Habemus Papam!

These are the words that announce the election of a new pope and his identity.  In this case, it is Jorge Mario Bergoglio who will be known as Pope Francis.  He is the first Pope to use this name.

Francis is a most appropriate name as St. Francis Xavier was one of the founders of his order of the Society of Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi was an example of humility and showing by actions the evangelization of the Christian faith.

In a long time-honored tradition in the history of the Catholic Church, the eligible Cardinals who are qualified to participate meet in the Sistine Chapel to choose a successor to Peter as the Bishop of Rome and the head of the Catholic Church.  They do so in absolute privacy so they are free of outside influences to affect their deliberations and choice.  Much is made of the fact that this is done in “secrecy” but that is said blithely and ignoring the fact that the absence of undue influence is paramount so that the Cardinals can prayerfully make their selection of the new Pope.

Pope Francis is the first non-European to serve in this capacity since the 8th Century.  He is the first Pope from the Americas and from the Southern Hemisphere.  He is a Jesuit and leads a very humble life in a one room apartment and taking a bus to get to work.  Quite remarkable for a cleric holding the high office of Cardinal.  Now, what remarkable changes he will undergo as he follows in the footsteps of St. Peter as his successor in leadership of this Catholic Church!

Those are the basics about his background.  But, what are his positions on critical theological issues? According to Wikipedia, he vigorously opposes abortion and euthanasia as part of “the culture of death.”  Wikipedia, also, reports, “(h)e has affirmed church teaching on homosexuality, though he teaches the importance of respecting individuals who are homosexual. He strongly opposed legislation introduced in 2010 by the Argentine Government to allow same-sex marriage, calling it a "real and dire anthropological throwback". In a letter to the monasteries of Buenos Aires, he wrote: "Let's not be naive, we're not talking about a simple political battle; it is a destructive pretension against the plan of God. We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God." He has also insisted that adoption by homosexuals is a form of discrimination against children. This position received a rebuke from Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who said the church's tone was reminiscent of ‘medieval times and the Inquisition’.

“In the Aparecida Document, a joint statement of the bishops of Latin America, Pope Francis I, as Cardinal Bergoglio, commented on the worthiness of individuals to receive the Eucharist. The text states in paragraph 436 that, ‘We should commit ourselves to ‘eucharistic coherence’, that is, we should be conscious that people cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act or speak against the commandments, in particular when abortion, euthanasia, and other serious crimes against life and family are facilitated. This responsibility applies particularly to legislators, governors, and health professionals’."

In light of these comments, his beliefs, and background, what will he do in his new, important and awesome position?  Obviously, it is too soon to know and anything stated is mere speculation of no more validity than tea reading.  We can only hope and pray that he will do what is right and provide the theological and practical leadership as Supreme Pontiff to guide the Church during this 21st Century of its existence.  After all, that is one of the first things that he asked of us as Pope.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

70 x 7

 This is a blog about a subject that I have been pondering for a long time.  It is about the subject of forgiveness.  We all easily honor the two great commandments to honor God fully and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  But, we all have a great deal of difficulty in dealing with the corollary to the second commandment regarding our neighbors - and that is forgiving them.

I thought it was time for me to finally attempt to deal with this subject in light of the gospel readings of this past Sunday dealing with reconciliation.  We are taught about God’s Divine Mercy and we  go to confession to reconcile with Him in order to receive that divine mercy but how good are we at our human mercy and forgiveness of others?

One of my favorite saints is Saint Peter because he is so real and human in his mistakes along his own personal journey with Jesus. Yet, Jesus always forgave him and reconciled with him to the extent that He built His Church upon his leadership.  Peter asks Jesus, “‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’” Matthew 18:21.

Wow, that is a staggering amount of forgiveness - nearly 500 times! Like the vastness of the size of the universe, this is very difficult to comprehend and very difficult to accomplish.  Yet, in perspective, we sin against God by breaking His Commandments and we take for granted His forgiveness, mercy and reconciliation with us so we can enjoy the reward of heaven in our afterlife.  And, He expects no less from us towards each other as He rightly would of the progeny of His creation.

