Notes from the Chaplain

@Contra Mundum@ Volume XIII, Issue 2 September 2010 The Congregation of St. Athanasius A Congregation of the Pastoral Provision of Pope John Paul II for the Anglican Usage of the Roman Rite http://www.locutor.net NOTES FROM THE CHAPLAIN MONG those who are expected minds about all sorts of things. De- place in Canada) describing portions Ato use words carefully and with sensitization is the goal of all this of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as hate precision is the preacher. Sometimes barrage. Two Harvard-trained social speech. this gift is an affliction! I was put in scientists, Marshall Kirk and Hunter Beyond jamming there is conver- a grumpy mood recently by the term Madsen, put it well in 1988 when sion. Kirk and Madsen call it “con- “biological parent.” Of course the writing about the homosexual game version of the average American’s phrase has become pervasive. I think plan they opined “if straights can’t emotions, mind and will through it rankled me because it appeared at shut off the shower, they may at least a planned pychological attack, in the same time as some other reading eventually get used to being wet.” the form of propaganda fed to the crossed my desk and had me think- After the deluge comes the scare nation via the media.” Conversion ing about social engineering. tactics phase. Paul Rondeau, writ- rejects Holy Scripture as completely “Biological parent” is redundant! ing in a 2002 issue of The Regent outdated and therefore discredited, The simple word parent means the University Law Review, calls this and marginalizes any Christians left child is the offspring of that man or “psychological terrorism meant to standing as intransigents. woman. Parent comes from Latin silence expression or even support Pope John Paul II probably never parere “to bring forth.” So “parent” for dissenting opinion.” The popular read Kirk and Madsen. But about already is biological! Everything nickname of the phrase is “jamming.” such tactics the Holy Father wrote else is a qualifier or modifier. We use Think of jamming down your throat (in Veritatis Splendor) “If there is “grandparent,” “foster parent,” “sur- intimidation. When activist-actress no ultimate truth to guide and direct rogate parent,” “step-parent,” even Jane Fonda (in her pre-Christian political activity, then ideas and con- in loco parentis , i.e. other than the days) confronted Anglican Arch- victions can easily be manipulated (natural) parents, as we grapple with bishop Michael Ramsey on the for reasons of power.” the complexities of life. But a child late-night Johnny Carson Show and cannot have two male (or female) proceeded to debunk the Gospel ac- Our Lord’s direction is to be as wise parents. You have to call it some- count of the Resurrection of Christ as serpents and gentle as doves. It is thing else. I am not the “biological and then ask “You don’t really be- a colorful and memorable descrip- parent” of Rebekah, Jonathan, and lieve all that stuff, do you?”, she was tion, but difficult to put into practice. Jessica Bradford. I am their parent. ridiculing in advance any opposition The similes of serpent and dove were So there! to the atheist agenda. The 1960’s favorites of the Old Testament rabbis. audience thought she was rude, and They have their origin in the Genesis Everyone of us is aware that we story of Adam and Eve in the garden, are subjected to a daily barrage of when the archbishop simply replied yes and said nothing more he was and in the love poetry of The Song super sophisticated tools of social of Songs. engineering to help us change our cheered. But in the 21st century we will have legislation (already in At any rate, the instructions of our Page 10 Contra Mundum Lord Jesus anticipate opposition boring. That is because it goes against TACKY LITTLE to the gospel and the active per- God’s creation. In that creation there secution of those who attempt are many ways to express love, but CROSSES to live it and promote it. Seem- only limited ways to hate. I know the T THE BEGINNING of my ingly without resources, and un- hateful things get the headlines, but Aministry in 1970 I used to armed, Christians are as helpless the winning ticket is Christ. So take carry an envelope of tacky little as sheep among wolves, Jesus life as He offers it: strive to be wise Crosses with me as I made my says. So instead of fighting back, as serpents and gentle as doves. hospital visitations. The problem Christians must be prudent and Father Bradford was that the Protestant hospitals tactful like the shrewd serpent in most of my parishioners used did the Garden of Eden, and innocent not have Crucifixes in the