Notes for the next broadcast

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Sitz im leben

Ordinary Time: Following Jesus

   

September 17

Z: draft. MXM: Finish moving unanswered questions elsewhere ...

From e-mail and Facebook

John Carlin, 1998.
Used by permission.
John from Cheektowaga
John sent me a picture he painted of two of his dogs acting as guardians at the 12th gate of Heaven. That got me thinking about who the real obstacles are to our entry into Heaven: everyone whom we refuse to forgive. The same issue came up in last Sunday's readings about the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Sons.
Jason from Ohio living in Orlando
"I'm kicking myself right now, because I totally meant to submit this comment to contribute to the show, but I didn't get a chance. Since I could not listen live, I don't know how Father answered Mario. For all I know, he said everything I will say, but, I figured I'd paste it in here now, in case somebody might actually find it interesting or informative. Mario, hope it's helpful:
"Also, a comment about last week's discussion on the Filioque. At the Byzantine Catholic church that I attend, when we chant the Symbol of Faith (i.e. the Creed), we exclude the Filioque clause. I believe this is common in Eastern Catholic Churches. In fact, when the Pope celebrates with the Eastern Churches, he omits the Filioque. I am in no way an expert on the subject, but here is my understanding, based on my research of Eastern Catholicism, Eastern Christianity, and the Schism. The Eastern Churches do not view the omission of the Filioque as a rejection of the concept. It just isn't expressed explicitly when you omit the Filioque. The problem the Eastern Churches had with the Filioque is that it was proclaimed at the Council of Toledo (I believe Father said the 3rd one), a council at which no Eastern leaders were present, at a time before the Schism occurred. They believe that it is wrong to include the Filioque because it was not truly an Ecumenical Council, since the entire Church was not represented. The Western Church responded by saying that although the Eastern Churches were not represented, it is still binding over the whole Church, because it carried the authority of the Pope of Rome. The Eastern Churches disagreed with this, believing that the Pope of Rome, like Peter, was first among equals, but did not have authority over the other Patriarchs (or Peter over the other Apostles) and the Eastern Churches - that Peter had most seniority, but was not boss over the Apostles, as the Orthodox Churches still believe today. Although the Eastern Catholic Churches, in reuniting in Communion with Rome have accepted the authority of Rome. It was the idea that the Filioque was inserted without their consent that caused them to reject it, and along with other issues, eventually led to the mutual excommunications, separating the Eastern Churches and the Western Church from one another."
Also, on a mostly unrelated note, I'd like to point out that one of my biggest pet peeves is when people say "Orthodox" when they really mean Eastern Christian, including the Eastern Catholic Churches, or when people associate East with Orthodox and West with Catholic, completely ignoring the Eastern Catholic Churches (or for that matter, the Western Orthodox Churches). Mario, I'm not saying that's where you're coming from. I really don't know. But I do try to make people more aware that their are Catholics who are Latin Catholics who worship according to the Roman Rite, and there are Eastern Christians who are Catholic and part of various Eastern Catholic Churches, and worship according to the Byzantine or Syriac or a few other Rites."
Kevin from Buffalo
I thought you might appreciate these articles by Brendan O'Neill:

Last Week's Show

Jason from Florida
Can you talk about the practice of women covering their heads in church? What are it's origins? Was this obligatory in the past? If so, is it still obligatory? I look forward to hearing your answer via podcast on Monday. Thanks and God bless.
John from Webster
  • St. John Chrysostom on 9/13/2010
  • the "Exaltation of the Cross" on 9/14/2010
  • the commemoration of "Our Lady of Sorrows" on 9/15/2010 . Many have difficulty understanding why the Church observes Mary's sufferings.
    • Mother of All Joy
    • Cause of our joy
  • Sts Cornelius & Cyprian on 9/16/2010
Gabriel from East Amherst
Comment about the True Cross
Hobbit from O.D.
St: Vitus is the Patron Saint of Comedians.
Barbara from Kenmore
Wants to talk comment on the end of the world. How do you keep excited about Christ's return and keep going about day-to-day life?== September 10 ==

From e-mail and Facebook

  • John from Cheektowaga and Kevin from Buffalo: Lots of questions about Stephen Hawkings' claim that there is no need to think that God created the universe; he can imagine it as a consequence of the law of gravity.
  • Brendan from the Outer Darkness: Is it cursing to say "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph" when you're frustrated?

