Another year end review

As we approach the end of another year, it is time to evaluate our parish Synod which may or may not continue into 2023.  The stated purpose of the program was to get former members of the parish who no longer attend Mass to come back.  If one were to measure the results based solely on that goal, we get an F.  However, the meetings were designed to help current members to reach out to separated Catholics in a manner to draw them back, so results are still pending.  Now it is time to go forth and make disciples.  

It remains to be seen how many participants will actually make the effort.  The monthly meetings were fairly well attended, usually around 18 to 20 parishioners.  Presenters did a good job relying on a mixture of instructional videos and personal stories.  Many of them stressed apologetics and how to dialog with people constructively.  Those in attendance should have an advantage when sharing the faith given the opportunity.

One of the Synod committee members wasted no time in her evangelical effort.  She invited a Lutheran friend to come to the Synod presentations.  In fact, she brought that friend to every session, and I believe the woman is giving serious consideration to Catholicism.  Her biggest stumbling block at this time seems to be purgatory, a common obstacle for many to overcome.

On the downside, a few members of the synod organizing committee dropped out after the first couple of sessions.  One of them left the parish altogether over personality conflicts with our pastor and several parishioners.  Such issues can crop up any time a team is assembled.  Drawing people back to a parish can be especially difficult when the pastor is perceived as unlikable, but some conditions are beyond our control.  Let us hope the new year draws us all closer together and closer to Our Lord.  

I was reminded this evening how much we miss our parish school that closed in 1970.  My youngest grandson is enrolled in a pre-kindergarten class at a local Lutheran school since we have no Catholic counterpart in our area.  My wife and I attended the children’s Christmas program which was actually a prayer service held in the Lutheran church.  The 5 and 6 year-old children sang about the Lamb of God and prayed the Lord’s prayer led by the Lutheran pastor.  So evident was the importance of exposing kids to Jesus at a very early age, something we are lacking in our own Catholic parish.  This indoctrination of the young is a pro-active approach to catechesis in contrast to the reactive approach in which we Catholics find ourselves needing Synods to draw the lost sheep back.

What's the difference?

While channel surfing on a Sunday morning several years ago, I came across what I thought was a Catholic Mass.  Living close to Notre Dame, Mass was televised regularly on Sunday mornings, but this did not look like the chapel where the televised Masses usually took place.  The officiant was giving the homily, so I decided to watch and listen. It wasn’t until much later in the broadcast that I realized this was not a Catholic Mass, but rather a Lutheran service, even though the differences were barely distinguishable.  

Martin Luther never intended to start a new church.  The idea of his reformation was to eliminate what he saw as problematic and retain what was good.  As far as the liturgy goes, he found little fault.  Hence the Lutheran service looks much like the Catholic Mass.  The problem is that Luther had no power to change anything.  He was simply a Catholic priest with no magisterial authority. 

Last week, I came across a blog on Patheos.com by Gene Veith titled “5 Tips to keep in mind when visiting a Lutheran church”.  One could substitute the word Catholic for Lutheran, and these 5 tips will still mostly hold true, except for some definitive differences in understanding.

1. The Liturgy consists mostly of words from Scripture.  The author points out a few differences that Lutherans eliminate from the Catholic liturgy, such as invoking the saints or praying for the dead.  Luther rejected those beliefs even though they can be biblically supported.  The last paragraph in this section says the Lutheran sanctuary will demonstrate the Reformation principle of retaining elements that point to Christ.  He goes on to describe things you see in Lutheran sanctuaries, all of which are also present in Catholic sanctuaries.  He also defends the use of crucifixes and representational art.  We Catholics agree.

2. Chanting lets us sing prose, such as texts from Scripture.  Chanting is certainly not foreign to us Catholics.  Perhaps we do not hear it as much as we once did.  He says, “This may be the aspect that seems the most “Catholic” or “Medieval” or just unusual to visitors.  But chanting, with its flexible meter and flowing melodic line, is simply the way that a person can sing prose.”  Sounds Catholic to me.

