Transforming Catholic thought into words
Hi EW,
I’m not an expert on sex or moral issues, but going by what I’ve read about Theology of the Body, what’s important here is the intention of looking at these photos. Pornographic photos are designed to sexually arouse the viewer, but on the part of the viewer, is he looking at these photos with lust? If he cannot help but look at these photos with lust, then it is better not to look at them in the first place, and to avoid reading such material which is accompanied by photos in which the viewer may be tempted to lust after a woman.
Hope that helps.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
By John Guglielmetti:
I can’t think of anything more “universal” than catholics all over the word celebrating mass in the same language and every time I hear a priest mention the “Universal Church” I ponder why Vatican II terminated this wonderful traditional practice. I grew up attending the latin rite and was taught the translation of the latin prayers to english so I understood what each meant. It was quite easy.
Hi John,
I do not know how many hundreds of thousands of Catholics have not experienced a Mass in Latin before in the 40 years that have passed since Mass was celebrated in the language of the people. If all the Catholics started to celebrate Mass in the same language tomorrow, it would hardly be “universal” and actually more divisive than uniting.
I would liken the move of celebrating the Mass in the people’s language to Pentecost, when each person hears the Good News of Jesus Christ being preached to them “in their own language”. The Mass then instantly becomes “universal” not only to Catholics but to other non-Catholics who might be present at the Mass.
Just my thoughts.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
I don’t know where to post this question or even how to review any responses… but here it goes- I have been married for 21 years, we married young- she was 21 and I was 22. We have 5 children and our sex life has never been very fulfilling or satisfying- fruitful yes, blessed yes, but satisfying no. Since our fifth child my wife asked me to stop having children. Since then (the last 6 years) we have only made love occassionally during her infetile times and other times it has been oral sex which I have a problem with but my wife looks at as a means to satisfy me during her fertile times. My question is it wrong to think of my wife sexually. My thoughts are graphic and detailed. I truly love my wife, with all my heart, soul, mind and body but our semi-non-existant sex life leaves me yearning.
Hi John,
Thanks for your honesty in sharing.
I must say that I’m not a priest, religious, or expert on sex matters. I’m not even married, but then again, neither was the Pope that gave us Theology of the Body. 
To be frank, I’m not sure how to respond to your comment. But there are a few things that come to mind as I read and re-read your comment.
One question that comes to mind is what you mean by a fulfilling sex life. What, to you, is a fulfilling sex life supposed to be like?
Another thing that comes to mind is the purpose of sex, which according to Pope John Paul, is the visible expression of a free, total, faithful, and fruitful love. Of these, I want to focus on “free” and “total”.
Freedom is non-existent if sex is engaged in merely as a response to a compulsive “need” for gratification (or satisfaction). Freedom means that you can say “no”, otherwise your “yes” means nothing. We are called to gain increasing self-mastery so that our passions don’t control us, but we control them.
On “total”, the climax of the sexual act shouts clearly and loudly, “Take me. I am totally yours. I’m holding nothing back.” That ecstatic moment reflects the unreserved surrender of our persons and the unreserved receptivity of the other. To the degree that we knowingly and intentionally reserve any part of ourselves (including our fertility) from our spouse in the sexual act, we cannot speak of a total self-giving.
Perhaps one spouse is emotionally distant from or cold towards the other. Perhaps both spouses are deliberately refusing to be transparent and vulnerable with each other. Perhaps they’re not giving themselves to each other in climax at all.
These three paragraphs are taken from Christopher West’s “Good News about Sex & Marriage - Answers to your Honest Questions about Catholic Teaching”, a great book that I highly recommend.
But going back to the point of sex being a visible expression of an invisible love, perhaps a good point of reflection would be to ask whether the love between you and your wife is free, total, faithful, and fruitful. Having been married for 21 years already, you should have built up an open channel for honest communication with your wife. Your sex life is one area that the two of you should be discussing with each other to see how the both of you can give yourselves to each other more fully in a way that reflects your marital vows.
Sex is more than just about procreation; it’s also about the union between husband and wife. I’m not sure if any of these helps, but I hope it does.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Can you do homework on Sunday?
Hi Al,
Yes, you can do homework on Sunday. As Christians, we are supposed to keep the Lord’s Day holy, so ideally, we should finish our homework on Saturday, so as to keep Sunday free for church attendance and prayer. It is alright to finish up some homework on Sunday if it can’t be finished earlier, but one shouldn’t make Sunday the day to do all homework, as it is a day of rest.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Hey, do you know anything about the feast of Triumph of the Cross in Malacca?
I’m trying to get info as I plan to go there this year, but I couldn’t get anything from the internet. Thanks!
No, I don’t. What takes place there?
I’m not so sure, but during the Triumph of the Cross (September 14) the relic of the Holy Cross will be exposed. In the past people used to take a small piece of it and bring it home. If I’m not wrong, it will take place in a small chapel about 20 minutes from the town.
I heard many Singaporeans will go there for this event. Hopefully, I can to go there this year. =)
I’ve been casually following the talk on the possibly forthcoming Moto Proprio am somewhat amazed at the odium theologicum the opposing sides seem to have for one another.
What I really miss after all these years is the Latin and the chants. It’s hard to remember that the priest used to have his back to the people but it still almost makes me cry to hear the “Pange Lingua” sung in English. Unfortunately, I get the impression that even mentioning Latin somehow numbers me among the reactionaries as far as my more liberal fellow Catholics are concerned. Where is the middle ground on this?
