schedule to visit with this group.

It is beautiful to see the Holy Father spend time with those who are not Catholic to bear witness in a candid, respectful, and low key manner to the mystery of Christ, but leaving the conversion to the work of the Holy Spirit. Observe that he did not mention conversion, he mentioned learning from one another, working together and dialogue. It is not that he does not believe or desire conversion. It is that he does not want the Holy Spirit’s job, neither should we.

JR

 

[benedictgal]

Thanks, I’m reading it now.

I sincerely hope that by reading this, you might actually be inspired to read his books on the liturgy, as well. They are not a difficult read and should shed some much needed light on things. You can read his words for yourself and learn something, if you are open to it.

I do hope that your enthusiasm translates into a deeper desire to learn more about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments. There is an old saying that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

Anamchara, I do mean this with all sincerity. Channel your enthusiasm over his visit into reading his books on the liturgy.

 

[Jeanette_L]

Because I have been really puzzled at the overwhelming negative response on this forum to the Mass yesterday with Pope Benedict XVI, many choosing always the negative instead of choosing to rejoice in the positive gladness of our Holy Father’s presence, I have decided to submit the following in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s words:

“Cheerfulness prepares a generous mind for all the noblest acts of Religion: love, adoration, praise and every union with our God, as also for duties: charity, happy zeal, useful concern for our neighbor, and all those acts of piety which should improve cheerfulness and dispose the poor soul to joyful serenity - resting all upon infinite goodness! thrice infinite goodness of our adored and beloved God.”

Peace.

 

[Jeanette_L]

On another note, did you all see the pope’s talk at the Ecumenism service at St. Joseph’s today with all the various Christian communities? Wasn’t he awesome?

I love this pope!

JPII and BXVI, heaven’s tag team.

 

[benedictgal]

Because I have been really puzzled at the overwhelming negative response on this forum to the Mass yesterday with Pope Benedict XVI, many choosing always the negative instead of choosing to rejoice in the positive gladness of our Holy Father’s presence, I have decided to submit the following in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s words:

“Cheerfulness prepares a generous mind for all the noblest acts of Religion: love, adoration, praise and every union with our God, as also for duties: charity, happy zeal, useful concern for our neighbor, and all those acts of piety which should improve cheerfulness and dispose the poor soul to joyful serenity - resting all upon infinite goodness! thrice infinite goodness of our adored and beloved God.”

Peace.

Jeanette, if I read your post correctly, you are fairly new to the Church. I don’t know what, if anything, was covered in your RCIA class regarding the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. That is why you might be confused as to the reaction in the thread that I started on the DC Mass.

The Second Vatican Council rightly stated that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the source and summit of the life of the Church, of our life. We botch this and we’ve completely lost the picture. The Mass is the most important activity that we partake in as Catholics. The definition of liturgy is the “work of the people.” Through the ministry of the bishops and priest, we are sharers in this divine mystery we call the Mass. Together with the priest, we, too, offer our sacrifice. We unite ourselves with the Sacrifice of Jesus on the altar.

No one is criticizing the members of the choir who donated their time and talents for this Mass. The real nature of the criticism is the selection of the music, especially when we have a Pope, who is a classically trained musician and who has written books, speeches and papers on the proper celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, devoting many words to the issue of Sacred Music.

That is why it is important for the laity to read these documents that the Church provides. It is also important to read the Holy Father’s books. While I have all three of his books on the liturgy, I also own his other works too, including God is Near (which also touches upon the liturgy), Seek that Which is Above, the God of Jesus Christ, Introduction to Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth and Called to Communion.

Jeanette, your journey didn’t end when you were received into the Church. The challenge now is for you to grow in your faith. Growing means continuing to study your Faith and learn more about it on a daily basis. You can’t get a better teacher than the Holy Father.

By the way, if you are interested in buying his books, www.ignatiuspres.com is offering a 20% discount on his books. They are his official US publisher. This would be the best gift that the Holy Father could give you and it would be an excellent fruit from this visit.

