Praying to [with] the Saints

Before I say anything, I wish to say something to Catholic apologists who insist on saying that we pray with rather than to the Saints. I understand where you are coming from. For Protestants, worship and prayer are synonymous; one is unable to pray without worshiping. Thus, some of you deny the charge that we pray to the Saints, and insist that we pray with them when we ask for their intercession. Although it is certainly true that we do pray with the Saints, denying that we pray to them causes more confusion. This is so for two reasons: 1) many Catholic apologists do speak of praying to the Saints, 2) prayer need not be restricted to worship. To pray means “to ask,” so, just as the word “prithee” or “I pray thee” means “I ask this of you”, so any form of supplication, be it to God, a Saint, or to the person sitting next to us is a form of prayer. That being said, prayer is generally expanded to mean all forms of communication and limited to mean communication beyond the visible world. But at times we might still speak of a pagan praying to a statue, a visible object (something Catholics do not and must not do!)

So, in this precise meaning of the term, a person prays when 1) addressing God, 2) addressing a Saint, 3) addressing a deceased loved one, 4) addressing Satan or another demon, 5) addressing any kind of “spirits”, 6) holding a séance, 7) &c. Clearly, some forms of prayer are acceptable, others are not. The question in the issue of praying to the Saints is whether or not it is acceptable. Protestants who are beyond the “Mary-worship” mentality are the ones that are willing to discuss this debate, which is what I want to talk about today.

My question is: Is there a Biblical precedent for praying to the Saints?

I believe that there is. During a recent period of trial, I struggled with this question. Actually, I’ve struggled with it for years. I have never been comfortable with prayer to the Saints in my five years as a Catholic. That’s not to say that I haven’t had particular devotions over the years, but I have always been uneasy, never fully accepting in my heart that it was acceptable.

One night a few weeks ago, I spoke with Christ and asked Him whether it was acceptable to pray to the Saints. I asked, “Why shouldn’t we always go directly to God?” The question phrased by anti-Catholics is usually, “Why can’t we go directly to God?” That’s a complex question, meaning that it is phrased in such a way that a Catholic can’t answer it (compare it to questions like, “Do you still beat your wife every night?”) The fact of the matter is that we can go directly to God. The proper question is, “Why then should we bother with the Saints? Why shouldn’t we always go directly to God?” The apologist’s response to this is the value of intercession. Just as we can pray with others here on Earth and ask them to pray for us, likewise, we can ask the Saints to pray for us. The Saints do not distract us from God any more than asking my friends to pray for me does. And to use an analogy, suppose I want something from my brother. Would it be wrong to ask my sister or my mother to speak to him with me or for me?  Of course not.

The next problem is that while there is nothing wrong with asking those on Earth to pray for us, is there any reason to believe that those in Heaven can hear us? There is an obvious difference, especially in terms of our psychology, to calling a friend and asking her to pray for me, and getting on my knees and asking Mary to pray for me. The former person is bodily present, though mediated by a phone. The other is only spiritually present, if that. I can appeal to the fact that Mary and the Saints are united to Christ as am I, and that this spiritual unity, theirs being perfect, is enough for them to hear my prayers, but this isn’t convincing enough, since my unity with Christ is not perfect, and for this reason I can’t pray to my friend without actually calling her on the phone.

That night I was left unresolved. I prayed a prayer to Our Lady of La Salette, though it was hard for me to get it past my lips. I was unsure if I had sinned or not. I went to bed unresolved.

The next morning as I was taking a shower my mind returned to this issue. I asked myself, “Is there a Biblical precedent for praying to the Saints?” My first thought was 1 Samuel 28, where Saul visits the Witch of Endor and conjures the spirit of Samuel. But this can hardly be seen as an endorsement for praying to the Saints. If anything, it is a condemnation. (I do not think it is, for conjuring spirits is an attempt at controlling the divine, not being humble to it.)

Next, I remembered two verses in Revelation where the Angels and the Elders are said to present the prayers of the holy ones (or saints on Earth) to God. What we have in the verses below is a scene from Heaven. What we see is those in Heaven praying to God and offering them our prayers. The Bible does not say that they are merely prayers for us (I would never deny that those in Heaven can pray for us), but they are our prayers themselves. How did they receive these prayers? Did God receive them, hand them to the Angels and Elders, who then turned them into incense to offer back up to God? I suppose that is possible, but it makes more sense to me to say that we gave them our prayers, which they in turn present to God.

The first excerpt is from Revelation 5:

1I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.

2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?”

3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it.

4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it;

5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.

7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.

8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

9And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

10“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

The book is a book of judgment; when it is taken, prayers are presented. What might these prayers consist of? Likely, prayers for mercy and justice. But most importantly, they are prayers of the saints, or “holy ones.” A saint in Biblical terms is any Christian. Paul uses it to speak of those in what we now call the Pilgrim Church or the Church Militant: those Christians alive and on Earth. The Elders present God with our prayers, they praise Christ and in doing so they pray for us (v. 10).

