As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be
Our parish is celebrating the one-hundredth anniversary of the construction of our church building. A rededication is coming up in June and I have been given the assignment of compiling a booklet to be distributed in commemoration of the event. The deadline is quickly approaching and I am feeling the pressure to get it finished. One of our parishioners helped me greatly by researching old newspapers that followed the progress of construction a century ago. I sit here bemoaning the fact that I have this extremely difficult task of sitting on my soft cushy chair in front of the computer, copying and pasting pictures and articles about my ancestors working with teams of horses to move sand, brick and mortar in the heat of a hot summer with no air conditioning, power tools, or hydraulic lifts.
What a monumental task it must have been to undertake such a project in those days. Not only did they build this beautiful brick Romanesque church, they also constructed a four-room school across the street at the same time. What did it take to move forward with such a project in 1910? They started with $5000, and carried a $40,000 mortgage for twenty years. I doubt that one of the stained glass windows could be replaced for $45,000 today.
Times have certainly changed. As technology has made life so much easier, somehow it seems more difficult to get things accomplished. I cannot even imagine our parish taking on such a project today. Money is always an issue. Our quality of life has improved greatly, but at a price. We no longer gather as teams to roll up sleeves and tackle laborious projects. I suppose the Amish people still do to an extent with their barn raisings. Such an atmosphere existed here when our church was constructed one hundred years ago. The records tell of parishioners gathering on Easter Sunday 1910 after Mass to begin tearing down the old frame church. The new building was completed and ready for the first Mass by Easter 1911.
On this Easter Sunday in 2011, we are blessed to prepare for a second century of worship in our beautiful church. There have been a few changes. The exterior remains pretty much the same except for an access ramp added a few years ago. The interior has undergone several renovations, some good, some not so good. The stained glass windows are as beautiful and colorfully vivid as the day they were installed. The liturgy looks a little different, but the Sacrifice of the Mass is still the same Sacrifice of Calvary, made present for us every day. Some things never change.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Red Devils
From time to time, emails are sent to our parish from Protestant preachers, either not realizing we are Catholic or perhaps attempting to evangelize us. This past week, we received a lengthy treatise from a minister in St. Louis. I generally forward these messages to our pastor and then delete them. I am not particularly interested in yet another self-interpretation of Scripture by another Bible-only believer, but a chapter on the Immaculate Conception caught my eye.
The essay itself was about Satan’s attack on humanity – no argument there. The author proposes that Satan became the opposite of God and therefore experienced pain beyond human comprehension, and this pain is soothed by dwelling in humans, specifically in the blood. He cites Leviticus 17:11 and Deuteronomy 12: 23-25 to show the life of the flesh is in the blood, and concludes that the forces of darkness must inhabit the Spirit of Life in our blood to exist without pain. I am not sure I follow his logic, but he seemed to be saying that the devil experiences pain because of his separation from God, and because the Spirit of Life is in our blood, the devil lives in our blood to ease his pain.
Now, allow me to jump ahead to his section on the Immaculate Conception. He says sin enters humans at conception. Okay, so far. He then says, “Christ was totally cut off from Mary’s blood supply, because all humans’ blood is contaminated. He was cut off from the umbilical cord that attaches mother to child or he would have been contaminated.” The author just denied Christ’s human nature. Allow me to propose another possible explanation to his dilemma. What if Mary was not “contaminated”? What if the “Immaculate Conception” actually referred to Mary’s conception having been shielded from original sin rather than Our Lord’s conception in a human mother?
It is always interesting to me to see how some Protestants today find it necessary to re-trace certain paths that Catholic theologians walked many centuries ago. They may start well but eventually wander off course only to be lost in the wilderness. Those who don’t, often end up Catholic.
From time to time, emails are sent to our parish from Protestant preachers, either not realizing we are Catholic or perhaps attempting to evangelize us. This past week, we received a lengthy treatise from a minister in St. Louis. I generally forward these messages to our pastor and then delete them. I am not particularly interested in yet another self-interpretation of Scripture by another Bible-only believer, but a chapter on the Immaculate Conception caught my eye.
The essay itself was about Satan’s attack on humanity – no argument there. The author proposes that Satan became the opposite of God and therefore experienced pain beyond human comprehension, and this pain is soothed by dwelling in humans, specifically in the blood. He cites Leviticus 17:11 and Deuteronomy 12: 23-25 to show the life of the flesh is in the blood, and concludes that the forces of darkness must inhabit the Spirit of Life in our blood to exist without pain. I am not sure I follow his logic, but he seemed to be saying that the devil experiences pain because of his separation from God, and because the Spirit of Life is in our blood, the devil lives in our blood to ease his pain.
