Paven

Ratzinger om liturgien i 1998: Egentlig to måter å forstå Kirken på

Liturgi, Paven /

I fjerde del av min gjengivelse av kardinal Ratzingers foredrag om liturgien i 1998, sier han at det heller er ulike matter å feire messen på og forstå Kirken på – heller enn to ulike riter – som er problemet:

The alarm of which we have spoken is so great, I think, because one is contrasting two forms of celebration with two different spiritual outlooks. One is contrasting two different ways of perceiving the Church and Christian existence. The reasons for this are several. Firstly, one judges the two liturgical forms by their exterior elements and arrives at the conclusion that there are two fundamentally different outlooks. That the new liturgy be celebrated in the vernacular, facing the congregation and that there be great leeway for creativity and the active exercise of roles by the laity, is considered essential by the average Christian. On the other hand, it is deemed essential that the old liturgy be in Latin, the priest face the altar, that the rite be strictly controlled and that the faithful follow the Mass by praying privately without having an active role. From this view appearances and not what the liturgy itself considers important, are essential for a liturgy. One must realize that the faithful understand the liturgy from visible concrete forms and that they are spiritually impregnated by them and that the faithful do not penetrate easily the depths of the liturgy.

The contradictions and oppositions which we have enumerated do not come from either the spirit or the letter of the Council documents. The Constitution on the Liturgy itself does not mention at all celebration facing the altar or the congregation. On the matter of language, it says that Latin must be conserved while at the same time giving the vernacular a larger role, «especially in the readings, the directives and in some prayers and chants» (SC 36:2). As to lay participation, the Council insists firstly and generally, that the liturgy is essentially the business of the entire Body of Christ, Head and members, and so it belongs to the entire Body of the Church «and it is consequently intended to be celebrated in community with the active participation of the faithful.» And the text makes clear that «in liturgical celebrations, everyone one, minister or faithful, in fulfilling his function, does only and fully what belongs to him by virtue of the matter and the liturgical norms» (SC 28). «To promote active participation, one will encourage the acclamations of the people, their responses, the chant of the psalms, antiphons, canticles and other actions and gestures and bodily positions. One will observe a holy silence in its time» (SC 30).

Here then are, the Council directives. They can give everyone matter for reflection. There is unfortunately a tendency, amongst some modern liturgists, to develop the ideas of the Council in one direction. One overturns the intentions of the Council, acting in this way. The role of the priest is reduced by some to the purely functional. The fact that the entire Body of Christ is the subject of the liturgy is often deformed to the point where the local community becomes the self-sufficient subject of the liturgy and it allots the various roles. There also exists a dangerous tendency to minimalise the sacrificial nature of the Mass and to make the mystery and the sacred disappear under the so-called imperative pretext of making oneself more easily understood. Finally, one notices the tendency to fragment the liturgy and the unilateral emphasizing of its communitarian character by giving the assembly the power to decide about the celebration.

Hele foredraget kan leses her.

Ratzinger om liturgien i 1998: Ulike riter ikke noe problem

Liturgi, Paven /

I tredje del av min gjengivelse av kardinal Ratzingers foredrag om liturgien i 1998, understreker han at flere riter innen Kirken ikke skaper forvirring. (Et spørsmål som er blitt enda mer aktuelt etter 2007.):

One must examine the other argument which pretends that the existence of two rites can fracture unity. One must distinguish, here, the theological from the practical side of the question. Theologically and fundamentally one has to realize that several forms of the Latin Rite have always existed and that they retreated but slowly only as Europe was unified. Up to the Council, there existed alongside the Roman Rite, the Ambrosian Rite, the Mozarabic Rite of Toledo, the Rite of Braga, the Rite of the Carthusians and the Carmelites and the best know the Dominican Rite; and perhaps other ones which I do not know. Nobody was ever scandalized that the Dominicans, often when present in parishes, did not celebrate like parish priests but rather had their own rite. We had no doubt that their rite was both Catholic and Roman. We were proud of the richness of having several rites. The free space which the new order of Mass gives to creativity it must be admitted, is often excessively enlarged. The difference between the Iiturgy with the new liturgical books, as it is actually practiced and celebrated in various places is often much greater than the difference between the old and new liturgies when celebrated according to the rubrics of the liturgical books.

An average Christian without special liturgical formation would be hard pressed to distinguish a Sung Mass in Latin according to the Old Missal from a Sung Mass in Latin celebrated according to the New Missal. The difference, by contrast, can be enormous between a liturgy faithfully celebrated according to the Missal of Paul VI and the concrete forms and celebrations in the vernacular with all the possible freedom and creativity! With these considerations we have already crossed the threshold between theory and practice where matters are naturally more complex since the question of human relationships arises.

Hele foredraget kan leses her.

Ratzinger om liturgien i 1998: Konsilet og den tradisjonelle liturgien

Liturgi, Paven /

I andre del av min gjengivelse av kardinal Ratzingers foredrag om liturgien i 1998, ser vi at han snakker om at det ikke er feil i forhold til Vatikankonsilet å fortsette med den tradisjonelle liturgien:

The two most often heard are the lack of obedience to the Council which reformed the liturgical books and the rupturing of unity which must necessarily follow, if one allows other different liturgical forms to continue. It is relatively easy to refute in theory these two arguments. The Council itself did not reform the liturgical books but rather ordered their revision. To that end it laid down some fundamental rules.

