St Andrew Q&A

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2009-08-23T11:36:00.001-04:00

20th Sunday - homily

2009-08-16T12:34:00.001-04:00

When I was young, I worked as a rectory aide at my parish, Our Lady of Lourdes in Bethesda. For four hours every Thursday, I answered the phones, answered the door, and locked the Church. It was a pretty good gig: I made $7 cash plus two Cokes! The highlight was whenever the priest would come to visit me or check in. I was at the far end of the rectory, so I would always hear the priest coming. This gave me time to straighten myself up, turn off the TV, and look holy or something. One night during the summer, I heard a priest coming to see me. I got myself in order and then he popped in. He was wearing a t-shirt, swimming trunks, a funny hat, and had a towel draped over his shoulder. He said, “Hi, I’m Father Wells, the new priest”. “Hi”, I said. “I’m going to a pool party. You wanna go?”, he asked. “I have to answer the phones”, I replied, kind of mystified that he would even ask. “Ok, see ya later”, he said. Then, he was gone. I was thinking to myself, ‘what just happened? Who was that?’

That was Father Wells. We hit it off after that and for many years remained good friends. We reunited years later when he was the pastor of St Mark’s in Hyattsville and I was helping out with the youth group there. We hung out quite often for golf, with friends, vacations, and Church events. He was a great priest – very faithful, holy, brilliant, and a ton of fun. I would pick his brain all the time, trying to gain some of his wisdom. One day - I remember it so clearly – we were sitting in his office, shooting the breeze. At one point, I said, “well, you know, Father, the Eucharist is just a symbol”. “What?”, he said, with a look of total shock. Now, this was a man who completely believed in the Eucharist – that the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass. “It’s a symbol?”, I said shakily. Then, he said something that changed my life: “Greg, this is my body means this is my body”.

After 21 years of going to Church every Sunday and after 12 plus years of Catholic education, this was the first time I really ever heard the teaching about the Eucharist. It finally hit me. So, I had to pursue it. I started to go to daily Mass (in addition to Sunday) to hear the words I had heard so many times before. In hearing those words anew and in seeing the faith of the priest and people, I realized that this is for real. It really is the Body and Blood of Christ! I also started going to Eucharistic Adoration which they had perpetually at St Marks. What was going on was a relationship. I was entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ who is truly present in the Eucharist. And so, I began to say to Him, “Lord, you gave me your life, I want to give you my life”. It was not long after that that thoughts of the priesthood began to enter my mind and heart. The funny thing was when I went to tell Fr Wells that I was “sort of, kinda having some thoughts, maybe, about the priesthood”, He said, “Can you hold on?”, and then picked up the phone, called the vocations director, and said “Hey, Mark, it’s Tom. Yeah, we got one”! (A year later, I was in the seminary).

My vocation came from the Eucharist; the Eucharist is the source of my vocation. It is the center of my vocation. I have dedicated my priesthood to the Eucharist. I have dedicated my ministry to the Eucharist. So often in ministry, I refer to these lines from today’s Gospel. When kids ask me, “why do we have to go to Mass every Sunday?”. I’ll say it’s mainly to receive the Eucharist. I’ll ask them if they want to go to Heaven. They’ll immediately respond with “Uh huh, uh huh”. Then, I’ll tell them that Jesus said we need to receive the Eucharist at Mass if we want to go to Heaven. My point is based on John 6, verses 53-54: “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life”. We need the grace of the Eucharist and Baptism to get to Heaven, to have eternal life.

Now, the Eucharist is not just our ticket to Heaven. It is our chance to have Heaven on Earth: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life”. That means that in a few minutes we will have Heaven dwelling within us because we will have Jesus dwelling within us, and Jesus is the Kingdom of Heaven. At that moment, we will have the happiness, joy, peace, and all the things of Heaven in our bodies and souls.

Finally, it is not just about what we get from the Eucharist. It’s about what the Eucharist helps us to do. Elsewhere in John’s Gospel, Jesus says that, “whoever remains in me and I in him bears much fruit”. He makes it clear in today’s Gospel that the best way to remain in Him and Him in us is in the Eucharist. So, if we remain in Him and Him in us in the Eucharist, we will live fruitful lives. We will live the lives we truly want to live. If any of us is struggling with faith or virtue, we should go to Eucharist. It will help us to bear much fruit.

May each of make the Eucharist C.O.O.L. (center of our lives). May we center our lives on the Eucharist, bear much fruit, and have eternal life through the Eucharist.

19th Sunday - homily

2009-08-09T14:38:00.002-04:00

Is there any difference between Communion that is offered at a Catholic Mass and Communion that is offered at a Protestant service? I’ve heard many people, including Catholics, say no, there is no difference. A good friend of mine, Ken, would answer differently. Ken was a Protestant who came to RCIA when I was leading it in my last parish. On the first night when everyone introduced themselves to the group, Ken made it very clear that he had no intention of becoming Catholic. Married to a Catholic with two kids in a Catholic school, he said that he simply wanted to go deeper in his study of the Bible; he had studied the Bible extensively before RCIA.

So, RCIA began and was rolling along for Ken until we got to the teaching on Communion…the Holy Eucharist. I presented the teaching of the Church that is based on the Gospel we hear from today and these weeks: John 6. We especially focused on the words of our Lord, “the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world”, and how we take them literally. In other words, Jesus says that the Eucharist really is his flesh and blood and we believe him. Now, this was a problem for Ken. After reading John 6 with us, he realized that the Eucharist is not just something the Church came up with. This is straight from the lips of our Lord himself. We talked for a while after the next few RCIA meetings, particularly about the difference between the Eucharist in the Catholic Church and in Protestant denominations.

My basic point to him paralleled the one Christ makes to the Jews: the difference between the Protestant Eucharist and Catholic is the same difference between manna and the Bread of Life. The Protestant Eucharist is just bread in the same way that manna was just bread. It is natural food only. The Catholic Eucharist is the Bread of Life to which Jesus is referring in John 6. It is supernatural food. Ken and I focused very much on the stark difference that Christ presents: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven…whoever eats this bread will live forever”. There is a huge difference between manna and the Bread of Life. There is a HUGE difference between the Protestant Eucharist (which is just bread) and the Catholic Eucharist (which is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ).

This was the turning point for Ken. In these talks, I could literally see the scales drop from his eyes. As I said, he was very much a student of the Bible. But, this was all news to him. And, it was good news! He realized that he had to receive the Catholic Eucharist, so he realized that he had to become Catholic. He struggled with some of the other teachings of the Church, but over the next several months…well, I straightened those out for him! It was an exceptionally beautiful and powerful process to witness for me and the others in RCIA. The climax was about two weeks before Easter which is when those in RCIA become Catholic. Ken was still struggling. He told the group in a very personal way how difficult it would be for him to become Catholic – mainly because he could never received Communion in his Protestant denomination again. It was very anguishing for him, something that made a huge impact on me and the others. He decided to come into the Church and is now one happy Catholic who received the Bread of Life weekly. He is very active in the parish and will be a solid teacher of the Catholic faith to so many.

