Jumping Without A Chute

Epitaph

After 7 and a half years, I have outgrown the blog. A year in Afghanistan, a decade of marriage, 3 children, the first volume is full. It is time to begin another. I hope you'll join me at Primus Pilus.

Sts. Peter and Paul

"He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it."

Matthew 16:15-18

   and so began the transformation of a man who started his life as a fisherman. Today, this would be like your mechanic being named Pope. I wonder, how did this happen? How could it? Peter was known for his mouth and his temper. This was no quiet, weak willed, wallflower. Yet, Jesus chose him to lead the Church here on earth. Peter was a natural leader. A man who could inspire strong feelings both positive and negative in those around him. He was a doer. Introspection and contemplation did not come naturally to him. Even when he says, "you are the Messiah, the son of the living God", he is not speaking after years of study. He speaks instinctively, rashly even but with all of the certainty of any theologian today, (and perhaps even moreso if you consider the cottage industry of heresy from people like Spong, Fox, Haight, etc.) Peter as a thinker happened late in his life.

   Contrast him with Paul, a man of equal energy but far more cosmopolitan in his upbringing and education. Paul, the missionary the man who after his conversion spread the Gospel in such a way that even the original disciples probably had a hard time keeping up with him. The two most dangerous things you could put in Paul's hands were a quill and papyrus.

   Both men started their lives with different names and no idea what God had in store for them. Simon and Saul began their lives very much in and of the world, their concerns were no different from the concerns of many today, family, work, the future. Their lives ended together as Peter and Paul having changed the world, living in it but no longer of it. The "fiat" that they gave God to work His will through them and that allowed grace and the Spirit to enter into them is an example to us. We don't need to change our names, but we can change our hearts.

Father Corapi: This Soldier's Perspective

In the past week, much ado has been made of the current situation concerning Father John Corapi and his decision to leave the priesthood. Let me state right now that this will not be one of the following:

1. A recitation of the events leading up to today.

2. A defense of Father Corapi

3. An attack on Father Corapi

4. An attack or defense of any of the parties involved or who have involved themselves.

   What this will be is my take on his direction as The Black Sheepdog from my, (in my opinion), unique perspective as a Catholic blogger who is in the military.

   When I first read of Father Corapi's decision to pursue this current direction, I visited his new site. I was, initially, rather impressed by it. You see, while some view the Black Sheepdog metaphor with trepidation or see in it the seeds of disobedience; as a soldier I see something quite different. LTC (ret) Dave Grossman wrote an article entitled On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs, (follow the link) that looks at the people of society using those metaphors. Those tasked with protecting the flock are the sheepdogs, the warriors, those who have a capacity for violence equal to or surpassing that of the wolf (the predator), but choosing to use it to protect the flock.

   When I visited the new site, with that metaphor in mind, I was initially impressed. In the back of my mind though, a flicker of caution appeared, (and as a soldier I learned a long time ago that if something doesn't seem right, it ain't.) The more I have read and heard from Father Corapi since then the more I saw what was bothering me; who does the sheepdog obey?

   The sheepdog protects the flock at the bidding of the shepherd. The sheepdog, like the flock, follows the voice of the shepherd. It is the shepherd who oversees the sheepdog at work, the shepherd from whom the sheepdog receives his sustenance, and the shepherd with whom the sheepdog, along with his or her pack mates, shares their companionship. A sheepdog without a shepherd is simply a stray. A dog that can as easily attack as protect.

   While Father Corapi has leveled strong accusations at his temporal shepherds, (the bishops), he has not once since this began even uttered the name of his true Shepherd, Jesus Christ. As a man from whom I have not heard anything other than the catechism or the Gospels in the 12 years since I first heard him speak, this fills me with great concern. Without the voice of a shepherd to guide, I can not follow be I a sheep or a sheepdog in my own right who protects the flock in a different way.

