Thoughts and flashes of brilliance that enter my head from nowhere.
Enjoy. Or abhor, depending on the effect of my "wisdom".
I went to the grocery store the other day and it was like entering a huge government bureaucracy.
First, you could only go in one door. A grocery store employee sat and tallied customers as they entered the store.
THEN there was the confusion of the one way aisles.
A shopper began their journey by going down the first aisle. Those who dared to go "up" the first aisles were turned around, almost arrested.
The problem with this one way aisle setup is I don't know about other people, but I don't go through every aisle in the grocery. If an aisle sign indicates it has juices and chinese food I might not travel that aisle as I don't need these items. However, with the one way aisle system if I wanted to avoid and aisle completely and go down the next aisle....well I can't. Because the aisle I don't want to go down is this way while the aisle with coffee that I DO want to go down is the other way, which I cannot enter from this end but must walk around to begin going in the right direction.
I have difficulty walking and this system caused me great pain.
The checkout was fine and I obediently stood behind where I could. There was a plexiglass window in front of each cashier.
The grocery store, Acme, handled this strange change in things but Lord please give me back my life and don't let grocery stores become like government bureaucracies that would control my life.
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Pope Francis appoints another commission to study female deacons
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-pope-francis-appoints-another-commission-to-study-female-deacons
Pope Francis has reopened the investigation into the possibility of women’s ordination as deacons.
This morning the Vatican released a memo stating that the pontiff had decided “during a recent audience granted to His Eminence Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith [CDF]” to appoint a new commission on the “study of the female diaconate.”
Francis appointed Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, the Archbishop of L’Aquila, as the new commission’s head and Fr. Denis Dupont-Fauville of the CDF to be its secretary.
The ten other people officially named to the women’s diaconate commission are American Dr. Catherine Brown Tkacz, who received a PhD in Medieval Studies from the University of Notre Dame; Deacon Dominic Cerrato, a theologian in Steubenville, USA; Fr. Santiago del Cura Elena, a theologian from Spain; Dr. Caroline Farey, a British Catholic theologian; Dr. Barbara Hallensleben, a German theologian who teaches in Freiburg, Switzerland; Fr. Manfred Hauke, a German theologian in Lugano Switzerland; Deacon James Keating of Creighton University, Omaha; Fr. Angelo Lameri, an Italian professor of Liturgy; Dr. Rosalba Manes, an Italian consecrated virgin and biblical scholar; and Dr. Anne-Marie Pelletier, a biblical scholar from Paris.
According to Joshua J. McElwee of the National Catholic Reporter, none of these people were in the previous commission asked to study the woman deacon question.
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I have pondered the concept of a female Deacon. Like most Catholics I do not desire a female priest as Jesus was a male and the father of the church.
But a female Deacon?
Below a comment from a FreeRepublic post on the matter. I think the commenter eplains why NOT a female Deacon.
You and I both known women who served capably in almost every "job description" in the Church. There are women counselors, instructors, spiritual directors, DRE's, seminary professors, canon lawyers, even judges of canonical tribunals.
But "job description" is not the thing that distinguishes a deacon. It's not exactly what you "do" but what you "be" ("are").
For example: a deacon could "do" anything --- he could practice medicine as a MD, conduct tours and pilgrimages, be in charge of investment and finance-- and still be a deacon.
Yet a woman could be the Diocesan Chancellor --- basically, the top administrative officer in the Diocese--- and still not be a deacon.
It's because being a deacon is not, per se, a job. It's a participation, to a degree, in the priesthood of Christ, and that involves something you sacramentally "be". Like everything sacramental, it is an outward bodily sign.
A woman can "do" almost anything, but cannot "be" an embodied sign of Christ as Christ the Son, as Christ the "Beatus Vir", as Christ the Bridegroom. I think that's the underlying theology.
I'm pointing toward the sacramental significance of embodiment. Not job, not work, but embodiment. In the priesthood (and the diaconate is a level of the priesthood) embodiment counts: thus the body (as male) counts. E.g. a "transman" could not be an ordained deacon, because a transman is not a true male.
It's the distinction between what you do (job) and what you signify (sacrament).
