Catholic Vision

3rd Sunday 2012 Homily

2012-01-26T07:57:00.003-06:00

This weekend, I had the flu, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Needless to say my homily preparation wasn't the best. Thankfully, there are good priests out there with other homilies. When you cite something it isn't plagiarized, right?

Father Robert Barron has a great ministry online, Word On Fire. His youtube clips, numbering over 200, are amazing, covering popular culture on many topics. His audio homilies are also great. This weekend I used his homily on Jonah. Listen to it here.

To summarize Father Barron's homily, and my own sickly effort, I would focus on four lessons when reading the book of Jonah.

God's will always seems difficult.
We can't escape from God.
When we do God's will He always provides fruit- even fruit we don't expect.
We must be on guard against self-righteousness.

God's will seems difficult because it calls us beyond our nature. That is in the meaning of the word itself: supernatural, above our nature. A good way of wondering whether something is God's will or plan for us is to ask: "Which one seems impossible to me, by myself?"

We can't escape from God because he is more than a location. Read through Psalm 139 sometime to read someone's own prayer on this mystery. Jonah can't sail away and we can't get away either.

God provides fruit to our labor when we do His will. Jonah didn't expect the hardened enemy of Israel- Nineveh- to repent but they did. What fruit might God want to bring about in your life.

Finally, be on guard against self-righteousness. We begin to think WE are the ones we have been waiting for. If you encounter self-righteousness in someone else that prevents you from conversion, deeper spiritual growth, or anything in your faith life- ignore them. God desires the humble and contrite of heart to approach Him. "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do!"

Cross posted at www.piusxiinewman.com.

Christmas Break and Purgatory

2012-01-15T17:25:00.003-06:00

As a priest witha disposition for apologetics and teaching, I'm always looking for new ways to illustrate truths of the faith. In my three years of working with college students a new light has shone for me in regard to explaining purgatory. Christmas break. Christmas break is useful because it exposes tendencies and habits- which, depending on their nature, we call virtue or vice. If we do not understand our humanity in terms of habit, virtue, and vice, we will not understand the mercy that is purgatory.

Many students go on Christmas break with an appetite and expectation for a heavenly experience. It is a blessed time free from outside trial and tribulation- especially after the crucible of final exams. There is no thing out side fo them which would cause them distress or sadness. Yet they often return from break with one or even several regrets about wasted opportunity. Where does the problem occur? Too many obligations? No. Too many stressers? No.

The difficulty lies within. Our tendencies or habits are what keep us from having the Christmas break we desire. It are those habits and especially our vices that the mercy of purgatory removes from us. Then we are truly free to enjoy the Divine blessing of heaven. Frank Sheed, in his smartly titled Theology and Sanity speaks of it as "spiritual gravity."

Next time you wonder about Purgatory, consider the spiritual gravity within you and how you are not simply in love with God. You are complex, a mixture of love of God and love of self. If that mixture is not purified on this earth, thanks be to God he will purify us before heaven. That is why I am grateful for Purgatory.

Cross posted at SDState Newman Center.

Mother of God 2012

2012-01-04T19:28:00.003-06:00

t is the 8th day of Christmas. As Catholic, on the major feasts we say that the day is SUCH a day of joy and honor that they spill over from the day itself and into the next seven days. Today is the seventh of those seven and so the eight day of Christmas. It is also New Years Day. It is good for us to consider our New Year’s resolutions. Finally, this 8th day of Christmas, New Year’s day is also the feast of the Mother of God. Let’s look at New Year’s resolutions in light of the Mother of God.

It makes sense to contemplate a son and also his mother. We don’t think of babies floating in midair we think of babies held by mothers. A parishioner of mine has a Christmasflag on her house that has the Virgin holding the Son. A baby, even a baby Jesus, floating in midair looks odd and strikes us as wrong. Babies need mothers.

Mothers don’t pick their babies and babies don’t pick their mothers. A mother may choose to be open to life in the marriage embrace with her husband but she does not choose the specific baby she will receive. Neither does a child choose their specific mother. Warts, wrinkles, birthmarks are all up to God’s providence and not up to them.

In Jesus it is different. Mary is the Mother he chooses. God chooses his own mother- a perk of being God who becomes incarnate. But Mary also chooses Jesus, earlier in Luke’s gospel we hear that she is told who her son will be: wonder-counselor, God forever, Son of David who will sit on the throne. While she does not perfectly know him she does know and does say “yes.”

But we are called Christians- we call ourselves Christians! What is a Christian but a “little Christ?” So if Mary is the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of Christ than she is our Mother as well. And so Jesus says so on the Cross in John 19: “Son behold your Mother, Mother, behold your son. And from that moment the disciple took her into his home.” Mary loves her son, wherever he is found—we hear in the Gospel today that Mary “ponders all these things in her heart.” This means that her love for her son knows no bounds. She even loves the little Jesus who was born in us by our baptism, our spiritual adoption by God.

Even if we have mistreated or ignored this “little Christ” in our spirit, Mary has not for she ponders all things. Not just the Jesus who is strong and full but even the weak life of Jesus that we neglect and do not nourish. So how about a New Year’s Resolution?

Spend more time with your mother. Spend time as a child of Mary. Children do not start wars, children do not cheat people out of their life’s savings, like Jesus, live as a child of Mary. If we spent more time in our mother’s arms, we’d have less violence, addictions, sadness and boredom—both in us and in the world. Spend time with Mary.

Do you pray the Rosary? Start. Start with a decade a day. If you pray a bit of it now, pray a bit more—maybe several days a week. One opportunity to play in our Mother’s arms will be a devotion I will offer for the parish in February: the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary of St. Louis Marie de Montfort. This time-tested devotion—a favorite of Blessed Pope John Paul II and our own Bishop Swain, will begin right before Lent on February 20th and end on March 25th. It will begin gradually and grow in intensity.

Jesus spent his first years on this earth in the arms of Mary, let us spend this year as her children and His brothers and sisters.

Posted at Pius XII Newman Center as well.

Christmas Homily

2012-01-01T17:44:00.004-06:00

Christmas is more than a night of wishes; it is a night of hope. I have four hopes on this Christmas night.

I hope that all of us here have had the privilege of, at one time or another, holding an infant child in our arms. I also hope that all of us have not only felt the weight, the warmth, and the movement that speaks of a tiny person but have also encountered the mystery in that baby. The mystery of how the 8 pounds in your arms may some day affect the fates of many in the world, for good or for ill. I remember when I first really encountered the mystery. I was a high school student, holding my cousin Debbie’s first-born daughter, Katie. There is a picture of it, somewhere, my clean-shaven chin, teenage complexion, 1990s glasses, and a Texas A&M ball cap.

Here is a life, a mysterious and helpless life! Mysterious because, though it is known in the mind of God, it is unknown
to ours, as we smell the baby powder and gentle detergents. Helpless because, though it is a life full of promise, it is a life full of peril, a child has no defense of it’s own and is completely at the mercy of others, not just for a moment but for years.

I want you to imagine that helpless mystery for a moment. Perhaps it is your first born child, a brother or sister, anyone. Maybe it was every child you’ve held. Take a moment to relish that mystery and memory with me.

I have another hope. I hope that all of us here have had the privilege of, at one time or another, encountering the majesty of God in creation. Maybe it was the grand spectacle of the Rocky Mountains, the deep power of the ocean tide, or some other wild beauty that was caused by no human hand. I remember the thrill of fishing my dad. It was a rainy Saturday in April, I was in grade school, and we were at Lake Yankton. I was bored and standing off a hundred yards or so when he yelled: “Get the net!” The adrenaline pounded in my veins as I ran and helped land the monster. There’s a picture too, my dad and I at home, holding the fish that we caught.

I knew, in my child’s heart, that there were things in this world bigger than myself. Can you remember a moment of that awe and reverence? Take a moment to relish that mystery and memory with me.In the miracle of Christmas we recall that most unimaginable of surprises. God made these to mysteries meet. Tiny, helplessness and untold future meet majestic grandeur of unfathomable

richness. This is the miracle of Christmas. God, who is mighty beyond all motions on this earth, takes upon the real robes of human flesh, flesh that can starve, bleed, and die.

I have another hope. I hope that this Christmas you will better understand this mystery. I hope that you will answer the invitation of the Church to savor this mystery. We savor good food and good times because we don’t want them to end. We rush through lunch at work but we linger over a Christmas ham. Linger over this mystery now and in the days to come. Think back on the divine meeting of these two fundamental truths. The truth of the mighty and invisible God enrobed in the helpless and visible child. Behold it like Mary, like the shepherds, like Joseph but behold it all the same. In a few moments, as we bless the crèche and whenever you kneel before it, I hope you will relish the mystery.

I have a final hope. I hope that you will understand how this same mighty God has entered into your own soul and flesh. Wonder also how it comes to be, that God, almighty, will enter into your sinful self. We can contemplate a helpless baby; can we contemplate our helpless soul? We can contemplate God in the mighty ocean; can we contemplate God in our baptized soul? In a few minutes more, after you have received Holy Communion, my final hope is that you will relish this mystery of God become man, not just in Bethlehem—the house of bread—but that he might enter under the roof of your soul in the appearance of bread.

I hope.

Cross posted at Pius XII Newman Website

Advent 1 11-27-2011

2011-11-29T16:02:00.003-06:00

Get more out of Mass especially with the New Translation.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent as well as the first Sunday of our using the new translation from Latin into English of our prayers at Mass. How do the two things go together and what do they teach us about how to live our Christian life?

The combination of these two events, Advent and the translation, could be together for several possible reasons. First of all, Advent is the beginning of a new year in terms of Church prayer, or liturgy. Finish one year with one translation and begin another with the new. But it didn’t have to be this way. In England, Catholics began using the translation in September. Perhaps we could have waited for the civic New Year, on January 1st.
I think these two events are combined, not just for poetic reasons: it’s nice to have a new year, and a new translation, but for deeper reasons. What does Advent teach us about Mass? Over the next few weeks, as we make spiritual preparation for the season of Christmas, we will look at the prayers and parts of the Mass. What does Advent teach us about the Mass?

First of all, what is Advent? Our Gospel today- which is NOT a new translation- speaks about watchful waiting. From the 13th chapter of Mark’s Gospel, this is not about the baby Jesus but Jesus in the final week, mere days before his betrayal, crucifixion, death and resurrection. We are very far from the stable in Bethlehem. What is Jesus asking us to watch for?

Jesus is asking us to watch like he watches: in the evening, midnight, cockcrow and morning. In a few days from this passage, Jesus celebrates the Last Supper- the First Mass- on the evening of Holy Thursday. At midnight he prays in the Garden of Gethsemanae and is betrayed by Judas. At cockcrow he is under the judgment of the Chief Priest and abandoned by Peter. At morning he is sentenced to death by Pilate and sent off to be crucified. Jesus is watching for the will and presence of the Father and invites us to do the same. “What I say, I say to all: watch.” Advent, from the Latin word adventus, means arrival or presence. Advent is about attentive watching for the arrival of Christ.
In these days after Thanksgiving, in American culture, we can get confused. Is Christmas here yet, or not? Christmas seems to be both already here and not yet here. We purchased most of our presents on Friday but we have not yet opened them. When we were kids, we would be attentively watching the foot of our tree, wondering when the new gifts would come? We were observing an “advent of presents.”

So what does Advent teach us about the Mass and our new translation? You’ve done pretty well today, a few slip ups here or there, but it is like you are praying your first Mass and I am praying my first Mass. We have to be more careful, deliberate, and watchful. Advent should teach us that this is how we should pray at every Mass, watching and waiting. We believe that Jesus is present at every Mass, but do we encounter him at every Mass? If he is present, present in the priest, the people, the Scripture, the Eucharist, then if we do not encounter him, who is at fault? We must not be paying attention. This is our “Advent of every Mass.”

The translation of the Mass introduced today emphasizes this aspect of the Mass. The Holy Mass is our opportunity to attentively watch for Jesus. Usually, as a Catholic you can rely on auto-pilot when you go to Mass. You don’t have to think about prayers and actions; you just do them. This is not attentive participation in the Mass. This is not what God or the Church wants from us as we pray Mass.

Perhaps we could think of this attentive watchfulness as maturity. How do we define maturity? Facial hair? Driver’s licenses? Diplomas? Perhaps we could think of it as attentiveness to others? When we are young or immature, we are unaware of others around us: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We might grow aware of physical presence but not emotional as we grow up, and eventually, hopefully, aware of everyone present around us. That seems a dependable definition of maturity. Do we pray at Mass with maturity? Are we aware of and attentive to the arrival and presence of Jesus Christ? Or are we more focused on our selves? “These pews are uncomfortable, this homily is boring, or did I start the right fantasy team?”

So what does Advent teach us about the Mass? First, it is more than mere physical presence. We must be participating in our own way with the Holy Sacrifice being presented in an unbloody way. Second, our participation should be watchful attentiveness. We are to be searching for Jesus. When will that encounter with Him come? In the opening prayer? In the consecration? In the creed? In our personal communion? If I talked to you three hours later, could you say where you met Jesus in this Mass?

Finally, we must learn to savor and dive into that encounter and make it a lived and personal encounter with the saving Jesus. I hope your Thanksgiving dinner was more relaxed than your normal lunch. That you didn’t just shovel down the food but savored the flavor, let it roll around in your mouth. Jesus Christ is truly present in every Mass. Jesus Christ is more present to us than we are to ourselves. What I say, I say to all: watch!

Cross posted at Pius XII Newman Center blog.

Get more out of Mass

2011-11-27T22:02:00.003-06:00

In this Sunday's homily we spoke about attentive and watchful participation in the Mass, tying in the Season of Advent as well as the New Translation of the Mass. We mentioned the use of Missals (not missiles) as a way to get more out of Mass and to develop our personal encounter with Jesus, truly present in each Mass. Here are some sources for your Christmas gift list.

Here are a couple varieties from Aquinas and More book store. They are from a reputable and good Catholic bookstore. There are simpler and cheaper versions (from St. Joseph's press). As well as more expensive, and dare I say, deluxe versions.

Another great option I mentioned was the Magnificat magazine. it contains the readings and prayers of, not only Sunday Masses but also daily Masses. It also has beautiful artwork and inspiring passages each day from saints and other Catholic authors. A subscription is $45 for the year. If that seems too much, you could order a promo copy. They even have an iPhone version, free with a print subscription or with an online subscription.

Quite cool and all good use of your Christmas list. What grandma wouldn't want to her grandchild in college something with which to dive into their faith?

Cross posted at Pius XII Newman Center.

33rd Sunday, Year A November 13, 2011

2011-11-13T18:03:00.005-06:00

This morning we’re going to talk about marriage. Marriage is especially of interest for those that aren’t married—I get a lot of questions about marriage from students. Taking our cue from the readings today, we’ll talk about marriage in three ways: first by it’s foundation, secondly by what marriage is, and finally a few tips on dating.

What is the foundation of marriage? Marriage is a naturally occurring relationship that is raised up by Christ to be a Sacrament. The Eucharist, Baptism, Confirmation and all the other Sacraments do not exist in nature, marriage does. Before Jesus Christ there was marriage, before Jesus there was no Eucharist. We see how marriage is the one gift left to Adam and Eve after Original Sin. Before sin, they enjoyed free eating of the fruit of the land, they enjoyed harmony with God, life without death, and their marriage to each other. After Original Sin, they had to eat by the sweat of their brow, they lost harmony with God, and they were to die. But marriage remained.

Everywhere there was some notion of marriage even if it was not everywhere lived well with full respect for those involved. So marriage is something inherent in human hearts that is elevated by God and strengthened by His grace. This has implications. Mainly, marriage is something that we can purify but not modify. We are called to purify our understanding and living out of marriage. Polygamy is bad, serial divorce is bad, women have rights to choose a spouse, men should live in chastity. As one author says: “Christianity taught that men ought to be as chaste as pagans thought honest women ought to be.”

If we can purify but not modify marriage, what is this purified understanding. Catholic marriage is free, total, faithful, and fruitful. Before the vows at a wedding, A “free” marriage is not a “free wedding” but one that is entered into without reservation. If you’re someone who thinks that you can’t be happy without a spouse, then are you free to choose marriage? If you’re entering into marriage because “I guess that’s what people do,” then are you freely choosing? The free choice implies that you understand what you are choosing: to bind yourself to someone for the rest of your life with no guarantee that they will return their promise to you.

Catholic marriage is “total” in that it encompass the whole of your relationship. You cannot enter into marriage with something set aside. That is why a “pre-nuptial” agreement is a serious sin on marriage, because it sets a boundary on something that should not be bounded. Catholic marriage is “faithful” because it is exclusive and permanent. Finally, Catholic marriage is “fruitful,” it is open to life and children because they are a natural crown on marital love. A couple that cannot have children or is delaying children is still open to this fruitfulness by their generosity to the Church and the poor.

A final word on the origins of marriage. As Catholics, we believe that marriage is something natural that is purified and elevated by Grace. Meaning that non-Catholics and non-Christians can know and benefit from these four truths of marriage. So when Catholics enter into the public debate about marriage in society we do not see our arguments as religious but natural.

Finally, we’ll end with a word for those who are dating. Date with the end in mind. The purpose of dating is marriage, if you’re dating someone you wouldn’t marry, why are you dating them? What are some BAD reasons to date? Loneliness, insecurity, or pleasure. If you’re find yourself lonely or insecure without a significant other, then you need a friend, not a boy/girl friend. I’m sure any of our married couples have been lonely. Start by looking at someone you are friends with when you’re looking for a spouse. Have you ever been in a relationship where you’ve shared lips before you’ve shared dreams? That is not a healthy relationship and is not headed in the right direction.

Have you looked for someone you can pray with? What makes you think that if you can’t pray before you married that you’ll be able to pray AFTER you’re married? Is it someone you can go to Mass with? Someone who will help lead your children in prayer? Is it someone who will pray for your soul as you breath your last breath? At the end of the day, marriage is about the gift of eternal life. Will this person assist my soul through the gifts of prayer, unity, and children?

Marriage is one of the greatest gifts God gave to the human race. One that was not lost by sin but was retained as a comfort during our exile from Eden. We must protect and cherish it as a great gift so that our Lord will see a profit of souls when he returns.

Posted at Newman Center Site, too!

Thirty Second Sunday, Year A, November 6, 2011

2011-11-13T17:45:00.002-06:00

In today’s homily, I’d like to address three things: the details of the Gospel, zombies at Hobo Day and in America, and a Halloween surprise.

First, the Gospel. The parable Jesus is telling is about the Kingdom of Heaven, which we know means the Church. This is not a story about those who follow Jesus and those who don’t, this story is about those who follow Jesus but do so incompletely. Ancient weddings included a point where the groom went and escorted the bride. The bride’s unmarried friends would honor her by an escort- similar to bride’s maids today. The virgins are you and I. The other chief figures are the lamps and the oil.

It might be tempting to view this parable as a sharing parable. Rather it is about our soul. Each of us has an immortal soul. We can’t see, smell, taste, or measure that soul in anyway but it gives us life here and now. Our soul gives life to our bodies. The potential power of our souls to image God is so amazing that C. S. Lewis describes it this way: “The dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship.”

Our soul is born in darkness of sin: aside from guilt sin has two effects, clouding our intellect and weakening our will. In baptism our soul is enlightened by Christ- like a lamp being lit. This is why we light baptismal candles, to symbolize this real event happening in souls during baptism.

In our own baptism we are told to keep our light burning brightly. How? By Christian living in union with Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is where the parable becomes so powerful. We must carefully treasure own soul. The most foolish thing in the world is to live as if your own soul did not exist. Yet we often think that there are more important things to worry about than my own soul. We pollute our soul much more than we pollute our environment.

That brings me to zombies, both at Hobo Day and in America. Zombies are soulless human bodies. Perhaps we like seeing them so much because we fear we are becoming them. Not from a virus but from our disregard for our soul. Zombie’s “are incapable of judgment, self-awareness, or self-preservation. Though they still move and act, they are not really alive. They hunger and are never filled.”

In America today, we have more resources, more pleasures, more entertainment than any culture before us or around us can even imagine. Yet we are never satisfied. Our suicide rates are the highest of any civilization before or around us. Why? Because we feed certain appetites but ignore our soul. We are the foolish virgins. We are not prepared for the coming of Christ because we are not guarding the flame of our soul.

That brings me to my last point. Guard your soul. What about your death? What about the moment when the Bridegroom returns? On Halloween night I went to watch my parishioners play a playoff game. I got a call from the hospital that a woman was dying and they wanted a priest. I didn’t know the woman but I was told she was a Catholic, so I gave her the anointing of the sick and the Apostolic Pardon. I have no “oil,” no grace of my own to give her but I can give her the grace of Jesus Christ, the lifesaving oil of salvation, thanks to my priestly ordination.

Do your friends and family members know that if you’re in danger of death that they should call for a priest as they call 911? Do they know to seek out a priest for you? If you see someone in danger of death, do you offer to pray for them even as someone gives them first aid? Do you ask them if they want to pray for their sins? What a privilege it is for anyone to escort a soul into eternity. What a wise gift of grace you can help them receive. They too can have oil for their lamps through Jesus Christ.

Posted at the Newman Center, too.

All Saints Day 2011

2011-11-13T17:41:00.004-06:00

Let me tell you the story of a saint. St. John Vianney was interested in me, long before I was interested in him. St. John Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests and he was praying for me long before I ever knew his name. St. John Vianney’s feast day, August 4th, was the birthday of my grandfather, Lowell. Lowell is my middle name. St. John Vianney was praying for me. While I was studying chemistry and asking God what He wanted me to do in my life, I came upon a novena prayer to St. John Vianney. When I went to my first seminary, it was named after St. John Vianney. When I went to my graduate seminary it was named after St. John Vianney. God displayed his rich love for me through his chosen man, St. John Vianney.

“The saints want us to be with them, and we are indifferent. The souls of the just await us and we ignore them.”

Who are the saints that pray for you, care for you, and love you? Do you know them and have you sought them? As Catholics we observe this feast for two reasons, to remember that the friends of Jesus Christ love the same things he does and to remember and renew our own life of sanctity.

The friends of Jesus Christ love the same things he loves. None of us would deny that Jesus Christ loves us but we are ignorant of how his friends, the saints, love us. They love us not to take anything away from Jesus and his salvation but as a part of the grand symphony that is his salvation. Telling the saints to not love us, to not pray for us, to not care for us, is like telling Jesus to leave us alone. Not going to happen.

This feast also reminds us of our own calling. There is one Catholic Church here on earth, and in the purifications of purgatory, and again in the glories of heaven. One Church that is united by Jesus Christ and one calling that we all have. If we are not yet saints it is because we do not want to be. God is providing everything for you to be a saint. What does it mean? Look at this image of our Blessed Mother. See how she receives light from the infant Jesus and illumines the world with him. You are called to that receptivity in order to illuminate the world.

Let us renew our interest in the saints and so renew our interest in our own salvation through Jesus Christ. Find those saints who care for you with the love of Christ, especially the saints you don’t know about. The saints of your name, of your birthday, of your baptism day, of your confirmation, of some other momentous date in your life. Find the saints who have the same interests as you and ask them to pray for you. They will lead you to Christ.

Posted at Newman Center Website.

Thirty First Sunday, Year A, October 30, 2011

2011-11-13T17:33:00.005-06:00

There are certain things in life that we CAN’T NOT know. These things are clear to anyone as they observe the world. Things like honesty, justice, and love. For example, whether or not you agree with Occupy Wall Street, you probably agree that greed is bad. About the only way we could think greed is good is if we had a PhD. One thing that is self-evident is the idea of the beauty of sacrifice. No one likes war but we are moved by stories of sacrifice. Sacrifice is part of what tugs at our heart when we see a woman expectant with child. We don’t need religion to tell us this. We know that we cannot fully find ourselves except through a sincere gift of ourselves.

But our faith does say something about this natural beauty, truth and goodness of sacrifice. The Catholic Church calls this reality “The Law of the Gift.” Man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself. How do we see this in today’s Gospel?

What does Jesus condemn? Does he condemn institutions of religion? These verses from Matthew’s Gospel are often used by non-Catholics, especially Fundamentalist or Evangelical Christians to attack the structure of Catholic faith. Does Jesus condemn all structures of religion? No, Jesus does not condemn the structure—and therefore all structure—he condemns the empty and selfish living of those in the structure. The Jewish priests of his time—and those of the time of the prophet Malachi—are convicted on their selfish living out of their roles.

On the other hand, we have the example of St. Paul. He even dares to compare himself to a “nursing mother,” so deeply did he live the Law of the Gift with the Church in Thessalonica. “We were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our very selves as well, so dearly beloved had you become to us. You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.” Man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.

What do so many college students want? Do you not want to find yourself? “What am I supposed to do with my life? Who am I? What does God want?”

