Florida Report: Is Terri a Person?

I arrived in St. Petersburg Wednesday afternoon with no problems. After picking up the rental car and checking in to my hotel, I got on the phone to Pete Vere and Msgr. Malanowski. Msgr. came out and over dinner, he brought me up to date on what was happening.

I have to say, Msgr. Malanowski is very impressive. He is zealous, energetic, and courageous. His courage was demonstrated on Tuesday night: He went in to visit Terri and give her Viaticum. When the husband-mandated "minder" (family members and Msgr. Malanowski aren't allowed to see Terri without one of Michael's representatives present) realized what he was about to do, she cried foul and told Msgr. he couldn't do that. He asked the police what would happen if he did it anyway. They replied that they would arrest him. His response was "so lock me up", or something to that effect. But then they added that they would physically prevent him from giving Terri communion. It was only the certitude that he would fail that dissuaded him, not the prospect of being arrested. Bob Schindler (Terri's father) told me that he saw a side of Msgr. that night that he'd never seen before, and told me how he felt "unworthy" of the friendship and support of such a good and holy priest. I know priests half his age (he's 81) who don't work half as hard as he does. My primary reason for being here is to help him out: to allow him to take a breather. On Wednesday, he hadn't slept 4 hours in the last two days. Well, for the past couple of nights he's been able to go home at a decent hour, and is finally getting some sleep. As you can see by the time code on this post, I'm the one burning the midnight oil now. But that's not a big deal for me, as I'm a night-owl by disposition.

Today was a very busy day: The Schindlers learned about the ACLU's announcement that they would come in the side of Terri's husband, to defend his right to kill her. Of course, that't not the way they phrase it. They use noble-sounding phrases like "right to die", or "death with dignity". Of course, Terri wasn't dying when they pulled the feeding tube, and I don't see what dignity there is in dying of starvation and dehydration, in a way we don't even use on our most heinous criminals. The Schindlers also hosted a news conference to respond to husband Michael's announcement Thursday that he would never give up his effort to see Terri dead. The Schindlers had three doctors, two nurses, and numerous family there to testify to what Terri's real condition is. I'll go into greater detail about that in a future post, probably later today. But in a nutshell, their testimony was:

(a) Terri is responsive to those around her, in distinctive ways (she responds to different people differently).
(b) All three doctors testified definitively and convincingly that Terri is NOT in a Persistent Vegetative State or coma. They all but begged the reporters present to stop reporting her as "brain dead" or PVS.
(c) Terri would almost certainly benefit from rehabilitative therapy, which therapy husband Michael has steadfastly denied for 10 years.

A lot has been happening in the last couple of days. I could write pages to try to cover it all. I'll go into more detail about specific issues in future posts, but for now I want to try to convey the understanding which, I think, lies at the heart of the Schindler's efforts to save Terri.

One of the things that struck me very quickly is how level-headed, reasonable, and calm the Schindlers are. That might seem a strange thing to say, but when I arrived I didn't know what to expect. I only had spoken to Bob on the phone up to that point, and he sounded exhausted. I was half-expecting to meet people rendered emotional wrecks by their week-long ordeal of watching their daughter dying. They've also been portrayed, by the husband and his attorneys, and by unsympathetic media, as everything from religious fanatics to pathetic simpletons.

But they weren't, and aren't. They're very normal, solid people. They've been represented as people in denial of their daughter's sad state, blinded by their emotional attachment to her. But that is simply not the case. They are quite realistic about Terri's condition: she is severely brain damaged, and will almost certainly never come close to substantial recovery. But they see that the person they know and love as Terri is still there. And they cannot understand why the fact that she won't recover amounts to grounds for ending her life.

Much of the argument about Terri and the withdrawal of food and water has focused on the issue of Terri's "recoverability". Those in favor of "letting Terri die" say that she won't recover, her situation is hopeless, so why prolong such a limited and "meaningless" life. Those trying to save Terri frequently argue to the effect that Terri could recover, that you can't definitely say that it is impossible that she could recover, and therefore her life is to be preserved. Now, I think that the latter position is vastly morally superior to the former. But I think the whole issue of Terri's recoverability is a red herring. To argue about that is to argue around the real issue.

People develop all sorts of conditions, varying in severity, from which they will never recover. Some of those conditions severely compromise a person's "quality of life". For example, a man who has advanced Congestive Heart Failure has such compromised cardiac efficiency that he won't be able to walk to the mailbox and back without stopping to catch his breath. This is without doubt a serious impairment of his quality of life. Furthermore, Congestive Heart Failure is a progressive and degenerative disease. It will only get worse, and ultimately it will kill the patient. By the criterion of recoverability, you could justify killing people once they're diagnosed with CHF, because they won't recover.

Another unrecoverable disorder is Down's Syndrome. People with Down's Syndrome won't "get better". The best you can hope for is to teach them enough skills so they can function in society, and many Down's patients will never even reach that point. But we don't (yet) kill the mentally retarded because they won't recover. Most of us still have sufficient vestigial humanity to recognize that killing of the retarded is inhuman and barbaric.

Why is that the case? Well, I believe it is because we recognize the humanity of the Down's sufferer. We recognize that, in spite of the limitations, this is a human person. And, contrary to a commenter on Amy Welborn's blog, personhood is not a "value judgment", which we (whoever "we" are) "choose to attribute to some objects and not others. " This attitude is not only monstrous, it is not even rationally coherent. Firstly, if it is a "value judgement", then who is empowered to define or mediate the values constitutive of it? What person is authorized to decide which values count and which don't? Or will these values be decided by some sort of societal consensus? If so, what percentage of agreement is necessary to grant personhood to a certain "object" or group of objects. If I decide that you aren't a person, on what basis could you refute me? If 60% of the population decides that Mexican illegal immigrants aren't persons, then can we kill them? And before you pooh-pooh such a scenario, let me remind you that in our own country, not too long ago, certain groups of people were commonly held to be "non-persons" by the majority of their neighbors. Furthermore, we only need to look at the slaughter that has occurred in the Balkans to see where a socially constucted idea of personhood leads you. It leads inevitably to the brutish, violent, striving for domination of one over the other. It leads directly to Auschwitz, the Killing Fields of Cambodia, the plains of Ukraine in the 20's, and the Apartheid of South Africa.