Now, allow me to jump ahead to his section on the Immaculate Conception. He says sin enters humans at conception. Okay, so far. He then says, “Christ was totally cut off from Mary’s blood supply, because all humans’ blood is contaminated. He was cut off from the umbilical cord that attaches mother to child or he would have been contaminated.” The author just denied Christ’s human nature. Allow me to propose another possible explanation to his dilemma. What if Mary was not “contaminated”? What if the “Immaculate Conception” actually referred to Mary’s conception having been shielded from original sin rather than Our Lord’s conception in a human mother?
It is always interesting to me to see how some Protestants today find it necessary to re-trace certain paths that Catholic theologians walked many centuries ago. They may start well but eventually wander off course only to be lost in the wilderness. Those who don’t, often end up Catholic.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Rite Stuff
For the past several years, I have helped with the adult catechesis in our small parish. The challenge for me has been to ignite the same passion for Christ and His Church in others that I feel myself. Part of the frustration comes from the fact that I must respectfully yield to the pastor in how the faith is presented, not that there is anything wrong with his approach. It’s just that my faith spontaneously combusted after hearing Tim Staples speak one evening many years ago, and I want to instill that same fire in others.
In working with RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults), I have my own ideas of how the process should go. The inquiry period should be just that. I want to spend time in conversation, getting to know the religious background of each inquirer. I want to get to know them and allow them to be comfortable with me. Structure at this point should be minimal. Allow the topics to go wherever the conversation leads. Find out what they know about the Catholic Church. Learn what misconceptions they may have, and what they may find objectionable. As Tim Staples says, you have to scratch where it itches.
While I would really like to find the knowledgeable Protestant who discovers the Catholic Church, I have yet to have such a person come into the parish. More likely, our converts are doing so to please a spouse. Often the Catholic spouse also attends the class where it becomes apparent that he or she is not well versed in the faith either. People are often reluctant to reveal how much they don’t know. Therefore, I like to take a very logical approach, beginning with the historical evidence of Christ’s existence and His claim to be God. Once we establish that Jesus was a real person, that His Divine nature was evident in the miracles He worked, and that He died on a cross only to rise again as verified by eyewitness accounts, then we have a firm foundation on which to build.
We can also know from historical evidence that Christ established a Church with Peter as the head, and gave him and the other apostles authority to bind and loose. He also promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide the Church to all truth, that is, to protect the Church from teaching error in matters of faith and morals. Without an inerrant Church, we would not have an inerrant Bible because Bishops of the Catholic Church determined which of the early Christian writings were God-breathed, and therefore should be included. Once the magisterial authority of the Church is acknowledged, most objections to Church teaching are swept away. Students of the faith are then able to be more receptive of difficult topics. By this time, the decision to move forward into full communion with the Catholic Church should be much easier.
Unfortunately, many Catholics do not accept Church authority. Today, our local newspaper published an opinion piece written on behalf of the “American Catholic Council”, an organization of dissidents who believe the Church should be a democracy. They apparently do not realize doing so would make it just another community of self-interpreting protesters, precisely what many former Protestants in RCIA are trying to escape.
The problem with our current RCIA class is timing. Two couples expressed interest after Christmas. The RCIA process usually begins months earlier in order to prepare for the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. Not wishing to risk losing the opportunity, Father elected to begin classes in January. Assuming they had already made their decision, the inquiry period was pretty much skipped, and Father launched into classroom instruction. My concern is that the RCIA process is being rushed to the point where they will be insufficiently prepared while also missing out on much of what should be a life-changing experience. I can also understand why Father would not want to discourage prospective Catholics by telling them it would be more than a year before they could enter the Church. At this point, I am trying to help them in any way I can. We will see what happens over the next few weeks.
For the past several years, I have helped with the adult catechesis in our small parish. The challenge for me has been to ignite the same passion for Christ and His Church in others that I feel myself. Part of the frustration comes from the fact that I must respectfully yield to the pastor in how the faith is presented, not that there is anything wrong with his approach. It’s just that my faith spontaneously combusted after hearing Tim Staples speak one evening many years ago, and I want to instill that same fire in others.