3. The Pastor will forgive your sins.  The author explains how the pastor can forgive sins because he is an “ordained servant of the Word.”  We Catholics would ask what constitutes a valid ordination?  Martin Luther was a Catholic priest.  A priest cannot ordain another priest.  Only a bishop can conduct a valid ordination.  Christ gave the authority to forgive AND RETAIN sins to His apostles, the first bishops of His Church. That authority has been handed down through a succession of validly ordained  bishops to validly ordained priests.  Not so in the Lutheran church.  Lutherans (and all Protestants) must ask themselves, who truly retains the authority today to forgive and retain sins as Our Lord decreed in John 20:22?  If your pastor rejects the magisterial authority to which that power was granted, are your sins truly forgiven?  We Catholics can rest assured the priest can absolve our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

4. You will hear a law and Gospel Sermon.  Many Lutheran churches use a lectionary based on the Catholic lectionary three-year cycle.  You may hear the same Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel readings in both Catholic and Lutheran churches on any given Sunday.  We Catholics typically refer to the sermon as a homily, but they are really the same thing. 

5. You must be catechized before you go up for Communion.   Also true in the Catholic Church except you must be more than catechized.  You must be a Catholic in a state of grace to receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church.  A Catholic who is not in a state of grace must confess his sins to a priest and receive absolution before receiving Communion.  A Catholic would never approach the communion rail in a Lutheran church since we do not believe they have a valid Eucharist.  Confecting a valid Eucharist requires a valid priesthood that the Lutherans do not possess.   

So while these 5 tips to keep in mind when visiting a Lutheran church are mostly applicable to Catholic Churches as well, there are significant differences we as Catholics understand.  Those differences may seem somewhat superficial to the casual observer, but appreciating the significance requires some serious theological study and knowledge of Church history.  That is why it is so important for us to be properly catechized in our faith.

Man the life votes!

Election time again.  Living in northwest Indiana, we are inundated with Illinois political ads on Chicago television.  Of course, most candidates use their campaign funds to belittle their opponents rather than tout their own record.  When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, abortion became the hot campaign topic.  In Illinois, that means accusing your opponent of being pro-life!  Our society has stooped to the point where protecting the lives of unborn children has become a reprehensible offense in the eyes of many on the left.

Even here in mostly conservative Indiana, a black woman, US Air Force Veteran, running for Indiana’s First Congressional District, is being targeted by ads repeatedly showing a clip of her saying she is “100 percent pro-life”.  Ads do not even mention her opponent as if being pro-life should automatically be reason enough not to vote for her regardless of the alternative.  Too bad unborn babies can’t be given a proxy.

I can understand how abortion would be a hot topic for those running for legislative offices, but why should it be so prominent in the Illinois Supreme Court race?  Two seats on the court are being contested, each featuring a female Democrat running against a male Republican.  Campaign ads for the Democrats boast of their pro-abortion endorsements by Planned Parenthood.  Other ads accuse their Republican opponents of being pro-life.   No Judge should be pushing a political agenda.  

Judges do not legislate.  A judge must be fair, unbiased, and follow the law.  Running on a biased agenda should immediately disqualify that person for the job.  Stating a personal bias on an issue that could eventually wind up in front of the Court should eliminate that judge from ruling on the case.  People with little understanding of the basic branches of government are not only voting, but also getting elected.  

I am suspicious of the efforts to make voting easier.  It takes little effort to register and cast a vote.  What does take some effort is to study the issues, filter the campaign rhetoric, and make a responsible thoughtful decision in the voting booth. If a person has so little stake in government as to need coaxing or incentives before casting a vote, perhaps that person should stay home.  Elections should not be decided by the disengaged.  

Sunday Obligation

It is disturbing to see how many Catholics no longer take their Sunday obligation seriously.  Perhaps the temporary dispensation during the Covid pandemic lessened the binding force of the obligation, but Catholics need to understand that missing Sunday Mass without legitimate reason is grave matter.  Weekend camping trips, baseball tournaments, parties or vacations are not normally acceptable excuses.   Those who are casual about Mass attendance are not likely to be regulars in the confessional either.  I am not being judgmental about others.  I am simply criticizing this attitude and behavior.