Finally, the last line of today’s Gospel, verse 51, is so incredibly powerful. “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world”. Our Lord is saying that the flesh and blood that we receive in Holy Communion is the same flesh and blood that was on the Cross. We can make this line an equation to show this. “The bread that I will give” means the Eucharist… “Is” can mean equals…”my flesh for the life of the world” means the flesh and blood that he shed on the Cross because it is on the Cross that Christ gives his flesh for the life of the world. So, the Eucharist = Christ’s flesh and blood on the Cross. Christ doesn’t die at every Mass; death has no more power over him. It is His risen Body and Blood that is re-presented to us at Mass through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Eucharist truly is the Bread of Life to which Christ is referring. ”Whoever eats this bread will live forever”.

Fixing up the Newman Center

2009-08-07T14:50:00.000-04:00

I've been getting thoughtful emails and notes from former parishioners and friends, asking how things are going here at the Newman Center. A few of them have made the comment that it's probably quiet here now, with the students away on summer break. Sha! I understand their thinking, but there has been much going on here this summer. We've undertaken many projects to fix up the Newman Center; most to address structural problems in this 100 year-old home and some to improve things aesthetically.

Here are pics of the Center - these qualify as "before" pics - and some of the projects that we are working on. I will post their "after" counterparts in the next few weeks. It's very exciting!! Btw, we welcome donations - these are expensive repairs and improvements.

Let's just say that the Center will get a facelift!

We'll spruce up the front yard with some flagstone and new landscaping.

We'll clean up the mess in the backyard and build a brick door at the pit. Also, the University will be replacing the broken fence.

If you've been in the kitchen anytime in the recent past, you've seen the mold problem on the wall. The basement has some pretty bad water damage. We're waterproofing the foundation as much as possible and then putting up new drywall. Also, we just got a new stove! Score!

Ewww..dirty kitchen floor. We'll clean it and make it shine as much as possible. Also, we'll replace broken tiles.

Water has been leaking from the balcony roof into the parlor ceiling...not good! We'll fix that, and then maybe even rearrange the parlor a bit. I want the Center to have a mini-library of cool Catholic materials (brochures, pamphlets, booklets, books, etc.). The parlor is my first choice, but it may disturb the "lounge area" of the parlor, so we would just put the resources elsewhere in the Center.

The deck on the roof will be looking sweet in a few weeks after some repairs, powerwashing, and staining.

One change we did not wish to make has to do with our beloved campus minister, Alecia. Alecia and her husband, John, are moving to North Carolina this month because John recently accepted a position at Wyngate University. We will miss Alecia very much! She has given her heart, mind, soul, and strength to GW students for the past four years. We wish her and John well. We will never replace her, but hope to find someone to fill her position asap. Please pray that God sends us the right person.

"Quo Vadis Days"

2009-08-04T09:19:00.003-04:00

Next week, the Archdiocese is hosting a retreat for high school young men, "Quo Vadis Days". This retreat has been held in other dioceses, with 100 boys attending in at least two dioceses. Currently, there are less than 30 signed up to go next week. We need more guys going! It will be a GREAT experience for the boys to enjoy some fraternity and grow in holiness. Please encourage any high school boys who you think may be interested to go...and bring their friends!

Contact Fr. Rob Walsh at the # below, and tell him that Fr. Greg said to waive the $100 cost. Money should not stop any boys from attending. Thank you very much!

High school young men: Quo Vadis: Where are you going?

Legend tells us St. Peter asked Jesus this question on the outskirts of Rome. We know where Jesus went in response to His Father's will. He knew that only by doing what the Father asked of him would there be true joy and fulfillment in this life.

Where are you going?

What is the Father's will for you?

Want to learn more?

Quo Vadis Days will give you the opportunity to learn more about discernment of your vocation. A four-day camp for high school young men, activities will include prayer, hiking, games, sports, talks, and lots of great food. Sign-up now as space is limited.

Quo Vadis Days will be held August 9-12, 2009 at the Msgr. O’Dwyer Retreat Center in Sparks, MD. The cost is $100, which includes room, board and transportation.

Contact:
Father Rob Walsh
301-853-4580
PO Box 29260
Washington, DC 20017-0260

18th Sunday - homily

2009-08-03T16:54:00.000-04:00

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life”. This teaching from our Lord reminds me of a friend of mine. When I met her a few years ago, she basically admitted that her life was all about food that perishes, it was all about this world. She was living a secular lifestyle and pursuing a secular career. It wasn’t all bad, but she wasn’t happy. At the same time, she wanted to go deeper in her Catholic faith. It was so cool to see her go deeper during those weeks and months and begin to work for food that endures for eternal life. It didn’t surprise me, then, when she called me sometime later to let me know that she was entering religious life as a sister. Very cool stuff! It is so amazing to see young people go deeper in their faith, be open to God’s Call, and then follow it. Now, we don’t need to enter religious life to live out this teaching of Christ’s, but my friend is a great example to us. We should all look at our lives and see if they are just about this world only or if they point to something else: eternal life.

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life”. The reaction of the crowd to this teaching might have been our reaction: “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” We would probably have been focused on we need to do, how to get involved. It is important for us to get involved – in the Church, in our family, in our community, in our country. It is important for us to get involved, for example, in the current health care debate. We should contact our representatives in congress and the senate and ask them what the Bishops’ Conference has asked: keep health care “abortion neutral”, please. Right now, it’s not. This is part of what it means to work for food that endures for eternal life.

But, Jesus tells the crowd and us, first things first: “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” It all starts with faith. It’s all about faith in Christ. This is what it means to do the work of God: to believe in Jesus. Now, I would guess that many of us here would say, ‘Lord, we already believe in you. What do we do next?’ But, there is one thing that we Catholics have a hard time believing in: the Eucharist. A study from years ago found that 70% of Catholics do not believe in the Eucharist. 70% believe that it is only a symbol of the Body and Blood of Christ. Personally, I believe that most if not all of them haven’t really heard the teaching from John 6 which we are hearing these Sundays and from the Church. That might be a fault of the Church not preaching it clearly and consistently.

It is a hard teaching. It takes a lot of faith to believe that a change happens in the bread and wine at Mass even though our senses don’t pick up a change. It still looks like bread and wine. It still tastes like bread and wine. Why do we believe in the Eucharist? Because of four words: “This is my body”. Jesus didn’t say, “This represents my body” or “This symbolizes my blood”. He said, “This is my body”. The Apostles believed Him, the early Church believed Him, and we believe Him. It really is Him! It’s an amazing thing that will happen here in a few minutes – Jesus will become present on the altar through the words I will say and we will receive Him in Holy Communion. What a gift!

Again, it takes a lot of faith in Christ to believe in the Eucharist. This is what our Lord is asking of us. It is no coincidence that his line about believing in Him is in the middle of his teaching of the Eucharist. We are hearing these weeks from John 6, the Bread of Life discourse. He is laying out the teaching and the crowds are having a hard time believing Him. He is saying to them and to us: believe in me and what I am teaching you here. In a couple of weeks, we will hear Him get much more specific and emphatic: “my flesh is real food…my blood is real drink”. It is certainly not a discourse that can be taken symbolically.

