The movie For Greater Glory, The True Story of the Cristiada will come out on June 1st. It is based on the true the story of the Cristeros War (1926-1929) where the Mexican Catholic people rebelled against the anti-Catholic government who made the celebration of Mass a capital offense. They had the motto “Viva Cristo Rey!” Long Live Christ the King! The movie has an impressive cast with the Academy Award Nominees, Andy Garcia, Peter O’Toole, and Catalino Sandino Moreno. It seems to be a well made movie by an up-and-coming production company, New Land Films, who are unafraid to tell the untold story of the persecution of Catholics in our modern times.
As we have blogged about here on AirMaria the HHS Mandate on Contraception is a serious impingement on religious liberty that affects everyone’s First Amendment rights. There will be a nation wide rally at 12 noon to 1pm on Friday March 23 to stand up for our rights and will take place at hundreds of locations around the country. God willing, the AirMaria team will be going to the one in Hartford where none other than Joe Scheidler will be speaking.
You can listen to Raymond Arroyo speak with Professor Alvare about her open letter to Obama and Sebelius telling them they don’t speak for all women, and explain why the HHS Mandate is unconstitutional.
PLEASE NOTE
All rallies start at noon local time, Friday March 23, unless noted on the official website.
Signs will be provided.
It is not necessary to RSVP.
Some local places relative to our friary in Griswold are:
Our friends at Spirit Juice produced this video with Fr. Claude Burnson (Fr. Pontifex) on what’s wrong with the Contraceptive Mandate of the Health and Human Services which we have blogged about here.
To see the behind-the-scenes making and motivation for the video click here
At this time in America we’ve come to the crossroads
Standing with our religious freedom and what we have been told.
We hold these truths to be self evident all men created the same (more…)
With the lives of so many early martyrs shrouded in legend, we are fortunate to have the record of the courage of Perpetua and Felicity from the hand of Perpetua herself, her teacher Saturus, and others who knew them. This account, known as “The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity,” was so popular in the early centuries that (more…)
Face of Pro-Life #155 – Fr. Angelo on Face of Prolife (29min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Fr. Angelo Geiger and Corinn Dahm take-up the current state of the issue of loss of religious liberty in the Obama health care bill and what the USCCB is doing to fight against it.
Yesterday Bishop Bernard Fellay of the Society of St. Pius X met with Cardinal William Levada at the offices of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith and was presented with a “doctrinal preamble” for the Society’s consideration and, hopefully, eventual assent. After the meeting the CDF released a communiqué regarding the meeting. Here is the most pertinent paragraph:
Given the concerns and requests presented by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X regarding the integrity of the Catholic faith considering the hermeneutic of rupture of the Second Vatican Council in respect of Tradition – hermeneutic mentioned by Pope Benedict XVI in his Address to the Roman Curia of December 22, 2005 -, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith takes as a fundamental basis for a full reconciliation with the Apostolic See the acceptance of the Doctrinal Preamble which was delivered in the course of the meeting of September 14, 2011. This preamble enunciates some of the doctrinal principles and criteria of interpretation of Catholic doctrine necessary for ensuring fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church and to the sentire cum Ecclesia, while leaving open to legitimate discussion the study and theological explanation of particular expressions and formulations present in the texts of the Second Vatican Council and of the Magisterium that followed it.
Notice the reference to Pope Benedict’s Address to the Roman Curia of December 25, 2005 (specifically its rejection of the “hermeneutic of rupture”), as well as the last sentence. That is the money quote. It annunciates several things:
The doctrinal principles and criteria of interpretation of Catholic doctrine,
That these are necessary for ensuring fidelity to the Magistierium and the sentire cum Ecclesia (to think with the Church),
Openness to legitimate discussion of the study and theological explanation of particular expressions and formulations present in the texts of Vatican II and the post-conciliar Magisterium.
Thus, the description of the preamble is completely consistent with the 2005 address in which Pope Benedict said the following:
. . . with the Second Vatican Council the time came when broad new thinking was required.
Its content was certainly only roughly traced in the conciliar texts, but this determined its essential direction, so that the dialogue between reason and faith, particularly important today, found its bearings on the basis of the Second Vatican Council.
This dialogue must now be developed with great openmindedness but also with that clear discernment that the world rightly expects of us in this very moment. Thus, today we can look with gratitude at the Second Vatican Council: if we interpret and implement it guided by a right hermeneutic, it can be and can become increasingly powerful for the ever necessary renewal of the Church.
Notice here, as well, that this openness to “discussion” and “dialogue” does not seem to imply an invitation to debate the legitimacy of the Council or its documents. Certainly, it does not suggest that the Church is making a concession on the question of rupture. Pope Benedict is sticking to his guns on the matter of the hermeneutic of continuity and reform.