 

[benedictgal]

On another note, did you all see the pope’s talk at the Ecumenism service at St. Joseph’s today with all the various Christian communities? Wasn’t he awesome?

I love this pope!

JPII and BXVI, heaven’s tag team.

Well, I would rather Benedict stay with us for a lot longer. JPII can be up there, but, we need Benedict down here.

The music was very sublime and quite fitting. In fact, Draw Us In the Spirit’s Tether is one of my favorite hymns. I found myself singing along (luckily, my officemate was gone, so I had the place to myself ). The second song was beautiful, as well. The Holy Father was deeply moved and closed his eyes in prayer. This was certainly a relief from the day before.

I’m curious to hear what Pat Robertson will say about this meeting. I noticed that he wasn’t one of the ones who came up to greet the Holy Father. I also thought that it was interesting to see that Benedict spent a good while visiting with MLK’s daughter. Cardinal Egan, though, looked tired and about ready to run out of gas, as he was making the introductions. The Holy Father, on the other hand, looked very resilient.

Tomorrow is the third anniversary of the election of Pope Benedict XVI!

 

[JReducation]

I sincerely hope that by reading this, you might actually be inspired to read his books on the liturgy, as well. They are not a difficult read and should shed some much needed light on things. You can read his words for yourself and learn something, if you are open to it.

I do hope that your enthusiasm translates into a deeper desire to learn more about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments. There is an old saying that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

Anamchara, I do mean this with all sincerity. Channel your enthusiasm over his visit into reading his books on the liturgy.

I would take the advice of the Pope, channel our enthusiasm into sacraments, prayer, working toward unity among people of faith, healing those who were hurt by the sex abuse scandal, showing respect for our Jewish brothers and sisters, praying that the nations of the world will work toward disarmament, diplomatic resolutions of differencs, and healing a broken world.

If you have time, after living the Gospel life as it was lived by the saints, you can take time to read.

Remember what our Holy Father Francis said, “the study of theology is only permitted if it does not extinguish the spirit of prayer, poverty, obedience, and charity.” The practice of the virtues was more important than theological knowledge. For that reason, to this day, only some Franciscans are allowed to become theologians, they must first prove their holiness before they are allowed to engage in advanced studies.

There was wisdom in these words. Even St. Dominic who wanted his friars to be theologians, placed knowledge in third place. Prayer, obedience to him and knowledge was the sequence that the great Dominican preachers were to follow.

We have some wonderful leassons to learn from the Holy Father’s visit. One of them being that he is bearing witness to the Gospel without confrontation, without condesention, with a great deal of simplicity.

We must all learn to walk the Christian journey with this attitude.

JR

 

[benedictgal]

I would take the advice of the Pope, channel our enthusiasm into sacraments, prayer, working toward unity among people of faith, healing those who were hurt by the sex abuse scandal, showing respect for our Jewish brothers and sisters, praying that the nations of the world will work toward disarmament, diplomatic resolutions of differencs, and healing a broken world.

If you have time, after living the Gospel life as it was lived by the saints, you can take time to read.

Remember what our Holy Father Francis said, “the study of theology is only permitted if it does not extinguish the spirit of prayer, poverty, obedience, and charity.” The practice of the virtues was more important than theological knowledge. For that reason, to this day, only some Franciscans are allowed to become theologians, they must first prove their holiness before they are allowed to engage in advanced studies.

There was wisdom in these words. Even St. Dominic who wanted his friars to be theologians, placed knowledge in third place. Prayer, obedience to him and knowledge was the sequence that the great Dominican preachers were to follow.

We have some wonderful leassons to learn from the Holy Father’s visit. One of them being that he is bearing witness to the Gospel without confrontation, without condesention, with a great deal of simplicity.

We must all learn to walk the Christian journey with this attitude.

JR

Not all of us are bound to the spirituality of the different religious orders. Part of the reason people leave the Church is that they don’t know enough about the Faith. For most people, their religious formation ends after they’ve received the Sacrament of Confirmation. As a Church, we need to educate our people in the Faith, lest what little understanding of the Church they have now will either be eaten up by birds, choked by weeds or trampled underfoot. This is something that is facing our Church today. People don’t know enough about the Mass, let alone the Faith of the Church.

