Denver Catholic

4 I OPINION OCTOBER 22, 2014 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER OFFICIAL APPOINTMENTS Rev. Richard Nakvasil, incardinated into the Archdiocese of Denver, effective Oct. 14, 2014. His ministry continues as parochial vicar, Holy Trinity Parish in Westminster, CO. THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE GEORGE WEIGEL According to Vatican-speak, a specially scheduled session of the Synod of Bishops is an "Extraordinary Synod," meaning Not-an-Ordinary Synod, held every three years or so. In the case of the recently-completed Extraordinary Synod of 2014, extraor- dinary things did happen, in the "Oh, wow!" sense of the word. And if this year's Extraordinary Synod was a preview of the Syn- od for which it was to set the agenda, i.e., the Ordinary Synod of 2015, that Synod, too, promises to be, well, extraordinary. How was the Extraordinary Synod of 2014 extraordinary? With apologies to the Bard, let me count the ways: 1. The 2014 Synod got an extraordinary amount of press atten- tion. Alas, too much of that attention was due to the mass media misperception that The Great Moment of the Long-Awaited Catholic Cave-In was at hand: the moment when the Catholic Church, the last major institutional hold-out against the triumph of the sexual revolution, would finally admit the error of its ways and join the rush into the promised land of sexual liberation, symbolized in this instance by a Catholic cave-in on the nature of marriage. What ought to have gotten the world's attention— the witness of African bishops to the liberating power of monog- amy and lifelong marital fidelity—got sadly short shrift, though Third World women are the principal beneficiaries of the truth about marriage the Church received from its Lord. 2. The 2014 Synod demonstrated the extraordinary self-con- fidence of bishops from dying local churches who nonetheless feel quite comfortable giving pastoral advice to local churches that are either thriving or holding their own. Many northern European bishops and theologians (and bishop-theologians) acted as if the blissful years when they set the agenda for the world Church at Vatican II had returned. That these same bish- ops and theologians and bishop-theologians have presided over the collapse of western European Catholicism in the interven- ing five decades seemed not to matter to them in the slightest. Happy days were here again. 3. The 2014 Synod was extraordinary, or at least the media claimed it was, for an unprecedented public display of discord among cardinals. Perhaps those who found this either un- precedented or unseemly could consult Galatians 2:11, where Paul reports that he "rebuked" Peter "to his face." Or ponder the fierce arguments among North African bishops during the Donatist controversy. Or look into the quarrel between Bishop Cyprian of Carthage, a doctor of the Church, and Pope Stephen, Bishop of Rome. Or read the debates at the first session of Vati- can II. The 2014 controversies were indeed noteworthy, in that otherwise intelligent men whose position had been pretty well demolished by fellow-scholars were incapable of admitting that they'd gotten it wrong. But upon further review (as they say in the NFL), that isn't so new either. 4. The 2014 Synod was extraordinary is that a lot of theologi- cal confusion was displayed by elders of the Church who really ought to know better. The idea of the development of doctrine was especially ill-used by some. Of course the Church's self-un- derstanding develops over time, as does the Church's pastoral practice. But as Blessed John Henry Newman showed in the clas- sic modern discussion of the subject, all authentic development is in organic continuity with the past; it's not a rupture with the past. Nor is there any place in a truly Catholic theory of doctrinal development for rewriting the words of the Lord or describing fidelity to the plain text of Scripture as "fundamentalism." 5. The 2014 Synod was extraordinary in its demonstration that too many bishops and theologians (and bishop-theologians) still have not grasped the Iron Law of Christianity in Moderni- ty: Christian communities that maintain a firm grasp on their doctrinal and moral boundaries can flourish amidst the cultural acids of modernity; Christian communities whose doctrinal and moral boundaries become porous (and then invisible) wither and die. 6. One more thing: why were no representatives of the Pontifi- cal John Paul II Institute on Marriage and the Family invited to a Synod on the family? Extraordinary, indeed: in both Vatican-speak and plain English. An extraordinary Synod, indeed BY FATHER JOSEPH HEARTY, F.S.S.P. Many of us forget, apart from the rosary, the month of Octo- ber is also dedicated to the holy an- gels. Some are unaware of this su- pernatural reality, or relegate it to cute little images of angels who spend eternity sitting comfort- ably on billowing white clouds strumming on a harp; or child- like angels who swoop around, giggling as they interfere in the lives of humans who want to fall in love, acting as some kind of matchmaker shooting arrows into the hearts of potential suit- ors. Thankfully this is not reality. The word "angel" means messenger, and the role of an- gels has always been an inte- gral part of salvation history. Scripture constantly recalls the active role of the angels from the Garden of Eden to the pa- triarch Abraham, the protection of the angel for the Israelites as they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land; the wonderful