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Challenging Young People to Live the Faith

Challenging Young People to Live the Faith | Jim Graves | Catholic World Report

Youth ministry programs at the diocesan and national levels change the hearts and minds of countless young people.

At World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain, Pope Benedict XVI addressed more than a million young people who had traveled from countries across the globe to participate in the event. Referencing Christ’s command in Mark 16:15, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation,” the Holy Father said, “You too have been given the extraordinary task of being disciples and missionaries of Christ in other lands and countries filled with young people who are looking for something greater and, because their heart tells them that more authentic values do exist, they do not let themselves be seduced by the empty promises of a lifestyle which has no room for God.”

The decades after Vatican II saw many young people leave the active practice of the Faith, often to the distress of their parents. A variety of factors are often cited for this exodus, including the lure of materialism, relativism, and the sexual revolution, poor catechetical programs and formation, and the influence of non-Catholic religions in search of converts.

Today, lay Catholic youth ministers are on the front lines, winning teens back to the Church. Their role is often to provide an initial outreach to teens, getting them excited about the Faith and steering them back to regular involvement in their local parishes. While battling cultural messages that are the antithesis of Catholic teaching can be a daunting challenge, youth ministers are reporting that progress is being made in winning back young people, one soul at a time.

Diocesan programs

Gary Foote, coordinator of youth ministry for St. Edward Church in Dana Point, California, has worked in youth ministry for 14 years.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Roman Missal 3.0: Updates Installed

Roman Missal 3.0: Updates Installed | Fr. David M. Friel | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

As a revision, the Roman Missal 3.0 has, as its obvious intention, to be an improvement upon that which came before.

The last time I put a pencil to music manuscript paper was 2008.  That was the year I finally gave in and took advantage of my student discount to purchase one of the mainstream software programs for musical composition.  I was absolutely delighted when it arrived, and I loaded it onto my laptop immediately.  It was a moment of true emancipation for me as a freelance composer.

It was also the moment in which I became enslaved to unremitting advertisements for the 2009 version of the program.  Six months later, the promotions began for the 2010 version.  The commercials still come, both by regular mail and by electronic mail, though fortunately not over the phone.  Software updates are standard procedure for those who choose to live in the digital age; nevertheless, I find myself easily exasperated with the arrival of each new promotion.

Almost a year has passed since the English-speaking world received “Roman Missal 3.0,” the new translation of the Missale Romanum Editio Typica Tertia.  Before its implementation in late November 2011, I encountered many priests and laymen whose reaction to the announcement of a new missal was as unenthusiastic as is my reaction to the promotional spam I receive for my music software.  And, just as I typically spend little time investigating what improvements are being offered in the software update, many (though not all) of these members of our Church had given little time to the task of exploring what the new missal would offer.  As a revision, its obvious intention is to be an improvement upon that which came before.  But how, and in what ways?

This is too broad a question to be answered in fullness here, so I will limit myself to present only five “updates” offered by the new missal.  These observations are not intended to constitute a comprehensive analysis of the missal, nor do they necessarily represent the largest or most significant improvements.  Clergy and churchgoers, at this point, will be familiar with the large-scale changes that have occurred, but many perhaps have not plumbed the more minute aspects of the revision.  My hope is that the highlights that follow will serve at least as fledgling insights into the treasures we have received.

Continue reading at HPRweb.com.

Catholics and Depression

Catholics and Depression | CWR Staff | Catholic World Report

A new book co-authored by a psychiatrist and a priest offers faithful wisdom and learned guidance in dealing with depression and anxiety.

Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, MD, is the author, with Msgr. John Cihak, STD, of the book, The Catholic Guide to Depression: How the Saints, the Sacraments, and Psychiatry Can Help You Break Its Grip and Find Happiness Again (Sophia Institute Press, 2012). Dr. Kheriaty is the Director of Residency Training and Medical Education in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine. He co-directs the Program in Medical Ethics in the School of Medicine, and serves as chairman of the clinical ethics committee at UCI Medical Center. Dr. Kheriaty graduated from the University of Notre Dame in philosophy and pre-medical sciences, and earned his MD degree from Georgetown University. Msgr. Cihak is a priest of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon who currently works in the Vatican. He helped to start Quo Vadis Days camps promoting discernment and the priesthood at the high school level that now operate in several U.S. dioceses. He has been a pastor and served in seminary formation.

Their book “reviews the effective ways that have recently been devised to deal with this grave and sometimes deadly affliction — ways that are not only consistent with the teachings of the Church, but even rooted in many of those teachings.” The authors were recently interviewed by Carl E. Olson, editor of Catholic World Report, about the serious challenges posed by depression and how those challenges can be best addressed through faith, clinical science, and other means.

CWR: The topic of depression is fairly commonplace, but you note that there is no simple definition of "depression". What are some of the major features of depression? Is it just an emotional state, or more?

Dr. Kheriaty: Depression is more than just an emotional state, though of course it typically involves profound changes in a person’s emotions.  Sadness and anxiety are the most common emotional states associated with depression, though anger and irritability are also commonly found in depressed individuals.  Depression affects other areas of our mental and physical life beyond our emotions. Depressed individuals typically experience changes in their thinking, with difficulty concentrating or focusing, and a lack of cognitive flexibility.  Depressed individuals develop a kind of “tunnel vision” where their thoughts are rigidly and pervasively negative.  In many cases, suicidal thinking is present, driven by thoughts or feelings of hopelessness and despair.  A person with depression often feels physically drained, with low levels of energy, little or no motivation, and slowed movements. 

Another feature of depression is what psychiatrists called “anhedonia”, which is the inability to experience pleasure or joy in activities that the person would typically enjoy.  Sleep is often disturbed, and the normal sleep-wake cycle is disrupted.  Changes in appetite are common, often with consequent weight loss or occasionally weight gain (in so-called “atypical depression”).  So we see that depression involves many mental and physical changes, and affects not just a person’s emotions, but also their physical health and their ability to think clearly and act in the world.

CWR: Christians sometime think, or are tempted to think, that depression is a sign of spiritual failure or evidence of a lack of faith. What are the problems with, and dangers of, such perspectives?