I don’t mean to be rude, but, you seem to have an aversion to my recommending that people read the Holy Father’s words. Mysticism is one thing, but, you need to have something concrete to back it up. The Holy Father’s visit presents us with a wonderful opportunity to read his words. In the homily he preached at his installation Mass, the Holy Father said that part of his Petrine ministry is to feed his sheep. He feeds us through his words, whether written as Cardinal Ratzinger or as Benedict. We need to have a balanced diet, JR. One thing is for you to push Franciscan ideals, but, you also have to keep in mind that education and formation play an important role, here, especially where neophytes are involved.

 

[Jeanette_L]

Jeanette, if I read your post correctly, you are fairly new to the Church. I don’t know what, if anything, was covered in your RCIA class regarding the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. That is why you might be confused as to the reaction in the thread that I started on the DC Mass.

The Second Vatican Council rightly stated that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the source and summit of the life of the Church, of our life. We botch this and we’ve completely lost the picture. The Mass is the most important activity that we partake in as Catholics. The definition of liturgy is the “work of the people.” Through the ministry of the bishops and priest, we are sharers in this divine mystery we call the Mass. Together with the priest, we, too, offer our sacrifice. We unite ourselves with the Sacrifice of Jesus on the altar.

No one is criticizing the members of the choir who donated their time and talents for this Mass. The real nature of the criticism is the selection of the music, especially when we have a Pope, who is a classically trained musician and who has written books, speeches and papers on the proper celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, devoting many words to the issue of Sacred Music.

That is why it is important for the laity to read these documents that the Church provides. It is also important to read the Holy Father’s books. While I have all three of his books on the liturgy, I also own his other works too, including God is Near (which also touches upon the liturgy), Seek that Which is Above, the God of Jesus Christ, Introduction to Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth and Called to Communion.

Jeanette, your journey didn’t end when you were received into the Church. The challenge now is for you to grow in your faith. Growing means continuing to study your Faith and learn more about it on a daily basis. You can’t get a better teacher than the Holy Father.

By the way, if you are interested in buying his books, www.ignatiuspres.com is offering a 20% discount on his books. They are his official US publisher. This would be the best gift that the Holy Father could give you and it would be an excellent fruit from this visit.

I agree with you on this point, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the summit of our lives. I have a different focus though, which is the actual Eucharist, all else is to bring us into this one event. When I walk into a church, I am already glued to that event, the music doesn’t even register with me. My confusion is not derived from a lack of education, but in your and other’s completely negative focus on what is a wonderful event to be celebrated and not dissected to death, robbing every last bit of joy from all who happen upon your thread.

I appreciate your concern for my spiritual education, this I am pursuing with a spiritual director, whom I have a great deal of confidence in.

I’m sorry if you take me as someone who has never read a book of substance, I have read several of the books you have listed, and have a few more waiting in the wings, among many others.

I think that I could read all the books in the world and still not see things the way you see them, as I am not fixated on any one thing above and beyond the Eucharist and how to attain union with God. The Eucharist is everything. I guess we will have to agree that we will never have the same focus in getting there.

And I have no intentions of sitting back and not growing in my faith. I’m not sure you can understand this, but my faith did not start with my becoming Catholic. My faith has been a long journey and it has brought me home to the Church. I have brought much with me and am thankful for it and trust that God is active in my life and will see me through my journey to life’s end on this earth and beyond.

God bless.

 

[benedictgal]

I agree with you on this point, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the summit of our lives. I have a different focus though, which is the actual Eucharist, all else is to bring us into this one event. When I walk into a church, I am already glued to that event, the music doesn’t even register with me. My confusion is not derived from a lack of education, but in your and other’s completely negative focus on what is a wonderful event to be celebrated and not dissected to death, robbing every last bit of joy from all who happen upon your thread.

I appreciate your concern for my spiritual education, this I am pursuing with a spiritual director, whom I have a great deal of confidence in.

I’m sorry if you take me as someone who has never read a book of substance, I have read several of the books you have listed, and have a few more waiting in the wings, among many others.

