Volume IV, Issue 26, December 15, 2007

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- Vatican Congregation Announces Initiative for Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration from the Congregation for the Clergy
- Explanatory Note to Help Promote Eucharistic Adoration from the Congregation for the Clergy
- The Motherly Role of Mary in the Chruch and in the World by the Most Rev. Dr. S. Michael Augustine
- The Gospa and the Gift of Suffering by Sr. Emmanuel Malliard
- Pullman Takes Fantasy Genre to Next Level by Michael O'Brien
- Educators Offer Critical Review of Pullman's Trilogy by Susan and Mary Teresa Tenbusch
- The Seven Sorrows of China, Part VI by Mark Miravalle

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- Vatican Congregation Announces Initiative for Worldwide Eucharistic Adoration from the Congregation for the Clergy

In these encouraging correspondences from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy, Claudio Cardinal Hummes introduces a new initiative to bring about perpetual Eucharistic adoration in every corner of the world. The placing Eucharistic adoration at the center of this prayer movement has the purpose of raising to God "a prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, praise, petition, and reparation" throughout the earth, awakening vocations within the Church, and placing priests and those with vocations in union with the spiritual maternity of the Blessed Mother, Mother of the eternal High Priest. The Congregation’s global plan follows the recommendations set forth by Pope Benedict XVI in his February 2007 Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis (cf. No. 67).

The first letter is addressed to the bishops of the world, requesting they implement perpetual Eucharistic adoration within their own dioceses. The explanatory note contains a list of proposals for practical implementation of the Congregation’s plans. We would be remiss not to note that in the letter to bishops are contained the themes of Marian co-redemption (Helper in his work of Redemption), mediation (she is our mother in the order of grace), and advocacy (pleading for an authentic renewal of priestly life).—Asst. Ed.

In today’s world a great many things are necessary for the good of the Clergy and the fruitfulness of pastoral ministry. With a firm determination to face such challenges without disregarding their difficulties and struggles, and with an awareness that action follows being and that the soul of every apostolate is Divine intimacy, it is our intention for the departure point to be a spiritual endeavor. In order to continually maintain a greater awareness of the ontological link between the Eucharist and the Priesthood, and in order to recognize the special maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary for each Priest, it is our intention to bring about a connection between perpetual Eucharistic adoration for the reparation of faults and sanctification of priests and the initiation of a commitment on the part of consecrated feminine souls—following the typology of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Eternal High Priest, and Helper in his work of Redemption—who might wish to spiritually adopt priests in order to help them with their self-offering, prayer, and penance.

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- Explanatory Note to Help Promote Eucharistic Adoration from the Congregation for the Clergy

Explanatory note to help promote the practice of continuous Eucharistic adoration (1) in dioceses (parishes, rectories, chapels, monasteries, convents, seminaries) for the benefit of priests and priestly vocations

In his Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI concretised the perennial teaching of the Church on the centrality of Eucharistic adoration in ecclesial life by a direct appeal addressed to all pastors, bishops, priests, as well as the People of God, for perpetual Eucharistic adoration:

With the Synod Assembly, therefore, I heartily recommend to the Church's pastors and to the People of God the practice of Eucharistic adoration, both individually and in community. Great benefit would ensue from a suitable catechesis explaining the importance of this act of worship, which enables the faithful to experience the liturgical celebration more fully and more fruitfully. Wherever possible, it would be appropriate, especially in densely populated areas, to set aside specific churches or oratories for perpetual adoration. I also recommend that, in their catechetical training, and especially in their preparation for First Holy Communion, children be taught the meaning and the beauty of spending time with Jesus, and helped to cultivate a sense of awe before his presence in the Eucharist (Sacramentum Caritatis, 67).

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- The Motherly Role of Mary in the Chruch and in the World by the Most Rev. Dr. S. Michael Augustine

A Position Paper on the Motherly Role of Mary, the Blessed Virgin Mother in the Church and in the World

Hanging on the Cross, Jesus sees his mother and John standing at the foot of the Cross … Looking at them, Jesus says: "Woman, behold your son … Behold your mother" (Jn 19:26-27). Thereby Jesus gave Mary his mother to the Church. It was a pure gift and grace of our Lord Jesus to make available to humanity the maternal role of Mary.

This bequest of Jesus at the most solemn moment of his "hour" on the Cross to the Church refers us back to the very beginning of the public life of Jesus when he received Baptism from the hands of John the Baptist in Jordan. At that moment the Father from heaven declared, "You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased" (Lk 3:22; cf. Mt 3:17; Mk 1:11; and also Lk 9:35; Ps 2:7).

What the Father declared him to be at the moment of his Baptism

Now Jesus declares what his mother has to be at the moment of his Passion!