Back to my friend: at the heart of her story is the Eucharist. Her faith took off because she went to the Eucharist more. She focused on the Eucharist at Mass, began attending daily Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. It really is like the parable of the mustard seed for her or any of us whose faith grows because of the Eucharist: at first, it’s small but then grows and grows and grows into something very big. The Eucharist is the center of it all for us Catholics. It is the center of our faith in Christ. It is the center of our lives. If any of us is struggling in our faith, we should go to the Eucharist. It really is the best way for us to live out this challenge from our Lord. It is the best way for us to work for food that endures for eternal life. It is the best way for us to believe in the one God sent.

"Abortion neutral" health care, please

2009-07-31T10:33:00.002-04:00

The following is a news release from the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) dated July 30, 2009 regarding the health care reform bill that is now before Congress. Please pray and fast that the introduced bill - which is pro-abortion as Cardinal Rigali makes clear in his letter - does not pass.

Cardinal Rigali Urges House Committee to Support Pro-Life Amendments to Health Care Reform Bill

WASHINGTON— Cardinal Justin Rigali, Chairman of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, wrote on July 29 to the members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee urging them to amend “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act” (H.R. 3200) to retain longstanding government policies on abortion and conscience rights.

Cardinal Rigali reiterated criteria for “genuine health care reform” set forth by Bishop William Murphy, Chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Policy, in his letter to Congress on July 17. He described health care as “a basic right belonging to all human beings, from conception to natural death” and said that “the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is working to ensure that needed health reform is not undermined by abandoning longstanding and widely supported policies against abortion funding and mandates and in favor of conscience protection.”

The Cardinal enumerated several problems with the bill as introduced: It would be used to mandate abortion coverage in private health plans, expand abortion funding, override state laws that limit or regulate abortion, and endanger existing laws protecting the conscience rights of health care providers.

“Much-needed reform must not become a vehicle for promoting an ‘abortion rights’ agenda or reversing longstanding current policies against federal abortion mandates and funding,” he wrote. “In this sense we urge you to make this legislation ‘abortion neutral’ by preserving longstanding federal policies that prevent government promotion of abortion and respect conscience rights.”

“Several federal laws have long protected the conscience rights of health care providers,” Cardinal Rigali added. “President Obama recently stated that he accepts these current laws and will do nothing to weaken them. Congress should make the same pledge, by ensuring that this legislation will maintain protection for conscience rights.”

The Cardinal closed by urging the House Energy and Commerce Committee to support amendments by Reps. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Joseph Pitts (R-PA) to address these problems in H.R. 3200. The full text of his letter is available at: www.usccb.org/prolife/CardRigali-AbortionNeutralReform-7-29-09.pdf.
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Keywords: Cardinal Rigali, USCCB, U.S. Bishops, pro-life, health care, health care reform, abortion, abortion funding, abortion neutral, conscience rights, conscience protection

For more information on the USCCB position on Health Care Reform, visit www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/healthcare and www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/health1.shtml.

2009-07-22T14:53:00.001-04:00

I am away until the end of July.

"Very rich in graces and virtues"

2009-07-21T10:27:00.001-04:00

I wrote a while back about one of the best Marian devotions that I have found, “Total Consecration” by St. Louis de Montfort. Pope John Paul II once called this devotion “ a turning point in my life”. I would echo that sentiment! “Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary” is a 33 day prayer that is renewed each year. I began my consecration in 1999 and am now renewing it for the 10th year. God has given me so many amazing graces in being able to answer His Call to be a faithful priest during these years; I am convinced that the consecration has played a huge role in obtaining these graces. Just as there are so many graces when Jesus comes to us through Mary (e.g., Incarnation), so there are many graces when we go to Jesus through Mary (e.g., Consecration).

The first days of the consecration begin with a reading, either from the Gospel or from “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas A Kempis (great book!). Here is the reading from the sixth day which really struck me as powerful and profound. Also, it dovetails my homily from the Sunday before last.

Sixth Day

Imitation: Book 1, Chapter 18

On the example of the Holy Fathers

Look upon the lively examples of the holy Fathers in whom shone real perfection and the religious life, and you will see how little it is, and almost nothing that we do. Alas, what is our life when we compare it with theirs? Saints and friends of Christ, they served our Lord in hunger and in thirst, in cold, in nakedness, in labor and in weariness, in watching, in fasting, prayers and holy meditations, and in frequent persecutions and reproaches. Oh, how many grievous tribulations did the Apostles suffer and the Martyrs and Confessors and Virgins, and all the rest who resolved to follow the steps of Christ! For they hated their lives in this world, that they might keep them in life everlasting. Oh, what a strict and self-renouncing life the holy Fathers of the desert led! What long and grievous temptations did they bear! How often were they harassed by the enemy, what frequent and fervent prayers did they offer up to God, what rigorous abstinence did they practice!

What a valiant contest waged they to subdue their imperfections! What purity and straight forwardness of purpose kept them towards God! By day they labored, and much of the night they spent in prayer; though while they labored, they were far from leaving off mental prayer. They spent all their time profitably. Every hour seemed short to spend with God; and even their necessary bodily refreshment was forgotten in the great sweetness of contemplation. They renounced all riches, dignities, honors, and kindred; they hardly took what was necessary for life. It grieved them to serve the body even in its necessity. Accordingly, they were poor in earthly things, but very rich in grace and virtues.

16th Sunday - homily

2009-07-19T10:53:00.001-04:00

When I was growing up, my family and I would go down to the beach every August. We were able to use a house of a friend of my Dad’s in Bethany Beach for two weeks. It was the highlight of every summer! When school finished in June, we couldn’t wait to get to the beach. During the days, we went to the beach and enjoyed time in the ocean or went to the pool. At night, we played board games – lots of board games! – or went to the boardwalk or something fun. It was such a great time! It was good, quiet, family time. Of course, there were a few disagreements here and there, maybe some arguments; I didn’t have anything to do with them…ok, so I did. Overall, though, I look back on those vacations with such fond memories because they were some of our best moments as a family.

In today’s Gospel, our Lord invites the disciples to get away and rest: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while”. For us, this can be an invitation to make a retreat which is something that we should all do. But, it can also apply to vacations. Pope Benedict, who we should all be praying for now as he recovers from surgery for his broken wrist, gave us some very good vacation advice recently: “We must set aside time in life for God, to open our life to God with a thought, a meditation, a small prayer, and not to forget Sunday is the day of the Lord”. I would like to offer a few suggestions on how we can make time for God on our vacations..how to make Christ involved in our vacations.

First, make a quiet, family vacation. I know it’s hard, but it is possible. It is very fruitful to spend time as a family and try to limit the use of cell phones, iPods, internet, TV, etc. It is so good to just have fun together, talk, and pray together as a family. We really can have an experience of God through our family; kids especially experience God the Father through their fathers and mothers. Second, go to Mass on Sunday on vacation as a family. Some of you are here today on vacation, so you get this point. We can’t take a vacation from God; we can’t take a vacation from Sunday Mass. Being on vacation is not an excuse to miss Sunday Mass. What a strong statement it makes to children when their parents plan ahead to make sure that they will be able to get to Mass, and that they all go, no matter where they are. It makes the statement that the Sunday obligation is most important and non-negotiable.

