We Have a New Bishop! Praise God!

Today Bishop John Barres was ordained as the fourth bishop in the diocese of Allentown. There were bishops and priests from all over the country as well as the Apostolic Nuncio from the Vatican to the US, Archbishop Pietro Sambi who read the mandate of ordination from Pope Benedict. During the ordination rite, Bishop Barres layed face down on the floor of the sanctuary as the Litany of Saints was prayed. The process involved 3 bishops who layed their hands on Bishop-elect Barres after he declared his faithfulness to the Church and the Gospel. The Book of the gospels was held over his head as a sign that he would be infused with the Gospel of Christ as Bishop.
After the ordination he then celebrated the Eucharistic liturgy for the first time as bishop and concluded the Mass with a few remarks.

He said in this year of the priest he will take his cues from St John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, who made confession and eucharistic adoration the cornerstones of his ministry. He said he will be hearing confessions in the cathedral as well as in Churches throughout the diocese! He said:
"The diocese of Allentown is not and will not be resigned to empty confessionals."
His motto on his coat of arms is "Mission and Holiness"
I think we are in for some exciting times in the next several years in the diocese of Allentown.
Say a prayer for Bishop Barres that God will continue to give him grace as shepherd as he leads this part of the flock here in Eastern PA.

Feast of St. Peter Chrysologus

Today the Church celebrates the short but productive life of a early fifth century bishop who was later to be made a Doctor of the Church. St Peter was known for his short pithy sermons, many of which had been written down . These sermons give us a glimpse of his heart and a "snapshot" of what the Church was thinking and believing in 425 AD.

"He is the bread sown in the Virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in his passion, baked in the furnace of the sepulchre, placed in the churches, and set upon the altars, which daily supplies heavenly food to the faithful."

In this short snippet of a sermon one can see a few things about the Early Church.

• The early Christians still viewed Mary as a virgin
  
• Jesus was the heavenly food that is daily supplied to the faithful on all the altars in all the Churches.
  
• The celebration of the Mass was ocurring daily(as it still is today)
  

Sure this writing is not canonical, but it gives a historical view of what the early Church was teaching and believing, which is the same teaching of that same Church today.

Run Forrest Run from Obamacare

President Obama's health care advisor is Rahm Emanuel's brother, Zeke.
Dr. Zeke Emmauel is a Harvard-trained medical oncologist with a PhD in political philosophy.
He is a fellow of the Hastings Institute and a proponent of health care rationing and the newly emerging "Duty to Die" philosophy. He is the voice whispering in the ear of President Obama as he crafts his Health Care Reform.

Here are a few of Dr. Ezekiel Emmauel's thoughts on health care:

"Conversely, services provided to individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens are not basic and should not be guaranteed. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia. "

Dr. Emmanuel believes that people with dementia should be denied medical care!

Well, I guess that would eliminate my job. Greater than 50% of those I care for have some form
of cognitive impairment including all stages of dementia.

Is it any surprise to you that the elderly aren't campaigning on the streets for the passage of the new health care plan by President Obama?

With Obama's chief adviser for health care reform taking his philosophy from the playbook of a certain failed European empire from the 1930's I have one thing to say:

RUN FORREST RUN!!!

Check out this chilling article on Obamacare and how it will push the Duty to Die upon our elderly.

Conscience Clause? We Don't Need No Stinking Conscience Clauses

Even before the Obama Healthcare plan has become law, hospitals are emboldened to ignore the conscientious objections of their employees. A nurse was threatened with job loss if she did not participate in a late term abortion this past May. Check it our here.

New Bishop!

This Thursday, our new bishop will be ordained and installed in the diocese of Allentown.
Monsignor John Barres is 48 years old and was baptized by Bishop Fulton Sheen. I have just finished reading a book his father, Oliver, wrote in the 1950's describing his journey into the Church. It is interesting because his dad wrote it in the process of conversion and not afterwards, yet some of his apologetic arguments for Mary and the Saints and the Eucharist are discussed as if he had long understood and held these beliefs!
This is so exciting because we get to see first hand the 2000 year old process of the laying on of hands to confer the apostolic gift passed on from the actual hands of the apostles themselves!
The ordination of a bishop displays the apostolic succession that is the basis for the Catholic belief that we are in continuity with the same ancient Church which Christ started.