So, we hear expressions such as “I will forgive but never forget.”  We get angry and hold grudges against those who have those who have intentionally or unintentionally done something we think is against us.  Or, we take umbrage and hold resentments against others for slighting us or for not giving us our “due” respect and honor.  Or, perhaps, we resent people who just do not like us for no apparent reason.  Or, we get very upset because a the driver of a car cuts us off or we make a driving error and receive an Italian salute.   Any or all of these “transgressions” call for us to forgive the other not just once or even seven times but seventy times seven.  This seems an ominous and impossible task and, also, it seems beyond our human ability to accomplish.  However, Jesus does not think so nor is it a suggestion from Him.  He tells us straightforward that this is what we must do.

What if we refuse or cannot?  Then it will constitute a big block to receiving God’s graces in our life and make it impossible for Him to grant us His divine mercy.  Forgiving perceived transgressors during Lent and beyond is much more important than giving up chocolate, desserts or whatever.  We must do it regularly so it becomes part of who we are as Christians.

Pray for me in my quest to succeed in forgiving and I will pray for your success.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

A Special Place in Hell.....

One of my first blogs last September began like this:

“Attention to Priests, Clergy, Church Leaders: Incredible Impact!

“This blog is being written as a notice and warning to priests, clergy and church leaders of all kinds.

You have an incalculable impact on the souls of all people - Catholic and non-Catholic alike.  Unfortunately, few of you will read this blog but I put it our there anyway in the hope that it will reach some of you.”

At that time, I was thinking of the small things that priests, clergy and church leaders did and failed to do.  I was not even thinking about the bigger scandalous things like pedophilia, fornication and adultery. That there was a possible major rot at the core of our Church leadership was nowhere in my imagination at that time.  And, now, we learn that there may be a huge scandal of major proportions at the heart of our Church leadership.

Before I address this further, I want to point out that in Dante’s Inferno, as I recall, there was a special place in hell for those of high importance who betrayed the duties of their position.  We, in the Church, give the highest esteem not only to the Pope but, also, to the Cardinals and to the Archbishops, Bishops and Priests, who we follow as our shepherds in the faith and, in return, we expect them to lead by example - to lead exemplary lives as our Christian leaders.  As St. Francis of Assisi said to his disciples let’s go teach the faith and, if necessary, use words!

Over the last 40 years we, the faithful, have had to endure recurring stories of our clergy involved in sexual scandals of all sorts such as pedophilia, homosexuality, fornication and adultery.  Not only was that bad enough in and of itself but we, also, learned of the rampant scandal involving the sometime criminal cover up of these misdeeds and illegal acts by our bishops, archbishops and cardinals.  We kept praying that this would come to an end but it has not.  Now, we are learning that there is a possible widespread scandal of homosexuality in the Vatican among the hierarchy including Cardinals.  We learn about secret reports.  We learn about more cover ups.  We have the recent resignation by the Cardinal for Scotland and England in light of accusations, not by lay people but by 3 priests!  Once again, there is more secrecy at the highest levels.  Why?  Once the light and the law has been shined upon the misdeeds and unlawful activities of the clergy, the end of this has come to a near end.  I understand the need to protect the innocent from false accusations but can accusations made by priests against the hierarchy be ignored? 

If there are many homosexuals among the hierarchy, it causes me to wonder if that is the reason that the Church leadership has not taken a more active role in opposing same sex marriages as the Church admirably does in fighting abortion.

In my very simplistic view, the Church of Jesus doe not consist of the buildings including fine churches as well as the Basilica of St. Peter nor of the hierarchy but of all of us as members of the Body of Christ.  So, if there is a fever or a cancer in this Body, we are all affected and have an interest in learning about it and treating it even if it means treating it even by surgery if necessary, to save it and to nurture its health.

Give us the transparency we are entitled to have.  Secret knowledge as a basis of Christianity in the form of Gnosticism was repudiated in the early Church as a heresy.  So, let us know what is going on in the heart of our Church leadership today.  Maintain the confidentiality of the innocent but don’t continue with the scandalous behavior of covering it up.

I just happen to think that there may very well be a special place in hell for any Church leaders who engage in either this despicable behavior and those who assist in the cover up of it.

As I said in my prior blog, where does it all end?

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Reflections on Pope Benedict

All the news over the last days about the last this and the last that regarding Pope Benedict’s last days in office caused me to think about who he was and his last day as Pope.

We first knew him as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger as he gained international respect and notoriety as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope John Paul II.  As we learned more about this man, we learned that he was an impressive scholar and author as well as a musician of sorts as his hobby.  We learned that he made significant scholarly contributions to Pope John Paul II in his writings including encyclicals and other matters of faith.

