The following comes from a January 23 story on Zenit.com regarding a January 18 article written by Archbishop Jose Gomez.
As I write this, I am praying and reflecting and getting ready to celebrate our annual Requiem Mass for the Unborn.
Every year, near the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, we gather to remember the victims of abortion. This year, our Requiem will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening, Jan. 19, at our Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. We will also be live-streaming the Mass through my Facebook page.
I hope you will be able to join us to pray for all the little ones whose lives have been lost and ask God for the grace to keep proclaiming his Gospel of Life.
Promoting a culture of life is one of the five priorities for our Archdiocese that I set out in my pastoral letter, “Witness to the New World of Faith.”
As Catholics we have been entrusted with the good news of Jesus Christ — that the human person is sacred and created in God’s image.
But we live in a society that has accepted legalized abortion for 40 years and is now moving more and more to the acceptance of euthanasia. This is the challenge we face — as a Church and as individuals.
Life is beautiful and life is from God! This is the most basic message we proclaim.
We have just come out of Christmas Time. And Christmas is when we can see the Gospel of life so clearly, so beautifully. We see that God loved us so much that he became a little child for us — so that we could find him easier to love.
We see that God wants to share and sanctify our lives. So he comes into the world as we do — as a child, with a mother and a father. So he grows up in a human family and learns to know friendship and love; joy, sorrow and suffering.
He does all this to show us that in his eyes, every human life is precious and every life is for a reason. God calls each of us by name, as a Father calls his beloved children. All those children who die by abortion — they have a name that only our Father knows. They are precious in his eyes.
We have been in this struggle for life in our society for a long time. We need to keep at it. And we need to deepen our efforts at every level, beginning in our own personal commitment to the Church’s teaching on life.
We need to proclaim in everything we do that life is beautiful; that children are a gift of God. We need to celebrate marriage and the family as cradles of life and schools of love and hope. We need to continue our efforts to reach out to women in need.
We also need to continue to resist the “anti-life” and “anti-family” movements and tendencies in our society. We need to remind our neighbors that the right to life is the foundation of every other right and liberty in our society — and the only foundation of true justice and peace.
If the child in the womb has no right to live, then no one does. If the child in the womb has no human dignity, then no one does.
Imagine the witness our Catholic Church could make in our society if every one of us truly lived the Church’s social teachings in all their fullness. Imagine if every one of us were involved in the struggle to proclaim the sanctity of life and the dignity of every human being — from the child in the womb, to the immigrant and the prisoner, to the hungry and the homeless and the sick and terminally ill.
This is what it means to love as Jesus loved, which was the new commandment that he gave us.
In Jesus Christ, the love of neighbor and the love of God become one. This is the foundation of the Church’s teachings on life.
The Jesus who comes to us in the Eucharist is the Christ who comes to us always in his most distressing guise — in the poor, the stranger, the immigrant, the prisoner, the terminally ill and the unborn. The One who says, “This is my Body,” also tells us, “As you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me.”
So we prove our love for God by our love for those God has created and put into our lives — especially those who are hard to love or a burden to love.
So let’s keep one another in prayer this week.
And let’s ask our Blessed Mother Mary to help us to love as her Son loved and to proclaim his Gospel of Life with our lives.
We need Holy men in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. I pray Abp. José Gomez will bring the change we need so badly. The fact that the Opus Dei is expected to obey the Holy Father is a good starting point. His Exellency has hard work ahead of him and a great need to steer us in a new direction. Pray for him.
2010, to 2013, is not a long time. He needs time to get to know the lay of the land.
Three years is too long to effect change – 90 days is sufficient time to see and understand the ‘lay of the land’ if one wants to – The question is does the Bishop want to or just keep things the way they are?
“Effecting change” requires the first step, which is not a continuation of sweet words, because this is not a change and does not effect any change at all. Lots of sweet words since 1973; holiness requires action as well as words, and the world has not seen the action to accompany the words in the case of abortion.
Archbishop Gomez has been in charge only since Feb. 27, 2011. That is just under two years. During this time His Exellency has incorporated the new English translation of the Mass, which is more reverent. Another good thing is that he answers letters from the laity. He did not inherit an easy Archdiocese.
Yet he has several pro-abortion speakers at his Religious Dis-Education Congress, Mark Shriver being one of them!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
One week we read scandal, another week we read faithful….all these mixed messages are hard to take, can be confusing for some.
I recall teaching my kids that we must not give lip service with no action, but we must take action and encourage one another to fight the good fight.
Well at least this week I can applaud Archbishop Gomez for this beautiful message. God bless Him…my prayers are with Him to continuing to fight the good fight.
