HOMILY FOR THE THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, November 8, 2009:
“She, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” Today’s Gospel sets two pictures side-by-side for us. It is hard to imagine two pictures that could be so different from one another. The first picture shows us the scribes with their long robes, the honor they receive, and their skill at praying. Right behind them, rich people are making large offerings to the Temple.
The second picture is of a woman who makes an offering too. But her offering is so small that the two coins she drops in the offering plate would be worth mere pennies. And because it is easy for us to overlook a penny lying in the street, it could be easy for the people in the Temple – as it could be easy for us – to overlook this widow if Jesus hadn’t drawn our attention to her.
Every parish that has ever struggled to meet the budget would be glad to have the sort of people in the first picture contribute to the mission and ministry of the Church. And when parishes set a strategy for giving campaigns, the first step is usually to focus on the respected and the rich in the parish, people who could have a real impact on the budget and help sustain the ministry. Compared to five-figure gifts, six-figure gifts or more, what can a penny do?
But Jesus focuses our attention on the widow and her coins because in her, Jesus must see something of His own life. At the end of the parable we hear Jesus say, “She, from her poverty, has contributed all that she had, her whole livelihood.” Or as other translations put it more bluntly and plainly, “She has given her whole life.” And that is where Jesus sees a reflection of Himself in this woman’s gift.
She gave everything she had; even just those meager coins; and she was blessed. Perhaps gazing upon this woman, Jesus thought of another widow who was blessed: His own mother Mary. Maybe Jesus saw that widow at the temple and thought of His own mother - what she sacrificed, what she had, what she lost. She may very well have had to struggle to make ends meet. Jesus saw that. He knew that. He knew the value of those two small coins. He understood where the widow at the temple was coming from. He'd seen it for himself.
And he understood what that widow at the temple was doing. She didn't hold back. She let go. She didn't take. She gave.
In Mark’s Gospel, this story finds itself chronologically in the middle of Holy Week. So, just a couple of days from this encounter, Jesus Himself will give His whole life on the cross. Jesus turns our attention to the woman not because she shows us how to run a giving campaign. Rather, when she opens up her hand and the two coins slip out, she has given away her life. In the same way, on the cross, Jesus opens up His own hands and life slips from them as well. Her giving is total just as, on the cross, Jesus will completely give of Himself.
You see, in this woman and in our Lord we see that the Kingdom of God is found not where people hold on tight to their riches or when they demand respect. The Kingdom is found not in holding on to what we have, but in letting go. As Jesus says repeatedly, “Those who want to save their life will lose it. And those who lose their life for my sake and the gospel will find it.”
This is a lesson we all need to hear. We may suffer terrible losses that rob us of those we love, like the widow. We may grieve, and we may mourn, we may face every kind of struggle, challenge and strife in life and we may ask ourselves “Why?” But the way through loss is love. The way through our challenges is by opening our hearts; giving ourselves; holding nothing back.
In her giving, this widow gives us a glimpse of our Lord Jesus. She gave her very life. So does He. St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians gives us even more insight into this. He writes, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant,” and He died on the cross.
This widow gives us a glimpse of our life in Christ – hands open, giving away life, in turn to gain it eternally. We too are called today to find what she has found, that all we have comes from God and should be returned to God. Only then will we have life to the full. We too are called to open our hands and release whatever we are grasping; whatever we are holding; to give all that we are and all that we have to Christ. Only then can we gain the Kingdom He has promised.
Lord, take my life and form it; take my mind and transform it; take my will and conform it; to Yours, O Lord.
May the Lord give you peace.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
All Souls Day: "We are defined by whom we have lost"
HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF ALL SOULS, November 2, 2009:
Columnist Anna Quindlen, reflecting a few years ago on death after the passing of her sister-in-law at a young age wrote, “My brother and I . . . were both teenagers when our mother died, we know that if anyone were to ask us, ‘When does it stop hurting?’ we would have to answer in all candor, ‘If it ever does, we will let you know.’...As a writer, I wrote my obituaries carefully and think about how little the facts suffice, not only to describe the dead but to tell what they will mean to the living all the rest of our lives. We are defined by whom we have lost.”
As I reflect today on this All Souls day, I kept hearing Quindlen's words, “we are defined by whom we have lost.” As we gather here today to mind all our loved ones who have gone to their eternal rest, these words can almost become a prayer: we are defined by whom we have lost.
We live in a culture that wants us to “get over it” when someone dies, to move on, or the current favorite word of pop psychology “to find closure.” But, the Church, in its long held wisdom, gives us this Feast, asking us to not “get over it,” but rather to give voice to our grief and sorrow.
Today is a day that respects our love for those who have died, both the grief of losing someone close to us, perhaps over the course of this year, or the loss in our world due to hunger, poverty, violence and war; and to pray in a special way for all the souls in Purgatory, helping them achieve the glory of Heaven through our prayers.
As Christians, we believe that our dear ones are now safe in God's care. As followers of Jesus, we believe He will strengthen us while we live. There is no need for heavy theology today, or extensive explanation of our Scriptures because we already know what we believe about resurrection and eternal life. So, instead, let me just suggest three small things to do at the end of the day that helps us to honor our beloved departed:
First, Remember - Jesus gave his disciples these powerful words, “Do this in memory of me,” in other words, remember me. So too, our loved ones must be called to mind, we must keep them in our memory and keep our love for them alive. Angels appeared to the disciples after the resurrection telling them to remember that Jesus had prepared them for this moment. From Luke’s Gospel, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” Then they remembered His words. We too, in our tears and sorrows, remember that Jesus understands our hurt, our sorrow, our heartache. We can bring all of it to Him and He will heal us, especially as we remember.
Second, Give Thanks - In the Book of Sirach, we hear the remembrance of people who lived their faith and touched others: “Shed tears for one who is dead…as is only proper…give thanks, as they deserve.” Memory fills us with a sense of gratitude and praise. When we remember those who have died, so many thoughts come into our mind: things we did, or did not do; sometimes regret; words that may or may not have been spoken. Today we are asked to dismiss all of that; even if just for today. We remember our dead and for them and their lives, for the difference they made to us and others, we are grateful. And so think today, for whom are you grateful? Whether their life was a long full one, or ended with too many roads untravelled; whether they died suddenly, peacefully, or after a long illness; for whom are you grateful. Relish that memory and offer it up to the Lord.
The third thing we can do is Live - We are defined by whom we have lost. Those we have loved and lost, have contributed to who we are. And so, who are we? How can we allow the memories and the gratitude to shape us? Maybe that is the privilege, the blessing of those who have embraced loss: loss reminds us that we cannot live as though we have all the time in the world. We cannot let words go unspoken, gestures of love go undone. Like the disciples, we realize we cannot wear grief like a badge that exempts us from living. No, our grief gently, but firmly, calls us to live.
The great abolitionist Sojourner Truth once said, “I'm not gonna just die... I'm going home like a shooting star.” Today, on this All Souls Day, let us pause, and think about those stars, those lights that have shaped us, and gone home. And let us take a deep breath, and continue our lives, knowing that Jesus, the Morning Star, who guided them home, will one day safely guide us home too. Today we remember, give thanks and live as those who will also be joined with all of those in heaven one day. And we pray for all of our loved ones who have gone before us, especially those souls in Purgatory, that they will enjoy one day the joy of God’s presence in Heaven.
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine on them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.
May God give you peace.
Columnist Anna Quindlen, reflecting a few years ago on death after the passing of her sister-in-law at a young age wrote, “My brother and I . . . were both teenagers when our mother died, we know that if anyone were to ask us, ‘When does it stop hurting?’ we would have to answer in all candor, ‘If it ever does, we will let you know.’...As a writer, I wrote my obituaries carefully and think about how little the facts suffice, not only to describe the dead but to tell what they will mean to the living all the rest of our lives. We are defined by whom we have lost.”
As I reflect today on this All Souls day, I kept hearing Quindlen's words, “we are defined by whom we have lost.” As we gather here today to mind all our loved ones who have gone to their eternal rest, these words can almost become a prayer: we are defined by whom we have lost.
We live in a culture that wants us to “get over it” when someone dies, to move on, or the current favorite word of pop psychology “to find closure.” But, the Church, in its long held wisdom, gives us this Feast, asking us to not “get over it,” but rather to give voice to our grief and sorrow.
Today is a day that respects our love for those who have died, both the grief of losing someone close to us, perhaps over the course of this year, or the loss in our world due to hunger, poverty, violence and war; and to pray in a special way for all the souls in Purgatory, helping them achieve the glory of Heaven through our prayers.
As Christians, we believe that our dear ones are now safe in God's care. As followers of Jesus, we believe He will strengthen us while we live. There is no need for heavy theology today, or extensive explanation of our Scriptures because we already know what we believe about resurrection and eternal life. So, instead, let me just suggest three small things to do at the end of the day that helps us to honor our beloved departed:
First, Remember - Jesus gave his disciples these powerful words, “Do this in memory of me,” in other words, remember me. So too, our loved ones must be called to mind, we must keep them in our memory and keep our love for them alive. Angels appeared to the disciples after the resurrection telling them to remember that Jesus had prepared them for this moment. From Luke’s Gospel, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” Then they remembered His words. We too, in our tears and sorrows, remember that Jesus understands our hurt, our sorrow, our heartache. We can bring all of it to Him and He will heal us, especially as we remember.
Second, Give Thanks - In the Book of Sirach, we hear the remembrance of people who lived their faith and touched others: “Shed tears for one who is dead…as is only proper…give thanks, as they deserve.” Memory fills us with a sense of gratitude and praise. When we remember those who have died, so many thoughts come into our mind: things we did, or did not do; sometimes regret; words that may or may not have been spoken. Today we are asked to dismiss all of that; even if just for today. We remember our dead and for them and their lives, for the difference they made to us and others, we are grateful. And so think today, for whom are you grateful? Whether their life was a long full one, or ended with too many roads untravelled; whether they died suddenly, peacefully, or after a long illness; for whom are you grateful. Relish that memory and offer it up to the Lord.
The third thing we can do is Live - We are defined by whom we have lost. Those we have loved and lost, have contributed to who we are. And so, who are we? How can we allow the memories and the gratitude to shape us? Maybe that is the privilege, the blessing of those who have embraced loss: loss reminds us that we cannot live as though we have all the time in the world. We cannot let words go unspoken, gestures of love go undone. Like the disciples, we realize we cannot wear grief like a badge that exempts us from living. No, our grief gently, but firmly, calls us to live.
The great abolitionist Sojourner Truth once said, “I'm not gonna just die... I'm going home like a shooting star.” Today, on this All Souls Day, let us pause, and think about those stars, those lights that have shaped us, and gone home. And let us take a deep breath, and continue our lives, knowing that Jesus, the Morning Star, who guided them home, will one day safely guide us home too. Today we remember, give thanks and live as those who will also be joined with all of those in heaven one day. And we pray for all of our loved ones who have gone before us, especially those souls in Purgatory, that they will enjoy one day the joy of God’s presence in Heaven.
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine on them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.
May God give you peace.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Desiring sainthood
HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS, November 1, 2009:
The famous Trappist monk Thomas Merton in his book Seven Storey Mountain relays a story of a conversation he had with a friend about sainthood and how to attain it. Merton was uncertain of what it would take, but his friend Robert simply reminded him, “All that is necessary to be a saint is to want to be one. Don't you believe that God will make you what He created you to be, if you will consent to let Him do it? All you have to do is desire it.”
We find ourselves today in the midst of two of the most beautiful and intimately connected feasts in our Church year – All Saints Day which we celebrate today and All Souls Day which we will celebrate on Monday. These days are not only intimately connected, but they also reveal a very natural progression that we all go through when we lose a loved one. At first we react with shock and sympathy and grief. We let our “Lord have mercys” fall gently upon the souls of our beloved dead. But, as the days, weeks and months progress, we tend to move on to the questions of why. Why did they have to leave now? Where is my loved one? Are they now merely the victims of death?
To all the questions of the hereafter, the Church responds with these feasts. The celebration of All Saints Day is a rapturous reminder that the path to glory leads beyond the grave. Today, on this day, our restored, forgiven and glorified humanity is on show. Today’s feast is not the gala performance of the canonized – all of those named saints we know so well, whether Blessed Mother Teresa, Saint Padre Pio, Saint Francis, St. Leonard and so on – they have their days throughout the year. Today’s emphasis is on the rest of the saints in Heaven; perhaps even in particular the oh-so-many who will never be recognized by name.
The saints we celebrate throughout the year; whose lives are for us inspiration – perhaps because of their dramatic death for the faith, or the strength in which they lived their commitment to Christ – these saints are Heroes of the faith placed before us often in great drama. But, today we recall the every-man, the every-woman, the ordinary, the regular, the just-like-us saints who made it to the glory of heaven because they were - very simply, very profoundly - faithful to God in their lives.
Today’s feast is a celebration of the commonplace; the beatification of the ordinary; the vindication of the daisy rather than the rose. Today’s feast reminds us that common people – you and me – have an uncommon destiny. And the enduring title for these men and women who reach that Heavenly destiny is “saint.” They are not destined to become so much dust, but to see God as He truly is and be in His presence for ever. The people that you and I have loved in our lives, but have gone to their eternal reward, are now eternally loved by God in Heaven. His will is that they gather around His throne, the palm of victory in their hands. They are saints. And this we celebrate today.
But, this feast of All Saints is not just the feast of the blessed in Heaven. It is our feast day too. What the saints enjoy, what the holy souls anticipate, you and I are promised. Too often I hear people say that they could never be a saint. But, perhaps it is because they are only looking at the great heroes of faith and realizing that perhaps they would not have the courage to give their life for Christ. But we are, in fact, all called to be saints – most likely it will never be in a dramatic way; most likely it will be in the ordinariness of our every day lives continually being faithful to our God. Most likely, our names will not be enrolled in the calendar of saints celebrated by the Church. But, sainthood is ours if we only desire it and let God lead us to that heavenly destination.
And so, this promise on God’s part for our eternal happiness requires action on our part. The terms of this action are spelled out in today’s Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount. But some people hear this sermon and are dismayed. It can seem to imply that to get somewhere in the next life means getting nowhere in the this life. It is the poor, the mournful, the meek, and the hungry who will succeed. But, this is a false interpretation. Christ’s sermon is not an endorsement of destitution. It does not suggest that a dollar in your pocket is less Christian than a hole in your pants. It does insist, though, that worldly success and the accumulation of wealth are not ends in themselves. We are not here on earth to build an empire that magnifies ourselves; we are here primarily to serve, as Jesus served.
A truly Christian society matures not in selfishness but in service. Happiness for the Christian lies not in having, but in giving. The poor in spirit accumulate wealth insofar as they give away, insofar as they love God and transform His world with gentleness, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and peace.
One final point – the most important perhaps. This is God’s feast day too. Saints don’t make it on their own. Ultimately God makes it for them. The saints living successful Christian lives and eventually moving joyously around His throne in Heaven is evidence of God’s heart and love for us. All Saints Day is God’s heart translated into happy people. It is proof of His compassionate purpose, confirmation of His universal love for us, a triumphant vindication of His will for our salvation.
“All that is necessary to be a saint is to want to be one. Don't you believe that God will make you what He created you to be, if you will consent to let Him do it? All you have to do is desire it.”
God has created each of us for Heaven; for sainthood. As we gather around His altar, let us, in union with the saints above, give thanks to our God for His saving Grace.
May God give you peace.
The famous Trappist monk Thomas Merton in his book Seven Storey Mountain relays a story of a conversation he had with a friend about sainthood and how to attain it. Merton was uncertain of what it would take, but his friend Robert simply reminded him, “All that is necessary to be a saint is to want to be one. Don't you believe that God will make you what He created you to be, if you will consent to let Him do it? All you have to do is desire it.”
We find ourselves today in the midst of two of the most beautiful and intimately connected feasts in our Church year – All Saints Day which we celebrate today and All Souls Day which we will celebrate on Monday. These days are not only intimately connected, but they also reveal a very natural progression that we all go through when we lose a loved one. At first we react with shock and sympathy and grief. We let our “Lord have mercys” fall gently upon the souls of our beloved dead. But, as the days, weeks and months progress, we tend to move on to the questions of why. Why did they have to leave now? Where is my loved one? Are they now merely the victims of death?
To all the questions of the hereafter, the Church responds with these feasts. The celebration of All Saints Day is a rapturous reminder that the path to glory leads beyond the grave. Today, on this day, our restored, forgiven and glorified humanity is on show. Today’s feast is not the gala performance of the canonized – all of those named saints we know so well, whether Blessed Mother Teresa, Saint Padre Pio, Saint Francis, St. Leonard and so on – they have their days throughout the year. Today’s emphasis is on the rest of the saints in Heaven; perhaps even in particular the oh-so-many who will never be recognized by name.
The saints we celebrate throughout the year; whose lives are for us inspiration – perhaps because of their dramatic death for the faith, or the strength in which they lived their commitment to Christ – these saints are Heroes of the faith placed before us often in great drama. But, today we recall the every-man, the every-woman, the ordinary, the regular, the just-like-us saints who made it to the glory of heaven because they were - very simply, very profoundly - faithful to God in their lives.
Today’s feast is a celebration of the commonplace; the beatification of the ordinary; the vindication of the daisy rather than the rose. Today’s feast reminds us that common people – you and me – have an uncommon destiny. And the enduring title for these men and women who reach that Heavenly destiny is “saint.” They are not destined to become so much dust, but to see God as He truly is and be in His presence for ever. The people that you and I have loved in our lives, but have gone to their eternal reward, are now eternally loved by God in Heaven. His will is that they gather around His throne, the palm of victory in their hands. They are saints. And this we celebrate today.
But, this feast of All Saints is not just the feast of the blessed in Heaven. It is our feast day too. What the saints enjoy, what the holy souls anticipate, you and I are promised. Too often I hear people say that they could never be a saint. But, perhaps it is because they are only looking at the great heroes of faith and realizing that perhaps they would not have the courage to give their life for Christ. But we are, in fact, all called to be saints – most likely it will never be in a dramatic way; most likely it will be in the ordinariness of our every day lives continually being faithful to our God. Most likely, our names will not be enrolled in the calendar of saints celebrated by the Church. But, sainthood is ours if we only desire it and let God lead us to that heavenly destination.
And so, this promise on God’s part for our eternal happiness requires action on our part. The terms of this action are spelled out in today’s Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount. But some people hear this sermon and are dismayed. It can seem to imply that to get somewhere in the next life means getting nowhere in the this life. It is the poor, the mournful, the meek, and the hungry who will succeed. But, this is a false interpretation. Christ’s sermon is not an endorsement of destitution. It does not suggest that a dollar in your pocket is less Christian than a hole in your pants. It does insist, though, that worldly success and the accumulation of wealth are not ends in themselves. We are not here on earth to build an empire that magnifies ourselves; we are here primarily to serve, as Jesus served.
A truly Christian society matures not in selfishness but in service. Happiness for the Christian lies not in having, but in giving. The poor in spirit accumulate wealth insofar as they give away, insofar as they love God and transform His world with gentleness, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and peace.
One final point – the most important perhaps. This is God’s feast day too. Saints don’t make it on their own. Ultimately God makes it for them. The saints living successful Christian lives and eventually moving joyously around His throne in Heaven is evidence of God’s heart and love for us. All Saints Day is God’s heart translated into happy people. It is proof of His compassionate purpose, confirmation of His universal love for us, a triumphant vindication of His will for our salvation.
“All that is necessary to be a saint is to want to be one. Don't you believe that God will make you what He created you to be, if you will consent to let Him do it? All you have to do is desire it.”
God has created each of us for Heaven; for sainthood. As we gather around His altar, let us, in union with the saints above, give thanks to our God for His saving Grace.
May God give you peace.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
ASK FR. TOM: Questions on the Real Presence
So, today's question:
ASK FR. TOM: I know that Catholics claim to use a very literal reading of Matthew 26:26-28 in the fact that we believe in the Real Presence. That makes sense. Jesus said "This IS my body". He didn't say "This is only a symbol of my body". But what I don't get is the fact that He also didn't take the bread and say "This is my body, blood, soul and divinity". He said "This is my body". So how do we take Jesus saying seperately with the bread and wine "This is my body" and "This is my blood" and get that both of them are body, blood, soul and divinity? Also, a related question-- why is it that we don't need to receive the Precious Blood and the Precious Blood wasn't offered pre-Vatican II and still isn't in many parishes when Jesus said in John 6:53 that we need to eat His body AND drink His blood?
ANSWER: This is a great question! The answer lies in part of your question itself that this isn't only a symbol of the Body of Christ. As always, let me first back up and review what the Church says. I'm going to assume for the purposes of this answer that we already belive in the True and Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
First, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
- "1374. The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend."201 In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained."202 "This presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present."203
- 1375. It is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ's body and blood that Christ becomes present in this sacrament.
- 1377. The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.207"
They key is that last part from the Catechism that I quoted, "the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ." We are not receiving parts or bits of Jesus that we have to assemble to be made full, but rather, we are receiving a Person, the fullness of Jesus in each and every and any portion of the Eucharistic Species. Jesus fully embraces all of the Eucharist.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal helps. It says:
- 281. Holy Communion has a fuller form as a sign when it is distributed under both kinds. For in this form the sign of the eucharistic banquet is more clearly evident and clear expression is given to the divine will by which the new and eternal Covenant is ratified in the Blood of the Lord, as also the relationship between the Eucharistic banquet and the eschatological banquet in the Father's Kingdom."
I think an example might be helpful here. Take human conversation. If we spoke with one another on a tin-can phone, a bad cell phone connection, a good phone connection, a Skype video link or in person, face-to-face; we have not been in more of each other's presence, but the experience of that presence of one another to one another has been increasingly fuller in those examples. I have a fuller experience of you when we are face-to-face together, but I have still be fully in your presence even over a bad connection because we're not talking about parts, but about a person.
Likewise, we receive Jesus fully under either species, but our experience is fuller, more complete, when we receive both.
I hope this helps!! Send your questions to: frtom@icprovince.org
Archbishops in space......
Okay, well not quite space, but cyberspace!!! I was very excited to stumble upon a new blog this week - and it is by my favorite new Archbishop of New York, His Emminence Timothy Dolan!!
Now, I have to say, I didn't have anything more than a passing knowlegde of Archbishop Dolan before he became the spiritual leader of Gotham, but since he has taken on one of the most important seats of Catholic leadership in the country, I have been increasingly impressed with this man of God.
Too often in our beloved Church today orthodoxy seems to be paired with anger. We can be (rightly) perceived as a very angry Church. Well, the Truth is glorious, it is never angry, and one of the things that I love about Archbishop Dolan is that he has a wonderful way of conveying the Truths of the faith (even the ones that might be socially controversial) with an authority and just as importantly with a joy that is so uplifting! This is the Truth that will set you free!!!
So, imagine my excitement when I noticed on another blog (Whispers In The Loggia), that the good Archbishop now has his own blog!! Take some time to check it out here: The Gospel in the Digital Age.
Of course, Archbishop Dolan isn't breaking new ground here. Another of my favorite blogs to read regularly is by my own Cardinal Archbishop of Boston Sean O'Malley (Cardinal Sean's Blog).There are a few other bishops who are also blogging regularly.
I can't help but think what a good thing this is. It gives us a great access to our Shepherds and an access that is not quite as formal as the official proclamation or sermon or typical way that we hear from them. And this seems closer to the earlier experience of the Church when Bishops were truly local pastors who knew their flocks and their flocks knew them.
So, thanks for reading my blog!! But, also take a moment to check out Archbishop Dolan's new effort!!
God bless!!
FT
Now, I have to say, I didn't have anything more than a passing knowlegde of Archbishop Dolan before he became the spiritual leader of Gotham, but since he has taken on one of the most important seats of Catholic leadership in the country, I have been increasingly impressed with this man of God.
Too often in our beloved Church today orthodoxy seems to be paired with anger. We can be (rightly) perceived as a very angry Church. Well, the Truth is glorious, it is never angry, and one of the things that I love about Archbishop Dolan is that he has a wonderful way of conveying the Truths of the faith (even the ones that might be socially controversial) with an authority and just as importantly with a joy that is so uplifting! This is the Truth that will set you free!!!
So, imagine my excitement when I noticed on another blog (Whispers In The Loggia), that the good Archbishop now has his own blog!! Take some time to check it out here: The Gospel in the Digital Age.
Of course, Archbishop Dolan isn't breaking new ground here. Another of my favorite blogs to read regularly is by my own Cardinal Archbishop of Boston Sean O'Malley (Cardinal Sean's Blog).There are a few other bishops who are also blogging regularly.
I can't help but think what a good thing this is. It gives us a great access to our Shepherds and an access that is not quite as formal as the official proclamation or sermon or typical way that we hear from them. And this seems closer to the earlier experience of the Church when Bishops were truly local pastors who knew their flocks and their flocks knew them.
So, thanks for reading my blog!! But, also take a moment to check out Archbishop Dolan's new effort!!
God bless!!
FT
Saturday, October 24, 2009
THE YEAR FOR PRIESTS: "Model your life on the mystery of the Lord's cross"
HOMILY FOR PRIESTHOOD SUNDAY, October 25, 2009:
“Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.” Today we celebrate Priesthood Sunday. This is a special day the Church has set aside to honor the Priesthood.
Initially this celebration can sound a bit self-serving, until you look more closely to what the Church hopes to accomplish with this day - especially in this year that the Holy Father has declared as a Year for Priests.
It isn’t a priest-appreciation day (even though we all love to be appreciated!), but rather it is a day that is about the institution of the Priesthood and how central the priesthood is to our life of faith and how important the priesthood is to all Catholics. It is a day to remind all of us of our need to honor Christ as Priest. We who are priests merely serve under Christ, the one true priest.
Where would we be as faithful people without the priesthood? As Catholics, our spiritual lives are built upon the incredible, real encounters with God that we experience in the Sacraments. Jesus purposely left us these Sacraments and the priesthood so that we can know him, that we can follow Him, that we can experience Him until His return in glory. He left us priests to be the instruments that mediate those incredible, real moments with Him. We only have access to this Sacramental life – to these real encounters with God - through those He has called to be priests.
So, why do we need to have a day in honor of the institution of the priesthood? Well, that should be obvious. Throughout the scandals of the last few years, the priesthood has been under attack. Now, don’t get me wrong – when priests or bishops, or anyone for that matter do things that are wrong, immoral and even illegal – they must be held accountable for those activities, but that’s not what I’m speaking of.