Dr. Kheriaty: The problem with this perspective is that it does not recognize that depression is a complex illness with many contributing factors.  While we acknowledge in The Catholic Guide to Depression that spiritual or moral factors can be among the causes, we also argue that there are many other factors that play a role in the development of depression, many of which are outside of the patient’s direct control – biological factors, genetic predispositions, familial and early attachment problems, interpersonal loss, traumatic experiences, early abuse, neglect, and so on.  If we attend only to the spiritual or moral factors, then we do the person a disservice by ignoring other important contributing elements that often play a significant role in depression.  With that said, the spiritual factors, and other behavioral factors within a patient’s control, should not be ignored either.  We wrote this book, in part, as a way to bring the medical, social, and biological sciences into dialogue with philosophy, theology, and Catholic spirituality, in order to gain a fuller and more comprehensive understanding of this complex affliction.  We hope that this multifaceted approach will help people more adequately address depression from all of these complementary perspectives.

Msgr. Cihak: I would completely agree. I think perhaps sometimes in our desire to get to the bottom of things, we can tend to oversimplify the situation. As Dr. Kheriaty said, there can be many contributing factors. The book reflects an intentionally Catholic approach by integrating the truths of medicine, philosophy and faith. We should keep the whole in mind as well as the deep connection between the body and the soul. In our respective vocations, we have both encountered people suffering from depression who actually manifest a strong faith, which they themselves might not be able to see, but which has been helping them to keep going in the tough times. That being said, we attempt to demonstrate in the book that our Faith has profound things to say about depression, its deepest theological origins, its redemption by Jesus Christ and its transformation in His Church.

CWR: Are psychiatry and Christian faith in opposition to one another? If not, how can Christians discern between the benefits of psychiatry and problematic theories, for example, Freudian or Jungian accounts of religious belief and human relationships?

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

The Character of Diaconal Ordination

The Character of Diaconal Ordination | Deacon James Keating, Ph.D. | Ignatius Insight

(This article was originally published on Ignatius Insight on August 17, 2010.)

For such a "simple" station in the Church's hierarchy, the vocation of the deacon is complex. The complexity arises from the net of relationships in which the deacon finds himself upon ordination, a net that is not to be escaped but embraced. Unfortunately, the intricacy of the relationships of the diaconate can tempt a man to despair as he makes efforts to please all of his constituencies: wife, children, bishop, pastor, employer, parishioners, diocesan officials, fellow deacons, and more. Along with these relationships and the various calls they carry, the deacon also feels pressed to "perform" well in his ministries, which can be various and often emotionally consuming; however, looking at the vocation of deacon from the perspective of what Christ is sharing with him, the deacon can receive clarity on a vital truth: it is not the quantity of acts of service that matter to Christ but simply one's fidelity to the character of ordination. Excessive activity and neurotic hand-wringing about whether "I am doing enough to help others" gives birth only to stress, not holiness. Most deacons of the Western world will go to purgatory because they were too busy exerting themselves, not because their ministry was measured. Jesus will meet them at Purgatory's gate with one question: "Why did you try to do so much?"

The key to living the diaconate in a simple yet effective way is found within one's fidelity to the character received at ordination. The reception of this character allows the deacon to minister in a profound way by letting Christ do the work. As one meditates upon the meaning of diaconal character, one realizes that Holy Orders mediates a gift to be received and not simply tasks to accomplish. If a deacon receives this gift subjectively, the various and complex relationships that make up his life will become a support to him in his ministry and will no longer be rivals for his time and emotional capital.

What Is This Gift, the Character of Holy Orders?

Insofar as it is a grade of holy orders [sic], the diaconate imprints a character and communicates a specific sacramental grace. The diaconal character is the configurative and distinguishing sign, indelibly impressed in the soul, that configures the one ordained to Christ, who made himself the deacon—the servant—of all. It brings with it a specific sacramental grace: a gift for living the new reality wrought by the sacrament. With regard to deacons, "strengthened by sacramental grace they are dedicated to the People of God, in conjunction with the bishop and his body of priests, in the service (diakonia) of the liturgy, of the Gospel and of works of charity." Just as in all sacraments which imprint character, grace has a permanent virtuality. It flowers again and again in the same measure in which it is received and accepted again and again in faith.... The Church further teaches that: By a special sacramental gift, Holy Order confers on the deacon a particular participation in the consecration and mission of Him who became servant of the Father for the redemption of mankind, and inserts him in a new and specific way in the mystery of Christ, of his Church and the salvation of all mankind. [1]

The character received at ordination has been likened to a brand or wound that signifies "ownership." Then-Cardinal Ratzinger noted that this wound or brand "calls out to its owner." [2] In this way, the cleric stands in relationship to the one who has placed his mark upon him. "From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body" (Gal 6:17). A further scriptural understanding of character might be summed up in this Pauline teaching: "Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20). Here, Scripture underscores the interior self-surrender of the cleric. He is the one who eagerly hosts the mystery of Christ's public service of charity as his own, as his new life. One man, called to be priest, makes himself permanently available to the sacrificial mystery of Christ; and another man, called to be deacon, makes himself permanently available to the servant mystery of Christ.

Joy! Anticipation! Fire?

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for December 16, 2012, the Third Sunday of Advent | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Zep 3:14-18a
• Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6
• Phil 4:4-7
• Lk 3:10-18

“Great joy,” wrote G. K. Chesterton, “has in it the sense of immortality…” Joy, like love, hope, and goodness, cannot be adequately or convincingly explained through material processes or properties. Joy is a gift pointing to a transcendent giver. And that giver is the Lord, the giver of both natural and supernatural life.

Gaudette Sunday is a day of joy and rejoicing (the Latin word for “rejoice” is gaudere), and the readings reflect this theme. The reading from the prophet Zephaniah contains an exultant call for Israel to shout and sing for joy. Why? Because the Lord had staved off judgment, rebuffed Israel’s enemies, and stood as King and Savior in the midst of the chosen people.

The responsorial Psalm, from the prophet Isaiah, echoes the same: “Cry out with joy and gladness, for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.” And the Epistle, from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, has a hymnic, even rhapsodic, quality: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” The reason, again, is due to the immediacy of God’s intimate, life-giving presence: “The Lord is near.”