"Where the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be;
even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church''
Ignatius of Antioch, 107 A.D

Larry Norman's Influence in Catholic Conversion

The late Larry Norman, one of my earlier Christian music influences, unwittingly had a hand in starting the American Chesterton Society which is founded by a convert to the Catholic faith, Dale Ahlquist. Dale is the brother of Pam Ahlquist who was Larry Norman's first wife. Apparently Larry introduced a young Dale to the writings of GK Chesterton and the rest is, as we say, history.
The American Chesterton Society's goal is to introduce America to the "Apostle of Common Sense." Chesterton's apologetics for Christianity and Catholicism are still read and held in high regard. CS Lewis also credits his conversion to some of Chesterton's writings.

"I had a brother-in-law who was a famous Jesus Rock singer back in the 1970's. His name was Larry Norman. He was the one who first recommended that I read Chesterton. He made the astonishing comment that if I read Chesterton I wouldn't need to read C.S. Lewis, because everything in Lewis was already in Chesterton. For an Evangelical, this was like blasphemy. But the comment stuck with me. It would be a few more years till I finally picked up my first Chesterton book, which was on my honeymoon! It was The Everlasting Man (pause for laughter). My initial impression? That my entire college education had been a fraud. Which it was, as it turns out." Dale Ahlquist


To read more about Dale Ahlquist, check out this interview with him

Some Lighter Fare

Stop The Abortion Mandate

On Thursday night there will be a nationwide webcast to help us to stop the abortion mandate that
President Obama is attempting to rush through congress. The speakers for the 70 minute webcast include Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life and several others nationally known in the pro-life movement.
The push to make us pay for abortions by our tax dollars is unprecedented.
Click here to register for the webcast.

Obamacare and the Push for Euthanasia

With Obamacare on the horizon, you are going to start to see more and more supportive articles about euthanasia and assisted suicide and the horrendous cost burden that the frail elderly place on the medicare budget in the last 6 months of life. There will be a subtle push from the media to start seeing that it is only "fair" to let the sick and elderly "step out of the way" so as not to be a burden to the system. But, the answer to the financial problems incurred by universal health coverage should not be found in killing humans. Read this article about how great Assisted Suicide is in the state of Oregon. "We won't pay for your chemo, but we will cover the cost of your suicide prescription, no problem."

"If people contemplate and really see the sanctity of life, their
"quality of life" arguments fall away and they will understand that we
are here to care for each other, not to kill each other. Caring, and not
convenience, is the sign of a civilized and just society!"(Ron Panzer-Hospice Alliance)

Random Thoughts

Lately I have been thinking of the way Christians behave(speaking to myself here too). Prodigal Daughter and I were talking about this this earlier today. I am convinced that one of the scariest and most pernicious lies that we can embrace is the idea that our ultimate destiny (heaven or hell) can't be changed by our own behaviour.
The heterodox theory goes like this: Jesus said, nothing can snatch those out of my Father's hand. Therefore, the interpretation is, "I don't have to worry about the destination of my soul,( even if on a subconscious level), if I meddle with this favorite sin a bit. I am assured of my salvation so surely, my behavior can't effect that.
There have been times in my life before my conversion when I must have embraced this because I certainly allowed myself to get fairly mired up with no thought that I was endangering my salvation. Can you see how dangerous this lie can be?

Think on this a bit: If the prodigal son decided to not return to his father and repent but continued in his lifestyle of sin, where would he be now? Would he still be saved? He chose to walk away from the gracious love and protective hand of his father.

Pray for Pope Benedict

The pope fell and broke his wrist. Say a prayer for him today.

Brave New World Here We Come!

President Obama better start reading Dignitas Personae that Pope Benedict gave him before his Science Czar starts to promote his agenda. Did anyone in the mainstream press bother to report about this?

