Bishop Thomas Wenski
Posted on 05/06/2009 10:00:40 AM PDT by NYer
.- Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Florida led a Mass of Reparation on Sunday for Notre Dame’s invitation to President Barack Obama and “the sins and transgressions committed against the dignity and sacredness of human life.” Criticizing Catholic “complacency,” he urged the faithful to be “for the world” by living the Gospel.
In his Sunday afternoon homily at the Cathedral of St. James, Bishop Wenski said the University of Notre Dame “chose to defy the Bishops of the United States” by granting him an honorary degree “despite his rather extremist views on abortion.” “[O]ur purpose here this evening is not to rail against the insensitivity or thoughtlessness exhibited by Notre-Dame’s president and board. As I told a reporter who asked me last week why I am celebrating a Mass of Reparation, ‘I am a bishop; and so I am not going to send upset Catholics to storm Notre-Dame with pitchforks, I am going to tell them to pray.’”
Prayer should not resemble that of the self-righteous Pharisee, he noted.
“In our prayer, we seek to make reparation not just for Notre Dame’s regrettable decision, but more importantly we seek to make reparations for our own complacency. Yes, we pray for Notre Dame – for Notre Dame holds a unique place in the heart of most American Catholics and not just its alumni; but we pray for ourselves as Catholics in America.”
“We Catholics have become too complacent about the legal killing of unborn children in America and elsewhere,” the bishop continued. “This complacency contributed to the climate that led Notre Dame’s president to think that it would be no big deal to defy the bishops in granting this honorary degree to President Obama.”
Bishop Wenski noted as cause for concern President Obama’s rescindment of the Mexico City Policy, his expansion of federal funding for abortion, his allowance of taxpayer funding for embryonic stem cell research and his challenge to conscience protection laws for pro-life health care workers and institutions.
Noting that Cardinal Francis George, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, had pledged cooperation with the new administration, Bishop Wenski said Catholics must work with people of good will to promote the common good.
However, he added, “We must always insist that the common good is never served by making wrongs –like abortion- into rights.” The bestowal of the honorary degree is understood by some to indicate approval and thus undermines the work of bishops, Wenski explained.
Bishop Wenski returned to Catholic complacency, saying:
“We have become complacent, because we have become comfortable – too accommodated and too uncritical of the larger culture in which we live. Perhaps, as Catholics, we have become victims of our own success.”
He warned that Catholics have craved respectability and acceptance and risk surrendering their convictions and principles as a precondition to entering public life.
“The options before us are not just between flight and capitulation: we need not retreat into a Catholic ghetto – for Christ calls us to be in the world; nor, must we necessarily surrender to the culture around us and accept to be absorbed by and assimilated into the ascendant secularism – for Christ tells us not to be of the world. There is a third option, to be for the world. We are best for the world, when we preach and live the gospel coherently. In a world which pretends that God doesn’t matter, we must witness that life is meaningful and joyful only when we live in a way that shows that God does matter.”
The gospel will not change the world “unless the gospel changes us first,” he advised.
Bishop Wenski concluded his homily with a prayer to the Virgin Mary, asking her to intercede for the pardon of sins and the conversion of sinners.
People of good will do not support baby-killing ... and baby killing is completely inimical to the common good.
Gutsy guy. I am impressed.
**The gospel will not change the world “unless the gospel changes us first,” he advised.**
How many people have a closed Bible on their coffee time and never allow time each day to read and reflect on Holy Scripture?
That reminds me....I have the Revelation Bible study on cd and am reviewing it. Do you want it after I finish?
That reminds me....I have the Revelation Bible study on cd and am reviewing it. Do you want it after I finish?
to answer your question......I attend three Bible studies a week, mass at least three times a week....I read my Bible daily. If I depended on mass for my scriptural needs I wouldn’t know God very well at all.
I would object to the sentiment that you wouldn't know God very well but I agree scripture study outside of Mass is excellent and should be encouraged.
Too often, I go to mass, a child is fussy and I cannot hear the readings very well and on top of it the homilist spends his time chatting about his own life....not teaching about the readings. At Bible study I get a solid hour of scripture study, reading and explanations. Never have I had that at mass like I get in these classes. Occasionally, a priest comes close, but that is even rare.
You may be right, but lots of people open and read the bible and still do not have the love of Christ in them.
We have fussy kids too, but I can usually hear just fine.
If you can't, there is a missalette in the pew rack in front of you.
Open it.
Turn to the day's date.
Read the Scriptures, already!
And if your homilist is talking about himself instead of opening the Scriptures to you, maybe you need to find a new parish.
Both our rector and our two parochial vicars at Holy Spirit, Atlanta are excellent homilists, but in the past couple of months I have been at dog trials on Sunday and have attended Mass at St. James, Madison, St. George, Newnan, and St. Vincent de Paul, Dallas (GA).
In every case I got a good solid homily with explanation and exegesis. I particularly commend the rector of St. Vincent de Paul, because his homily was outstanding, drawing together the Gospel, the New Testament lesson, and several Psalms, including the one in the lectionary, as well as touching on several traditional devotions. And all that in 20 minutes!
My point is that if I can find good preaching all over rural Georgia, you ought to be able to find some wherever you are.
I just noticed....rural Georgia? we did a lot of driving around trying to find a Catholic church once on our way up the east coast. LOL
I use it all the time because you never know where a dog trial is going to be held -- except it's going to be someplace really, REALLY rural. You need lots and lots of open acreage and some good-sized water to hold a hunting test.
The last time we went to Hamilton GA (it's near Pine Mountain, which is outside Columbus) they had moved the church from near the dog trial over to Callaway Gardens, which was annoying (it was 3 minutes from the venue before).
The dog trial was in late September, and the rector was telling everybody to please bring their pets to the St. Francis Day blessing next week, because they hadn't had a good turnout the previous year. After Mass I told him, "I can get you 250 hunting dogs, but you'll have to take them today!"
I'm not sure where you are, but in the South we just seem to be a lot more traditional overall, probably because Catholics have been pretty thin on the ground here for years (and still are to some extent), so that they tend to be just as Catholic as they can possibly be, just to show.
I really like it that way, myself. Why be Catholic if you're not going to BE Catholic (I used to be Episcopalian).
sure thing! sounds good.
gee where was he when Terri Schiavo was being starved?
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