I remember when I was pregnant with my first one, people told me that I must practice what I preached and that our kids would be watching…..I also was told that my husband had to set a good example by attending mass, which he did because he was a convert and loves the faith…..we kept that good example because we knew that our responsibility was to practice as well what we preached. I hope that someday our kids will appreciate that, if not, well at least we can look God and say we did what was commanded of us to honor Him and love Him!
How does allowing abortionist politicians to receive and profanate the Holy Eucharist fit in with all this?
What is wrong with you; No one is supposed to exercise his apostolic powers since Vatican II. That would not be pastoral.
Just ask Cardinal Wuerl.
You just sit there, wear your clerical garbs look pretty and give the talks that people want to hear. Taking any action that might antogonize the body of Christ is too much to ask.
Let the Seminaries and Universities keep being themselves, do not rock the boat.
Well said, Mb K Mb !!!
” If the child in the womb has no right to live, then no one does. If the child in the womb has no human dignity, then no one does. ”
Dear USA Bishops,
Please start to publically excommunicate (ab homine) all ‘Catholic’ politicians who promote abortion within your own Diocese – at all levels of government – Federal, State and Local.
The screams of these innocent babies and the scandal of not enforcing excommunication for those obstinate in promoting abortion is deafening.
Actions speak louder than words.
CCC: ” 2286 Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion.
Therefore, they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice,
or to social conditions that, intentionally or not,
make Christian conduct and obedience to the Commandments difficult and practically impossible.
This is also true of business leaders who make rules encouraging fraud, teachers who provoke their children to anger,
or manipulators of public opinion who turn it away from moral values. ”
Due to relativism, heresy, schism, and sinful ignorance within the Church, preventing and repairing SCANDALS must be one of your top priorities. Scandals have been neglected far too long.
For those interested, go to the Vatican web site and search “Code of Canon Law” – read 1311 through 1399 – which special attention to 1399.
– – – – ” Can. 1399 In addition to the cases established here or in other laws, the external violation of a divine or canonical law can be punished by a just penalty only when the special gravity of the violation demands punishment and there is an urgent need to prevent or repair scandals. “
Man, you do not get it. Excommunicating is so pre vatican II, you only do it to those that beleive in such stuff. Like you kick out EF people from a parish, and make sure SSPX have no home. But people like Nuns on the bus, they do not beleive in excomunication, so do not do it to them. They will not believe you.
You need to get on with the Batican II program dude.
Excommunicating.. that is so last millenial ..
I think that our current Pope, from what I read, was that he excommunicated a few when he first became Pope. God bless Him! Our Precious Pope, God bless Him and protect Him! May he continue to clean house.
You think Pope Benedict XVI excommunicated pro-choice politicians? What? Don’t you think that would have made the news?
Anon I don’t know who he excommunicated when our current Pope first became a Pope…I just know that He did.
Abeca Christian, I can find no record of what you claim. I do not think that Pope Benedict has excommunicated anyone at anytime.
Mb K Mb, man, you’ve got the hammer down!!!
Mbûkû,
‘Excommunciation’ is not only pre-Vatican II.
Vatican II was opened in 1962 and closed in 1965.
‘Code of Canon Law’ was revised in 1983.
‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’ as promulgated throughout the World in the 1990’s, with the corrected English version first printed in March, 2000.
However, excommunciation does go back to the time of St. Paul and the Apostles.
In the words of St. Paul – – – 1 Cor 5:11-13, and 1 Tim 5:20.
Since the Diocese Bishop has the best knowledge of the details of what ‘Catholic’ politicians do that reside in his own Diocese – it is his responsibility to adhere to Canon Law and to the CCC.
In order to excommunicate, the Bishop (or Pope) must make every attempt to contact the party guilty of grave scandal to insure understanding of the grave sin and to insure that the person is obstinate and unwilling to repair his/her scandal.
Pope Benedict (Cardinal Ratzinger as Prefect for Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) wrote a letter to US Bishops which can be found on the internet about us VOTERS – dated July, 2004.
If we vote for a pro-abortion politician, we are not to receive Holy Communion. – “Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion, General Principles”.
There is nothing proportionate in the USA to the murder of approx 1 MILLION innocents each year.
If this info was not passed on by your Diocese Bishop – shame on him.
Canon 1399 allows for the excommuniction of ‘Catholic’ politicians who support abortion.
