Glasses for the Masses

As we were leaving daily Mass yesterday, my good friend and golfer extraordinaire Anthony came up with a great illustration.

We were talking about how some Catholics, especially kids, find the Mass "boring", and that they "don't get anything out of it". Very often, these folks cease attending Mass altogether.

But I'm convinced that the only reason someone would think that way is because they really don't understand what happens at Mass.

Consider, if you will, this parallel: my wife wasn't a football fan like me when we met. We could be watching the exact same game - I would find it thrilling, while she'd think it was unbearably dull. Why? We were witnessing the same event, but she didn't understand what she was watching (I've since remedied that little situation - with me having the TV perpetually tuned to the NFL Network, it's difficult for her not to learn about it!). I think this is what happens to many people when they go to Mass. They don't understand what's unfolding before them. If they did, they'd never be bored, and leaving the Church would never cross their minds.

That's because the Mass is heaven on Earth. Why? Because Christ himself is there - body and blood, soul and divinity - his Real Presence in the Eucharist. His flesh and blood becomes one with ours in the moment of communion. Many Christians speak of, and rightly so, the importance of having a personal relationship with Christ. Well, it doesn't get any more personal than this! You can't get any closer to Christ on this planet. Talk about an altar call! There's nothing like it.

This is why intentionally missing Sunday Mass is such a grave sin. If one prefers the "Church of the Holey Comforter", as it were - sleeping in, watching cartoons, whatever the case may be - to being with Christ at the Mass, that's tantamount to saying to God, "I don't want to go to heaven!" And God, being the gentleman lover that he is, will not force you to go there against your will.

Anthony's illustration was this: he said, "If only God could give us all a pair of special, 3-D type glasses to see what's really happening during the liturgy - you'd never be able to keep anyone away from Mass after that!"

So true. If we could see with human eyes for just a moment what really goes on at Mass - if the curtain separating time and eternity could be pulled back, just for a moment - we would see the worship of heaven and earth united around the Lamb. There's a reason we ask blessed Mary and all the angels and saints to pray for us during the Divine Liturgy of the Mass - because they are (unseen to us) right there, worshipping with us.

We need to develop a sanctified imagination to see, with the inner eye of faith, these realities. We are oh, so proficient at using our minds to conjure up things that are, shall we say, somewhat less than holy. Let's instead use those mental "3-D glasses" to train ourselves to witness the reality of the Mass as Heaven on Earth.

Imagine, for example, as the priest elevates the Eucharistic Christ high in the air and says, "This is Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" - imagine Mary standing there just as she did at the foot of the Cross, with yourself there in the place of John, the beloved disciple - for we are all beloved disciples.

I'll be posting much more in the next few days about understanding the Mass - how we know that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, for example, and it's fascinating connection with the Book of Revelation. But for now, remember that no matter how bad things get from a human perspective - a dry homily here, some off-kilter singing there - it can never change the reality that Jesus himself is there, at each and every Mass.

I've learned the lesson that the greatest touchdowns on Sundays don't happen in the NFL - they happen when Christ touches down on each of our altars. And because he is there, at the Mass, there's nowhere else I'd rather be.

The Kingdom-Church in Luke-Acts

For all of you bibliophiles out there: Dr. Scott Hahn (pictured), celebrated author, speaker and theologian, has a great article posted at salvationhistory.com, the website of the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology, which he directs (among many other things).

The article deals with a gap in Gospel scholarship on Luke (and Luke's companion volume, the Acts of the Apostles). It is often noted by scholars that Jesus is a Davidic Messiah - but if Jesus is truly the Davidic King, what of the everlasting kingdom God covenanted to David in 2 Samuel 7? After all, what's a king without a kingdom?

Hahn shows that Luke's description of Jesus as the Davidic King in his gospel sets the stage for the establishment of a renewed and transformed Davidic kingdom in Acts - and that kingdom is the Church. All of which sheds new light on what Jesus meant by "The Kingdom of God". It makes for fascinating reading. Check it out at:

http://www.salvationhistory.com/library/scripture/historical/newtestament/KingdomChurchInLukeActs.pdf

I've had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Hahn a couple of times. He's as genuine as they come - a truly humble guy. May God bless him, his family, and the ministry of the St. Paul Center.

