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Published: August 29, 2009
Kennedy Prayer of the Faithful Changed
Response from Liturgy Training Publications
Dear Sir or Madam:
I’m writing in response to the article posted on your website regarding a petition that appeared in our downloadable Prayer of the Faithful resource. I wanted to let you know that the text to the pray has been amended and it now reads:
“For all our beloved dead, especially (particular parish intentions), and for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, that they may find their eternal reward in the arms of God. We pray:”
I apologize for the extremely poor use of words reflected in the recent posting of our Prayer of the Faithful resource as it relates to the petition regarding Senator Edward Kennedy. Upon reflection, the editors who adapted and wrote the prayer recognize their poor judgment. As a source text they drew from “Prayers on the Inauguration of a Public Official” found in the Book of Blessings. This was a poor choice as a source text. The source prayer, as originally intended, intentionally reflects a future hope; it is not intended as a reflection on the quality of the life of a person or persons. This was not considered enough when adapted. As adapted for the Prayer of the Faithful, the text inappropriately presents a sense of support for the positions and actions taken by the late Senator by those who wrote it or pray it. I know it was not the intention of the editors to support the Senator’s positions, but upon reading the petition, as it was originally written, support can be inferred. I apologize for our failure in judgment and poor selection of words used in the prayer. I pray that we do better in the future.
We appreciate your feedback and concern. In the future, please feel free to write to me directly if you have a concern about one of our resources.
Sincerely,
John
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John A. Thomas
Director
Liturgy Training Publications
3949 S. Racine Avenue
Chicago, IL 60609
jthomas@ltp.org
Phone (773) 579-4900, ext. 3557
FAX 773-579-4929
www.LTP.org
Posted Saturday, August 29, 2009 1:16 PM By Woody Guidry
Watching the televised funeral mass of Ted Kennedy was an unexpected joy, due to the absence of possible manipulation which might have confronted us. His family gave great Catholic example in their following of the service and in their mentioning that their beloved family leader was not perfect. Their strength, love and humility is a pattern for all of us.
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Posted Saturday, August 29, 2009 2:49 PM By Laurette Elsberry
They may have amended the text, but have they notified their subscribers? Mr. Thomas' note does not specify this. As to the implied praise of Kennedy, I find it hard to believe that this was just a matter of poor judgment. Seems to me that CalCatholic and those who contacted LTP caught this group red-handed. Another point: Today after seeing and hearing the praise heaped on this militant pro-abortion culture of death politician by a Catholic Cardinal and priests as well as by a rabid pro-abortion culture of death president in a Catholic basilica, the damage is done. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church American hierarchy and clergy involved have trashed our Faith again. May God hve mercy on all of them.
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Posted Saturday, August 29, 2009 6:51 PM By JLS
How close to committing the "unpardonable sin" does one have to get before it is obvious? Use political power to stop the overturning of Roe v Wade, which is what Ted Kennedy did, by borking Judge Bork, and I'd say that is close to the line if not over it. He never expressed any regret about forwarding the abortion movement.
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Posted Saturday, August 29, 2009 6:54 PM By Mark from PA
Woody, I agree with you. I saw most of the Mass and it was beautiful. I hope that the beauty of the Mass was an inspiration and touched those who are not active in their faith. Yes, Ted Kennedy was not perfect. Yes, Ted Kennedy was a sinner. But he also did much good in his life for the benefit of others. May he rest in peace.
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Posted Sunday, August 30, 2009 1:12 PM By JLS
Schism or heresy? Whatever it is, it has not been formalized yet.
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Posted Sunday, August 30, 2009 7:22 PM By Jon
A man who devoted his life to ensuring the slaughter of innocent babies in the womb gets a Cardinal - no, two - for his funeral? What an absolute and utter disgrace. Has the great apostacy yet begun?
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Posted Sunday, August 30, 2009 8:07 PM By Laurette Elsberry
Mark, re the Mass touching "those who are not active in their faith", which faith are you talking about. What they saw was the prostitution of the Holy Mass by traitors in the American Church. If that is the faith that touched them, they are on the wrong path.
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Posted Sunday, August 30, 2009 8:38 PM By JLS
PA, how much less perfect would Ted Kennedy have to have been to qualify as really evil? He did not good in his life ... he took credit for stuff that would have been done anyway. All he did was make sure that abortion was up and running at over a million a year in this nation, but by influence millions more in other nations. You can have your Amchurch along with its cardinals; I'll stick with the Roman Catholic Church along with its popes. Recall that there was only one bishop in all of England who stood up to Henry VIII, and he was martyred. The rest of them behaved exactly like these American prelates are behaving ... they've become Anglicans in effect ... de facto Anglicans.
