Healthy Skepticism

Our pastor likes to include inserts with our Sunday bulletin.  These are usually downloads from the Internet that he considers worthy of sharing.  Recently the insert came from a website that listed prophecies purported to be from the Blessed Mother as given to a woman named Veronica Lueken in New York.  Known as the Bayside Prophecies, the apparitions supposedly began in 1968 and continued until her death in 1995. 

I have always been skeptical of private revelations, especially those that claim to warn of future events.  A cursory perusal of her messages might view them as plausible considering the sad state of the world today.  Some of her dire warnings seemed questionable in light of what we know about God and His Church. 

My first reaction was to see whether these apparitions had been approved by the local Bishop.  On the EWTN website, I found the following declaration dated November 4, 1986, from Bishop Francis Mugavero, the Bishop of the Brooklyn diocese where the apparitions were claimed to have taken place:

Therefore, in consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I hereby declare that: 

1. No credibility can be given to the so-called "apparitions" reported by Veronica Lueken and her followers. 

2. The "messages" and other related propaganda contain statements which, among other things, are contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church, undermine the legitimate authority of bishops and councils and instill doubts in the minds of the faithful, for example, by claiming that, for years, an "imposter (sic) Pope" governed the Catholic Church in place of Paul VI. 

3. Those who persistently maintain that "no ecclesiastical permission is required for the publication or dissemination" of information concerning "revelations, visions or miracles," are erroneously interpreting the directives of the Holy See when they attempt to justify the publication of the propaganda literature on the "Bayside Messages." 

In view of my declaration concerning the authenticity of the "visions of Bayside," the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has confirmed that the principles governing the publication of such religious material still maintain authoritative moral value prohibiting the endangering of faith and good morals (Cf. Response of SCDF of June 14, 1966, in AAS 58, 1186).

As a result, those publishing or disseminating this propaganda literature are acting against the judgment of legitimate Church authority. 

4. Because of my concern for their spiritual welfare, members of Christ's faithful are hereby directed to refrain from participating in the "vigils" and from disseminating any propaganda related to the "Bayside apparitions." They are also discouraged from reading any such literature. 

5. Anyone promoting this devotion in any way, be it by participating in the "vigils," organizing pilgrimages, publishing or disseminating the literature related to it, is contributing to the confusion which is being created in the faith of God's people, as well as encouraging them to act against the determinations made by the legitimate pastor of this particular Church (c.212, para. 1). 

It remains my constant hope that all the faithful spend their time and energies in promoting devotion to our Blessed Lady, in the many forms which have been approved by the Catholic Church. 

+Bishop Francis Mugavero, Bishop of Brooklyn

I realize that even apparitions that are eventually approved may be initially downplayed when veneration takes place prematurely.  Even the Medjugorje apparition, although initially invalidated by the local Bishop, seems to be uncertain at this point.  I believe prophecies discerned in a private revelation should not be propagated without Church approval.  So, how do these old discounted prophecies end up in our Sunday bulletin?

Our pastor tends to stress the negativity of our world.  If there is joy to be found in the light of Christ, it is difficult to see when one dwells in the darkness.  The Bayside Prophecies fell in line with his world view. I confronted him with a copy of Bishop Mugarvero’s statement prior to the first weekend Mass so the inserts could have been pulled.  While he acknowledged that he was unknowingly propagating a message that was not approved, the inserts stayed in the bulletin without qualification.

Hoping the insert would be ignored by the majority of the congregation, I dropped the subject with our priest’s promise not to source from that particular site in the future.  The only problem arose when a not-yet Catholic in our RCIA class copied the insert to her social media.  Try explaining to a potential future Catholic that prophecies distributed by your priest are not to be believed.

Father William Most writes about persons desiring to receive visions and personal revelations.  He refers to Interior Castle, the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila, where she warns of the danger of auto-suggestion.  Saint Teresa says, “When a person has a great desire for something, he convinces himself that he is seeing or hearing what he desires.” 

As part of my Lenten devotion, our pastor gave me a book to read by an anonymous Benedictine Monk.  The book is basically a diary of conversations the monk had with Our Lord during prayer time.  In it, Jesus repeatedly expresses disappointment in His priests and their lack of devotion to His Eucharistic Face, a term used repeatedly throughout the writing. The words attributed to Our Lord do not always sound like the Jesus I know from the Gospels.  I am not naming the book here because of my skepticism. 

Could these conversations may be the type Saint Teresa cautions us about?  The book has the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur, meaning it is free from doctrinal error, but that does not mean the content is worthy of belief. If these are truly the words of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, am I questioning them unjustly?  In this case, it is simply best to acknowledge the visionary as a Benedictine Monk who is undoubtedly holier than I, and glean what benefit I can from his writings regardless of their true origin.