The Gospel reading does not directly refer to joy, but instead anticipates and points, through the words of John the Baptist, toward the source of joy. The anticipation has two different but connected qualities. The first is external and focuses on the natural moral virtues; it is drawn out through the question asked by the crowds, the tax collectors, and the soldiers: “What should we do?” John’s response, in essence, is that they should act justly toward their neighbors and those in their communities.

Treating others with respect and acting with justice are, of course, moral and virtuous actions. However, they are lacking to the degree they are solely human. The need for something more is hinted at in the raised expectations of the people, who “were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ.” Having recognized the need for natural goodness, they now hunger for supernatural goodness, that is, for the Christ. Having tasted the joy that comes from seeking the good for others, they wish to receive the joy that comes from the good given by God (cf. CCC 1804).

The distinction and relationship between the human and supernatural virtues is highlighted further in comparing the baptism of John the Bapist to the baptism of the Messiah. The first is an external sign, a washing of water symbolizing the need for purity and the desire for holiness. The second is an efficacious sign, a sacrament, which accomplishes what it signifies. “By the action of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit,” explains the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the sacraments “make present efficaciously the grace that they signify” (par 1084).

What about the fire mentioned by John? While water symbolizes birth and life, “fire symbolizes the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit's actions” (CCC, 696). Both water and fire can destroy, but both are also necessary for life. And in the case of baptism, this life is supernatural, divine, Trinitarian. In baptism, original sin is destroyed, the chasm between God and man is closed, and the soul is ignited with divine fire. Joined in the death of the Son (cf., Rom. 6), those who are baptized are transformed by the Holy Spirit into sons of God, made anew for the glory of the Father, and prepared for life in the new heavens and new earth.

Here, then, is the source and heart of our Advent joy. The season anticipates the celebration of Christ’s birth, but it also illuminates the purpose of the Incarnation: to remove judgment, to destroy sin and death, and to grant intimate, life-giving communion with God. “All seek joy,” said St. John Chrysostom, “but it is not found on earth.” It is found instead in the Son, who comes from heaven to earth—to the crowds, tax collectors, soldiers, and us. Great joy flows from immortality. Rejoice!

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the December 13, 2009, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Merit Revisited

Merit Revisited | Fr. Joseph R. Upton | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

One of the most significant themes is the doctrine of merit. This long-forgotten element of Catholic teaching has made a remarkably ostensible reappearance in the new translation.

t seems that the implementation of the new translation of the Roman Missal has gone over remarkably well, even better than many expected.  Our congregations seem to be adjusting well, despite the occasional “and also with you.”

Among the most striking changes in the new translation is the pervasive presence of rich doctrinal themes.  It’s not as though these themes were absent from the liturgy before.  They were clearly articulated in the original Latin text, but were unfortunately obscured in the previous translation.

One of the most significant themes is the doctrine of merit.  This long-forgotten element of Catholic teaching has made a remarkably ostensible reappearance in the new translation.  It appears regularly throughout the proper prayers, and is referenced in Eucharistic Prayer II which prays that “we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life.”  It is a doctrine that has been misunderstood for centuries, and has been the source of great disagreement and consternation throughout the history of the Church.

Simply stated, merit makes our actions worthy of reward by God.  Merit is part and parcel of our everyday natural lives: a laborer who performs his job well merits a proper wage, which has been promised by his employer pending the fulfillment of his duty.

The difficulty in understanding merit in the supernatural order is that it seems to place a condition on God, who is all-powerful and infinitely greater than any human act.  While this is true, God himself has promised believers a just reward for persevering in this life.  This teaching is profoundly scriptural.  Jesus continually promises heavenly rewards to those who follow him faithfully: “Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven” (Mt 5:12).  Matthew 25 presents eternal life as a reward for those who served Christ with good works on earth.  (See also Mt 19:29; 25:21; and Lk 6:38.)

Continue reading at www.HPRweb.com.

The Hallowed House and the Secular World

The Hallowed House and the Secular World | Carl E. Olson | Catholic World Report

An interview with Dr. Thomas Howard about the sacred, the secular, and the current state of Church and culture.

Thomas Howard is one of the most erudite and literate Catholic authors in recent history. He was raised in a prominent Evangelical home (his sister is well-known author and former missionary Elisabeth Elliot), became Episcopalian in his mid-20s, then entered the Catholic Church in 1985, at the age of 50. Dr. Howard was a highly regarded professor of English and literature for more than 30 years and is the author of numerous books, including Dove Descending: T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets,” Evangelical Is Not Enough, Chance or the Dance?, Lead Kindly Light, On Being Catholic, and The Secret of New York Revealed. He recently was interviewed, by email, by Carl E. Olson, editor of Catholic World Report, about the new edition of his book Hallowed Be This House: Finding Signs of Heaven in  Your Home (Ignatius Press, 2012), as well as the state of American culture, secularism, Anglicanism, and great literature.

CWR: How did the idea for Hallowed Be This House originally come about? Do you think there is an even greater need today for a sense of the hallowed and the sacred than there was when you first wrote the book in the 1970s?  

Thomas Howard: I think the original idea for the book came to me gradually. It must have been the fruit of a lifetime of reading and teaching Western literature, where one finds, up until at least the Enlightenment, the assumption of an ordered, hierarchical, and blissful Universe. Even the pagans assume this. But in my young adulthood, I found myself moving from the very faithful and good Protestant Evangelicalism of my family into the Anglican Church, where at least the notions of hierarchy, sacrament, and liturgy are remembered. Also, of course, I became soaked in the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their friend Charles Williams. In all of these writers, one finds the ordinary stuff of quotidian life treated as though that stuff bespeaks—what shall we say? Glory? Ultimacy? The Truth of things? Splendor? Yes—all of that. The ordinary is not ordinary. It trumpets joy, freedom, and virtue to us mortals if we will pay attention.

Is there a greater need today to see things this way than when I wrote the book in the 1970s? Yes. In the decade of the 1960s, when my wife and I were living in New York, which became the eye of the storm, Western Civilization as it has been known for millennia collapsed. The moral order was overthrown with great zest, and this overthrow is always, inevitably, the prelude to the collapse of any civilization. I myself would see signs of hope, however, in the papacies of John Paul II and of Benedict XVI, with, in the latter case, the promulgation of the Year of Faith. This is a clear call to the Church to reassert, very strongly, the real substance of the Catholic Faith, which is more, far more, than a matter of “it’s nice to be nice,” which perhaps has been the impression conveyed to the laity in common parish homiletics in the wake of what obviously concerns the Holy Father at the moment—namely the training of seminarians, for perhaps a century, in “the historical critical method” of reading Scripture.