Instead of focusing on individual priests who have done wrong things, too often we have blamed the priesthood itself. Throughout the scandal, the media have asked repeated uninformed questions suggesting that the scandal is somehow related to the nature of the priesthood. Most often attacked is the priestly commitment to celibacy. All this despite the fact that even under the worst-case abuse scenario, you can be certain that more than 97% of priests have been faithful to their vows and their call. Add to this, vocations to priestly life have been on the decline for a few decades. We may be getting to a time in this country where even a weekly celebration of the Eucharist may not be possible in every parish. We need to be reminded of the importance of and need for priests in our parishes.
The question that I often am stuck with when thinking about the lack of priestly vocations is what can we do? Many of you know that, especially now as vocation director, it is my personal contention that there is no vocation crisis. Instead, the lack of priestly vocations is due to a few things. First, through the widespread and increased use of contraception, family size is down. In 1960, the average Catholic family had three or more children. Today, the average Catholic family has one child. This means, simply, fewer people to become priests.
And secondly, there is a vocation awareness crisis. You see, to say that there is a vocation crisis is to assign the blame to God. By saying there is a vocation crisis, we are saying that God has failed to call people to the priesthood. God never fails. God always calls. The crisis is one of awareness. God is calling, but are people listening to that call, are they aware of God’s call in there life? I’m reminded of that cell phone commercial and imagine that God is like the man in that commercial saying to so many people, “Can you hear me now?”
I’m not always certain if we, as a Catholic people, value a vocation to the priesthood. Again, don’t get me wrong, I know that we value our priests, we are glad to have them. I have always felt valued and appreciated in my different ministerial postings. But, when have you ever said to a young person, “I think you’d make a good priest,” or, “I’m praying for your vocation,” or “Have you ever considered the ordained life?” More often, if someone expresses a desire to pursue a vocation, people are likely to say, “Why would you want to do that?” How will we have priests if we don’t teach our youth that this is a valuable way of life?
I can tell you that there is nothing quite as incredible as being a priest – if it is what God is calling you to. Through this ministry, God gives you the chance to reconcile people, offer healing, preach His word, bring forth the Body and Blood of His Son. Each and every day of my priestly life is nothing short of miraculous - and most certainly not because of my actions, but because of Christ's actions through me as His priest. I am daily humbled by the way that God allows me – a weak, sinful man – to be in His presence as He mediates His grace to His people through my ministry. My brothers and sisters, think of the people in your life, of the people in your parish. Is there a young man you think would make a good priest? Pray for him. And just as importantly tell him.
In the Rite of Ordination of a Priest, the Bishop says very powerful words to the newly ordained, “Know what you are doing, and imitate the mystery you celebrate: model your life on the mystery of the Lord’s cross.” That is the mission statement of the priesthood. We strive to know, to imitate, and to model Christ.
St. Francis of Assisi provides us with an excellent example. In his day was also faced with scandal in the Church. But in the face of sinful individual priests, Francis encouraged everyone to never lose sight of the uniqueness of the priesthood itself, and its importance to every believer; and he encouraged priests to live up to their call. He wrote, “See your dignity, my brother priests, and be holy, because He himself is Holy. And just as above all others on account of this ministry the Lord God has honored you, in this manner also love, revere, and honor Him above all others…Let the whole man tremble with fear, let the whole world begin to completely quake, and let heaven exult, when upon the altar in the hand of the priest is Christ, the Son of the living God!”
My brothers and sisters, I want you to know how much I treasure the priesthood, not only because of the great blessings God has bestowed on me in my life through my own ministry as priest, but because as a fellow Christian, I need priests too – I need someone to reconcile me when I sin, to speak God’s words to me so that I may grow in faith, to heal me, to welcome me, to help me on my journey to Christ. We all need this.
Today, I thank each and every one of you for the daily honor of serving you as a priest and ask that we all, this day and every day, pray for priests, pray for the institution of the priesthood, pray that God will continue to call workers into his field.
May God give you peace.
“Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.” Today we celebrate Priesthood Sunday. This is a special day the Church has set aside to honor the Priesthood.
Initially this celebration can sound a bit self-serving, until you look more closely to what the Church hopes to accomplish with this day - especially in this year that the Holy Father has declared as a Year for Priests.
It isn’t a priest-appreciation day (even though we all love to be appreciated!), but rather it is a day that is about the institution of the Priesthood and how central the priesthood is to our life of faith and how important the priesthood is to all Catholics. It is a day to remind all of us of our need to honor Christ as Priest. We who are priests merely serve under Christ, the one true priest.
Where would we be as faithful people without the priesthood? As Catholics, our spiritual lives are built upon the incredible, real encounters with God that we experience in the Sacraments. Jesus purposely left us these Sacraments and the priesthood so that we can know him, that we can follow Him, that we can experience Him until His return in glory. He left us priests to be the instruments that mediate those incredible, real moments with Him. We only have access to this Sacramental life – to these real encounters with God - through those He has called to be priests.
So, why do we need to have a day in honor of the institution of the priesthood? Well, that should be obvious. Throughout the scandals of the last few years, the priesthood has been under attack. Now, don’t get me wrong – when priests or bishops, or anyone for that matter do things that are wrong, immoral and even illegal – they must be held accountable for those activities, but that’s not what I’m speaking of.
Instead of focusing on individual priests who have done wrong things, too often we have blamed the priesthood itself. Throughout the scandal, the media have asked repeated uninformed questions suggesting that the scandal is somehow related to the nature of the priesthood. Most often attacked is the priestly commitment to celibacy. All this despite the fact that even under the worst-case abuse scenario, you can be certain that more than 97% of priests have been faithful to their vows and their call. Add to this, vocations to priestly life have been on the decline for a few decades. We may be getting to a time in this country where even a weekly celebration of the Eucharist may not be possible in every parish. We need to be reminded of the importance of and need for priests in our parishes.
The question that I often am stuck with when thinking about the lack of priestly vocations is what can we do? Many of you know that, especially now as vocation director, it is my personal contention that there is no vocation crisis. Instead, the lack of priestly vocations is due to a few things. First, through the widespread and increased use of contraception, family size is down. In 1960, the average Catholic family had three or more children. Today, the average Catholic family has one child. This means, simply, fewer people to become priests.
And secondly, there is a vocation awareness crisis. You see, to say that there is a vocation crisis is to assign the blame to God. By saying there is a vocation crisis, we are saying that God has failed to call people to the priesthood. God never fails. God always calls. The crisis is one of awareness. God is calling, but are people listening to that call, are they aware of God’s call in there life? I’m reminded of that cell phone commercial and imagine that God is like the man in that commercial saying to so many people, “Can you hear me now?”
I’m not always certain if we, as a Catholic people, value a vocation to the priesthood. Again, don’t get me wrong, I know that we value our priests, we are glad to have them. I have always felt valued and appreciated in my different ministerial postings. But, when have you ever said to a young person, “I think you’d make a good priest,” or, “I’m praying for your vocation,” or “Have you ever considered the ordained life?” More often, if someone expresses a desire to pursue a vocation, people are likely to say, “Why would you want to do that?” How will we have priests if we don’t teach our youth that this is a valuable way of life?
I can tell you that there is nothing quite as incredible as being a priest – if it is what God is calling you to. Through this ministry, God gives you the chance to reconcile people, offer healing, preach His word, bring forth the Body and Blood of His Son. Each and every day of my priestly life is nothing short of miraculous - and most certainly not because of my actions, but because of Christ's actions through me as His priest. I am daily humbled by the way that God allows me – a weak, sinful man – to be in His presence as He mediates His grace to His people through my ministry. My brothers and sisters, think of the people in your life, of the people in your parish. Is there a young man you think would make a good priest? Pray for him. And just as importantly tell him.
In the Rite of Ordination of a Priest, the Bishop says very powerful words to the newly ordained, “Know what you are doing, and imitate the mystery you celebrate: model your life on the mystery of the Lord’s cross.” That is the mission statement of the priesthood. We strive to know, to imitate, and to model Christ.
St. Francis of Assisi provides us with an excellent example. In his day was also faced with scandal in the Church. But in the face of sinful individual priests, Francis encouraged everyone to never lose sight of the uniqueness of the priesthood itself, and its importance to every believer; and he encouraged priests to live up to their call. He wrote, “See your dignity, my brother priests, and be holy, because He himself is Holy. And just as above all others on account of this ministry the Lord God has honored you, in this manner also love, revere, and honor Him above all others…Let the whole man tremble with fear, let the whole world begin to completely quake, and let heaven exult, when upon the altar in the hand of the priest is Christ, the Son of the living God!”
My brothers and sisters, I want you to know how much I treasure the priesthood, not only because of the great blessings God has bestowed on me in my life through my own ministry as priest, but because as a fellow Christian, I need priests too – I need someone to reconcile me when I sin, to speak God’s words to me so that I may grow in faith, to heal me, to welcome me, to help me on my journey to Christ. We all need this.
Today, I thank each and every one of you for the daily honor of serving you as a priest and ask that we all, this day and every day, pray for priests, pray for the institution of the priesthood, pray that God will continue to call workers into his field.
May God give you peace.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Traditional Anglican group ‘profoundly moved’ by Pope's new provision for converts
This is such an interesting development. I'm curious what everyone thinks - especially my Anglican/Episcopalian friends?
Blackwood, Australia, Oct 22, 2009 / 02:57 am (CNA).- The Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion has responded to the Vatican’s announcement of a new provision for Anglicans who wish to convert to Catholicism, saying his church is “profoundly moved” by Pope Benedict’s generosity. He added that the provision will now be taken to the national synods of his Communion.
In an Oct. 20 statement published on the website of the communion’s The Messenger Journal, Traditional Anglican Communion Primate Archbishop John Hepworth said he had been speaking with bishops, priests and lay people of the Communion in England, Africa, Australia, India, Canada, the U.S. and South America about the recent news.
“We are profoundly moved by the generosity of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI,” Archbishop Hepworth wrote. He said the creation of the canonical structure for Anglicans was an act of “great goodness” on the part of Pope Benedict and his “cause of unity.”
Read the whole story here: Traditional Anglican group ‘profoundly moved’ by Pope's new provision for converts
Blackwood, Australia, Oct 22, 2009 / 02:57 am (CNA).- The Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion has responded to the Vatican’s announcement of a new provision for Anglicans who wish to convert to Catholicism, saying his church is “profoundly moved” by Pope Benedict’s generosity. He added that the provision will now be taken to the national synods of his Communion.
In an Oct. 20 statement published on the website of the communion’s The Messenger Journal, Traditional Anglican Communion Primate Archbishop John Hepworth said he had been speaking with bishops, priests and lay people of the Communion in England, Africa, Australia, India, Canada, the U.S. and South America about the recent news.
“We are profoundly moved by the generosity of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI,” Archbishop Hepworth wrote. He said the creation of the canonical structure for Anglicans was an act of “great goodness” on the part of Pope Benedict and his “cause of unity.”
Read the whole story here: Traditional Anglican group ‘profoundly moved’ by Pope's new provision for converts
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Called to be missionaries
HOMILY FOR WORLD MISSION SUNDAY, October 18, 2009:
“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant…The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” Today in the Church we celebrate World Mission Sunday. The U.S. Bishop’s describe this Sunday this way, “By Baptism, all Catholics are called to participate in the mission of the Church, called to share their faith as missionaries. World Mission Sunday gathers support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and remote regions of Latin America.”
Now, I certainly would not consider myself to be a Missionary in the typical sense of the word, but I have had my mission experiences and I’d like to share that with you a little bit today. Our own Franciscan Province of the Immaculate Conception has been sending missionaries primarily to the Central American nations of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, where they serve in a variety of ministries for more than 60 years. Our missionaries work in parish churches, have established hospitals, schools, orphanages, homes for the elderly and the destitute. The majority of the work is among the many, many poor and destitute people of these regions. The work of the missionary is to spread the Gospel as Jesus asked us to; and to meet the needs of the people. As Jesus told us in the parable of the sheep and the goats in Chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” This is the heart of missionary activity.
As I said, I’m not your typical missionary who goes to mission territory and remains there for 20 or 30 years. My full-time ministries have been mostly in parish work in New Hampshire and Connecticut, and of course now, my work is as Vocation Director. However, back in 1995, while still a seminarian, I was sent to a place called Sonsonate, along the Pacific coast of El Salvador, for a summer-long missionary experience. This was soon after the Civil War in that country, which spanned most of the 1980s and early 90s, ended left the country in disarray, destruction and tremendous poverty. In Sonsonate, we run an outreach center called Agape. At Agape we operate a large church, a medical clinic, a senior citizen home, a home for unwed mothers, a training facility that teaches industrial skills to otherwise unskilled workers in the hopes that they can better their standard of living.
During part of my time there, we were assigned to the Mobile Medical Unit. This was a group made up of a doctor, a nurse, and a priest, and we visited mostly remote mountain villages. Our group would visit these places and tend to the medical and spiritual needs of the people there. The people in these villages are largely farmers, tending to coffee or sugar crops for very small wages. A village would receive one of these visits only every one to two months and so these visits would be critical – the medical staff would meet with virtually every member of the community to deal with everything from regular check-ups and pre-natal care to sudden illnesses and injury. At the end of a day of medical visits, everyone would again gather to pray the Rosary and celebrate the Mass. Throughout the day, we would meet with people, pray with them, catechize, share their concerns. Although the people we worked with lived in extreme poverty, the placed a strong value on family and on faith. This was a powerful experience for me personally and spiritually, and one in which I continue to feel a deep and abiding connection.
You see, just because I spent some time in Central America more than 10 years ago, and now live in downtown Boston, I still feel like a missionary. Missionary work isn’t only something that someone else does far away. Rather, the call to be missionaries is a common call to every Christian. We may not all find ourselves in far off lands like El Salvador or Ecuador, Africa or Asia, but we can all participate in the task of spreading the Gospel and reaching out to the needy. And that is what this World Mission Sunday is all about. It calls us to be aware of the work of missionaries to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ the world over, but it also calls us to recognize that we too are called to be missionaries even from our homes right here in Boston.
My friends, the Church that we all belong to is essentially missionary. And that includes all of us. We may all have different roles, but we all have full membership in the Church. The Vatican Council wanted to make that point when it described the Church as “the people of God.” Pope John Paul II wanted to make that point a number of years ago when he said, “There is no such thing as an ordinary person in the Church. Every Christian is an extraordinary work of God’s grace.” St. Peter wanted to make that point when he wrote, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart.” It isn’t a question of people and the Church; it is a question of people in the Church, of the Church and for the Church. “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations,” Jesus says to us at the end of Matthew’s Gospel. Bonded in Baptism, commissioned in Confirmation, individually challenged by the will of God and Christ’s command, we have a common responsibility to embrace the faith and share it with all humanity. Simply, because we are members of the Church, we must be missionary!
Cardinal John Henry Newman wrote a powerful prayer that captures the missionary spirit of every Christian. He wrote, “Lord, you have created me to do you some definite service; you have committed some work to me which you have not committed to another. I have my mission from you. Somehow I am necessary for your purposes, as necessary in my place as an Archangel in his. If, indeed, I fail, you can raise another. Yet I have a part in this great work. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. You have not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do your work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, if I do but your commandments and serve you in my calling. Therefore, I will trust you.”
On this World Mission Sunday, let us all pledge do three things: First, let us embrace our own call to be missionary and spread the Gospel to the corners of the earth; second, let us pray deeply for all those who risk life and comfort to be missionaries in the most difficult places of the world; and third, let us pray for the people they minister to that the Christian community may meet their needs in the name and faith of Jesus Christ.
“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant…The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.”
May the Lord give you peace.
“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant…The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” Today in the Church we celebrate World Mission Sunday. The U.S. Bishop’s describe this Sunday this way, “By Baptism, all Catholics are called to participate in the mission of the Church, called to share their faith as missionaries. World Mission Sunday gathers support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and remote regions of Latin America.”
Now, I certainly would not consider myself to be a Missionary in the typical sense of the word, but I have had my mission experiences and I’d like to share that with you a little bit today. Our own Franciscan Province of the Immaculate Conception has been sending missionaries primarily to the Central American nations of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, where they serve in a variety of ministries for more than 60 years. Our missionaries work in parish churches, have established hospitals, schools, orphanages, homes for the elderly and the destitute. The majority of the work is among the many, many poor and destitute people of these regions. The work of the missionary is to spread the Gospel as Jesus asked us to; and to meet the needs of the people. As Jesus told us in the parable of the sheep and the goats in Chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” This is the heart of missionary activity.
As I said, I’m not your typical missionary who goes to mission territory and remains there for 20 or 30 years. My full-time ministries have been mostly in parish work in New Hampshire and Connecticut, and of course now, my work is as Vocation Director. However, back in 1995, while still a seminarian, I was sent to a place called Sonsonate, along the Pacific coast of El Salvador, for a summer-long missionary experience. This was soon after the Civil War in that country, which spanned most of the 1980s and early 90s, ended left the country in disarray, destruction and tremendous poverty. In Sonsonate, we run an outreach center called Agape. At Agape we operate a large church, a medical clinic, a senior citizen home, a home for unwed mothers, a training facility that teaches industrial skills to otherwise unskilled workers in the hopes that they can better their standard of living.
During part of my time there, we were assigned to the Mobile Medical Unit. This was a group made up of a doctor, a nurse, and a priest, and we visited mostly remote mountain villages. Our group would visit these places and tend to the medical and spiritual needs of the people there. The people in these villages are largely farmers, tending to coffee or sugar crops for very small wages. A village would receive one of these visits only every one to two months and so these visits would be critical – the medical staff would meet with virtually every member of the community to deal with everything from regular check-ups and pre-natal care to sudden illnesses and injury. At the end of a day of medical visits, everyone would again gather to pray the Rosary and celebrate the Mass. Throughout the day, we would meet with people, pray with them, catechize, share their concerns. Although the people we worked with lived in extreme poverty, the placed a strong value on family and on faith. This was a powerful experience for me personally and spiritually, and one in which I continue to feel a deep and abiding connection.
You see, just because I spent some time in Central America more than 10 years ago, and now live in downtown Boston, I still feel like a missionary. Missionary work isn’t only something that someone else does far away. Rather, the call to be missionaries is a common call to every Christian. We may not all find ourselves in far off lands like El Salvador or Ecuador, Africa or Asia, but we can all participate in the task of spreading the Gospel and reaching out to the needy. And that is what this World Mission Sunday is all about. It calls us to be aware of the work of missionaries to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ the world over, but it also calls us to recognize that we too are called to be missionaries even from our homes right here in Boston.
My friends, the Church that we all belong to is essentially missionary. And that includes all of us. We may all have different roles, but we all have full membership in the Church. The Vatican Council wanted to make that point when it described the Church as “the people of God.” Pope John Paul II wanted to make that point a number of years ago when he said, “There is no such thing as an ordinary person in the Church. Every Christian is an extraordinary work of God’s grace.” St. Peter wanted to make that point when he wrote, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart.” It isn’t a question of people and the Church; it is a question of people in the Church, of the Church and for the Church. “Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations,” Jesus says to us at the end of Matthew’s Gospel. Bonded in Baptism, commissioned in Confirmation, individually challenged by the will of God and Christ’s command, we have a common responsibility to embrace the faith and share it with all humanity. Simply, because we are members of the Church, we must be missionary!
Cardinal John Henry Newman wrote a powerful prayer that captures the missionary spirit of every Christian. He wrote, “Lord, you have created me to do you some definite service; you have committed some work to me which you have not committed to another. I have my mission from you. Somehow I am necessary for your purposes, as necessary in my place as an Archangel in his. If, indeed, I fail, you can raise another. Yet I have a part in this great work. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. You have not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do your work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, if I do but your commandments and serve you in my calling. Therefore, I will trust you.”
On this World Mission Sunday, let us all pledge do three things: First, let us embrace our own call to be missionary and spread the Gospel to the corners of the earth; second, let us pray deeply for all those who risk life and comfort to be missionaries in the most difficult places of the world; and third, let us pray for the people they minister to that the Christian community may meet their needs in the name and faith of Jesus Christ.
“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant…The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.”
May the Lord give you peace.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Priest beats poker pros to win $100,000 for parish church fund
Los Angeles, Calif., Oct 15, 2009 / 03:54 am (CNA).- A South Carolina priest bested an NBA basketball star and two professional poker players, including former world champion Daniel Negreanu, to win $100,000 in a poker tournament and qualify for a competition with a $1 million grand prize.
Fr. Andrew Trapp, associate pastor of St. Michael’s Church in Garden City, played in the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge held in Los Angeles, California. Among his opponents were retired NBA star John Salley, Team PokerStars.Net pro Vanessa Rousso and Negreanu, a four-time World of Series of Poker bracelet winner.
The young priest, who Fox News says is known as “Father Rambo” for his love of paintball, at one point held rosary beads while in a big hand against Salley. Fr. Trapp defeated Salley and Rousso before defeating Negreanu.Playing the final hand of a game of Texas Hold’em, the priest was dealt a Jack of clubs and an eight of diamonds while Negreanu took a six of spades and a five of diamonds.
The flop, the game’s first three community cards, consisted of an eight of spades, a four of diamonds and a two of clubs. This gave the priest a pair of eights, while Negreanu could make a straight with any seven or three among the next two community cards.
Fr. Trapp lived up to his name when he went “all-in,” putting all his poker chips on the line.
“I wish you wouldn’t have done that,” Negreanu told the priest.
“You told me to be aggressive, so I’m trying,” Fr. Trapp replied.
“You’re bluffing right now, right, you don’t have an eight?” the poker pro asked. “You have a pair of eights? You don’t have to answer that…”
“My gut says I’m going to hit it,” he continued. “I call.”
The priest again took out his rosary. The next card was a jack of hearts, giving him two pair.
The final card, a two of diamonds, secured Fr. Trapp’s win
Read the rest of the story: Priest beats poker pros to win $100,000 for parish church fund
Shared via AddThis
Fr. Andrew Trapp, associate pastor of St. Michael’s Church in Garden City, played in the PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge held in Los Angeles, California. Among his opponents were retired NBA star John Salley, Team PokerStars.Net pro Vanessa Rousso and Negreanu, a four-time World of Series of Poker bracelet winner.
The young priest, who Fox News says is known as “Father Rambo” for his love of paintball, at one point held rosary beads while in a big hand against Salley. Fr. Trapp defeated Salley and Rousso before defeating Negreanu.Playing the final hand of a game of Texas Hold’em, the priest was dealt a Jack of clubs and an eight of diamonds while Negreanu took a six of spades and a five of diamonds.
The flop, the game’s first three community cards, consisted of an eight of spades, a four of diamonds and a two of clubs. This gave the priest a pair of eights, while Negreanu could make a straight with any seven or three among the next two community cards.
Fr. Trapp lived up to his name when he went “all-in,” putting all his poker chips on the line.
“I wish you wouldn’t have done that,” Negreanu told the priest.
“You told me to be aggressive, so I’m trying,” Fr. Trapp replied.
“You’re bluffing right now, right, you don’t have an eight?” the poker pro asked. “You have a pair of eights? You don’t have to answer that…”
“My gut says I’m going to hit it,” he continued. “I call.”
The priest again took out his rosary. The next card was a jack of hearts, giving him two pair.
The final card, a two of diamonds, secured Fr. Trapp’s win
Read the rest of the story: Priest beats poker pros to win $100,000 for parish church fund
Shared via AddThis
St. Teresa of Avila
Today is the feast day of St. Teresa of Avila. Below is one of my favorite prayers, called "St. Teresa's Bookmark" because it was found on a bookmark in her prayer book. Beautiful prayer for every day:Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
ST. TERESA OF AVILA (1515-1582)
Teresa lived in an age of exploration as well as political, social and religious upheaval. It was the 16th century, a time of turmoil and reform. She was born before the Protestant Reformation and died almost 20 years after the closing of the Council of Trent.
The gift of God to Teresa in and through which she became holy and left her mark on the Church and the world is threefold: She was a woman; she was a contemplative; she was an active reformer.
As a woman, Teresa stood on her own two feet, even in the man's world of her time. She was "her own woman," entering the Carmelites despite strong opposition from her father. She is a person wrapped not so much in silence as in mystery. Beautiful, talented, outgoing, adaptable, affectionate, courageous, enthusiastic, she was totally human. Like Jesus, she was a mystery of paradoxes: wise, yet practical; intelligent, yet much in tune with her experience; a mystic, yet an energetic reformer. A holy woman, a womanly woman.
Teresa was a woman "for God," a woman of prayer, discipline and compassion. Her heart belonged to God. Her ongoing conversion was an arduous lifelong struggle, involving ongoing purification and suffering. She was misunderstood, misjudged, opposed in her efforts at reform. Yet she struggled on, courageous and faithful; she struggled with her own mediocrity, her illness, her opposition. And in the midst of all this she clung to God in life and in prayer. Her writings on prayer and contemplation are drawn from her experience: powerful, practical and graceful. A woman of prayer; a woman for God.
Teresa was a woman "for others." Though a contemplative, she spent much of her time and energy seeking to reform herself and the Carmelites, to lead them back to the full observance of the primitive Rule. She founded over a half-dozen new monasteries. She traveled, wrote, fought—always to renew, to reform. In her self, in her prayer, in her life, in her efforts to reform, in all the people she touched, she was a woman for others, a woman who inspired and gave life.
Her writings, especially the Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, have helped generations of believers.
In 1970, the Church gave her the title she had long held in the popular mind: doctor of the Church. She and St. Catherine of Siena were the first women so honored.
Comment:
Ours is a time of turmoil, a time of reform and a time of liberation. Modern women have in Teresa a challenging example. Promoters of renewal, promoters of prayer, all have in Teresa a woman to reckon with, one whom they can admire and imitate.
Quote:
Teresa knew well the continued presence and value of suffering (physical illness, opposition to reform, difficulties in prayer), but she grew to be able to embrace suffering, even desire it: "Lord, either to suffer or to die." Toward the end of her life she exclaimed: "Oh, my Lord! How true it is that whoever works for you is paid in troubles! And what a precious price to those who love you if we understand its value."