Whisper

Pray for Christians in Iraq

There is continued persecution against Christians of all stripes in Iraq. Let's lift them up before the Lord, and be thankful for the tremendous religious freedom we are enjoying here.

Lord , send your angels to protect your children and give them the grace to withstand this tribulation. Help us to be thankful for the freedom you have given us here to worship you. We confess that we take it for granted so often. St Michael the Archangel defend them in battle.
In Jesus name, Amen

Dr. Beckwith Comments on The Pope's Encyclical

Dr. Beckwith, former president of the Evangelical Theological Society and recent convert to the Catholic faith was asked by Christianity Today to comment on Charity in Truth, the latest encyclical. Of note, this encyclical is addressed to all people of good will and not just Catholics.
Check it out here

Catholic Radio in the Lehigh Valley

Hey, this is awesome news! There is an effort to bring Catholic Radio to the Lehigh Valley.
I have hoped for this for a few years now! Check out this link, send up some prayers, and send a couple of those green pieces of paper with dead presidents pictures on them if you can afford to.

Quotes From The Pope's Encyclical That Won't Be Published in the Media

"Nature expresses a design of love and truth. It is prior to us, and it has been given to us by God as the setting for our life. Nature speaks to us of the Creator (cf. Rom 1:20) and his love for humanity. It is destined to be recapitulated in Christ at the end of time (cf. Eph 1:9-10; Col 1:19-20). Thus it too is a vocation .115 Nature is at our disposal not as a heap of scattered refuse ,116 but as a gift of the Creator who has given it an inbuilt order, enabling man to draw from it the principles needed in order to till it and keep it (Gen 2:15). But it should also be stressed that it is contrary to authentic development to view nature as something more important than the human person. This position leads to attitudes of neo-paganism or a new pantheism human salvation cannot come from nature alone, understood in a purely naturalistic sense. This having been said, it is also necessary to reject the opposite position, which aims at total technical dominion over nature, because the natural environment is more than raw material to be manipulated at our pleasure; it is a wondrous work of the Creator containing a grammar which sets forth ends and criteria for its wise use, not its reckless exploitation."

The Audacity of Pope!

Pope Benedict met with President Obama today. He didn't waste time and began discussing the Catholic teachings that President Obama openly opposes. For one of his parting gifts, the Pope Benedict gave him a copy of the Church teaching on medical bioethics(Dignitas Personae), which includes embryonic stem cell and cloning issues. Oh, the audacity of the Pope! The president said he would read it on his very next airplane flight. Lets hope his flight to Ghana gets delayed on the tarmac so he has time to really read the whole thing! The contents of Dignitas Personae could persuade one to become Catholic if their heart is open to its beautiful truth.

BTW: It should be noted that this time, President Obama's advance team did not insist on the covering up of religious icons in the room that they met in as he did at Georgetown. Wonder why?

"No Kill" Nursing Homes

I just discovered that the senator for our region of Pennsylvania, Lisa Boscola, co-sponsored a senate bill 404 that will legalize physician assisted suicide if it is eventually passed. What this will mean is that if grandma is diagnosed with "terminal cancer" and wishes to end her life, she can ask the kind family doctor for a prescription cocktail that will end her life.

The Hippocratic Oath which I took in 1985 makes me promise to not give anyone something that would end their life, nor counsel them on how to do it. Most western cultures have prohibited suicide and have laws against it. Both Christian and Jewish theologians have understood suicide to be a grave moral evil. Now in our enlightened age, we are going to change the rules and say it's ok to kill grandma or grandpa. Giving a patient a prescription to end their life is no different than me (a physician) going to K Mart and buying a shotgun and shells, sawing off the barrel for convenience and leaving it at the doorstep of my suffering patient so they can end their life.
Does anybody have a problem with this?