   Again, I don't know who is right or wrong, nor do I think that anyone other than the parties involved ever will due to their actions and the actions of others. I do know that a brilliant catechist will no longer be heard to speak with the authority of his priesthood. I know that the Church so desperately in need of good priests has lost a man who was an example to and an inspiration for the vocations of many. I know that the Church will suffer a greater injury than any of the parties involved individually as those who attack the Church have gained a victory at no cost to themselves. I know that I will continue to follow The Shepherd as best I can and listen for the sound of his voice. I know that this sheepdog and the black sheepdog must now part ways. The pack is weaker, the flock at greater risk, and the wolves still wait in the dark.

Blog Going dark for A Bit

deploying to Afghanistan within the next few days.  Will probably be posting again in a year. Debating whether or not to blog from over there, METT-TC dictates. Your thoughts and prayers for my family in absence would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

-a

Alexander Joseph Roberts

Was born this morning.

8lbs, 3oz

20 inches

perfect

The Day After Veterans Day

I often think of how the day after the holiday it's like nothing happened. The day after Christmas is devoted to returning gifts and bargain shopping. The day after New Year's is marked by the return to work and possibly an ongoing hangover. Thanksgiving gives way to Black Friday and the only thing for which thanks is given is a parking spot close to the store entrance. I started thinking about the day after November 11, 1918. What happened the day after the guns fell silent. The result was this:

November 12, 1918

 

And today the guns are silent, they say it’s the end of the war.

With quiet now I am reminded of those who are here no more.

 

Yesterday we shouted, and yesterday we cheered.

Today I am confronted by the shades of those no longer here.

 

Yesterday the world celebrated, and the parties went on past dawn

Today the world does not think of those who are now gone

 

And though the shooting is over, I remain here in my trench

With no reminder of the war except for death’s immortal stench

 

There are ships at port just waiting to sail home at high tide

But those at home sit and wait not knowing who has died

 

I leave the trench behind, of muck, and powder, vermin and lice

Knowing the feeling of a condemned gladiator given freedom and his life

 

I gambled against gas, machine gun, shell, bullet, and sharpened spade.

I will never bet again, my life’s fortune has been made.

 

By Generals and ministers Medals and ribbons upon my chest are pinned

But do they wash away or just cover the multitude of my sins

I venture homeward now the course of life is set.

For it is the twelfth of November and the world has already started to forget.

Today's Gospel 20101112

Worth considerable thought:

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17:26-37.

As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, a person who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise a person in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left." They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather."

17 Years Ago Today

Long time readers of this blog know that I post this every year and I will continue to do so in order that we never forget. On October 3, 1993 these brave men gave their lives in Mogadishu, Somalia. Some of you have seen the movie "Blackhawk Down", that was their story. However, it is important that we remember them and the fact that they weren't characters in a movie created by some imaginative screenwriter. They were real people, with families, thoughts, hopes, and dreams. Honor their memories and sacrifice.

3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regt.
SGT James Joyce
SGT Lorenzo Ruiz
SGT Dominick Pilla
CPL James Cavaco
CPL James Smith
PFC Richard Kowalewski

160th SOAR
CW4 Raymond Frank
CW4 Clifton Wolcott
CW3 Donovan Briley
SSG William Cleveland
SSG Thomas Field

1st SFOD-D (Delta)
MSG Gary Gordon (MOH)
SFC Randy Shughart (MOH)
MSG Timothy Martin
SFC Earl Fillmore
SFC Matthew Rierson
SSG Daniel Busch

10th Mountain Div.
SGT Cornell Houston
PFC James Martin

Feast of St. Augustine

Today is the feast of my patron, (not in name but in life.) Each year that passes removes me further and further from my youth and yet I still feel like I just left Baltimore. Is it that way for everyone? Did my grandparents look in the mirror of their minds eye and see themselves young? The path I followed to get where I am, full of both good and bad decisions seems far shorter than the 2 decades that have elapsed since I began what is considered "adulthood" although I still had plenty of growing up to do.

I still  struggle with focus upon the "I", with reminders provided by family and friends that no it really isn't all about me. I wrestle with doubts and questions of how and what I believe but, Faith draws me back like a lodestone each time. The words of Augustine, Aquinas, Bellarmine, Sertillanges, Plato, Aurelius, et. al., provide bookmarks and folded page corners to remind me where I left off and where to begin again. I often find myself in conflict with people who ignore or deny the importance of the intellect in the development of a mature faith. My faith would not be what it is were it not for intellectual exploration and growth. It was the lack of intellectual exploration and explanation that led me away from it in the first place. It was St. Augustine's Confessions that led me back.