Patron Saint of:
Headaches
This entry appears in the print edition of Saint of the Day
Monday, October 12, 2009
On the separation of Church and hate
NOTE: This column appeared in the October 2 edition of "The Anchor", diocesan newspaper of my home Diocese of Fall River. I am so grateful for Fr. Tim's words, they echo exactly the sentiment that I have been feeling increasingly over the last several years, increasingly over the last several months, about the utter lack of charity and compassion so often in the voices of so-called believers. I encourage you to read on. - FT
By Father Tim Goldrick
The Second Vatican Council urged us to read "the signs of the times." The "signs of the times" are articulated in many ways: published in an article, illustrated in a piece of artwork, presented on stage, expounded in a book, etc. One has to keep one's eyes open. When I see a "sign of the times," I use it as a subject of meditation. I ponder how this sign relates to the Gospel and to the teachings of the Church.
The Church in any time and place either reflects the mores of the general culture or stands in opposition. The Church is at its finest when it opposes the violation of justice and basic human rights by a society that has its moral compass. Sometimes this can result in violence against Church members. It should never result in violence by Church members.
Throughout our Church history, Catholic men, women and children have died for courageously witnessing to what they believed to be right and just. "Martyr" means witness. There is an old saying, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." When the Church is persecuted, it is then it grows most rapidly.
Lately I've been meditating on an actual sign, that is a bumper sticker, that has begun to pop up here and there around the country: "Support the Separation of Church and Hate." What does this bumper sticker signify?
A tropical storm of rudeness has been gathering strength across our nation for some time. It has now been upgraded to a hurricane of hate. The "signs of the times" in our political system are lately signaling vitriolic hatred. This goes beyond incivility, disrespect, and political opinion to a frothing, shrieking, hatred instigated and sustained by a lunatic fringe.
News sources are full of reports of personal attacks against our democratically elected officials, up to and including the President of the United States. "Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!" is just not something one shouts publicly at a head of state, especially in his own country and in the very seat of government. Hurling one's shoes at the Commander-in-Chief of the United States is the act of a person rabid with hate. Fist-shaking, placard-carrying hate mongers began this summer to sabotage the town meeting format, even within our own diocese. I see hatred in the public square.
I fear this hatred may seep into the Church like a toxic oil spill. The Archbishop of Boston, according to reports, has been figuratively hung out to dry by those across the country who object to his recent television appearance. What did the cardinal do on television? He participated in a Mass of Christian Burial. The last I knew, burying the dead was a corporal act of mercy. Personally, I would probably conduct funeral rites for the world's most notorious sinner. Who knows what goes on between a flawed human soul and our merciful God? I will not be the one to presume.
I suspect hate at one time or another has targeted everyone who serves in the public eye. Priests and bishops are not exempt. Over the years, I have heard of a local priest who actually received death threates from a parishioner. He wisely reported it to the police. I have heard of a priest driven to the verge of emotional collapse by the hateful tactics directed against him by parishioners. With all the seething letter-writing campaigns that go on, there must be file drawers full somewhere in some Church office.
I myself was once denounced as an agent of Satan. The accusation was made as I stood in the sanctuary. I know I'm not perfect, but I'm certainly not the incarnation of evil. I deserve better than that.
There was once a man who would refuse to receive holy Communion from me. He would routinely block the Communion procession until he and I were face to face and then abruptly switch over to the special minister of holy Communion. I still don't know what that guy's problem was, but he certainly had one. My guess is that it was all about hate.
They say a parishioner frequently approached St. John Vianney to arrange Mass for "a special intention." Eventually, the holy priest inquired as to what this special intention might be. The answer was, "For your speedy transfer from this village of Ars." Hate is not new but it is increasing in ferocity.
There can be no place in Church or government for hateful words and actions. We must never condescend to the tactics of hate. Our task as Catholic Christians is to stand in firm opposition to hatred in all its forms. I have read the "signs of the times" on a bumper sticker. I cast my vote in favor of the separation of Church and hate.
By Father Tim Goldrick
The Second Vatican Council urged us to read "the signs of the times." The "signs of the times" are articulated in many ways: published in an article, illustrated in a piece of artwork, presented on stage, expounded in a book, etc. One has to keep one's eyes open. When I see a "sign of the times," I use it as a subject of meditation. I ponder how this sign relates to the Gospel and to the teachings of the Church.
The Church in any time and place either reflects the mores of the general culture or stands in opposition. The Church is at its finest when it opposes the violation of justice and basic human rights by a society that has its moral compass. Sometimes this can result in violence against Church members. It should never result in violence by Church members.
Throughout our Church history, Catholic men, women and children have died for courageously witnessing to what they believed to be right and just. "Martyr" means witness. There is an old saying, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." When the Church is persecuted, it is then it grows most rapidly.
Lately I've been meditating on an actual sign, that is a bumper sticker, that has begun to pop up here and there around the country: "Support the Separation of Church and Hate." What does this bumper sticker signify?
A tropical storm of rudeness has been gathering strength across our nation for some time. It has now been upgraded to a hurricane of hate. The "signs of the times" in our political system are lately signaling vitriolic hatred. This goes beyond incivility, disrespect, and political opinion to a frothing, shrieking, hatred instigated and sustained by a lunatic fringe.
News sources are full of reports of personal attacks against our democratically elected officials, up to and including the President of the United States. "Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!" is just not something one shouts publicly at a head of state, especially in his own country and in the very seat of government. Hurling one's shoes at the Commander-in-Chief of the United States is the act of a person rabid with hate. Fist-shaking, placard-carrying hate mongers began this summer to sabotage the town meeting format, even within our own diocese. I see hatred in the public square.
I fear this hatred may seep into the Church like a toxic oil spill. The Archbishop of Boston, according to reports, has been figuratively hung out to dry by those across the country who object to his recent television appearance. What did the cardinal do on television? He participated in a Mass of Christian Burial. The last I knew, burying the dead was a corporal act of mercy. Personally, I would probably conduct funeral rites for the world's most notorious sinner. Who knows what goes on between a flawed human soul and our merciful God? I will not be the one to presume.
I suspect hate at one time or another has targeted everyone who serves in the public eye. Priests and bishops are not exempt. Over the years, I have heard of a local priest who actually received death threates from a parishioner. He wisely reported it to the police. I have heard of a priest driven to the verge of emotional collapse by the hateful tactics directed against him by parishioners. With all the seething letter-writing campaigns that go on, there must be file drawers full somewhere in some Church office.
I myself was once denounced as an agent of Satan. The accusation was made as I stood in the sanctuary. I know I'm not perfect, but I'm certainly not the incarnation of evil. I deserve better than that.
There was once a man who would refuse to receive holy Communion from me. He would routinely block the Communion procession until he and I were face to face and then abruptly switch over to the special minister of holy Communion. I still don't know what that guy's problem was, but he certainly had one. My guess is that it was all about hate.
They say a parishioner frequently approached St. John Vianney to arrange Mass for "a special intention." Eventually, the holy priest inquired as to what this special intention might be. The answer was, "For your speedy transfer from this village of Ars." Hate is not new but it is increasing in ferocity.
There can be no place in Church or government for hateful words and actions. We must never condescend to the tactics of hate. Our task as Catholic Christians is to stand in firm opposition to hatred in all its forms. I have read the "signs of the times" on a bumper sticker. I cast my vote in favor of the separation of Church and hate.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Whose voice are you listening to?
HOMILY FOR THE 28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, October 11, 2009:
One day, two friends were walking along the crowded streets of a big city. The street was full of the typical noise of people, cars, busses, construction – the normal hubbub of daily city life. Suddenly, one of the two friends stopped and said, “Can you hear that cricket?” The other friend was astonished, “You can’t possibly hear a cricket with all this noise; cars honking, taxis squealing.” The first friend was certain and walked over to a planter along the sidewalk. Pushing aside the branches of a bush, sure enough, there was the cricket. His friend was bewildered, “How did you ever hear that?” The man simply said, “My ears are no different than yours. It only depends on what you are listening for. Here let me show you what I mean.” He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change – a few nickels, some quarters and a dime – and then dropped them on the sidewalk. Immediately, every head within a block turned in his direction. “You see,” he said again, “it just depends on what you are listening for.”
In our Gospel passage today, the rich young man asks Jesus a straight-forward question, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tells him, “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” We know how this story ends, “he went away sad, for he had many possessions?” I always feel sorry for this young man. He certainly meant well. He tells us at the outset that he has faithfully observed all of the commandments from his youth. But, what Jesus asks of him is just too much to bear.
You know this is the only person in the Gospels that we are specifically told refused to follow Jesus once invited. As I said, he meant well, but his trouble was that his possessions meant more to him. It only depends on what you are listening for. This man was faced with a choice – security with Jesus, or security in the bank; rely on Jesus or rely on money. It is a human predicament that we’ve all felt at one time or another, and the sad situation of this passage is that the young man chose to listen to the voice of the world instead of the voice of the Lord.
Every one of us in this Church tonight are faced with the same choice. We too are invited under the same conditions to follow Jesus. And like the young man, it isn’t easy for us to make a wholehearted and complete choice. And we too are asked today – what voice are we listening to? What held back the rich young man was his many possessions, but it may not be the same for us. Today’s Gospel challenges us to take a close look at our own lives and ask, What is it that is holding me back from following Jesus? What is it that’s causing me to drag my feet? Could it also be money for us? Maybe not the money we need to live, but perhaps a dishonest way of making it, a habit of cheating, or overcharging, or stealing that has found its way into our lives? Could it be our need for the best of possessions in life? The newest gadget? The name brand?
Maybe it isn’t money or possessions for us – it could be something else – grudges we refuse to let go of; indifference towards the plight or struggles of others. To follow Jesus is to follow in love. “Love one another, just as I have loved you.” Perhaps what is keeping us from following Jesus is a spirit of negativity, an attitude that always finds the worst in others; a tongue that is always quick to cut down. It could be as simple as laziness – to lazy to care; to lazy to say my prayers.
The bottom line is that there are many ways that we can come up short when it comes to following Jesus. The danger in today’s Gospel is that we can be tempted to say about the rich young man, “Wasn’t it a shame that he didn’t follow Our Lord?” But, we should save our sorrow for ourselves. We are given the choice today, right here and now, and every day to follow Jesus. And if we’re not aware of that, we may be just like the rich young man walking away.
I wonder sometimes what happened to the rich young man. Did he become a rich old miser? Did his money make him happy? Did he lose it all along the way? I like to think that he came to his senses, came back running, made the choice with all of his being – and followed Jesus all the way to that eternity he first asked about. But, from what we know in today’s passage, the saddest thing about the rich young man is that he missed out on an opportunity. He missed the chance to do so much good; to reach out to so many people; to serve Jesus in the world as His follower. Imagine if St. Paul had made the same choice; or St. Peter or Andrew or Mary Magdalene or Pope John Paul II, Padre Pio or any of the spiritual heroes and heroines that each of us know.
And therein lies the message for each of us today. What a tragedy it would be if we made the same poor choice. Jesus puts the same invitation before us today, “Come and follow me.” And so I leave you with a simple question, “Whose voice are you listening to?”
May the Lord give you peace.
One day, two friends were walking along the crowded streets of a big city. The street was full of the typical noise of people, cars, busses, construction – the normal hubbub of daily city life. Suddenly, one of the two friends stopped and said, “Can you hear that cricket?” The other friend was astonished, “You can’t possibly hear a cricket with all this noise; cars honking, taxis squealing.” The first friend was certain and walked over to a planter along the sidewalk. Pushing aside the branches of a bush, sure enough, there was the cricket. His friend was bewildered, “How did you ever hear that?” The man simply said, “My ears are no different than yours. It only depends on what you are listening for. Here let me show you what I mean.” He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change – a few nickels, some quarters and a dime – and then dropped them on the sidewalk. Immediately, every head within a block turned in his direction. “You see,” he said again, “it just depends on what you are listening for.”
In our Gospel passage today, the rich young man asks Jesus a straight-forward question, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tells him, “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” We know how this story ends, “he went away sad, for he had many possessions?” I always feel sorry for this young man. He certainly meant well. He tells us at the outset that he has faithfully observed all of the commandments from his youth. But, what Jesus asks of him is just too much to bear.
You know this is the only person in the Gospels that we are specifically told refused to follow Jesus once invited. As I said, he meant well, but his trouble was that his possessions meant more to him. It only depends on what you are listening for. This man was faced with a choice – security with Jesus, or security in the bank; rely on Jesus or rely on money. It is a human predicament that we’ve all felt at one time or another, and the sad situation of this passage is that the young man chose to listen to the voice of the world instead of the voice of the Lord.
Every one of us in this Church tonight are faced with the same choice. We too are invited under the same conditions to follow Jesus. And like the young man, it isn’t easy for us to make a wholehearted and complete choice. And we too are asked today – what voice are we listening to? What held back the rich young man was his many possessions, but it may not be the same for us. Today’s Gospel challenges us to take a close look at our own lives and ask, What is it that is holding me back from following Jesus? What is it that’s causing me to drag my feet? Could it also be money for us? Maybe not the money we need to live, but perhaps a dishonest way of making it, a habit of cheating, or overcharging, or stealing that has found its way into our lives? Could it be our need for the best of possessions in life? The newest gadget? The name brand?
Maybe it isn’t money or possessions for us – it could be something else – grudges we refuse to let go of; indifference towards the plight or struggles of others. To follow Jesus is to follow in love. “Love one another, just as I have loved you.” Perhaps what is keeping us from following Jesus is a spirit of negativity, an attitude that always finds the worst in others; a tongue that is always quick to cut down. It could be as simple as laziness – to lazy to care; to lazy to say my prayers.
The bottom line is that there are many ways that we can come up short when it comes to following Jesus. The danger in today’s Gospel is that we can be tempted to say about the rich young man, “Wasn’t it a shame that he didn’t follow Our Lord?” But, we should save our sorrow for ourselves. We are given the choice today, right here and now, and every day to follow Jesus. And if we’re not aware of that, we may be just like the rich young man walking away.
I wonder sometimes what happened to the rich young man. Did he become a rich old miser? Did his money make him happy? Did he lose it all along the way? I like to think that he came to his senses, came back running, made the choice with all of his being – and followed Jesus all the way to that eternity he first asked about. But, from what we know in today’s passage, the saddest thing about the rich young man is that he missed out on an opportunity. He missed the chance to do so much good; to reach out to so many people; to serve Jesus in the world as His follower. Imagine if St. Paul had made the same choice; or St. Peter or Andrew or Mary Magdalene or Pope John Paul II, Padre Pio or any of the spiritual heroes and heroines that each of us know.
And therein lies the message for each of us today. What a tragedy it would be if we made the same poor choice. Jesus puts the same invitation before us today, “Come and follow me.” And so I leave you with a simple question, “Whose voice are you listening to?”
May the Lord give you peace.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
On health care: a line in the sand
I saw this over on Whispers in the Loggia today and it is worth your time:
As the debate on health-care reform continues to dominate the political landscape and specifics of bills come into clearer focus, a letter released earlier today by the US bishops has drawn a line in the sand on the church's support for a reform package.
Signed by the USCCB's committee chairs for pro-life activities, domestic policy and migration, here below is the text of the letter (emphases original), sent to every member of the House and Senate alike:
On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), we are writing to express our disappointment that progress has not been made on the three priority criteria for health care reform that we have conveyed previously to Congress. In fact, the Senate Finance Committee rejected a conscience rights amendment accepted earlier by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. If final legislation does not meet our principles, we will have no choice but to oppose the bill. We remain committed to working with the Administration, Congressional leadership, and our allies to produce final health reform legislation that will reflect our principles.
We continue to urge you to
1. Exclude mandated coverage for abortion, and incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights. No one should be required to pay for or participate in abortion. It is essential that the legislation clearly apply to this new program longstanding and widely supported federal restrictions on abortion funding and mandates, and protections for rights of conscience. No current bill meets this test.
2. Adopt measures that protect and improve people’s health care. Reform should make quality health care affordable and accessible to everyone, particularly those who are vulnerable and those who live at or near the poverty level.
3. Include effective measures to safeguard the health of immigrants, their children and all of society. Ensure that legal immigrants and their family members have comprehensive, affordable, and timely access to health care coverage. Maintain an adequate safety net for those who remain uncovered.
We sincerely hope that the legislation will not fall short of our criteria. However, we remain apprehensive when amendments protecting freedom of conscience and ensuring no taxpayer money for abortion are defeated in committee votes. If acceptable language in these areas cannot be found, we will have to oppose the health care bill vigorously. Catholic moral tradition teaches that health care is a basic human right, essential to protecting human life and dignity.
Much-needed reform of our health care system must be pursued in ways that serve the life and dignity of all, never in ways that undermine or violate these fundamental values. We will work tirelessly to remedy these central problems and help pass real reform that clearly protects the life, dignity and health of all.
Sincerely,
Cardinal Justin Rigali
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Chairman
Committee on Pro-Life Activities
Bishop William F. Murphy
Diocese of Rockville Centre
Chairman
Committee on Domestic Justice & Human Development
Bishop John Wester
Diocese of Salt Lake City
Chairman
Committee on Migration
As the debate on health-care reform continues to dominate the political landscape and specifics of bills come into clearer focus, a letter released earlier today by the US bishops has drawn a line in the sand on the church's support for a reform package.
Signed by the USCCB's committee chairs for pro-life activities, domestic policy and migration, here below is the text of the letter (emphases original), sent to every member of the House and Senate alike:
On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), we are writing to express our disappointment that progress has not been made on the three priority criteria for health care reform that we have conveyed previously to Congress. In fact, the Senate Finance Committee rejected a conscience rights amendment accepted earlier by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. If final legislation does not meet our principles, we will have no choice but to oppose the bill. We remain committed to working with the Administration, Congressional leadership, and our allies to produce final health reform legislation that will reflect our principles.
We continue to urge you to
1. Exclude mandated coverage for abortion, and incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights. No one should be required to pay for or participate in abortion. It is essential that the legislation clearly apply to this new program longstanding and widely supported federal restrictions on abortion funding and mandates, and protections for rights of conscience. No current bill meets this test.
2. Adopt measures that protect and improve people’s health care. Reform should make quality health care affordable and accessible to everyone, particularly those who are vulnerable and those who live at or near the poverty level.
3. Include effective measures to safeguard the health of immigrants, their children and all of society. Ensure that legal immigrants and their family members have comprehensive, affordable, and timely access to health care coverage. Maintain an adequate safety net for those who remain uncovered.
We sincerely hope that the legislation will not fall short of our criteria. However, we remain apprehensive when amendments protecting freedom of conscience and ensuring no taxpayer money for abortion are defeated in committee votes. If acceptable language in these areas cannot be found, we will have to oppose the health care bill vigorously. Catholic moral tradition teaches that health care is a basic human right, essential to protecting human life and dignity.
Much-needed reform of our health care system must be pursued in ways that serve the life and dignity of all, never in ways that undermine or violate these fundamental values. We will work tirelessly to remedy these central problems and help pass real reform that clearly protects the life, dignity and health of all.
Sincerely,
Cardinal Justin Rigali
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Chairman
Committee on Pro-Life Activities
Bishop William F. Murphy
Diocese of Rockville Centre
Chairman
Committee on Domestic Justice & Human Development
Bishop John Wester
Diocese of Salt Lake City
Chairman
Committee on Migration
Politics, morality and original sin
NOTE: This is a very thought provoking article that I came across recently. For me, it represents a way to have a dialogue with our culture, and I think that is a very good thing. It is good to know there are thoughtful bishops like this out there, as opposed to the demonization that we hear too often closer to home.
by Cardinal Georges Cottier OP
Theologian Emeritus of the Pontifical Household
In recent weeks Barack Obama gave two important speeches in two very different university contexts. On 17 May he spoke at the University of Notre Dame, the Catholic university in Indiana where he had been invited to receive an honorary degree on graduation day for 2,900 students. On 4 June, in Cairo, at the Al-Azhar Islamic University, considered the main center of religious teaching in Sunni Islam, he gave a long speech addressed in particular to the Islamic world.
I don’t want to make a political comment, which does not come within my sphere of competence, but I was struck by many aspects of the two speeches by the President of the United States. Apart from the individual topics touched on, they gave a glimpse of politics that can be usefully compared with fundamental elements of the social doctrine of the Catholic Church.
In the speech at Notre Dame, I was already struck by the words that Obama addressed to young people at the very beginning. The president pointed out that we are going through a particular historical moment, and described the fact as a privilege and a responsibility for young people. Already in that positive approach there is something Christian. The tasks of each generation are tasks from which the Providence of God is not absent.
To fully evaluate the import of the two speeches one must take two premises into account. First, it should be said that his speeches concern the problems of temporal society. And the Church has recognized, not least in important encyclicals and pronouncements of the Magisterium, the autonomy of temporal society. Autonomy does not mean separation, antagonism, isolation or hostility between temporal society and the Church. Simply, the Church acknowledges that temporal society has an entity of its own, with its own purposes. In dialogue with that entity, the contribution offered by the Church – which represents the Gospel and the values of grace – does not dim or deny but on the contrary exalts the autonomy of temporal society.
The second premise is that Obama talked about the world as it is today. His words referred to the United States, but with the great movements of peoples over recent decades, his words can be applied to all areas of the world – in particular in the West – now inhabited by pluralistic societies. Obama is a head of government called upon to handle a pluralist society. This is a fact to consider if one really wants to understand his words.
In fact, the speech at the University of Notre Dame seems littered with references taken from the Christian tradition. There was, for example, an expression that returned frequently, “common ground”, which corresponds to a fundamental concept of the social doctrine of the Church, that of the common good.
There is a tendency in current mentality to think that morality concerns only the sphere of private life and relationships. Whereas the quest for the common good calls upon reference to moral criteria and norms (cf. Pacem in Terris, n. 80). Morality is always the same, it does not change depending on whether it applies to the public or the private sphere. But morality always takes account of the reality to which it applies. In this case, it is a matter of the quest for the common good in a pluralistic society.
Obama took his cue precisely from a datum always recognized and taken into account in the Christian tradition: the consequences of original sin. “Part of the problem, of course, lies in the imperfections of man - our selfishness, our pride, our stubbornness, our acquisitiveness, our insecurities, our egos: all the cruelties large and small that those of us in the Christian tradition understand to be rooted in original sin”
The problem is complex in the extreme: how to seek together for the common good in a society where there are different and even conflicting ideas about what is good and what is evil. And how to proceed together in this quest without anyone being forced to sacrifice any of their essential beliefs. I think that we can agree with Obama’s way of setting out the search for solutions. Not least because in proposing it Obama took his cue precisely from a datum always recognized and taken into account in the Christian tradition: the consequences of original sin. “Part of the problem, of course, lies in the imperfections of man - our selfishness, our pride, our stubbornness, our acquisitiveness, our insecurities, our egos; all the cruelties large and small that those of us in the Christian tradition understand to be rooted in original sin”.
At a certain point in his speech Obama warned: “The ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt... It is beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us, or what He asks of us, and those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom [the wisdom of the Lord, ed.] is greater than our own”. There are, in appearance, words in this passage that seem to go against the teaching of the Church. As St Thomas writes, the faith as gift of God is infallible. There is no doubt in faith. One can’t be wrong. But the believer can err when his judgment does not proceed from faith. Moreover, it is a fact that the believer, especially when faced by various practical choices, wonders how to act, wonders what criteria the faith suggests. And in the face of the concrete situations of life, these criteria may not always seem so clear and crisp, cases of conscience may well arise.
The second part of the sentence makes clear the meaning that Obama meant to give to his words: certain knowledge of what God wants from us “is beyond our capacity as human beings”, but we “must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own”.
On its part the Catholic Church maintains and teaches that God, the beginning and end of all things, may be already known with certainty by the natural light of human reason with created things as the starting point. But in the historical conditions in which he finds himself, however, man experiences many difficulties in fruitfully using this natural ability to gain through its own strength alone a true and certain knowledge of God as personal, as also of the natural law inscribed by the Creator in our souls. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains in paragraphs 37 and 38, which cite the encyclical Humani generis, mankind needs to be enlightened by the revelation of God not only on what exceeds its understanding but also on “religious and moral truths which of themselves, are not beyond the grasp of human reason”, because in the current condition of the human race, “hampered by... disordered appetites which are the consequences of original sin”, such truths cannot be known “with ease, with firm certainty and with no admixture of error”.
In Christian doctrine, heeding the consequences of original sin does not mean becoming accomplices of sin, or refusing to offer all mankind moral truths, knowledge of which, in the real historical situation experienced by mankind on this earth, appears blurred to many.
Nor in his speech did Obama suggest hiding one’s moral certainties, as if to maintain the existence of objective truths were to be considered impossible or at least inappropriate in the context of a pluralistic society. He merely pointed out that the experience of our limitations, of our weakness, of our misery, “should not push us away from our faith”, but should simply “humble us”, remaining “open and curious” even in situations of challenge and opposition on ethically sensitive issues.
Thus, the traditional teaching on original sin itself suggests an approach to human reality that can turn out to be useful in the present historical circumstances experienced in pluralistic societies.
Every pluralistic society suffers tensions, conflicts, divisions over what is just and what is unjust. But there’s a democratic way of experiencing them that Obama described in his speech, and that can be in harmony with a Christian understanding of the relationships among people. Obama says: we must be persuaded, as pre-judice (for once giving a positive meaning to the word) that the other is in good faith. Even those who do not think like me. We must avoid caricaturing the other, respect the other, not demonize him. Democracy lives by this inspiration of an inwardly Christian kind. When I read the speeches, I immediately thought of that very fine encyclical from Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam, in which Pope Montini wrote that the way of human relations in society is that of dialogue, even on vital truths for which one may go so far as to give one’s life.
This is not a matter of dragging these speeches into our camp, but of looking for points of encounter. The speech at the University of Notre Dame also reminded me of the Dignitatis humanae, a great text of the social doctrine of the Church, which recognizes the duty of individuals to seek the truth, which is a duty before God and springs from human nature. Thus, when I respect the other, I respect in him this capacity for truth.
Another issue that sometimes causes tension in pluralistic societies is the demand for religious freedom made by individuals before the State. This demand does not make religious indifference an obligatory choice for the State, but requires awareness of the limits of its powers.
