I am grateful to Joe for passing on these wonderful meditations.

True contemplation is the most subversive of activities because it undercuts the one thing that normally refuses to be undercut—our natural separateness and narcissism. We all move toward the ego, and we even solidify it as we get older if something doesn’t expose it for the lie that it is: not because it is bad, but because it thinks it is the whole enchilada!

People don’t really change too much by themselves; God changes you, if you can expose yourself to God and “reality.” Christian meditation will probably never fill stadiums, because not too many people want their narcissism and separateness to be exposed for the illusion that it is.

Adapted from A Lever and A Place to Stand: The Contemplative Stance, The Active Prayer, pp. 9-10

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Rupture With Vatican Reveals a Changed Ireland

By Sarah Lyall

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/world/europe/ireland-recalibrates-ties-to-roman-catholic-church.html?emc=eta1

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Retired Irish Bishop Edward Daly addresses the issue of priestly celibacy. This is followed by one suggestion on how to implement optional celibacy for Catholic priests.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/13/us-ireland-church-celibacy-idUSTRE78C21E20110913

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/community/letters/an_alternative_to_scrapping_celibacy_1_3068695

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SSPX could get personal prelature status

Published: September 15, 2011

The traditionalist Society of St Pius X could be offered the status of a personal prelature within the Church if it agrees to some core Church teachings outlined at a meeting in Rome yesterday, reports the Catholic News Agency.

The Superior General of the Society, Bishop Bernard Fellay, was presented at the meeting with a statement of principles or "doctrinal preamble" by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Leveda.

The document outlines points of doctrine that the Vatican needed clarified before finally healing the decades-long rift between the two sides. One Vatican insider told CNA that the overall offer made to the Society during the meeting was "very generous indeed."

The Holy See has not given the Society a deadline to sign the agreement, but Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi, SJ, said he expects a decision "within a few months."

He also said that if all goes well, the likely status of the Society of St Pius X would be a personal prelature—a Church jurisdiction without geographical boundaries designed to carry out particular pastoral initiatives. At present, the only personal prelature in the Church is Opus Dei.

Fr Lombardi refused to give details as to the exact issues outlined in the doctrinal preamble. But he did explain that while some Church teachings require absolute assent others are still open to debate and discussion.

The Catholic News Agency report said this could give the Society room to continue debating the legacy of the Second Vatican Council but from within the Catholic Church.

This full story is available from the link below. However, if the Church is going to offer a personal prelature to this reactionary sect, why can’t the Church offer the possibility of a personal prelature to married priests or to those who oppose the new, English-language translation of the liturgy?

Society of St. Pius X could be offered personal prelature status (Catholic News Agency)

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Putin’s name appeared in this morning’s paper, suggesting that he may run for President of Russia again. Father Hans Küng compares Pope Benedict’s agenda for the Church to “Putinization.”

Theologian Hans Küng on Pope Benedict

'A Putinization of the Catholic Church'

An interview with Hans Kung: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,787325,00.html

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The final offering is a somewhat lengthy commentary on the loss of the vision of Vatican II by one who was there.

Voice from the margins of Catholic Church‏

http://iglesiadescalza.blogspot.com/2011/09/vatican-ii-lost-and-betrayed.html