Here I Stand

My blog has moved... the "Welcome" message is dated 2/9/07. I hope you'll join me over there. For a while, I will continue to use this blog as an additional archive. At some point, that will cease.

My new home: Profound Gratitude

profoundgratitude.com

Blessings!

Red Neck Woman's entry today reminded me of a situation during my husband's tour with the U.S. Air Force.

We were stationed at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, and the place was rife with dissatisfaction and complaints. One morning, while reading my Bible, I read:

Luke 3:14:

Soldiers also asked him, "And what is it that we should do?" He told them, "Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages."

in the NIV:

Luke 3:14:

Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?"
He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay."

We printed that out and hung it in my husband's office. It had a positive effect on the atmosphere.

I ask the following be received in the manner I intend —as informative but in no means more than my own personal research and quoting of those in the know and Church documents. It is what it is, a collaboration of the faithful regarding law and statutes given by the Church, and no more.

In our parish, protestant Christians are lumped in with non-believers and the unbaptized. This happens all over America -- it doesn't have to happen, but it is all too common.

The reception of candidates into the communion of the Catholic Church should ordinarily take place at the Sunday Eucharist of the parish community, in such a way that it is understood that they are indeed Christian believers who have already shared in the sacramental life of the Church and are now welcomed into the Catholic eucharistic community upon their profession of faith and confirmation, if they have not been confirmed, before receiving the eucharist. (NSC 32)

But take special note of NSC 31 :

Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic traditiondegree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate. and a

It appears we are not considered to have "lived as Christians." Well, no, not really. But since we have been forced to go through an entire program of RCIA, in actuality, this is what is being implied of our family.

Recognizing that bringing NSC 32 up in our parish wasn't going to be productive at this stage (wait until we're received), we sat back and enjoyed the experience as much as possible . And we really do enjoy the people in our group.

As we were trucking along, I read something concerning the way our children ages 7-14 were being Initiated. I learned that for purposes of Christian Initiation, our children were adults. The Rites of Christian Initiation are: Baptism (if needed), Confirmation, Eucharist.

Can. 852 §1. The prescripts of the canons on adult baptism are to be applied to all those who, no longer infants, have attained the use of reason.

In our parish, no one in RCIA was being admitted to Confirmation unless they were in 10th grade or above, the Diocesan policy for baptized-as-infant Catholics. So children above the age or reason (from 7 to 16) are not Confirmed at Easter vigil — Canon 852 notwithstanding.

I was surprised, but tried to put the issue out of my mind. And tried. As it came time for the Catechumens (the unbaptized) in our RCIA program to sign the Book of the Elect, and it became clear that not only was Canon 852 being ignored but that Hopeless (the only unbaptized member of our family) would not be signing the Book of the Elect or being presented to the Bishop, my "peace" about this issue was shattered.

I did not want to go to our RCIA leader. Well, actually, I'd already been to her. I definitely did not want to go to our priest, but I did (with a cradle Catholic friend for moral support). And I did not go with all my evidence laid out and the intent to ask "Just why is this being done wrong here?" — I said I'd done the research and since I knew that it could be done this way (Hopeless signs Book of Elect and all of my family be Confirmed at Easter vigil) then would he do it this way? And he said he would.

Since there are some who want to set aside Canon 852 (all are adults) and I'm sure it occurs in some other parishes, I'd like to detail some homework — not exhaustive by any means — for anyone who may need it regarding RCIA for Christians (Protestant "converts") or children of catechetical age:

Canon 852 §1
The prescripts of the canons on adult baptism are to be applied to all those who, no longer infants, have attained the use of reason.

Canon 866
Unless there is a grave reason to the contrary, immediately after receiving baptism an adult is to be confirmed, to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist and to receive holy communion.

****************

Canon 788§3 - The Catechumenate

It is the responsibility of the conference of bishops to issue statutes by which the catechumenate is regulated; these statutes are to determine what things are to be expected of catechumens and define what prerogatives are recognized as theirs.

Complementary Norm: In accord with canon 788§3, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops decrees that the National Statutes for the Catechumenate should govern the catechumenate in the United States.

