Catholic Defence?

I witnessed a very unpleasant piece of internet bullying last night. A Catholic GP was engaging with some fairly vehement 'pro-choice' people on Twitter, and expressed himself strongly, referring to 'slaughtering babies.'

That got them upset, and they then said they had reported him to the GMC, and also had identified his wife, her facebook account and other details of their life, referring to their activity as 'hunting,' which seemed about right.

The GP has subsequently deleted his Twitter account, and is concerned for his job and his family: please pray for him.

I have no idea if the GMC will take an interest in this case or not; but that fact alone is a sad indictment of how far we have come.

What is undoubtedly the case is that if the current direction of travel is followed much further, many Catholics will find that their professional careers are jeopardised if they express their Catholic convictions in public.  It was interesting to see last night's bullies referring to their target as 'openly Catholic' - another telling phrase...

So I am wondering whether there is any scope for setting up an informal network to support such people when they are in the eye of the storm.

Support must include prayer, of course; but also, I think, practical support, such as access to sympathetic professional colleagues, good legal and union representation and so on; possibly even financial support.

I am sure there are other ways we could consider helping, too. Having a large house and two daughters away at University (and therefore some spare bedrooms - but don't tell the government) I'd be happy to offer a bolt-hole to any family who needs to escape the glare of hostile media for a while, for example.

Any other ideas?

How might this best be co-ordinated?

Because I think the need will be with us very soon, if it is not already upon us...

The Unread Gospels

It was before Easter that I started to look at the Lectionary, to see which passages are omitted from the Gospels read on Sundays over the three year cycle. It all started because I had frequently noticed that my missal showed some verses were omitted, and I wondered why that was.

I first looked at St Matthew’s Gospel, here and here, then at St Mark's, here and here, then at St Luke’s, here and here, and finally at St John’s here. (You can tell I am traditionally inclined, can’t you!)

It has been quite a long process, conducted mainly in the evenings: so it may be that there are errors in my checking (I have noticed errors in the cross-references in the Bibles I was using for checking parallel passages; it may be there were other errors that I did not notice.) So I am not claiming 100% accuracy for the analysis, but I think it sufficiently accurate that one may start to look for patterns.

In this post, I will simply note my first attempt at spotting patterns.  In a subsequent post, I will consider Bugnini’s account of how the new Lectionary was compiled.

I will be most interested in others’ comments: you now have all the information about the omitted passages that I do, and may well see things differently.  I am quite aware that I am coming at this from a particular critical angle; for that reason I am especially keen to hear others’ perceptions.

I do, however, think that there are some discernible patterns in the passages that were not selected to be read.  That is particularly clear, of course, when the same incident or passage  is de-selected from several Gospels.

I was particularly shocked at how much of Our Lord's discourse about His relationship with the Father is omitted from the reading of St John's Gospel.

Anyway, here is my first attempt at discerning some patterns.

1 Bad news stories: eg The Massacre of the Innocents; The prince of this world is on his way;  They will expel you from the synagogues;

2 Many Miracles: eg the  Gadarene swine; Healing  the lame, the blind, the deaf, the crippled and many besides, and the feeding of the four thousand; Cures at Gennesaret; The return of the Unclean Spirit.

3 Many Criticisms of the Pharisees and Jewish Leaders: Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees...; If a man swears by the temple...; Straining for the gnat...;  Whitened sepulchres...; Fathers slew the prophets...; Brood of vipers...; ... as a hen gathers chickens... By what authority? You have defeated God’s commandment to establish your own tradition: Corban, Pharisees and lawyers rebuked: filled with wickedness; unmarked tombs; unendurable burdens; prophets murdered between altar and sanctuary; will not let others enter... Yeast of the Pharisees.

4 Much of the story of St John the Baptist eg the circumstances of his birth, much of his mission, his death; his fulfilling the prophecy: the one who was to precede the Christ.

5 Many sayings of Our Lord

5.1  Negative ones (?)

If you do not forgive, you will not be forgiven; Not parading good deeds, praying in private; Fasting in secret; Do not profane sacred things; False prophets.

5.2 Difficult ones (?)

In truth I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom; If anyone is ashamed of me... Who rejects you, rejects me... Happy the womb that bore you... Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit;

5.3 Sayings about the Son and the Father, and the Divine Claim eg The light of the world, the Father is my witness, I am not of this world, I preach what the Father has taught me, if you were Abraham’s children, the devil is your father... you are a Samaritan, and possessed, Abraham saw my day and rejoiced, Before Abraham was, I AM.    What the Father has told me is what I speak.  Be brave: I have conquered the world.