A Truly Inconvenient Truth

Last night we watched the Oscars. As we witnessed the love-fest that surrounded An Inconvenient Truth, the documentary film featuring Al Gore's take on global warming, which won Best Documentary Feature honours, I was struck by something Gore said in his acceptance speech: "This is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. This is a moral issue." The crowd of Hollywood types roared their approval.

Which got me thinking: if someone had produced a documentary about abortion - presenting the stark reality, say, of what exactly happens as a child is ripped from the womb, not to mention the psychological, spiritual, and physical aftereffects on the mother - would that have garnered any awards? Such a film would only be exposing the greatest civil rights issue of our times - the unjust (but legal) murder of millions of innocent people.

After all, this isn't a political issue. This is a moral issue.

I think we all know the answer to that question. Such a film would likely never be touched by the Academy, or become a cause celebre. However, it is always fashionable to pull for the rights of "Mother Earth" not to be eliminated.

Maybe we should also listen to the appeal of another kind of Mother. Mother Teresa once said, "If we allow a mother to kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?"

Much less clean up the environment.

Where Have You Gone, Craig Kilborn?

Yeah, "Craiggers" (as he liked to call himself), what has become of ye?

I saw my buddy Lowell at his sister Ashleigh's wedding yesterday. Lowell and I were roommates, as it were, as I was a boarder with his family for a time. Lowell and I used to watch The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn religiously - and both of us agree that Kilborn is perhaps the greatest, and most underappreciated, comic of his generation (OK, I admit, that's a bit over the top).

After a successful career as a sportscaster at ESPN, Kilborn actually hosted The Daily Show on Comedy Central for two seasons before leaving for a plum offer to helm The Late, Late Show, which, of course, follows The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS, in 1999 (Kilborn was replaced on The Daily Show by Jon Stewart).

Lowell figured out after a while that Kilborn was actually introducing himself, using another voice, off-stage before appearing before his adoring throngs in the studio audience. Gotta love it.

But, after a successful four-year stint on the show, Kilborn decided to leave to pursue acting opportunities. Kilborn made his motion picture acting debut with a small role in Will Ferrell's Old School. In 2006, he appeared in three movies: The Shaggy Dog, The Benchwarmers, and Full of It (which was not, incidentally, autobiographical). Seen any of those last three? Me neither.

Although in a recent interview, he said that he'd "never say never" about hosting again, he added (prophetically?) about leaving the show, "you have to be prepared to never be heard from again when you make a decision like this."

I hope not, Kilby.

One final note: probably the funniest moment (for me, at least) on The Late, Late Show was Kilby playing one-on-one basketball vs. a midget. Keep in mind the fact that Kilborn is 6'5", and played college basketball at Montana State. The midget was (maybe) three feet tall.

That's not funny, you say, that's cruel! Well, guess it depends on your point of view. But the real funny part was this - it wasn't enough for Kilby to back the midget down into the post, and score at will. It was the fact that he deemed it necessary to up-fake the poor guy about seven times in a row before he'd go up for a shot. Classic.

Finally, A Jesus Who's Not Made Up (i.e. The Real One)

I'm currently reading (among others currently stacked on my desk, which I never seem to have time for) a book by one of my seminary professors, Craig Evans. Fabricating Jesus: How Modern Scholars Distort the Gospels is a powerful antidote to the many bizarre claims about Jesus that regularly flood the MSM (mainstream media) - think Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, The Jesus Papers by Michael Baigent, The Pagan Christ by Tom Harpur, yada, yada, yada. The hits just keep on comin'.

Evans systematically skewers such authors' views, and their (utter lack of) evidence for their claims. These writers and their ilk claim that, among other things, that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, never claimed to be God (the Church allegedly made that part up later), never intended to set up a Church, hence, you can't trust the Church, etc.

