The Threshold of Hope

Best of the Blog

Here are a selection of topics that can be found in our pages.
They are here to provide first time readers an overview of what can be found in this blog, and also so that you don't miss some really insightful and informative pieces that have appeared in the past.

Personal Sharings

The Catholic Church in Singapore

Compare... the Veritas! Website- comparing two church websites leads to an informative debate on whether the church should pay for quality work. (Aug 06)
Is the Sunday Missal meant to be read during Mass?
The Church and Media relations:- On the Archibishop's response to the tsunami
Familiar or Foreign?: Church Architecture and Worship
Should we sing the 'Our Father' in Latin?
On the recent changes to the way we celebrate mass in Singapore: more on the Latin debate.
Should Catholics read the Da Vinci Code?
Good ole Liturgy - the Latin rite

Youth Ministry

Confirmation : Problems with our catechesis and what to do about it.
Discovering the Purpose of Youth Ministry

Catholicism and Protestantism

Theology

I wish to thank every single writer that has contributed to this blog for spending the time and energy to share. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find" (Matthew 7:7) I am sure you will find, as I have, that writing in these pages has allowed each of us to grow in our own way.

Embryo: a debate

Embryo debate between Saletan & George/Tollefsen

Little Children by William Saletan
Embryonic Debate by Robert P. George & Christopher Tollefsen
The Machine of a new Soul by William Saletan
Civil Engagement by Robert P. George & Christopher Tollefsen

Saying what needs to be said

Seen in a parish bulletin. A letter from the pastor to his parishioners.

My dear people of St. Matthew’s,
Recently we have been discussing what it means to be a “practicing Catholic.” We saw that the Catechism of the Catholic Church, published in 1992, lists five “precepts,” or basic laws, that are fundamental to living the Catholic Faith. In short, following these precepts is absolutely necessary in order to call oneself a “practicing Catholic,” although much more is required than the bare minimum to call oneself a “good Catholic.”
The First Precept, as we saw previously, is: You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on Holy Days of Obligation and rest from servile labor.
It is the widespread violation of this precept that has caused the greatest number of problems in our Church over the last forty years. Currently, the number of Roman Catholics in the United States who live this precept and attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day is roughly 20 percent. Obviously, this is a deplorable statistic, and is the explanation for many of the troubles in our Catholic families.
Marriage is a sacrament. When a couple comes to a Catholic parish wanting to get married, they first must have an interview with a priest or a deacon. Any Catholic clergyman will tell you his experience is that the overwhelming majority of couples who approach the Church seeking the sacrament of marriage are living together, and are not attending Mass on any regular basis. Now, if a couple are not practicing Catholics, why would they want to get married in the Church? The answer, I suppose, is that they feel “culturally Catholic.” They want to have a traditional wedding, with all the trappings, and they want to have it in the parish church with which they have family associations. After the wedding, they never set foot in church again until the first baby needs baptism. Then, when Catholic couples divorce in the same percentages as the rest of society, everyone is mystified. If they speak to a priest at some point, inevitably the question comes: “How could God let this happen?” The only answer we can give to a question like that is: “You never allowed Him into your marriage in the first place. You never prayed, you never came to Church, you never went to confession, and occasionally you received Communion unworthily. How did you expect Him to help you when you shut Him out of your life so completely?”
The other place where this manifests itself so clearly is in the area of religious education. Here at St. Matthew’s we have an excellent religious education program, staffed by very hard working employees and dedicated volunteers. We try our best to provide a quality, orthodox Catholic education for our young people, and strive each year to improve it. The problem is that very few of the 2,000 children in the program are ever taken to Mass by their parents. The numbers are no different in St. Matthew’s than they are in any other parish in our diocese, or in our country for that matter. I will tell you honestly, I simply do not understand why parents bring their children to religious education classes if they are not practicing Catholics and never come to Mass. If I were a parent and not at all religious, I simply wouldn’t bother. And if I did, I certainly would not complain constantly about the minimalist requirements of the program. I do not want to sound blasphemous, but why would parents take their children to soccer practice each week and then never take them to play in a game?
It is hard, perhaps, for parents who are not religious to understand, but the Catholic Church cannot give their children anything that they are not first receiving at home. In the religious education program, we have children for about an hour a week for twenty-four weeks a year. The kids come late, and leave early. They miss classes. They never come to Mass unless mandated by the program under pain of expulsion. Is it any wonder, then, that they are bored, misbehave, learn to hate religion, and don’t know even the most basic Catholic prayers by the seventh grade? Anyone with any sense knows that Catholic religious education in America is a complete and utter failure. But the reason for this is directly related to the refusal to come every week to Sunday Mass. Absent that, everything we do will be nothing more than going through the motions. Our children deserve better.

