How
Can Bishops Change the Date?
Q: How
can the U.S. bishops say that we have no duty to attend Mass on a holy day of obligation
if it falls on a Monday or a Saturday? The precepts of the Church specify which
feasts are holy days, regardless of where they fall in the weekly calendar. We
must attend Mass not only on Sunday but also on these holy days. How can the observance
of Jesus' Ascension be transferred to a Sunday?
A: The
1983 Code of Canon Law for the Latin rite specifies 10 holy days of obligation: January
1, Epiphany, St. Joseph, Ascension, Corpus Christi, Sts. Peter and Paul, Assumption,
All Saints, Immaculate Conception and Christmas.
That same Code allows episcopal conferences,
with prior approval of the Holy See, to suppress certain holy days of obligation
or transfer them to a Sunday (Canon #1246:2).
The Holy See requires that in each country
Christmas and one feast of Mary be observed on the actual date as holy days of obligation.
The U.S. bishops have designated the Immaculate Conception, our patronal feast on
December 8, as our Marian feast.
If it or Christmas falls on a Saturday
or a Monday, they are always holy days of obligation in the United States. If January
1, Assumption or All Saints falls on Saturday or Monday, they are not holy days of
obligation that year.
In 1993 the bishops of Alaska, Washington,
Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada and Hawaii sought and received the
Holy See's permission to transfer Ascension Thursday to the following Sunday for
a trial period of five years. That permission was renewed in 1998.
On November 16, 1998, the U.S. National
Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a resolution that a majority vote of diocesan
bishops in each ecclesiastical province would determine if the feast of Ascension
is transferred to the following Sunday.
That decision was confirmed by the Holy
See. There are 31 Latin-rite ecclesiastical provinces in the United States.
As of March 15, 2000, I know that bishops
in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Wyoming, Colorado and Texas have sought and
received permission to transfer Ascension to the following Sunday, starting this
year.
In recent years in the United States,
the feasts of Epiphany and Corpus Christi have been transferred to Sunday. The feasts
of St. Joseph and Sts. Peter and Paul have not been holy days in the United States
for many years.
The precepts of the Church are interpreted
by the Church's legitimate authority—in this case, by the Holy See and the bishops'
conferences.
Where
Was God?
Q: Recently 60
Minutes II had a story about
a little boy in foster care in Georgia. The child's caregiver starved the boy, beat
him, tortured him and finally murdered him. Where was the child's guardian angel?
Where was the Blessed Mother? Where was Jesus, the lord of divine mercy and love,
while all this was going on?
A: Yes,
there is a great deal of suffering in this world. Isn't most of it, however, caused
by an abuse of human freedom? Every day newspapers carry stories about human freedom
used destructively.
Where were the foster child's guardian
angel, Mary and Jesus when that child was being abused? Trying to help people live
according to the dignity in which they were created. Some people respond well to
that; unfortunately, many do not.
God could prevent such tragedies by temporarily
and selectively suspending human freedom to prevent its abuse. That would suggest
that people never have to accept the consequences of their destructive decisions
yet are free to claim responsibility for decisions with positive outcomes.
If God totally abolished human freedom,
that would eliminate the positive uses of such freedom. Doesn't love require human
freedom? Isn't our freedom part of being made in God's image and likeness? (See Genesis
1:27.)
Many fine writers have wrestled with
the issue of innocent human suffering (for example, the biblical Book of Job, Elie
Wiesel's books, Albert Camus's The Plague and Rabbi Harold Kushner's When
Bad Things Happen to Good People). If you have not read any of this literature,
consider doing so.
No writing, however, will restore to
life that child murdered in Georgia. Because I believe in a life beyond this one
and because I believe that God is both good and just, then the abuse of human freedom
cannot have the last word. God's values must prevail eventually.
Unfortunately, we see tremendous innocent
human suffering right now. One response is to become bitter about God and about life
in general—perhaps to deny that God exists or that God cares about individual people.
It seems to me allowing such suffering
to motivate us to become more compassionate people is a much better response. Soup
kitchens, hospitals, orphanages, shelters for the homeless, etc., are usually organized
by people well acquainted with innocent human suffering. Yet they choose to respond
with works of compassion.
Can we afford to let the abuse of human
freedom have the last word, to cancel our decision to act compassionately toward
victims of such abuse and to work to prevent that abuse?
Even though the Good Samaritan (Luke
10:30-37) knew that robbers had abused their freedom terribly and left someone half
dead, the Samaritan decided not to let their abusive action stop him from
using his freedom constructively.
Although I cannot control how other people
use their freedom, I can and must decide how I will use mine.
No one can do everything, but everyone
can do something.
Mary,
Star of the Sea?
Q: Recently
my wife and I were visiting San Francisco where we attended Mass at Star of the
Sea Parish. In the cupola is a large painting of Mary in the sea. I never heard
of Mary as Star of the Sea. From where did this title come and what does it mean?
A: This
title has been applied to Mary for centuries. One explanation is that when St. Jerome
translated the Hebrew word mar, he used the Latin word stilla. Yam is
the Hebrew word for "sea." Thus, maryam (Mary's name) would mean "drop of
the sea." Later, the Latin stilla (drop) was read as stella (star). "Drop
of the sea" became "star of the sea."
Ave Maris Stella is a ninth-century
Latin hymn honoring Mary. Considering the dangers of sea travel in ancient times,
it is easy to imagine that sailors and passengers gladly prayed to Mary for safe
passage.
Word Rosary Explained
Q: I've
always wondered: Where did the rosary gets its name?
A: According
to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, "Rosarium (a rose garden) [was] a
common term to designate a collection of similar material. In preempting this term,
Mary's clients applied the rose, the symbol of joy, to Mary. The name was later transferred
to the recitation of 50 Aves [Hail Marys] commemorating Mary's joys. As devotion
to Mary's dolors [sorrows] arose during the 14th century, the second chaplet was
dedicated to them. Logically, the third chaplet was set aside for her heavenly [glorious]
joys."
Another explanation is that the 150 psalms
were matched with 150 Our Fathers and then later Hail Marys.
Information about Mary's association
with various flowers can be found in Mary's
Flowers: Gardens, Legends and Meditations, by Vincenzina Krymow (St. Anthony
Messenger Press).
Why
Bless Objects?
Q: My
friend questions the custom of blessing objects such as cars, homes, crosses and
other things. Why is that done?
A: I
think that blessing such things is a fine custom as long as the person does not think
that the blessing excuses him or her from using the object prudently. For example,
having my car blessed does not mean that I can drive recklessly and be guaranteed
not to have an accident.
Blessing objects is one way of saying
that everything comes from God and should be used in harmony with God's intention,
with respect for the rest of creation (human and nonhuman). We bless the food we
eat, but we do not eat everything in sight! The virtue of temperance should influence
all of life.
The General Introduction to Book of
Blessings (U.S. Catholic Conference) says that blessings "refer first and foremost
to God, whose majesty and goodness they extol, and since they indicate the communication
of God's favor, they also involve human beings, whom he governs and in his providence
protects.
"Further, blessings apply to other created
things through which, in their abundance and variety, God blesses human beings" (#7).
Disposing
of Religious Articles
Q: What
should you do with blessed religious articles (statues, rosaries) which are broken?
A: If
they cannot be repaired and donated to someone else, burying them is recommended.
If you have a question for Father Pat, please submit it here.
Include your street address for personal replies enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, please. Some answer material must be
mailed since it is not available in digital form. You can still send questions to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
