Was someone asleep on their feet?

Given what happened in St Peter's Basilica last night I have to ask:  Were the members of the security contingent asleep on their feet?  I have watched the video quite a few times now and I was astounded to see how long it took the security guard to tackle her and then she still manages, somehow, to evade his grasp and grab the Holy Father's vestments.  Yes, it did happen quickly, but not so quickly, I feel, that they couldn't have prevented her from actually getting to the Holy Father.  It is also alleged that it was exactly the same woman who jumped the barrier last year.  If so, I find this extremely disturbing.  One can only hope that, if this is true, that measures will be taken this time so that she does not get the opportunity to do something like this again.

It also disturbs me that some commentators seem to be at pains to somehow exonerate the woman saying that she meant no real harm and that such people seldom do.  To me that is not the issue. It doesn't matter who she is or what her real intent was.  The fact is that she got close enough to the Holy Father to do some serious damage.

Given that the Holy Father was pulled down so quickly and so violently we can only thank God that he did not sustain any serious injuries.  It continues to be unclear as to how exactly poor Cardinal Etchegaray was knocked over and reports differ as to whether he has fractured his femur or his hip.  At 87 this is not a joke and we can only pray that, God willing, he will make a full recovery.  Let us pray too that this disturbed woman may also find some sort of peace and healing.

Gaudete Sunday

Gaudete Sunday is named for the first word of the Entrance antiphon (Introit) of the day, which reads “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near.” Gaudete is Latin for “Rejoice!”.

Gaudete Sunday corresponds to Laetare Sunday during Lent. These Sundays allow us a glimpse of the joy and light which await us in the Incarnation and Resurrection of Jesus. Advent, like Lent, is a penitential season, something which is so often forgotten amidst the materialism, consumerism and man-made ‘happiness’ that surround us at this time of year. Whilst the ‘advent’ or coming of our Lord is a cause for celebration and joy, the light of our Saviour’s incarnation is dimmed for us if we are not adequately prepared for His coming. In order to prepare, we must examine ourselves closely and acknowledge those areas of our lives which are a barrier to our full communion with Christ.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we find the following regarding Advent:

“When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long preparation for the Saviour's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming. By celebrating the precursor's birth and martyrdom, the Church unites herself to his desire.” "He must increase, but I must decrease." (CCC 524)

We must decrease, through humility, so that we may be filled with His light and goodness. We become Christ-like when we acknowledge and seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation for those thoughts and actions which separate us from Him. It is not He who separates us from Him but we ourselves who willfully turn away from Him through selfishness and pride.

In this light, consider the following brief examination of conscience:

Do I ignore God or exclude him from my life?
Have I used God’s name in anger or carelessly?
Have I received Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin?
Have I been impatient, angry or jealous?
Have I been lazy at my work or at home?
Have I been uncharitable or unkind in thought, word or deed?
Have I told lies?
Do I judge others unfairly?

This is a time during which we should use every opportunity to turn towards Christ, to convert fully and receive, with joyful and humble expectation, Christ’s light and grace within our souls.

Gaudete! Rejoice!

Another Priest Murdered in South Africa

A priest was shot dead in the early hours of Monday morning at his presbytery in Diepsloot, an informal settlement to the north of Johannesburg.

From the news24 website:

Pretoria - Father Louis Blondel, 70, a French priest of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, was shot dead in his room on Monday at about 02:00 when child robbers gained access to the rectory.

Blondel is the fourth Catholic priest to be murdered in South Africa this year.

He was shot through his left shoulder, with the bullet exiting his back. The children had opened the door for the robber.

Blondel had been a member of the Missionaries of Africa, whose stated mission is serving the people of Africa. He's been in South Africa since 1987 and has lived in Diepsloot since August last year.

Before moving there, he worked in Tanzania, Soweto and Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria. Father Guido Bourgeois, 70, who saw Blondel being shot, said three teenagers entered the house through a window at approximately 02:00.