Hi Dan,
I would say that the two extreme ends of the scale would be focusing only on the Tridentine Mass as the only Mass allowed and that is good while dissing all the other rites as well as the Novus Ordo on the conservative end; on the liberal end, the extreme would be dissing the Tridentine Mass as outdated and ancient, while anything goes for the Novus Ordo.
I think that both extreme ends are not healthy ways of being a Catholic. The middle ground would probably be people who agree that both the Tridentine Mass and the Novus Ordo Mass are good, and that the way both are celebrated have good things as well as flaws, without disrespecting either Mass.
I think Pope Benedict XVI is trying very hard to find that middle ground that reconciles both sides and help them to see each other’s perspective, while affirming all that is good in both.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Hi CA,
If I remember correctly, our Singapore Church of the Holy Cross also has a piece of the relic. What I’m not so sure about, and I think no one knows either, is whether that piece of the cross is authentic. I mean, there’s no certificate or anything that comes with that piece of wood that can confirm whether or not it is part of the true cross. After all, imitation relics have long been sold to pilgrims and who knows whether the piece in Singapore or the piece in Malacca really came from the true cross, or is just an imitation.
Regardless, what is important now is to remember what the feast of the Triumph of the Cross means to us as Christians.
Your thoughts?
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Hello,
Yes, there is a piece of the relic of the Holy Cross there. I’m just curious because people believe that the relic could bring a miraculous healing, just like the OLPH novena in the Novena Church. I was asked, by my Catholic friends in Indonesia, to organise a trip there this year.
I think it’ll be a good event to let my friends know about the feast day, because I believe not many of my friends know about it.
God Bless,
CA
I have a question. I am painting a mural for a woman that is muslim. She said she can’t have and animals or people or anything birds, etc. on her walls because of her religion. No living images. Why is this?
Hi Dyna,
I honestly didn’t know, until I went to ask a Muslim friend about it. According to her, Islam forbids idolatry of humans or animals. In ancient times, many actually displayed pictures of animals, so a verse in the Quran was sent to the Muslims to forbid them from following the practice of non-Muslims.
Hope that helps!
God bless,
Catholic Writer
My question is: Is your soul older than you? If it is, then if your soul did something wrong in a previous life, could it be cursed for a period of time? If so, that period of time may reach across other new lifes that will be cursed for no fault of their own.
I feel I have something ‘negative’ around me and it won’t leave and not sure if I am doomed for bad luck or there is something making things become negative. I have read that a ’soul’ can be very old and that would mean it has lived physically before. I am wondering what you think to that. Does your soul inflict such influence on you? And finally, how do you get rid of bad demons or bad angels that may be dominating you for nearly 36 years, since birth?
Thank you for your time and do hope you can answer or give me perhaps some idea of this concern of mine.
Hi Debbie,
Thanks for asking these questions. I will respond to the best of my knowledge.
According to what I understand of Catholic teaching, the soul is you. Each human person has one soul, and each soul belongs to one body. At death, the soul is separated from the body, but at the resurrection, it is reunited with its body. So in answer to your first question, no, your soul cannot be older than you, because your soul is you.
What you have described that is ‘negative’ around you could be the presence of evil spirits (which are not human souls) or it could be the presence of a human soul with unfinished business and continues to remain in the world.
To get rid of both, I would suggest contacting a Catholic priest who is an exorcist. If you know that it is the presence of a human soul around you, you can try offering Masses for that soul. But here’s where my knowledge of the matter is somewhat fuzzy. I would ask you to speak to a priest, preferably an exorcist, about the matter.
Hope that helps!
God bless,
Catholic Writer
This time next year Catholics may have the option of attending a form of the classic Tridentine Mass in their local parish church.
That’s because Pope Benedict XVI is soon to announce whether or not Catholic parishes throughout the world can offer the classical Latin Mass (without permission of the local bishop) as an alternative to the postconcilliar Novus Ordo Mass of Pope Paul VI. If this happens, Catholics who dislike the casual informality of the Novus Ordo Mass will be able to return to the transcendent majesty of the old rite without traveling miles to a parish that offers it.
Of course, the Pope’s trip to Istanbul where he met with the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch to further relations between the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity also speaks to the likely return of the Tridentine Latin Mass.
Why?
The pope has stated that he wants his papacy to be the catalyst for reunification with the Orthodox. If the Catholic and Orthodox Churches are to merge, reviving the Latin Mass is the only way to build the necessary bridge towards that reunification, since Orthodox liturgists look upon the Novus Ordo Mass with embarrassment and disdain.
This would not have been the case if the Novus Ordo liturgy had just changed Latin to the vernacular and left everything else intact, but other changes—and abuses– were implemented as well.
As any practicing Catholic can attest, the Novus Ordo mass can differ from parish to parish. Pastors tinker with the mass as if it were do-it-yourself liturgy. Gregorian chant used to be a staple in Catholic churches; now it is a lost relic. Instead we have unsingable hymns with trite Mariah Carey lyrics. The “new” Catholic Mass has become a form of entertainment. Some critics have even compared it to a talk show with the priest acting as talk show host. Not only has contemplative silence before the Mass been replaced with casual conversation, but when the priest enters the sanctuary to begin the service he says “Good morning, everyone,” with the congregation replying, “Good morning, Father” like an obedient second grade catechism class.
Vatican II, which “ignored” real problems in the Church like birth control, divorce, and sexuality, instead stripped Catholicism of much of its ceremonial beauty. High altars were removed and replaced with wooden pamphlet tables; altar rails were also removed and tabernacles switched to obscure side altars. In many parishes today a circus atmosphere prevails at Mass. Oftentimes during the kiss of peace congregants run all over the church shaking hands and kibitzing. In some parishes the choir and lay readers crowd around the altar creating confusion and chaos.