Archbishop Gomez…I implore you to clean up the seminary in Camarillo. It has become a hotbed of homosexual activity for decades…and the scandal is well known throughout the land. These young seminarians need to be taught the “spiritual classics” and return to the sacred traditions of our holy Catholic Church. Modernism has contaminated the souls of many seminarians, many priests and a good number of bishops… Sadly some of these seminarians probably cannot even pray the rosary…or even know it’s “mysteries”. Great good can come from the shocking events that have transpired recently, with the priest files that have been disclosed to the public…this is an opportunity to return to the “fruits” and “gifts” that made men holy and desirous of saving souls…A wonderful example is Saint Thomas Aquinas College in Ojai! This magnificent educational institution and it’s zealous young students are a shining example of the great potential to be had…it’s all around us, and many young men would return to the seminary if this kind of modesty and piety was exemplified. The magnificent chapel on the campus is an outgrowth and edifying example of the Church and the beautiful, mystical nature that she possesses. My prayers are with you always, your excellency and all the priests of the archdiocese and the world. Praised be Jesus Christ…forever
You actually think he (Archbishop Gomez) does not know? I heard it from his own mouth myself. He even suggested he might shut it. Then, nothing. St. John Camarillo is so bad that the Bishop who will avoid all confrontation in the world at whatever cost (otherwise known as Most Reverend Brom) yanked his men out of that place and put down his foot for a fight.
If Bishop Brom thinks it’s rotten (Bishop Brom is a good Bishop despite what most of you say, given he has FSSP in his diocese), it must be really rotten to get Bishop Brom who never acts to act.
Archbishop Gomez knows very well what St. John is. He chooses to let it go on. He could shut it down tommorow. Just like that.
I enjoyed reading your” word salad”…can’t figure out your point, but it’s all good…
My point, Archbishop Gomez knows exactly what is going on at St. Johns. He chooses to do nothing about it.
Mbûkû,
Have you written to Abp Gomez about your first hand information regarding that Seminary, or are you making assumptions? If you have not written and provided documentation about sinfulness that is going on today, why not?
All Seminaries, Catholic Universities and Colleges, and Religious Orders should require reading and study of the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition” as one required text to insure accuracy and that the Priests, Nuns and future parents may properly educate themselves and others.
Most of these educational institutions do not use the CCC.
An icthyologist I don’t know if he reads these comments so best that you write him directly. God bless you.
“icthyologist” reminds me of “Surfin’ Bird” by the Trashmen (1963).
… or possibly the Birdman of Alcatraz. Oooops, just checked and … I should have seen it … icthyologist is “tongues” for Christology, the study of Christ. Icthus (some kind of gramaton or whatever they call it) is the fish symbol with Greek letters. I’d recall more of this but after a prolonged period of blogging with the likes of Mackzakamac, my orientation to academic strata has morphed into something else, not sure what yet though.
I know several of the seminarians there, one or two fairly well enough to say I think St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo was cleaned up long ago. I do not suspect any of the people I have known there to be anything but deeply devoted, sincerely dedicated, and faithful Catholics. I know the past history was extremely difficult to learn about, but people say it is so much better now. I visit there several times a year and just don’t sense it being as charged by some people commenting in this forum at this point in time. Just my sense of things. I absolutely agree 100% with the very positive comments about Thomas Aquinas College in Ojai, which is one of the most wonderful places to visit in the United States of America, for all of the reasons outlined above, and more.
I concur with Maryanne. St. John’s Seminary is in good shape these days. We heard these rumors only from one book written by Michael S. Rose, “Goodbye Good Men.” I think we need to be careful in our criticism of the priests of the Catholic Church. While there have been grave problems in the Seminaries, and even defiant teachers spreading errors and heresy, the majority of priests and seminaries are good and upstanding Catholic men. Today, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as far as I know, is looking for orthodox men, men who actually believe in the teachings of the Church, at least that is what they told me when I was looking into Saint John’s Seminary myself. Let us PRAY for priests ALWAYS before we slander or criticize them.
Gee Mark… I sure hope it is in good shape these days… years ago I was contemplating attending the seminary, and made a retreat there. When I was at the seminary, I encountered a very flamboyant and hostile “gay” man who (hopefully was never ordained)… he proceeded to tell me where to “step off”, with my conservative, right wing outlook and “traditional” understanding of Catholicism… The Holy father would like “gay” men to find vocations in the secular world, due to the shockingly grave scandal they have presented in the past. I do believe things have improved, and God wiling they will get better… much better… isn’t it interesting, when my wife and I were in Rome, you could only receive the Eucharist on the tongue, at Saint Peter’s… shouldn’t it be this way everywhere, if it’s good enough for Saint Peter’s?… One more thing, modernism is a heresy… and yet many priests and religious are defiant, and yes heretical in the beliefs they have and the modernism and ecumenism they spew… it is revolting… why just last year, I witnessed a number of defiant nuns picketing the “religious congress” in Anaheim, because they want to become PRIESTs! These religious took vows of obedience… not defiance and pride… yet these are the scandalous attitudes and behaviors that have become so prevalent and are even accepted as the norm… hopefully, the seminary in Camarillo is turning around… sadly I’m sure that many homosexual young men are still hiding out up there… they should find a vocation in life that doesn’t have potential for scandal and worse… think about it… And sadly, I believe that the correlation between homosexuality and the priest/pedophile “aberration” was an outgrowth of modernism and liberalism that has infected our American Church for decades, even before Vatican II…
Really Maryanne…who cleaned it up?….
