Fr J Hardon SJ, on Communion in the Hand

"Behind Communion in the hand—I wish to repeat and make as plain as I can—is a weakening, a conscious, deliberate weakening of faith in the Real Presence.... Whatever you can do to stop Communion in the hand will be blessed by God.”

- Fr. Hardon, S.J., November 1st, 1997 Call to Holiness Conference in Detroit, Michigan, panel discussion. 

At the moment I am reading With Us Today: On the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, (Saint Austin Press: 2002) kindly loaned to me by a fellow parishioner. It is a magnificent read which would deepen any person's love of Our Lord in the Sacred Species and increase devotion to the Real Presence.

I highly recommend this wonderful book.

Turn the Other Cheek? Forgive and Forget? Lenten Dialogue

As Alexander Pope said - to err is human, to forgive is divine.*

As normal blokes and women, it is all too often hard to turn the other cheek.

It sounds so simple doesn't it? It is an easy to understand command, it should be easy to do. Yet in practice it is far from easy!

We are normal people. Yes, we are Catholics (by the Grace of God and not our own "power") and called to Sainthood, but we are still all too normal. Sinners. Failing. Falling. Even those of us who have picked up our crosses and are struggling on our own Via Dolorosa, all too often fall (as did Christ) but use it as an excuse for a time-out, instead of having the courage to get to the Confessional, and quickly get back on that weary path that (from a worldly perspective) can be so thankless.

Thus it is that we struggle along - and what happens when some bampot crosses our path with an evil word, a malevolent deed, or even worse some underhand and dirty trick (even dressed up as Saintliness) against someone we love.

How easy is it then to follow the command of Our Lord? How easy is it then to forgive?

Especially if a loved one has been hurt, when should we demand justice, when should we seek to turn the other cheek?


It's not so easy then is it? Not so straight forward?

A drunk driver carelessly mows down your young child and fails to stop.

Would you have the strength to forgive?

I honestly don't think in those circumstances I would. I would certainly hope and pray before Our Lord and try to find solace in Him, but in such circumstances I can fully understand those who demand justice.

I daresay this is a theological point, and the theologians can no doubt say that both justice and forgiveness can be sought at one and the same time (isn't that the whole basis of Purgatory?).

Outside of this perhaps most "extreme" example of the drunk driver, in our daily lives we often have people who annoy, belittle, attack, trivialise us. I think in these circumstances we should forgive and forget. That is not to say we should leave ourselves as open targets, nor fail to report bad behaviour when we fear it could be turned against others who may not be able to handle it, but I do think it is vital to (in modern world terms) "move on."

When Our Lord sent his disciples out to preach he said to them that if a town rejects them, that they were to simply (I paraphrase) 'shake the dust from their feet' and move on.

I believe this is the same mentality and Divine Guidance when it comes to turning the other cheek.

For when we dwell on past wrongs, let them eat us up inside, work out ways of revenge, worry about the person who wronged us etc. it is like a worm burying its way into our guts, ever nibbling and gnawing away, ever bothering and disturbing us.

In forgiving these people and turning the other cheek, we are in effect, shaking the dust from our feet and moving on.

Don't worry about them. Move on. Get on with good things. Be positive. There is so much in this world we can do for ourselves, for our families, for our communities and parishes, for strangers, for the poor...

I am minded of Mother Theresa's words re. that people will attack you for doing good - do good anyway etc.

To constantly wrangle over a wrong committed against us can, I think, make the perpetrator the final victor because he has succeeded in tying us up in knots over his action. When we shrug our shoulders and walk on, the perpetrator is left powerless and may (it is hoped) give up a lost cause.

Certainly it is my experience that when you are wronged and you fight back (even with right on your side) the person assaulting you with calumnies will simply twist and turn and add in more lies and half-truths, thus eating up more of your time and energy in gainsaying these things.

This Lent then, just try and let some past (or current!) grievance that has weighed on you for some time slip away. Forgive the person in your heart and pray for their eternal soul.

It may not be easy, but it will release you and let you move on.

After all, if you are knocked down this coming week and are lucky enough to have a priest attend your dying moments, you will be asked if you forgive everyone who has sinned against you.

Better to do so beforehand?

We say the Pater Noster every day. Do we listen to the words we are saying?