Approved: General Meeting, November 1986
Reviewed: Holy See (Congregation for Divine Worship), Letter from Apostolic Pro-Nuncio (Prot. No. 2757/88/4) July 1988
Promulgated: Memorandum to All Bishops, July 22, 1988

National Statutes for the Catechumenate
This is an addendum to the RCIA book I recommend you pick one up.

13. Since those who have the faculty to confirm are bound to exercise it in accord with canon 885.2 (“A presbyter who has this faculty must use it for those in whose favor the faculty was granted.”), and may not be prohibited from using the faculty, a diocesan bishop who is desirous of confirming neophytes should reserve to himself the baptism of adults in accord with canon 863.

14. In order to signify clearly the interrelation or coalescence of the three sacraments which are required for full Christian initiation (canon 842.2), adult candidates, including children of catechetical age, are to receive baptism, confirmation, and eucharist in a single Eucharistic celebration, whether at the Easter Vigil or, if necessary, at some other time.

18. Since children who have reached the use of reason are considered, for the purposes of Christian initiation, to be adults (canon 852.1), their formation should follow the general pattern of the ordinary catechumenate as far as possible, with the appropriate adaptations permitted by the ritual. They should receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and eucharist at the Easter Vigil, together with the older catechumens.

19. Some elements of the ordinary catechetical instruction of baptized children before their reception of the sacraments of confirmation and eucharist may be appropriately shared with catechumens of catechetical age. Their condition and status as catechumens, however, should not be compromised or confused, nor should they receive the sacraments of initiation in any sequence other than that determined by the ritual of Christian initiation.

****************
RCIA 14: The priest who baptizes an adult or a child of catechetical age should, when the bishop is absent, also confer confirmation, unless this sacrament is to be given at another time (see no. 24 "serious reason").

RCIA 215: In accord with the ancient practice followed in the Roman liturgy adults are not to be baptized without receiving Confirmation immediately afterward,unless some serious reason stands in the way.

RCIA 305: At the third step of their Christian initiation, the children will receive the sacrament of baptism, the bishop or priest who baptizes them will also confer confirmation, and the children will for the first time participate in the liturgy of the eucharist.

RCIA 308: Baptized children of the catechetical group may be completing their Christian initiation in the sacraments of confirmation and the Eucharist at this same celebration. When the bishop himself will not be the celebrant, he should grant the faculty to confirm such children to the priest who will be the celebrant.

From The Catechumenate and the Law - By John Huels:

Because Confirmation and Eucharist are so closely related to baptism, and because they complete Christian initiation, Confirmation and first communion should never be delayed except after infant baptism, unless there is a grave reason (cf. RCIA, 24, 215). Without Confirmation and Eucharist, Christian initiation is incomplete, and the rite of initiation is truncated. Likewise, those who are Baptized as adults or children of catechetical age without receiving Confirmation or Eucharist are denied sacraments to which they are entitled by law and are also denied the graces and benefits of the sacraments… Therefore, Confirmation and Eucharist can be delayed only in the case of infant baptism, or in the case of an adult baptism, for serious reasons. This also applies to children of catechetical age (NCCB Statutes, 14). " Pg 31

Perhaps now you see why I was in a conversation regarding "blind obedience" recently. From Church documents, especially canon law, I believe asking my priest, my spiritual father, for assistance out of the spiritual goods of the Church was not an act of disobedience. (Even though previously he'd said to someone else that it was fine to withhold Confirmation from children ages 7-16 so as not to "rock the boat" with parents who wanted their baptized-as-infant Catholics to be confirmed prior to 10th grade. )

Review:

Canon 212 §2:The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires.

Can. 213 The Christian faithful have the right to receive assistance from the sacred pastors out of the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the word of God and the sacraments.

Articles of Interest:

Confirmation Seals Us with the Holy Spirit (link is PDF)
Author: Pope John Paul II

Preparing Children for the Sacraments: Some Controversies and Suggestions
By Dr. Edward N. Peters

Home-Educated Children and the Reception of Sacraments
By Dr. Edward N. Peters

When you are coming into the Church, you don't know much. You are at the mercy of those who know. I say that without prejudice; that's usually the way it is.