Next is Revelation 8:

1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne.

4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.

5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

Again, we see the prayers being offered prior to judgment, and they are prayers “of the saints” offered to God by an Angel.

This is enough proof for me. There might not be a verse written by Paul that says, “And let us now ask the Holy Martyr Stephen to pray for us!” Instead, we have something more powerful: an image of the very act of intercessory prayer occurring in Heaven! Rather than telling us that Saints can hear our prayers and offer them to God, the Bible actually shows it to us! Let those who have eyes to see, see.

Vatican II on Mary

Assumpta est Maria in caelum. gaudent Angeli, laudantes benedicunt Dominum. … Mary has been assumed into Heaven. The angels rejoice; they bless the Lord, praising Him.

Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We celebrate the day that the Virgin Mary was taken body and soul into Heaven by her Son, Jesus Christ, at the end of her earthly life. In the East, it is known as the “Dormition of Mary”, that is, her “falling asleep.”

It is appropriate then, as the blog gets officially underway, to begin with a look at what Vatican II says about Mary.

I have encountered many who fear that the role of Mary in salvation history has been diminished in the name of the ecumenism which sprung forth out of Vatican II. I have not experienced this personally, for most faithful Catholics I know who are devoted to Mary are also devoted to true ecumenism. It is the false spirit of ecumenism, which Vatican II is often wrongly blamed (or praised) for, which causes priests and others to tell us that it is wrong to pray for the conversion of non-Catholics (especially Jewish people), that has led us to deny that which is distinctly Catholic. So perhaps the role of Mary has been diminished on account of this false ecumenism. I am ignorant of the state of Marian devotion before Vatican II, but I have no difficulty imagining that it was much better than it is now.

There are no other dogma which have bothered Protestants more than those regarding Mary. But that being said, some Evangelicals are cautiously gaining a greater appreciation for Mary. Timothy George, a Baptist minister, writes in FIRST THINGS:

“If Catholics need to be called away from the excesses of Marian devotion to a stricter fidelity to the biblical witness, evangelicals should reexamine their negative attitudes toward Mary, many of which derive from anti-Catholic bias rather than sound biblical theology. “

Progress with Evangelicals is being made, with special thanks to those who have remained faithful to the council’s teachings on Mary and ecumenism.

Before I delve into the documents, I want to clarify, for any confused Protestants, the difference between “assumption” and “ascension.” Mary, Enoch, and Elijah were assumed into Heaven. They were not taken their by their own power, but by the power of God. Christ, however, being God, ascended into Heaven by His own power. That is what differentiates “assumption” from “ascension”: one is “assumed” by means of another, but one “ascends” by means of himself. For a more detailed explanation of the Assumption, I recommend these two tracts at Catholic Answers: Immaculate Conception and Assumption and Assumptions About Mary.

The most significant thing about the council’s statements on Mary is where it is located. Rather than placing this section in a document of its own, the council fathers decided to include it as chapter VIII of Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. Thus what is said about Mary is not as important Mary qua Mary, but Mary qua the Church. It follows then that if our understanding of the Church is based upon our understanding of Mary, then to diminish the importance of Marian doctrines is to diminish the teaching regarding the Church herself.

So that brings us to the text itself. The easiest thing to do is to paste the document here and make comments within the text. I might change this depending on reader’s reactions. For brevity’s sake (it is still long), I am cropping the least important portions. Furthermore, I have omitted some references. Emphasis is bolded; my comments are in red.(Read all of Lumen Gentium at the Vatican’s website.)

CHAPTER VIII

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
IN THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH

I. Introduction

52. Wishing in His supreme goodness and wisdom to effect the redemption of the world, “when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, ..that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:4-5). … This divine mystery of salvation is revealed to us and continued in the Church, which the Lord established as His body. Joined to Christ the Head and in the unity of fellowship with all His saints, the faithful must in the first place reverence the memory “of the glorious ever Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord Jesus Christ” (Roman Canon).

53. The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer. The ancient title of “Theotokos” (Mother of God) was used at the Council of Ephesus in 431 against Nestorius who claimed that Mary gave birth only to the human nature of Jesus and thus it was only the human nature that died on the cross, though it was probably in use before then. Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of being the Mother of the Son of God, by which account she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace she far surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth. At the same time, however, because she belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with all those who are to be saved. She is “the mother of the members of Christ . . . having cooperated by charity that faithful might be born in the Church, who are members of that Head” (S. Augustine, De S. Virginitate. 6: PL 40, 399)… Mary was immaculately conceived, i.e., she was conceived without the stain of original sin, but this does not preclude the need for redemption, rather, her redemption occurred in a special manner.