No, personhood is inherent in the human being. To separate personhood from human identity is as disordered as separating eating from nutrition, or separating sex from... ohhh.... procreation. It is this way because God made human beings that way. And God made Terri Schiavo that way. Those who know and love her see her as a person not because they are deluded, but because they look beyond what she can or cannot do, to see who she is.

We are not very good at focusing on what things are. We tend to see everything in functional terms. We are what we do. We are what our power can perform. And looking at Terri, who can do very little, those who can think only in terms of function see a non-person. She is broken, and can't be fixed. She is useless, and uselessness is The Very Worst Thing. Since she's no use to herself or others, she may as well die.

But that is not how God sees things. Remember that when God created the first man, He called him "very good." He said that before Adam had done anything. Adam's being was a good thing. And just so, Terri's being is a good thing. Not because of what she can do, but because of who she is. One of Terri's cousins asked me the other night, "why is it that some people want Terri dead because she doesn't meet their 'standard' of minimum humanity? We know who she is, and we love her. And she knows we love her, and she can receive that love. Why do they want to deprive us of the ability to give her our love? Why do they want to deprive her of receiving our love?" I didn't have a ready answer to that. After thinking a few moments, I said, "They can't, or won't, see who she is. They only see her limitations, and imagine that is all there is to her."

Only in the case of people do we somehow imagine that the solution to problematic people is their destruction. We find certain unborn children problematic, so we solve the problem by destroying them. We find certain disabled people problematic, so we seek their destruction. The solution to the "problem" of Terri's disability isn't to destroy her, but to see beyond her limitations, to see who she is.

We've Won a Victory, But The Battle Isn't Over

As Mark Shea has reported, Terri's husband and his lawyer aren't about to just give up in their efforts to see Terri Schiavo dead.

I spoke to Mr. Schindler (Terri's dad) last night, and he sounded exhausted. He isn't able to get any information about his daughter except through the husband. Furthermore, Terri is still being denied Viaticum. So she's not out of the woods yet.

I'm leaving for Florida later this morning. I will do my best to keep you all posted on what happens there. But keep praying and keep up the pressure on the judges and politicians. It's especially important that we recognize and thank those in positions of power when they do the right thing. So let Jeb Bush and the Florida legislators who voted for Terri's Law know you appreciate them!

Pray for Terri, and pray for me. Pray especially for Msgr. Malanowski, who has labored so hard on Terri's behalf.

I'm Going to Florida: Here Are the Details

As Mark Shea and others have reported, I am going to Florida to be of assistance to Terri and the Schindler family in whatever way I can.

I am still working out some of the logistical details, but at this point I can say that I have spoken to my bishop, James A. Murray of Kalamazoo, about this matter, and have explained my intentions to him. He has graciously given me leave to go. I have consulted with Msgr. Malanowski, who has been the priest closest to the Schindlers, and he and the Schindler family have asked me to come. I'm also grateful to Mr. T. Edward Carey, Chancellor of my diocese, for assisting me in finding a priest to cover at my parish, and to my brother priest, Fr. Massimiliano Camporese, for agreeing to help out in my parish.

I am going down first thing in the morning on Wednesday. I'm not sure how long I'll stay.

Many of you have emailed me or left comments on my blog offering your financial support for my trip . I am very grateful and humbled by this outpouring of support. I will be very grateful for that assistance, and I promise that any funds given to me over and above what is needed for my expenses will be donated to the Schindlers and/or the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation.

Many of you have asked where to send donations. I can receive donations online through PayPal. Just click on the PayPal icon below:

You can use either a credit card or an "instant transfer" from your checking account. It's better to use the instant transfer, because I get charged a fee for credit card transactions. But I'll accept the money any way it comes!

If you wish to send a donation via US Mail, send it to:

Fr. Rob Johansen
St. Joseph Catholic Church
211 Church Street
St. Joseph, Michigan 49085

Thank you for your generosity!

One other thing I would add: If you're feeling in a giving mood, I might suggest that you offer some financial support to Canonist Extraordinaire Pete Vere. Pete has been doing yeoman work in helping the Schindlers and getting the word out about Terri's plight. He's been of invaluable help to me in making my arrangements. His wife is due to have a baby any day, and he's given up his vacation in order to devote the time to Terri's cause. He's done all of this at some financial cost to himself as well. He's too humble to ask for himself, but you might e-mail him yourself and ask him if he'd be willing to accept your help.

Pray for Terri, and pray that I can be of help down there!

We Throw Away Things That Are Broken

Homily for The 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Isaiah 53:10-11
Hebrews 4: 14-16
Mark 10: 35-45

Holding up a large screwdriver in my hand, I ask a child in the congregation: What am I holding in my hand? "A screwdriver", she answers. That's right, a screwdriver. A screwdriver is a very useful thing. You can do all kinds of useful things with a screwdriver. It's a tool, an instrument. Asking another child in the congregation: Now, suppose I was using this screwdriver, and I put so much force on it that I broke it, and I couldn't use it anymore? What do you suppose I'd do with it? "Throw it away, I guess", he answered. Throw it away! That's right, I'd throw it away, and get another one. That's what we do when a tool or instrument breaks: We throw it away. There are few things more useless than a broken screwdriver. A tool is a thing. Tools are things we make for a practical purpose: when they don't fulfill their practical purpose anymore, they're useless, and we get rid of them.

Now, when I was in the seminary, one of the things I learned was a basic principle of morality: You should NEVER treat persons as if they were things. It is always wrong to treat persons like things. There are very good reasons for this: Firstly, we make things, as I said before, for a practical purpose. We make things to suit our own convenience. But persons are not here for our convenience! YOU are not here for my convenience. Pointing at a woman's husband, and addressing her: In a certain sense, HE is not here for your convenience. Human beings are created by God, in His image and likeness, and put here because they are goods unto themselves. We are, by our very existence, goods in and of ourselves. Even if you never did anything that appeared useful in the eyes of the world, you would still be a good unto yourself.