-------------------------------------------------This morning the Vatican released a memo stating that the pontiff had decided “during a recent audience granted to His Eminence Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith [CDF]” to appoint a new commission on the “study of the female diaconate.”
Francis appointed Cardinal Giuseppe Petrocchi, the Archbishop of L’Aquila, as the new commission’s head and Fr. Denis Dupont-Fauville of the CDF to be its secretary.
The ten other people officially named to the women’s diaconate commission are American Dr. Catherine Brown Tkacz, who received a PhD in Medieval Studies from the University of Notre Dame; Deacon Dominic Cerrato, a theologian in Steubenville, USA; Fr. Santiago del Cura Elena, a theologian from Spain; Dr. Caroline Farey, a British Catholic theologian; Dr. Barbara Hallensleben, a German theologian who teaches in Freiburg, Switzerland; Fr. Manfred Hauke, a German theologian in Lugano Switzerland; Deacon James Keating of Creighton University, Omaha; Fr. Angelo Lameri, an Italian professor of Liturgy; Dr. Rosalba Manes, an Italian consecrated virgin and biblical scholar; and Dr. Anne-Marie Pelletier, a biblical scholar from Paris.
According to Joshua J. McElwee of the National Catholic Reporter, none of these people were in the previous commission asked to study the woman deacon question.
------------------------
I have pondered the concept of a female Deacon. Like most Catholics I do not desire a female priest as Jesus was a male and the father of the church.
But a female Deacon?
Below a comment from a FreeRepublic post on the matter. I think the commenter eplains why NOT a female Deacon.
You and I both known women who served capably in almost every "job description" in the Church. There are women counselors, instructors, spiritual directors, DRE's, seminary professors, canon lawyers, even judges of canonical tribunals.
But "job description" is not the thing that distinguishes a deacon. It's not exactly what you "do" but what you "be" ("are").
For example: a deacon could "do" anything --- he could practice medicine as a MD, conduct tours and pilgrimages, be in charge of investment and finance-- and still be a deacon.
Yet a woman could be the Diocesan Chancellor --- basically, the top administrative officer in the Diocese--- and still not be a deacon.
It's because being a deacon is not, per se, a job. It's a participation, to a degree, in the priesthood of Christ, and that involves something you sacramentally "be". Like everything sacramental, it is an outward bodily sign.
A woman can "do" almost anything, but cannot "be" an embodied sign of Christ as Christ the Son, as Christ the "Beatus Vir", as Christ the Bridegroom. I think that's the underlying theology.
I'm pointing toward the sacramental significance of embodiment. Not job, not work, but embodiment. In the priesthood (and the diaconate is a level of the priesthood) embodiment counts: thus the body (as male) counts. E.g. a "transman" could not be an ordained deacon, because a transman is not a true male.
It's the distinction between what you do (job) and what you signify (sacrament).
Father Tom Flowers Interviewed on Local Radio
Father Tom has been a wonderful priest and leader and I consider him a friend.
Due to the virus, which has affected everyone from brides to newborn babies to the elderly, from all walks of life, St. Jude the Apostle parishioners will not be able to wish Father Tom a proper goodbye. So it was arranged with local station 92.7, WGMD, for Father Tom to be interviewed by WGMD host Jake Smith. The interview was spread across the air waves on 4/7/20.
The interview began with host Jake Smith explaining that Father Tom would soon be leaving as Pastor of St. Jude the Apostle. Father Tom began his narrative, thanking the parishioners of St. Jude for being so loyal and good people.
Father Tom took calls from parishioners. One fellow called who evidently experienced his cell phone going off during mass as he said he would never bring his Iphone into mass again. One caller expressed a desire for Father Tom to come to a private home, hold a mass. Said private home would be limited to ten attendees so as not to break the law.
While the intent was good, Father Tom explained that such an action would not be allowed by the Catholic church.
Father Tom told a story about a parishioner who suffered severe abuse from the priests of his youth. He also expressed his love of giving homilies, his belief that the future holds good things for him, his assurance that he will be around in the future.
The interview lasted for an hour and Father Tom gave a sweet blessing at the end.
Indeed we will miss Father Tom and we hope that he will be around in our collective futures.
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TIME FOR A SMILE
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