…54. Wherefore this Holy Synod, in expounding the doctrine on the Church, in which the divine Redeemer works salvation, intends to describe with diligence both the role of the Blessed Virgin in the mystery of the Incarnate Word and the Mystical Body, and the duties of redeemed mankind toward the Mother of God, who is mother of Christ and mother of men, particularly of the faithful. It does not, however, have it in mind to give a complete doctrine on Mary, nor does it wish to decide those questions which the work of theologians has not yet fully clarified. Those opinions therefore may be lawfully retained which are propounded in Catholic schools concerning her, who occupies a place in the Church which is the highest after Christ and yet very close to us (Cfr. Paulus Pp. VI, allocutio in Concilio, die 4 dec. 1963: AAS 56 (1964) p. 37).

II. The Role of the Blessed Mother in the Economy of Salvation

55. The Sacred Scriptures of both the Old and the New Testament, as well as ancient Tradition show the role of the Mother of the Saviour in the economy of salvation in an ever clearer light and draw attention to it. The books of the Old Testament describe the history of salvation, by which the coming of Christ into the world was slowly prepared. These earliest documents, as they are read in the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation, bring the figure of the woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually clearer light. When it is looked at in this way, she is already prophetically foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent which was given to our first parents after their fall into sin (Cf. Gen. 3:15). Likewise she is the Virgin who shall conceive and bear a son, whose name will be called Emmanuel (Cf Is 7, 14; cf. Mich. 5, 2-3; Mt. 1, 22-23). She stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive salvation from Him. With her the exalted Daughter of Sion, and after a long expectation of the promise, the times are fulfilled and the new Economy established, when the Son of God took a human nature from her, that He might in the mysteries of His flesh free man from sin.

56. The Father of mercies willed that the incarnation should be preceded by the acceptance of her who was predestined to be the mother of His Son, so that just as a woman contributed to death, so also a woman should contribute to life… I have heard it said that the Catholic Church and Christianity is inherently sexist because it sees women as the cause of all evil through Eve. There are several problems with that statement, not the least of which is that 1) Adam takes most of the blame in the New Testament, and 2) it ignores the basic theology of Mary as the “New Eve.” …It is no wonder therefore that the usage prevailed among the Fathers whereby they called the mother of God entirely holy and free from all stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature. We see here confirmed the teaching that Mary never sinned. Adorned from the first instant of her conception with the radiance of an entirely unique holiness, the Virgin of Nazareth is greeted, on God’s command, by an angel messenger as “full of grace” (Cf. Lk. 1:28), and to the heavenly messenger she replies: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word” (Lk. 1:38). Thus Mary, a daughter of Adam, consenting to the divine Word, became the mother of Jesus, the one and only Mediator. Embracing God’s salvific will with a full heart and impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally as a handmaid of the Lord to the person and work of her Son, under Him and with Him, by the grace of almighty God, serving the mystery of redemption. Rightly therefore the holy Fathers see her as used by God not merely in a passive way, but as freely cooperating in the work of human salvation through faith and obedience….All the praise that is given to Mary is because she acted freely out of love of God. Although she was given special graces, these graces, as no graces do, took away her free will. She was not forced to bear Christ. If she had been, the Holy Spirit would have been a rapist of sorts! For this reason Mary is often called “our hope”, because she stands above all the other saints in her devotion to her Son.

…58. In the public life of Jesus, Mary makes significant appearances. This is so even at the very beginning, when at the marriage feast of Cana, moved with pity, she brought about by her intercession the beginning of miracles of Jesus the Messiah (Cf. Jn. 2:1-11). This scripture is often implored by apologists in defense of prayers to Mary and her intercession for us, because we see her actually effecting the actions of Jesus. In the course of her Son’s preaching she received the words whereby in extolling a kingdom beyond the calculations and bonds of flesh and blood, He declared blessed (Cf. Mk. 3. 35; 27-28) those who heard and kept the word of God, as she was faithfully doing (Cf. Lk. 2, 19, 51). Mary is not blessed just because she is his mother, but because she is faithful to God. After this manner the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan (Cf. Jn. 19:25), grieving exceedingly with her only begotten Son, uniting herself with a maternal heart with His sacrifice, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth. Finally, she was given by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross as a mother to His disciple with these words: “Woman, behold thy son” (Jn. 19:26-27).

59. … Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all guilt of original sin (i.e. the Immaculate Conception), on the completion of her earthly sojourn, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory (i.e. the Assumption), and exalted by the Lord asQueen of the universe, that she might be the more fully confimed [sic] to her Son, the Lord of lords and the conqueror of sin and death. The coronation of Mary is church doctrine, but it is not formally defined dogma. Many hoped the Pope John Paul II would formally define it much like Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption, however, that never came to be.

