Channel 12 Newsmakers

Channel 12’s Newsmakers program featured Archbishop Schnurr a few weeks ago.  The fifteen minute program can be found here.

O Wisdom, O holy Word of God

Today marks the transition of which we spoke yesterday to ‘Late Advent,’ the immediate preparations for the Birth of Christ at Christmas.

To mark the shift, the antiphon for the Caticle of Mary moves to the so called ‘O Antiphons,’ so called because they all begin with ‘O’ and a title from the Old Testament for the coming of the Messiah.  Today’s iteration:

O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care.  Come and show your people the way to salvation.

In college, we would chant these to the ancient chant tones, which were haunting in the beauty.  As they date to at least the Fifth Century, these are some of the oldest tones still in use, and I wish I still had that little sheet describing the tones.  Alas, too many moves.

In today’s Antiphon, we harken back to the very dawn of Creation to see the Word of God spoken and all things were made.  But yet the power of creation is always tempered by the Love of God, which draws us deeper into His very mystery.  Our path to salvation is about to open anew!

Transitions

In case you’ve noticed, the daily readings up to today for Advent haven’t been what’s expected, most likely.  We tend to expect those intimate examinations of the Holy Family preparing for the birth of Jesus, May and Joseph making the long trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Angels singing from the heavens.  Yet, we have heard much more about John the Baptist’s testimony and word about Jesus, and what Jesus says about John the Baptist, than we have heard about Jesus’s birth.  Today’s readings bear that out:

Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
tax collectors and prostitutes
are entering the Kingdom of God before you.
When John came to you in the way of righteousness,
you did not believe him;
but tax collectors and prostitutes did.
Yet even when you saw that,
you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

Tomorrow, we start ‘Late Advent’ and will hear more about the proximate preparations for Christmas.

 

Edit for speeling

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

So, did you hear the one about how holiness is only for priests and religious?

Yeah, I haven’t either, and today’s saint proves the point that holiness is open for all.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary was a princess, queen, wife, mother, widower, and saint.  She died in the year 1231 at the tender age of 23, and was declared a saint a scant 4 years later!

How to achieve such a remarkable run?  Easy!  She was married while still a teenager, which was rather common in those days, to a prince of Thuringia, within modern day Germany.  Her husband was assassinated, leaving her the widowed queen with three small children.  However, she did not let that stop her.  She became a Franciscan Tertiary (a lay person associated with the charisms of a particular order, her poverty.)  In iconography, she is always depicted holding loaves of bread as she gave away large stores of food the poor of her day and age, while she kept to a strict schedule of fasting and prayer.

For her life, she was declared patronness of widows and Catholic Charities.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Pray for us!

- Father Schnippel

New Co-Adjutor

Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Bishop Dennis Schnurr of Duluth, MN, as new Co-Adjutor Archbishop of Cincinnati, with right of succession upon the retirement of Archbishop Pilarczyk.  Press Conference scheduled at 10:30 today, all initial reports seem very favorable!

Rocco has an extended bio

Rich has got some links as well

More over at my ’blog

Cincinnati.com has an article posted

Evening for Life recap

Well, lo and behold, I did run into Mr. Matt Swaim, roving reported for Sacred Heart Radio, at last evening’s Banquet for Life.  While there is always serious tone demanded by the subject matter, last night seemed to be a bit lighter of heart than previous years; much more joyful; which I found surprising considering the prospects of the general election, but I digress.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the levity of the evening was the charisma of the keynote speaker, Eduardo V of the movie Bella.  He was displaying all the charm that came across in the movie, where there was a glow to his presence, a man who filled the room.  He was quick with wit, joking about his lack of English skills, but also really honing in on the key importance of the Pro-Life movement: it is about the babies.  He made the necessary connection that all in the Pro-Life movement already realize: that commitment does not stop at the birth of the child, but continues on to help the parents to be able to raise the child to accomplish the mission that God has for him or her.

He told the heart warming story of how, when he was preparing for the move, he paid a visit to an abortion mill in NYC.  As he was standing there, he was recognized from his telenovela days in Mexican television and a young woman talked with him for over an hour, missing her appointment inside the death mill.

Six months later, he received a call from the father of the child asking if they could name their son after him!  He then started preparing for the child’s life and preparation, even arranging for his baptism.  What an impressive talk!