story of Tobias and the Archan- gel Raphael; the feast of the In- carnation as announced by the Archangel Gabriel to Our Lady; and in the Acts of the Apostles, an angel led St. Peter to freedom from prison by miraculously re- moving the chains and opening the locked gate for him. Angels come to us from Al- mighty God with warnings, predictions, correction, coun- sel, and the sincere desire to be known because the more we understand the angels, the better we are aware of their true presence and their real desire to serve and assist us to reach that final goal of eternity. It is the belief of the Church that not only are baptized Christians assigned a guardian angel, but that every single hu- man person on earth, whether Christian or not, whether in the state of grace or in the state of sin, remains during their entire life under the care of a guardian angel. In fact, it is tradition that every diocese, parish, school, city and town has a guardian angel. What a high value our souls possess in the sight of our Fa- ther that he commands the an- gels to leave their place in heav- en to protect us and accompany us everywhere to bear us up in their angelic hands. So from the beginning of your existence, your guardian angel has been concerned about you. He re- joiced with your family at your birth, and he has been at your side as you took your first steps and cared for you with a tender care from any dangers that may have presented themselves. If we truly love our guardian angel then we cannot help but want to increase our confidence in his powerful intercession on our behalf. This will inspire us to frequently invoke his aid and protection, and to ask his coun- sel in problems and situations that confront us. Padre Pio had a great devotion to the angels. He would counsel people that if they could not come to see him, then send to him their guardian angels. Sometime later he remarked if he was not consistently both- ered by people asking for his prayers and healing, then their guardian angels were asking on behalf of their charges. In our devotion to the angels we should also have a devotion to the guardian angels of our spouse, children and family for continued protection, blessings and guidance for their souls. We should offer our gratitude to our angels by remembering to say thank you to them daily, and offer one of our Masses or holy Communions throughout the year in their honor in thanks- giving for all blessings received. The more we practice gratitude to the angels, the more they will inspire us in good thoughts and counsel so as to better ourselves on so many levels. Most of us will never see the angels through our senses, but in many ways we can have a greater sense of their real pres- ence. The more we honor them, the more they will bless us. Father Joseph Hearty, F.S.S.P., serves as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Littleton. GUEST COLUMN Don't forget your angel FATHER JOSEPH HEARTY LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Questioning marriage The Denver Post editorial ("A mostly historic day for marriage equality," Oct. 6) is hailing the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to abdicate on same-sex mar- riage. What this newspaper would have decried a genera- tion ago—the notion of "mar- riage" between two people of the same sex—is now deemed a cause célèbre in a world that is virtually turned upside down. Never mind that the institu- tion of marriage has been un- questioned for thousands of years. Only now is it becoming apparent that man's erstwhile definition of marriage—the le- gal union of two persons of the opposite sex—has been wrong all these years. The editorial pre- supposes a world in which be- lief in God has fallen into obso- lescence and that man answers to no one for his moral conduct. That being the case, there is no standard for right and wrong. Despite efforts on the part of secular humanists to redefine marriage, the laws of God re- main constant. While no one in his right mind would attempt to defy the law of gravity by jump- ing off the Empire State Build- ing, the biblical laws pertaining to moral virtue have been sum- marily dismissed as the relic of a bygone age. A wise man once said, "Of the Rock that begat thee, thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee" (Dt 32:18). Brian Stuckey Denver LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters should be no more than 250 words and should include the writer's name, address and telephone number. We rely on our readers to recognize that the opinions expressed in letters to the editor are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the Archdiocese of Denver. Letters containing plainly mis - stated facts, misinformation or libelous statements will not be printed. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Letters may be edited. Send letters to: Editor, Denver Catholic Register, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or fax to 303-715- 2045. E-mail us at: editor@archden.org. need more respect for reli- gious freedom in our nation, not less. Finally, remember the invi- tation given by Pope Francis, "A good Catholic meddles in politics, offering the best of himself, so that those who govern can govern." Let us never fear bringing our well- formed consciences, values and beliefs into the voting booth! The Colorado Catholic Conference has created a voter guide that is available in English, Spanish, Korean and Vietnamese. http://bit. ly/1wfNxYo. Aquila From Page 2

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