In some cases there are the altar servers in jeans and sneakers, which helps give the Mass a country and western flavor.
I have nothing against country and western music, handshaking, or modern architecture, and I like my politics liberal, but when I go to church I don’t want to see liturgical dancers pretending they are Isadora Duncan or a priest throwing 2,000 years of liturgical tradition out the window just because he wants a “fashion update.”
“Do it yourself” Novus Ordo liturgies have resulted in certain parishes across the country offering Halloween Masses (in Orange County a priest dressed as Barney), Basketball Masses, skateboard Masses and other do it yourself liturgies where the communion hosts are sometimes as big around as balloons.
Reunion with the Orthodox under these conditions will never happen, and Pope Benedict XVI knows it.
He realizes it’s time to reform the reform.
Walk into any Orthodox Church, such as Saint Nicholas in my Philadelphia Northern Liberties neighborhood, and you will see the ancient liturgy of the church unencumbered by current fashion trends.
You won’t see liturgical dancers waving icons; you won’t hear trite hymns, and you won’t have to wade through 5 minutes of “Montel Williams-style” handshaking.
“I really think that the Traditional Latin Mass widely and freely available would be, among many other good reasons, a great benefit in the field of the true ecumenism with the Orthodox,” said Bishop Fernando Ritan, head of the Apostolic Administration in Campos, Brazil. “This would be primarily because the Traditional Liturgy is much more similar to the Oriental [Eastern] rites in the aspect of the sacred, veneration, and beauty.”
The bishop couldn’t have said it better.
Thom Nickels
Thom Nickels can be reached at ThomNickels1@aol.com
Hi Thom,
The Pope has announced it already…
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Regarding the Motu Proprio comments you made:
Bishop Fellay does not admit excommunication when requesting the “lifting” of the excommunication. The SSPX desires the excommunication to be declared null, i.e., for Rome to recognize there never was an excommunication.
There are two types of excommunication, both have Latin names but I’ll just call them the self-induced type (by commiting certain sins such as an abortion), and then there is the declared type, formally declared by Rome that is.
Many are under the impression that Lefebvre and the SSPX bishops were DECLARED to be excommunicated. Not so. They were assumed (in a public way) to have self-induced excommunication. Rome made a public pronouncement of the self-induced excommunication and the world’s unwary Catholics understood that to mean the SSPX were formally excommunicated by Rome.
Fellay simply wants Rome to admit there is no such excommunication and truly how could there be? Lefebvre acted in defense of the Tridentine Rite in order to preserve what we know has not been abrogated. The immense pressure he received from Rome to abandon the Tridentine Rite for the Novus Ordo Rite was severely unjust and ultimately anti-Catholic. Lefebvre, no being coerced by Rome’s unjust attacks, did not waver from his divine rite to consecrate bishops, and particularly to assure the longevity of the Tridentine Rite. Lefebvre is also found to be innocent under Canon Law.
Read Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre and Iota Unum.
Steve Sanborn
Hi Steve,
Both the Pope and Fellay have made it very clear in the motu proprio and Fellay’s letter that excommunication have nothing to do with the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Mass (let’s call it what the pope calls it, shall we?) but that the schism has doctrinal roots.
If it’s only about the Tridentine Mass, then why hasn’t the priests of SSPX joined the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter where they can celebrate it there openly and legally? No, Steve, it’s not about the Tridentine Mass at all. If it were, the SSPX would already be in full communion with the Church. But it is not about the Tridentine Mass at all. There is something much deeper, and it is set in disobedience, the root of all evil.
In addition, you may say that Lefebvre is found to be innocent under Canon Law, but this has not been proven in an ecclesiastical court. Incidentally, the SSPX is also known for having misrepresented the views of two canon lawyers whose words were used, and the Society has not made any apologies yet. It is currently unknown whether that’s true of the other canon lawyers, but the possibility is there.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
if you can’t abstain from reading the bible for a month dose that make it an addiction.
Father Joseph Brandt, pastor of Saint Anne’s church on Lehigh Avenue in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia, doesn’t think that Pope Benedict’s decree last week permitting wider use of the traditional Tridentine Mass will have much effect at Saint Anne’s or in most Catholic parishes in Philadelphia.
Then again, he admits that the future remains to be seen.
“I wasn’t trained in those liturgies, so I see the request for this Mass being minimal. I don’t think people will request it that much. If they do I would refer them to Our Lady of Consolation in Tacony where there’s a Latin Mass every Sunday afternoon,” he said.
There are also Latin masses every Sunday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, mission of Holy Savior Parish in Norristown.
Prior to Pope Benedict’s Latin Mass decree, traditional Latin Masses had to be approved by the local bishop. The bishops, however, have been rather stingy in delegating Latin Mass parishes. Often these churches are in remote sections of the city. The Philadelphia Archdiocese, despite its conservative reputation, has delegated only two Latin Mass parishes in the city (Tacony and Norristown) although none of the delegated parishes is downtown where they would be accessible to greater numbers of people.
Pope Benedict’s degree changes one important thing: At Saint Anne’s parish if a large enough group of parishioners wanted a Latin Mass, according to the new decree they would have to be supplied with one, presumably negating special trips to Norristown or to Our Lady of Consolation in Tacony.