I was struck by how Obama did not dodge the thorniest issue, that of abortion, on which he had received so much criticism not least from the US bishops. On the one hand such reactions are justified: non-negotiable values are involved in political decisions about abortion. For us what is at stake is the defense of the human person and his inalienable rights, the first of which is precisely that to life. Now in pluralistic society there are radical differences on this point. There are those who, like us, consider abortion an intrinsece malum, there are those who accept it, and even some who claim it as a right. The President has never taken the latter position. On the contrary, I think he has made positive suggestions – something also stressed by L’Osservatore Romano of 19 May – proposing again in this case the search for common ground. In this search – Obama points out – nobody should censor their beliefs, but on the contrary maintain them and defend them in the face of all. His position is not the misunderstood relativism of those who say that it is a matter of contrasting views, and that all personal opinions are subjective and uncertain, and thus it is better to set them aside when speaking of these things.
Nor in his speech did Obama suggest hiding one’s moral certainties, as if to maintain the existence of objective truths were to be considered impossible or at least inappropriate in the context of a pluralistic society. He merely pointed out that the experience of our limitations, of our weakness, of our misery, “should not push us away from our faith”, but should simply “humble us”, remaining “open and curious” even in situations of challenge and opposition on ethically sensitive issues
In addition, Obama recognizes the tragic seriousness of the problem. That the decision to abort “is a heart-wrenching decison for any woman”. The common ground that he is proposing is that we all work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortion. He adds that any legal regulation of the matter must guarantee in absolute fashion conscientious objection for health workers who do not want to engage in the practice of abortion. His words go in the direction of diminishing the evil. The government and the State must make every effort to ensure that the number of abortions is minimized. It is, of course, only a minimum, but a precious minimum. It reminds me of the attitude of the early Christian legislators who did not repeal the Roman laws tolerating practices that did not comply with or even went counter to natural law, such as concubinage and slavery. The change was arrived at by slow degrees, often marked by setbacks, as the number of Christians in the population increased and with them the impact of the sense of the dignity of the person. At first, to obtain the consent of citizens and preserve social peace, the so-called “imperfect laws” were left in force, which prevented persecution for acts and behavior contrary to natural law. Even St Thomas, who had no doubt that the law must be moral, added that the State should not make laws too severe and “lofty” because they would be despised by those incapable of applying them.
The realism of the politician recognizes evil and calls it by its name. It recognizes that we must be humble and patient, fighting without the presumption of eradicating it from human history by means of legal coercion. It is the parable of the tares, which also applies at the political level. On the other hand, this does not become justification for cynicism and indifference to it. The effort to decrease evil as much as possible remains persistent. It is a duty.
The Church has always perceived the illusion of eliminating evil from history by legal, political or religious means as unattainable and dangerous. Recent history is also full of disasters produced by the fanaticism of those who aimed to dry up the sources of evil in human history, ultimately transforming everything into a vast cemetery. The communist regimes followed exactly this logic. As does the religious terrorism which kills even in the name of God. When a doctor who favored abortion was killed by militant anti-abortionists – as happened recently in the US – one has to admit that even the highest ideals, such as the sacrosanct defense of the absolute value of human life, can be corrupted and turn into their opposite, becoming slogans at the disposition an aberrant ideology.
Christians are bearers in the world of a realistic temporal hope, not of a vain utopian dream, also when they give witness of their loyalty to such absolute values as life. St Gianna Beretta Molla, the doctor who died by refusing treatment that might have hurt the baby she carried in her womb, touches the hearts not only of Christians with her ordinary and quiet heroism, she reminds everyone of the common destiny to which we tend. It is a prophetic form of the evangelical style of Christian witness.
In his speech at the University of Notre Dame Obama made a very important remark precisely on this point. He spoke of when he was involved in a social work project in the slums of Chicago – funded by some Catholic parishes – in which Protestant and Jewish volunteers also participated. On that occasion he happened to meet welcoming and understanding people. He saw the performance of good works nourished by the Lord amongst them. And he was “drawn - not just to work with the church, but to be in the Church. It was through this service”, he concluded, “that I was brought to Christ”. He also gave a moving eulogy of the great Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who was then archbishop of Chicago. He described him as “a lighthouse and a crossroads”, lovable in his way of persuading and in his continuous attempt to “bring people together always trying to find common ground”. In that experience, Obama said, “My heart and mind were touched by the words and deeds of the men and women I worked alongside with in Chicago”. The spectacle of charity, which comes from God, has the power to touch and attract the minds and hearts of mankind. And it is the only seed of real change in human history. Obama also quoted Martin Luther King, of whom he feels he is a disciple.
That only forty-one years after the assassination of King he himself is president of the US is a sign and proof of the historical efficacy of trust in the power of truth. In these decades we have seen so many ideologies base their pretence to change on violence, from revolutionary programs to the project of exporting democracy by military force. And we have seen only tragic failures and retrogression. Obama’s humble realism opens up new vistas also at the geopolitical level, as evinced by his speech at the Islamic Al-Azhar University in Cairo.
In that speech also, Obama sought to identify a “common ground” on which the complicated relationship between Islam and the Western world, in particular the US, might make progress. In this search, according to the President, everyone is called upon to look within their own tradition to rediscover the core values and shared interests on which to build mutual respect and peace. This approach represents a radical refutation of the notion of a clash of civilizations and an antidote to the tendency to apply negative stereotypes to others. In a speech heard by hundreds of millions of Muslims Obama took an entirely different line, with full confidence in the good faith and ability to judge of his hearers. For that very reason he was able to touch on all the controversial points with clarity and courage: the violent extremism – which affects everyone, starting with the Muslims – the Western missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the use of torture, the Israeli-Palestinian question, on which he reaffirmed the right of both peoples to live in safety in their own homeland and described the situation of the Palestinian people as “intolerable”, in tune with what the Pope had said during his recent visit to the land of Jesus. On the theme of nuclear power, in reference to Iran, Obama said that no one can be denied the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Reaffirming that we must aim at a situation in which no country – beginning with his own – develops the project of making recourse to nuclear power in the military field. In his speech in Cairo, the US president also reiterated that democracy cannot be imposed from outside, and that on the path to democracy all peoples must find their own way. He stressed that religious freedom is fundamental for peace. And on Islamic soil he also spoke of women’s rights. Among his quotations from sacred texts – the Torah, the Koran and the Bible – I was struck that the biblical text he chose to quote was the Sermon on the Mount. That discourse is addressed directly to the disciples of Christ. It was not made in primis for temporal, political and civil society. But Obama has perceived its positive meaning and its inspiration for the life of the civitas. That reminded me of the insight of John Paul II on the political meaning of forgiveness and requests for the purification of memory. One sees no way of coming out of intolerable situations, such as those experienced in the Middle East, if people’s pain for the malice and wrongs suffered does not get embraced and dissolved by the reconciling power of forgiveness.
I imagine that this man, Obama, felt all these things when he had to prepare his two speeches. This surprises me. It seems to me an interesting fact, even in terms of the political commitment of Christians in our pluralistic and globalized world.
This originally appeared in "30 Days in the Church and the World" - http://www.30giorni.it/
by Cardinal Georges Cottier OP
Theologian Emeritus of the Pontifical Household
In recent weeks Barack Obama gave two important speeches in two very different university contexts. On 17 May he spoke at the University of Notre Dame, the Catholic university in Indiana where he had been invited to receive an honorary degree on graduation day for 2,900 students. On 4 June, in Cairo, at the Al-Azhar Islamic University, considered the main center of religious teaching in Sunni Islam, he gave a long speech addressed in particular to the Islamic world.
I don’t want to make a political comment, which does not come within my sphere of competence, but I was struck by many aspects of the two speeches by the President of the United States. Apart from the individual topics touched on, they gave a glimpse of politics that can be usefully compared with fundamental elements of the social doctrine of the Catholic Church.
In the speech at Notre Dame, I was already struck by the words that Obama addressed to young people at the very beginning. The president pointed out that we are going through a particular historical moment, and described the fact as a privilege and a responsibility for young people. Already in that positive approach there is something Christian. The tasks of each generation are tasks from which the Providence of God is not absent.
To fully evaluate the import of the two speeches one must take two premises into account. First, it should be said that his speeches concern the problems of temporal society. And the Church has recognized, not least in important encyclicals and pronouncements of the Magisterium, the autonomy of temporal society. Autonomy does not mean separation, antagonism, isolation or hostility between temporal society and the Church. Simply, the Church acknowledges that temporal society has an entity of its own, with its own purposes. In dialogue with that entity, the contribution offered by the Church – which represents the Gospel and the values of grace – does not dim or deny but on the contrary exalts the autonomy of temporal society.
The second premise is that Obama talked about the world as it is today. His words referred to the United States, but with the great movements of peoples over recent decades, his words can be applied to all areas of the world – in particular in the West – now inhabited by pluralistic societies. Obama is a head of government called upon to handle a pluralist society. This is a fact to consider if one really wants to understand his words.
In fact, the speech at the University of Notre Dame seems littered with references taken from the Christian tradition. There was, for example, an expression that returned frequently, “common ground”, which corresponds to a fundamental concept of the social doctrine of the Church, that of the common good.
There is a tendency in current mentality to think that morality concerns only the sphere of private life and relationships. Whereas the quest for the common good calls upon reference to moral criteria and norms (cf. Pacem in Terris, n. 80). Morality is always the same, it does not change depending on whether it applies to the public or the private sphere. But morality always takes account of the reality to which it applies. In this case, it is a matter of the quest for the common good in a pluralistic society.
Obama took his cue precisely from a datum always recognized and taken into account in the Christian tradition: the consequences of original sin. “Part of the problem, of course, lies in the imperfections of man - our selfishness, our pride, our stubbornness, our acquisitiveness, our insecurities, our egos: all the cruelties large and small that those of us in the Christian tradition understand to be rooted in original sin”
The problem is complex in the extreme: how to seek together for the common good in a society where there are different and even conflicting ideas about what is good and what is evil. And how to proceed together in this quest without anyone being forced to sacrifice any of their essential beliefs. I think that we can agree with Obama’s way of setting out the search for solutions. Not least because in proposing it Obama took his cue precisely from a datum always recognized and taken into account in the Christian tradition: the consequences of original sin. “Part of the problem, of course, lies in the imperfections of man - our selfishness, our pride, our stubbornness, our acquisitiveness, our insecurities, our egos; all the cruelties large and small that those of us in the Christian tradition understand to be rooted in original sin”.
At a certain point in his speech Obama warned: “The ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt... It is beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us, or what He asks of us, and those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom [the wisdom of the Lord, ed.] is greater than our own”. There are, in appearance, words in this passage that seem to go against the teaching of the Church. As St Thomas writes, the faith as gift of God is infallible. There is no doubt in faith. One can’t be wrong. But the believer can err when his judgment does not proceed from faith. Moreover, it is a fact that the believer, especially when faced by various practical choices, wonders how to act, wonders what criteria the faith suggests. And in the face of the concrete situations of life, these criteria may not always seem so clear and crisp, cases of conscience may well arise.
The second part of the sentence makes clear the meaning that Obama meant to give to his words: certain knowledge of what God wants from us “is beyond our capacity as human beings”, but we “must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own”.
On its part the Catholic Church maintains and teaches that God, the beginning and end of all things, may be already known with certainty by the natural light of human reason with created things as the starting point. But in the historical conditions in which he finds himself, however, man experiences many difficulties in fruitfully using this natural ability to gain through its own strength alone a true and certain knowledge of God as personal, as also of the natural law inscribed by the Creator in our souls. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains in paragraphs 37 and 38, which cite the encyclical Humani generis, mankind needs to be enlightened by the revelation of God not only on what exceeds its understanding but also on “religious and moral truths which of themselves, are not beyond the grasp of human reason”, because in the current condition of the human race, “hampered by... disordered appetites which are the consequences of original sin”, such truths cannot be known “with ease, with firm certainty and with no admixture of error”.
In Christian doctrine, heeding the consequences of original sin does not mean becoming accomplices of sin, or refusing to offer all mankind moral truths, knowledge of which, in the real historical situation experienced by mankind on this earth, appears blurred to many.
Nor in his speech did Obama suggest hiding one’s moral certainties, as if to maintain the existence of objective truths were to be considered impossible or at least inappropriate in the context of a pluralistic society. He merely pointed out that the experience of our limitations, of our weakness, of our misery, “should not push us away from our faith”, but should simply “humble us”, remaining “open and curious” even in situations of challenge and opposition on ethically sensitive issues.
Thus, the traditional teaching on original sin itself suggests an approach to human reality that can turn out to be useful in the present historical circumstances experienced in pluralistic societies.
Every pluralistic society suffers tensions, conflicts, divisions over what is just and what is unjust. But there’s a democratic way of experiencing them that Obama described in his speech, and that can be in harmony with a Christian understanding of the relationships among people. Obama says: we must be persuaded, as pre-judice (for once giving a positive meaning to the word) that the other is in good faith. Even those who do not think like me. We must avoid caricaturing the other, respect the other, not demonize him. Democracy lives by this inspiration of an inwardly Christian kind. When I read the speeches, I immediately thought of that very fine encyclical from Paul VI, Ecclesiam Suam, in which Pope Montini wrote that the way of human relations in society is that of dialogue, even on vital truths for which one may go so far as to give one’s life.
This is not a matter of dragging these speeches into our camp, but of looking for points of encounter. The speech at the University of Notre Dame also reminded me of the Dignitatis humanae, a great text of the social doctrine of the Church, which recognizes the duty of individuals to seek the truth, which is a duty before God and springs from human nature. Thus, when I respect the other, I respect in him this capacity for truth.
Another issue that sometimes causes tension in pluralistic societies is the demand for religious freedom made by individuals before the State. This demand does not make religious indifference an obligatory choice for the State, but requires awareness of the limits of its powers.
I was struck by how Obama did not dodge the thorniest issue, that of abortion, on which he had received so much criticism not least from the US bishops. On the one hand such reactions are justified: non-negotiable values are involved in political decisions about abortion. For us what is at stake is the defense of the human person and his inalienable rights, the first of which is precisely that to life. Now in pluralistic society there are radical differences on this point. There are those who, like us, consider abortion an intrinsece malum, there are those who accept it, and even some who claim it as a right. The President has never taken the latter position. On the contrary, I think he has made positive suggestions – something also stressed by L’Osservatore Romano of 19 May – proposing again in this case the search for common ground. In this search – Obama points out – nobody should censor their beliefs, but on the contrary maintain them and defend them in the face of all. His position is not the misunderstood relativism of those who say that it is a matter of contrasting views, and that all personal opinions are subjective and uncertain, and thus it is better to set them aside when speaking of these things.
Nor in his speech did Obama suggest hiding one’s moral certainties, as if to maintain the existence of objective truths were to be considered impossible or at least inappropriate in the context of a pluralistic society. He merely pointed out that the experience of our limitations, of our weakness, of our misery, “should not push us away from our faith”, but should simply “humble us”, remaining “open and curious” even in situations of challenge and opposition on ethically sensitive issues
In addition, Obama recognizes the tragic seriousness of the problem. That the decision to abort “is a heart-wrenching decison for any woman”. The common ground that he is proposing is that we all work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortion. He adds that any legal regulation of the matter must guarantee in absolute fashion conscientious objection for health workers who do not want to engage in the practice of abortion. His words go in the direction of diminishing the evil. The government and the State must make every effort to ensure that the number of abortions is minimized. It is, of course, only a minimum, but a precious minimum. It reminds me of the attitude of the early Christian legislators who did not repeal the Roman laws tolerating practices that did not comply with or even went counter to natural law, such as concubinage and slavery. The change was arrived at by slow degrees, often marked by setbacks, as the number of Christians in the population increased and with them the impact of the sense of the dignity of the person. At first, to obtain the consent of citizens and preserve social peace, the so-called “imperfect laws” were left in force, which prevented persecution for acts and behavior contrary to natural law. Even St Thomas, who had no doubt that the law must be moral, added that the State should not make laws too severe and “lofty” because they would be despised by those incapable of applying them.
The realism of the politician recognizes evil and calls it by its name. It recognizes that we must be humble and patient, fighting without the presumption of eradicating it from human history by means of legal coercion. It is the parable of the tares, which also applies at the political level. On the other hand, this does not become justification for cynicism and indifference to it. The effort to decrease evil as much as possible remains persistent. It is a duty.
The Church has always perceived the illusion of eliminating evil from history by legal, political or religious means as unattainable and dangerous. Recent history is also full of disasters produced by the fanaticism of those who aimed to dry up the sources of evil in human history, ultimately transforming everything into a vast cemetery. The communist regimes followed exactly this logic. As does the religious terrorism which kills even in the name of God. When a doctor who favored abortion was killed by militant anti-abortionists – as happened recently in the US – one has to admit that even the highest ideals, such as the sacrosanct defense of the absolute value of human life, can be corrupted and turn into their opposite, becoming slogans at the disposition an aberrant ideology.
Christians are bearers in the world of a realistic temporal hope, not of a vain utopian dream, also when they give witness of their loyalty to such absolute values as life. St Gianna Beretta Molla, the doctor who died by refusing treatment that might have hurt the baby she carried in her womb, touches the hearts not only of Christians with her ordinary and quiet heroism, she reminds everyone of the common destiny to which we tend. It is a prophetic form of the evangelical style of Christian witness.
In his speech at the University of Notre Dame Obama made a very important remark precisely on this point. He spoke of when he was involved in a social work project in the slums of Chicago – funded by some Catholic parishes – in which Protestant and Jewish volunteers also participated. On that occasion he happened to meet welcoming and understanding people. He saw the performance of good works nourished by the Lord amongst them. And he was “drawn - not just to work with the church, but to be in the Church. It was through this service”, he concluded, “that I was brought to Christ”. He also gave a moving eulogy of the great Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who was then archbishop of Chicago. He described him as “a lighthouse and a crossroads”, lovable in his way of persuading and in his continuous attempt to “bring people together always trying to find common ground”. In that experience, Obama said, “My heart and mind were touched by the words and deeds of the men and women I worked alongside with in Chicago”. The spectacle of charity, which comes from God, has the power to touch and attract the minds and hearts of mankind. And it is the only seed of real change in human history. Obama also quoted Martin Luther King, of whom he feels he is a disciple.
That only forty-one years after the assassination of King he himself is president of the US is a sign and proof of the historical efficacy of trust in the power of truth. In these decades we have seen so many ideologies base their pretence to change on violence, from revolutionary programs to the project of exporting democracy by military force. And we have seen only tragic failures and retrogression. Obama’s humble realism opens up new vistas also at the geopolitical level, as evinced by his speech at the Islamic Al-Azhar University in Cairo.
In that speech also, Obama sought to identify a “common ground” on which the complicated relationship between Islam and the Western world, in particular the US, might make progress. In this search, according to the President, everyone is called upon to look within their own tradition to rediscover the core values and shared interests on which to build mutual respect and peace. This approach represents a radical refutation of the notion of a clash of civilizations and an antidote to the tendency to apply negative stereotypes to others. In a speech heard by hundreds of millions of Muslims Obama took an entirely different line, with full confidence in the good faith and ability to judge of his hearers. For that very reason he was able to touch on all the controversial points with clarity and courage: the violent extremism – which affects everyone, starting with the Muslims – the Western missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the use of torture, the Israeli-Palestinian question, on which he reaffirmed the right of both peoples to live in safety in their own homeland and described the situation of the Palestinian people as “intolerable”, in tune with what the Pope had said during his recent visit to the land of Jesus. On the theme of nuclear power, in reference to Iran, Obama said that no one can be denied the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Reaffirming that we must aim at a situation in which no country – beginning with his own – develops the project of making recourse to nuclear power in the military field. In his speech in Cairo, the US president also reiterated that democracy cannot be imposed from outside, and that on the path to democracy all peoples must find their own way. He stressed that religious freedom is fundamental for peace. And on Islamic soil he also spoke of women’s rights. Among his quotations from sacred texts – the Torah, the Koran and the Bible – I was struck that the biblical text he chose to quote was the Sermon on the Mount. That discourse is addressed directly to the disciples of Christ. It was not made in primis for temporal, political and civil society. But Obama has perceived its positive meaning and its inspiration for the life of the civitas. That reminded me of the insight of John Paul II on the political meaning of forgiveness and requests for the purification of memory. One sees no way of coming out of intolerable situations, such as those experienced in the Middle East, if people’s pain for the malice and wrongs suffered does not get embraced and dissolved by the reconciling power of forgiveness.
I imagine that this man, Obama, felt all these things when he had to prepare his two speeches. This surprises me. It seems to me an interesting fact, even in terms of the political commitment of Christians in our pluralistic and globalized world.
This originally appeared in "30 Days in the Church and the World" - http://www.30giorni.it/
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Conform yourself to Christ
HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF ST. FRANCIS O ASSISI, October 4, 2009:
Today we celebrate a glorious day – especially for we who are Franciscans – today is the Solemnity of Our Holy Father Saint Francis. And so, for us it is not another Sunday, or another Holy Day, but it is our Founder’s Day. And it is a day for us to remember who we are called to be as followers of Christ Jesus in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi.
It has been more than 800 years since the Saint walked the earth and yet it never ceases to amaze me at what an impact he has had on our Church and our world, and continues to have to this day. St. Francis is a holy man who transcends even faith. He is a holy man who finds popularity throughout Christianity – both Catholic and Protestant – and even beyond Christianity. And so, how right it is that we celebrate this holy man and renew ourselves in the attempt to imitate him in our common call to follow Christ.
St. Francis is known for so many things. We remember him for light things like his preaching to the birds so faithfully commemorated in bird baths on the lawns of many people. We remember him for the very serious things like his total acceptance of the life of poverty; his embrace of the lepers; his love of all creation and more. But, one of the most stunning things we remember him for is his reception of the sacred stigmata – the sacred wounds of Christ.
In our own day-and-age, we are still astounded by something so remarkable as receiving the wounds of Christ, but it is not unheard of for us. Many people today have tremendous devotion to Padre Pio, who lived in our own time. And there have been others who have born the wounds of Christ over the ages. But, St. Francis was the very first.
Upon his death in 1226, Br. Elias, who was the friend, companion and successor of St. Francis issued an
encyclical letter to announce that the Saint had died. This letter was also the first public proclamation of this new miracle. He wrote, “I announce to you a great joy and a new miracle. It is a sign which has been unheard of from the very beginning of time except in the Son of God, Christ the Lord. Not long before his death, our brother and our father was seen to resemble the crucified Lord, bearing in his body the five wounds which are the marks of Christ.”
The life of St. Francis can be characterized in a very simple way – he sought to conform himself to Christ. In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited Mount La Verna in Italy, the place where St. Francis received the wounds of Christ in 1224. There he spoke about this conformity to Christ, “By his life Francis proclaimed…the saving word of the Gospel. The reception of the stigmata on La Verna thus represents that visible conformity to the image of Christ which makes Francis the example to which every Christian can aspire in the process of drawing ever nearer to God the Creator and Redeemer.”
As we commemorate this holy man today, we can be tempted to think, what a truly remarkable person; what a beacon of light for the Christian faith – but, that could never be me. But we would be wrong. What St. Francis shows us is not a way of life that is so remarkable that it can barely be imitated. What St. Francis shows us is that the way of life that Jesus Himself has invited us into is within our reach. If he can do it, so can we. We too can be imitators of St. Francis in following the life of the Gospel.
And we too can be conformed to the image of Christ. As remarkable as the five wounds appearing on the body of St. Francis are, they are not the true stigmata – the true stigmata is in the soul; in the heart; in the day-to-day. If the sacred stigmata were merely about flesh-and-bones, it would be an interesting supernatural reality. But, this is something that came at the end of his life, not the beginning. It was a divine confirmation of a life lived in conformity with Christ, not the goal of it. In other words, St. Francis most profoundly conformed himself to Christ, not in the wounds in his hands, feet and side, but in the way that he loved; in the way that he lived. And so can we. St. Francis loved as radically as did Christ. And he shows us that we can too can take away all that keeps us from loving fully; all of the challenges, difficulties, hurts, pettiness, prejudices and pains – and make a choice to love others because God has first loved us.
Let me end with the words of the current successor of St. Francis, our General Minister José Rodríguez Carballo, who said, “Francis, come among us! We need you to tell us that true joy does not lie in human wisdom, riches, and rewards, but in being faithful to the plan of the Lord. Francis, come among us! We need you to help us learn that to follow Jesus, there is only one path to take: the path that was trod by him; the path of self-denial. Francis, come among us. We need you to teach us how to love those who make us suffer and what to do, so that Love may be expressed more fully every day and we may become true friends, imitators, and lovers of Christ. Come, Brother Francis! We need you.”
My friends, let us conform ourselves to Christ as did our Holy Father St. Francis.
May the Lord give you peace.
Today we celebrate a glorious day – especially for we who are Franciscans – today is the Solemnity of Our Holy Father Saint Francis. And so, for us it is not another Sunday, or another Holy Day, but it is our Founder’s Day. And it is a day for us to remember who we are called to be as followers of Christ Jesus in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi.
It has been more than 800 years since the Saint walked the earth and yet it never ceases to amaze me at what an impact he has had on our Church and our world, and continues to have to this day. St. Francis is a holy man who transcends even faith. He is a holy man who finds popularity throughout Christianity – both Catholic and Protestant – and even beyond Christianity. And so, how right it is that we celebrate this holy man and renew ourselves in the attempt to imitate him in our common call to follow Christ.
St. Francis is known for so many things. We remember him for light things like his preaching to the birds so faithfully commemorated in bird baths on the lawns of many people. We remember him for the very serious things like his total acceptance of the life of poverty; his embrace of the lepers; his love of all creation and more. But, one of the most stunning things we remember him for is his reception of the sacred stigmata – the sacred wounds of Christ.
In our own day-and-age, we are still astounded by something so remarkable as receiving the wounds of Christ, but it is not unheard of for us. Many people today have tremendous devotion to Padre Pio, who lived in our own time. And there have been others who have born the wounds of Christ over the ages. But, St. Francis was the very first.
Upon his death in 1226, Br. Elias, who was the friend, companion and successor of St. Francis issued an
encyclical letter to announce that the Saint had died. This letter was also the first public proclamation of this new miracle. He wrote, “I announce to you a great joy and a new miracle. It is a sign which has been unheard of from the very beginning of time except in the Son of God, Christ the Lord. Not long before his death, our brother and our father was seen to resemble the crucified Lord, bearing in his body the five wounds which are the marks of Christ.”