That’s just the way it is

An acquaintance recently posted the following on his social media:

I am not mad at you that Clinton lost.  I am unconcerned that we have different politics.  And I don’t think less of you because you vote one way and I vote another.  No … I think less of you because you watched an adult mock a disabled person in front of a crowd and still supported him.  I think less of you because you saw a man spouting clear racism and backed him.  I think less of you because you listened to him advocate for war crimes, and still thought he should run this country.  I think less of you because you watched him equate a woman’s worth to her appearance and got on board.  It isn’t you politics that I find repulsive.  It is your personal willingness to support racism, sexism, and cruelty.  You sided with a bully when it mattered and that is something I will never forget.  So, no… you and I won’t be “coming together” to move forward or whatever.  Trump disgusts me, but it is the back that he doesn’t disgust you that will stick with me long after this election.

I selected this particular message because it typifies the hate directed at our current president.  People on the left disparage anyone who supports Donald Trump.  What they do not understand is that we are supporting his Republican platform and not necessarily the person himself. 

Suppose all the accusations stated above are true.  They aren’t of course, but suppose they are.  The author says, “It isn’t your politics that I find repulsive.” The problem is that those of us on the right do find your politics repulsive.  When you support killing unborn babies, same-sex unions, taking guns away from law-abiding citizens, and sanctuary cities for illegals, we find that repulsive. 

So, for us, it is just the opposite.  We don’t dislike you personally.  We dislike your politics.  You see, it’s not about the man.  I personally believe Donald Trump is an aloof, sometimes obnoxious man who says divisive things on social media.  I also think he is a pretty good president who supports many of my beliefs and dishes out some tough love upon occasion.  That doesn’t always go over too big with some, but he seems to enjoy ticking people off.  Whether he can get away with it and still get reelected remains to be seen, but he will get my vote because the alternative would be a disaster.

The Perfect Christmas Gift

Christmas Eve started out as many others in recent years.  Long gone are the days when our family was all together.  Two of our three children never make it home for Christmas anymore.  Our youngest lives nearby, but has no children, so our house is now quiet at Christmas time.  My wife plays the organ at the Christmas Eve vigil Mass and then we go to my sister’s house for dinner with a few friends and relatives.  Afterwards, we go home, exchange gifts and get ready to go back to church for Midnight Mass. 

My wife and daughter begin asking me what I want for Christmas around Thanksgiving, and the answer is something money can’t buy.  This year, I got a can popcorn, crescent wrench, a few books, some shirts and a pair of jeans with a button fly that my wife ordered by mistake.  After all the gifts were opened, I cleaned up the wrapping paper and had few minutes to kill before heading off to Mass.  The best gift was a surprise yet to come. 

As most of us do these days, I grabbed the laptop to look at the many Christmas greetings from friends on social media.  There was also an email directed to a parish address that I monitor from a name I did not recognize.  The message was from a woman who said she and her husband were members of a nearby non-denominational church.  They had become concerned about how so many non-Catholic churches had “bent to the ways of the world” as she put it.  Her husband has been researching Catholicism and wanted to know the process should one decide to become Catholic.

What a wonderful message to receive right before Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.  I replied immediately with those words, along with contact information so we could get together.  We have been in frequent contact ever since.  I have given them some books and audio CDs.  Questions have been coming in steadily, and I have provided answers and tracts.  Soon, we will begin weekly meetings.

Curiously, other non-Catholics have recently connected to us on social media.  With the recent announcement that the United Methodist church was splitting over disagreement on same-sex marriage, might there be a connection?   While a split may be the best option for the UM leadership, I wonder how that will play out on the local level when the United Methodist Church is no longer united.  Perhaps we will have more faithful Christians seeking firmer ground.  As Catholics, we need to keep our doors open.  We have the room.

'Tis the season

The holiday season has always been my favorite time of the year.  Yet, my emotions tend to run high and low.  This year, I was able to shed a few annual responsibilities that previously occupied much of my time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Slowing down has been good as it has allowed me more time to reflect on my current spiritual and corporal well-being.  Health-wise, it has been a pretty good year for a man approaching the completion of seven decades on the earth.  Some friends and relatives have not been so fortunate.  I pray daily that their suffering and that of their family members be soothed. 

Family tragedies seem to escalate in number right before Christmas.  Maybe we are just more aware of them this time of year.  Police officers losing their lives in the line of duty, car accidents, shootings – all these things bring to mind people who are suffering greatly while the rest of celebrate the joyous season.  Locally, a man was shot and killed in his home at Thanksgiving dinner.  That family will forever be haunted by that awful memory. 

