Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Bp Sklba's Jihad on Veni Veni Emanuel (!!)

Since we don't get the Archdiocesan newspaper, we miss some of the good stuff that Bp. Sklba essays upon.

But not all of it, as Diogenes keeps track of our Most Accomodating, Intellectual, And Apologetic Leftover from the Abp. Weakland regime.

Today we learn that Veni, Veni, Emanuel is another anti-Semitic screed.

Bet you didn't know that, eh?

It may seem a small point, but we Christians need to examine carefully the hymns and carols which we sing during this sacred season of our Advent. A classic case in point is the popular Advent song, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." What does it mean to sing a plea for God to rescue "captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear"?

If a Jewish friend or colleague were present, what would they think?

The reference may be to the book of Lamentations and to the sorrow of ancient Jewish people over the destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem, first by the Babylonians in the sixth century BCE, and then by the Romans in the first century, but Israel has been a free state for 60 years.

First off, if you sing it in Latin, most of my Jewish friends wouldn't have the faintest idea...

The Bishop either forgets or deliberately ignores what most Catholics refer to as "salvation history." Actually, the operative word is "salvation." I'm sure that the Bishop doesn't mean to obviate Original Sin from church teaching.....right?

We also note the Careful, Correct, Erudite, Sophisticated use of the abbreviation "BCE."

Shove it, Your Excellency. It's BC (before Christ). Your "common era" is altogether too common for me.

7 comments:

Adrienne said...

You need to tell us how you really feel. Don't hold back - just spit it out LOL

How ridiculous. I grew up in a neighborhood where if you wern't Catholic you were Jewish. Not once do I remember any of my Jewish friends taking offense at that song.

And this Bishop doesn't have a problem with the average Haugen/Hass/Joncas garbage?? Be still my beating heart.

Anonymous said...

How long til retirement for this guy? Isn't it just a year or two away? If only time could move faster...

GOR said...

Yes Dad, the 'BCE' stuck out like a sore thumb to me also. But what else would you expect from +Richard, than a bending over backwards to be 'accomodating' to everyone - except the Catholic Church.

Off with his miter...!

Anonymous said...

Bishop Sklba also sparked some debate with an article he wrote a few weeks ago on Jewish-Catholic relations. In that article, the dear bishop said that Catholics really need not worry about converting the Jews because the Jewish Covenant remains eternally valid.

If the Jewish Covenant is/was a valid and saving Covenant, why did the Old Testament Patriarchs and Prophets have to wait in the Limbo of the Fathers until Christ opened up the Gates of Heaven? I asked Bishop Sklba about this, but he had no answer. I also asked Bishop Sklba about the Gospel mandate to make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Bishop Sklba didn't have much on that either.

Terrence Berres said...

"Bishop Sklba also sparked some debate with an article he wrote a few weeks ago on Jewish-Catholic relations."

Any of that debate online?

Fr. Erik Richtsteig said...

Isn't there a need for a new ordinary of the Vicariate Apostolic of Antartica?

Terrence Berres said...

That's so cold! Rather he could have test-marketed our Archdiocese's Living Our Faith evangelization effort in Castro di Puglia.