Via ByzCath
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
On the bishop's staff (in the Byzantine rite): Orthodox Arts Journal (via Byzantine, Texas - the explanation goes beyond Moses.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Reforming the College of Cardinals?
George Weigel has some recommendations (via Vatican Insider)
No radical suggestions here (with respect to re-imagining the exercise of the papacy).
No radical suggestions here (with respect to re-imagining the exercise of the papacy).
John Tavis: Pope Francis on the risk of a 'babysitter' church
Pope Francis: to evangelize baptism is enough
More:
Francis: We Must Submit to the Holy Spirit
Francis and Vatican II: “There's no turning back”
The Unprecedented "Presumption" of Changing the World
Vatican Diary / Collegiality yes, democracy no
Pope Francis: to evangelize baptism is enough
More:
Francis: We Must Submit to the Holy Spirit
Francis and Vatican II: “There's no turning back”
The Unprecedented "Presumption" of Changing the World
Vatican Diary / Collegiality yes, democracy no
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Thomistica.net: CUA Press to Distribute Sapientia Press of Ave Maria University's Books
Ignatius Press had been the distributor; fiscal or sound business reasons for this change (not renewing the contract?) or is this another consequence of the falling-out between AMU and Fr. Fessio?
Ignatius Press had been the distributor; fiscal or sound business reasons for this change (not renewing the contract?) or is this another consequence of the falling-out between AMU and Fr. Fessio?
Fr. Schmemann on Liturgical Reform
Fr. Alexander Schmemann was familiar with the work of Fr. Bouyer. (Did they ever meet in person?) Did he agree with Fr. Bouyer on the principles of liturgical reform? He did write a review of Liturgical Piety. It is apparent that Fr. Schmemann did think that some reform was needed. In which of his books does he discuss this? There are the following essays online:
On the question of liturgical practices
Problems of Orthodoxy in America: The Liturgical Problem
Not all Orthodox have been accepting of his work.
Related:
On the Importance of Attending the Evening Divine Services by Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov
On the question of liturgical practices
Problems of Orthodoxy in America: The Liturgical Problem
Not all Orthodox have been accepting of his work.
Related:
On the Importance of Attending the Evening Divine Services by Protopresbyter Valery Lukianov
Monday, April 15, 2013
Hesed/Misericordia
Shortly after Benedict XVI became pope, Eamon Duffy gave a lecture at BC speculating on the direction of his pontificate regarding liturgical reform, and iirc, he guessed that the feast of the Divine Mercy (the second Sunday of Easter) would not be kept on the universal calendar long. It was added because of the devotion of John Paul II. (After all, Sr. Faustina was Polish.) Given the conservatism of Benedict XVI the feast has been maintained, and [Pope] Francis has not removed the feast, either.
Is the devotion of the Divine Mercy itself superfluous? Is the second Sunday of Easter the appropriate place for the observance of the devotion? Are there not other comparable Western/Latin devotions that already existed? I think Dr. Duffy mentioned the Sacred Heart of Jesus precisely in connection with the Divine Mercy.
The Difference is in the Emphasis
The Sacred Heart of Jesus and The Divine Mercy, Part Five
By Dr. Robert Stackpole, STD
(more in the website's library)
A Monk Reflects on Divine Mercy and the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Given the image that accompanies the devotion, though, is the Divine Mercy any more Trinitarian than the Sacred Heart, as Fr. Ignacy Rozycki claims (see Dr. Stackpole's essay)? Fr. Sopocko argues that the devotion to the Divine Mercy is a development of the devotion to the Sacred Heart.
I was also thinking of the comments by Fr. Louis Bouyer on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his Liturgical Piety (p. 249, 251 ). Bouyer's criticisms of paralitugies replacing the liturgy of the Church is understandable, given his concern to ground Christian spirituality within the liturgy. There has been a multiplication of devotions in the Latin West,
each focused on a particular aspect of God or His Saving Action in history. Bouyer writes that they have served as a necessary help for a people who were not formed in an authentic liturgical spirituality. The answer to the question of whether some may obscure the spirituality of the Roman-rite liturgy would be yes, for Bouyer. (Is there anything comparable in Eastern Orthodoxy, in terms of the number of devotions?) What would Fr. Bouyer have made of the devotion to the Divine Mercy? Another modern devotion that potentially misleads? Or a beneficial corrective?
We should reflect upon the great mercy and love of God, of Christ - the Jesus Prayer of the East in many ways resonates with both of these Western devotions, but is in a way more "simpler" - with respect to the imagination, at least. It is focused less on a sensible reality (as given by the images propagated with both Western devotions) and more on the person of Christ - and more tied to the objective Mystery, as Bouyer might write?