The final hour of Jesus and the final fiat of Mary are interlocked at this moment thanks to the gratuitous initiative of Jesus. It is the pure grace of Jesus according to the plan of God. The Church and the world must have a Mother, the valiant Woman, chosen by God in the place of Eve, the mother of all living.

Jesus uses the word "woman" and not "mother." Jesus has been progressively distancing himself from his mother and other relations, too. It is not the kinship, but the discipleship that will take one to the kingdom of God. One ought to be a believing disciple of Jesus Christ, who suffered and died and was raised. Mary was indeed a believer and disciple par excellence! Like her suffering son, Mary also suffered from the time of Annunciation through a series of fiats which reached the zenith on the Cross.

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- The Gospa and the Gift of Suffering by Sr. Emmanuel Malliard

"Dear children! By your own peace I am calling you to help others so that they may begin to seek and find peace. You, dear children, are at peace and not able to imagine the lack of peace. Therefore, I am calling you, so that by your prayer and your life you may help to destroy everything that is evil in people and uncover Satan's deception. You should pray that the truth prevails in all hearts" (September 25, 1986).

A Gaping Wound

Of course, suffering can cause rebellion or even close a heart to God. When we receive a blow, the wound that forms can make us more vulnerable and we become more susceptible to all kinds of infections. It is an open wound, a gaping, bleeding wound, and Satan—in his malevolence—is only too happy to take advantage of our vulnerability. He will lurk around trying to introduce poison into our gaping wounds. To put it plainly, he will suggest to our conscience thoughts and feelings that he draws from his own source, in order to really infect the wound. And we will think that these suggestions come from our own heart. Here are some examples:

Despair: "Look how much you've already suffered in the past!" Satan would whisper to our conscience. "With this added blow, you won't make it. It's too much! What is the point of continuing to live when you're constantly in pain? You might as well commit suicide right now. In a minute or so, the pain will be over! Why wait?"

Hatred: "Look what that person did to you! It's unforgivable! Be sure to pay him back. Make every effort to destroy his reputation, his family life, his job. He must pay for it!"

Doubt or rebellion against God: "But who is this God who allows such evil to be done to you? And you thought he loved you? Well, now you see! He doesn't have time for you. And you don't really believe that, with all the billions of people in the world that are his, he's interested in your plight! Why waste your time at Mass on Sunday anymore? Let it go! Besides, does God really exist?"

Never listen to such perverse voices that reek of sulfur! Reject such violent poisons, even if they touch accord with you and seem to aim accurately. What would we gain by giving in to them? Simply more suffering and the loss of our peace! Resist them at all costs even if, through infestation or obsession, you are not able to push them away from your mind at the moment! If we live a life of prayer, it will be easy to recognize the source of such chatter; exposed by the light of the Bible, these suggestions cannot gain acceptance. They appeal to our bad tendencies and contradict the teaching of the Beatitudes. Would Jesus tell us, "You won't make it; it's too much! You'd better put an end to your life!"? There again, it is the Word of God that saves us.

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- Pullman Takes Fantasy Genre to Next Level by Michael O'Brien

A film based on a novel by British author Philip Pullman opened this month in theaters throughout the world. It is titled The Golden Compass, which is also the North American title of the first volume of Pullman’s fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials.

According to interviews with Pullman, the author’s stated intention is to reverse the traditional Biblical account of the war between heaven and hell. In his introduction, Pullman says that he "is of the Devil's party and does know it" (a line adapted from a poem by William Blake).

Institutional religion is portrayed in the series as the oppressor of mankind. For example, Ruta Skadi, a witch and friend of Lyra’s (one of the two main characters) calls for war against the Magisterium in Lyra’s world, and says that "For all of (the Church’s) history … it has tried to suppress and control every natural impulse. And when it can’t control them, it cuts them out."

Skadi later extends her criticism to all organized religion: "That's what the Church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling." By this part of the book, the witches have made reference to how they are treated criminally by the church in their worlds. Mary Malone, one of Pullman’s main characters, states that "the Christian religion … is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that’s all." She was formerly a Catholic nun, but gave up her vows when the experience of being in love caused her to doubt her faith.

Pullman portrays the Christian heaven to be a lie. In the third book, the afterlife is depicted as a bleak place where people are tormented by harpies until Lyra and Will (the other central character) descend into the land of the dead. Through their intercession, the harpies agree to stop tormenting the dead souls, and instead receive the true stories of the dead in exchange for leading them again to the upper world. When the dead souls emerge, they dissolve as they become one with the universe.

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- Educators Offer Critical Review of Pullman's Trilogy by Susan and Mary Teresa Tenbusch

The following is a review of Pullman’s trilogy by two Catholic educators, Susan Tenbusch and Mary Teresa Tenbusch, posted here with their permission. The authors encourage readers, if they so wish, to copy and spread their review.