Forgive us our trespasses.
As we forgive those who trespass against us.

---

*I apologise, I first posted this, thinking it was a quote from Our Lord. My poor theology, Bible knowledge shows through yet again. I am still learning... Pope was born in London, 1688 to Catholic parents and went to "illegal" Catholc schools.

GK Chesterton on neighbourly Love

As is usually the case GKC manages to encompass so much, so witily, in just a few words:

"The Bible tells us to love our neighbours, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people."

G.K. Chesterton

Has Mr. Cameron Forgotten The Pope's Visit so Soon?

David Cameron surrenders the UK to moral relativism.

H/T to The Hermeneutic of Continuity who has worded his disbelief in a much better way than I ever could.

Famous Welsh Catholic #2: Alice Thomas Ellis

I am grateful, once again, to Linen on the Hedgerow for a most interesting post.

If you don't already follow LotH blog, you should do. It is one of my favourites, serious yet amusing; direct yet whimsical; bitingly Orthodox yet warm and welcoming. It is Chestertonian in every regard.

Now I've earned my £5 ;-), onto the matter at hand.

I did not know of Alice Thomas Ellis, but her treatment seems all too familiar: i.e. a genuine Catholic, seeking to defend Catholicism, ostracised for daring to speak out.

Her book has a forward by Richard Ingrams, so I simply must get a copy! What a title. Relativism and Modernism skewered in four words. Succinct and to the point. I love it. I am salivating (in a very Lenten, controlled way) at the prospect of getting my paws on a copy.

Shrove Tuesday: To Confession We Go!

Shrove comes from the old Anglo-Saxon of shriven: to "present oneself to a priest for confession, penance, and absolution." (dictionary.com).

Ideally you should get to Confession during Lent. It is the one time of the year when Catholics are honour-bound to Confess, so that we may prepare ourselves for Easter.

Of course Lent is a wonderful time to gain many graces (for oneself, one's family, sinners, separated brethren souls in purgatory etc.) through fasting and abstinence.

We should also remember alms giving, especially to the poor. Whilst we should always be mindful of alms giving, it is vitally important in Lent.

Being a Catholic is not only about "giving up" things, but also about "doing" things, the negative and the positive if you want to think in worldly terms.

So choose a good cause, preferably Catholic, preferably which will directly help the poor.

So through the Confessional, fasting, alms and Communion, we can help make this a wonderful season in the Church's year: for us and for others.

Churches Built on Sand: Without the Real Presence of Christ

I was thinking over the readings from last Sunday's Mass, especially the Bible passage about the fool who builds his house on sand.

Now I will be the first to acknowledge that whilst I find theology fascinating, I am no theologian. My Latin is dire, and my knowledge of Greek, Hebrew etc. non-existent.

I am one of those Catholics that does enjoy reading decent Catholic books when time permits, but has to rely on the certitude of the guidance put forth (over many centuries) by Holy Mother Church.

I can only read material, understand it, meditate on it, through the prism of Orthodox Catholicism. As I'm not a theologian, it's the only way I can be sure of being on absolutely solid ground.

That's one of the reasons I get so flummoxed and bamboozled when I read of "experts" or "Catholics" who deny transubstantiation, or who try and make out the Latin Mass is "divisive." After all, the Church has always been crystal clear for centuries that the Real Presence of Our Lord (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity) is an absolute cornerstone of our Faith.

Likewise, the Popes said that the Tridentine Mass was eternally valid, and many Saints went to their deaths after celebrating it, attending it or defending it. How could such a treasure trove of graces, the very Church-decreed vehicle for Catholics to witness the Last Supper and the Passion of the Cross, and to bring about the Sacred Mystery of Transubstantiation itself ever be termed "divisive?"

I know sometimes it seems like hard-headedness and even a form of false piety, but in finding solace in the simple (!) facts of Catholicism can be like finding a port in the storm, the storm being this mad world (and anyone who raises a family, runs a business and lives a life trying to make ends meet to pay the bills knows that the world can be beautiful one moment and mad the next).

Thus it is that no matter what the world throws at us, as Catholics, we always have the certitude of Our Lord, in the Blessed Sacrament.

