Ubi Petrus

Today was just one of “those” days. You know, the ones where you get positively discouraged by the time they’re all over. At work today I had to sit through to gentlemen discussing their views on religion, the Catholic Church and the historical existence of Jesus. And all the while having to bite my tongue because their views were not exactly in the realm of well-informed.

The whole mess started about I remember not what. The comment that caught my attention was, “who do they think they are telling anyone what to do when their priests were doing [fill in the blank] in the churches themselves – they need to clean up their own act before they tell anyone what to do”. I’d like to think my blood pressure only went up a few notches at that point, but I’d probably be lying. How long, O Lord, will our enemies hold this against us? And perhaps in my more agitated state my thought was, “and just who do these people think they are telling the Church when and what they can say?” Perhaps our greatest failing as a society in this day and age is our utter inability to let wounds heal. If this were the first example it would be one thing, but we as Americans have in recent times been faced with slave reparations, Islamophobia in the form of terming any actions against terrorists “Crusades”, failure to stop the Holocaust, intolerance of any and all “lifestyle choices” … the list goes on. Let me give these folks a hint – let it go. Trust me, you’ll feel better afterwards.

Then there was the comment which followed, “well really, what did you expect, they all think their buddy just created the universe so you can’t expect too much from them”. Ugh. Yes, anyone who is open to the concept that the universe isn’t a completely random chance of colliding accidents is a pedestrian simpleton. Of course. Should I remind them that some of the greatest minds in the history of the world were devoutly religious? No, I suppose that might just have a deleterious effect on their world view which as we all know is not an acceptable thing to do. We’ve replaced “evangelization” and “education” with “religious oppression”. So in the name of tolerance we are forced to allow people to wallow in their shallow pools instead of swimming in the great oceans of understanding. Brilliant. Now who is the Neanderthal?

And then of course, the cake topper. “Jesus didn’t really exist – the only non-Christian who ever wrote about him was a guy named Josephus and they can prove that he didn’t actually write the words attributed to him.” Ah, yes, he’s talking about the Testimonium Flavianum. While I’m no ancient writings exegete, wikipedia has a good, balanced page about it here, and there are other discussions of it here, here, here, here, and even here. I’m sure there are many more resources, but that’s a good starter. Suffice it to say the balance of opinion, excluding the shouters on either end of the spectrum, is that there is a very high probability that Josephus did at least write about Jesus if not in the glowing terms we see in the present copies of the Testimonium. So yet again I get to be bombarded by a poorly understood misrepresentation of simple facts (albeit with complex paths trodden by experts). In an open office environment. And I have to keep my mouth shut because otherwise I’m likely to get myself in a heap of trouble. Religious freedom indeed. Fortunately for my sanity and continued employment my suffering was ended by a well-timed cell phone call to my co-worker.

The good news is I had the opportunity to sit down and listen to Choral Treasure again tonight, which took much of the edge off. Now that I’ve had all this fun, ’tis time to look forward to this again tomorrow. Once more unto the breach my brethren!

Amy points us to a new web radio station, Choral Treasure. As they admit, their website is still a work-in-progress, but it’s positively enchanting to be able to flip on some uplifting and reverent music after a long day at work (or maybe even at work). I’ve been listening for the past hour or so and so far their selections have been top notch.

I don’t know yet what their business model is, but I do hope they succeed. I do notice that for each song played you have the opportunity to buy the CD it came from via either Amazon or MSN music. If I hadn’t already promised to freeze buying myself trinkets like these so as to not wreak havoc on others’ Christmas shopping I’d likely have picked up a couple in just this past hour. Of course, since I just learned about them myself they’re not yet on my list… Hmmm…

From CWN:

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople has disclosed that he made an important, concrete proposal for Orthodox-Catholic cooperation during his November 30 meeting with Pope Benedict XVI (bio – news).
…
The AsiaNews service, citing sources in the Constantinople patriarchate, reports that the Patriarch suggested that he and the Pontiff should personally take part in the next meeting of a joint Orthodox-Catholic theological commission, to take place next year in Ravenna, Italy. The AsiaNews report suggested that Pope Benedict is inclined to accept the suggestion.