Primarily the Council defined what liturgy is and this definition gives valid criteria for every liturgical celebration. If one wishes to scorn these essential rules and to put aside the normae generales which are bound at numbers 34 to 36 of the Constitution «De Sacra Liturgia», then one violates obedience to the Council! One must judge liturgical celebrations, whether they be according to the old or the new liturgical books, based on these criteria. It is good to remember here what Cardinal Newman realized when he said that the Church in all her history has never abolished or defended orthodox liturgical forms (forms which express the true faith) which would be totally foreign, to the spirit of the Church.

An orthodox liturgy (a liturgy which expounds the true faith) is never a compilation drawn up according to the pragmatic criteria of diverse ceremonies, of which one can dispose positively and arbitrarily, this way today, that way tomorrow. The orthodox forms of a rite are living realities, born of the dialogue of love between the Church and Her Lord. They are the expressions of the life of the Church where the faith, the prayer and the very life of generations is condensed and where at same time the action of God and the response of man is enfleshed in a concrete form. If the subject which has borne certain rites historically disappears or if the subject is transplanted into another environment, these rites can perish. The authority of The Church can define and limit the use of rites in different historical situations. She never forbids them purely and simply! The Council, therefore, ordered a reform of the liturgical books but it never forbade the previous books. The criterion which the Council enunciated is both vaster and more demanding. It invites everyone to self-criticism! We will return to this point.

Hele foredraget kan leses her.

Ratzinger om liturgien i 1998: Gleder og problemer

Liturgi, Paven /

Jeg har i det siste lest flere ganger gjennom et kort foredrag kardinal Ratzinger holdt 24. oktober 1998; 10 år etter at at pave Johannes Pauls motu proprio om den tradisjonelle messen: Ecclesia Dei ble utgitt.

Jeg har forkortet foredraget noe og skal porsjonere det ut i fem deler, slik:

1 Den tradisjonelle liturgien etter 1988 – gleder og problemer.
2 Tolkingen av konsilet – ikke feil å fortsette med den tradisjonelle liturgien
3 Flere riter innen Kirken skaper ikke forvirring
4 Ulike matter å feire messen på – heller enn to ulike riter
5 Problemer med den tradisjonelle liturgien

Her er første del; det er flere ting å glede seg over mht den tradisjonelle liturgien etter 1988, men den møter fortsatt problemer flere steder:

The different communities born from the pontifical document – Ecclesia Dei – have given the Church a great number of priestly and religious vocations, zealous, joyful and profoundly united to the Pope, to serve the Gospel at this era in history, our era. Through them many faithful have been confirmed in their joy to be able to live the liturgy and in their love for the Church where may be they have found the two. In several dioceses -and their number is not so small- they serve the Church in collaboration with the Bishops and in a brotherly way with the faithful who feel at home in the renewed form of the new liturgy. All this cannot but urge us to gratitude today!

In many places difficulties persist and continue to persist, because bishops as well as priests and faithful consider this attachment to the ancient liturgy an element of division, which only troubles the ecclesial community and gives rise to suspicions about a conditional acceptance of the Council and more generally suspicion about obedience to the legitimate Pastors of the Church.

We must now ask the following question: how can these difficulties be overcome? How can one build the necessary confidence so that these groups and communities which love the ancient liturgy may be able to be integrated peacefully into the life of the Church? But there is another question underlying the first: What is the deep reason for this scorn or even refusal of the continuation of the ancient liturgical forms?

In this matter certainly, it is possible that reasons exist anterior to any theology – reasons which originate in the characters of individuals, which originate in the opposition of different characters or originate even other completely external circumstances. It is certain, however, that there are also more profound reasons which explain these problems.

Hele foredraget kan leses her.

«Tu es Petrus» sunget i Peterskirken i dag

Liturgi, Paven /

Father Z. skriver om den høytidelige messen i Peterskirken i dag, der «Tu es Petrus» (er den ikke blitt brukt i det hele tatt på flere tiår?) og den gregorianske introitus ble sunget til inngang. Introitus forandret på en måte hele messen, skriver han – og han fant også mange andre trdisjonelle elementer i messen

Trinitarisk monoteisme – hva er virkelig katolsk – tro og fornuft

Paven, Teologi /

I går møtte pave Benedikt medlemmene av Vatikanets ‘Internasjonale teologiske kommisjon’ etter at de hadde fullført en arbeidsøkt. Han tok opp tre punkter – som jeg nevner i overskrifta – fra Vatikanets Information Service:

The Holy Father dedicated his remarks to three themes the Commission has been examining in recent years, turning first to consider the question of God and the understanding of monotheism. Benedict XVI recalled how «behind the Christian profession of faith in the one God lies the daily profession of faith of the People of Israel». However, with the incarnation of Jesus Christ, «the monotheism of the one God came to be illuminated with a completely new light: the light of the Trinity, a mystery which also illuminates brotherhood among men». For this reason theology «can help believers to become aware of and bear witness to the fact that Trinitarian monotheism shows us the true face of God, … and is the source of personal and universal peace».