Now, that things are different than persons, and should be treated differently, is really just common sense. After all, we don't treat tools like we treat people. We don't... well, I was going to say that we don't get emotionally attached to our tools, but I know that some of us men might get attached, a little. Addressing a man in the congregation: But even so, we know the difference: Would you trade your child for new circular saw? "No", he answered. No, of course not.

But even beyond common sense, there are even deeper reasons why we must not treat persons like things. You see, God thought that human beings were so important, so valuable, that He gave his Son, gave Him up to death for us. He thought we were so precious that He became one of us: He took our nature upon Himself and united His Divinity to it. Think about that for a moment: Our human nature, in Christ, is united with the Divine nature. That means that human nature is elevated, by Christ, to having infinte dignity and worth. That is why the great christian writer C.S. Lewis said, "Next to the Sacrament of Our Lord, the person sitting next to you is the holiest thing you will ever set your eyes upon."

We heard, in our reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, that Jesus Christ is our great High Priest. Now the essence of the priestly office is to be an intermediary: A priest acts as an intermediary between God and His people. And so Christ is our priest and mediator. But consider this: God Himself, in the Blessed Trinity, is in no need of an intermediary for Himself. The persons of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are in perfect intimacy and communion with one another. There could not be any mediation between the Persons of the Trinity. This means that Christ's priesthood subsists in his humanity. It is in His humanity that Christ is Priest and Mediator for all of creation. Our human nature, the nature that Christ took upon Himself, is the same nature which bore Christ's priestly office. And we are united with that nature. We are in communion with that nature. And so, in Him, human nature is elevated to the infinte majesty, dignity, and worth of His Priesthood.

Human beings are of inifinte dignity and worth, and so can never be treated as mere things. But unfortunately, we are in danger of losing sight of this truth in our society. In some circles, I would say that we have already lost sight of it. I imagine that many, if not most of you, have heard about the woman in Florida, Terri Schiavo, who has had her feeding tube removed by a judge's order and even as I speak, lays dying. Up until this week, when the news media reported on the situation at all, they simply parroted the arguments of those wanting Terri to die, that she is in a "persistent vegetative state." But a number of doctors and other health care professionals have testified that she is in fact NOT in a persistent vegetative state. They have further testified that they believe she could be at least partially rehabilitated. But her husband (that's right, her husband), has refused any efforts at rehabilitative therapy. Some reports have indicated that Terri is terminally ill. That is false as well. If she dies, she will die not of any disease, but of starvation.

Unless someone in authority intervenes, Terri will almost certainly die within a week. She will die because a judge has ordered her to die. Her husband, who has refused any kind of rehabilitation, stands to inherit about $800,000 when she dies. That money was supposed to go to Terri's care and treatment, but he has used it to pay for lawyers in order to seek her death. He also has said that he wants to move on with his life, and marry his live-in girlfriend. Terri is in the way, her life has become inconvenient, and for that she is going to die.

Terri's body is "broken", and so her husband, his lawyers, and the judge, want to throw her away. Terri is is being treated like a thing, to be discarded when it has oulived its usefulness. But persons aren't things. They can't be thrown away, and they certainly cannot be replaced. What is happening to Terri is certainly an injustice. It is a horrific and merciless cruelty. We treat condemned criminals with more mercy and compassion. But even worse, this is a crime against the dignity and worth of the human person. This is an affront to the Lord of Life, who gave our human natures infinite worth by uniting them to Himself.

By our baptism we all share in the priesthood of Christ, so we must be sanctifiers of the world. We must sanctify it by our prayers. We must pray for Terri, her family, and all who are threatened by the failure to respect the dignity of life. We must pray for Terri's husband, for his lawyers, and for the judges in this case, that the grace of Christ may penetrate and soften the hardness of their hearts: That they will see that Terri, although her body is broken and wounded, is nonetheless of infinite worth.

We must sanctify the world by our actions. We must act to see to it that human life is always respected. We must stand up for Terri and all like her. We must stand up by making sure our laws protect the helpless and weak. We must stand up against those who seek to discard the weak because they are weak. We must stand up against those who would deprive the voiceless of justice because they cannot speak for themselves. We must be witnesses to the worth and dignity of the human person which has been granted us in Christ, so that never again in this land will anyone have to suffer as Terri has.

Our Lord tells us in the Gospel that we must be the servants of all. We must especially be the servants of the weak, the helpless, those who cannot speak for themselves. Terri Schiavo is all of those things. We must be people who speak out for her, and those like her, who are in danger because they seem to be useless or a burden. By our baptism we all share in the priesthood of Christ, and so we must be intermediaries: We must mediate Justice. We must mediate Mercy. We must mediate Compassion. We must mediate Truth.

We have in Christ a high priest who sympatizes with our weakness. He will give us strength to act, to fight, to stand up. He will give us courage if we falter. If we seek to witness to Him, to His Truth and Love, he will give us grace and timely help. Let us approach the Throne of Grace, that we may be the ministers and heralds of Christ a world in desperate need of Him.

Support "Terri's Bill" In the Florida Legislature

Many of you have already heard about the bill to save Terri and others like her introduced in the Florida legislature today.

This bill needs YOUR support!

Call and/or write James King in the Florida Legislature and demand that emergency legislation be passed immediately--today--to create a moratorium on starving/dehydration such as Terri is being forced to endure.

Phone: (850) 487-5229 or (850) 487-5030

E-mail: king.james@leg.state.fl.us

Time is running short. Act now!

Update From Florida

Canonist Pete Vere was at the prayer vigil for Terri Schiavo last night, and is providing updates at the Envoy Encore blog.