III. On the Blessed Virgin and the Church

60. There is but one Mediator as we know from the words of the apostle, “for there is one God and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a redemption for all” (1 Tim. 2:5-6). The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no wise obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power.For all the salvific influence of the Blessed Virgin on men originates, not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it. In no way does it impede, but rather does it foster the immediate union of the faithful with Christ.

61. Predestined from eternity by that decree of divine providence…she is our mother in the order of grace.

62. This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, and lasts until The eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this salvific duty, but by her constant intercession continued to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. By her maternal charity, she cares for the brethren of her Son, who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and cultics, until they are led into the happiness of their true home. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked by the Church under the titles of Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and Mediatrix. This, however, is to be so understood that it neither takes away from nor adds anything to the dignity and efficaciousness of Christ the one Mediator. The role of a Christian, including Mary, to help others does not stop at death. We still pray for the good and salvation of those on Earth in Heaven just as we did on Earth. Christ is the Mediator in that He makes it possible for us to pray for one another and even have access to God. But that does not mean that Mary, or any of us, cannot be “mediators” in the sense that we intercede and advocate for one another.

For no creature could ever be counted as equal with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer. Just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by the ministers and by the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is really communicated in different ways to His creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source.

The Church does not hesitate to profess this subordinate role of Mary. It knows it through unfailing experience of it and commends it to the hearts of the faithful, so that encouraged by this maternal help they may the more intimately adhere to the Mediator and Redeemer. There is no worship of Mary allowed in the Catholic Church. Somewhere there are Catholics who, like Protestants, think that any prayers to Mary are equal to worship, so we must eschew those practices. These Catholics, in this regard, have abandoned Catholicism. There are probably Catholics who believe that devotion to Mary is a hang over from Mediterranean religions, or from the supposedly “angry Jesus” that developed in the middle ages. They may think that Vatican II discouraged Marian devotion, but that is clearly not the case. Mary is subordinate to Christ. There is no question about that. But, again, that does not mean that, as a servant of her Son, she cannot pray for others even while in Heaven.

63. By reason of the gift and role of divine maternity, by which she is united with her Son, the Redeemer, and with His singular graces and functions, the Blessed Virgin is also intimately united with the Church. As St. Ambrose taught, the Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ. For in the mystery of the Church, which is itself rightly called mother and virgin, the Blessed Virgin stands out in eminent and singular fashion as exemplar both of virgin and mother. By her belief and obedience, not knowing man but overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, as the new Eve she brought forth on earth the very Son of the Father, showing an undefiled faith, not in the word of the ancient serpent, but in that of God’s messenger. The Son whom she brought forth is He whom God placed as the first-born among many brethren (Rm. 8:29), namely the faithful, in whose birth and education she cooperates with a maternal love.

We see here that Mary stands for the church. Mary, as mother, united herself to her Son by 1) accepting Him into her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, 2) literally bearing Him forth to the world, 3) uniting herself to His will and suffering by means of a shared life together. The Church, as bride, unites herself to Christ by means of 1) receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, 2) bearing Christ figuratively through missionary and charity work, and 3) uniting to His will through the Sacraments and to His suffering through persecution.

64. The Church indeed, contemplating her hidden sanctity, imitating her charity and faithfully fulfilling the Father’s will, by receiving the word of God in faith becomes herself a mother. By her preaching she brings forth to a new and immortal life the sons who are born to her in baptism, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of God. She herself is a virgin, who keeps the faith given to her by her Spouse whole and entire. Imitating the mother of her Lord, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, she keeps with virginal purity an entire faith, a firm hope and a sincere charity.

What are some of the characteristics of a good mother? She loves her children, so this makes her patient, yet stern, she seeks to educate her children in what is true rather than false, and she seeks to protect her children from harm. The church does each of these through 1) discipline (both in the sense of practices and punishments), 2) teachings of the Magisterium, and 3) the Sacraments, which give us grace to avoid sin.

Perhaps a departure from Mary is one reason for a disregard in fasting, the imporance of excommunications, the controversial teachings of the church, and proper respect for the Eucharist and the use of confession. In fact, it seems to me that, historically, the Protestants who have the most hangups about Mary are the ones least likely to practice fasting and excommunications, are unlikely to believe that the church is a “teaching” (rather than a “learning”) church, and are more likely to have “ordinances” rather than Sacraments.

65. But while in the most holy Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she is without spot or wrinkle, the followers of Christ still strive to increase in holiness by conquering sin (Eph. 5:27). And so they turn their eyes to Mary who shines forth to the whole community of the elect as the model of virtues….Seeking after the glory of Christ, the Church becomes more like her exalted Type, and continually progresses in faith, hope and charity, seeking and doing the will of God in all things….

