Are there bishops in heaven?

"Dad, are there bishops in heaven?"

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"We hope so honey, but we only know for sure that those who have been canonized are there - that is why we have to pray so hard for them."
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"Oh! Oh! Dad! Are there bishops in hell then?"

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"Hon, again, nobody knows for sure, but from the sounds of it, quite a few bishops don't think anyone is there at all."

Stepping back...

Thom of Ad Dominum blog alerted me to Bishop Morlino's take on the Kennedy funeral. The following are excerpts from what the Bishop of Madison wrote for his Bishop's Column in the Diocesan paper.
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I’m afraid that for not a few Catholics, the funeral rites for Senator Kennedy were a source of scandal — that is, quite literally, led them into sin. From not a few corners has come the question, “how on earth could Teddy Kennedy be buried from the Church?” There have also been expressions from some, that “whatever happens in Church, Senator Kennedy will now face justice, which will lead him inside the gates of Hell.”
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The death of Senator Kennedy has called forth at least an apparent rejection of mercy on the part of not a few Catholics. On the cross of Christ, God’s justice came into conflict with God’s mercy. God’s justice was fully satisfied, but mercy triumphed in the conflict, according to the teaching of Pope Benedict. Without denying any misdeeds on the part of Senator Kennedy, the Church, seeking to reflect the face of Christ, proclaimed God’s mercy for the whole world to see in a subdued but unmistakable way. It was more than appropriate.
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It is so important at this time that our Catholic homes and families re-emphasize their role as schools of mercy, not at the expense of justice, and not at the expense of Truth, but recognizing that Jesus Christ gave His body to be broken and His blood to be poured out, so that there might be mercy. This is the reason for our devotion, through the inspiration of Sister Faustina and its confirmation by Pope John Paul II, to the Divine Mercy prayers, which I hope are becoming more prominent and more frequently practiced in our homes and in our parishes. - Read the entire statement here: Bishop's Column

Perseverance

The Little Brothers of St. Francis of Boston
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Last evening I watched a YouTube video on their life which contains an excellent interview with Br. James, the founder of the community, unfortunately embedding has been disabled, so I will link to it here - watch it if you can.
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The brothers gave me shelter as I began my pilgrimage from the Trappists to Europe many years ago. At the time, the community had already been established for a few years and if I remember correctly there were 3 friars in addition to Br. James. Their religious life is virtually unchanged since then. The brothers live a contemplative life within their hermitage in Boston's Roxbury/Mission Hill district. They also minister to the poor and homeless who live on the street or in shelters in Boston. Their ministry is one of prayer and presence. They do not house the poor, they simply live amongst them and befriend them. Their focus is Eucharistic adoration. In this they resemble the followers of Blessed Charles de Foucauld.
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O Lord, my God, who will seek you with simple and pure love, and not find that you are all one can desire, for you show yourself first and go out to meet those who seek you? - John of the Cross
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Yet more expressly, the Brothers communal life is more reminiscent of the earliest companions of St. Francis, and I think this is what Br. James envisioned from the very beginning. It is so simple that the efficacy is often missed by those of us who expect great works and deeds - often in terms of social work - bettering the conditions of the poor, treating the alcoholism and drug addictions of the homeless, establishing listening houses and soup kitchens for the hungry. But there are facilities in Boston for all of that.
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Think not that pleasing God lies so much in doing a great deal as in doing it with good will, without possessiveness and human respect. - John of the Cross
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The Brothers instead go directly to the street. They just show up. Some have called it "house calls to the homeless". A guy might be sleeping under a cardboard box and look up, and in his hangover haze he sees two followers of St. Francis the fool, smiling back saying, "Good morning brother!" And they visit, they listen, they may get him some coffee, offer him a sandwich, if it is winter give him gloves, a hat, and so on. They may even pray with him. But they really are just there. In their simplicity, they acknowledge the sacred humanity before them, hidden beneath the dirt, ofttimes enveloped by a noxious alcohol-tobacco laden stench, incensed with the scent of urine and other foul body odors. They are present to one another in the Divine Presence, sharing an equal identity before the Lord. Deep calling unto deep, in the roar of the city.
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And if only for a few minutes or an hour, the poor man on the street knows what it means to have someone look at him and accept him and love him, just as he is - and the brothers feed him, nurse him with the love of God. What is more, the brothers do not abandon him there, but take him with them spiritually in prayer, placing him before Jesus in the Eucharist.
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God is more pleased by one work, however small, done secretly, without desire that it be known, than a thousand done with the desire that people know of them. Those who work for God with purest love not only care nothing about whether others see their works, but do not even seek that God himself know of them. Such persons would not cease to render God the same services, with the same joy and purity of love, even if God were never to know of these. - John of the Cross
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Br. Jim had an important position with the Boston Opera when he left everything to live the Franciscan call, which led to the establishment of this community. The Community follows the Rule for Hermitages, written by St. Francis. You can read about the community here. The life is so simple and so delightfully Franciscan, I think one must be very, very humble to live it - much like the founder - St. Francis, and of course, Br. Jim.
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O sweetest love of God, so little known, whoever has found this rich mine is at rest! - John of the Cross
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Photo credit: Maureen Cotton

He's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!