I always feel sorry for folks who are looking for God, and expecting to find accurate info about him in popular bookstores like Chapters here in Canada. They are not likely to find what or, rather, Who they are truly seeking. That's because the aforementioned heretical writers tend to have their books prominently displayed in popular bookstores, while orthodox views of Christ are relegated to the bottom shelf, if they're even there at all. They also tend to get a disproportionate amount of airtime on TV shows about Jesus, even though their views are a joke in the academy. There is, of course, a reason for this.

As Dr. Evans told me himself, the reason why these guys are always on TV or on the bookshelves is that their views are "news" - literally so, because "the news" is always about what's "new". As Dr. Evans noted, the reason he's not on TV a lot is because of what he would say about Jesus - that he believes the Jesus presented in the New Testament is, in fact, the real Jesus. To the news outlets, that's dull. No real news there. But, he said, if someone were to come along with, say, a theory about Jesus marring "Mags", and siring a bloodline that still exists on the earth - well, who needs evidence? Let's start the presses! Why? Because this is "news"; this is "sexy"; this will sell papers and drive up the Neilson ratings.

But it's not the real Jesus. Read Evans' book to find out why.

Those who are really interested in delving deeply into the Scriptures are also going to want to check out Dr. Evans' other fine books (his Mark commentary in the Word series is second to none). Craig Evans was by far the best professor I ever had. He is a master teacher who makes the New Testament world come alive. He currently teaches at Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. His website is http://craigaevans.com/.

Syd the Kid, Send Me Some Quid!

Some of you may know that I grew up in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, which is in the Halifax area. Guess who else is from there? By far our most famous export is "The Next One" - Sydney Crosby of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, the 19-year-old who is probably the best hockey player on the planet right now.

Now, despite the fact that we're from the same hometown, there are two major differences between me and "Syd the Kid". One, he can skate (although I'm a mean street hockey player). Two, he's obscenely rich.

Syd, I know we've never met, but can you spare a dime (or a few million of them) for a guy from the old 'hood? In the immortal words of Mr. Rogers, "Please, won't you be my neighbor?"

The Gospel According to Superman

This is an article I wrote that was published in Catholic Insight magazine back in September. I stumbled across it on another website! Heck, I figured, it might as well be on my own! This was my first published piece...enjoy.

The Gospel According to Superman

by Cale Clarke

As a lifelong fan of comic book superheroes, I couldn't wait for the latest installment of the long-dormant Superman movie franchise, Superman Returns, to swoop into theatres. And as a Catholic, watching the movie gave me more than I bargained for. I was looking for a little escapist fantasy. Instead, I found my thoughts soaring "up, up, and away"--as Superman would say-into the very heart of reality, heaven itself.

Why heaven? Because Jesus Christ is there. And Superman Returns draws some very interesting parallels between the Messiah and the Man of Steel. Just as St. Paul in Acts 17 used the works of Greek "pop culture" artists--namely, pagan poets Epimenides, Aratus, and Cleanthes--to draw first-century Athenians to Christ-there may be aspects of this movie that can connect modern spiritual seekers to the Saviour. To communicate the Gospel effectively today, we must, as St. Paul did, read the culture as well as the Scriptures.

Superman was created 70 years ago by Jewish teens Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (a Canadian!). Hence, no doubt they were thinking more of the original Moses than the new Moses (Jesus) when they dreamed up their iconic character. The allusion to Moses is unmistakable in the Superman story. As their home planet, Krypton, is destroyed, a Jor-El and his wife Lard set little Kal-El adrift, not on the river Nile, but into outer space, in the hopes that a good family on Earth will raise their son as one of their own, even though he is truly a king. Of course, Jonathan and Martha Kent did just that in Smallville, Kansas, naming the boy Clark, Superman's alter-ego.