As well as being a hopeless Theologian I am also dire when it comes to quoting from the Bible. Our Lord said He would be with us until the end of the world (yes, I'm paraphrasing) and I take solace in that. I also think that when He said that, He had a special meaning: the Blessed Sacrament.

He was leaving this world as God-made-man, but He would be staying, in a quite literal sense, in the Blessed Sacrament, that we might all visit Him, adore Him, and place our worries before Him.

Now to return to last Sunday's readings and the house on sand and the house on rock.

I couldn't help but thinking that Our Lord again had a special meaning in this parable.

Aren't the false religions of this world like the houses built on sand? Think of the Protestant churches. Within mere years of the Reformation, Luther, Calvin and Zwingli were arguing and at each others' throats. Did the Disciples of Christ behave like this? The Protestants have the word of a man (they can chose which of the three here named) to be the founder of their church, to dictate their theology, their Sunday service.

We have the word of Jesus Christ, who made St Peter the very first Pope, who founded the Catholic Church, who instituted the Sacrifice of the Mass. This has not changed in 2000 years.

I do not think it was an accident that Our Lord referred to a house built on rock, for most of us know that when Christ made St Peter the first Pope and head of His Catholic Church, he said (I shall paraphrase again) 'You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.' As Catholics should know this history, we should also know that Peter means Rock.

Thus when Our Lord says build your house on rock, I believe He was reminding us that our homes, our families and our souls belong in the security, the sanctity and the surety that is His Holy Catholic Church.

Only there will we get the strength we need, in the Sacraments but most especially through the Real Presence and Holy Communion with Our Lord, to find security in this world. For as many wise men, living and dead, have said, the strength we need is not our own, but the strength of Our Lord Jesus Christ and where else can we hope to be near to Him, Body Blood Soul and Divinity but at the Altar of God?

Where Will the Liberals and Atheists Agenda Stop?

David Starkey Exposes the New Liberal Tyranny



H/T to That The Bones You Have Crushed May Thrill. Funny isn't it how it takes a known homosexual to see the elephant in the room.

I suppose if a Catholic had said similar it would have been a "hate crime."

Shahbaz Bhatti: When is a Catholic NOT a Catholic?

Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's minority affairs minister who was shot yesterday by Islamic militant was (is) a Catholic.

We might surmise that he is a martyr, though the distinction is for Holy Mother Church to decide.

One thing that shocked me isn't that Catholics get such a bad deal in Pakistan, for that is well known.

No, what surprised me is that the British media denied his Catholicism. On numerous reports it said he was a "Christian" but no mention was made of his being a member of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Rome.

Is it too much to put Catholics in a good light?

Is it too much to show Catholics as the victims (even martyrs)?

Is it too much to show Catholics standing up for decency?

If this man had abusive tendencies, if he had robbed a bank, if he had committed a terrorist attack, you can be sure the BBC and the organised atheists would be screeching his Catholicism from the rooftops.

Yet a man was murdered for seeking the end of a law used to murder Catholics on made-up evidence, and his Catholicism is not newsworthy?

Is Catholicism (outside of a Papal visit) only newsworthy when it can be used to attack the Church and the Papacy?

It would seem so.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Shahbaz Bhatti.

I Hope my Fellow Welshmen can Forgive me!

I speak of course of the Welshmen of Cornwall.

The Cornish were known as the South or West Welshmen.

As Wikipedia says:

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles states that in 825 (adjusted date) a battle was fought involving the "Welsh", presumably those of Cornwall, and the Defnas (men of Devon). It only states:- "The Westwealas (Cornish) and the Defnas (men of Devon) fought at Gafulforda".

Westwealas clearly translates into old Saxon as West Welsh, meaning "West Romans/Foreignors."

There are, even today, many similarities between the Welsh and Cornish languages (numbers 1 to 10 are almost identicle).

So why am I apologising to the Cornish "Welshmen?"

Well, it was their patron Saint's day yesterday and, with one thing and another, I clean forgot to post greetings.

Mea Culpa.

So, belatedly - I'd like to wish all Cornishmen in Kernow and further afield:

Dydh Sen Pyran lowen

Happy St Piran's Day.

 

 

Pilgrimage to York in Honour of St Margaret Clitheroe

St Margaret Clitheroe was a real Catholic heroine, risking everything and giving up her life for our Holy Catholic Faith.