CWR: Can you give an example or two of how our houses are, or can become, hallowed? How can we better develop a sense of sacramentality and an incarnational perspective?

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Prior to Adult Faith Formation, One Thing Is Necessary

Prior to Adult Faith Formation, One Thing Is Necessary | R. Thomas Richard, PhD | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

I stress a simple but essential prerequisite (for adult formation), without which all the formal education in the faith will remain merely on the surface of the person.

In a recent article in HPR, I stressed the need in the Church for adult formation. 1  Of course, the leadership of the Church knows the need very well!  But, the inconvenient truth is that there is widespread neglect in following through on the well-documented magisterial recognition of that need.  The many wonderful documents that teach the rightful priority of adult formation don’t seem to make it down to the pews.  That, however, was the subject of the first article: we need adult formation in the faith!

In this article, I hope to stress a simple but essential prerequisite to that needed formation.  Without this one thing, all the formal education in the faith will remain merely on the surface of the person.  Is that so bad?  Yes, it is.  God sees the heart, and wants to pour his life and his love and his truth into human minds and hearts.  God seeks to gather human persons—mind, will, body—into blessed communion with him.

Yes, God sees the heart.  In this world, humans cannot see into the heart of another, but they can often sense, or intuit, whether the Christian witness of a Catholic is authentic or not.  In this world, humanity, who are still of this world, recognize a “salesman.”  They know intuitively about the “hired man;” they understand the duplicity that is so common in the “City of Man.”  If imitated in the Church, such duplicity does not generate the radical transformation that Christ was sent to effect by the cross.  Worldly humanity can sense the presence, or absence, of authentic, supernatural love—indeed, it is by such love that “all men will know that you are my disciples” (Jn 13:35).  Humans in this world can hide, as Adam and Eve hid from God in their sin.  They can hide from the Gospel behind a cynicism begotten by duplicity!  But their hiding places are penetrated by the supernatural love that gives without limit—that gives whatever is necessary—the love that imitates God’s love.

There is “one thing” that is necessary (i.e., Lk 10:38-42).

Continue reading at www.HPRweb.com.

The True Spirit of Vatican II

The True Spirit of Vatican II | Douglas G. Bushman, S.T.L. | Catholic World Report

The main desire of the Council was to reinvigorate the Church’s mission of promoting a fully human life in Jesus Christ.

As far as I know, no participant in the Second Vatican Council summed up its goals or described its spirit as addressing the question whether God’s truth and love are effective, that is, whether they have the power to steer men on a course conforming to their dignity. Nevertheless, the overarching question that the Council did address leads to this question. For the Council Fathers the question was: “Ecclesia, quid dicis de te ipsa? Church, what do you say about yourself?” The context of the question is determinative of the Council’s pastoral nature. The concern was not to produce a technical treatise of ecclesiology, but to respond to the spreading perception that the Church is no longer relevant, that it has nothing to offer to a humanity that has taken its future and the aspiration for a better world into its own hands.

Why the Council?

Just a few years after upheaval of World War II, with the Cold War coming to a head in the Cuban Missile Crisis, with historic revolutions taking place in technology, science, politics, economics, and culture, the Church found herself in a position similar to that of John the Baptist. He lived differently than his contemporaries, putting God first in every way, and he spoke with the authority of a prophet. He did this in the name of fidelity to the God who called him and fidelity to the vocation that God entrusted to him. He had a message, a lifestyle went with it, and a baptism of repentance that attracted great crowds. He could not be ignored. Everything about him provoked the question: “Quid dicis de te ipso? What do you say about yourself?” (Jn 1:22).

This is precisely the question put to the Church at the time of Vatican II: Can you give an account of yourself, of your convictions and values and way of life, at a time when these are increasingly at odds with the surrounding culture and increasingly treated as irrelevant?

Could a Church that was so old, that had been there all along the way and evidently did not prevent the unprecedented assaults on human dignity of the twentieth century, make a credible case that it has something positive to offer? If, in looking to the past, this Church must acknowledge that its own members contributed to division among Christians and to a defensive, even hostile stance in relation to science and the modern democratic states, can this Church dare to say that it is not only not part of the problem but has a solution to offer? Is it not audacious for this Church, and thus contrary to the humility that it professes, to say to the world, in the words of Pope Paul VI: “I have that for which you search, that which you lack” (Ecclesiam Suam, 95)?

The Church’s response to the crisis of humanity as it manifested itself in the middle of the twentieth century parallels what John’s Gospel says about the Baptist: “He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world” (Jn 1:7-9). The first words of the Council’s central document on the Church begin with this theme.

Christ is the Light of nations. Because this is so, this Sacred Synod gathered together in the Holy Spirit eagerly desires, by proclaiming the Gospel to every creature, to bring the light of Christ to all men, a light brightly visible on the countenance of the Church (Lumen gentium, 1).

The Church’s mission is to point to Christ. She does this most effectively by reflecting His eternal light, and that light shines especially conspicuously in times of darkness. In his encyclical convoking the Council, Humanae salutis, Pope John XXIII envisioned that the Council would result in “vivifying the temporal order with the light of Christ.” The brutalities of the twentieth century had demonstrated what can happen in the name of progress and development that deliberately exclude any reference to God and set themselves against the Church. This could only constitute an urgent call for the Church, who knows when men do not acknowledge God neither are they able to acknowledge human dignity or set any limits to their own power and action. What was needed was a counter-demonstration.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Pornography, Masturbation, and the Confessor

Pornography, Masturbation, and the Confessor | John M. Grondelski | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

The spread of pornography is a new pastoral challenge for confessors, but I want to suggest that there is another moral issue which is often overlooked in the discussion over pornography.

Confessors today undoubtedly note an increase in a phenomenon that other social observers have also noticed: a growth in use of, as well as addiction to, pornography.  Two factors are particularly responsible for that spread of pornography: ever easier access, and a growing cultural toleration.