Although the Superman legend springs from Jewish roots, just as Christianity itself does, the creators of Superman Returns have made their own mark on the character--a mark that looks an awful lot like the cross. Superman film directors like Richard Donner (1978's Superman: the Movie) and Superman Returns'
director Bryan Singer chose to portray Superman as a Christ figure. The "S" on Superman's chest might just as well stand for "Saviour." Singer acknowledged as much in a recent interview with Wizard magazine: "Superman is the Jesus Christ of superheroes."

Obviously, Superman is a myth; Christ is a historical person, "born of the Virgin Mary ...(Who) suffered under Pontius Pilate." Superman is not Christ. But he is a Christlike figure, as we all should be. What we are dealing with is more of an allusion to Christ (a la Tolkien's Lord of the Rings), rather than a straight Christian allegory like C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, where Aslan = Christ. But Superman Returns' Christian allusions are no illusion.

Consider: Superman is sent to earth as a baby in a rocket ship
shaped like a star, which lands in a rural cornfield. Christ's arrival was also heralded by a star seen by shepherds in a field. Superman is raised on earth in a "backwater" town reminiscent of Nazareth: Smallville. Like Christ, Superman grows up where people have no idea of the powers he possesses, or what his true
identity--or his true nature, a Catholic might say--really is.

Jesus was raised by an earthly stepfather named Joseph, a carpenter. Clark (which, incidentally, means "cleric") was also raised by a manual labourer, farmer Jonathan Kent. Ironically, Clark's parents were originally named Mary and Joseph in the comics, but later were changed to Martha and Jonathan. Superman's Kryptonian father, Jor-El, sends Kal-El to earth with these words in Superman Returns: "They can be a great people, Kal-El; they wish to be. They only lack the light to show them the way. That is why I have sent them you, my only son."

If this does not evoke echoes of John's gospel, I don't know what does! Jesus is "the light of the world" (John 1:4,5,9; 8:12) and God's one and only Son (John 3:16,18). The early Church's members were first called members of "the Way" (Acts 9:2). Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).

Interestingly, "El" is Hebrew for God, which may or may not
have had some significance in the creation of the Kryptonian names of Superman and his father. El the father and El the son evoke the Trinity, as does the line repeated by Jor-El and Superman in Superman Returns, "The son becomes the father, and the father, the son." Jesus said to Philip: "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).

Superman hovers above earth and listens, via his super-hearing, to myriad cries for help from below. This scene echoes what he will later tell Lois: "You said the world doesn't need a saviour. But every day, I hear people crying for one." Superman answers those cries, flying to the rescue, faster than a speeding bullet, breaking the sound barrier with a boom. This recalls Christ's hearing our prayers on earth. His response is even faster than Superman's. God "is an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

Superman's mortal enemy is Lex Luthor: a name that phonetically evokes that of Lucifer. Luthor is insanely jealous of Superman's powers, just as Lucifer was of God. There is a scene where Superman, weakened by Kryptonite, is savagely beaten by Luthor and his thugs. The violence is raw and very reminiscent of The Passion of the Christ. Seeing Superman stripped of his powers and thrashed reminds one of Jesus, holding back His great power, brutalized by the people he came to save. Superman is then stabbed in the side by Luthor with a shard of Kryptonite, an unmistakable allusion to the lance which pierced the heart of Christ on the cross.

Luthor's gal pal Kitty Kowalski calls to mind Pontius Pilate's wife Claudia, who tells Pilate not to harm Jesus, having been warned in a dream. Kitty is visibly disturbed during Superman's beating, and later throws away Kryptonian Crystals possessed by Lex, which had given him the edge in his battle against Superman.

Just as Christ did away with sin through His death, burial, and resurrection, Superman, after saving earth, falls (in a cruciform
pose) from space to earth, where his impact "buries" him in a crater, seemingly dead. Is this the end for Superman? Not if Warner Brothers wants another sequel!

Much more can be said, more than we have space for here. Of course, the comparisons between Superman and Christ end when it comes down to the main surprise of the film (caution: spoiler ahead!): Superman has fathered a child out of wedlock with Lois Lane. No allusion to Christ here; Jesus was celibate and fathered no children, no matter what Dan Brown says.

