What is going on again in the Dallas diocese, again?

Jesuit speaker Fr. Robert E. Kennedy, S.J. has been invited to be the speaker and the leader of a Zen retreat at St. Joseph's Parish, Richardson, TX. The talk is scheduled as follows: February 10, 2006, at 7-9 p.m. in the Main Sanctuary, and for February 11th and 12th, in the St. Joseph Room. Poor St. Joseph is rolling over in his grave.

The following is a bio and a photograph of Fr. Kennedy in his Zen kimono on the front page of 'Morning Star Zendo,' a center where Kennedy is affiliated:

"Robert Kennedy, S.J., Roshi, is a Jesuit priest and Zen teacher in the White Plum lineage. He studied with Yamada Roshi in Kamakura, Japan, with Maezumi Roshi in Los Angeles, and with Glassman Roshi in New York. Glassman Roshi installed Kennedy as sensei in 1991 and conferred Inka (his final seal of approval) in 1997, making him a roshi (master). Kennedy Roshi is the author of Zen Gifts to Christians and Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit.... To date, Kennedy Roshi has installed six dharma successors...and Kevin Hunt Sensei, a Trappist monk from St. Joseph's Abbey at Spencer, Mass.

"For the occasion of Fr. Hunt's installation, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., wrote:

"'Because of the long preparation and training required to become a master of the demanding Zen training, Fr. Hunt's achievement is one that we can all celebrate in thanksgiving to God ... Jesuits and other Christians have found Zen to be a valuable instrument for progressing in the spiritual life. ... By coming to focus on the present moment through the practice of the techniques of Zen meditation, the Christian can become aware of God's immediate loving presence.'"

Cardinal Josef Ratzinger [now Pope Benedict XVI] addresses the problems with Zen combined with Christianity in the following document, "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation."

http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFMED.HTM

Here we clearly see Cardinal Ratzinger, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on October 15, 1989, teaching the dangers of Zen, Buddhism and Transcendental Meditation, as well as some other forms of prayer. See excerpt from Section 3, n.12; also see Endnote n.1 below:

12. With the present diffusion of eastern methods of meditation in the Christian world and in ecclesial communities, we find ourselves faced with a pointed renewal of an attempt, which is not free from dangers and errors, "to fuse Christian meditation with that which is non-Christian." Proposals in this direction are numerous and radical to a greater or lesser extent. Some use eastern methods solely as a psycho-physical preparation for a truly Christian contemplation; others go further and, using different techniques, try to generate spiritual experiences similar to those described in the writings of certain Catholic mystics. Still others do not hesitate to place that absolute without image or concepts, which is proper to Buddhist theory, on the same level as the majesty of God revealed in Christ, which towers above finite reality. To this end, they make use of a "negative theology," which transcends every affirmation seeking to express what God is, and denies that the things of this world can offer traces of the infinity of God. Thus they propose abandoning not only meditation on the salvific works accomplished in history by the God of the Old and New Covenant, but also the very idea of the One and Triune God, who is Love, in favor of an immersion "in the indeterminate abyss of the divinity." These and similar proposals to harmonize Christian meditation with eastern techniques need to have their contents and methods ever subjected to a thorough-going examination so as to avoid the danger of falling into syncretism.

Why is Bishop Grahmann allowing another questionable speaker priest to come into our diocese? There are excellent books giving wonderful examples of learning 'contemplative' Christian prayer, many written by Canonized Saints of the Church.

This is the same pastor, Fr. Fischer of St. Joseph's Parish in Richardson, TX, who very recently hosted a two days retreat given by dissenter priest, Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M. Despite the enormous evidence that Rohr is an unfaithful priest who openly dissents against Humanae vitae, and who promotes homosexuality, the Bishop of Dallas, Bp. Charles V. Grahmann, and the pastor, Fr. Fischer, affirmed their support for this bumfuzzler preacher as well.

Nota Bene: Do not ask this writer what all of this Zen terminology means. This writer does not know and does not care to know.

Endnotes

1. The expression "eastern methods" is used to refer to methods which are inspired by Hinduism and Buddhism, such as "Zen," "Transcendental Meditation" or "Yoga." Thus, it indicates methods of meditation of the non-Christian Far East which today are not infrequently adopted by some Christians also in their meditation. The orientation of the principles and methods contained in this present document is intended to serve as a reference point not just for this problem, but also, in a more general way, for the different forms of prayer practiced nowadays in ecclesial organizations, particularly in associations, movements and groups.