-Fr. McCartney

Source: Creative Minority Report (with link to original)

Old Wine, New Wineskins

An old article on this blog has been given a new lease of life (with illustrations too) on The Prompt webzine.

Do pay a visit to The Prompt for an updated version of an old post I first posted here on Threshold of Hope.

Reactions to the CDF clarification

On the Boundless.org blog, The Line, there is an interesting discussion going on about the recent document released by the CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH titled RESPONSES TO SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING CERTAIN ASPECTS
OF THE DOCTRINE ON THE CHURCH.

Read the discussion here.

PORN STARS @ CANA

For local (Singapore) readers of this blog, there was an article in this issue of Catholic News where John Tan (name has been changed) shared how he overcame his addiction to pornography. He will share his story in full detail at CANA - The Catholic Centre (55 Waterloo Street, Level 2) on Thursday, March 15, 7.15pm. His session will be the first of four sessions collectively titled "Porn Stars @ CANA", and you can ask him your questions at this session.

In line with this healthy interest in the topic of pornography, may I present the following session on behalf of CANA:

PORN STARS @ CANA

CANA is holding a series of four sessions collectively titled at "Porn Stars @ CANA", where porn takes a starring role in a series of forums. The sessions will be held on Thursdays - March 15, 22, 29 and April 12 - at 7.15pm.

The first session (March 15) will be an interview with a young man "John Tan" (name has been changed). John is a good Catholic man who not only attends Mass faithfully every Sunday, but at some points even attended daily Mass. He frequently received the sacraments, was looked up to by his friends, was very active in church ministry and later on in his university. But behind all this, he kept a dark secret - he was addicted to pornography. John will bare his soul at this session at CANA, and share how his dirty secret brought harm to him and the people around him, how he sunk to his lowest point, and how he eventually managed to overcome his addiction.

In the second session (March 22) will be a forum discussion with a youth, a parent, and a priest. The panelists will share their experiences on encountering the topic of porn in their circles, and what they, as Catholic individuals, did about it. The topic then turns to the floor and invites audience members to share what they, as Catholic individuals, are doing about the problem of porn which is so rampant in our Singapore society.

The third session (March 29) will turn the discussion towards finding out what Catholics, as a body or organization, can do about the problem of pornography. We will hear from Catholics in the media industry and staff from the Family Life Society on what is already being done, and find out what more we can do to help fight the problem of porn in our society.

The fourth session (April 12) will be an introduction to Theology of the Body by Dr John Hui from the Catholic Medical Guild. He will present the solution to the problem of pornography found in Pope John Paul II's teaching, which teaches the 'why's behind the Catholic Church's "strict rules" on sex and marriage, and explains how God can be found in our very nature as humans.

We understand the possible apprehension faced by youths in attending such sessions alone, so we would like you to invite the youths that you know to come attend the sessions as a group. All of us are either part of the problem or part of the solution. Come find out how you can be the latter! Please spread this news as far as your network stretches.

For more information, please email cana@catholiccentre.com.sg or call 6336 4815.

"Are homosexuals welcome in the Catholic Church?” draws strong views

“Are homosexuals welcome in the Catholic Church?” draws strong views

CatholicNews published part one of Father Albert Renckens’ reflection titled “Are homosexuals welcome in the Catholic Church?” in the last issue (CN, Jan 7). We have received many letters commenting on it. Here are some of them.

Are we really ignorant?
Priest’s view is disturbing
Mixed feelings
Shocked
Not in line with church teaching
More confident now in serving church

Eugenia says:

January 27th, 2007 at 9:16 pm

I feel that Catholic News, as commissioned by the Archdiocese of Singapore, has the responsibilty to ensure doctrinally-sound publications. I ask of Catholics News to be extremely discerned and prudent when publishing articles written by people expressing their views on the Church’s doctrine.

We, as Catholics, listen and accept the teachings of the Church. There is no room for debate when it comes to dogmatic doctrines i.e. the Truth. Please do not create the space for confusion.

Read the rest here: http://www.catholic.org.sg/cn/wordpress/?p=1273

I'm too tired to even respond...