If you can make it to York please do so. It promises to be a tremendous occasion and will surely bring many graces to the people and nation of England, especially as more Anglicans look for their true home.

The Rite: An Honest Film Review by a (Welsh) Catholic

Braveheart: Is it cos I is Welsh? And who nicked Stirling Bridge?

Last Sunday I (and two young accomplices) attended my local multiplex 'World of Cine' to partake in the cinematic feast that is The Rite, starring that Welsh screen presence, Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Having purchased the tickets and carefully avoided the temptations of the foyer (i.e. overpriced sweets, hot dogs and sticky drinks) we hastened to take our seats, a mere 15 minutes early. Sorry, I mean half an hour early: don't you just loathe cinema adverts? And don't even get me started on trailers that give the entire story of forthcoming films away! I mean come on! I'm not American - neither do I watch Eastenders. You can advertise a film without showing me all the pertinent twists and turns.

I shouldn't even mention the highly suspect advert for a male deodorant with the tag-line "Angels will fall." Ridiculous.

 So onto the film.

What to make of it?

Well, this film suffers from what I shall call 'the curse of Braveheart.'

Yes, Mel Gibson, the Catholic who falls on his way to his own Calvary (just like the rest of us), made a wonderful film that really captured the imagination (especially in Scotland!) and certainly showed the faults of Scotland (and Ireland and Wales) in that cowardice, treachery, greed and heroism were present in equal share.

Yes we saw the heroic Scottish Hero Wallace (Catholic & Welsh: Wallace means "Welshman" most likely descended from the Welsh kingdom of Strathclyde) lay down his very life for his country, but in the shadow of the film the gainsayers were quick to quip: 'but it's inaccurate.'

The Battle of Stirling Bridge (the topic of the Corries quite superb song of the same name), was bridgeless! The idea that the Queen of England's daughter was Wallace's. All this and more stretched the credibility and plausibility of a genuinely moving and heroic story.

What were we to believe? Did Wallace kill the traitor Lords? Did the Irish mercenaries switch sides to join the Scots? We (unless we are experts, unless we take a year off to read all the history books, or unless - and this is stretching it a wee bit - we were there) just can't say for sure what was fact and what was a bit of Hollywood license.

We can try to make educated guesses, but what then of the uneducated viewer? Will he dismiss it all as a story with a mere toe dipped in the truth? Or will he swallow it whole just as some people think all homosexuals are loving, caring, monogamous etc. following storylines from TV soap operas?

And therein lies the problem for The Rite.

I enjoyed the film, and as so often is the case with a good film, enjoy the cinematography, the scenes in which the action is set etc. Just seeing the Vatican and Rome in a film that isn't wildly anti-Catholic was a treat, albeit just a glimpse now and then of the Mass would have been "nice" -- but that's not to detract from the wonderful Catholic 'feel' of the film.

My problem however is going away and wondering "was that bit real/true."

I won't give too much away in case you haven't seen the film yet, but there is a major part of the film in which (let's say) a 'famous' person is possessed by a demon (Baal I believe). Now I know the actual person the film character is based on, and I'm sure I'd have read somewhere, or heard from someone if he had been possessed.

It just left me wondering too much and, for me, undermined the premise of a quite wonderful film with a powerful message: i.e. that Satan does exist (and thus proves the existence of God).

The priest, on whose story the film is based (Fr G Thomas), says that all the film is spot on, bar his character being a deacon and having doubts about the Faith. Which leaves me wondering if much else in the film was an absolute faithful transcript of events (some of the 'happenings' being quite extraordinary).

So,all in all I would give the film a thumbs up. It is enjoyable. It does make you think. It may convert the occasional soul. The last image of a Catholic going to Confession was very powerful.

But, personally, I would have preferred a powerful Catholic film without the 'opt out' available to atheists etc. of "most of it isn't true."

Despite my "purist" grumblings I would still give it a healthy 9 out of 10, and before chatting through the pros and cons of the film (so as not to cloud their judgement) my two young minders (helping me avoid any elderly stumbles on uneven floors) gave it 9 out of 10 too.

Two Things to Look Out For:

• The Welsh writing/graffiti on the wall in the final exorcism scenes.
• The moving last rites scene as the girl on the bicycle dies.