I am the medical director of two nursing homes and oversee the care of over 200 frail elderly patients. I spend my day attempting to alleviate the pain and suffering that is often experienced in the end stages of life. It is not usually easy, but often labor intensive and emotionally draining at times. However, I view it as my privilege to be entrusted to care for the most vulnerable of our society and would want no other job. But is if this bill becomes law, some will view it as cheaper and more convenient to encourage patients to end their life. The value of a older suffering person's life will drop faster than the stock market as it has in the European countries that have embraced PAS and Euthanasia

I am thinking of asking the administrators of my nursing homes to designate them as "No Kill Nursing Homes" just as they do with dog shelters, so the patients can be assured that they will be cared for and not put out of their misery. How can the hand that heals also be the hand that kills? How will patients trust me?

The fact that most people I have spoken to in the medical profession have no idea that this bill was proposed back in March is frightening. This is not unintentional. Will we be the next Oregon or Washington state?
In the next several months I am hoping to organize some effort to educate those around us to Physician Assisted Suicide and hopefully, by the time the bill is put up for a vote, or a public referendum, the public should be well-informed of this evil. The trick is to get to the public before the well-oiled and funded euthanasia lobbying machine gets to our legislators. Let your senators and representatives know how you feel about this.

If you wish to let SenatorLisa Boscola (Lehigh Valley Region) know about your feelings towards this bill and her co-sponsorship of it, email her at:

boscola@pasenate.com

My Codex Sinaiticus Rant

Today an announcement was made that one of the oldest extant manuscripts of the bible is available online. It actually exists in 4 separate physical locations but now is a complete online edition! The Codex Sinaiticus discovered in the nineteenth century in a Greek Orthodox monastery on Mount Sinai was written in Greek about 350 AD. Not only does it contain the 7 books of the Old Testament that were later relegated to the apocrypha after the reformation, but it also contains two extra “new testament” books, Hermas the Shepherd and the Epistle of Barnabas.
So how did the decision get made to not include those last two books in the New Testament but still retain the 7 books known as the deuterocanon, (tobit, sirach, maccabees etc) in the final canon? Why isn’t the book by Hermas considered inspired? Why isn’t the Epistle of Barnabas, an apostle not included in our modern day New Testaments?
The answer is that we believe and trust the work of the Holy Spirit through the Councils of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. The Codex was one of the earliest bound collection of writings that was first to be called the Bible, but yet the Church did not ultimately keep the same listing of books that was in Codex Sinaiticus.
The council of Carthage in 397 lists the canon of scripture as including the deuterocanon but not including Hermas or the epistle of Barnabas. Up to the 16th century, this was the canon that was accepted, but after the reformation the deuterocanon was relegated to the apocrypha and slowly found its way out of the Protestant bibles. Luther’s first German translation included them but placed them at the end in a separate section called the apocrypha. The 1611 KJV included them as well. Now you won't find the apocrypha in most Protestant bibles.

My point is that, why do non-Catholic Christians accept the work/discernment of the councils of the Church in excluding two books from the New Testament, but deny the work/discernment of that same council regarding its inclusion of the 7 deuterocanonical books? It’s almost like saying, “Yes the Catholic Church was lead by the Holy Spirit to discern the current 27 books we have in the New Testament, but this same Church was listening to Satan when it included the “apocryphal” books of Scripture.“

Also, this finding of the Codex Sinaiticus once again proves that Catholics didn’t add books to the bible. If we added these books to the bible (as the President of the Evangelical Theological Society stated in a June 2007 interview (min 18:35) with Albert Mohler,) than why are they present in the Codex from 350 AD? Why do educated non-Catholics make these false statements about the Catholic Church when some basic archaeology and history easily refutes this?



PS: St Jerome (5th century) and Cajetan (16th century during Trent) may not have agreed with the canon that the Church decided upon, but ultimately submitted their private judgment to the authority of the Church.

Offer It Up

On a retreat a few weeks ago, I was praying and meditating on the Prayer of Surrender and got an idea to write a song based on this prayer. Here's the link. See what you think.

(thanks Gretchen)


The 13th century priest, saint and Doctor of the Church, Thomas Aquinas wrote the words to this hymn for the feast of Corpus Christi. He did not invent the doctrine of transubstantiation as is often said. He further "unpacked" this great mystery which has been the belief of the Church since the apostles . He was the first to apply the term transubstantiation,and explained how the substance of the bread and wine actually are changed to blood and flesh while the accidents (appearances) remain unchanged.



Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory,
of His flesh the mystery sing;
of the Blood, all price exceeding,
shed by our immortal King,
destined, for the world's redemption,
from a noble womb to spring.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
born for us on earth below,
He, as Man, with man conversing,
stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
then He closed in solemn order
wondrously His life of woe.

On the night of that Last Supper,
seated with His chosen band,
He the Pascal victim eating,
first fulfills the Law's command;
then as Food to His Apostles
gives Himself with His own hand.

Word-made-Flesh, the bread of nature
by His word to Flesh He turns;
wine into His Blood He changes;
what though sense no change discerns?
Only be the heart in earnest,
faith her lesson quickly learns.

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail;
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing,
newer rites of grace prevail;
faith for all defects supplying,
where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
and the Son who reigns on high,
with the Holy Ghost proceeding
forth from Each eternally,
be salvation, honor, blessing,
might and endless majesty.

Amen. Alleluia.

St. Thomas Aquinas said: The presence of Christ's true body and blood in this sacrament cannot be detected by sense, nor understanding, but by faith alone, which rests upon Divine authority. Hence, on Luke 22:19: "This is My body which shall be delivered up for you," Cyril says: "Doubt not whether this be true; but take rather the Saviour's words with faith; for since He is the Truth, He lieth not."

My Annual Fourth of July Blog Post

This post is lifted from last year's July 4th post.

So how is TJ going to forcibly drag Catholicism into a blog post today? Can't he give it a rest for one day? I mean this is America, a country founded with the express purpose of religious freedom for all and he's gonna make a stink about Catholicism on the Fourth of Juuuuuuly. Give me a break!
Yeah, I am! No rest for the weary. It turns out all religions were free to be practiced in the New World except for Catholics and Quakers. Of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence, only one was Catholic, Charles Carroll of Maryland. It was amazing that he ended up getting his name on it at all. Though Maryland was originally founded to be a Catholic haven in the colonies in 1634, by 1689, the British anti-Catholic repression had been imported to the colonies and freedom for Catholics to worship was very short-lived.

Until the Revolutionary War, Catholics in Maryland were considered dissenters in their own country, and were forced to live at times under a state of siege. At the time of the signing of the Declaration, it was illegal for a Catholic in the colonies to hold office or vote or educate their children in the Catholic faith. The Declaration of Independence fortunately ended that. It would have been a little awkward to have the wealthiest member/contributor of the Continental Congress and aide and friend to George Washington excluded from the democratic process because of his religious affiliation. So politically incorrect! How, I wonder, did it get resolved? I concocted a little Independence Day Play to suggest how it may have gone down.

I can just see them there now in the humid sweaty chambers down in Philadelphia on a hot weekend in the end of June with Thomas Jefferson at the helm. (I have lived in Philly for four hot summers and can assure you it gets very hot!)

TIBER JUMPER THEATRE PRESENTS An Independence Day Play

"What Are We Going to Do About Charles?

ACT 1 SCENE 1
Flash back/dream sequence of the signers of the Declaration in Philadelphia at Independence Hall. (Before the barricades went up after 911) The curtain rises on three middle-aged men seated together at a desk flushed with the heat, perspiring heavily.