But if you are invested in something (your relationship to Christ and his Church), you are going to learn something. And even then, you're still not going to know much. Talk about the need to pool resources.

Recently I had a conversation which prompted me to consider whether or not obedience was blind. I read the following quotes and articles from the Code of Canon Law which touch on issues of obedience but are just worthwhile reading on their own merits.

Can. 208 From their rebirth in Christ, there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality regarding dignity and action by which they all cooperate in the building up of the Body of Christ according to each one's own condition and function.

Can. 209 §1. The Christian faithful, even in their own manner of acting, are always obliged to maintain communion with the Church.

§2. With great diligence they are to fulfill the duties which they owe to the universal Church and the particular church to which they belong according to the prescripts of the law.

Can. 210 All the Christian faithful must direct their efforts to lead a holy life and to promote the growth of the Church and its continual sanctification , according to their own condition.

Can. 211 All the Christian faithful have the duty and right to work so that the divine message of salvation more and more reaches all people in every age and in every land.

Can. 212 §1. Conscious of their own responsibility, the Christian faithful are bound to follow with Christian obediencedeclare as teachers of the faith or establish as rulers of the Church. those things which the sacred pastors, inasmuch as they represent Christ,

§2. The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires.

§3. According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Churchto make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons. and

Can. 213 The Christian faithful have the right to receive assistance from the sacred pastors out of the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the word of God and the sacraments.

Leobard D'Souza, also known as Bishop Bhai, the deceased Archbishop Emeritus of Nagpur writes:

Blind obedience is unworthy of us. Many of our works on ascetical and mystical theology are wrong on this point. They were produced in historical eras when it served persons in authority to subjugate those under them. Find in the stories we have of Jesus any place where he subjugated those under him for the purpose of keeping them in control.

It is possible that on rare occasions because we do not have the competence to judge an order that we are being given, we obey for the sake of obeying. But this should be the exception to the rule because our freedom is so important if we are to be truly mature human beings.

From CatholicCanonLaw.com:

Many people believe that true obedience is blind. That is, they believe if a person in authority makes a decision or gives a command, that decision or command should be followed without question simply because a person in authority gave it. Within the Catholic Church, many laity believe that whatever a priest or bishop says should be followed without question.

While there are limited circumstances and situations in which a person would be obligated to follow by trusting only in the source of the directive, authentic obedience is never blind. As a virtue related to justice, the exercise of obedience requires the use of prudence and knowledge of rights and obligations. Without such knowledge, a person risks acting in a manner inconsistent with virtue.

What is worthy of us? Faithful obedience*? Reasoned obedience?

NewAdvent.org has the following on Religious Obedience — obedience for the Religious (the set apart) among us:

The expression "blind obedience" signifies not an unreasoning or unreasonable submission to authority, but a keen appreciation of the rights of authority, the reasonableness of submission, and blindness only to such selfish or worldly considerations as would lessen regard for authority.

I pray my life, and my family's lives, will be marked by obedience. And growth in the gifts of the Spirit: Wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of God.

*The life of Father Tolton is a study in faithful obedience. When the Vatican assigned Father Tolton to serve as a missionary priest in the United States, where he was "a slave, an outcast, a hated black", he obeyed in faith. His was not the faith of blind obedience, like that of an automaton or domesticated animal, but a spirit of faith that, as a child of our Heavenly Father--in complete humility and generosity--he continually strove to discern and fulfill the will of God under the loving guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. It is precisely duc et altum--into the void, the unknown--that Father Tolton received his mission to be a fisher of men.

This just really burns me up. I read about the Hannity/Father Euteneuer rather heated discussion, but now I've watched it and I'm really aghast at Hannity's disrespect toward Father, his cavalier disregard for the Church's teaching on birth control, and his "argument from pedophilia."

I love that Fr. Euteneuer has his own blog, Spirit & Life, and has responded — excellently — and that's what I wanted to highlight.

Most surprising of all, however, was Hannity’s use of what I call the “argument from pedophilia;” namely, the tendency to fall back on the Church sex abuse scandal when you’re losing an argument with a priest and have to grab for something. I have had people do this to me in front of abortion clinics, at Da Vinci Code protests and in private conversations about Catholicism for the past several years. Let’s just say I didn’t expect it from Hannity! Was it me or did Sean just disconnect from reality at that moment?

