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Contents © 1998
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.
LETTERS
JULY/AUGUST 1998
THANK YOU, CARDINAL MAHONY
Like many of your writers, I too have often been critical of Cardinal Roger Mahony. But in my opinion, you have not given him enough credit for one very important thing which he has done for conservatives/traditionalists in Los Angeles: his approval of the Tridentine Mass.
Now, I realize that many people reading this letter are hopping up and down, shouting, "But he only allows it once a week... and not at the same church or at the same time... and he ought to be allowing it everywhere... etc."
Okay, all granted. But have you considered the fact that, like it or not, the Holy Father has specifically given to the bishops the authority to permit or not permit this Mass? And that there are a whole lot of bishops in the world who don't permit it at all? And that compared to some of our neighbors in the United States, we are pretty lucky?
I especially appreciate the fact that Cardinal Mahony permits this Mass in some of our most beautiful old Missions, such as the San Fernando Mission--many other bishops only permit it in old, run-down churches in dangerous parts of town. And that's if they permit it at all.
Sure, there's a lot to criticize in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and we shouldn't hesitate to offer that criticism in as charitable a fashion as possible. But there's also a lot to praise here, so let's give credit where credit is due.
I'll start the ball rolling: THANKS, CARDINAL MAHONY! Your kindness in this matter is very much appreciated!
Christine Lehman
Los Angeles
THE PLANK IN YOUR OWN EYE
One would have to be ignorant to deny the Church's continual sin. The Church is composed of sinners. From the start, we have been a Church in need of conversion and reform. Jesus proclaimed continually that He came for sinners. We are all sinners! That is why we need a Messiah. Sometimes this fundamental sinfulness of our lives has been denied or projected onto other individuals or groups. How easy it is to "throw stones". Jesus always calls those of us in the stone throwing business back to our primary vocation: "Whoever is without sin...cast the first stone."
A fundamental principle of conversion, from the Gospels, is that conversion comes about first within the individual. "If you notice a speck in your brother's eye...first remove the plank from your own."
To the left or right of balanced holiness are those who boldly proclaim the planks in others eyes -- yet ignoring their own. Stones are hurled across doctrinal boundaries to an extreme. In other words, we overreact to others' faults and underreact to our own. This is not to deny that their might be serious problems in others and the way they live their lives.
In all of our sacred history as a Church, the saintly reformers first preached of their need for salvation and the grace of God. Even our most trusted of reformers NEVER allowed or encouraged criticism of those called to lead the Church. In each case, no matter how corrupt the bishop -- obedience was always called for. Francis of Assisi, Jean Baptiste de la Salle, Catherine of Siena, Jean Marie Vianney, Teresa of Avila, Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa of Calcutta are all exceptional examples of reforming the Church and world. It is not done by continual diatribes against it leaders, but by continually and lovingly allowing the grace of God to change one's life.
That's how reform happens. So much wasted anger and pounding of heads. It reminds me of Jesus in the temple when he overthrew the tables in the temple area. But it was His first year of ministry. The night before He died, He might have felt the same dismay at His "new Church." One apostle would deny Him. One would betray Him and the others would flee. Why not overthrow the tables again, get angry and publish a newspaper? No, instead He washed feet. That's what He left us. "Do the same" We need to pound fewer heads and wash more feet. Pounding heads furthers the division within our beloved Church. We need our feet washed.
"Oh Lord, send us another Francis or Teresa who will call all of us to feel our own sinfulness and open our hearts to the magnificent mercy of God" Then the Church will be converted. Take me off your mailing list.
Father Wayne Campbell,
Pastor
St. Felicitas Church
San Leandro
Editor's note: It is important to distinguish between criticizing another believer's personal failings and criticizing one's public behavior or public statements that may cause scandal or confusion. When Our Lord overturned the money sellers' tables, He did the latter; when He washed His disciples' feet, He refrained from the former.
A EUCHARISTIC MINISTER SPEAKS
I feel compelled to respond to your column on Cardinal Mahony and his positive comments about the use of the laity as eucharistic ministers in Los Angeles [see "Chat with The Cardinal," April 1998 Mission].
