Musings of a Catholic Convert

The Holy Father does not disappoint in his book, Jesus of Nazareth.  If you have not read this amazing Bible study, get yourself a copy and start reading it today.  Great, great, great, great read. 

The book can be read by the Catholic everyman and scholar alike.  That's just how much treasure God has placed within this small volume.  In Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy Father takes us on a Journey through the life of Jesus in the Scriptures, while also enlightening us on the surrounding history, culture, and context, always referring us to both Salvation history in the Old Testament, and our communion with Christ. 

Are you still here?  Get that book and start reading?

Bishop Johnston is the newly installed Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  Guess what, folks, he's from Knoxville.  Hooray!  Not only that, but (then) Father Johnston was the first priest I spoke to about becoming Catholic.  Needless to say, I'm a big fan.  He's a good priest and I know he's going to be terrific as a Bishop.  

Now check this out.

I was watching the Holy Father address the US Bishops last night, and who do I see sporting a nice aisle seat?  Bishop Johnston!  I paused the TV to show Kimberly.  "Hey, that's Father Johnston - I mean BISHOP Johnston!" Camera hit him every time it shot the main aisle.  Then came another treat.

5 Questions from the US Bishops to the Holy Father, asked after his address to the Bishops.  Who gets to ask the first question?  Hmmmm, let's see.  Bishop James Vann Johnston!!!  I'm loving this.  Newest installed Bishop gets to address the Holy Father on behalf of his brother Bishops.  How cool is that?

Listening to the Holy Father speak to the Bishops, I could sense his love for these men, even though we all know some Bishops are less than admirable in their actions and even sometimes lack of unity with the Holy Father and the deposit of faith in their teaching.  He was very pastoral with them, bringing up the key issues that must be addressed without "yelling" at them.  Pope Benedict has a lot more wisdom and patience than I do.  No question about that.  I know he has a plan in motion to help bring about the renewal the Church so desperately needs.  We see bits and pieces of it, and it is encouraging to see.  Of course, I remember that the Church is always reforming and always seeking renewal and improvement of its constituent leaders.  After  all, every one of us is called to be a canonizable saint.  

Holy Father, I'm really glad you're here in the United States.  I hope that everyone listens to what God has placed on your heart to share with us all.  We love you, and we thank God for your ministry as our pastor. 

Honestly, I have no idea what that song means, but isn't the beat catchy?  Yup.  Now you have the tune in your head for the rest of the day.

You're welcome.

So what is going on in my neck of the woods?  Work, that's what.  Taking a week's vacation has a heavy price tag.  It's Wednesday and I'm only now beginning to see things clear up a bit.  Whew!

Know what I'm reading now?  Little booklet from Archbishop Fulton Sheen called Way to Happiness.  I started reading it yesterday, and I do not expect that I'll be disappointed.  Archbishop Sheen is such a good preacher.  I need to look into the cause for canonization of Archbishop Fulton Sheen.  Hang on a second.

Here's what the official cause site says:

Status of the Cause
Posted on March 20, 2008

Last February 3rd, 2008, a very special Mass was held at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Illinois, celebrating the end of the diocesan phase of the inquiry into the life and works of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

During the public ceremony known by the Latin name of Postrema Sessio or “next stage”, all documents, books and personal testimonies that had been collected for the cause were certified and forwarded to Rome, where they are now being examined by the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The documents that were certified included all reviews of Archbishop Sheen’s books done by the cause’s Theological Commission, all materials gathered by the Historical Commission, and the personal testimonies about the sanctity of the Archbishop given by more than 100 witnesses.

Wanna know about the canonization process?  Got that too:

The Canonization Process

VATICAN CITY, SEP 12, 1997 (VIS) - Today the Holy See Press Office made public the following note on canonical procedure for causes of beatification and canonization:

1. Canon norms regarding the procedure to be followed for causes of saints are contained in the Apostolic Constitution 'Divinus Perfectionis Magister, promulgated by John Paul II on January 25, 1983.

2. To begin a cause it is necessary for at least 5 years to have passed since the death of the candidate. This is to allow greater balance and objectivity in evaluating the case and to let the emotions of the moment dissipate.