Even some devout Catholics seem to believe God would not send anyone to hell for skipping Mass one Sunday or eating meat on a Friday.  They forget the entire fall of mankind happened when someone took a bite of fruit!  When Jesus established His Church on Peter and the other apostles, He gave them the authority to bind and loose.  Whatever discipline they deemed appropriate on earth would be bound in heaven.   While these may seem likely minor offenses, the grave matter is due to willfully disobeying a commandment bound by the Church Christ authorized to rule in these matters.  

Those who take their obligations lightly also risk adding scandal to their sin.  If my Catholic neighbor can skip Mass for a couple of weeks in the summer and still go to Communion when he returns, I should be able to miss with my family while we are on vacation.  Our behaviors can influence those around us.  We are all one body and when one part of the body ails spiritually, it affects the spiritual health of others.  

On a cautionary note, we should not assume our neighbor has ignored his Sunday obligation just because we haven’t seen him in Church for a few weeks.  He may have a legitimate reason for not being there or may have attended Mass at another parish.  Catholic Churches exist all over the world.  Unless we are vacationing on some extremely remote area or on another planet, it should not be too difficult to find a Catholic Church not far away.  

Synod synopsis

I recently wrote about our parish synod effort to evangelize Catholics who no longer attend Mass.  The committee decided to offer monthly sessions to our parishioners to help them reach out to family and friends who have lapsed.  Committee members were assigned to work in pairs, each pair given a topic to present at one of the sessions.  My turn came in July.

Fortunately for me, I had a very good partner to work with me.  Our topic was Why am i Catholic.  My partner Mike and I each wrote a script of what we would like to say.  Mike combined them into a PowerPoint slide presentation we used to guide our discussion.  We both wanted to try a testimonial approach to our talks, and it worked well as we were both able to tell our stories.

Mike’s story was especially interesting as he told about the time he unknowing fried bacon in front of his Muslim roommates in college.  They considered themselves unclean for even being in the presence of forbidden food.  Their year-long interaction on religious differences led Mike to delve deeper into understanding his own Catholic faith.  

So, why am I Catholic?  A part of my testimony centered on speculation whether I would be Catholic today if my mother had not raised me in the faith.  I don’t know.  Probably not.  My dad’s family were all Methodists. 

My grandparents on my mother’s side were devout Catholics who came to this country from Eastern Europe.  Strong Catholic families probably have a lineage just like the line of popes going back in history to early Christianity.  That Catholic faith was handed down from generation to generation.  I think about how sad it is when one person in the family falls away from the Church, breaking that Catholic family line that may have existed for centuries. 

My mother had nine siblings.  Ten children in the family altogether, all of them raised in a good Catholic home.  The children of those nine siblings are my cousins.  As near as I can figure, about half of those cousins no longer practice the Catholic faith.  Once that Catholic lineage is broken, it is likely lost forever.  

When conversing with non-Catholics, often someone will say, oh my grandmother was Catholic, or I have an aunt who is Catholic.  Most every family has Catholic ancestors.  Somewhere along the line, someone left the Catholic family and subsequent generations never got to know the faith.   

So, our synod mission is to bring back those we have lost, either because someone drifted away or didn’t return after the pandemic scare.  We need to know why someone would leave the Church, and before we can draw them back, we need to appreciate how fortunate we are to be members of the one true Church established by Jesus Christ.  Study the Faith, know the Faith, share the Faith, and never stop learning.

1 Peter 3:15. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.

What's in a name?

Someone posted on a local social media billboard that they had recently moved and were looking for a new non-denominational church.  A flurry of responses came almost immediately from a variety of area Christian communities.  Some offered endorsements about their pastors, programs, music, or camaraderie.  One poster encouraged the seeker to find “the most biblical and sound church within driving distance.”  All great selling points when competing for business.