“When I grew up as an altar server we didn’t use Latin much,” Father Brandt told me. “I was a server in the mid-sixties and I was trained in English. I didn’t know the Latin that much. I can’t see them insisting that every parish do Latin but priests or parishes that are interested might be asked to. The diocese told us they would get back to us with greater information later. The decree doesn’t get implemented till September 14th anyway, so it’s certainly not going into effect today.”
But it will affect the future.
While Father Brandt spoke eloquently of Vatican II’s intent to incorporate the people into the liturgy, I had to wonder why so many Catholic pews have been empty since Vatican II.
Could it be, in an ironic double twist, that the new Mass of the people actually chased the people away? (Much like how New Coke saw a dip in Coke sales before Coca Cola realized that change for the sake of change rarely works.)
Critics of the Novus Ordo or new Mass say it was designed by non-Catholic theologians with little sense of the Church’s rich liturgical history. The designers’ purpose was to emphasize the ecumenical but the end result was, to my mind and to many others’, disastrous: Local parish priests suddenly felt free to experiment with and “improvise” the liturgy with Jazz and basketball masses, liturgical dancing, clown masses, Halloween masses with masks, or Masses with electric guitars. In no time at all the Mass became MTV Theater or pop entertainment with classic Gregorian chant being traded for inane songs like “On Eagles Wings.”
“I think appreciating our tradition is a good thing but over these 40 years since Vatican II we’ve always involved the people in the church and that was never done before and I don’t know if we can go back on that,” Father Brandt said.
Father Brandt may be right. How can Catholics who have never been exposed to the Tridentine Mass know what they’ve been missing?
One possibility, Father Brandt admits, is if Catholic television stations like EWTN begin broadcasting the old Latin Mass in its entirety. Once this happens people will be curious and then they’ll want to see it for themselves.
“If this happens it will not be devotional but out of curiosity,” Father Brandt believes.
I asked Donna Farrell, Director of Communications at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, if she thought that Latin Masses would soon be made available in a number of big inner city churches rather than the two small designated churches in (far-away) Tacony and Norristown.
“It’s too early to say,” she said. “The Cardinal and the bishops will study it but as you can imagine something like this can’t be implemented overnight.”
Either way, it looks like Catholics who want it will get their Classic Coke grove back.
Thom Nickels can be reached at ThomNickels1@aol.com
.
Hi Thom Nickels,
I can point out one flaw in the twist explanation - that other Protestant churches have also seen a similar drop in attendance at their weekly services. If it is true that the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite draws people to church, and that the ordinary form of the Roman Rite is to be blamed for the drop in church attendance, then how do we explain the drop in attendance at other Protestant services? Do we say that they used to have a liturgy as sound and as authentic as our extraordinary form of the Mass?
Clearly such an explanation is not satisfactory. There has to be something else that has nothing to do with liturgy that affects church attendance at both Catholic and Protestant churches in the same way.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Hi theo mokker,
I’ve never had someone ask that question before, but I think in order for a person to seriously ask that question, he or she must first have the habit of reading the Bible everyday.
I would think that only the person concerned will be able to say whether he or she has an addiction, and by that, he or she will have to ask whether this habit causes him any problems. If his or her habit has not caused any problems in his or her life, then we can’t rightly call that an addiction.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Dear Catholic Worker,
Why are traditionalist Catholic seminaries and convents bursting at the
seams with many members, while Novus Ordo convents–where the nuns wear
lipstick and mini-skirts–are almost virtually empty? I think this fact
speaks (to some degree) to the empty pew syndrome in many Catholic
parishes. I know many Catholics who just can’t stomach the “auditorium-style” Novus Ordo mass. They go to Orthodox churches and Anglo-Catholic parishes where
the liturgy is never tampered with, botched or otherwise “improved” (sic).
——–
John Cheevers lives in Atwater, Calif., and is a member of St. Mary Magdalene Parish in the Orthodox diocese of the West.
He is an Orthodox convert and is a former Catholic. Prior to converting to Orthodoxy, he frequently attended chapels of the Society of St. Pius X, and while still an admirer of much of what they stand for liturgically, he said, “I became disillusioned by the heavy-handed legalism and what I felt was the very negative message regularly put forth,” he said. “I have always been suspicious of faith groups that identify themselves primarily by what they are against as opposed to what they are for.” But Cheevers admitted that he has been following the discussions of the SSPX with the Holy See with great interest. “I pray for their swift reconciliation with Rome.” A studied layman with some keen insights on what the postconciliar liturgical revolution has done to Orthodox sensibilities, Cheevers said, “Initially, I was attracted to Orthodoxy by its liturgy,” he said. “The chaos in the postconciliar Catholic Church did nothing to impede my move to Orthodoxy, but it was not the reason I converted.” Cheevers said that Orthodox liturgists have always tended to cringe at the post-Vatican II liturgical reforms of the Latin Church. “Organic development in liturgy is permissible. Radical invention is not.” “The Pauline liturgy implicitly seems to move away from the clear expressions of faith about the sacramental nature of the Divine Liturgy commonly understood in the undivided church of the first millennium.” Cheevers said that a restoration of the Classical Roman rite, or so-called Tridentine rite, in the Catholic Church would probably be helpful to fostering ecumenism with the Orthodox. “It’s something that Orthodox can look at and say ‘we recognize this’.” As for the number of other former Catholics who have fled the Church primarily due to the postconciliar liturgical revolution, Cheevers opines, “Sadly, I do know people who have converted to Orthodoxy mainly as an escape from the mess in the Catholic Church.”
Through The Eastern Catholic Lens
Ukrainian Catholic Fr. Jano said he receives much feedback from his Eastern Catholic parishioners when they travel and attend Holy Mass at modern Roman rite parishes.