3. The bishop of the diocese in which the person whose beatification is being requested is responsible for beginning the investigation. The promoter group (Actor Causae): diocese, parish, religious congregation, association, asks the bishop through the postulator for the opening of the investigation. The bishop, once the nulla osta of the Holy See is obtained, forms a diocesan tribunal for this purpose. Witnesses are called before the tribunal to recount concrete facts on the exercise of Christian virtues considered heroic, that is, the theological virtues: faith, hope and charity, and the cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude, and others specific to his state in life. In addition, all documents regarding the candidate must be gathered. At this point he is entitled to the title of Servant of God.

4. Once the diocesan investigation is finished, the acts and documentation are passed on to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The public copy used for further work is put together here. The postulator, resident in Rome, follows the preparation of the Positio, or summary of the documentation that proves the heroic exercise of virtue, under the direction of a relator of the Congregation. The Positio undergoes an examination (theological) by nine theologians who give their vote. If the majority of the theologians are in favour, the cause is passed on for examination by cardinals and bishops who are members of the congregation. They hold meetings twice a month. If their judgment is favourable, the prefect of the congregation presents the results of the entire course of the cause to the Holy Father, who gives his approval and authorizes the congregation to draft the relative decree. The public reading and promulgation of the decree follows.

5. For the beatification of a confessor, a miracle attributed to the Servant of God, verified after his death, is necessary. The required miracle must be proven through the appropriate canonical investigation, following a procedure analogous to that for heroic virtues. This one too is concluded with the relative decree. Once the two decrees are promulgated (regarding the heroic virtues and the miracle) the Holy Father decides on beatification, which is the concession of public worship, limited to a particular sphere. With beatification the candidate receives the title of Blessed.

6. For canonization another miracle is needed, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed and having occurred after his beatification. The methods for ascertainment of the affirmed miracle are the same as those followed for beatification. Canonization is understood as the concession of public worship in the Universal Church. Pontifical infallibility is involved. With canonization, the Blessed acquires the title of Saint.

Vatican Information Service. Canonization Process. Catholic-Pages.com. 1997. 19 Apr.
2007.

So now you know….

Oh, c'mon! 

You're supposed to say "…and knowing is half the battle."   Then. . . .

Wait for it . . . .

I am a child of the 1980s, and I can prove it easily.  Toss me some 80s trivia and I can demonstrate my knowledge of the 80s, but I can go several steps further.

• I can remember girls in my school crying because they didn't get a Cabbage Patch Doll for Christmas and overhearing parents talking about the absolutely primal way people were fighting for the limited supply in stores one particular year.
• I can remember asking if I could call the 900 number to place a vote with NBC/The A-Team as to whether or not A.J. Bancroft REALLY WAS Face's dad. (Yes, he was.  And Murdock figured it out.)
• I remember trying to feed Big League Chew to my cousin's Teddy Ruxpin, who seemed to really enjoy it, by the way.
• I remember watching live as Bill Buckner bobbled Mookie Wilson's grounder to first that allowed Ray Knight to score to give the Mets game six and take the series to game 7 and an eventual World Series championship for New York in 1986.
• I remember how so many of us signed up for Karate lessons after watching The Karate Kid, and how many of us quit soon after we found out how much hard work and how little fighting there was.
• I can remember not having a Members Only jacket, a Coke/Pepsi rugby shirt, or many of the latest fads and how other kids made such a big deal about that.  I also remember learning from my parents that fads are just that, and that the brand tag on my shirt was not important.

This post and maybe the next couple of posts, I want to talk about name brands.  Did you know for every name brand there are hundreds, if not thousands, of designer rip offs?  Go to a larger city and you'll see the vendors on the street, selling all sorts of clothing that looks remarkably similar to a name brand you might like.  In fact, you might have a choice of which name brand logo you'd like to have added to a generic shirt.  Want Polo?  Here's your little horse dude.  Rather have LaCoste?, here's your alligator, sir.  The same is true for Oakley sunglasses, Ray Bans, Nintendo games, designer jeans, DVDs, computer software, etc.  You can find counterfeit merchandise.  To most people it LOOKS just like the real thing.

But it's not.

Can any of you tell where I'm going with this?  Check my post tomorrow to see if you were right. 

Saint Polycarp is my patron saint.  He was really the one who got me to begin reading about the early Church, and he was the one who introduced me to the Eucharist.

I have a little writeup about him on my ministry site.

http://catholicdestination.com/community/polycarp/who-is-saint-polycarp/

I'm also glad that CatholicDestination.com has Polycarp Medals.  Everybody needs one because he is such an awesome saint!