Oh no, Father, it was definitely not just you.

Thanks to open book for the lead on Fr. Euteneuer's blog.

Why do we enjoy these things so much? Anyone? Anyone?

Oh I know. We like talking about ourselves. Guilty as charged. Long before Toby made "I wanna talk about meeeee..." popular, I used to say "Enough of that; let's talk about me." For fun. Of course.

Do stop by and try The Advanced Yankee Rebel Test

but you might want to try The Original Yankee Rebel Test first.

I am:

100% Dixie. Is General Lee your grandfather?!

Man, I loved my upbringing. I ran around outside with each pine tree being a different "room" in my mansion. I climbed trees (and came home covered in seed ticks -- ewww, my grown-up sensibilities recoil at that memory!) with my cousins and jumped out of said trees.

I went to Vacation Bible School every summer where my Momma's first cousin, Twyla, led the singing...

"A hep'er I will be. A hep'er I will be. There's work ta do, there's work ta do, in our fam-i-leeeeee."

My grandmother ends almost every word that ends in a vowel sound with "er" such as "Clean the winder" or "We lived in Tex-ar-kan-er."

When I asked aforementioned grandmother where we were from, she said, "Arkansas. We've always been from Arkansas. Jest cotton sharecroppers from Arkansas."

(Actually I've heard tell of some family sleuthing...and I don't think we were always from Arkansas. I think there was a boat involved somewhere.)

You can't buy that kind of family and those kind of memories.

Tonight my daughter and I attended First Confession with her class. It was precious to see these darling seven year olds clutching their "act of contrition" in their hands and walk up to sit beside Father C. You could tell he put them at ease, asking them how old they were, by the shy little fingers spread to enumerate their age.

Hopeless and I sat on the front row watching. She whispered, "I wish I could do that." Well, if you're Catholic and have been following our story, you know why she didn't: she'll be baptized in 30 days. If you're Protestant and can't understand why any of us would want Sacramental Confession, stick around. If you know us and still can't understand — I'd say you probably missed how seriously we answered this Call.

I'm pretty aware of theologies outside of Nazarene-dom. But I was taken aback this past year by an adult writing to my oldest daughter:

The Bible teaches us that Christ died for ALL of our sins: past present and future. While we sin daily, God tells us that He sees them no more. . . . Asking Him repeatedly for forgiveness would be admission that we believe that Christ's work was imperfect on the Cross. Christ died once for forgiveness, we accept it and thank Him each time we sin, that He has already forgiven us for that sin and repent (turn 180) from that sin. Should we freely sin simply because of His grace? Paul says no way but for us who are born again we are told that all things are possible just not profitable.

Wow. Scripture does not state that our future sins are forgiven; instead, Jesus taught us to pray, "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matt. 6:12). There is a theology that believes this? That asking "repeatedly for forgiveness would be admission that we believe that Christ's work was imperfect "?

So if you concur with me that we still need to ask for forgiveness, rather than just express thanks, then shall we ask, What is the means by which our sins are forgiven? Only God may forgive sins, but he may mediate that forgiveness in any way he so chooses.

From Catholic.com Forgiveness of Sins:

During his life, Christ forgave sins, as in the case of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11) and the woman who anointed his feet (Luke 7:48). He exercised this power in his human capacity as the Messiah or Son of man, telling us, "the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins" (Matt. 9:6), which is why the Gospel writer himself explains that God "had given such authority to men" (Matt. 9:8).

Since he would not always be with the Church visibly, Christ gave this power to other men so the Church, which is the continuation of his presence throughout time (Matt. 28:20), would be able to offer forgiveness to future generations. He gave his power to the apostles, and it was a power that could be passed on to their successors and agents, since the apostles wouldn't always be on earth either, but people would still be sinning.

God had sent Jesus to forgive sins, but after his resurrection Jesus told the apostles, "‘As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’" (John 20:21–23). (This is one of only two times we are told that God breathed on man, the other being in Genesis 2:7, when he made man a living soul. It emphasizes how important the establishment of the sacrament of penance was.)