Some might read only the first half of the bolded sentence above and laugh, for clearly the Church has not reached perfection, right? Yes and no. We individual members of the Church are often quite horrid sinners. Thankfully, the holiness of the Church is not dependent upon the holiness of the members. The Church is perfect in the sense that the teachings of the Magisterium are guided by the Holy Spirit, do not change, and cannot err, and the Sacraments are means of grace by with God helps the individual sinful members attain holiness. If the holiness of the members were a prerequisite to having valid Sacraments or having the authority to teach infallibly, we would be in a catch-22 situation. Thankfully, God is more merciful than that. That is what that sentence means. That is how the Church can be perfect, yet still increasing in holiness.

IV. The Cult of the Blessed Virgin in the Church

“Cult” is a technical term in religion meaning a body of devotions or rituals. It does not have the negative connotation that Americans usually associate with it.

…

67. This most Holy Synod deliberately teaches this Catholic doctrine and at the same time admonishes all the sons of the Church that the cult, especially the liturgical cult, of the Blessed Virgin, be generously fostered, and the practices and exercises of piety, recommended by the magisterium of the Church toward her in the course of centuries be made of great moment, and those decrees, which have been given in the early days regarding the cult of images of Christ, the Blessed Virgin and the saints, be religiously observed. But it exhorts theologians and preachers of the divine word to abstain zealously both from all gross exaggerations as well as from petty narrow-mindedness in considering the singular dignity of the Mother of God. Following the study of Sacred Scripture, the Holy Fathers, the doctors and liturgy of the Church, and under the guidance of the Church’s magisterium, let them rightly illustrate the duties and privileges of the Blessed Virgin which always look to Christ, the source of all truth, sanctity and piety. …

Devotion to Mary is to be fostered, but measures must be taken to keep it from being too extreme; it must always be Christocentric. Of course, there are some who will take this latter portion to mean that devotion should be stifled. Rather, what the council had in mind is to prevent the excess of devotion that reportedly occurs in places like India, where Catholicism is said to be sometimes indistinguishable from Hinduism.

V. Mary the sign of created hope and solace to the wandering people of God

68. In the interim just as the Mother of Jesus, glorified in body and soul in heaven, is the image and beginning of the Church as it is to be perfected is the world to come, so too does she shine forth on earth, until the day of the Lord shall come (Cf. 2 Pet. 3:10), as a sign of sure hope and solace to the people of God during its sojourn on earth.

69. It gives great joy and comfort to this holy and general Synod that even among the separated brethren [Protestants and others] there are some who give due honor to the Mother of our Lord and Saviour, especially among the Orientals, who with devout mind and fervent impulse give honor to the Mother of God, ever virgin. The entire body of the faithful pours forth instant supplications to the Mother of God and Mother of men that she, who aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers, may now, exalted as she is above all the angels and saints, intercede before her Son in the fellowship of all the saints, until all families of people, whether they are honored with the title of Christian or whether they still do not know the Saviour, may be happily gathered together in peace and harmony into one people of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity.

Each and all these items which are set forth in this dogmatic Constitution have met with the approval of the Council Fathers. And We by the apostolic power given Us by Christ together with the Venerable Fathers in the Holy Spirit, approve, decree and establish it and command that what has thus been decided in the Council be promulgated for the glory of God.

—
Mary, you were Assumed into Heaven, pray for us!

May the Lord bless us and keep us, deliver us from evil, and bring us to life everlasting, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Patriarch Bartholomew

I am very pleased to read that the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, will be attending the papal inaugural Mass.  Bartholomew is considered the "first among equals" among the Orthodox Churches.  This move is extremely significant.  The Patriarch of Constantinople has not attended the inaugural Mass of the pope since the Great Schism in 1054.  This move supports my expectation that in the next few decades, significant progress will be made in West-East dialogue.  The year 2054 marks the millennial anniversary of the schism.  Expect a major accord of some kind to occur then.

Pope Francis has ties to the eastern churches.  In Argentina, he was the ordinary for Eastern Catholics (Eastern Catholics are Catholics with many of the same traditions and customs as the Orthodox Churches, but are in union with the Pope).  The Gospel at the Mass will be proclaimed in Greek, the historical language of the East, instead of Latin, the historical language of the West.

Here is what Jimmy Akin says about this:

One should not view this as the pope dissing Latin. They're going to be using lots of Latin in this Mass.

As papal spokesman Fr. Lombardi noted:

“Latin,” Fr. Lombardi said, “is already abundantly present in the other prayers and Mass parts.”

Furthermore, they announced:

The Gospel will be proclaimed in Greek, as at the highest solemnities, to show that the universal Church is made up of the great traditions of the East and the West.

Proclaiming the Gospel in Greek is not an innovation here. It's something they already do on special occasions to show the Church's universality.

So it's in accord with precedent.

It's also not surprising that they would exercise this option here since this is already a Solemnity (St. Joseph's day), since it's a very solemn Mass (a papal inauguration), since Pope Francis has for years been an ordinary for Eastern Catholics in Argentina (Greek being a primary liturgical language in the East), and--in an extraordinary ecumenical gesture that hasn't happened in almost 1,000 years--the Patriarch of Constantinople (Bartholomew I) is going to be attending.