In spite of the "gut-wrenching" atmosphere there yesterday, there was some good news, namely that the lawyers for the husband and Terri's family have reached an accomodation that at least restores Terri's pastoral visitation "privileges". I would quibble with the word "privilege", as I think it is a fundamental right that no one has the authority to deny. But the fact is that Msgr. Malanowski, who had been regularly visiting Terri, has been allowed to resume his visits. So Terri will at least not die without spiritual comfort and assistance.

Bishop Lynch has made a statement, as his Communications director indicated he would. The statement reads as follows:

OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF BISHOP ROBERT N. LYNCH
CONCERNING THE REMOVAL OF
THE FEEDING TUBE OF TERRI SCHIAVO

With the news that the feeding tube has now been removed from Terri Schiavo, my own prayers and those of thousands of other people go out for Terri and for her family. May the author of all life look kindly on Terri and provide consolation and hope for those who love her.

I continue to believe that such decisions should not be made in the court system but must be made on a case-by-case basis by families and/or other responsible parties at the clear direction of each one of us well in advance of a crisis.

Let us pray that Bishop Lynch will take an even more active stance in opposing the injustice being done to Terri.

And So It's Begun...

Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, in accord with the order of Judge George Greer, was removed at 2:00 this afternoon. Unless nutrition and hydration are restored, Terri will die within 10 days to 2 weeks. And she will die not of any disease, but because a judge has ordered her to die. She will die in spite of ample evidence that her condition is treatable and improvable.

Note that the story I link above persists in describing Terri's condition as a "Persistent Vegetative State", in spite of the fact that dispute over that description, and the substantial evidence against it, are the very essence of the controversy over her case. The Press and Media have been scandalously, shockingly lazy and/or prejudiced in their coverage of this matter.

Terri's parents released a videotape of Terri yesterday that clearly indicates that Terri is in nothing like a PVS. I wonder if that tape will make the major networks' evening news shows?

I called the Diocese of St. Petersburg this afternoon, and I spoke to a woman in the Communications department. I told her that I wanted to express my dismay at the injustice being perpetrated on Terri, and urge Bishop Lynch to take definitive, bold action in assisting the Schindlers in their efforts to save Terri. I said that the bishop needed to be the one leading the protest against this outrage. She indicated that she would relay my remarks to the bishop. She also told me that the Bishop was "very concerned" about the situation as well. She then went on to say that Bishop Lynch had met with Governor Bush today to discuss Terri's plight, and that he would be making another public statement later today. I also spoke to the Bishop's secretary, and repeated my statement. I also asked her whether or not Bishop Lynch had met with the Schindlers and spoken to them personally. She told me that she "wasn't at liberty" to discuss such matters, which didn't surprise me as most "pastoral" conversations are considered confidential. I also told her that I was especially outraged that the husband was denying pastoral care to Terri. She took my name and information and said that she would ask the Chancellor of the diocese to contact me.

It's my hope that Bishop Lynch will take a strong stand in this matter, and take charge in protesting the inhuman treatment of Terri. We must pray for Terri; for the husband, that his heart's hardness will be softened; and for Bishop Lynch, that he would have the courage and fortitude to stand up for human dignity.

By the way, I've seen some of your offers (thanks Rod, Cathy, Jim, Mark, et al.) to help pay my way down there to try to intervene, especially in the area of pastoral care. I'm certainly open to doing so. I'll have more to say on that matter as things develop.

Terri Schiavo Is Scheduled to Begin Dying Tomorrow

And, if her husband and the courts have their way, she'll do so without the benefit of pastoral care.

That's right. Her husband, the man who is eager to collect Terri's settlement fund and move on with marrying his live-in girlfriend, thinks that Msgr. Thaddeus Malanowski isn't "the kind of person" he wants visiting Terri. He's worried about Msgr. Malanowski's "integrity".

It would seem as though there is a singular lack of humanity in the Florida judicial bench. I have never heard of a patient being denied pastoral care before. I can't even imagine the kind of hardness of heart required to take such a position. Never have I witnessed such a concatenation of unjust judges: First there is Judge George "Persistently Vegetative" Greer, who seems almost as eager for Terri to die as her husband. Then there is U.S. District Judge Richard A. "I Wash My Hands" Lazzara, who refused to intervene to even delay Terri's death. And now Judge George "Without Benefit of Clergy" Greer has decided that Terri is so sub-human that she is to be denied even spiritual comfort and consolation.

The monstrosity of the injustice here is underscored by this refusal to allow Msgr. Malanowski's priestly ministrations. Even condemned criminals are given access to clergy. Think of that! Terri Schiavo, who is guilty of no crime, is being denied something we commonly provide to the most heinous of criminals. I cannot think of reprobation severe enough for Judge Greer and his cronies.

Judge Greer has repeatedly demonstrated his bias and unwillingness to entertain new evidence in the Schivo case. He has demonstrated wilfull intellectual dishonesty in continuing to describe Terri as in a "Persistent Vegetative State", when the principal evidence for that is simply the assertions of the husband and his lawyer. And Judge Greer's deprivation of pastoral care can only be described as a despicable abuse of judicial power. Judge Greer is manifestly unfit for judicial office. He is morally unfit for any position fo public trust.

What does it take to remove a judge in Florida? Floridians, remember this come election time! Make the removal of Judge Greer a campaign issue!

As a priest, I cannot imagine being in Msgr. Malanowski's position. I simply could not stand for such interference with my ministry. I would be inclined to seek every means possible to disobey the order and visit Terri. An unjust law is no law at all. Similarly, a capricious, inhuman, unjust and gratuitous judge's order is no order at all.

There is a long standing tradition in the Church of defying Caesar when he trespasses beyond his rightful authority. There is a well-established tradition of resisting Caesar when he attempts to deprive the Church of her legitimate prerogatives. And so, I reiterate the suggestion I made a couple of weeks ago: It is time to consider civil disobedience.

Perhaps it is time for persistent efforts at public pressure. Perhaps organizing sit-ins or human chains in Judge Greer's courtroom?...Maybe public outrage will get through the judge's leathern conscience and atrophied sense of justice.

