16th Sunday After Pentecost

In the traditional Calendar, today is the 16th Sunday after Pentecost. The Epistle read today was formerly read on the 15th Sunday going back to the 4th century, and sometime before the 9th was shifted to this Sunday, when all the Epistles after Pentecost shifted ahead one Sunday, whilst the Gospels and other propers remained. One can readily see the connection between the Gospel of today (Luke 14:1-11), which includes the parable spoken by Christ to the Pharisees, over taking the lowest seat at the table, with the Epistle formerly read on this day, but now next Sunday, Ephesians 4:1-6, which calls us to walk in humility and meekness.

But the change was not unfitting

Is Proselytism An Evil? Is it Really Different from Evangelization?

The word proselytize means, etymologically, "to come toward." It is a term used in the Greek Septuagint and in the New Testament to refer to gentiles that were God-fearing and had entered Judaism (e.g. προσήλυτος is used in Matthew 23:15.)  It was also used in the early Church to refer to new converts. So when did it become a bad word? We see even the pope himself saying we must not proselytize. (cf Here and in his earlier interview with Scalfari)

15th Sunday after Pentecost and St. Matthew

Today was a liturgical two-fer in the 1962 Missal- 15th Sunday after Pentecost and the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle. Starting in 1955, the Sunday take precedence with a commemoration of St. Matthew. The Gospel for today brought to mind my last post, in light of the claims of Cardinal Kasper that Christ's raising people from the dead were "non-historical" stories.

Luke 7:11-16

Crisis in the Church as Dark Night of the Soul

I have largely kept silent during Francis' pontificate. I have ignore most controversies that have arisen. I broke silence when Cardinal Daneels was named as a pontifical appointee to the Synod of the Family. I easily expected having to deal with those like Kasper, but Daneels appointment shattered my trust in the pope's prudential judgment. I was accused of being a Martin Luther for criticizing bishops and cardinals!

I could always come up with some plausible understanding of what the pope was doing. I don't always, or even usually, agree with said reasoning, but it allowed me not to be troubled in spirit and to give a reasonable response to those who were troubled and  answer those who let such controversies cast doubt or support denial of real Catholic doctrine. On this issue, I was and am still flummoxed. I can only throw up my hands and give up on plausible rationalizations. There isn't one. I can only hope for an implausible reason to show itself later.

How can I avoid criticizing prelates when one promotes a catechism that encourages docility on the part of children to sexual assault and battery by adults and the other considers the miracles of Jesus mere stories, not history?

A Return to Blogging and the Crisis in the Church

I have kept meaning to return to this blog, but other projects, forgetfulness and intellectual difficulties with trying to figure out rights language kept getting in the way. I plan to re-attempt an examination of firearm rights sometime soon. But there are far more important concerns plaguing my mind I will try to post at least once a week from now on. I invite, as always, discussion on the thoughts presented.