Related:
Pius XII, Haurietis Aquas - On Devotion to the Sacred Heart
Benedict XVI, Papal Letter on 50th Anniversary of "Haurietis Aquas"
From 2006: Benedict XVI's mission to restore the glories of the Catholic liturgy
The legacy of Pope Benedict XVI
From NCR, Eamon Duffy on Liturgical Reform and Pope Benedict - Where truth and beauty meet: Understanding Benedict - 7
Is the devotion of the Divine Mercy itself superfluous? Is the second Sunday of Easter the appropriate place for the observance of the devotion? Are there not other comparable Western/Latin devotions that already existed? I think Dr. Duffy mentioned the Sacred Heart of Jesus precisely in connection with the Divine Mercy.
The Difference is in the Emphasis
The Sacred Heart of Jesus and The Divine Mercy, Part Five
By Dr. Robert Stackpole, STD
(more in the website's library)
A Monk Reflects on Divine Mercy and the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Given the image that accompanies the devotion, though, is the Divine Mercy any more Trinitarian than the Sacred Heart, as Fr. Ignacy Rozycki claims (see Dr. Stackpole's essay)? Fr. Sopocko argues that the devotion to the Divine Mercy is a development of the devotion to the Sacred Heart.
I was also thinking of the comments by Fr. Louis Bouyer on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his Liturgical Piety (p. 249, 251 ). Bouyer's criticisms of paralitugies replacing the liturgy of the Church is understandable, given his concern to ground Christian spirituality within the liturgy. There has been a multiplication of devotions in the Latin West,
each focused on a particular aspect of God or His Saving Action in history. Bouyer writes that they have served as a necessary help for a people who were not formed in an authentic liturgical spirituality. The answer to the question of whether some may obscure the spirituality of the Roman-rite liturgy would be yes, for Bouyer. (Is there anything comparable in Eastern Orthodoxy, in terms of the number of devotions?) What would Fr. Bouyer have made of the devotion to the Divine Mercy? Another modern devotion that potentially misleads? Or a beneficial corrective?
We should reflect upon the great mercy and love of God, of Christ - the Jesus Prayer of the East in many ways resonates with both of these Western devotions, but is in a way more "simpler" - with respect to the imagination, at least. It is focused less on a sensible reality (as given by the images propagated with both Western devotions) and more on the person of Christ - and more tied to the objective Mystery, as Bouyer might write?
Related:
Pius XII, Haurietis Aquas - On Devotion to the Sacred Heart
Benedict XVI, Papal Letter on 50th Anniversary of "Haurietis Aquas"
From 2006: Benedict XVI's mission to restore the glories of the Catholic liturgy
The legacy of Pope Benedict XVI
From NCR, Eamon Duffy on Liturgical Reform and Pope Benedict - Where truth and beauty meet: Understanding Benedict - 7
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Zenit: Francis' Homily at Cathedral of St. John Lateran
"We hear many offers from the world around us; but let us take up God's offer instead: his is a caress of love"
"We hear many offers from the world around us; but let us take up God's offer instead: his is a caress of love"
Kingdom of God
Video: Robert Louis Wilken on The First Thousand Years
Robert Louis Wilken Discusses 'The First Thousand Years' at 2013 VaBook
Impertinent Questions with Robert Louis Wilken by Meredith Hindley
Impertinent Questions with Robert Louis Wilken by Meredith Hindley
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Little did I know when I prepared the post on George Weigel's book that Fr. CS would also mention the book in his latest at Chant Café: Benedict XVI: Towards a Liturgical Theology of Liberation?
There is much packed in the essay, and I need to read it again - without accepting recent theses positing the separation of the Constantinian Church from the primitive Church, might there be a more valid thesis regarding about a Constantinian temptation - the temptation to use the secular authority in a fallen world as a model of understanding Church authority? Its effect we can see not only in the West but also in parts of the Christian East? What if it is difficult to map the trappings of human Imperium (as particularly manifested in the human leadership of the ChurcH) because the analogy between human kingdoms (or empires) and the Dominion of God and we as His Pople is very weak?
We probably should not jettison everything from the Church's past in the name of returning to a more simple, apostolic state - how do we maintain a balance between respecting what we have received (including the treasures of the past) and moving forward, unencumbered by imperial pretense? Is it accurate to say that our bishops may have succumbed to imitating some of the worst excesses of those wielding temporal power in terms of fashion and ceremonial and so on? Does there need to be some sort of clean break, with the bishops focused less on competing with the secular powers and more on building up the Kingdom of God? A reconsideration of apostolic priorities?
Maybe some Orthodox observers have praised the appearance of a more humble pope in the expectation that bishop of Rome will reconsider the claims of his office. Apparently they have not seen anything in Francis's actions or motivations that would imply a criticism of their own hierarchy as well.