The Commission has also been studying the criteria whereby a particular form of theology may be considered as «Catholic». On this subject the Pope explained that «the starting point for all Christian theology lies in personal acceptance of divine revelation, of the Word made flesh», in «listening to the Word of God in Holy Scripture». Nevertheless, the history of the Church shows that «recognition of this starting point is not enough to achieve the unity of the faith. The Bible is always necessarily read in a certain context, and the only context in which the believer can be in full communion with Christ is the Church and her living Tradition».

Catholic theology, as it has always done over the course of its history, must continue to pay particular attention to the relationship between faith and reason. Today this is more important than ever, said Pope Benedict, «in order to avoid the violent consequences of a religiosity which opposes reason, and a reason which opposes religion».

Thirdly, the International Theological Commission has been examining the Church’s Social Doctrine in the broader context of Christian doctrine. «The Church’s social commitment is not a merely human activity», Benedict XVI explained, «nor is just a social theory. The transformation of society by Christians over the centuries has been a response to the coming of the Son of God into the world. … The disciples of Christ the Redeemer know that no human community can live in peace without concern for others, forgiveness, and love even for one’s enemies. … In our indispensable collaboration for the common good, even with those who do not share our faith, we must explain the true and profound religious motivations for out social commitment. … People who have understood the foundation of Christian social activity may also find therein a stimulus to consider faith in Jesus Christ».

In conclusion, the Pope highlighted the Church’s great need for theologians’ reflections «on the mystery of God in Jesus Christ and of His Church. Without healthy and vigorous theological activity the Church risks failing to give full expression to the harmony between faith and reason».

Pave Benedikt kjørte bil uten bilbelte

Katolsk, Paven /

Men han slipper straff, kan vi lese bl.a. i Dagen:

En lovlydig anonym tysker fra Dortmund syntes det var helt for galt at Den Hellige Far skulle putre rundt i sin spesialbygde pavebil uten å bruke bilbeltet.

Gjennom sin advokat Christian Sundermann, forteller anklageren at han ved flere anledninger av pavens besøk i Tyskland i september, observerte at Hans Hellighet ikke brukte bilbelte. Den ydmyke Benedikt ble anmeldt for overtredelse av trafikkloven. Dette kunne koste lederen av den katolske kirke oppiomot 2.000 euro, melder Badische Zeitung.

Men jordiske rettsinstanser kom Peters etterfølger til unnsetning. Det vil ikke bli innkrevd noen bot, sier talskvinne for Freiburg by, Edith Lamersdorf til avisen.

Et annet sted leser jeg at både saksøker og hans advokat er utmeldt av Den katolske Kirke.

Slik innledet vi advent i fjor

Katolsk, Paven /

Slik skrev jeg for nøyaktig et år siden: «Lørdag kveld innledet vi i St Hallvard kirke (etter pave Benedikts oppfordring) advent med en bønnesamling for det ufødte liv, knyttet til første adventsvesper og rosenkransen.» Her er noen av bønnene vi ba:

La oss be til Gud, som er Far til alt som lever:
— Herre, vær nådig mot alle som har syndet mot livet.

Du formet oss i vår mors indre,
— Bevar alle barn fra all skade, helt fra deres unnfangelse.

Din Sønn helliggjorde alt menneskeliv liv da han ble kjød ved Jomfru Maria,
— Opplys oss Herre, så vi ser storheten i hvert menneske, helt fra starten av fosterlivet.

Du står bak all kunnskap og vitenskap,
— Gjør slutt på all ødeleggelse av foster på sykehus og IVF-klinikker.

Du Herre er lovgiveren og verdens hersker,
— Hjelp oss å erstatte urettferdige lover som tillater ødeleggelsen av uskyldige liv, og hjelp statenes ledere til å beskytte de minste og svakeste blant oss.

Du elsker mennesker som er i nød,
— Hjelp foreldre som skal få barn med misdannelser til å verdsette barnet du har gitt dem ansvar for.

Din Sønn, Jesus Kristus, helbredet de syke,
— Hjelp alle leger til å bli livets beskyttere, spesielt for ufødte barn og barn med alvorlige helseproblemer.

Herre, du som er full av kjærlighet og miskunn,
— Led alle som har ødelagt uskyldige menneskeliv til å innse hva de har gjort og søke tilgivelse, og helbred og tilgi dem ved din nåde.

Å, Maria, den nye verdens morgenrøde, alt levendes mor, deg betror vi livets sak: Se hen, å mor, til den talløse skare barn som hindres i å bli født, de fattige, som tvinges til et byrdefullt liv, til menn og kvinner som er ofre for brutal vold, gamle og syke som drepes av likegyldighet eller misforstått barmhjertighet.

Tilskynd alle som tror på din Sønn å forkynne Livets Evangelium med besluttsomhet og kjærlighet til mennesker i vår tid.