Superman's son, Jason, was conceived by Superman and Lois' illicit union in Superman II. As a lifelong Superman fan, this is one development of his onscreen mythology that I have a huge problem with. Superman was always known for his moral purity; filmmakers Donner and Singer have taken far too much licence here, in a misguided attempt to make Superman "relatable" to modern viewers.

But they forget that what attracts us to the character of Superman is, well, his character as well as his saving powers. He is to, as Jor-El intones in the film, "inspire others to moral good." And what people are attracted to in Superman--the qualities and powers of a saviour--can only be found in the reality of Christ, the true Super Man.

In the movie, Superman returns after a long disappearance. We, too, are waiting for our hero, Jesus, to return in glory. However, as Catholics, we are not asking Our Lord, as Lois does of Superman after his long absence, "How could you leave us like that?" We always have Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist, where He never leaves us or forsakes us. "I am with you always" (Matt. 28: 20).

Really, we can all identify a lot with Superman, because we are all aliens of a sort. This world is not our home, but "our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a saviour from there"--no, not Superman--"the Lord Jesus Christ, who ... will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (Phil 3:20-21). When He returns, we will all be Super.

A "revert" to the Catholic Church in 2004, Cale Clarke is a lay pastoral assistant in Unionville, On. He is the creator of FX: The Faith Explained, a seminar series on Catholic apologetics.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Catholic Insight

The Polycarp Option (I think it's a good one)

Today is the first Friday of Lent, and in the Church's liturgical calendar, it's known as a Lenten weekday - which means that clergy celebrating Mass today will be wearing the usual purple.

But there is an option today to celebrate the feast of St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr, instead. And this is an option worth taking. At the very least, I hope he gets mentioned in many homilies today. Why? Simply because his is one of the most inspiring testimonies of the early Church.

A direct pupil of the apostle John, Polycarp lived between 70 and 155 A.D., connecting him to both the age of the apostles and the fathers of the Church. Polycarp served as bishop of Smyrna (modern day Izmir in Turkey), and was recognized as one of the early defenders of the Catholic faith. He rejected the false teachings of Marcion, an influential heretic who tried to create a "new brand" of Christianity by redefining God and rejecting the Old Testament.

But perhaps Polycarp's greatest contribution to the faith may be his martyrdom, which stands as one of the most well documented events of antiquity. The emperors of Rome had unleashed bitter attacks against the Church during this period, and members of the early Church recorded many of the persecutions and deaths. Polycarp was arrested on the charge of being a Christian -a member of a politically dangerous "cult" - or so it was thought - whose rapid growth needed to be stopped. Amidst an angry mob, the Roman proconsul took pity on such a gentle old man and urged Polycarp to proclaim, "Caesar is Lord". If only Polycarp would make this declaration and offer a small pinch of incense to Caesar's statue he would escape torture and death. To this Polycarp responded, "Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" Steadfast in his love for Christ, Polycarp refused to compromise his beliefs, was burned alive at the stake, and finally stabbed to death.

St. Polycarp, pray for us - that we may imitate your heroic witness to Truth in this world.

Rest in Peace, DJ

Sad news today from the NBA. The Associated Press reports:

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Dennis Johnson, the star NBA guard who was part of three championships and teamed with Larry Bird on one of the great postseason plays, died Thursday, collapsing after his developmental team's practice. He was 52.

Johnson, a five-time All-Star and one of the top defensive guards, was part of the last Boston dynasty. He spent 14 seasons in the league and retired after the 1989-90 season. He played on title teams with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986 and with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979, when he was the NBA finals MVP.

Johnson was a favorite teammate of Bird's, and the two were part of one of the most memorable plays in Celtics history. During the fifth game of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, Bird stole Isiah Thomas' inbounds pass under Boston's basket and fed Johnson, who drove in for the winning layup. Boston won the series in seven games but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals.

"Dennis was a great player, one of the best teammates I ever had, and a wonderful person," said Bird, now president of the Indiana Pacers. "My thoughts and condolences are with his family at this difficult time."