In working with RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults), I have my own ideas of how the process should go. The inquiry period should be just that. I want to spend time in conversation, getting to know the religious background of each inquirer. I want to get to know them and allow them to be comfortable with me. Structure at this point should be minimal. Allow the topics to go wherever the conversation leads. Find out what they know about the Catholic Church. Learn what misconceptions they may have, and what they may find objectionable. As Tim Staples says, you have to scratch where it itches.
While I would really like to find the knowledgeable Protestant who discovers the Catholic Church, I have yet to have such a person come into the parish. More likely, our converts are doing so to please a spouse. Often the Catholic spouse also attends the class where it becomes apparent that he or she is not well versed in the faith either. People are often reluctant to reveal how much they don’t know. Therefore, I like to take a very logical approach, beginning with the historical evidence of Christ’s existence and His claim to be God. Once we establish that Jesus was a real person, that His Divine nature was evident in the miracles He worked, and that He died on a cross only to rise again as verified by eyewitness accounts, then we have a firm foundation on which to build.
We can also know from historical evidence that Christ established a Church with Peter as the head, and gave him and the other apostles authority to bind and loose. He also promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide the Church to all truth, that is, to protect the Church from teaching error in matters of faith and morals. Without an inerrant Church, we would not have an inerrant Bible because Bishops of the Catholic Church determined which of the early Christian writings were God-breathed, and therefore should be included. Once the magisterial authority of the Church is acknowledged, most objections to Church teaching are swept away. Students of the faith are then able to be more receptive of difficult topics. By this time, the decision to move forward into full communion with the Catholic Church should be much easier.
Unfortunately, many Catholics do not accept Church authority. Today, our local newspaper published an opinion piece written on behalf of the “American Catholic Council”, an organization of dissidents who believe the Church should be a democracy. They apparently do not realize doing so would make it just another community of self-interpreting protesters, precisely what many former Protestants in RCIA are trying to escape.
The problem with our current RCIA class is timing. Two couples expressed interest after Christmas. The RCIA process usually begins months earlier in order to prepare for the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. Not wishing to risk losing the opportunity, Father elected to begin classes in January. Assuming they had already made their decision, the inquiry period was pretty much skipped, and Father launched into classroom instruction. My concern is that the RCIA process is being rushed to the point where they will be insufficiently prepared while also missing out on much of what should be a life-changing experience. I can also understand why Father would not want to discourage prospective Catholics by telling them it would be more than a year before they could enter the Church. At this point, I am trying to help them in any way I can. We will see what happens over the next few weeks.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Friday and Sadder Day
About a dozen years ago, our oldest son brought home a cat that came from a local grain elevator. We named it for the TV character MacGyver after it escaped from a locked room in our basement by climbing through a bulkhead over a suspended ceiling in an adjoining room where he eventually found a removable access panel in a bathroom. My son grew up and moved away leaving us to care for the cat. MacGyver would climb on my lap every evening totally oblivious to the newspaper I was attempting to read. He would nuzzle against my face until I put down the paper and petted him. He was a nuisance, but still part of the family.
Last evening when I got home from work, MacGyver did not greet me as usual. I found him lying on the floor obviously in pain. Being a Friday evening, I did want to risk having him be miserable all weekend so I hurriedly took him to our veterinarian. The diagnosis was a painful blood clot that was cutting off circulation to his rear legs. The vet offered little hope and suggested that MacGyver be euthanized. Having no one else available to consult, I reluctantly agreed.
The vet promised to give him a sedative so he would not know what was happening. His remains would be respectfully disposed of. She told me I could stay in the room or I could leave. Having been in a room watching my brother die a few years ago, I thought I would be okay with this. After all, I’m a sixty year-old man and this is just a cat. As it turned out, I could not watch. Tears welled up in my eyes and I had to look away. I could not bear the thought of this poor defenseless animal not knowing what was about to happen to him.
Contrast this scene with that of the Philadelphia abortionist accused earlier this week of casually killing babies after they were born by severing the spinal cord with scissors. His office contained bags and bottles of aborted babies, including jars of severed feet that he kept for no apparent purpose. He was charged with eight counts of murder, including that of a woman who died during an abortion procedure.
