Holding hands and the Orans position

When I was first exploring the Catholic Faith and just beginning to attend Mass, I was never really comfortable with holding the hands of those around me during the Our Father. I didn't know why but I just seemed out of place. I was also troubled by some peoples practice of imitating the priest during the Our Father and praying with their hands extended, otherwise known as the Orans posture.

As I read and learned more I found out that there is a very good reason for not doing these two things during the Our Father. It's in conflict with the prescribed rubrics of the Mass.

For a good explanation see these two articles on EWTN.

Orans Posture ("Praying" Hands Extended)
Holding Hands at Mass

The Orans Posture

In the rubrics the Orans gesture is asked principally of the Main Celebrant, but on those occasions where either a priestly action is done (Eucharistic Prayer) or prayer in common (Our Father) all the concelebrants do it.

It is never done by the Deacon, who does not represent the People before God but assists him who does.

Among the laity this practice began with the charismatic renewal. Used in private prayer it has worked its way into the Liturgy. It is a legitimate gesture to use when praying, as history shows, however, it is a private gesture when used in the Mass and in some cases conflicts with the system of signs which the rubrics are intended to protect. The Mass is not a private or merely human ceremony. The symbology of the actions, including such gestures, is definite and precise, and reflects the sacramental character of the Church's prayer. As the Holy See has recently pointed out, confusion has entered the Church about the hierarchical nature of her worship, and this gesture certainly contributes to that confusion when it conflicts with the ordered sign language of the Mass.

Holding Hands

1) It is an inappropriate "sign," since Communion is the sign of intimacy. Thus, a gesture of intimacy is introduced both before the sign of reconciliation (the Sign of Peace), but more importantly, before Holy Communion, the sacramental sign of communion/intimacy within the People of God.

2) It is introduced on personal initiative. The Holy See has authority over the liturgy according to Vatican II's "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy" #22 and canon 838 of the Code of Canon Law.

So there you have it. If you are a hand-holder or use the Orans posture during the Our Father and ever find yourself standing next to me during Mass do not be alarmed or offended that I do not participate. I am simply trying to follow the rubrics of the Mass as prescribed by the Holy See.

Priestly Celebacy

Moneybags at A Catholic Life shares his thoughts on priestly celebacy and the article linked above.

Moneybags is planning to enter the seminary in Fall 2007. Please keep him in your prayers as he journeys toward ordination as a Catholic priest.

**rolling of the eyes**

Found this over at Boudreaux's Blurbs



Even if this "mass" wasn't being celebrated by priestesses there would be so many things wrong with it that I wouldn't even begin to know where to start. Pay close attention and see how many "whacko-ism" you can find. There is a BIG one very early in the video.

The Global Face of the Church

Vatican stats confirm growth of church, especially in Asia, Africa

Some interesting stats as of the end of 2005:

1.12 billion Catholics
17.2 percent of the world population

Global population increase from 2004: 1.2%
Catholic increase from 2004: 1.5%
Global increase in number of priests: .1% (520)

For every 100 seminarians at the end of 2005:
32 from the Americas
26 from Asia
21 from Africa
20 from Europe
1 from Oceania

Doing some math:
Catholics at the end of 2004 = 1,103,448,276
Increase in Catholics to end of 2005 = 16,551,724
Number of new Catholics per new priest = 31,830

Keep praying for those increases in vocations!

Trusting God

Yesterday's Mass readings and homily got me to thinking about how much trust I put in God vs. how much I rely on the material means of this world. It seems like I'm constantly worried about making enough money to pay the bills, impressing the right people, making the right contacts to get that next good job, etc. Taking from yesterday's readings sometimes I think I may be planted a little further away from river that others and it seems like my roots tend to get cut back from time to time. I'm thinking that this sense of distance could be the result of my tendancy to worry about things and how to fix them without first putting my complete trust in God. After all, when I think about it He has blessed me greatly. Sure that have been some times when I barely got by but I've never hit rock bottom. There's always been that extra $50 when I needed it or an new opportunity when I was just ready to give up.

