No Dilemma, only disgrace

Perhaps the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger said it best back in 2005 when he wrote this particular meditation for the 9th Station:

How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him! How much pride, how much self-complacency!

While the future Supreme Pontiff perhaps referred to the sexual abuse scandal plaguing the Church, I believe that this particular statement also applies to one Alberto Cutie, the former priest from Miami who betrayed the Church and the priesthood with his scandalous affair with a woman.


Sadly, Cutie, who left the Church, joined the Episcopalians, got married and subsequently became a minister for that particular ecclesial community, continues to spout out venomous remarks against Catholicism in his book, Dilemma:  A Priest's Struggle with Faith and Love.  Unfortunately, the statements that he has made to the media, in my opinion, show neither faith nor love.  He accuses the Church, in particular, his own Archbishop, of being more concerned about image than about the faithful. In an interview with Time Magazine, Cutie said that the Church was an "inflexible, dictatorial and merciless institution."  In another interview, this time, with the Miami Herald, Cutie blasted the Church, saying that it was "an institution that continues to promote old ideas." 


Perhaps Cutie needs a refresher in the Catechism.  These are not "old ideas"; these are the basic Truths handed down to the Church through the Apostles who received them from no less than Jesus Christ, Himself.  The sacred priesthood that Cutie abandoned and the Church he renounced were established by Jesus Christ to stand firm forever.   When he attacks celibacy, saying, in the Time article that "the ban on clerical sex and marriage was one of the many misogynist constructs of the medieval church", he seems to forget what Christ told St. Peter when the Prince of the Apostles tells the Lord that he and his fellow Apostles left everything (including wives and families) to follow Him:

[27] Then Peter answering, said to him: Behold we have left all things, and have followed thee: what therefore shall we have? [28] And Jesus said to them: Amen, I say to you, that you, who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [29] And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. [30] And many that are first, shall be last: and the last shall be first.  

Cutie also  fails to realize that celibacy calls a man to live against the grain, according to Pope Benedict XVI in the book, Light of the World:

Celibacy is always, shall we say, an affront to what man normally thinks.  It is something that can only be done, and is only credible, if there is a God and if celibacy is my foorway into the Kingdom of God.  In this case, celibacy is a special kind of sign.  The scandal that it provokes consists precisely in the fact that there are people who believe these things.  By the same token, this scandal has a positive sign.

But, it seems that Cutie does not see it that way.   Sadly, the former priest's position calls to mind the prophetic words that the former Cardinal Ratzinger preached the day before he was elected Pope Benedict XVI:

How many winds of doctrine we have known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking. The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves ­ thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth. Every day new sects are created and what Saint Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw those into error (cf Eph 4, 14). Having a clear faith, based on the Creed of the Church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas, relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and "swept along by every wind of teaching", looks like the only attitude (acceptable) to today's standards. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires.

The attitude towards the Church that Cutie has is no different than that of King Henry VIII when the Pope refused to annul the English monarch's marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon.  Both Cutie and Henry renounced and denounced the Church.  In Cutie's case, he decided to go and join a branch of the ecclesial community that Henry established when he could not get his way with Rome.  However, what is worse is that Cutie tries to use the sexual abuse scandal to jusitfy his own infidelity to the Church and to his vows as a priest.  It's as though he let himself be swept up in the tidal wave of relativism.  Sadly, he's taken not a few people with him.


Cutie could have taken the high road, working with the Church to resolve his situation, instead of speaking out against it.  According to the Miami Herald, new Archbishop Thomas Wenski said that nobody forced Cutie to leave the Church.  He could have left the priesthood, but still remain Catholic.  But Cutie never gave the Church a chance.  Worse, he continues to spout venom against the Church and his former Archbishop, the same one who ordained him to the priesthood. 


Last week, I wrote a small tribute to my friend who celebrated his Silver Jubilee during the Feast of the Holy Innocents.  While Cutie's disdain for the Church and the Sacrament of Holy Orders is a tragedy, I find a great deal of comfort in the fact that the Church is full of good and holy priests, like Pope Benedict XVI, like Fr. Uwe Michael Lang, like Fr. John Zulsdorf, like Fr. Tim Finigan, like my pastor and like my friend, who find joy in their vocations and perservere despite the trials and tribulations that they face. 

Ideal Recessional for the Solemnity of the Epiphany

Sadly, I could not find a Catholic choir singing this on YouTube, but, this hymn makes the ideal recessional for today's Solemnity. This rendition comes to us from the Episcopalians. Oh well...

