On Friday, Sept. 4 Father John Higgins, paster of St. Raymond church in Downey, gave a 12-minute homily in response to New York City’s Father Ken Boller’s Pledge of Racial Justice.
Here is 15-second excerpt from Father Higgins homily:
I’ve got a different pledge for us all to make. I hope we can make this pledge instead of a pledge that makes us feel guilty about being whatever ethnicity we are. Let’s look at the real pledge that all of should make. It comes from the Apostles Creed.
Father Higgins, my response would have been to stand up and shout my disapproval of using the Mass as an opportunity to put forth a political agenda. What is your opinion of that?
I oppose Fr. Higgins abusing the Mass as much as that Jesuit priest in New York did. The Mass is not a talk show with the likes of Sean Hannity or Rachel Maddow giving their opinions about current events and taking jabs at those with whom they disagree.
Abusing the Mass? Watch the video dude! He was obviously in his office, not at Mass.
Good eye, Carlos!
It’s odd that you would think this Priest is at Mass with no vestments, a window behind him, no altar in sight. It appears to me, call me crazy if you want, that this Priest is at his desk. I’ve seen the entire video and he mentions nothing of any political candidate or even a political stance, except for his admonition not to blame one ethnic group and to refrain from racism.
It might do us all some good to watch the video made from his office, not the Church or at Mass.
https://www.facebook.com/1104991309/videos/10222399478671527
I thought the Church taught we are all equal in the eyes of God.
How dare this Jesuit priest put pictures of these people on the altar of a Roman Catholic Church, only Roman Catholic saints can be raised to our altars. But he is a Jesuit so I get it they ceased to be Roman Catholic decades ago, just disgusting and no surprise here. BLM is an organization created by three openly lesbian black women and avowed trained Marxist-Leninists their own words not mine.
No non Catholic items or pictures should be on a Catholic altar, period. Catholic Saints from different ethnic and racial groups are fine, just not on the altar. We can pray for the Catholic dead at masses, but non Catholics should be prayed for privately if one chooses to do so. Even Pope John Paul II’s picture at the Mass I attended for his death was placed on a pedestal near the floor in front the altar, not on the altar or nor above the altar.
Actually the picture of John Paul Ii at that time was on a pedestal, near the floor in the front and to the right of the altar where people could pray for him, not in the center where it could distract from the Mass.
Anonymous: the priest at the parish I attend recently gave a homily about the “greatness of President Trump” and stated that Catholics must vote for Trump because he is anti-abortion. After Mass, I asked Father (social distanced and with a mask of course) about the appropriateness of giving a political speech in place of the homily, he admonished me and said I should not be so critical.
You should turn that priest in to the bishop. Cite the GIRM about the purpose of a homily and directions from the US bishops about clergy not telling people how to vote.
You do not have to cite the GITM or the bishops. Just describe what happened.
If you listened to what Jesus said during last Sunday’s gospel, you’d know that the right thing to do would be to speak privately with the priest first, not immediately run to “turn him in” to the bishop. See what our Lord said in Matthew 18:15-17.
You were right in doing so.
Tell us what parish so we can go there.
You all missed the gospel yesterday. We are responsible to correct those who are obviously not following God’s law. We must tell them and if they don’t listen we must tell others, not in a critical way but to give them an opportunity to change. The gospel says of we do not, we are just as guilty. Abortion is murder and we must speak out.
Sounds like a wonderful and patriotic priest to me.
The pictures are not on the altar where the Eucharist is consecrated.
We do not put up pictures of United States presidents or any other non Catholic or secular people in our Catholic churches. They do not belong there, anywhere.
One priest put up the pictures of his Catholic parishioners in the pews to pray for them when Catholics were not allowed in their churches. He did not put them on any altars, or any other place where the icons or statues of the canonized saints belong, and the parishioners were Catholics.
What will be next? Thor? Venus de Milo? Shiva? Pachamama?
Actually, I have seen pictures of loved ones who have passed on side altars during the month of November.
I pray for all my ancestors at almost every Mass, including the non Catholic Christian ones and even the past pagan ones, but I do not send in pictures of non Catholics to be placed in the church or on any altar because it leads to too much confusion and clutter. There is often already too much clutter with just the canonized saints.
Lip service to the privilege hoax only perpetuates the fraud.
Capitalism discombobulated. [Delicate enough, Cal-Catholic? :)]
And no one can accuse me of not having prayed for George Floyd’s soul as I was one of the first ones to do so under one of CCD’s articles; nevertheless I have learned to keep my mouth shut about most of these shootings as one does not know all the facts until they are presented in court by all sides.
“Lord give me wisdom the attendant at thy throne”. Mary, Seat of Wisdom pray for me.