6 Prophesies:  eg Jesus as Servant of the Lord and quotation from Isaiah; The Sign of Jonah; Prophecy of Death and Resurrection, The Son of Man to be handed over... Weeping for Jerusalem: not one stone left... Nathaniel under the tree; you will see heaven laid open; Caiaphas: it is better that one man die: a high priestly prophesy.

7 Some link passages: eg When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.

8 Then there are some oddities: 

8.1 St Luke’s version of the Our Father is used - why, when St Matthew’s longer text is closer to the one we pray?

8.1  The Magnificat is not read as a Gospel, but as a Responsorial Psalm - why?

So my initial analysis is, firstly, that there is a pattern of avoiding negative passages (1, 3, 5.1, 5.2), and in particular, negative passages about the Jewish Leaders.  

Whilst I can understand that, and the sensitivities that might drive it, I think it betrays an odd way to read the Gospel.  Perhaps if we had had more readings about Whitened Sepulchres, Catholics, (bishops and others) would have examined their consciences a little more rigorously, a little more regularly.  Reading the Gospel as about 'them long ago' is missing rather a lot of the point...

I also wonder whether there is something about prophecy which worried the selectors? I know some critics claim that passages which prophesy (for example) the fall of Jerusalem must obviously be later than the fall of Jerusalem... I hope that is not part of the thinking here.  

I further wonder if there is an attempt to sanitise Our Lord a bit, by (let us say) de-emphasising negative/difficult bits...

I suspect that St Luke's version of the Our Father is used to shock us out of familiarity: I rather hope not, but as I say, I suspect it to be the case.

I think the whole process is very much of its time (1960s) and will say more about this in a subsequent post, with reference to Bugnini's declared modus operandi. 

I am completely baffled by the omission of St John the Baptist, and troubled by that and by the omission of so much about the Son and the Father, and the Divine Claim.  I will ponder further on that.

And as I say, I will welcome others' comments, reflections, disputations, and so on.

St John Omitted Down to Size...

At last, I have completed my analysis of the Gospels read (or to be more accurate,  not read) at Sunday Masses in the three year cycle of the New Lectionary.

I have to say that I was somewhat shocked as I went through the Lectionary looking at how St John's Gospel is treated.

I had assumed, I suppose, that because it was not one of the synoptics, and therefore had a higher proportion of unique material, that less of it would be cut omitted.  However, that was not what I found. 

I will now reflect on all the information I have collated, read Bugnini's account of the changes (which I have in full thanks to the  the Thirsty Gargoyle ) and will post my initial reflections over the next day or two.  I will be most interested in other peoples' views, too.


Here I list all the passages that are omitted (my friend the Gargoyle thinks the word cut is too prejudicial, so I bow to his judgement) from St John's Gospel.

Where they are not featured in another Gospel read during the three years, they are in bold.



Chapter 1 

43 ff Calling of Phillip, Nathaniel under the tree; you will see heaven laid open. (St Mark’s account of the calling of the 12 used: very different and omits Nathaniel etc) 

Chapter 2

12 Stayed with his mother and his brethren (Only in St John)

Chapter 3

1-13 Nicodemus (Only in St John)

22ff St John the Baptist He must increase and I must decrease (Only in St John)

Chapter 4

1-4 Disciples baptising more than John (Only in St John)

43ff Healing of the official’s son at Cana (Only in St John)

Chapter 5

1 - 18 Cure of the man by the Pool (Only in St John)

19 - 47 The Son and the Father; John the Baptist as witness; If you believed in Moses... (Only in St John)

Chapter 6

16-23 Walking on the water (St Matthew’s account used)

36 - 40 The will of the Father; whoever believes I will raise up on the last day (Only in St John)

59 He taught this doctrine at Capernaum, in the synagogue (Only in St John)

70 - 71 Yet one of you is a devil... (Only in St John)

Chapter 7

1-36 The feast of Tabernacles; Our Lord teaches in the temple; why do you want to kill me? There is one who sent me... where I am, you cannot come. (Only in St John)

40 - 53 Would the Christ be from Galilee; have any of the authorities believed? Nicodemus: we cannot pass judgement without a hearing. (Only in St John)

Chapter 8

12 ff The light of the world, the Father is my witness, I am not of this world, I preach what the Father has taught me, if you were Abraham’s children, the devil is your father... you are a Samaritan, and possessed, Abraham saw my day and rejoiced, Before Abraham was, I AM. (Only in St John) 

Chapter 10

19-26 He is possessed... If you are the Christ, tell us plainly... I have told you, but you do not believe. (Only in St John)