God wants you to live the Law of the Gift. You are called to make a sincere gift of yourself. In many ways you and all of us have an uphill battle in our current culture. We are becoming more individualized, isolated, and even self-centered. Instead of asking: “What sort of sincere gift of myself am I called to make?” our culture asks: “What do I need to be happy? What’s in it for me?”

People sometimes ask why there are fewer priests and consecrated religious today than 40 years ago. On some level, it is because parents aren’t asking their children. But it certainly is NOT because God is not asking. Blessed Pope John Paul II would say that 10% of baptized Catholics probably have a call to give themselves as priests, monks or nuns. If God is calling, we not listening, because we are afraid of the Law of the Gift.

Let me tell you then from my own experience as a young man and a priest. When you answer God’s call, he takes nothing of what makes life good, true, or beautiful. When I took a promise of celibacy, I gave up wife and family but God has brought beautiful goodness into my life. Do not be afraid, it is true that man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself. Listen today and everyday for Jesus to speak His call into your heart, He says: “See my example, see how I give myself completely for you? Trust me, then, trust that when you sincerely give yourself back to me, I provide everything for you.”

Posted at Newman Center Website.

Sunday Homily 9/25/2011 26th in Ordinary Time

2011-09-26T08:01:00.003-05:00

This homily was preached at St. Thomas More, which serves the larger Brookings community:

I’m Father Andrew Dickinson, I serve on the north side of town at Pius XII Newman Center, working with Catholic college students at SDSU. Sometimes we do smart things, sometimes we do not so smart things. Saturday morning I ran 15.2 miles from the town of White, down to the Campanile. Not so smart. This weekend I’ve switched with Fr. Farke to tell you a bit about Newman Centers. Hopefully smart.

What is a Newman Center? First off, it is your Newman Center. If you’re a college student here in town, the Newman Center south of Brown Hall on 14th Ave and 8th St. is yours, come and see us. 80% or more of my week is spent with college students, stop me and talk to me on campus. If you’re a parishioner at St. Thomas More, we couldn’t exist without your CFSA, parish, other personal gifts, and most importantly, your prayers. Thank you for your generosity.

On April 30, 2009, when Bishop Swain asked me to come here, I asked him what he wanted me to do. He said, “Make it a safe place for college students.” Safety and security in the midst of college means different things for students in different places. For some students, it means simply a place to hang out. Your Newman Center has no exterior keys- it is open 24-7 and I couldn’t lock it if I wanted to. At least, not without some nails.

Your Newman Center is pace of safety for those are under attack. College can be a place of grave challenges to your beliefs and foundations. I know of several courses and professors who implicitly and even purposely challenge Catholic and Christian worldviews. Know that those challenges are not new and there are real answers for them. Your Newman Center will help you with those.

Your Newman Center also provides a safe place to hear God’s call. There are good and holy men and women who pray and play together. Wouldn’t you want a wife or husband that prays the same prayers as you? One of the biggest struggles for engaged couples is figuring out their life of faith. Also, you’ve seen how much Fr. Rod loves his priestly life and hopefully your hometown priest as well. You’ve seen how the good religious sisters her love their life of community, prayer, and service. In our open chapel you can pray with the Eucharist and with others to hear God’s call for your life. Come see why more than 100 of your fellow college students make daily Mass a part of their week with around 60 per day.

Finally, I want to leave you something for your heart. Your Newman Center is a safe place when you’ve failed. In our Gospel today, the second group is clearly identified as sinners and outcasts. How hard it is for the outcast to turn- certainly because sin is attractive but also because sin discourages? We all know that discouragement, when we haven’t been in Church in a while, when the confessional door looks dark and forbidding, when it seems like Father’s every look is one of dissatisfaction. Your Newman Center and my mission is to encourage you at just those times. I speak the words of great modern author, G.K. Chesterton, who says: “Anything really worth is worth doing badly,” because it is better to do it badly, than not to do it at all. I hope I don’t surprise you when I say, that saints started out as sinners.

What is the safe encouragement of your Newman Center? Jesus Christ. In our second reading we hear of his humility. He doesn’t wait for us, high, dry, and clean of everything while we struggle in darkness, doubt, and sin. Rather, he emptied himself becoming one like us and then humbles himself to the point of death.

Parishioners, college students, and I say this to my own heart too. What more could we want? Blessed Cardinal Newman, the English priest and university professor whom Newman Centers are named after expressed it this way. “Thou Lord, art ever waiting for me to ask Thee to be merciful to me.” Amen.

Cross posted at Pius XII Newman Website.

Homily for 25th Sunday 9/18/2011

2011-09-19T08:04:00.003-05:00

We are still 3 days away from the official start to fall but I’d like to offer you a Cornucopia homily, one full of the abundant riches of the Gospel. In other words, I couldn’t decide which area to preach on so you get three things. They are all important, though. First, what is justice? Second, what is the vineyard? Finally, why does the landowner act this way?

“You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.” What is justice?

Many, if not most of us suffer from an inaccurate understanding of justice. We conceive of justice in terms of our rights. In the United States we often think: “I have a right to do what I want, when I want, how I want, whenever I want.” Sometimes this is magnified while we’re in college. If justice were only concerned with our rights, then our we would eventually run afoul of each other.

Justice is most properly about our obligation to others. If you want to be a man or woman of justice, it isn’t that you are concerned about your rights, or their rights, it is that you are first concerned about your obligations. What do I owe to my neighbor, my friends and family? What do I owe to the stranger I’ve never met? Justice is expressed in several ways: divine justice, personal justice, and social justice.

Divine justice- what do I owe God? My worship, my gratitude, often represented by material goods. It’s interesting when college students can afford $40 a week on recreational drinking but $0 a week on God. Personal justice- what do I owe other people? This obligation to other people isn’t simply to people I know or like but to everyone. Social justice- what do I owe society? We see this in taxes and civic involvement, like informed voting. Yes, that means you sin when you are not an informed voter. We could go more indepth but that is an appetizer on the teachings of justice.

“He sent them into his vineyard.”

What is the vineyard in today’s Gospel? This landowner is very concerned about his vineyard and he obviously wants it to be well stocked with laborers. If we look at other stories about vineyards, then we can find a good answer. The vineyard is the Christian mission field. All of us are called to labor in the Kingdom of Heaven—we’ll hear more about this next Sunday. A bishop I knew used to express this duty like this: “What on earth are you doing for heaven’s sake?” St. Paul, in our second reading says it this way: “Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

Are you asking God how he wants you to work? I remember asking this question as a sophomore in college. My uncle had just died suddenly and I wondered in prayer, “Lord, what do you want me to do for you?” I spent about 18 months on that question while he unfolded his answer. I haven’t been disappointed.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner.”

Who is this landowner and why does he pursue so many workers? He pursues them not simply for the work but because it is better for them to be working with him. The landowner is the Lord God who has pursued us since the first moment of our rebellious sin. Going back to Genesis we know that from the first moment of our sin, God asked after us and wanted to bring us back to himself. God is always calling each and every human soul to a deeper relationship with him.

It seems that God is much more patient with us than we are with him. We ask God for something once, maybe twice. We might even spend a week in prayer, but then we say: “God doesn’t answer. God doesn’t care.” Yet how patient is God with our sins? Even we who are committed to Christ still sin and he still pursues us. Our reading form Isaiah says: “Seek the Lord while he may be found.” He is always near, like the landowner in the vineyard who goes out frequently to hire laborers.

Jesus Christ, I pray that you will build up a people of justice. People who first strive to reach perfection in personal and divine justice—giving to others and to you what is owed. I pray that you will give us the heart of a laborer. Do not let us think that the work of your Kingdom belongs to someone else. I pray that whatever we do, you will only keep us close to yourself. Separation from you, to be far from you is a fate worse than death. In your mercy and generosity, call to us and grant us the strength to hear and answer.

Cross posted at www.piusxiinewman.com

24th Sunday Homily 9/11/2011

2011-09-11T17:58:00.004-05:00

On this terrible anniversary it would do us well to consider what it means to forgive. We will not learn to forgive unless we have known the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. We will not be free to forgive others unless we have faith in the victory of Jesus Christ.

I remember September 11, 2001, quite well. I was in my senior year of college in the seminary. I was in my dorm room on a break between classes when I heard an odd sound for the halls of a seminary. A young freshman was running up the hallway, stamping and swearing. I leaned out the door: “Charlie, we do NOT act like this in the seminary.” “But…but…they just flew a plane into the World Trade Center!” And my world changed with everyone else’s.

What happens next? After your world is shattered, what happens next? Whether you were old enough for it to shatter on that Tuesday morning or it shattered in the decade long war that has followed, what happens next? It is worth noting that, though these Scripture passages are full of forgiveness, they were not picked especially for today. They were selected years ago in the 1960s and have been on a three-year cycle ever since. God provides these readings through the Church to teach the world, to teach you and I, where to go next.
To know where to go next we need to understand some basic information about our humanity. Anger is not a sin in itself but there is sinful anger. Anger is a natural passion who’s purpose is to tell us when we’ve suffered injustice. 9/11 was more than a tragedy, it was an unjust action by unjust men. It is right to feel angry.

Sin corrupts our natural passions: hunger, sleep, attraction, and anger. How does sin corrupt our anger? The book of Sirach tells us that “the sinner hugs [anger] tight.” What is anger hugged tight but bitterness and grudges. Bitterness and grudges poison us and bring no relief.
How, then, do we forgive? We must first learn forgiveness by the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. I ask you, if you struggle to forgive those who have harmed you, are you going to confession yourself? Are you learning forgiveness by hearing the priest absolve you from your sins and treating you with justice and mercy? Are you learning mercy by hearing it in the voice of the priest?

Finally, it takes faith to forgive. Forgiveness on its own seems weak. Forgiveness apart from faith seems foolish. Sin speaks in our hearts: “If you forgive them this, then they will do more and worse things to you.” Unless we are confident that Jesus Christ will bring victory and vindication: whether in this life or the next, the voice of sin will win out in our hearts.
Violence never defeats violence. Sacrifice and love defeat violence. Sacrifice and love swallow violence. Jesus Christ has swallowed up sin, violence and death on the cross; we await his victory. While we wait, we forgive because we know love in Jesus Christ. We forgive because we love our enemies and want them to have the same chances we have had.

Cross posted at www.piusxiinewman.com

22nd Sunday So many Words

2011-08-29T22:13:00.003-05:00

Preparing for this weekend’s homily it occurred to me that, for the freshmen, the returning students and professors, the Church is giving them the first formative words of the semester. Of course we live in a world and in an age where we are inundated, even drowning in words; words that amuse, excite, hurt, mislead, heal, frustrate, confuse, delight, flatter, inform and more. Maybe we seek out the amusing ones even though they flash and sizzle as they quickly dissipate. Perhaps we seek out the flattering ones because we that the truth is the same as abandonment. Our world is full of words.

Not all words are trivial or false and so we should hold onto the true, beautiful, and good words. These words actually give life rather than take it. These words build us up—even as they trim some things down. These words are not always the loudest or most entertaining but they are the best. Thank you for allowing the Church to say these words to you today.
What word does the Church give you? “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” St. Paul the Apostle wrote these words 2000 years ago to the Church in Rome- not a message to pagans not yet converted but to baptized and practicing Catholics. Christians of every day need to be reminded the same thing. Do not conform to the spirit, the wisdom, or the words of this age but be transformed by God’s spirit.

Perhaps St. Paul’s inspiration was the story of St. Peter in the Gospel? Mere minutes before, Jesus declared Peter to be the Rock on which he would build his Church. Did that guarantee that Peter would always listen to the Word of Life? Did that guarantee that Peter would NOT listen to the flattering words of this age? No, so Jesus speaks non-amusing, unflattering and even stinging words to Peter. “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Why? Because Jesus loves Peter enough to keep him from error. Might Jesus ever speak to us in this way? Probably. In fact, please Jesus, DO speak to me when I am in error.

In the year to come, you will hear many words on campus. Some will amuse, flatter, hurt, confuse or delight. Make yourself available to the Words of Jesus Christ, most especially through the Sacraments. His words may challenge or comfort but, when we seek Him in the Church they will always bring life if we are open.

Finally, we all need the Church. As Catholics we do not claim to be perfect, not even the Pope and especially not me. We all need the Catholic Church to support and encourage us when the voice of Jesus is faint or causes us distress. Our enemy loves for us to try things alone or to think that we are the only one who bear our burdens. Our enemy loves to foster impatience within us. You are not alone. Here the words of our own Pope: “Even for the believing man who is entirely open to God, the words of God are not comprehensible and evident right away. Those who demand that the Christian message be as immediately understandable as any banal statement hinder God.”

In this year to come, seek and listen for the Word of Jesus, seek the guidance of the Church and know that you are not alone.

Cross posted at www.piusxiinewman.com

21st Sunday Tu Es Petros!

2011-08-22T10:01:00.003-05:00

Our Gospel today is one of the foundational texts of Jesus’ establishment of the Papacy. What is the purpose of the Papacy? I’d like to offer you the definition given by a Lutheran. I was assisting at the marriage of a Catholic bride and a Lutheran groom. The groom’s father- himself a Lutheran- came up to me at the reception and said: “You Catholics really got it figured out. That Papacy thing is pretty good, it keeps you all organized and together.”

The Papacy does keep us organized and together. The Papacy keeps us focused on Jesus Christ in the midst of our own world of distraction, sin and sorrow. In this sense, the Papacy is true to its roots. What does Peter do today? He is receptive to the promptings of the Father and confesses that Jesus is the Christ. What does the Successor of Peter do today? He tells us to be receptive to the promptings of the Father and to confess that Jesus is the Christ.
Earlier today, while we were all sleeping, Pope Benedict XVI was preaching Mass to almost 2 million of his closest friends. In that Mass with our same readings, Pope Benedict says that Jesus’ question is for us as much as it is for Peter:

“Faith starts with God, who opens his heart to us and invites us to share in his own divine life. Faith does not simply provide information about who Christ is; rather, it entails a personal relationship with Christ, a surrender of our whole person, with all our understanding, will and feelings, to God’s self-revelation. So Jesus’ question: “But who do you say that I am?”, is ultimately a challenge to the disciples to make a personal decision in his regard. Faith in Christ and discipleship are strictly interconnected.”

Pope Benedict points us to an intimate encounter with Jesus as the foundation of all Christian faith. This relationship is possible only by God’s gift for which we must ask. Is your faith weak? Are you timid amongst your friends? Does God seem remote and foreign? Have you asked for deeper faith? Knowledge is necessary for faith—knowledge frames and guides every human relationship but every human relationship is more than knowledge.

Faith begins with a leap, a plunge into the unknown known. We know Jesus, but not fully. We can only know Jesus when we dive into that relationship. Pope Benedict encourages us: “Respond to him with generosity and courage, as befits young hearts like your own. Say to him: “Jesus, I know that you are the Son of God, who have given your life for me. I want to follow you faithfully and to be led by your word. You know me and you love me. I place my trust in you and I put my whole life into your hands. I want you to be the power that strengthens me and the joy which never leaves me”.”

Is it a risk? Yes! Do we know everything about this Jesus? Does it always seem like God is doing what we expect or what makes sense in our estimation of the world? No! And that is why it is faith. Reasonable faith but still faith. When Pope Benedict arrived in Spain he encouraged all of us to “not be ashamed of the Lord.” In these words and these actions, Pope Benedict continues to live out the life of Peter, keeping us organized around and firm within our confession of Jesus.

Pope Benedict's Arrival Address to Madrid
Pope Benedict's Opening Message
Pope Benedict's Address to Young Professors
Pope Benedict's Mass with Young Seminarians
Pope Benedict's Saturday Vigil Address
Pope Benedict's Sunday Mass Homily
Summary of WYD

Cross posted at piusxiinewman.

20th Sunday Homily, August 14, 2011

2011-08-16T15:09:00.003-05:00

But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.

Imagine the state of this Canaanite woman’s heart and emotions as she approaches Jesus today. Her only daughter is afflicted, tormented by a demon. There is no help and no joy for her when her daughter is not well. She cries out to Jesus to save her but “Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.” How many of us can imagine ourselves in the same position? How many of us have been in the same position? “Jesus did not say a word in answer.”

More and more I am noticing that a great temptation in our own day is anxiety. We are consumed by anxiety. The chattering voices on tv and the internet proclaim that if such and such happens or so and so is elected we headed for DOOM! We are stirred up, over and over again into sorrow about the future. Not worry, not concern, not being spurred to concrete action but to give into sorrow over something that has not happened yet. Anxiety.

St. Thomas Aquinas calls anxiety “sorrow over a future pain.” Anxiety itself isn’t a sin, it is an emotion but it leads us to sin. When we claim that emotion as our own and give into anxiety we are led to distrust in God. We are led to unbelief. God cannot stop this impending doom. We are to have a faith that endures waves of anxiety and continues to trust in God. In fact, God wants your faith to be so strong as to endure all anxiety.

In the Gospel today, why does Jesus give her the cold shoulder? Why does gentle, caring, and merciful Jesus “not say a word in answer,” not even one word? So that her faith might have a chance to show stronger than her anxiety.

The Canaanite woman shows us strong faith. Strong faith is not removed from concern, worry, or emotions of sorrow. Strong faith endures against the very same concerns, worries and sorrows that experience everyday. The Canaanite woman shows us what God wants for each of us.

Does God not answer your prayers? Does God not seem to care? Have you been tempted to stop praying? Endure in faith!

When God does not answer your prayer, you stand in good company of saints in the past. I stand in your same company. The ways of God are mysterious but they lead to our salvation. When Jesus ignores the Canaanite woman, when Jesus is ignoring our pleading, he does so to build up our faith and our trust in him.

Every time the Holy Mass is prayed, your priest follows up the Our Father by praying: “Deliver us, Lord, from every evil and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy, keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.” Protect us, Jesus from anxiety so that our faith may endure and we may hear you say: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”

Cross posted at www.piusxiinewman.com.

19th Sunday

2011-08-16T14:56:00.004-05:00

“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.” --Pope John Paul II, WYD 2002 in Toronto.

We see this foundational principle of our Christian faith in action in today’s Gospel. Peter, the first pope, the leader of the Apostles, the Rock on whom the Church is built, is fearful and preoccupied with the difficulties of the world around him. Peter’s
faith fails. Yet Peter’s life is not summed or totaled by his failures and weaknesses.
“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.”

Peter’s failure today is NOT the absence of a life vest or water skies. His failure is letting his fear of the waves trump his trust in Jesus who conquers the waves and loves Peter so much he would give his life for Peter’s. Keep your eyes on Jesus. I want to focus on three things: the power of Jesus, the waves, and the reprimand.

The power of Jesus is manifest again today, in the verses just after the feeding the 5000 that we proclaimed last weekend. This power is not something new to the Apostles, even though they act surprised. It is important to note that the Bible is not a book of outlandish miracles, as some characterize it to be. The Scriptures DO have miracles but they are limited to three characters: Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Miracles aren’t the total story of Scripture but they are used to point to the power of God. Jesus is mighty, with power to save, and we should look to him at all times.

The waves surrounding Peter were real waves that really threatened their boat and then Peter’s own life. The waves are also symbolic of the powers of this world of sin that Jesus conquers by dying and rising. We know the voice of the waves: “God has no answer for the problems of modern man. God has no answer for unwanted pregnancy. God has no answer for same-sex attraction. God has no answer for poverty. God has no answer for my arguments on atheism. God has no answer.”

Like Peter, the waves swamp us when we loose sight of and confidence in Jesus Christ. Our problems are a fact, they are questions to be asked but they have an answer in Jesus Christ. Confidence in this reality is the essence of faith. Faith does not turn a blind eye to the waves, rather, faith looks beyond the waves to the one who calms them with the soles of his feet.

“We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to become the image of his Son.”

The reprimand that Jesus gives is made in pure love. Why does pure love reprimand Peter? Because Peter is capable of more. Peter, in his human weakness and fickleness, is capable of walking toward and with Jesus amidst the waves. We too are capable of walking amidst the waves of our own day in union with Jesus. We have a real capacity to become the image of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit to the world around us. This is the Kingdom of God. This is the life of the Church. This is your calling.

Cross posted at www.piusxiinewman.com

18th Sunday

2011-08-16T14:45:00.004-05:00

Listen that you may have life!

The word retreat is a military word with a specific meaning and purpose. What many of us have experienced as “retreat” doesn’t quite match that meaning. Most of us have experienced a retreat which was more of an assault or attack—you martial your forces and make efforts to gain new ground from the enemy. Retreat, at it’s heart, means to pull back from the battle, regroup, refresh and restore so that you can go back into the fight. In retreat you also take counsel with your commander to learn what the enemy is doing and how to fight back. This is the heart of retreat.

This is what I assisted in during the last half of June. Extended, silent retreats for individuals in which they could pull back from the world. There they sought the physical needs of rest and food but also the silence allowed them to hear the voice of God in a clearer way concerning the needs of their own day.

Who is more important, you or God? Pretty obvious, right? Yet if we were to climb inside our own heads, who is the doing the talking? We are! We are the ones speaking hoping that God will listen. It seems to me that Sacred Scripture says: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” and not “Listen Lord, you servant is speaking.” To grow in our Christian faith and to meet the challenges of our own day, we need to learn to listen in prayer.

A great way to jumpstart your listening is to go on a weekend silent retreat at Broom Tree outside Yankton. They help you ease into listening in a substantial way. Teaching your heart how to be quiet as you embrace the discipline of silence. If you’ve never looked at one, do look.

If you can’t get time free for a retreat, start with the Pirate’s prayer. ARRR!!! Acknowledge, Relate, Receive, and Respond. This little memory device, ARRR!!! will help you become a listening Catholic and have a spiritual life. ARRR: Acknowledge, Relate, Receive and Respond.

All prayer begins by entering into the presence of God. Physically doing so is a good step, entering into the Church and drawing near the Tabernacle. Mindfully and spiritually entering into God’s presence is also vital. Calling to mind that he is hear, that he has proven his love on the cross, that he has given you his Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation.

Then pray like a pirate. ARRR!!! Acknowledge the biggest or most obvious thing going on in your heart that day. Relate it to the Father, he has numbered all the hairs on your head and he wants all the thoughts within that head. Receive his Word. This is the hardest part. it requires patience and quiet. Respond to his Word with gratitude, resolution, or more Relating to him.

This may seem too simple or silly but it is a great way to grow in intimacy with God. What is intimacy in human life? Human intimacy is built up by the sharing of thoughts, feelings and desires. There is no other way to grow in true human intimacy. It is the same with our spiritual intimacy with God. We need to bring to him our thoughts, feelings, and desires and then wait on his Word. As the prophet Isaiah says: “Listen, that you may have life.”

Finally, I would like to encourage you. Look at the Gospel today. Look at the bounty our Lord provides. If you enter into the pirate’s prayer, if you enter into deliberate listening time in your day, know that the enemy will try to scare you away. He will try to say there is not enough time in the day for such foolishness! Hogwash. The Lord will always provide for us if we but offer our own meager efforts.

Cross posted on www.piusxiinewman.com

43rd Anniversary of Humanae Vitae

2011-07-25T20:31:00.004-05:00

“When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

The Bible has a rich depth of contrast between a king ruling in this world and a king ruling under the guidelines and wisdom of God. Solomon is that famous king who received the gift of wisdom for governing his people. Wisdom is doing the right thing, in the right way at the right time. Sadly, Solomon is not only an inspiring figure but also a cautionary one. By the end of Solomon’s life, he squanders his gift of wisdom on riches, armies, and many wives and concubines, fulfilling the warning given in Deuteronomy 17.

Each of us is baptized as priest—offering our own spiritual sacrifice, prophet—to bring the Word of God to ourselves and others, and king—to lead those we’ve been entrusted with to the Kingdom of Heaven. Our kingship isn’t as large as Solomon’s but is in just as much danger. Each of us is ruler of at least one subject, ourselves. Spouses have responsibilities to each other, parents to children, consecrated women and men to their community, and priests to their bishop and parish. Are we ruling with the wisdom of Scripture or the wisdom of this world?

The wisdom of Scripture says to sell everything for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Like a great pearl there is no price too great. Like treasure in the field we must sell all to acquire that field. The wisdom of the world says to hold something back for yourselves and don’t trust the Kingdom of Heaven to provide for you—which is the wisdom of our enemy, the master of this world, Satan.

Am I living the wisdom of Scripture or the wisdom of this world? It might be a complex answer but we must be evaluating ourselves. Not for ourselves but evaluating our actions and choices in the light the Gospel and Church teaching. This struggle is part of the cross of following Christ. I fight against the voice and desires of sin that say: “do not trust the Kingdom of Heaven, for the promises of Jesus are empty and will not satisfy.”