As St. Augustine had St. Ambrose, there are many to whom I am grateful for feeding my mind with thoughts, ideas, debates, and making it grow. Fr. Art who started it all, Fr. Jack, Fr. Fran, Fr. Ken, Fr. Anthony, Fr. Marty, Rabbi Amy, Rev. Evan, Sheema,  Ismail, Allan Wright, and so many others, thanks.

 

-"Unless you believe, you will not understand."

St. Augustine of Hippo

Today's Gospel

For some reason, there have been numerous hits on my blog from Google searching for "today's Gospel Reading" that being said, please see below:

 

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25:1-13.

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.' While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.' Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

St. Monica

Originally posted in 2004 with addition below:

Today is the feast day of Saint Monica. How many mothers have identified with her at some point in their children's lives. I am positive my own mother has. I was a son who wandered off and pulled stunts that made the prodigal son look like a missionary. Yet still my mother prayed for me hoping that at some point I would find my way back.

Reflection: I read Confessions (thank your for the copy Fr. Art, I still have it) and I wonder; How much pain did Augustine cause his mother? How many nights did he stumble home only to wake up facing her sad expression? How often did he seem to forsake all of the gifts and talents that he had been given simply because there was an easier path to follow?

As a son who walked in the path of Augustine, I think of St. Monica today and I think of my own mother. The gifts my mother gave me will outlive any material thing that I sought to attain as I attempted to ignore what she had given me. A love of learning, an appreciation for art and music, the introduction and continued development of my faith, the ability to forgive.

This was the original post I made 6 years ago. Six years later and the sentiments are still the same.  As a parent I see in my daughters their potential and hope to give them the best upbringing that we can. Like Monica's son, I have no desire to see my children follow exactly in my footsteps. Six years later the forgiveness hurdle is still one I struggle with but, progress is being made.

Bishop Ochoa and That Annoying Catechism

   Bishop Armando Ochoa recently publicly rebuked a priest of his diocese for declaring what is actual Catholic teaching. Bishop Ochoa then decided to add his interpretation of Catholic teaching and offered lukewarm and tepid feel good, Jesus without the Cross, type drivel to the people of his diocese. He of course relies on the (cue St. Louis Jesuits in the background), Spirit of Vatican II© concept of The Buddy Christ and makes liberal use of the word compassion, (almost puts one in mind of the GOP back in 2000.) He forgets a remark made by Archbishop Sheen, (a man who is ten times the Shepherd Bishop Ochoa could ever hoipe to be) that "The Cross without Christ is justice without mercy and that Christ without the Cross is mercy without justice."  Maybe Bishop Ochoa could spend some time reading theology rather than making it up as he goes along.

Happy Blogiversary To Me

6 years ago today I began this blog as an exploration of my faith and to keep our scattered extended friends and family in the loop regarding Dana's pregnancy with Elizabeth. 6 years later and we have been joined by Gianna and aniticiipate the arrival of baby #3 in February. While I don't blog at the same frenetic pace as then I am glad to continue to have the opportunity to do so. I have met some great people through the birth and growth of this blog, had some great debates, and emerged, (I think), a better person for those connections. May God Bless and Keep all who visit the blog and we'll see what the next 6 years bring!

Pro-Abortion "catholic" Groups Oppose Honoring Mother Teresa

The following is a press release from The Catholic League

The following letterheads have signed a statement affirming the decision by officials from the Empire State Building not to light the towers on Mother Teresa's centenary:

Catholics for Choice
Call to Action
Chicago Women-Choice
DignityUSA
FOSIL
National Coalition of American Nuns
New Ways Ministry
Roman Catholic Womenpriests—USA
Take Back Our Church
Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual
Women's Ordination Conference

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded this way:

If all the dues-paying members of these organizations were assembled together in one spot, they would easily fit into a phone booth. No matter, these ex-Catholics are so pro-abortion that they are now on record of wanting to deny Mother Teresa a tribute on the 100th anniversary of her birthday.