Also, if you have the chance, hit a daily Mass. What an excellent experience for anyone, but especially on vacation. Most people who have attended Mass during the week enjoy it more than Sunday Mass – it’s shorter, there are no collections, and there’s less singing! Seriously, it is more intimate and less distracting. It is a powerful experience with the Eucharist which is even more impactful on vacation, especially for kids. Also, if you go to a different city or country and go to Mass, then you experience the universality of the Church – the Mass is the same wherever you go. Again, this is a powerful experience for all of us, especially young people. What a great statement it makes to kids about the importance of the Eucharist!

Another suggestion is to pray together. Pray at the start of the trip for a safe trip and pray at different times during the trip. Praying the rosary is such a great family prayer! If you can’t pray a whole rosary, just pray a few decades together. It is highly recommended for families to pray the rosary together – the family that prays together, stays together. Also, you can read Scripture together, talk about the saints, or talk about our faith. It is so important to make time for God on vacations as a family and as individuals.

We all seek rest and peace when we go away on vacation. We need to make Christ a part of our vacations for us to find that peace. The second reading tells us that Christ is our peace. Only in Christ do we find peace and rest on vacation.

Finally, I will be going on vacation this week…I’m getting excited with all this talk about vacation and will heed my own advice. I will be going to the beach with a family who are dear friends. The highlight will be what we do every day in the house for about 15 minutes: Mass. If you’ve ever had the experience of vacationing with a priest and participating in a Mass that he celebrates in the beach house or hotel room or lodge, then you know it is the best! It is the best part of the vacation because it brings the Eucharist into your vacation. Jesus will be in our beach house! It will be the best moment of rest and peace for us this week. May all of us include Christ on our vacations. May we all find rest in Him who is our peace.

"A Pastor With Guts"

2009-07-17T09:56:00.000-04:00

A friend sent me the following story about a courageous and inspiring prayer that was given by a minister in Kansas. Some powerful stuff!

"A Pastor With Guts"

Thought you might enjoy this interesting
prayer given in Kansas at
the opening session of their Senate. It seems
prayer still upsets some
people. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open
the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is

what they heard:

Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask
your forgiveness and to seek your direction and
guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those
who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we
have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed
our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it
the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it
welfare.

We have killed our unborn and called it
choice.

We have shot abortionists and called it
justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline our
children and called it building self esteem..

We have abused power and called it
politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's possessions
and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and
pornography and called it freedom of expression.

We have ridiculed the time-honored values
of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts
today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Amen!

The response was immediate. A number of
legislators walked out during the prayer in
protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian
Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than
5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls
responding negatively. The church is now receiving
international requests for copies of this prayer
from India , Africa and Korea

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on
his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,'and
received a larger response to this program than any
other he has ever aired.

With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep
over our nation and wholeheartedly become our
desire so that we again can be called 'one nation
under God.'

Holy Spirit: Third Person of the Trinity

2009-07-14T10:20:00.002-04:00

1) Someone recently sent me the link to the video that the Washington Times produced during the DC ‘Hood (basketball team of priests and seminarians of Washington) game at Verizon Center ’08. It is very well done! Many thanks to the Times, especially the videographer, Barbara Salisbury. Please check out the video by clicking on today's title.

2) Next DC ‘Hood game: Sun., Aug. 16, 4 pm vs. Sacred Heart, LaPlata, at Archbishop Neale school (104 Port Tobacco Road, La Plata, MD 20646). Go ‘Hood!!

3)Anon posted the following:

“I have a hard time understanding the Holy Spirit as the third “person” of the Trinity. I understand Jesus as fully God and fully man, but I’m fuzzy on my understanding of the Holy Spirit. In the Bible the Spirit comes as fire, wind, clouds, dove, etc. It conjures up the image if the Spirit being something akin to a force (reminds me of Star Wars). St. Paul calls us to be in fellowship and communion with the Holy Spirit, but I don’t quite know how to understand that happens.”

Thanks for your comment, Anon. The following article from catholic.com addresses your points in an excellent way:

Third Person of the Trinity
By James Akin

Jehovah's Witnesses deny that Christ is God. When they go door-knocking they're usually well-coached on how to discuss their views on this matter. That's why, when they knock on my door, I talk about something they're less prepared to discuss-the Personhood of the Holy Spirit.

You see, they also deny that the Holy Spirit is God. In fact, they deny that he is even a Person, claiming instead that he is "God's active force by which he accomplishes his purpose and executes his will" (Insight on the Scriptures, 2:1019). Official WatchTower publications even compare the Holy Spirit to impersonal forces such as radio waves (ibid., 2:1020).

But for someone who makes an unbiased reading of the Scriptures, references to the Holy Spirit's Personhood leap off the page. For example, Paul speaks of it being possible to grieve the Holy Spirit: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30). Of course, it is not possible to offend or displease impersonal forces.

Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit as knowing the thoughts of God-indicating that the Spirit has an intellect: "For what person knows a man's thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:11).

He also speaks of the Holy Spirit exercising the faculty of will, as in the distribution of spiritual gifts: "All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills" (1 Cor. 12:11).

Scripture also teaches that the Holy Spirit serves as a Paraclete (Greek parakletos) on our behalf. This term, often translated as "Comforter," "Counselor," "Advocate," or "Helper," refers to a person who is called or summoned to aid one, especially in legal settings, where he serves as an advisor, or advocate for the accused.

Jesus repeatedly speaks of the Holy Spirit as a Paraclete whom he will send to help us: "The Advocate [parakletos], the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name-he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you" (John 14:26; cf. 15:26, 16:7-8).

A facet of the Greek text not obvious in translation is that in the three verses just mentioned (and others), Jesus applies the masculine pronoun ekeinos to the Holy Spirit. The personal character of a paraclete is further illustrated by the fact that Jesus also serves as our Paraclete before the Father: "My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an Advocate [parakletos] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1)

There are also many passages in Scripture that refer to the Holy Spirit communicating with us-again, something an impersonal force cannot do. For example, when testifying before the Sanhedrin, the apostles refer to the Holy Spirit as their co-witness: "And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him" (Acts 5:32). Later in Acts, Paul states that the Holy Spirit testifies: "The Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me" (Acts 20:23).

This testimony sometimes came from the mouths of New Testament prophets who attributed the words directly to the Holy Spirit: "And coming to us he took Paul's girdle and bound his own feet and hands, and said, 'Thus says the Holy Spirit, "So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this girdle and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles"'" (Acts 21:11; cf. 1 Tim. 4:1). Note the formula "Thus says the Holy Spirit" is modeled on the frequent prophetic formula "Thus says the Lord"-indicating not only the Spirit's Personhood but also directly equating him with Yahweh.

Sometimes even the biblical books' narrative directly quotes the Holy Spirit. In Revelation we read, "And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.' 'Blessed indeed,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!'" (Rev. 14:13).

If it were objected that this quotation is found in a book of prophecy, which often uses figurative language, the topper is Acts 13:2:"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'"

The doctrinal force of this passage is unavoidable. Here we have a direct quotation of the Holy Spirit-not in a prophetic book, not in the mouth of a prophet, not in a parable, not told by a character in a historical book. We have the Holy Spirit directly quoted by the narrative of a historical book-just like the other real persons who speak in the book. And the same thing happens in Acts 8:29 and 10:19.