The life of St. Francis can be characterized in a very simple way – he sought to conform himself to Christ. In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited Mount La Verna in Italy, the place where St. Francis received the wounds of Christ in 1224. There he spoke about this conformity to Christ, “By his life Francis proclaimed…the saving word of the Gospel. The reception of the stigmata on La Verna thus represents that visible conformity to the image of Christ which makes Francis the example to which every Christian can aspire in the process of drawing ever nearer to God the Creator and Redeemer.”
As we commemorate this holy man today, we can be tempted to think, what a truly remarkable person; what a beacon of light for the Christian faith – but, that could never be me. But we would be wrong. What St. Francis shows us is not a way of life that is so remarkable that it can barely be imitated. What St. Francis shows us is that the way of life that Jesus Himself has invited us into is within our reach. If he can do it, so can we. We too can be imitators of St. Francis in following the life of the Gospel.
And we too can be conformed to the image of Christ. As remarkable as the five wounds appearing on the body of St. Francis are, they are not the true stigmata – the true stigmata is in the soul; in the heart; in the day-to-day. If the sacred stigmata were merely about flesh-and-bones, it would be an interesting supernatural reality. But, this is something that came at the end of his life, not the beginning. It was a divine confirmation of a life lived in conformity with Christ, not the goal of it. In other words, St. Francis most profoundly conformed himself to Christ, not in the wounds in his hands, feet and side, but in the way that he loved; in the way that he lived. And so can we. St. Francis loved as radically as did Christ. And he shows us that we can too can take away all that keeps us from loving fully; all of the challenges, difficulties, hurts, pettiness, prejudices and pains – and make a choice to love others because God has first loved us.
Let me end with the words of the current successor of St. Francis, our General Minister José Rodríguez Carballo, who said, “Francis, come among us! We need you to tell us that true joy does not lie in human wisdom, riches, and rewards, but in being faithful to the plan of the Lord. Francis, come among us! We need you to help us learn that to follow Jesus, there is only one path to take: the path that was trod by him; the path of self-denial. Francis, come among us. We need you to teach us how to love those who make us suffer and what to do, so that Love may be expressed more fully every day and we may become true friends, imitators, and lovers of Christ. Come, Brother Francis! We need you.”
My friends, let us conform ourselves to Christ as did our Holy Father St. Francis.
May the Lord give you peace.
Come, Brother Francis! We need you!
HOMILY FOR THE TRANSITUS OF ST. FRANCIS, October 3, 2009 (Monastery of St. Clare, Andover, MA):
“Before I begin to speak I sigh.” These are the first words of Br. Elias, early companion, dear friend, and successor of St. Francis, in his encyclical letter to the Order announcing the passing of Our Holy Father. “Before I begin to speak, I sigh.” They capture well the solemn nature of this night of Transitus, this night of passing.
Of course, in the brightness of day, in the newness of light, we will rejoice. Our brother, in whose steps we follow, has ascended to the heights of Heaven. Il Poverello, the Mirror of Christ, has been united eternally with Jesus in the glory of His Kingdom.
But, tonight, before we begin to speak, we sigh, because as Elias said on this occasion nearly 800 years ago, “our comforter has been taken away from us, and he who carried us like lambs on his shoulders has set out abroad into a far country. He who was beloved of God and of man has been received into the most resplendent dwellings.”
Of course, even for Elias, his letter was not only one of sorrow, it was one of miracles. His Encyclical Letter contains the first public proclamation of something that had never before been heard of in the history of Christianity – the sacred stigmata. Elias wrote, “I announce to you a great joy and a new miracle. It is a sign which has been unheard of from the very beginning of time except in the Son of God, Christ the Lord. Not long before his death, our brother and our father was seen to resemble the crucified Lord, bearing in his body the five wounds which are the marks of Christ.”
As we find ourselves tonight in the midst of the 800th anniversary of the approval of the Franciscan Rule, of our way of life, perhaps this is the most poignant focus for our meditation – the wounds of Christ made manifest in the Body of St. Francis – because these say something about St. Francis and who he was; and they say something so powerful for all of us – his sons and daughters – as we strive to follow Christ in the footsteps of Francis and Clare some 800 years on. It says, we too are called to be conformed to the image of Christ.
In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited that important mountain top of La Verna – that place of miracles; that place so precious to the Saint himself. Speaking of our Holy Father, the Pope said, “The Gospel was [Francis’] daily bread. He did not confine himself to reading its words, but through the expressions of the revealed text he set out to discover the One who is the Gospel itself…By his life Francis proclaimed and continues to proclaim today the saving word of the Gospel. The reception of the stigmata on La Verna thus represents that visible conformity to the image of Christ which makes Francis the example to which every Christian can aspire in the process of drawing ever nearer to God the Creator and Redeemer. In this regard the words spoken by the Poverello at the end of his life are significant: ‘I have done what is mine to do; may Christ teach you yours.’ Francis bore witness to the boundless love [of Christ] and continues to do so even in our days. Love alone can prevent the failure of humanity and the world.”
My friends, as we gather tonight in this holy place to commemorate the passing of St. Francis, let us remember that our founder, our brother, our father, our saint – is gone from us. He has returned to his Heavenly reward. He has done what was his to do; and now, even 800 years later, he turns to each and every one of us here today. We are the inheritors of his legacy of conformity to Christ; of his example of being Christ in our world. Like him, we are called to be conformed to the image of Christ; like him, we are called to be the Mirror of the Savior reflecting His love to our broken world; like him, we are called to be poor and be lovers of the poor, the suffering, the outcast, the forsaken.
“In truth, in very truth, the presence of Francis, our brother and our father, was a light not only to us who were close to him, but also to those who were more removed from us in calling and in life. He was a light sent forth from the true Light to enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, that he might guide their feet into the way of peace. For this reason…do not mourn beyond all measure; for God, the Father of orphans, will comfort us with his holy consolation. And if you weep…weep for yourselves but not for him; for in the midst of our life we are in death, while he has passed from death to life,” Elias reminds us.
Let me end with the words of the current successor of St. Francis, our General Minister José Rodríguez Carballo, who said, “Francis, come among us! We need you to tell us that true joy does not lie in human wisdom, riches, and rewards, but in being faithful to the plan of the Lord. Francis, come among us! We need you to help us learn that to follow Jesus, there is only one path to take: the path that was trod by him; the path of expropriation and self-denial. Francis, come among us. We need you to teach us how to love those who make us suffer and what to do, so that Love may be expressed more every day and we may become true friends, imitators, and lovers of Christ. Come, Brother Francis! We need you.”
My friends, let us today begin again and may the Lord give you peace.
“Before I begin to speak I sigh.” These are the first words of Br. Elias, early companion, dear friend, and successor of St. Francis, in his encyclical letter to the Order announcing the passing of Our Holy Father. “Before I begin to speak, I sigh.” They capture well the solemn nature of this night of Transitus, this night of passing.
Of course, in the brightness of day, in the newness of light, we will rejoice. Our brother, in whose steps we follow, has ascended to the heights of Heaven. Il Poverello, the Mirror of Christ, has been united eternally with Jesus in the glory of His Kingdom.
But, tonight, before we begin to speak, we sigh, because as Elias said on this occasion nearly 800 years ago, “our comforter has been taken away from us, and he who carried us like lambs on his shoulders has set out abroad into a far country. He who was beloved of God and of man has been received into the most resplendent dwellings.”
Of course, even for Elias, his letter was not only one of sorrow, it was one of miracles. His Encyclical Letter contains the first public proclamation of something that had never before been heard of in the history of Christianity – the sacred stigmata. Elias wrote, “I announce to you a great joy and a new miracle. It is a sign which has been unheard of from the very beginning of time except in the Son of God, Christ the Lord. Not long before his death, our brother and our father was seen to resemble the crucified Lord, bearing in his body the five wounds which are the marks of Christ.”
As we find ourselves tonight in the midst of the 800th anniversary of the approval of the Franciscan Rule, of our way of life, perhaps this is the most poignant focus for our meditation – the wounds of Christ made manifest in the Body of St. Francis – because these say something about St. Francis and who he was; and they say something so powerful for all of us – his sons and daughters – as we strive to follow Christ in the footsteps of Francis and Clare some 800 years on. It says, we too are called to be conformed to the image of Christ.
In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited that important mountain top of La Verna – that place of miracles; that place so precious to the Saint himself. Speaking of our Holy Father, the Pope said, “The Gospel was [Francis’] daily bread. He did not confine himself to reading its words, but through the expressions of the revealed text he set out to discover the One who is the Gospel itself…By his life Francis proclaimed and continues to proclaim today the saving word of the Gospel. The reception of the stigmata on La Verna thus represents that visible conformity to the image of Christ which makes Francis the example to which every Christian can aspire in the process of drawing ever nearer to God the Creator and Redeemer. In this regard the words spoken by the Poverello at the end of his life are significant: ‘I have done what is mine to do; may Christ teach you yours.’ Francis bore witness to the boundless love [of Christ] and continues to do so even in our days. Love alone can prevent the failure of humanity and the world.”
My friends, as we gather tonight in this holy place to commemorate the passing of St. Francis, let us remember that our founder, our brother, our father, our saint – is gone from us. He has returned to his Heavenly reward. He has done what was his to do; and now, even 800 years later, he turns to each and every one of us here today. We are the inheritors of his legacy of conformity to Christ; of his example of being Christ in our world. Like him, we are called to be conformed to the image of Christ; like him, we are called to be the Mirror of the Savior reflecting His love to our broken world; like him, we are called to be poor and be lovers of the poor, the suffering, the outcast, the forsaken.
“In truth, in very truth, the presence of Francis, our brother and our father, was a light not only to us who were close to him, but also to those who were more removed from us in calling and in life. He was a light sent forth from the true Light to enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, that he might guide their feet into the way of peace. For this reason…do not mourn beyond all measure; for God, the Father of orphans, will comfort us with his holy consolation. And if you weep…weep for yourselves but not for him; for in the midst of our life we are in death, while he has passed from death to life,” Elias reminds us.
Let me end with the words of the current successor of St. Francis, our General Minister José Rodríguez Carballo, who said, “Francis, come among us! We need you to tell us that true joy does not lie in human wisdom, riches, and rewards, but in being faithful to the plan of the Lord. Francis, come among us! We need you to help us learn that to follow Jesus, there is only one path to take: the path that was trod by him; the path of expropriation and self-denial. Francis, come among us. We need you to teach us how to love those who make us suffer and what to do, so that Love may be expressed more every day and we may become true friends, imitators, and lovers of Christ. Come, Brother Francis! We need you.”
My friends, let us today begin again and may the Lord give you peace.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Poll: Support for abortion rights slipping
Support for abortion rights appears to be slipping, according to a new report being issued today by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. An excerpt:
Polls conducted in 2009 have found fewer Americans expressing support for abortion than in previous years. In Pew Research Center polls in 2007 and 2008, supporters of legal abortion clearly outnumbered opponents; now Americans are evenly divided on the question, and there have been modest increases in the numbers who favor reducing abortions or making them harder to obtain. Less support for abortion is evident among most demographic and political groups.
The latest Pew Research Center survey also reveals that the abortion debate has receded in importance, especially among liberals. At the same time, opposition to abortion has grown more firm among conservatives, who have become less supportive of finding a middle ground on the issue and more certain of the correctness of their own views on abortion.
Read the rest of the story: Poll: Support for abortion rights slipping - Articles of Faith - Boston.com
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Polls conducted in 2009 have found fewer Americans expressing support for abortion than in previous years. In Pew Research Center polls in 2007 and 2008, supporters of legal abortion clearly outnumbered opponents; now Americans are evenly divided on the question, and there have been modest increases in the numbers who favor reducing abortions or making them harder to obtain. Less support for abortion is evident among most demographic and political groups.
The latest Pew Research Center survey also reveals that the abortion debate has receded in importance, especially among liberals. At the same time, opposition to abortion has grown more firm among conservatives, who have become less supportive of finding a middle ground on the issue and more certain of the correctness of their own views on abortion.
Read the rest of the story: Poll: Support for abortion rights slipping - Articles of Faith - Boston.com
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Monday, September 28, 2009
Father Polanski would go to jail
Note: Fr. Reese makes a good point about the double standard often used. From today's Washington Post:
THIS CATHOLIC'S VIEW
By Thomas J. Reese, S.J.
Imagine if the Knight of Columbus decided to give an award to a pedophile priest who had fled the country to avoid prison. The outcry would be universal. Victim groups would demand the award be withdrawn and that the organization apologize. Religion reporters would be on the case with the encouragement of their editors. Editorial writers and columnist would denounce the knights as another example of the insensitivity of the Catholic Church to sexual abuse.
And they would all be correct. And I would join them.
But why is there not similar outrage directed at the film industry for giving an award to Roman Polanski, who not only confessed to statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl but fled the country prior to sentencing? Why have film critics and the rest of the media ignored this case for 31 years? He even received an Academy award in 2003. Are the high priests of the entertainment industry immune to criticism?
The president and cultural minister of France, where Polanski has been protected for years, objected when the Swiss arrested Polanski at the Zurich airport when he arrived to attend a film festival at which he was to be honored. Good for the Swiss. Good for the Los Angeles prosecutors who have not given up on this case.
Polanski's defenders, including a 2008 HBO documentary, argue that he should not be punished. They say that the girl was willing and sexually experienced and she has forgiven him (after receiving a settlement). They even cite his tragic childhood and life as an excuse. And besides, it is ancient history.
Such arguments from pedophile priests would be laughed out of court and lambasted by everyone, and rightly so. It makes no difference that the girl is willing and sexually experienced, it is a crime. It is the role of the court, not the victim, to decide who goes to jail and for how long.
It is not as if Polanski is the only Hollywood celebrity to be accused of child abuse. Woody Allen and Michael Jackson come to mind. I am sure that with a little research the media could come up with quite a list. The Catholic Church has rightly been put under a microscope when 4 percent of its priests were involved in abuse, but what about the film industry?
The world has truly changed. Entertainment is the new religion with sex, violence and money the new Trinity. The directors and stars are worshiped and quickly forgiven for any infraction as long as the PR agent is a skilled as a saintly confessor. Entertainment, not religion, is the new opiate of the people and we don't want our supply disturbed.
Is there a double standard here? You bet.
Thomas J. Reese, S.J., is Senior Fellow at Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.
THIS CATHOLIC'S VIEW
By Thomas J. Reese, S.J.
Imagine if the Knight of Columbus decided to give an award to a pedophile priest who had fled the country to avoid prison. The outcry would be universal. Victim groups would demand the award be withdrawn and that the organization apologize. Religion reporters would be on the case with the encouragement of their editors. Editorial writers and columnist would denounce the knights as another example of the insensitivity of the Catholic Church to sexual abuse.
And they would all be correct. And I would join them.
But why is there not similar outrage directed at the film industry for giving an award to Roman Polanski, who not only confessed to statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl but fled the country prior to sentencing? Why have film critics and the rest of the media ignored this case for 31 years? He even received an Academy award in 2003. Are the high priests of the entertainment industry immune to criticism?
The president and cultural minister of France, where Polanski has been protected for years, objected when the Swiss arrested Polanski at the Zurich airport when he arrived to attend a film festival at which he was to be honored. Good for the Swiss. Good for the Los Angeles prosecutors who have not given up on this case.
Polanski's defenders, including a 2008 HBO documentary, argue that he should not be punished. They say that the girl was willing and sexually experienced and she has forgiven him (after receiving a settlement). They even cite his tragic childhood and life as an excuse. And besides, it is ancient history.
Such arguments from pedophile priests would be laughed out of court and lambasted by everyone, and rightly so. It makes no difference that the girl is willing and sexually experienced, it is a crime. It is the role of the court, not the victim, to decide who goes to jail and for how long.
It is not as if Polanski is the only Hollywood celebrity to be accused of child abuse. Woody Allen and Michael Jackson come to mind. I am sure that with a little research the media could come up with quite a list. The Catholic Church has rightly been put under a microscope when 4 percent of its priests were involved in abuse, but what about the film industry?
The world has truly changed. Entertainment is the new religion with sex, violence and money the new Trinity. The directors and stars are worshiped and quickly forgiven for any infraction as long as the PR agent is a skilled as a saintly confessor. Entertainment, not religion, is the new opiate of the people and we don't want our supply disturbed.
Is there a double standard here? You bet.
Thomas J. Reese, S.J., is Senior Fellow at Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Boston Red Sox - They’re not showing all their cards - The Boston Globe
NEW YORK - One team is going all out to win every day.
The other team is the Red Sox - asking you to stand back and look at the big picture.
The Sox got another encouraging performance from Daisuke Matsuzaka yesterday, but again were beaten by the Yankees, 3-0. Boston managed only two hits against CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and Mariano Rivera.
The starting lineups told you everything you needed to know about the respective approaches of these rivals. Yankees manager Joe Girardi, burning his guys in a manner like Don Zimmer (circa 1978), put out his best nine players along with the winningest pitcher in baseball (tied with Adam Wainwright going into yesterday’s games). Jorge Posada wound up being a late scratch because of an injury, but the point was made. Girardi used his big guns. The Yankees are going wall to wall to clinch the division (magic number 1) and the best record in the American League, ASAP.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, are using these final days to get some rest and tune up for the playoffs. Terry Francona started Rocco Baldelli in right, Jed Lowrie (hitting .158 entering the game) at short, and Brian Anderson in left. Chris Woodward played short in the eighth and dropped a throw from Victor Martinez that led to a pair of unearned runs. If not for four hit batsmen (two each side), this could have been March 18 at City of Palms Park.
The message from Boston was clear: everything is settled. The Sox are going to win the wild card. They are not going to challenge the Yankees for home-field advantage. Let Girardi wear his guys out. The Sox are getting ready for the playoffs. Call it Tito’s rope-a-dope.
“The mind-set is to manage everything to win,’’ Francona said. “It’s not just one thing. We want to show up and play the game right and be cognizant of what we are trying to accomplish.’’
Read the whole story: Boston Red Sox - They’re not showing all their cards - The Boston Globe
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The other team is the Red Sox - asking you to stand back and look at the big picture.
The Sox got another encouraging performance from Daisuke Matsuzaka yesterday, but again were beaten by the Yankees, 3-0. Boston managed only two hits against CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and Mariano Rivera.
The starting lineups told you everything you needed to know about the respective approaches of these rivals. Yankees manager Joe Girardi, burning his guys in a manner like Don Zimmer (circa 1978), put out his best nine players along with the winningest pitcher in baseball (tied with Adam Wainwright going into yesterday’s games). Jorge Posada wound up being a late scratch because of an injury, but the point was made. Girardi used his big guns. The Yankees are going wall to wall to clinch the division (magic number 1) and the best record in the American League, ASAP.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, are using these final days to get some rest and tune up for the playoffs. Terry Francona started Rocco Baldelli in right, Jed Lowrie (hitting .158 entering the game) at short, and Brian Anderson in left. Chris Woodward played short in the eighth and dropped a throw from Victor Martinez that led to a pair of unearned runs. If not for four hit batsmen (two each side), this could have been March 18 at City of Palms Park.
The message from Boston was clear: everything is settled. The Sox are going to win the wild card. They are not going to challenge the Yankees for home-field advantage. Let Girardi wear his guys out. The Sox are getting ready for the playoffs. Call it Tito’s rope-a-dope.
“The mind-set is to manage everything to win,’’ Francona said. “It’s not just one thing. We want to show up and play the game right and be cognizant of what we are trying to accomplish.’’
Read the whole story: Boston Red Sox - They’re not showing all their cards - The Boston Globe
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Saturday, September 26, 2009
Sin matters, but God's mercy matters more
HOMILY FOR THE 26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, September 27, 2009:
Today’s Scripture calls to mind a poignant story from the life of St. Jerome, the great 5th century Biblical scholar. St. Jerome was praying one day and felt overwhelmed with the need to offer something worthwhile to God. “Lord,” he prayed, “I offer you my life.” The voice of God responded back to him, “It was I who gave you your life. It is not yours to give.” Jerome prayed some more, “Lord, I offer you my heart, my love.” Again, the voice of God spoke, “It was I who gave you those as well.” Jerome didn’t know what he could offer when the voice of God spoke again, “Jerome?” “Yes,” the saint responded. “Why don’t you give me your sins? Your sins are all your own.”
Our Scriptures today direct us to reflect on something that we typically prefer to avoid – sin, and specifically our own sin. We live in a world that has become increasingly desensitized to sin; one that tries to make it trivial and unimportant. We treat sin as something as commonplace as the air we breathe, the water we drink. And so, anything so commonplace couldn’t possibly be that bad. It is as regular as the common cold – we don’t want it, but we can certainly live with it. We’re only human after all.
Let me give you just a few simple examples of what I mean. Fifty years ago in this country, Sunday Mass attendance averaged at about 75% of Catholics going to Mass each week. Today that number is 36%. When I ask Catholics about why they don’t attend Mass regularly, they say, “Do you think God really cares if I’m there every Sunday? I’m a good person” Well, He said He cares in those things we call the Commandments – or were they merely suggestions? You’ll get a similar response when talking to young people about things like living together before being married. “Do you think God cares? I mean, we love each other after all? We’re both good people.” Again, I do think God cares.
We have created a religion of the Good Person that says as long as you’re a good person, the rest doesn’t matter; God doesn’t care. I always remind people, though, that God isn’t looking for good people; He is looking for holy people. Good will be a part of holy; holy isn’t always a part of good. There are a lot of “good” atheists out there. We’ve all heard the saying that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
God calls each of us to be holy; and so the simple but direct message of our Scriptures today is this: sin matters. In our Second Reading, St. James graphically explains that if someone spends their earthly life exploiting and using other people, lying and cheating and hoarding wealth, they may enjoy the fruits of their crimes for a little while, but they can’t escape justice for ever. He writes that they will “weep and wail over their miseries.”
Jesus is just as clear. He explains that un-repented sin has consequences; it leads to damnation, it leads to hell. It leads to eternal separation of a soul from God. According to Jesus, that’s what un-repented sin leads us to. Now, these words of St. James and Jesus are not meant to scare us into feeling guilty - it’s not some psychological manipulation technique. Rather, they are simply informing us about the facts: sin, willfully turning away from God and his moral law, has consequences, and they are not good, and we should strive to avoid them.
But, if the road to Hell is paved with good intentions; then never forget that the road to Heaven is paved with holy actions. If today’s message is that sin matters – it is also this: God’s mercy matters more! God’s mercy and generosity will be the source of a lot of surprises on Judgment Day. When we think of Judgment, we tend to focus on only the negative. In other words, we tend to think of God pulling out a list of our sins, shortcomings, and stubborn selfish actions. And it is true, in the light of Christ’s gaze, we see more clearly than ever those sinful things.
But, Jesus points out that the Judgment will also have another part to it. He says, “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.” Think about what that means. It means, every act of forgiveness, every donation to a worthy cause, every penny put in the collection basket, every piece of clothing given to the poor, every kind letter or visit paid to someone who was sick, in prison, or alone, every prayer offered up for those in need, every word of comfort, instruction, and guidance, every single action that we perform in our Christian efforts to love God and neighbor is noticed, is remembered, and is delighted in by our Lord. And He is storing up rewards for all of these holy actions in Heaven – because our God is merciful and generous. And this generosity is present today, right here. God’s will exercise that generosity and mercy powerfully right here in this Holy Mass, by giving us His very self, in Holy Communion.
My friends, sin matters - the Church is reminding us of that today. But in this Mass the Church reminds us of something else too, that God’s mercy matters more. Sin is destructive, terrible, diabolical. But Jesus has conquered sin, which is why we call Him our Savior. The Catechism tells us: “The victory that Christ won over sin has given us greater blessings than those which sin had taken from us.” The destruction that sin causes in our lives is not the end of the story. God can forgive us - it is never too late. God can redeem us. God can take the ruins that sin causes and build them into something more magnificent than we ever could have imagined. We just have to give Him the chance.
And we do that so simply by taking the first step and going to Confession. God already knows our sins. He knows how much they obstruct our spiritual progress and wound our souls, and how much we need His grace to overcome them. That’s why He gave us confession in the first place. To give us a chance to start over, as many times as we need to. Many of us already know this, and we use the great gift of confession frequently. But we also know plenty of people who don’t - and they are suffering deeply on the inside because of it, experiencing the effects of sin. Maybe a word of encouragement, an invitation, a sharing of experiences from us is all God needs to bring them back and give them that fresh start.
My friends, sin matters, but God’s infinite, redemptive mercy matters more. That’s the message of today’s Mass, and of every Mass. This week, let’s take that message outside of Mass, let’s bring it into the world around us, and let God’s grace win some new victories.
Let us give Him our sins. He will forgive them and turn them into glory.
May the Lord give you peace.
Today’s Scripture calls to mind a poignant story from the life of St. Jerome, the great 5th century Biblical scholar. St. Jerome was praying one day and felt overwhelmed with the need to offer something worthwhile to God. “Lord,” he prayed, “I offer you my life.” The voice of God responded back to him, “It was I who gave you your life. It is not yours to give.” Jerome prayed some more, “Lord, I offer you my heart, my love.” Again, the voice of God spoke, “It was I who gave you those as well.” Jerome didn’t know what he could offer when the voice of God spoke again, “Jerome?” “Yes,” the saint responded. “Why don’t you give me your sins? Your sins are all your own.”
Our Scriptures today direct us to reflect on something that we typically prefer to avoid – sin, and specifically our own sin. We live in a world that has become increasingly desensitized to sin; one that tries to make it trivial and unimportant. We treat sin as something as commonplace as the air we breathe, the water we drink. And so, anything so commonplace couldn’t possibly be that bad. It is as regular as the common cold – we don’t want it, but we can certainly live with it. We’re only human after all.
Let me give you just a few simple examples of what I mean. Fifty years ago in this country, Sunday Mass attendance averaged at about 75% of Catholics going to Mass each week. Today that number is 36%. When I ask Catholics about why they don’t attend Mass regularly, they say, “Do you think God really cares if I’m there every Sunday? I’m a good person” Well, He said He cares in those things we call the Commandments – or were they merely suggestions? You’ll get a similar response when talking to young people about things like living together before being married. “Do you think God cares? I mean, we love each other after all? We’re both good people.” Again, I do think God cares.