Then there is today's Gospel from Mark:

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore. -Mark 8: 11-13

I would have to say that I am guilty of being like the Pharisees at times. Rather than just trust God to provide and to guide me I sometimes find myself waiting for a booming voice from Heaven to tell me what I want to hear. It's like I expect God to show me exactly what the future holds. Well, I haven't heard any booming voices from Heaven. What I do have however is the past to relect upon. Like I said, things have always worked out one way or another. Maybe that is my sign. Maybe that is God's way of saying "look, it's all worked out before hasn't it? Why don't you trust me now?" This is definately something to keep in mind as the Lenten season approaches.

Traditional Latin Mass

Thanks to Kansas City Catholic I am now aware of the Traditional Latin Mass offered at Old St. Patrick Oratory in Kansas City, Missouri. Looks like I have an excuse to head over to Kansas City sometime soon.

Urgent Prayer Request

From a poster on DCF

Please pray for little Sophia. This little girl, who goes to St. Joseph's School, Boise, has a brain tumor. She is very small for her age 7 -- caused by the tumor apparently. The tumor was discovered last week by doctors who were trying to figure out a cause for her small stature. The tumor is wrapped around her pituitary gland and her optical nerves. They expect that it will take three surgeries to remove the tumor, and she is probably going to lose some or all of her eyesight. The first surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 13. Pass this prayer request on to anyone who is willing to join in prayer for her. Pray for a miracle for Sophia. Pray for her team of surgeons.

Big Brother is watching

Several bloggers have noticed a high level of hits on thier sites originating in China after posting on topics that the communists don't like. Like politics, abortion, Catholisism, Christianity, etc. KaleJ at un-Muted Mumblings brings some humor to the subject with this little graphic. Let's see how many hits are generated by this post written by an anti-abortion, Catholic blogger who isn't a big fan of communism and already got one hit within 5 seconds off a post that contained the word "politicians".

EU Threatens to Withdraw Aid to Nicaragua if Pro-Life Law Remains

Representatives from the European Union are increasing pressure on the government of Nicaragua to reverse its recent law which unilaterally forbids abortion under any circumstances. According to a report from the Catholic News Agency, the EU representation has threatened to withdraw economic assistance to the country if the abortion law is not reversed.

Nicaragua’s new abortion law was unanimously voted in by the Nicaraguan Legislature in October, 2006 and signed into law by then President Enrique Bolanos the following month. Nicaragua’s new president, Daniel Ortega voiced his support of the pro-life law in his election campaign.

Marc Litvine, the EU representative to Nicaragua, said that the EU regards legalized abortion as “linked to aid programs against poverty and to the rights of women”. He expressed hope that “the new government will be capable of opening the debate and discussing it outside the passion of the electoral season.”

According to the article opponents to the law are blasting government officials saying that the law was used as an election platform. Hmm, politicians used this law as a platform, they were elected, and passed the law unanimously. Sounds like the people spoke to me.

“That’s where I see one of the contradictions of the new government; it claims to be progressive, very modern, and it is going backwards because for us [the pro-life law] is a step back.” Mark Litvine, EU representative to Nicaragua

I never ceased to be amazed that people can really see the systematic extermination of human lives as the mark of human progress.

good things happening in the Diocese of Little Rock

Even though I recently moved out of the Diocese of Little Rock (Arkansas) I try to keep up with what is going back home.

New program's goal: From Sunday-only to everyday Catholics

76 parishes and missions in the diocese have signed up to take part in the Why Catholic? program.

On a side note it's interesting that those 76 parishes and missions are represented by 58 pastors. Just a reminder to pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood.

rebuilding in Lebanon

I just ran across the artricle from the Catholic News Service:

Like others, Lebanese Christians in South work to rebuild lives
The town of Khiam sits atop a rocky hillside, with breathtaking views across Israel to the south and the snowcapped peaks of the Golan Heights to the east.

But during Israeli attacks against the militant group Hezbollah last summer, four-fifths of the town's buildings were completely or partially destroyed, and the surrounding olive groves and farmland remain littered with unexploded cluster bombs.

Among the badly damaged buildings were two of the town's four Christian churches, for although Khiam is populated predominantly by Shiite Muslims, it is also home to a small Christian community struggling, like everybody else, to rebuild their normal lives after the war.

"Before the Israeli invasion of South Lebanon in 1978, 25 percent of the population here were Christians," said Pierre Wanna, 28, a local Christian. "Now there are only 25 families out of a total of 700." continue reading

St. Charbel Makhlouf pray for the faithful in your country of Lebanon that they may find peace and safety in the comfort of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Catholic Carnival 105

There are some very good posts in the Catholic Carnival this week. Check them out!

Catholic Carnival 105

Wash your mouth out with soap.

Moneybags atA Catholic Lifehas a very good post discussing cursing and profanity.

Is Bad Language a Sin?

This is definitely something that I struggle with. Sometimes my language can get pretty colorful. I work in an environment that is full of choice words. Sometimes it seems like conversations are little more than long strings of explicitives. When I first started my job a few months ago I was known as the person that rarely let one of these words fly. Over the last few months it has become more common. My co-workers are still surprised when I let a rather long string loose. I know this isn't good. I should be setting an example with my manner of speech. One more thing to work on in the constant struggle against sin.

St. Charbel Makhlouf

St. Charbel Makhlouf is my "2007 Saint of the Year". Click here to read the first installment on his life.

From Lives of the Saints

By the time he was sixteen, he had completed his basic schooling under an oak in the village churchyard, where he was taught by the priest with the other village boys. The Christian spirit of the entire village was remarkable; the men regarded it as a great privilege to ring the church bells for Sunday Mass. Youssef during his days on the hillside with his little flock, often retired to a grotto to pray, for solitude was his joy, and prayer the breath of his soul. He was serving Mass every morning, and in that function he discovered the true purpose of his existence: to be, like his Saviour, a victim to be offered, with Christ, to His Father.

At the age of twenty-three he left home silently one morning, and made his way to a monastery a day’s journey away. Only one thing mattered to him — to obey the voice of the One who summons: Come, follow Me. When his uncle and tutor, Tanios, tried to persuade him to return, he could not succeed; and his mother, who had accompanied her brother, taking his hand in hers, and shaking it energetically, said to him: “Well then, if you should not become a good religious, return with me to the house!” He received the habit one week after entering the monastery, and chose the name of Charbel, a martyr of the Antioch church in the year 107.

There followed two years of a severe novitiate, completed in the monastery of Annaya, which on its mountaintop seemed to breathe the stars, then the young monk was sent to prepare for the priesthood farther away, at Saint Cyprian of Kfifan, where he was ordained six years later at the age of 31. He returned to Annaya afterwards, where for sixteen years he was in every way a model of perfection, until in 1875, at forty-seven years of age, he retired to its nearby hermitage, where he would remain until his death. He was offering Mass a week before Christmas, when paralysis struck him as he elevated the host. His sorrowing companion, during a week’s time, heard him repeating as long as he had voice, the prayers of his uncompleted Mass: “O Father of truth, behold Your Son, victim to please You; condescend to approve [this offering], because for me He endured death, to give me life...” Saint Charbel died quietly on the 24th of December, attended by three monks.

Luukas' latest test results

From Luukas' mom:

Soooooooo.....

Luukas' EEG is still highly abnormal, with epileptic spikes so he is still getting medicine. We are now changing his baby-medicine to adult-medicine because he is so "big" already. He has never had an attack but he has some little uncontrolled movements.

Luukas has brain damage, but there are also good cells, even in the cortex. So perhaps I should forget the words of an ICU neurologist in June: "terrible, terrible damage". The lower parts of the brain, the better. Luukas' cerebellum is almost completely untouched, while in June they told us it was squeezed by the swelling in his brain.

Funny thing is that Luukas has much damage in the hearing area of his brain, but his hearing is normal. His eyesight is progressing, although it is still far from perfect, and the vision part of Luukas' brain is not very bad, so in time he might see better and better.

Luukas' current neurologist says she can't say how he will develop, but he will be developing.

Thank you and please continue to pray for Luukas.