Good point. “Who cleaned it up?” Ok, 1) if it isn’t, then it has a powerful manner of hiding itself; 2) if it is, then it’s a miracle.
The branch of zoology that studies fish… 2 classes
Osteichthyes the cartilaginous fish… sharks, skates, rays…
Chondrychthyes the “true” or bony fishes… trout, trigger-fish, grouper.
Scripps baby!
Just take a quick look at their faculty over at st. Johns. Its a who’s who from the 70’s
Believe me, I have no illusions that Saint Johns Seminary in Camarillo has done a complete 360 since I was last up there, uh-uh. They may have cleaned up the behaviors of the seminarians, and hopefully sent some back home, but I am wary that this seminary is “now” a living, breathing example of traditional Catholicism, and all the bad eggs have gone home… this includes the modernist priests who have been teaching modernist drivel for decades and getting away with it! I certainly hope and pray that this seminary has gone through a radical and spiritual transformation, but I have my reservations… it’s called prudence, not detraction.
I am appalled at the wild accusations being leveled in California Catholic Daily against one of our most significant centers of training of men for the priesthood in California. This seminary is a wonderful place to visit as a lay person, and their long history of serving God and mankind in this important way has produced many a fine priest. I ask that baseless slurs against a great seminary be stopped, and that readers disregard the comments of those who are not in a position to know the hearts and minds of the fine young men who are at the seminary at this very moment, studying the Bible and the vocation of the priesthood, and ultimately learning to serve God in the most self-sacrificing vocation on earth. It must be extremely difficult to learn all that they are undertaking, and reading ridiculous slurs against celibate young men must be terribly hard for them. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be a priest serving such folks once they are ordained; it would be hard enough to serve as a great servant of God in tending to a flock of good-hearted faithful. I am asking that unfounded accusations against our highly valued young seminarians be barred. I don’t see the seminarians posting snarky comments here making unfounded accusations against certain people who fling dirt on the reputations of dedicated seminarians, and that alone tells me who is taking the higher ground. An Icthyologist, you need to think twice or thrice before casting such aspersions against our hopeful young men, some of whom will be quite dismayed to read your unjust accusations. No one is perfect, but these young men are working very hard on being the best men they can in order to serve Jesus and to serve you and me. Give them a break; St. John’s is a wonderful place for them to find out if they are good candidates for this incredibly challenging vocation. I am sorry for what you say happened to you from one young man, and I hope he was turned out. Not every graduate of St. John’s has impressed me; go there sometime though and look at the photographs of each of their graduates. Most of them served with honor; only one of them grew up to be Archbisop Mahony, whom Archbishop Gomez just relieved of all of his remaining duties within the archdiocese on January 31, our new archbishop’s strongest and most courageous step yet in cleaning up the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. St. John’s is not to be blamed for what certain individual men do who abuse their sacred trusts and succumb to evil; they try their utmost to teach men how to become extremely good priests and servants of God, and beyond that, they are not responsible.
Gee Maryanne, I couldn’t care less if you are appalled… and believe me I am glad that Archbishop Gomez has relieved Mahony of any further duties… he should also relieve Bishop Curry of any of his further duties as well! My experience with the seminary was based on first hand observation, albeit from a number of years ago, and YES, I most hope and pray that a “supernatural grace and transformation” has taken place at St. John’s in Camarillo, because it was teeming with homosexual seminarians some years ago, (probably still is)…and one more thing, don’t play the shock and dismayed “card” with me, you are walking around “blind without a cane” if you are not aware of the outrageous behavior and overflow number of homosexuals who were up at the seminary just a few years back… Don’t insult my intelligence or Catholic sensibility by acting so chagrined… I am a devout Roman Catholic, who most assuredly loves and cherishes his faith!
MaryAnne,
If only you were correct that only one of them grew up to be a Cardinal Mahony! The list is too long to quote here. Ziemann comes immediately to mind.
I too have spoken to many Seminarians from St. John’s and the stories they tell me don’t match with your impressions. Some have elected to keep quiet so that they can be ordained and then be truly orthodox priests even learning the Tridentine Mass, some were asked to leave because they insisted on daily praying their Rosaries in Chapel.
You tend to always see the good even when there is actually much bad amongst the good to see.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Dear MaryAnne,
You are very caring and I know it can be hard to accept some of the things that go on. Please don’t be appalled. These men posting here are not here to bash or make up things, I hope you consider the facts. Don’t let anger get the best out of you because its not worth it. Your reaction is natural because that is what scandal does in some, there are different reactions to scandal.
I do want to add is that I can’t make any comments on the seminary because I don’t really know anything about them.
Yeah… Maryanne as in big-time denial…. Ken you are so right… those who say otherwise are delusional…