I have been a eucharistic minister for over five years. I was trained by our deacon who stressed the reverence, privilege and seriousness of our ministry. Everyone who serves with me approaches the altar with the same dedication. Like many large parishes in our city -- we have seven weekend Masses and two every day throughout the week. With the Eucharist distributed under both species, it should be easy mathematically to see that between 40-80 ministers are needed for that many Masses every week.
I would suggest that Reverend Harrison, the theologian from Puerto Rico, come to any large city in the U.S. and count the number of ministers needed. He would realize that Cardinal Mahony is not "talking tongue-in-cheek" at all. Perhaps the good theologian wants to keep the laity dumb and passive -- as he worries about the confusion of the special roles of priest and laity; that attitude has gone out with Vatican II. Is what he calls "liturgical reform" a return to the past? I found his comments both foolish and insulting to our cardinal.
I would also like to read about the so-called "recent Vatican directive that calls for this ministry to halt," which you stated elsewhere in this same article.
In the Vatican II document #7, under the heading "Instruction on Facilitating Sacramental Eucharistic Communion," it states: Extraordinary Ministers for distributing Holy Communion can be used (part c) when: "the number of faithful requesting Holy Communion is such that the celebration of the Mass or the distribution of the Eucharist outside of Mass would be unduly prolonged." Or as even you state, "...eucharistic ministers can be used "when the faithful going to Communion is so large as to make the celebration of Mass excessively long."
Why are you fighting this trend? I find it very positive. Perhaps in all of these changes, the Holy Spirit is moving us to a life of greater spirituality each in his/her own unique way -- not in competition. The Lord's work is all of our business as we are all called to a life of "perfect holiness." Shouldn't this be everyone's vocation -- both religious and the laity?
Barbara Hagar
Editor's Note: The Vatican directive in question is Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest, issued November 13, 1997. See our article on this document, "Too Many Eucharistic Ministers," in the February 1998 Mission.
REFORMATION REVISITED
The 20th Century seems to parallel the sixteenth in having a reformation of the Catholic Church. We see various groups formed within the ranks of the Church. Some, like the followers of the Frenchman, John Calvin, insist on remodeling churches, removing all pious decoration so that walls and ceiling are bare, with no stained glass in the windows. Some remove the altar and replace it with another left of the midline of the sanctuary, or strive for a sports arena arrangement of the pews so that the altar is surrounded by concentric rows of the faithful. Church buildings designed in the new architecture are made to resemble factories or prisons.
These neo-Calvinists have adapted Calvin's "predestination" to say that a person has a built-in propensity for certain behavior, and that such persons must be accepted as persons without regard for their behavioral aberrations.
The neo-Calvinists follow the Calvinist down-playing of distinctions between clergy and laymen. Lay-people substitute for clerics in proclaiming the Scriptures, in planning liturgies, in preaching, and in administering the sacraments. They want no central authority; each congregation rules itself.
Other Catholics seem to emulate King Henry VIII in that they do not take on as much of the appearance of being Protestants, but disagree that the pope is the final arbiter in the Church. Henry VIII had his Cardinal Wolsey; his emulators have at least one cardinal in the New World. Clerics of all kinds -- bishops, theologians, priests -- hope to line their pockets and further their careers by rebelling against the pope.
The Observer of the Diocese of Monterey (June 1998, pp. 12-13) has a story reminiscent of the life of Martin Luther. It tells of a theologian with the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and a former professor of theology at Catholic University of America and his wife of 27 years, who for 21 years had been a nun (who felt that she could serve God without being a nun). They are liturgists, who "seek a lively liturgy."
In all these groups, the fragmenting force produces a wide variation in beliefs. The Mission ("The Day the Liturgists Danced," June 1998) has an example. Bishop Stephen Blaire is quoted as saying: "Jesus is not present in the tabernacle for adoration."
William J. Mathey, V.M.D., Ph.D.
Nipomo