Author: yuengerwv

How can Pope Francis allow the Communist Chinese Government, which promotes atheism, to appoint Catholic bishops?

Your question has an error, as technically Pope Francis appoints the bishops in China, not the Chinese government.  Historically, the consultation with the Chinese government in the appointment of bishops is not a novel arrangement; such consultations have been done with numerous governments, including European ones, over the centuries.  The Church as a worldwide organization, works with many different forms of governments, dictatorships, democracies, monarchies, etc.  Not all of them have a warm, fuzzy relationship with the Catholic Church.
The selection of bishops has typically, in recent years, involved numerous groups of people proposing, screening, and promoting candidates for the episcopacy.  In the U.S., lists of potential bishops are refreshed every three years.  Historically even the local population had a voice, as in the case of St. Ambrose of Milan.  In some areas, the local priests select the bishop, whose name ultimately is sent to the Pope for confirmation.  Keep in mind that there are about 5,600 bishops around the world; in the US alone, there are over 300 bishops.  It takes an ongoing processing and lots of peoples’ input to be constantly providing names to the Vatican.  The Pope, as a rule, in selecting bishops, goes by the recommendations of a myriad of others, who are responsible for vetting the candidates, as he decides whom to appoint. He virtually never knows those proposed to become bishops and never meets them personally.
Is the system perfect, no, as recent scandals can attest.  However, remember, 1/12^th of the original bishops, picked by Jesus himself, were rotten.  Thus, it is more important than ever to pray that God will give us good shepherds, and to pray for the men themselves who are selected to lead the church, regardless of how they were selected.

You may want to check out this blog regarding the selection of bishops.

As I read the first reading the first thing that strikes me is the question, “What would people say about our nation?” Would they speak of our “wisdom and intelligence”? Would they say, “This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people”? Given the animosity that is displayed by many in the public today we might rightly question our wisdom and intelligence. What are we, as Catholic Christians doing to improve, to make ourselves wiser or more intelligent? The Psalm reminds us that part of being wise and intelligent is to be concerned with justice. This is perhaps even harder today than ever. We are called to avoid slander, reproach, to lend freely, to accept no bribe, evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. How many of our civil leaders and politicians fail to set a proper example for the rest of us? How many of us fail to set a proper example for our civil leaders and politicians? Paul reminds us we must be, “doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.”

The Gospel reminds us of what is most important. Just avoiding sin is not sufficient. We are called to not just obey the letter of the law but to pay attention to the spirit to which the law is addressed. Where are our· hearts? Unfortunately, even in the Catholic Church we have Pharisees who are more concerned with the letter of the laws than with the salvation of souls.

In the photograph shown we see what looks like a boat with rowers.  The reality is it is a coffin, one of the many I saw in the National Museum of Funeral History, in Texas.  Coffins of such a creative design are common in certain African cultures.

Why talk about coffins?  I talk about the coffin because, as a pastor, part of my mission is to help people focus on the end – OUR END.  Those who designed this, and the many other variations, use the coffin as a way of expressing their thoughts, hopes and dreams.  They use the coffin as a way of saying something about themselves and their understanding of what happens to us humans at death.

Regardless of our faith journey, we will all experience death.  How we approach our death, is an indication of how we approach our life.  Different rituals and customs can help those left behind when someone dies; they help ease any pain or loss.  Some families try to avoid everything and pretend like the person never existed.  Some families have a celebration.  I knew a person years ago, who had an old six-sided pine box coffin of the shape we see in the old western movies, standing on end.  He had shelves put in it and used it as his bookcase, filling it with his beloved books and stories.  Thus, his resting place was filled with his favorite memories.

Often in our culture we tend to put off or ignore the reality of our ultimate demise, at least until we get a disease that will kill us sooner than we might like.  In addition, how many of us die each day “unexpectedly” leaving someone else to figure out what to do with our corpse, during a period of emotional trauma for them?  While we may not feel comfortable thinking or planning for what happens at our death, it can be a tremendous aid to our families and friends if we take the time to provide them with our desires.  As a pastor, I have seen many families destroyed, torn apart with fights and disagreements when the deceased did not leave clear directions.

As we move about our daily schedule and busy lives, perhaps we can take a moment here and there to reflect.  Hopefully our reflection will lead us to where God is calling us to be.  What kind of experience will we leave for those whom we leave behind?  Will we be ready?

Joshua asks his people a question that we need to answer ourselves each day. “If it does not please you to serve the LORD, decide today whom you will serve?” How often do we pick someone or something other than the LORD? Work, Sports, Friends, Family, Laziness, Ourselves? All too often we begin to think Sunday is “our day” rather than the Lord’s Day. We think we know best for ourselves rather than some priest, bishop, or pope.
Yet Paul reminds us we are called to be, “subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” The Church has our best interest at heart when she calls us to attend mass each week. Too often I have heard this passage used as a stick to beat women into subjugation. Yet it is hardly intended to be such, because it says for the “husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over tor her to sanctify her.” Christ came to serve not to be served.
Remember he said we must not be like the gentiles who lord their power over others. In the Gospel, as mentioned last week, it says “many” had trouble with Jesus’ Eucharistic declaration and returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.” Sometimes Catholics have the same difficulties. If we truly believe in the Eucharist, how could anyone of us walk away from this special meal of eternal life?

Be aware there are two sets of readings for today’s liturgy: one for the Vigil and one for the Mass of the Day.  Here I am using the readings from the Vigil mass.