The good news is that the Catholic League will lead a rally on behalf of Mother Teresa on August 26, right outside the Empire State Building. We have the support of people from all over the world, and from all the world's religions. Indeed, I will meet today with the Most Rev. A.A.S. Durairaj SVD, the Bishop of Khandwa, India; like all the other bishops from India that have contacted us, he supports our campaign to honor Mother Teresa.

Even those who are not pro-life are on our side, which just goes to show how extreme the dissenters are. But as long as they remain marginalized, they are of no historic moment.

The disgust I feel for the above mentioned organizations is hard to describe. I have more respect for the most bigoted, virulent, unapologetic, and dedicated anti-catholic than I do for them, as they have the courtesy to cal themselves protestant rather than those who claim to be "the church" while doing their damndest to destroy it.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet: Bishop AND Shepherd

In a recent article at Catholic Exchange, author Patrick Craine writes about Cardinal Marc Ouellet who will now play a key role in aiding the Holy Father in the selection of Bishops:

Bishops “need spiritual discernment and not just political calculation of the risk of the possibility of the message being received,” said Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the newly-appointed prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, in an interview this week.

“We have to dare to speak to the deep heart, where the Spirit of the Lord is touching people beyond what we can calculate,” he told Canadian Catholic News’ Deborah Gyapong.

During Cardinal Ouellet’s eight years as the archbishop of Quebec City and primate of Canada, he has become known as one of the country’s greatest defenders of faith, life, and the family.

This past spring he drew sharp criticism, from within and outside the Church, after he reaffirmed the Church’s teaching on the sanctity of unborn life, even in cases of rape. He later unapologetically reiterated his views on abortion in a press conference arranged to address the controversy.

Earlier this week the head of the Quebec Bishops Assembly, Bishop Martin Veillette, suggested in a critical interview that while Ouellet has desired to “emphasize certain points of view that he considers important,”  “There are times when it is more important to keep silent than to speak.

“There are things like that, sometimes, that you need to know how to manage,” he said. “It’s a bit delicate.”

But in the recent interview, Ouellet said that in addition to fearlessly preaching the teachings of the Church, bishops must embrace them deeply.  “Then you have the power of conviction,” he said.

“If you state it only formally and in the end you do not really want to see it applied because you don’t believe that it is possible that people accept it, you are in trouble for the transmission of the message,” he added.

The cardinal, further, said the Church needs what Gyapong called a “new intellectual dynamism” to “recapture the spirit of Christianity” and “create a new Christian culture.”

“We need intellectuals for that, theologians, philosophers, Christians who really believe in the Gospel and share the doctrine of the Church on moral questions,” he said.  “We have suffered from this mentality of dissent” that is “still dominating the intelligentsia.”

“There is no real discipleship there, real discipleship,” he added. “The discipleship that is emerging is from those who believe and who really love the Church.”

Continue Reading the Story

  One need only look at many dioceses in the United States to understand the need for a better process in the selection of Bishops. We are a Church where, in many places, the shepherds have gone astray. Bishops who spend more time writing letters for their annual appeal than they do to defend Church teaching. Bishops who compromise and dilute teaching and enjoy media attention, (similar to Pharisees of another day demanding places of honor)  but are intolerant of dissent from those who demand that Church teaching be upheld or that those who engaged in the crimes of pedophelia and ebophelia be held accountable. The Bishop who replaced Cardinal Ouellet is a prime example of this kind of "leader." May we see more Bishops in the mold of Cardinal Ouellet and fewer Borgia-like Bishops who are in the world and of it.

Feast of St. Pius X

  

   Today is the feast of  Pope Saint Pius X . A man who emerged from the 19th century into the beginning of the 20th.  The time in which he was elected Pope saw a world where nation-states toyed with the idea of and were eventually plunged into war. He saw a world where modernism, nihilism, and existentialism rebelled against faith and reason. He saw a world in need of a resurgence of faith. Emphasis on the Eucharist, Gregorian Chant, the catechism in the vernacular, the codification of Canon Law, and  the reorganization of the Curia and how the Vatican interacted with other nation-states. All were actions taken to bring the Church to interact with the modern world to be in it but not of it. Ora pro nobis.