The grand jury report said the Pennsylvania Department of Health deliberately chose not to enforce laws governing abortion clinics and that they stopped doing inspections after 1993. In other words, they looked away. While everyone knows what goes on at abortion clinics, our society now finds it acceptable as long as they do not see what is really happening. Terminate the baby’s life in the womb, but not after we see his or her cute little face. What is the difference?
Our society treats defenseless animals better than defenseless children. You can be sent to prison for destroying an eagle egg even though the bald eagle is no longer on the endangered species list. In fact, the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal to destroy or remove eggs of any migratory bird from an established nest. Yet, ripping the child from a mother’s womb is perfectly legal.
How callous does one have to be to think killing an unborn human being is okay? And if one thinks late term abortion is not permissible but early term is, on what day does that permission change? If you say day 90, why not day 91 or day 92? And, how do you know when day 90 actually is? The point is that all of this is completely arbitrary. There is no logical time prior to which abortion is okay.
Today is the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the United States. This morning, President Obama recommitted himself to keeping abortion legal. He said the 1973 ruling “affirms a fundamental principle that government should not intrude on private family matters.” (Like health care?) I wonder if Mr. Obama could watch a defenseless life being ended, or would he look away?
About a dozen years ago, our oldest son brought home a cat that came from a local grain elevator. We named it for the TV character MacGyver after it escaped from a locked room in our basement by climbing through a bulkhead over a suspended ceiling in an adjoining room where he eventually found a removable access panel in a bathroom. My son grew up and moved away leaving us to care for the cat. MacGyver would climb on my lap every evening totally oblivious to the newspaper I was attempting to read. He would nuzzle against my face until I put down the paper and petted him. He was a nuisance, but still part of the family.
Last evening when I got home from work, MacGyver did not greet me as usual. I found him lying on the floor obviously in pain. Being a Friday evening, I did want to risk having him be miserable all weekend so I hurriedly took him to our veterinarian. The diagnosis was a painful blood clot that was cutting off circulation to his rear legs. The vet offered little hope and suggested that MacGyver be euthanized. Having no one else available to consult, I reluctantly agreed.
The vet promised to give him a sedative so he would not know what was happening. His remains would be respectfully disposed of. She told me I could stay in the room or I could leave. Having been in a room watching my brother die a few years ago, I thought I would be okay with this. After all, I’m a sixty year-old man and this is just a cat. As it turned out, I could not watch. Tears welled up in my eyes and I had to look away. I could not bear the thought of this poor defenseless animal not knowing what was about to happen to him.
Contrast this scene with that of the Philadelphia abortionist accused earlier this week of casually killing babies after they were born by severing the spinal cord with scissors. His office contained bags and bottles of aborted babies, including jars of severed feet that he kept for no apparent purpose. He was charged with eight counts of murder, including that of a woman who died during an abortion procedure.
The grand jury report said the Pennsylvania Department of Health deliberately chose not to enforce laws governing abortion clinics and that they stopped doing inspections after 1993. In other words, they looked away. While everyone knows what goes on at abortion clinics, our society now finds it acceptable as long as they do not see what is really happening. Terminate the baby’s life in the womb, but not after we see his or her cute little face. What is the difference?
Our society treats defenseless animals better than defenseless children. You can be sent to prison for destroying an eagle egg even though the bald eagle is no longer on the endangered species list. In fact, the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal to destroy or remove eggs of any migratory bird from an established nest. Yet, ripping the child from a mother’s womb is perfectly legal.
How callous does one have to be to think killing an unborn human being is okay? And if one thinks late term abortion is not permissible but early term is, on what day does that permission change? If you say day 90, why not day 91 or day 92? And, how do you know when day 90 actually is? The point is that all of this is completely arbitrary. There is no logical time prior to which abortion is okay.
Today is the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the United States. This morning, President Obama recommitted himself to keeping abortion legal. He said the 1973 ruling “affirms a fundamental principle that government should not intrude on private family matters.” (Like health care?) I wonder if Mr. Obama could watch a defenseless life being ended, or would he look away?
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Spiritual Poverty
I guess I am a very traditional person, especially when it comes to celebrating Christmas. No artificial Christmas trees permitted in my house. I want the fragrance of real fir that resurrects wonderful memories of Christmases past. Despite my advancing age, I still look forward to the annual airing of Charlie Brown Christmas, even getting a little misty eyed when Linus recites the passage from Luke’s gospel. And like Charlie Brown, I feel a little depressed at times despite the joy of the season. I can’t seek counsel from Lucy and real psychiatric help costs more than five cents, so I will have to bare my soul here.