patients’ and free from wrongdoing like rooms. (I did not have that problem the gentle dove. when I visited the Alexian Brothers’ Saint Paul echoes our Lord’s Hospital in Des Plaines, Illinois, or teaching in the great Epistle to the the Saint Francis Hospital in Evan- Romans where he says, “I would ston.) They really were tacky little have you wise as to what is good Crosses, not because they looked to and guileless as to what is evil.” be in poor taste, although they were Of course, living up to this stan- inexpensive. But these Crosses could dard is impossible without God’s be pressed against a hospital room grace. But part of the Gospel wall and the sticky stuff on the back good news is that love can flour- would adhere. ish in God’s creation. Our souls To a person lying in a hospital bed were created for this very thing: there is more opportunity given than to live in conformity to God’s law, to the rest of us for quietly gazing at and when we do we are going to a Cross, day and night. The Cross is enjoy the Christian life. That is a wonderful sermon preached to the what Jesus promises. eye, a sermon that speaks to us of The world’s new religion tells Holy Cross Day the wonderful love of God. Such a sermon speaks volumes in hospital us that the pursuit of virtue ends Tuesday, September 14, 2010 rooms. up in a boring and dull uniformity. Today there will be the Ordination But that is a lie! The Christian of two auxiliary bishops for Boston It is not easy to believe in the love virtues inspire a thousand dif- of God. We need less proof of His Father Peter Uglietto ferent ways to realize the good. power or of His Wisdom. The evi- and In point of fact it is not good dence is all around us. But much of Father Arthur Kennedy. actions that produce routine or the time the evidence for God’s love uncreative predictability. It is The service is at 2:00 P.M. is found only in one place, in the rather the vicious habits that Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Cross of Christ. In that Cross we see produce a familiarity with evil that God, in giving us His Son, gave that narrows a person’s creative UT as for us, it behoveth us His all. And we need to know that, ability to love. Just ask anyone us to glory in the Cross especially when in hospital our body who lived in eastern Germany be- of our Lord Jesus Christ; doesn’t seem to be worth much. tween 1945 and the tearing down in whom is our salvation, Father Bradford of the Berlin Wall. After a steady our life and resurrection: by whom diet of such narrowness all vice we were saved, and obtained our ¶ This is an excerpt from a sermon preached looks the same to the sinner. It is B by Father Bradford on Holy Cross Day, freedom. September 14, 2008. the sinner’s life that is dull and Contra Mundum Page 11 THE PLACE ing overtly hostile to religion and religious influence. Sometimes one OF THE LAITY hears people say, “Before Vatican II, IN THE CHURCH Catholics in this country were very different. They didn’t divorce, prac- OSES showed real insight tice artificial contraception, or have Minto what it means to be a abortions.” In response, I concede religious nation when he prayed that Catholics didn’t do such things, that all the Lord’s people would be as I hasten to point out that almost no prophets. He knew that he could one in our country did those things. not do the job alone and that even Catholics, in other words, were not the seventy elders would just begin offering any special courageous to scratch the surface of the work witness. What is called for today is THE NATIVITY OF THE of proclaiming God’s Word and indeed special and courageous. Liv- BLESSED VIRGIN MARY functioning as a living challenge to ing out our baptismal commitments [SEPTEMBER 8] the oftentimes warped values of the means being a counter-sign, a sign of THE COLLECT people. Yes, it was important that contradiction, like Christ Himself; it every single committed Hebrew ALMIGHTY God, who didst means swimming upstream, against see it as his or her own personal endue with singular grace the the current. In doing so, however, we O responsibility to be a prophet. Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of save our own souls and we make an our Lord: Vouchsafe, we beseech Jesus felt the same way about effort to contribute to the common thee, to hallow our bodies in purity, the situation, as can be seen from good by offering an alternative to the and our souls in humility and love; today’s Gospel passage in which lunacy that has afflicted our society through the same our Lord and He informs His disciples that they for the past forty years.

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