For me personally, the holidays bring a sadness that someone I love will once again not be joining us to celebrate.  My wife and daughter often ask me what I want for Christmas.  My silent answer is something they cannot give me.  I try not to let this depression overtake me.  Brooding over something I cannot change is not healthy for me or my family. 

Our parish is taking care of twenty-eight families this year who cannot afford presents for their children.  This may not sound like much to some of you, but we are a very small parish in a town that is struggling.  I have been in charge of this project for the past ten years or so.  Our people tend to be generous, so organizing the giveaway is easy and uplifting. 

I am still one of those old traditionalists who insists on a real Christmas tree.  My favorite has become the Frasier fir.  The short soft needles stay fresh and the fragrance is amazing.  In fact, the aroma seems to get stronger as the tree dries out.  When the season is over, I leave the discarded tree near the garden in back of the house.  Even in the summer time when the needles are brown, the fir smell still whiffs through the air. 

As we get older, the number of Christmas cards we write and receive decreases.  The older folks are gone and younger people send their greetings in other ways now.  We still get an annual Christmas form letter from my cousin, a retired Catholic priest.  He is eighty-two years old now and in poor health.  This year, he writes of two concerns that weigh upon his mind.  The first that he says hurts him deeply is the “blind and close-minded” authority that won’t allow women to be priests.  The second is climate change. 

I love my cousin and am thankful for his life devoted to Christ, but with all due respect, the male priesthood “has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal Magisterium (cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium 25:2)”  It cannot and should not be changed or even questioned, especially by a priest.  As for climate change, yes, the climate is changing.  The climate has always changed.  When disregarding God, man tends to presume more power than he actually has.  I believe much of the hubbub on climate change is politically motivated.  While we have a responsibility to care for and protect the environment, we do not control it. 

Looking ahead to 2020, our Diocese of Gary will have a new Bishop in February.  Msgr. Robert J. McClory has been appointed to replace Bishop Donald Hying who was named Bishop of Madison Wisconsin earlier this year.  It seems our small diocese may be a stepping stone or training ground for new bishops.  We were blessed to have Bishop Hying here for several years, but I always felt he was destined for bigger and better things.  I would not be surprised if he were Cardinal Hying someday.  I hope to predict the same for our new bishop in the future.

My wish for society in 2020 is a return to sanity.  Stop the polarizing political nonsense, the constant playing of the victim card, the how can I be offended attitude, and all the other craziness that we see every day.  We must have it pretty good if these are the trivialities that come to the forefront.  An Italian “artist” duct-taped a banana to a wall, called it art, and purportedly sold it to a French art collector for $120,000.  Then a so-called “performance artist” ate the banana.  I can’t decide who is crazier, those who consider a taped banana art or those who think eating a banana is art.  My vote goes to the guy who paid $120,000 for it.  Maybe that is what we get for legalizing marijuana.  God help us!

Biden time

The Catholic Church made the news again recently when a South Carolina priest, Father Robert Morey, refused to give Holy Communion to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden because of Biden’s public support for abortion.  To Catholics concerned that few bishops have enforced such sanctions of pro-abortion politicians, the priest’s firm stand was praised.  Others thought denying anyone Communion was a bad idea. 

In an article published by America,The Jesuit Review, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, says he would not have denied Joe Biden Communion.  “We also remember Pope Francis: ‘I personally can never judge the state of a person's soul.’ So, it’s difficult, that’s what I’m saying. I’m not there as a tribunal, as a judge in distributing Holy Communion,” the Cardinal said.

A Jesuit priest and commentator, Father James Martin tweeted, "Denying Communion to politicians, Democrat or Republican, is a bad idea. If you deny the sacrament to those who support abortion, then you must also deny it to those who support the death penalty. How about those who don't help the poor? How about 'Laudato Si'? Where does it end?" 

As a side note, the Jesuits sometime carry the reputation of being somewhat liberal with their theological thought, perhaps perpetuated by Pope Francis, a Jesuit himself.  I was recently told of an elderly Jesuit priest who was subbing at a parish where he took a few liberties with the liturgy.  When told of the liturgical oddities that had taken place in his church, the pastor said, “Well, they told us in seminary, ‘Everything is changed at a Jesuit Mass, except the bread and the wine.’”  I thought the quip was funny so I had to throw it in here.

A Catholic News Agency article points to a 2004 joint decree by the Bishops of Charleston, Charlotte, and Atlanta that says, “Catholics serving in public life espousing positions contrary to the teaching of the Church on the sanctity and inviolability of human life, especially those running for or elected to public office, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion within our jurisdictions: the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the Diocese of Charleston and Charlotte.”  Therefore, Father Morey was following Diocesan policy.  Whether that decree is prudent appears to be a point of theological debate. 