Last night, I accompanied my wife to a Christmas party for administrators of the school system where she works. I am always a little uncomfortable at such gatherings, but I had a nice time. Much of the conversation centered around education and the problems school officials face on a daily basis. Having never been a teacher, I spent most of the evening listening to others express frustration in dealing with young people, and occasionally, their parents.
Our hostess mentioned her interaction with one student in particular and the challenge she faces trying to keep him in school. She said that some poverty-stricken parents do not want their children to finish school. They may see the lack of an education as ensuring a certain inter-dependence that keeps the family together.
Our school district encompasses an area with an unusually high poverty rate, a rate increasing to the point where the entire student body may soon qualify for free lunches. I couldn’t help but wonder if free lunches don’t perpetuate poverty by encouraging people to depend on entitlements rather than self-sustenance. I read somewhere that the biggest problem facing the impoverished in the United States isn’t hunger, but obesity.
One thing was obvious to me. The educators in our school system are passionate about their profession. They have serious concerns for the well being of the young people they are attempting to prepare for the real world. Discussions centered around trends in education, problems in funding state mandates, and ways of improving instruction. Technology changes so rapidly that small schools have a difficult time keeping up. Money is always an issue, and knowing where to direct it most efficiently can be debated. Measuring student progress can be difficult and administrators are always under pressure to improve test scores.
After public education discussion was exhausted, one of the guests mentioned Christmas plans which included going to an early Vigil Mass where her child would be taking part in a program. As it turned out, several in the group happened to be Catholic. Our hostess mentioned that she attends a parish in her hometown about 30 miles away where she still has family living. She went on to tell about her children attending a youth group in that parish where the priest would not allow the teenagers to attend any off-site activities. Out of frustration, she began allowing them to attend another group which I assumed was affiliated with a non-Catholic ministry. She added that her now grown children were no longer Catholic, but they were very active in another denomination and she was “okay with that”.
Another mother spoke up and complained about the attendance requirements for her children in our local parish religion class. Our priest has mandated that anyone missing five sessions will have to repeat the class which is held on Sunday mornings between the Masses. The mother said they have family spread around different areas of the state and often travel on Sundays to visit. She also mentioned that she cannot drag her husband to Mass here, although he would attend regularly at a former parish they attended where they had a band with drums.
Our hostess asked if anyone was familiar with “Late night Catechism.” (For those who are not, do a search on youtube.) She had attended a Catholic school in the 1960’s and was troubled by some of the things she was taught. Apparently one of the nuns told her that chewing the Eucharistic host will cause it to bleed. She also mused at writing JMJ on all school papers and wearing scapulars. Turning serious, she said there was too much hell and damnation preached. People want to be uplifted.
The conversation quickly turned to other topics, but I was left feeling a little depressed. I never like hearing that people have left the faith or do not understand and appreciate what they have in the Catholic Church. These same school administrators who try so hard to overcome the effects of poverty affecting the education of our youth, do not recognize the spiritual poverty affecting themselves. Which is worse -- being deprived of earthly food or heavenly food?
Those who think they find more spirituality outside the Catholic Church may actually be experiencing a kind of spiritual obesity. In other words, they may be getting the sugar-coated message they crave, but they are missing out on the true heavenly nourishment that comes from Our Lord’s Body and Blood. Think of it as choosing between health food and a happy meal. What is pleasing to the spiritual palate on an emotional level may not be what the souls really needs for eternal life.
The public school system has a tax-funded staff of administrators and qualified teachers to provide the best education possible for our youth, and yet they often fail without parental support. Our parish has one priest and a commission of a few often-reluctant and poorly catechized volunteers to teach the faith. Opportunities for religious education are limited to a few precious hours a year, especially when many Catholic parents balk at committing any faith time beyond Sunday Mass. We should not be surprised that Mass attendance has dwindled.
Our parish school closed in the 1970’s, so this situation has existed for a couple of generations now. We should not be surprised that Mass attendance has dwindled.
Lacking the support of orthodox Catholic parents, good catechesis is difficult. The nuns that taught us fifty years ago may have been a little over zealous at times, but their methods were somewhat effective. I wish we had them back.