Here are the lyrics to this beautiful hymn.  Note that it also mentinos the Baptism of the Lord:

Songs of thankfulness and praise,
Jesus, Lord, to thee we raise,
manifested by the star
to the sages from afar;
branch of royal David's stem
in thy birth at Bethlehem;
anthems be to thee addressed,
God in man made manifest.

Manifest at Jordan's stream,
Prophet, Priest and King supreme;
and at Cana, wedding guest,
in thy Godhead manifest;
manifest in power divine,
changing water into wine;
anthems be to thee addressed,
God in man made manifest.

Manifest in making whole
palsied limbs and fainting soul;
manifest in valiant fight,
quelling all the devil's might;
manifest in gracious will,
ever bringing good from ill;
anthems be to thee addressed,
God in man made manifest.

Grant us grace to see thee, Lord,
mirrored in thy holy Word;
may we imitate thee now,
and be pure, as pure art thou;
that we like to thee may be
at thy great Epiphany;
and may praise thee, ever blest,
God in man made manifest.

The Meaning of the Epiphany

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.   During the Christmas season, we experience three Epiphanies, manifestations, if you will, of the Christ.  We marked the first one on the night of December 24th, when the newborn Savior of the world was revealed first and foremost to Israel, represented by the humble shepherds.  The prophets foretold that the Messiah must first be revealed to Israel.  The early Church understood this.  That is why, while they celebrated the evening  December 24th with solemnity, they would then gather with their families for a simple celebration.

However, it was not until the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord to the Magi that the early Church launched into its full blown solemnity and festivities.  The early Church believed that this was our Epiphany, the manifestation of the Christ child to the Gentiles in the persons of the Magi.   The celebrant at this afternoon's Mass said that perhaps the Magi were from Persia, which, at the time, was a great center for learning.   While many of the Jews returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile, some remained and establishing their own communities and centers.   Thus, those who wanted to could read the prophecies of the prophets of Ancient Israel for themselves, studying them in the framework of the signs of the times.  The Magi who observed the star rising in the East probably made the link between this phenomenon and the prophecies, as they inquired as to the whereabouts of the newborn King of the Jews. 

These Magi used the intellect that God had endowed them with in their search for the King.  However, nothing could have prepared them for their final destination:  a Child with his young Mother in a humble house.  They did not find him in a resplendent palace, dressed in silken robes with his mother bedecked in jewels.  But, the lack of the all of the trappings of royalty did not phase them.  The Gospel tells us that they were overjoyed at having reached their final destination.  It mattered not to them that this holy Child, this infant King, was not in some marble palace;  all that mattered was that they finally reached Him in the end.  While they presented the Christ child with the precious gifts of gold, frankinsense and myrrh, the Lord gave them something more valuable in return:  He rewarded their faith and their love by letting them come into his very presence.  Having already fulfilled His promise of revealing Himself first and foremost to Israel, now, in the figures of the Magi, the Lord had manifested Himself to the entire world.   The Magi left overjoyed.

The third Epiphany, which we will celebrate next weekend, is the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord, where the mystery of the Holy Trinity is manifested.  This is the first time that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make their joint appearance in Sacred Scripture.  The Father is manifested by the voice coming from heaven.  The Son is, of course, Christ Jesus and the Spirit manifests Himself in the form of a dove.

I often wish that we could have retained elements of the older liturgical calendar.  In the Calendar used for the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, the traditional date of the Epiphany of the Lord is January 6th.  The Vatican retains this particular feast, but, most of the other countries have transferred this celebration to Sunday.  This is rather sad.  While I can see the argument of moving this Solemnity to a Sunday so that more of the faithful can participate in it, we seem to have lost the significance of the dates.  Perhaps we should rethink this transfer and restore the Solemnity of the Epiphany to its proper prominence. 

Epiphany Proclamation

Here is what the Proclamation sounds like in Latin. Even though the dates are for 2009, the chant is quite beautiful.

Proclamation of the Date of Easter on Epiphany

Sadly, very few parishes, if any, down here in the South Texas hinterland will proclaim these beautiful words during this evening's or tomorrow's Masses to mark the Solemnity of the Epiphany.

According to the rubrics found in the Sacramentary Supplement:

"The Proclamation of the Date of Easter on Epiphany dates from a time when calendars were not too readily available.  It was necessary to make known the date of Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on its date.  The number of weeks that follow Epiphany, the date of Ash Wednesday and the number of Sundays that follow Pentecost are all computed in relation to Easter.