I think that I could read all the books in the world and still not see things the way you see them, as I am not fixated on any one thing above and beyond the Eucharist and how to attain union with God. The Eucharist is everything. I guess we will have to agree that we will never have the same focus in getting there.

And I have no intentions of sitting back and not growing in my faith. I’m not sure you can understand this, but my faith did not start with my becoming Catholic. My faith has been a long journey and it has brought me home to the Church. I have brought much with me and am thankful for it and trust that God is active in my life and will see me through my journey to life’s end on this earth and beyond.

God bless.

I never said that you were not a person of substance; I was trying to explain to you why the situation involving the music matters to a great many of us.

While there is great joy that the Holy Father is here with us, those of us who genuinely care about the Mass are appalled at what happend. The music was not at all conducive to prayer. I suggested that you read the books only so that you could get a better picture of what many of us were trying to say. This in no way implies that you are not a person of substance. Given that you said that you were new to the Church, I made the comment that I wasn’t sure what all was covered in your RCIA classes.

While music may not matter to some, it does matter to many of us, especially if the solutions fly in the face of everything this Pope has written and has addressed. That is why this is most problematic.

 

[JReducation]

Not all of us are bound to the spirituality of the different religious orders. Part of the reason people leave the Church is that they don’t know enough about the Faith. For most people, their religious formation ends after they’ve received the Sacrament of Confirmation. As a Church, we need to educate our people in the Faith, lest what little understanding of the Church they have now will either be eaten up by birds, choked by weeds or trampled underfoot. This is something that is facing our Church today. People don’t know enough about the Mass, let alone the Faith of the Church.

I don’t mean to be rude, but, you seem to have an aversion to my recommending that people read the Holy Father’s words. Mysticism is one thing, but, you need to have something concrete to back it up. The Holy Father’s visit presents us with a wonderful opportunity to read his words. In the homily he preached at his installation Mass, the Holy Father said that part of his Petrine ministry is to feed his sheep. He feeds us through his words, whether written as Cardinal Ratzinger or as Benedict. We need to have a balanced diet, JR. One thing is for you to push Franciscan ideals, but, you also have to keep in mind that education and formation play an important role, here, especially where neophytes are involved.

I have no aversion to recommending the Holy Father’s writings to anyone. I have read them myself. When I read them I see the result of deep mystical prayer. His understanding of the liturgy is not only from books, but also from a spirit that is deeply united with Christ in contemplation, especially contemplation of the Eucharist.

When I read some of the posts on the DC mass, it sounds like everyone’s critique is based on their understanding of the Holy Father’s writings, but not of his rich contemplative life. Unless you have that blend of contemplation with study, as he has, you cannot really appreciate the man’s writings.

This is why I always encourage people to engage in prayer and charity first, before they proceed to reading such lofty writings. There is a danger that the reader will get stuck on the letter of the printed word and never see the soul of the writer.

It is in the soul of the writer, in this case Pope Benedict, that you come to a real understanding of his love for the liturgy. No matter how much you read his writings, he you are not engaged in the same life of contemplative prayer as he is, you will not see what he sees when he speaks about liturgy.

The history of the Church is living proof that we must first share the experience, before the written word makes sense to us. In his infinite wisdom the Holy Spirit gave the Church the experience of Christian Tradition first, before he gave them a Bible.

It is good to read what the Holy Father and other great theologians have written, but you must cultivate the soul in order to make it fertile so that something takes root and grows. A rich life of prayer, silence, scripture and sacraments, spiritual reading and spiritual direction together is the best fertilizer for the soul.

I see a great deal of criticism over the mass here and there, but not much encouragement to cultivate the soul.

We need to shift our focus from criticism to contemplation and you’ll see that the weaknesses in liturgy will gradually disappear.

JR

 

[Jeanette_L]

While music may not matter to some, it does matter to many of us, especially if the solutions fly in the face of everything this Pope has written and has addressed. That is why this is most problematic.