We have created a religion of the Good Person that says as long as you’re a good person, the rest doesn’t matter; God doesn’t care. I always remind people, though, that God isn’t looking for good people; He is looking for holy people. Good will be a part of holy; holy isn’t always a part of good. There are a lot of “good” atheists out there. We’ve all heard the saying that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
God calls each of us to be holy; and so the simple but direct message of our Scriptures today is this: sin matters. In our Second Reading, St. James graphically explains that if someone spends their earthly life exploiting and using other people, lying and cheating and hoarding wealth, they may enjoy the fruits of their crimes for a little while, but they can’t escape justice for ever. He writes that they will “weep and wail over their miseries.”
Jesus is just as clear. He explains that un-repented sin has consequences; it leads to damnation, it leads to hell. It leads to eternal separation of a soul from God. According to Jesus, that’s what un-repented sin leads us to. Now, these words of St. James and Jesus are not meant to scare us into feeling guilty - it’s not some psychological manipulation technique. Rather, they are simply informing us about the facts: sin, willfully turning away from God and his moral law, has consequences, and they are not good, and we should strive to avoid them.
But, if the road to Hell is paved with good intentions; then never forget that the road to Heaven is paved with holy actions. If today’s message is that sin matters – it is also this: God’s mercy matters more! God’s mercy and generosity will be the source of a lot of surprises on Judgment Day. When we think of Judgment, we tend to focus on only the negative. In other words, we tend to think of God pulling out a list of our sins, shortcomings, and stubborn selfish actions. And it is true, in the light of Christ’s gaze, we see more clearly than ever those sinful things.
But, Jesus points out that the Judgment will also have another part to it. He says, “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.” Think about what that means. It means, every act of forgiveness, every donation to a worthy cause, every penny put in the collection basket, every piece of clothing given to the poor, every kind letter or visit paid to someone who was sick, in prison, or alone, every prayer offered up for those in need, every word of comfort, instruction, and guidance, every single action that we perform in our Christian efforts to love God and neighbor is noticed, is remembered, and is delighted in by our Lord. And He is storing up rewards for all of these holy actions in Heaven – because our God is merciful and generous. And this generosity is present today, right here. God’s will exercise that generosity and mercy powerfully right here in this Holy Mass, by giving us His very self, in Holy Communion.
My friends, sin matters - the Church is reminding us of that today. But in this Mass the Church reminds us of something else too, that God’s mercy matters more. Sin is destructive, terrible, diabolical. But Jesus has conquered sin, which is why we call Him our Savior. The Catechism tells us: “The victory that Christ won over sin has given us greater blessings than those which sin had taken from us.” The destruction that sin causes in our lives is not the end of the story. God can forgive us - it is never too late. God can redeem us. God can take the ruins that sin causes and build them into something more magnificent than we ever could have imagined. We just have to give Him the chance.
And we do that so simply by taking the first step and going to Confession. God already knows our sins. He knows how much they obstruct our spiritual progress and wound our souls, and how much we need His grace to overcome them. That’s why He gave us confession in the first place. To give us a chance to start over, as many times as we need to. Many of us already know this, and we use the great gift of confession frequently. But we also know plenty of people who don’t - and they are suffering deeply on the inside because of it, experiencing the effects of sin. Maybe a word of encouragement, an invitation, a sharing of experiences from us is all God needs to bring them back and give them that fresh start.
My friends, sin matters, but God’s infinite, redemptive mercy matters more. That’s the message of today’s Mass, and of every Mass. This week, let’s take that message outside of Mass, let’s bring it into the world around us, and let God’s grace win some new victories.
Let us give Him our sins. He will forgive them and turn them into glory.
May the Lord give you peace.
Sin matters, but God's mercy matters more
HOMILY FOR THE 26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, September 27, 2009:
Today’s Scripture calls to mind a poignant story from the life of St. Jerome, the great 5th century Biblical scholar. St. Jerome was praying one day and felt overwhelmed with the need to offer something worthwhile to God. “Lord,” he prayed, “I offer you my life.” The voice of God responded back to him, “It was I who gave you your life. It is not yours to give.” Jerome prayed some more, “Lord, I offer you my heart, my love.” Again, the voice of God spoke, “It was I who gave you those as well.” Jerome didn’t know what he could offer when the voice of God spoke again, “Jerome?” “Yes,” the saint responded. “Why don’t you give me your sins? Your sins are all your own.”
Our Scriptures today direct us to reflect on something that we typically prefer to avoid – sin, and specifically our own sin. We live in a world that has become increasingly desensitized to sin; one that tries to make it trivial and unimportant. We treat sin as something as commonplace as the air we breathe, the water we drink. And so, anything so commonplace couldn’t possibly be that bad. It is as regular as the common cold – we don’t want it, but we can certainly live with it. We’re only human after all.
Let me give you just a few simple examples of what I mean. Fifty years ago in this country, Sunday Mass attendance averaged at about 75% of Catholics going to Mass each week. Today that number is 36%. When I ask Catholics about why they don’t attend Mass regularly, they say, “Do you think God really cares if I’m there every Sunday? I’m a good person” Well, He said He cares in those things we call the Commandments – or were they merely suggestions? You’ll get a similar response when talking to young people about things like living together before being married. “Do you think God cares? I mean, we love each other after all? We’re both good people.” Again, I do think God cares.
We have created a religion of the Good Person that says as long as you’re a good person, the rest doesn’t matter; God doesn’t care. I always remind people, though, that God isn’t looking for good people; He is looking for holy people. Good will be a part of holy; holy isn’t always a part of good. There are a lot of “good” atheists out there. We’ve all heard the saying that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
God calls each of us to be holy; and so the simple but direct message of our Scriptures today is this: sin matters. In our Second Reading, St. James graphically explains that if someone spends their earthly life exploiting and using other people, lying and cheating and hoarding wealth, they may enjoy the fruits of their crimes for a little while, but they can’t escape justice for ever. He writes that they will “weep and wail over their miseries.”
Jesus is just as clear. He explains that un-repented sin has consequences; it leads to damnation, it leads to hell. It leads to eternal separation of a soul from God. According to Jesus, that’s what un-repented sin leads us to. Now, these words of St. James and Jesus are not meant to scare us into feeling guilty - it’s not some psychological manipulation technique. Rather, they are simply informing us about the facts: sin, willfully turning away from God and his moral law, has consequences, and they are not good, and we should strive to avoid them.
But, if the road to Hell is paved with good intentions; then never forget that the road to Heaven is paved with holy actions. If today’s message is that sin matters – it is also this: God’s mercy matters more! God’s mercy and generosity will be the source of a lot of surprises on Judgment Day. When we think of Judgment, we tend to focus on only the negative. In other words, we tend to think of God pulling out a list of our sins, shortcomings, and stubborn selfish actions. And it is true, in the light of Christ’s gaze, we see more clearly than ever those sinful things.
But, Jesus points out that the Judgment will also have another part to it. He says, “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.” Think about what that means. It means, every act of forgiveness, every donation to a worthy cause, every penny put in the collection basket, every piece of clothing given to the poor, every kind letter or visit paid to someone who was sick, in prison, or alone, every prayer offered up for those in need, every word of comfort, instruction, and guidance, every single action that we perform in our Christian efforts to love God and neighbor is noticed, is remembered, and is delighted in by our Lord. And He is storing up rewards for all of these holy actions in Heaven – because our God is merciful and generous. And this generosity is present today, right here. God’s will exercise that generosity and mercy powerfully right here in this Holy Mass, by giving us His very self, in Holy Communion.
My friends, sin matters - the Church is reminding us of that today. But in this Mass the Church reminds us of something else too, that God’s mercy matters more. Sin is destructive, terrible, diabolical. But Jesus has conquered sin, which is why we call Him our Savior. The Catechism tells us: “The victory that Christ won over sin has given us greater blessings than those which sin had taken from us.” The destruction that sin causes in our lives is not the end of the story. God can forgive us - it is never too late. God can redeem us. God can take the ruins that sin causes and build them into something more magnificent than we ever could have imagined. We just have to give Him the chance.
And we do that so simply by taking the first step and going to Confession. God already knows our sins. He knows how much they obstruct our spiritual progress and wound our souls, and how much we need His grace to overcome them. That’s why He gave us confession in the first place. To give us a chance to start over, as many times as we need to. Many of us already know this, and we use the great gift of confession frequently. But we also know plenty of people who don’t - and they are suffering deeply on the inside because of it, experiencing the effects of sin. Maybe a word of encouragement, an invitation, a sharing of experiences from us is all God needs to bring them back and give them that fresh start.
My friends, sin matters, but God’s infinite, redemptive mercy matters more. That’s the message of today’s Mass, and of every Mass. This week, let’s take that message outside of Mass, let’s bring it into the world around us, and let God’s grace win some new victories.
Let us give Him our sins. He will forgive them and turn them into glory.
May the Lord give you peace.
Today’s Scripture calls to mind a poignant story from the life of St. Jerome, the great 5th century Biblical scholar. St. Jerome was praying one day and felt overwhelmed with the need to offer something worthwhile to God. “Lord,” he prayed, “I offer you my life.” The voice of God responded back to him, “It was I who gave you your life. It is not yours to give.” Jerome prayed some more, “Lord, I offer you my heart, my love.” Again, the voice of God spoke, “It was I who gave you those as well.” Jerome didn’t know what he could offer when the voice of God spoke again, “Jerome?” “Yes,” the saint responded. “Why don’t you give me your sins? Your sins are all your own.”
Our Scriptures today direct us to reflect on something that we typically prefer to avoid – sin, and specifically our own sin. We live in a world that has become increasingly desensitized to sin; one that tries to make it trivial and unimportant. We treat sin as something as commonplace as the air we breathe, the water we drink. And so, anything so commonplace couldn’t possibly be that bad. It is as regular as the common cold – we don’t want it, but we can certainly live with it. We’re only human after all.
Let me give you just a few simple examples of what I mean. Fifty years ago in this country, Sunday Mass attendance averaged at about 75% of Catholics going to Mass each week. Today that number is 36%. When I ask Catholics about why they don’t attend Mass regularly, they say, “Do you think God really cares if I’m there every Sunday? I’m a good person” Well, He said He cares in those things we call the Commandments – or were they merely suggestions? You’ll get a similar response when talking to young people about things like living together before being married. “Do you think God cares? I mean, we love each other after all? We’re both good people.” Again, I do think God cares.
We have created a religion of the Good Person that says as long as you’re a good person, the rest doesn’t matter; God doesn’t care. I always remind people, though, that God isn’t looking for good people; He is looking for holy people. Good will be a part of holy; holy isn’t always a part of good. There are a lot of “good” atheists out there. We’ve all heard the saying that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
God calls each of us to be holy; and so the simple but direct message of our Scriptures today is this: sin matters. In our Second Reading, St. James graphically explains that if someone spends their earthly life exploiting and using other people, lying and cheating and hoarding wealth, they may enjoy the fruits of their crimes for a little while, but they can’t escape justice for ever. He writes that they will “weep and wail over their miseries.”
Jesus is just as clear. He explains that un-repented sin has consequences; it leads to damnation, it leads to hell. It leads to eternal separation of a soul from God. According to Jesus, that’s what un-repented sin leads us to. Now, these words of St. James and Jesus are not meant to scare us into feeling guilty - it’s not some psychological manipulation technique. Rather, they are simply informing us about the facts: sin, willfully turning away from God and his moral law, has consequences, and they are not good, and we should strive to avoid them.
But, if the road to Hell is paved with good intentions; then never forget that the road to Heaven is paved with holy actions. If today’s message is that sin matters – it is also this: God’s mercy matters more! God’s mercy and generosity will be the source of a lot of surprises on Judgment Day. When we think of Judgment, we tend to focus on only the negative. In other words, we tend to think of God pulling out a list of our sins, shortcomings, and stubborn selfish actions. And it is true, in the light of Christ’s gaze, we see more clearly than ever those sinful things.
But, Jesus points out that the Judgment will also have another part to it. He says, “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.” Think about what that means. It means, every act of forgiveness, every donation to a worthy cause, every penny put in the collection basket, every piece of clothing given to the poor, every kind letter or visit paid to someone who was sick, in prison, or alone, every prayer offered up for those in need, every word of comfort, instruction, and guidance, every single action that we perform in our Christian efforts to love God and neighbor is noticed, is remembered, and is delighted in by our Lord. And He is storing up rewards for all of these holy actions in Heaven – because our God is merciful and generous. And this generosity is present today, right here. God’s will exercise that generosity and mercy powerfully right here in this Holy Mass, by giving us His very self, in Holy Communion.
My friends, sin matters - the Church is reminding us of that today. But in this Mass the Church reminds us of something else too, that God’s mercy matters more. Sin is destructive, terrible, diabolical. But Jesus has conquered sin, which is why we call Him our Savior. The Catechism tells us: “The victory that Christ won over sin has given us greater blessings than those which sin had taken from us.” The destruction that sin causes in our lives is not the end of the story. God can forgive us - it is never too late. God can redeem us. God can take the ruins that sin causes and build them into something more magnificent than we ever could have imagined. We just have to give Him the chance.
And we do that so simply by taking the first step and going to Confession. God already knows our sins. He knows how much they obstruct our spiritual progress and wound our souls, and how much we need His grace to overcome them. That’s why He gave us confession in the first place. To give us a chance to start over, as many times as we need to. Many of us already know this, and we use the great gift of confession frequently. But we also know plenty of people who don’t - and they are suffering deeply on the inside because of it, experiencing the effects of sin. Maybe a word of encouragement, an invitation, a sharing of experiences from us is all God needs to bring them back and give them that fresh start.
My friends, sin matters, but God’s infinite, redemptive mercy matters more. That’s the message of today’s Mass, and of every Mass. This week, let’s take that message outside of Mass, let’s bring it into the world around us, and let God’s grace win some new victories.
Let us give Him our sins. He will forgive them and turn them into glory.
May the Lord give you peace.
The Church is the one who dreams
NOTE: The more I hear from Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the more I like. He articulates the best of the church, as opposed to presenting an angry church which too many leaders and so-called faithful Catholics do today. This quote is absolutely inspiring and awesome!
"You know, the church is the one who dreams, the church is the one who constantly has the vision, the church is the one that’s constantly saying ‘Yes!’ to everything that life and love and sexuality and marriage and belief and freedom and human dignity—everything that that stands for, the church is giving one big resounding ‘Yes!’ The church founded the universities, the church was the patron of the arts, the scientists were all committed Catholics. And that’s what we have to recapture: the kind of exhilarating, freeing aspect. I mean, it wasn’t Ronald Reagan who brought down the Berlin Wall. It was Karol Wojtyła. I didn’t make that up: Mikhail Gorbachev said that...I guess one of the things that frustrates me pastorally is that there’s this caricature of the church—of being this oppressive, patriarchal, medieval, out-of-touch naysayer—where the opposite is true.”
-- Archbishop Timothy Dolan, in this profile in New York Magazine
"You know, the church is the one who dreams, the church is the one who constantly has the vision, the church is the one that’s constantly saying ‘Yes!’ to everything that life and love and sexuality and marriage and belief and freedom and human dignity—everything that that stands for, the church is giving one big resounding ‘Yes!’ The church founded the universities, the church was the patron of the arts, the scientists were all committed Catholics. And that’s what we have to recapture: the kind of exhilarating, freeing aspect. I mean, it wasn’t Ronald Reagan who brought down the Berlin Wall. It was Karol Wojtyła. I didn’t make that up: Mikhail Gorbachev said that...I guess one of the things that frustrates me pastorally is that there’s this caricature of the church—of being this oppressive, patriarchal, medieval, out-of-touch naysayer—where the opposite is true.”
-- Archbishop Timothy Dolan, in this profile in New York Magazine
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
St. Padre Pio da Pietrelcina(1887-1968)
In one of the largest such ceremonies in history, Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio of Pietrelcina on June 16, 2002. It was the 45th canonization ceremony in Pope John Paul's pontificate. More than 300,000 people braved blistering heat as they filled St. Peter's Square and nearby streets. They heard the Holy Father praise the new saint for his prayer and charity. "This is the most concrete synthesis of Padre Pio's teaching," said the pope. He also stressed Padre Pio's witness to the power of suffering. If accepted with love, the Holy Father stressed, such suffering can lead to "a privileged path of sanctity."
Many people have turned to the Italian Capuchin Franciscan to intercede with God on their behalf; among them was the future Pope John Paul II. In 1962, when he was still an archbishop in Poland, he wrote to Padre Pio and asked him to pray for a Polish woman with throat cancer. Within two weeks, she had been cured of her life-threatening disease.
Born Francesco Forgione, Padre Pio grew up in a family of farmers in southern Italy. Twice (1898-1903 and 1910-17) his father worked in Jamaica, New York, to provide the family income.
At the age of 15, Francesco joined the Capuchins and took the name of Pio. He was ordained in 1910 and was drafted during World War I. After he was discovered to have tuberculosis, he was discharged. In 1917 he was assigned to the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo, 75 miles from the city of Bari on the Adriatic.
On September 20, 1918, as he was making his thanksgiving after Mass, Padre Pio had a vision of Jesus. When the vision ended, he had the stigmata in his hands, feet and side.
Life became more complicated after that. Medical doctors, Church authorities and curiosity seekers came to see Padre Pio. In 1924 and again in 1931, the authenticity of the stigmata was questioned; Padre Pio was not permitted to celebrate Mass publicly or to hear confessions. He did not complain of these decisions, which were soon reversed. However, he wrote no letters after 1924. His only other writing, a pamphlet on the agony of Jesus, was done before 1924.
Padre Pio rarely left the friary after he received the stigmata, but busloads of people soon began coming to see him. Each morning after a 5 a.m. Mass in a crowded church, he heard confessions until noon. He took a mid-morning break to bless the sick and all who came to see him. Every afternoon he also heard confessions. In time his confessional ministry would take 10 hours a day; penitents had to take a number so that the situation could be handled. Many of them have said that Padre Pio knew details of their lives that they had never mentioned.
Padre Pio saw Jesus in all the sick and suffering. At his urging, a fine hospital was built on nearby Mount Gargano. The idea arose in 1940; a committee began to collect money. Ground was broken in 1946. Building the hospital was a technical wonder because of the difficulty of getting water there and of hauling up the building supplies. This "House for the Alleviation of Suffering" has 350 beds.
A number of people have reported cures they believe were received through the intercession of Padre Pio. Those who assisted at his Masses came away edified; several curiosity seekers were deeply moved. Like St. Francis, Padre Pio sometimes had his habit torn or cut by souvenir hunters.
One of Padre Pio’s sufferings was that unscrupulous people several times circulated prophecies that they claimed originated from him. He never made prophecies about world events and never gave an opinion on matters that he felt belonged to Church authorities to decide. He died on September 23, 1968, and was beatified in 1999.
Comment:
At Padre Pio's canonization Mass in 2002, Pope John Paul II referred to that day's Gospel (Matthew 11:25-30) and said: “The Gospel image of 'yoke' evokes the many trials that the humble Capuchin of San Giovanni Rotondo endured. Today we contemplate in him how sweet is the 'yoke' of Christ and indeed how light the burden are whenever someone carries these with faithful love. The life and mission of Padre Pio testify that difficulties and sorrows, if accepted with love, transform themselves into a privileged journey of holiness, which opens the person toward a greater good, known only to the Lord.”
At Padre Pio's canonization Mass in 2002, Pope John Paul II referred to that day's Gospel (Matthew 11:25-30) and said: “The Gospel image of 'yoke' evokes the many trials that the humble Capuchin of San Giovanni Rotondo endured. Today we contemplate in him how sweet is the 'yoke' of Christ and indeed how light the burden are whenever someone carries these with faithful love. The life and mission of Padre Pio testify that difficulties and sorrows, if accepted with love, transform themselves into a privileged journey of holiness, which opens the person toward a greater good, known only to the Lord.”
Quote:
"The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain" (saying of Padre Pio).
This entry appears in the print edition of Day by Day With Followers of Francis and Clare
"The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self; there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection except at the price of pain" (saying of Padre Pio).
This entry appears in the print edition of Day by Day With Followers of Francis and Clare
Monday, September 21, 2009
Two great quotes
On my travels, I heard two really great quotes this past week that have stuck with me, so I figured I'd share them.
From a friar as we were talking about Franciscan spirituality: "I am in love with the kenotic Christ as revealed to me by St. Francis."
And, heard in a homily in Buffalo, NY yesterday: "The priest is the father of the poor. He is their advocate; their protector."
From a friar as we were talking about Franciscan spirituality: "I am in love with the kenotic Christ as revealed to me by St. Francis."
And, heard in a homily in Buffalo, NY yesterday: "The priest is the father of the poor. He is their advocate; their protector."
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Things are falling into place
By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist September 17, 2009
It feels like 2004. It feels like 2007.
It feels like the Red Sox are going to the World Series.
Sorry. I know some of you think this puts some kind of whammy on the locals. I know you think I can “Gowdy’’ the whole season with a single statement.
But I also know you’re thinking the same thing.
The sometimes-stumbling, chock-full-of-questions Red Sox have become the Steamroller Sox at exactly the optimum moment. We are halfway through September and the Red Sox are coming into peak form. Like the apple crop of ’09, they are ripe, full-bodied, and luscious. Just like they were in ’04 and ’07.
“I know what you mean,’’ captain Jason Varitek said before last night’s pulsating (two runs in the bottom of the ninth), 9-8 walkoff win over the Angels. “We’ve become a better team overall than we had earlier in the year. We’ve got experience and youth. Our offense and defense are more stabilized.
“Sometimes you’re playing good before you start winning - you lose, 2-1, or 3-2, or in extra innings. Then all of a sudden you start getting results.’’
They got results last night. The Sox were down, 3-0, in the sixth. They were down, 7-5, in the seventh. They were down, 8-7, in the ninth with two outs and nobody on. But guys kept plugging. They dug in with two strikes. Jed Lowrie got his first hit since Aug. 5. They fouled off two-strike pitches. They got help from the umpires (Nick Green should have been rung up on ball four). They won it when Alex Gonzalez dumped a single into left. It was ridiculous.
David Ortiz, another veteran of ’04 and ’07, said it best after Tuesday night’s win over the Angels: “Boy, I tell you, man, having Daisuke [Matsuzaka] back and throwing the ball the way he did is huge for us.
“I was thinking about going to the playoffs right now. When you play good in September, it gets you in a good mood for October. We are right there. We’ve got Texas behind us. The best we’ve played, that’s what’s going to get us into the playoffs.’’
He’s right. Texas is in the rearview mirror. The Rangers have done what they always do, only later. They have faded. Texas lost again last night. The Rangers are 6 1/2 games behind Boston. The Rangers are gone.
The Red Sox have won seven in a row. They have won 10 in a row at Fenway. They have won 13 of 14, and 24 of 31 in Boston since July 10. They own the best home record in baseball - 52-21. Fenway Park has morphed into Death Valley in Clemson, S.C., or Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke. Nobody wants to come to Fenway and try to beat the Red Sox. If you are sitting in the third base dugout, you are probably losing the game when you hear “Sweet Caroline’’ before the Sox hit in the eighth.
Anybody remember Curly of the Three Stooges winning every boxing match with the help of “Pop Goes the Weasel’’? That’s the effect Fenway Park has on the Red Sox.
Sox home games have become performance art. The outcome is rarely in doubt. It’s all about style points. How are they going to win this time?
It has all come into place for the Olde Towne Team. While the Sox’ owner shows signs of becoming unhinged (now blogging instead of tweeting, John Henry is bashing media members who somehow concluded that Big Papi may have used banned substances), his ball club is speeding downhill, erasing every obstacle in its path.
The typical suspense regarding postseason prospects has been lifted. The Sox are in the playoffs. The Sox have only five more losses than the Yankees, while the Rangers have seven more losses than Boston. Some folks are still talking about winning the division.
Making things even easier is the succession of tomato cans on the horizon. It’s the Bum of the Day Club. Boston has 18 games remaining, but only four against teams that are still trying to win. Those four games would be tonight against the Angels and next weekend’s three-game set with the Yankees. All of Boston’s other games are against teams that have quit: Orioles, Royals, Blue Jays, and Indians.
Bud Selig should be embarrassed. It’s been a boffo season for tanking. The Indians got the message when management dumped Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez at the trading deadline. The Rays (swept here last weekend) waited to quit until Scott Kazmir was sent packing. The Blue Jays (losers of six straight to the Sox in August) had rolled over by the time the Sox got to Rogers Centre in August. An unretired Paul Byrd pitched six shutout innings against the Jays in his first start after throwing batting practice to 13-and-under hitters.
The Orioles, meanwhile, are an annual disgrace. The Red Sox are 13-2 against their Baltimore cousins this year. The Sox hit five home runs in the first three innings of a 10-0 win over the Orioles last week. The Sox were laughing at the O’s. Think there will be much resistance in Camden Yards this weekend?
Beating the Angels is different. The Angels are a playoff team. And the Sox just beat them two straight. At home. Of course.
It’s working out beautifully for the Red Sox. In the wake of Dice-K’s return, Terry Francona’s got four strong starters. The back end of the Boston bullpen - deployed perfectly Tuesday night - is the best in baseball. The lineup is good enough to have a guy like J.D. Drew hitting eighth some nights. Gonzalez has tightened the infield defense - just as Orlando Cabrera did in (there it is again) 2004. And now he’s getting game-winning hits to end four-hour marathons.
The Red Sox are a rocket sled on rails. They are going to the World Series.
Yankees?
We’ll think about them next week.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
It feels like 2004. It feels like 2007.
It feels like the Red Sox are going to the World Series.
Sorry. I know some of you think this puts some kind of whammy on the locals. I know you think I can “Gowdy’’ the whole season with a single statement.
But I also know you’re thinking the same thing.
The sometimes-stumbling, chock-full-of-questions Red Sox have become the Steamroller Sox at exactly the optimum moment. We are halfway through September and the Red Sox are coming into peak form. Like the apple crop of ’09, they are ripe, full-bodied, and luscious. Just like they were in ’04 and ’07.
“I know what you mean,’’ captain Jason Varitek said before last night’s pulsating (two runs in the bottom of the ninth), 9-8 walkoff win over the Angels. “We’ve become a better team overall than we had earlier in the year. We’ve got experience and youth. Our offense and defense are more stabilized.
“Sometimes you’re playing good before you start winning - you lose, 2-1, or 3-2, or in extra innings. Then all of a sudden you start getting results.’’