31 - 42 They fetched stones to stone him.... Is it not written: I said you are gods?  The Father is in me, and I am in the Father. John gave no signs, but all he said about this man was true. (Only in St John)

Chapter 11

46 The Jewish leaders plot: Caiaphas: it is better that one man die; a high priestly prophesy. (Only in St John)

Chapter 12

1-11 Anointing  by Mary (St Mark’s account used) 

17-19 The crowd bear witness to raising of Lazarus: the pharisees: ‘all the people are following him’ (Only in St John)

34 Walk in the light, Isaiah’s prophecy: he has blinded their eyes; whoever believe in me believes in the one who sent me  What the Father has told me is what I speak. (Only in St John)


Chapter 13

16 No servant is greater than his Master  (St Luke’s account used)

17 -30 Judas’ betrayal foretold (St Matthew’s account used) 

33b ...and as I told the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come.  (Only in St John)

36 - 38 Peter’s denial foretold. (St Matthew’s account used)

Chapter 14

13-14 Whatever you ask for in my name...(Only in St John)

22 Judas (not Iscariot): do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world? (Only in St John)

30 -31 The prince of this world is on his way... I am doing exactly what the Father told me. (Only in St John)

Chapter 15

18-25 ...if the world hates you... if they persecuted me, they will persecute you... still they hate both me and my Father...(Only in St John)

Chapter 16

1-11 They will expel you from the synagogues... because they have never known either the Father or myself...unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you... the prince of this world already condemned. (Only in St John)

17 - 33 What does he mean: you will no longer see me, then you will see me?... You are sad now... your hearts will be full of joy... Ask and you will receive... the Father loves you...Now you are speaking plainly... the time will come when you are scattered... be brave: I have conquered the world. (Only in St John)

Chapter 20

10-18 The appearance to Mary Magdalene (Also omitted from St Mark)

Chapter 21

20 Peter: What about him, Lord? ... the rumour that John would not die...  John testifies to the truth of his Gospel, and to the fact that Our Lord did much more than is recorded therein. (Only in St John)

By What Authority?

Here is the next stage in my analysis of the passages cut from the Sunday Gospels over the three year cycle.

For an explanation, see the first post in the series.

Today, I look at the second half of St Luke's Gospel. Once I have finished St John's, we can start to look at why some passages may have been cut...

As always, passages that have been cut and are not covered by one of the other Gospels are in bold.

The title of this post is doubly relevant (you can work that one out for yourself...)

**

Chapter 13 

10 - 17  Healing of Woman on Sabbath: Hypocrites: is there one of you who does not untie his ass on the Sabbath?   (St Luke only)

18 - 21 Kingdom of Heaven: Mustard seed; yeast. (St Matthew’s account used)

31 - 33 Herod: that fox...   (St Luke only)

34 - 35 Jerusalem: you kill the prophets...(St Matthew’s account used)

Chapter 14

2-6 Cure of man with dropsy on the Sabbath: is it lawful...? St Luke only

15- 24 The banquet and guests who refuse to come... (St Matthew’s account used)

34- 35 If salt loses its taste... (St Matthew’s account used)

Chapter 16

14 - 15 Pharisees love of money... (St Luke only)

16 Kingdom of heaven stormed... (corresponding passage from St Matthew also cut)

17 It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away... (St Matthew’s account used)

18 Whoever divorces his wife: adultery. (St Mark’s account used)

Chapter17

1 - 4 It were better a millstone... (St Matthew’s account used)

20 - 25 The coming of the Kingdom (corresponding passage from St Matthew also cut)

26 - 30 As in Noah’s day... (St Matthew’s account used)

31 - 37 Remember Lot’s wife... (St Luke only)

Chapter 18

15 - 17 Let the children come...  (St Mark’s account used)

18 - 27 How hard for the rich... (St Mark’s account used)

28 - 30 What of us, who left all...? (corresponding passage from St Matthew also cut)

31- 34 The Son of Man to be handed over... (cut from St Matthew and St Mark as well)

35 - 43 Healing of the blind man at Jericho (St Mark’s account used)

Chapter 19

11 - 27     Parable for the ten pounds (St Matthew’s account is used)

41 - 44 Weeping for Jerusalem: not one stone left... St Luke only

45 - 48 Expulsion of moneychangers (St John’s account used)

Chapter 20

1 - 8 By what authority? (Also cut from St Matthew and St Mark)

9- 19 The Vineyard (St Matthew’s account is used)

20 -26 Tribute to Caesar (St Matthew’s account is used)

39 - 44 Christ the Son of David? (Cut from St Matthew, too)

45 - 47 Beware of the Scribes... (St Matthew’s account is used)

Chapter 21

1-4 The Widow’s mite (St Mark’s account used)

20 - 25 Siege of Jerusalem  (Also cut from St Matthew and St Mark)

29 - 33 The fig tree (St Mark’s account used)

Chapter 22

1 - 13 Betrayal by Judas; the preparation for the Passover. (St Mark’s account used)

A Good Gig

Last night was the school's spring concert.