And finally, if all else fails, do you think that the Schindlers might find, maybe, 500 to 1,000 people to surround the nursing home with a human chain, and prevent the authorities from dispatching Terri? Maybe to fill Terri's room with people on a 24-hour watch, so as to deny access to those who would end Terri's life?

The Florida Bishops have spoken out to slow down the rush to kill Terri. While I could wish their statement was written more forcefully, it nontheless is a good beginning. But the time for beginnings is past. The time for action is here. Several bishops and priests have made headlines by being arrested at abortion clinics. Are there any in Florida willing to risk arrest by picketing or otherwise interfering with the efforts to kill Terri?

Maybe, if nothing else, a determined effort to get a priest in to visit Terri? She deserves at least the same consideration we would give a condemned criminal.

Face-to-Face Confession?

Several people, both in my previous blog, and over on Amy's blog, have speculated that the availability of the Sacrament of Penance only in the face-to-face form is one reason for the decline in the use of the sacrament. I'm not sure about that, but what I am sure of is that the penitent should always have the option of going anonymously.

I've never encountered a confessional or "reconciliation chapel" which only permitted face-to-face confession, but gathering from your comments, such things must exist out there. If they do, they shouldn't. I quote from the relevant Canon:

Canon 964, s.1: The proper place for hearing sacramental confessions is a church or oratory.

s.2: As far as the confessional is concerned, norms are to be issued by the Bishop's Conference, with the proviso however that [emphasis added] confessionals, fitted with a fixed grille between the penitent and the confessor, always be available in an open place, so that the faithful who so wish may freely use them.

The canon makes clear, and I was, accordingly, taught in the seminary, that the penitent should always have the option of going to confession anonymously. Even at penance services and the like, when rooms not constructed as confessionals are put to use as such, I always arrange the priest's and penitent's chairs in such a way that the penitent can confess anonymously. It's simply the right of every Catholic to be able to do so at his/her discretion, not at the discretion of the priest.

Going to Confession

Amy Welborn blogged the other day about a very good Washinton Post article about the sacrament of Penance. Some of the comments there are especially enlightening.

A priest, Rev. William Byrne, chaplain at the University of Maryland's College Park campus, is having great success in popularizing the sacrament among college students:

"We have pretty solid lines, probably 30 kids on Sundays before Mass," he said. "The thing that makes me mad is hearing 40- to 60-year-old Catholics talk about 'Catholic guilt' " in the context of confession, said Byrne, who is 39. "I say that's baloney. We're the only ones who have sacramentalized the system of offering absolution and forgiveness for sin. Our emphasis is forgiveness."

I too have heard similar remarks about "Catholic guilt". Usually it comes from lapsed Catholics. I think in many cases that the phrase "Catholic guilt" isn't so much expressing feelings of guilt they're carrying around from the days when they were practicing Catholics, as much as the guilt they're carrying around today, as lapsed Catholics, for all the sins they haven't confessed, and their conscience nagging at them for drifting away from the Faith.

I note the fact that Fr. Byrne and I are the same age, and have a similar reaction to suggestions of "Catholic guilt". Perhaps it's a generational thing. I have no doubt that some people have had bad experiences, in which a priest berated them in the confessional. I hope such people can get past that experience to know the healing touch of Christ. We (that's you and me) have a duty to reach out to those people and reinvite them to the Sacrament of Christ's healing.

I consider the Sacrament of Penance one of the greatest gifts ever given to me. I can say with absolute confidence that I would not be a priest today without the many graces I have gained from it. In fact, I can point to one particular confession as an event which prompted me to start thinking about the priesthood.

I was in college, and had gone through what I call a "bad" period. I was beginning to take my faith more seriously: I had started again going to Mass regularly, and got involved in things like a bible study at the college parish. But I knew things weren't really "right" between God and me. I avoided thinking about it for a while (I hadn't gone to confession since 7th grade), but gradually the conviction grew that I had to go to confession. Luckily the college parish offered confessions every afternoon. So I went, and after a nervous beginning I just poured it all out. The priest's counsel was outstanding. He managed in a few minutes to help me to see the self-destructiveness of sin, and how Christ was inviting me to really and truly live again in Him. In that experience I really learned what mercy meant, and how much of that mercy was given to me. That priest later became my spiritual director, and was of great help to me in discerning my vocation.

I too firmly believe that confession needs to be offered frequently. It seems to me that for a parish to offer confessions "by appointment" only is to implicitly begrudge people the sacrament. The only time I ever say no to hearing someone's confession is if it's less than 10 minutes before I have to celebrate Mass: I need that time to prepare for Mass. But even then I urge the person to see me right after Mass. I say this not to take credit for myself. I think that is simply my duty as a priest.

There has been, in recent years, much talk of a loss of the "sense of sin" among Catholics. I don't know which Catholics are meant by that, but I can assure you that in my experience that attitude certainly isn't to be found in young people. I find them to be very aware of their sinfulness and need for forgiveness. I remember once, shortly after I was ordained, I went to Notre Dame to visit a friend who was on the faculty there. It was a fine evening and we were enjoying a walk around campus before we went to dinner, when we walked by the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. I noticed that confessions were scheduled to be offered in a few minutes, and decided on the spur of the moment to go. I took my place near the confessional, where there were about 8-9 college students waiting. The appointed time for confessions came and went, and no priest showed up. After waiting till ten minutes after the hour, and observing the students getting visibly restless, I resolved to step into the breach. I was dressed in "civvies", so I announced, "I 'm a visiting priest, and if the priest who's scheduled doesn't show up in the next 5 minutes, I'll hear your confessions." Well, he didn't show, so I stepped into the confessional. It was one of the most uplifting experiences I had had up to that time. Those students so clearly desired Christ's mercy, so obviously wanted holiness, and the means by which to become holy, that it "blew me away". Don't mistake me: they were in many senses typical college students, with the sins you might expect from them. But they knew their sinfulness, and wanted better. They were so open to what advice I could give them, it was humbling to me. I saw the power of the sacrament at work in them.