Vatican Library to Reopen 20 September

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In late July, a young woman was removing books from shelves in the Vatican Library and vacuuming the dust off of them, one by one.

Scholars have not had access to the library's 1.6 million books, hundreds of thousands of manuscripts, or its coin and medal collections since 2007, when the absolute-silence rule in the library's reading rooms was replaced with the ruckus of jackhammers, drills and cement mixers.

But, as promised three years ago, the Vatican Library will open its doors Sept. 20, sparkling clean and stronger than ever.

Continue Reading the Story

A Tale of Two Churches

   Yesterday, Dr. Gerald Nadal posted this as his Facebook status:

"Tonight we went to 7:30 Mass. No Homily on the Assumption. A Maryknoll Priest stood in a half-empty Church on a Solemnity asking for money to spread the faith overseas. Was I the only one to catch the irony?"

   I don't know the name of his parish but, I imagine that it probably bears a strong resemblance to many churches throughout the country yesterday. Marian devotion is something that is paid lip service to in May so that mom and dad can get a picture of their daughter crowning Mary. The importance of the Patroness of the Americas is lost on generations of Catholics who were taught heretically that "we are the body of Christ" and that those ideas like Marian devotion, novenas, fasting, feast days, and solmentities were old fashioned and that "Vatican II says we don't have to do that anymore."

   You can compare this to our parish this weekend. It is a small parish in a blue collar town that used to be a company town. The average parishoner is by no means wealthy and there is a helathy mix of race, class, age, and gender. While not standing room only, the Saturday mass was filled to the point that pew space was limited and the Sunday masses are usually the same. This in a town with two Roman Catholic churches, 2 Russian Orthodox churches, a Byzantine Catholic church, a Ukranian Orthodox Church, and 1 or 2 non-denominational churches. The landmass of the town is 2 and a half square miles. The Roman rite parishes are overseen by the Redemptorists, all of whom are natives of Poland. There are several deacons, a school linked to one of the parishes, and all told a pretty active community. In Polish accented English, the priest reflected on the beauty of Mary and his love for her. While English was not his first language, his love for Mary was quite apparent. It was beautiful to hear a son of Poland express his love for Mary when, the day before, we celebrated the Feast Day of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a man who gave his life with the name of his and our Mother on his lips.

   There is a need for evangelization in the rest of the world but, perhaps the Maryknolls could consider spending time preaching the Gospel instead of wasting their time protesting yet again at the School of the Americas, (which by the way hasn't been named that in YEARS.). Perhaps they could focus on the mission of the Church founded by Jesus Christ to bring people to God rather than jumping on whatever left wing political cause de jeure happens to be  popular that week. Perhaps they could learn more from orders like Fr. Groeschel's Friars of the Renewal, (who I am sure focused on the Assumption this weekend), and understand that evangelization starts with The Word. Perhaps they could spend some time with the Redemptorists here who seem to have no problem with evangelizing regardless of anyone's language.

Perhaps this message could be carried back to Bishops who worry more about the color of the ink on the balance sheet than they do about the colors of the liturgical season. Bishops who would allow a major Marian feast to be hijacked by another heterodox order looking for money. Perhaps those Bishops would see the half empty church and consider if people are leaving the church or they are allowing the church to leave the people. If the flock isn't being fed, if in fact the flock isn't nourished but more wool is demanded, then the shepherds are at fault. My parish is lucky to have good shepherds, maybe we could send a Redemptorist to spend some time with Dr. Nadal's parish, I am sure he could accomplish more than the Maryknolls.

 

Today

RIP Archbishop William Borders

Archbishop William Donald Borders, the 13th archbishop of Baltimore, died at 10:03 a.m. Monday at Stella Maris in Timonium. He was 96.

Archbishop Borders confirmed me back in 1987. I only recently learned that he was a World War II veteran who was awarded the Bronze Star with "V" device. I am not surprised though. He was a good man, a selfless shepherd, and he will be missed.

Eternal rest grant unto him  O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him.