Pope Benedict Resigns

Health has slowed (or was it Twitter?) the work of the Pope the point he can no longer feasibly continue his duties effectively. Generally a job until death, the 'voting' of the next leader of the Roman Catholic church is upon us. The question is where will the next Pope hail from? Given the shift of faithful has definitely moved to South America and Africa, we could very well see the first non-European emerge from conclave.

In God we trust.

Is Obama waging war on religion? During his presidency, Obama has been criticized for taking God out of the equation. The famously controversial first Christmas in the White House, the Obama's debated whether or not to display the creche, in an attempt to make Christmas more inclusive for Americans. Obama has also excluded the use of "God" or "Creator" in the Declaration of Independence. It is also worth noting that he and his team have asked for religious symbols to be covered if he is addressing the public, as he does not want religious symbols to be a backdrop to his speeches.

What does all of this mean? There are a lot of rumors circulating that Obama is not the Christian he claims to be, and that he is either a Muslim or an atheist. I, personally, think Obama is trying to be as inclusive as possible. Some would argue his reach for inclusivity is at the cost of Christianity, but that's up for debate. Others may argue that he dons his "Christian" hat to gain votes.

Obama has always supported religious freedom. He is trying to bridge that chasm between religions to make America a place not of "tolerance" but of free acceptance. Maybe excluding all religions isn't the best way to do this, but maybe celebrating only Christian traditions and using language that only some Americans understand isn't effective either. What is really boils down to is this: Do we care more about the beliefs of our President than the effectiveness and quality of his/her leadership?

Obama Publicly Supports Same-Sex Marriage

By now you've heard that President Obama has come out of the closet, sort of speak, to support publicly the right for same-sex couples to get married.

Conservative Christians, among other conservative religious folks, are up in arms. This could be the fuel required to get the right-wing chugging along to November with some steam. Or maybe it's just a small snippet of angry right wingers?

What's at stake is apparently the 'traditional family'. The American dream is supposedly engrained to be built upon the traditions of old times, that is, 2.5 kids, suburban home, white picket fence, two cars, hot wife, go to church, and life is grand.


Well America doesn't look like America of old, not even America from 10 years ago. But is that enough reason to change definitions of marriage? Conservatives say no. For one they want to fight for 'family values'. However, the problem with that argument, pointed out by more than just 'liberal sympathizers', is that the states that have attempted to legislate against same-sex marriages successfully have in fact the WORST numbers when it comes to divorce.

Theology comes into play when it comes to church and marriage. Doesn't the Bible say one man and one woman? It seems as though it does, but then again it's not explicit. Jesus holds his own and never mentions it. Isn't Jesus who we're trying to follow?! And didn't Jesus spend a lot of time pointing out the faults in the religious elitism going on in his day?

All that to say is that Jesus DID in fact speak about marriage, on the topic of divorce. Yet in all of our churches we've gone beyond excluding divorced people (well most have). If we can show grace in this area shouldn't we show grace in other areas, in the least showing compassion for homosexuals rather than snide contempt?

And shouldn't we be mindful of the rules and regulations we're trying to impose on those who do'nt echo our 'traditional values' and focus instead on trying to live them out successfully? Just a thought.

Abstinence is Awesome, just hard to stick with

At some point the Catholic church will come up with something else....well actually maybe they won't.... http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2011/11/30/abstinence-only-sex-education-is-a-flop Here's the fact, abstinence education doesn't work to reduce sex in young people. Solution? Tough one. Here's the other fact, our culturally is insanely sexualized, overtly so, and our young people are growing up in that environment. It's not easy pill to swallow, nor is there an easy solution. Sexualization is rampant and fighting back doesn't seem to be working........... ideas?

If you’re attending Mass this weekend, here’s what you need to know:

- The new Mass will first be celebrated at the Saturday vigil, to be followed by Masses on Sunday and thereafter.

- Priests are unlikely to interrupt the Mass with instructions, but instead will encourage congregants before the service begins to follow along to printed materials containing the new text.

- Some familiar Mass songs will change to accommodate the new translations.

- If you’re interested in the reasoning behind any specific word choice, you can read the commentary from the bishops’ conference at their Web site. Click on the ‘commentary’ links below the Mass part.

You can see some of the new language below.

(Source: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops/The Washington Post)

Pope wraps up Africa Trip

Actually he didn't go to 'Africa', that's like saying, 'North America', he was in Benin. The Pope met with about 80k faithful and more importantly delivered "The Commitment to Africa".

What this will do to actually effect change in the continent is up in the air.... we can be cynical and say pretty much nothing.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/pope-benedict-xvi-calls-for-reconciliation-in-africa/2011/11/21/gIQAxEZmiN_story.html

Changes Coming to Liturgy

In an age when Facebook changes every 6 months much to the chagrin of over 40-somethings, a new Roman Missal hits pews Nov. 27. The issue for many parishioners and priests is the plain fact most are over 40, probably 60. Change for an aging generation of churchgoers and leaders doesn't come easy at all.

English-speaking countries will begin to use a new translation of the Roman Missal, the ritual text of prayers and instructions for celebrating Mass. International committees of specialists worked under a Vatican directive to hew close to the Latin. After years of revisions negotiated by bishops' conferences and the Holy See, dioceses are preparing anxious clergy and parishioners for the rollout, one of the biggest changes in Catholic worship in generations.

Now, the power of liturgy in worship certainly can't be diminished, but if you rely so heavily on liturgy to encounter the Lord perhaps you need to rethink your spirituality.

I would hazard a guess the majority of clergy are going to be upset with 'new'. Calling it awkward and hard to understand is pretty standard for something NEW. But there are good arguments that there's a disconnect between what the new MIssal accomplishes and where the church is physically. If we're in a very clear religious dichotomy with culture, then big changes are not only annoying, but a challenge to faith as well.

Other factors push obvious Catholic theology, in the Nicene Creed, the phrase "one in Being with the Father," will change to "consubstantial with the Father." As for Holy Communion the priest will ask God for blessings "by sending down your spirit upon them like the dewfall."

Dewfall?

What's a dewfall? So much for connecting with anybody under 40.

The new missal grew out of changes in liturgy that started with the Second Vatican Council, the 1960s meetings on modernizing the church that permitted Mass in local languages instead of Latin. Bishops in English-speaking countries created the International Commission on English in the Liturgy to undertake the translation. The panel produced a missal by 1973, but that version was considered temporary until better texts could be completed. In some cases, the commission sought to use language that would be gender neutral.

The work took a new direction in 2001, when the Vatican office in charge of worship issued the directive Liturgiam Authenticam, or Authentic Liturgy, which required translations closer to the Latin. The Vatican also appointed another committee to oversee the English translation, drawing complaints from some clergy and liturgists that the Vatican was controlling what should be a more consultative process.