Gi dem nåde til å ta imot Evangeliet som en stadig ny gave, glede over å feire det med takknemlighet livet igjennom, og mot til å bære vitnesbyrd om det og sammen med alle mennesker av god vilje, besluttsomt å bygge en sivilisasjon hvor sannheten og kjærligheten råder, Gud Skaperen som elsker livet til lov og ære. Amen.

Her er en rapport om samme arrangement i Vatikanet.

Reform av reformen – gammelt nytt

Katolsk, Liturgi, Paven /

Jeg har en rss-feed for nye sider på katolsk.no, og ble overrasket (positivt) da det i går dukket opp et innlegg med overskrifta: Nødvendig med «reform av liturgireformen». Da jeg så grundigere på innlegget, så jeg at det var fra januar 2010, men hadde blitt oppdatert i går. Men det var godt skrevet, og jeg tar med litt av det:

Uttalelsen kommer i forbindelse med en prestekonferanse i anledning det pågående presteåret, som har blitt avholdt i Roma denne uken. … .Den pavelige seremonimester Msgr. Guido Marini, oppfordret i en tale den 6. januar til en «reform av liturgireformen». I sin adresse til forsamlingen, sa Marini at en fornyelse av liturgien må reflektere «Kirkens ubrutte tradisjon», og inkorporere Det annet vatikankonsils forslag i den tradisjonen.

Konsilets reformer må forstås som en fortsettelse og videreføring av tidligere århundrers tradisjoner, sa Guido Marini: «Den eneste anvendelse som gir oss anledning til å nå liturgiens autentiske ånd, er å betrakte både den nåværende og tidligere Kirkens liturgi som en arv i konstant utvikling».

Msgr. Marini beklaget samtidig at behovet for en fornyelse er så åpenbar, gjennom det han mener er en omfattende misbruk av de liturgiske regler: «Det er ikke vanskelig å innse hvor langt unna noen adferdsmåter er fra liturgiens autentiske ånd. Vi prester er i stor grad ansvarlige for dette».

Italienske Marini siterte også den daværende kardinal Ratzinger, før sitt valg som Benedikt XVI, hvor han presiserer at liturgien er til for hele Kirken, og ikke må forandres på av enkeltprester. Samtidig kalte han presters manglende hensyn til liturgiske regler for «despotisk oppførsel», og presiserte at liturgien «ikke er gitt oss for at vi selv kan sette den under personlig fortolkning; i stedet er liturgien gitt oss til rådighet for alle, i går som i dag som i morgen».

… Den pavelige seremonimester uttalte at liturgien også er til for å fremme sakramentstilbedelse. Han påpekte at Benedikt XVI har innført praksisen med knelende munnkommunion ved pavemesser, som en måte å «synliggjøre den riktige holdning ved tilbedelse foran det store mysterium som er vår Herres nærvær i eukaristien».

Marini anerkjenner ønsket om aktiv deltagelse i liturgien, men fremhevde samtidig at legfolks deltagelse «ikke er en sann deltagelse hvis den ikke leder til tilbedelse av frelsens mysterium i Jesu Kristus, som for vår skyld døde og sto opp».

Talen har vakt oppsikt på katolske nettsteder, og støtter opp under de ryktene som over tid har versert vedrørende den såkalte «reform av reformen».

Jeg er selv en sterk tilhenger av en reform av liturgireformen, slik pave Benedikt og hans seremonimester snakker om og arbeider for. Jeg er ikke blant kritikerne av Vatikankonsilet, men jeg er svært opptatt av hvordan konsilet rett skal forstås. Jeg er samtidig kritisk til hvordan liturgireformen ble gjennomført årene etter konsilet, og håper at man snart kan reversere flere av forandringene som ikke har ført noe godt med seg. Til sist er jeg også klart for at den gamle liturgien også bør brukes (slik pave Benedikt har gitt tillatelse til); dette vil berike Kirken i stor grad, og det er helt unødvendig at noen ser kritisk på at den gamle messen feires regelmessig sammen med den nye (men det opplever man dessverre en del steder).

Pave Benedikt snakker om sin egen førstekommunion

Paven, Teologi /

Pave Benedikt sa følgende til katolske barn i Benin i går – noe av den samme personlige og inderlige tonen som i kommunionsandaktene jeg nevnte her:

God our Father has gathered us around his Son and our brother, Jesus Christ, who is present in the host consecrated during the Mass. This is a great mystery before which we worship and we believe. Jesus, who loves us very much, is truly present in the tabernacles of all the churches around the world, in the tabernacles of the churches in your neighbourhoods and in your parishes. I ask you to visit him often to tell him of your love for him.

Some of you have already made your First Holy Communion, and others are preparing for it. The day of my First Holy Communion was one of the most beautiful days of my life. It is the same for you, isn’t it? And why is that? It’s not only because of our nice clothes or the gifts we receive, nor even because of the parties! It is above all because, that day, we receive Jesus in the Eucharist for the first time! When I receive Communion, Jesus comes to live in me. I should welcome him with love and listen closely to him. In the depths of my heart, I can tell him, for example: “Jesus, I know that you love me. Give me your love so that I can love you in return and love others with your love. I give you all my joys, my troubles and my future.” Do not hesitate, dear children, to speak of Jesus to others. He is a treasure whom you should share generously. …

Fra father Z’s blogg.