The former is primarily a result of the internet.  Whereas once upon a time, pornography had to be sought out in seedy neighborhoods, or bought furtively—both social conditions which helped tamp down on its spread. Today, pornography is universally available with just a few clicks on a computer.

The latter is a more complex phenomenon.  While undoubtedly the greater availability of pornography is, in some measure, responsible for its social toleration, social acquiescence in pornography is more complex than that.  A progressive corrosion of public morality owes its roots to the so-called “sexual revolution” of the 1960s/1970s, which attacked the notion of public morality itself, as well as ingraining the message that personal pleasure and “fulfillment” is the be-all, and end-all, of sex.  The spread of pornography is, like abortion, also an instance where sexual ethics have been “dumbed down” to general male standards rather than raised to general female standards.

What do I mean?  In the case of abortion, justification for “a woman’s right to choose,” when most abortions occur for reasons of convenience, means that society acquiesces to a general male promiscuity, while providing a utilitarian solution for women to avoid having to bear the consequences, and the child.  In the case of pornography, its spread is also in some measure an acquiescence in general male promiscuity: men want sex, so women need to match male images and expectations.  Men shouldn’t become more chaste; women should become more provocative.  Pamela Paul identified this trend in 2005, rightly coining a term to describe it: we are being “pornified.” 1

The spread of pornography is, indeed, a new pastoral challenge for confessors, but I want to suggest that there is another moral issue, lurking here in the background, which also deserves to be taken seriously, and which is often overlooked in the discussion over pornography.  That issue is masturbation.  Masturbation is typically the “silent partner” in pornography use and addiction.  Its powerful erotic experience plays no small part in cementing an attraction to pornography.  When addressing the issue of pornography, masturbation is often overshadowed and, indeed, overlooked. But this essay aims to lay out a more explicit connection between pornography and masturbation, providing some ways for this vicious relationship to be addressed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Catholic teaching on masturbation was among the second tier casualties in the rebellion against Catholic sexual ethics, unleashed by contraception and the dissent against Humanae Vitae.  While the immediate bone of contention against the encyclical was an effort to justify contraception, at least in certain instances, the rejection of Humanae Vitae targeted its central moral teaching, i.e., that there is an “inseparable connection, established by God, which man, on his own initiative, may not break, between the unitive significance, and the procreative significance, which are both inherent to the marriage act.” 2

Continue reading at HPRweb.com.

A Rational Basis for Marriage between One Man and One Woman

A Rational Basis for Marriage between One Man and One Woman | Bill Maguire | Catholic World Report

Same-sex marriage not only undermines real marriage, it redefines the human person.

It is imperative for Catholics to develop rational arguments to defend the institution of marriage in the public square. We live in a pluralistic society and, therefore, what we accept as revelation is not necessarily accepted by others. However, an argument grounded in right reason—without explicit recourse to revelation—is in principle comprehensible to all persons of good will.

As we consider the current debate over marriage, it would be a mistake to underestimate the pedagogical function of the law and how a fundamental change in marriage law will result in a fundamental change in our understanding of the human person. What is at stake in the push to redefine marriage to include same-sex partners is not only the radical redefinition of marriage—but, also and necessarily, the radical redefinition of the human person and the entire range of relationships that constitute our basic experience as persons: male and female; husband and wife; mother and father; son and daughter; brother and sister.

Same-Sex Marriage Renders the Public Recognition of Marriage Unnecessary

Marriage between one man and one woman is recognized as a public institution, with its attendant benefits and responsibilities, precisely because it serves the common good. Marriage offers the State its most necessary common good: bringing children into the world and raising them in a family that includes the love of their mother and father. The State needs people (citizens) in order to flourish: no people = no State. Under the principle of subsidiarity, the common good is better served when mothers and fathers raise their children, not the State.

Extending marriage to same-sex partners, will redefine marriage in such a way that marriage will no longer be understood to have a direct relationship to the procreation and education of children.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Christ the King deserves our praise, obedience, and adoration

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, November 25, 2012, The Solemnity of Christ the King | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Dan 7:13-14
• Ps 93:1, 1-2, 5
• Rev 1:5-8
• Jn 18:33b-37

“Would Jesus feel at home among the opulence of The Vatican?” The question was put to me recently after I’d written defending the Church’s ownership of cathedrals, churches, and artwork.

My article, in turn, was in response to remarks made by a professional baseball player—a fallen away Catholic, it turns out—who had visited the Sistine Chapel and later remarked to a reporter: “They could sell all those things, auction them off and probably feed half that world's starving population. There is that much wealth stored in the Sistine Chapel. For it just to be sitting there I think is a crime.”

There are numerous flaws with such myopic thinking, including the athlete failing to recognize that no other Christian group in the world operates as many charitable organizations, orphanages, schools, hospitals, hospices, and shelters as does the Catholic Church. And what about his multi-million dollar contract, paid for by fans coming to watch grown men throw and hit baseballs in huge, expensive stadiums?

Yet, if the stadiums and the teams were sold, what then? Are sporting events evil? Is it wrong to make a good living being an athlete? Of course not.

Which brings up a point directly related to this great feast day: cathedrals, churches, and works of art were created over the course of many centuries as essential features of the Church's worship of Jesus Christ, who is the King of kings. Today’s reading from the opening chapter of The Apocalypse describes Jesus as “the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth.” If Jesus really is God, he deserves our praise; if he is King of all, he deserves our obedience; if he is the Alpha and Omega, he deserves our adoration.

Sacrosanctum concilium, Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, observed that “the fine arts are considered to rank among the noblest activities of man's genius … These arts, by their very nature, are oriented toward the infinite beauty of God which they attempt in some way to portray by the work of human hands; they achieve their purpose of redounding to God's praise and glory in proportion as they are directed the more exclusively to the single aim of turning men's minds devoutly toward God.” (par 122). Man was created out of God’s overflowing love, and man returns that love by expressing his love for the Lord, who is king and “robed in majesty,” through prayers, words, songs, art, and architecture.

Ultimately, the cathedrals and statues and artwork belong to the King. This is all the more meaningful when considering that the Eucharist—the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ—is kept in the houses of God. Sure, the Eucharist could be kept in a closet or a gymnasium, but is that any way to show respect and love for the King? 

Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” Some Christians have mistakenly thought this means they should have no part of churches, vestments and artwork. But it should be understood in light of the Incarnation, which Jesus referred to a moment later, saying, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.”

The Son was not of this world, yet he came into the world. He had no beginning, but was born a babe in a manger. He was all-powerful, yet suffered and died. And when he rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, he did not shed his humanity. He is standing in heaven—the Lamb, human and divine, “as though it had been slain” (Rev. 5:6)—surrounded by cherubim and elders singing ceaseless praise.

In other words, Christ’s Kingdom does not belong to the world, but his Church—the “seed and beginning of this kingdom” (CCC 567)—is in the world. And it is growing, mysteriously, not through bloodshed, tyranny, or coercion but through the body and blood of the King, through truth, and through conversion.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the November 22, 2009, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

40% off Dan Nicholls' "Employee Pick of the Week"

40% off Dan Nicholls' Pick of the Week*

If you're like me, the ideal book to spend time alone with is contemplative, quiet where everyone shouts, deep, inviting because it is based in beauty, and reassuring because it proceeds with a sense of joy and timelessness, full of that thing St. Thomas says unites poets and philosophers: wonder. That book, ideal though it may be, has some reality in Thomas Crean's The Mass and the Saints, which is why it's my recommendation to you.

Holy Mass has had its commentators pretty much from the beginning. Something so central to Christian life must inspire discussion and art, and a sort of practical theology gleaned from the liturgy itself. What does it mean that we (traditionally) face the East? Why does the priest elevate the host instead of, say, hiding it away or consuming it immediately? What do these things tell us about God and about us? These are the sort of questions approached in this book--not like a Q&A, but like a tour through the Mass with saints and other writers from its 2000 years of history that have been fixed on the celebration of the Eucharist with eyes open to, as Fr. Crean puts it, the "literal and mystical meaning of the Mass".

A Dominican friar at Cambridge, Fr. Crean knows the value of contemplation mixed with action, and that's the aspect of this book that really caught hold of me. I savored it over weeks, and would look forward to immersing my mind, after a hard day's work, in the many layers of meaning that the source and summit of Christian life has to offer. It's a thing to wonder at. The Mass and the Saints is also available as an e-book.


Dan Nicholls handles a number of websites for Ignatius, like Ignatius Critical Editions and Homiletic & Pastoral Review. He is a happy graduate of Campion College ('04, AA) and Ave Maria University ('07, BA), and lives in Arizona.

 *Employee Pick of the Week program features savings of 40% off a book, movie, or compact disc personally chosen and recommended by an Ignatius Press employee. 

St. Thomas Aquinas on the Prayer of Christ....

...  as Manifest in the Prayers of the Mass | Dawn Eden | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

The Angelic Doctor’s overarching concern in treating of Christ’s prayer is to show that Jesus’ primary purpose in praying was to draw us to imitate him.

St. Thomas Aquinas begins his exposition on prayer in the Summa theologiae by explaining that prayer is not an act of the ap

petitive power, but is rather an act of reason. 1 Yet, later in the Summa, in his question concerning the prayer of Christ, he asks whether Jesus’ prayer was the expression of His sensuous impulse.   2 Why does he raise an issue that he has seemingly already settled?

One possible answer is that revisiting the relationship between prayer and the sensitive appetite, enables Aquinas to discuss how the liturgy brings the ecclesia orans into greater conformity with the crucified Savior. This becomes clear when one examines how certain prayers of the Roman Missal manifest one of the things Thomas says Christ’s prayer is intended to teach us: “that it is permissible for a man to entertain an instinctive affection for something which God does not will. 3

Putting on Christ through putting on his desires
The Angelic Doctor’s overarching concern in treating of Christ’s prayer is to show that Jesus’ primary purpose in praying was to draw us to imitate him: “As God, Christ could accomplish all that he desired, but not as man. … Yet, even though in his one person, he was God as well as man, he wished to offer prayer to the Father. It was not that he, as a person, lacked any power; he did this for our instruction.” 4 Thomas then enumerates two things Jesus sought to teach us by this means: “He wished firstly to reveal to us that he was from the Father. So, we find him saying: ‘Because of the people who stand about, have I said it’—namely the vocal prayer—’that they may believe that Thou hast sent me.’” … Secondly, he wished to offer us an example. 5

It is in keeping with this notion of Christ’s offering us an example that Aquinas enters into the question of whether Jesus’ prayer was the expression of his sensuous impulse. St. Thomas initially answers that—following what has already been said about prayer emanating from the reason—Christ’s prayer could not be the expression of his sensuality, “since his sensuality was of the same nature and species in Christ as in us.” 6

Having repeated his earlier teaching, Thomas then considers the question from a different angle, observing that we may be said to pray according to the sensuality when our prayer lays before God what is in our appetite of sensuality; and in this sense Christ prayed with his sensuality inasmuch as his prayer expressed the desire of his sensuality, as if it were the advocate of the sensuality.” 7

Continue reading at www.HPRweb.com.

Paul Horgan’s Priests

Paul Horgan’s Priests | Daniel J. Heisey, O.S.B. | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Rediscovering the acclaimed historian and novelist Paul Horgan (1903-1995)

Soon twenty years will have passed since the death of Paul Horgan.  In his heyday, Horgan (1903-1995) was an acclaimed historian and novelist, receiving the Bancroft and Pulitzer prizes (the latter twice), as well as several fellowships, medals, and honorary degrees.  In 1957, Pope Pius XII made him a Knight of Saint Gregory, acknowledging Horgan’s contributions to Catholic literature; and in 1960, Horgan served as president of the American Catholic Historical Association.  Now, however, Horgan seems to be known only to a few aficionados; most of his nearly forty books, once bestsellers, are out of print.  This essay seeks to dust off Horgan’s name by focusing on his depiction of Catholic priests, in particular in two short stories.  Since Horgan wrote history as well as fiction, this study will close by considering priests in some of his historical works.