I guess I am a very traditional person, especially when it comes to celebrating Christmas. No artificial Christmas trees permitted in my house. I want the fragrance of real fir that resurrects wonderful memories of Christmases past. Despite my advancing age, I still look forward to the annual airing of Charlie Brown Christmas, even getting a little misty eyed when Linus recites the passage from Luke’s gospel. And like Charlie Brown, I feel a little depressed at times despite the joy of the season. I can’t seek counsel from Lucy and real psychiatric help costs more than five cents, so I will have to bare my soul here.
Last night, I accompanied my wife to a Christmas party for administrators of the school system where she works. I am always a little uncomfortable at such gatherings, but I had a nice time. Much of the conversation centered around education and the problems school officials face on a daily basis. Having never been a teacher, I spent most of the evening listening to others express frustration in dealing with young people, and occasionally, their parents.
Our hostess mentioned her interaction with one student in particular and the challenge she faces trying to keep him in school. She said that some poverty-stricken parents do not want their children to finish school. They may see the lack of an education as ensuring a certain inter-dependence that keeps the family together.
Our school district encompasses an area with an unusually high poverty rate, a rate increasing to the point where the entire student body may soon qualify for free lunches. I couldn’t help but wonder if free lunches don’t perpetuate poverty by encouraging people to depend on entitlements rather than self-sustenance. I read somewhere that the biggest problem facing the impoverished in the United States isn’t hunger, but obesity.
One thing was obvious to me. The educators in our school system are passionate about their profession. They have serious concerns for the well being of the young people they are attempting to prepare for the real world. Discussions centered around trends in education, problems in funding state mandates, and ways of improving instruction. Technology changes so rapidly that small schools have a difficult time keeping up. Money is always an issue, and knowing where to direct it most efficiently can be debated. Measuring student progress can be difficult and administrators are always under pressure to improve test scores.
After public education discussion was exhausted, one of the guests mentioned Christmas plans which included going to an early Vigil Mass where her child would be taking part in a program. As it turned out, several in the group happened to be Catholic. Our hostess mentioned that she attends a parish in her hometown about 30 miles away where she still has family living. She went on to tell about her children attending a youth group in that parish where the priest would not allow the teenagers to attend any off-site activities. Out of frustration, she began allowing them to attend another group which I assumed was affiliated with a non-Catholic ministry. She added that her now grown children were no longer Catholic, but they were very active in another denomination and she was “okay with that”.
Another mother spoke up and complained about the attendance requirements for her children in our local parish religion class. Our priest has mandated that anyone missing five sessions will have to repeat the class which is held on Sunday mornings between the Masses. The mother said they have family spread around different areas of the state and often travel on Sundays to visit. She also mentioned that she cannot drag her husband to Mass here, although he would attend regularly at a former parish they attended where they had a band with drums.
Our hostess asked if anyone was familiar with “Late night Catechism.” (For those who are not, do a search on youtube.) She had attended a Catholic school in the 1960’s and was troubled by some of the things she was taught. Apparently one of the nuns told her that chewing the Eucharistic host will cause it to bleed. She also mused at writing JMJ on all school papers and wearing scapulars. Turning serious, she said there was too much hell and damnation preached. People want to be uplifted.
The conversation quickly turned to other topics, but I was left feeling a little depressed. I never like hearing that people have left the faith or do not understand and appreciate what they have in the Catholic Church. These same school administrators who try so hard to overcome the effects of poverty affecting the education of our youth, do not recognize the spiritual poverty affecting themselves. Which is worse -- being deprived of earthly food or heavenly food?
Those who think they find more spirituality outside the Catholic Church may actually be experiencing a kind of spiritual obesity. In other words, they may be getting the sugar-coated message they crave, but they are missing out on the true heavenly nourishment that comes from Our Lord’s Body and Blood. Think of it as choosing between health food and a happy meal. What is pleasing to the spiritual palate on an emotional level may not be what the souls really needs for eternal life.
The public school system has a tax-funded staff of administrators and qualified teachers to provide the best education possible for our youth, and yet they often fail without parental support. Our parish has one priest and a commission of a few often-reluctant and poorly catechized volunteers to teach the faith. Opportunities for religious education are limited to a few precious hours a year, especially when many Catholic parents balk at committing any faith time beyond Sunday Mass. We should not be surprised that Mass attendance has dwindled.
Our parish school closed in the 1970’s, so this situation has existed for a couple of generations now. We should not be surprised that Mass attendance has dwindled.
