Bishop Lynch in Tampa Bay Times

Bishop Robert Lynch is again in the Tampa Bay Times: St. Petersburg bishop's letter against health law to be read, distributed at Masses Sunday.

I find it so heartening to see our Bishop's strong stand against the culture of death and its current weapon - the federal health care reform law, and its mandating of contraception services, which could include abortion inducing drug coverage.

I will be at Mass on Sunday and look forward to hearing his letter read. I hope my fellow parishioners listen to the letter as well, and think about its implications when they have the chance to make their voice heard in the November elections.

Bishop Robert Lynch Blog Post on Chrism Mass

I enjoy Bishop Lynch's blog. Following is an excerpt from his post on Chrism Mass on Palm Sunday, 2011. Bishop Lynch addresses some of the troubles facing the Church today, and briefly mentions the Tridentine Mass:

"However, during these days of sharing and reflection some concerns were also expressed by our priests, more pastoral than personal, and always spoken in love, not in anger. At several of the sessions one or more of the fathers stated that “they did not know what was happening to the Church for which they were ordained” and by that they generally meant that there seemed to be a withdrawal from commitment to liturgical renewal, from active pursuit of social justice, from the sense of the Church as being relevant to the people to whom they were ministering, from real concerns about declining membership and declining faith practice. Additionally, concerns about a growing feeling of alienation of many of the faithful which can be occasioned when we bishops choose to draw lines in the sand of who is a good Catholic or a bad Catholic, an uneasiness stemming from deep questions and real concerns about the need for the new translation of the Roman Missal concomitant with the perception caused by the seeming support in certain sectors of the extraordinary form or Tridentine Rite, the priests of this diocese see steps backward from the headier days of ecumenical enthusiasm and lament the lack of timely responsiveness to requests by the diocesan pastoral center, from the growing sense of our inability to reach the youth of our parishes and diocese, fewer priests but greater expectations placed on those presently serving, uncertainty about retirement and the future, dramatically fewer Catholic marriages, fewer funerals, fewer confirmations and the list could go on and on."  (See full blog post here).

It seems to me Bishop Lynch is saying the going is tough right now for the Church, and also that the New Translation is unpopular in some instances. Also, Church membership, weddings, etc., are declining. I for one am disappointed in the New Translation. It seems if I am reading Bishop Lynch correctly, the New Translation has made things worse not better, at least in terms of morale.

The Tridentine Rite is mentioned as being seen by some as a step backword. But perhaps a step backward is what we need. I would respectfully suggest something a basketball coach once told me: "When the going gets tough, good teams get back to the basics. Great teams never leave the basics."

What could be more basic to the practice of Catholicism than the Tridentine Mass? The Tridentine Mass was in practice from 1570 to 1962. That is more than a few centuries. Perhaps the way to address this growing sense of alienation, the declining membership and faith practice, is to go back to what worked so well for so many long - to get back to the basics of the faith - the Latin Mass.

Bishop Robert Lynch Takes a Courageous Stand

During these difficult times in America, I, like many, have been disappointed by the Catholic Church not standing up for traditional Catholic values. And not just the Catholic Church, but Catholics themselves, who helped elect the most pro-abortion President in American history.

I take heart, and am given hope, by the courageous stand of Bishop Robert Lynch of St Petersburg, Florida against what has been called the president's "war on the Catholic Church." This war in part stems from the Health and Human Services mandate that forces every employer to provide employees with health coverage that not only covers birth control and sterilization, but makes them free.

Bishop Robert Lynch is mentioned today in the Wall Street Journal as a foremost opponent of the mandate, even to the point of civil disobedience. We must needs stand for those who cannot stand for themselves - the unborn. Bishop Lynch, you have my respect for this and my hat is off to you. God bless you!

The Wall Street Journal editorial, entitled, "Obama Offends the Catholic Left," also mentions members of the Catholic left who were huge supporters of Obama, and who now feel betrayed - like the liberal National Catholic Reporter, Michael Sean Winter. As Adam and Eve once discovered, if you play with snakes, you'll eventually get bitten.