Paven til alle katolikker: Les tidebønnene!

Katolsk, Liturgi, Paven /

11 000 mennesker var samlet på Petersplassen i går og hørte pave Benedikt holde sitt siste foredrag om Bibelens salmer. Og han avsluttet sin gjennomgang av salmenes bok slik:

the Pope explained that, in the course of his catechesis dedicated to the Psalms, he had sought to focus on those «that reflect the different situations in life and the various attitudes we may have towards God. I would like to renew my call to everyone to pray the Psalms, to become accustomed to using the Liturgy of the Hours, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline. Our relationship with God can only be enriched by our journeying towards Him day after day».

Og siste salme han tok opp var numemr 110 (109):

1 Herren sier til min herre: «Sett deg ved min høyre hånd til jeg får lagt dine fiendersom skammel for dine føtter!»
2 Fra Sion rekker Herren ut ditt mektige septer. Du skal herske blant dine fiender!
3 Folket ditt møter villig fram den dagen du viser din kraft. Din ungdoms dugg kommer til degi hellig prakt, fra morgenrødens fang.
4 Herren har sverget og angrer det ikke: «Du er prest til evig tid på Melkisedeks vis.»
5 Herren er ved din høyre hånd, han knuser konger på sin vredes dag.
6 Han holder dom over folkeslag, det er fullt av lik, han knuser hoder vidt over jord.
7 Han drikker av bekken ved veien, derfor løfter han hodet høyt.

Om denne salmen sa paven bl.a.:

The Psalm begins with a solemn declaration: «The Lord says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool». Benedict XVI explained that «Christ is the Lord enthroned, the Son of man seated at the right hand of God. … He is the true king who by resurrection entered into glory, … higher than the angels, seated in the heavens over all other powers, … and with all His adversaries at His feet until the last enemy, death, is definitively defeated by Him». …

… The priestly dimension, linked to that of regality, appears in verse four. «The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind ‘You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek'». This priest, the king of Salem, had blessed Abraham and offered bread and wine following the victorious military campaign conducted by the patriarch to save Lot from the hands of his enemies. The king of the Psalm «will be a priest forever, mediator of the divine presence among His people, a catalyst for the blessing of God». Jesus Christ «is the true and definitive priest, Who will complete and perfect the features of Melchizedek’s priesthood». In the bread and wine of the Eucharist, Christ «offers Himself and, defeating death, brings life to all believers». …

… The Church traditionally considers this Psalm as one of the most significant messianic texts. «The king as sung by the Psalmist is Christ, the Messiah Who establishes the Kingdom of God and overcomes the powers of the world. He is the Word generated by God before any creature, the Son incarnate, Who died and rose to heaven, the eternal Priest Who, in the mystery of the bread and wine, grants forgiveness for sins and reconciliation with God; the King Who raised his head in triumph over death by His resurrection». …

Les mer om dette her.

Ny bok som bør bestilles

Liturgi, Paven /

I mars 2012 gir Ignatius Press ut følgende bok som absolutt bør bestilles: Benedict XVI’s Reform: The Liturgy Between Innovation and Tradition, by Nicola Bux. Amazon.com omtaler boka slik:

When Benedict XVI reestablished the celebration of the older Latin Mass, voices of protest rose up from many sides. The widespread fear was-and is-that the Pope had revealed himself as the reactionary defender of tradition that many have accused him of being since he was the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the former Holy Office.

Defenders of Benedict XVI have responded to these objections by explaining that the use of the Tridentine Rite is not a «step backward» to pre-Vatican II times, but rather a step forward. Now the Church can see what the older rite offered in terms of beauty, reverence, and meaning and perhaps desire more of those elements in the ordinary form of the Mass.

A professor of theology and liturgy, the author of this book explains the motives behind the Pope’s decision to allow two forms of the Mass. He does this by turning to the Pope’s own theological and liturgical writings, but he also draws from his experiences on various Church commissions and in offices of the Roman Curia.

The author also brings to his subject an astute understanding of current social and spiritual trends both inside and outside the Church. Sensitive to modern man’s hunger for the sacred, he desires with Pope Benedict XVI that the Mass be first and foremost a place of encounter with the living God.

Paven til vesper i Serra San Bruno

Liturgi, Paven /

Pave Benedikt deltok nylig i en vesper i Chiesa della Certosa i Serra San Bruno i Calabria. På the Chant Cafe (der jeg fant denne informasjonen) omtales musikken slik: «Here is a beautiful example of music in service of the Word – and contrary to what people believe, that music need not be complex. It only needs to assist in the prayer.»

Klikk på denne youTube-linken og alle videoene fra vesperen skal dukke opp – en etter en.

Kritikk av at pave Benedikt feirer messen «vendt mot korset».