One responder commented, “No denomination IS a denomination.”  In a sense, he is correct.  To denominate is to give something a name.  To label a church non-denominational is essentially giving it a name.  Merriam-Webster defines a denomination as a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices.  Therefore if a church is non-denominational,  it is not united to any other church’s beliefs and practices.  

While most Christian non-denominational communities have some common beliefs and practices, beyond them lies open season depending on who is in charge.  In a non-denominational setting, that may be the pastor or a board of directors.  Effectively, they are the pope and magisterial authorities of their own church. I would like to ask the respondent who suggested looking for the most biblical and sound church how to make that determination.  How does one decide whether the beliefs and practices of a certain religious community are sound and biblical?  By whose standards do we compare?  People choosing a faith community in this manner want a church that conforms to what they believe or what they want to believe.  If not, they can simply choose another church or start their own.  

Belonging to a non-denominational church means not being accountable to a higher earthly authority.  The problem is that Jesus left us an earthly authority to guide us in matters of faith and morals.  Even more importantly, He instituted a ministerial priesthood to offer sacrifice and forgive sins.  In a non-denominational community, or any Bible-only institution, these essential provisions for God’s plan of Salvation are lacking. 

We Catholics sometimes take the sacraments for granted, not realizing how fortunate we are to have them available.  They are hygiene and refreshment for the soul.  Living without them would be like living without soap and water.  To the person seeking a non-denominational church, consider that the Catholic Church is not a denomination as you might define it. The Catholic Church is THE Church that Jesus Christ established.  It is the only Church you should be seeking.  

Take heed!

But take heed to yourselves; for they will deliver you up to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.  And when they bring you to trial and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say; but say whatever is given you in the hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved. - Mark 13:9-13

Jesus warned his apostles, the first Bishops of the Catholic Church He would establish, that following him and preaching his gospel would lead to persecution.  “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”  With the impending Supreme Court ruling that may overturn Roe v Wade, and the fact that June has become known as “Pride month”, the Catholic Church is under attack from multiple foes for her steadfast moral stance.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on June 7 that included the following: “In the coming months, DHS expects the threat environment to become more dynamic as several high-profile events could be exploited to justify acts of violence against a range of possible targets. These targets could include public gatherings, faith-based institutions, schools, racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, government facilities and personnel, U.S. critical infrastructure, the media, and perceived ideological opponents.”

In Nigeria, a Catholic Church was attacked by Islamic forces on Pentecost Sunday, killing at least fifty worshippers attending Mass.  We can no longer assume acts of violence against Christians, and specifically Catholics, are limited to other parts of the world.  Even the Catholic Supreme Court justices are being targeted in anticipation of the abortion ruling.  

In Eastpointe, Michigan, a nearly naked woman interrupted Sunday Mass last week by standing on a pew shouting pro-abortion slogans.  Catholicvote reports at least 138 attacks on Catholic Churches since 2020 including the theft of vandalism of tabernacles.  Can we depend on a pro-abortion government to protect us when these protests turn violent?  We may need to post guards to protect our churches and the safety of worshippers.  

Yes, Our Lord warned us we would be hated for preaching the gospel.  A Godless society that has lost respect for human life does not want to hear the truth.  Without the light of Christ to lead the way, dark days lie ahead.  Now is the time to stand firm.  He who endures to the end will be saved.

A Nod to the Synod

Our bishop is asking all parishes in the diocese to participate in a 2022 Synod on Missionary Discipleship.  As part of the process, several parishioners, including me, have been assigned to a committee to come up with a plan.  Our first task is to submit a planning document before the end of May.  

As I understand it, we are to focus on evangelizing Catholics by getting those who have not returned to Mass since the Covid dispensation to come back.   I believe it was Thomas Aquinas who warned that a rule should never be altered unless absolutely necessary because the binding power of the rule would be forever weakened.  For us Catholics, missing Mass on Sunday without a good reason was always a mortal sin.  During the Covid pandemic, many bishops dispensed with the Sunday obligation temporarily.  When reinstated, the binding power of the obligation was weakened to the extent that it now seems optional to more Catholics.  

