Mk 6:53-56 Come On Now!(Click here for readings)
Whatever villages or towns or countryside Jesus entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.
When I was younger, I was very much turned off by the old people in my church. Actually, I was turned off by the way they showed their devotion to God. I didn’t particularly like it when I saw the old ladies rubbing the feet or touching the hands of the beautiful statutes in our Church. Did they think they were going to get something out of it? I thought it was downright silly and ignorant. I didn’t like it at all when people told me that they had a relic of such and such saint in their home or went to visit such and such relic at this or that Church. Finally, I was always embarrassed when Protestants and atheists would point this fact out to me. I would respond by telling them that these people simply didn’t know the Catholic faith or scripture.
Now I know that I was being silly and ignorant of the Catholic faith and of scripture.
Protestants love to point out our strange devotions. But there is nothing strange about them, for they are very natural, supernatural and scriptural. As the crowds were pushing and shoving, waving and cheering to see and to touch Jesus of Nazareth, who was both God and man, they did the same exact thing when it came to his Apostles. In Acts, the ill were hoping beyond reason to be healed by Peter’s shadow (cf. Acts 5:15), and we know the Lord gave extraordinary gifts of healing to Paul. In fact, it is specifically mentioned that Paul’s handkerchief and apron were often brought to the sick and they were healed (cf. Acts 19:11).
So the question really isn’t whether or not to have devotion to the saints or to their images or to their relics. The question is why atheists and Protestants won’t do this for God but will do it for Madonna and country?
If you watched yesterday’s Super Bowl then you saw for yourself how the crowds were going wild as they were cheering and waving at Madonna. Funny isn’t it? But woe to us if we wave and cheer or go wild (in a holy manner J) when the Holy Father walks by! It seems very ridiculous especially when you consider how much the Holy Father has done for humanity and how much Madonna has done for her vanity! I would surely bow down and reach for the tassel of Christ’s Vicar than reach for something hideous that belongs to her. I would proudly wave my hands and scream my guts out for the crippled and elderly but Blessed John Paul II than watch a fifty-three year old woman nearly stumble on stage as she tries to revive her short and almost forgotten career. I would gladly do it over and over again. I would gladly salute the Pope as he waved at me than stand like a dummy as a celebrity waved his middle finger at me!
Come on now! What exactly do atheists and secularists offer me? The lowest form of humanity! Why in the world would I kill myself for a seasonal prize when I could die to myself for an eternal prize!
I would gladly bow down and lay my life down for a shy and humble Saint than for a very public and the of best of best of candidates, celebrities, artists, rationalists, secularists, atheists, humanists, animalists, environmentalists, psychologists, or philanthropists this world could ever produce!
The link to the readings does not work.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see comments enabled once again!
When the link doesn't work, I go to the day before and click on it. Once you are on the readings page, you can change to the next day.
DeleteFather Alfonse,
ReplyDeleteOh boy...Such anger in your post this morning! I agree with your comments on celebrity idealizing and worship. But, not ALL Protestants (or even non-believers) look poorly on Catholic devotions. They simply do not understand. Did you think that possibly a few Catholics out there may find Madonna and other celebrities more appealing than God? I'd like to see you reach out in a more ecumenical way towards our Protestant brothers and sisters as well as Non-Christians/non-believers. You attack them and they will continue to attack back!
Thank-you for enabling the comments.
Blessings,
-J.
As I was reading the gospel this morning, I thought about those being healed through Jesus's garment and it made me think about second class relics. That one line absolutely, exactly points to second class relics. It couldn't be any clearer.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how one who reads the Bible and takes everything literally does not see it.
And another thing I don't understand about Protestants and Bible only Christians is that they are allowed to interpret the Bible any way they want. Why (in their eyes) can't we interpret the Bible the way the Catholic Church interprets it and be accepted as Christians? They seem to accept other Protestants' interpretations which may be different than own and don't have a problem with that.
This is NOT a Catholic/Protestant issue, and it's VERY judgmentl to assume that all Protestants are worshipping or even agree with her disgusting display of pride and perversion of the Gospel yesterday! I, a Spirit-filled believer in Jesus Christ, was appalled by her performance and could see the darkness and worldliness surrounding it. What a mockery Satan was attempting to make of worship. As beleivers we are called to unity in faith in Jesus Christ. The comparsions and bickery between Catholics and Protestants is just as sickening as Madonna's display. Idolatry comes in many forms...
ReplyDeleteHello Father Alfonse We miss you here at St Joesph. I would not call this an angry post to this blog, I would just call it telling it like it is We need to defend our Catholic faith Sometimes even when we try to explain to protestants that do not understand our devotions they do not want to hear any of it, and this is after they have asked us to explain them. So please keep on defending our Catholic Faith. Your blog is one of the few things that I know that I can trust to be of total authentic Catholic teaching and that I can in good conscience put into our Church Library. So many of the books and reading materials that come in the way of donations I have to weed out because many of them are not appropriate for a Catholic Library. So please keep up this blog and continue to tell it like it is.
ReplyDeleteIt’s easy to see Satan at work right here, trying to divide and conquer, distracting us from the issue. I didn’t see a Catholic /Protestant battle in your observations. I saw a comparison of how today’s Gospel relates to today, or yesterday, I guess.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to see how misunderstandings between Catholic and Protestant ‘beliefs’ can incite anger, frustration, hurt feelings…..and misunderstandings about words in a blog meant to get one point across takes a dive into some other direction with no connection to the original intent, can do the same thing.
I have had to learn to cool down before I speak/write, try to be objective and see if I can come at it from the other person’s perspective and most of all, shed my own prejudices and baggage so I am open to what the other person is actually trying to say.
A prayer to the Holy Spirit for peace and guidance works well. If there is no peace, then I shouldn’t say anything until there is. Sometimes that means not saying anything and that takes self control and practice.
Sorry for not responding earlier. "Judgemental" is a word I almost never use...for fear of being too judgmental! I probably could have written this morning meditation better. I should have said that secularist Catholics and Protestants "worship" in God-like-style Madonna. That would have been much more proper. But I don't want to lose the point I was trying and failed to make. Let me use a different example to try to illustrate the point I was trying to make. Protestants hold on to treasured items of lost loved ones and light candles at vigil services for loved ones. Catholics do too. The point is this: Why not do it for Saints who are considered family members and are dearly loved and served the Lord faithfully? Thanks for the comments!!!
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