The music was largely 20th - 21st century apart from Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Oskar Rieding; but despite my prejudices, there was little one could describe as cheap (Hans Zimmer's score for Pirates of the Caribbean, an Aerosmith song, and Johnny Nash's I Can See Clearly Now being the only lapses).

So we were treated to Irving Berlin, John Rutter, Poulenc, Burt Bacharach, Tom Lehrer (no he's not cheap - not high art, of course - but a different category altogether), Eric Coates, and a wonderful Sonatina for Cello which I hadn't known by Pal Járdányi, amongst others.

The most modern compositions were by pupils performing their own pieces, one a serenade for Clarinet and Piano, with the composer's younger brother on clarinet, and the other a piano piece.  Both were very good.

The programme was nicely balanced, too, with performances by the Band (Puttin' on the Ritz and a Glenn Miller medley) the Chamber Choir (The Way You Look Tonight, For the Beauty of the Earth, New York, New York!) the String Group and a String Quartet, the Choir, the Boys' Chamber Choir (Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, I Can See Clearly Now), the Brass Sextet and of course the full orchestra (Dambusters March, Pirates...) as well as many soloists, including a sax player performing Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street (which Charlie and Dominique were thinking of doing next year - having discussed it, they still may, as they feel last night's performance, though competent, was nothing compared to what they could do with it!)

Charlie featured in the Brass Sextet, which we hadn't even heard about till yesterday, and both he and Dominique are in the orchestra.

What was impressive, though, was the standard of musicianship throughout.  There were one or two slightly weaker performances, but overall it was as good as anything the school has put on, and a lot better than many.  In particular, the strings are vastly improved: the intonation, which is always what makes me wince with school string groups and orchestras, was flawless for much of the time, particularly in the String Group and the Quartet.  It was a little dodgy in the orchestral pieces at times, but still significantly better than it used to be.

All the singing was of a very high standard, as were the other small ensembles; and the soloists ranged from good (though nervous in the case of the sax and the flautist playing Poulenc's very tricky Sonata) to excellent in most other cases; the highlight being the cellist playing the  Járdányi Sonatina.

We pass lightly over the percussion (and wish they had).

I had gone expecting it to be good in parts; I left really impressed.

Bless us and splash us!

One of my kids' favourite jokes (OK, one of my favourite jokes, to which the kids have been conditioned to respond appreciatively) is this:

Ben: Knock, knock
Unsuspecting Child: Who's there?
B.: John
U.C.: John who?
B: (splashes U.C. with water from concealed source) John the Baptist!
U.C.: (Appreciative laughter)

Or something like that.

But the Thirsty Gargoyle pointed out another, rather sadder, joke involving St John the Baptist, on Twitter last night.  More of an irony really.

Pope Paul VI's note, authorising the new Lectionary, which systematically cuts nearly everything about St John the Baptist from the cycle of Sunday Gospel readings, was dated, by the Pope Paul 'The feast of St John the Baptist, June 24, 1969' 

And he would not himself have been aware of that irony, as he himself admitted: 'I have not been able to get a complete and detailed grasp of this new and extensive Ordo lectionum Missae.'

Don't mention St John the Baptist!

One of my many vices is failing to finish projects I start.  

With the best of intentions I launch into something with great enthusiasm, but as I progress, it gets both harder and more tedious; and other things come up that seem more urgent, more important, or simply more fun. A friend tells me it's because I'm an INFP...

However, I am determined to see through this project of analysing the passages of the Gospel that have been cut from the 3 year Sunday cycle, despite it being somewhat slow going and taking rather more time than I had foreseen.

Fortunately, every now and then something crops up that re-kindles my initial enthusiasm. Today there were two such things.  One is the question about St John the Baptist: why has he been airbrushed out?

The second you will discover if you read to the end of this post (no, don't scroll down: that's cheating.  I had to write it so you could at least read it, which will be much quicker and less tedious, believe me! If you are pushed for time, it's the bold bits that are interesting...)

So here is my analysis of the first 12 Chapters of St Luke's Gospel, listing all the passages that are not read as part of the 3-year cycle, and showing in bold those that are not represented by a parallel passage from another Gospel.