It's St David's Day! Rejoice!

I keep this prayer card in my wallet

I can put it no better than the correspondent to this blog, R Wyn Jones who sent a message saying:

"The sun is shining the daffodils are out and its a good day to be alive in God's own country."

Amen to that. St David performed many miracles and carried out many mortifications including standing neck deep in cold water for hours on end.

Well, the sun shining today feels like a miracle, because for the last month or two it's felt like I've been neck-deep in water!

But in all seriousness let us celebrate! Celebrate our national Saint, celebrate a wonderful man of God, celebrate a Priest who offered the Sacrifice of the Mass, celebrate a great Monastic who kept (the Celtic parts of) these lands Christian through the Dark Ages, keeping the Catholic and Roman Faith alive after the disintegration of the Roman Empire.

And in realising that St David was a truly great Briton and a Catholic, should remind us that the very roots of civilisation, law and all that was/is good is founded in Catholicism.

Remember: you don't have to be Welsh to celebrate and venerate St David.

Happy St David's Day to one and all.


P.S. Go to St David's in Pembrokeshire! It is a beautiful place. You can see the place where St David was born (St Non's Chapel) and remember: two pilgrimages to St David's is worth one to Rome.

Welsh and Catholic and Humble about it!*

There's a great website I came across some months ago which sells Catholic clothes (T-shirts, hoodies etc.) called Catholics With Attitude.

A few of the designs didn't "float my boat" but then you can't have everything.

I was looking for Christmas presents for my children and noticed they sold Scottish Catholic, English Catholic and Irish Catholic. But guess what?

No Welsh Catholic. Oh woe, woe and thrice woe.

But fear no longer oh vagrant wanderer of the internet! Look! They new have a range with "Welsh Catholic" emblazoned across it!

Bravo!

Just don't go buying one for a Bishop: that isn't the done thing.

On the other hand those of you with children, I'm sure they'll love them (check out their Vatican All Stars design too - I liked that one. They do some nifty Pro-Life shirts too).


And if you are Scottish, Irish or English you have my permission to wear the relevant shirt too. Just remember, it's long sleeves and smart attire for Mass! Let's not have any creeping liberalism... ;-)



*I was going to put proud as the headline, but thought better of it.

The Athiest Religion and its Leaps of Faith

Atheism: from self-pride to mass murder

In a conversation this morning with "the missus" on atheism, prompted by some talking head on the radio, she made the sublime intervention:

How can atheists not believe in God?

Very straight and to the point dontcha know.

This got me thinking. And as I replied to " 'er indoors," it's not so much that they don't believe in God that's amazing (though it is, in and of itself, barmy), what's truly astounding is what they do believe in.

Let me cherry pick some of the most pertinent ones (as I can see you're busy!):

• Evolution. Tell me how the atheist believes something as complex, intricate and awe-inspiring as the human eye (out of thousands of examples) "evolved" from a bit of mud. When they cannot find the "missing link" all these theories are nothing more than a Faith.
• Conflict. Atheists always say that religion causes war. Before the reformation, England, France and 'Spain' were almost always at war. Nearer to home England invaded Wales, Scotland and Ireland. All these nations were Catholic. After the Reformation we are told that religion had a role in European wars. Northern Ireland is an example. But English involvement in Ireland pre-dates the Reformation. In Europe the Flemish want to be free of Belgium/the Francophile Walloons. Both peoples are Catholic. The huge battle between the Nazis and Soviets was a clash of two atheist ideologies. Very often atheists attach a religious label to wars that are political, national etc.
• Death and misery. Extreme atheists state that religion brings misery or blind loyalty to evil or oppression (that we accept the wrong things in this world, because we are promised heaven). The Church does not of course (even if lukewarm or ignorant Catholics might) and has condemned the maltreatment of workers, espoused Social Teaching and condemned both atheistic Communism and the kind of individualist Capitalism that saw workers shoved into slums. Needless to add we can say that atheists have brought terror and mass murder ever since the French Revolution and in the 20th Century alone it was atheists that killed probably well over 100 Million people.
• Abuse. The atheists key card in latter years is the paedophile abuse by priests. This is a genuine reason for Catholics to be ashamed. However, we must remember that this was an extremely small percentage of priests. Furthermore, the change in Church outlook meant that the very liberalism and homosexuality that the atheists want the Church to embrace has in-turn led to priests with those inclinations (once banned in the Church) being accepted in: and we have witnessed the terrible results. Furthermore, the atheists overlook all the awful abuse (mental, physical and sexual) that happens in atheist (e.g. local council run) care homes which has been pretty much endemic. The atheists also overlook the huge charitable bodies run by the Church and by individual Catholics too. Short of a relative handful of abusers, the vast majority of them homosexuals (whose rights the atheists support), the Church is an agency for charity, education and good in society.
• Women's rights. Many atheists say the Church 'oppresses' women. Of course it isn't just Catholics (or "horrid men") who have problems with much of the feminist agenda and how it seeks to "divide and conquer" the sexes on behalf of militant atheist ideologies. How can a body that gives the Virgin Mary such an esteemed role be accused of being anti-women? The whole idea is preposterous! The key "wymmin's right" is of course abortion. They fail to see the irony that 50% of the killed babies are female! So the feminists promote the mass murder of girls as well as boys. Furthermore, all their excuses (often a mask to abort so people can afford a second car or their annual holiday) smack of the greed they claim to oppose. How can one claim to want to end poverty by killing the poor? One may as well claim to want to 'clean-up' London for the benefit of Londoners by dropping a nuke on the city.