“The most common problems they mention are a lack of silence in the church before Mass, which hinders their preparation prayers, unsingable hymns with trite lyrics, too many people in the front of the church near the altar such as the choir, musicians, ‘ministers,’ etc., thereby creating more distractions from the service,” he said.
Fr. Jano continued: “They tell me of priests who, if I may quote one parishioner, ‘act as though they’re talk show hosts in front of an audience,’ the lack of reverence for the altar and/or tabernacle, announcements of ‘who-is-doing-what,’ during the Mass, as though they were the cast of a play; the prosaic ‘Good morning, everyone! Good morning, Father!’ greeting, and other routine ad libs; poor or unorthodox sermons, and a general lack of reverence that they feel is missing from the Mass on the part of the priest, and/or faithful.”
Dear Thom,
I have combined both of your comments into one.
In reply to the first part, I would say that population density has something to do with it. There are far fewer traditionalist convents than what you would call “Novus Ordo convents”, hence they seem to be bursting at the seams. But I believe that if you compare overall numbers all over the world, the traditionalist convents’ numbers would still fall far short of the whole.
Incidentally, just what is a “Novus Ordo convent”? Aren’t both Tridentine Mass and Novus Ordo Mass two forms of the same rite, as Pope Benedict XVI explained in his motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum”?
I would think that unless we start calling them what they really are - two forms of the same rite, reconciliation between the two would be hard to come by.
What you have attacked in the second half of your comment is not the ordinary form of the Roman rite at all, but the way it was implemented, and I agree, that leaves something to be desired. But bear in mind that the extraordinary form has 400 years of fine-tuning, while the ordinary form has only 40 years. Give it another 360 years, and I’ll wager that it will be as good as the extraordinary form, because at its heart, it is the same rite we’re talking about.
God bless,
Catholic Writer (not Worker)
Dear CW,
A so called Novus Ordo convent would be a convent where the nuns have banned a traditional religious habit. You know, nuns in short gym teacher haircuts, mini-head pieces. A traditional convent would translate this way: traditional habit. Very simple. The fact is, mainstream or regular Catholic convents are emptying out while convents advertising that they are traditional are full. Of course there are less traditional Catholics in the world than there are so called Novus Ordo Catholics. Most people have no sense of style–they’ll accept anything at Mass, guitars, bongos, evangelical Southern Baptist-style hand clapping, rolling on the floor, acting stupid, that sort of thing. Look at new Catholic Church architecture (read Michael Rose’s book UGLY AS SIN). Here you have churches that resemble Masonic lodges or auditoriums. In some cases you cannot tell whether a Catholic church is a Catholic church or a Methodist church. How can this be good? How can you defend this?
I know that both the Novus Ordo and the Tridentine are two forms of the same Mass. I don’t dispute that. But I can’t tell you how many Novus Ordo Masses I have walked out of. I simply can’t stomach the inane nature of it, the Protestant hymns, the popular Mariah Carey-style hymns, the hand shaking orgies, the back slapping Elks Lodge feel of it all. In many ways the Catholic Church has destroyed itself liturgically. Ironically, I am a theological liberal and very progressive in my social views. I support birth control, a woman’s right to chose and same sex marriage.
Dear Thom,
I have combined both of your comments into one.
In reply to the first part, I would say that population density has something to do with it. There are far fewer traditionalist convents than what you would call “Novus Ordo convents”, hence they seem to be bursting at the seams. But I believe that if you compare overall numbers all over the world, the traditionalist convents’ numbers would still fall far short of the whole.
Incidentally, just what is a “Novus Ordo convent”? Aren’t both Tridentine Mass and Novus Ordo Mass two forms of the same rite, as Pope Benedict XVI explained in his motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum”?
I would think that unless we start calling them what they really are - two forms of the same rite, reconciliation between the two would be hard to come by.
Dear Thom,
I’m sure you know this already, but being a Catholic (traditional or otherwise) means more than just which form of the Mass you choose to celebrate. It means living and behaving in a way that conforms to Church teachings, and being faithful to the Pope and his Magisterium. After all, if you can’t keep these two in mind, you can hardly call yourself “Catholic”, can you?
Now you have to remember why nuns have a religious habit in the first place. The reason they had the habit was because back in the 18th century the nuns were to wear something that made them fit into the normal dressing of the ordinary folk. By mid-20th century, nuns were no longer wearing what the ordinary folk wore, hence during the Second Vatican Council, this was updated.
Some orders chose to retain their traditional habit, while other orders chose to wear what the ordinary folk wear. You can hardly fault the nuns for doing something in the 20th century that they did in the 18th century - wear the clothes of the ordinary folk.
About accepting anything at Mass, did you forget that King David danced naked while in praise of God? When such people “act stupid”, it is because they are so caught up with the Holy Spirit in them that they pay no heed to what other people are thinking of them. They are focusing only on praising and worshipping God, as King David did.
I cannot say much for church architecture, but here I have no complaints.
But when it comes to supporting birth control (I assume you mean contraceptives), a woman’s right to choose (abortion?), and same-sex marriage, you can hardly be considered a Traditional Catholic. Remember what I said in the first paragraph: being a Catholic (traditional or otherwise) means more than just the form of the Mass you choose to celebrate. It means living and behaving in a way that conforms to Church teachings, and being faithful to the Pope and his Magisterium.