This Monday marks the 43rd anniversary of a particularly hard fight for the Church in the West. On July 25, 1968, Pope Paul VI wrote a letter to the Catholics of the world called Humanae Vitae. This letter was a teaching that said the nature of human, marital love is wounded by the practice of artificial contraception.

Theologians, priests, and even bishops met Humanae Vitae with organized resistance and protest. It is said that in our own day this Catholic teaching on artificial contraception is the least practiced. Bishop Swain mentioned this in his April Bishop’s Bulletin article on Pastoral Planning. Yesterday and today we ignore Humanae Vitae to our ruin.

Read it sometime. Pope Paul VI said there would be four fruits of artificial contraception*: lowered moral standards, increased infidelity, decreased respect of men towards women, and the coercive use of these technologies by governments. But it isn’t about who’s right or wrong this morning. It’s about our distrust of the Kingdom of Heaven. We distrust the Kingdom of Heaven to our ruin—whatever the issue.

If you have more questions for me about Catholic teaching on marital love, let me know. There are two couples in Brookings who teach classes on the Catholic answer to artificial contraception. If you have questions on other areas on Catholic life, please let me know. If you are saddened by anything I have said today, pray on the words of St. Paul, our patron. “For godly sorrow produces a salutary repentance without regret, but worldly sorrow produces death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10. Pray that your sorrow would be godly, that he would draw you closer to himself.

This godly sorrow is repentance and is the difference between the good fish and the bad fish. The good fish isn't perfect. In Matthew 9, Jesus said that he came to heal the sick, that those who are well do not need a physician but the sick do. The good fish is the one who repents of sin and seeks God's mercy and help- trusting that their needs will be provided. This is the wisdom of the Kingdom.

FOOTNOTE: A great article on the historical vindication of Pope Paul VI's predictions can be found here.

Crossposted at Pius XII Newman Center.

Sixteenth Sunday, July 17, 2011 Homily

2011-07-18T21:21:00.004-05:00

We are in a three Sunday stretch of Gospel passages in which our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, speaks often of the Kingdom of Heaven. Last Sunday we heard about our own receptivity to the Word of God, our own openness to the Kingdom of Heaven. Today we should consider the following questions. What is the Kingdom of Heaven?

What is the Kingdom of Heaven? Our Lord Jesus likens it to three things: a field, a mustard seed, and yeast. The field calls images a vast area with many souls but the weeds in the field provide a problem. The Kingdom of Heaven is not the same as Heaven itself; in heaven there will be no weeds for “nothing unclean may enter into heaven.” (Rev. 21:27). So the Kingdom of Heaven is here on earth. We can also say, quite plainly that the Kingdom of Heaven is not Heaven itself because it starts small as a mustard seed- Heaven is by no means small. So the Kingdom of Heaven is here on earth and starts small. The Kingdom of Heaven is not Heaven because it is called yeast and mixed into the dough to raise it up. Heaven is described as high, not because it is at the top of Mt. Everest but because it is removed from our human experience. So the Kingdom of Heaven IS NOT HEAVEN itself but is filled with good and bad, starts small, and is to raise up the world around us. What is the Kingdom of Heaven?

The Kingdom of Heaven is the Catholic Church! The Church is filled with the faithful and the unfaithful. Laymen and women, priests, nuns, popes, many of them have been weeds that were trying to choke out the wheat of the saints—and I hope that at the end of our lives we will prove to be saints. We should never be surprised when our fellow Catholics fail—sad, yes, surprised, no. We should pray for their conversion, their return to the faith and their reconciliation with God, family, and community, but we shouldn’t be surprised. The Catholic Church started small. At the upper room on Pentecost Sunday, many years ago, there were 12 Apostles (including the replacement of Judas the Betrayer), one Blessed Virgin Mary, about 120 total at the birth of the Church (Acts 1:12-15). The Church is to change the world around, bringing every nation to Jesus Christ: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20).

What is the Kingdom of Heaven? The Catholic Church is the Kingdom. It may not seem that way because of our weakness but it is true. You too are the Kingdom of Heaven if you actively strive to live in the Church. It may not seem true because of your own weakness but it is true. I’ve been thinking a bit about this and observing this lately.

As I assisted at Discipleship Camp this past week—the same camp to which many of our young people attend—I noticed that many young people leave the Church after Confirmation. It is undeniably true because there is even a joke about this phenomenon. A Catholic priest, a Lutheran minister and a Methodist minister were talking about pigeons. The Lutheran tried to get rid of them by poison, the Methodist by the more humane fake owls. Nothing worked. The Catholic baptized, confirmed, and communed them and they haven’t been back.

Why don’t we expect the enemy to try harder to steal away the Kingdom when it is most near? Why don’t we warn our children to be on their guard when Satan most wants to attack them? Why do we give into this American notion of false freedom that says: “Well, I guess they’re adults and can learn their own lessons.” When we say “Amen” to the Kingdom of Heaven we should expect and prepare for the enemy to attack.

This should be part of our pastoral planning here at St. Paul’s parish. In the past four years we’ve had 28 students confirmed. How are we encouraging them against the attacks of the enemy who sows weeds in the wheat of their Catholic faith? How can we walk with them so that they can be brought to a full harvest and not be thrown out? I do not have specific answers for each case, but they must be asked before they can be found. The answers will always be in union with the Church.

Do not fret and think it falls totally on you. St. Paul says: “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.” Have we even begun to ask the Spirit on this? Have we even begun to act with the Spirit on this?

Cross posted at Pius XII Newman Center.

15th Sunday Homily July 10, 2011

2011-07-16T10:25:00.002-05:00

This past week I got to visit my brother and his family in St. Louis, which was a great time. We did the usual: fireworks, golf, lots of grilling, and the Holy Mass. Yes, I have all my fingers, though my nephew really loves snaps! One afternoon I was walking around my brother’s neighborhood and I was struck by the number of people who don’t know Jesus. This hits me every once and a while. The impression in a crowd, an airport, or any common place and I just get sad that these people are concerned about many things but only one thing is necessary.

On Tuesday, as my mother and I were flying back to Omaha, there was a loud group of people in the seat ahead of us. They were swearing, speaking of impurity and downright nastiness that wouldn’t be allowed even on cable tv. I was embarrassed for my mother to have to hear it.

Each time I was praying the Rosary. The first time, while I walked, the second, in reaction to their foul conversation. Each time I related my sadness at their sin to our Lord, imagining myself as that good Catholic priest in the midst of a world that needs Jesus. Each time, our Lord turned my prayer on its head.

I am the foul conversation. I am the chattering and mindless people unaware of the presence of God. I am the unbelieving the world that Christ comes to conquer.

Our Gospel passage today is one of my favorites and one that remains on my heart often. The four types of soil are usually thought of as whole individuals. They also can represent portions of our own Catholic heart. Do we hear without understanding and without receiving and allow Satan to snatch the Gospel truth away? Do receive with joy but wilt under tribulation, even when we remember that our Lord himself suffered? Do we receive the Gospel but allow worldly concerns to steal our attention?

Jesus gives the warning of the prophet Isaiah, not only to his early listeners but also to us. “Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them.” I know this applies to my own heart at times. Our Lord asks me to give up different things- a few years ago it was my Blackberry and I didn’t want to listen. I fought him for months. My heart was scaly and hard, my ears and eyes were closed to his word.

These words apply to most any of us in America today. We have heard just enough of the Gospel to be inoculated. Small pox, measles, mumps, and Christianity. We’ve received just enough to identify it and reject it. Even in 1975 Pope Paul VI was worried about Christians who were baptized but lived outside the Christian life. Could that be said about all of us? I think so. We must cultivate the soil of our hearts so that we will receive the Word of God and bear fruit.

We need the Sacraments, the moral life, and prayer if we are to make our hearts receptive. Receptive, to receive, we must be diligent about our prayer so that we can receive and bear fruit. How do we know we are bearing fruit? When those we are around everyday begin to want to know more about Jesus too. That is the fruit of the Christian life. If we strive for our own continued conversion. If we strive to make our own spiritual soil more receptive, then our children, our friends, and our neighbors will begin to seek after Jesus as well. That is the fruit of the Christian life: more Christians.

If you are troubled by this, if you think it too difficult for you, receive these words of Saint Paul. “We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.” Every saint has born this burden and through their help we can too.

Cross posted at Pius XII Newman Center

Corpus Christi Homily 2011

2011-06-27T11:08:00.004-05:00

Cross posted at www.piusxiinewman.com

A little over a month ago I was flying home from Denver, seated next a farmer from Arlington. This man, a Baptist, quickly asked me questions of faith, probing into the book of Genesis and the story of creation. We quietly debated creation and evolution as the plane took off. At several points he said: “I’m just trying to take the Word of God simply, read it for what it says and not add other things into it.” So I asked him, “What about John chapter 6?”

I don’t know how our Lord could make things any simpler than he does today. “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” The Body and Blood of Christ is truly present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. This Feast of Corpus Christi honors this greatest of ongoing miracles.
The Eucharist, in many ways, is the highest expression of our faith and so it is always a comfort and a challenge to us. Jesus in the Eucharist comforts us when we suffer from sin and sadness and he challenges us when we cooperate with sin.

The Eucharist comforts us when we suffer under sin. The Eucharist offers us comfort at funerals, the promise of help at weddings, and final strength when we receive it on our deathbed. When St. John Vianney received his final communion, as he lay sick and dying he said: “How kind the good God is! When we are able to no longer go to him, he himself comes to us!” The warm red glow of the tabernacle lamp greets us from within the darkened Church as we make a visit when we’re torn, confused, or weighed down.
The Eucharist challenges us when we cooperate with sin. Do we receive the Eucharist in a prepared way? Do we fast before Mass? Do we go to regular confession? If we are aware of mortal sin do we abstain from receiving the Eucharist until we confess? Do we live a life that corresponds to the “amen” we say? Do we act like the Eucharist is our Lord and Savior? Do we kneel and pray after we receive Jesus? Do we live after Mass like Jesus is living in us?

One of the greatest challenges of the Eucharist is to be too familiar. You’ve heard the phrase, “familiarity breeds contempt.” Do we approach the Eucharist lie it is any old bread, any old morsel of food? In 1969 when Pope Paul VI allowed us to receive the Precious Body in our own hands, he said: “The option offered to the faithful of receiving the Eucharistic bread in their hand and putting it into their own mouth must not turn out to be the occasion for regarding it as ordinary bread or as just another religious article. Instead this option must increase in them a consciousness of the dignity of the members of Christ’s Mystical Body, into which they are incorporated by baptism and by the grace of the Eucharist. It must also increase their faith in the sublime reality of the Lord’s body and blood, which they touch with their hand.”

Examine your own attitude in receiving the Sacred Body of Jesus. Is it ordinary bread or even just another religious article? Something mysterious and powerful is going on here. At the end of our Gospel passage today, close to 5000 people quit following Jesus because of what we just heard about the Eucharist: body and blood, true food and drink. My new Baptist friend from the plane doesn’t believe John chapter 6 either. We who strive after Jesus in the Eucharist must not forget to find the balance between comfort and challenge. Perhaps this prayer will help us. It is the one the priest prays privately before he himself receives the Eucharist: “Lord Jesus Christ, with faith in your love and mercy I eat your body and drink your blood. Let it not bring me condemnation but health in mind and body.”

Suffering in Japan

2011-03-17T20:41:00.003-05:00

In the midst of continuing suffering at one week since the horrific quake off the cost of Japan, I came across the story of Our Lady of Akita. This approved apparition happened in 1973 and was approved in 1988. In this appearance, the Blessed Mother urged daily prayer of the Rosary. I encourage you to ask for her intercession for the people of Japan. Read more about Our Lady of Akita here.

Another powerful intercessor is St. Frances Xavier, who was a missionary to Japan.

Denis Leary's actions have no class.

2011-01-19T18:34:00.002-06:00

From the Catholic League comes this report.

"On January 16, Comedy Central aired "Denis Leary & Friends Present Douchebags & Donuts." On January 18, Comedy Central Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment released the DVD nationwide. The opening segment of this video is addressed by Bill Donohue today:

The standup special opens with a clip of Pope Benedict XVI talking to a crowd. But there is a voice-over that is dubbed in to make it seem like he is discussing priestly sexual abuse. Leary then appears on a stage with a large illuminated Cross in the background; he prances around extending his middle finger at it. On stage with him is a singing trio of women dressed as nuns in habit wearing short skirts."

It gets worse from there. Suffice to say I don't frequent Comedy Central other than a rare trip to the Colbert Report but now even that will end unless there is an appropriate response from Comedy Central.

"Comedy Central released this hate-filled video right after President Obama called for an end to incivility. In effect, they stuck their middle finger in his face...
Contact Renata Luczak, the director of Comedy Central's Home Entertainment: renata [dot] luczak [at] comedycentral.com"

New Staff at Pius XII Newman Center

2011-01-12T08:00:00.001-06:00

Pius XII Newman Center is proud to introduce our new staff:

Christ teaches through his Bishop

2011-01-08T13:05:00.006-06:00

I'm taking a break from FOCUS Conference 2011 in St. Paul to give you a report from His Excellency, Bishop Aquila's homily today. Bishop Samuel Aquila is a man of prayer and authentic Catholic devotion. He was truly lending his voice to Jesus Christ as instructed 1000 college students today.

John the Baptist was the inspiration, from John 3:22-30. His Excellency described quite beautifully how the Baptist was attentive to and listening for the voice of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, throughout his life. For the Baptist, the coming of the Christ was not a disappointment but the fulfillment of his life and the completion of his joy.

Then His Excellency gave the students 3 guides for listening to and answering the call of our Lord. They were simple but his presentation was prayerful and tender to the hearts of college students.

Acknowledge that there is a call.
Frequent communion and confession
Read Scripture to know our Lord.

We must acknowledge the call of our Lord to give him space and permission to work in our lives. The call of our Lord is specific and particular to each of our gifts. It is in the school of quiet prayer that we learn how to receive our call. Bishop Aquila relayed the story of his own elevation to the Episcopacy as coadjutor Bishop to Bishop Sullivan of Fargo. He spent an hour and a half in disbelief and prayer in the chapel. Even though he had heard and answered the call to priesthood he was unprepared to know our Lord calling him to be a bishop. With beautiful tears, His Excellency shared his own doubt and weakness in the face of so awesome a responsibility: "How is it that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?"

Bishop Aquila gives us a key for understanding our weakness in the face of the call of Christ. Weakness is no reason to turn down the call but rather to live in obedience and humility. So many potential vocations and calls to Christian discipleship are lost when the evil one accuses. Though His Excellency didn't cite this, he might have quoted 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness."

This weakness should also move us to the Eucharist and Confession. Frequently. In Confession we discover the difference between Peter and Judas. Both apostles sinned and fell short. Peter repented and sought the Lord. Judas despaired of his sins. In Confession we know the mercy of God in Jesus Christ and are built up in confidence in him. The Eucharist, of course, feeds us and gives us the sacred place where we can be united to the saving sacrifice of Christ.

Finally, His Excellency reminds all those seeking for their calling to read Scriptures. A soul will never know its vocation until it knows Christ. We must read the Scriptures in a prayerful and reflective way. Opening the heart to hear His Word, living and active, as it speaks to our day and our needs.

Christ, you call all souls to holiness and to life with you. Give all Catholic hearts the gifts they need to hear and answer your call.

The unthought costs

2010-12-14T09:02:00.002-06:00

Elizabeth Scalia, who blogs for First Things.com has an interesting article today concerning the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine, awarded to the developer of in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF is immoral because it separates children from the natural act of reproduction within marital sex and it is immoral because it invariably involves the destruction of human life. Ms. Scalia offers other considerations as well, what she considers a "global by-pass of the heart:"

we increasingly talk about the “global community” and the need for humanity to get past geographical boarders and boundaries, yet we take every opportunity to circumvent our own heartbreak, our own spiritual challenges by any means necessary. In the case of infertility, it seems we first-worlders hold the needs of third-world global communities—like those with children who desperately need to be adopted—in abeyance, only bringing them into focus once our self-reliant technological options have been exhausted. Their needs finally pierce our awareness when our own desires force us to look their way.

Scalia wants us to consider not just the reality of artificial creation of a natural gift but also how this technology blinds us to those in need. This solution of science has created a larger gap between rich and poor as we find solutions within our power to control rather than our power to be generous. Scalia raises some interesting questions- maybe imperfectly- but they are still worth considering these unthought of costs of this immoral technological marvel. Read it all here.

Pope Tales

2010-12-09T11:19:00.002-06:00

I was privileged to write a column this week for the SDSU Collegian, here it is:

What did or didn’t Pope Benedict say?

As a Catholic priest, I’m always delighted when people are talking about the Church. At the same time, I’m also frustrated when people are talking about the Church inaccurately. What did Pope Benedict really say about condoms in his recent book length interview with German journalist Peter Seewald, “Light of the World?”

According to some headlines, Pope Benedict “approves,” “justifies,” or “oks” condom use. Yet that isn’t what he said. From the actual book:

“There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality.”

Right away, Seewald—a good journalist—wonders if something new has been said, so he follows up: “Are you saying, then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms??” The clarification and reemphasis from Pope Benedict follows: “[The Catholic Church] of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.”

The point being made is that some condom use might show the beginnings of humanization or growth in moral awareness—which is a good thing, even though sex outside of marriage is always bad. One Catholic author says the Pope’s phrase can be understood as: “if a mugger started using a padded bat to cause less damage to his victims, it certainly is a step in the right direction.” So while the Church has not, does not, and will not approve of any sex outside of natural marriage, it would be a good step in someone’s moral awakening to act in such a manner. This is far from a justification of condoms.

So nothing has changed in official Catholic teaching. If that is the case, where does blame belong? Is it the media for misreporting? No, blame belongs with the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, who released the quote. Why choose this small passage from the over 250 pages of answers? Why confuse the public? In this regard, the Vatican is a mystery to this priest.

What doesn’t have to be a mystery is what sort of man is Pope Benedict. Pope Benedict believes in God, believes in Jesus as the only Son of God, and believes that we can know Jesus and know him best through the Catholic faith. Don’t take my word for it, read the book, read the section on condoms and then get to the good stuff.

A Pope of Continuity

2010-12-09T11:08:00.002-06:00

Pope Benedict's new book, Light of the World garnered much initial attention for all the wrong reasons: a Vatican press disaster. It should be known for its unique insight into a sitting Pope, his thoughts, concerns, and worries. Online on First Things today is a great article the man revealed to be Pope Benedict. Here is an excerpt:

In fact, when he moved into the papal apartment, some Vatican officials were a bit taken aback when he brought along some beat up used furniture—his desk and the bookshelves that he has had since his days as a young faculty member. And of course his books, “my advisors” as he calls them. These familiar reminders of his beloved years as a professor are clearly dear to Benedict...“It is like this,” he says, “When a man says Yes during his priestly ordination, he may have some idea of what his own charism could be, but he also knows: I have placed myself into the hands of the bishops and ultimately of the Lord.” Professor, yes, but priest first. He can take along his old furniture. Popes, after all, have prerogatives. But, as Benedict points out, the continuity of his priestly vocation has always meant something both simple and fundamental: I cannot pick and choose what I want.

We see here Pope Benedict's view that he is first and foremost a follower of Christ. Though the press may call him the most powerful Catholic in the world, he doesn't see it that way. Christ must increase, I must decrease. Need to round out that gift list for Grandma? Light of the World?

Approved Marian Apparition

2010-12-08T15:22:00.002-06:00

Most Reverend David Ricken, bishop of Green Bay, WI, announced today the approval of the authentic appearances of the Blessed Mother at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. Bishop Ricken said: "I declare with moral certainty and in accord with the norms of the Church that the events, apparitions and locutions given to Adele Brise in October of 1859 do exhibit the substance of supernatural character, and I do hereby approve these apparitions as worthy of belief (although not obligatory) by the Christian faithful."

Thanks be to God! Watch Relevant Radio give the backstory:

Immaculate Conception Homily

2010-12-08T14:24:00.003-06:00

It took me a while to fully understand and appreciate the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It wasn't until I had been in the struggle for holiness, the fight against my own sin, that I understood what a gift God gave to Mary. Understanding the gift is the whole reason I love this feast. Today, we honor God for his unique gift of grace to the Blessed Virgin Mary, by which, from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, she was protected from sin. What does this event some 2025 years ago have to do with our own Christian life today? Mother Mary serves as an image of what God desires to do for us.

How can I explain this? There is a family I know with four small children and they are very close. The two middle children are closest of all, why? The parents think it is from when the younger was in the womb, the older one would come up close to her mommy’s belly every day and say: “Hey, its me, your big sister. I love you and I can’t wait for you to be born.” The brother became used to his sister’s voice and presence even before he was born. Though they are human and have their fights they are still very close.

God’s gift to Mary allows her to hear and answer His voice when He calls through the Archangel Gabriel. She may not understand the Father’s plan but she knows and trusts His voice. That is enough for her to say: “Be it done to me according to your word.”

What about us? We often resist the voice of God. Whether because of sin or its fruit: suffering, we confuse the voice of God and the voice of our own desires or of the enemy’s voice. That is why we must pray for and seek healing from our sins. If we feel distant from God or feel separated from His love, when was the last time we sought to purify the ears of our hearts?

On this feast of the Immaculate Conception, let us ask for healing from Jesus Christ. Healing through the intercession of Mary, who desires us to hear the voice of her son so we may do whatever Christ tells us.

Advent 2011 First Sunday's Homily

2010-11-28T16:26:00.002-06:00

In November 1899, Everett Elting was born in Volin, SD. Drafted into World War I, the young Everett Elting, “Double E” went to fight the war to end all wars. Everett Elting, “Double E” never saw the French coast or the horrible trenches Ypres. He contracted tuberculosis and was assigned to Arizona instead. There, they gave “Double E” was given a choice: he could comfort himself and wait for death or life with either a bottle or a bible. Everett Elting, “Double E” chose the bible and he waited.

Consider this, life is 100% fatal. Death is certain—even more certain than taxes—yet how often do we think about the end of our life? Each and every one of us is on a one-way trip to eternity but who of us lives as to consider it? We’d rather stay comfortable by engaging the realities we can see and touch rather than the uncertain certainty of our own death. That each of us will die is known, when each of us will die is unknown.

This is why Jesus refers to himself as a thief in today’s Gospel: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” He says it, not to teach us about his sneakiness but about our inattentiveness.

Do not confuse Jesus the thief as a weak Jesus; he will not be weak when he comes again. When he first came, 2010 years ago, it was as a meek and helpless baby. He lived a hidden life for 30 years. He made no defense at his trial and was led out like a lamb to the slaughter. When Jesus comes the second time it will be in power and majesty. Jesus the thief will not be weak. No, we will be unawares and inattentive.

Advent must be a time of attentive waiting so that Jesus will find us eager for his arrival. The enemy of our humanity, who is Satan, he wishes us to be inattentive and even drowsy—as if we’d just finished too much turkey. Satan is very happy for us to be concerned only exterior preparations for Christmas but what of our internal and spiritual preparation?

If we really are on a one-way trip to eternity, what are you doing to prepare? What would you do if you were heading to Europe for a weak? China for a year? Have you read up ahead of time? Have you prepared a currency exchange? And what of your soul? We need Advent to prepare us, we need Advent to ready our hearts. Look at our opening prayer from today: “increase our strength of will for doing good that Christ may find an eager welcome.” Notice we do not pray for inspiration but for strength of will: to do what we know we should.   But I have no magic suggestions for your Advent other than doing the classic Christian exercises: works of charity, prayer, fasting, and penance are always ways to prepare for the King. Conversion as well, St. Paul tells us to awake from sleep. “Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” St. Paul is talking to baptized and confirmed Christians of Rome, not to new converts or pagans but to those who should know and are called to live: just like you and I.

Everett Elting, “Double E” Dickinson waited for death until September 1976, when he was 77 years old. “Double E,” my grandfather, died and was buried at St. Andrew’s in Granite Falls, MN. In the cemetery south of town Everett Elting, “Double E” Dickinson’s tombstone bore two simple words: “No Regrets.” Let us live with no regrets, so as to welcome our Lord and King who comes in power and glory.

The Pope and condoms???

2010-11-21T07:07:00.002-06:00

Maybe you saw it on the morning news or in the paper: "Pope supports condoms!" or "Pope signals shift in teaching on condoms." Wait a moment, I thought Catholics were against artificial birth control? Is this a change in official Catholic teaching?

Not so fast.

These were private comments taken from a new interview length book and, no, Pope Benedict wasn't saying condoms are no "ok."

So what is Pope Benedict saying? This is the statement the press has seized upon:

There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality.[Emphasis added]

Even in the book he clarifies his own statement:

Seewald: Are you saying, then, that the Catholic Church is actually not opposed in principle to the use of condoms?