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Posted Monday, August 31, 2009 6:56 AM By george
Again, politics seems to trumph belief among so many of our institutional hierarchs.
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Posted Monday, August 31, 2009 8:17 AM By Elizabeth
And as far as the letter to the Holy Father that Obama brought with him when he visited recently.....
Apparently it was 10 pages long.......
And as a Priest on EWTN said........
It had to be more than just saying 'I'm sorry'!
And as Father pointed out, look at all the good he could of accomplished had he stayed a pro-life Catholic. So SAD!!!!!!!!
For him and for all the little babies especially that have been killed.
May God have mercy on his soul.
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Posted Monday, August 31, 2009 11:10 AM By JLS
His letter no doubt was a lawyer's plea of self righteousness and the devil made me do it combo.
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Posted Monday, August 31, 2009 4:31 PM By Doug
To think a proabortion politician could look you and me in the eye and not even twitch had we been aborted! We can not judge Mr. Kennedy, only God can, I hope Mr. Kennedy did many charitable works pleasing to God in reparation for his public sins and went to confession with sorrow for all of his sins. Mr. Kennedy has been met with his final judgement. He is whereever he is. Finally, there was NO SEPARATION of CHURCH and STATE in this solemn setting. Where were all the screaming liberals and ACLU when the children were put up to petitioning for "Obama -- now Kennedy" Care; and when Obama eulegized Mr. Kennedy. Did anyone notice an absence or covering up of religious relics and art to the TV cameras like at the Catholic institutions he has of late spoken at? Recall Notre Dame University graduation and another unnoticeably once Catholic University. With his Obama baby-killer executive orders, this spectacle only embarrassed the Catholic Church served to insult our Holy God by the "one" whom defies God's commandments.
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Posted Monday, August 31, 2009 5:31 PM By Mark from PA
Yes, I can agree with you, Elizabeth. "Look at all the good he could of accoplished had he stayed a pro-life Catholic." That is sad.
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Posted Monday, August 31, 2009 9:47 PM By BJ
Yep...that's the mark of a "real" Christian. Kick a dead man after he is down! Wow
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Posted Tuesday, September 01, 2009 5:49 PM By John F. Maguire
As is well-known, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is that sin, and just that sin, that is unpardonable. Care, however, should be taken to recognize the truth that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unpardonable NOT because God's forgiveness is not forthcoming but rather because the person in sin refuses that forgiveness, that is, refuses the gift of salvation. Aquinas explains: "Augustine...says that blasphemy or the sin against the Holy Spirit, is final impenitence when, namely, a man perseveres in mortal sin until death, and that it is not confined to utterance by word of mouth but extends to words in thought and deed, not to one word only, but to many. Now this word, in this sense, is said to be uttered against the Holy Spirit, because it is contrary to the remission of sins, which is the work of the Holy Spirit, Who is the charity of both the Father and the Son." St. Thomas Aquinas, _Summa theologiae_, II-II, Q. 14. Divine aid in the struggle against final impenitence comes to the person in sin in the interiority of that person's heart. The outcome of this struggle (a struggle that brings home to us the prayer of supplication to Mary most Holy:
"Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death") is NOT something that can be apprehended by us *ab externo*, let alone is it something that can be said to approach obviousness asymptotically. ~ "Why is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit unforgivable?" asks Pope John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter _DOMINUM ET VIVIFICANTEM_ (May 5, 1986). "How should this blasphemy be understood? Saint Thomas Aquinas replies that it is a question of a sin that is 'unforgivable by its very nature', insofar as it excludes the elements through which the foregiveness of sins takes place." Necessarily then, the unforgiveable sin is that sin that consists in "the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the Cross." Section 46.
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Posted Wednesday, September 02, 2009 11:46 AM By JLS
Maguire, that is why it has been brought up in the case in question here. *** All you teddy boy apologists continue to harp the wrong tune; you are accusing the rest of us of bashing a doomed soul, but that is not what we are doing: We are bashing you living but doomed souls, in an effort to wake you up from your idolatrous relationship with the kennedy cabal.
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Posted Thursday, September 10, 2009 6:57 PM By Laura
I'm impressed by the number of people who have divine knowledge of the actions of the Lord and the state of a stranger's conscience at the time of his death. Personally, I would hesitate to vociferously judge Senator Kennedy, not knowing where he stood with his Father, and knowing that I am a sinner, too. It seems that there are a lot of Pharisees praying in the temple these days.
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