I was also interested in how the media reported on this story.  A Fox News article attempted to explain “Why Biden being denied Communion is a big deal for people of faith.”  For a secular source, I thought the article was fair although it should probably have been titled as a big deal for Catholics rather than just people of faith.  Reading some of the comments from non-Catholic Christians shows the disconnect from our understanding of the Real Presence.

The article quotes Canon lawyer Father Gerald Murray who refers to Canon Law when he says, "I applaud the priest who did this ... because he himself took seriously his obligation in Canon Law and also in the sight of God."

For the record:

Canon 915: Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.

Canon 916: A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.

The Fox News article also quotes Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Blaise Cupich who defended giving Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians, saying “I think it would be counterproductive to impose sanctions, simply because they don’t change anybody’s minds.” 

In fairness, the statement was taken slightly out of context; however, his stance clearly diminishes the seriousness of the sin. The Cardinal’s permissive position is a cause for scandal.

If Cardinal Cupich says it’s okay for a pro-abortion politician to approach the Eucharist, then it must be okay for anybody. 

Also quoted is Christopher Hale, a Catholic former faith advisor to President Obama who says Pope Francis himself invited Biden and Nancy Pelosi to receive Communion at his installation as Bishop of Rome.  “Look, Pope Francis says it so beautifully.  The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect, but medicine for the sick.”

Here is the problem I have with that statement.  Medicine is something we take when we are already sick.  A person with mortal sin on his soul has already separated himself from the Divine Physician.  The medicine he needs for that ailment is the Sacrament of Confession.  A better Eucharistic analogy might be a vitamin that provides grace we need to maintain our spiritual health.

Actually, the medical analogy does the Eucharist a great injustice.  The Eucharist is so much more than a vitamin we casually consume every Sunday at Mass.  We are receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, God incarnate.  That is not something to be taken lightly.  We need to be properly disposed and humbled with reverence.  The Fox News article concludes by saying, “While Christians have disagreed on whether or not this meal is a symbol of Jesus’ body or the transformation of the bread into his actual flesh, they do agree it’s the cornerstone of the faith and essential to being a believer and follower of Christ.  But after that, Jesus is silent on who should or should not receive it.” 

Regarding the last sentence, I disagree.  Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul said to the Corinthians, “²⁷ Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)

Denying the Eucharist to someone who is publicly complicit in serious sin is done out of love and concern for the salvation of that person’s soul.  To receive Communion is a state of mortal sin profanes the sacrament and is itself another mortal sin.  The person is not being judged by the Church.  That is up to God.  The person’s behavior needs to be corrected, and the Church has an obligation to make that clear.  Final judgment will come later.

Peace be with me

Philippians 4:6-7   ⁶ Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. ⁷ Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Being well acquainted with anxiety, this passage caught my eye on the back cover of a prayer booklet I was reading during Eucharistic Adoration last Sunday.  That evening, I went to my computer and copied the passage from the Bible Gateway source and pasted it above.  The next morning, I checked my social media and found the same passage cited on a friend’s posting.  Maybe God is trying to tell me something.

Having enough faith to put complete trust in God is not easy for us worriers.  Some of our brains are wired in such a way to overreact to stressful situations.  That feeling of panic with a pounding heart, upset stomach, chest tightness, and the compounding reactions to the reaction only serve to exacerbate the anxiety. 

I have written on this topic before because of the impact it has had on my life, and the realization that there are likely many people, especially young people, who are experiencing similar feelings every day. Unchecked anxiety can make the most mundane situation seem like an insurmountable obstacle for some. 

One of my current anxieties comes from the realization that I passed this tendency on to my children, all three of which have been affected.  While a genetic component contributes to this affliction, my anxiety-affected behavior undoubtedly influenced them as they grew up.  Observing a parent who appears overly cautious in avoiding certain situations is bound to crimp a child’s self-confidence.  I so regret that one of my sons still suffers greatly.

Today, much help is available that did not exist when I was young.   Awareness of the problem among healthcare professionals, counselors, and the general population have reduced the stigma attached to seeking help for mental illnesses.  Just knowing that others experience these feelings, and understanding the causes can bring some comfort.  By all means, anyone whose daily life is constricted by anxiety and panic should be encouraged to seek treatment.

That being said, we should be comforted by the words of Paul in his letter to the Philippians.  If we place our complete trust in God by prayer and petition, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will bring us comfort in Christ Jesus.  Ask God for help.  That help may come in the form of increased faith and self-confidence, or by obtaining the strength and courage needed to face those fears, seeking professional help when necessary. Don’t be afraid!