Even if one tried to explain away all of Scripture's other personal references to the Holy Spirit as somehow being symbols or figures of speech, the direct quotation of an individual in the narrative of a historical book unmistakably shows that the individual in question is a real, literal person, not just a force or symbol.

15th Sunday - homily

2009-07-12T13:30:00.000-04:00

Years ago as a seminarian, I was privileged to spend a few weeks in Calcutta, India with the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa’s sisters. It was an incredible experience being able to be with the sisters and serve the poorest of the poor. One image that stands out from that trip is the day that two of the sisters were sent off to different countries to do mission work. They were only allowed to take one box of things. One, little box! I moved here 10 days ago and had a whole lot more than one box (Msgr. Filardi said that I had more stuff than he did…but, he came back for another load in the afternoon, so he might have had more!). These sisters definitely live the simple, detached life that our Lord calls us to live in today’s Gospel.

Living simply brings freedom. I remember when I sold my house to go back to the seminary (one of the times!) and sold my stuff to charity. It was the most freeing experience I’ve ever had. When we are detached from the things of the world, we are free to give ourselves to Christ and others. When we are attached to people or things, it is much more difficult. This is what many people are experiencing with the recent deaths of celebrities. If we are attached to someone or thing, it is hard to let go of them. I’ve heard some commentaries say that people “worshiped” this star or “idolized” that star. The Bible – pretty much in the Ten Commandments – tells us to worship God alone and to be attached to Christ alone. We are to love people and enjoy things, but not to be attached to them. When we are attached to Christ alone, then we are free to give ourselves to Him. This is what the Missionaries of Charity experienced and this is what the Apostles experienced. Their only attachment was Christ, so they were free to go out and proclaim him to others.

Simplicity brings freedom and happiness. We don’t know too many people who are really happy because they have a lot of stuff or have a house full of clutter. In fact, it’s usually the opposite: people are much happier when they have gotten rid of stuff or removed it from their home. Those who try to live simply are happy people. The sisters didn’t seem to be sad that they could only take one little box of things with them. In fact, they were smiling from ear to ear; they looked so happy. The saints – those who live Gospel simplicity – are the happiest people we know.

The rewards of simplicity are freedom, happiness, and also power. The Apostles were called by Christ to radical simplicity – no food, no second tunic, etc. – and were given radical power. They drove out evil spirits, performed healings, and cured people. They were clean, open vessels through which God’s grace poured. Because they were detached and free by living simplicity, the Apostles as well as the Missionaries of Charity had great power in bringing Christ to others.

Finally, when we live simply and are free of worldly attachments, we are able to enjoy and participate in the many “riches of (God’s) grace”, as St. Paul writes in today’s second reading. God offers so many riches to us; chief among them is the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the greatest treasure on Earth. When we are attached to Christ alone, we approach the Eucharist with a… “whew, what a gift”. We appreciate the incredible gift of God in the flesh! As we gaze upon our Lord and receive Him in Holy Communion, let us realize how rich we are to receive such a treasure. For when we receive the Eucharist, we are the richest people on Earth.

"Puns of fun"

2009-07-10T10:51:00.000-04:00

Keeping things light from time to time is strongly encouraged on our sites! Here is a list of puns that a friend sent me. Hope you enjoy these “puns of fun”:

1. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: "Keep off the Grass."

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

4. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

7. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

8. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

9. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

10. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, "You stay here; I'll go on a head."

11. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

12. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.

13. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his Grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, "No change yet."

14. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

15. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
16. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

17. A backward poet writes inverse.

18. In democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.

"Hello, GW students!"

2009-07-07T10:58:00.000-04:00

Hello, GW students! I’m Fr. Greg, the new chaplain of the Newman Center. I am psyched to be here to serve you for the next several years, God willing. I served here before as a seminarian from 2004-2005, so it’s great to be back. During my year here, I started a blog site, “GW Catholic Q&A”. I have continued to blog since then, setting up sites in three parishes. My hope is to post here regularly and copy it to the other sites.

This is a forum for you to ask any (appropriate) questions about our Catholic faith or to make comments and insights to which others can respond. Thanks be to God, there has been much activity on our sites the past 4+ years with almost 150,000 hits and tons of questions and comments. I hope you can join in the fun by making a post. Although I would prefer you to leave a comment with your first name on it, you can post anonymously. If you’d rather write me your question or comment, please email me at chaplain@gwcatholic.com ; it will be kept confidential.

Here are two posts from bloggers on one of the sites (St. Andrew’s Q&A). The first is a comment made in response to my post, “Wear Your Sunday Best” (7/30/07). You can check out this and other posts by going into the “Archives” section on the home page of the site. Hope to hear from you; remember,”be not afraid” to post… your question or comment could really help someone else!

1)“Jacqueline” wrote:

“I'm a 19 year old college student and I am heavily into wearing my sunday best for church. The way I see it, God blessed you with nice clothes, so shouldn't you wear them to one of His spectacular events that is the Mass? (I'm a new Catholic so I'm super excited about it all) I also see it this way, church, whether it's a Catholic Mass or a Baptist service, it is a special occasion. God and Jesus and the angels are there, especially (litterally) in the Mass. Yes you are accepted as you are, but think of it this way: your sister is getting married. She loves you no matter what. But would you really wear shorts or jeans and spagetti straps or a t-shirt to that occasion? Out of the question, besides your sister would end you with her glare alone. God wouldn't do that, but doesn't he deserve the respect of your best because He gives you his best? Always? Anyway I think this was a great entry. Sunday best is the only way to go, unless all you have is your cleanest t-shirt and your nicest pair of jeans, the effort is what counts. Wow, that was a lot of words. Thanks for reading this. Have a great day and peace be with you! :0)”

2) “Anonymous” asked:

“Was there salvation before Christ? What happened to all the holy forefathers of our faith who sinned but also did God's will?”

Thanks for the question, Anon. The Church teaches that “Baptism is necessary for salvation” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1257). This is based on what Christ solemnly proclaimed in Jn 3:5, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit”. We understand our Lord to be referring to Baptism because it is in Baptism that one is “born of water and Spirit”. But, the Church teaches that there are three types of Baptism: water, blood, and desire. Baptism by water is most common. Those who are martyred for their faith in Christ receive baptism by blood. Baptism by desire is the one to which your questions refers. How can they be saved if they lived and died before Christ (i.e., without having the opportunity to be born of water and the Spirit)?

They can be saved if they, as you wrote, “did God’s Will”. The Church teaches that a person who “is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved” (CCC, #1260). This baptism by desire can apply to people who lived before Christ as well anyone who has ever lived in ignorance of Jesus Christ and His Call to be baptized by water. Sadly, there are still people today who fall into that category even though the Church continues her great, world-wide mission of evangelization. God will not fault people for what they don’t know; but, He will judge us on how well we lived with what we know. He gave every one of us minds and hearts to know and choose what is good. May all of us choose what is good and do His Will in our lives.

