2011 December archive at Being Frank

Archive for December, 2011

Dec

“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt…”

By Inkling 4 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Merry Christmas all! I hope it was a day full of blessings, joy and peace.

Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the children massacred by King Herod in his attempt to find and kill the King of the Jews, who the Wise Men spoke of. The Holy Innocents have been referred to as the first Christian martyrs, and their plight is remembered in the haunting ‘Coventry Carol’.

Here is a little reflection for this feast day from the Verbum Dei group in Australia:

We pray for all children around the world, that they may grow up in safety and love.

Whether we have children of our own or not, we are called to protect the life of Jesus in others. Like Joseph, we are called to be prompt to follow the voice and the insinuations of the Holy Spirit in order to do so, and to let Jesus’ life mature in us and in others.

What practical steps do I need to take to do this? Sometimes it is necessary to take decisive action, like Joseph did.

Matthew 2:13-18 “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt…”

Let us pray especially for the safety of all children and for an end to abortion in New Zealand and the rest of the world.

Dec

The scourge that is lay pastoral leadership

By Marty Rethul 6 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

I headed up to my folks’ place for the Christmas season, and was unpleasantly surprised to see the presence of a person with ambitions to the role of lay pastoral leader in my home parish.

This is a recent phenomenon. The parish still retains a parish priest (not to mention a priest in residence). The parish also still retains an excellent nun in the position of pastoral assistant. To be clear, this new person has done some vacuous course in Wellington – the sort of course that is short on formation and big on lay leadership. The practical effects of the advent of this newly formed individual have been immediately felt.

Despite there being no need for this person to take on any more ‘ministries’ (this is apparently what we call them now) than anyone else in the parish, the person appears to have, for all intents and purposes, taken over. This person, within a few months of their arrival, now does the following:

- extraordinary minister of Holy Communion (every Sunday, sometimes at both Masses)

- lector at ferial Masses, and often at both Sunday Masses

- chooses the music for Sunday Mass

- organises the roster for musicians

- organises the roster for EMoHCs

- organises the roster for lectors

- organises the roster for servers

- runs the powerpoint for music/responses at Mass

From my own observation, and from first-hand reports, it is clear that this person is simply a bossy boots, who appears to revel in putting other people’s noses out of joint, and in general behaviour of a bullying nature.

There is no sense of assisting or empowering people to be involved in the parish…it is simply a chance for this person to run the show, and this person rides roughshod over those who stand in this person’s way. The PP is obviously too weak to stand up to this person (even if he wanted to, or did, I fear the reaction would be a bloody one).

This lay pastoral leader business is a nonsense. Almost without exception, these people come out of Wellington with kooky ideas, and they then proceed to dominate and bully parishoners into submission with their misguided ways.

Enough is enough.

If you see LPLs bullying people in your parish, stop them. The time has come to stand up to idiocy and the mediocre. And, please, don’t even get me started on the species of music they invariably perfer to employ. You’d think most of them would sell the parish organ or chop it up for firewood before they would suffer it to be played.

Bah.

Dec

Merry Christmas

By Kereopa 1 Comment

Categories: Being Frank...

Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas with loads of Christmas blessings.

I’m taking a sabbatical to enjoy the holiday until early January so here’s some friendly advice:

Top Ten Things To Say About A Christmas Gift You Don’t Like

10. Hey! There’s a gift!

9. Well, well, well …

8. Boy, if I had not recently shot up 4 sizes that would’ve fit.

7. This is perfect for wearing around the basement.

6. Gosh. I hope this never catches fire! It is fire season though. There are lots of unexplained fires.

5. If the dog buries it, I’ll be furious!

4. I love it — but I fear the jealousy it will inspire.

3. Sadly, tomorrow I enter the Federal Witness Protection Program.

2. To think — I got this the year I vowed to give all my gifts to charity.

And the Number One Thing to say about a Christmas gift you don’t like:

1. “I really don’t deserve this.”

Dec

Shake up

By Voice in the wilderness 1 Comment

Categories: Being Frank...

There is nothing like a day of earthquakes to shake things up. I don’t think that Christchurch wants any more, but perhaps we still need a bit of a shake up. Who knows what the plans of the Lord are? It seems many people are content to beseech “Mother Nature” for her protection instead!

We need a shake up in the Church, from top to bottom, and I am sorry if I sound like a broken record, having posted on this topic often, but here it goes.