That's DJ in the picture (no. 3), with Bird behind him to the right. Before the Toronto Raptors ever were, I was a die-hard Celtics fan. I support the Dinos now, but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the Men in Green.

Dennis Johnson was part of what I consider the greatest team in NBA history - the 1985-86 Celtics. Bird. McHale. "The Chief". DJ. Ainge. Come on. I'd throw them up against anyone - even Jordan's best Bulls squad - and take my chances. Bird was, and remains, my favorite player of all time (although Nash is closing quickly), and I'll always have fond memories of DJ and his Reeboks, which were just getting big in North America at the time (Speaking of fresh kicks, I tried to get my folks to buy me a pair of Converse Weapons that year, to no avail).

Probably the first basketball game I ever saw on TV was the double-overtime game between DJ and Bird's Celtics vs. a young Michael Jordan's Bulls in the first round of the 1986 playoffs. I have vivid memories of Dick Stockton and Tommy Heinsohn's CBS call in the steambath that was the old Boston Garden.

What most everyone remembers about that game was that Jordan went for a playoff-record 63 that night. What almost no one remembers is that the Celtics won the game. And the series. And, eventually, the championship. They were the greatest team ever. And Dennis Johnson was a big part of it. Rest in peace, Number 3.

Feast of the Chair of Peter

You've got to hand it to the Church. Lent is only one day old, and already we have a feast day!

As to it's meaning...well, I could tell you about it myself, but I'll defer to the man who sits in said chair: Papa Ratzi, B16, The German Shepherd...Pope Benedict XVI himself.

The Holy See doesn't translate the Pope's General Audience talks. The translation that follows was done by Rocco Palmo over at his Whispers in the Loggia blog. Two posts, two mentions of Whispers. Think I like it? You bet! Here are Benedict's thoughts, which are, as always, well worth reading:

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The Latin liturgy celebrates today the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. It comes from a very ancient tradition, chronicled at Rome from the end of the 4th century, which renders thanks to God for the mission entrusted to the Apostle Peter and to his successors. The "cathedra," literally, is the fixed seat of the Bishop, found in the mother church in a diocese, which for this reason is called "cathedral," and is the symbol of the authority of the Bishop and, in particular, of his "magisterium," the evangelical teaching which he, as a successor of the Apostles, is called to maintain and pass on to the Christian community. When the Bishop takes possession of the particular Church entrusted to him, he, wearing the mitre and carrying the pastoral staff, is seated in the cathedra. From that seat he will guide, as teacher and pastor, the path of the faithful in faith, in hope and in love.

What was, then, the "cathedra" of St. Peter? He, chosen by Christ as the "rock" on which the Church was built, began his ministry in Jerusalem, after the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost. The first "see" of the Church was the Cenacle, and it's likely that in that room, where also Mary, the mother of Jesus, prayed together with the disciples, a special place was reserved for Simon Peter. Successively, the see of Peter became Antioch, a city situated on the Oronte River, in Syria, today in Turkey, in that time the third metropolis of the Roman empire after Rome and Alexandria in Egypt. From that city, evangalized by Barnabas and Paul, where "for the first time the disciples were called Christians" (Acts 11:26), where the name Christian was born for us, Peter was the first bishop, so that the Roman Martyrology, before the reform of the calendar, also provided for a specific celebration of the Chair of Peter at Antioch. From there, Providence brought Peter to Rome. Therefore we have the road from Jerusalem, the newborn Church, to Antioch, the first center of the Church recounted by the Pagans and still united with the Church which proceeded from the Jews. Then Peter came to Rome, center of the Empire, symbol of the "Orbis" -- the "Urbis" [city] which expresses the "Orbis" [world] of the earth -- where he concluded with his martyrdom his course in the service of the Gospel. For this, the see of Rome, which received the greatest honor, is also accorded the honors entrusted by Christ to Peter to be at the service of all the particular Churches for the building up and the unity of the entire People of God.