In the first reading we hear of King David with the ark of God.  We are aware that inside the ark were the tablets with God’s word chiseled upon them.  As Christians we refer to Jesus as the WORD of God.  Thus, if Jesus is the WORD, then Mary, who carried the living WORD in her womb, makes Jesus’ mother an ark.
The second reading from St. Paul references “when that which is mortal clothes itself with immortality” and “Death is swallowed up in victory”.  In today’s solemnity, Mary’s body instead of waiting in the tomb is clothed with immortality as we celebrate the honor given to Mary to be among the first to be assumed into heaven.  Her commitment to God was absolute, as she was willing to face death, even as a young maiden, when she gave her consent to becoming the mother of Jesus.  Thus, we give thanks to God who has given her the victory, though Jesus Christ. 
So many people in our world, proclaim Jesus, yet the Gospel reminds us there is something greater than simply acknowledging the word of God.  That is to “observe it”.  Lip service is easy when it involves no cost to us.  Like in the story of the chicken and the pig giving to celebrate the farmer’s birthday breakfast.  The chicken offered what was easy, the pig made a sacrifice.  How are we doing at observing the faith, rather than giving it lip service?

Someone said their marriage was recently convalidated.  What does that mean?

Convalidation (with validation) of a marriage is typically done when a couple, in which at least one of the parties was Catholic, had a wedding which was conducted outside of the rules of the Church for a valid marriage.  All marriages are to be witnessed by a priest or deacon, or with dispensation for a person designated by the bishop.  Thus, a marriage by a Notary Public or non-Catholic minister, (without a proper dispensation) would not be recognized as a valid marriage.
For example: A couple are in the military and about to be transferred.  They are planning to get married but the military will not transfer them together because they are not yet married.  They do not have the time needed for a proper wedding (typically 6 months).  They go to the local magistrate and are married civilly.  Since the Church does not recognize the validity of Catholic marriages unless witnessed by a priest/deacon/designated witness, after the transfer the couple goes to the priest or deacon to request the marriage be convalidated.  Here they repeat their vows in front of the priest/deacon with two witnesses.  In doing such the marriage is then recognized as valid by the Church

I had a friend who is Catholic who was married by a protestant pastor in her husband’s church.  Is that a valid marriage?

It depends. 
If the couple worked with the local Catholic pastor to obtain from the bishop a Dispensation from church law, to have the protestant pastor designated as the witness for the Church, then yes, it is a valid marriage.  If the couple were married without the proper Dispensation, then I suspect the answer would be, no; they might require a Convalidation of their marriage.

In my diocese, most of the weddings I have done are what we call mixed marriages.  This means that one of the parties to the marriage is not Catholic.  The Catholic party is required by Church law to have the marriage witnessed by a priest or deacon or person designated by the bishop.  This typically involves meeting with the Catholic pastor or deacon, to prepare for the marriage and fill out the proper Church documentation.  One of those documents would be a request for a dispensation to marry a non-Catholic.  If there is a good reason to do so, the couple in a mixed relationship can request that the bishop designate someone other than the priest or deacon to witness the marriage, such as the protestant pastor.  With the proper Dispensation, the marriage is valid, from the Catholic perspective, from the moment of the “I do”.

Why does the church say that watching pornography is sinful, when the watchers are consenting adults?

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 2354: Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. 

It appears that the Church’s teachings were ahead of modern science in recognizing the dangers of pornography, as there are also serious relational, mental and physical health issues that arise from use of pornography.

Why do we not allow our non-Catholic visitors to receive communion?

The primary answer is: out of respect for our faith and their faith.  The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is the real body and blood of Jesus.  Some faiths teach that it only represents such.  Some will say, it is if you believe and isn’t if you don’t.  Some say, it is but only during the communion service.
Some faith communities see sharing the bread brings about unity, the Catholic Church states that sharing the Eucharist expresses the unity we already have, which is unfortunately absent.
Thus, sine the unity that the Eucharist is intended to display is absent, and out of respect for our belief and their different belief, we do not share.  We invite those unable to receive to pray that one day we will all be more united in our belief.

I have friends who are preparing to be confirmed at 15 and other friends who say they were confirmed at 7.  Why the disparity?

The normal sequence of the sacraments of Initiation for the Catholic Church is: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist.  Universal Church law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church still presume confirmation prior to First Eucharist. A little over 100 years ago the pope, to encourage people to receive communion more often, lowered the age, at the time , of First Eucharist to the “age of reason” determined to be 7.  The age for confirmation at the time was unchanged.  This led to the common custom of Confirmation after First Eucharist.  Pope Benedict XVI pointed out that there are no doctrinal or sacramental reasons for a delay for Confirmation, only pastoral ones; and that the custom should be re-examined.  Most of the bishops I have asked said they keep Confirmation later to force the children to stay in a religious education class longer, certainly not a theological argument.  Some bishops have restored Confirmation to its theological location before first communion, others have not.  The USCCB has designated the ages between 7 and 18 for Confirmation in the Latin Rite.
Your friend already confirmed at 7 could have several reasons. If a child is baptized or received into the Church after their 7^th birthday they are to be confirmed, it is not optional to delay such.  In addition, if a child is in danger of death the priest is to confirm them, regardless of their age.  Also, those who are baptized in one of the many Eastern branches of the church are confirmed after baptism as an infant. This leaves us with some younger children already confirmed and others having to wait until a later age.
Thus, there is no theological or sacramental reason for someone being confirmed at an older age, simply the personal preference of the local bishop.

Why does Fr. Paul not allow eulogies at funeral masses when other pastors do?

The answer is simple, I follow the rules printed in the Order of Christian Funerals, the official liturgical guide in the USA. I cannot speak as to why some priest do not follow the rules. 
Eulogies are not permitted at Catholic funerals as the focus of the liturgy is the life in Christ, the life to come/resurrection.  I have made the mistake of trying to be “pastoral” like some other pastors and such has only created problems.  So, I now obey the rules.