Pope Francis' address to media: March 16, 2013

Anyone who's paid a minute's attention to the news following the election of Pope Francis knows that he is very much a different kind of pope.  At first glance, he seems to be a simple, reserved man who prefers the "low church" rather than the pomp and circumstance for which the Church is known.  Time will tell how accurate an analysis that is, and how far he goes to implement that vision.

Although we are seeing him behave very differently than a Papa Burke would have been, don't hold your breath expecting him to support gay marriage, abortion, or other pet issues of the left.  It's not going to happen.

Below is a transcript of his address to the media on March 16, 2013.  Francis is mindful that he is addressing many who are unchurched or unbelievers.  His words are carefully crafted to that audience.

I have bolded comments I wish to emphasize, and my comments are in red.

Address of the Holy Father

To Representatives of the Communications Media

Saturday, 16 March 2013

By Pope Francis

Dear Friends,

        

At the beginning of my ministry in the See of Peter, I am pleased to meet all of you who have worked here in Rome throughout this intense period which began with the unexpected announcement made by my venerable Predecessor Benedict XVI on 11 February last. To each of you I offer a cordial greeting.

        

The role of the mass media has expanded immensely in these years, so much so that they are an essential means of informing the world about the events of contemporary history.

I would like, then, to thank you in a special way for the professional coverage which you provided during these days – you really worked, didn’t you? – when the eyes of the whole world, and not just those of Catholics, were turned to the Eternal City and particularly to this place which has as its heart the tomb of Saint Peter. [What an elaborate way to refer to Rome.  He is reminding the reporters of the sacredness of the city.] Over the past few weeks, you have had to provide information about the Holy See and about the Church, her rituals and traditions, her faith and above all the role of the Pope and his ministry. [The reporters, unwittingly, have been engaged in some form of evangelism.]

I am particularly grateful to those who viewed and presented these events of the Church’s history in a way which was sensitive to the right context in which they need to be read, namely that of faith. [compared to those who have an agenda against the Church] Historical events almost always demand a nuanced interpretation which at times can also take into account the dimension of faith. Ecclesial events are certainly no more intricate than political or economic events!

But they do have one particular underlying feature: they follow a pattern which does not readily correspond to the “worldly” categories which we are accustomed to use, and so it is not easy to interpret and communicate them to a wider and more varied public. [And everyone wants to pigeon-hole the Church into their categories.]

The Church is certainly a human and historical institution with all that that entails,[I can hear the traditionalists screaming and rending their garments.  Don't mistake what he is saying here.  The Church is human, but it is not merely human.] yet her nature is not essentially political but spiritual: the Church is the People of God, the Holy People of God making its way to encounter Jesus Christ [the Church is divine, as well]. Only from this perspective can a satisfactory account be given of the Church’s life and activity.

Christ is the Church’s Pastor, but his presence in history passes through the freedom of human beings; from their midst one is chosen to serve as his Vicar, the Successor of the Apostle Peter. 

Yet Christ remains the centre, not the Successor of Peter: Christ, Christ is the centre. [This is important considering the audience.  In a sceptical world, the Church is wrongly accused of putting the focus on herself rather than Christ.  I fear that this statement might be misinterpreted by liberals and traditionalists that he's signalling he would like to abolish the papacy.  That neither will nor can happen.  Rather, he is reminding us (as he explains below) that the Church means nothing without Christ.  Recall the words of St. John the Baptist (Jn. 3:30), "He must increase, but I must decrease."]

Christ is the fundamental point of reference, the heart of the Church. Without him, Peter and the Church would not exist or have reason to exist. 

As Benedict XVI frequently reminded us, Christ is present in Church and guides her. In everything that has occurred, the principal agent has been, in the final analysis, the Holy Spirit. [Despite changes, he's indicating continuity with Benedict.]

He prompted the decision of Benedict XVI for the good of the Church; he guided the Cardinals in prayer and in the election.

It is important, dear friends, to take into due account this way of looking at things, this hermeneutic, in order to bring into proper focus what really happened in these days.

All of this leads me to thank you once more for your work in these particularly demanding days, but also to ask you to try to understand more fully the true nature of the Church, as well as her journey in this world, with her virtues and her sins, and to know the spiritual concerns which guide her and are the most genuine way to understand her. Be assured that the Church, for her part, highly esteems your important work. At your disposal you have the means to hear and to give voice to people’s expectations and demands, and to provide for an analysis and interpretation of current events. Your work calls for careful preparation, sensitivity and experience, like so many other professions, but it also demands a particular concern for what is true, good and beautiful. 

This is something which we have in common, since the Church exists to communicate precisely this: Truth, Goodness and Beauty “in person.” It should be apparent that all of us are called not to communicate ourselves, but this existential triad made up of truth, beauty and goodness.