Secundus!

H1N1 Sweater for Dad

080 Fashion Barcelona.
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080 Barcelona Fashion first came about in July 2007. Its aim is to provide a platform to increase the visibility of independent designers and to become a point of reference for cutting-edge design and fashion on an international level. The driving forces behind 080 Barcelona Fashion are creativity and innovation, without forgetting the importance of the market and the need to provide a commercial outlet for fashion.

Prayerbook for Spouses

For Theology of the Body buffs...
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Catholic Truth Society of London has published a new prayerbook for Catholic spouses, including a prayer before making love - no blessing of the genitals however - Christopher West can supply that, I'm sure.
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The new prayer:
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Father, send your Holy Spirit into our hearts.
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Place within us love that truly gives, tenderness thattruly unites,
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self-offering that tells the truth and does not deceive,
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forgiveness that truly receives, loving physical union that welcomes.
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Open our hearts to you, to each other and to the goodness of your will.
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Cover our poverty in the richness of your mercy and forgiveness.
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Clothe us in our true dignity
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and take to yourself our shared aspirations, for your glory, for ever and ever.
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Mary, our Mother, intercede for us. Amen. - Source
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An older model of spousal prayer:
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Then Tobias exhorted the virgin, and said to her: Sara, arise, and let us pray to God to day, and to morrow, and the next day: because for these three nights we are joined to God: and when the third night is over, we will be in our own wedlock. 5 For we are the children of saints, and we must not be joined together like heathens that know not God.
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6 So they both arose, and prayed earnestly both together that health might be given them, 7 And Tobias said:
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Lord God of our fathers, may the heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains, and the rivers, and all thy creatures that are in them, bless thee.
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8 Thou madest Adam of the slime of the earth, and gavest him Eve for a helper.
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9 And now, Lord, thou knowest, that not for fleshly lust do I take my sister to wife, but only for the love of posterity, in which thy name may be blessed for ever and ever.
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10 Sara also said:
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Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us,
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and let us grow old both together in health. - Tobit 8
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I think the biblical version contains better theology.

He warned against “harsh judgments’’ and attributing “the worst motives’’...

"Do not yoke yourselves in a mismatch with unbelievers. After all, what does righteousness and lawlessness have in common, or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What accord is there between Christ and Belial, what common lot between believer and unbeliever? Tell me what agreement there is between the temple of God and idols?" - 2 Corinthians 6: 14-16

Photo of the day

Hindu priests sit inside barrels containing water as they perform special prayers in order to appease Varun, the Hindu rain god, in a temple in Mumbai. - Telegraph.co.uk


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I KNOW!

Priests

What men need.
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Priests do not so much need spiritual mothers, as they all have the perfect Mother in Our Lady Mary, Mother of Christ, Queen of the Clergy. While a devotion consisting of spiritual motherhood for priests may be efficacious, what priests most need are strong, manly fathers and brothers; most especially they need solid, strong, supportive, manly Bishops. (And the prayers of the faithful of course.)

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Normally, one mother is more than enough for a guy - just ask St. Augustine. ;)

Good bye good men redux.

The resignation of Bishop Martino.
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As expected, Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino, 63, announced his resignation today, citing health concerns, specifically fatigue and insomnia due in part to the pressures of his pastoral assignment as the reason. The resignation was accepted by the Holy Father in accord with Canon Law.
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"For some time now, there has not been a clear consensus among the clergy and people of the Diocese of Scranton regarding my pastoral initiatives or my way of governance," Martino said. "This development has caused me great sorrow, resulting in bouts of insomnia and at times a crippling physical fatigue." - Source

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The Bishop's resignation and announcement seems to me to be rather extraordinary. Reports describe him as autocratic and a hardliner, while suggesting he lacked support not only from the more liberal elements within his jurisdiction, but from his fellow bishops as well. At the same time, it appears he may not have always supported the USCCB either - does that mean he was not in line with the bishops or simply refused to toe the party line as far as politically correct policy statements and diplomacy?