 

When we think of evangelization, we normally think of attracting converts to the Catholic faith.  Our contacts may be Protestants, Fundamentalists, even atheists.  We have apologetic resources to facilitate the discussion.  This time, we are trying to evangelize Catholics.  Does it require an entirely different approach?

I have been involved with evangelization for a very long time.  Ever since I came to appreciate the gift we have in our Catholic faith, I have wanted to share that gift with others.  My own efforts have included sponsoring inspirational messages in a local weekly publication, distributing Catholic apologetic materials, pamphlets and audio presentations from Lighthouse Catholic media, manning street booths during local festivals offering church tours, doing a weekly face-to-face dialog with some Jehovah Witnesses for six months, and starting this monthly blog twenty years ago.  I have given away over fifty copies of Trent Horn’s book Why We’re Catholic.  I have prayed and spent countless hours at Eucharistic Adoration.  As a result, I have gained the knowledge that I am not very good at evangelization.  Nothing much has worked.  

You may be reading this and thinking it’s no wonder this guy stinks at evangelizing. You can’t just throw out Catholic propaganda and expect people to come knocking at your door.  You need to share the love of Jesus Christ and the paschal mystery.  So true, and maybe that is where I have been weak.  There is no substitute for one on one interaction with those we meet, but for some of us, this type of communication is difficult. 

When our pastor approached me to be on this synod evangelization committee, I told him that I am terrible at evangelizing.  We need some new people with fresh ideas.  Every time a committee is formed in our parish, we end up with the same five or six people, average age somewhere in the seventies.  I mentioned this evangelization challenge to our RCIA class last week in the presence of our newly baptized Catholic and another young couple just now exploring the Catholic faith.  Who better to know what might attract people to the Church than someone who recently decided to take that path.   They offered a few fresh ideas and some that we have already tried.  What I did see was some energy and enthusiasm that may have been lacking from our previous efforts, and that I find encouraging!

Our synod committee has decided to offer monthly evangelical presentations to our parishioners where refreshments will be served.  Topics have been assigned to each committee member with resources needed to support each presentation.  The hope is to give fellow Catholics the knowledge and understanding of our faith, along with the confidence to share it properly and effectively.  Having had minimal success in my past evangelization efforts, I admit being somewhat pessimistic now.  Yet, even one soul saved would make any effort worthwhile.  Pray the Holy Spirit leads us in the right direction. 

 

The Easter Vigil

After the somber days of Lent, we find ourselves refreshed with the good news of the resurrection.  I always look forward to the Easter Vigil service every year.  In our small parish, we had only one person baptized this year, and  I was blessed to be his sponsor.  

 

For anyone who has not experienced the Easter Vigil in a Catholic Church, it may seem a bit daunting seeing it the first time.  While a normal Sunday Mass rarely takes over an hour, the Easter Vigil service can go from two to three hours, or even longer in parishes where many are being baptized.  Having just one person receiving his baptism, confirmation and first Communion, our service lasted about two and a half hours.  Our catechumen, I will call him Francis, (not his real name.  His real name is Nathan) invited many of his non-Catholic family members and friends to witness his reception into the Catholic Church.  I am always curious to know the reaction when the Easter Vigil service is someone’s first introduction to the Catholic Faith.  

 

For those who don’t know, the Easter Vigil service begins after dark, outdoors, where a fire symbolizing the new light of the risen Christ, is blessed by the celebrant, our pastor, Father Terry (his real name.). The paschal candle is lighted from the fire and a procession takes place into the darkened church where everyone receives a candle lit from the paschal candle.  After the procession, a rather lengthy Easter proclamation is sung by the cantor.  

