Breaking News? Really?

By -
It's "breaking news" that (gasp) Pope Francis is allowing the blessing of gay couples. If you haven't read this Declaration you really should. (Scroll down in the document's link to read it in English.)

The Declaration comes from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (with Francis' approval) which is "the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia . . . It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsible for promulgating and defending Catholic doctrine."

There is much to learn about the different types of blessings, the situations in which they are given, and what the Church continues to hold true about marriage.

Here's what the breaking news headlines will NOT tell you about the Declaration and blessings:

--No change is being made to marriage as a sacramental union between a man and a woman. (That's a good thing.)

--There are blessings that "descend," or come down from God, and blessings that "ascend," that go up, from earth to heaven, in thanksgiving. This is interesting. Be sure to read it.

--One who requests a blessing, is "expressing a petition for God’s assistance, a plea to live, and confidence in a Father who can help us live better." Think humility.

--Outside of a "liturgical framework," a blessing is informal and "external to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and of the other sacraments." Such blessings do not come from the Book of Blessings of the Church. Such blessings are not to be "carried out at the time as civil rites of a union or even in relation to them."

--The need for a blessing is a humble recognition that we are sinners and that we need God's help to live our lives in accordance with God's will.

--There should be no confusion--such an informal blessing is not the same as a proper blessing of a marriage.

--"From a strictly liturgical point of view . . . what is blessed [must] be in conformity with the will of God expressed in the teachings of the Church."

Read the declaration, not the headlines. You will be reminded of the beauty of blessings--both informal and liturgical--and you will see that Pope Francis has not gone off the rails, which so many people will now claim, in anger and dissent.

The Prefect who presented the Declaration said, "Pope Francis urged us not to 'lose pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes' and to avoid being 'judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.' Let us then respond to the Holy Father’s proposal by developing a broader understanding of blessings." (Declaration, Fiducia Supplicans, On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings)

Will you please share this post and take the time to learn more about blessings?  Trust the Holy Spirit and the Church, after all, they've been doing this for awhile now.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.com
Follow me on Facebook at:   
https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem
Read more

The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary

By -
Image
This is the image most often associated with the writings of the Belgian mystic Berthe Petit. She promoted devotion to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. During my preparation for the retreat I am giving at the end of the month in Pantasaph, North Wales, I began reading a book by the late John Haffert (once the lay leader of the Blue Army of Fatima). His theory in the book, which speaks of God's "last effort" to convert the world before the coming chastisement, is that we are now living in the third or fourth "day" of the Fatima week. At this time, according to Haffert, we should be promoting devotion to The Immaculate Heart of Mary. I also consulted another book by Dr. Courtnay Bartholomew (whom I have been privileged to meet) which also speaks of the importance of this devotion, linking it with the writings and visions of the mystic Berthe Petit, and the importance of the full title of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. These things will feature in
Read more

Why Modesty Is Not Subjective

By -
Image
Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never going to caution her d
Read more