Last Week's Show

  • John from Buffalo: Stephen Hawking came to the conclusion this week that the Universe came from nothing and God had nothing to do with it, and wants to ask Fr. a question regarding it.
  • Jason from Florida: Most saints have their feast day on or near the day of their passing from this world into the next (their eternal birthday). There are quite a few, however, who have their feast day celebrated on another day (including, I've heard, Pope St.... Gregory the Great). Is there any method used for determining a saint's feast day? Who decides when a saint's feast day will be? Thanks and God bless.
  • Alison from Willis, Texas: Listens over the internet. I was listening to a podcast on the site where the host spoke about the battle between St. Michael and Lucifer. The host pointed out that Lucifer had been the most powerful of the angels, but once he rejected God, he lost most of his power and was able to be defeated. In thinking about this, I recalled hearing many people explain hell as being the absence of God where the damned cannot feel anything but hate. But those who will eventually go to Heaven will eventually receive some type of transfigured bodies. Could you please speak to these ideas and whether or not my understanding is on track?
  • John from Webster: Pulled over in car. Wants to follow up on the angel question. Can they read our minds? Guardian angels ...
  • Mike from Rochester: Comment on discussion about Heaven & Hell.
  • Bill from Buffalo: Question: Discussing priestly celibacy with a friend. Why are priests celibate, Titus 1:6, was the resource he's using - one of the first verses mentions a call for men who are married (he wasn't totally clear himself). Comment - He is listening on his iphone and can explain it to Father.
  • Mario from Buffalo: Why is it that our Orthodox brothers and sisters do not accept the filioque?
  • Alison from Texas: Thanks so much for your answer to my question, Fr. Marty. I actually do have a couple of Dr. Kreeft's books on my Barnes & Noble wish list and just added the ones you suggested.
  • Mike from Ontario: Hello Gina and father. I've been listening from Ontario Canada all summer on an iPod touch with the icatholic app that I downloaded from iTunes. Can/ is heaven here but a different dimension that we can perceive only when we are accepted in rather than some distant removed location?

September 3

Last Week's Show

  • MXM: One Facebook friend said that she likes Fr. Poblocki's no-nonsense approach to the show. Our motto might be: "All Nonsense, All The Time." The things that Fr. Ric exorcises from his show make a comeback here on Fridays.  :-O
  • Mario's question about the filioque clause.
  • Jason. Florida. I love incense. Can you explain the theological and liturgical significance of incense and why many churches today do not use incense very often? Thanks. God bless the rest of the show and have a great weekend.
  • Princess: Should we start a Faithbook?
  • John from California on Facebook: I am reading Father Spitzer SJ's book on the Faith and Reason/science topic. In your opinion in the world today what is the greatest challenge when explaining that faith is propelled by reason and that reason is grounded in faith? What are the roadblocks in society to get this concept?
  • Maureen from Buffalo. Has a question about the role of women in the family, esp. in the modern day. Is there a cause-and-effect relationship between working outside the home and feminism?
  • Erica from Williamsville. I've been reading how we can participate in making satisfaction for our sins through the Mass. Does that happen automatically by simply attending Mass, or do we have to intentionally participate for the sake of making satisfaction in order to make satisfaction? Does that even make sense?
  • John from Webster: Regarding St. Monica and praying for wayward family members.

August 27

  • Clock problem
  • Mario from Facebook yesterday: "How would one begin to dialogue with our Orthodox brothers and sisters in regards to the filioque?"
  • Memorial of Saint Monica (331-387 AD).
  • Feast of St. Augustine (354-430 AD), father and doctor of the Church.
  • The heart is the seat of wisdom. It is our heart that keeps our minds on track. Another name for the show: "Cor ad cor loquitur"--"Heart to Heart."

From e-mail and Facebook

Choosing the right good

Jason from Ohio who lives in Orlando said that I said: "The will of God for me is built into me, because God created me to be me."

Last Week's Show

  • Marybeth from Henrietta: "Has a friend who says that she believes in reincarnation. Marybeth said, 'Catholics don't believe in reincarnation.' Her friend replied, 'I do and I'm Catholic.' How do you answer?"
  • FACEBOOK NO. 1. Jason. Florida. At the risk of sounding impatient, it seems to me that to grow in faith and become closer to God, you have to step out of the boat and try to walk on the water. By staying in the boat, you go nowhere and learn nothing. But I also believe it is important to learn to be content with the gifts and blessings you have received. To me, this implies staying in the boat. These two noble choices seem to contrast with one another. Am I just missing something here? Can you please explain how I can reconcile the two? Thanks.
  • Mary from Rochester. Has a teenaged disabled son who received Baptism but no other Sacraments. Would it be advisable for her to have him Confirmed, have First Communion, etc.?
  • John. Buffalo. Just finished a book, 'History of Anti-Christ.' by a gentleman with the last name of Huchede and was wondering if Father could expand on it.
  • Carol. Hamburg. Has a son who lives out of town (43) who has leukemia reoccurring. He's going through new types of Chemo, but it's taking it's toll. He's in a state of depression, and she doesn't know how to help him from long distance.
  • Joan. Buffalo. Happy Birthday to you Father Marty! You share a birthday w/ my eldest son. God Bless!
  • Nancy from Buffalo: "What is the best way to go to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary?"
  • Hobbit: I learned a lesson. Don't post anything to facebook else Father broadcasts it to the world. ;^)
    • MXM: "Everything you say will be taken down and used against you." :-P

The Treasury of Extra Questions and Second Thoughts

We have had many questions that either come too late in the show or that need research to answer. We often say, "Tune in next week and we'll deal with that in more depth"--but we haven't always kept our promise. The purpose of this page is to make a list of those questions for future reference. If we run low on callers or current questions, we can always dip into this reservoir to keep the conversation going.