The problem as I see it is the intense focus on one aspect of the Mass that was not meeting your expectations, which has tainted your whole perception of the Good that was Truly Present, or at least this is what everyone who is not of the same intensity as yourself, who happens to stumble upon your thread will believe to be true of you. You have lost your sense of the whole while being almost exclusively focused on the part. You say that you aren’t and yet the negativity far outweighs any positive that can be found in the posts there, and I’m not just talking about your own posts exclusively, but those who were drawn there like flies to fire.

This is what is troubling.

No joy left after the overwhelming and constant criticism. And not just the one thread, but throughout the whole sub forum. All bitterness and no joy. This is not what was meant to be for us, I’m sorry. People have lost their way, all the while thinking they are the only ones who have it.

 

[Joysong]

JReducation:

This is why I always encourage people to engage in prayer and charity first, before they proceed to reading such lofty writings. There is a danger that the reader will get stuck on the letter of the printed word and never see the soul of the writer.

It is in the soul of the writer, in this case Pope Benedict, that you come to a real understanding of his love for the liturgy. No matter how much you read his writings, (if) you are not engaged in the same life of contemplative prayer as he is, you will not see what he sees when he speaks about liturgy.

The history of the Church is living proof that we must first share the experience, before the written word makes sense to us. In his infinite wisdom the Holy Spirit gave the Church the experience of Christian Tradition first, before he gave them a Bible.

I completely agree, JR. It occurred to me that even the devil himself was able to quote holy scripture - he KNEW it well. What does knowledge without charity prove? As St. Paul teaches, is nothing but a clanging cymbal. It serves only to “puff up.” The underlying error seems to be that sufficient knowledge will somehow produce sanctity.

As I reviewed the Pope’s document today on another thread, this is the most sublime section of Sacramentum Caritatis that reminds us what Eucharist should be for everyone. You and I have seen the many banal comments about ‘vertical worship’, but unless the liturgy transforms us into ‘bread broken for others,’ it becomes simply a ritual without heart and soul, even though it be celebrated flawlessly.

When I was in Catholic grade school, we were required to memorize the Baltimore Catechism. I had all the knowledge to be sure, and even went to daily mass with my classmates. Did it guarantee that my acquired knowledge made me holy? I never really knew Christ!! Not until I experienced an actual encounter with Jesus many years later. My thirst for Truth then became great indeed, but only so that I could follow His will more perfectly and grow in virtue. The cart was no longer in front of the horse.

 

[benedictgal]

I completely agree, JR. It occurred to me that even the devil himself was able to quote holy scripture - he KNEW it well. What does knowledge without charity prove? As St. Paul teaches, is nothing but a clanging cymbal. It serves only to “puff up.” The underlying error seems to be that sufficient knowledge will somehow produce sanctity.

As I reviewed the Pope’s document today on another thread, this is the most sublime section of Sacramentum Caritatis that reminds us what Eucharist should be for everyone. You and I have seen the many banal comments about ‘vertical worship’, but unless the liturgy transforms us into ‘bread broken for others,’ it becomes simply a ritual without heart and soul, even though it be celebrated flawlessly.

When I was in Catholic grade school, we were required to memorize the Baltimore Catechism. I had all the knowledge to be sure, and even went to daily mass with my classmates. Did it guarantee that my acquired knowledge made me holy? I never really knew Christ!! Not until I experienced an actual encounter with Jesus many years later. My thirst for Truth then became great indeed, but only so that I could follow His will more perfectly and grow in virtue. The cart was no longer in front of the horse.

Joysong, I think you missed some very important points regarding Sacramentum Caritatis. This document came about because of the Synod. Pope John Paul II called the Synod on the Eucharist because there were many shadows corrupting the Mass. There were many issues (and they still remain) that cloud the Mass and muddle the integrity of the Holy Sacrifice. One such area revolves around music. The Synod Fathers met to discuss these very delicate matters. What resulted from this Synod is contained in Sacramentum Caritatis.

Yes, the Eucharist is for all of us, but, it is not our own personal property to do with as we please. That is the wrong way to read the text. You need to know the backgrond of things in order to get a better, more accurate understanding of them.