The Church has always taught that contraception is intrinsically evil. In fact, it was the Protestants who first accepted the use of contraception, and today, all churches, except for the Catholic Church, accept the use of contraception. You write of how liturgically, the Church has destroyed itself, yet you write of accepting the use of contraceptives. How can you call yourself Catholic if you support contraceptives, much less traditional? For the Church has traditionally always rejected the use of contraceptives.
That goes for same-sex marriage and abortion as well. How can you say you support abortion when you know that it is none other than the taking away of an innocent life? And you know that the Anglican Church is one of the churches that support same-sex marriage, which by this very term is contradictory. (See definition of marriage.)
My dear Thom, you are kidding yourself when you call yourself a traditional Catholic. You are far from traditional, and even more Protestant than the so-called “Novus Ordo Church” you condemn. You might worship God in a traditional setting, but that doesn’t make you a traditional Catholic. It is how you live your life, and where you stand on all the Church’s teachings that makes you a traditional Catholic.
Even though I do not worship in the Tridentine fashion, I would say that I am more a traditional Catholic than you are, so long as you retain such errant theological and social views.
Repent! The Kingdom of God is very close to you.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
My Dear CW,
You are sounding more and more like an evangelical Baptist or a Religious Right fundamentalist. Catholics do not use the word REPENT. They also do NOT shake, rattle and roll in the church aisles. Nor do they tame snakes. That is unseemly and without class. it is also indictative of a lower evolved mind. I think you need to read James Joyce, Walt Whitman and Albert Camus. Even a dose of Susan Sontag and Matthew Fox wouldn’t hurt. Lighten up on gays and birth control. Many of the saints were gay. Millions of Catholics are gay or bisexual. Remember, homophobia is a sin. I think this dialog has come to an end.
In the meantime, I will continue to worship at traditional Anglo Catholic, Orthodox and RC and Old Catholic Churches. Repent? Look within. I don’t need a Catholic Writer judge and jury.
Amen,
Thom Nickels
Dear Thom,
Repent! The kingdom of God is very close to you!
I merely repeated what Jesus told his disciples to tell the towns that they went to spread the news that the kingdom of God is here. If you read scripture, you would know this. As St. Jerome says, “Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
Catholics also do not support contraception, abortion, and homosexual unions. They have never supported it. You may think it’s just a matter of lightening up, but I would say that it’s a matter of life and death. Remember that those who support abortion should refrain from receiving Holy Communion. It is that serious - those who support abortion are actively putting themselves out of communion with the Church.
You don’t need me to be your judge. Be your own judge. Judge yourselves against the teachings of the Church and her apostles. Remember that, as Origen wrote, “We should accept as true only that which differs in no way from the tradition of the Church and the apostles.”
So I say again in the words of Jesus: “Repent! The kingdom of God is very close to you.” Yes, we all have need of daily repentance.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Is sex allowed in a catholic marrage after or during menopause?
Hi Michele,
Most definitely!
God bless,
Catholic Writer
I have a question for you, Catholic Writer, and would prefer if you either just e-mailed me the response, or answered the question without including my information.
Is it sinful to masturbate during foreplay? I cannot find any Church teaching on this anywhere, and I don’t want to ask my pastor. I have a hunch that it is wrong, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to confront my spouse about it. Thank you very much.
[name removed by moderator]
Good Afternoon, D.H.!
Get a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for S$18; it really helps to use the index at the back! You will need a copy when you and your wife have older children and even more when they are teens!
CCC2352, second paragraph says:
“To form an equitable judgement about the subjects’ moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety, or other psychological or social factors that can lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.”
Which in plain English means… ‘Ask your pastor’.
Ask him within the confines of the confessional if you want your privacy assured. And ‘yes’ its OK to make everybody, who is standing in line, wait.
What your pastor will be concerned with is this: are you and your wife sharing your bodies, your hearts, your lives in a giving manner?
This is a simple enough question to read but it is a bit more difficult to answer.
If you and your wife did everything during your conjugal union
1. to remain open to life,
2. for the pleasure of each other first, putting yourselves second
and
3. to remain aware that there are actually three persons in bed together (man, woman and God),
you both will be fine.
You will need some time to digest this.
On a practical and decidedly physical level, this is what you want to know:
1. ejaculate only into her vagina,
2. do your best to achieve your spouse’s orgasm FIRST - Pope John Paul 2 said this (smart man if you ask me)
and
3. spend some time thinking about what turns God on (ya, I know this one feels almost like blasphemy but it’s not! When you begin to understand what God wants, everything makes sense.)
So what will you do now?
1. remember that your wife grows and learns at a different pace than you. She may be slower than you on this subject but she will be faster on others. Ask yourself how many times she may have forgiven you your wrongs without your knowledge.
2. don’t confront your wife. Instead, give yourself to her pleasure, persistently and selflessly until she forgets to masturbate. Make it easy for her to focus on your body by focusing on her body.
3. ask your pastor! If you look for one-liner answers, you won’t find them because the answers are broad and only make sense when you understand the bigger picture.
The bigger picture:
When the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have sex, who gets up to make breakfast for everyone?
God bless you and your wife, D.H..
Hi D.H.,
I have emailed you.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Your writings are absolutely amazing! I was reading “Why do bad things happen to good people” and “Why Muslims don’t eat pork” and your references in the second article are very to-the-point. Your research on the topics with references to the Bible and other religious writings are amazing. You are truly God-inspired and the Holy Spirit is clearly working through you!!!
In the bible, our lord did many miracles….one being casting of devils and cleansing of unclean spirits.
Why is it that the modern day priest when face with this situation just dismiss the subject altogether and participate as a non believer. Being a spiritual person, if u believe in the existance of ‘God’ surely there is the negative force, Satan.
