becoming catholic

Interestingly, I received a phone call from a gentleman who listened to the show on October 24th. He was not a very happy man. He took offense with some of the comments about the teaching of the Catholic Church. Correct me if I am wrong, but if you are a Catholic priest, then you would be expected to teach and explain the teachings of our faith, including the church's stance on artificial birth control, celibacy for priests, and the male only priesthood. He took offense with all three of these teachings, and he added the teaching on infallibility. Basically, as far as I understood what he was trying to say, he was arguing that the church needed to be more openminded and that if priests were married and were both male and female, then the scandals would not have occurred. I agreed with him that there were some people in the church, including bishops and priests, that had failed and were guilty of unspeakable crimes against children. You can argue that the system of a celibate male priesthood infected certain prelates and helped to foster an attitude that these celibate men knew better that the parents of those who were abused. But this attitude is also prevalent in all other walks of life and other denominations and other religious traditions. Children were abused before the time of Jesus Christ. Celibacy does not lead to sexual abuse. And for someone to think that abuse would disappear if women were ordained and held high positions in Rome is also highly mistaken. I agreed with this gentleman that those priests who were found guilty should have been held accountable and not only incarcerated but stripped of their priestly state. We kept going back and forth, but I think the biggest offense he took from my show was that I had said that I wish all people in Boston would be Catholic. Of course, I also mentioned that I have many Protestant friends and some non-Christian friends, and they are wonderful people and probably even more loving and merciful than some of my Catholic friends. It was a simple offhand remark of how much I love my Catholic faith and how I think that if it is lived properly, it can transform you into a new creation andfree you from a life of sin. If I did not believe that, then why would I be a Catholic, let alone a Catholic priest. We agreed to disagree, but I stand by what I said.

walls

One of the things that we are all susceptible to is putting walls up around our relationships. We use all kinds of excuses for shutting people out of our lives, including friends, and we justify our poor behavior towards them because they hurt us, in some form or another. Usually, it is a perceived hurt, which could be healed with sitting down and having a conversation with the person. But we continue to place those walls up so that we do not have to sit down with someone who has hurt us. Yet, St Paul reminds us that the walls are already down when we are members of the Body of Christ. So, if you belong to the Body of Christ, why is it that you feel justified in treating other members with scorn and disdain? Why is it that the work of reconciliation is out of reach? Why is it that the fruits of the Holy Spirit are not being lived? Only you can answer why you refuse to offer forgiveness and seek reconciliation. We are all called to bring each other to Christ, and to be Christ for one another. Love and forgiveness is the answer, because Christ is the answer.

so late

Here I am, ten days into October, the month of the Holy Rosary, and I have neglected posting on the blog. Mea culpa. October is a wonderful month, for not only is it the month of the rosary, but it is also the month of St Luke, who traditionally is the one who painted the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. This is a devotion that means a lot to me, especially since four years ago, this month, I experienced a miracle in my life that was from the hands of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. This miracle led to a conversion of heart and soul, especially in regard to music. Paula K, my co-host for feed my lambs, is a senior vice president of a Christian radio station, which plays contemporary Christian music, like Third Day, Mercy Me, Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp, and a variety of others. Now, there are many Catholics who would prefer that all music be of the classical, or Gregorian chant variety and that many of the evils of society have occurred through the advent of rock and roll music. And for many of these people, Christian music is only positive lyrics but they are intertwined with the beat of rock and roll and it is this beat that leads to the passions being ignited. I cna say that yes, there is a big difference between Palestrina and Jeremy Camp, and Palestrina is more uplifting for your soul. Nothing compares to Mozart or Gregorian chant, but the contemporary music of today on many Christian radio stations can also be positive for your soul and lead you to a worship experience of God in other ways. But I will say that the music at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass should be of highest quality and uplifting of the soul, and it is here that Mozart, Palestrina, Victoria and above all, Gregorian chant, is proper and, in my humble opinion, which is shared by many scholars and liturgists, as well as Pope Benedict XVI, the best way of worshiping God.