Perhaps, Horgan’s disappearance from public, if not critical, appreciation derives from his identification as a regional, and a Catholic, author.  He disliked such categorization, but Paul George Vincent O’Shaughnessy Horgan was Catholic and wrote mainly about one geographical area.  As a regional writer, he ranks with his contemporaries Louis Auchincloss (1917-2010), Conrad Richter (1890-1968), and Eudora Welty (1909-2001).  As does any serious writer, each had a variety of interests, but these three authors are best known for writing about their home regions.  Auchincloss in his essays and stories brought to life the upper-crust society of New York City, and Richter and Welty conveyed the small-town and rural worlds of Pennsylvania and Mississippi, respectively. Just so, Horgan captured the stark lives of the settlers and natives of New Mexico. Nevertheless, despite their excellent prose and profound understanding of human nature, these authors all seem to fall into the second rank; somehow, Horgan has not survived in literary memory even to stand alongside another contemporary Catholic, regional author, Flannery O’Connor.  A British literary critic, Sir Frank Kermode, surmised that although Horgan “wrote with care and precision,” he “was not much interested in the kind of formal experiment that helped elevate [William] Faulkner from the category of regional novelist.” 1

So, just as one must haunt used bookshops for copies of books by once ubiquitous authors such as John O’Hara and John P. Marquand, so, too, must one mount a bibliophile’s safari and hunt high and low for editions of works by Paul Horgan.

Continue reading at www.HPRweb.com.

The Pastoral Mandate, Politicians and Religious Liberty

The Pastoral Mandate, Politicians and Religious Liberty | Joe Tremblay | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Is this threat to religious liberty a political problem, or is it a pastoral problem?

On January 19th, 2011, EWTN’s The World Over with Raymond Arroyo aired an interview with New York’s Archbishop Timothy Dolan. To his credit, Raymond Arroyo represented the concerns of many Catholics by asking the Archbishop about his pastoral position on discipline as it pertained to New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo. As most viewers know, Cuomo had long been an unapologetic advocate of abortion rights. In June of 2011, however, he took his public dissent from Catholic teaching to yet another level. The governor signed a bill making same-sex marriage legal in the state of New York. Cuomo, mind you, is a highly visible public figure who calls himself a “Catholic” and one who attends Mass from time to time. Accordingly, Raymond Arroyo asked where the governor of New York stood in relation to the Church to which he professed allegiance. Archbishop Dolan answered by saying that the talks between him and Cuomo are on-going, maintaining: “Our job is to invite people in and try to patiently change hearts—and not be throwing people out” (New York Daily News June 17th 2011).  I think it is fair to say that many U.S. bishops, especially in several of the archdioceses in the United States, concur with Archbishop Dolan on this form of dialogue.

Religious Liberty
The next day, January 20th, the Catholic News Agency reported that “the Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the administration would not expand a religious exemption for employers who object to its ‘preventative services’ mandate.” In other words, the Obama administration made it known that they would mandate that, against their will, Catholic agencies must provide abortifacients, contraception, sterilization, etc., in their health care coverage. In fact, these Catholic agencies have until August of 2013 to comply with the federal health care mandate. Archbishop Dolan did not mince words when he told the press what he thought of it. He said: “In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences.” In fact, a day earlier the Holy Father weighed in with these sobering words: “No one who looks at these issues realistically can ignore the genuine difficulties which the Church encounters at the present moment.” Indeed, Pope Benedict’s “Dictatorship of Relativism” is on the march in America.

Asking Important Questions
The question then becomes: Is this threat to religious liberty a political problem, or is it a pastoral problem?

Continue reading at www.HPRweb.com.

Irish Priestly Vocations in Worrying Decline

Irish Priestly Vocations in Worrying Decline | Michael Kelly | Catholic World Report

Number of priests projected to shrink by 75 percent in the next 30 years.

For a week last June, the International Eucharistic Congress, held in Dublin, was a beacon of light and vibrancy that Irish Catholicism has been sadly lacking in recent years. Almost two decades of clerical abuse scandals, bishops resigning for failing to protect children, and an often-hostile media reveling in the Church’s misfortune have taken their toll.

The Eucharistic Congress afforded Irish Catholics the opportunity to come together and celebrate their common faith. Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said “the extraordinary interest that was shown for the workshops and catecheses of the Congress tells us just how much thirst there is in our Catholic community to deepen the understanding of our faith.”

The Dublin Eucharistic Congress provided a striking counterbalance to a creeping narrative that sees Irish Catholicism in terminal decline.

Irish Catholics have shown a resilience in the face of aggressive secularism and Church failings that has surprised many.

“More than one-third of Irish Catholics attend Mass every week,” says David Quinn, director of the Iona Institute, a pro-religion think-tank. “Of course, we’d like it to be higher, but that is a large base to build on.”

However, at the same time, a recent survey found that 75 percent of Irish Catholics say the Church’s teaching on human sexuality has no relevance to them. This, Quinn believes, points to the need for the Church to work harder to get its message across. “Priests need support so that they can preach what the Church teaches,” he believes.

But priests in Ireland are becoming few and far between. And as hundreds of priests die or retire in coming years, who will take their place? Who will be there to quench the thirst that Archbishop Martin speaks of or celebrate the Eucharist?

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

New: "To Save a Thousand Souls: A Guide for Discerning a Vocation to Diocesan Priesthood"

Now available through Ignatius Press:

To Save a Thousand Souls: A Guide for Discerning a Vocation to Diocesan Priesthood

by Rev. Brett Brannen

To Save a Thousand Souls: A Guide for Discerning a Vocation to Diocesan Priesthood is the definitive guide for men considering the priesthood. Using powerful and entertaining stories, the book explains in down-to-earth language how to carefully discover God's call.

To Save a Thousand Souls has been bulk-ordered by over 100 U.S. dioceses, and has become the standard "catechism for discernment" throughout the country. It has been re-printed in Europe and Asia and translated into Spanish.

Readers are enthusiastic in their praise for To Save a Thousand Souls, saying it is easy to read and answers almost all their questions about discerning their vocation. Many young men who have read the book have gone on to enter seminary.

"Fr. Brannen's book is tremendous-inspirational, imminently practical, and amazingly comprehensive. It is a clearly written "how to" manual filled with solid advice for men discerning the priesthood. A marvelous work of immense value."
- Fr. Len Plazewski, Past President of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors

"This is an outstanding book, specifically for diocesan priests and those concerned with their work and spirituality. A really needed book in this Year for Priests."
- Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.