 

Afterwards. the people extinguish their candles, at least some of the lights are turned on, and a series of up to seven old testament scriptures are read.  Father Terry likes to continue this part of the service with all the lights off, meaning someone must hold a flashlight for the lectors to see their script.  The cantor and choir members sing responsorial psalms after each reading, so they too need flashlights.  Those sitting in the pews do not have enough light to follow along so this part of the service can seem extremely long as reading after reading is introduced.  

 

When the last reading is completed, the lights come on, bells are rung, and the celebration of the resurrection of Our Lord begins with the singing of the Gloria in Excelsis Deo.  The Mass continues much as a normal Sunday until after the homily when the Sacraments of initiation are celebrated.  

 

Francis later admitted that he was suffering from severe anxiety up to this point, but after making his profession of faith, a feeling of peaceful calm came over him.  He was then confirmed and made his first Holy Communion during the Mass.  Three sacraments in one night, the trifecta as we Catholics sometimes call it.  

 

I have been referring to our neophyte as Francis because he chose Saint Francis of Assisi as his Confirmation patron since they both shared a love for animals.  The love of Francis of Assisi extended beyond just animals to all creation.  On November 29, 1979, Pope John Paul II declared Saint Francis of Assisi the patron of ecology and those who promote it.  I pray that Saint Francis will watch over our newly confirmed Francis to help him grow in love for his Catholic faith.  

 

 

 

Russian to judgment

Who is your god, Vladimir Putin?  Is it power?  Is it ego?  Is it an ideology?  What animates you?  Why have you succumbed to man’s ugliest ways?   Why are you drawn to evil?   Were you bullied as a child?  Did your father mistreat you?  Why do you have such little regard for your fellow man?

 

The pictures coming out of Ukraine are heartbreaking.  Families fleeing their homes and being separated from one another.  Children running with their stuffed animals trying to reach safety while bombs explode in the distance.    Why?  Why is our world so rampant with sin?  This is what happens in a world without God.   When man turns away from the true God, he becomes his own god, and that always leads to self-destruction.  Sadly, many innocent God-fearing people become collateral damage.

 

An article by Amelia Monroe Carlson posted on catholic365.com calls this a religious war.   She believes Putin, as a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, sees himself in Russia as a defender and protector of Christianity and Christians worldwide. He has his eyes set on Kyiv because that is where the Russian religion traces its beginning.  For Putin, it is about unifying the Russian Orthodox Church all under Moscow, therefore under the control of the Russian government leader.  That may be true, but I cannot believe religion is his primary motivation.

 

Aggressors like Putin need to be stopped.  Like a spoiled child, the behavior will continue to get worse if not dealt with immediately.  Sanctions seem to be minimally effective.  Nobody wants to go to war, but sometimes there is no alternative.  Ideally, some sensible minds in Putin’s inner circle will put a stop to this from within.  Of course, we cannot assume Putin alone is behind these attacks, but the Russian people are in the best position to bring about peace.

 

Does prayer help in a situation like this?  I really don’t know.  Certainly, God could change Putin’s heart or strike him down.  He did it to many sinners in the Old Testament.  I just don’t see God interfering with man’s daily choices, good or bad.  Free will is a funny thing.  We have it, but we pray for the Holy Spirit to direct it.  I don’t want to find myself thinking if I pray enough rosaries or do enough penance, God will keep a tally to a point where He will alter an outcome.  

 

Does thinking this way indicate a lack of faith on my part?  I think I am just expressing frustration in the world in which I live and despairing that I don’t know how to make it better.   In the meantime, I will keep praying and hoping for a miracle. 

 

I recently saw a picture of the way earth appears as a barely visible pale blue dot from the Voyager spacecraft, some 12 billion miles away.  How insane that we human beings, so miniscule in this universe, are unable to appreciate the wonder of our own existence and instead, find it necessary to fight among ourselves to the point of destruction.  

 

 

Faith and Failures

I have always felt a bit inadequate as an RCIA coordinator.  Teaching is not one of my strongpoints.  The more enthusiastic I am about a topic, the more I tend to stumble in my presentation.  In our small parish there aren’t many options.  I make sure the adult classes are available because they are important if we are to share the faith.  The past couple of years have been especially difficult with Covid restrictions limiting our interactions.  