14th Sunday - homily

2009-07-05T10:32:00.001-04:00

As we celebrate our nation’s independence and reflect on today’s readings, I have a question for you: who is the greatest prophet in the history of the United States? I know this will probably lead to many debates among you this weekend, but please, just be civil..! We have had many prophetic figures in our nation’s history – religious leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., presidents like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and saints like St. Elizabeth Ann Seton who was the first native-born American to be canonized a saint. In a moment, I would like to give a quote from each one of these people to reveal their prophetic nature.

The readings today focus on prophets and how they are treated by their own people. We are all called to be prophets. What is a prophet? One way to describe a prophet is that a prophet speaks the truth. He doesn’t just speak his own truth or opinion – subjective truth – but objective truth. He speaks the truth…he tells it like it is. He says what’s real, and not just what’s real to him. Can someone who speaks only what’s subjectively true be considered a prophet? Well, let’s look at some examples. If someone said constantly that the Redskins were very well run by Daniel Snyder, then, as a lifelong Redskins fan, I would say that person is not a prophet! Or, if someone always taught that 2+2 =3 or 5 or whatever you want it to be, then that person would not be a prophet.

A prophet constantly speaks the truth. A prophet teaches that 2+2=4, that the baby in the womb is a person with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that marriage is between a man and a woman, that the Eucharist is really the Body and Blood of Christ, and so forth. He teaches the truth – objective truth – even if it’s hard or unpopular to do so. And, from the beginning, the prophets have been “rebelled against”, as the first reading says. People don’t always want to hear the truth.

Jesus was rebelled against as a prophet. It’s so sad that in his own town, people rejected him and he “was not able to perform any mighty deed there” (well, “apart from curing the sick”!). Our Lord makes it clear that we are a prophet in every town or family but our own. People often don’t want to hear the truth from us, especially those in our families! The reason is that they know us – as Jesus’ townspeople knew him – as the little guys or girls growing up. They see us as their siblings or children and not as prophets, just like they didn’t see Jesus as a prophet.

Our Lord was rebelled against in specific ways and in general ways as a prophet. Specifically, he was rejected when he taught about the Eucharist in John 6. Today’s Gospel reminds me so much of that scene: people are basically saying there, ‘aren’t you the son of a carpenter, and you want to give us your flesh to eat?’ Even though they had been following him every day and thinking he was the one to follow, they rejected him when he taught the truth about the Eucharist. They rebelled against him…they left him. They did this is general when they put him on a cross. Every time we look at a Crucifix, we see that Jesus was rejected in general as a prophet. Speaking the truth is what got him killed.

Finally, the freedom that we celebrate is based in truth. Our founders even called them “self-evident truths”. We have had many prophets speak the truth to us in our history. Here are the quotes from some of them that give us a taste of their prophetic natures. Martin Luther King: “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetuate it”. Abraham Lincoln: “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves”. George Washington: “Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected”. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: (to the children that she taught in her schools) “Love God, children, and you can forget Hell”. Let us pray for our current leaders, that they might be prophets – that they might be people who speak the truth..not just subjective truth, but objective truth. Real freedom is based in truth. Where there’s freedom, there’s Christ. Where there’s Christ, there’s love.

Feast of St. Thomas, Apostle

2009-07-03T10:36:00.001-04:00

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Thomas, Apostle. As I've probably written on here before, the Church encourages us to whisper St. Thomas' words at Mass during the elevation of the Eucharist at the consecration: "My Lord and my God". The following is from americancatholic.org:

Poor Thomas! He made one remark and has been branded as “Doubting Thomas” ever since. But if he doubted, he also believed. He made what is certainly the most explicit statement of faith in the New Testament: “My Lord and My God!” (see John 20:24-28) and, in so expressing his faith, gave Christians a prayer that will be said till the end of time. He also occasioned a compliment from Jesus to all later Christians: “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (John 20:29).

Thomas should be equally well known for his courage. Perhaps what he said was impetuous—since he ran, like the rest, at the showdown—but he can scarcely have been insincere when he expressed his willingness to die with Jesus. The occasion was when Jesus proposed to go to Bethany after Lazarus had died. Since Bethany was near Jerusalem, this meant walking into the very midst of his enemies and to almost certain death. Realizing this, Thomas said to the other apostles, “Let us also go to die with him” (John 11:16b).

Comment:

Thomas shares the lot of Peter the impetuous, James and John, the “sons of thunder,” Philip and his foolish request to see the Father—indeed all the apostles in their weakness and lack of understanding. We must not exaggerate these facts, however, for Christ did not pick worthless men. But their human weakness again points up the fact that holiness is a gift of God, not a human creation; it is given to ordinary men and women with weaknesses; it is God who gradually transforms the weaknesses into the image of Christ, the courageous, trusting and loving one.

Quote:
“...[P]rompted by the Holy Spirit, the Church must walk the same road which Christ walked: a road of poverty and obedience, of service and self-sacrifice to the death.... For thus did all the apostles walk in hope. On behalf of Christ's Body, which is the Church, they supplied what was wanting in the sufferings of Christ by their own trials and sufferings (see Colossians 1:24)” (Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, 5).

Goodbye, St Andrew's

2009-06-30T11:12:00.002-04:00

Today’s Gospel (Mt 8:23-27) is a fitting one to end on here with the St Andrew’s blog site (which will continue via my GW posts). It is all about faith which is the obvious theme of so many Gospel passages. But, the story of the Apostles in the boat with our Lord amid “a violent storm” is especially pertinent to many of us bloggers. The Lord immediately calms the storm when the Apostles turn to him in faith. Their faith is not perfect; Christ sort of blasts them for having “little faith”. But, they do show faith in him in the midst of stress and suffering and they are rewarded for their confidence in his power.

So many bloggers have posted their insightful reflections about faith here the past three years. Some have written with big faith, others with little faith. Some have a mature faith that will ride out the storms with God no matter what; others have struggled to stay in the boat (the Church) because God won’t show His power in calming their storms immediately. But, folks, here’s the thing: it’s all faith in Christ. If you’re reading this post, then you have faith. If you’ve posted on here before, then you have faith. Even if it’s little faith, it is still very powerful, as the Gospel story teaches us. If you feel like your faith is little or immature, please stay in the boat and continue to turn to our Lord amid the storms of your life with confidence. He may not calm your storms immediately, but I promise that eventually He will give you “great calm”. I promise He will give you peace eventually. God is peace. He cannot not give you peace if you turn to Him.

As Catholics, we put our faith in many things: Christ, Scripture, Tradition, the Magisterium, the priesthood, the sacraments, etc. I have been so humbled and inspired by the faith of our parishioners and bloggers. Thanks be to God, faith in Him has grown here so much in so many ways: in the Eucharist, in the Church, in Confession, in prayer, in Scripture, in the intercession of the Blessed Mother and the saints, in the priesthood, etc. Along with Fr. Mike, I am particularly grateful for the faith that you have shown in the priesthood of Jesus Christ through us.

The past few days and weeks have been a little bit different for me. It’s been all good (!), but different. I became a priest in order to be Christ in the boat…to bring his power and grace to people amid the storms of their lives. It has been absolutely awesome to be Christ to them at such pivotal moments! So many times, they barely even knew me, and yet came to me like they would come to Christ: with faith and seeking help. It was really between them and the Lord; I was just a vessel of His Grace. I understand why people thank their priests and it’s great that they do, but, as a priest, I am here to serve as alter Christus (another Christ), not to be thanked. In fact, I am the one who should be thanking them and God for allowing me to be a part of the whole amazing situation. It’s an indescribable honor and gift to be another Christ in the boat, calming the storms of people’s lives through His Power.

