Charlie's confirmation

On Saturday we got the early train to London, for Charlie's confirmation (traditional Latin rite) at St James's Spanish Place.

A number of good things about the day - above all, of course, the descent of the Holy Ghost on Charlie and the others. Also, the Saturday morning Mass prior to the confirmation (yes, we were there a couple of hours early...) which was Novus Ordo, but featured a single male altar server (who also read), communion under one kind, distributed by the priest alone to a congregation kneeling at the altar rails, who all received in the traditional manner, rather than in the hand.

Then the ceremonies themselves: noble and beautiful; adorned by wonderful singing, both chant and polyphony, and excellent organ playing. The bishop's homily, too, was good; taking as its starting point the current exhibition at the National Gallery on the Sacred made Real - you can see where that went. Seeing old friends is also a great part of the day - we ended up in the Pizza Express (as did nearly everyone else it seems) which was very convivial.

A couple of less positive aspects: the lady behind us who kept chatting in a louder than necessary voice about her shopping, her swine flu jab etc for an hour or so before the confirmations was not atypical of many, who seemed to forget this was a sacred occasion; there was less silence, and generally less reverence than one might have expected from a traditional crowd... And the LMS produced booklet looked hastily-done - didn't live up to the high standards of almost everything else.

But overall, a great day: please remember all those confirmed, and Bishop George Stack, in your prayers.

Dawkins' Hatred

I am not sure quite why Richard Dawkins hates the Catholic Church so much but his rant in the Washington Post has to be read to be believed.
Worth dropping by to offer a rebuttal or two...

A great summer

The counter cultural family had a great summer. I took August off (not so hard as a freelance: nobody is using me then anyway!) so we had time for wild camping (and surfing, sea kayaking, sand castles and walking) in the Hebrides and a lot of fell walking in the Lake District. Ant and Bernie both got good results in their A Levels and GCSEs respectively so they are pleased: Ant off to University in the autumn and very excited about that. And I managed to keep slow, in accordance with my spring resolution - so very little internet etc. A much better pace of life...

The Irrationality of Dawkins...

Have a look at the transcript of a discussion between Richard Dawkins and David Quinn (with thanks to the CTS for alertineg me of this.

Terry's problem...

Many (eg Fr Finigan, James Preece, Damian Thompson et al) have posted about the odd fact of an employee of the Catholic Church charged with supporting marriage... attacking the Church's teaching on marriage.

I think the heart of Terry's problem is to be found in this revealing sentence: "We all have something to add and, ultimately, we all have to make our own minds up about the paradigm that works for us."

Here he reveals his philosophy: subjective and relativist. That is simply not compatible with Catholicism or any serious Christianity, for it denies the teaching authority of the Church, the authority of Scripture, the authority of Christ, the authority of God...

Sola Fide?

I was chatting with an evangelical protestant friend a while back and (I can't remember what I'd said to provoke it) he suddenly commented: 'Careful: that sounds like you can be meritorious!'

He said it in that jokey way we use when we correct someone who we know has used a turn of phrase that is inadvertently heretical. It didn't occur to him that I might think any action of a mere human could have merit, in the sense of contributing to his salvation. That was such a basic error, in his mind, that it was unthinkable that someone halfway intelligent could believe it.

For he has been brought up on the doctrine of Sola Fide - one of the great battle cries of the Reformation.

And why was it a battle cry? Precisely because Catholic teaching was, is, and ever shall be that in fact we can contribute to our own and others' salvation: we can perform actions of real merit. This Luther reacted against: even to the extent of altering the Bible (adding the word alone where St Paul says we are saved by Faith); and condemning the Epistle of St james as an Epistle of Straw!

Of course we are saved by Faith - but not by Faith alone. Without Charity, for example, we are lost. The Catholic belief is that we are saved by grace alone: everything is a gift from God. But one of His gifts is the honour and dignity of being able to cooperate with Him in our salvation, and in that of others.

The principle way in which we do this is by the offering of the sacrifice of the Mass, both for the living and the dead: this was at the heart of what Luther and subsequent Protestantism attack. Their Communion Services are explicitly of no merit: which is one of the many reasons why until very recently Catholics were not permitted to attend them: a discipline I believe could usefully be reinstated.

Sola Fide is strangely unBiblical: try to think how many times Our Lord points out that it is what we do (give these little ones a drink in my name) not just what we profess ('many shall say to me Lord, Lord...') that gains us entry to the kingdom of Heaven...

Prayers Please!

Of your charity pray for the repose of the souls of Geoff Wilkinson and his daughter Victoria, who died following a sailing accident on Sunday.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Pray too for Geoff's widow, Catherine, and their two surviving children.