 

Our program this year started rough.  We had seven different individuals come for at least one session and not return, which makes me question what I could have done differently to make them want to come back.  I make sure they know the door is always open.  Two other women expressed an interest in returning to the faith, but have not responded to invitations.

 

Non-catholics  or fallen away Catholics who contact the parish inquiring about the faith generally do so when going through a crisis of some sort.  One had recently lost a spouse unexpectedly.  Anther was convinced she had a ghost living in her house.  Another came with pre-conceived misconceptions of Catholic practices that she was hostile toward.  Once the impetus subsides, they no longer want to put in the time to explore the faith.  

 

The one bright spot we have this year is a catechumen who is engaged to a Catholic woman from our parish. He has enthusiastically immersed himself in studying the faith.  He is intelligent and well read, prays daily, attends a weekday Mass in addition to Sundays, and wants to explore the diaconate after entering the Church.  Oddly enough, his father is a former Christian who became a Muslim.  That could be one reason he began his search for the truth long before he landed in a Catholic RCIA class.  

 

As Lent approaches, we can begin looking forward to the Easter Vigil when he will be baptized, confirmed and receive the Holy Eucharist for the first time in his life.  I pray his new found enthusiasm for the Catholic Faith continues to grow throughout his life.  

 

A few New Year observations

The new year appears to be picking up where the old year left off.  Partisan bickering, Covid variations, social media nonsense, and everything else that makes a tranquil life unattainable. We have also seen an unusual number of celebrity names in the obituary column. Betty White, John Madden, Sidney Poitier, Duane Hickman, Bob Saget, Ronnie Spector, those are just the ones who are most familiar to me.   In the Heat of the Night with Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger was always one of my favorite movies.  I’m not a big movie guy, but I could sense life in the deep south whenever I watched it.  I grew up listening to Ronnie Spector on my pocket transistor radio in the 1960’s.  Be my Baby is still on my playlist today.  

 

Even our local small town mortician has been especially busy during the first couple of weeks of the new year.  He may go weeks without a funeral and then suddenly have four or five within a few days. I wonder if deaths occur more frequently right after the holidays or during the cold winter doldrums.  Life is precious and fragile.  We should always be prepared.  

 

President Reagan issued a proclamation declaring January 22, 1984 as the first Sanctity of Life Day.  He chose that date because the Supreme Court legalized abortion on demand on that date in 1973. Now, nearly a half century later, we have our best chance of seeing that terrible ruling overturned.  A decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is expected in late June.  Our society fails to acknowledge that most of the problems we face in our communities today can be traced to a lack of respect for human life and that life begins in the womb.

 

In Chicago, Pastor Corey Brooks of New Beginnings Church is spending one hundred days encamped atop a stack of storage containers to raise awareness and money to end gun violence in his troubled neighborhood.  He has a tent, a stove and a small heater to protect him from the bitter cold.  His bathroom is a bucket.  Pastor Brooks hopes to build a resource center on the property that will provide programs for teens, a trauma center, and sports facilities.  

 

As of this writing, Pastor Brooks is on day 58 on the rooftop which also happens to be Martin Luther King Day.  In his daily statement, he spoke about three lies of critical race theory, which he calls a cancer in our society.  Lie number one is that an individual’s race is his or her defining trait.  Lie number two says that there is an enduring power struggle because most people are racist.  Lie number three says that capitalism is a form of white supremacy.  I would encourage everyone to hear Pastor Brook’s remarks in their entirety. Imagine the wisdom a man gains from spending one hundred nights in rooftop winter solitude.

 

We are numb with the stories of violence in some Chicago neighborhoods.  So many young black men are growing up without positive male role models.  Pastor Brooks is going way beyond his comfort zone to make a difference in his community.   Please keep him and those in most need of his help in your prayers.  All human life matters.