And Black Magic does exist!!
sad & confused.
Hi henry,
Jesus did a lot of healing as well as casting out of demons. Modern-day medicine is more advanced than it was back in Jesus’ time, and we are now able to tell whether a certain symptom has a psychological or spiritual source. Sometimes, it is both.
From what I have read, it is better to first have a person go for psychological treatment. Get a Christian one who is not afraid to refer a person to a priest should there be spiritual complications. First rule out the psychological source, and if psychiatrists’ treatment is not working, then bring the person to the priest for deliverance.
There are times when we attribute psychological illnesses to spiritual sources, and choose to seek spiritual treatment rather than psychological treatment, which of course will not work.
However, I do agree with you that if you believe in God, then you can’t help but believe in Satan as well. And yes, black magic does exist!
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Is playing computer/video games sin?
Hi Link,
Most of the time I would say that playing video games is no sin, unless it is a game whose content is immoral. When playing video games becomes excessive, then it can be sinful.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Is it a mortal sin to have oral sex before marriage? Is it a mortal sin to “grope” your significant other before marriage?
Hi anonymous,
I’m no priest or theologian, but I would say that simply you asking that question shows that you believe that there is something wrong there, and rightly so.
Why would a person want to have oral sex, or to grope their significant other, before marriage? I can only think of one reason, and this is answering for myself, and that reason would be pleasure. While pleasure is not a bad thing, seeking to put pleasure first at the cost of others certainly is.
Going more in depth about oral sex yet keeping it simple, I would think the reason two people would want to have oral sex is that they want to have the pleasure of orgasm without the consequence that is rightfully found in marriage. It is taking the sexual act outside its rightful place in marriage, and this is why it is disordered.
About groping, I would say that the reason two people grope each other is primarily because it turns them on. Similarly, this is pleasure-seeking and while it is not the sexual act per se, it is foreplay to the sexual act, that is, it leads to the sexual act which is reserved for marriage.
Hope this helps!
God bless,
Catholic Writer
I have a question about the gift of tongues. I have attended a couple of prayer meetings and have seen people speaking in tongues. They just repeat a couple of words and sometimes just one, while the others just scream loudly and drop on the floor. It looks weird sometimes to witness these things as they don’t seem genuine? Are these people drawing attention or are they really experiencing the gift of the holy spirit?
I would also like to share my own personal experience regarding the same. I attended a catholic retreat a couple of years back in India. During one of the praise and worship sections, I discovered that I too was praising in tongues - not many words but just a couple of them. I was told later that it was the gift of tongues. I never believed it and have been doubting about it since then. When I do the praise and worship sometimes, I feel that my tongue rolls fast repeating a couple of words. Is it a sin to doubt? Shall I just continue with my praise and worships and allow the tongues to flow as it does? Sorry, if these questions are sounding stupid as sometime back I was told that this gift of mine wasn’t the gift of tongues as they had never witnessed one like that.
Thank you for your time.
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Thank you,
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Hi Catholic Writer:
I’ve been hoping to get some answers to my questions regarding the gifts of tongue. As yet I haven’t heard back. Could you please let me know by when I should hear from you.
Thanks so much.
God bless!
Hi Sebastiana,
My apologies for the late reply. It appears I missed this comment of yours somehow.
I used to have the same questions about the gift of tongues, but over time, I came to realise the purpose of this gift, as well as all the other gifts e.g. prophecy, discernment of spirits, etc. To be more accurate, these are known as charisms, to be differentiated from the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of these charisms is always to bring us into a deeper relationship with and worship of God, to make us ready to serve God, and to build up his Church.
Praying in tongues is a wonderful gift, because it frees us from wondering what to pray for as we let the Spirit pray in us - or rather, we pray in the Holy Spirit. Prayer-tongues edify God, grant us a freedom and often a greater sense of discernment. They are not to be feared, they can be learned, and they are always under the control of the person praying.
- taken from http://www.in-unity.org (http://www.in-unity.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=0)
My own experience and knowledge of the charismatic renewal is unfortunately minimal, but I would recommend this site for Catholics interested in the charismatic renewal. They would know better about tongues and the other charisms. For the both of us, I would recommend praying for the grace to be open to how the Holy Spirit chooses to work in our lives, and in the lives of others. Doubt not, but trust that the Holy Spirit is alive and working within us. When you are praising and worshipping God, and you hear others praising in tongues, do not be distracted, but focus on your own praising and worshipping. Do not be afraid to praise God with anything, because really, no one else is paying much attention to you. Just focus on emptying yourself and surrendering to God.
Hope this helps!
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Hi Sebastiana,
I came across another good page on the gift of tongues that explains it in greater detail. Please take a look:
http://www.burningbush.sg/ccr/tongue.htm
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Dear Catholic Writer,
Do you consider Catholicism is a way of life or simply just a religion?
Vic
Can a married couple use a condom to prevent the possible spread of an incruable sexual tramsitted disease as long as it isn’t used for contraception? We practice NFP regularly, but will need to use it for the health of one of the partners.
Hi Victor,
I consider Catholicism to be both a religion and a way of life, for if Catholicism were merely restricted to adhering to a set of doctrines and practices, it would not be Christianity. I remember that Jesus did not give his disciples doctrines but rather He gave them (and us) an example to imitate, a way of life which we follow. Over time, this developed into a religion as well, because Jesus is also the full revelation of the Father. But primarily it has to be first a way of life led by individuals, then a religion when these individuals come together and live as a social entity.
Hope this answers your question!