Benedict: She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.

Jimmy Akin of the National Catholic Register explains it much better than I can. Read his comments here.

Also check out Janet Smith's comments.

The Human Experience

2010-11-15T12:24:00.001-06:00

This is worth coming out of hiding. Or from my own laziness of NOT posting, whichever.

Corpus Christi 2010

2010-06-11T18:50:00.004-05:00

Friday evening I had the great privilege of receiving the marriage vows of Christopher and Katherine and it was a beautiful wedding. Katherine was radiant, Christopher was handsome and they were both intense and purposeful on what they were doing. The deliberate way that they looked at one another, held one another, and spoke to one another was the en-fleshing of their vows. It was not only their lips that said “I do” but also each movement they made.

As reasonable people we know that a wedding isn’t the end of married love but the beginning. Christopher and Katherine and every married couple are called to strive throughout the rest of their lives to make the words of their wedding day a reality: I choose you in good times and in bad. Today, on the Most Solemn Feast of the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I’d like you to consider your relationship with Jesus Christ in a similar way.

How many of you remember your first communion? Were you in a bright white dress? An unfamiliar tie? There was fanfare, family, and cake. You maybe even got to process down the aisle with the others receiving their first holy communion. And much like a wedding, your first communion was the beginning, not the end.

Christopher and Katherine and every married couple are called to renew their marriage vows—not in a ceremony but in the in-the-flesh giving of themselves to each other in their daily life. It is in that constant exchange that husband and wife live out the double action of “I choose” and “I give.” I choose to receive everything that you are and I give everything I am back to you. And of course we see how marriages falter when this in-the-flesh renewal is trivialized and even forgotten.

It is the same with our participation in the Holy Eucharist; here we renew the great double gift of Jesus Christ on the cross. On the cross, Jesus Christ chooses us, chooses me, and chooses you and gives himself completely to us. In receiving the Eucharist we are called to return that choice for him and to give ourselves completely in return. So then our Christian life falters when this in-the-flesh moment of communion is trivialized.

Each Holy Communion, not just your first, is a moment of consummation. We choose Christ and all he teaches when we say “amen,” and we give ourselves to him as we receive his gift of self. We should be deliberate and specific in what we do. We must never forget that receiving the gift of Calvary, the Eucharist, is a privilege and not a right. Not even for me. So I’d like to make a proposal.

Make your moment of communion the most solemn and holy part of your Mass. Four verbs to help you in your Sunday communion: prepare, marshal, receive, and thank. Prepare for communion ahead of time by frequent confession and focused, deliberate prayer before Mass. Marshal your prayers, thoughts, and desires as you walk forward. Receive him reverently, whether on your reverent hands but especially on the tongue, as a baby is fed by her mother. Thank the Lord with a purposeful prayer of communion as you return and kneel in your pew.

Finally, I ask you to consider this. If this truly is Jesus Christ whom we receive, not just a symbol but his Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, then whom do you think would wants us to be nonchalant, trivial and distracted in how we receive? Who would want that but the enemy of our humanity, the enemy of our salvation, Jesus Christ. Just as we wish that no husband or wife should take each other for granted, so we should never take this mystery for granted. Jesus Christ gives himself to us without reservation, let us do the same.

Book Bleg

2010-04-23T09:38:00.002-05:00

I'm looking for a few good books. I want to offer a reading group for students, staff, and community members around SDSU this summer. I thought perhaps three books: a novel, a nonfiction, and a theology book. We would do one each in June, July, and August. For novel, perhaps Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory and for theology, perhaps Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth.

Any informed opinions or suggestions?

3rd Sunday of Easter

2010-04-19T12:02:00.003-05:00

This past Friday, April 16^th, was the 83^rd birthday of Pope Benedict. Tomorrow, April 19^th is the fifth anniversary of his election as Pope. With that in mind, I want to honor Pope Benedict with this homily and also help you understand the world we live in.

I like God. I like how God takes care of us. As various accusations have been made in the press concerning Pope Benedict, they were made during the most important mysteries of the Christian calendar: Holy Week and Easter Week. While I gave you bulletin articles and announcements, my homilies have been focused on the most important events of our faith. Today, coinciding with these dates in the Pope’s life, our readings speak of the papacy as well. I like God.

Today’s gospel from John speaks of the origins of the papacy. Aside from Matthew 16, when Simon Peter is entrusted with the keys of the kingdom, John 21 is where Simon Peter is instructed with the mission of guiding and protecting the flock of Jesus Christ. “Feed my lambs, feed my sheep,” says the Lord. When a man is ordained as a deacon, priest, or bishop, this is no guarantee of his salvation. Pope Benedict is no more guaranteed of eternal life than you or I, but what is guaranteed is that God will judge him for how he guides the Church.

With that mind, the first thing to say about current news is that all abuse is wrong. It is both sinful and criminal. The cooperation in such abuse, especially the tacit cooperation of covering it over, is sinful as well. Anyone who has suffered in such a way deserves justice and healing. In this regard I am grateful for those within and without the Church who have made us aware of violations in this regard. I am grateful for media members who have exposed the clergy’s failures to protect and guard the flock of Christ. The truth sometimes hurts but the truth is always good.

When the truth is found and embraced, the pain that sometimes accompanies it brings great fruit as we convert. Think of Simon Peter in today’s gospel. As Jesus asks of his love three times, imagine Simon Peter’s pain on remembering his threefold denial. Do not forget that the other disciples were sitting right there. We encounter the same pain ourselves in our spiritual and personal lives. Studying for calculus, training for race, or even going to confession might hurt in their own way, but the growth is good.

At the same time, pain encountered within a lie is not fruitful. Back in October I first said to you that the spirit of the world is happy to let us say whatever we want about God but will not stand for the Catholic vision of humanity. It is because Pope Benedict promotes and proposes the Catholic vision of humanity that he is the subject of unfair attacks. Why are these recent attacks unfair? In each case so far, the mainstream media has painted with broad strokes and failed to understand technical language of Church documents and culture. The Church does not run on the American corporate structure- we’ve been around a little longer than GE, Ford, and Dow.

It is worth the time to speak briefly on each of three cases that have made the rounds these past weeks. First, consider the case of a Milwaukee priest. The actual abuse took place in the 1950s to 1970s at which point it was manifested and neither Church nor civil authorities acted decisively. 1996 found new concern over these cases and questions made to the office in Rome manned by then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict. The New York Times, who broke the story, was so confident they posted their sources on the web for all to see. The problem was that their “smoking gun” was written in Italian and they had not received an accurate translation. See Jimmy Akin’s fine article. The Times has not addressed the claims made by the judge in this case who has spoken out as well. Looking less like a cover up.

The recent case of a California priest’s case from 1985 again involves confusion on the media’s part and little effort to correct themselves. Already disciplined and removed form ministry, it was the priest himself who was writing and petitioning Rome to be released from his priestly ordination promises. Even though he had been suspended he was still held accountable to his sacred vows of celibacy and constant prayer- from which Cardinal Ratzinger refused to release him.

Finally, the case in Munich, Germany from 1980. There the press says that he allowed a abusing priest to remain in ministry. In reality, he was a priest from another diocese sent to Munich for psychotherapy (back when psychologists thought pedophilia could be cured). This priest was allowed to live in a rectory during his therapy and then went back home with the psychologists thought he was done.

On a positive note, the Catholic Church in the United States is the most transparent of any institution, public or private, when it comes to the abuse of children. We have the largest comprehensive study of any U.S. group by the John Jay College of Law. We publish annual reports and every volunteer who works with young or vulnerable individuals must go through training to be aware of the signs of abuse as well as the law. Despite the sins of some in the past, never allow someone to claim the Church remains complacent in the face of this horrible crime.

At the conclusion of the Gospel, Simon Peter receives the promise of the first and every faithful pope that follows. He isn’t promised glory, power, wealth, or even salvation but rather a death that would glorify God. For Peter and many who followed it was a martyr’s death, shedding blood in witness to Jesus Christ. For Benedict and many others it is a hundred little deaths each day. Knowing all of this, Peter, Benedict, and you are left with the same words of Jesus Christ. “And when he had said this, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’”

Divine Mercy Sunday

2010-04-15T11:46:00.002-05:00

We spent 40 days in Lent, we now spend 50 days in Easter. We had 40 days to focus on our weakness and now we have 50 days to focus on His strength. What good would His death be, if He did not rise again? What good would life be, if we did not have access to His strength?

Each year that I have been a priest, toward the end of Lent, people approach me and complain about how their Lent wasn’t what it could have been. “I didn’t do enough, Father, I could have done more!” “I was hoping to make some real strides this Lent, Father, but I kept stumbling.” But isn’t that the point of Lent? Isn’t the point of Lent to realize our own failures and weaknesses so we might come to new knowledge of our need for Jesus Christ?

You might be thinking right now, “If that’s the case Father, I had a pretty good Lent!”

If that is the case, that Lent should remind us of our weakness and our need for Him, we need these 50 days of Easter- from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. If we do not observe these 50 days of Easter, then there is a serious risk for us. We risk thinking that our weakness is the end of the Christian message.

The fulfillment of the Gospel is not that you are sinner. The fulfillment of the Gospel is not that you are weak and unworthy of heaven. This is true, but it is not the final word. The fulfillment of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ has power over sin and death- He is mighty to save us. God is full of mercy for all of our weakness, all of it. He bled to heal our own wounds.

This Sunday is also a feast in honor of His Divine Mercy. We understand mercy in a limited scope- myopic and short sighted. Mercy is a parole or a break in interest rates. Mercy is stopping tickling someone after 5 minutes instead of 10. Mercy is a final over 5 chapters instead of 10. This is no mercy at all compared to His Divine Mercy.

This past Thanksgiving while visiting family one cousin, who isn’t Catholic, said to me: “Father, you wouldn’t know what to do with me if I came into confession.” It about broke my heart. Clearly aware of his sins, a decent man who doesn’t go to Church, but he had no faith in the strength of God to heal and save him. If only he knew the goodness of God and who was inviting him to receive mercy as he acknowledged the truth of his weakness.

When everything is given, nothing is lacking. What did Jesus Christ hold back from us on the cross? Nothing. What was not healed when Jesus Christ rose from the dead? Nothing. We must never forget our weakness, yes. We also must never forget His strength, His strength in the Sacraments, in Scripture, in fellowship, and in prayer. We spent 40 days focusing on our weakness but we should spend every day of our life focused on His strength.

New site.

2010-04-09T07:20:00.002-05:00

My blog MAY be moving to our new website for the Newman Center:

www.piusxiinewman.com

Haven't fully figured out the details yet. Blog posts there would be under "recent news."

Palm Sunday 2010

2010-03-28T07:35:00.002-05:00

Christ arrives a king triumphant today and dies as a criminal on Friday. Christ is honored with palm branches today and crowned with thorns on Friday. Christ is adored with singing today and mocked with jeers on Friday. Christ is born in victoriously on the foal of an ass today and bears the burden of the cross on Friday.

Our Christian faith isn’t about an emotion or feeling, it isn’t about priests or people we like, and it isn’t about a guarantee of smooth sailing. It is about the fact of this week: God became man so that he could share in our life and even our death. In Jesus Christ, God has experienced the worst of human pain and suffering so that we are not alone in ours.

A priest friend of mine describes hell as “looking at your problems, your pain, your sin, your sufferings, your life, and wondering ‘What am I going to do?’ Heaven is looking at the difficulties of your life and praying, ‘My God, what can you do for me? Look and see the cross in our suffering, to see confession in our sins, to see the resurrection in your pain.’

When you are lost, when your loves are cold and gone, when you are alone- where is God? When your dreams and hopes come tumbling down, where is God? When you are gripped by pain, lost in sin, despairing innocence, drowning in shame, where was God?

He was on the cross. All along, He was on the cross. You are not abandoned, you are not alone, you are not alone. My God was on the cross.

More truth on Benedict

2010-03-27T22:34:00.003-05:00

More responses are being made in defense of Pope Benedict. It is late and I am tired- the news of this day is exhausting. I want to be well rested for tomorrow's Masses and confessions. Three more articles well worth your read that CNN won't link for you, but I will. There is no coincidence that these attacks are being made before Holy Week when Pope Benedict has duties and is zealous to spread the faith to new hearts and reawaken it in cold hearts. We must pray.

I started with this at the end but it needs to be at the beginning. It is the best read comes from comes from Father Raymond J. de Souza in National Review Online. Father de Souza pulls no punches and gives a clear timeline:

It’s possible that bad sources could still provide the truth. But compromised sources scream out for greater scrutiny. Instead of greater scrutiny of the original story, however, news editors the world over simply parroted the New York Times piece. Which leads us the more fundamental problem: The story is not true, according to its own documentation.

This is a must read for Catholics serious about defending their faith and their pope.

A second author, John Allen, of the National Catholic Reporter sets the record straight regarding what Pope Benedict was really responsible for in his days at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This has to do with the NY Times' accusation that Benedict, then Ratzinger, was complacent in the face of an abuse case from Milwaukee. He is pointed to say blame does belong to certain leaders of the Church- and even to Benedict- but not in the way he is demonized by the NY Times.

Yet as always, the first casualty of any crisis is perspective. There are at least three aspects of Benedict's record on the sexual abuse crisis which are being misconstrued, or at least sloppily characterized, in today's discussion. Bringing clarity to these points is not a matter of excusing the pope, but rather of trying to understand accurately how we got where we are.

Finaly, if you aren't worn out, a good read is from Zenit, a news service from Rome. They have a translation from the Italian Bishops' Conference publication Avvenire.

The documentation published by The New York Times contradicts its own thesis, which accuses Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of not being sufficiently energetic in the case of an American priest who the Church punished for acts of pederasty.

Read the whole thing here.

Papal Scalps

2010-03-27T08:20:00.002-05:00

The NY Times is hunting for a papal scalp. They want a trophy on their wall in the form of Pope Benedict and so they are throwing everything they can at him. Accusations that don't make sense, non-impartial tirades, and historical inaccuracies. You need information that ABC, CNN, and the NY Times won't give you because they don't want you to have it.

Damien Thompson, London Journalist for the Daily Telegraph in London has two articles worth reading. The first is in regard to accusations against Pope Benedict as complacent against a Wisconsin priest's abuse. Mr. Thompson raises doubts about the NY Times and other's motives:

I do, however, get the very strong feeling that the Pope’s enemies, including his enemies in the Church, are trying desperately hard to discover serious complicity on his part in a child abuse case. Because that would be just so convenient, wouldn’t it?

Read it all here.

He also makes available the statement of Archbishop Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, explaining how Pope Benedict has been of the greatest help in the past 20 years:

What of the role of Pope Benedict? When he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith he led important changes made in church law: the inclusion in canon law of internet offences against children, the extension of child abuse offences to include the sexual abuse of all under 18, the case by case waiving of the statue of limitation and the establishment of a fast-track dismissal from the clerical state for offenders. He is not an idle observer. His actions speak as well as his words.

Again, read it in full to arm yourself for battle.

Carl Olson, who writes for Ignatius Press, draws on some of the above sources and adds his own thoughts and a spiritual posture of how to embrace this fight:

As Mark rightly states, "Judgment begins in the household of God. Woe to you when all men speak well of you." Sin within the household of God must continually be confronted, identified, condemned. This has been a deadly serious challenge throughout the history of the Church. Note carefully the words of St. Paul, writing to the Christians in Corinth: "Come to your right mind, and sin no more. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame." (1 Cor. 15:34). And to Titus: "As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear" (Tit. 5:20). And St. James wrote, "Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin" (Jam. 4:17). And the Apostle John, in his first epistle, declared, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn. 1:8).

I prayed Mass at 9am and prayed for Pope Benedict to endure this continued onslaught with grace and serenity. I prayed that Fr. Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, can keep up with modern media demands. I prayed that all Catholics will remain united around Jesus Christ through our Pope Benedict. In the week to come I will pray an extra Divine Mercy Chaplet every day for the benefit of Pope Benedict and in reparation for sins within the Church. I ask you to do something similar.

Christ became obedient for us, unto death, even to death on a cross. Because of this God exalted him and bestowed on him the name of above every other name.

Vatican Fights Back

2010-03-25T23:20:00.003-05:00

The Catholic Church, as the world's oldest institution is notoriously slow in how it adapts to the times. We are slow to embrace technology and trends. Imagine my surprise to read that L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, issued an immediate response in Friday's version to Thursday's New York Times article. Whispers Blog has the details and translation:

Clarifying an article in the New York Times

No one shelved anything

Transparency, firmness and severity in shedding light on the many cases of sexual abuse committed by priests and religious: these are the criteria that Benedict XVI has indicated with constancy and serenity to the whole Church. A way of operating -- coherent with his personal history and more than two-decade activities as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- that is evidently feared by those who don't want the truth affirmed and those who would prefer to be able to instrumentalize, without any foundation in fact, horrible episodes and sorrowful events uncovered in some cases from decades ago.

This is demonstrated, most recently, in the article published today by the American newspaper "The New York Times," together with an editorial, on the grave case of the priest Lawrence C Murphy, guilty of abuse committed on deaf boys who were patients in a Catholic institute, where he worked from 1950 to 1974. According to the reconstruction made in the article, based on ample documentation provided by lawyers for some of the victims, reports relating to the conduct of the priest were only sent in July 1996 by the then-archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert G. Weakland, to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- its then prefect Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and its secretary Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone -- to the end of obtaining indications on the correct canonical procedure to follow. The request, in fact, referred not to the accusations of sexual abuse, but to a violation of the sacrament of penance, perpetrated by an enticement in the confessional, that takes place when a priest solicits a penitent to commit a sin against the sixth commandment (canon 1387).

It is important to observe -- as the director of the Press Office of the Holy See has stated -- that the canonical question presented to the Congregation was not in any way linked with a potential civil or penal procedure against Fr Murphy. By contrast, the archdiocese had already begun a canonical procedure, its evident result the same evident documentation published online by the New York newspaper. To the request of the archbishop, the Congregation replied, with a 24 March 1997 letter signed by the then-Archbishop Bertone, with an indication to proceed according to [the procedure] established in Crimen sollicitationis (1962).

As can be easily deduced while reading the reconstruction compiled by the "New York Times" on the case of Fr Murphy, nothing was ever placed aside [insabbiamento -- shelved]. And confirmation of this comes from the documentation accompanying the article in question, in which figures the letter Fr Murphy wrote in 1998 to the then-Cardinal Ratzinger asking that the canonical procedure be interrupted for reasons of his grave health. Likewise in this case, the Congregation's response, written by Archbishop Bertone, invited the ordinary of Milwaukee to consider all the pastoral measures foreseen by canon 1341 to obtain the reparation of scandal and the restoration of justice.

Finally, these late matters have become indisputably confirmed by the Pope, as demonstrated in his recent pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland. But the prevalent tendency in the media is to obscure the facts and [instead] enforce interpretations to the end of circulating an image of the Catholic church as having been the only guilty party of sexual abuse, an image that doesn't correspond to reality. And one which instead manifests the evident and despicable intent of attacking, at whatever cost, Benedict XVI and his closest collaborators.

It is clear that there is a deliberate effort to foster division in the Church and distrust of the Holy Father. We know these tactics. Pray for Pope Benedict. He is suffering with our Lord. Pray for all victims of sexual abuse who rarely find healing in the blame game. The purpose the New York Times is to weaken the identity and unity of American Catholics, they have no desire for truth or for the healing of those wounded. We must pray.

The Attacks Keep Coming

2010-03-25T15:14:00.003-05:00

The attacks keep coming at Pope Benedict, especially by those who do not understand nor try to understand the history going on in these instances of priestly abuse. Three resources for you:

Archbishop Dolan of New York quotes the Vatican's response to accusations made by the New York Times. It is a simple retelling, but a good one. Read it here.

Phil Lawler, a layman, outlines a prudent response to these same claims. Read it here. As always, things are not as clear as the NYTimes might want you to believe.

Finally, regarding what Pope Benedict has actually DONE in this regard, is best seen by his response to Ireland and its troubles. There is an amazing depth going on in his letter to the Irish Church: "On the one hand, the rigors of the law. The price of justice must be paid to the last penny...But at the same time, the pope is kindling the light of grace. He is opening the door of God's forgiveness even to those guilty of the worst abominations, if they sincerely repent." Read Sandro Magister's analysis here.

5th Sunday of Lent

2010-03-23T11:17:00.004-05:00

It should come as little surprise that the ways of this world and the ways of Jesus Christ are often at odds. I know that I’ve said it a few times and, of course, He has said it as well, which makes me feel better about saying it. While this tension comes as little surprise and you nod your heads to my words, if you are like me then you probably forget this tension. We must remember this tension for with this tension comes choice and choice brings destiny: to be with the world or to be with Christ.

I actually see this struggle in couples that I prepare for marriage. One of the questions asked of them says: “Under no condition could I remain married to my spouse if they were unfaithful to me.” For engaged couples, this question broaches the unthinkable but it also exposes the way of the world versus the way of Christ. Forgiveness doesn’t lessen or diminish the horror of sin; forgiveness forgives the person and not the action.

In our portion of the battle between the way of the world and the way of Christ, one preliminary point must be made. Because it is a battle and it is one we entered into at our Baptism, it is my duty as a priest to help you become aware of this battle. In doing so I may have offended you. You may have felt, whether in the past or still to come, that my words dragged you out and exposed you to shame. I apologize. I apologize for my ineffectiveness and my inexperience. I apologize for my lack of sensitivity and my lack of love. Though my intention is not always pure, it is my intention to shine light on your sins- and my own- for the sake of their forgiveness in Christ. Furthermore, if I have ever offended you outside of Church- whether through rudeness, inattentiveness, or other slights, I apologize for that as well.

Today’s famous Gospel passage clarifies this basic tension between the ways of the world and the ways of Christ. The way of the world is to accuse, isolate, and condemn. The woman—caught in the act—is dragged, berated, and belittled by the mob. Furthermore, she is a tool of their effort to isolate Jesus and separate Him from those who follow Him.

We see many of these same tactics today in news media and political efforts. There is actually a political guide called “Rules for Radicals,” that bears a dedication to Lucifer as the first and most effective radical. This thinking is imbued in conservative and liberal minded individuals who seek to win the day through accusation and isolation. If we can shun this opponent, drag them down in the polls we will win.

Opposed to the way of the world is the way of Christ. The way of Christ forgives, invites, and obeys the truth. When the woman comes before Christ, He does not deny the truth to win the crowd but rather He invites the crowd to the truth of their own sin. He invites the crowd to consider the woman as little different than they are: human sinners in need of forgiveness.

The way of Christ acknowledges her sin. This acknowledgement is not the same as the condemning way of the world. Condemnation says: “You are an adulterer and you will never change or be of any value.” Christ, who is truth in the flesh, says: “You are an adulterer, I forgive you and I call you forth to live a life transformed that will speak goodness to the world.” This transformation is the hallmark of the way of Christ.

How do we enter more deeply into this conversion to the life of Christ? Confession is always the best way, but how do we get more out of our own confession? Make sure that we forgive others- the measure with which you measure out will be the measure given back to you. Old injuries and new hurts all have to be forgiven if we are to grow into the way of Christ.

4th Sunday of Lent

2010-03-14T22:05:00.003-05:00

Early on in the life of the Church, a phrase developed amongst Catholic authors. We are to be in the world but not of the world. We are to be in the world: our lives, our work, our families and our responsibilities. We are to not be of the world: of its values, its vision, and its decisions. It was this vision of Catholic life that inspired Saint Paul to say: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

So the spirit of this world and the spirit of Christ are opposed and at odds. In the days of Jesus, this was seen most strikingly in the rule of the Pagan Roman Empire. The emperors ruled from the Atlantic to the Euphrates, from the Alps to the Sahara and there was an absence of fighting, peace. But this peace of the Romans was not based on reconciliation, on forgiveness, or on unity. The Pax Romana, the peace of the Romans was founded on military might and the fear of reprisal.

There was peace in the Roman Empire, but it was the stillness of fear. Fear that if you attacked Rome: whether from within or from without that you would be destroyed; your soldiers, your families, your villages would all be destroyed. This is not peace. It is in this culture that St. Paul represents himself as an emissary, an ambassador of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

Do we think of the peace of Jesus Christ- Pax Christi? Look at the famous parable today of the ungrateful sons and the faithful father. When the youngest son decides to return, he is thinking in the values and visions of this world. “I cheated my father, I wished he was dead, and so he would never forgive me for that. If I wish to live,” he thinks, “I must live as his slave because I killed him as my father.” Yet this would bring the Pax Romana, the fearful peace of reprisal- what if my father will do to me what I did to him?