It is very interesting to note that he did not expect to be elected Pope and was looking forward to his retirement back to Regensburg, Germany, to study, to write and to play music with his brother who is a priest including at Masses in his brother’s parish.  Yet, as the saying goes we plan and God laughs.  Our Lord had a much different plan for Cardinal Ratzinger.  The high respect and esteem for him was demonstrated by election as pope on the second day of the conclave.  And, most of us have referred to him by his papal name, Pope Benedict, ever since.

Being the successor to Pope John Paul the Great had to be a very unenviable positon.  Nevertheless, Pope Benedict found his niche.  He has made further scholarly contributions to the world.  He, also, continued to make ecumenical outreaches to other faiths as well as to the orthodox.  He came to the capital of our country and won us over.  And, not to be overlooked but to be applauded, was his apologies to those people who had been abused by the clergy and to offer aid and assistance.  That was way overdue and he, certainly, gained a great deal of respect from many including me for this act.

In these last few days, he reported that, upon election to the papacy, one loses all his privacy.  So, he thinks that his retirement must be in a form of seclusion in order to maintain a degree of privacy that he will not have were he to even try something simple such as taking a walk in Rome.  Undoubtedly, the paparazzi and all sorts of people would surround him.  We understand this loss of privacy and that goes with this very public position.

As he retires from his position as our Pope, let us thank him for what he has done on our behalf and forgive him for whatever mistakes we perceive that he made.  Let us hope that we will be able to learn from his further scholarly contributions.  And let us pray that he may have many wonderful and healthy days in the winter of his life.  May God bless you, Pope Benedict!

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Where does it end?

A number of years ago, I made the dubious speculation, which I really did not take seriously at the time, that the same arguments made to promote homosexual marriage could be used to in favor of polygamy and for other “relationships.”  To my great surprise and dismay, my speculation is becoming reality.  As I was driving yesterday and listening to the news, it was reported that the lawsuit in favor of polygamy continues in a federal court.  I could not believe it and was thinking, to paraphrase Ronald Reagan, here we go again!

The reason for my speculation years ago was how I have observed court precedents get greatly expanded over time to cover all sorts of unanticipated situations if only logic and not other factors such as common sense, morality and ethics ignored.  For example, when the Fourteenth Amendment was passed after the Civil War, I do not think any of its proponents would have anticipated that it, along with the Commerce Clause of the federal constitution would be used as the legal basis and rationale for the radical expansion of the role of the federal government into all aspects of our lives.  After all, the role of the federal government was never meant to intrude into our personal lives but to protect us from the intrusion of the government for such basic rights as the free exercise of religion.  But, the federal courts have used those Fourteenth Amendment precedents and other precedents to override state laws against homosexual marriage.  And, now, the precedents and arguments for homosexual marriage are being used to legitimize polygamy and to overrule state civil and criminal laws against polygamy.  Where does it end?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “The parties to a marriage covenant are a baptized  man and woman....”  Paragraph 1645.  That seems pretty clear what God and His Son have taught for thousands of year.  But, the courts have ignored that.  In paragraph 1645, it states “Polygamy is contrary to conjugal love which is undivided and exclusive.”  Seems pretty straightforward as well.

If my memory serves me correctly, in considering a law to admit Utah to statehood, Congress told Utah that statehood for Utah would not go forward unless and until it abolished polygamy which had hitherto been legal.  After all, Brigham Young had many wives.  After Utah abolished polygamy, its statehood dreams became reality.

There are already groups who want to legalize marriages between adults and children with no age restrictions. And, there are groups who seek polyamorous relationships (multiple wifes and husbands in to one relationship) to become legal.

Let’s look at other considerations about this.  Abraham, David, Solomon and others of the times had multiple wives.  Using the historical precedent of Abraham, Muhammed had multiple wives and polygamy is tolerated among many Islamic nations.  So, if we render the free exercise of religion to Islam as part of our irrational view of tolerance (see my earlier blog quoting Bishop Sheen on the subject of tolerance), and our irrational view of homosexual “marriages”, then, polygamous relationships in this country would be legalized.  The federal judge in a polygamous lawsuit asked the question, what would be the difference between a legalized polygamy and a man having several different households with women who he lived with?  In other words, immoral relationships with multiple concubines or mistresses but each in a separate residence?

Does this sound totally unreal?  It does to me.  What has happened to the moral glue that held this country together over all these years?  It is being undone and our country and the western world is becoming undone.