"Although calendars now give the date of Easter and the other feasts in the liturgical year for many years in advance, the Epiphany Proclamation still has value.  it is a reminder of the centrality of the resurrection of the Lord in the liturgical year and the importance of the great mysteries of faith which are celebrated each year."

And so, here is this beautiful and ancient Proclamation:

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

The glory of the Lord has shown upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return.  Through the rhythms of times and seasons, let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.

Let us recall the year's culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord:  His Last Supper, His Crucifixion, His Burial and His Rising, celebrated between teh evening of the 21st of April and the evening of the 24th of April.

Each Easter - as on each Sunday - the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed by which Christ has forever conquered sin and death.

From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy.  Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will occur on the 9th of March.  The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the 5th of June.  Pentecost, the joyful conclusion of the season of Easter, will be celebrated on the 12th of June.  And this year, the First Sunday of Advent will be on the 27th of November.

Likewise, the pilgrim Church proclaims the passover of Christ in the feasts of the holy Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and the Saints, and in the commemoration of the faithful departed.

To Jesus Christ, who was, who is and who is to come, Lord of time and history, be endless praise, for ever and ever.  Amen.

This beautiful proclamation puts everything into perspective.  Every liturgical celebration of the Church finds its authentic meaning in the Paschal Mystery, even Christmas.  The Paschal Mystery was precisely why the Eternal Son of the Father, the Eternal Word, deigned to leap down from heaven and become incarnate in the womb of the Blessed Virign Mary.  He was born in time so that He could give His flesh for the life of the world. 

The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

Here is an unofficial translation (via the Google translator):

Dear brothers and sisters!

Still wrapped in the spiritual atmosphere of Christmas , in which we contemplated the mystery of Christ's birth, we celebrate today the same sentiments with the Virgin Mary, whom the Church venerates as Mother of God, as she gave flesh to the Son of God. The Bible readings for this feast emphasize mainly on the Son of God made man and the "name" of the Lord. The first reading presents us with the solemn blessing pronounced on the Israelites, the priests in the major religious holidays: it is marked precisely by the name of the Lord, repeated three times, as to express the fullness and the strength that comes from that invocation. This text liturgical blessing, in fact, recalls the riches of grace and peace that God gives to man, with a kindly disposition towards him, and that manifests itself with "shine" of the divine face and the "turning" toward us.

The Church listen again to these words today, asking the Lord to bless the new year just started, knowing that, before the tragic events that mark the history, before the logic of war which are unfortunately not yet completely overcome, only God can touch the depths of the human soul and ensure hope and peace to mankind. And 'well-established tradition, in fact, that the first day of the Church, spread throughout the world, raise a collective prayer to invoke peace. It 'good to start a new stretch of the road placing itself firmly on the path of peace. Today, we want to raise the cry of so many men, women, children and elderly victims of the war, which is the face most horrible and violent history. Today we pray that peace which the angels announced to the shepherds on Christmas night, can get anywhere, " super Terram bonae voluntatis pax hominibus "( Lk 2:14). For this, especially with our prayers, we want to help every man and every people, particularly those with responsibility of government, to walk in an ever more decisive steps towards peace.

In the second reading, St. Paul sums up subsidiary in adopting the work of salvation accomplished by Christ, which is set as the figure of Mary. Thanks to her, the Son of God, "born of woman" ( Gal 4:4), could come into the world as a man, in the fullness of time. This task, this fullness, about the past and the messianic expectations that come true, but at the same time, it also refers to the fullness in the absolute sense: in the Word made flesh, God said his word final and definitive. On the threshold of a new year, rings out as an invitation to walk with joy to the light of the "rising sun from above" ( Lk 1.78), as in the Christian perspective, all the time is inhabited by God, not c 'is the future that is not in the direction of Christ and there is fullness of that outside of Christ.

The passage of today's Gospel ends with the naming of Jesus, while Mary takes part in silence, meditating in the heart of this mystery to his son, who is in a totally unique gift from God But the Gospel passage we have hearing draws particular attention to the shepherds, that they returned "glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen" ( Lk 2:20). The angel had foretold that the city of David, which is Bethlehem, the Savior was born and they would find the sign : a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger (cf. Lk 2:11-12). Leave in a hurry, they found Mary and Joseph and the Child. Note how the Evangelist speaks of motherhood of Mary from her Son, from the "baby wrapped in swaddling clothes," because he is - the Word of God ( Jn 1:14) - the reference point, the center of the event He is being fulfilled and to ensure that the motherhood of Mary is described as "divine."