While today’s title says goodbye, this is not goodbye. I will be back to visit on occasion and will see many of you at future DC ‘Hood games. Also, we will see each other in prayer. Please pray for me and all priests, that we will be faithful. I will pray for you every day – many of you by name. I hope that you will continue to grow in your faith in Christ as a parish centered on the Eucharist and living the Gospel of Love. May God continue to bless you abundantly. Thank you, St Andrew’s!! I love you all.

13th Sunday - homily

2009-06-28T10:45:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago, we had Confirmation with Bishop Holley on a Sunday night – right in the middle of a Redskins-Cowboys game! I walked into Church a little before Mass and saw a group of people who had little TVs and radios. I probably should have said, “can you please put those away? We are in church”. I didn’t. Actually, I said, “can you all give me some kind of sign when the Redskins score?”

This was one of my favorite moments during my time at St Andrew’s. Someone asked me to give a top ten list of my favorite moments, so I’ve spent the past several days thinking about all the great moments that I’ve had here, thanks be to God. It’s not a perfect list and it was tough to pick just ten, but here they are:

At a graduation party a couple years ago, there was a swimming pool. I was having fun with kids in the pool and kids around the pool…you know, pushing them in and all. One of our teens wasn’t very happy at all when I pushed her in fully clothed. She got her revenge a month later when she and her friends put a few hundred post-it notes on my car!

One of my favorite groups in the parish has been RCIA. Some of my happiest moments here have been seeing the adults who I had prepared to become Catholic get baptized, confirmed, and receive the Eucharist for the first time. Like a proud parent, I was absolutely beaming when these great people “joined the club”.

At our Penance Service a few years ago, we had over 100 people come for confession. It was our biggest turnout in my time here. There were several of us priests hearing confessions for over an hour, and they were really good confessions – some people coming back to the sacrament after being away for many years. What an awesome moment for us priests to be a part of!

We’ve had a lot of great Masses here the past three years. One of my favorite moments at Mass happened at my first Christmas Eve Mass with the children. I had the kids come up to the sanctuary for the homily. I asked them to return to their pews at the end of the homily. One little three-year-old boy wanted to stay in the sanctuary and sit in one of the big chairs. I said ok, just not in the big chair – that’s mine. I kept the mic on and talked to him. “What’s your name?”, I said. “AJ”. “Hi, AJ”. As we talked, AJ’s mother came forward and told him to come with her. “No”, he cried. His mom grabbed him and he went back to his seat, kicking and screaming. “Bye, AJ”, I said. I commented later that he would probably be “Fr AJ” someday because he actually wanted to sit in the sanctuary!

There have been so many fun moments with our kids here, especially our school kids. My favorite moment was this year when I taught them at a Mass what to say and do whenever I said the word, Heaven: “it’s all good”! We had a lot of fun with that. I would see them in the hallways or wherever, and say something like, “what’s it like in Heaven?” “It’s all good!”

I am so grateful for the huge support that St Andrew’s has given DC ‘Hood the past three years. It really has been amazing to see you help our ministry in so many ways. My favorite DC ‘Hood moment was this past year at Verizon Center when our junior high choir sang the national anthem before the Wizards game. They did a phenomenal job! I was cheering louder for our kids than for the Wizards!

We have Eucharistic Adoration here on Friday nights for an hour. These have been some of my favorite nights – it’s an awesome hour in the presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. My favorite nights of Adoration were when our school kids came – a few classes came as a group (3rd and 5th graders, for example) and stayed almost the whole time. They took it very seriously – knelt, blessed themselves, prayed hard, etc. One of the girls said afterward, “it was inspiring”. What an awesome moment for a priest – to be a part of kids coming into the presence of Jesus.

There were so many extraordinary moments with our youth – too many to list. With our young adults, my favorite moment was last year when they initiated the largest blood drive St. Andrew’s has ever had. My favorite moment with our Youth Group was at our Lock-In a few years ago. We stayed up all night having fun and talking. Then, at 6 am, we had a few moments of Adoration and Benediction. There were about 20 of our teens on their knees at 6 in the morning worshipping God. The problem was that some of the parents were outside, trying to get in to prepare breakfast. They were locked out and it was about 20 degrees outside. I apologized to them later, but one of the parents said, “hey, if you can get our kids worshipping God at 6 in the morning, we don’t mind being locked out”. My favorite moment with our Junior Youth Group was at the end of or trivia game when we put pies in the faces of those who got wrong answers…then I got a pie in the face (more like, a pie in the ear)!

We just heard in the Gospel about Jesus’ healing of the woman with the hemorrhage. Through the gift of his ordination, every priest of Jesus Christ has his healing power. My favorite moment in healing came a couple years ago when a woman came to me who had been suffering from a tumor and intense pain for many years. I prayed over her, laid my hands upon her, and showered her with miraculous water from Lourdes, France. The following week, doctors told her that the tumor was gone. And, she was in significantly less pain. She experience not only physical healing, but also personal and spiritual healing, thanks to the power of God.

A couple of summers ago, we hosted a Catholic festival, “Fun in the Son”. It was a good day of faith and fun. The best part was the turnout of volunteers from our parish – dozens and dozens of people helping out. I was not surprised because people here are very generous. You are very generous to God and to each other.

Finally, my favorite moment of all has occurred each time we have come here for Mass: in the Eucharist. What happens at the altar when I take bread and wine and say the words of consecration is beyond words. What an incredible moment for me or any priest to make Jesus present through my hands. Then, the greatest moment in our lives – Holy Communion, where we become one with God. This moment defines who I am and what I’ve been about the past three years here: about bringing us all into union with Christ.

My hope is that you have had an experience of Jesus Christ through me – an experience of his love, his mercy, his kindness, his fun, his humor, his enthusiasm, etc. When he made this year the “year of the priest”, Pope Benedict reminded us that the priest is “alter Christus” (another Christ). If I have not been another Christ here, if all this has been just an experience with Fr Greg Shaffer, then I have failed. My hope is that you have had an experience with Jesus Christ. My hope is that you have had an experience with the Kingdom of Heaven… where it is all good!

12th Sunday - Deacon Mel's homily

2009-06-21T10:03:00.001-04:00

We congratulate our seminarian, Mel Ayala, on his ordination to the transitional diaconate last weekend. Please pray for him as he continues to prepare for priesthood ordination next June. Here is his insightful homily for this Sunday:

Last week we returned to the season of Ordinary Time. In the next few weeks we will again hear and read the parables, miracles and teaching of Jesus and the events that surround his ministry.

In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus loves to tell stories, and we read of the calming of the sea in today’s gospel. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to be in a small boat in the middle of a body of water when a ferocious storm comes up (I was a bit tense this morning when a line of thunderstorms passed through the Washington area…and I wasn’t in a boat but inside a basilica!). Two summers ago, when I was in southern Maryland, I met a few experienced fishermen who explained the dangers of being in turbulent waters. The disciples of Jesus, I’m sure, were aware of the dangers they were facing. And amidst the storm, when the boat was being tossed and turned, they couldn’t understand how Jesus slept through the torrential weather.