"They came into my room and woke me. I started to scream but they told me to 'shut up'. One of them was pointing something in my direction, but I couldn't see if it was a firearm," said Bourgeois.

Looked for money

The children asked for money, upon which he gave them a R50 note he had in his wallet.

"One of them removed a painting from the wall to see if there's a safe behind it. The other opened cupboards and said they're looking for money."

According to Bourgeois, the teenagers asked for keys to the house. They followed him to the front door, where they forced him to unlock it.

"When I unlocked the door, a big, tall man of about 35 years was standing in front of me."

Bourgeois said the robbers then forced him back into the house and wanted to know how many people there were in the house. He said there were three.

The other resident is a man who had been staying there for a few months, since he had no other place to stay.

The rest of this thoroughly unpleasant story can be read here.

The worst of it is that very little was taken. I believe that Fr Bourgeois gave them his cellphone in addition to the R50 (approx $6 or £4). The unfortunate fact is that many people seem to think that the Catholic Church and its priests are positively rolling in money. We have had two burglaries this year in our Parish and a couple of rather unpleasant incidents in which people with unpleasant motives have gained access to the rectory under false pretenses. One can no longer simply allow anyone unknown into the rectory anymore, even if they simply request to see the priest. They stay firmly outside on the other side of the security gate until their reason for being on our doorstep has been firmly established. This, of course, does not apply to people who are known to the Parish. Luckily no one was injured in the abovementioned incidents. However, it is certainly not pleasant to have to treat people in this way but it has, unfortunately, become very necessary.

Please say a prayer for Fr Blondel and for the Missionaries of Africa who do so much good work in the Diepsloot community and elsewhere.

Father Lionel Sham R.I.P

As requested by Archbishop Tlhagale, please keep Father Sham's family in your prayers. May he rest in peace.

From the website of our local newspaper, The Star:

One nabbed for missing priest

The body of a priest who had gone missing earlier this week has been found, the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference said on Sunday.

"Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, Catholic Archbishop of Johannesburg, regrets to announce that the SAPS have found the Body of Fr Lionel Sham.

Sham, the parish priest of Mohlakeng had been missing since Friday afternoon.

Police had recovered his missing car at an accident scene in Denysville in the Free State on Sunday morning.

Captain Joseph Magoai said a man was arrested after Sham's car was recovered.

Magoai said police had been alerted on Saturday that Sham was missing.

"We received information that he was missing and some household items were missing," said Magoai.

SACBC spokesperson Father Chris Townsend said when Sham went missing on Friday, "there were signs of struggle in his presbytery and household and parish items and the parish car are missing.

"Townsend said Sham had been a "friend and mentor" to many."

He had worked at Boys Town, in various parish assignments, as administrator of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg, Rector of the Orientation Seminary in Welkom, Secretary of the Seminary Department of the Bishops Conference, Vocation Director and Vicar General.

"All we can do now is pray with the family, the parish of Mohlakeng and the many people who loved and knew Lionel," said Archbishop Tlhagale. - Sapa

Please pray for Father Lionel Sham

I would like all who visit this blog to pray for one of the priests of our Archdiocese, Father Lionel Sham. He has been missing for over 24 hours. The details are not entirely clear but it is suspected that he was hijacked (carjacked) and, apparently, some valuables (not clear from where) have been stolen. In South Africa, this is not a good scenario.

Please hold this priest in your prayers.

A request for a novena to St Therese

I would like to request that all who read this blog begin a novena to St Therese of Lisieux, for Bishop Williamson that he might be granted the grace of a conversion of heart and also for the process of the reabsorption of the SSPX into the Church. The novena can be found here. I have chosen St Therese as, although the one of the duties of all Carmelites is to pray for priests, she had a particular devotion to prayer for both priests and missions. Her correspondence with and spiritual support of Maurice Belliere springs to mind.

Here, too, is a prayer that Therese said daily for priests.

‘O Holy Father, may the torrents of love flowing from the sacred wounds of Thy Divine Son bring forth priests like unto the beloved disciple John who stood at the foot of the Cross; priests: who as a pledge of Thine own most tender love will lovingly give Thy Divine Son to the souls of men.