This attention to the prevalent today's readings dedicated to the "Son", Jesus does not diminish the role of the Mother, or rather, places it in perspective: Mary, Mother of God is true in virtue of her total relationship to Christ. Therefore, by glorifying the Son, the Mother is honored and honoring the Mother glorifies the Son. The title "Mother of God," which today's liturgy highlights, underlines the unique mission of the Holy Virgin in salvation history: the mission that lies at the heart of worship and devotion that the Christian people revere. In fact, Mary did not receive the gift of God for himself alone, but bring to him into the world in her fruitful virginity, God has given human beings the blessings of eternal salvation (cf. Collect ). And Mary continually offers its mediation to the pilgrim People of God in history to eternity, as they once offered it to the shepherds of Bethlehem. She, who gave life on earth to the Son of God continues to give men the divine life which is Jesus himself and his Holy Spirit. For she is considered the mother of every man who comes to Grace and all is invoked as Mother of the Church.

It is the name of Mary, Mother of God and men, that from 1 January 1968 is being celebrated all over the world the World Day of Peace . Peace is a gift of God, as we heard in the first reading: "... The Lord give you peace" ( Nm 6.26). It is the Messianic gift par excellence, the first fruit of love that Jesus gave us, is our peace and reconciliation with God Peace is a human value to achieve social and political, but has its roots in the mystery of Christ (cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Constitution Gaudium et Spes , 77-90). In this solemn celebration, at the Forty-fourth World Day of Peace, I am pleased to extend my respectful greetings to the distinguished Ambassadors to the Holy See, with the best wishes for their mission. A cordial and fraternal greeting, then, to my Secretary of State and other leaders of the Roman Curia , with a special thought for the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and his staff. I wish to express their deep gratitude for the daily commitment to peaceful coexistence among peoples and the formation of a more solid peace consciousness in the Church and the world. In this perspective, the ecclesial community is increasingly committed to act in accordance with the directives of the Magisterium, to offer a safe spiritual patrimony of values and principles in the continuing search for peace.

I recalled in my Message for today's Day, entitled "Freedom of religion, path to peace": "The world needs God Needs ethical and spiritual values, universal and shared, and religion can make a valuable contribution in their quest to build a just international and social order and peace "(n. 15). I pointed out, therefore, that "religious freedom is an essential element of the rule of law, you can not deny the same time without affecting the rights and fundamental freedoms, being short and summit" (No. 5).

Humanity can not appear resigned to the negative force of selfishness and violence, must not make a habit of conflicts that cause casualties and put at risk the future of peoples. Faced with the threatening tensions of the moment, especially in the face of discrimination, the abuses and religious intolerance, which today affect, in particular the Christians (cf. ibid. , 1), once again I address this urgent appeal to not give in to discouragement and resignation. I urge everyone to pray that come to fruition the efforts undertaken by several parties to promote and build peace in the world. For this difficult task are not enough words, we need the commitment and constant practice of the leaders of nations, but it is especially necessary that every person is busy the true spirit of peace, by pleading over and over again in prayer and to live in daily relations, in any environment.

In this Eucharistic celebration we have before our eyes, our reverence, the image of the Madonna del Sacro Monte di Viggiano, so dear to the people of Basilicata. The Virgin Mary gives us her Son, showing us the face of her Son, the Prince of Peace to help you to stay in the light of this face, that shines upon us (cf. Nm 6.25), to discover all tenderness of God the Father, for her to support us in invoking the Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth and transform the hearts dissolving the hardness of their goodness before the disarming  Child that is born for us. The Mother of God be with us in this new year, obtain for us and for the whole world wanted the gift of peace. Amen.

The Holy Father offers us so much food for thought in his homily.  When we venerate the Mother, we glorify the Son.  When we worship the Son, we honor the Mother.  Son and Mother are inseparable by a bond that can never be broken.  Through Mary's fiat, God assumes our flesh and thus, he becomes our very brother.  Jesus is the way to the Father, but, lest we forget that Jesus comes to us by way of His Mother, Mary. 

Blessed New Year!

As 2010 winds down in the South Texas hinterland, I wish all of you a very Blessed 2011.  I leave you with the words of tomorrow's first reading from the Book of Numbers:

[22] And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: [23] Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the children of Israel, and you shall say to them: [24] The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. [25] The Lord shew his face to thee, and have mercy on thee. [26] The Lord turn his countenance to thee, and give thee peace. [27] And they shall invoke my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.