There is much more of course, one thinks of the condom/homosexuality issue where the atheists have accused the Pope of being a "mass murderer" when the statistics show that Catholic countries that do not promote condoms have lower infection and death rates than those that do (abstinence and family life being 100% guarantees of safety - condemns fail regularly so spread both death and disease, especially as they promote promiscuity).

So, let us recount the leaps of faith atheists make in their daily discourse attacking our Faith:

Evolution. With no missing link or evidence.
Conflict. When wars were just as (or more!) common when all sides shared the same faith.
Death and misery. When atheism has caused many millions of deaths and untold hell-on-earth in the guise of Communism or Mammon.
Abuse. When atheist establishments are rife with it, and they promote the homosexuality that caused most of it in the Church.
Women's Rights. When atheists support the mass murder of baby girls.
Condoms. The church's teaching saves lives and prevents infection, it is the condomaniacs who kill millions.
Homosexuality. Of course its promotion has led to abuse of male minors, and the spread of AIDS, the homosexuals being perpetrators and victims of the death-cult.

The more I read on the sound, traditional teaching of the Church (as opposed to what heterodox Sister X or Father Y may preach in opposition to the Church), then the more I realise that the Church is the vehicle for Truth in all respects.

Of course the Church does not promise Heaven on earth, because it knows man's fallen nature makes that nigh on impossible.

The difference is that the Church works with man to make the best of a bad situation, in all ages, as empires, kingdoms and states come and go, having the same Truths yesterday, today and tomorrow as its foundations in all matters. Whereas the atheists sole unifying factor is hatred of Christianity, the Church, and more precisely the Roman Catholic Faith, Church and Magesterium.

The Church fights in all spheres to make the best of bad situations because of man's fallen nature; the atheists on the other hand mock the Church for offering paradise after death, as if that negates all the good work they do to make society, systems and so on better and more conformed to Christianity.

The atheists meanwhile offer heaven-on-earth, whilst all too often merely delivering hell on earth, or at the very best slavery to banks and demagogues.

You don't believe me? The millions of victims of atheistic aggression in the 20th Century scream otherwise, as would the little baby girl (if she still had her voice) pulled apart, burnt and sacrificed on the altar of Mammon in an abortion "clinic"in the last minute- pick the the time and place of the murder at your convenience.

I think it's time Catholics took the "battle" to the enemies of the Church, for they offer nothing but slavery, debauchery, and murder; no matter how "intelligent" and "charming" they make their message appear in this media age.

A land without the Grace of God quickly moves to evil (whether post-Reformation England with its dark Satanic mills, enclosed land and slum housing, or post-Revolution Russia with its collectivism and gulags).

The presence of Christ's Church and the Sacraments (especially the Blessed Sacrament) protects lands from the worst excesses of man's greed and base nature, for as long as the Faith of the people stays strong enough to protect the Church and her Sacraments.