Chapter 1 

5 - 25  Zachariah and Elizabeth, birth of St John the Baptist (St Luke only)

51 - 52 He has shown the power of his arm... pulled down princes...  (St Luke only)

55 According to the promise...  (St Luke only)

NB The rest of the Magnificat (46 - 50, 53-54) is used as a Responsorial Psalm, not a Gospel reading!

57-80 Birth and circumcision of St John the Baptist, Benedictus, Hidden life of St John the Baptist.  (All St Luke only.)

Chapter 3

7 - 9  St John the Baptist: ‘Brood of vipers’ (St Matthew’s account used.)

19 - 20 St John the Baptist imprisoned. (Parallel passage cut from both other synoptics)

23 - 38 Genealogy of Our Lord (St Matthew’s Genealogy used)

Chapter 4

31 - 44 Taught with authority; Casts out unclean spirit; cures Simon’s mother-in-law; many cures. (St Mark’s account used)

Chapter 5

12 - 16 Cure of a leper (St Mark’s account used)

17 - 26 Cure of a paralytic (St Mark’s account used)

27 - 32 Calling of Levi, dining with publicans and sinners. (St Matthew’s account used)

33 - 38 Fasting; the cloak and the wineskins. (St Mark’s account used)

Chapter 6

1 - 11 Picking corn on the sabbath; Cure of the man with a withered hand (St Mark’s account used)

12 - 16: The Twelve (St Matthew’s account used)

18 - 19: People cured of unclean spirits, everyone trying to touch him (Parallel passage cut from both other synoptics)

46-49: House built on rock or sand. (St Matthew’s account used)

Chapter 7

18 - 30 St John the Baptist sends messengers (St Matthew’s account used)

31 - 35 Condemnation of this generation (corresponding passage from St Matthew also cut)

Chapter 8

4 - 15 Parable of the sower (St Matthew’s account used)

16 - 18 Parable of the Lamp (St Matthew’s account used)

19 - 21 Our Lord’s family (St Mark’s account used)

22 - 25 Calming of the storm (St Mark’s account used)

26 - 39 Gadarene swine [cut from all three!]

40 - 56 Cure of woman with issue of blood, Jairus’ daughter raised to life. [St Mark’s account used] 

Chapter 9

1 - 6  Sending of the Twelve (St Matthew’s account used)

7 - 11 Herod hears of Christ; John the Baptist beheaded. (Parallel passage cut from both other synoptics)

25 What gain to win the whole world... (St Matthew’s account used)

 26  If anyone is ashamed of me... (Parallel passage cut from St Mark)

27 Some standing here who will not taste death... (The parallel passages from St Matthew and St Mark are also omitted.)

37 - 43 The epileptic demoniac (the parallel passages from St Matthew and St Mark are also omitted.)

44 - 50 Prophesy of the Passion, Who is the greatest, casting out devils in your name...  (St Mark’s account used)

Chapter 10

13 - 15 Alas for you Chorazin!.. (Parallel passage cut from St Matthew)

16 Who rejects you, rejects me... (only in St Luke: parallel passages in other Gospels only have the positive version: whoever accepts etc.)

21 - 24 ‘Revealing them to mere children...’ (St Matthew’s account used)

Chapter 11

14- 23 But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils... (St Mark’s account used)

24 - 26 The return of the Unclean Spirit (the corresponding passage from St Matthew is also cut)

27 - 28 Happy the womb that bore you... (St Luke only)

29 - 32 Sign of Jonah (the parallel passages from St Matthew and St Mark are also omitted.)

33 - 36 Parable of the Lamp (St Matthew’s account used)

37 - 53 Pharisees and lawyers rebuked: filled with wickedness; unmarked tombs; unendurable burdens; prophets murdered between altar and sanctuary; will not let others enter... (all of this either unique to St Luke, or in some cases also cut from St Matthew)

Chapter 12

1 - 12 Yeast of the Pharisees; fear he who can kill both body and soul; who disowns me...; blasphemy against the Holy Spirit; do not worry how to defend yourselves. (Parallel passages cut from St Matthew and St Mark)

22-31 Consider the birds of the air... the flowers... (St Matthew’s account used)

***

What struck me today in particular is that it is interesting to note that Chapter 9 vv 28- 36 are not cut, even though we have St Mark’s account of The Transfiguration  used in Year B.  So the reasons for the cuts are not solely duplication, or available time.  There is another agenda going on, too.  I have not been collecting such duplications as I go, but one is enough, I think, to make that point...