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Hi matthias,
If a spouse has an incurable STD, I believe that if he truly loved his spouse, he would not do anything to put his spouse’s health in danger. [I use the male pronoun for simplicity, but it is equally applicable to women.]
Condoms have a substantial failure rate: 13-15% of women whose male partners use condoms as the sole method of contraception become pregnant within a year. Bear in mind that the size of sperm is often larger than the size of viruses of STDs. [Source given below]
Even when condoms are use perfectly and when they do not break, leak or slip, they are not able to provide total protection against the spread of STDs, especially not those that are spread by skin-to-skin contact, such as Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), which frequently infect the entire genital area. Many STDs, such as gonorrhea and herpes, are transmitted by oral sex as well, and a condom often does little, if any, to prevent such spread.
So therefore, if a married couple wants to prevent the spread of STDs using a condom, they need to be aware that condoms do not provide total protection, and continued use of the condom over a period of years results in a cumulative risk of spread of the STD. In other words, with every act of sexual intercourse, the uninfected spouse is exposed to a certain degree of risk of being infected with that incurable STD.
For more information on condoms and STDs, Human Life International has an excellent document which can be found here:
http://www.hli.org/condom_expose_complete.html#13
[The URL I’ve given will lead you to the exact section at which the issue is discussed. The rest of the document is interesting reading as well if you have the time.]
Hope this answers your question!
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Dear Catholic Writer,
Your answer made sense. Thanks.
Vic
Dear Catholic Writer,
In your opinion, why do people study religion?
Vic
Hi Victor,
Do you meant to ask why people study certain fields within religions (e.g. history, rites, theology, etc), or why people study the religion as a whole (e.g. effect on politics, civilization, education, etc)?
God bless,
Catholic Writer
I have a project that you may be interested in. I am putting together a book entitled The Gift of Love: How John Paul II’s Theology of the Body has Changed Lives. It will be about Catholics whose lives have been changed by John Paul the Great’s Theology of the Body. Therefore, this book will be a compilation of stories from a cross-section of Catholics.
I would like to invite you to submit your story for possible publication in the book.
A page on my site is currently up to take submissions.
Thanks.
Peace,
Marcel LeJeune, MTS
http://www.thecatholicevangelist.com
Hi Marcel,
I have sent you an email regarding your invitation.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Hi, Catholic Writer,
Thks for the blog, and I hav learnt quite a lot from here…Keep up the good work!
There is one question puzzling me these days…..What is the Christian response to the scandals in today’s world, especially of the public figures?
The reason I put the question in this blog, because my thoughts came from something about sex…hehe…jst kidding….the recent ex-malaysian minister’s sex scandal…I had been holding the view that he should step down as he didn’t conduct properly by committing adultery…until yesterday I looked at Jamie Yeo’s blog (http://starblog.stomp.com.sg/post.php?blogid=686), in which she quoted a famous sentence said by Jesus “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” It says we shouldn’t judge people….
But should we Christian just let him (or in general whoever doing something obviously wrong) be w/o commenting on his conduct?
Thanks Jacob! I try my best.
While it is true that “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” (Jn 8:7), it is also true that “When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him” (Lk 12:48). Part of the reason why this is such a grave matter is because the minister is a leader for the people, and he has let his people down by setting a bad example for them.
I am a believer of second chances (mercy), but I am also a believer of justice. If Malaysia has a law against adultery, then the minister must also bear the consequences of breaking the law.
In this situation, my response would be to give the man a chance to explain himself, and to make amends. As a leader, he fails his people by setting a bad example. But who hasn’t committed a sin? He can make amends for his mistake by setting a good example - by acknowledging his mistake, apologizing and making amends.
As for whether he should resign or stay on, well I think in this case three things have to be looked at:
1. Has he been a good minister performing his duties as expected of him?
2. Do the people still want him as their minister?
3. Does he promise to turn away from such behaviour and live up to all that is expected of him as a minister? (Whether he succeeds or not is not important now. The important thing is that he shows remorse for his sin and wants to become a better person.)
Only if the answer is ‘Yes’ to all three questions do I think he should stay on.
As for commenting on a person’s conduct, if he is obviously doing something wrong, then he must be reprimanded for his conduct. A person can be doing evil things without he himself being evil. There is a difference between judging a person and the person’s actions. As Christians, it is our duty to correct our brother when he is doing something wrong. Matt 18:15-17 gives clear instruction on how to address this.
Care must be taken that we do not approach a person to condemn him, but invite him to correcting his behaviour (or repentance). It may take more than one try to win him over.
Conversely, when we choose to remain silence when we could in fact speak up, we are committing an injustice against our brother, against ourselves, and against the community.
Hope this answers your questions!
God bless,
Catholic Writer
Hi, CW,
Thak u vry much for taking time to replying to my question…I agree with wat u said here…”there is a difference between judging a person and the person’s action”…This enlightens me…As even Jesus also pointed out to the prostitute “Sin no more”.. He was commenting on her conduct rather than condemning the person saying u r bad. I will definitely apply wat I learnt here to my daily life…
May God bless u with good health and abundant enlightening writings this year!
Jacob
Hi Jacob,
You’re welcome!
God bless,
Catholic Writer
What bible do you use for your readings?
thanks,
Riki
Hi Riki,
I have moved your comment over here.
I use mainly the Jerusalem Bible for my readings.
God bless,
Catholic Writer
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Comment by: EW
Is it a mortal sin to view illicit pictures while reading about other information? For example reading about something related to sex and in the process seeing pornographic photos?
Please don’t publish my information.