Liturgi, Paven /

Pave Benedikt ønsker, som de fleste vet, at messen helst skal feires mot apsis/øst, og gjør også dette regelmessig i sitt private kapell. Men samtidig ønsker han ikke for mye uro rundt (han husker vel det som skjedde rundt 1970 altfor godt), og anbefaler (og gjennomfører alltid selv) at man feirer messen vendt mot et (ganske stort og tydelig) krusifiks. Også i Norge er det mange prester som følger hans eksempel her.

Men ikke alle liker dette. På en (ganske liberal, må jeg si) liturgiblogg – Pray Tell (som jeg leser ganske regelemessig) – har en teologiprofessor og permanent diakon antydet at dette (nesten eller egentlig) kan kalles avgudsdyrkelse:

«If I were to put this polemically, which of course I would never do, I would say that identifying the crucifix rather than the Eucharist as the point of orientation skirts the edge of idolatry. This point seems so obvious to me that I wonder what is going on with those who continue to put forward the idea of common orientation toward the crucifix. Could this be a case of a poor idea gaining momentum simply because it has been suggested by an authoritative source (i.e. Pope Benedict).»

Jeg leste dette for et par dager siden, men ble inspirert til å legge det ut på bloggen etter at jeg leste om det også her.

«Som Faderen har sendt meg, sender jeg dere.»

Katolsk, Paven /

Med dette verset fra Joh 20,21 åpner pave benedikt sitt budskap til Verdensmisjonsdagen, som vi feier i dag. Hele budskapet kan leses her. Hos Missio i England har jeg funnet følgende oppsummering av hans ord:

As the father sent me, so I send you.

World Mission Sunday
A vital invitation to ceaselessly proclaim the Gospel re-echoes every year to each of us in the celebration of World Mission Sunday. Mission is the most precious service that the Church can render to humanity and to every individual seeking profound reasons for living his or her existence to the full. Missionary activity also renews the Church, revitalises faith and Christian identity, and offers fresh enthusiasm and new incentive. Faith is strengthened when it is given to others!

Go and proclaim
All those who have met the risen Lord have felt the need to proclaim him to others, as did the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. We too must be ready to recognize his face and run to our brothers and sisters with the good news: ‘We have seen the Lord!’

Global evangelisation
The Gospel proclamation benefits all peoples. The Church is missionary by her very nature, since it is from the mission of the Son and the mission of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin. This is the Church’s deepest identity – rooted in particular places in order to go beyond them, she exists in order to evangelise.

Our urgent task
This task has not lost any of its urgency. We cannot be content when we consider that, after 2,000 years, there are still peoples who do not know Christ and have not yet heard his message of salvation. Not only this: but there is an ever greater number of people to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed, but who have forgotten it, or abandoned it and no longer associate with the Church.

The joint responsibility of all, always
The Gospel is not an exclusive possession of those who have received it, but it is a gift to be shared, good news to be passed on to others. And this gift is entrusted not only to some, but to all the baptised. World Mission Sunday, too, is not an isolated moment in the year, but a precious opportunity to pause and reflect on whether and how we respond to the missionary vocation: our response is essential for the life of the Church.

Together in mission
Solidarity is one of the objectives of World Mission Sunday. Through the Pontifical Mission Societies (Missio) we appeal for your help to carry out evangelising activities in mission territories, and support institutions necessary for establishing and consolidating the Church. Equally, to ignore the temporal problems of humanity – poverty, malnutrition, disease, lack of health care services and education – would be to forget the lesson which comes to us from the Gospel concerning love of our neighbour who is suffering and in need.

The lesson of love
Therefore I invite you to consider your own contribution to mission, wherever you may be in the world. Through participation in the Church’s mission, the Christian becomes a builder of communion, of peace and of the solidarity that Christ has given us, and collaborates in fulfilling God’s plan of salvation for all humanity. May World Mission Sunday reawaken in each of us the joy and desire to go out to meet humanity, taking Christ to all.

Rehabilitering av Martin Luther?

Katolsk, Paven, Økumenikk /

I går stod det et leserinnlegg i Vårt Land fra pensjonert Luthersk biskop, Sigurd Osberg, om at det nå var på tide å oppheve bannlysingen av Luther. Hans innlegg har bakgrunn i noen vennlige ord pave Benedikt sa om Luther da han nylig var i Tyskland, og en kort artikkel i Vårt Land sist uke.

[Oppdatering: Jeg må innrømme at jeg ikke sist uke reagerte på at «luthersk teologi er nærmere katolsk teologi enn teologien i andre kirkesamfunn». Jeg syntes det var fint at dette ble slått fast, når det så ofte er anglikanerne som (noe feilaktig) blir omtalt slik. Jeg reagerte ikke på det fordi jeg akkurat da bare tenkte på vest-Europa. Men samtidig er det jo helt opplagt for oss katolikker at ortodoks teologi står oss mye nærmere, svært mye nærmere. Så slik absolutt forstått var uttalelsen selvsagt helt feilaktig.]

Jeg må innrømme at jeg ble paff da jeg så Osbergs innlegg nå i dag, for det er dessverre helt og absolutt misforstått. For når paven kan si vennlige ord om enkelte elementer i Luthers teologi og hans troskamp, betyr det jo ikke at han godtar Luthers arbeid i sin helhet, eller hans brudd med den katolske Kirke. Og dessverre er det jo også alik at avstanden mellom luthersk teologi og kirkeliv blir større for hvert år, sett fra katolsk perspektiv.