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"We don't want to isolate ourselves from the rest of America by our strong views on abortion".
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All of this comes on the heels of Santa Fe's Archbishop Sheehan's sharp criticism of outspoken bishops in civic life while advocating for a more collaborative arrangement with the culture of death.
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"The bishops don't want to have a battle in public with each other, but I think the majority of bishops in the country didn't join in with that, would not be in agreement with that approach. It's well intentioned, but we don't lose our dignity by being strong in the belief that we have but also talking to others that don't have our belief. We don't lose our dignity by that," he said
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Sheehan told NCR that at a meeting of the bishops last June he said that " to make a big scene about Obama -- I think a lot of the enemies of the church are delighted to see all that. And I said that I think we don't want to isolate ourselves from the rest of America by our strong views on abortion and the other things. We need to be building bridges, not burning them. We'd be like the Amish, you know, kind of isolated from society, if we kept pulling back because of a single issue." - Source

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"This development has caused me great sorrow..."
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It will be interesting to see what others have to say about all of this. I think it is obvious that in many cases priests who are chosen to be bishops tend to be the more pastoral type - Vatican II-speak for permissive and tolerant. Evidently, tough guys do not do well.
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During his farewell press conference, Martino was unapologetic. "I did what my mother told me to do," Martino said, "She would always say, 'Well, you do the right thing.' And my conscience is clear." He said he wasn't trying to become a rallying point for the most vociferous foes of abortion, but he then defended them, saying they are often dismissed too readily by the media and even within the church because of their "passion."
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He praised vocal pro-lifers as "very dear to the Lord" because of their outspokenness, and said "bishops should encourage them" as they try to "overturn a profound cancer in our society, this sin, frankly, of murdering 50 million people (referring to the number of abortions since Roe v. Wade in 1973). I think we have become quite blasé about that, and that scares me very much." - Source
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Personally, I don't get it - I should think strong men ought to be made bishops - not collaborators with evil and the effeminate.

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Priests do not need so much spiritual mothers as they do strong father bishops.

Scandal

Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it...

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2284 Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.

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2285 Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."86 Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep's clothing.87

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2286 Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion.
Therefore, they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice, or to "social conditions that, intentionally or not, make Christian conduct and obedience to the Commandments difficult and practically impossible."88 This is also true of business leaders who make rules encouraging fraud, teachers who provoke their children to anger,89 or manipulators of public opinion who turn it away from moral values.

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2287 Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it leads others to do wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that he has directly or indirectly encouraged. "Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come!"90 - Catechism of the Catholic Church

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Photo: Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis kneeling before Richard Cardinal Cushing of Boston - nothing scandalous there. Photo from Hallowed Ground.

Worth noting.

The following post was sent to me a day or so ago by my very wise friend Paula.

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On flattering and supporting one's enemies

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"Formerly I went frequently to Paris: I saw often many of those who were called ‘the philosophers’. It was particularly at Madame Geoffrin’s, Baron d’Holbaek’s, and d’Alembert’s, where they principally assembled. It was there that they silently planned the destruction of religion, of the clergy, the nobility, and the government. From the year 1766, I said to the Bishops who were connected with them, ‘They detest you’; to the great noblemen who protected them, ‘They cannot bear the splendour of your rank, which dazzles them’; to the Farmers-General who upheld them, ‘They envy your riches’. These continued, however, to admire, to flatter, and to support them.” - The Frenchman Louis Dutens, 1806; on France before the Revolution

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To view one's mortal enemies as harmless and misguided pontificators is one of the many perils of life.

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There is a type of magnanimous patron who seeks out his philosophical opposite. He thinks the iconoclast will remain a fringe character, like a unique exotic pet.

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In many cases, this is excusable. How many coffee shop communists never take action?

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Yet to love one's enemies truly, one must acknowledge the extent of their ill will.

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Then one must recognize that indifference towards their increasing power and influence is no act of love, for them or for one's own. - Philokalia Republic

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Art: Salon de Madame Geoffrin

I just figured out what this is.

o{]:-)

Sunday morning reflections...

The Scribes and Pharisees.

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Somehow in grade school, a few of us rebels got the idea that the nuns were the scribes and pharisees of modern times - they widened their phylacteries (veils and habits), sat up in the front row for Mass, and laid impossible burdens upon 7th and 8th graders. That notion stuck with many Catholics into adulthood to include the hierarchy, traditional priests and religious as the new scribes and pharisees. Therefore it turned out to be the institutional Church who places impossible burdens upon the more enlightened 21st century Catholic; forbidding divorce, contraception, abortion, gay marriage, and all the other emergent civil rights contemporary culture demands.

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But I think that is grossly misleading, a great deception. The scribes and pharisees and teachers of the Law Christ calls out were laymen. Not unlike the college professors and theologians of today. Of course some of these are priests and religious as well, yet in the context of academia, their most valued credentials happen to be based upon the level and number of their academic degrees, publications, tenure and so on.

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Think about it. Think about all the so-called Catholic dissident theologians and professors, along with the politicians and social activists who are influenced by them and rely upon their teachings. Many of these may fit the profile of the ancient scribes and pharisees more accurately than the hierarchy. In our day they happen to be the ones who teach as doctrine human precepts, disregarding God's commandments, clinging to human tradition, based upon exciting new, albeit dubious, research, studies, scientific developments, and novel legislation protecting civil rights.

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Of course any of us can fit that profile, which is why Christ warned his disciples to beware the leaven of the scribes and pharisees.