. . . .

Note that the power Christ gave the apostles was twofold: to forgive sins or to hold them bound, which means to retain them unforgiven. Several things follow from this. First, the apostles could not know what sins to forgive and what not to forgive unless they were first told the sins by the sinner. This implies confession. Second, their authority was not merely to proclaim that God had already forgiven sins or that he would forgive sins if there were proper repentance.

I heard a sermon that explained these verses as a power given to the Church — the congregation as it were. If we all get together and decide that someone has sinned and is unrepentant, we declare them "bound." Wouldn't the congregation need to hear their side of the story, at the least? Said church never had such a "binding" service. We never did discuss binding or loosing anyone... It staggers the mind to think about one body doing this, never mind the difficulty of "Where is the Church?" since each denomination nowadays has as many doctrines as they have heads.

Early Church Fathers:

Origen, a prolific theologian in the third-century Church, wrote:

The layman who falls into sin cannot by himself wash away his fault. He must have recourse to the levite; he needs the priest. At times, he applies to one even greater: he needs the pontiff’s help, that he may obtain the forgiveness of sins (Hom. in Numeros 10, 1).

St. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, also writing in the third century, said:

I entreat you, brethren, that each one should confess his own sin while he who has sinned is still in this world, while his confession may be received, while his satisfaction and absolution given the priest are still pleasing to the Lord (De lapsis 28, 29).

In the fourth century, St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, wrote:

Sins are forgiven through the Holy Ghost. Certainly, but men lend him their ministry. . . . They forgive sin, not in their own name, but in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (De Spiritu Sancto iii, 137).

 

John Chrysostom
"Priests have received a power which God has given neither to angels nor to archangels. It was said to them: ‘Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose, shall be loosed.’ Temporal rulers have indeed the power of binding; but they can only bind the body. Priests, in contrast, can bind with a bond which pertains to the soul itself and transcends the very heavens. Did [God] not give them all the powers of heaven? ‘Whose sins you shall forgive,’ he says, ‘they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.’ What greater power is there than this? The Father has given all judgment to the Son. And now I see the Son placing all this power in the hands of men [Matt. 10:40; John 20:21–23]. They are raised to this dignity as if they were already gathered up to heaven" (The Priesthood 3:5 [A.D. 387]).

Catholics do go to God for forgiveness. I ask forgiveness every day and Catholics have a handy aid to review the day called an Examination of Conscience.* Mortal/grave sin requires Sacramental Reconciliation. Please see my post "Papa with Children" to hear Pope Benedict talk in clear terms about which sins require Sacramental Reconciliation.

We need . . . we require forgiveness. "Both Catholics and Evangelicals affirm Paul’s teaching that Jesus is the sole mediator between God and us, but Catholics recognize that Jesus was at liberty to allow his mediation to be worked through the apostles and their successors in the Church." (Why Don't Catholics Go Straight to Jesus?) If Christ left us this tangible way to receive his grace and forgiveness, why would we seek an alternative?

See also: How Can a Priest Forgive Sin?

*The Bishop Aquila of the Diocese of Fargo has some of the best handbooks for catechesis I've come across. My sponsor told me their Bishop is known for being solid and conservative. On pps. 66-67 you will find a Examination of Conscience for adults and one for children on pps. 64-65.) Be advised: link is PDF. Handbook — First Reconciliation.

Please tell me we can laugh. Check out Catholic v. Protestant Heaven.

Bart and Homer Convert to Catholicism

The end is cut off, but the priest says "Buddhism? Hahaha. Well, I guess lots of kids have imaginary friends."

Select quotes:

I'm sick of you teaching my son your time-tested values!

Log cabin, full of taste,
My stomach is with thee.
Blessed art thou among syrups,...

:::whack::: No prayin' to the condiments!

You guys got more crazy rules than Blockbuster video!

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. No matter what I did, no matter how many people lost their pensions, its forgivin' like *that*?

Oooo-kay...let's make some magic!

How do I join? Do I whale on some Unitarians?

Once you go Vatican, you can't go back again!