YawningBread has a commentary here: http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2007/yax-706.htm
Dominic Chua has a response to these articles:

It was with tremendous sadness and pain that I read the responses to Fr. Renckens’ article "Are Homosexuals welcome in the Catholic Church?" that were printed in the 21 Jan 2007 edition of the Catholic News. If anything, taken together, they constitute a resounding ‘no’ to the question posed by the title of Fr. Renckens’ original article.

It does not seem worthwhile to take each of the responses separately and respond to them in great detail. Rather, it is more important and more constructive to address the highly problematic mindset of intellectual and spiritual torpor and passivity that characterizes all the replies. Collectively, the letters reflect an unwillingness to engage the issue in and of itself, and bleat the same line if something is out of step with Catholic orthodoxy, it cannot and should not be voiced. Some of the responses take this one step further -- if the Catechism of the Catholic Church or the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF) says that something is sinful and wrong, it must be so.

more: http://www.yawningbread.org/apdx_2007/imp-299.htm

The Prompt is back with a bang!

From the editors of The Prompt:

Dear friends,

The Prompt is back with a bang! Three new, thought-provoking articles await you:

* She's no Old Lady who Lived in the Shoe but mother-of-three Patricia Rozario-Tan still faces the Baby Inquisition!

* Young, Restless and Catholic - Part 1 in a series of 3 by Nick Chui that traces the turbulent and exhilarating early years of the Catholic Students' Society in the National University of Singapore.

* Get thee to a nunnery? No need. Professor Donna Orsuto, a lecturer at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, tells Nick Chui about authentic lay spirituality and what a 14th century Italian woman mystic can teach us about that.

http://theprompt.faithweb.com/

The Prompt Be Edified. Be Provoked. Be Prompted.

Pornography and Sex Addiction: From Shame to Healing

The Colorado Catholic Herald ran a special section titled "Pornography and Sex Addiction: From Shame to Healing" on Nov 10. It is a 12-page long feature on the effect pornography and sex addiction is having on families, as well as some recommendations on dealing with and healing from the problem. The section was created, in large part, as a resource for parishes to use in bringing this issue to greater attention and as a means of helping someone towards healing and recovery.

You can download the special section here.

I think it's great that a Catholic parish, regardless it being in the U.S., has dared to come forward and say openly that pornography and sex addiction is a real problem among Catholics, and to offer hope and healing for those addicted to sex. I hope something like this is possible here as well, since Singapore Catholics are not exempt from pornography and sex addiction.

Wranglers vs Stranglers

Wranglers vs Stranglers

by Ted Engstrom

Years ago there was a group of brilliant young men at a midwestern university, who seemed to have amazing, creative literary talent. They were would-be poets, novelists, and essayists. They were extraordinary in their ability to put the English language to its best use. These promising young men met regularly to read and critique each other's work. And critique it they did!

These men were merciless with one another. They dissected the smallest literary expression into a hundred pieces. They were heartless, touch, even mean in their criticism, but they thought they were bringing out each other's best work. Their sessions became such arenas of literary criticism that the members of this exclusive support group nicknamed themselves "The Stranglers".

Not to be outdone, the university's women of literary talent were determined to start a support group of their own, one comparable to "The Stranglers". They called themselves "The Wranglers". They, too, read their works to one another, but there was one significant difference between the two groups. The criticism of "The Wranglers" was much softer, more positive, more encouraging. In fact sometimes there was almost no criticism at all. Every effort, even the most feeble attempt, was gleaned for some bit to be praised and encouraged.

Twenty years later, the university's alumni office was doing an exhaustive study on the careers of its alumni, when it was noticed that there was a great difference in the literary accomplishments of "The Stranglers" as opposed to "The Wranglers". Of all the bright and talented young men in "The Stranglers", not one had made a significant literary accomplishment of any kind. From "The Wranglers" had come six or more successful writers, some attaining national reputation.

Talent between the two? Probably the same. Level of education? Not much difference. But "The Stranglers" strangled, while "The Wranglers" were determined to give each other a boost. "The Stranglers" created an atmosphere of contention and self-doubt. "The Wranglers" highlighted the best, not the worst.

******
The reason I am sharing this story with you is that I noticed that this blog attracts only men. When was the last time a woman visited the blog and made a comment or posted an article?

As men, we like to argue with one another on the finest details. We look at a good post and pick out only the bad points and criticise them. Instead, we should be highlighting the good points and helped to boost one another.