Once again, where does it all end?

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Papal Resignation

On Monday morning, I awoke way too early and could not fall back asleep.  So, I checked  my Kindle Fire to see if anything new was going on. Oh, did I get a surprise - 5 minutes earlier, stories started to break that the Pope resigns.  But, these were just headlines and I was wondering if it was true or just unsubstantiated rumors.  At 7, the national morning shows were reporting the story and more information came out about it.  Wow, what a surprise!  It was reported that the last Pope to resign had occurred some 600 years ago.

In my opinion, this resignation or retirement of an aged and ailing man who is our Pope is a very positive modern precedent.  Just in the last hundred years, the lifespan of people in western countries has increased dramatically as a result of better diets, the availability of food, and better health care.
However, life longevity has not removed the infirmities caused by aging.  We discovered over the last few days that Pope Benedict had a pacemaker.  So, it helped keep him alive and active but it did not remove other ailments of aging alone and the normal fatiguing.

For a normal healthy person, the position of the Pope involves a great deal of activity in performing normal pastoral duties as the head of the Church as well as the administrative duties which involve papal appointments and diplomatic duties and the overseeing of the Vatican and functioning as the spiritual leader of over a billion Catholics. And, I am sure that what we see is just the tip of the iceberg.  He, also, must study and prepare messages to his flock and to lead the clergy not to mention the study and drafting of encyclicals.  The duties are almost overwhelming even with all the staff that he has at his disposal.

The Church, like many governments and businesses, puts age limits on officer holders.  For example,  bishops must resign at age 75 and cardinals who are 80 and older are not allowed to participate in the conclave to vote for popes.  We watched Pope John Paul the Great go from a very young and energetic pope to an invalid who suffered greatly before his death.  What view of him do we remember - I like to remember his energetic early papacy rather than his last several years.  But, I am old enough to remember his election.  Tens of millions of Catholics did not know him in his early years.  He made the choice to die in office and we all learned a great deal about prayerful suffering.  However, I certainly would have welcomed his retirement to enjoy in peace the last days of his life without all the stresses of that position.
Pope Benedict wrote a couple of years ago that he would resign the position if he could not continue to carry out his duties as a result of ill health. In that writing, then, he stated his intention but it was not given widespread coverage at that point as no one, apparently, thought it would happen. Keep in mind that his predecessor died at age 84 and he is now 85

Leadership often requires making different and controversial decisions.  I think it is refreshing for this pope to recognize his human frailties and to retire due to his declining health.  He is a very cerebral and holy man and this time of retirement will allow him more time to pray, reflect, discern, study and write.  He has written so much that is beneficial so we will enriched all the more from additional writings from him.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this whether or not popes should resign..  

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Lent

It seems as though Ash Wednesday and Lent are coming upon us very early this year.  So, this got me to thinking about it.  It is very interesting that Ash Wednesday comes shortly after last Sunday’s Gospel reading where Jesus was speaking to his home synagogue in Nazareth.  And, he tells the congregants after reading from a scroll of Isaiah that today that passage of the Scripture has been fulfilled in their hearing.  Soon, his neighbors said in essence, hey, wait a minute isn’t that the son of Joseph?  Of course, their meaning was that they knew his parents and saw him grow up and Jesus could not possibly be the Messiah.  Soon, their discontent became anger and they tried to throw him off the top of the hill.  How would we react if someone who we saw grow up, who was the son of poor parents and whose father was a laborer, got up in Mass and made the same claim?    Would we accept him or her as a prophet or holy person or would we do, as the Nazarean congregants, and scoff him or her out of the church?

As we have our so-called fling on Fat Tuesday, do we ever think why this is done?  It is because the next day is to begin 40 days of deprivation to commemorate the 40 days spent in the desert by Jesus as he fasted and prayed.  In paragraph 540 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church it says of this, “By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.”  So, on Fat Tuesday, people seem to believe they need to self-indulge before the 40 days of fasting. 

Of course, the culmination of Lent is the remembering of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. So, these forty days offer a proper time to reflect upon Him and our lives as well to reconcile with Him through the Sacrament of Penance.  Again, as during Advent, it should be a reminder to take a break from the hustle and bustle of our  daily routines and activities of our lives, to reflect upon the life and death of Jesus as well as our own lives and to contemplate where we are and should be going as good Christians and Catholics.  Do we walk the talk, as the saying goes?

Let me know what you think.

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer