One of the jokes when I was a member of the Church of England was that “C of E” stood for: “Church of Everybody”. It was an ambiguous joke–on the one hand poking the C of E for being such a rubbery kind of institution that it stood for nothing and therefore fell for anything. On the other hand, there was a sense of respect to the joke as well. The idea that the Anglican vicar was there to minister... Read more
It took me a while to appreciate the Sacred Heart of Jesus devotion. To tell the truth, as a convert, it all seemed kind of sappy, sentimental and well, French. All hearts and flowers and perfume–almost like a Valentine from Jesus. Yucch. But then I learned about St Margaret Mary Alacogue and realized that she (like all the saints) was pretty tough. The saints inevitably endure some sort of suffering in their identification with Christ, so it has to be... Read more
When I was at Bob Jones University I can remember a demure undergraduate who was a bit of a bluestocking saying to me, “I really like nuns and would love to be a nun if only they were Christian.” What she meant was that she wished there were Protestant nuns. She can be forgiven for she was only speaking out of the innocent ignorance in which she had been schooled. However, her comment came to mind this morning while reviewing... Read more
What kind of news have we witnessed over the last few months? A face-eating cannibal in Florida, a sadistic homosexual cannibal in Montreal who videos a murder, dismemberment and necrophilia then mails body parts to unsuspecting victims. Or shall we discuss the fact that the video is online for millions to view, and a public high school teacher shows the video to a tenth grade class–and that the kids voted by an overwhelming majority to view the disgusting film? Maybe... Read more
My brother lives at the beach, and he was out walking the dog late one afternoon when he spotted an unusual fellow walking along the beach. He was wearing a kind of Franciscan habit, sandals and was carrying a walking stick and a big Bible. My brother engaged him in conversation. It seems the man was taking this gospel passage literally. And He called the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean... Read more
Yesterday at Mass for Corpus Christi I spoke about the real presence of the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It reminded me that many Catholics use an abbreviated form of this theological mouthful and refer to “the Real Presence”. The problem with this is that “the Real Presence” is a term that is also used by non-Catholics to refer to their beliefs about the Eucharist. I’ve heard Anglicans, Methodists and even a... Read more
The Protestants in Greenville got together with the Catholics for today’s Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally. For the most part it was an example of cordial co operation. However, there was a fervent Catholic lady handing out literature laden with Bible verses that prove Catholic doctrine, and across the street some Protestants were protesting that the Catholic Church was “unBiblical”. Such is religion in Greenville, SC–the buckle of the Bible Belt. It was nice, therefore to stand up and... Read more
As a Bible Christian I memorized a verse from the New Testament: “God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” The older I get and the longer I work with people the more I have come to understand how fear is at the root of all our problems. It is part of our human condition that at a very profound level we experience a kind of existential fear.... Read more
I have a friend who is an alcoholic. He says, “I have an addictive personality.That’s just the way I am.” OK. But that’s not really an excuse. I tried to sympathize by saying, “So you’re addicted to booze. That’s a bad addiction. But why are you addicted to booze? What does it do for you?” The whole story came out about how booze made him feel better and how it made him feel strong and confident and happy. The more... Read more
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Fr. Dwight Longenecker
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