I believe that this is a way that this blog can grow and to be more open to the admission of women as well. It's not that this blog discriminates against women, but clearly we do not attract any female readers to share with us.

I believe that this is something worth looking into, and that we can all try to focus on one another's good points raised in each post, rather than to "strangle" each other, for in doing so, we are also strangling each other's self-esteem and the progress of this blog.

What do you think?

A brief history of the Mass

I have been reading "The New Question Box" by Father John J. Dietzen, who has been answering questions with the Catholic News Service for many years. This book is a compilation of frequently asked questions in the 1990s. Not much has changed since then, and I found a few interesting questions and answers which I want to share with you.

The reason I choose to share this is because some of us Catholics like the "old Mass", but we choose to stop our preference at a particular point in history, rather than to go all the way back to how the Mass was celebrated before that point. So here is a brief history of the Mass and how it came to be what it is today.

The church is not a museum, but the living, breathing body of Christ, and it has changed much. Many of our beliefs and practices developed and changed in varying degrees over the past 2,000 years.

The same is true with the Mass. It has undergone hundreds of changes through the centuries. The form of the Mass most older Catholics grew up with was simply one of the many the church has experienced throughout its life.

Our present ritual is, therefore, only one in a long series of "new Masses" in the church's history, though it has many more similarities to the "old Mass" of the early Christians than any other format the Mass has enjoyed during the last 1,000 years.

During the first 15 centuries of the church's life, the Mass was not the same in all the churches. Especially in the first several centuries, the celebration of the Eucharist was just that - a celebration. Actions, words, music and whole atmosphere of the Mass were different according to who was there, the condition and circumstances of their lives, and so on.

For a variety of reasons, the Mass gradually ceased being an event that the people participated in as members of the Body of the Risen Christ. It became rather a sacred ceremony carried out by the priest that the rest of the people were simply required to watch reverently.

By the time of the Council of Trent in the 1500s, much of the early history of the Mass which we are aware of today had been completely lost. The bishops at that council, however, were faced with numerous attacks against the Mass and the Eucharist from leaders of the new Protestant Reformation. They understandably responded to these attacks by taking one form of the Mass - the form used in Rome at that time - and declaring it the only form of the Mass allowed in the Western Church. Every action an prayer was spelled out in minute detail. No options were offered. No variations were permitted.

Long before the Second Vatican Council, church leaders were aware that this kind of frozen liturgy was blocking the growth of real liturgical prayer and worship and that something had to be done to loosen things up. The purpose wasn't variety for variety's sake. It was to enable people of different ages and times and temperaments and circumstances to make the Mass a genuine, living worship-celebration of their Christian life.

Variations are now specifically allowed and suggested in the official instructions on the Mass. Numerous options for Scripture readings are offered. Several prayers or exhortations are accompanied with the notation that the priest should "use these, or similar words". Wide leeway is given in such things as music and actions. The Sign of Peace, for instance, is to be given "according to local custom".

The Mass will always be the same in its essentials - the renewal of the offering which Jesus made to the Father on Calvary, and the Communion of his body and blood as the sign and source of the one Body of Christ. In other words, it will always be a sacrifice, and a sacred meal.

Apart from these essentials, however, Eucharistic worship will depend on the culture, customs, language and temperaments of the people who offer it.

Certain historical circumstances have caused most of us to think of the Mass as unchanging and "universal" in the wrong sense. Enormous and irreparable damage has been done to the cause of the church because of small-mindedness and short-sightedness in this matter. A few hundred years ago, for example, an imaginative missionary effort that might have brought all of China into Christianity collapsed because officials in Rome insisted on such things as that all Masses be in Latin, that priests must wear Western-style dress and vestments, and so on.

This attitude, long in disrepute, was officially put down by Pope Pius XII. When the church attempts to call a people to a better way of life under the inspiration of the Christian religion, he said in one of his encyclicals, "she does not act like one who recklessly cuts down and uproots a thriving forest. She grafts good stock upon the wood so that it may bear even better fruit." The policy of using anything in local cultures, even religious customs, that can conceivably be meshed with Christian beliefs is now well established.

When you are present for a Mass that is different than you're used to, why not relax, try to get into the spirit of it and share in it as well as you can? A little giving in, and trying to share what others are feeling could be a real act of charity towards those around you as well as to yourself.

- compiled from "The New Question Box - Catholic Life for the Nineties" by John J. Dietzen, Guildhall Publishers