Some people wanted to know why the Bishop of Rome wished to be called Francis. Some thought of Francis Xavier, Francis De Sales, and also Francis of Assisi. I will tell you the story.

During the election, I was seated next to the Archbishop Emeritus of São Paolo and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes: a good friend, a good friend!  When things were looking dangerous, he encouraged me.  

And when the votes reached two thirds, there was the usual applause, because the Pope had been elected.  

And he gave me a hug and a kiss, and said: “Don't forget the poor!” 

And those words came to me: the poor, the poor.  

Then, right away, thinking of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi.  

Then I thought of all the wars, as the votes were still being counted, till the end. Francis is also the man of peace. That is how the name came into my heart: Francis of Assisi.  

For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation; these days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do we?  He is the man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man … How I would like a Church which is poor and for the poor!

Afterwards, people were joking with me. “But you should call yourself Hadrian, because Hadrian VI was the reformer, we need a reform…” And someone else said to me: “No, no: your name should be Clement.” “But why?” “Clement XV: thus you pay back Clement XIV who suppressed the Society of Jesus!” These were jokes.  

I love all of you very much, I thank you for everything you have done. I pray that your work will always be serene and fruitful, and that you will come to know ever better the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the rich reality of the Church’s life. I commend you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of Evangelization, [I think every action he's taking is for the cause of evangelization to the world. St. Francis is (wrongly) quoted as saying, "Preach always; use words when necessary."  The maxim that we should preach with our action as well as our words is a good one, even if St. Francis never said it.  Pope Francis, it is clear, is doing both.] and with cordial good wishes for you and your families, each of your families. I cordially impart to all of you my blessing. Thank you.

(In Spanish)

I told you I was cordially imparting my blessing.  Since many of you are not members of the Catholic Church, and others are not believers, I cordially give this blessing silently, to each of you, respecting the conscience of each, but in the knowledge that each of you is a child of God. May God bless you!

Robert Moynihan reflects on the "silent blessing."

And then Francis did something which surprised everyone, pleased many, and shocked a few.

The moment had come for him to impart to all of us his Apostolic Blessing, but he did not do this in the usual way.

In fact, he made no exterior gesture at all. He did not lift his hand, he did not move it in the form of a blessing, and he did not speak "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" out loud.

He said, in Italian: "I cordially impart to all of you my blessing. Thank you." And then, in Spanish, he explained as follows: "I told you I was cordially imparting my blessing. Since many of you are not members of the Catholic Church, and others are not believers, I cordially give this blessing silently, to each of you, respecting the conscience of each, but in the knowledge that each of you is a child of God. May God bless you!"

And with that, he turned and left.

One of my colleagues turned to me and said, "Where was the papal blessing?"

"He gave it silently," I said. "He blessed us silently, without presupposing anything. He was trying to be respectful of individual consciences. This is not a purely religious gathering."

"But it still seems like something is missing," my friend said. "No blessing!"

"But there was a blessing," I said. "We just could not see it. It is like what Ratzinger used to say, that in heaven, in the presence of God, there will no longer be any external rites or rituals to signify our worship, all those things will pass away, because the perfect will have come..."

"But are we already in heaven?" my friend replied.

"No," I said. "But can't we believe we are on the way?"

But my friend still was not satisfied. "I would have liked to have received a blessing from him," he said.

"You did," I said.

There will be more time in the future to reflect more deeply on these questions, which of course also have a relation to the liturgy. For the moment, it is enough to say that Pope Francis, also in this matter of giving a silent, not a public blessing to the journalists, did something without recent precedent, which is providing all of us with cause for meditation and inward conversion.

And that is what should be our thought at this time, just as Cardinal Hummes told Pope Francis as the vote total rose: "never forget the poor." We should never forget our own need for conversion. We should be converted to Christ. We are ever in need of deeper conversion.

This is what Pope Francis is calling us to, if we can but hear him...

The Seal of Confession

One thing that keeps people from returning to the Church is confession. And it is also true that many people who go to Mass weekly (or more frequently) rarely ever go to confession.  This may be for many reasons, but it is usually not due to a lack of sins being committed. Most often, the prospective penitent is afraid to go. The various rationalizations against going dance around this issue.

There are two fears that a person usually has. First, the fear of the priest judging you. I have been to confession to dozens of different priests all around the country. I have only encountered 1 or 2 that I felt were "judgmental," and in all truth, that was the kind of priest I needed at the time. Sometimes I need the priest to tell me I'm being too hard on myself, but sometimes I need him to tell me I'm being too easy on myself. That being said, if you get a priest who is overly rude or yells at you, there is nothing wrong with leaving and going to a different priest.