When we approach confession, do we approach with a vision of the Pax Romana or of the Pax Christi? Do we believe that Jesus will forgive us for doing wrong because of His own integrity of person? Or do we fear that He will yell and push and throw us out? The younger son feared his father because he didn’t know his father- his own sin blinded him to think that his father was no different than he was, eager for vengeance. The father forgives the son, not because of anything the son did but because of who the father is; and the father is love. The father “died” to let his son go free and he “dies” again to bring him back.

Because sin blinds us, we fear the Pax Christi, the Christian vision of life. We fear that there is no forgiveness for us. We fear that He who died to set us free will not set Himself aside again so we may come back. How can we speak of peace, pray for peace, work for peace unless we know peace?

Here are two ways to grow in the Peace of Christ and to leave behind the peace of this world. First, go to confession. That way we live out the petition of the Our Father: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It is much easier to forgive those who hurt us if we know His forgiveness. Go to confession at least once a year if not once a month. On Psalm Sunday, there will be six priests at St. Thomas More to hear your confession.

What about our sign of peace at Mass? How do we use it? Is it a 7^th inning stretch? A chance to slap our buddies on the back, make plans for Cook’s Kitchen? Or is it an extension of our prayer, an extension of the Pax Christi that was won on the cross? I urge you, don’t simply say “peace,” but say “the peace of Christ.” Remind others of their need for the peace of Christ and remind yourself that your own peace is little more than the absence of action under the threat of violence unless you too know the Pax Christi.

3rd Sundy of Lent

2010-03-11T08:59:00.003-06:00

On Friday, the parking lot behind the Newman Center went from full to empty in less than three hours. By Saturday morning the one or two remaining cars had left as well and it was totally empty. Except for a little snow.

Any break is a time for a retrospective, a look back on how things are going. How have we examined our own lives and efforts? Last week, before hearing Bishop Swain’s message for the CFSA collection, we talked about how Peter had an experience of gratitude as he witnessed Jesus Christ, transfigured in glory. That same gratitude that we try to foster, that same gratitude that springs up from our daily blessings, that same gratitude that moves us to be generous to God and the Church should also be a source of examination for us.

As we grow more aware of God’s blessings for us: life, family, friends, faith and more, we also become aware that these gifts are given to us to be used. This is part of our awareness of stewardship: what did God give us and how does He want us to use it?

The fig tree in today’s passage from Luke is described by St. Augustine as an image of the human race. The three years of the fig tree correspond to the three ages of faith: the first year is the time before the law of Moses- meaning the Ten Commandments, the second is the time after the law of Moses, and the third is the time of Christ. What then is the fertilizer and care that is provided in the third year?

The cultivation and fertilizer is the life of grace in Jesus Christ. The gifts of your baptism and confirmation, the privilege of Mass, the healing in frequent Confession, to name a few. The fact that we DARE to call the God of the universe such a personal and presumptuous title as “Father.” What then is the fruit we are supposed to bear?

The fruit we are to bear are more souls in the Kingdom of God- the Catholic Church. This then is our point of examination: are we living Catholics in the midst of our daily lives? Living our Catholic faith with deliberate choice as we work, play, and live has a simple title: it is the life of the Apostolate. The Apostolate is a term to describe our sending forth by Jesus Christ to be His hands, feet, and reconciliation to the world.

The life of the Apostolate is not simply a task for priests or nuns but is for all baptized Catholics. As a diocese, as we’ve gone through strategic planning, one question I don’t here parishes asking is whether they are doing enough to grow the faith through new members? More than parish sizes, traveling distance and priest numbers, what if we asked: “Who have I invited to Mass, who have I invited to become Catholic?”

If we feel to small or ill-equipped for such questions, remember the fertilizer. We have been cultivated and fed, now we need to dig our roots into the gifts God has given us so that we may bear fruit for Him at the time of harvest, the end of our lives and the judgment of our souls. Unless we be cut down and burnt as fuel in the fire.

The Heart of Matters

2010-03-08T16:15:00.002-06:00

A priest in Boulder, CO, is being attacked and bullied for obedience to his archbishop and to Church teaching. Pray for him and support him as you're able. This priest is in a very politically charged town and what is being done is a deliberate attempt to break his spirit and further normalize the idea of homosexual unions being equivalent to marriage. I think I'll even send him a card.

Read from Father Breslin's blog:

As I look around Boulder I recognize that there is ample love all around; but there is a scarcity of discipleship. I chose to be on the side of what was lacking. I chose to protect the faith over doing what would have looked like the loving thing to do. Perhaps some of you parents have been in the position to make a decision for your family that looked like the opposite of love, but was the right decision anyway.
My brothers and sisters, our school is a Catholic school and our teaching on the sanctity of marriage is as clear as a bell. So, the decision I made was based on my conviction that we needed to rest on the side of backing our beliefs and our values. We need to fight for our Catholic values because here in Boulder it seems, no one else is. In many ways, I feel quite alone, even though I know I am not alone. But I do feel like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner—“alone, alone, all, all alone- alone on a wide, wide sea.”

And then visit his site to leave an encouraging comment. He gets double props for quoting the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

If you want good advice and to mobilize some public witness, check out Father Z's blog.

I'm going to get ready to say Mass including prayers for Father Breslin and Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Wrong Thing

2010-03-05T10:15:00.003-06:00

Sometimes we just make the wrong choices.

Two and a half years ago I weighed forty pounds heavier. There was no magic formula, no secret ingredient, and no mysterious pills from African cacti. It involved learning to discern between what my body really needed and wanted from what I am feeling at the moment. In other words, hunger can lie. What feels like hunger might really be thirst or exhaustion or dissatisfaction. I learned I could loose weight by paying attention to those little details and saying "no" to eating for the wrong reasons.

In our spiritual life things are often the same. We confuse the emotions and movements of our hearts as leading us to material comforts when they are really leading us to prayer. We're exhausted or lonely or frustrated and we turn sin in various forms: pride, greed, envy, lust, wrath, gluttony, or sloth. As you observe your Lenten penance and you struggle without pop, snacks or other things take a few moments pray and ask Christ to fulfill your needs.

That is always a good choice.

2nd Sunday of Lent

2010-03-03T13:35:00.004-06:00

“Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Peter gives us a beautiful example of gratitude, perhaps the most important aspect of Christian prayer. Gratitude is necessary for growth in the Christian life and gratitude directs us towards God. In gratitude, we remember that we have received from Go and are able to give back to him what we have received. We also call this stewardship. Since God is God and we are His creatures, then everything we have is received from Him and His goodness. When we realize that and live within that total and complete gift of God, we are able to give generously back to Him.

Peter realizes that he is at a unique and beautiful moment. Jesus appears in the glory that is proper to Him as the only Son of God. Though it takes Peter a while to wake up and realize what is happening, he soon does and has the spontaneous response of gratitude.

There are three basic ways for us to express our own gratitude: in our time, our talent, and our treasure. Fancy alliteration, huh? Simply attending Mass is hopefully a conscious act of gratitude, giving to our Lord this time because he has given life to you. People lead music at Mass because God has first blessed them. Yesterday, Derek cleaned out the Sacristy because he was grateful for what God has done for him.

Finally, we express our gratitude to God through financial support. Each year, Bishop Swain asks us to reflect on what God has given us and make a return to Him through the Catholic Family Sharing Appeal. CFSA supports Bishop’s different efforts throughout the diocese, including the Newman Center. In fact, we couldn’t be here without generosity from other people’s CFSA collections. I know you don’t have much money: you’re in college. I’d rather you study than work right now. But it is still good for us to learn gratitude by giving how we can. We have a goal for us of $1200 and I think we can do it.

Now, we’ll listen to Bishop’s message:

“This is Bishop Paul Swain.

The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

The day I prepared this message it snowed. The day I recorded this message it snowed. In between I traveled from north to south of the diocese over icy roads through fog and sleet. This has been quite the winter. I know many of you have had a rough go with fields inaccessible, roads closed, power out and plans disrupted. That of course is part of living in South Dakota, a gift we would not trade. Yet, we will truly welcome spring this year.

The weather and the other challenges of our day, especially the economic uncertainty, can get us down and encourage us to turn in on ourselves. A better response would be to reflect on the many blessings in our lives. The theme for the Catholic Family Sharing Appeal this year is “Blessed are you.” As we reflect on the devastating impact of the earthquake in Haiti, and the fear from war and terror in which so many live, to name a few crosses, we have much about which to be grateful. Yet there are many in our own midst who suffer in public and private ways. They need our encouragement, our support and our helping hand.

One way to do so is by supporting the ministries of the diocese. These programs and the talented people who offer them reach out to both parish life and personal lives. They make available to people of all ages in all parts of the diocese spiritual, sacramental and educational opportunities. Our ministries encourage healthy family life through marriage preparation and marriage renewal, Natural Family Planning, adoption services, post abortion support and other pro-family and pro-life programs. Faith Formation helps adults understand what the Church teaches and why, allowing a deepening relationship with Christ, and teenagers to be hope-filled and seek Christ in their lives. Newman Centers offer a home away from home for college students. Chaplaincies in hospitals and prisons minister to the lonely and the anxious.

CFSA allows the Bishops Bulletin and the TV Mass, which are sources of consolation and education, to be available in all homes without personal cost. The Vocations office supports our seminarians and encourages men and women to discover what God wants for them in their lives. These are a few of the ministries you have supported over the years. Their need to continue is even greater in this day of wonder and wonderment.

You will soon receive a letter from me with a pledge card which you can return to your parish. Please prayerfully consider supporting this year’s Catholic Family Sharing Appeal. Your generosity in the past has been inspiring. Blessed are you and blessed will you be for your generosity this year.

Thank you for listening to this message. May God bless you, Our Lady watch over you, and St. Joseph guard you and those you love.

Be careful out there. And be assured, spring will come, the light will shine.  

Give praise to the Lord.

Laboring for Purity

2010-03-03T10:06:00.004-06:00

Last night, on my campus, South Dakota State University, a women's study program invited in an anti-purity speaker, Jessica Valenti. Ms. Valenti's main point is that notions of purity and virginity are means of male oppression. Very original. Her book is called: "The Purity Myth." For a soul to write that, I truly pity her worldview. Our students have a three-fold response.

We organized 20-25 women who went to the talk, their report is below.
We organized 20 men who remained in the chapel interceding for all women during the talk.
We organized 200 roses to be given away in the student union today: telling the women that they are worth the wait and quoting John 12.

Here is the account of Jamie, mother of 3 and wife to one of our FOCUS missionaries:

Wanted to briefly share with you what happened last night as 20-25 of us women went to Jessica Valenti's talk. She spoke for about a 1/2 hour and to my surprise had questions afterward. I did agree with her some of the time about how we need to do something with the exploitation of women, unjustified rape cases, slogans on t-shirts that degrade women, etc. There was a commonality between us. She did fail to give REAL statistics, facts, that have been done. She generalized everything especially this stat of hers, "90% of Americas are sexually active and do you see 90% of us suicidal, depressed, high school drop outs?" Out of that 90%, do you know how many are married? AND, women who've had an abortion typically don't come right out and said, "hey, I've had an abortion and I'm hurting." They usually wait years and some don't even know why they're hurting. I've seen this first hand working with Rachel's Vineyard.

After leaving her talk, I was so proud. 5 people (1 i didn't know) from our group got up to ask questions! It was wonderful! We turned out to be the majority! The first question was about the modern feminist, Lila Rose (http://www.liveaction.org - need to check it out!!!) and how she is going under cover in Planned Parenthood Clinics to expose the lies that they have been feeding young women including covering up rape which by law they need to report - and it's ALL on video. My friend Kathryn asked if she, Jessica, would comment on Lila's work because the majority of her stories during this talk were about unjustified rape cases. Jessica said, "no, i won't comment." So Kathryn returned to the microphone and clarified herself so Jessica had to AGAIN dodge the question by saying, "First of all, planned parenthood has done more good for women...!" The crowd started to erupt in applause. I thought it was pretty unprofessional that Jessica first declined to answer a very legit point.

My sister, Katie very boldly and courageously got up and said...I'm paraphrasing..."I'm a 24 year old conservative Catholic virgin. I find that not having to worry about contracting some disease or the fear of getting pregnant propells me in my studies and keeps my sights on my career. So what's the harm in remaining pure and being a virgin?" Jessica pulled the relativism card with Katie. She then said that by saying you're "pure" puts others down who's had pre-marital sex. ????

This was followed by another student, Emily, from the Newman Center who asked Jessica to clarify what she means in her purity myth book and it was amazing to see Emily keep Jessica to task on the question.. By this time, you could obviously hear annoyance in Jessica's voice.

The director of the education program at the local parish, Rachel, got up and told Jessica that she found that they have a lot in common and she agrees with some of what she had to say. She explained what kind of programs (theology of the body) they have going at the church for the girls AND the boys as well as those in high school. She asked her what her goal was - again, a great question! Rachel was booed by the crowd when she mentioned that aweful "a" word, "Abortion" which meant she really hit a nerve. It was great. :)

I was incredibly proud to stand among all those beautiful women last night in defense of Truth. Please pray for those who will be manning a both in the student union today. Their sign says, "Ask me about the gift of purity." As John Paul II stated via my friend Angela, "Purity is the quickness to affirm the value of another in every situation."

I went to her website (jessicavalenti.com) and posted a comment about Lila Rose. We'll see if it's taken off the website after it's "moderated".

Thank you for all your prayers and especially to those who attended last night. Praise be Jesus Christ!!!

Pray for all women and for men to respect them.

St. Catherine of Sienna, pray for us.

h/t to Gustaf's Greenery for helping us get the roses. Thanks Pat!

Caveat Lector

2010-03-01T09:13:00.002-06:00

h/t: Savage Chickens

Life is worth living

2010-02-28T07:29:00.002-06:00

The following is an odd to life and an appeal to all who struggle with depression and doubt. It is not written by me, it is written by doczero as an ode to Andrew Koening, son of Walter Koening who played Chekhov in the original Star Trek. Nerdy inspiration, beautiful result.

The body of actor Andrew Koenig was found in Vancouver’s Stanley Park yesterday. His father, Walter Koenig, said that his son “took his own life, and was in a lot of pain.” Like most of my generation, I grew up with Walter Koenig as Chekhov on Star Trek, and he played a superb villain much later, on Babylon 5. Until his press conference yesterday, I didn’t realize he was a man of such incredible strength and dignity. He asked for his family to be left in peace to mourn their loss. I hope he won’t mind if I take this sad occasion to address others who might be following the road that ended in Stanley Park for Andrew. No matter how far you have gone down that road, there is always a path that leads away. I could offer no greater tribute to Andrew and his family than trying to help you take it, or at least see it.

You won’t find the beginning of that path in your house, or your room, or any other private place where you torment yourself, and wonder why a world you’re hiding from can no longer see you. You’ll have to step outside, and take a walk through your town. You’ll pass hospitals where the gift of life is unwrapped and presented to the universe. In another wing, life is held as precious treasure by families gathered around quiet beds, surrounded by tireless machines and their tired, but determined, keepers. Perhaps you’ll find a hospice, where the dying embrace their last opportunity to share their lives with all who receive the blessing of a seat beside them. You’ll pass churches and temples, filled with the sworn enemies of despair.

You may find yourself wishing you could give the unwanted years of your future to the clients of those hospitals and hospices. I did, years ago, when I stood where you are standing now. I was on my knees at the time, offering that trade with all my heart. It doesn’t work that way. Those who tend the hospices can tell you why, and the people in the churches and temples can explain why it shouldn’t.

Stroll past your local police station, where the noble calling to risk your life in the service of others is answered… and the worship of death as a solution to problems meets its humiliating end. Maybe you’ll spot a recruiting station, where men and women who love their friends and families accept a duty that could take them away forever… because they know others love their families too, and there is no safe way to build and protect the future for them.

If your walk takes you past sunset, watch the cars rolling into the driveways of apartments and houses. If you walk from night into morning, watch the people reluctantly leaving their homes, to provide for their families. Those people are not wasting their lives, but fulfilling them. They return home to enjoy their reward, and renew their inspiration. Every day, they write new pages in the human story. None of us will see the end of that tale… but I know you share my appetite to read another chapter, and then one more after that. You may have convinced yourself to ignore it, but it’s still there.

Step into a convenience store for a cup of coffee or chocolate, and take a look at the newspapers. They are filled with pleas for help that you could answer. From the inner cities of America, to the broken streets of Haiti, and around the world, there are places where the clocks are filled with nothing but desperate hours. Another pair of hands, or another few dollars of support, are always needed. The years ahead, which you regard as a painful burden, can be given to them. It will take effort, and courage… but along the way, I can promise that your life would stop feeling like a burden.

You may view suicide as your last chance to shake the pillars of a world that has turned its back on you. The world doesn’t need any more shaking. If you’ve been telling yourself that no one will miss you when you’re gone, you are wrong. Your suicide would tear a hole through the future, and nothing could ever fill the space where you used to be. You might think you’re alone, but you don’t have to walk more than a couple of miles from your house to see a building full of people who would be delighted to meet you. There are places like Suicide Hotlines, staffed by men and women who have spent their entire lives preparing to hear the sound of your voice, and greet every day hoping to learn your name.

You may be afraid to face the years ahead. You’re not the only one, and if you extinguish the light of your faith and wisdom, you consign others to darkness. You might see death by your own hand as the end of unbearable pain… but I ask you to think about Walter Koenig, facing a wall of cameras with quiet grace in the hours after finding his son’s body, and understand that it’s only the beginning of agony.

You might have decided your fellow men are rotten to the core, and you’re weary of their company. Listen to the music of Mozart, or look upon the work of Michelangelo, and consider the argument of those who profoundly disagree. Maybe part of your problem is that you’ve been listening to the wrong music, or looking at the wrong pictures. Dark waters are easy to drown in. The judgment of the human race will not lack witnesses for the defense, and they will make their case to you, if you give them a chance.

Now, take the last few steps back to your home, and set aside one sorrow or terror with every footfall, until your mind is clear. If you’re thinking of incinerating the remaining years of your life, surely you can spare a few minutes for quiet reflection, and hear this prayer from the living world:

Please don’t leave us. We need you.

It is a quiet prayer, spoken in a soft voice, but it’s never too late to listen.

Amen.

1st Sunday of Lent

2010-02-25T14:37:00.004-06:00

On the day of your baptism, an assault was made on the dominion of Satan. At the very beginning of your Christian life, on the day you ceased to be a pagan, you were claimed for Christ our Savior by the sign of the Cross. In the waters of baptism, you were born again in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, so that as St. Paul says, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20). Your identity as a Christian is specific and definite. You are a temple of the living God and a dwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Satan is the world’s first identity thief. From the first temptation in the garden of Eden, to his temptation of our Lord, to his whispers in our own ears, Satan is a thief. The temptations both of today’s gospel and of our own day appear to be focused on sensual pleasures but that would underestimate Satan’s malice and deviation.

On the outside, Satan’s temptations are sensual: food, power, and glory but if we look beyond the flash we find the substance that he is striking at: Jesus’ own identity. How did this Gospel passage start? "Jesus returned from the Jordan." We heard a few weeks ago what happened at the Jordan- Jesus received the baptism of John and as He rose from the water a voice was heard: "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." Publicly and specifically Jesus' identity is revealed; He is the beloved son of the Father. How does Satan tempt Jesus? Satan tempts Jesus to step out from his identity and act on His own. We can certainly imagine the subtle dig in Satan's voice: "If you are the Son of God..."

Satan acts no different to Jesus than he did in to Adam and Eve: did God really say that you couldn't eat of any of the trees in the Garden? Throughout the Old Testament, the greatest sin of the house of Israel is forgetfulness. Our reading from Deuteronomy combats the same sin. Notice how Moses has them recite the wonders God has done for them, do they recite these wonders for the sake of God? No, it is for their own sake. It has barely been forty years since God led the Jewish people out form Egypt, barely forty years since God led them across the Red Sea on dry ground and yet they are forgetting.

Our Sunday Mass is structured in the same way: so that we do not forget what God has done for us. You might be tempted to think that you could spend your Sunday with God in your own way: with a bible or some Christian music but you would miss God's great gift. We do the same thing each Sunday, not because we are unimaginative but because we are forgetful. We NEED to hear the saving actions of Jesus Christ, we NEED to say the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ has risen Christ will come again. We need to receive the salvation of God as a son or daughter of God.

How did Jesus fight temptation? By His own strength and might in a way that we cannot? No! Jesus fights by remaining as a Son, waiting for the Father to provide. The battle of Lent is the struggle to remain as a daughter or son. Your own strength of will, when left to itself, will fail. In your baptism, you are a daughter or son of the Father, you are a brother or sister to Jesus Christ.

Abortion Providers target Black women.

2010-02-25T09:32:00.003-06:00

Catherine Davis of Georgia Right to Life does a laudable job on CNN. She stays on message and stays calm as her opponent rambles on and falsely accuses her and puts words in her mouth. Take a gander:

h/t American Papist

Prayer of St. Ephrem

2010-02-25T07:18:00.004-06:00

For those that enjoyed the Prayer of St. Ephrem from my facebook status yesterday, here is a full article on the parts of the prayer. It is from the Byzantine tradition of the faith and this article mentions somethings about the Byzantine Liturgy, which is different from our Roman Liturgy. I learned it from a professor in seminary and find it a beautiful prayer of penance.

Of all lenten hymns and prayers, one short prayer can be termed the lenten prayer. Tradition ascribes it to one of the great teachers of spiritual life - St. Ephrem the Syrian. Here is its text:

O Lord and Master of my life! Take from me the spirit of sloth, faint-heartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love to Thy servant. Yea, O Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to judge my brother; For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen

Why does this short and simple prayer occupy such an important position in the entire lenten worship? Because it enumerates in a unique way all the "negative" and "positive" elements of repentance and constitutes, so to speak, a "check list" for our individual lenten effort. This effort is aimed first at our liberation from some fundamental spiritual diseases which shape our life and make it virtually impossible for us even to start turning ourselves to God.

The basic disease is sloth. It is that strange laziness and passivity of our entire being which always pushes us "down" rather than "up" -- which constantly convinces us that no change is possible and therefore desirable. It is in fact a deeply rooted cynicism which to every spiritual challenge responds "what for?" and makes our life one tremendous spiritual waste. It is the root of all sin because it poisons the spiritual energy at its very source.

The result of sloth is faint-heartedness. It is the state of despondency which all spiritual Fathers considered the greatest danger...

Do read it all!

Epiphany Homily

2010-01-07T19:49:00.003-06:00

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. It is typical on this solemn feast for us to focus on these three gifts and their important prophecy and testament. It is right for us to do so for these wise men acted under divine inspiration to present such a fitting offering to our infant King. In the encounter of the magi, Christ, the light from on high, is made manifest to the nations of the world. The Church also offers the Lord’s manifestations in the Jordan baptism and His first miracle in Cana.

Tonight I will direct our hearts to contemplate the gift that is given to us. Epiphany celebrates the rich fullness of our Catholic faith and the salvation of our Lord. Christ did not come simply to mechanically die and rise for salvation; Christ came to show us the true meaning of our humanity. Christ shows us the meaning of St. Irenaeus’ words “The glory of God is man who is fully alive.”

As Americans, cultural heirs of the Puritan and Protestant movements, minimized salvation dominates our imaginations. Our conception of the life of grace is reduced to legal guilt and innocence. The manifestation of the Incarnation reveals much more in the full Catholic vision of salvation: abundant life. That ancient homily of Athansius: “God became man so that man might become a God.”

Why else did God take on human flesh than to save everything that is human: our intellect, our wills, our imaginations, our play, our work, our family life—it was too little for God to simply save our souls. God the Father desired to save everything He created. The prophet Isaiah says: “It is too little, for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

The ends of the earth pertain to the ends of your humanity as well. This is what Satan is most afraid of- redeemed and sanctified man, the man who is fully alive. This is why St. John Vianney was thrown all over his rectory. The personal path to this sanctity is the same as it has always been: the Sacraments, prayer, fasting, and holy works. What is different in our day is that the world is more openly hostile. Satan’s victory in the Reformation was twofold- the division of Christendom and the division of holiness from daily life. We see the second in the division in the relativism of the day.

So what is a family to do? First, pursue holiness within your own particular humanity. Jesus loves your humanity and wants to sanctify it in a personal and particular way. Second, we need to show forth this sanctified life to the world around us. I spent my Octave and New Years with 4000 college students living the Sacraments. There, Jeff Cavins, an author of Catholic Bible studies, told the story of his own conversion. Was it an argument, a passage, or his failings? No, it was the witness of his wife’s family as they prayed and played together as a domestic church.

In the Wedding at Cana, our Lord manifests Himself at our Lady’s request. “They have no wine,” is all she says. Wine is a sign of joy, giving warmth to men’s hearts. In a world darkened by sin, there is no joy where Christ is not present. They have no joy in our world today. They need to taste and sample the joy of Christian life, the joy of Christian families. Think of your own conversion, whenever the people of darkness encounter the joy of Christ, the world is transformed. You are called Christians for you are little Christs, by the Sacraments of the Church you live out His commission. Our Lady says to you, “They have no wine.”

Not my homily...

2009-10-29T19:35:00.004-05:00

I've been sick this week and haven't gotten around to posting my homily from Sunday but I found a couple of great articles by other Catholic bloggers that you should read if you haven't.

The first one concerns our Holy Father, Pope Benedict. In our country we are often very limited in how we describe people and it usually comes out as one of these terms: "liberal" or "conservative." Some people in our mainstream media have struggled to describe Pope Benedict and if you're only reading about him there, you need to find other sources. Carl Olson, a blogger from Oregon, has a great article regarding Pope Benedict.

What's important to note about Benedict XVI's "radicalism" is that it does not rest upon success in the political sphere; his vision for the Church fundamentally eschews much of what actually is shared in common between contemporary "liberals" and "conservatives." In the American context, "liberals" and "conservatives" alike are too much and too often in the throes of the modern orthodoxies, particularly a near-fanatic embrace of science and technology, devotion to "progress," "choice," and "growth," and a fealty to "the Market." Both are essentially earth-oriented, power-hungry and materialist.
We make a grave mistake if we interpret and understand the actions and activities of Pope Benedict XVI through the narrowly political lens that we all tend to wear in these times.

I really hope you read the whole article.

The second blogger is no ordinary blogger, its the Archbishop of New York, New York, Timothy Dolan! That's right, this is a real live Archbishop, the Archbishop of "The City that Never Sleeps" and he is blogging. I've read Archbishop's writings and I've heard him preach on retreats- these are his words. He isn't writing fluff pieces either, here he takes on the New York Times for having an anti-Catholic bias in some articles.

It is not hyperbole to call prejudice against the Catholic Church a national pastime. Scholars such as Arthur Schlesinger Sr. referred to it as “the deepest bias in the history of the American people,” while John Higham described it as “the most luxuriant, tenacious tradition of paranoiac agitation in American history.” “The anti-semitism of the left,” is how Paul Viereck reads it, and Professor Philip Jenkins sub-titles his book on the topic “the last acceptable prejudice.”

The Catholic Church is not above criticism. We Catholics do a fair amount of it ourselves. We welcome and expect it. All we ask is that such critique be fair, rational, and accurate, what we would expect for anybody. The suspicion and bias against the Church is a national pastime that should be “rained out” for good.

I hope you read His Excellency's article in full and frequent his blog. He's at a blistering pace since he started with over 15 articles in a month. Say a prayer for Archbishop Dolan as he leads the Church in New York.

Homily for 29th Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009

2009-10-18T17:50:00.002-05:00

This past week has apparently been a slow week for news. The leading issue on CNN the past four days has been whether or not the balloon boy in Colorado was a publicity stunt by his attention starved family. In such a leisurely week, you might have caught this ridiculous news item as well. A marginally successful Hollywood comedian, Sarah Silverman, released a youtube video challenging the Holy Father.

Ms. Silverman proposes that Pope Benedict should sell off the Vatican: land, buildings, artwork and everything to feed the poor of the world. Ms. Silverman’s proposal [linked out of fairness], which is laced with profanity, seems new and interesting. Or possibly she was watching the 1968 movie “The Shoes of the Fisherman” starring Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn, which makes a similar case without swearing.

Ms. Silverman’s proposal misses two points. First, the Church already does feed the world. We said this last week, but today, on World Mission Sunday and a few days after U.N. World Food Day, it bears repeating. No private or public institution serves and cares for more poor than does the Catholic Church. Secondly, the artistic holdings of the Church are more than simply dollar signs in a frame on a wall.

The artistic treasures of the Church, not only in Rome but throughout the world, are more powerful than any dollar. Why? They inspire hearts to the Gospel life. I have prayed Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, I have toured the Sistine Chapel, and I have visited the Vatican Art Museum. I spent 30 minutes looking at Raphael’s Transfiguration. This painting of the event from Matthew 17 is over 12 feet tall and features some of the most vivid colors I have ever seen. This painting inspired me with a greater love for Jesus Christ, in almost 500 years it has inspired millions. The artwork of the Vatican is there to turn hearts to Jesus Christ and to service of our fellow man.

Even in a slow week, I am sure few, if any, of you heard of the Special Synod for Africa, that was going on in Rome. Pope Benedict and several hundred African bishops gathered to pray and talk about the Church’s mission to Africa. From this meeting comes the heart of Christian mission. Sr. Genevieve Uwamariya, a Sister of St. Mary of Namur. Sr. Genevieve is a survivor of the 1994 Tutsi Genocide in Rwanda in which most of her family was killed while in a church. One day, while visiting prisoners awaiting execution for genocide, Sr. Genevieve shared this with the Holy Father:

“On August 27th 1997 at 1 p.m., a group from the Catholic association of the “Ladies of Divine Mercy” led me to two prisons in the region of Kibuye, my birthplace. They went to prepare the prisoners for the Jubilee of 2000. They said: “If you have killed, you commit yourself to ask for forgiveness from the surviving victim, that way you can help him free himself of the burden/weight of vengeance, hatred and rancor. If you are a victim, you commit yourself to offer forgiveness to those who harmed you and thus you free them from the weight of their crime and the evil that is in them.”

This message had an unexpected effect for me and in me...

After that, one of the prisoners rose in tears, fell to his knees before me, loudly begging: “Mercy”. I was petrified in recognizing a family friend who had grown and shared everything with us.

He admitted having killed my father and told me the details of the death of my family.

A feeling of pity and compassion invaded me: I picked him up, embraced him and told him in a tearful voice: “You are and always will be my brother”.

Then I felt a huge weight lift away from me... I had found internal peace and I thanked the person I was holding in my arms.

To my great surprise, I heard him cry out: “Justice can do its work and condemn me to death, now I am free!...”

I also wanted to cry out to who wanted to hear: “Come see what freed me, you too can find internal peace”.

This mission of forgiveness is the heart of the Church. If we are to create a culture of life then we must begin by forgiving those who harm us, even grievously. When Sr. Genevieve forgave this man, genocide did not then become allowable- she forgave the person and not the action. With this in mind, listen again to the letter to the Hebrews:

"Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help."

The Eternal Revolution of Christianity

2009-10-13T12:56:00.003-05:00

In my homilies of late (What, those didn't post? Oh, I must have been lazy or rather, I am learning first hand the beautiful sacrifice of parenthood), I have been pointing out that the major source of contention between Catholicism and the culture at large is NOT the nature of God but rather the nature of man. The "hot-button" issues of our day: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, the definition of marriage- they can be addressed as simply natural and non-theological discussions. I am at odds with the culture around me, not because I believe in Jesus Christ but because of what I believe about our natural world.

In all of this, faith and reason is in accord. In fact, reason looses its ground without faith. Just as faith divorced from reason is inhuman so too reason without faith becomes inhuman. Sandro Magister, an Italian journalist for the magazine Chiesa, has an article about Europe's newest advocate for the reunion of faithful reason. Juan Manuel de Prada is a successful Spanish author who was adrift in the cultural millieau and returned to the "ancient liberty" of the faith in April of 2005 while witnessing the death and burial of Pope John Paul II.

The bulk of Magister's article is the translation of the introduction to de Prada's newest book: The progressive matrix of the new tyranny. De Prada expresses a Catholic vision of engagement with the world around us. What is at stake, what are the battlefields, and what we are to do about it. I can only hope a good translation of the whole work is forthcoming:

The eternal revolution of Christianity consists in revealing to us the meaning of life, restoring to us our nature; from this discovery is born a joy with no expiration date. When this joy is combined with a minimum of artistic sensibility, life becomes a feast for the intelligence. Chesterton wrote that joy, which was the small publicity of the pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian.

Read it all and tell me what you think in the comments.

If you say so...

2009-09-29T10:00:00.001-05:00

According to Whispers:

a release from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications said that the coming papal message "seeks to invite priests, in a particular way... to consider new media as a great resource for their ministry of service to the Word, and to encourage them to address the challenges born from the new digital culture."

In that spirit, I encourage you to read this interesting article about hand postures of the faithful during the Our Father.

Vacation/Retreat

2009-06-24T11:43:00.002-05:00

If a lazy blogger goes on vacation and retreat, will anyone notice?

If they do, pray for me. The plans look wonderful and God is good AND its the year of the priest- what more could I ask for? Your prayers.

Something timely and new when I get back? Pray for Priests

New Assignment

2009-06-24T11:38:00.002-05:00

Effective July 1st, 2009, Bishop Swain has asked me to begin ministry as Chaplain of Pope Pius XII Newman Center on the campus of South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. I am very excited and will have the privilege of working with a FOCUS missionary team.

Additionally I am pastor of St. Paul's in White, SD, a delightful rural community.

Please pray for me.

Archbishop Chaput to Journalists

2009-03-31T11:26:00.003-05:00

I've seen one report of Archbishop Chaput's conversation with various Journalists in Washington, DC, but I hadn't seen his own initial remarks, which are succinct, concise, and very hard to misrepresent. These deserve attention in how they challenge while inviting a response. Though, "where there's a will..."

Full Text

The heart of the issue is as follows:

Sometimes in reading the news, I get the impression that access to Holy Communion in the Church is like having bar privileges at the Elks’ Club. I’m reminded of the story of the Catholic novelist Flannery O’Connor. She was at a cocktail party talking with fellow writer Mary McCarthy, who had left the Church. McCarthy, though no longer Catholic, said she still thought the Eucharist was a pretty good symbol of God’s presence. O’Connor replied: “Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.”

For believing Catholics, the Eucharist is not a symbol; or rather, it’s enormously more than a symbol. It’s the literal, tangible, body and blood of Jesus Christ. And since the earliest days of the Christian community, honest believers have never wanted to, and never been allowed to, approach the Eucharist in a state of grave sin or scandal. St. Paul said that if we do that, we profane the body and blood of Christ, and we eat and drink judgment upon ourselves (1 Cor. 11:27–32).

In other words, we commit a kind of blasphemy against God, and violence against our own integrity and the faith of other believers. There’s nothing casual about this kind of sin, and the American notion of “civil rights” is useless and flatly wrong in trying to understand it. No one ever has a “right” to the Eucharist -- and the vanity or hurt feelings of an individual Catholic governor or senator or even a vice president do not take priority over the faith of the believing community.

Blasphemy and violence are unpleasant words in polite conversation – but for believers, they have substance. They also have implications beyond this lifetime. That’s why no Catholic – from the simplest parishioner to the most important public leader – should approach Communion with grave sin on his soul. The media have no obligation to believe what the Church teaches. But they certainly do have the obligation to understand, respect and accurately recount how she understands herself – and especially how she teaches and why she teaches.

Is this effective and sufficient engagement of the spirit of the day? Why or why not? It isn't total or final but does it challenge? I think so.

God bless Archbishop Chaput.

Say a prayer, send a card, write him an email.

Wish I were a Canon Lawyer...

2009-03-19T10:04:00.004-05:00

Though I never thought I'd say it, the world may need more canon lawyers. As I've read Ed Peter's blog about Church Law [Canon Law] I've found myself nodding to myself quite often. This case is no exception. When someone publicly and boldly violates the Church's laws why do we not respond according to those laws?

In fewer than 500 words, McElvaine manages to insult meanly and repeatedly Pope Benedict XVI and to impugn (sophomorically, I grant, but nevertheless clearly and directly) a half-dozen important Church teachings on sacraments, ecclesiology, and moral doctrine. If McElvaine's column does not constitute a violation of, among other norms, Canon 1369, then folks, I am never going to recognize it when it is violated.

I often see virtuous couples of all ages refraining from the Eucharist. Why? Because they are in irregular marriages and are awaiting annulments. I also know faithful spouses and parents who attend Mass every Sunday but are not Catholic and do not receive. This allegiance is inspiring. The betrayal of various media friendly Catholics is infuriating.

[For everyone's sake, Comments have been turned off]

Shirking Responsibilities

2009-01-23T11:02:00.001-06:00

If you are procrastinating, check out:

B-Movie Catechism

Primary School Homily on the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

2009-01-23T10:27:00.003-06:00

I definitely used "kid gloves." The story of Ironic Catholic's 6 year old is precisely what I wished to avoid. That sort of trauma is a parent's privilege that I will not usurp. That being said, my homily was short and went something like this:

Who likes to be picked on? Who likes to be made fun of? Who likes to get hurt by someone else? None of us. Second graders, are you allowed to pick on first graders because they are smaller? "No!" First graders are you allowed to pick on the kindergartners because they are smaller? "No!" Are we ever allowed to hurt someone because they are smaller? What if Mrs Schwab, your principal, announces that it is now okay for bigger kids to hurt smaller kids, would that make it okay? "No!" Because hurting people is wrong, whether we are in second grade or when we are in high school. Even someone so small where we can't even see them should never be hurt by us.

So that's the brief homily. I did mention the anniversary of Roe v. Wade in the intercessions hopefully that was abstract enough to engage the children while concrete enough for the parents to connect what I was saying in the homily. If not, its a good thing the world already has a savior and I am not He.

Begging for Advice

2009-01-21T08:21:00.002-06:00

So I have Mass with our primary school students tomorrow. They cover the young age of grade school- preschool through 2nd grade. Is there a way I can speak effectively to them about abortion while not harming them too greatly or violating their parent's right on when to teach them. Ideas?

Which Church Father are you?

2009-01-15T21:03:00.000-06:00

You’re St. Justin Martyr!

You have a positive and hopeful attitude toward the world. You think that nature, history, and even the pagan philosophers were often guided by God in preparation for the Advent of the Christ. You find “seeds of the Word” in unexpected places. You’re patient and willing to explain the faith to unbelievers.

Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

Epiphany Homily

2009-01-03T20:24:00.002-06:00

One of the best parts about Christmas is sharing the gifts we received. I just returned from visiting my brother and his family for a couple of days and it seems that most of our time is spent sharing good, beautiful and true things with each other. Whether we are sharing Gus’s pretzels, my nephew or niece’s latest smile, or something about our faith we are always sharing. We rarely ever keep these astounding gifts to ourselves- and when we do keep them to ourselves we rightly feel guilty. Gifts are meant to be shared.

Today we celebrate Epiphany, when God’s greatest gift to humanity was first made known to the rest of the world. This little baby of this young mother who is married to a poor carpenter as they live in a backwater province of the Roman Empire, this little baby changes the world. The world comes to greet this little baby.

We hopefully spend these 12 days of Christmas thinking over and wondering about this little baby. The most basic and yet most earth shattering thing that we can say is that this baby fully reveals God to humanity. Again, this baby fully reveals God to all men and women of the earth. What does that mean?

Most simply, we Christians believe that there is nothing more that God can say to us than what is said through the life, teachings, and Church of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we believe that the greatest and most complete gift ever given by God to the human race is found in Jesus Christ.

We believe that the answers to all problems, all pains, and all passions are found in Jesus Christ- and not always in the way we imagine or prefer. The great moral questions of our day, the great questions of right and wrong have their truest and best answer in Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church. This is what we believe.

From the very beginning, the whole world sought Jesus Christ- today we read of the wise men, the magi, and the kings of the Orient who sought Jesus to honor Him, even if they didn’t understand Him. St. Paul, in our reading from Ephesians, speaks of the greatest of all mysteries revealed in Jesus Christ. So what are we to do with this greatest of gifts in Jesus Christ and His Church?

If we believe in this great gift, we must do two things: use it and share it with others.

If we believe in Christmas, in God becoming one of us, we must use it. We must put all of our troubles, especially our personal and moral troubles to the test of Jesus Christ and His Church- what answer does He give us? If we believe in Christmas, in God becoming one of us, we must share it. We must invite everyone we know to put all of their troubles, especially their personal and moral troubles to the test of Jesus Christ and His Church.

When each of us does these two things: using and sharing the gift of Jesus Christ, then the peace that the angels sang to the shepherds will be felt by the whole earth. Then we will be sharing the best and greatest of gifts!

Holy Family Homily

2008-12-28T12:51:00.002-06:00

In my 18 months here, I imagine that you’ve come to know or recognize my nerdiness. I don’t mean that I’m socially awkward, though I can be, but that I like to know how things work. I don’t just like to know your job, I want to know what or how you do it. I don’t just like to know what you made for dinner, I want to know how you made it. Receiving a gift is good but understanding that gift is better. This is why I love being Catholic because so many of our feasts are not simply about the gift but about understanding it.

On Christmas Eve and Day we celebrated the reception of a gift. We received the gift, for no thing is greater than God. In the midst of our busy cleaning, eating, returning and more; do we stop and think: what does this gift, the gift of God mean? The days after Christmas: the Feast of the Holy Family and the Feast of the Mother of God especially are meant to think about the gift. What does it mean that God chose a human being to save humanity? What does it mean that Jesus had a divine will and a human will united within one person? What does it mean that Jesus was raised in the quiet of a poor human family for 30 years?

Well, I’m just as tired as you from this beginning of our Christmas season, so while I cant fully answer these questions today, I do desire to aim our thoughts for the remaining 10 of the 12 days of Christmas.

God deliberately chose a family to rear, teach, and love the Son until He began His saving work at the age of thirty. God deliberately chose a frail human: body, mind and soul for His own in Jesus Christ, Emmanuel. This means there must be some higher good, some higher aim for us as human beings within human relationships. We know that our humanity is weak, we know that we are sinners and yet God chose that same humanity for Himself to show us what more we can desire from our human life.

One of the most important thing for newlyweds to do is to simply be with each other. From that simple appreciation they grow in wonder and awe that each would choose the other and truly become a beautiful couple. By coming to us in human flesh, God has wedded His divinity to our humanity. We must spend time in these twelve days of Christmas wondering what this great gift means.

Christian salvation isn’t simply a matter for the end of our life, for our deathbed, but is something that can season and change our whole life. This is why our enemy, Satan, opposes us- not simply in going to Christmas Mass but in even thinking about what Christmas means. Jesus was true God and true man from the first moment of His conception in the Virgin’s womb. In the life of Jesus from conception to death and the resurrection, God shows us what human life can be. Our own life will be richer, our own humanity more truly human, if we make the time this Christmas to read, to pray, and to wonder. Won’t you be a Catholic nerd with me?

Christmas Midnight Mass

2008-12-27T09:59:00.002-06:00

Which Christmas scene do our hearts desire? Do our hearts desire the soft, the quiet, the hidden scene of Bethlehem? Do our hearts desire the loud, the brash, the bold proclamation of the field? Where would God have us meet Him?

We often want God to make the bold proclamation. We want God to rent a sky-writer or, better yet, a blimp with a scrolling message on the side: “God exists!” What would we do if, one night we looked up and saw a new constellation that says: “I am here!” Wouldn’t the world be a buzz: the American News, CNN, Foxnews, Drudge, everyone would be talking about this profound and powerful message. Yet many of us would believe, not because we wanted to but because we would have no choice. The shining constellation of God’s existence would bring us to believe as our hearts are beaten into submission. This is not God’s way.

The wisdom of God is shown that Jesus comes in the soft, the quiet, and the hidden scene of Bethlehem. God does not come to overpower us but to woo us. The infant Jesus is not bold but the angels are to point Him out. The infant Jesus is small so that we might be truly free to love Him.

Much like a fairy tale where the prince dresses as the pauper to see who receives him with love, the Prince of Peace comes as a defenseless babe to allow us to love Him. Does Jesus deserve fanfare, majesty, and solemnity? Yes and it is good for us to honor Him so! But He comes to us in the quiet of night, in the quiet of a voiceless child to allow us to love Him.

The Prophet Isaiah says: “For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for flames. For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.” The boots, the battle, the cloak and the blood are our own struggles with sin. Our battle against sin in ourselves, in others, and in the world will be ended. The baby can put an end to battle, to strife, to sin and to war because He lays claim by His very existence. A baby is greater than a speech or a story or a sign in the sky because a baby lives!

Those of us who meet this baby on His level, without pretense or pride, we who meet Jesus in humility and love receive His peace and joy. Whoever meets Jesus in the weakness of a baby receives His peace and joy to bring and to share with all others. So as we kneel at the manger this Christmas morning, as we kneel at the foot of the Crucifix this Mass, let us lay down our pride, our pretense and our battles. Let us ask the meek baby who is the Lord to relieve us of the burden of sin and strife so we may receive His peace and joy and so be His missionaries to the world.

Christmas Vigil

2008-12-27T09:55:00.003-06:00

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Is it found in cookies? Is it found in trees? Is it found in gifts? What is the true meaning of Christmas?

The true meaning of Christmas is in cookies, for they remind us of the sweetness of our Lord. Most food is practical- meat and potatoes to keep us going each day, but a cookie is impractical, a superabundant gift of love! That is why we bake cookies at Christmas, we spend precious time and express ourselves to imitate that superabundant love of God in Jesus Christ.

The true meaning of Christmas is in trees, for they remind us of the life giving power of God. All around the evergreen tree, everything is dead or dormant: the noble oak and the beautiful rose are all silent, but the evergreen still grows in the dead of winter. God the Father works through the Spirit of Jesus to bring us life in the midst of death.

The true meaning of Christmas is found in gifts, for they remind us of the supreme gift of God in Jesus Christ. Gifts were given out of the beautiful desire to imitate God. We give gifts to our family and friends, not because they’ve earned it, but because we love them. God gives Himself to us in His Son, Jesus Christ, not because we’ve earned the gift but because He loves us.

The true meaning of Christmas can be found in many different ordinary things around us, we’ve only forgotten the reason that our ancestors began to bake, decorate, and give. The reason our ancestors began all of “this” that we now consider Christmas is one word.

Emmanuel.

The highest and truest meaning of Christmas, Emmanuel, a Hebrew word that means, “God is with us.”

Emmanuel, God is with us. What does it mean that “God is with us?” It is easy to believe that God is with us when everything goes our way. When we hit the lotto, when it is 70 and sunny, when we get straight A’s but what about the other days? What about the bankrupt, the corrupt, the sinful, the betraying and betrayed days? That is when we most need to know- God is with us.

The prophet Isaiah speaks the Word of God and says: “For Zion’s sake, I will not be silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like burning torch.” God says, I know you have been forsaken and desolate but I will make you delighted and espoused to Me, in fact as a young man marries a virgin, I will marry you and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you.

Jesus is the sign that God delights in us just as our cookies signify our delight in others. Words fade away, parchment crumbles, but the gift of a life stands forever. Even people who do not believe that Jesus is Lord, know that He historically existed. He is God’s enduring gift to us. Let us enshrine, welcome, and delight in Him so that we may know the Father’s delight in us.

4th Sunday of Advent

2008-12-27T09:51:00.002-06:00

Little green notepads, flashlights and tube socks. Throughout all my Christmas memories I consistently remember these three gifts: little green notepads, flashlights and tube socks. We always got my dad his yearly supply of little green notepads; they fit into his shirt pockets and he used them predictably. Speaking of my dad, he always got us flashlights: maglights, led powered, and even crank powered- but our stockings always had a new flashlight. As for the socks, well, whose Christmas doesn’t include socks? Some things are always the same. We know, more or less certainly, what we will receive on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. We know the gifts, the dinner, the cookies, and we even know how much weight we will gain as well as how long it will take to loose it.

What have we received spiritually at Christmas? Have we received joy, conversion, love of God or some other spiritual consolation? Or has your spiritual experience of Christmas been little different than green notebooks, flashlights, and tube socks?

The Church gives us this Gospel passage on this final Sunday of Advent to whet our spiritual appetites for Christmas. This was the pivotal moment of God’s relationship with humanity. Through out the Old Testament, God revealed himself partially, gradually, as we all do in our own relationships. But like a long courtship, here is the definitive moment. Mary represents all of humanity as she stands before the angel Gabriel and hears God’s fullest proposal to all of us. And Mary said yes. For herself and for all of us Mary said yes.

Each year at Christmas should be an opportunity for us to stand with Mary and receive God’s proposal. Jesus desires to be our intimate friend, our ready help, and our fullest fulfillment. All the ways that Jesus has called us, corrected us, and revealed himself to us through out the year can come to a peak at this moment. Can we say yes?

Mary didn’t say yes by her own strength, by her own ability. She is called “full of grace,” and told that the “power of the Most High will overshadow you.” It was the Holy Spirit who gave her the strength and courage to respond to the Lord’s call. The Lord offers us that very same Spirit in the life of His Church. Can we say yes?

Mary’s yes didn’t stop there, it wasn’t a fairy tale where “they all lived happily ever after,” but this was real life. Mary had to endure many trials- loosing Jesus for three days in the Temple when he was twelve and then sharing the agony of His crucifixion and death. Through it all, Mary was sustained by the Spirit of fortitude and remained faithful to her yes. Can we say yes?

We have all said, “yes,” in our baptism, our confirmation, our confessions, and our Sunday Mass. We know that even if we are unfaithful to our “yes,” our Lord will never abandon us. His friendship is constant and His desire is for our holiness and happiness. In these final days before Christmas, let us ask for Mary’s help so that we may follow her Son and her Lord with her very same faithfulness.

[Any profundity comes from Pope Benedict's Angelus message at WYD 2008]

3rd Sunday of Advent

2008-12-27T09:26:00.001-06:00

Gaudete in Dominum, gaudete in Dominum, omnes gentes, Alleluia! [sung]

Where does true joy come form? Sadly, true joy is too rare. Even more sadly true joy does not come from cookies, steaks, movies or sleep. I say sadly because I’ve spent many hours and many dollars seeking true joy in these things. Where does true joy come from? Gaudete in Dominum…

In our first reading, Isaiah says he rejoices in the Lord who clothes him in salvation. In our psalm response, we sing the Blessed Virgin Mary’s song “My soul rejoices in God my Savior.” In our second reading St. Paul speaks of the joy of persevering in the holy life. Where then do we find true joy? Gaudete in Dominum…

True joy will always and only come from the salvation of Jesus Christ. We are afflicted by sadness, stress and division because we are still enslaved by sin. Not only are we guilty of individual sins but we do like captives. The doubt and brokenness of sin keep us from experiencing the fullness of life. Jesus Christ is the true giver of joy: not MasterCard, Visa, or American Express. We try to imitate this joy by giving our own gifts but our best efforts fall short and like John the Baptist we are unworthy to even unfasten the sandals of Jesus who brings us true joy. Gaudete in Dominum…

So I’d like to help you find more joy this Advent by making a good confession. Our letter with confession and Mass times will be arriving at your homes this week. Until then let me remind you to pray and P.R.A.Y.

Prepare: find 5 or 10 minutes in the coming busy days to go over your life since your last confession. Write things down if you have to, even politicians use notes, why shouldn’t you?

Remember Mortal Sins: Each and every mortal sin must be confessed each year- and we remember that we should avoid receiving Holy Communion if we are in a state of Mortal Sin. If we are in doubt- bring it to confession.

Avoid generalities: Just like with your doctor, the more specific and simply you can state your sins, the better your confession. Don’t worry about context or reasons- if Father wants them, he’ll ask for them. Satan, our enemy, always wants to obscure things. Keep It Simple.

You’re not alone: the loneliest place in the world is the last 5 feet before the confessional. Remember, Father goes to confession just like you. Everyone else who is in line? They are going to confession as well. We all stand before God as sinners to receive mercy through Jesus Christ.

Once I was just a penitent and now I am a penitent and a confessor. I have always found joy, true joy in confession. I pray that you will to as you prepare for Christmas. I pray you will desire to come back to confession more frequently. I even hope you will leave the confessional, softly singing: Gaudete in Dominum…

Our Lady of Guadalupe Homily

2008-12-27T09:19:00.002-06:00

[Translated into Spanish by a kindly friend and given in Spanish]

On this day it is a great joy to gather with you to honor our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, by remembering the appearance of His Mother. Whatever language we speak, whatever country we come from and whatever country we live in, Our Lady Guadalupe offers us a fine example of the life of Christ. When we look at the image from St. Juan Diego’s tilma, we can learn three ways to imitate Our Lady as we follow our Lord Jesus Christ.

The first lesson Our Lady teaches is purity. Her eyes are focused on Jesus Christ, her son and her Lord. When we think of purity we should think of our Lady- every decision, every choice that she made on earth came from contemplating Jesus Christ. When we make Jesus Christ the first consideration in every thought, deed, and desire, then we will be pure.

The second lesson Our Lady teaches us is to give birth to Jesus. You notice that she wears the belt of someone who is pregnant. This is the only appearance of Mary where she is pregnant with Jesus. We must be ready to give birth to Jesus by inviting others to the Catholic life. After Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego, it was a brief matter of years before the people of Mexico received the faith. We join Mary in telling everyone about Jesus and the Catholic life.

The final lesson Our Lady teaches us is piety. See how her hands are folded in prayer? Every thing that happened to her was moment for prayer- when the angel Gabriel appeared, when she greeted Elizabeth, when Jesus was born and beyond. We must follow Mary and take every moment as an opportunity to pray.

Immaculate Conception Homily

2008-12-27T09:16:00.001-06:00

“In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.”

Today’s feast is about the Blessed Virgin Mary, but it is also about us. Tonight we honor the great work of God in Mary and renew our participation in His work in us.

Some people feel awkward about honoring Mary. Some people feel that honoring Mary takes away from Jesus Christ. When we understand what we celebrate—that at the beginning of her life, God protected Mary from sin—then we realize we do not simply honor Mary, we honor God. When we honor a painting, we give praise to the artist. God is the supreme author of the Immaculate Conception.

If we know our own sin, we know the need for this singular gift to Mary. We know that, like Adam and Eve, we are fearful of what God asks of us. Sin makes us afraid, grace allows us to say yes. If there were no grace, no Immaculate Conception, Mary would not have been free to say yes, to say “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord!”

At the same time, there is grace for us. There is grace through Jesus Christ so that we too may say yes, we too may say “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord!” God desires for us to be free from sin. God desires for us to not simply refrain from anger but to pray for those who harm us. God desires us to be fully alive, choosing him at all moments.

What God desires for us is not self-fulfillment but full participation in His own life. What the world calls “self-fulfillment” is a contradiction and is also too little for us. We have a loftier destination. We might say that conversion consists precisely in not considering ourselves as our own "creators" and thereby discovering the truth, for we are not the authors of ourselves. –Pope Benedict XVI

Let us ask Mary to help us, to pray for us as our Mother, our Patroness, and our example.

Catholics Come Home

2008-12-02T09:30:00.000-06:00

To Become Mothers of Christ

2008-11-21T13:39:00.003-06:00

Perhaps my favorite homily by Augustine on the Blessed Virgin Mary:

Stretching out his hand over his disciples, the Lord declared: Here are my mother and my brothers; anyone who does the will of my Father who sent me is my brother and my sister and my mother. I would urge you to ponder these words. Did the Virgin Mary, who believed by faith and conceived by faith, who was the chosen one from whom our Savior was born among men, who was created by Christ before Christ was created in her—did she not do the will of the Father? Indeed the blessed Mary certainly did the Father's will, and so it was for her a greater thing to have been Christ's disciple than to have been his mother[!], and she was more blessed in her discipleship than in her motherhood. Hers was the happiness of first bearing in her womb him whom she would obey as her master.

Now listen and see if the words of Scripture do not agree with what I have said. The Lord was passing by and crowds were following him. His miracles gave proof of divine power, and a woman cried out: Happy is the womb that bore you, blessed is that womb! But the Lord, not wishing people to seek happiness in a purely physical relationship, replied: More blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it. Mary heard God's word and kept it, so she is blessed [undeniably so]. She kept God's truth in her mind, a nobler thing than carrying his body in her womb. The truth and the body were both Christ: he was kept in Mary's mind insofar as he is truth, he was carried in her womb insofar as he is man; but what is kept in the mind is of a higher order than what is carried in the womb.

The Virgin Mary is both holy and blessed, and yet the Church is greater than she. Mary is a part of the Church, a member of the Church, a holy, an eminent—the most eminent—member, but still only a member of the entire body. The body undoubtedly is greater than she, one of its members. This body has the Lord for its head, and head and body together make up the whole Christ. In other words, our head is divine—our head is God.

Now, beloved, give me your whole attention, for you also are members of Christ; you also are the body of Christ. Consider how you yourselves can be among those of whom the Lord said: Here are my mother and my brothers. Do you wonder how you can be the mother of Christ?[you most certainly can!] He himself said: Whoever hears and fulfills the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and my sister and my mother. As for our being the brothers and sisters of Christ, we can understand this because although there is only one inheritance and Christ is the only Son, his mercy would not allow him to remain alone. It was his wish that we too should be heirs of the Father, and co-heirs with himself.

Now having said that all of you are brothers of Christ, shall I not dare [!!!Don't we shy away from this idea?] to call you his mothers? Much less would I dare to deny his own words. Tell me how Mary became the mother of Christ, if it was not by giving birth to the members of Christ? You, to whom I am speaking, are the members of Christ. Of whom were you born? "Of Mother Church," I hear the reply of your hearts. You became sons of this mother at your baptism, you came to birth as members of Christ. Now you in your turn must draw to the font of baptism as many as you possibly can. You became sons when you were born there yourselves, and now by bringing others to birth in the same way, you have it in your power to become mothers of Christ.

Revolutionary Pope

2008-11-20T10:12:00.002-06:00

Peter Seewald is a German journalist who had wandered far from his home in the Catholic Church. Then, in he sat down for an interview with then Cardinal Ratzinger, the seemingly polarizing head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. A funny thing happened on the way to the publisher. Peter Seewald returned to the practice of his Catholic faith. Since then he has remained a friend with, now Pope Benedict.

He has a new book out Benedict XVI: An Intimate Portrait. Here is a sample of the preface:

The man from Bavaria--contrary to all the projections dumped onto his shoulders--is a revolutionary of the Christian type. Seeking out what was lost and saving it is the constant element in his life. An inconvenient man who can seize on the spirit of the times, who warns people against the aberrations of modern life. Anyone who really wants change, he cries out, needs a change in his consciousness and his personal behavior--anything else is insufficient. Now, as Benedict XVI, the most powerful German at the beginning of the new millennium may offer a new opportunity for Europe and, especially, for his homeland. And Peter's successor has given his own people an exciting motto for this: "We are not working to defend a position of power", he says. "In truth we are working so that the streets of the world may be open for Christ."

h/t: Carl Olson

Sounds like a good gift idea for the Papist in your family...

Marvel at God's wonders in the Hail Mary

2008-11-14T11:21:00.003-06:00

Has anyone ever bugged you about praying the Rosary? Have you ever bugged someone else about praying the Rosary? Need a new perception on Mary? I came across an article today by Dr. Edward Sri, professor at the Augustine Institute. Here is a snippet:

Put yourself in Gabriel's shoes:
...The first line -- "Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee" -- is drawn right from the angel Gabriel's words to Our Lady in the Annunciation scene (Lk. 1:28). To more fully appreciate the meaning of this opening line in the Hail Mary, imagine what these words originally meant to the Archangel Gabriel. Gabriel is an angel who existed long before Mary did. Gabriel has been around a lot longer than the nation of Israel or the entire human family. In fact, Gabriel was there when God first created the world. From the beginning of his existence, Gabriel has been worshiping, adoring, and loving the infinite, almighty God, the Creator: the Blessed Trinity.

And now, this great angel is sent to a little planet in the universe called earth . . . to a small, insignificant village called Nazareth . . . to a tiny little creature, a woman named Mary -- in order to announce to her that the all-holy, all-powerful God he has been worshipping from the beginning of his existence is about to become a little baby in her womb. In awe over that profound mystery of his eternal God becoming a little embryo in Mary's womb, Gabriel greets Mary saying, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk. 1:28). Indeed, the Lord has not been with anyone like He is about to be with Mary. In joyful wonder, Gabriel recognizes this, and his words give praise to God for becoming man in her.

Do read it.

Are we being used or are we salt?

2008-11-14T11:14:00.003-06:00

Fr. Neuhaus, of First Things, has a great article on their blog:

Christianity entered history as a revolutionary philosophy, a radically different understanding of cosmic reality, of the dignity of the human person, and a new proposal of nothing less than the story of the world centered in the life, death, resurrection, and promised coming again of the one who is both true God and true man, Jesus Christ. It is a very considerable demotion for Christianity to be treated as a useful appendage to the political competitions of the earthly city that is the Babylon of our exile. St. Augustine’s City of God promised ever so much more than that.

Read it all.

U.S. Bishops to President-Elect

2008-11-12T14:07:00.003-06:00

For those of you with a real life, the U.S. Catholic Bishops have been at their semiannual meeting in Baltimore this week. Rocco reports a full text of the Bishops' statement to President Elect-Obama. I'm quite pleased, even if no one consulted me...[I'm in blue for our Lady.]

STATEMENT of the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
“If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor; if the Lord does not watch over the city, in vain does the watchman keep vigil.” (Psalm 127, vs. 1) [Psalm 127 is one of my favorites, we are all under God's providence, no matter how great our earthly might.]
The Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States welcome this moment of historic transition and look forward to working with President-elect Obama and the members of the new Congress for the common good of all. Because of the Church’s history and the scope of her ministries in this country [we are not some crack-pot offshoot, we have been here and we are a valid part of society], we want to continue our work for economic justice and opportunity for all; our efforts to reform laws around immigration and the situation of the undocumented; our provision of better education and adequate health care for all, especially for women and children; our desire to safeguard religious freedom and foster peace at home and abroad. The Church is intent on doing good and will continue to cooperate gladly with the government and all others working for these goods [earlier, Cardinal George said, "common ground cannot be found by destroying the common good."]
The fundamental good is life itself, a gift from God and our parents. A good state protects the lives of all. Legal protection for those members of the human family waiting to be born in this country was removed when the Supreme Court decided Roe vs. Wade in 1973. This was bad law. The danger the Bishops see at this moment is that a bad court decision will be enshrined in bad legislation that is more radical than the 1973 Supreme Court decision itself. [This is not a religious issue, but one of law, one of truth. Also this is not an issue for the art of politics and compromise.]
In the last Congress, a Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) was introduced that would, if brought forward in the same form today, outlaw any “interference” in providing abortion at will. It would deprive the American people in all fifty states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry. FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. It would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government and others of good will to reduce the number of abortions in our country.
Parental notification and informed consent precautions would be outlawed, as would be laws banning procedures such as partial-birth abortion and protecting infants born alive after a failed abortion. Abortion clinics would be deregulated. The Hyde Amendment restricting the federal funding of abortions would be abrogated. FOCA would have lethal consequences for prenatal human life.
FOCA would have an equally destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children. It would threaten Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Charities. It would be an evil law that would further divide our country, and the Church should be intent on opposing evil.
On this issue, the legal protection of the unborn, the bishops are of one mind with Catholics and others of good will. They are also pastors who have listened to women whose lives have been diminished because they believed they had no choice but to abort a baby. Abortion is a medical procedure that kills, and the psychological and spiritual consequences are written in the sorrow and depression of many women and men. The bishops are single-minded because they are, first of all, single-hearted. [I am hoping that we are seeing a consolidation of the Bishops in their public address on abortion. This could be great fruit of this year.]
The recent election was principally decided out of concern for the economy, for the loss of jobs and homes and financial security for families, here and around the world. If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve. [That is precisely where President-elect Obama and his transition team are aiming: establishing ideological victories on what was a practical referendum.] Abortion kills not only unborn children; it destroys constitutional order and the common good, which is assured only when the life of every human being is legally protected. [This cannot be emphasized enough, though this letter isn't the place. Rights, order, and the common good are only assured when life is an absolute. The moment life becomes contingent on surroundings, functionality, or some other factor, then no right is assured. That is why we must persuade and win hearts.] Aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion.
This statement is written at the request and direction of all the Bishops, who also want to thank all those in politics who work with good will to protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us. Those in public life do so, sometimes, at the cost of great sacrifice to themselves and their families; and we are grateful. We express again our great desire to work with all those who cherish the common good of our nation. The common good is not the sum total of individual desires and interests; it is achieved in the working out of a common life based upon good reason and good will for all.
Our prayers accompany President-elect Obama and his family and those who are cooperating with him to assure a smooth transition in government. [We must take seriously our divine mandate of prayer for all leaders- remember, the Empire that Paul prays for will be the one who kills him. And if FOCA passes, Matthew 5:44: "Pray for those who persecute you."] Many issues demand immediate attention on the part of our elected “watchman.” (Psalm 127) May God bless him and our country.

Student at a Catholic School wonders

2008-11-11T15:57:00.000-06:00

This editorial comes from St. Mary's College in California, where a student wonders: Are we Catholic? Sounds like a good question for each one of us to ask ourselves.

The student holds nothing back: "the late Pope John Paul II, who stated: "Catholic teaching and discipline are to influence all university activities, while the freedom of conscience of each person is to be fully respected. Any official action or commitment of the University is to be in accord with its Catholic identity." Does Saint Mary's uphold this creed? I answer that question simply and sadly: no."

By their fruit you shall know them...

2008-11-11T11:42:00.002-06:00

Rally turns violent

-from CBS 2 in Palm Springs, we hear that opposition to the civil decision regarding marriage in California is getting hostile. It seems to me that the fruit is indicative of the seed that was sown:

A gay rights rally at the Palm Springs City Hall turned violent Friday night when a woman showed up carrying a styrofoam cross. A scuffle took place and an angry crowd even turned on our KPSP Local 2 crew.

"They began grabbing me. It was like a dog pack," Phyllis Burgess, a Prop 8 supporter, said.

All caught on tape, the video shows one protester grabbing the styrofoam cross from Burgess' hands. Another protesters is shown stomping on it. Burgess says she was struck on the head and spit on.

"The crowd was very angry that someone was here that they felt didn't belong here," Burgess said. "But I've lived in this city for 30 years."

"I don't want to keep it peaceful anymore," one protester yelled. "We should fight! We should fight!" he shouted.

During a live interview with KPSP Local 2, protesters encircled Burgess. Yelling expletives and hateful slurs, the crowd turned their anger on our news crew. Many were angry that the woman was given a chance to express her opinions.

Out of hundreds at the rally, only dozens were a part of the chaos. "The majority of the crowd didn't (get involved)," said Stan Janas, a gay rights supporter. "We stayed with our own agenda."

Thanks to Saint Louis Catholic.

Thank Your Bishop and One Other

2008-11-07T09:33:00.004-06:00

In the days after this election, there has been some analyses stating that Bishops who spoke out against abortion were ineffective. The implied conclusion is that the Bishops should not speak out against abortion.

Hogwash.

Whatever happened, they were forming consciences. So please take some time in the next weeks to write a "snail-mail" note of thanks to your local bishop who spoke out and at least one other. Make it a spiritual bouquet or some other spiritual offering if you wish, but let him know of your gratitude. Bishops lives are filled with many crosses, maybe you can be Veronica or the Cyrene.

To find other bishops to support, check this link from Inside Catholic. If you need "snail mail" addresses, please check the various diocesan websites.

If "snail mail" is too intimidating, feel free to find an email address!

Abortion Culture

2008-10-24T15:35:00.004-05:00

Art Marmorstein is a professor at NSU in Aberdeen and a fine man. Here is his latest article from our local paper, the Aberdeen American News.

Healthy families depend on healthy society

Published on Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Two years ago, South Dakotans rejected a legislative measure that would have banned virtually all abortions in South Dakota. Polls showed that, had a couple of exceptions been added to the measure, it would have passed overwhelmingly.

One might have expected our state legislators to immediately propose a new abortion bill, this time including the exceptions that would have ensured voter approval. But that's not what happened. “Give the issue a rest,” argued many. “It's too soon to take it up again.”

And they had a point. Keeping the abortion issue on the front burner makes it very, very hard for us to be civil to one another. For pro-lifers, killing unborn babies is a lot like - well, it's a lot like killing babies. And if you've ever watched ultrasounds or listened to the heartbeat of a developing baby or held your own newborn, well it turns your stomach to think of what people do to so many of these little ones. Unless you shove the whole issue into the background and pretend it isn't happening, it is very hard to be civil.

It helps, however, to place the abortion controversy in historical perspective and to look at the reasons that many societies have accepted, not just abortion, but outright infanticide.

Infanticide, while an occasional practice in some cultures, becomes commonplace mostly in societies where men assume little or no responsibility for raising families or supporting the children they father.

In contemporary America, insistence on an abortion option for women likewise corresponds directly to male abandonment of family responsibilities.

We used to have no use for men who didn't marry the women they seduced and who refused to support the children they fathered. We called them cads. But “cad” is such a quaint and old-fashioned word it has lost its sting. We need something stronger. My students suggest that, in the name of gender-equity, we ought to call promiscuous males sluts. I think we need a combination of the slut/cad image: we should start calling irresponsible men “cluts” or (perhaps better) “scads.”

Now suppose a woman was counting on the support of her partner if she became pregnant. He turns out, however, to be a scad. One has to be sympathetic: If he can walk away, why shouldn't she be able to too?

The trouble is that, when a society accepts birth-control abortion, it's giving its tacit approval to the scads. Early feminists hated abortion, viewing it, not as a boon to women, but as a convenience for unscrupulous men. And they were right.

If abortion is legal, what exactly is a man's responsibility toward his pregnant partner? His half of the couple of hundred bucks it takes for an abortion - and that's all. If the woman wants the baby, well, that's her decision (choice), but leave me out of it.

Unfortunately, that's really the way many men have begun to think: We're getting scads of scads.

And here's the problem with the rhetoric of “choice.” Accepting abortion on demand changes society in fundamental ways. It alters profoundly the relationship between men and women, changing the whole pattern of courtship and marriage - and not just in those situations where there is an unplanned pregnancy. Marriage gradually moves toward obsolescence, baby or no. What good is “choice” if the option one would like most is not an option any more?

If one really wants healthy families, Measure 11 is a good start. It leaves plenty of room for choice and promotes a return to the kind of society where the choices available are more likely to be good ones.

Teachers and Saints

2008-10-24T15:31:00.003-05:00

I presented the following to our Catholic School teachers as part of their inservice, enjoy!

I may still be under 30, but in my eleventh year after leaving the Yankton Public School District, I can still remember almost everyone of my teachers. There is something basic about a teacher. The memory of those teachers whom mentored and guided us is perhaps the most enduring throughout our life. I wanted to be a teacher. I originally went to school with the lofty triple major of chemistry, music, and secondary education. In my final year of high school nothing offered a more satisfying future than living as I had been taught.

Mr. Medeck was my hero. Mr. Powell was my friend. Bob Medeck taught chemistry at Yankton High School for over 30 years. He wore the same outfit everyday and was 100% nerd! He told silly jokes about Avogadro’s number and always found science in the news. I still remember some of his lines, “If you had a base you could wash yourself with yourself!”

Ted Powell was our band director and was easy going and a huge joker. Except when it was competition- whether in the field or in ensemble, you didn’t mess with Ted before a competition. Ted was self-depreciating in his humor, always willing to make a fool of himself, his weight, and even his job if it would bring the student a greater love of music. Some students made the mistake of thinking his sense of humor meant he didn’t care. Mr. Powell’s heart was the biggest part of him.

I wanted to be like them, to emulate them.

Mrs. Pierce
Mr. Merril
Mrs. Bailey
Mr. Gevins
Mrs. Notheis
Mrs. Winter
Mrs. Winner
Mr. West

What greater goal is there in a teacher’s heart, than for the student strive after them? Striving after is different than looking up to. Looking up to means the teacher is above and beyond the student and the difference between the two is emphasized. Striving after means the teacher invites the student to come up where they are in adulthood, maturity, knowledge and wisdom. To put it another way: teachers shouldn’t desire to elicit admiration but aspiration. This is teaching.

My teachers taught my heart to strive. Mr. Medeck’s love of esters, Mr. Powell’s love of Gustav Holst, Mr. Winter’s love of Arthur Miller, and Mrs. Schultz’s love of all fiction inspired me to the same. I am the man I am. I am the priest I am, not because of any singular gift but because I was taught to strive.

In your own heart of hearts, the joy of striving lives as well. Whether it is your own striving after your own inspiration, your own urging on of your students or some combination, you know this joy. Teachers must know this joy or else the prospect of Monday mornings, over-protective parents, and endless lesson plans will sap whatever other good they receive through salary, friendship, and summer vacations. You know this same joy.

This is the joy of sainthood.

If you understand this joy, then blessed are you, for you understand the joy of the saints. If you understand the joy of striving and achieving, then you know a taste of the joy of brothers and sisters in holiness. You also understand then, why nothing will ever replace teachers and nothing will ever replace saints. No matter how we try to learn from a book or a DVD or other medium, nothing will ever replace an “in-the-flesh” witness, whether that witness is chemistry, music, grammar or the faith in Jesus Christ.

Your decision to be teachers in a Catholic school means that you desire your students to aspire and strive, not simply in reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also in faith. Your witness of an integrated and full Christian faith is testimony not only to the goodness, fruitfulness, and beauty of the Faith but also that it can be received and achieved. St. Augustine, in the 4th Century said that he believes the Scriptures because of the Church— not because he was commanded to believe but because he saw men and women living out the way, the truth, and the life of Jesus Christ as described in the Scriptures. You are called and you are capable to the Gospel of Jesus Christ to your students.

We know that none of us is perfect, as teachers or as Christians. We know that we all need to grow and be strengthened and sometimes even to prune and to trim. My prayer for you as that you’ll view this little adventure this year with the Catechism for Adults as such an opportunity. It uses the story of saints and clear descriptions to show us who and what we should be aiming at. You do not have to be an expert to appreciate this Catechism, you just have to aspire and strive to imitate Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is living and effective, cutting more surely than any two-edged sword. The Truth is always this way. We think we have learned everything about a language, a science, or an art and then we find that the Truth is bigger. The Faith is the Truth and so the Faith is always bigger. The Saints are not those women and men who mastered the Faith and reached a state of perfection, but the Saints are those women and men who never stopped striving and reaching, they never stopped asking for forgiveness and healing.

My desire for each of you is to become Saints! To become a Saint is not boring or monotonous but is the greatest adventure of human life. Am I aiming high? No higher than Jesus who desires us to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Homily for 28th Sunday Year A

2008-10-13T13:55:00.001-05:00

We all have choices: Doritoes or Cheetos, Chips Ahoy! or Oreos, Roncalli or Central…well at least sometimes you can choose both. As a Catholic priest, one nice thing about the Mass is that I don’t make many choices. The Church has set out the color of vestments, the prayers for each Sunday and the readings. But every once and a while, the Church throws us a curve ball and says, “You can choose between the long and the short form of the reading.”

Now, you might think there wouldn’t be much different between the long and the short form, but you’d think wrong. Today’s Gospel, if I had read the short form, would have ended:

“Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.”

But the whole Gospel passage, indeed, the whole story that Jesus tells in this 22nd Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel ends with this thought:

“Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen."

What a difference?

So if Jesus ended his parable the first way, my homily to you would have three parts: First, invite people to Mass, second, invite people to Mass, and third, invite people to Mass. Fr. Joe and I try to do that already but you meet and know so many more, whether in your work place or your neighborhoods. You know people who got mad with priests or had a tragedy and left the Church, invite them back. Maybe they aren’t Catholic but are interested in the fullness of the Christian life, invite them to join our RCIA classes that just started, or simply give us a call with their name and phone number so we can reach out to them.

Much like the Gospel, we might be comfortable stopping here, but, just like the Gospel, we need to continue on with this story of inviting people to Mass. Think about this poor fellow who was thrown out by the king, what were his neighbors thinking as they walked in with him. Surely someone else noticed that he wasn’t wearing a wedding garment? But no one said anything! If we invite people to Mass, we must not let them come unprepared.

First, invite them to Mass! Second, let them know that the Mass is different from a prayer service or Sunday Worship. The Mass is the prayer of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The Mass is not something we make up but Jesus’ own prayer in which the Holy Spirit allows us to take part. The Mass is the wedding feast of God and the human race through the Cross of Jesus Christ. With that in mind we need to remind our guests of the customs for this wedding feast.

If they are not Catholic, let them know that cannot invite them to receive communion when they join us. They have to wait for that full communion of the Sacraments and faith that comes at Easter time. If they are Catholic, gently remind them of the need for confession. Some people are afraid of confession, especially if they have been away from the life of the Church for some time. Don’t be afraid to invite them to come with you, leading by example is always very powerful. No one is too sinful or too far for a good confession.

When you invite them to Mass, remind them of the simple things you learned as a child but that might seem foreign to them. Remind them not to chew gum. Invite them to fast for one hour before Mass, just like you fast. Invite them to dress nicely- sometimes that small effort of a shirt or slacks to change into after a soccer match can be very moving. Finally, show them the missalette so they can see the prayers and readings.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, this participation in Jesus’ own prayer, is the greatest gift that God has given us. Do not be afraid to invite in those who have left or forgotten it. Do not be afraid to invite your non-Catholic friends to consider the faith. Do not be afraid to let them know how to properly take part so they won’t feel awkward. Do let them know that through the Mass we can turn to the Lord.

Respect Life Sunday

2008-10-05T18:45:00.004-05:00

Sin is irrational. Sin is illogical. It doesn’t make sense. Plain and simply- whether you want to think of sin as a violation of God’s Law or a betrayal of His Love- sin makes no sense.

Understanding sin in the hearts of the tenants in today's Gospel helps us understand our own illogical sin. These tenants, these managers, of this vineyard act illogically. They knew the promise they had made with the owner of the vineyard. They knew that the owner had a natural right to receive a share in the labor. Yet they rebel, beating and killing the servants and eventually going after the son of the owner himself. Listen to what they think, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.”

This makes no sense. In the tenant’s selfishness they forget that the owner has been fair. They forget that the owner has entrusted them with a beautifully appointed vineyard. They forget that the owner has only ever been just in what he has asked in return. Though we don’t know the exact fate of the tenants, it is fair to say they didn’t long hold onto the son’s inheritance.

Many of our own sins make no sense, either. We have been entrusted with many gifts: brains, brawn, money, success, and all of them have been given to us by God and we must put them all to good use. We in America especially have gifts of success and power that God has given in our democracy- even if we are in a recession. We will be accountable to God for the ways we treat the poor, the hungry, and the homeless. If we don’t use those gifts for good, we are acting illogically.

The greatest, most potent, most precious gift that God gives us is life. The fact that I have breath this day is a gift. I do not control it, I can not lengthen it, and I must cherish my life. As long as I am alive there are possibilities, there are opportunities for grace, goodness, and God. And I also must cherish your life.

I cannot imagine how sad it is for those for whom life seems like a burden. Is this not the ultimate curse- the gift of life, with opportunity and promise becomes a sign of despair from which the only hope is death, the end of life. Whether it is the elderly, the young, the depressed, or the unborn, all people need to be cherished, to be revered, and to be esteemed. Those who despair life: from their own suffering, their own unexpected pregnancy, or their own depression must be given every opportunity to find this irrefutable truth: life is hope.

As tenants of our own lives, of our families, our parish and our society, we will be accountable for how we care for the weak, the poor, the elderly, and the unborn. If we have opportunities to defend them, to visit them, and to protect them we must take it. Instead of fearing life we must choose life. Instead of fearing the owner of the vineyard, the giver of life, we must bring him a rich harvest, the fruit of our own life. And then we will be people of hope.

South Dakotans against Abortion

2008-09-26T15:46:00.002-05:00

As you may- or may not- know, South Dakota is again attempting a sweeping ban on abortions. In 2006, Referred Law 6, which would have banned all abortions and prosecuted doctors not women, was defeated after a careful campaign by the pro-abortion lobby that maximized on South Dakotan's libertarian tendencies.

The current attempt, Initiated Measure 11, includes careful exceptions for rape, incest, and health. This is a careful response to Referred Law 6, as the opposition's main claim was against the lack of exceptions. They ran scare tactics of rape and incest pregnancies and there was little engagement of the actual issue: when does life begin and deserve protection?

Last time, we were mostly in the inter-regnum, between bishops. While our bishop-administrator, Bishop Samuel Aquila, is a good and holy man, he was very busy and we were without a shepherd in the crucial weeks before hand. Now we have our own shepherd and Bishop Swain is leading and feeding us:

[My comments in red]

September 26, 2008
Statement Regarding Initiated Measure 11
The Most Rev. Paul J. Swain

Initiated Measure 11 will be on the election ballot on November 4. It seeks to enact into state law a prohibition on abortions except for those that are the result of rape or incest or certain dangers to the life or health of the mother. After prayerful discernment and consultation[This is not horse-hockey, Bishop Swain utters no unconsidered words!], I will vote yes on Initiated Measure 11 and encourage others to do so as well.

The proposed law does not include the fullness of Church teaching [Clear Church teaching, breathe it in!]. Many of us remain deeply disappointed with the defeat of the Women’s Health and Human Life Protection Act, known as Referred Law 6, in the 2006 state election. That would have been the boldest and most powerful statement for life possible. It remains what we must continue to work toward: respect for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death, including caring about all mothers and all children. That electoral defeat, however, creates the environment in which Initiated Measure 11 is offered. [This is most important, Bishop Swain is making a prudential judgment and offering prudent advice: Prudence- the right thing, at the right time, in the right way.] It is the judgment of those who have proposed this law that a total ban on abortions is not politically possible based on that result. It is not for me to not make judgments about political realities. [Be clear on what he says, he did not judge the political reality that predicated a compromise, but he will support the compromise offered as better than the current law.] We must, however, respond to what is before us.

Earlier in the year when the circulation in parishes of petitions to place this proposed law on the election ballot was authorized, I commented on the principle of gradualism or incrementalism in moral theology. The Bishops of the United States in the document adopted last November titled “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” discussed this principle: “Sometimes morally flawed laws already exist. In this situation, the process of framing legislation to protect life is subject to prudential judgment and ‘the art of the possible’. At times this process may restore
justice only partially or gradually. [As in Initiated Measure 11] For example, Pope John Paul II taught that when a government official who fully opposes abortion cannot succeed in completely overturning a pro-abortion law, he or she may work to improve protection for unborn human life, ‘limiting the harm done by such a law’, and lessening its negative impact as much as possible (Evangelium Vitae, no. 73). Such incremental improvements in the law are acceptable as steps toward the full restoration of justice. However, Catholics must never abandon the moral requirement to seek full protection for all human life from the moment of conception until natural death”. (32)

I have concluded that this is such a case. Current law essentially allows abortion on demand. We have an opportunity to do what we can to “limit the harm done by such a law.” If this law is enacted, over 95 [!!! And I think this is a conservative estimate] percent of abortions currently performed in South Dakota would be prohibited. And it would send a clear message to abortion providers that their culture of death is not the will of the people of South Dakota.

Abortion advocates oppose this law because they say that it allows government into the private decision-making of individuals. If that were the standard there would be few laws. Law by its definition intrudes into the lives of individuals for the common good. What can be more significant for the common good than the right to be born? The unborn have no private decision making freedom.

Some who have worked hard in the pro-life movement oppose this law because they do not accept the principle of gradualism and therefore cannot vote for any law with exceptions. I honor their work and respect their position. [Though I disagree with them. Nobody asked me, though...]

Others oppose this law because of disagreements with the political or legal strategies that have been advanced for it, or the likelihood that courts will prevent it from taking effect. Still others oppose the law because in some states the health of the mother exception has been used as a loophole to continue to allow abortion on demand. The language in Initiated Measure 11 has been reviewed by noted moral theologians and experts in bioethics. I have been assured that the language in this law is carefully worded and closes this loophole. None of us can predict future
decisions by those in the political or legal system. [Prudence!] We can and must address what is before us.

The fact is that when we enter the voting both on November 4, the question will be presented to us [Dt 30:15-20, "I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom."]: yes or no, do you wish to replace the current law which allows abortion on demand with a law that would eliminate almost all abortions? My answer is yes. This law can be an important step forward in protecting the lives of the unborn and their mothers.

As we do so, we reaffirm the fullness of the Church’s teaching, that all life is sacred, that the taking of life in abortion is a grave evil, and that no exceptions can be endorsed as a good in themselves.

Whatever the outcome on Election Day, let us also recommit ourselves to defending all life from conception to natural death, always with civility and charity, but always.

I would ask pastors to make this letter available to the faithful.

Please pray for Bishop Swain and Bishop Cupich.
Our Lady and St. Joseph- patrons of the Church in South Dakota, pray for us!

Homily for the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

2008-09-14T12:21:00.001-05:00

Back in the 1990’s there was a television show, humbly entitled, “Hercules: the Legendary Journeys!” It featured the dashing Hercules, who went from town to town, protecting innocent villagers from monsters, thieves, or the whims of the gods. Now, don’t feel bad if you don’t remember it, because my homily won’t hinge on any plot lines. You don’t need to remember Hercules’s hulking muscles and flowing hair or any cheesy monsters, you just need to remember this: the Greek gods are portrayed as whimsical and detached beings who care little about men and women below.

The vision of gods in the Greek world was one where they floated above the world on Mt. Olympus. This vision of god is probably not to far removed from what many of us still carry today—god is in some far away heaven and occasionally, like some distant, rich uncle, he gives us a taste of the good life. Into this vision of god—remote, distant, and separated, comes the God of Jesus Christ and the image of the Holy Cross.

We celebrate today the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. To the ancient Greco-Roman world, the Catholic claim of the cross was complete foolishness. If you are familiar with Greek mythology, you remember that Zeus might take on human appearance to chase after women, causing more harm than help. Catholics believe that God—all-powerful, all knowing, ever living—assumed a human body and soul, not to find pleasure but to enter into our pain. This is the mystery and the glory of the Holy Cross.

What is the meaning of the cross? The sign of the cross is often reduced to a good-luck charm- around our necks or over our body when we begin a test. The Cross of Jesus Christ does not promise us success, health, or pleasure. The Cross only promises us that Jesus will be with us, no matter how badly we suffer, no matter how badly we fail, and no matter how horribly we feel. Jesus said, “Behold I am with you always until the end of the age.” It is through His Cross that Jesus is with us- that is the meaning of the Cross and that is the meaning of our Christian faith.

God enters into the depth, the pit of human experience through Jesus’ crucifixion and death. We are not alone. We wish that the Holy Cross meant that we don’t have to suffer, but it means that God chose to suffer with us. God’s ways are not our ways. The lesson of the Holy Cross is still very hard for us. That is why the Holy Cross became THE sign of the Catholic faith. Even in our Churches, known for stained glass, statues, and stations- the only image that is explicitly required is a cross, depicting Christ crucified. How often do we struggle to believe in God when things are going well? How much more do we need to remember that God is with us, even in our sufferings?

The Holy Cross becomes a sign of hope. When we look on the Holy Cross, we can believe that there is hope beyond our suffering, our failures, and our loss. We can believe that there is hope for the single pregnant mother, hope for the terminally ill, and hope for the poor. There is hope because God will not abandon us in our sufferings.

We must always exalt and lift up the Cross of Jesus Christ. The God of Jesus Christ did not fail the city of Houston in the path of hurricane Ike. The God of Jesus Christ did not fail the faithful parishioner afflicted with cancer. The God of Jesus Christ did not fail Coach Meyer in his accident and diagnosis. The God of Jesus Christ suffers with them. The God of Jesus Christ suffers with us. The God of Jesus Christ is with us.

No homily from last Sunday

2008-09-11T15:21:00.002-05:00

Our Deacon preached last weekend- and quite brilliantly- so I didn't prepare a homily.

BUT!

Here is something equally stimulating

You can see more from John Cleese here, though remember it is John Cleese so it might not always be appropriate!

Homily for 22nd Sunday Year A

2008-08-31T11:04:00.002-05:00

I can still remember the last time I grew vertically. I’ve grown a lot horizontally since then, sometimes in and sometimes out, but the last time I grew in height was almost 10 years ago. I remember that I had grown because I was surprised. I came home from college for a break and before I even said hello to my parents or was tackled by my dog, I noticed. I stepped in our side door, looked at our fridge and thought- “I’m not that tall, am I?” I was so surprised that I had to ask whether my parents had gotten a new refrigerator. I quickly realized that it was not our fridge, but me who had changed.

Change is part of all human life. Sometimes we change without even being aware of it, but we all experience change. Sometimes it is physical, other times mental, emotional and yes, spiritual. But not all change is good. St. Paul concerns himself with change, and today he tells us about two types of change: to be conformed to the world or to be transformed by the renewal of our mind.

Conformity to the world can be gradual or sudden, partial or total. Conformity of the world happens when we choose to do things apart from or against Christ and His Church. The spirit of the world tells us to make ourselves the ultimate and final judge of good and evil- just as Satan told Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When Christ transforms us by the renewal of our minds, we choose all things by His judgment. The Spirit of Christ is one of obedience, following Scripture and the Church’s teaching.

St. Paul’s words mean that there is a right way and a wrong way to every part of human life. Even though we have been baptized, confirmed, and have received the Eucharist, we may not be right. We are Catholics, yes, but we can be bad Catholics. There is a good and right Catholic way to do all things: business, dating, fishing, music, even politics in any party, every human activity can be done in a good and right Catholic way. We believe that Jesus Christ is Lord of all under Heaven and on Earth, so to believe in Him is to allow Him to lay claim to everything we do.

Look at St. Peter in today’s Gospel. Just last week, in verse 16, he confesses that Jesus is the Christ, just last week, in verse 18 and 19 Jesus makes him the first Pope, and now, in verse 22, Peter tries to correct Jesus. “I believe that you are Lord, but I think you’ve got the wrong idea!” He is judging Jesus according to the spirit of this world and so Peter receives the harsh rebuke: “Get behind me Satan…you are thinking not as God does but as humans beings do.” Peter allowed himself to be conformed by this age, by the spirit of the world. How much more must we be on guard?

It is easy to go through life with gradual change that we never notice. St. Paul begs us, by the mercy of God, that we would live attentive, deliberate Catholic lives. Let us never be caught unawares in our sin, in our conformity to the spirit of the world. Let us make sure that every action, every choice, and every aspect of our life strives for the Spirit of Christ. Let us never forget that Christ desires to transform us; especially through the Sacraments of Confession and Mass. So let us turn to the Lord with confidence.

Nancy Pelosi Muddies the Water

2008-08-24T20:50:00.005-05:00

I'm a little busy on Sunday mornings, so you'll forgive me for not watching Meet the Press, but it has come to my attention that Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic and current House Speaker, made bold comments on Catholic Tradition and abortion. I'm not going to break it down, because Ireneaus did at Catholidoxy, please read his thorough post.

What Speaker Pelosi is trying to do is muddle the water for faithful Catholics who are trying to make difficult decisions. Most distressing to me is not political ramifications but eternal- what scared young woman, or man, or couple watching or reading this news might think it is okay to receive an abortion in their difficult pregnancy? Further, what eternal responisibility might Ms. Pelosi bear for permitting young people to make this sad decision?

Pray for Speaker Pelosi.
Pray for the Bishops to correct her false assumption.
Pray for those encouraged to abort by Speaker Pelosi's statement.

Homily for 21st Sunday Year A

2008-08-24T15:01:00.005-05:00

The Olympics are almost over and Michael Phelps will soon be on a Wheaties box. If you have watched any of it: from swimming and track to basketball and softball, you might have heard about the Olympic spirit. The modern Olympics were founded in the early 20th century to build a “better world [through] mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play.” This is certainly something we all can aim towards, isn’t it? But how well do the Olympics accomplish its goal?

While I was in Sydney, Australia, for the World Youth Day, I figured I would ask Sydney’s residents how this event compared with the 2000 Olympics that were also held in Sydney. It turned out to be an interesting question as the 2008 Olympics were on their minds already.

An interesting pattern emerged. It didn’t matter whether I spoke with Catholics or non-Catholics for all of them found the World Youth Day to be friendlier, more unified, and more inviting than the Olympics. Why? What is different from a World Youth Day and an International Olympics? Aren’t they both large international gatherings of friendship and solidarity?

One Sydney resident said that the Olympic athletes, while friendly and jovial at the beginning, soon focused on themselves. They had their events, their work, and their country to honor. World Youth Day pilgrims, on the other hand, didn’t care which flag you carried or which language you spoke, they all came to worship Jesus Christ.

There is the difference and there is the gift! As Catholics we can offer the world something that no one else, not even other Christian denominations can offer. We can offer them a real, in-the-flesh person to represent and to point us toward Jesus- the Pope.

World Youth Day pilgrims were united because we had a short, quiet, bookish 81-year-old celibate man to rally around. We rallied around Pope Benedict because he pointed us to Jesus Christ. Olympic athletes rally around human triumph or amazing human achievement-, which is good-, but they stop at the human. A pope points to something beyond human experience. A pope represents Jesus Christ. At the final Mass, with 500,000 souls attending and praying, you could look out over the crowd and see thousands of flags: African, South American, Asian flags, and flags from everywhere. Every tribe and tongue, people and nation was united in praise of Jesus Christ, united with Pope Benedict.

In today’s Gospel we hear about how Simon becomes Peter, about how Jesus Christ gives us his representative; we hear about the Pope. Peter becomes the Pope not because he is smart, good looking, witty, or athletic. Peter becomes the Pope because he identifies Jesus as Lord of Heaven and Earth, as the Messiah. Peter becomes Pope to lead, guide, and strengthen the one Church of Jesus Christ.

It is because of the gift of the Pope that we can be united on earth worshipping Jesus Christ. As Catholics we receive a foretaste of heavenly unity when we gather around our Pope and Bishops. We don’t have to worry whether we speak English, Spanish, or Swahili; we have one Lord Jesus Christ and One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church. We don’t even have to worry if we are from Groton, Fredrick, or Warner- we have one Lord Jesus Christ and One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church. Every tribe and tongue, people and nation in the Church is led by one Pope to worship one Lord.

Let us pray for our Pope Benedict, that after preaching to us about Jesus he may live that same faith. Let us pray for Catholics and Christians who don’t like or understand the gift of the Pope, that they see him as Christ’s gift for our unity of faith and action. Let us pray for ourselves that we may be grateful for our Holy Father and that we too may join with St. Peter and the whole Catholic Church as we confess Jesus Christ as Lord and God.

Render unto Caesar...a taste

2008-08-22T11:49:00.003-05:00

"Today, in practice, all political parties have self-described Catholics who are willing to trade their religious and moral convictions for power. All political parties have parts of their platforms that fly in the face of Catholic teaching. And all political parties contain Catholics who like to keep their personal faith tucked safely away at home. This is why Thomas More has so much to teach us, even today: He always placed the moral content of an issue before factional loyalty and personal interests." [emphasis in original]

Archbishop Charles Chaput, Render unto Casesar

Help a Catholic Campus

2008-08-22T09:32:00.002-05:00

Recent days have seen a story circulating the web regarding the University of San Diego, a Catholic University, that has rescinded the appointment of a pro-abortion faculty member. Sign an online petition to support and encourage the University of San Diego in their efforts to publicly uphold the Catholic faith.

Here are a couple articles on the story.

American Papist
American Papist part 2

Creative Minority Report
Creative Minority Report part 2

"No we can't..."

2008-08-19T13:24:00.002-05:00

On the First Things Blog, Archbishop Chaput has a well thought article on Abortion:

Third and finally, national campaigns—of every political party—always run on the language of hope, change, and the American Dream. This makes sense. Our leaders should inspire us; they should stir our hearts and call us to live the ideals that make America great. But sometimes the answer to the realities we face is not “yes, we can,” but “no, we can’t.” No, we can’t spend money like hedonists and outrun our debts forever. No, we can’t ignore the poor of the Third World and expect to be loved abroad. No, we can’t allow the killing of roughly one million unborn children a year and then posture ourselves as a moral society. No, we can’t make wicked things right by spinning them in a clever way.

While we're at it, order his new book- Render Unto Caesar- it is very compelling.

Homily for 20th Sunday Year A

2008-08-17T21:50:00.001-05:00

It’s August 16th, and by some people’s counting, the summer is almost over. There are just a few hours left of the Brown County Fair and soon we will need a new excuse for fried food. Soon, the temperature will drop and we will long for 88 degrees! And, since I want the young people to listen to this homily, I won’t even mention the start of school on Thursday. Yes, THIS Thursday.

Yes, summer is ending and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Instead, we can try to meet the year ahead with a plan, a dream, and an expectation. To prepare for the coming fall and everything that is with it: school, Bazaar, and more- we need to look at the Canaanite woman in today’s gospel.

What can we say about her faith?

As a Canaanite woman she is a lower class citizen in two ways: she is a woman and comes from a backward people. There is very little hope for a person like this- few people if any treat her with respect. This might seem forward to us today in our world of information and telephones, but even today, in India and China, baby girls are being aborted simply because they are girls, and many people struggle to be accepted because of their country of origin.

Yet despite the odds stacked against her, she pushes toward the front the crowd, probably struggling against the various villagers telling her to be still, quiet, and to keep her thoughts to herself. Soon she cries out “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” What a personal revelation, instead of protecting herself, puffing herself up, she reveals her weakness! Her daughter, her dear one is afflicted by a demon.

Jesus’ refusal isn’t callous, cold, or cruel, but a statement of his mission at that time. The Canaanite woman pushes herself forward. Jesus’ response may seem cruel, but it is a description of his mission to the People of Israel that precedes his mission to the rest of the world after his Resurrection. He uses an analogy and says “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”

Her response is beautiful. We might be put off, we might protest and walk away- but her faith endures and she says, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” And then our Lord heals the woman’s daughter.

So what is our lesson as we leave summer? What can we say about our faith?

There are many people and politicians who say that faith should be private. Maybe even some of us here believe that our faith should not influence the rest of our lives. None of us doubt that our faith should be personal: intensely touching everything that makes us who we are, just like this Canaanite woman. But what if that Canaanite woman had kept her faith silent and private? What if she had separated her faith from her outward life? This fall is a new beginning. What miracle, what justice does our Lord look to accomplish through your personal and public faith?