Well now wouldn’t that just be interesting? Could it be possible for us to hope for a reunion of the Churches of the East and West sometime in our lifetimes? It would, indeed, be just like God to choose someone like Benedict, someone known as a “hardliner” to be the one to bridge the divide. There are, certainly, still many miles to go before such a thing could happen, but the mere thought of it is exquisitely exciting.

Actually, it’s not really “just” a bookstore, it’s more like his “recommended resources list”. But you know what, that’s probably even more valuable. Given how many resources are available out there, having recommendations from someone like Jimmy is a godsend (both literally and figuratively). He introduces the store here and you can go directly to the store here. And if you don’t know who Jimmy Akin is, you should. Hint: he’s the Director of apologetics and evangelization at Catholic Answers.

Dom has some great thoughts on analyzing the Pope’s trip to Turkey here. Among them:

[W]e should consider everything that this Pope has written and said about such interreligious events in the past, especially the peace summits at Assisi and his criticisms of acts that might be considered syncretistic. Considering all that he has said and written, should we assume that he has simply capitulated to Muslims? I saw one RadTrad writer who criticized the Pope for crossing his arms while in the mosque since “everyone knows” that this is the Muslim prayer position called “the posture of tranquility.” This is a prejudicial interpretation. How about giving him the benefit of the doubt and examining the whole context of who he is and what he has said before? Can one never cross one’s arms in the presence of Muslims lest it be interpreted as a Muslim prayer? The parsing of every gesture and action has reached ludicrous proportions.

Indeed. If you don’t know Benedict’s position on syncretism I’d like to see what rock you’ve been living under the last 30 or so years. His written train of thought is more voluminous and thorough than just about anyone you’ll find with things so deep to say. I’m sure there are those who are irate he did not whip out a stashed bottle of oil and reconsecrate Hagia Sophia. But really, just exactly what good would that have done? I would love some day to see (or even better to attend) a Mass said in Hagia Sophia, don’t get me wrong. But to make that kind of an act now is kind of like slow-trotting a solo home run when you’re down by ten runs – it just doesn’t make sense.

No, you wait until it means something, until you can do something with it. Don’t make a rash, brash decision now just because it makes you feel better. Some day, if it is God’s will, the Pope will take that slow walk in and step on home plate, pointing to the sky, pointing us to God. That will be the home run worth waiting for.

This Pope, I will say, has an impeccable sense of timing and a magnificent grasp of the higher ordering of things in this world. I’d say things went far better than I’d hoped for at the beginning, and I’d also say that is what happens when good people like the Pope stick to what they intend to do (ecumenical relations with the Orthodox, a pastoral visit to the Catholic communities and pressing the issue of religious freedom) and don’t let themselves get forced into what others would like them to do (such as authoring a direct confrontation with Islam). God works in His time, and the smartest thing for us to do is work with Him in that.

From CWN:

As a November 30 press conference in Ankara, the spokesman for Turkey’s foreign-affairs ministry asked Pope Benedict XVI (bio – news) to refrain from using the title “Ecumenical Patriarch” in reference to the Orthodox prelate Bartholomew I of Constantinople.

The ministry spokesman, Namik Tan, explained to reporters that the term “ecumenical,” implying a universal role in Church leadership. That implication would violate the principles of secularism that inform the Turkish republic, he argued.

My only question is, was that statement supposed to make sense or was that just more nonsense equivalence between “secularism” and “only Muslim”? Or does that, perhaps, mean that he also intends to strip the title of Imam from every leader in the Muslim community since, with their lack of formal hierarchy any “leader” can become considered universal. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.

I’ve been tagged by Indolent Server for the Birthday Meme. It goes like this:

1: Go to wikipedia
2: Enter your birth month and day, but not year in the search box
3: List three events that happened on your birthday
4: List two important birthdays and one death
5: List one holiday or observance

Hmmm. My first meme tagging. I s’pose that means I should try to make this a good one.