Osberg skriver i Vårt Land bl.a.:

Det var en glede å lese at (man) … på bakgrunn av Pave Benedikt XVIs besøk i Tyskland nylig, kunne konstatere at «Martin Luther var «et stort vitne for troen» og langt på vei rehabilitert i Den katolske kirke.» På denne bakgrunn spør jeg om det ikke da er på tide å ta et steg til i rehabiliteringen, nemlig å oppheve bannlysningen av Luther.

Det har vært hevdet fra den romersk-katolske kirkes side i forbindelse med de senere års økumeniske dialoger, at opphevelse av bannlysning bare har mening overfor personer som fremdeles lever. Men opphevelsen av en så historisk markant bannlysning som den mot Luther, vil bety mye for det økumeniske klima mellom våre to kirker. …

Les hele innlegget på verdidebatt.no.

Pave Benedikt forklarer hvorfor han reiser til Assisi 27. oktober

Katolsk, Paven /

Professor Peter Beyerhaus var/er ganske godt kjent blant konservative lutheranere i Norge, og kardinal Ratzinger var hans kollega i Tübingen for mange år siden (på slutten av 60-tallet), har stor respekt for ham, og de har holdt kontakt i alle disse årene. Slik svarer pave Benedikt på et spørsmål fra Beyerhaus om hvordan han kan være med på det risikable religiøse arrangementet serere i oktober (fra Rorate Cæli):

«I understand quite well – Benedict XVI wrote on March 4, 2011 – your concern regarding the participation at the Assisi meeting. However, this commemoration would have to have been celebrated in some way and, all things considered, it seemed to me that the best thing would be for me to personally go there being thus able to determine the direction of it all. I will nevertheless do everything in order that a syncretistic or relativistic interpretation of the event will be impossible and so that what will remain is that I will always believe and confess that which I had called to the attention of the Church with [the Declaration] ‘Dominus Iesus’.»

Pave Benedikt: «Samarbeid, men ikke fullt fellesskap»

Paven, Økumenikk /

John Allen skriver også i sitt innsiktsfulle innlegg om pave Benedikts besøk i Tyskland om møtet med protestantene:

Benedict’s return to the Land of Luther was always destined to be scrutinized for its impact on ecumenical relations, especially with the Protestant churches of the Reformation. On that score, to put it politely, Benedict drew mixed reviews.

The pope clearly signaled his ecumenical commitment, presiding over a service with a Lutheran bishop in the Erfurt monastery were Martin Luther was ordained an Augustinian monk. The pontiff expressed admiration for Luther’s passionate quest to understand God’s mercy, and Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, president of the German bishops conference, even said that Benedict asked him to find a way for the Catholic church to participate in celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017 — by any standard, a remarkably irenic touch from a Roman Pontiff.

Yet Benedict didn’t offer any breakthroughs, or even signals of flexibility, on the contentious points in Catholic/Lutheran relations, such as inter-communion or mixed marriages. For those who believe such reforms are a prerequisite to progress, the performance therefore left much to be desired.

Pundit Klaus Krämer, for instance, wrote that Benedict still styles “the Catholic church as the ‘cruise ship,’ while the Protestant church is, at best, a ‘container ship’ that should follow the Vatican’s course.” The Frankfurter Rundschau was even more acerbic, calling the trip an “ecumenical disaster” and Benedict’s approach to Protestants “spectacularly half-hearted, patronizing, and callous.”

…. What seemed clear from the Germany trip is that Benedict XVI regards collaboration in responding to these external challenges as the near-term future of the ecumenical movement — and not, therefore, structural unity that might lead to inter-communion. The ecumenical agenda on his watch, in other words, is more ad extra than ad intra.

I sin tale til protestantiske kirkeledere Erfurt, beskrev pave Benedikt to områder der katolikker og tradisjonelle protestantiske kirkesamfunn kan samarbeide; i møte med det stadig mer sekulære samfunnet og med de nye, karismatiske kristne grupperingene (som han ikke beskriver særlig positivt):

The “new geography of Christianity,” by which the pope seemed to mean the dramatic growth of Pentecostal and Evangelical Christianity around the world, especially in the southern hemisphere. He called it “a form of Christianity with little institutional depth, little rationality and even less dogmatic content, and with little stability” — implying that whatever their differences, Catholics and Lutherans still have more in common with one another than, say, the Brazilian Pentecostal “Church of Christ’s Spit.”

Secularism in the West, where “God is increasingly being driven out of our society” and the history of revelation recounted in Scripture is “locked into an ever more remote past.” Secularism puts all Christians in the same boat, the pope said, just as they once faced a common threat from the Nazis — and just as the witness of the martyrs gave rise to the ecumenical movement of the 20th century, he said, today a common faith lived within the secular world is “the most powerful ecumenical force that brings us together.”