I went to confession frequently as a seminarian, and still do now. I usually go to confession about once a week. I tell people, if they ask me, that I go frequently because "If I skip confession for more than a week, I notice the difference. If I go for more than two weeks, my parishioners will notice the difference. If I go for more than three weeks without confession, everyone will notice the difference.

While in the seminary I learned a lot about the sacrament of confession, and in my final year there my classmates and I even "practiced" hearing confessions. But nothing could really prepare me for what a grace and blessing it is to hear confessions and be the minister of the sacrament as a priest. I have seen people come in to the confessional weighed down and oppressed by sin, and leave with tears of joy streaming down their faces. I have heard women confess the sin of abortion, and offered them the tender touch of Christ's forgiveness, and the possibility of knowing love and life once again. I have heard men confess terrible sins that were long hidden, which had shrunk and vitiated their lives, and seen them emerge whole and more nearly men again. And I have heard the confessions of men and women whose love for God, selflessness, and zeal for Christ have been so strking that, in hearing them, I thought "this person is a Saint, I have no doubt of it." Those people have left me humbled and grateful when they walked out.

Next to celebrating Mass, and holding Our Eucharistic Lord in my unworthy hands, the greatest privilege and grace I have is to be able to hear confessions and, acting in the person of Christ, be his instrument of mercy and forgiveness.

Here's an Eye-Opener!

Jesus words about "amputating" sin from our lives, discussed in my homily, seem pretty dramatic as is.

But Greg Popcak over at HMS Weblog gives us a little deeper explanation about just what Jesus says we might need to amputate. It will be an uncomfortable read for my male readers...

We Tend to Think of Hell As a Sort of "Cosmic Booby Prize"

Homily for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

James 5:1-6
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48


Bishop Murray once told the story of how, while he was still Rector of the Cathedral in Lansing, he had made all of his funeral arrangements: he bought a cemetery plot, made arrangements with the funeral home, and bought a gravestone. Well, then he was made bishop of Kalamazoo, and that made all of his plans useless, since bishops are buried at the Cathedral. So he had this gravestone he didn't need, and he didn't know what to do with it. He decided to set it up in his backyard: I've seen it; there it sits, with his name inscribed on it, and his date of birth. All it needs is to have that final date put on it. Bishop Murray told us how sobering, and edifying, having his tombstone there can be. How meditating on death can put things in the right perspective: it's a reminder that we're not going to be here forever; that sooner or later, we're going to shuffle off this mortal coil.

That might sound morbid to you. We don't like to think about death, we don't like to talk about death. We invest a lot of energy into trying to pretend death doesn't happen, into sanitizing it. But death is real, it's inevitable. The unavoidable fact is this: one day, me, you , everyone we know, indeed, even this very building, one day will pass out of existence. Our life as we know it will end.

And, if that weren't uncomfortable enough, I've got some even more difficult news for you: The fact is, that left to our own devices, you, me, and everyone you've ever known, is going to Hell. If we had to escape hell on our own steam, not one of us would make it. That's how dire our predicament is. "None is righteous, no, not one," St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans, and also "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Now, it's even less popular to talk about Hell than it is to talk about death. It's not Politically Correct to talk about hell. We certainly can't talk as though anyone might actually end up there! We're not supposed to talk as though the things we might do, or not do, could actually put us in danger of going there. But danger there is: St. Paul tells us in his 1st Letter to the Corinthians "Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God?" And he warns us: " Do not be deceived." Unfortunately, we are all too good at deceiving ourselves. We might take the attitude, as someone once said to me: "I'm a pretty nice person. I try to be nice to people. I haven't done anything too bad. God will understand." Well, Our Lord didn't say, "Be nice to people." He said, "Be Holy, as I am Holy. Do not be deceived.

The problem is, we tend to think of Hell as sort of a cosmic booby-prize: something we get only if we're really spectacularly evil, like a Hitler or Stalin. But we can get ourselves to hell just as easily by negligence, laziness, and self-satisfaction as we can by being a mass murderer. And the fact is, Satan would much rather do it the slow, gradual, way: lull us to sleep; make us smug and stupid. A priest I know recently had a parishioner complain to him about one of his homilies: she said that she felt bad afterwards, and he shouldn't make people feel bad. In fact, she even went so far as to say "if you're not going to feel good after Mass, then why bother coming?" I'm not going to tell you what my friend said, but I'll tell you how I'd reply. I'd say that perhaps, if you are in need of conviction of sin , perhaps, if you are need of repentance, perhaps, if you are in need of making reparation for you sins, then perhaps you NEED to "not feel good" for a while. This woman's need to always "feel good", it seems to me, puts her in grave danger. Awareness of our own sins doesn't feel good. Repentance doesn't feel good. Penance doesn't feel good. But all of these things are indispensable if we are to heed Christ's call to be holy. Do not be deceived!

And Our Lord's words to us in our gospel today don't have much of "feel good" about them. For He tells us that we must be willing to amputate sin from our lives. If your hand causes you to sin, CUT IT OFF. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out! The point is clear: we cannot compromise with sin. We must get rid of it, destroy it. To compromise with sin is to compromise with death. Better to enter into the Kingdom of God maimed, than to go to hell with your limbs intact. Better to enter eternal life as someone your coworkers thought "weird" than go to hell as someone who "went along". Better to enter eternal life as someone people called a "nerd" or "lame" than to go to hell with the "cool" people.

Our Lord is quite clear that there really is a hell, and that we could really be in danger of it. And there are all kinds of ways to make yourself a candidate for hell: In 1st Timothy, and in 1st Corinthians, St. Paul tells us that murderers, sodomites, kidnapers, perjurers, adulterers, and thieves cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. But before you breathe a sigh of relief and say "well, I never kidnapped anyone," wait, there's more: St. Paul also tells us that fornicators, drunkards and the greedy are in danger, as well as liars and slanderers. Have you ever spread gossip? Have you passed on a juicy story about someone?