Lacking the support of orthodox Catholic parents, good catechesis is difficult. The nuns that taught us fifty years ago may have been a little over zealous at times, but their methods were somewhat effective. I wish we had them back.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Discipline Rules
Last month, I was excited to learn that Father Robert Barron would be hosting a Catholic program on commercial television. He is the first priest to do so since Bishop Fulton Sheen some forty years ago. The program airs Sunday mornings on WGN America at about the same time I am attending Eucharistic Adoration, but thanks to my newly obtained DVR, I have them all recorded.
Father Barron is a very energetic and engaging speaker who relates well to the common man. His messages may reference the Beatles or Bob Dylan, who he calls one of his great heroes, but do not mistake him for one of those new age modern priests. His Catholicism is pristinely orthodox. Every presentation I have seen has given me new perspective.
In a recent talk (10-31-2010), Father Barron talked about laws and freedom. Since he explained the relationship so much more eloquently than I ever could, I hope he won’t mind if I borrow some of his words. He noted that Americans place a premium on autonomy. To most people, freedom means determining their own lives, or setting their own agendas. They view laws as an affront to their freedom.
Fr. Barron says another way of looking at freedom is a “disciplining of desire so as to make the achievement of good possible and then effortless.” He cited several examples. Musicians who approach perfection are free to play any music they desire, yet the freedom to do that came through discipline. Michael Jordan was the freest player to ever play basketball. He was capable of doing most anything he wanted on the basketball court, yet that freedom came through discipline. To achieve perfection, one must first submit to discipline. Discipline is not an affront to freedom. It makes freedom possible.
God’s law is not an obstacle to our freedom. As Father Barron puts it, “What God gives us in the law is a way of disciplining our desires and our bodies that we may become conduits of his love.” By submitting to the law, the achievement of good becomes possible and then effortless. I thought about this idea and I would like to take it a step further.
We know nothing unclean will get to heaven. Matthew 5:48 says, “Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Our goal is to get to heaven someday. As Catholics, we are on this journey toward perfection. To get to heaven, we must submit to discipline. How is this discipline manifested in our lives? Jesus gave us a Church with the authority to bind and loose. He did this not as an affront to our freedom, but rather to make the achievement of good possible that we may become conduits of His love.
We often hear people complain that the Catholic Church is too encumbered by rules. Is it really a mortal sin to eat a hamburger on a Friday during Lent or to miss Mass on Sunday? Does such a seemingly innocent infraction really suspend our relationship with Our Lord? Suppose Peyton Manning decided he didn’t feel like going to the team practice one day, or decided he was too tired to play football one Sunday, so he just slept in. Do you think he would be penalized? I will guarantee you, if Peyton Manning did not show up for a Colts game simply because he didn’t feel like going, he would face repercussions. He would probably be suspended from the team until he made reparation. Professional athletes are paid big money by the team owners are expected to strive for perfection. Season ticket holders paid a huge price to watch these players give their best effort.
As Catholics, we are members of the team known as the Body of Christ. Certain disciplines are demanded of us, not as affronts to our freedom, but rather to keep us on the path to perfection. Jesus Christ paid a huge price for our sins. We owe Him our best effort. Sleeping in on Sunday because we are too tired to go to Mass is unacceptable and is subject to penalty. Mortal sin suspends us from grace. We are cut off until we make reparation. Which is more important -- getting to the Super Bowl or getting to heaven? Skipping a football game or skipping Mass –- which has greater consequences over the long haul?
There was a time when I thought requiring Catholics to attend Mass under penalty of mortal sin was a counter-productive. We should go to Mass because we want to be there, not because we have to be there. That is true, but I wonder how many people would stay home if they were not obligated to attend every Sunday. How many people would pay their income tax if not for the IRS? How many people would obey the speed limit if there were no fines for not doing so? While some people may submit to self-imposed discipline, the majority may not. Having the majority not paying taxes and driving recklessly could jeopardize the survival of the rest of us. Some imposed discipline is necessary for the benefit of everyone. Children need to understand there are consequences for disobeying their parents. As children of God, the same holds true for all of us.
Wikipedia says the following: “In its most general sense, discipline refers to the systematic instruction given to a disciple. To discipline thus means to instruct a person to follow a particular code of conduct or order.” Therefore, to be true disciples of Christ, we must submit to the divinely authorized discipline prescribed by His Church. Doing so enables us to discipline our desires and our bodies in such a way to allow grace to flow. We become conduits for God's love. Discipline turns us in the direction toward perfection that ultimately sets us free.