The see of Rome, after this movement of St. Peter, became recognized as that of the successor of Peter, and the "cathedra" of its bishop represented that of the Apostle charged by Christ to feed his flock. This is attested to by the most ancient Fathers of the Church, for example St. Iraneus, bishop of Lyon, but living in Asia Minor, who in his treatise Against Heresies described the Church of Rome as "the greatest and most ancient, known of all...founded and built at Rome by the two most glorious apostles Peter and Paul"; and then: "With this Church, for its outstanding superiority, must be accorded to it the Church universal, the faithful in every place" (III, 3, 2-3). Tertullian, a little later, for his part, affirms: "How blessed is this Church of Rome! For it the apostles poured out, with their blood, the whole of doctrine." The chair of the Bishop of Rome represents, therefore, not only its service to the Roman community, but its mission of watching over the entire People of God.

To celebrate the "Cathedra" of Peter, as we do today, means, then, to attribute to it a strong spiritual significance and to recognize it as a privileged sign of the love of God, the good and eternal Shepherd, who wishes to gather the entire Church and guide it along the way of salvation. Among the many testimonies of the Fathers, I'd like to report that of St. Jerome, who wrote in a letter of his to the Bishop of Rome, particularly interesting because it makes an explicit reference to the "chair" of Peter, presented it as the sure grounding of truth and of peace. As Jerome wrote: "I decided to consult the chair of Peter, where is found that faith which the mouth of an Apostle exalted; I come then to ask nourishment for my soul, where once was received the garment of Christ. I don't follow a primate other than Christ; for this reason, I place myself in communion with your blessedness, that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that on this rock is built the Church" (Letters I, 15, 1-2).

Dear Brothers and Sisters, in the apse of St. Peter's Basilica, as you know, can be found the monument to the Chair of the Apostle, Bernini's eldest work, realized in the form of a great bronze throne, held up by statues of four Doctors of the Church, two of the west, St. Augustine and St. Ambrose, two of the east, St. John Chrysostom and St. Athanasius. I invite you to stand in front of this suggested work, which today is probably decorated admirably by many candles, and pray in a particular way for the ministry which God has entrusted to me. Raising our gaze to the alabaster window which opens over the Chair, invoking the Holy Spirit, may he always sustain with his light and strength my daily service to all the Church. [Applause] For this, and for your devoted attention, I thank you from my heart.

Welcome to My Blog!

I'm Cale Clarke, Catholic speaker and writer. I'm the director of FX: The Faith Explained, a seminar series on the Catholic faith. I also am a Pastoral Assistant at St. Justin, Martyr Parish in Unionville, Ontario.

I'm far more famous, however, for being married to Tricia, and somewhat less famous for my bodacious basketball skills and my groovy golf swing.

People have been asking me for a while if I have a website. Well, I do now!

I decided to go with a blog, rather than a traditional website (for now) for two reasons: One, I figured this would be a good way for friends and family to keep in touch, keep up to date, and, hopefully, to entertain them in the process; and, two, it was easier to set up than a regular website! I didn't have to know web design to do this - and that's a good thing, because I don't! I am, after all, still a technological idiot, as well as a two-finger typist (kinda like one of those hack sportswriters you see in old movies, minus the dangling cigar).

Actually, Rocco Palmo over at Whispers in the Loggia (whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com) encouraged me (without even knowing it) to go the blog route via his interview with Fr. Tom Rosica on Salt and Light Television's Witness. Now, Rocco gets over 20, 000 hits a day on his blog, yet says that he's not really that good with computers. All he has to do, he said, is type his post, enter it, and, boom, it's done. "Is it really that simple?" I thought. I'm happy to report that it is! It only took minutes to officially enter the blogosphere.

So, now that I'm here, what will I be writing about? The Faith, of course - not to do so would constitute false advertising! But, you can expect much more - musings on pop culture, sports, or whatever else happens to interest me.

This has been plenty long enough for a welcome post already...now, on to the good stuff! Enjoy!