"This is the best book-length treatment of discerning a priestly vocation I've seen. In particular, Fr. Brannen's treatment of celibacy is balanced and comprehensive. The book portrays the priesthood honestly and attractively, clearly expressing that faithfully living an authentic priestly vocation is an exhilarating, fulfilling, and joyful life."
- Most Rev. William E. Lori, Archdiocese of Baltimore

"I compliment Fr. Brannen for this breakthrough work. I enjoyed the book's conversational style and anecdotal stories, and I am especially impressed by the chapter on celibacy and chastity, which achieves remarkable clarity on difficult issues of discernment. It is a clear, helpful, and down-to-earth book which will prove exceptionally useful for men looking for answers about the priesthood, as well as those assisting them in discernment."
- Most Rev. John J. Myers, Archdiocese of Newark, NJ

"During my many years of work with diocesan seminarians and priests I have not come across anything that would be as helpful as this thorough handbook. It is an amazing labor of love for the Church. I commend Fr. Brannen for his prayerful insights as he gently explains the discernment process with love and humor."
- Fr. John Horn, S.J., Rector of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary, St. Louis

"A treasure chest for bishops, vocation directors and those discerning a vocation to diocesan priesthood."
- J. Kevin Boland; Bishop Emeritus of Savannah, GA

"Fr. Brett Brannen is the perfect priest to write this book. His wisdom, knowledge, and obvious passion for priestly formation shine through on every page."
- Fr. Luke Ballman, Past Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, GA

"This book is anointed. It's both inspiring and informative, and will be a tremendous help for men who are hesitant about priesthood and need practical advice. I know I will order copies for every man in my diocese who is discerning."
- Fr. Tim McKeown, Vice-Rector of the North American College, Rome

" This book is a real Godsend. There is simply nothing else like it in print. It will certainly be one of the most useful tools at a Vocation Director's disposal when encouraging young men to consider the priesthood. It is clear, convincing, and candid. The many stories throughout the book are inspiring and very much to the point. Not only do I wish that I had this available when I was a Vocation Director, I wish that it had been available to me as a young man considering a vocation to the priesthood. It would have answered so many of my questions. All those involved in priestly vocation work owe Fr. Brannen a debt of gratitude."
- Msgr. Steven P. Rohlfs, Rector, Mount St. Mary's Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD

"An unparalleled resource that covers everything men need to know when praying about their vocation. It will be required reading for my men."
- Msgr. Rob Panke, President of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors

"To Save a Thousand Souls is a feast of information. Its detailed exposition is the most complete I have ever seen. It will help many men to come to a clear knowledge of priesthood and seminary. Fr. Brannen's hard work is evident in the text; it is a labor of love."
- Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., Director of Theological Formation, Institute for Priestly Formation

For some journalists, the only good and interesting nun....

... is a former and now dissenting nun:

For Diane Dougherty, it is a way to live up to her calling and to challenge the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. It is a hierarchy that Dougherty maintains is sexist. Though not recognized by the Vatican, the Coweta County resident and longtime former nun will be ordained next week and will become the first female Catholic priest in Georgia. (www.TheCitizen.com)

An Atlanta woman, a former nun, is seeking to change the Roman Catholic Church, realizing that what she will get her excommunicated from the Church. On Saturday Diane Dougherty is going to be ordained as a priest, not in the Catholic Church, but in an organization called The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. It is an international organization that the Church condemns. (NBC33TV.com)

A former nun is taking a big leap of faith, preparing to become the first female Catholic priest in Georgia. “I've had a calling and I've known since I've been in the seventh grade,” Diane Dougherty told Channel 2’s Sophia Choi. She'll be ordained this Sunday at Atlanta’s First Metropolitan Community Church by the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. No Catholic church will have her, as it goes against the religion. Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory said ordaining women “brings division and fractures unity in the church.” (WSBtv.com)

A metro Atlanta woman is set to be ordained as Georgia's first female Catholic priest on Saturday. However, the Roman Catholic Church says she will be excommunicated because the church doesn't recognize women priests or the ordination service that she will participate in. Diane Dougherty says that as a former nun and parochial school teacher, she is very familiar with the rules of the Roman Catholic Church. The Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests will ordain her. Dougherty said that she knows she is about to make both history and enemies. (www.MyFOXAtlanta.com)

And so forth and so on. Of course, the Washington Post published Dougherty's story, which is all victimhood and grievances, with at least five references to the heinious evil of "clericalism". I put it in scare quotes because her definition of clericalism is a bit self-serving. And, at times, quite vague. For instance:

What I felt, but did not have words to describe, was the growing politic of clericalism creeping throughout the South by the strategic appointment of bishops and priests.

Oh. This statement sheds a bit more light on the matter:

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

New: "Married Priests? 30 Crucial Questions About Celibacy"

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Married Priests? 30 Crucial Questions About Celibacy

Edited by Dom Arturo Cattaneo

• Also available as an Electronic Book Download

Why do Catholic priests not marry? How can celibacy possibly be so important to the Church, if Jesus did not even require it of his apostles? Cannot such an obligation cause sexual deviance, emotional troubles and even cases of pedophilia? These are three among the numerous possible questions that many people ask themselves, often without finding convincing answers.

In recent years the arguments in favor of openness to married priests seem to be multiplying. Some object that celibacy is not a dogma but only a discipline that originated in the Middle Ages; that it is contrary to nature and hence harmful for a man's psycho-physical equilibrium and the maturation of the human personality. And then, if priests could marry, there would be an increase in vocations.

In this book, seventeen various experts make contributions, responding to these and other burning objections, allowing the reader to discover the value that celibacy has today in the lives of thousands of priests and seminarians.

Among the key topics this book discusses are: History of Priestly Celibacy, What Theology Says on the Celibacy, Emotions and Sexuality, Discerning and Fostering a Vocation, Celibacy in the Life of a Priest, Celibacy and Inculturation, Papal teachings on Celibacy from Pius XI to Benedict XVI.

"I hope that this book will find the widest possible readership, thus contributing to an ever greater appreciation of priestly celibacy as a precious gift of the Spirit of Christ to his Church and received by young men who-like Saint Paul and so many saints-allow themselves to be "won over by Christ".
From the Preface, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy