Just a Catholic

"Faith at Work" by Kevin Lowry -- Book Review

2012-01-12T10:05:00.000-06:00

You know, when a book has endorsements from Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Scott Hahn, Kevin Vost, Marcus Grodi, and Mike Aquilina (to name a few!!), a thumbs-up from Shane Kapler is obviously superfluous. But in the spirit of "when has that ever stopped me before?" I have to share my deep appreciation of this book.

The Christians who impress me most, who really stand out as being especially intimate with God, never say what I expect them to say. Instead of telling me the "a" or "b" I expect, they say something completely original. Their love of God and years of intimacy enable them glimpse ways, paths, where I see only dead ends. That's what I like about Kevin Lowry and his Faith at Work: Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck.

Lowry has worn many different hats during his professional life: door-to-door salesman, accountant, senior vice-president at an international company, and now executive vice-president and chief operating officer of The Coming Home Network. Because of that, Kevin shares what he has actually lived. This book is filled with stories and through them, Kevin shares the hard won insights and principles that guide his work life as a Catholic Christian.

One of the most striking principles for me personally was drawn from his story of needing to find a new job, one that would allow him more time at home, when his seventh child, David, was born with a rare, congenital disease. That's a scary position for any parent, but add to it the stress of being the sole breadwinner, and you've got fertile ground for a coronary! But Kevin and his family came through it - with much prayer, a leap of faith, and then the right door opening; and Kevin learned a principle that I want to apply to my own incredibly busy life as a disciple, dad, and full-time employee:

Assuming that [God] didn't set us up for failure, it follows that we always have time to do God's will. If we don't have time to do everything, there are items on our to-do list that shouldn't be there, or shouldn't be there right now. The point is, our lives should follow a sense of calling, and this demands that we prayerfully discern, somewhat precisely, what God wants us to do. In this case, God's will became clear as we prayed and followed (pp.34-35).

Kevin shares not just his own story but those of numerous coworkers who inspired him through the years. I like the size of the chapters - at five or six pages they get right to the point and end with both "Action Steps" and "Questions For Reflection." Being able to pack so much insight into a brief space says a great deal about Kevin's skill as a writer. Chapters can of course be read in succession, but they also stand alone quite nicely, allowing you to jump to what is most pressing in your own work life and easily reference it down the line. Just before I, for example, had a meeting with someone who had treated me very rudely in the past, I jumped ahead to chapters 11 and 12, "Forgive Us Our Trespasses: How to Overcome Interpersonal Strife at Work Through Forgiveness," and "I Love a Challenge: How to Overcome Workplace Challenges Through Perseverance." They were just the dose of reality I needed going into that meeting which, I'm happy to say, ended very positively - an honest to goodness "win-win."

Faith at Work: Finding Purpose Beyond the Paycheck is an extremely good read. It is a rubber-meets-the-road approach for putting God at the center of our daily grind, whatever that grind may be! So for what it's worth, you can add this Christian's name to Faith at Work's illustrious list of fans.

Hard to Imagine the Afterlife?

2012-01-03T22:12:00.002-06:00

I know. St. Paul had the same problem though, “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:10). Right now our knowledge of God is conceptual, we use analogies from this created world to speak of the Totally Other: “now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face…[we] shall understand fully, even as we have been fully understood” (1 Cor. 13:12). Don’t take this “darkness of faith” too hard though –we’ve all been through it before; and it turned out great.

None of us remember our first 40-or-so weeks, but they were lived in complete darkness. Our entire world was that wet, increasingly-cramped space inside our mom's womb. And we couldn’t even begin to imagine that there was this entire world, entire planet, awaiting us outside. We lived beneath our mother’s heart, exposed to its constant rhythm, and yet we had never seen her face! We had grown to recognize her voice, but we hadn’t developed to the point of understanding any of her words. And birth – talk about TRAUMA! All of that amniotic fluid we’ve been swimming in, gone in an instant; our heads compacted and squeezed through the birth canal; the light; the cold; that humiliating slap on the butt! But we finally entered the real world, finally got that chance to see mom face-to-face, to eat through our mouths instead of our belly buttons, and a million other experiences that we’re impossible to conceive of from the darkness of the womb.

Turns out that was just the warm-up; we’re still in utero, and the REAL world awaiting us "outside" remains inconceivable. We’re going to get the chance to enter it though; and just like before, we don’t have a clue when. This time around though, we get to participate in our own growth process. Each "yes" to God allows our spiritual "organs" to develop a bit more. If we haven't come to full term when the moment of birth arrives though, God has a top-notch NICU experience planned for us (the Church calls it purgatory; 1 Cor.3:10-15). Listen to the Apostle John:

"Beloved we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when [Jesus] appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure." (1 John 3:1-3)

St. Francis of Assisi was right on, "It is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

The Blessed Mother & Physical Fitness

2012-01-03T18:55:00.000-06:00

On Jan.1, I found myself thinking about two topics - the Blessed Mother (we celebrate her Motherhood the first day of every year) and physical fitness (because that's something I have been aspiring to). From the outset I have to tell you that I do not look at physical fitness as an ego thing or trying to get someone to look my way. No, it's about taking care of the gift God has entrusted to us and putting it to use in works of love for our families and others (a.k.a., "doing God's will"). God isn't just interested in our souls. He created us as a COMPOSITE of body and soul. He became a man to redeem our WHOLE person, soul and body. Jesus loved us with His whole Body and Soul on the Cross, and He desires to be loved that way in return. And what really struck me on Jan.1, was how the Blessed Mother is the ultimate example of loving the Lord her ENTIRE body and soul, of putting her entire person at His disposal. Man, I love her! She is an example to us in absolutely everything! (This icon is titled "Helper in Childbirth." I found it through a Google search, but do not know who wrote it. If anyone is privy to that information please let me know so I can give the proper attribution; it is amazing!)

The Catholic Briefcase - Book Review

2012-01-01T23:18:00.005-06:00

I just finished Randy Hain's The Catholic Briefcase: Tools for Integrating Faith and Work and I have to say, it exceeded my (already high) expectations. I came to the book expecting solid, practical tips on how to maintain my focus upon God throughout the work day, but what I came away with was a renewed desire to make my life one seamless offering to God - as well as solid, practical advice for how to do that in the work setting.

Randy Hain challenged me to look at my job with a fresh pair of eyes and to begin identifying how I can use my time there to serve the Lord Jesus. I try to show kindness and respect to my co-workers and the public we interact with, but what talents am I sitting on that could be put to use in making our organization even better? What can I and my co-workers do for the community around us; how can we serve the Lord by improving the larger community in which we live?

Each of Mr. Hain's twelve chapters is devoted to a particular aspect of developing our relationship with God through work - Stewardship, Better Decision-Making, and Making Time for Prayer to name a few. Hain then introduces us, chapter by chapter, through interviews and stories, to the the Catholic professionals who exemplified these virtues to him. I was impressed by the action points he provides to start growing these habits in our own lives and work places. The "Reflection and Discussion" points that conclude each chapter are both pointed and helpful (in contrast to the touchy-feely reflection questions that are almost mandatory today).

This book is incredibly practical, theologically and spiritually solid, and written in a style accessible to any one from the young man or woman at their first job to the retiree picking up a few hours in retail. Oh, and don't forget to check out the appendices - helpful websites, an on-the-job prayer regimen, how we can help friends seeking employment, a plan for building a Catholic professionals group, and a beautiful final word on the power and comfort we can receive through Eucharistic adoration. The Catholic Briefcase delivers, from start to finish.

How Can I See Jesus in Others?

2011-12-31T15:10:00.006-06:00

I was reading Randy Hain's The Catholic Briefcase last night and found myself uncomfortable with a line: "I must learn to always see Christ in [others]."

Why the discomfort? I knew he was right. Instead of just reading on, I stopped and acknowledged my reaction. As I searched my memory I recognized that this sentiment had evoked a twinge of discomfort on other occasions. I myself had voiced Randy's same point in retreat talks; but if I am completely honest with myself, I did so more out of correctness than personal conviction. I know it is part of our Faith, that it is something we are called to do. It's just that . . . I'm pretty bad at it.

No, I take that back. I have no difficulty seeing Christ in people who treat me kindly. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God works through friends and members of my family to love and care for me every day. It's the rude folks that I cannot see Jesus in - the co-worker who perpetually criticizes the performance of another, with never a thought of how to help lighten that person's load; the person who steals my parking place right out from under me; or the relative whose preferred interaction is the argument. After 25 years of trying to be a disciple, it still doesn't even occur to me, when someone offends me, to "see" Jesus in them. After all, Jesus wouldn't act like that!! How can I even make a start at seeing Him in the person who aggravates or hurts me?

And that was where grace intervened last night. Instead of glossing over my inability to see Jesus in those who frustrate me, I had the inclination to pray. "Holy Spirit, please give me wisdom. What does it mean to see Jesus in others, to see Him in those who treat me badly?" And within a few seconds my thoughts began to coalesce around a point: It is a matter of faith. Do I believe that God is at work in that person's life, trying to form him/her in the image of Jesus? Yes, I believe that. Then I can begin to see Jesus in them by reminding myself of this. He is present to, and at work in, imperfect-them just as He is at work in imperfect-me. It's a start. I can do that.

"Wedding" Etiquitte

2011-10-29T10:05:00.005-05:00

I just read today's Gospel and was especially struck at the context Jesus chose for recommending humility: "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet . . . go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

I have spent the past two weeks (and plan on spending the next two) gearing up to give a morning of talks (Nov.12), a "guided tour" if you will, of the Book of Revelation. And our arrival at a wedding banquet is the goal of Revelation! We already participate in the banquet at Mass, "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to His supper" (Rev.19:9). Jesus' words in the Gospel address how we should relate to one another within the Church! It is not a venue for trying to win esteem or propping up our egos; woe be to us, if we ever catch ourselves feeling superior to someone in the congregation. Each of us is loved by our Father, each of us living temples of the Holy Spirit - what higher "status" is possible? So however many hours we pray, studies on Revelation we lead, or Sunday morning donut socials we organize; we are all infinitely loved children with nothing to prove to one another, save our ability to look past our needy selves and appreciate the beautiful people who surround us.

New Book Alert: "The Catholic Briefcase"

2011-10-28T19:57:00.009-05:00

I just found out about a book due out early December. It's right up my alley, and I bet it will speak to a lot of you as well - Randy Hain's The Catholic Briefcase: Tools for Integrating Faith and Work. Sounds like a rubber-meets-the-road kind of book: Catholic principles for decision making on the job, finding time for prayer throughout the day, and real life stories about progressing in holiness via the daily grind. I see that Amazon and B&N already have it available for pre-order; that has me thinking "Christmas presents."

Special Education - "Spirituality" in Public Schools?

2011-10-11T17:54:00.014-05:00

I heard a fantastic homily awhile back – well, the first part of it anyway. Father’s initial comments set me on a train of thought I will pass along in the body of the article. Father asked us to contemplate the incredible gifts that God has given us. He pointed out that we humans are the most complex life form on earth, and that it is our ability to think that gives us that position. He pointed out what a quantum leap human intelligence was. Other animals have "intelligence;" they can be trained. Other animals display emotions; my dog will whimper when he’s denied a treat. But only we human beings have the ability to step back and reflect upon our actions and words – and even our thoughts and emotions! And then Father said something that really jumped out at me: “We have a responsibility to develop our thinking powers, to grow our God-given intelligence. That’s true whether you are in MENSA or a special education classroom.” With that, my own mind was off to the races; I've had the privilege of working in special education.

Father’s words got me thinking about the downright “spiritual” quality to human intelligence. What do I mean by that? Well, we invest a lot of time thinking about things that are not composed of molecules, that cannot be investigated or confirmed in a laboratory. I’m referring to “things” like fairness and human rights. As my friend Michael Vento likes to point out, “Has someone ever seen a human right? How many inches long is it?” We take other nations, such as China, to task for their human rights violations. We expect a nation, a completely different culture on the far side of the world, to recognize them. We’re absolutely convinced these things exist, constructing our whole legal system upon them; and yet they are non-physical.

Our federal and state governments are convinced that every student, no matter how severe his or her disability, has the right to a “free and appropriate education” (FAPE in educational parlance), “in the least restrictive environment possible” (LRE). Interpretation: School districts must provide whatever staff and materials are necessary to make sure that every child can take part in the education process, and that the child should be educated alongside his/her regular education peers whenever possible. Speech-language, occupational, and physical therapists are there to facilitate that. For some medically fragile students this means hiring a personal nurse to accompany the student throughout his/her day. Children's educational rights have to be a substantive reality for the federal and state governments to devote so much money to them, don't they? The right to an education, like every right, is something immaterial; and yet we fight legal battles based upon our convictions that they are in fact real.

Can’t you hear someone coming at this completely from the outside though? “Shane, some of the children serviced in special education have conditions that will probably never allow them to progress past the age of three cognitively. Some children have conditions that will prevent them from living to adulthood. You want us to continue allocating millions and millions of dollars to this based upon something called a ‘right’? I don’t believe there is any such thing; you can’t show it to me! Don’t try to impose your beliefs (you can also read 'spiritual tenets' or 'religion') on me. We have a separation of church and state in this country.”

And what I would respond with, and I think the federal and state governments would have to as well, are the words Thomas Jefferson placed in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Government does not exist to create laws or legislate morality, but to safeguard people’s rights – the opportunities and treatment to which they are objectively due. “But how do you come up with these rights?” our objector might respond.

Wonderful question – like Jefferson, we are falling back on what at an earlier point in the Western world was called Natural Law. (As C.S. Lewis pointed out, among the Chinese it was called the Tao.) They are the truths that are self-evident to us simply from observation and the use of our reason, our power to reflect upon actions, words, thoughts, and attitudes. How did we arrive at a child who has a severe disability having the right to a “free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment possible?” Because we can see that this is a child, and we know that children have a right to be loved. Part of loving them is giving instruction and welcoming them into the community. And so, we must do this.

No one religion is being forced upon people, but there is this implicit understanding that there is an objective order, a standard of right and wrong, to which we human beings are expected to adhere. It doesn’t matter that someone feels an “overwhelming urge” toward a behavior the Natural Law recognizes as “wrong” –ask any person sitting in jail! The Natural Law - and the desire to pretend that it doesn't exist - is at the root of many of the social battles going on in our country. We'll look at a couple of those in upcoming posts.

Small Religious Communities for Individuals with Down Syndrome

2011-10-10T18:38:00.000-05:00

The internet is always a mystery to me. Somehow, my little post titled Down Syndrome, Dignity, and Abortion was seen by a parent whose son is involved in a fraternity, a life lived in communion, with other young men who have Down Syndrome! It is based in France but is spreading to other countries as well. The community's name is Fraternites Notre-Dame de l'Etiole (The Fraternity of Our Lady of the Star). If you click on that link you can watch a 5 min. video showing a day in these young men's lives as well as read a description of the fraternity in English. I see something like this and all I can say is "Praise God!"

Catholic - the Toughest Way to be Christian

2011-10-09T08:55:00.005-05:00

My post is simply to pass along a great insight from Kevin Lowry over at his Grateful Convert blog. I highly encourage you to check out his "The Toughest Way to Be a Christian." It, in absolutely no way, belittles other Christian groups. Rather, it witnesses to Kevin's experience as a convert that Catholicism - with its insistence on an objective body of Truth, the Pope's final authority in teaching doctrine and morals, and the ongoing insistence that Jesus calls us to change, to become perfect reflections of Him (Mt.5:48) - demanded that he renounce more of himself than did any other Christian community. And from my own experience of progressively embracing more and more of the Catholic Faith, I respond with a fat "Amen."

When I was in my early teens it was tempting to find a church I felt comfortable in, that appealed to my personal tastes. What a mistake! This God we are seeking tells us that His thoughts are not our thoughts, nor His ways our ways (Is.55:8). It can be tempting to "create" our own worship routine (I put "create" in quotes because we're really just isolating elements that already exist in the Mass, to the exclusion of others.); but the truth is, Jesus asked us to worship in one specific way, "This is My Body . . . This is My Blood . . .Do THIS as a remembrance of Me." Before I start going on let me come back to my original point - click the link above and read a good post.

Down Syndrome, Dignity, and Abortion

2011-09-25T10:19:00.004-05:00

My aunt Sheila with 9 of her brothers and sisters.

As a speech-language pathologist working in a school, 10% of the students I see were born with Down Syndrome. I love the kids, and I love their parents. My aunt Sheila, now in her forties, was born with Down Syndrome too. One of twelve kids, my grandparents, dad, aunts and uncles, recognized Sheila for who she was, and is - another indispensable member of our family, with her own inborn set of strengths and weaknesses. Sheila is adored by our family, as are the kids I work with who have Down Syndrome by theirs. Why do I even feel the need to write that out? Shouldn't it be a given? It should, but in Europe and the United States, when a prenatal screening identifies a child as having Down Syndrome, that child is aborted 92% of the time! Now believe me, I have an idea of the unique challenges parents and families of kids and adults with Down Syndrome face; but we're talking about human beings - my aunt, the little boy I'm building sentences with, the girl who is now communicating with her mom through sign language. These people that I love are survivors of a genocide, a silent genocide taking place all around us. We need to speak up and expose it for the atrocity it is.

Word of God on 9/11

2011-09-11T08:16:00.003-05:00

It's mornings like this that I'm reminded how awesome the Holy Spirit's timing is. The lectionary, the cycle of readings used at Masses throughout the entire world, was established long before terrorists launched their attack upon the United States, and yet the readings that fall on the 10th Anniversary of the attacks could not speak more deeply. There is something supernatural about the liturgical calendar: It floors me how my life as an individual, as well as the life of a nation, can coincide with it.:

Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the LORD'S vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail . . .

If he who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin!
Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; of the Most High's covenant, and overlook fault (Sirach 27:30-28:7).

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living (Romans 14:7-9).

His master summoned him and said to him, "You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?"
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart" (Mt.18:33-35).

Hard words to hear as we remember such a grave crime, and yet, necessary words. Jesus does not ask more of us than He did of Himself and His Mother there on Calvary; and as with Mary, He gives us the grace necessary.

Star Sighting

2011-09-10T20:59:00.001-05:00

"Glorious" is the only word I have. The kids and I were walking through the Mills Mall in Hazelwood, MO, when we saw police and a long line of people. (The police car parked along the curb is a fairly regular sight; it bespoke nothing of the date with destiny that awaited us.) We just went by on the outside of the line, not really interested. But then . . . as we passed the window of CitiTrends we saw him. . . St. Louis/ Western Civilzation / and tite (yeah, that's how you spell it) rhymes all rolled into one - NELLY himself. Doesn't get much better than that my friends. (If you've ever checked my profile you know it lists my residence as "Nellyville, MO.") Came home and slipped into my AirForce Ones.

"But how can I be holy?"

2011-09-10T06:30:00.004-05:00

St. Francis de Sales has some real words of wisdom in his, Introduction to the Devout Life:
"The practice of devotion must differ for the gentleman, the artisan, the servant and the prince, for widow, young girl or wife. Further, it must be adapted to their muscular strength, circumstances and duties... Is the solitary life of a Carthusian suited to a bishop? Should those who are married practise the poverty of a Capuchin? If workmen spent as much time in church as religious, if religious were exposed to the same pastoral calls as a bishop, such devotion would be ridiculous and cause intolerable disorder. Yet this foolish mistake is often made...True devotion never causes harm, but rather perfects everything we do... 'The bee sucks honey from the flowers without injuring them,' wrote Aristotle, leaving them as whole and fresh as when it found them. Devotion goes further, not only is it unharmful to any state of life, it adorns and beautifies it... It makes the care of family peaceful, the love of husband and wife more sincere, the service of one's king more faithful, and every task more pleasant and a joy."

Last Supper Mysteries

2011-08-25T22:49:00.004-05:00

On the way into work I was meditating on the Fifth Luminous Mystery, Jesus' institution of the Eucharist. I found myself thinking about the worthiness of the Apostles to receive Communion. Jesus gave Himself to them and ordained them as priests knowing that they would abandon and pretend not to know Him only hours later. Its a sobering realization for you and me: Jesus does not withhold Himself from anyone. He does not look into the future, see the poor use we will make of His grace, and then decide we're not worth the effort. His "default disposition" is to give Himself away (that's Trinitarian through and through). On one hand that gives us great confidence in His mercy toward us. On the other hand, it keeps us from being overconfident; the fact that we have experienced moments of intense intimacy with the Lord does not mean we are immune from a serious future fall.

When I finally drove home tonight, I had the urge to stop at the nearby Eucharistic Adoration chapel. Because it is perpetual adoration (24/7), I knew there would be another believer there praying. What really thrilled me was to enter the chapel at 9:20 on a Thursday night and find four other people there! We all came, knowing we would find Jesus there - the real Jesus, the whole Jesus. How mind-boggling is that?!

God's Gag Reflex

2011-08-22T20:29:00.001-05:00

Yesterday's readings at Mass inspired me to recycle a past post. Hope you enjoy:

Papal infallibility = God's Gag Reflex. Irreverent of me? Don't cry "blasphemy" just yet; all will be explained.

That picture is awesome though. Must...look...away...to begin writing. Alright, lets establish what the Church means by papal infallibility. Bottom line - the pope is protected from teaching something that is false, WHEN a very specific set of criteria is met:

He speaks as the Successor of Peter, Head of the Apostles
upon a matter of faith or morals,
with the intention of instructing the entire Church

So the Catholic Church is NOT claiming that the Pope:

is infallible when he reflects on the readings during a Sunday homily
speaks infallibly on matters of science, mathematics, economic policy, politics, etc.
will speak out when he should (cowardice could keep him from speaking at all)
will enunciate the truth as clearly as is possible
doesn't sin (that would be impeccability, not infalliblity; and the Church has NEVER claimed impeccability for the Pope.)

The Church's ONLY claim regarding papal infallibility is that when three criteria are met, God will RESTRAIN the Pope from saying something FALSE. (Yeah, when I called it the "Divine Gag Reflex," I was talking about a different kind of "gag" - the kind you stuff in a mouth. I know, I'm horrible. Got you reading though, didn't I?) Infallibility is a completely negative gift; God will not allow the Pope to insert something false into the official body of Truth entrusted by Jesus to the Church. God would "reflexively" act to stop such an attempt.

Where do we Catholics come up with this belief? Like everything else, we trace it back to Jesus. He made some pretty startling promises to those Apostles:

“He who hears you hears Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me” (Luke 10:16)
"[The Holy Spirit] will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. . .He will guide you into all the truth” (John 14:26; 16:13)

Paul the Apostle, knowing Jesus' teaching, and himself moved by the Holy Spirit, wrote of "the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). WOW - Jesus' intent was for the Church to be the place that the world could turn to hear the Truth, to get a reality check. And what measures did He, does He, take to guarantee this?

He called a fisherman named Simon, and after changing his name to Peter (Rock), Jesus told him, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). The Jewish mind of the first century, hearing those words, would have immediately shot back to the Israelite monarchy. Jesus was adopting the terminology used to refer to the Master of the Palace, or vizier - what we today would call the "Prime Minister." He was second in command after the king (2 Kings 18:18; 15:5), and as such held "the keys of the kingdom." Flip to Isaiah 22:21-23 and examine how Jesus made use of the same vocabulary in speaking to Simon-Peter.

Jesus, in announcing the Kingdom of God, was announcing that all of the promises God had made to King David about an everlasting kingdom, were about to be fulfilled. Jesus, the descendant of David, was the long-awaited Messiah; and He was renewing Israel. Israel had begun with the 12 sons of Jacob - its renewal with the 12 Apostles of King (Christ) Jesus. And Peter was to be the Prime Minister, using the power of the keys to bind God's people to Truth and the way of Love. It would be meaningless to speak of the authority of other ministers to bind and loose apart from their unity with Peter. Jesus' purpose wasn't to make Peter some type of dictator in regard to the other Apostles; in Christ’s Kingdom the greatest is meant to serve the rest. Part of Peter's service, and that of the Popes who have succeeded him in office, is to speak the final word when matters are in dispute, thus maintaining the unity of the Church/Kingdom. This service is especially important when the ones arguing are fellow shepherds.

And so we have Jesus' words to Peter, "You are Rock, and on this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt.16:17-19). What is the power of hell? Deception. The devil deceives; that's always been his M.O. And to combat this Jesus gave Peter the keys - authority to speak out, definitively binding the Church to Truth and loosing it from deception.

Now, Jesus can't mean that Peter gets to flip a coin, decide what is true, and God will magically rearrange spiritual and temporal realities to make it so. God isn't manipulated! No, Peter is simply a minister in Another's Kingdom. Peter speaks to the Church and world on behalf of the King (Who has ascended into Heaven). To use the power of the keys demands a reflexive action on God's part - "gagging" Peter, preventing him in some way, if he ever attempted to teach something that was false. At the same time, when God allows Peter to teach the Church, He expects it to be adhered to. Ignoring Peter? Well, remember what Jesus had said, "“He who hears you hears Me, and he who rejects you rejects Me” (Luke 10:16). Whenever the pope speaks in his official capacity (remember those 3 criteria I started with?) as Successor to Peter, Prime Minister of the Kingdom, the same is true.

Oh hey, I do recall Jesus talking about having a gag reflex - yes, a true, biological gag reflex. After His resurrection He told the Apostle John to write a letter to the church in Laodicea, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16).

Before I wrap up I need to give a shout-out to Duran Duran for their song The Reflex. I think we can all agree that that's a gift that keeps on giving.

Mama Said

2011-08-21T20:19:00.000-05:00

My children's mother would have a heart attack if I ever said this to them, but St. Louis' (King of France and patron of my hometown) mother, Blanche of Castille, use to tell him, "Never forget that sin is the only great evil in the world. No mother could love her son more than I love you. But I would rather see you lying dead at my feet than know that you had offended God by one mortal sin." That's harsh by modern standards, but I can't help but feel that Blanche knew the score . . . her boy grew up to not just lead a country and engage in international politics but to do so as a SAINT. And as we know from watching the evening news, that's nothing short of miraculous!

Policies - Why Won't the Church Just Change Them?

2011-08-06T15:12:00.000-05:00

New York's Archbishop Timothy Dolan ( a St. Louis native), offered a great explanation on why the Church doesn't change its policy on matters that the majority of western Catholics disagree with - the indissolubility of marriage, same-sex marriage, ordaining only men, etc., etc.:

At times it – “the Vatican,” “Rome,” “the Pope,” “the Holy See,” “the Magisterium” — might even wish it could change certain teachings. For instance, I would wager most bishops, priests, deacons, pastoral leaders, and maybe even the Holy Father himself has, at one time or another wished the Church could alter the teaching of Jesus that marriage is forever, and that one cannot break that sacred bond asunder.
But it can’t, because it didn’t make up the teaching to begin with.
So, plug in whatever word you want in the boilerplate headline: “Group Challenges Vatican on its Policy of __________________” — abortion, marriage, euthanasia, lying, stealing, artificial contraception, sexual acts outside of marriage, ordination of women — fill in the “flavor of the day,” but the headline is still inaccurate: these are not “policies” decided by some person in the Vatican; these are not “bans” put out by some committee. These are doctrines, timeless teachings not ours to alter.

It sometimes seems as if many view the Church as a political institution, with a new pope or new bishop able to set out his own positions and priorities the way an incoming president or governor would. Back in 2009, for instance, when I was appointed Archbishop of New York, I was asked by a reporter how my “policy” on gay “marriage” would differ from the “policy” of Cardinal Egan. I tried to explain, as gently as I could, that the responsibility of any bishop is to clearly and charitably articulate the teaching of the Church, not to establish “policy” on which teaching he will follow and which teaching he will change.

Transfiguration

2011-08-06T10:54:00.000-05:00

I have an article on the Transfiguration running over at Catholic Lane today. My comments cannot compete with St. John's below though. Thanks again to the Daily Gospel for this great commentary:

Saint John Damascene (c.675-749), monk, theologian, Doctor of the Church
Homily on the Transfiguration ; PG 96, 545

Today we see the depths of inaccessible light. Today the unending outpouring of the divine radiance shines out before the apostles. Today Jesus Christ reveals himself as Lord of both Old and New Covenants... On Mount Tabor today, Moses, God's lawgiver, leader of the Old Covenant, giver of the Law, stands beside Christ his master as a servant. He recognises the destiny into which he was initiated in times past by its foreshadowings – which is what, in my opinion, the words «to see God from behind» mean (Ex 33,23). Now he sees in all clarity the glory of the godhead «hidden in the shadow of the rock» (Ex 33,22) but «this rock was Christ» (1Cor 10,4), as Paul expressly teaches: God incarnate, the Word and Lord...

Today the leader of the New Covenant, who had proclaimed... Christ to be the Son of God when he said: «You are the Christ, the Son of the living God» (Mt 16,16), sees the head of the Old Covenant standing beside the giver of both the one and the other and saying to him: «Behold He who Is. Behold him of whom I said there would arise a prophet like myself (Ex 3,14; Dt 18,15; Acts 3,22) – like myself in that he is man and leader of the new people but above both me and every other creature in that the two Covenants, both the Old and the New, are disposed by him for my sake and for yours»...

Come, then, let us obey the prophet David! Let us sing praise to our God, to our king; let us sing! «He is king over all the earth» (Ps 47[46],7-8). Let us sing with wisdom, with joy... Sing also the Spirit «who scrutinizes everything, even the depths of God» (1Cor 2,10), seeing in that light of the Father who is the Spirit who enlightens all things, the inaccessible light of the Son of God. Today is manifested what our fleshly eyes cannot see: an earthly body shining with the divine splendor, the glory of the godhead overflowing from a body that is mortal... What is human becomes God's and the divine becomes human.

60 Former Anglicans Becoming Catholic Priests

2011-06-11T10:06:00.003-05:00

Pope Benedict's outstretched hand is bearing incredible fruit. This Pentecost weekend will see the ordination of 60 new Catholic priests for the Church in England - all of them having formerly served as priests in the Anglican Church. I have no doubt that the intercession of Saints like Thomas More, Thomas Becket, John Fisher, and Blessed John Henry Newman helped obtain this incredible work of the Spirit. See Rome Reports for more info.

Vatican Council II to Youth

2011-06-11T09:10:00.003-05:00

Another fantastic commentary from the Daily Gospel Apostolate:
Vatican Council II, Message to Youth
It is to you, young men and women of the world, that the Council wishes to address its final message. For it is you who are to receive the torch from the hands of your elders and to live in the world at the period of the most gigantic transformations ever realized in its history. It is you who receiving the best of the example of the teaching of your parents and your teachers, are to form the society of tomorrow. You will either save yourselves or you will perish with it.

For four years the Church has been working to rejuvenate her image in order to respond the better to the design of her Founder, the great Living One, the Christ who is eternally young. At the term of this imposing re-examination of life, she now turns to you. It is for you, youth, especially for you that the Church now comes through her Council to enkindle your light, the light which illuminates the future, your future.

The Church is anxious that this society that you are going to build up should respect the dignity, the liberty, and the rights of individuals. These individuals are you. The Church is particularly anxious that this society should allow free expansion to her treasure ever ancient and ever new, namely faith, and that your souls may be able to bask freely in its helpful light. She has confidence that you will find such strength and such joy that you will not be tempted, as were some of your elders, to yield to the seductions of egoistic or hedonistic philosophies or to those of despair and annihilation, and that in the face of atheism, a phenomenon of lassitude and old age, you will know how to affirm your faith in life and what gives meaning to it, that is to say, the certitude of the existence of a just and good God.

What a Surprise!

2011-05-28T04:59:00.005-05:00

For several months now I have been praying for the success of a book scheduled to come out this fall, Tending The Temple: 365 Days of Spiritual & Physical Devotions, from Dr. Kevin Vost and Peggy Bowes. Kevin is a good friend, and I've really enjoyed corresponding with Peggy these past few months. During that same period I became serious about implementing the points made by Kevin in his Fit for Eternal Life, and have shed 52 lbs. Well last week, completely out of the blue, I was invited to come on board as a third author. I feel so incredibly blessed to be working with them; this is a project I will definitely learn a lot on! My thanks to Kevin, Peggy, Bezalel Books, and its wonderful editor-in-chief, Cheryl Dickow.

John Paul II - A Good Word

2011-04-30T07:10:00.001-05:00

Another great commentary on today's readings, courtesy of the Daily Gospel:

Commentary of the day
John-Paul II, Pope from 1978 to 2005
Apostolic Letter « Novo millennio ineunte », § 58 (© Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

"Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature"

Duc in altum! «let us cast out into deep waters!» (Lk 5,4). Let us go forward in hope! A new millennium is opening before the Church like a vast ocean upon which we shall venture, relying on the help of Christ. The Son of God, who became incarnate two thousand years ago out of love for humanity, is at work even today: we need discerning eyes to see this and, above all, a generous heart to become the instruments of his work... "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28:19). The missionary mandate accompanies us into the Third Millennium and urges us to share the enthusiasm of the very first Christians: we can count on the power of the same Spirit who was poured out at Pentecost and who impels us still today to start out anew, sustained by the hope "which does not disappoint" (Rom 5:5).

At the beginning of this new century, our steps must quicken as we travel the highways of the world. Many are the paths on which each one of us and each of our Churches must travel, but there is no distance between those who are united in the same communion, the communion which is daily nourished at the table of the Eucharistic Bread and the Word of Life. Every Sunday, the Risen Christ asks us to meet him as it were once more in the Upper Room where, on the evening of "the first day of the week" (Jn 20:19) he appeared to his disciples in order to "breathe" on them his life-giving Spirit and launch them on the great adventure of proclaiming the Gospel.

Rosary during the Week of Easter

2011-04-24T13:28:00.001-05:00

Easter is such a tremendous Mystery that the Church actually takes eight days to unpack it. That's right, liturgically, Easter continues through next Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday. When I prayed the Rosary today I devoted all five of the mysteries to different aspects of the Resurrection accounts:

1. The earthquake and descent of an angel to roll back the stone. The Roman soldiers flee. The women come to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body and are told of the Resurrection by the angel (Matthew)
2. Peter and John, told of the empty tomb by the women, race to investigate it. John looks in and believes, but Peter goes away wondering (John's Gospel).
3. Mary Magdalene weeping at the tomb, asks the "gardener" where he has moved Jesus' body. Jesus reveals Himself by speaking her name (John).
4. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus opens the Scriptures to Cleopas and another disciple. He opens their eyes to recognize Him in the Breaking of the Bread (Luke).
5. When those two disciples return to tell the apostles that Jesus has been raised, the Lord then appears to the whole group (Luke). He breathes on them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Anyone whose sins you forgive are forgiven them. Anyone whose sins you hold bound are held bound" (John).

Happy Easter!

The Luminous Mysteries for Holy Week

2011-04-21T09:09:00.003-05:00

I usually pray the Rosary on the way to work in the morning, and these were the Scriptures that came to mind. As so many times before, the Holy Spirit surprised me:

Jesus' Baptism
Shortly before Palm Sunday, James and John asked to sit at the Lord's right and left hands. His response: "You do not know whay you are asking. Can you drink of the same cup I shall drink or be baptized in the same bath of pain as I?. . .From the cup I drink you shall drink; the bath I am immersed in you shall share..." (Mk.10:38-39).

The Wedding Feast at Cana
As we pass through trial, as we endure pain, suffering, we bring our needs to the Lord - just as Mary did for the bride and groom at Cana. Jesus' response to Mary: "How does this concern of yours involve me?" (Jn.2:4) evokes that feeling we have that Heaven is closed to our petitions. In those moments, Mary's advice is best, "Do whatever He tells you" (Jn.2:5). We have to continue to live with faith in God's complete and total love for us, in fidelity to all He has asked of us. When speaking about the End, Jesus told the Apostles, "Because of the increase of evil, the love of most will grow cold. The man who holds out to the end, however, is the one who will see salvation" (Matt.24:12-13). And like the Blessed Mother we will ultimately see the Lord reverse the situation; the Cross will yield to the Resurrection. "What you have done is keep the choice wine until now!" (Jn.2:10).

Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom and Call to Repentance
Jesus moved immediately from Simon-Peter's profession of Faith and His appointment of Simon as "Rock," to the teaching that, "The Son of Man must first endure many sufferings, be rejected by the elders, the high priests and the scribes, and be put to death, and then be raised on the third day. WHOEVER WISHES TO BE MY FOLLOWER MUST DENY HIS VERY SELF, TAKE UP HIS CROSS EACH DAY, AND FOLLOW IN MY STEPS!" (Lk.9:22-23). All of the Apostles knew how the carrying of a cross ended.

The Transfiguration
It was "about eight days after" those words that He gave Peter, James, and John a preview of His resurrected glory (Lk.9:28). "His face changed in appearance and his clothes became dazzlingly white," and they heard the Father, "This is my Son, My Chosen One. LISTEN TO HIM." What does our Lord say afterward? "Do not tell anyone of the vision until the Son of Man rises from the dead. . .The Son of Man will suffer. . ." (Mt.17:9,12).

The Institution of the Eucharist
"I have greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer" (Lk.22:14). As the Lord did so, John and James drank of The Cup that united them to Jesus' baptism of pain, "This cup is the new covenant in My Blood, which will be shed for you" (Lk.22:20). When we share the cup we participate in Jesus' offering (1 Cor.10:16); and because of that, with St. Paul we can say, "Even now I find joy in the suffering I endure for you. In my own flesh I fill up what is lacking in the suffering of Christ for the sake of His Body, the Church" (Col.1:24).

The Eucharist, Mary, and Redemptive Suffering

2011-04-17T19:06:00.001-05:00

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Colossians 1:24). It is a mysterious but incredible reality: the suffering God allows into our lives, when accepted and lived with trust in his Love, become an actual participation in the sufferings of the Crucified, allowing us to be formed more truly his image – the very goal of our Faith. And, as Paul said above, because we are "members of one another" (Rom.12:5; Eph.5:25), this grace is of benefit not just to us, but to the entire Body. This teaching, far from casting aspersions on the efficacy of Jesus’sacrifice, proclaims its superabundance. We believe that his sacrifice redeems us so profoundly that it transforms us from mere creatures of God into sons and daughters. It transforms us into cells of Jesus’ Mystical Body, inserting us into the Life, death, resurrection, and ascension of the only Son. This reality is there in the theology of Paul, and unpacked for us in the teaching of the saints and doctors. What I had never recognized before was how it was contained in Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist.

"This is My Body …. This is My Blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." This Body and Blood — Jesus received them from his mother Mary. He clothed himself with her flesh, her blood, and offered Himself to the Father "in" them. That is the mystery of redemptive suffering that the Lord wants to continue in you and me — to clothe himself with our very persons and lift our sufferings up into his own, making them part of his eternal offering to the Father (Heb.9:14). As with Mary, he requires our consent to bring about this supernatural reality, "I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).

We see Mary, fully engaged in this Mystery, there at the foot of her Son’s Cross. Which of us parents haven’t imagined looking up and seeing our own children hanging there in the sun — their bodies ripped, blood flowing down their limbs, suffocating under their own weight. It is the most monstrous suffering imaginable, but God allowed it into the life of his beloved Mary. Her Son was dying to redeem the world, and her heart was pierced right along with His (Jn.19:34; Lk.2:35). Jesus was suffering there before her eyes, in the flesh he took from her; but through the chords of grace he was suffering in and through her person, gazing up at him, as well. Through it all, the Holy Spirit maintained Mary in her fiat , "let it be to me according to your word;" and Scripture tells us that he made her suffering fruitful for the Mystical Body, "[Mary,] a sword will pierce your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Lk.2:35). The mystery of redemptive suffering spoken of by Paul in Colossians 1:24 is graphically manifested by Mary at the Cross.

I don’t see any romance in pain, and I don’t desire it; but part of reality is recognizing that God allows me to pass through it. It is not an end in itself, but a potentially powerful means: "For Jesus’ sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead" (Phil.3:8-11). So I need to call out for the grace to unite my sufferings to those of Jesus, to allow him to lift me up toward his Father, "This is My Body…This is My Blood." I need to pray each day for the grace to persevere through suffering; Jesus told us the stakes are high, "Because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Mt.24:12-13).

"End Times" Recommended Reading

2011-04-15T22:05:00.007-05:00

We're entering into Holy Week, and in the middle of it I'll be chatting with Relevant Radio's "On Call" about the End Times and a Catholic way of reading the Book of Revelation (Chapter 8 of The God Who is Love). Why talk about the End Times during Holy Week you ask? The Catechism explains it well:

Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. . .The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection (CCC 675-677).

In history's final days, the Church will corporately manifest Jesus' Passion before the world! And then will come the Resurrection of the Dead. There are some wonderful resources out there to assist us in our study:

Fr. John Tickle's The Book of Revelation: A Catholic Interpretation of the Apocalypse
Scott Hahn's CD-series The End: The Book of Revelations
Fr. George Montague's The Apocalypse and the Third Millennium: Today's Guide to the Book of Revelation

Of these final three, David Currie's book is exceptionally thorough. It's title is Rapture, but it explores what Daniel, Zechariah, Jesus' Olivet Discourse, the Epistles of Paul, and the Book of Revelation all have to say regarding "The End."

Toys"R"Us - Now I'm Ticked

2010-12-27T11:17:00.001-06:00

Dear Toys"R"Us:

You really came through for me in the clutch - having that pink Leapster Explorer that Lily wanted in stock, and on sale. But now you go and schedule a "Three Kings Day" Sale for January 6th? Come on, weren't you able to make enough money off of our celebration of Jesus' birth? Now you have to go and try to co-opt Epiphany here in the States? I can't even look at you right now.

Sending the Rich Away Empty

2010-12-19T19:42:00.001-06:00

The thought came to me while praying the Magnificat: God "pulls the mighty off their thrones so that they can become the humble who He later exults. He "sends the rich away empty" so that they will return to Him hungry and be filled. God's justice and mercy - all Love. As I am being pruned I will try to remember this.

A Woman with Only Four "Words"

2010-12-19T19:39:00.001-06:00

Earlier this week I was struck by our Blessed Mother's four "words" in Scripture:

"Be it done unto me according to Thy word"
"My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. . ."
At Jesus' finding in the Temple, "Why have You done this to your father and me?"
"Do whatever He tells you."

I want to explore those words more; it seems to me that the Blessed Mother managed to encapsulate the whole spectrum of our interior lives in those four words - Fiat, Magnificat, Why?, and Do.

Fr. Todd on All Souls Day

2010-11-02T19:04:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about my friend, Fr. Todd Reitmeyer today. I pray for the repose of his soul (even though he's probably been basking in the light of heaven for some time now!) If you did not have the pleasure of knowing Fr. Todd in life, here is a wonderful website devoted to him. Our friendship, several years before he even entered the seminary, helped me to become the Catholic I am today. God love you Todd. . .and I do too.

Through the Grapevine

2010-11-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

If you shrink from enlightenment, then by all means do not pray the Rosary on the Feast of All Saints. Never have I recognized the Communion of Saints so prominently in the Joyous Mysteries. Allow me to share:

The Annunciation - Each of us heard the Gospel from the mouth of another, and that includes Mary. That is just striking. Mary did not receive that holy announcement "straight" from the Lord; it was delivered through another creature. Granted, Gabriel is a step up from you and I, but a creature nonetheless.

The Visitation - Traditionally we understand this mystery as being the visit of Mary to Elizabeth. I would suggest however that it is the visit of Jesus to Elizabeth and John, carried there by His Mother. Mary, the living Ark of the Covenant, carries the Presence of God. Jesus imparted an almost sacramental quality to her words: "And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit" (Lk.1:41).

The Nativity - The announcement of His birth was entrusted to angels. When the shepherds find Him, He is in the arms of Mary and Joseph. But there is an even deeper beauty in this mystery - that of God taking on human lips to speak to us, making our own flesh and blood forever His own.

The Presentation - The aged widow, Anna, announcing His identity to anyone who would listen.

The Finding - after three days of searching, Mary and Joseph discovered Him in the Temple, "sitting among the teachers" (Lk.2:46). You and I discover Him in the New Temple, His Mystical Body made up of saints and angels, seated amidst (and within) her teachers on earth.

All of this brings Jesus' words at the Last Supper to mind: "I am the vine, you are the branches. . .By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit" (Jn.15:5,8). This reality allows us to understand the amazing statement He made earlier in the meal: "he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father" (Jn.14:12). History, the very Feast of All Saints, reveals the truth of His word. Next time you hear Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through The Grapevine, think of how God's Life came, and continues to come, into yours - it's through a chain of saints.

Dr. Kevin Vost

2010-10-22T08:54:00.001-05:00

I just have to make a post about my friend Kevin Vost. He is one of the most selfless, generous people I know - and no one is a bigger encouragement to me as a writer. I actually met Kevin through this very blog. I had just read his book Fit For Eternal Life and wrote a blog saying how much it had opened my eyes to the need for the virtue of temperance and encouraged me to begin high-intensity weight training and climb back on the cardio bandwagon. (I ended up taking off about 40 pounds over a seven month period, as well as doubling my bench press in a year's time. . .although in the two years that followed I started making excuses to be gluttonous and lazy, and put the weight back! Pathetic, I know. I've since dusted myself off and am making another go of it.) Anyway - Kevin came across my blog post shortly after it was posted and wrote to tell me how happy he was that the book had been of use. I couldn't believe that I was actually corresponding with an author I had just read. I don't think I told him at the time, but I was also in the midst of his Memorize the Faith! as well.

A few months later I made the decision to make a go of publishing The God Who is Love through some friends with a small Catholic CD and book company here in St. Louis, Out of the Box Records. I contacted Kevin to describe the book and ask if he would mind taking a look at it, and if he felt it was warranted, offer an endorsement. Within two hours of my sending the email he had written back to say that he would be honored. Within ten days the manuscript was read and a ringing endorsement was in my in-box, along with the offer to help me make interview contacts in Catholic radio! Now again, this was all from a gentleman who only knew me through correspondence. His generosity inspired me to contact other Catholic authors and ask if they too would be willing to take a look. (I discovered that Catholic authors are a good bunch too!) When The God Who is Love was released in March, 2009, Kevin was the first to bring it to people's attention by publishing a review on Catholic Exchange. Because of him I found myself speaking with EWTN Radio and Al Kresta a few short months later - and also because of him, many others since.

I was honored in the months that followed as he shared advance peaks at portions of Unearthing Your Ten Talents and From Atheism to Catholicism. It was obvious to me that both books were destined to be of great help to myself and the Church at large. And let me say, you folks are in for a treat when his biography of St. Albert the Great is released in the spring!

Over the past year we've actually been able to enjoy face-to-face time as well. I'm quite fortunate that St. Louis brings in such great speakers and that Kevin makes the trek down from Springfield, IL, to hear them. He and his wife Kathy and their two boys also opened their home to me and the kids this summer. (They introduced us to something called a "horseshoe sandwich" along the way - that's some good eatin'.)

When the thought came to me for a book about Jesus' earthly prayer, Kevin was the first person with whom I shared it (no lie - within the hour). Again, he was total encouragement and generosity - he was happy to help in any way possible. Although he doesn't talk about, Kevin and I now share a few acquaintances; and I know he is like this with all of them. Kevin doesn't just write about the virtue of being magnanimous; he practices it daily - exactly like weight training and cardio. Oh yeah, and even though he is at the pinnacle of "being in shape," he has never once made me feel like a schlep when I take a flying leap off the bandwagon. I know I haven't done anything to deserve a friend like this - as with all of God's great gifts, it's pure grace. If you have yet to meet Kevin through his writing, I highly recommend you do so. God bless.

Interview with author Bert Ghezzi

2010-09-23T22:48:00.003-05:00

In my last post I offered a review of Bert Ghezzi's Adventures in Daily Prayer: Experiencing the Power of God's Love. Here is a chance to hear from the author himself though.

Kapler: I’ve met so many people who say that they aren’t very good at praying. Why do you think that is?

Ghezzi: I think many people don’t understand that God is present to them whether they feel His presence or not. First, they think that because they aren’t experiencing consolations, something emotional, they aren’t praying right; when the fact is, God is really pleased when we pay attention and may not sense His presence at all. In the book I quote Julian of Norwich a couple of times. She explains that God is most pleased with our prayer when we pray faithfully at times when we do not experience His presence.

The other thing is, I think many people have never learned to pray. They have never learned to take time to pray and to talk to God in a conversational way. Many people just pray casually now and then, but they don’t grow in prayer. They pray formal prayers but never open their hearts and talk to God, to let Jesus know that they want to be disciples. Fr. Larry Richards tells his parish, “I hope you’re all praying. I want you to pray the Our Father and the Hail Mary, but I really want you to be saying, ‘Here I am God. I open my heart and mind to you. What are you saying to me today? What should I do with my life?’ And then listen to Him.” That’s the kind of praying that has to happen and many people just aren’t doing that. I wrote the book the way I did to encourage people to discover that prayer is a conversation with God.

Kapler: If I may ask a follow-up question: How do we determine when it is God speaking to us in your thoughts and desires, and not just our own wishful thinking?

Ghezzi: I take time, regular time, to listen to God; and I ask Him questions. “Am I where you want me to be?” When I’m doing that kind of listening I write down my thoughts. I divide a piece of paper in two, and I have a plus side and a negative side. If I have a sense that the Lord is saying, “You have to add this to your service;” or “Write a book about. . .;” or “You need to do this with your family;” I will make a list of all the positive and negative indications, and I pray about them. By doing that I get some sense of what God wants of me.

About four months ago I took a Saturday morning to pray several hours. I was asking the Lord, “Am I where you want me to be?” And I made a list of things I was considering doing. I had a sense that I wasn’t supposed to make those changes, that I was to continue doing what I was doing – working in some small ways in my parish, with some ministries, enjoying my family, and working for Our Sunday Visitor. The Lord said, “That’s plenty for you right now.” Before a big change I think you need a lot of listening, a lot of praying. You also need to consult people who you respect, people who have a good handle on spirituality.

Kapler: Before making a big life change, is there a minimum amount of prayer time you would prescribe to people? Two months, three months?

Ghezzi: No, it would vary by each individual. I think about a recent gospel reading, when Matthew heard the Lord say, “Come and follow Me.” Matthew got up and left his job as a tax collector and threw a big party for his sinner friends to meet Jesus. So no, I don’t think there is any set length of time.

Kapler: Excellent point. You have written extensively on the saints. Is there one school of spirituality that you recognize as having had the greatest influence upon you – Franciscan, Carmelite, etc.?

Ghezzi: No, I draw upon the example of many saints in my life. For example, I have a great deal of affection for Therese of Lisieux. I avoid calling myself Carmelite, but I try to do lots of little things with love and allow the Lord to lift me up in prayer. I have great admiration for Pier Giorgio Frassati, an ordinary person who loved the Lord, spent time in Adoration and served the poor. He enjoyed life and was a real lover of his friends; I try to be encouraging in the way he was. I could go on for a long time here because I have many favorite saints, each of whom has taught me something.

I have a book called The Heart of a Saint. I wrote that book to showcase ten saints, each of who illustrated one way to grow closer to God. I wrote about Aelred of Reivaulx because he taught me about spiritual friendship, and I wrote about Roque Gonzalez because he inspired me in the area of social justice. I wrote about others because they taught me something about the spiritual disciplines I employ in my own life. That book went out of print but is coming out this spring through Loyola Press under the title Saints at Heart.

Shane Kapler: You have earned the respect of, and are personal friends with, pastors of various denominations. Have there been moments when doctrinal differences caused tension? If so, how did you navigate those waters?

Bert Ghezzi: Well, most of my contact with Christians from different backgrounds, with Evangelicals and Christians from mainline churches occurred when I was working at Servant Publications. Servant was owned by an ecumenical community, The Word of God. I was a leader in the community, and had many contacts in the community with men and women from different backgrounds. We learned, as a community, to have great respect for each other’s differences. We learned how to understand the differences without trying to change people’s minds about them. As an editor at Servant I related to many Evangelicals authors and because we shared the common core of Gospel faith – we believed in Jesus as the Lord; His death, resurrection and ascension; and the basics of Christian living – that common ground kept us from having to debate about the other issues.

Servant had two lines. Charis was the Catholic line, and we did fully Catholic books in that line; and then with Servant we did an Evangelical line called Vine. We kept the lines separate so that we didn’t have to minimize Catholic teaching, and Evangelicals didn’t have to minimize their teaching either.

Now some people would not want to publish with Servant because there was a Catholic imprint. One famous Evangelical pastor started knocking heads with us because he didn’t think Catholics and Evangelicals could work together. He was challenging his evangelical friends, “How can you work so closely with Catholics?” I talked with him once or twice; it never got anywhere, but it was a very friendly conversation.

Kapler: I grew up in the Charismatic Renewal, and it had a very positive effect in my life. As one of its early leaders, what effect do you believe it has had on the larger Church? I was also curious if you had any thoughts as to why, at least in the U.S., the size of the movement seems to have decreased?

Ghezzi: I think that it has had the effect of renewing people spiritually. They expect the Holy Spirit to act in their lives. Many of them have moved from the Charismatic Renewal environment into other services in the Church. In my parish here in Altamonte Springs, Florida, there are a lot of people who grew up in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal but who are now serving in other ways. There is a couple who works for social justice. There is a deacon who is preaching and ministering to the sick. Many people who are “baptized in the Spirit” are using their gifts in different settings. I think that has happened throughout the Catholic Church in this country.

The Charismatic Renewal has also contributed to a revival of the healing ministry in the Catholic Church. Catholics renewed in the Spirit have learned to pray with expectant faith for healing. They have also learned to pray effectively for deliverance from evil spirits. These renewals compliment the sacraments of Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation.

Even though the estimate is that in excess of 120 million Catholics are baptized in the Spirit worldwide, the Charismatic Renewal is livelier now in Africa and Latin America than it is in the States. I think that partly, after forty years, people have gone through the movement and have settled into parish prayer groups; and that tends to take the edge off somewhat.

Kapler: Your doctorate is in history. How did the Lord use your study and teaching of that discipline to mold you as a Christian witness? As a Christian writer, editor, and speaker?

Ghezzi: There are a couple of things. I got a Ph.D. in History at Notre Dame and completed my work just as the Catholic Charismatic Renewal began. So I went to Michigan and took a job at Grand Valley State College. I was newly baptized in the Spirit and excited. As a professor of history at a state college, I made some decisions to be very careful about what I would do, but if a student ever asked me about my life; I would tell them. And so I had many conversations at Grand Valley State College about the Lord and being baptized in the Spirit. I tell some of those stories about students who I evangelized and whose lives were changed in Adventures In Daily Prayer.

People think historians are encyclopedic; they know all the dates, and facts and political relationships. Some men and women who are historians do; but most of us are trained to do research. What I’m trained to do is find answers to questions, and I use those research skills to write my books. I’ve written twenty books by now and many of them I had to research, especially those about saints. So the skills I learned when I was trained as an historian, I use in my writing.

I also really worked hard to write simply and directly when I was a student. I strive now to write in such a way that anyone could read what I write and understand it. That’s part of my training as well.

Kapler: I would say that you did that very successfully. I passed along Adventures In Daily Prayer to a dear friend a couple of days ago, and she is already on chapter six.

Ghezzi: Well, it’s an intentionally easy read because I want people to discover daily prayer as something they really need to be able to do. I wanted it to be something anybody could read, including those who don’t read very much.

Kapler: So if there is was only thing a person took away from this book, what would you want it to be?

Ghezzi: That’s not hard to answer. The “take away” from the book is God is here with us, trying to communicate; and we need to decide to pray.

It won’t work just to try. Trying to pray and deciding to pray are two very different things. Fr. Larry Richards says to his people, “You don’t try to have breakfast, try to have lunch, and try to have dinner. You have them every day. Why do you try to pray? You need to be praying, and you need to be reading Scripture. No Bible, no breakfast. No Bible, no bed.”

In response to God’s loving you and desiring to communicate with you, you need to decide to have a daily prayer time.

Book Review - "Adventures in Daily Prayer"

2010-09-12T18:18:00.005-05:00

Anytime I see Bert Ghezzi’s name on the spine of a book, I stop to take a look; so it was a treat to be able to review an advance copy of his newest for Catholic Exchange. As one of the original leaders in the charismatic renewal, long-time editor of New Covenant magazine, the author of numerous books and articles, an international speaker and regular guest on EWTN – all while being a husband and father of seven – he is long on insight. “But,” you might ask, “what more can be written about personal prayer?” Well, prepare yourself to be humbled my friend; I know I was.

In this book, Bert (yes, Bert – with the glimpse these pages give of his interior life, “Dr. Ghezzi” doesn’t feel right) shares the tried and tested principles that have sustained him in prayer for over 45 years, through the highs and lows common to us all. The element that really set this work apart for me was Bert’s conviction that all of us are meant to hear from God – it’s just a matter of making a commitment to remain within earshot of Him.

The rest of the book gives the simple, clear-cut ways to do exactly that. I said that I was humbled by this book, and I meant it. Bert’s wisdom and stories alerted me to the gifts and inner dispositions I have neglected of late. Take Scripture for instance: I say a short prayer before I read the daily Gospel that arrives via email each morning; but I am not stopping to give it the attention Scripture deserves. I have not been chewing over this word the Father sent His Son into the world to give me! At the end of Bert’s chapter on Scripture, as with all of the chapters, he provides several points to Think over – Pray about – and Act on: “What would you have to change to build Scripture study into your daily routine?”; “If you are not already reading Scripture daily, decide to study the Gospel of Mark for fifteen minutes every day for the next month. . .“ His chapter on “Praying with Thanksgiving” would have been reason enough for me to grab this book.

Trust me though, there is no “wagging of the finger.” In fact, it’s just the opposite. Bert is quite transparent regarding shortcomings in his temperament and mistakes he has made, and how God continues to challenge and correct him. It is an exceptional testimony to how prayer is a gift meant for our enrichment, not God’s. Praise, thanksgiving, lectio divina, dryness, intercession – it’s all about taking on the image of Jesus, the image stamped on our souls in baptism.

If you are just setting out on the adventure of daily prayer, then I honestly can’t think of a better book with which to start; I have a friend with whom I can’t wait to share it. And if, like me, you’ve been on this road a few years and need to take stock of where you’re at, then here is your GPS. No dry theory here folks – it’s all tread marks on asphalt.

Book Review - "Where Do Priests Come From?"

2010-08-29T14:30:00.004-05:00

“A priest is a man who makes Jesus real to others through word, example, and the sacraments. He shows us what Jesus is like. . .” Does that description remind you of anyone? I hope so! It reminded me of Monsignor John Leykam, godfather to my youngest; and it was sure fun bringing him up as the kids and I read this delightful little book.

Elizabeth Ficocelli’s words and Shannon Wirrenga’s illustrations go together like hand in glove to give children a rich, human, catechetically-sound introduction to the lives of our priests. So where do priests come from? “They were once young boys just like you. . .[They] played baseball. . .climbed trees. . .dreamed of being an astronaut.” This book maintains the same down-to-earth, relatable feel as it explores “the call,” priestly formation, life in community, and the various roles in which priests serve.

Something I especially liked was the reminder that priests are journeying toward heaven too. “He goes to Confession to be strengthened, just like his people.” We hear how priests need to pray, take breaks, and spend time with friends – just like you, me, and Jesus. In this very subtle way Ficocelli communicates Catholicism’s incarnational worldview – that the God of the universe loves us so tenderly that he comes down from his heaven to join us in the most humdrum of activities; that in the sacraments humble things like water, bread, wine, and even words, become conduits of Divine Life.

I also take my hat off at the way Ficocelli was able to weave fifteen kid-friendly definitions into thirteen pages! Now besides being a dad, I'm an educator; and that feat earned her an “A” in my grade book. There’s even a glossary!

I was excited to hear that is only the first in a series from Bezalel Books, with Where Do Sisters Come From? set to arrive before year’s end, and Where Do Deacons Come From? soon to follow. It’s such a neat way to open our children’s hearts to God’s call. The final line of the book is priceless, “Maybe the next young man God calls will be you!”

"Lord of the Dance" - REALLY?

2010-08-08T22:03:00.007-05:00

At the 9:30 Sunday morning Mass I attended, someone thought it would be a good idea to use Lord of the Dance during Communion:

Photo by Beaumain

I danced in the morning when the world was begun
I danced in the Moon & the Stars & the Sun
I came down from Heaven & I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth:

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)
(words by Sydney Carter)

Alright, I'll go so far as to grant you a Biblical basis for the song: Jesus is the Wisdom of God incarnate (1 Cor.1:24), and in the Old Testament Wisdom was personified as speaking these words:

When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the sons of men (Prov.8:27-31).

But Lord of the Dance is not the tune I want in my head as I'm going to receive the King of Kings! And then I've had to deal with it going through my head the rest of the day. In the end, I see people falling into two groups - those who understand why that is a bad thing, and those who do not.

"Are you telling this parable for us or for all?"

2010-08-08T11:46:00.002-05:00

That was Peter's question to Jesus in this morning's Gospel, and Jesus' answer is incredibly pertinent to each one of us and those we love, especially at this moment in history. We're going to engage in a little Bible study today. First, Let me take a step back though and give the parable that sparked Peter's question:
"Be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them" (Luke 12:36-37).

It struck me this morning that Jesus didn't give a simple "yes" or "no" to Peter:
And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful (Luke 12:42-45).

Peter would have understood Jesus immediately: while it referred to all, it referred to them, the shepherds, and to Peter in a special way. Why do I say this? It seems to me that Jesus is making a pretty strong allusion to Joseph, the great-grandson of Abraham, sold into Egyptian slavery by his eleven brothers. (Just as an aside, Jesus is giving this answer to Peter, the leader among a group of Twelve). Joseph of course rose to prominence in Egypt, being made the Pharoah's vizier, or master of the palace:
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discreet and wise as you are; you shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command; only as regards the throne will I be greater than you." And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand. . . Moreover Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt" (Gen.41:39-44).

When famine struck the Middle East, it was Joseph who had stored up Egypt's grain in preparation:
There was famine in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do." So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth (Gen.41:54-57).

But how does this apply to Peter, and by extension to his successors? Peter too was appointed a vizier, but over Jesus' Kingdom. I've explored this before when comparing Jesus words in Matthew 16:17-19 with those in Isaiah spoken by God in reference to Israel's vizier, master of the palace. But look at Jesus' words to Peter again, and compare them to Pharaoh's to Joseph:
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt.16:18-19).
And was this same Simon-Peter to whom Jesus later said:
"Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs. . .Tend my sheep. . .Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17).

So in today's Gospel reading, Jesus had incredibly strong words that we all need to take to heart - but especially his ordained shepherds, and Peter's successors most of all. Our Lord's answer to Peter continued:
And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more. "I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!. . .Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law" (Luke 12: 47-53).

We have to keep this squarely in mind as our nation, and we as individuals, face the culture war. There are so many points at which not just the Gospel but the Natural Law are being attacked in our culture today. We hear of whole groups of Christians picking apart God's Word and rejecting what doesn't fit with this secular morality, only a few decades old. We have to pray for the shepherds, in our country and abroad, to stand up and lead us in the way of Truth - to make sure each and every parish is giving solid instruction, solid reasons and arguments to share with others. Thank God that we have a Pope who is doing that at the top! It might be high time the Church in the U.S.A. lost its tax exempt status. We need our shepherds to be servants who give the people "their portion of food at the proper time" And each of us, in whatever capacity God has given us, need to be servants to our family members and colleagues - making sure they get "their portion of food at the proper time." The time is now; the world is starving for Truth - bold, uncompromising, unassailable Truth.

Anne Rice's Exit From Christianity

2010-08-07T15:36:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite commentary on Anne's recent announcement - "A Church of sinners or a Church of one," from Whosoever Desires.

We Don't Think The Way God Does

2010-08-05T07:45:00.003-05:00

Today's Gospel reading really struck me: From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

God's "end game," pure and simple, is for us to take on the image of Jesus. This means that many of the experiences we dread - like getting caught with our hand in the cookie jar, or whatever that translates into for adults - appear very positive to God; that correction brings us one step closer to having us with Him for all eternity. In truth, it's useless to try and run from the Cross; God is going to take us through it whether we want to or not, so "Make straight paths for your feet, that what is lame may not be dislocated but healed" (Heb.12:13).

CA's Proposition 8 Overturned

2010-08-04T18:13:00.002-05:00

I just finished watching CBS Evening News' coverage of federal judge Vaughn R. Walker's ruling earlier today. What I found most disturbing was his statement that "Religious beliefs that gay and lesbian relationships are sinful or inferior to heterosexual relationships harm gays and lesbians." That a federal judge would enter the realm of theology and pronounce upon it floors me. He just said that Christianity, Judaism, and Islam - objectively, as they have historically stood; not in the watered-down version often practiced here and in Europe - run counter to the good of some of our citizens. The implication is easy to see - these religions should drop what is disagreeable to the secular morality that has recently gained ground in our society. It isn't even a robust secular morality - with its rejection of Natural Law it can no longer claim rationality.

As one who speaks and writes about Christianity, the judge's words about religious belief outrage me, and I feel the need to respond. I have nothing but love and respect for men and women experiencing same-sex attraction. I do not believe it proper to act on such attraction, but I would never under any circumstance discriminate against or belittle the innate dignity of one who did. (I've discussed this in several blogs.) Christianity is a revealed religion and its statements on the morality of sex acts between same-sex individuals are crystal clear, unmistakable. A Christian cannot excise this datum of faith from their belief set without calling into question every other datum of faith - that God desires us to be His children, that Jesus died for his/her sins, that salvation rests upon God's grace, etc. Christianity is one complete system and should be accepted or rejected as a whole. Jesus made a claim like no other in history, "I am the Truth" (John 14:6). As He said to the Roman judge, Pontius Pilate "For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37); and to His disciples, "For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory" (Luke 9:26).

More on Jesus' Baptism

2010-08-04T15:51:00.004-05:00

I've written before about Jesus' death being foreshadowed in His baptism, but it wasn't until praying the Rosary a few nights ago that I also saw His resurrection there. The death is in the going down into the water, but the resurrection in the coming up into the presence of the Spirit and the voice of the Father. St. Paul even did the leg work for us, linking the resurrection to the Spirit and God [the Father's] declaration. Paul wrote that Jesus was "designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4). I can't believe how dense I am not to have recognized this before, especially when I've taught on the symbolism of death and resurrection in regards to our baptisms!

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).

Great Article by Mary Kochan

2010-07-27T15:17:00.002-05:00

Here is a great article by Mary Kochan over at Catholic Exchange, a little apologetics to get your afternoon started right: "The Missing Piece"

Living Seed

2010-07-27T08:04:00.005-05:00

His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom."
I'm so used to thinking of the "seed" as the Word of God, due to the Parable of the Sower, that I haven't registered Jesus' other usage - that you and I are the seed He sows in the world. We are the manifestation of the Kingdom of God prior to His Second Coming. That is why the Kingdom can permeate this world like leaven. If the seed is damaged through sin however, the Kingdom can shrink back in size from one generation to the next.

Why I haven't been writing my blog

2010-07-24T16:40:00.004-05:00

It's just that I've been researching and writing a new book. It will probably take me another three months. So long as I am working on it though, it's hard to write on much else. We'll have to catch up in October - unless inspiration strikes sooner!

B.K., Gets Funky Fresh

2010-04-05T17:55:00.003-05:00

These are rap lyrics from my 9-year-old son. (He's operating under the misguided notion that others read this blog!)

Help Me Please
Help, help me please
I have brain freeze
I can't really stop when I wanna go
I can't really sing a solo
But this is how it goes
And this is how I roll

Refrain
I just wanna roll,
when the wind blows
I can't really stop this brain control
So just see me glow,
when it snows
(Repeat refrain)

Oh oh oh, just go
oh oh oh, just go
Before I explode,
into many toads

Refrain

Mocking the Crucified

2010-03-27T18:45:00.005-05:00

Two thieves crucified with Jesus - they both began with taunting, but one underwent conversion. The thought had never occurred to me before though - why would anyone hanging on a tree muster the strength to mock someone else? And the only answer that came back was my answer for why I watch (and almost always mock) reality television - in my heart of hearts, my comments make me feel superior/clever/funny and, if only for a couple of moments, give me an escape from my problems (cross). It's all a sham of course: if I were on television, with people observing my daily foibles - I would provide them with a motherload of mistakes.

There has to be a better way to deal with our crosses, and I think that second thief, called Dismas in tradition, shows us how- acknowledge where we are and then ask Jesus to keep us in His memory (His Heart). Handling it that way is redemptive; just ask Saint Dismas.

Knockin' on Heaven's Door

2010-03-11T22:56:00.012-06:00

I was driving home late this evening, flipping stations, when I happened upon Axl (yes, that's how you spell it) Rose's cover of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." There's something very soulful about the Axman at times, especially on this tune, so I stuck it out. Almost instantaneously, the words sent my mind to the Mass. In the past week I've read Matt Swaim's The Eucharist and the Rosary, and I've had the good fortune to spend some time talking with Matt as well - and what is fresh in my mind from those encounters is the insight that Mass is meant to "yank us out of ourselves" - our littleness, our self-preoccupation, and place us in Heaven. A church was just ahead on the right side of the road, so I raised my hand and made a knocking-motion - my own strange little profession of Faith. (I felt alright doing this, because at 10:30 p.m., on a relatively empty street, the chances that the knock would be mistaken for a gang sign were slim to none.) I was almost home and thinking, "Is there enough here to write a blog? Does anyone really want to hear about the hand gestures I make while driving? Do I have enough energy to write a blog?"; but I promptly came to my senses - "no," on all three counts... or so I thought. Because when I got to my room and gave my email the final check for the night, there was a message from a blog I follow, entitled "Knocking on Heaven's Door." I kid you not.

So there you go. If someone out there needs to be reminded that Jesus is present in that church, in that Tabernacle, here it is. If you've been complaining that your parish priest is a lousy speaker and that the choir director has a voice like Axl (again, yes - that's how he spells it!) Rose; drop it. Jesus of Nazareth, the Alpha and the Omega, the Crucified and Risen One, is telling you to get yourself there. If you need to go to Confession, then go; He loves you, what are you waiting for? Knock on Heaven's Door - it's always answered; He's always home...waiting for you and me.

P.S., Check out these words of wisdom from Denise Fath on the subject!

The British are Coming!

2010-03-03T18:43:00.007-06:00

I cannot begin to communicate how excited I am. Talk about living in amazing times. The Holy Spirit has just done something that many NEVER believed possible - 99 congregations petitioning to be reunited to the Catholic Church! Yes, the Anglican Church in America (o.k., so they're not really British), consisting of 99 parishes and cathedrals, is petitioning, as a body, to enter full-communion with the See of Peter. Please click here to view an article, and here for the statement directly from the ACA. The Apostle Paul's quotation of Habakkuk comes to mind!

Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you! (Acts 13:41)

Teens Sexually Active... as Parents LOOK ON?

2010-03-01T18:17:00.005-06:00

NO, of course they wouldn't be! Which is the point of a great article penned by Catholic Exchange editor, Mary Kochan. If you're a parent, I recommend you give it a look. My kids aren't of dating age yet, but Mary sure has me thinking about when they will be...and what my responsibility toward them is.
Putting the Vision Back in Supervision by Mary Kochan

We're Supposed to Be PERFECT?

2010-02-27T09:36:00.009-06:00

Yes, yes we are. Jesus actually calls us to it. Let me share today's Gospel reading, a common objection to it, and then a few thoughts:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt.5:43-48)

There are some people who object to reading that last sentence as a call to a perfect "holiness," a striving to live completely in union with all of God's commands and to bring our interior thoughts into union with them as well. They point out that, in the context of this passage, perfection means being perfectly forgiving, not all hung up on rules, etc.

Alright. My problem with that is that it portrays forgiveness, true heartfelt forgiveness of someone who has wronged us - stole from us, physically assaulted us, betrayed his/her wedding vows - as somehow easier than getting ourselves to Mass every Sunday morning, or avoiding drinking too much or "going too far" in the backseat! And that's hilarious to me. When Jesus uses forgiveness as an example of what it means to be perfect, as God is perfect, He set the bar as high as He possibly could! We can't do any of it without God's grace and the action of the Holy Spirit, but the "rules" are pretty simple comparatively speaking. Now, I'm not counseling myself or anyone else to become neurotic about small, daily failures - God is literally infinitely patient with and forgiving of His children. But lets be honest about what we're called to - that “holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb.12:14).

Montel & Sylvia

2010-02-20T09:50:00.004-06:00

The only thing more intellectually stimulating than watching Montel Williams hawk a blender is to see him doing it in combination with the psychic insights of Sylvia Browne. Don't miss out on the amazing Health Master Blender!

State of MO - Don't Be Hatin'

2010-02-16T21:16:00.004-06:00

Thanks to my old friend Bill Hunter for bringing this to my attention: Missouri State Senator Chuck Pergason has proposed Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 29 - do away with personal and corporate income tax but DO TAX churches, parochial school tuition, and charity services. Chuck has earned my "Como, What?" for the week. Catholic Charities should charge a tax from the poor who access its services? Christian parents, who pay taxes to the state to fund local school districts, should have the additional tuition they pay to their parochial school taxed?

What about the college tuition people pay Chuck? Ah, SJR-29 exempts college tuition from taxation on the basis that those payments are an investment toward the future. And parochial school tuition isn't? They're both in addition to the public school system and both freely chosen. Feels like religious institutions aren't getting a fair shake here. Alrighty MO residents, think you had better be contacting your state senators.

"Holy" Obedience for Lent?

2010-02-15T14:52:00.001-06:00

“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). That’s a truth to keep central as we enter this season of Lent. It’s possible to make a grandiose resolution and miss the reality at the heart of the season: We are to take on the image of Him Who “humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).

About a year ago one of my closest friends started reading Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light. My friend, who is Lutheran, soon asked me if I could explain something to her: it seemed very strange that Mother Teresa, who God was clearly speaking to and giving a mission, would have to go and receive permission to undertake the work from her religious superiors. At first her superiors made her delay. Why would Teresa submit to that, when she knew God was speaking to her?

What a fantastic question! Looking back, my response was alright. I talked about how it was a mark of humility, and a safeguard against being deceived, to submit inspirations and private revelations to those God has allowed to assume roles of authority within a religious body. I also shared how, in private revelations to nuns and religious brothers, Jesus often instructs the recipients that they must always submit themselves to their religious superiors, even when it means delaying His requested action. These nuns and brothers took a vow of obedience when they entered their respective orders, and the Lord insists that it be adhered to. But what I failed to point out, the very heart of the matter, was what St. Anthony of Padua saw in the Gospel read a few weeks back on the Feast of the Holy Family. (My thanks to the Daily Gospel apostolate for emailing such quality commentary every day of the year.)

Jesus was twelve years old and stayed behind in Jerusalem following a family trip there, without notifying his parents. After three days of frantic searching Mary and Joseph finally found Him in the Temple:
"Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:48-52)

St. Anthony's commentary here is just gorgeous:
“He was subject to them.” With these words let all pride dissolve, all rigidness crumble, all disobedience submit. “He was subject to them.” Who? In brief, he who created all things from nothing; he who, as Isaiah says, “has cupped in his hand the waters of the sea and marked off the heavens with a span; who has held in a measure the dust of the earth, weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance” (40,12)...This is he who, great and powerful though he be, was subject. And subject to whom? To a workman and a poor young maid ... So no longer hesitate to obey or be submissive ...
There are people of wisdom within religious orders but it is by means of simple men that God brought them there. God chose the foolish and weak, the lowly and ignorant to bring together those who were wise, powerful and of noble birth through them, «so that no human being might boast in itself» (cf. 1 Cor. 1,26-29) but in him who came down, who came to Nazareth, and who was subject.

Our obedience is a participation in the very obedience of Jesus! The Father's Revelation in Person, made His plans subject to "a workman and a poor young maid." So whenever one of us submits ourselves to the decisions of our bishop or the disciplines (traditions) of the Church as opposed to our own personal "inspirations," it is Jesus' obedience that we are tapping into; and that is life's very goal! We've heard time and again that the Church is the Family of God. In truth, it is the Family of Nazareth thrown open to the entire world. And those God places in leadership may not be the smartest, or the most "charismatic," or the most plugged-in as to what He wants to accomplish in the moment; but they are to be obeyed, because doing so places us firmly in the One Who obeyed "a workman and a poor young maid." May the Lord grant us a holy and profitable Lent!

Seeing Ourselves in Simon of Cyrene

2010-02-15T14:47:00.004-06:00

"And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry His cross. And they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha" (Mark 15:21-22).

Carrying Jesus' cross. It is the only time we hear of this Simon throughout the whole of the New Testament. Sit with this man's action a moment though...He assisted Jesus in bringing about the redemption of the world. Scourged and beaten, Jesus needed Simon's help to make it to the top of Golgotha to complete His sacrifice. I know there is great depth here, and I'm only scratching the surface; but even a scratch has to be of some value:

Only God knows what went through Simon's mind when he was pressed into that service. He was on his way home from work when the soldiers forced him into position. Had he seen Jesus before, heard Him? Did he recognize Him there on the ground, under the cross? Scared for his own life, Simon lifted the hundred pound beam onto his shoulders. Surrounded by Roman soldiers, he was probably too scared to be repulsed by the blood-smeared beam. Did he try to make eye contact with Jesus, or did he just perform the task given him? What was his reaction when the Lord prophesied to the women of Jerusalem? Did he witness Jesus being nailed to the cross, see the horror on His Mother Mary's face? Was Simon there throughout the Lord's hours on the Cross? Did he hear Jesus' final words, see the blood and water gush from His side? Or did he run to his family as soon as that beam left his shoulder? Only God knows.

What you and I know for certain is this: something happened to Simon. When Mark wrote his Gospel for the Christians in Rome, Simon's sons were among them (Mark 15:21). Simon came to Faith; he knew that Jesus had been raised and, he communicated that to his sons. How did Simon come to faith? Perhaps he heard stories that the Man he had helped had been raised and was appearing to His followers. Personally, I think Jesus paid him a visit. The Lord is never outdone in generosity– for Simon to have shared so intimately in the Cross, it makes me suspect that he shared intimately in the joy of the Resurrection as well.

It wasn’t Simon who redeemed the world, but his exertion and discomfort while carrying the cross did assist Jesus in making His redemptive offering. Even though all the value and power of the sacrifice flowed from the Lord, Simon truly participated in, truly shared, a part of Jesus’ Passion. I believe St. Paul described this reality, open to you and I as well, when he wrote, “in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Colossians 1:24). The grace and power flow from the Lord alone, and yet we truly participate in His offering – His one offering, reaching out to redeem past, present, and future (Heb.10:10, 9:14).

You and I are in Simon's position, you know. Our Lord allows His Cross to be laid upon us. It is never the type of Cross we would choose for ourselves either. No, it’s a weight we struggle under; and like Simon, we’re pressed into service. It may be the loss of a job, an illness, or abandonment by a spouse. It is always an opportunity to enter into Jesus’ offering though. For when we press on with continued faith in God’s love for us, we take on the image of the Son:

Although he was a Son, [Jesus] learned obedience from what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him (Heb.5:8-9).
Consider him…so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted…It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons…for the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb.12:3,7,11).

The very next verse in Hebrews is of special interest to me: “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” You see, God is going to move us forward; we are going to take on the image of Jesus. We can dig in our heels and persist in anger over how “unfair” our lives are, how “cruelly” we are being treated; but it won’t stop the process. God loves us right now, exactly as we are; but He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are! He will settle for nothing less than our obtaining that absolute “holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb.12:14).

St. Paul understood that this holiness is obtained by embracing the Cross shoulder-to-shoulder with Jesus. “For Jesus’ sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:8-11).

The Cross creates intimacy between Jesus and the soul of the disciple. If we will put ourselves in Simon’s place – beneath the weight of the Cross, shoulder-to-shoulder with Jesus, our hearts pounding alongside the Sacred Heart – then we will experience the unmitigated generosity of God: we will come forth from our tombs in the splendor and power of the Risen One! Because of our union with the Sacred Heart in His Passion, our bodies and souls will participate in His Resurrection. The Cross will be transformed from an occasion of suffering into the insignia of an enduring, Divine Love – His by nature, ours by participation.

Why Call It Eucharist (Thanksgiving)?

2010-01-24T20:47:00.006-06:00

Jesus said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer”… And He took bread, and when He had given thanks He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My Body which is given for you.” And likewise the cup after supper, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:15,19-20).

It is one of those realizations that leave you speechless. There was something significantly more, qualitatively more, going on in Jesus’ prayer than the traditional, “Blessed are You, L-rd, our G-d, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” Jesus gave thanks to His Father for the True Bread, His Body, that would be broken for us. He thanked the Father that He was able to offer Himself for our redemption! We see how difficult this was for Him when, just a few hours later, we glimpse Him in the Garden of Gethsemane; and yet, almost paradoxically, it was an offering He “earnestly desired” to make.

Historically at Calvary, and sacramentally at Jesus’ final Passover, we see our Lord living out as a man, Who He is from all eternity – the Son of the Father. For it is the Son Who receives all He is from the Father and reciprocates by pouring out Himself to the Father, in the Person of the Spirit. This is the same Trinitarian movement we see in the Cross/Eucharist – but with the Son’s humanity now fully caught up into His outpouring of Love. The Son, Who has received all He is, “gives thanks,” by pouring Himself out in a return of Love. And because He does this as man, His action overwhelmingly atones for – and superabundantly redeems – all sin, man and woman’s rejection of God.

By calling what we Christians “do” Eucharist (the Greek word for “thanksgiving”), we make a profound statement. We have been made sons and daughters in the only Son, and we enter into His Gift of Self to the Father. Like Him, we who have received all we are from the Father, give ourselves back to Him in a movement of thanksgiving/Love - the Holy Spirit pouring forth from Jesus, and carrying us into the arms of the Father. It only makes sense that the Eucharist, what the Church calls “the source and summit of the Christian life,” should be a manifestation of its central Mystery - God’s own Trinitarian Life.

Did the Apostles Pray the Rosary?

2010-01-16T23:14:00.012-06:00

It sounds like a ridiculous question for me to pose. It's common knowledge that the Rosary didn't take shape for at least another thousand years! Something stood out to me the other night though that gives me pause; I think the "soul" of the Rosary was always present in the Apostles' prayer.

Jesus' instruction at the time of His ascension was, "not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father...before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." And the Apostles did just that: "All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren" (Acts 1:4-5, 14). That was how they spent the nine days between Jesus' ascension and the descent of the Spirit on Pentecost.

Of what did their prayer consist? Petition, combined with a great deal of meditation (the "soul" of the Rosary) - thinking and rethinking the things Jesus had said to them, the actions and miracles they witnessed, the meaning of His death, resurrection, and ascension. It consisted of reflecting upon Scripture; when Jesus appeared to them on the night of His resurrection, He had "opened their minds to understand the scriptures...the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms" and how they had been fulfilled in Him (Luke 24:44-45). And this meditation was being done in the presence of Mary. She was engaged in it with them. As John Paul II pointed out so beautifully:

Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: “She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51). The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son's side. In a way those memories were to be the “rosary” which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 11).

The Apostles spent nine days engaged in this with her, making the Church's first novena. We can see the fruits that emerged - Peter's move to replace the office left vacant by Judas' defection emerged from his reflection upon the Psalms (Acts 1:20) and then the explosion of Scriptural insights he unleashed up the crowd at Pentecost! (Acts 2:16-41) Isn't it likely that the Holy Spirit had been bringing key points of that first sermon to Peter's consciousness throughout the nine days of prayer?

When we today pray the Rosary, when we recite the Hail Mary while meditating upon the events recounted in the gospels and Acts (the fifteen Mysteries), we enter into the Apostles' experience. "With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love" (Rosarium Virginis Mariae, 1). And by doing this regularly, daily, our souls grow and become progressively docile to the movement of the Holy Spirit. We receive not one, but several Pentecosts as our eyes open up onto new spiritual vistas and we find ourselves acting with a freedom and strength we imagined ourselves unable to attain. And rightly so - these things can only take root in souls that have been broken up and seeded, over time, through prayer. These souls are made ready for that moment when the Living Water rains down and causes the new life to burst forth out into the open.

We won't see Pentecost without it. Jesus knows how we are made, and He knows how to "remake" us in His image; that was why He sent the Apostles back to the upper room. They needed to spend that time in prayer, in meditation...in the company of His Mother. My friends, almost two thousand years may have passed, but the prescription remains the same.

Throwing Down the Gauntlet

2010-01-13T21:16:00.002-06:00

Just read an article over at Catholic News Agency that made me smile. My former archbishop, Raymond Burke, flew into Phoenix, AZ, this morning to preside at a Mass for legal professionals. In the course of his homily he shared his conviction regarding our country: "It is a society which is abandoning its Judeo-Christian foundations, the fundamental obedience to God’s law which safeguards the common good, and is embracing a totalitarianism which masks itself as the 'hope,' the 'future,' of our nation. Reason and faith teaches us that such a society can only produce violence and death and in the end destroy itself.” Prescient.

Who Does God Use?

2010-01-09T01:00:00.007-06:00

My greatest joy has always been to speak, and more recently to write, about the Faith. I am not however, a professional theologian nor a philosopher - heck, I don't even play one on t.v. I do not feel particularly dismayed by that though - my favorite religious works were written by a couple of fisherman, an accountant, and a physician. Whatever our educational and occupational backgrounds, if we will just slow down enough to "sit at Jesus' feet" and listen to Him for awhile each day (speaking in Scripture, through His Church in the Catechism, during our Rosary meditations) then we're bound to learn some incredible things, things we will be dying to share with others.

Almost a decade ago, I had the great pleasure of listening to Dr. Scott Hahn speak. The most vivid memory I have of that day was hearing him talk about when Peter and John were hauled before the Sanhedrin, and quoting this verse: "Observing the self-assurance of Peter and John, and realizing that the speakers were uneducated men of no standing, they were amazed. Then they recognized these men as having been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). That is the key to being instruments of God. The shepherd boy in Israel, an unassuming young woman of Galilee, three poor shepherd children in Portugal - it is those who place their hearts before God, very simply, that He uses to communicate with the world.

You know, I often get the impression that we are hesitant to share our enthusiasm and Faith insights with our young. "Oh, kids can't get into the Bible; it's a completely different world." "The Trinity? The hypostatic union and the intricacies of moral theology? That would be gibberish to teens!" Really? Are we talking about the same teens whose high schools offer chemistry, physics, and even calculus? The same kids who read and take tests over works of Shakespeare? And to hear an eight year-old boy explain The Lord of the Rings' Middle-Earth, or a fifteen year-old girl elaborate on the ins-and-outs of vampires and werewolves ala Twilight, I'm pretty sure they could place themselves back into the times and customs of David or Paul.

I praise God for youth ministers and programs like LifeTeen, for priests who challenge their flocks, and catechists with RCIA and adult ed. programs - but it ain't cuttin' it my friends. It's you and I who have to be raised up and empowered to share Truth if this cultural battle is to be won, if the deterioration we see all around us is to be turned back. The Church in the West could be the sleeping giant of the world. If we would awake, we could see a manifestation of Christ come to "full stature." "It was He Who gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers in roles of service for the faithful to build up the body of Christ, till we become one in faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, and form that perfect man who is Christ come to full stature." (Ephesians 4:11-13)

We must live who you are, share what we are excited about with our coworkers and friends. When someone asks if we are reading anything good, we can let them know, "I started going to this Bible study; I never realized how interesting it could be..." When someone asks you to pray for them, take a chance: "I will; but is it alright if I pray with you, right now, too?" And if they are willing, take their hands in yours and speak the simple, heartfelt words that come to mind. Let your loved one experience the Spirit loving and praying for them through you. We don't need to manufacture opportunities to share our Faith, if we're just honest about who we are and what animates us, every conversation can become an open door for God to enter others' lives. Reebok will have nothing on us (Isaiah 52:7)!

But it all comes back to spending time with Jesus - gazing upon Him in the Eucharist, in Scripture, in His Church. It is only by being fused to Him that we "uneducated men [and women] of no standing," become powerhouses. Only by sitting at His feet will we be able to simultaneously tear down what is false, and build up the Kingdom in its place - "conducting ourselves with innocence, knowledge, and patience, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love as men with the message of truth and the power of God; wielding the weapons of righteousness with right hand and left, whether honored or dishonored, spoken of well or ill" (2 Cor.6:6-8).

Happy Birthday E

2010-01-08T13:52:00.002-06:00

Just looked at that last post and realized THE DATE! Well, I have to give a birthday acknowledgment to the man my mama listened to as she raised me - Mr. Elvis Presley. Yes, I went on my first pilgrimage at age 5... to Graceland and the grave of Elvis Presley.

An Infant Lamb

2010-01-08T13:20:00.006-06:00

It was an unusual experience. I was laying in bed the other night, in that twilight state between conscious and unconscious, when the words of Isaiah were in my head, "Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth" (53:7). The strangest part about it though was that I was saying those words to myself while seeing this image of Jesus' presentation in the Temple - the infant Jesus, silent as a lamb led to slaughter. My mind registered that Mary and Joseph would have carried Him through the Temple courtyard, bustling with animals to be offered in sacrifice. This struck me as something unique, so I roused myself enough to grab the journal on my bedside table and jot it down. And that's it.

I would like to unpack it more, but don't know what to say at the moment. I recall reading a couple of years back a meditation written by Sr. Lucia (of Fatima) on the presentation, where she felt that Mary was presenting Jesus for sacrifice - but I could see that in only an extended sense: she was offering Him completely to the Lord's service, and His sacrificial death could be seen as implicit in that offering. I don't know. Something to think on.

(Image, Presentation In The Temple, courtesy of: http://go2.wordpress.com/?id=725X1342&site=dwellingintheword.wordpress.com&url=http%3A%2%2Fwww.holyhillcross.com%2FPRESENTATION%2520IN%2520THE%2520TEMPLE.jpg)

The Motherhood of Mary

2010-01-01T09:53:00.008-06:00

Today's liturgical feast - what an awesome way to begin each year, each new decade, new century and new millenium. The God Who brought this universe into existence, who ordained the orbit of our planets before a single atom was formed, took flesh inside a girl in Palestine. She was the most beautiful creature He ever created - although those living around her day-in and day-out didn't see it. "The LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). And He had brought her into being not to act as a temporary dwelling, a home for a brief nine months, but to be His Mother - the person to whom He would entrust Himself, whole and entire, when He became man. He made her to be the person from whom He would take His flesh and blood (used to redeem the world), the person who would nurse and warm Him with her body. He made her to be His diaper-changer, roommate, nutritionist and chef, educator, sounding board, prayer partner and confidant - to be His Mother. God has really, truly become a man! How now really, truly has a Mother - a Mother He created for Himself! But for Himself alone? The God-Man from His Cross: "Woman, behold your son! Behold, your mother!" (John 19:26-27).

Mary, Mother of God, our mother, may the Holy Spirit make you our companion, our most faithful companion, as we set out to journey through this next year and next decade. We give ourselves entirely into your arms, as the Incarnate Word Himself did, knowing that we shall find Him there, nestled against your heart. May His Spirit nurse us and mature us there in your arms, until it is time to lift us to our Father. Amen.

Writing

2010-01-01T09:50:00.001-06:00

Why do I enjoy writing so much? It isn't the main reason, but I've got to tell ya - any gig that you can do while wearing fleece pajama pants, that's a gig worth doing.

Last Post of the Year

2009-12-31T21:15:00.004-06:00

What a year - disappointment on a personal level, yet the opening of unexpected doors for sharing the Faith (and the grace to take it as it comes). At the end of the year I have to thank the Lord for His Love - faithful, long-suffering, thoughtful, generous...my words can't do justice. And I have to thank the Lord for ministering to me through His Mother Mary, for giving me to her and her to me. In 2010, I want to look more like Mary and Joseph, so that I can ultimately look more like Jesus. And may Brennan and Lily have a ton of fun on this journey.

"Holy" Obedience?

2009-12-27T10:48:00.016-06:00

I am a big, big fan of The Daily Gospel apostolate out of New Hope, Kentucky. Every morning they greet me with the day's readings as well as Gospel commentary from one of the saints or a successor of Peter, and I tip my hat to them for the commentary they selected for the Feast of the Holy Family. They allowed St. Anthony of Padua to give me some much needed illumination.

You see, about a year ago one of my closest friends started reading Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light. My friend, who is Lutheran, soon asked me if I could explain something to her: it seemed very strange that Mother Teresa, who God was clearly speaking to and giving a mission, would have to go and receive permission to undertake the work from her religious superiors. At first her superiors made her delay. Why would Teresa submit to that, when she knew God was speaking to her?

What a fantastic question! Looking back, my response was alright. I talked about how it was a mark of humility, and a safeguard against being deceived, to submit inspirations and private revelations to those God has allowed to assume roles of authority within a religious body. I also shared how, in private revelations to nuns and religious brothers, Jesus often instructs the recipients that they must always submit themselves to their religious superiors, even when it means delaying His requested action. These nuns and brothers took a vow of obedience when they entered their respective orders, and the Lord insists that it be adhered to. But what I failed to point out, the very heart of the matter, was what St. Anthony of Padua saw in the Gospel read for the Feast of the Holy Family! Jesus was twelve years old and stayed behind in Jerusalem following a family trip there, without notifying his parents. After three days of frantic searching Mary and Joseph finally found Him in the Temple:

"Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." And he said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:48-52)

St. Anthony's commentary here is just gorgeous:

«He was subject to them.» With these words let all pride dissolve, all rigidness crumble, all disobedience submit. «He was subject to them.» Who? In brief, he who created all things from nothing; he who, as Isaiah says, «has cupped in his hand the waters of the sea and marked off the heavens with a span; who has held in a measure the dust of the earth, weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance» (40,12)...This is he who, great and powerful though he be, was subject. And subject to whom? To a workman and a poor young maid ... So no longer hesitate to obey or be submissive ...
There are people of wisdom within religious orders but it is by means of simple men that God brought them there. God chose the foolish and weak, the lowly and ignorant to bring together those who were wise, powerful and of noble birth through them, «so that no human being might boast in itself» (cf. 1 Cor. 1,26-29) but in him who came down, who came to Nazareth, and who was subject.

Our obedience is a participation in the very obedience of Jesus! The Father's Revelation in Person, made His plans subject to "a workman and a poor young maid." So whenever one of us submits ourselves to the decisions of our bishop or the disciplines (traditions) of the Church as opposed to our own personal "inspirations," it is Jesus' obedience that we are tapping into; and that is life's very goal! We've heard time and again that the Church is the Family of God. In truth, it is the Family of Nazareth thrown open to the entire world. And those God places in leadership may not be the smartest, or the most "charismatic," or the most plugged-in as to what He wants to accomplish in the moment; but they are to be obeyed, because doing so places us firmly in the One Who obeyed "a workman and a poor young maid."

The Eucharist, Mary, and Redemptive Suffering

2009-12-19T20:57:00.004-06:00

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Colossians 1:24).

Redemptive suffering. It is that mysterious but incredible reality that the suffering God allows into our lives, when accepted and lived with trust in His Love for us, become an actual participation in the sufferings of the Crucified, allowing us to be formed more truly His image - the very goal of our Faith! And, as Paul said above, because we are “members of one another” (Rom.12:5; Eph.5:25), this grace is of benefit not just to us, but to the entire Body. This teaching, far from casting aspersions on the efficacy of Jesus’sacrifice, proclaims its superabundance. We believe that His sacrifice redeems us so profoundly that it transforms us from mere creatures of God into sons and daughters. It transforms us into cells of Jesus’ Mystical Body, inserting us into the Life, death, resurrection, and ascension of the only Son! This reality is there in the theology of Paul, and unpacked for us in the teaching of the saints and doctors. What I’d never recognized before though, was how it was contained in Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist.

When we start to meditate on that Fifth Luminous Mystery, we naturally hear His words, “This is My Body …This is My Blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” And in a moment of grace, we’re reminded where Jesus took His Body and Blood from – His Mother Mary. Jesus clothed Himself with her flesh, her blood, and offered Himself to the Father “in” them. That is the mystery of redemptive suffering that the Lord wants to continue in you and me - to clothe Himself with our very persons and lift our sufferings up into His own, making them part of His eternal offering to the Father (Heb.9:14). As with Mary, He requires our consent to bring about this supernatural reality, “I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

We see Mary, fully engaged in this Mystery, there at the foot of her Son’s Cross. Which of us parents haven’t imagined looking up and seeing our own children hanging there in the sun - their bodies ripped, blood flowing down their limbs, suffocating under their own weight. It is the most monstrous suffering imaginable, but God allowed it into the life of His beloved Mary. Her Son was dying to redeem the world, and her heart was pierced right along with His (Jn.19:34; Lk.2:35). Jesus was suffering there before her eyes, in the flesh He took from her; but through the chords of grace He was suffering in and through her person, gazing up at Him, as well. Through it all, the Holy Spirit maintained Mary in her fiat, “let it be to me according to your word;” and Scripture tells us that He made her suffering fruitful for the Mystical Body, “[Mary,] a sword will pierce your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Lk.2:35). The mystery of redemptive suffering spoken of by Paul in Colossians 1:24 is graphically manifested by Mary at the Cross.

I don’t see any romance in pain, and I don’t desire it; but part of reality is recognizing that God allows me to pass through it. It is not an end in itself, but a potentially powerful means: “For Jesus’ sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil.3:8-11). So I need to call out for the grace to unite my sufferings to those of Jesus, to allow Him to lift me up toward His Father, “This is My Body…This is My Blood.” I need to pray each day for the grace to persevere through suffering; Jesus told us the stakes are high, “Because wickedness is multiplied, most men’s love will grow cold. But he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt.24:12-13).

“O Jesus living in Mary,

come and live in Thy servants,

In the Spirit of Thy holiness,

In the fullness of Thy might,

In the truth of Thy virtues

In the communion of Thy mysteries,

Subdue every hostile power

In Thy Spirit, for the glory of the Father. Amen.”

Am I not here, who is your Mother?

2009-12-12T09:04:00.017-06:00

I think those words of our Lady to St. Juan Diego, and through him to us, are some of the most beautiful in history. I just renewed my consecration to Jesus, through the heart of Mary, this past week and wanted to share a thought that struck me in that regard. Before I come to it though, I need to lay a bit of groundwork:

What does it mean to be consecrated to Jesus through Mary? St. Louis De Montfort wrote the book on the subject. It is popularly known as True Devotion to Mary. De Montfort himself though, spoke of the devotion to Mary he prescribed as being "a perfect consecration to Jesus Christ." As difficult as this may be for some Christian brothers and sisters to understand, that is Marian devotion's raison d'etre. What De Montfort espoused was entrusting ourselves to Jesus' Mother, our Mother, totally and completely. We ask the Holy Spirit to knit our souls together, so that the grace that was in her, will be participated in by us as well. Sounds heretical? It sounded very foreign to me too, but after years of looking at it and seeing its fruits in others, such as John Paul II, I espouse it as well.

The Apostles themselves gave us the doctrinal foundations! Listen to this beautiful image given us by the Apostle Peter, "Come to Jesus, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God's sight chosen and precious; and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house...to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5). The Apostle Paul developed it further, teaching that "we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another" (Romans 12:5). In being fused to Jesus, we find ourselves then, at the level of the soul, mysteriously joined to one another. As a result, Paul could teach that "If one member of the Body suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" (1 Cor.12:26); and could even claim, "in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Colossians 1:24).

And so, the grace that is in one member of the Body can be of benefit to all. And who received the grace to love Jesus with a perfectly pure heart from the moment of conception? Who was a disciple to Him like no one else in the cosmos? Our Mother Mary! As the angel Gabriel said, she is the "Kecharitomene," the one who is "completely filled" with God's grace. She is the Church's ultimate success story, God's greatest masterpiece of grace! Now that's the living stone that I want to be fitted to, the cell of the Body that I want to be functioning alongside. The grace that God gave her disposed her to overcome every difficulty and give herself to Him without reserve, so that the Holy Spirit could fashion Jesus within her. I want that grace that God poured into Mary, to yield to Him as she did! My soul, of itself, is still so underdeveloped, has so many impediments that prevent the Holy Spirit from moving it the way He wishes.

Do you remember your Old Testament? The great prophet Elijah told his pupil Elisha to ask a favor of him before he (Elijah) was assumed into heaven. Elisha's request? "I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit" (2 Kings 2:9). And that was exactly what Elisha got! Well, there's no way we can receive a "double" portion of the grace Mary did - since as Mother of the Incarnate Word she received more than all of the angles and saints put together! - but she and the Holy Spirit sure want us to participate in it! They want us to tap into it to accelerate our spiritual growth. Again, as Paul said, "we are members of one another." To share in the grace given to Mary's soul is to make ourselves ever more docile instruments of the Holy Spirit, more perfect disciples of Christ Jesus! And this brings me back to that thought I was struck by earlier this week:

I was meditating on the third Luminous Mystery, Jesus' Proclamation of the Kingdom. My mind turned to that episode when Jesus was preaching, and He was told that His Mother and family were outside. He looked at those sitting around Him and said, "Here are my mother and my brethren! Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother" (Matt.12:49-50). I've always understood Jesus to be saying that we are to share in the mission of His Mother, the mission of doing God's will by giving Him our flesh and allowing Him to "enter the world" through us. And that's true. But for the first time, I recognized Jesus' words as having a deep fulfillment in this idea of being consecrated to Him through spiritual union with Mary. It is "common" to think of ourselves as Jesus' brothers and sisters, but mother strikes us a bit strange. Not when we conceive of it as our souls being knit to Mary's by the Holy Spirit though. Not when we understand it as being allowed to share in that beautiful grace that was hers - becoming completely fluid in the Hands of the Spirit, so that He can form Christ Jesus in our souls as He did within the womb of Mary.

We become completely Mary's (as Jesus did in the Incarnation), so that we may become more perfectly Jesus'. Our Lady stands before us today as she did Juan Diego, "Am I not here, who is your Mother?"

Quite an honor: This entry was re-printed by Catholic Exchange on Dec.17th.

Joanna - What the WHAT?

2009-12-02T20:21:00.006-06:00

Alright - that's the only part of Joanna Krupa's new PETA ad that I can show here: She's using angel's wings to hover above a bunch of dogs, covering her naked body with a crucifix. Her reaction when told that the Catholic League is up-in-arms about the shot?
"As a practicing Catholic, I am shocked that the Catholic League is speaking out against my PETA ads, which I am very proud of ... I'm doing what the Catholic Church should be doing, working to stop senseless suffering of animals, the most defenseless of God's creation."
Well, so long as she's a practicing Catholic...this really doesn't require any further comment from me.

It's all in Your perspective

2009-11-25T05:43:00.005-06:00

"You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives." (Luke 21:16-19)

The Lord Jesus - talking to his apostles about what lies ahead in their mission. The Lord Jesus - talking to you and me. Thanks Lord for putting it in perspective for me. I can be put to death, but you will raise me up; in being put to death, not a single hair will be lost, because you will give it back to me. I have to stand in awe that Jesus can bring us to this kind of vision of life and world, to see and have conviction about what are eyes don't register. That's gift, pure and simple. Have a good Thanksgiving everybody.

That's GROSS Lord!

2009-09-06T11:56:00.003-05:00

Today's gospel reading and Jesus manner of healing this hearing impaired man always catches my attention:

He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!") And (immediately) the man's ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.

I gotta tell ya, as a speech-language therapist who has worked with the hearing impaired, if I caught wind of any of my colleagues doing this, I'd feel duty bound to contact the state licensing board. Combine that with the fact that I've always been a bit of a germ-freak, and you can understand my discomfort.
God didn't ask my opinion on the matter though (and frankly, I have no indication that He is going to start), but He's been in my life long enough for me to realize that's best. The way Jesus lived His life is a corrective to my own. God's not freaked out by things like saliva and ear wax - even if they contain bacteria. Jesus, literally, wasn't afraid to get His hands dirty. Unlike me, He didn't think of it as "dirty," or uncomfortable, or a bother. (I know there are a lot of moms and dads out there who can relate to this.) He takes hold of us human beings, with our imperfect and unsanitized bodies, just as we are. And He loves us - absolutely and unconditionally. And He touches us to communicate health - to our hearts and minds, and one day, ultimately, to our bodies as well.

Incarnation & Pentecost

2009-08-03T05:06:00.000-05:00

Another brilliant insight from Monsignor Cirrincione: Mary acted as Mother, in birthing the Church on Pentecost. Just as Jesus' physical body was formed in her virginal womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, so too we find her joined in prayer with the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came in power to form Jesus' Mystical Body, the Church.

Semi-Pro

2009-08-02T19:19:00.003-05:00

I just spent the past 105 minutes watching this so that you wouldn't have to - although it's hard to call it vicarious suffering when you have a sweet fro like that to look at.

"Our Father Who art in Heaven - Stay There!"

2009-08-02T16:56:00.004-05:00

I came across that line yesterday in Monsignor Joseph Cirrincione's little book, St. Joseph, Fatima, and Fatherhood. He felt that it was the way many of us pray the Our Father in the depths of our hearts. We are Christian in name but secular in lifestyle. God has His place in our lives, but He isn't our Life. And when we live in this way we rob ourselves of experiencing God as Father, as the one who loves us and raises us up to understand how the world really works and helps train us to make a contribution to it.

It Is What It Is

2009-08-01T09:20:00.002-05:00

Sadness, frustration, thankfulness, awe - quite the jumble as I begin to write. My subject? Truth (reality, objective truth, morality). The impetus? People I love. First, there was the email exchange between myself and a Catholic friend struggling with Confession. In the course of things she shared how, at least at this point in her life, Catholicism was not the "end all be all," and that she believed religion was a solution to many people's problems, but that it could be any religion. (I'm really honored that she shared this with me, given my "militant" reputation.) The second thing that inspired this blog was a Catholic friend on Facebook posting her "yes" vote in a poll on gay adoption. Why should these things, these "stances," bother me? Why can't I just roll with the punches and be like, "Hey, what's right for me might not be right for you." You know, if we were talking about what we like on a pizza or which Lethal Weapon movie kicked more ass, I could - honestly, I really could. But when it comes to Faith these things hit me hard. It's personal.

And doesn't faith have to be? For Christians faith isn't the adherence to a list of propositions; it's union with a Person. I can't think of any other world religion whose founder claimed, "I am the Truth." The identity of Jesus, that is the ground of Christianity, its reason d'etre: God, the ground of all reality, our Creator, became a man - a human being who spoke to us and taught us what life is to be. When we adhere to any moral truth, we are in some sense grabbing hold of the Truth, of God's Revelation in Person, Jesus! But isn't the converse also true then - that when we deny the Truth, we are in some sense denying Jesus? And that's serious: "Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 10:33). I don't want to see anyone I love - no, I don't want to see anyone period - doing that! Yet, there is this mistaken idea permeating our culture, and the Christians who live in it, that to voice disagreement with another's moral choices - or worse yet, to speak of "sin" - is, quite ironically, the most heinous of sins, intolerance!

But can we honestly think that we are more loving, more tolerant, than Jesus? More than the Apostle Paul? The same person who wrote

Love is patient. Love is kind...it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong but rejoices in the right...Love endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-6)

also wrote, and in the very same letter no less,

Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [practicing] homosexuals, nor thieves, nor drunkards, nor revilers will inherit the kingdom of heaven. (1 Cor.6:9-10).

I like the way Fr. John Corapi puts it, "Truth isn't conservative or liberal, left or right. It is what it is, and you're either in it or you're out of it." Tolerance is no "gag order." Tolerance IS NOT holding all views as equally valid - it is the ability to tolerate, to peacefully coexist with, those whose beliefs differ or conflict with yours!

Now Christians, if you hold a view that directly contradicts God's; then can't you see where, logically, you are in the wrong? Christianity is a "revealed" religion - God is coming from the "outside," and speaking His Truth quite clearly. You're free to deny it - God gives you that right and will be tolerant of your choice; but, to a greater or lesser degree, you won't be in union with Him. And as we saw Paul say above, "Do not be deceived..." We didn't create this universe, and we don't get to decide what is right and wrong - those things were established by the same One Who instituted gravity and decreed that two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen combine to make water. Denying this reality doesn't make one enlightened or original - it was humanity's first sin (Genesis 3:4-5), older than recorded history and at the root of every evil perpetrated.

Catholicism, as a list of tenets and "religious" practices, may not feel like your "end all, be all," the most important facet of your life - but I would suggest that is because you're not taking it personally. (Ah, see how I'm weaving that back in?) Is there an institutional side? Yes. Will you find creeps mixed in with the "institution"? Yes - and right from the start Jesus told us we would (the Church is like a net containing both good and bad fish [Matt.13:47-48], a field containing both wheat and cockle [Matt.13:24-30] - and will be so until the Final Judgment). And yet, Jesus is at work within the Church. Because not only is it institution, it is His BRIDE, He has made it His very BODY. Despite its sinful members, Jesus has preserved it as the "pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Tim.3:15). Despite its sinful members, it is the only place where Jesus comes to give us His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the Eucharist! And if that isn't our "end all, be all;" then I have no idea what else could be.

This Sunday's second reading seems like the perfect way to end:

You must no longer live as the Gentiles (pagans) do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart; they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness. You did not so learn Christ! - assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus"
(Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, 4:17-21)

And it isn't hard. Open up your Catechism, or go to it online, where you can search any topic you want. Read that Bible. And remember, it IS personal - because Truth is a Person; and we Christians either love and accept Him, on His terms, or we are rejecting Him.

Positivity and Manure

2009-07-28T18:21:00.003-05:00

Heard a great homily by Fr. Jack Shuler about our orientation as disciples - whether our eyes are full of hope and fixed on Jesus or on the negative things all around us. There were two brothers, one the epitome of positivity and the other of negativity. Their father, hoping to help each of them look at the world a bit more realistically, thought long and hard about what he would give each of them for Christmas. When Christmas morning finally arrived, the father watched expectantly as his pessimistic son opened his gift - a brand new, top-of-the-line, Rolex Watch. The father expected joy, but the pessimistic son was downcast. He immediately handed it back to his father, "I can't accept this. It's too much; knowing my luck I'll break it by this evening." The father turned to watch his starry-eyed, positive son unwrap his gift...a piece of manure. The father was taken aback when the boy started hopping up and down in excitement, "Dad, I can't believe it! Where's the pony?"

Man, I like that. What an awesome way to see the difficulties and sufferings we deal with - precursors to something awesome.

Unscientific Thoughts on Confession

2009-07-25T10:09:00.006-05:00

I'm telling you up front, this isn't a scientifically verifiable observation or even anything remotely like it - just something that struck me:
The Sacrament of Reconciliation, or Confession, is a sacrament that has fallen into general disuse over the past 40 years - almost simultaneously with the loss of stigma surrounding seeking help from a counselor/therapist. Why is it that we American Catholics will "bear our souls" in therapy but not in the confessional? It's interesting to me. The other thing that strikes me is that when I watch the news, it seems like our society is struggling with more and more dysfunction, like we're "upping the ante" every year. Granted, there are obviously a myriad of other factors that went into making today's society. But one of are most frequent solutions to human behavior today is to recommend therapy. Well, we've got more therapy...but simultaneously more dysfunction. Less Confession, more dysfunction.

What is it that Confession brings to the table that therapy doesn't? (And I'm not knocking counseling/therapy - valid discipline, good tools - I highly recommend it.) But Faith tells me that at root, humanity's problem is spiritual. And while therapy can be good, it's not a sacrament - it can't cut through feelings and thought patterns to make a change directly in the soul. Applying only natural means, in the hopes of curing a supernatural problem, has to end in futility. Confession requires that we recognize that there is such a thing as sin...does the world know what that is anymore?

Sunday Snippets -- a Catholic Carnival

2009-07-23T15:25:00.004-05:00

Offering for Sunday, August 9, 2009: It Is What It Is

Suffering = Hope

2009-07-23T14:21:00.008-05:00

Romans 5:3-4 has been brought to my attention in two different books this week, and if that doesn't make it bloggable, I don't know what does. Fr. Charles Arminjon was the first to bring it up, footnoting it as a reference, to his attention getting statement that if we suffer, then we have great reason to hope in God. Lets read those verses in their entirety:

We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

Yep, Arminjon got it right: God allows us suffering, to call forth the image of His Son in us, and that gives us reason to hope that we will be confirmed in His Life eternally. We find this same idea in the Epistle to the Hebrews too:

It is for discipline that you have to endure...For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it...God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children, and not sons (12:7,11,8)

Discipline in which all have participated? That's right, ALL:

Although he was a Son, Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him...About this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing (Hebrews 5:8-11).

Touche, oh writer of Hebrews! Suffering, not perfectly understood yet endured, while living our lives with faithfulness to God's will is redemptive! What does that mean for the person going through an unwanted divorce? For the person laid up in the hospital? For the child whose father yells too much? Whatever the difficulty, our lives have to be lived in union with Jesus - we have to try as hard as we can to manifest Jesus' words and behavior in the midst of the suffering. I started this reflection with Romans 5:3-4. Let me recap it, but carry on through verse 5, because it is the key:

Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us!

It's not about our endurance, our strength - it's about God's! We Catholics know we're not saved by faith alone, but we do rely on God's grace alone to carry us through to Heaven. ("Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27) Our hope isn't in ourselves, but in Jesus. Like Paul, we accept our share in "Jesus' sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible [we] may attain the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:11).

So "word up" to Fr. Charles Arminjon for his pithy little, "suffering = reason to hope." There's a whole lot of Scripture and theology squeezed into that little equation. You know, another gal you might have heard of was pretty fond of this same book by Arminjon, Therese Martin... St. Therese of Lisieux. She read it at 15 and referred to it as "one of the greatest graces of my life." Not a bad endorsement.

B.A. Baracus Award

2009-07-13T18:33:00.008-05:00

And the B.A. Baracus Award for 2009 goes to Benedict XVI, for his presentation of the Church's most recent document on bioethics, Dignitas Personae, to Barack Obama! You da man Benedict,
you DA MAN!

(Note: Referring to Benedict as "da man" is in no way a slight to Josh Huddleston, whose "da man"-ness is firmly in place and apparent to all.)

John Paul and the Sacred Heart

2009-07-11T20:08:00.000-05:00

For the past couple of weeks I've been reading from a book put out in 1992 by Our Sunday Visitor, Pope John Paul II Prays the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It's a powerful little book, the reflections of the Pope upon the 33 invocations of this profound, but often neglected (in my own case), prayer. Allow me to share just a few lines from over 80 pages of the Pope's insights:

Heart of Jesus, sacred temple of God, have mercy on us.
"The Heart of the Man Jesus Christ is therefore, in the trinitarian sense, the "temple of God": it is the interior temple of the Son who is united with the Father in the Holy Spirit by means of the unity of the divinity. How inscrutable is the mystery of this Heart which is the "temple of God" and the "tabernacle of the Most High." (p.33)
Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity, have mercy on us.
"The burning furnace gradually expends itself. The Heart of Jesus, on the other hand, is an inextinguishable furnace. In this it resembles the "burning bush" in the Book of Exodus...In fact, the love which burns in the Heart of Jesus is above all the Holy Spirit, in which the God-Son is united eternally with the Father."

Sacred Heart of Jesus, make our hearts like unto Yours. Amen.

Creed & Mysteries

2009-07-04T12:16:00.004-05:00

Just noticed something this morning: the correlation between the words of the Creed and the Rosary's Glorious Mysteries.

"I believe in the Holy Spirit" - Descent of the Spirit at Pentecost
"...the resurrection of the dead" - Mary's assumption into Heaven
"...and the life of the world to come" - Mary's coronation

I Got Schooled

2009-07-03T16:49:00.003-05:00

Sure did - by an elderly gentelman walking into Mass. He was ahead of me, but I caught up to him quickly; he had stopped to rest on his cane for a moment. I didn't want to insult him in any way, but I felt I should stop and ask if he needed a hand getting inside. He pulled an electrolarynx from his pocket and used it to tell me, with a smile, "No, I'm fine. I just need to take a moment." The image of him struggling to make it to a weekday Mass impressed me a great deal though. Most mornings, I can't make it because of work or activities with the kids...but on the mornings that I am free, why don't I always get there? Jesus is there, anxious to be with me - me! And I have something more important to do? I've got to get my head on straight.

Doubting Thomas, or Grieving Thomas?

2009-07-03T14:12:00.003-05:00

In the Catholic Church, today is the Feast of Thomas the Apostle. Thomas, of course, has come down to us in history as "Doubting Thomas," the skeptic among the Apostles, because of his statement "I will never believe [He has been raised] without probing the nailprints in His hands" (John 20:25). When I heard the account read again at this morning's Mass though, skepticism wasn't what I heard in Thomas' voice - it was grief.

Two days before, from afar, Thomas had witnessed Jesus' crucifixion. The man on whom he had pinned all of his hopes for the future was brutally murdered in front of him! Instead of God's kingdom breaking in and setting the world aright, Thomas saw it all destroyed. So when the other Apostles started telling stories about Jesus being raised from the dead, Thomas couldn't just grab onto it. Thomas was in shambles at that point - no, the only thing that could restore his hope was to lay his hands on the Body that had been tortured and killed. The Lord left Thomas in that darkness for another week, but at the time God perceived to be best, Jesus did come to him, "Take your finger and examine my hands. Put your hand into my side. Do not persist in your unbelief but believe!" (John 20:27).

"We're Not Worthy!"

2009-07-01T15:26:00.005-05:00

That line was going through my head last night. I haven't posted a blog in quite awhile - getting that book out to the public has taken a lot of time, on top of just being a dad. This past weekend was a good one for the book though. A positive review on Catholic Exchange sold some paperback copies as well as generated emails requesting PDFs in places as far away as Perth, Australia, and Lisbon, Portugal! I was happy, but much to my surprise, a bit scared too. It hit me: "Who am I to speak about Jesus? I have so far to go in being a worthy representative. What if someone who reads the book meets me down the line and thinks, 'Him - he wrote this?'"
All I can really say is: Lord, I really want this book to be a tool in Your Hands, a help in opening others' eyes to all that You have for them. Just please don't let me be a stumbling block on anyone's road to You.

Science & Faith - No Conflict

2009-01-24T12:27:00.013-06:00

Although I have always enjoyed it, these past few years, I've been reading even more on the "relationship" between science and faith. I guess I've been spurred on by the new wave of atheism that has made its way to bookstore shelves (think Richard Dawkins' God Delusion for starters). Just recently I read a great anecdote by the Brit, G.K. Chesterton:

I remember once arguing with an honest young atheist, who was very much shocked at my disputing some of the assumptions which were absolute sanctities to him...and he at length fell back upon this question, which he delivered with an honourable heat of defiance and indignation: "Well, can you tell me any man of intellect, great in science or philosophy, who accepted the miraculous?" I said, "With pleasure. Descartes, Dr. Johnson, Newton, Faraday, Newman, Gladstone, Pasteur, Browning, Brunetiere - as many more as you please." To which that admirable young man made this astonishing reply - "Oh, but of course they had to say that; they were Christians." First he challenged me to find a black swan, and then he ruled out all my swans because they were black. The fact that all these great intellects had come to the Christian view was somehow or other a proof either that they were not great intellectuals or that they had not really come to that view.

I took that quotation from Dale Ahlquist's Common Sense 101: Lessons From G.K. Chesterton. As my pal Kevin says, there was "plenty of grist there for my mill." (Readers, do yourselves a favor and visit Dr. Kevin Vost's website.) And while I'm at it, let me throw out a few more excellent reads on faith and science:

Partners

2009-01-21T18:49:00.003-06:00

When I was praying the Rosary this evening I was really struck by the final mystery, the Coronation of Mary. Raised up to Heaven, as we all hope to be some day, she received her crown - "Well done good and faithful servant."

In a strict sense though, what had Mary done to warrant a crown? She did exactly what God had asked of her. But didn't she owe Him that, as a creature to her Creator? Yes, in strict justice she did. But this is where we see the abundant, and utterly gratuitous Love of God. He freely chose to raise up that humble creature, and to count her as his partner in redemption! And as a loving, cooperative partner and daughter, He lavishes honors upon her!

And that is what is awaiting us too! As Paul said, "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8).

Freaking Me Out

2009-01-21T16:32:00.008-06:00

So I came home today and flipped on the television. I start flipping channels and, hey - that's Jon Bon Jovi sitting next to Oprah. That I had to see. They were talking about the inauguration. Hey, there's Forest Whittaker too. I left the show on in the background as I started the computer and logged on to check my e-mail.

I heard them as they spoke about how our new president's attitude of hope and public displays of affection for his wife had already begun our country's "healing process." PDA and national healing? Jon, don't you go giving love a bad name! My next thought was, "People, you've got to put the brakes on. Your expectations are just too high; no man can live up to them." Just then I spotted an e-mail from my buddy Pete, directing me to the White House's site, where President Obama's team had laid out his social agenda:

Gay Rights

Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples...
Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
Promote AIDS Prevention: ...The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.

Embryonic Stem Cells and Abortion

Supporting Stem Cell Research: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which will allow research of human embryonic stem cells derived from embryos donated (with consent) from in vitro fertilization clinics. These embryos must be deemed in excess and created based solely for the purpose of fertility treatment.

Supports a Woman's Right to Choose: President Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Adminstration. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.
Preventing Unintended Pregnancy: President Obama was an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.

What good things are we expecting President Obama to accomplish, that they can outweigh this social agenda coming to fruition?

And when Jesus drew near and saw Jerusalem he wept over it, saying, "Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes" (Luke 19:41-42).

Chuck It

2009-01-15T06:23:00.003-06:00

I don't know, we've been talking about Jesus baptism...water...it made sense to me.

Jesus' Baptism

2009-01-13T20:08:00.004-06:00

Alright, I'm recycling material here; but as I said, I love thinking about the mysteries surrounding Jesus' baptism. Here's a link to an excerpt from Chapter 3 of The God Who is Love: Explaining Christianity From Its Center; just jump ahead to pages three and four.

Jesus' Prayer

2009-01-11T12:02:00.004-06:00

My Protestant brothers and sisters refer to the Our Father as The Lord's Prayer, Jesus' prayer. Reflecting upon Jesus' Baptism, it strikes me as a wonderful insight.

How natural for those words to have been on Jesus' lips as went down into the water:

Our Father, Who art in heaven, holy be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

The prayer of the Messiah, as he takes up His office before the world. And then the second half of the prayer - offered by One Who was perfectly sinless, but the representative of a sinful race:

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

The Love of Jesus for us - Our Father...give us our daily bread...forgive us. Thank You God! What else can we feel at this moment besides gratitude and awe?

Lookin' Up

2009-01-11T11:26:00.005-06:00

I love this Feast Day, the celebration of Jesus' Baptism (brace yourself, I feel multiple posts coming on). Listen to how Mark tells it:

Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. Immediately on coming up out of the water he saw the sky rent in two and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. Then a voice came from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son. On you my favor rests." (Mark 1:9-11)

Why is it that it feels so natural to look up when we pray? Even Jesus did it on occasion (John 11:41), and He was in a position to know that Heaven isn't physically above "the heavens"! So what's the deal? Highly visual moments like Jesus' baptism and ascension remind us that Heaven is a "higher level" of being, but again; why the physicality of looking toward the sky?

My own theory? I'll warn you; it's not very complex...I think it has to do with little children looking and reaching up toward their parents. It's such a natural, and universal, gesture, a child's reaching out and up to his/her loving provider and protector. I think that this is tranferred to our interactions with God, quite naturally, and quite appropriately. He is our Father!

Can't Say It Any Better!

2009-01-10T11:39:00.003-06:00

Last year I signed up at Daily Gospel to receive an e-mail with the day's gospel reading and commentary. And this morning, this is what I found, a reflection on Jesus' Incarnation:

Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermon 194, 11th sermon on the Nativity of the Lord

"This joy of mine has been made complete" Listen, children of light: you who have been adopted for the Kingdom of God; listen, my dearest brethren; listen and exult for joy in the Lord, you just, for «praise from the upright is fitting» (Ps 33,1). Listen to what you already know; reflect on what you have heard; love what you believe; proclaim what you love!...

Christ is born, God from his Father, man through his mother. He was born from his Father's immortality and his mother's virginity. From the Father without the aid of a mother; from the mother without that of a father. From his Father without time; from his mother without seed. According to his Father he is the principle of life; according to his mother, the ending of death. According to his Father he was born to determine the order of days; according to his mother, to consecrate the day that is here.

He sent John the Baptist before him, causing him to be born when the days were beginning to decrease, while he himself was born when the days began to grow in length, thus prefiguring John's own words: «He must increase, I must decrease». For indeed, human life must grow weaker in itself but stronger in Jesus Christ «so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised» (2Cor 5,15), and so that each one of us might repeat those words of the apostle Paul: «Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me» (Gal 2,20).

Shackin' Up

2009-01-08T20:21:00.019-06:00

Recently, a couple of friends at work were very excited by this book, The Shack, and were curious what I would think of it. It took about as month for me to get to it, but I finally did. Sad to say, I didn't enjoy it as much as they had. The premise was promising enough: a man grieving the murder of his young daugher spends a weekend in a shack, conversing with the three Persons of the Trinity. And I must say, the book does some things very well, probably the most important being its presentation of God as a Being of infinite tenderness, Who continually pours Himself out to His human creatures. Because of that, one of my friends described the book as "life changing." Now that's fantastic - God using this book to increase her understanding of how perfect His love for her is and that Christianity is a RELATIONSHIP, not a list of arbitrary rules or rituals to be performed. (Not to say that "rules" and "rituals" aren't a part of every relationship though. You've been to a birthday party, right? Cake, singing, make wish, blow out candles, can't tell wish, cut cake, etc.)

I did feel like there was a distortion, however, in the image The Shack gives of God and the definitive image we find in the Jesus of the Gospels. I felt I was looking at a caricature. God IS all Love, but that Love is perfectly one with His justice and holiness (aka, "total otherness"). In an infinite Being these qualities aren't contradictions. I couldn't see the God of The Shack ever recommending excommunication as an act of Love, but that is what the Jesus of the Gospels advised the Apostles:

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault...If he will not listen, take one or two others along...If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven. (Matthew 18:15-17)

And the Apostles took Jesus at His word, as can be seen from the Apostle Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians:

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you...A man has his father's wife...Shouldn't you have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?...When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that his sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord. (1 Cor.5:1-12)

That's right, put him outside the assembly - treat him as if dead, because spiritually he is. Does it look intolerant on the part of Jesus, of Paul? It's TOUGH LOVE, and it's meant to be medicinal. It is a last-ditch effort to wake the offender to how destructive his behavior is, and that if it isn't changed, it can cost him his soul. The Church would be supremely unloving if it failed to intervene. (It strikes me as funny that a psychologist can use this technique, call it an "intervention," and receive accolades; but when a bishop does the same, calling it "excommunication," he's despised.)

This leads into what I consider The Shack's largest deficiency - its conception of the Church. The author, William P. Young, clearly recognizes the spiritual reality of the Church; I liked the visionary image he used of Jesus standing at the center of the Communion of Saints - that heaven and earth are bound together in Christ. What Young doesn't grasp though, is how the Church can be both spiritual and material, simultaneously. (It's a both/and thing, not an either/or - as are the Sacraments and the Incarnation itself!) It leads Mr. Young to break with the four gospels, creating this exchange between the characters of Mack and Jesus:

"You're not too fond of religion and institutions?" Mack said, not sure if he was asking a question or making an observation.
"I don't create institutions - never have, never will."
"What about the institution of marriage?"
"Marriage is not an institution. It's a relationship." Jesus paused, his voice steady and patient. "Like I said, I don't create institutions; that's an occupation for those who want to play God. So no, I'm not too big on religion." Jesus said a little sarcastically, "and not very fond of politics or economics either." Jesus' visage darkened noticeably. "And why should I be? They are the man-created trinity of terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about. What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three?"

Whoa, whoa, whoa. There's Young's either/or slant; and it's unwarranted. Lets take economics. Now honestly, can't there be both good and bad economics? And marriage, of course it's a relationship. But there are legally-binding vows taken before witnesses, joint property, responsibilities, custody of children...I don't know, sounds like there's a formal/institutional side to me.

In the same vein, it has become quite fashionable to pit "religion" against "having a personal relationship with God." I did it myself for several years, and in public talks no less! "I'm a spiritual person, not religious. Religion is about binding us to certain practices, but spirituality is the living out of a relationship." What God finally opened my eyes to, however, was that these things aren't mutually exclusive; they're meant to fit like hand-in-glove. Jesus Himself, bound us to certain practices: "This is My Body; this is My Blood. Do this in remembrance of Me." He bound us to the practice of confessing our sins when He told the Apostles, "If you forgive anyone their sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (John 20:23). The Sacraments are Exhibit-A that practices/rituals can be filled with all the spiritual power we can imagine (and then some)! Granted, a man can come forward to receive Communion without the least thought that he is about to receive the God-man (His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity) into himself - just as another man can take a stranger back to his bed for the night, without the least appreciation for the magnitude of the sexual act. The second man's failure to engage in sex the way God intended, and to reap the intimacy it was created to enhance, doesn't lead us to label sex "meaningless." The same goes for religion: just because we are surrounded by Catholics and other Christians who have never grasped the power inherent in the Sacraments, Scripture, or life within the Church, it doesn't mean these are lacking in power. Spiritual blindness has kept us living in poverty, unable to see the million dollars lying on the kitchen table!

When we turn from religious ritual to religious leadership, the same is true. There are good and bad shepherds out there; it doesn't negate the need for shepherding though. It doesn't negate the fact that Jesus established a Church, with visible leaders, for that very purpose. We could look at Scriptural citations and historical studies illustrating it until we went cross-eyed; glancing up above at the quotations of Matthew 18 and 1 Corinthians 5 above should suffice though. And what we see when we reflect on those passages is how "institution" can be the very vehicle of relationship! God works, God speaks to us, through the leaders of His Church. The Incarnation is continued as Jesus makes use of the pope and bishops, members along with all of us in His Mystical Body, to speak His Word. Our religion isn't just citing passages from a holy book, trying to shoe-horn all of the modern world's questions so that they match "old" answers. No, it is bringing our confusion and questions to God, and allowing the Holy Spirit to breathe through Scripture and Tradition, illuminating the minds of the Apostles' successors as they formulate responses that are ever-faithful to the past, but capable of speaking to new situations. (You might want to glance at my last post where I touched on the Church's opposition to in vitro fertilization.)

The sinfulness of Christian ministers doesn't negate this either, anymore than Judas' betrayal negated the role of the Twelve. After Judas' defection and suicide, another was appointed to his office (Acts of the Apostles 1:20). The Truth and Power within our Faith isn't undone by human failings; our God, dwelling within His Church, is way too powerful. I've got to go with St. Irenaeus on this one. As a disciple of Bishop Polycarp (himself, a disciple of the Apostle John) Irenaeus was in a much better position than we in the 20th century, on the other side of the world, to know what Jesus had communicated to the Apostles. In 180 A.D., Irenaeus wrote, "Where the Church is there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God, there the Church and every grace."

So, can I recommend The Shack? In my own life God has made use of materials that were less than perfect to help me along; the book Joshua, with a message similar to The Shack's, is an example. That said, there are other books that can be of a lot more benefit, C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity for starters. A good rule of thumb: (With the exception of the Bible itself) If it's palatable enough that it has made it onto a shelf at Wal-Mart, then whatever good points it has, it probably isn't the Gospel as preached by Jesus and the Apostles.

THE OFFICE's Michael Scott: When Ignorance Seems Like Bliss

2009-01-06T10:35:00.012-06:00

What Office fan doesn't love Michael? He has a heart of gold but is completely clueless as to how inappropriate his comments are or how the world truly functions. My biggest laughs come when the camera pans to Jim, eyes wide with disbelief. But we love Michael; we know he doesn't say or do anything with malicious intent (except to Tobey). We have to admit though that his behavior, no matter how well-intentioned, handicaps him in the "real world" - he's starving for a true friend and/or girlfriend.

It struck me while laying in bed last night that, from God's perspective, our world must look like a bunch of Michaels running around. We have so many behaviors in our culture, behaviors engaged in with no realization they are at odds they with the "real world" of God and His Kingdom. Let me throw one out there for consideration- IVF, or in vetro fertilization. It's a fairly common procedure nowadays, engaged in by loving husbands and wives struggling against infertility and desperate to welcome a biological child of their own into the world. (Talk about hearts of gold.) Doctors remove eggs and sperm cells from the couple, and successfully combine them in the laboratory; fertilization takes place and new human lives begin!

But not every new embryo, new life, is implanted in its mother's womb. Several "extra" embroys are created in the process...and frozen. In the United States alone we have hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos - human beings in suspended animation! Those are our children, as surely as the ones who are carried to term; it's a staggering realization. IVF begins with good intentions but in the real world, that of God's Kingdom, saints and angels watch in disbelief.

What can we do? Love, love each other. We in our culture act from ignorance, not malice. And when we discover God's vision, discover the real world, we have to look for opportunities to respectfully open others' eyes. We Christians aren't in the condemnation business; we're supposed to help bring fullness of life - succesful relationships with God and others and within ourselves. That means overcoming ignorance, both our own and others (through reason, Scripture and the teachings of the Church), and the false "bliss" that comes with it.

"That's what she said."
Yes Michael, She (the Church) said it long before I did (1 Peter 3:15). I just thought it bore repeating.

Twelve

2009-01-04T17:05:00.007-06:00

12 Days of Christmas, 12 months of the year, 12 signs of the zodiac, 12 Tribes of Israel, 12 sons of Jacob the patriarch, 12 Apostles...

I was thinking about Pentecost last night (a.k.a. "meditating on the mystery of Pentecost"), trying to come at it from a different angle. I always envision Mary and the Apostles, but there were over a hundred other people gathered in that upper room (Acts 1:15)! So I imagined the reaction of that crowded room, experiencing the release of the Holy Spirit in charisms like tongues and prophecy. They were excited, prayer pouring out their hearts to God in charismatic prayer. Inevitably though, their eyes turned toward the Apostles, "the Twelve" as they were known in the early Church.

It was only natural that they should look to them for guidance in that moment. Let me explain: The nation of Israel, its 12 tribes, were descended from the 12 sons of Jacob (grandson of Abraham). Those 12 were the fathers of the nation. So for Jesus to single out 12 of His disciples to form an inner circle, to be "Apostles"or those "sent," it would have been recognized as monumental. Jesus, the Messiah, was appointing them as the foundation of His renewed Israel. They would be the fathers of the nation! Of course all of the disciples gathered on Pentecost would have turned their eyes to them.

Fathers of the nation. This truth is transmitted by us every time we refer to a priest, bishop, or pope as father. At ordination they were entrusted with the task of making present the fatherly care of the The Twelve. Putting it like that, I need to pray for them more - that's gotta be one tough job. Come Holy Spirit!

Post #50 - With Many Thanks to Kathi

2009-01-04T16:15:00.003-06:00

50 posts - I never knew I had it in me. Once again I have to say "thank you" to my friend Kathi Strunk, who encouraged me to start not only a blog but a website. Her advice was nothing short of prophetic. That's right, I used the "p" word.

I'm not talking the Nostradamus-looking-in-a-bowl-of-oil type prophet (I'd be very weary of them), but the baptized-Christian-type. All of us have been called to share in the prophetic ministry of Jesus Christ. We exercise it in very intentional ways - taking hard stands, calling people back to their senses, reminding loved ones of God's Truth when they've gotten things all jumbled up. But I'm convinced that we often exercise it in very unintentional ways as well - when we speak and act from love.

And that's my friend Kathi; she comes from love. I see her going out of her way to develop relationships with the kids at our school and to give them little nudges in new and exciting directions. Wow, as I wrote that, it struck me as an apt description of her influence on me. Here's to Kathi!

Bottom Line

2008-12-31T17:05:00.007-06:00

I was praying while driving back to the house this afternoon - feeling down about events this past year. "God, this can't be Your will...Well, it's obviously Your will to allow it...so I guess passing through this IS Your will...But when are You going to set things right?" And suddenly the "ground" under me was a bit more solid. Because if it is within His will, then there isn't failure; it's not the end of the story. He didn't give me any indication how or when He would bring something of value out of this; but the realization that this was within His permissive will made a difference.

The second movement in my prayer had to do with the thoughts that have come to me repeatedly these past weeks: "Give up. Stop struggling like this. Why do you 'stay'?" And the answer that came from within, very matter-of-factly, was "Because He wants me to." No emotion to it, no passion in it. At the deepest part of me though, there He is. He is my reason for being...I love Him. And its not flowery; there's no sweetness right now. But there is commitment - there is Love. I feel frazzled and so self-centered with all my concerns, but somehow the Holy Spirit has managed to plant this seed deep down, to lay this foundation. Isn't this exactly what St. Paul wrote about though? "The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (Romans 5:5). What MERCY - God enabling us to Love Him! If He hadn't, a weak heart like mine would have given out long ago.

My prayer for us in this new year - "God, let this foundation You laid in us through Baptism endure. Clear away whatever we've built on it that isn't of You. Let us have the peace of trusting in You, trusting in this good future You have planned."

"Suit Up!"

2008-12-31T16:48:00.007-06:00

While I've been on Christmas break, I've spent some time catching up on How I Met Your Mother. Barney would drive that Escalade I wrote about in my last post!

"SIN ROX"

2008-12-27T11:21:00.007-06:00

I was actually behind an Escalade with that license plate the other day! About 10% of my brain was offended, but the other 90% gave way to laughter. It was just so cartoonish - it raised "piss on" decals to the level of a quip from Mark Twain! Who but a cartoon villain actually goes around praising sin?

A second's reflection told me that he wasn't praising "sin" like the Nazi's extermination of six million Jews though. No, he was celebrating the "naughty," fun things we do - like getting blitzed and hooking up with a hot stranger for the night. 'Cause dude, that ROCKS! Ooh, but what if another dude got blitzed and hooked up with your little sister for the night? Would that rock? If you're human at all, I hope you'll say "no." But then...it'd be a total bummer if you had to rethink a vanity plate that rox as hard as yours.

New Website

2008-12-24T11:35:00.005-06:00

Just wanted to put it out there that I'm in the process of creating a new website, Explaining Christianity.com. In a few months time my first book, The God Who is Love: Explaining Christianity From Its Center, will be published; and this is the site that will allow people to look at excerpts, read endorsements, and even download a free copy. The book will be offered in paperback through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million, etc.; but I don't want price to stand in anyone's way. The site isn't ready to allow downloads yet, but please check out its layout and let me know what you think. And hey - MERRY CHRISTMAS!