Bishop Fellay’s post-meeting interview, in fact, confirms this:
Today, for the sake of objectivity, I must acknowledge that in the doctrinal preamble there is no clear-cut distinction between the inviolable dogmatic sphere and the pastoral sphere that is subject to discussion. The only thing that I can say, because it is part of the press release, is that this preamble contains “certain doctrinal principles and criteria for the interpretation of Catholic doctrine, which are necessary to ensure faithfulness to the Church’s Magisterium and to “sentire cum Ecclesia”[thinking with the Church]. At the same time, it leaves open to legitimate discussionthe examination and theological explanation of individual expressions and formulations contained in the documents of Vatican Council II and of the later Magisterium.” There you have it; no more and no less (emphasis from the SSPX website).
Clearly Pope Benedict is emphasizing continuity and nowhere does he or the CDF make the proper interpretation of the Council dependent on the discernment between infallible doctrine and pastoral directives. Clearly there is a distinction, but one could hardly expect the pastoral thrust of the Council to be rejected by the very Magisterium that has defended it. Obviously, this is the hope of many, but, of course, this is the crux of the problem.
Here is one interesting comment from Fr. Z’s blogposton the subject:
I think, if this all works out, the SSPX will be an influence on the rest of the Church. There are many in the Institute of Christ the King and Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (et al!) who personally reject all of the documents of the Second Vatican Council, but have been afraid to say so. This would open up a huge door, essentially allowing a “pro-choice” position on Vatican II without fear of suspension.
One can only wonder if the comment reflects the reality of the situation within traditionalist organizations that officially profess to accept Vatican II. In any case, “pro-choice” is an interesting choice of words. This tendency to hope for some loophole for Conciliar rejection goes way beyond what has been so far revealed about the “doctrinal preamble.” No surprise there.
Today is the Feast of the Patron of the Third Order of St. Francis, St. Louis the King. He lived his faith with conviction and publicly. Here is a meditation on this topic from a modern Franciscan who is presently the Archbishop of Denver and soon to be the Archbishop of Philadelphia:
“Speak in the light”
Cardinal Henri de Lubac: once wrote that “It is not true … that man cannot organize the world without God. What is true is that, without God, [man] can ultimately only organize it against man. Exclusive humanism is inhuman humanism … ”
St. Thomas More, a Franciscan Tertiary, has been named the patron for lawyers and politicians. This holy and wholly Catholic man was a husband and father in addition to being a lawyer and became Lord Chancellor of England so much was he respected and regarded in his own time. He was beheaded in witness of the Truths of the Faith in 1535.
Blessed Pope John Paul II would write of him: “Precisely because (more…)
Miscellanea #50 – Up Capital Hill (04min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Organizer Nellie Gray told the press that the numbers of marchers this year far exceeded last year, which was estimated at well over 300,000. That sentiment was echoed by many long-time March for Life participants. LifeSiteNews.com
Face of Pro-Life #79 – Fr. Angelo Geiger and Corinn Dahm on St Maximilian Kolbe ( 29min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Fr. Angelo Geiger of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FI) explains the life of St Maximilian Kolbe who is a patron of the FIs and how it relates to our current battle for the Culture of Life and Religious Freedom.
Roving Reporter #86 – Maggie Gallagher (07min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
Maggie Gallagher, Founder / President
In addition to serving as President of the National Organization for Marriage, Maggie Gallagher is also president of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy (www.iMAPP.org), a nonprofit organization whose unique mission is research and public education on ways that law and public policy can strengthen marriage as a social institution.
Maggie is a nationally syndicated columnist, the author of three books on marriage (including most recently with University of Chicago Prof Linda Waite “The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better-Off Financially”), and a leading voice of the new marriage movement. National Journal named her to the 2004 list of the most influential people in the same-sex marriage debate.
She appears frequently on major TV and radio and is frequently asked to lecture at colleges, universities and law schools. She has testified as an expert witness on marriage before the U.S. Senate and in various state legislatures. Her writings on marriage have appeared in The New York Times, The Weekly Standard, and the Wall Street Journal, as well as scholarly journals such as the Louisiana Law Review, and the Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics, and Public Policy.
Roving Reporter #80 – Christopher Plante of National Organization for Marriage, Rhodes Island (06min) >>> Play
Ave Maria!
At the recent Celebrate Marriage Day in Warwick, RI Chris Plante of National Organization for Marriage, Rhodes Island gives his thoughts on the importance of marriage and the need to keep the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.
29min) >>> 
Audio (MP3)