There is much packed in the essay, and I need to read it again - without accepting recent theses positing the separation of the Constantinian Church from the primitive Church, might there be a more valid thesis regarding about a Constantinian temptation - the temptation to use the secular authority in a fallen world as a model of understanding Church authority? Its effect we can see not only in the West but also in parts of the Christian East? What if it is difficult to map the trappings of human Imperium (as particularly manifested in the human leadership of the ChurcH) because the analogy between human kingdoms (or empires) and the Dominion of God and we as His Pople is very weak?
We probably should not jettison everything from the Church's past in the name of returning to a more simple, apostolic state - how do we maintain a balance between respecting what we have received (including the treasures of the past) and moving forward, unencumbered by imperial pretense? Is it accurate to say that our bishops may have succumbed to imitating some of the worst excesses of those wielding temporal power in terms of fashion and ceremonial and so on? Does there need to be some sort of clean break, with the bishops focused less on competing with the secular powers and more on building up the Kingdom of God? A reconsideration of apostolic priorities?
Maybe some Orthodox observers have praised the appearance of a more humble pope in the expectation that bishop of Rome will reconsider the claims of his office. Apparently they have not seen anything in Francis's actions or motivations that would imply a criticism of their own hierarchy as well.
Evangelical Catholicism by George Weigel
I am curious about this one as well - what does the noted theocon have to say about the state of the American Church? But I don't think I'd pay full price to learn the answer.
The Rise of Evangelical Catholicism
Evangelical Catholicism, Pope Francis, and the 21st-Century Church
George Weigel: New Evangelization Is Future of Catholicism
Evangelical Catholicism: George Weigel's Vision of Catholic Reform
Pope Francis Is an Evangelical Catholic, Catholic Theologian Says
Catholics on the Evangelical Trail
Catholic Review
Hugh Hewitt
The Economist
National Catholic Register review
Kirkus Reviews
Ethics & Public Policy Center
Michael Novak
Weigel made a stop at a certain church in Boston in January.
World Over, February:
And a negative review, of course, at Real Clear Religion. And then there's NCR.
Something on Radical Orthodoxy: Thinking Trivially About Radical Orthodoxy
The Rise of Evangelical Catholicism
Evangelical Catholicism, Pope Francis, and the 21st-Century Church
George Weigel: New Evangelization Is Future of Catholicism
Evangelical Catholicism: George Weigel's Vision of Catholic Reform
Pope Francis Is an Evangelical Catholic, Catholic Theologian Says
Catholics on the Evangelical Trail
Catholic Review
Hugh Hewitt
The Economist
National Catholic Register review
Kirkus Reviews
Ethics & Public Policy Center
Michael Novak
Weigel made a stop at a certain church in Boston in January.
World Over, February:
And a negative review, of course, at Real Clear Religion. And then there's NCR.
Something on Radical Orthodoxy: Thinking Trivially About Radical Orthodoxy
Friday, April 12, 2013
Latin/English Rule of St. Basil
The Rule of St Basil in Latin and English: A Revised Critical Edition, trans. Anna Silvas (Liturgical Press, May 2013)
(via Adam DeVille)
(via Adam DeVille)
Ralph Martin on the New Evangelization
Some controversy about the disappearance of a review of his book - Rorate Caeli: Forbidden text and Catholic samizdat: "Vatican II and the 'Bad News' of the Gospel"
David Paul Deavel's review of Ralph Martin's Will Many Be Saved? What Vatican II Actually Teaches and Its Implications for the New Evangelization
Can we talk about healing, divine "medicine" and salvation while acknowledging the evil of sin and the possibility of hell, the consequence of rejecting God? A "balance" needs to be maintained, but only when we admit that we are sick and in need of the Divine Physician can anything be done about it. If we do not acknowledge sin and its effects, how can we shake people out of their mediocrity and sloth?
Related:
Ralph Martin Reflects on the Mission of the New Evangelization
Articles on New Evangelization by Ralph Martin
What is New About the New Evangelization and Who Needs It? by Deacon Keith Fournier
David Paul Deavel's review of Ralph Martin's Will Many Be Saved? What Vatican II Actually Teaches and Its Implications for the New Evangelization
Can we talk about healing, divine "medicine" and salvation while acknowledging the evil of sin and the possibility of hell, the consequence of rejecting God? A "balance" needs to be maintained, but only when we admit that we are sick and in need of the Divine Physician can anything be done about it. If we do not acknowledge sin and its effects, how can we shake people out of their mediocrity and sloth?
Related:
Ralph Martin Reflects on the Mission of the New Evangelization
Articles on New Evangelization by Ralph Martin
What is New About the New Evangelization and Who Needs It? by Deacon Keith Fournier
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