Last month, I was excited to learn that Father Robert Barron would be hosting a Catholic program on commercial television. He is the first priest to do so since Bishop Fulton Sheen some forty years ago. The program airs Sunday mornings on WGN America at about the same time I am attending Eucharistic Adoration, but thanks to my newly obtained DVR, I have them all recorded.
Father Barron is a very energetic and engaging speaker who relates well to the common man. His messages may reference the Beatles or Bob Dylan, who he calls one of his great heroes, but do not mistake him for one of those new age modern priests. His Catholicism is pristinely orthodox. Every presentation I have seen has given me new perspective.
In a recent talk (10-31-2010), Father Barron talked about laws and freedom. Since he explained the relationship so much more eloquently than I ever could, I hope he won’t mind if I borrow some of his words. He noted that Americans place a premium on autonomy. To most people, freedom means determining their own lives, or setting their own agendas. They view laws as an affront to their freedom.
Fr. Barron says another way of looking at freedom is a “disciplining of desire so as to make the achievement of good possible and then effortless.” He cited several examples. Musicians who approach perfection are free to play any music they desire, yet the freedom to do that came through discipline. Michael Jordan was the freest player to ever play basketball. He was capable of doing most anything he wanted on the basketball court, yet that freedom came through discipline. To achieve perfection, one must first submit to discipline. Discipline is not an affront to freedom. It makes freedom possible.
God’s law is not an obstacle to our freedom. As Father Barron puts it, “What God gives us in the law is a way of disciplining our desires and our bodies that we may become conduits of his love.” By submitting to the law, the achievement of good becomes possible and then effortless. I thought about this idea and I would like to take it a step further.
We know nothing unclean will get to heaven. Matthew 5:48 says, “Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Our goal is to get to heaven someday. As Catholics, we are on this journey toward perfection. To get to heaven, we must submit to discipline. How is this discipline manifested in our lives? Jesus gave us a Church with the authority to bind and loose. He did this not as an affront to our freedom, but rather to make the achievement of good possible that we may become conduits of His love.
We often hear people complain that the Catholic Church is too encumbered by rules. Is it really a mortal sin to eat a hamburger on a Friday during Lent or to miss Mass on Sunday? Does such a seemingly innocent infraction really suspend our relationship with Our Lord? Suppose Peyton Manning decided he didn’t feel like going to the team practice one day, or decided he was too tired to play football one Sunday, so he just slept in. Do you think he would be penalized? I will guarantee you, if Peyton Manning did not show up for a Colts game simply because he didn’t feel like going, he would face repercussions. He would probably be suspended from the team until he made reparation. Professional athletes are paid big money by the team owners are expected to strive for perfection. Season ticket holders paid a huge price to watch these players give their best effort.
As Catholics, we are members of the team known as the Body of Christ. Certain disciplines are demanded of us, not as affronts to our freedom, but rather to keep us on the path to perfection. Jesus Christ paid a huge price for our sins. We owe Him our best effort. Sleeping in on Sunday because we are too tired to go to Mass is unacceptable and is subject to penalty. Mortal sin suspends us from grace. We are cut off until we make reparation. Which is more important -- getting to the Super Bowl or getting to heaven? Skipping a football game or skipping Mass –- which has greater consequences over the long haul?
There was a time when I thought requiring Catholics to attend Mass under penalty of mortal sin was a counter-productive. We should go to Mass because we want to be there, not because we have to be there. That is true, but I wonder how many people would stay home if they were not obligated to attend every Sunday. How many people would pay their income tax if not for the IRS? How many people would obey the speed limit if there were no fines for not doing so? While some people may submit to self-imposed discipline, the majority may not. Having the majority not paying taxes and driving recklessly could jeopardize the survival of the rest of us. Some imposed discipline is necessary for the benefit of everyone. Children need to understand there are consequences for disobeying their parents. As children of God, the same holds true for all of us.
Wikipedia says the following: “In its most general sense, discipline refers to the systematic instruction given to a disciple. To discipline thus means to instruct a person to follow a particular code of conduct or order.” Therefore, to be true disciples of Christ, we must submit to the divinely authorized discipline prescribed by His Church. Doing so enables us to discipline our desires and our bodies in such a way to allow grace to flow. We become conduits for God's love. Discipline turns us in the direction toward perfection that ultimately sets us free.
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