Recently in Episcopal Category

According to Reuters, the Vatican issued a 36-page document called "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" giving guidance on, of all things, driving. This is probably one of the last things I'd expect a document from the Vatican on. It came, oddly enough, from the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.

I thought the part of it about not using the car as a form of personal glorification was pretty interesting. Regrettably nothing, however, about hybrids such as my Toyota Prius. :-)

Here is a worthy quote: "For the faithful, the road also becomes a path to holiness."

Here are the Drivers' Ten Commandments:

I. You shall not kill.

II. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.

III. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.

IV. Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of accidents.

V. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.

VI. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.

VII. Support the families of accident victims.

VIII. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.

IX. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.

X. Feel responsible towards others.

I liked the one about charitably convincing the young and not-so-young not to drive when appropriate. Mainly the juxtaposition of young and not-so-young together with the latter's subtle euphemistic character.

(Thanks to Greg for the link.)

The new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is urging the Synod of Bishops to discuss whether voters who support pro-abortion candidates should be receiving Communion. Archbishop Levada suggested that the synod, in its small-group discussions, debate the problem of Catholics "who do not understand why it might be a sin to support a political candidate who is openly in favor of abortion or other serious acts against life."

Good to see the Archbishop taking the bull by the horns.

My good friend John forwarded me an article at http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/peace/gumb081405.htm promising I'd grind my teeth. I knew what I was in for when I saw the parts of the URL: nationalcatholicreporter, peace, and "gumb". "Gumb" is "Gumbleton", as in Bishop Thomas Gumbleton. The article is a missive from his "Peace Pulpit" (hence "peace"). If you are unfamiliar with Bishop Gumbleton, an auxiliary bishop of Detroit, you're in for a treat. Probably the most liberal bishop in the country, he espouses women's ordination, gay rights, a democratic church, and all the usual topics. I decided to do a play-by-play commentary with my reaction as I read the article. Quotation under fair use doctrine.

The scriptures today, especially the Gospel lesson, compel us to reflect in a very profound way on what is one of the most important mysteries of our faith -- the mystery of Jesus who is son of God, son of Mary. Jesus is fully divine but also fully human.

Wow! Orthodoxy from his mouth! Praise God! I'd better savor it now.

I think very often our inclination when we hear a passage like today's Gospel is to reflect most of all on Jesus as son of God. "Look, he worked that miracle. The woman's daughter was healed right away! God is active in our midst! Jesus is God!"

Uh-oh. I sense we have a big but here, if you pardon the expression.

I'm convinced that, for our own spiritual growth, it's much more important today to reflect on the humanness of Jesus, that he is truly fully human. One like us in every way.

AND HERE it is. No surprises here; the liberal heterodox always harp on the humanity of Jesus. I wonder what he's going to argue now (I'll soon find out).

Excellent pastoral by Bishop Aquila of Fargo, forwarded to me by Amy MacKinnon ("Real Catholic", see left).

Ya — you betcha!

I. We must clearly present the deposit of faith entrusted to us by Jesus Christ in Scripture and Tradition.
II. We must become more deeply convinced that we can find the truth that sets us free only in Jesus Christ.
III. We must develop a mature understanding of the meaning of conscience.
IV. We must deepen our appreciation of the inalienable dignity of human life.
V. We must deepen our understanding of what it means to live out our faith in the world.

Thank God for raising up bishops "of the orthodox faith" who "rightly divide the word of truth"!