May Thy priests be faithful guardians of Thy Church, as John was of Mary, whom he received into his house. Taught by this loving Mother who suffered so much on Calvary, may they display a mother’s care and thoughtfulness towards Thy children. May they teach souls to enter into close union with Thee through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is specially the guardian of the treasures of Thy Divine Heart.

Give us priests who are on fire, and who are true children of Mary, priests who will give Jesus to souls with the same tenderness and care with which Mary carried the Little Child of Bethlehem.

Mother of sorrows and of love, out of compassion for Thy beloved Son, open in our hearts deep wells of love, so that we may console Him and give Him a generation of priests formed in thy school and having all the tender thoughtfulness of thine own spotless love.’

Support the Holy Father in Prayer and in Thought

I have, thus far, had very little to say about the whole Williamson debacle because I think it has already been given more than enough attention on various fora and on other blogs. But it grieves me greatly that the Holy Father should have to suffer for the sake of someone who is, quite obviously, a few sandwiches short of a picnic and to have to put up with the peculiar and vicious outpourings of many ignorant journalists and politicians. It is indeed sad when the Holy Father's broad vision is constantly pulled down into the mud by those who want to pick away at what are, within the great scheme of things, minutiae. Had a statement like this come from someone in the Curia then I could well have understood the subsequent uproar. However, it did not. It came from one man. One of four men who have yet to officially return to the Church. Sadly, far too much attention has been given to what Williamson said and not to who said it. I say this not as someone who is unaware of the incredible ignorance and insensitivity of what was said, but as someone who cannot fathom why this person is being given so much credence.

Although I'm not trying to sweep aside the larger implications of what has happened, I cannot understand why anyone is paying so much attention to Williamson. A good friend of mine, who has been and is still currently heavily involved with SSPX, informed me the other night that he is regarded, even in SSPX circles, as being as nutty as a fruitcake. It certainly gives me the creeps when he allows someone to post photographs of ordinations in Argentina, on his blog, under the title "His Excellency ordains in Argentina, December 2008". I think that tells us all we need to know ....

Sadly, these facts are being disregarded by the MSM and anyone who has a bone to pick with the Holy Father and the Holy See. The wolves are indeed beginning to circle. In this light I would ask all who visit this blog to go to bloggingLOURDES where Father Byers has set up a prayer initiative for the Holy Father. There is also a letter of support that can be signed at Support Pope Benedict XVI.

V: Oremus pro Pontifice nostro Benedicto.

R: Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.

V: Fiat manus tua super virum dexterae tuae

R: Et super filium hominis quem confirmasti tibi

Oremus. Deus, ómnium fidélium pastor et rector, fámulum tuum Benedíctum, quem pastórem Ecclésiæ tuæ præésse voluísti, propítius réspice: da ei, quæesumus, verbo et exémplo, quibus præest, profícere: ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi crédito, pervéniat sempitérnam. Per Christum, Dóminum nostrum. Amen.

V: Let us pray for our Pope Benedict.

R: May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.

V: May Thy hand be ever upon the man of Thy right hand.

R: And upon the son of man whom Thou hast confirmed unto thee.

Let us Pray. O God, Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, look mercifully upon Thy servant Benedict, whom Thou hast chosen as shepherd to preside over Thy Church. Grant him, we beseech Thee, that by his word and example, he may edify those over whom he hath charge, so that together with the flock committed to him, may he attain everlasting life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A tiny lion for a lion-hearted Pope

I have to say that I was extremely touched by this moment at the General Audience on Wednesday. The Holy Father's love of cats is legendary and it was heartwarming to see the joy that the appearance of this little lion cub gave to the Holy Father.

Photo:AP/OR

Here is a link to a video of the circus performance. The lion cub appears about three quarters of the way through. Keep a look out towards the end when the Holy Father actually waves to the lion cub as it is taken away which, for me, was something of a 'lump in the throat' moment.