Pave Benedikts beste taler – der han kritiserer positivismen

Apologetikk, Katolsk, Paven /

John Allen skriver om pave Benedikts besøk i Tyskland, at noen var svært fornøyde, andre mindre:

Last Sunday Pope Benedict XVI wrapped up a four-day trip to Germany, which, depending upon whose word you take, either generated “widespread acclaim” (Italian commentator Sandro Magister) or a national yawn (the Munich daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung’s headline was, “He came, he spoke, he disappointed.”)

Slik beskriver John Allen pave Benedikts aller sterkeste side (som taler); at han er «a sensation as cultural critic»:

Pop quiz: What do the Collège des Bernardins in Paris, Westminster Hall in London, and now the Reichstag building in Berlin have in common? The answer, in papal terms, is that they have been the settings for arguably the most triumphant moments of Benedict’s papacy — occasions when the cerebral pontiff dazzled secular audiences with an oratorical tour de force on faith, reason, and the foundations of democratic society.

Whatever one makes of Benedict as a religious leader, he’s a sensation as a cultural critic. True to form, his Sept. 22 speech to the Bundestag, the national parliament, quickly became the latest candidate for “best speech of his papacy.”

Addressing German lawmakers, but really speaking to Western culture generally, Benedict took on logical positivism — the view that only empirical science counts as real knowledge, and that all moral claims are subjective. It’s a widespread conviction, the pope said, but inadequate as the basis of a just society. Without belief in some form of natural law, he argued, there’s no foundation for universal human rights. That means “humanity is threatened”, because the only thing left as the basis for law and politics is the raw will to power.

Germany’s Nazi past, Benedict XVI said, offers a harrowing reminder of what happens when “power becomes divorced from right.”

…. Secular media outlets, even those which were otherwise critical, raved about the speech. Der Spiegel called it “courageous” and “brilliant,” while Bild quoted a prominent lawmaker hailing it as a “masterpiece.” Even Die Welt grudgingly allowed that it was “not completely without cunning.” (In a further indication that Benedict got through, the left-wing London Guardian published a lengthy commentary on the speech, encouraging secular environmentalists to see past their stereotypes of the pope as “a prissy and repressed German professor”.)

In these venues, Benedict also wins points for style. He comes off as gracious and thoughtful, a contrast to the blowhards and ideologues who dominate public life. As George Weigel recently put it, he seems “the world’s premier adult.” …

Pave Benedikts triumf i Tyskland

Katolsk, Paven /

Peter Seewald har skrevet flere bøker om kardinal Ratzinger/pave Benedikt og uttaler seg interessant om pavens siste besøk i Tyskland. Han sier bl.a.:

The Kath.net interviewer asked Seewald who the Pope was referring to when he said during the vigil with young people, “(D)amage to the Church comes not from her opponents but from uncommitted Christians.” Seewald replied, “Probably you and me. The Pope is an encourager and a builder of bridges, but he also warns us. Every Christian needs new impulses to keep from becoming stagnant in his development, in his journey, his witness and his Christian conduct.”

Later in the interview Seewald said the Pope came to Germany to draw attention to problems, because “he does not want a fictitious peace but rather one that is genuine. He is anything but someone who covers things up with nice words or tries to put make-up on the seriousness of the situation with massive events, contrary to what (Hans) Kung and his friends assert.”

Først og fremst er intervjuet med Seewald et tydelig uttrykk for at pavens besøk i Tyskland var svært vellykket:

In an interview with the Kath.net news agency sent to CNA for publication, German Catholic reporter Peter Seewald said the recent papal trip to Germany was a victory for the humility and message of the Pope.

In the interview, Seewald, author of “Light of the World,” described the Pope’s visit as “a small miracle” because “shortly before there was a very aggressive, anti-clerical assault by the media.”

“All of this brings to mind George Orwell’s ‘1984,’ in which an imaginary enemy, a nightmare, is created in order to scare people.” “And yet,” Seewald noted, “despite all of this incredible effort by the media, an innumerable amount of people stood up and refused to be deceived.”

“They said the Germans would turn their backs on him and all kinds of other stupidities. There appears to be nothing more offensive in our times than being Catholic. As the magazine ‘Stern’ said, ‘The brief euphoria at the outset was followed by an irreparable distancing between the majority of Germans and their fellow countryman.’ It’s as if they were saying that everything would be wonderful and orderly in the world if the Vatican just ceased to exist.”

However, Seewald continued, “We were all witnesses to something much greater. Where were all the masses of critics and protesters? They never showed up. And yet 350,000 people made great sacrifices in order to personally listen to the Pope and to attend Mass with him. Millions watched on television. The Pope’s books are selling faster than ever … And undoubtedly never before has so much intelligence, wisdom and truth, so much of what is fundamental, been heard in Germany.”

According to Seewald, whose own conversion to Catholicism came after meeting then-Cardinal Ratzinger, “(t)hese words can no longer be ignored. They are the measure and the touchstone for the subsequent debates and the renewal of the Catholic Church in Germany.” The only “shadows” of the Pope’s trip to Germany were the massive attacks against him by the media, he said. …

Les hele intervjuet på Catholic News Agency.

Skroll til toppen