Abortion is the biggest social justice issue in the world at the moment. And yet as Catholics, as Christians, and as human beings, we seem content to let it continue pretty much unchecked as it ravages millions upon millions in our societies.

Obviously, we Catholics and many others are doing somethings. But it is not enough.

Lay people are beginning to wake up to the horror, but not enough.

Bishops the world over are getting a bit more wise to it, but not enough.

The streets are running with the blood of murdered innocents, parents are allowing the slaughter of their children, and yet most will sit calmly over the next few days as they holiday and celebrate the birth of a person who said that he came to bring life to the full, not even sparing a thought for those silently screaming as their limbs are torn off and their heads crushed.

I don’t have all the answers sorted, I just know we as a country and as a church are not doing enough!

People often ignorantly rail against Pius XII for being silent during the Holocaust, however, how much worse are we in regards to the Holocaust of abortion?

So, do your Christian duty, get informed about abortion and take action! Rally people in your parish, neighbourhood, diocese, city, country!!!

This is one of the most comprehensive websites I have come across http://www.abort73.com/

As we prepare for the coming of Christ among us, let us not be hypocritical and welcome each and every single baby that is about to enter the world!

Dec

Merry Christmas (in advance)!

By Methuselah's Beard 2 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Well that’s not much I want to say today except to wish all of you out there a Happy and holy Christmas. It’s been a crazy old year with financial crises, the deaths of famous and infamous people, and a change in the language of the Mass which I’m still not completely up to speed with. If you hear someone mumbling the wrong words behind you at Mass, it’s likely me.

Keep safe wherever you are going!

Dec

Feeling Lucky?

By Opthomistic 16 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has urged lapsed-Catholics, Eco-catholics (Easter and Christmas Only), people who just want kids in Catholic schools, and Catholics who only show up for communion, weddings and baptism to pull up their socks and do things properly.

Or leave the Church.

Bravo Abp Martin! The Church is here to save souls. Do we save souls by having a big membership list, but by compromising on teaching the Truth and encouraging devotion? Or do we offer everyone quality, instead of dealing faulty goods in quantity? Sure, some people will be put off, and will follow the Archbishop’s invitation to leave, but let’s be honest, they weren’t getting the real supernatural fruits of the Church in the state they were in.

Some lapsed Catholics have responded by saying “your Church is just lucky to have me at all“. This makes me laugh. And then I very feel sorry for people that have this attitude. For these people, organisations, especially the Catholic Church, exist to be privileged and graced by the nominal membership of individuals. For these people, there is nothing that really draws them to the Church, they could have easily chose to grace a knitting group or a book club with their membership, and we should feel such honour, that they would grace our Church in this way (and the God they don’t believe in). In the face of all the scandals that the Church has not been immune from, their position as unbelieving members is senseless.

Instead, we should be realising that we are the ones privileged to be receiving Grace, which God has ordained to be distributed by the Catholic Church. The Sacraments, do very little if we receive them without the right internal disposition. The Holy Spirit is VERY clear about what will happen to the believers who are lukewarm. Imagine what will happen to those who simply go through the motions! Perhaps it could be compared to a different bodily motion!

Are we lucky to have Archbishop Martin? Or are we actually lucky to have catholycs among us?

Dec

A plea for Christchurch

By Marty Rethul 5 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

In very recent times, we have been treated to much speculation about the fate of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch.

This was one of the greatest works of renowned architect, Francis William Petrie (1847-1918). He is responsible for some of the most beautiful Catholic churches in New Zealand – situated almost exclusively in the lower half of the South Island: St Joseph’s Cathedral, Dunedin; Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch; St Patrick’s Basilicas in both Oamaru and Dunedin; the chapel of Holy Cross College, Mosgiel; Sacred Heart Basilica, Timaru and the chapel at Teschemakers, to name a few.

Some of his churches have been demolished, with consitently inferior replacements: the worst exponent of which is undoubtedly the dreadful, faith-destroying disaster that is the parish church in Gore.

There are many reasons why it would be prudent for the Christchurch diocese to do its very best to restore her Cathedral. I would hope that Our Lord is again given pride of place in His Cathedral (especially given its consecration to the Most Blessed Sacrament), and that the bishop’s chair is once more subordinate to the Lord in His Substantial Presence.

Please, Christchurch, restore this Cathedral as best you can. It is the pre-eminent physical sign of the Faith on these shores.