Faithful Bishop
Bishop Raymond Burke of the Diocese of LaCrosse, Wisconsin has taken a faithful stand in support of a culture of life. Through a
decree, he has asked that Catholic politicians who continue to support abortion and euthanasia be barred from receiving Holy Communion until they publicly recant their positions on these issues of life. Previously, he had written privately to Catholic politicians to urge them to act publicly on what they profess. He justified his statement by citing a
doctrinal note from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
can. 915 of the Code of Canon Law, and a
statement by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop Burke,
who is soon to be the Archbishop of St. Louis, is providing all of us, bishops and laity alike, with a beautiful example of living our faith. To the faithful in the diocese of LaCrosse, he has urged prayers for the politicians be made in order that they might have a change of heart. And this is the goal of his action. As pastor of the diocese, he desires that all live in adherence to the Gospel. For the faithful who live public lives and who are responsible for promoting the welfare of our society through public office, this means being publicly faithful to what the Church teaches.
Thank the Lord for such a faithful stance. Let us thank Him by being faithful to Him in all the areas of our public life.
Posted by David at
7:28 AM
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Epiphany
The feast of
Epiphany is a wonderful feast to remind of us our Lord's mission which embraces the entire world. Every person of every time, place, and race is loved by the God who created and sustains the universe. He loved us so much that He sent His Son to redeem the entire world. Now in the days of Christmas, we commemorate the first realization of Christ's mission to the Gentiles. The magi or wise men came to honor the King of Kings. In this child, they recognized that God had come among us. As today's readings indicate even in the earliest days of His life, Jesus began the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, "And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising." (Is. 60:3) For the first readers of St. Matthew's gospel, who were Jewish Christians, the passage would underscore Christ as the long awaited Messiah because He it is through the Lord that the nations are coming to Israel. They began to come when He was a child, and now they are coming through the risen Lord. As St. Paul points out in the second reading from Ephesians, "the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (3:6). Indeed, the Church is universal or Catholic which in one definition means of the whole.
One wonderful tradition, which I was very happy to see being encouraged in my parish, is the tradition of marking the doors of a family's house with a tangible reminder of Christ's presence among us. With
blessed chalk, if available, or any other piece of chalk, the following should be written over the doorway:
This symbolizes the year, the four seasons (the four crosses), and the letters have two meanings. First, the letters from tradition represent the names of the three kings--Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. The other meaning is the Latin phrase Christus Mansioni Benedicat which means May Christ bless this house. It is a beautiful reminder of Christ's presence which was first acknowledged by the Gentiles in the persons of the magi. And I have found it a meaningful reminder throughout the year that Christ has come, and He longs to be present in my house and my heart if I will let Him.
Posted by David at
11:19 AM
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Thursday, January 01, 2004
Mary, Mother of God
In the Church's wisdom, the first day of every new year honors the Blessed Virgin Mary by reminding us of her most exalted title--Mother of God. This title, which she received at the Council of Ephesus in 431, is based on the important idea that the Virgin Mary gave birth to a divine person. The Council declared that Jesus is fully God and fully man. Consequently, through the Incarnation, by Mary's maternity of Jesus, she is the Mother of God.
Like almost every ecumenical council, the Council of Ephesus was called to address a problem and pronounce the Church's teaching which would answer the question at hand. The bishop of Constantinople was Nestorius. He held that Mary had only given birth to Christ in His human nature. His divine nature, proponents of the Nestorian view held, was added to His human nature at a later point in His life. The problem with this view is that it separates Christ's two natures, which cannot be separated as the Council of Calcedon in 451 confirmed. Christ is one undivided person. Because mothers give birth to persons and not natures, the son of Mary was a divine person. And because her son is the divine person, Mary can be called the Mother of God.
The beauty of this title recognizes what God has done for us. He truly came to be born of a woman and born under the law to save us who under the law (Galatians 4:4). God took on flesh and became one of us. He loves us so much that He was willing to experience everything we experience, except sin. The God who loves me that much must be willing to hear about all my problems and help me through every trouble that comes my way. He is that close, and He knows exactly what it is like to live a daily existence. He is familiar with the difficulties, the triumphs, and the very ordinary moments which make up most of our lives. In other words, He has been in our skin. As we begin a new year, I cannot think of a better mystery to ponder.
Posted by David at
8:11 PM
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