The His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is an award-winning fantasy series (theo-fiction, a genre mixing theology and fiction) for grade-school children, has been made into a movie, which was released on December 7. (A question apparently remains as to whether or not God will be mentioned in the movie version, even though he is central to the theme of the books.)

In the His Dark Materials trilogy, the girl, Lyra (raised as an orphan), leaves the Oxford of her universe on a journey to reach her father and to locate kidnapped children. In another universe, inhabited by consciousness-eating beings (SK, p. 215) (Editor’s Note 1), she meets Will (raised by his mother who suffers from mental illness), a boy from our universe, who is intent on finding his missing father. At this point, Lyra is interested in "Dust," which is identified, among other things, with dark matter (SK, p. 91) or elementary particles (GC, p. 371-372) (Editor’s Note 2), but which is also described as matter that is "conscious" (AS, pp. 31-32, 222) (Editor’s Note 3) and able to communicate with human beings (AS, pp. 370, 440), and even portrayed as associated with original sin (AS, p. 223).

In contrast to the Catholic belief that children are afflicted with original sin at the moment they come into existence (Rom 5:12) and that they are able to commit personal sins as soon they reach the age of reason, in this trilogy, original sin appears to be linked to puberty and sexuality. At puberty, "dæmons" (the concretizations of souls, generally as the opposite sex (GC, p. 77)) bring impure thoughts (GC, p. 284), a state of experience replaces one of innocence (GC, p. 373), and "Dust," proof of original sin that can be perceived by the senses (GC, p. 371), settles on people in a significant amount (GC, p. 375). By dividing souls from bodies, "Dust" (in this context, seemingly synonymous with original sin) can no longer dominate human life (GC, p. 375).

After various adventures, separations and reunions, the two children set out for a realm reminiscent of the underworld of Greek mythology, from which they free all the ghosts of those who have died by leading them out to where they will blend with the rest of the universe (AS, p. 364). In the trilogy, Lyra, in fact, is touted as another Eve, in that she will be tempted (AS, p. 68) and be responsible for a choice with definitive and universal ramifications (AS, p. 66). Apparently the temptation Lyra must overcome is that of remaining with Will to the detriment of the various universes, whose passages to other worlds must be closed for their proper restoration (AS, pp. 484, 491-492).

Meanwhile, a great war is being waged. Lyra’s mother, Mrs. Coulter, for motives of power, is connected with a Church (caricatured) organization engaged in cutting souls (dæmons) away from bodies (GC, pp. 282-284, 374-375), ostensibly to prevent sin. (Although, in the trilogy, souls can be killed (AS, p. 467), this procedure only results in creatures that can only be described as the living dead (GC, p. 375).) Lyra’s father, Lord Asriel, is interested in this procedure on account of the tremendous amount of energy released in the process, which he uses to transport himself into another universe (GC, pp. 375-376, 393). He is busy preparing a revolt against God (AS, pp. 210-211), the first being to coalesce from "Dust" (AS, pp. 31-32), and against his "regent" (AS, pp. 31-32, 399), who, in turn is seeking to acquire Will’s ability to create openings between universes. To add to the suspense, in this story, the Church sends out a priest to murder Lyra before she is tempted (AS, p. 71).

At the end of the trilogy, Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter throw themselves into a pit taking the "regent" with them (AS, p. 409), the priest determined to kill Lyra falls fatally into a small canyon trying to kill an angel (AS, p. 469), and Lyra and Will return to their own worlds, leaving angels to close all the passages to other worlds except the one to that of the dead (AS, p. 494).

A fictitious version of the Church plays a central and negative role in this trilogy. In Lyra’s world (a universe parallel to our own), the Church has a different history: in the past, a character called Pope John Calvin moved to Geneva to establish a totalitarian regime. The papacy died with him, only to be replaced by a magisterium composed of "councils," "courts," and "colleges" (GC, p. 30). It is even possible that the Church may disappear altogether in its fight against what it perceives as evil (AS, 71).

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- The Seven Sorrows of China, Part VI by Mark Miravalle

In light of the seemingly overwhelming obstacles to Church reconciliation and reunification, let alone the Goliath obstacle of the Communist government’s one-child policy among a myriad of other human rights violations, we could despair for the future of Chinese Catholicism.

But there is hope, incarnate hope in the form of one David-like province of China. Today I travel by plane over majestic mountain ranges to arrive at what can be referred to as a true Catholic region of China—an area which, believe it or not, has not only to large degrees achieved reconciliation between the Patriotic Church and the underground Church, but has also in some miraculous fashion beaten the one-child policy in several of its villages, through a combination of courage, perseverance, and the blood of martyrs.

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