John Adams {pointing to Carrol}:
Psst. Thomas! Thomas! Did'ya know that chap across the room is a Papist? He's from MARY-land {Hissing through his teeth saying Mary in a sing-song voice}
Thomas Jefferson {holding his forefinger across his lips}: Shush old man! Don't you know who he is?
James Madison {swatting a fly from his arm}: Some say he's the wealthiest guy in here. Owns 100,000 acres down in Maryland. The area is even named after him! Carrolburg or Carrolville they call it, for crying out loud! {Looks out the window with disgust then empties his mouth loudly into the spittoon}
George Taylor: I heard he is friends with George himself as well as Ben.
John Adams: {with a stage whisper} I don't care if he has more money than the pope and is St. Peter's long lost relative! How are we gonna' let him sign the darn Declaration if we don't allow him to vote ? (He hikes up his britches and cautiously looks around the room) And besides, Do you realize he worships idols?
Thomas Jefferson: C'mon boys! {he lights his clay pipe and takes a long puff} You know I'm not big on that religion stuff myself, but, the way I see it every one, even papists, are created equal and given, by whoever they believe their creator is, certain.... privileges. Or, should I say rights... Yes! Now, let me think for a minute. {He takes his spectacles off and wipes the sweat from his brow} Alien rights? No that's not right! Inalienable rights? No, that's doesn't sound right to me either. Damn! {He loosens the tie on his long red pony-tail}
{He motions with his quill pen for Charles Carrol to join them}
Charles Carrol carefully places his rosary beads back in his vest pocket and slowly walks across the floor towards Jefferson.
Charles Carrol: Hey TJ! what's up? I was just chatting with my Lady asking her to intercede for our proceedings here today. Sorry, I got a bit distracted. What can I do for you boys?
Thomas Jefferson: {looking sheepishly at the ground} We know you have the ear of General George and have been very supportive of the efforts for freedom. What are we going to do about this little problem we have with you and the voting issue?
Charles Carrol: {Draws closer to the table speaking nervously } "Well, the way I see it, we are all created in the image of God and therefore need to respect the rights and dignity of all men which includes voting. {He gets a little quieter} Yeah, I know what you are all thinking: 'Who am I to lecture you on religious rights?' I know we got a little out of hand during the Inquisition but you know as well as I it wasn't as bad as the history books made it out to be! Just let me vote and sign this thing and we'll all get home to our families before the summer's over. I have a nice little spread on the Chesapeake and you're all invited for the weekend if we can just get this signed. Besides, I'm really having a hard time offering up all this sufferin' with the heat! St. Blases it is hot! {He makes the sign of the cross and wipes his forehead simultaneously}
{Looks down at Jefferson's notes} Oh, by the way Thom, I was the spelling bee champion at Saint Ann's School and the word inalienable is spelled U-N-A-L-I-E-N-A-B-L-E."
Thomas Jefferson: Why thank you Charles! {rolling his eyes} I'll take that under advisement.....

A Church bell tolls off-stage as the curtain closes.

The End

To Read the Real Story of Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence Go Here.

Great New Book On The Mass!

Jeff Pinyan of The Cross Reference has just finished writing a book on the new English translation of the Mass . He stopped over today and brought a couple early pre-release copies (still a bit more editing to do before the official release). The book is entitled "Praying the Mass-The Prayers of the People"
Just reading a few chapters quickly I can tell you it is easy to read and "unpacks" the Mass for you. The Mass is the highest form of worship we have here on earth and Jeff illuminates it for us in great detail. He annotates each section with Scripture so you can see where the particular part of the liturgy is derived. Not only does he provide a great understanding of the current translation of the Mass, but discusses the gestures and postures that accompany the Mass. His chapter on the Sign of the Cross is worth the price of the book alone. I suspect this book will become a favorite of RCIA teachers and catechists who desire to help their students develop a true Eucharistically-centered understanding of the Mass. If I had been taught from a book like this in 1973, there is a fair chance I may not have left the Church!
Jeff's book is really what the New Evangelization is all about. Good job Jeff. Our prayers are with you as the final details are worked out in publishing this great little book.
Check here to find out about its release date.

The Church of Peter

"Whether we look forwards or backwards, we realize that without the Church of Peter there will be no inward dynamic unity, no further "history" for the West, but only a succession of experiences without goal or purpose, the convulsive movements of a body that has lost its soul. We need the Church that we may live."

cf. Karl Adams "The Spirit of Catholicism"

Pope 2 You

There is a new website that is put up by the Vatican to encourage us to use the internet and it's social networking sites to spread the gospel. You can get daily updates on Facebook of all things papal! Why is this important? Because the office of the pope represents the visible unity of the Church and that is key to getting the message out and drawing us all together. The internet has become the universal means of communication and thus should be used to support promote the body of Christ, the Universal Church.

So Pope2You today!