They got results last night. The Sox were down, 3-0, in the sixth. They were down, 7-5, in the seventh. They were down, 8-7, in the ninth with two outs and nobody on. But guys kept plugging. They dug in with two strikes. Jed Lowrie got his first hit since Aug. 5. They fouled off two-strike pitches. They got help from the umpires (Nick Green should have been rung up on ball four). They won it when Alex Gonzalez dumped a single into left. It was ridiculous.
David Ortiz, another veteran of ’04 and ’07, said it best after Tuesday night’s win over the Angels: “Boy, I tell you, man, having Daisuke [Matsuzaka] back and throwing the ball the way he did is huge for us.
“I was thinking about going to the playoffs right now. When you play good in September, it gets you in a good mood for October. We are right there. We’ve got Texas behind us. The best we’ve played, that’s what’s going to get us into the playoffs.’’
He’s right. Texas is in the rearview mirror. The Rangers have done what they always do, only later. They have faded. Texas lost again last night. The Rangers are 6 1/2 games behind Boston. The Rangers are gone.
The Red Sox have won seven in a row. They have won 10 in a row at Fenway. They have won 13 of 14, and 24 of 31 in Boston since July 10. They own the best home record in baseball - 52-21. Fenway Park has morphed into Death Valley in Clemson, S.C., or Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke. Nobody wants to come to Fenway and try to beat the Red Sox. If you are sitting in the third base dugout, you are probably losing the game when you hear “Sweet Caroline’’ before the Sox hit in the eighth.
Anybody remember Curly of the Three Stooges winning every boxing match with the help of “Pop Goes the Weasel’’? That’s the effect Fenway Park has on the Red Sox.
Sox home games have become performance art. The outcome is rarely in doubt. It’s all about style points. How are they going to win this time?
It has all come into place for the Olde Towne Team. While the Sox’ owner shows signs of becoming unhinged (now blogging instead of tweeting, John Henry is bashing media members who somehow concluded that Big Papi may have used banned substances), his ball club is speeding downhill, erasing every obstacle in its path.
The typical suspense regarding postseason prospects has been lifted. The Sox are in the playoffs. The Sox have only five more losses than the Yankees, while the Rangers have seven more losses than Boston. Some folks are still talking about winning the division.
Making things even easier is the succession of tomato cans on the horizon. It’s the Bum of the Day Club. Boston has 18 games remaining, but only four against teams that are still trying to win. Those four games would be tonight against the Angels and next weekend’s three-game set with the Yankees. All of Boston’s other games are against teams that have quit: Orioles, Royals, Blue Jays, and Indians.
Bud Selig should be embarrassed. It’s been a boffo season for tanking. The Indians got the message when management dumped Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez at the trading deadline. The Rays (swept here last weekend) waited to quit until Scott Kazmir was sent packing. The Blue Jays (losers of six straight to the Sox in August) had rolled over by the time the Sox got to Rogers Centre in August. An unretired Paul Byrd pitched six shutout innings against the Jays in his first start after throwing batting practice to 13-and-under hitters.
The Orioles, meanwhile, are an annual disgrace. The Red Sox are 13-2 against their Baltimore cousins this year. The Sox hit five home runs in the first three innings of a 10-0 win over the Orioles last week. The Sox were laughing at the O’s. Think there will be much resistance in Camden Yards this weekend?
Beating the Angels is different. The Angels are a playoff team. And the Sox just beat them two straight. At home. Of course.
It’s working out beautifully for the Red Sox. In the wake of Dice-K’s return, Terry Francona’s got four strong starters. The back end of the Boston bullpen - deployed perfectly Tuesday night - is the best in baseball. The lineup is good enough to have a guy like J.D. Drew hitting eighth some nights. Gonzalez has tightened the infield defense - just as Orlando Cabrera did in (there it is again) 2004. And now he’s getting game-winning hits to end four-hour marathons.
The Red Sox are a rocket sled on rails. They are going to the World Series.
Yankees?
We’ll think about them next week.
Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis
"I announce to you a great joy and a new miracle. It is a sign which has been unheard of from the very beginning of time except in the Son of God, Christ the Lord. Not long before his death, our brother and our father was seen to resemble the crucified Lord, bearing in his body the five wounds which are the marks of Christ."
- From the Encliclical Letter of Brother Elias
- From the Encliclical Letter of Brother Elias
Monday, September 14, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Lord, who do you say I am?
HOMILY ON VOCATIONS FOR THE 24TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, September 13, 2009:
One day the famous Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were on a camping trip. As they lay sleeping one night, Holmes woke Watson and said, “Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see.” Watson said, “I see millions of stars.” Holmes asked, “And what does that tell you?” Watson replied, “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Theologically, it tells me that God is great and that we are small in comparison. Meteorologically, it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. And what does it tell you Holmes?” Holmes answered, “It tells me that someone stole our tent.”
A simple question can often elicit some very different answers. In our Gospel today, Jesus asks a simple question, “Who do you say that I am?” Scripture scholars tell us that this passage, this question, is the very heart of Mark's Gospel. The first half of the Gospel leads up to this question, and the second half flows from it. Up to this point, Mark has been preparing for the revelation of Jesus' full and true identity as the Messiah and here in the answer that Peter gives it is revealed, “You are the Christ.” From here to the end of the Gospel deals with the fulfillment of Jesus' mission as the Messiah. What we have in this passage is Jesus examining his disciples to see whether or not they’ve got the point.
When it comes to discerning a vocation from God, this very same question is also at the heart – who do you say that I am? But for someone discerning a vocation, it has two parts. The first is the same as it is in our Gospel today – a recognition of the full and true identity of Jesus. We come to a moment in our lives when Christ is fully revealed to us as our Savior; as our Lord; as our Everything. And then comes the next question – this time it is not Jesus asking us, but it is us asking Jesus, “Lord, now that I know who You are; in your sight, who do You say that I am?” As Jesus answers that question, He reveals our vocation. It is the most important question that anyone can ever ask in their life. What is God’s plan for you? What would God have you do; have you be? Let me give you the example of my own life.
Twenty years ago, I was an investigative news reporter in Southeastern Massachusetts. I covered crime and politics – some would say that is redundant – and I really loved my job. Just think of the show “Law & Order” and the excitement and intrigue of rushing to the scene of a crime and reporting on the police teams as they tried to crack the case; or being in the courtroom as the great drama of a court case unfolded. As I said, I really loved my job.
Now, as for my faith life; at this point, it was nearly non-existent. I grew up in a very Catholic Irish-American family. As a child, I attended Catholic schools most of my life. Went to Mass every Sunday. Prayed the rosary regularly. But, God had simply not fully and truly revealed Himself to me. I hadn’t yet made that leap of faith. Once in my early 20s, I moved out on my own, began working in the news business, and basically stopped going to Church – except on Christmas and Easter, to keep Mom happy.
Then, there was this one Saturday night. On this night, I felt an urge that I had never felt before. It was the desire to go to Mass. At first, I didn’t know what to make of it, but I followed through on that desire the next morning. I sat as far in the back as I could in a very full Church at the 10 a.m. Mass. And I remember the most spectacular thing happening. As the priest, Fr. Mark, delivered his homily, it felt as though every word he spoke was meant for me; and perhaps only for me. It seemed he was even looking directly at me as he was speaking. I left that Mass unsure of what to make of it and decided I would challenge God to see if he could do it again the next week.
So, one week later, I went again – and God came through again. This time, not only with the homily, but even more importantly in the Eucharist. On that Sunday, my heart was opened for the first time to the full and true identity of Jesus in the Eucharist. The priest spoke those words that we have all heard a thousand times, “Take this all of you and eat it. This is my body, which will be given up for you.” And for the first time in my life, I knew that those words were true. It really was His body; He really had done this for me. Jesus was there – fully and truly and powerfully present in the Eucharist. As this powerful moment was taking place, the choir began signing Psalm 139 as our communion hymn, “O God, you search me and you know me…You know my resting and my rising. You discern my purpose from afar, and with love everlasting you besiege me: In ev’ry moment of life or death, you are…For you created me and shaped me, gave me life within my mother’s womb. For the wonder of who I am, I praise you: Safe in your hands, all creation is made new.” God was definitely showing off at that point.
But, in that moment, in that precious moment, I met Jesus for the first time and could answer His question, “Who do you say that I am?” You are the Christ. You are the living God. You are really here. You really want to touch my life and be a part of it. And that lead me to ask of God the question, “Now Lord, who do you say that I am?” Who am I in Your sight?
I began meeting with that priest, Fr. Mark, and what began as an urge to go to Mass on a Saturday night, lead me to a passionate desire to want to give all of my life; all of who I am to God as a Franciscan and as a priest, and 18 years later, I live a life in which I would not change a thing because it is a life lived in answer to the question, “Lord, who do you say that I am?” And living what God has in store for us is the most spectacular thing anyone can ever do.
And that is the heart of vocation, of discernment, of calling. If you are a young person here today, open your heart to the true and full presence of Jesus in this Eucharist – it is there that He reveals Himself to us and shows us what we are called to be in His sight. You know, the crisis we have in vocations today is not one of calling – God always calls – it is one of awareness. We must pledge to be the people who support and encourage vocations – especially to consecrated religious life and the priesthood. My challenge to everyone today is this – if you have ever thought of someone that they would make a good priest, a good deacon, a good religious brother or sister – tell them; pray for them; encourage them.
And if you’ve ever had that thought about yourself – listen to what Jesus wants to reveal to you; and talk to someone about it. Attend the Eucharist regularly; daily if you can. Let Jesus show you what He has in store for you. Talk to me; talk to one of your parish priests; or a religious that you know and trust. And pray.
“Jesus asked them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Peter said to him in reply, ‘You are the Christ.’” And, let us have the courage to ask Jesus, “Lord, who do you say that I am?” And, give us the courage to follow.
May the Lord give you peace.
One day the famous Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were on a camping trip. As they lay sleeping one night, Holmes woke Watson and said, “Watson, look up into the sky and tell me what you see.” Watson said, “I see millions of stars.” Holmes asked, “And what does that tell you?” Watson replied, “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Theologically, it tells me that God is great and that we are small in comparison. Meteorologically, it tells me that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. And what does it tell you Holmes?” Holmes answered, “It tells me that someone stole our tent.”
A simple question can often elicit some very different answers. In our Gospel today, Jesus asks a simple question, “Who do you say that I am?” Scripture scholars tell us that this passage, this question, is the very heart of Mark's Gospel. The first half of the Gospel leads up to this question, and the second half flows from it. Up to this point, Mark has been preparing for the revelation of Jesus' full and true identity as the Messiah and here in the answer that Peter gives it is revealed, “You are the Christ.” From here to the end of the Gospel deals with the fulfillment of Jesus' mission as the Messiah. What we have in this passage is Jesus examining his disciples to see whether or not they’ve got the point.
When it comes to discerning a vocation from God, this very same question is also at the heart – who do you say that I am? But for someone discerning a vocation, it has two parts. The first is the same as it is in our Gospel today – a recognition of the full and true identity of Jesus. We come to a moment in our lives when Christ is fully revealed to us as our Savior; as our Lord; as our Everything. And then comes the next question – this time it is not Jesus asking us, but it is us asking Jesus, “Lord, now that I know who You are; in your sight, who do You say that I am?” As Jesus answers that question, He reveals our vocation. It is the most important question that anyone can ever ask in their life. What is God’s plan for you? What would God have you do; have you be? Let me give you the example of my own life.
Twenty years ago, I was an investigative news reporter in Southeastern Massachusetts. I covered crime and politics – some would say that is redundant – and I really loved my job. Just think of the show “Law & Order” and the excitement and intrigue of rushing to the scene of a crime and reporting on the police teams as they tried to crack the case; or being in the courtroom as the great drama of a court case unfolded. As I said, I really loved my job.
Now, as for my faith life; at this point, it was nearly non-existent. I grew up in a very Catholic Irish-American family. As a child, I attended Catholic schools most of my life. Went to Mass every Sunday. Prayed the rosary regularly. But, God had simply not fully and truly revealed Himself to me. I hadn’t yet made that leap of faith. Once in my early 20s, I moved out on my own, began working in the news business, and basically stopped going to Church – except on Christmas and Easter, to keep Mom happy.
Then, there was this one Saturday night. On this night, I felt an urge that I had never felt before. It was the desire to go to Mass. At first, I didn’t know what to make of it, but I followed through on that desire the next morning. I sat as far in the back as I could in a very full Church at the 10 a.m. Mass. And I remember the most spectacular thing happening. As the priest, Fr. Mark, delivered his homily, it felt as though every word he spoke was meant for me; and perhaps only for me. It seemed he was even looking directly at me as he was speaking. I left that Mass unsure of what to make of it and decided I would challenge God to see if he could do it again the next week.
So, one week later, I went again – and God came through again. This time, not only with the homily, but even more importantly in the Eucharist. On that Sunday, my heart was opened for the first time to the full and true identity of Jesus in the Eucharist. The priest spoke those words that we have all heard a thousand times, “Take this all of you and eat it. This is my body, which will be given up for you.” And for the first time in my life, I knew that those words were true. It really was His body; He really had done this for me. Jesus was there – fully and truly and powerfully present in the Eucharist. As this powerful moment was taking place, the choir began signing Psalm 139 as our communion hymn, “O God, you search me and you know me…You know my resting and my rising. You discern my purpose from afar, and with love everlasting you besiege me: In ev’ry moment of life or death, you are…For you created me and shaped me, gave me life within my mother’s womb. For the wonder of who I am, I praise you: Safe in your hands, all creation is made new.” God was definitely showing off at that point.
But, in that moment, in that precious moment, I met Jesus for the first time and could answer His question, “Who do you say that I am?” You are the Christ. You are the living God. You are really here. You really want to touch my life and be a part of it. And that lead me to ask of God the question, “Now Lord, who do you say that I am?” Who am I in Your sight?
I began meeting with that priest, Fr. Mark, and what began as an urge to go to Mass on a Saturday night, lead me to a passionate desire to want to give all of my life; all of who I am to God as a Franciscan and as a priest, and 18 years later, I live a life in which I would not change a thing because it is a life lived in answer to the question, “Lord, who do you say that I am?” And living what God has in store for us is the most spectacular thing anyone can ever do.
And that is the heart of vocation, of discernment, of calling. If you are a young person here today, open your heart to the true and full presence of Jesus in this Eucharist – it is there that He reveals Himself to us and shows us what we are called to be in His sight. You know, the crisis we have in vocations today is not one of calling – God always calls – it is one of awareness. We must pledge to be the people who support and encourage vocations – especially to consecrated religious life and the priesthood. My challenge to everyone today is this – if you have ever thought of someone that they would make a good priest, a good deacon, a good religious brother or sister – tell them; pray for them; encourage them.
And if you’ve ever had that thought about yourself – listen to what Jesus wants to reveal to you; and talk to someone about it. Attend the Eucharist regularly; daily if you can. Let Jesus show you what He has in store for you. Talk to me; talk to one of your parish priests; or a religious that you know and trust. And pray.
“Jesus asked them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Peter said to him in reply, ‘You are the Christ.’” And, let us have the courage to ask Jesus, “Lord, who do you say that I am?” And, give us the courage to follow.
May the Lord give you peace.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Flourishing Nashville convent trains largest group of nuns in U.S.
On a recent afternoon, a dozen young sisters, dressed in full-length habits or in postulant uniforms — white shirts, black skirts, black vests — and wearing sneakers and blue aprons, gathered at the edge of the convent's playing field.
.
Then they screamed at the top of their lungs, and rushed another group of nuns as a white Frisbee flew overhead. "Did you see that?" said Sister Mary Emily, watching over her young charges. "They're trying to intimidate the other team."
.
There are 23 postulants this year at the Motherhouse of Nashville's Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia. It's the largest group of new nuns in training in the United States.
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Read it all here: Flourishing Nashville convent trains largest group of nuns in U.S. tennessean.com The Tennessean
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Remembering 9/11 and praying for peace
A PRAYER FOR PEACE IN THE WORLD
Let the rain come and wash away
the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds
held and nurtured over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory
of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and
fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us
wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog so that
we can see each other clearly.
So that we can see beyond labels,
beyond accents, gender or skin color.
Let the warmth and brightness
of the sun melt our selfishness.
So that we can share the joys and
feel the sorrows of our neighbors.
And let the light of the sun
be so strong that we will see all
people as our neighbors.
Let the earth, nourished by rain,
bring forth flowers
to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts
to reach upward to heaven.
Amen.
- rabbi harold kushner - 2003
Thursday, September 10, 2009
He said it!
Now, can we all get behind this plan?
President Barak Obama: "And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place." (emphasis added)
"Genuine health care reform that protects the life and dignity of all is a moral imperative and a vital national obligation"
- Bishop William F. Murphy
U.S. Bishops position on health care:
"In our Catholic tradition,
health care is a basic human right. Access to health care should not depend on where a person works, how much a family earns, or where a person lives.
Instead, every person, created in the image and likeness of God, has a right to life and to those things necessary to sustain life, including affordable, quality health care. This teaching is rooted in the biblical call to heal the sick and to serve "the least of these," our concern for human life and dignity, and the principle of the common good. Unfortunately, tens of millions of Americans do not have health insurance. According to the Catholic bishops of the United States, the current health care system is in need of fundamental reform.
To learn about Catholic teaching on health care in more detail, read the full statement by the United States Catholic Bishops, A Framework for Comprehensive Health Care Reform, at usccb.org/sdwp/national/comphealth.shtml.
President Barak Obama: "And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up -- under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place." (emphasis added)
"Genuine health care reform that protects the life and dignity of all is a moral imperative and a vital national obligation"
- Bishop William F. Murphy
U.S. Bishops position on health care:
"In our Catholic tradition,
health care is a basic human right. Access to health care should not depend on where a person works, how much a family earns, or where a person lives.
Instead, every person, created in the image and likeness of God, has a right to life and to those things necessary to sustain life, including affordable, quality health care. This teaching is rooted in the biblical call to heal the sick and to serve "the least of these," our concern for human life and dignity, and the principle of the common good. Unfortunately, tens of millions of Americans do not have health insurance. According to the Catholic bishops of the United States, the current health care system is in need of fundamental reform.
To learn about Catholic teaching on health care in more detail, read the full statement by the United States Catholic Bishops, A Framework for Comprehensive Health Care Reform, at usccb.org/sdwp/national/comphealth.shtml.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Get back to work: The truth about Labor Day
On Monday, millions of Americans will celebrate Labor Day in a time-honored way - by deliberately avoiding labor. They’ll attend barbecues and beach parties; they might even kick back in their hammocks and lawn chairs with a feeling of entitlement, secure in their understanding that the first Monday in September is just a hard-earned reward for the American worker.
They’re wrong about Labor Day. And not only are they wrong, but by the lights of Labor Day’s founders, their whole attitude toward the day makes them less than good Americans.
In 1884, when President Grover Cleveland signed the bill making Labor Day a national holiday on the first Monday in September, he and its sponsors intended it not as a celebration of leisure but as a promotion of the great American work ethic. Work, they believed, was the highest calling in life, and Labor Day was a reminder to get back to it. It was placed at the end of summer to declare an end to the season of indolence, and also to distance it from May Day, the spring event that had become a symbol of the radical labor movement.
The day most of us now spend in happy leisure was created to urge Americans to work more, not less. The holiday’s inventors would have been dismayed to see that Americans today would use it only to float in a pool, play putt-putt golf, or - even worse - to fantasize about a life in which they do nothing but play.
The truth about Labor Day - The Boston Globe
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They’re wrong about Labor Day. And not only are they wrong, but by the lights of Labor Day’s founders, their whole attitude toward the day makes them less than good Americans.
In 1884, when President Grover Cleveland signed the bill making Labor Day a national holiday on the first Monday in September, he and its sponsors intended it not as a celebration of leisure but as a promotion of the great American work ethic. Work, they believed, was the highest calling in life, and Labor Day was a reminder to get back to it. It was placed at the end of summer to declare an end to the season of indolence, and also to distance it from May Day, the spring event that had become a symbol of the radical labor movement.
The day most of us now spend in happy leisure was created to urge Americans to work more, not less. The holiday’s inventors would have been dismayed to see that Americans today would use it only to float in a pool, play putt-putt golf, or - even worse - to fantasize about a life in which they do nothing but play.
The truth about Labor Day - The Boston Globe
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"Do not judge; or you will be judged"
HOMILY FOR THE 23RD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, September 6, 2009:
Our second reading from the Letter of James today gives us a big challenge. James wrote, “My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ…have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?” It seems to be deep in our human nature to want judge people by appearances. If they drive the right car, wear the right clothes, and know the right people, we think well of them. If not, we look down on them. Media perceptions help to drive this view. TV and movies thrive on appearances, on good looks, on images, sounds, and headlines that capture our attention at first glance - media is by nature superficial; reinforcing the temptation to judge by appearance. But that's not how Jesus judges people. That's not how Jesus thinks of us.
This is what St. James reminds us of: Jesus values us not because of what we look like, how much money we have, or how popular we are. Jesus looks deeper. What matters to Jesus is not what we have, but who we are: children of God, created in His image and likeness, and in need of His saving grace. And if that's what matters to Jesus, then that's what ought to matter to us members of His Church.
That's why St. James drives home the lesson that we should treat all people with respect, regardless of what they look like or what they can do for us. Jesus died on the cross not out of a generic love for humankind, but out of a specific, unconditional, redeeming love for every single person; for you and for me. As His followers, we are called to imitate His universal love which goes beyond mere appearances.
One of the most famous examples of God's looking deeper is found in the story of King David. King Saul, the first king of Israel, had become corrupt. When his corruption led him into disobedience to God, the prophet Samuel was instructed to remove the blessing from Saul and anoint a new king. God led Samuel to a shepherd named Jesse, in Bethlehem. Jesse had seven sons, one of whom God would choose.
Samuel was impressed by the first son, and even more impressed with each subsequent one. But as he met them one by one, the Lord kept telling him that this was not the one he had chosen.
God spoke to Samuel's saying: “Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as you see; you look at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.” When they had gone through all of Jesse's grown sons, Samuel had still not found God’s choice. Samuel asked if he had any more sons, and Jesse said that there was one more, a mere boy, who was out tending the sheep. Samuel sent for him, and even though he was just a boy, weak and small, he turned out to be the one God had chosen to become the greatest king of the Old Testament and the ancestor of the Messiah: King David. Jesus looks beyond appearances; He thinks and loves at a deeper level.
If we reflect on this truth, it gives us a new insight into one of Christ's most difficult commandments from Matthew’s Gospel: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Our fallen human nature tends to make us harsh critics of our neighbors. But Jesus warns us to combat this tendency. He knows that we are not good judges or fair judges. We cannot see into people's hearts, the way He can. We cannot see all the factors that go into making a person be the way they are. We cannot see people's intentions, hopes, and struggles. But, God sees the interior world that makes people do what they do.
Consider how forgiving we are towards ourselves. When someone criticizes us, what's our reaction? Immediately, we can explain ourselves. We point out factors or aspects that the other person doesn't know or see. We protect and defend ourselves from criticism. And why? Because we can see much more of our own hearts and minds than other people can see. But when we notice a fault, flaw, or mistake in someone else, we typically don't make excuses for them; we jump on them and judge them.
By admonishing us not to judge our neighbors, James and Jesus remind us that our neighbors have just as complex an interior world as we do: they have their struggles, their points of view, their hidden difficulties. And we are invited to follow Jesus’ example of not judging by appearances, but by faith – a far more forgiving measure.
The best example is the one we come together to celebrate today: the Eucharist. On the outside, if we were to judge its appearance, it is not all that impressive – just a thin piece of bread, and so much wine. But, as always, the deeper reality is the more important – and on that level it is the very Body and Blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; it is God’s true and real presence in our midst. And that makes all the difference.
Let us pray to see as God sees; to forgive as God forgives; to love as God loves; ad to look not at mere appearance, but in the depths of the heart. “My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.”
May the Lord give you peace.
Our second reading from the Letter of James today gives us a big challenge. James wrote, “My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ…have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?” It seems to be deep in our human nature to want judge people by appearances. If they drive the right car, wear the right clothes, and know the right people, we think well of them. If not, we look down on them. Media perceptions help to drive this view. TV and movies thrive on appearances, on good looks, on images, sounds, and headlines that capture our attention at first glance - media is by nature superficial; reinforcing the temptation to judge by appearance. But that's not how Jesus judges people. That's not how Jesus thinks of us.
This is what St. James reminds us of: Jesus values us not because of what we look like, how much money we have, or how popular we are. Jesus looks deeper. What matters to Jesus is not what we have, but who we are: children of God, created in His image and likeness, and in need of His saving grace. And if that's what matters to Jesus, then that's what ought to matter to us members of His Church.
That's why St. James drives home the lesson that we should treat all people with respect, regardless of what they look like or what they can do for us. Jesus died on the cross not out of a generic love for humankind, but out of a specific, unconditional, redeeming love for every single person; for you and for me. As His followers, we are called to imitate His universal love which goes beyond mere appearances.
One of the most famous examples of God's looking deeper is found in the story of King David. King Saul, the first king of Israel, had become corrupt. When his corruption led him into disobedience to God, the prophet Samuel was instructed to remove the blessing from Saul and anoint a new king. God led Samuel to a shepherd named Jesse, in Bethlehem. Jesse had seven sons, one of whom God would choose.
Samuel was impressed by the first son, and even more impressed with each subsequent one. But as he met them one by one, the Lord kept telling him that this was not the one he had chosen.
God spoke to Samuel's saying: “Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as you see; you look at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.” When they had gone through all of Jesse's grown sons, Samuel had still not found God’s choice. Samuel asked if he had any more sons, and Jesse said that there was one more, a mere boy, who was out tending the sheep. Samuel sent for him, and even though he was just a boy, weak and small, he turned out to be the one God had chosen to become the greatest king of the Old Testament and the ancestor of the Messiah: King David. Jesus looks beyond appearances; He thinks and loves at a deeper level.
If we reflect on this truth, it gives us a new insight into one of Christ's most difficult commandments from Matthew’s Gospel: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Our fallen human nature tends to make us harsh critics of our neighbors. But Jesus warns us to combat this tendency. He knows that we are not good judges or fair judges. We cannot see into people's hearts, the way He can. We cannot see all the factors that go into making a person be the way they are. We cannot see people's intentions, hopes, and struggles. But, God sees the interior world that makes people do what they do.