The second fear is of a priest breaking the seal of confessional. I think this fear is largely unwarranted.  First, priests hear dozens of confessions each week, and most priests forget what they've heard by the time they're finished hearing confessions. Second, your sins are not unique; don't flatter yourself. Furthermore, most priests are very busy and have better things to do than gossip about your confession. Fourth, you probably don't worry about your doctor sharing your medical secrets with anyone and everyone, and yet they keep written records, whereas the priest does not.

The confessional is protected by a stronger seal than that of doctor-patient confidentiality. Canon law 983 says that "the sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in any way a penitent in words or in any manner and for any reason." In other words, although the seal is generally respected by civil authorities, a priest is instructed to defy civil authorities if necessary, even to the loss of his own life. St. John Nepomucene of Prague was the confessor to Queen Johanna of Bohemia. King Wenceslaus IV desired to know the content of the queen's confession. When St. John refused to tell it, he imprisoned him and killed him by throwing him in the river Moldau. St. John Nepomucene is called the "Martyr of the Confessional" and his image often shows him with his finger over his mouth, indicating his silence.
Although not all priests have the courage to be martyred like St. John, there are ways to assuage both fears about going to confession. First, go anonymously. Almost every parish has the option to go behind the screen, where the priest cannot see your face. Second, go to a parish that has long lines (experience has taught me that parishes with high Hispanic populations tend to have longer lines). If you don't want to wait long, get there early to be at the front of the line. If you do both of these, not only will the priest not be able to see you (and therefore not know who is confessing and not be able to judge you outside the confessional) but there will be many others confessing which decreases the likelihood that he'll remember your particular confession.

If it has been a long time since your last confession, make a plan to go at the next available time!  Remember you can always call your local parish and schedule an appointment.  You don't have to wait for the allotted time.  Don't delay!  That never solves anything!

Links:

Fr. Z's 20 tips for making a good confession
Examination of Conscience

The Sun of Justice being now risen

"And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James and Salome came to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen.  And entering into the sepulchre they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe: and they were astonished.  Who saith to them: Be not affrighted.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen: he is not here." - Mark 16: 2, 5-6

"Knowing that Christ, rising again from the dead, dieth now no more, death shall no more have dominion over him.  But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end life everlasting." - Romans 6:9, 22

New "Science and Faith" Foundation

Monsignor Georges Lemaître, priest and physicist
and Albert Einstein, 1933

Religion and science are two approaches to the truths of the universe that should not be set against each other. There is nothing inherent in science that opposes religion, and nothing in true religion that opposes science.

Unfortunately, representatives of certain factions of each discipline have done their best to set the two against each other.

Science and religion seek to answer two different questions of the universe.  Imagine that someone throws a rock at you.  You ask, "who threw the rock at me?"  I answer by giving the force in Newtons that the rock hit you, and explain that I calculated this by multiplying the mass of the rock times its rate of acceleration.  You would say, "Hey, I asked who hit me, not how the rock hit me!"  -- "Oh, well it was the guy on that grassy knoll who threw the rock!"

The question, "Who threw the rock at me?" is a religious question.  All of the religions of the world are, to some extent, concerned with supernatural explanations of the events of the world with respect to a person who caused it.  Thus Zeus is not lightning itself, but the god (person) who sends the lightning bolts to earth.

The question, "How was the rock thrown at me?" or "How did the lightning bolt come to earth?" seeks a scientific explanation involving Newton's Second Law of Motion or the relationship between positive and negative charges in the atmosphere.  "But," the agnostic replies, "now that we have a scientific explanation, we don't need the religious one."

That response commits a logical fallacy known as begging the question, in other words, assuming what you're trying to prove, that is, the agnostic is assuming that there is no need for a god in trying to prove there is no need for one.

The story above explains that a scientific explanation does not replace a religious one.  The fact that we can explain the mechanics of how the world works does not imply that there is not some person or persons causing those events.  Just as it would be absurd for us to do that in our day-to-day life when we get hit by rocks, it is absurd to conclude that there is no god, or no need for a god, because we understand the broader mechanics of the natural world.

Unlike religious fundamentalists, the Catholic Church has always embraced scientific studies. Many people point to one case in the 2000-year history of the Church - that of Galileo - to disprove my point.  That is a topic for another post, but suffice it to say that one incident does not cancel out two millenia of progress.

As Zenit reports, the support of science continues to the modern day:

Benedict XVI established a new "Science and Faith" Foundation, which will be under the guidance of the Pontifical Council for Culture and several pontifical universities.

......

 Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, promoted the foundation. In doing so, he was seconding the requests of several Roman pontifical universities. The foundation will give continuity to the "Science, Theology and Ontological Quest Project," known by its English acronym as the STOQ Project.

This Project, which resulted from the studies of the Galileo Galilei Commission, was created by John Paul II in 2003. During its existence it has promoted dialogue between theology, philosophy and the natural sciences, through cultural study, research and public activities. It has been supported by various institutions, including the John Templeton Foundation.

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