But, to meet someone who was so humble even in the face of great stardom, wow.  Example of priorities in the right order:

I had an emergency phone call from the one and the same Matt Swaim yesterday, late afternoon: “Father, can you say Mass?!?!”  “Well, yes, Matt, that is what I do as a priest.”  “HAR HAR, Eduardo has made a commitment that he attends Mass every day and hasn’t been able to yet today, could you say Mass for him afterwards?”  SURE, d’love to!

Reason, in his words: “I live in the midst of the culture of death and the culture of vainglory.  If I do not get the grace of the Eucharist, the rosary and my prayer, all that I do can so easy become about me and not about Him.  I need that constant re-orientation to the Lord.”

So, after the event, we returned to his hotel and offered Mass with him, his assistant, the pres of Right to Life, and one of our seminarians who knew him from being in the same prayer group in Hollywood.  It was an honor to meet him, and what an easy man to chat with, and someone whose passion for the Lord is not hidden beneath ‘Political Correctness.’

That more would be the same…..

God Bless, Eduardo!  Keep up the great work.

Evening for Life tonight!

Cincinnati Right to Life is hosting their annual Evening for Life this evening at Xavier University.  In a move sure to attract many, Eduardo Verastegui, star of Bella, has been invited as the keynote speaker.  Full report to follow tomorrow

St. Paul gets the Stick out!

Today’s First Reading at Mass is one of my favorites.  No soft-pedaling, here; St. Paul comes out and says it clearly:

O stupid Galatians!
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?

Pretty clear, huh?

Why so strong, though?  St. Paul just doesn’t mean ’stupid’ as simple minded, or mistaken; he is trying to wake them up that their salvation is a jeopardy by what they are doing.  Hence, nothing is more important!  The Galatians are adding unnecessary things from the Mosaic Law code, and he is trying to get them to keep the practice of the faith pure, as he taught it to them.

What are the trappings of this world that get in the way of our practice of the faith?

Big Slap Coming!

If you have been following along with the Daily Mass readings, get ready, tomorrow’s the day!

This week, we have been hearing from St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians as our First Reading at Mass.  The situation in Galatia was, um…., interesting.  St. Paul visited the area on three of his journeys (all but his trip to Rome, and we know how that ended), and seems to have been one of the first Christian missionaries to visit this area of Asia Minor, present day around Ankara, Turkey.

While he was the first, St. Paul was not the only missionary to traverse the hills and valleys here.  It seems pretty clear that others came after him and started to teach the Galatians that they had to add on to what Paul had given them, for he did not require them to embrace the Mosaic Law code, as these latter missionaries did.  (No bacon-cheeseburgers for them!)

In the intial two chapters of the Letter, we hear Paul’s defense of how he came to know and teach the faith: From Christ and confirmed by the Twelve, even so far as going (in today’s readings) against Peter for hypocrisy.

So, stay tuned for tomorrow, as the hammer gets dropped!

- Fr. Schnippel

Awfully Quiet ’round here!

It seems to have been awfully quiet around here these last few days.  While I was out playing in the snow of Colorado (well, I hoped it would snow while I was out there!), no one seems to have minded the store!

What was I doing in Denver, since there was no snow, I had to attend the conferences for the National Convention for Diocesan Vocation Directors.  Yeah, a mouthful, but rolls easily as NCDVD.  With a big thanks to our comrade here, Matt Swaim, faithful listeners to Sacred Heart Radio got some of the updates.

Only one to share here.  The Convention begins on a Sunday night (which is changing, I hear), and is usually a good time, an address by our fearless president (who lurks on my main blog), a few drinks, horror stories from the last year are shared among members, setting a good tone for the rest of the meeting.

This year was different.  Archbishop Celestino Migliore was invited to address the membership at our opening keynote, which was supposed to happen on Monday morning.  His schedule changed, as he was called to give an address to the assembled body of the United Nations!  (He serves as the Apostolic Nuncio to the United Nations, which is why the Pope stayed at his house when he was in New York.)  I guess when the UN calls, he answers.

But instead of giving up on us, he asked if he could address us at the opening night gathering, which we were more than happy to oblige.

Expecting a great presentation on promotion of vocations in a global society, I came ready with pen in hand, looking for pages of notes.  I came away with five lines.  Which seems like a cause for disappointment, but really it was a great joy.  He gave a wonderful reflection on his own vocation story, how he simply wanted to be a good parish priest, and how he has been honored to be asked to do the things he has done.  One of the best talks I have heard.

Amazing how we come to things with expectations, which are left unfulfilled, only to have a deeper impact than we could have ever thought.

God Bless, and it’s good to be back in the Queen City!

Fr. Schnippel