Three events:

1. 1814 – Francis Scott Key writes The Star-Spangled Banner.
2. 1944 – United States Marines land on the island of Peleliu. (Given that my grandfather was in Guadalcanal around this time, these things have a special significance to me.)
3. 1964 – The opening of the third period of the Second Vatican Council.
4. 1965 – The opening of the fourth and final period of Second Vatican Council. (Okay, so I cheated.)

Two birthdays:

1. 1849 – Ivan Pavlov, Russian scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1936)
2. 1936 – Walter Koenig, American actor (I want to know anyone over the age of 16 who doesn’t know who he is.)

One death:

1. 258 – Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (Hmmm. That means his birthday into heaven is my birthday into the world. Perhaps I should learn more about him.)
2. (Extra credit) 891 – Pope Stephen V
3. (More extra credit) 1523 – Pope Adrian VI (b. 1459)

One celebration or holiday:

1. Roman Catholic Church – Triumph of the Cross (compare May 3, Finding of the Holy Cross).

I hereby tag … hmmm … Curt Jester, Dyspeptic Mutterings, and Dappled Things.

The Knights of Columbus have invited us all to partake in a Spiritual Pilgrimage with the Pope as he travels to Turkey, the “minefield” as one official put it. We may not all be able to travel with the Pope physically, but we can all be with him spiritually in our prayers. The prayer, written by the KofC’s Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori, to be recited daily during the Pope’s pilgrimage to Turkey:

Heavenly Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name, we humbly ask that you sustain, inspire, and protect your servant, Pope Benedict XVI, as he goes on pilgrimage to Turkey – a land to which St. Paul brought the Gospel of your Son; a land where once the Mother of your Son, the Seat of Wisdom, dwelt; a land where faith in your Son’s true divinity was definitively professed. Bless our Holy Father, who comes as a messenger of truth and love to all people of faith and good will dwelling in this land so rich in history. In the power of the Holy Spirit, may this visit of the Holy Father bring about deeper ties of understanding, cooperation, and peace among Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, and those who profess Islam. May the prayers and events of these historic days greatly contribute both to greater accord among those who worship you, the living and true God, and also to peace in our world so often torn apart by war and sectarian violence.

We also ask, O Heavenly Father, that you watch over and protect Pope Benedict and entrust him to the loving care of Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Fatima, a title cherished both by Catholics and Muslims. Through her prayers and maternal love, may Pope Benedict be kept safe from all harm as he prays, bears witness to the Gospel, and invites all peoples to a dialogue of faith, reason, and love. We make our prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

And as Whispers pointed out, “Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Benedicto. Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.” Which, if I’m not mistaken, is the same prayer Diogenes points out from the Enchiridion of Indulgences, Grant #25:

A partial indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who, in a spirit of filial devotion, devoutly recite any duly approved prayer for the Supreme Pontiff (e.g., the Oremus pro Pontifice):

V. Let us pray for our Pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI.

R. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and bless him upon earth, and deliver him not to the will of his enemies.

Amen.

Gerald points out the official Vatican page with the overview of the liturgies the Pope will be participating in. The attention to detail is indeed impressive. One thing that I noticed was the following teaching which seems almost in praise of orienting the priest ad orientem, which is interesting given the Pope’s known preference for Mass ad orientem as opposed to the now-common versus populum. It may well mean nothing, but it’s interesting none the less. From the page:

The Byzantine Divine Liturgy, like that of all the Eastern Churches, is celebrated facing East. The priest and all the faithful look to the East, whence Christ will come again in glory. The priest intercedes before the Lord for his people; he walks at the head of the people towards the encounter with the Lord. At different moments the priest turns to the people: for the proclamation of the Gospel, for the dialogue preceding the anaphora, for the communion with the holy gifts, and for all the blessings. These symbolize moments in which the Lord himself comes forth to meet his people.

Update: Fr. Z. apparently noticed the same bit in his post here, although he also took further notice that it was His Excellence Msgr. Marini who wrote the above. If memory serves, Msgr. Marini did mention once after Ratzinger became Benedict that his job as MC became harder because Benedict is also a liturgist as well as a theologian and had his own ideas of how liturgies should be composed. As I like to say, vewy vewy intewesting. (It’s a Buggs Bunny thing if you don’t get the intentional mis-spelling.) I’ll have to look for the reference.