Consider how forgiving we are towards ourselves. When someone criticizes us, what's our reaction? Immediately, we can explain ourselves. We point out factors or aspects that the other person doesn't know or see. We protect and defend ourselves from criticism. And why? Because we can see much more of our own hearts and minds than other people can see. But when we notice a fault, flaw, or mistake in someone else, we typically don't make excuses for them; we jump on them and judge them.
By admonishing us not to judge our neighbors, James and Jesus remind us that our neighbors have just as complex an interior world as we do: they have their struggles, their points of view, their hidden difficulties. And we are invited to follow Jesus’ example of not judging by appearances, but by faith – a far more forgiving measure.
The best example is the one we come together to celebrate today: the Eucharist. On the outside, if we were to judge its appearance, it is not all that impressive – just a thin piece of bread, and so much wine. But, as always, the deeper reality is the more important – and on that level it is the very Body and Blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; it is God’s true and real presence in our midst. And that makes all the difference.
Let us pray to see as God sees; to forgive as God forgives; to love as God loves; ad to look not at mere appearance, but in the depths of the heart. “My brothers and sisters, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.”
May the Lord give you peace.
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Value of Work: The Dignity of the Human Person
Most Reverend William F. Murphy
Bishop of Rockville Centre
Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Bishop of Rockville Centre
Chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Over the years we Americans have redefined the summer by making Labor Day the “extra day of vacation” that recognizes the work we do throughout the year. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact looking at the history of the struggle for wages and benefits, I think that an extra “day off” for all Americans fits in with the spirit of the whole American experience of the meaning of work. It is a moment to recognize the value and dignity of work and the contribution and rights of the American worker. It is time well spent.
Labor Day this year comes at a time when we face a number of challenging problems, many of which cause us to reflect and ponder on what the future will bring. As complex and challenging as the current economic situation is and the new elements that challenge us all, Americans are still fundamentally an optimistic people. We have an abiding faith in the values that have shaped our nation and an ongoing commitment to work together to address the problems and build on the strengths of who we are. This attitude mirrors the deep and powerful virtue of hope that our Church and, in a special way, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, have emphasized as a mark of all the faithful disciples of Jesus. We are called always “to give an accounting of the hope that is in us.”(cf. 1Pt 3:15) This is especially true in difficult times that can try our spirits and test our wills.
A New Encyclical
Earlier this summer, Pope Benedict XVI published his long awaited encyclical, Caritas in Veritate. This teaching of Benedict brings together a whole range of theological and social issues
in a perspective that is in some ways very new and challenging. The Holy Father covers a wide
gamut of subjects that reflect many of the Church’s traditional concerns in the social field while
placing them in broader anthropological and cultural context. In this way the encyclical reflects
questions that have long been central to the theological reflections of this Pontiff who constantly
plumbs the implications of understanding of the human person before God. The Pope reminds us, “the primary capital to be safeguarded and valued is…the human person in his or her integrity: Man is the source, the form and the aim of all economic and social life.” (#25)
The Pope revisits the traditional teachings of his predecessors on the value of the human person, the dignity of every human being, and the integral development of human society to promote human flourishing. His reflections reaffirm the teachings of Leo XIII on labor and Pius XI on subsidiarity. With John XXIII and John Paul II, he insists on the value of solidarity and focuses with a special emphasis on Paul VI’s passionate commitment to the Third World and the development of peoples.
In the new encyclical, the Holy Father affirms and extends traditional Catholic teaching on the centrality of work to the whole human experience. Decent work, according to the encyclical, “means work that expresses the essential dignity of every man and woman in the context of their particular society: work that is freely chosen, effectively associating workers, both men and women, with the development of their community; work that enables the worker to be respected and free from any form of discrimination; work that makes it possible for families to meet their needs and provide schooling for children, without the children themselves being forced into labor; work that permits the workers to organize themselves freely, and to make their voices heard; work that leaves enough room for re-discovering one’s roots at a personal, familial and spiritual level; work that guarantees those who have retired a decent standard of living.” (#63)
Pope Benedict renews and reminds us of the Church’s classic support for the right of workers to choose freely to form or join a union or other types of workers’ associations. Pope Benedict endorses this and adds to it the responsibility of workers and unions “to be open to the new perspectives that are emerging in the world of work.” (#64)
This Labor Day statement is not the place to give a complete overview of the new encyclical. It remains, however, a major point of reference for us all as we give thanks to God for the meaning with which God has endowed work as a reflection of the dignity of every worker, a “co-creator” with God in this world of human endeavor. That vision of cooperation with God in building up this world through our work underscores the need for us all to cooperate and collaborate with one another in making work and the workplace a project of human solidarity and mutual respect.
An Example of Respecting the Rights of Workers
In this Labor Day reflection, permit me to call your attention to a positive step forward in respect for workers in one crucial area of our life: health care. This year, after years of discussions, leaders in Catholic health ministry, the labor movement, and the Catholic bishops sought to apply our traditional teaching on work and workers and to offer some practical alternatives on how leaders of hospitals, unions, and others might apply our principles as an aid to reaching agreements in their own situations.
The principal participants— the Catholic Health Association (CHA), the AFL/CIO, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)—reached agreement that offers guidance and options on how workers can make a free decision about whether or not they want to be represented by a union. They agreed on basic principles including mutual respect and open and honest communication as ‘guides’ to appropriate conduct for both employers and union representatives. This paves the way for workers to make informed decisions without undue influence or pressure from either side. The basic elements of such an approach include mutual respect, truth, and a commitment to let the workers decide whether or not they want to be represented by a union. This was not easy or simple. There were many different points of view and perspectives that at times seemed irreconcilable. The dialogue was long, candid and constructive. It led to a significant consensus statement entitled, respecting the Just Rights of Workers: Guidance and Options for Catholic Health Care and Unions.
This project achieved a significant accomplishment: a consensus among all the parties on a set of principles, processes, and guidelines for a respectful and harmonious approach to let workers in Catholic health care facilities make free choices about unionization. This is offered for voluntary use to help facilitate worker’s choices in an atmosphere of mutual respect and cooperation for the good of the workers themselves.
Special thanks are due to the leadership of the CHA, AFL/CIO, and SEIU. All involved join me in special appreciation for the patient and wise leadership of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Thanks in no small measure go as well to the guidance of the Feerick Center at Fordham law School under the direction of Dean John Feerick. The dialogue tried to look at real situations and genuine differences in light of some basic themes in Catholic social teaching. The document offers some practical guidance and alternatives on how leaders of hospitals, unions, and others might apply these principles by adapting them to their own situations.
Because Catholic health care is a ministry, leadership must reflect in its own operations the words and example of Jesus. For the Church, health care is a continuation of the healing
mission of Jesus. This is a gift to both the Church and to society at large. In our nation, one
person out of six receives care at one of more than 600 Catholic hospitals or 1,200 other Catholic health care ministries. In the past, tension and misunderstandings too often marred relations between Catholic health care and labor. In an effort to look at that and move beyond it, the participants in the dialogue sought to find alternatives that would structure and guide a positive
process with the good of the worker as the centerpiece.
This group of leaders, representing all the principal entities involved, affirmed two key values: (1) the central role of workers themselves in making choices about representation and (2) the principle of mutual agreement between employers and unions on the means and methods to
assure that workers could make their choices freely and fairly. The document calls for civil
dialogue between unions and employers focusing on how the workers’ right to decide will be respected. The heart of this consensus is that it is up to workers—not bishops, hospital managers, or union leaders—to decide “through a fair process” whether or not to be represented by a union and if so, which union. It is our hope that this voluntary guidance and process agreement will prove to be a significant help for greater respect for workers on behalf of all interested parties now and in the future.
Other Issues in Health Care Reform
This Labor Day comes as our nation is engaged in a wider debate on reform of the health care system. As Congress discusses various proposals, the USCCB is committed to bring to this
challenging issue the principles of Catholic social teaching as important truths that have the
capacity to analyze and measure each serious proposal brought forward. The Catholic bishops
continue to work for health care that is accessible, affordable, and respects the life and dignity of
every human being from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. To cite Pope Benedict, “A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the
dignity of the human person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the
contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized.” (#15)
Health care is an essential good for every human person. In a society like ours, no one should lack access to decent health care. Perhaps no other topic has engaged such a large number of citizens or produced such a wide range of opinions and points of view. This can help us avoid the pitfalls that occur when legislation passes without enough dialogue and reflection. I urge you to join the bishops in advocating for health care reform that is truly universal and protects human
life at every stage of development. We must remain resolute in urging the federal government to continue its essential and longstanding prohibitions on abortion funding and abortion mandates.
Our government and laws must also retain explicit protection for the freedom of conscience of health care workers and health care institutions. For more on USCCB advocacy on health care reform see our website, http://www.usccb.org/healthcare/.
Somewhat different but still a matter of basic human dignity is the challenge of immigration reform. This too has a part in the current health care debates. As a nation we have to be concerned about the integrity and safety of our borders. But that cannot overwhelm issues of
respect for the dignity of immigrants who come to our country for so many varying political and
economic reasons. We are a nation of laws. We as a people respect the laws of our country and
state and local municipality. New peoples also are expected to do the same as good citizens or as
good people desirous of becoming citizens. Most immigrants work hard, pay taxes, contribute to
social security, and are valuable members of our society. Yet too often these same immigrants,
including legal immigrants, are denied access to health care services. This should not happen in a society that respects the rights and dignity of every person. For all these reasons our immigration law and related laws must guarantee fair treatment to the millions of immigrants in our country who contribute to our economy and the common good. This is not an issue of “us” and “them.”
They, the new peoples among us, are an integral part of the “us” that constitutes the great diversity that is our nation. In that context, we bishops are convinced that it is imperative that
legal immigrants be included in any fair and just health care legislation that seeks to offer adequate care that is universal and advances the common good of all in our country. An adequate safety net should remain in place for those who still remain without health care coverage. (For more information on the bishops’ efforts on immigration see: http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/)
Conclusion
As we seek to rebuild our economy, produce a better health care system, and improve the
immigration system, we are presented with unique opportunities to advance the common good.
Pope Benedict’s new encyclical insists that the ethical dimensions of economic life begin with protecting the life and dignity of all, respect for work and the rights of workers, and a genuine
commitment to the common good. As the Holy Father points out: “it is a good that is sought not
for its own sake, but for the people who belong to the social community and who can only really
and effectively pursue their good within it. To desire the common good and strive towards it is a
requirement of justice and charity.” (emphasis in the original, #7)
On this Labor Day, let us remember those without work and without hope. Too often in our public discourse anger trumps wisdom, myth outweighs fact, and slogans replace solutions. We can work together and rebuild our economy on the moral principles and ethical values outlined by Pope Benedict in his new encyclical. This Labor Day, we should take a moment to pray for all workers and all those without work. We should also ask God’s help in living out the Church’s call to defend human life and dignity, to protect workers and their rights, and to stand with the poor and vulnerable in difficult economic times. In his new encyclical, Pope Benedict challenges and reassures us: “As we contemplate the vast amount of work to be done, we are sustained by our faith that God is present alongside those who come together in his name to work for justice.” (#78)
May God bless you this Labor Day and may God watch over and bless those who are committed to the care and protection of all the members of our nation who share the American dream of “liberty and justice for all.”
Catholic leaders defend O’Malley
“We will stop the practice of abortion by changing the law, and we will be successful in changing the law if we change people’s hearts,’’ he wrote. “We will not change hearts by turning away from people in their time of need and when they are experiencing grief and loss.’’ - Cardinal Sean O'Malley in his blog.
I know that I've had a lot in this space on the Kennedy funeral and the Catholic aftermath, but this one I think is worth continuing the discussion. Some people have asked me why Ted Kennedy, given his abortion position, was given a Catholic funeral. Was this action a defacto approval of his full history? Is this saying, you can be a pro-choice Catholic and it'll all work out in the end? The answer that I have given is simple. Ted Kennedy received a funeral Mass for the same reason you or I will - because funeral Masses are not canonization Masses - funerals are for sinners commending them to God's mercy.
Cardinal O'Malley has spoken on this far more eloquently than I ever could, so please take the time to read this story, and more time to read his blog entry.
From the moment Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley said he would preside at Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s funeral, he and his aides knew the decision would be hotly debated in the polarized world of Catholic America, where questions about how church officials should interact with politicians supportive of abortion rights have become increasingly divisive and ugly.
And they were right.
The blogosphere exploded with discussion of the significance of O’Malley’s actions, several antiabortion organizations denounced his decision, and critics lit up the phones and flooded inboxes at the archdiocesan headquarters in Braintree.
But the cardinal, who increasingly uses his blog as his primary means of communicating, decided to seize the moment as an opportunity to try to explicate the relationship between his opposition to abortion rights and his belief that as a pastor it was right for him to be present with those who were mourning the loss of the most prominent Catholic in Massachusetts.
Catholic leaders defend O’Malley - The Boston Globe
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I know that I've had a lot in this space on the Kennedy funeral and the Catholic aftermath, but this one I think is worth continuing the discussion. Some people have asked me why Ted Kennedy, given his abortion position, was given a Catholic funeral. Was this action a defacto approval of his full history? Is this saying, you can be a pro-choice Catholic and it'll all work out in the end? The answer that I have given is simple. Ted Kennedy received a funeral Mass for the same reason you or I will - because funeral Masses are not canonization Masses - funerals are for sinners commending them to God's mercy.
Cardinal O'Malley has spoken on this far more eloquently than I ever could, so please take the time to read this story, and more time to read his blog entry.
From the moment Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley said he would preside at Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s funeral, he and his aides knew the decision would be hotly debated in the polarized world of Catholic America, where questions about how church officials should interact with politicians supportive of abortion rights have become increasingly divisive and ugly.
And they were right.
The blogosphere exploded with discussion of the significance of O’Malley’s actions, several antiabortion organizations denounced his decision, and critics lit up the phones and flooded inboxes at the archdiocesan headquarters in Braintree.
But the cardinal, who increasingly uses his blog as his primary means of communicating, decided to seize the moment as an opportunity to try to explicate the relationship between his opposition to abortion rights and his belief that as a pastor it was right for him to be present with those who were mourning the loss of the most prominent Catholic in Massachusetts.
Catholic leaders defend O’Malley - The Boston Globe
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A library without the books
Not sure what I think about this, but I'm pretty sure I think it is a bad idea. I've read stories in the last few months about eliminating cursive handwriting and now eliminating books. Are we setting the stage for an illiterate generation?
ASHBURNHAM - There are rolling hills and ivy-covered brick buildings. There are small classrooms, high-tech labs, and well-manicured fields. There’s even a clock tower with a massive bell that rings for special events.
Cushing Academy has all the hallmarks of a New England prep school, with one exception.
This year, after having amassed a collection of more than 20,000 books, officials at the pristine campus about 90 minutes west of Boston have decided the 144-year-old school no longer needs a traditional library. The academy’s administrators have decided to discard all their books and have given away half of what stocked their sprawling stacks - the classics, novels, poetry, biographies, tomes on every subject from the humanities to the sciences. The future, they believe, is digital.
A library without the books - The Boston Globe
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ASHBURNHAM - There are rolling hills and ivy-covered brick buildings. There are small classrooms, high-tech labs, and well-manicured fields. There’s even a clock tower with a massive bell that rings for special events.
Cushing Academy has all the hallmarks of a New England prep school, with one exception.
This year, after having amassed a collection of more than 20,000 books, officials at the pristine campus about 90 minutes west of Boston have decided the 144-year-old school no longer needs a traditional library. The academy’s administrators have decided to discard all their books and have given away half of what stocked their sprawling stacks - the classics, novels, poetry, biographies, tomes on every subject from the humanities to the sciences. The future, they believe, is digital.
A library without the books - The Boston Globe
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Thursday, September 3, 2009
Bishops Support for Health Care Reform
"I urge you to join the bishops in advocating for health care reform that is truly universal and protects human life at every stage of development. We must remain resolute in urging the federal government to continue its essential and longstanding prohibitions on abortion funding and abortion mandates. Our government and laws must also retain explicit protection for the freedom of conscience of health care workers and health care institutions …
As a nation we have to be concerned about the integrity and safety of our borders. But that cannot overwhelm issues of respect for the dignity of immigrants who come to our country for so many varying political and economic reasons. We are a nation of laws. We as a people respect the laws of our country and state and local municipality. New peoples also are expected to do the same as good citizens or as good people desirous of becoming citizens. Most immigrants work hard, pay taxes, contribute to social security, and are valuable members of our society. Yet too often these same immigrants, including legal immigrants, are denied access to health care services. This should not happen in a society that respects the rights and dignity of every person."
-- Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, in the USCCB Labor Day message
As a nation we have to be concerned about the integrity and safety of our borders. But that cannot overwhelm issues of respect for the dignity of immigrants who come to our country for so many varying political and economic reasons. We are a nation of laws. We as a people respect the laws of our country and state and local municipality. New peoples also are expected to do the same as good citizens or as good people desirous of becoming citizens. Most immigrants work hard, pay taxes, contribute to social security, and are valuable members of our society. Yet too often these same immigrants, including legal immigrants, are denied access to health care services. This should not happen in a society that respects the rights and dignity of every person."
-- Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, in the USCCB Labor Day message
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
O'Malley defends role in Kennedy funeral
Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston tonight has posted on his blog an unusual statement explaining why he decided to preside at the funeral of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and what he talked about during his two to three minute exchange with President Obama before the funeral Mass began. The cardinal made the statement after criticism, in the form of phone calls and e-mails to the archdiocese and comments by some bloggers and organizations, lambasting the cardinal for participating in the funeral of a prominent Catholic politician who supported abortion rights. The archdiocese says the cardinal also received multiple expressions of gratitude for his decision to participate in the funeral, but that because of the criticism he wanted to explain his decision.
O'Malley defends role in Kennedy funeral - Articles of Faith - Boston.com
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O'Malley defends role in Kennedy funeral - Articles of Faith - Boston.com
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Ted Kennedy: Pro-life?
You may have seen this before, but it is a new one to me. Apparently, Sen. Ted Kennedy held very strong pro-life views back in 1971. This is a letter that he wrote to a constituent who had asked his perspective on the issue. It is one of the most well-written responses. If only he had maintained this view the rest of his political career:
Edward M. Kennedy
Massachusetts
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
August 3, 1971
Mr. Thomas E. Dennelly
34 Baker Hill Road
Great Neck, New York 11023
Dear Mr. Dennelly:
I appreciate your letter containing your views on abortion. There are many moral and legal aspects arising from this complex issue which is gaining the acceptance of large numbers of women faced with unwanted pregnancies, while disturbing the consciences of a great many other Americans.
Opponents maintain that abortion is wrong from every theological, moral and medical aspect. Proponents are firmly convinced that the woman, alone, has the right to decide.
While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain right which must be recognized - the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old.
On the question of the individual's freedom of choice there are easily available birth control methods and information which women may employ to prevent or postpone pregnancy. But once life has begun, no matter at what stage of growth, it is my belief that termination should not be decided merely by desire.
I share the confidence of those who feel that America is willing to care for its unwanted as well as wanted children, protecting particularly those who cannot protect themselves. I also share the opinions of those who do not accept abortion as a response to our society's problems - an inadequate welfare system, unsatisfactory job training programs, and insufficient financial support for all its citizens.
When history looks back on this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family, and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the moment of conception.
Sincerely,
Edward M. Kennedy
Edward M. Kennedy
Massachusetts
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
August 3, 1971
Mr. Thomas E. Dennelly
34 Baker Hill Road
Great Neck, New York 11023
Dear Mr. Dennelly:
I appreciate your letter containing your views on abortion. There are many moral and legal aspects arising from this complex issue which is gaining the acceptance of large numbers of women faced with unwanted pregnancies, while disturbing the consciences of a great many other Americans.
Opponents maintain that abortion is wrong from every theological, moral and medical aspect. Proponents are firmly convinced that the woman, alone, has the right to decide.
While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain right which must be recognized - the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old.
On the question of the individual's freedom of choice there are easily available birth control methods and information which women may employ to prevent or postpone pregnancy. But once life has begun, no matter at what stage of growth, it is my belief that termination should not be decided merely by desire.
I share the confidence of those who feel that America is willing to care for its unwanted as well as wanted children, protecting particularly those who cannot protect themselves. I also share the opinions of those who do not accept abortion as a response to our society's problems - an inadequate welfare system, unsatisfactory job training programs, and insufficient financial support for all its citizens.
When history looks back on this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family, and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the moment of conception.
Sincerely,
Edward M. Kennedy
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Controversial Pennsylvania bishop resigns - Articles of Faith - Boston.com
The big news of the day in Catholic America was the resignation of Bishop Joseph F. Martino of Scranton, Pa. This is not ordinarily a diocese that attracts national attention, but Martino had managed to change that with his sharp criticism of his diocese's most famous son, Vice President Joe Biden, as well as various local Catholic institutions, primarily over the abortion issue.
Then today, not only did Martino quit, citing fatigue, at an invitation-only news conference held at a secret location, but his auxiliary bishop also quit, and the cardinal brought in to restore some order, Cardinal Justin F. Rigali of Philadelphia, declined to reappoint the diocese's controversial episcopal vicar. The purge, if that's what it was, is triggering quite a bit of chatter about whether the Vatican (which has been conspicuously warmer toward the Obama administration than have some American bishops) is concerned with the tone of dialogue among bishops stateside.
Martino acknowledged the unhappiness in his diocese, saying, "For some time now, there has not been a clear consensus among the clergy and people of the Diocese of Scranton regarding my pastoral initiatives or my way of governance,'' and blamed his "sorrow" over the situation for causing him health problems.
By far the best summation of the Scranton situation that I've seen comes from David Gibson over at Politics Daily, who writes, "Martino became for many the angry face of the anti-Obama wing of the Catholic hierarchy thanks to his intemperate blasts about pro-choice politicians and an overweening administrative style that irritated the flock and even his brother bishops."
Controversial Pennsylvania bishop resigns - Articles of Faith - Boston.com
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Then today, not only did Martino quit, citing fatigue, at an invitation-only news conference held at a secret location, but his auxiliary bishop also quit, and the cardinal brought in to restore some order, Cardinal Justin F. Rigali of Philadelphia, declined to reappoint the diocese's controversial episcopal vicar. The purge, if that's what it was, is triggering quite a bit of chatter about whether the Vatican (which has been conspicuously warmer toward the Obama administration than have some American bishops) is concerned with the tone of dialogue among bishops stateside.
Martino acknowledged the unhappiness in his diocese, saying, "For some time now, there has not been a clear consensus among the clergy and people of the Diocese of Scranton regarding my pastoral initiatives or my way of governance,'' and blamed his "sorrow" over the situation for causing him health problems.
By far the best summation of the Scranton situation that I've seen comes from David Gibson over at Politics Daily, who writes, "Martino became for many the angry face of the anti-Obama wing of the Catholic hierarchy thanks to his intemperate blasts about pro-choice politicians and an overweening administrative style that irritated the flock and even his brother bishops."
Controversial Pennsylvania bishop resigns - Articles of Faith - Boston.com
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Saturday, August 29, 2009
At Kennedy burial, notes to and from pope
One last surprise from the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy: at his burial service in Washington tonight, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick read excerpts from the exchange of letters between the dying senator and the Vatican. The letters are extremely revealing, both of the importance of Catholic faith and the Catholic church to Kennedy, and of the pastoral response from the pope even to a politician with whom the church had serious disagreements.
Here is the text of Cardinal McCarrick's remarks:
At Kennedy burial, notes to and from pope - Articles of Faith - Boston.com
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Here is the text of Cardinal McCarrick's remarks:
At Kennedy burial, notes to and from pope - Articles of Faith - Boston.com
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009
RIP: Edward M. Kennedy [1932-2009]
We will always, I think, talk about his personal struggles with excess in his storied life. We will always, I think, be disappointed as Catholics in his pro-choice positions that he held strongly to. But, it is hard not to acknowledge that in every other way, he was a man deeply rooted in Catholic social teaching and over the course of his half a century career did more for the poor than anyone else in politics. May he rest in peace.
Beyond Camelot: His shining moments endure - The Boston Globe
Ted Kennedy played a leading role in perhaps the greatest political drama of the 20th century - the dawning of the New Frontier and the soul-crushing assassinations that followed - but he will be remembered by history for his legislative achievements in health care, education, civil rights, and immigration.
The fact that his tangible accomplishments transcended his mythic role in the Kennedy drama attests to the vast extent of his legislative impact. In each of four areas, he dominated legislative politics for more than four decades, spanning ten presidencies, and played a large role in transforming the government’s relationship to the people.
Bill by bill, provision by provision, he expanded government health support to millions of children and the elderly, helped millions more go to college, opened the immigration doors to millions of new Americans from continents other than Europe, and protected the civil rights bulwark of the ’60s through a long period of conservative domination.
And by the time his life ended yesterday, surrounded by loved ones in a gentle scene that contrasted sharply with the violent deaths of his brothers, Ted Kennedy had built a nuts-and-bolts legacy to stand beside that of his presidential brother as a figure of hope and his senatorial brother as a figure of compassion.
Beyond Camelot: His shining moments endure - The Boston Globe
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Beyond Camelot: His shining moments endure - The Boston Globe
Ted Kennedy played a leading role in perhaps the greatest political drama of the 20th century - the dawning of the New Frontier and the soul-crushing assassinations that followed - but he will be remembered by history for his legislative achievements in health care, education, civil rights, and immigration.
The fact that his tangible accomplishments transcended his mythic role in the Kennedy drama attests to the vast extent of his legislative impact. In each of four areas, he dominated legislative politics for more than four decades, spanning ten presidencies, and played a large role in transforming the government’s relationship to the people.
Bill by bill, provision by provision, he expanded government health support to millions of children and the elderly, helped millions more go to college, opened the immigration doors to millions of new Americans from continents other than Europe, and protected the civil rights bulwark of the ’60s through a long period of conservative domination.
And by the time his life ended yesterday, surrounded by loved ones in a gentle scene that contrasted sharply with the violent deaths of his brothers, Ted Kennedy had built a nuts-and-bolts legacy to stand beside that of his presidential brother as a figure of hope and his senatorial brother as a figure of compassion.
Beyond Camelot: His shining moments endure - The Boston Globe
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