I often think of better answers to questions after the show is over. This is called "l'esprit de l'escalier," (French: "the spirit of the staircase") because lawyers so often think of the best arguments to have made while walking down the staircase leading away from the courthouse.

Priestly Celibacy

  • Dawn from e-mail: Our family went to a Mass on Sunday in which the priest gave his personal opinion from the pulpit regarding celibacy, "The Church needs to change!"...he charged.

Eucharistic Desecration Videos

Exegesis

  • What do you think of [this essay], particularly its assertion that dogma is more certain than Scripture study?

Purgatory

  • Justin from e-mail: I know that you also share a love for C.S. Lewis' writing and that you might have some light to shed on this subject. I've been reading his book, A Grief Observed, and he brings up the idea of the dead feeling the pains of separation, as the living do, and that this might be one of their purgatorial sufferings. He explains that this bereavement is an integral part of our experience of love, and that death is just another phase, not a truncation, of that experience/process. Was wondering what you think about this? I was fascinated with his intellectual reasoning, as I usually am.

Children of lesbians in Catholic school?

Pitch for the Magnificat

  • Matt from Colorado (e-mail): I love the show on podcast and also the Magnificat. I got a subscription to it and go through the Mass readings and prayers within it daily. I love it and hope you can pass along all about it to your listeners. If I won the lottery, I would buy a subscription for everyone I know and donate more subscriptions to churches everywhere. I first picked it up in the Adoration Chapel at my Church. It was laying there and I was really knocked off my feet by it. I ran home and subscribed immediately. I can totally tell the difference in my spirituality and closeness to God. I feel myself really craving getting to the Eucharist as often as I can. Great, great reading and very interesting too. I love the integration of the lives/stories of the Saints and Blesseds. I bought my Mom a subscription too.

The meaning of fiction

Matt from Colorado asked about (e-mail about The Shack). Second thoughts: interpreting fiction.

What about the prophecies about the Antichrist?

  • John from Cheektowaga: "I wished I had stayed on the phone the other day to do a follow-up (I did not want to hog all the air-time). I wasn’t looking for a speculation of WHEN the end time will be – I know our Lord Jesus said that not even the angels or saints know, but only the Father knows the day and the hour."
    • MXM: The advantage of staying on the phone is that you get to rephrase your question as we go along. If we think you're hogging the air, we'll thank you for your call and hang up on you.  :-O
  • I was just looking for comment on how really interwoven all of history is (past, present & future); all events detailed in prophesy. I thought that the little book “History of Antichrist” was extremely well presented. It listed each important prophet as indicated in Sacred Scripture, what various interpretations can their words possibly mean, which church fathers, saints, doctorens, traditions, commentators through to the med 1800’s (when the book was written), etc., to include conjectures as to meanings of their statements, and, how it relates to the antichrist. The book is not bad news, but it does say, when the antichrist does come it is going to be a terrible 3 ½ years before Jesus comes and put a stop to his deceit. Many will be swayed – think of the Jews who are still looking for the coming of the Messiah (all part of God’s grand mysterious plan).
    • MXM: The Church is completely agnostic about the sequence of events at the end of the world.
The book of Revelation and other apocalyptic passages were written to comfort people who were suffering for the sake of Jesus. The message is, "Hang on. Your sufferings will be rewarded. You will reign with Jesus in glory." That message was valid in the first century and in every age since wherever disciples suffer for Jesus.
In other words, the material is about the present, NOT the future.
  • The world will be tricked unless one's faith is strong.
    • MXM: We don't need "strong" faith. Putting faith in the strength of our faith is a huge mistake. No act of faith is greater than the size of a mustard seed when compared to the glory of the one in whom we place our trust.

Johnny Cash and the End of the World

Kevin in Buffalo: What do you think of the Johnny Cash song, "The Man Comes Around"?

Evolution

Monogenism

Kevin from Buffalo: What are your thoughts on this article, particularly the points about monogenism?

  • It dogmatizes science and relativizes dogma:
"Subsequent research into genomics, however, has settled this question against Pius. It's not that scientists cannot trace human ancestry back far enough to an Adam and Eve; it's that in principle, the level of genetic variation present in the species today rules out a founding population with fewer than several thousand individuals."

Where did that "founding population" come from? A miracle of mass mutation?

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