And just in case some of us still feel left out of the list, Saint James tell those of us who are rich, to "weep and wail over your impending miseries." And before you think "well, I'm not rich," I ask you, Have you stored up your treasure on earth? Have you put more faith in your 401k than in God? Have you lived to serve not your neighbor, but your portfolio? Have you failed to pay the worker a just wage? Have you rationalized paying only the minimum wage (or even less) because that's "where the labor market is at?" If you have lived in comfort and pleasure, without taking thought for the homeless, the orphan, and the stranger, then you too are in mortal danger.

Do not be deceived! There is nowhere for any of us to turn to justify ourselves. There are none of us who can say "I am innocent." Not one of us can say "I have not murdered the righteous one". And there is only one way to escape the corruption that will overtake us just as surely as that which will consume our earthly possessions.

That escape is Christ. That escape is to place our faith and trust in Him. Our escape from sin and death and hell is His death and resurrection. Our way out is to desire Christ and nothing more. Our way out is to long for Christ and be satisfied with nothing less. If we take Him at His word, and desire to be holy, as He is, then He will be true to His word, and make us holy: and even more: He shall make us glorious, immortal, wondrous to behold. As dire as our situation is without Christ, with Him we have what the Church calls the sure and certain hope of eternal life. Sure and Certain. Sure and Certain Hope that, as grievous as our sins may be, as shameful as our failing may be, all can be overcome by His power, and washed away by His most Precious Blood. As dead as we might be apart from Him, we shall Have life abundant if we but feast upon Him who is the Bread of Life. If you hold fast to Him He will not let you go. If you belong to Christ, then truly I say to you, you will surely not lose your reward.

Sparse Blogging This Week

Sorry for the scarcity this week, but I'm in Plymouth, Michigan for the Priests' Convocation of the Diocese of Kalamazoo. This is a big pow-wow for the priests of my diocese to get together and talk about being priests. It's a great, and unfortunately infrequent, opportunity to see all of the priests of my diocese all together at once. I've been able to talk to some confreres that I ordinarily don't see very much.

I'll try to get something up in the next day or so. I've got all kinds of things I'd like to write about, but little leisure at the moment.

This Is Monstrous

Many of you, I'm sure, have been following the fight to save Terri Schindler Schiavo's life. For those of you who don't know, Terri is a Florida woman who suffered a severe brain injury and is no longer capable of caring for herself. She is curently required to have a feeding tube to maintain nutrition and hydration. Her husband has been seeking the court to order her death by starvation, by removing the feeding tube. This in spite of the fact that doctors have testified that with proper therapy she could regain the ability to eat normally. The husband's motivations are suspect, as he stands to acquire an enormous sum of money (won in a settlement for Terri's injury), and desires to marry his live-in girlfriend. He has been heard by nurses and other health care workers to say things like "Isn't she dead yet?" and "When is that bitch going to die?". A prince of a fellow, you might say.

Well, the court has now ordered that Terri's feeding tube be removed on October 15. The judge has been unmoved by the ample testimony offered by Terri's parents, doctors, nurses, to the effect that Terri could, to a certain extent, be rehabilitated. The court persists in holding that Terri is in a Persistent Vegetative State, when in fact it is clear that, medically speaking, that is simply not the case. Judge George Greer, ever vigilant to allow procedure to triumph over substance and justice, is reluctant to allow any action which would appear to "re-litigate" the case. And now that court is poised to commit judicially ordered murder in response to the self-interested and despicable pleadings of the husband.

The Schindlers (Terri's parents), who have been leading the fight to save her, now have till Oct. 15 to get someone in higher authority to intervene to save Terri. Disgustingly, the husband's attorney protested the Oct. 15 date as too far away, saying it would give the Schindlers time to submit "'frivolous' court pleadings aimed at keeping their daughter alive". "Yer honor," he might have said, "why can't we just off her and be done with it? If you'd just let me in her room with a pillow this could be over in a few minutes."

The Florida bishops have been scandalously mealy-mouthed about the situation. It is time for them to stand up against this. Where have they been? Why haven't they been making a public witness for this woman's life?

If the Schindlers are unsuccessful in further legal efforts, I think that it might be time to consider Civil Disobedience in order to save Terri. Could pickets and protests be effective in moving the civil authorities where legal efforts have failed? If leftists can do these things to save whales or owls, why can't we do it to save a human life?

I am reminded by Judge Greer's decisions of the parable of the Unjust Judge. Perhaps it is time for persistent efforts at public pressure. Perhaps organizing sit-ins or human chains in Judge Greer's courtroom? How about picketing the Judge's home? I'm sure his neighbors will like living next to a man picketed, protested, and publicly reviled as a murderer and tyrant. Maybe public outrage will get through the judge's leathern conscience and atrophied sense of justice.

And finally, if all else fails, do you think that the Schindlers might find, maybe, 500 to 1,000 people to surround the nursing home with a human chain, and prevent the authorities from dispatching Terri? Maybe to fill Terri's room with people on a 24-hour watch, so as to deny access to those who would end Terri's life?

What will it take to save this woman's life?

I'm Going to Be On the Radio!

I'm going to be interviewed on the Teresa Tomeo show at 10:00 AM EDT.

The topic of the interview will be my recent article published in Catholic World Report, The Bishops' Disciplinary Options.

I've also added a permalink to the article over to the right.

If you don't get Catholic Radio in your area (a reason to sign the Ave Maria Radio XM Petition), you can listen over the Internet at Ave Maria Radio.

The Exaltation of The Holy Cross

This is my homily for yesterday's feast, as I preached it at my parish's LifeTeen Mass.


The Exaltation of The Holy Cross

Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11

I'm going to begin with a little history. Now, I can hear some of you already groaning inside, thinking "Boring". History seems boring because we don't see how we are connected to what happened before: it doesn't seem relevant to us. It's dusty, dry, dead stuff from the past.

But of course, when we're talking about Christ, it's not "dead" history. It's not dead, dusty events in the past: for Christ is ALIVE! He is here with us, right NOW, receiving our praise and worship. And in a little while, he'll be with us even more profoundly: in His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, truly present with us at this altar.

And when we're talking about those believers who have gone before us, the Saints in heaven, well, they're alive too: They're alive in heaven with Christ, worshipping Him at the Eternal High Feast of the Lamb. They're just as alive as the people sitting next to you.

So here's the history lesson:

In 326 A.D., Saint Helen, went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. She was the mother of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor of Rome. She went there, among other things, to find the true cross of Christ. On September 14 of that year, according to the account of the time, she indeed found the true Cross. A few years later, Constantine built two churches on the site of Calvary, the very place that Jesus died, and on that same day, Sept. 14, those churches were dedicated.

And so, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross has been celebrated by Christians on September 14 ever since.

So why does that have anything to do with us?

Well, Jesus offered Himself on the Cross for us. For me, for You, and You. His sacrifice on the Cross was an event in the past, but it isn't just an event in the past. It's an event that transcends all human history. It was a sacrifice made for and through all time. If you think about it, that's the only way it could work. If Christ's death on the Cross is to save us, here and now, it can't be a dead event in the past. It has to be an event outside of time, for all time. So Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross stretches from that Good Friday in 33 A.D. all the way to Now: to here, to us.

Jesus was, from all time, the second person of the Trinity: God Himself. He had all the glory of God. He had all the majesty of God. But he laid all that aside: St. Paul tells us that He "emptied himself." By becoming one of us, taking on human weakness, taking on human limitations, He united Himself to us. And then He offered Himself for Us: He humbled Himself, St. Paul says, and made His Father's will His own, being obedient even to the point of death, death on a Cross.

God's plan was to make that instrument of torture the instrument of salvation. To make that symbol of death and defeat the symbol of victory and life. And because Christ fulfilled that plan we adore the Cross, and as St. Paul says, we bow our knees and confess with our tongues that Jesus Christ is Lord.

And when we gather here, around this altar, and fulfill Jesus' command, that sacrifice of Calvary is made present to us again. For the Body which was broken on the Cross, and the Blood which poured from Christ's side, is the same Body and Blood that He gave to His disciples at the Last Supper when He said "take this, and eat", and "take this, and drink". That is the same Body and Blood which we receive from this altar: one Sacrifice, for all time. Whenever the Eucharist is celebrated, we are transported back there, or rather, the eternal Sacrifice of Christ is brought to us here and now.

Today we, with the Church throughout the world, exalt the Cross of Christ as the instrument of our salvation. To adore the Cross is to adore Christ, the God - Man, who suffered and died on this Roman instrument of torture for our redemption from sin and death. The cross represents the One Sacrifice by which Jesus, obedient even unto death, accomplished our salvation. The cross sums up the Passion, Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection of Christ -- all in one symbol.

And so we can say, with the Church all over the world, and down through the ages:

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
for by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Housekeeping

I've given up on YACCS. It was never a really good comments system to begin with, and the week-long outage was just too much. So I'm trying Squawkbox, we'll see how that works.

I've also fixed a few other minor things, and updated a couple of links.

I was waiting for the comments function to come back before posting Part II of my essay on The GIRM and Culture. Now that I have comments again I promise I'll post it tomorrow. But since all of the fallout is happening today over the (in)famous meeting between the bishops and orthodox Catholics yesterday, I thought I'd post some thoughts on that before returning to the GIRM.

Quote For the Day

Your lives, while you are living, are wellnigh dead, wasting in sleep the better part of your years;
snoring while wide awake, empty minds assailed by empty fears.

Lucretius

Most Priests Aren't Clamoring For "Optional" Celibacy

And here's a website for faithful priests to stand up in favor of the Church's traditional discipline:

Priests For Celibacy

In spite of what you may read in the press, like the stories about the Milwaukee priests who advocate relaxing the Church's discipline of priestly celibacy, most priests are leading dedicated and fruitful lives as celibates.

And in spite of the maunderings of those Milwaukee priests, and the natterings of the Call To Action crowd, dropping priestly celibacy will solve precisely no problems in the Church. As I have written before, the idea that a married priesthood will prevent future priest-abuse scandals is simply absurd. By what logic would anyone think that men with perverse sexual appetites would be appeased by a normal heterosexual relationship? If anything, a married priesthood might make it worse: Pedophiles frequently use a "normal" marriage as cover for their deviant behavior.

The belief that a married priesthood would address the so-called "priest shortage" (in itself a dubious concept) also doesn't stand up to serious scrutiny. I have a friend who is a pastor in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. He has told me more than once that the Missouri Synod is experiencing its own clergy shortage. This isn't noticeable on the coasts yet, because most pastors gravitate to seeking positions on either coast. But the shortage is very serious in the Midwest, and particularly in rural areas. Now the LCMS has married clergy, so clearly its shortage points to a problem going across theological boundaries and having nothing to do with celibacy.

As I have written before, in a post on The Sacramentality of Priestly Celibacy:

Finally, it seems to me that those who advocate dropping celibacy frequently have bought into the "dogmatic minimalism" foisted upon us by "progressives" in the wake of Vatican II. Dogmatic minimalism is the attitude that anything not explicitly defined as dogma by a council or ex cathedra papal pronouncement is somehow extraneous to the Faith and therefore easily dispensed with. Those arguing that because celibacy is a matter of discipline and not dogma we can get rid of it are operating from the dogmatic minimalist assumption. But just because something hasn't been defined as de fide doesn't mean it isn't from the Holy Spirit. Just because something is a matter of tradition [with a small "T"] doesn't mean it isn't spiritually good or useful.

That non-Catholics wouldn't understand or properly value the witness of celibacy is, perhaps, understandable. That some Catholics would be confused or poorly catechized about it is lamentable. That priests could lose sight of the witness they have been called upon to give, and parrot the world's line, is tragic.

YACCS Comments Has Extended Its Holiday Weekend

YACCS was back up briefly on Saturday, but it relapsed quickly. I'm delaying posting the second half of my essay on Liturgy and Culture in the hopes that the comment function will be restored by tomorrow. If its not up again by tomorrow, I will get a new comments provider and post the second half of the essay.

In the meantime, I'll put up some other hopefully entertaining stuff...