We come to understand and are aware that Jesus is able to handle all kinds of chaotic situations. After all, the Father has sent Jesus to restore creation by fighting the powers of darkness, sin, and evil. He heals the sick and confronts demons. Sounds like a modern-day superhero!

In our own daily lives, we experience joy-filled and peaceful moments with our families and friends. But we are also challenged by those chaotic moments in our lives, such as physical or mental illness and those situations that cause fear and uncertainty. I am often amazed when the tranquil sea of my life can change into violent waters of fear and hopelessness.

As modern disciples of Christ we know that we can pray to Jesus and have confidence that the rough, choppy waters of our lives can again become gentle, calm, and serene. Jesus reminds us of faith, for he asks his disciples: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

One of my favorite hymns is The Navy Hymn. The melody is peaceful and its lyrics, reassuring. In the first verse, we sing, “Eternal Father, strong to save, whose arm has bound the restless wave, who bids the mighty ocean deep its own appointed limits keep: O hear us when we raise our plea for those in peril on the sea.” Sometimes this hymn is a reminder to me that in the chaos of possibilities, in the chaos of life, and in the chaos of the moment, we cry to the Lord, “Why? Why me? Why now?” And it is during these moments when we rely on our faith – the faith we have in God, his mercy and his Church. Underneath this faith is our confidence and trust in the Lord and, God’s love for us.

In the turbulent times of our life, you and I know that we need to turn to God, totally and completely, not half-way, not partially, but totally. In difficult times, I sometimes turn to St. Basil of Caesarea who prays, “Steer the ship of my life, Lord, to your quiet harbor, where I can be safe from the storms of sin and conflict. Show me the course I should take. Renew in me the gift of discernment, so that I can see the right direction in which I should go. And give me the strength and the courage to choose the right course, even when the sea is rough and the waves are high, knowing that through enduring hardship and danger in your name we shall find comfort and peace.”

As we enter the season of Ordinary Time – a time of summer vacations, weddings, family get-togethers – I pray that this season may be an extraordinary one – extraordinary in such a way that you can rediscover and renew your faith in God who always loves you.

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

2009-06-19T00:02:00.001-04:00

1) Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. All are invited!!

2) Please pray for the seven men to be ordained priests tomorrow for the Archdiocese of Washington, one of whom will probably be assigned to St Andrew’s for a time.
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The following is from Butler’s “Lives of the Saints” for today’s solemn feast of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus:

The Roman Breviary tells us that this Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the result of a steady growth in man’s devotion to the love of the Redeemer. From early days, the Fathers and Doctors and Saints of the Church have celebrated the merciful love that brought Christ to earth as our saviour. They called the wound in the side of Christ the “open treasury of all graces”.

With the Middle Ages the humanity of Christ became the object of a tender piety on the part of many contemplative souls who venerated the Heart of Christ wounded with love for men. Hardly an order or religious group existed where this love did not have devoted witnesses. Then, as heresies tried to divert faith from the Eucharist, the devotion to the Sacred Heart began to be manifested publicly. St. John Eudes is considered the author of the liturgical cult of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

God Himself, however, established this devotion in a definite form when He appeared to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, a Visitation Nun, in the latter part of the seventeenth century. Our Lord then showed her the riches and desires of His heart and complained that He received nothing but ingratitude from men. He ordered her to have established a feast in honor of His Sacred Heart on the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi. In this way, the insults and injuries offered His Heart might be expiated. There were great obstacles to be overcome in carrying out the plans but finally in 1765, Pope Clement XIII approved. Then, like a mighty river sweeping to the sea the devotion grew. Pope Leo XIII dedicated the human race to the Sacred Heart, and Pope Pius XI raised the Feast to the rite of the first class, with an octave, and ordered an act of reparation to be recited in all the churches of the world.

In the private revelations made to St. Margaret Mary, Our Lord made many promises in favor of those who honored His Heart. Among these is one which has given rise to the devotion of the First Friday Communions. In favor of those who received Holy Communion on nine successive First Fridays, the Savior promises “I will be their assured refuge in their last moments.”

Reflection. – The spirit of expiation or atonement has always played a chief part in the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Let us then add to the acts of praise and satisfaction which Christ in the name of sinners has presented to God, our own acts of praise and satisfaction. In this way we can and ought to console that Most Sacred Heart, which is being wounded continually by the sins of thankless men.

"Growth in the Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion"

2009-06-16T10:22:00.001-04:00

Here are some questions from anonymous bloggers regarding the Eucharist and Holy Communion which are timely, given the fact that we just celebrated Corpus Christi two days ago:

1) “I have a question regarding the Real Presence. When someone attends a Catholic Mass who is not Catholic, they are asked to abstain from receiving the Eucharist. Is that because they may not believe that the Eucharist is really Christ or is it because they, as a non-Catholic, are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church in a number of potentially other ways?

I ask, because, unless I am wrong, Catholics are required to receive the Eucharist (don’t know how many times) each year, right? So what if a Catholic does not believe in the Real Presence? Can they be said to be in communion with the Catholic Church and, therefore, should they ‘not receive if they don't believe’ even if they are, I believe, required to do so by the Church?”

The following are excerpts from an online conversation between a Catholic (theologian) and a non-Catholic Christian which should be helpful. To view the conversation in full, please click on today’s title.

CATHOLIC: The Church holds that to receive the Eucharist we must believe all that the Catholic Church officially teaches as coming from Christ…The Catholic Church follows ancient Christian practice on this matter. Ancient Christians believed that we cannot partake of the Eucharist unless we believe the Christian faith. You see this idea in Justin Martyr’s First Apology (1:66), which is quoted in our current Catechism in section 1355: “Because this bread and wine have been made Eucharist, we call this food Eucharist, and no one may partake in it unless he believes that what we teach is true, has received baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new birth, and lives in keeping with what Christ taught.” In other words, to receive the Eucharist you must believe that these teachings are from Christ.

OBJECTOR: You’re falling back on that old Catholic standby: tradition. Maybe Justin Martyr was just plain wrong. Anyway, I don’t see this idea in the Bible.

CATHOLIC: I think you see Jesus our Lord saying this truth in Matthew 28:20 when he said "teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you." Jesus is saying that all he taught is to be passed on. And you see Paul boasting to the leaders of the church in Ephesus that he had not "shrunk back from declaring to them the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).

So, you see, the Church has the responsibility of teaching all of the truth that Christ taught. Whether you agree or disagree with all the Church’s teachings is beside the point just now. I only want you to see that partaking in the Eucharist requires one to believe all the Church’s teachings. You said earlier that we believe the same things about the Eucharist. I am only pointing out that we don’t, because for us Catholics receiving the Eucharist means embracing all of Christ’s teachings handed down through the Church.

OBJECTOR: Well, that leaves me even more confused, because I know Catholics who receive the Eucharist every week and also say that they don’t agree with the Church’s teachings on certain points. Then are they wrong to receive Communion?

CATHOLIC: That’s a thorny problem that will take more time to explain than we have now. But in general you are following the logic behind this very well. No one—not even a baptized Catholic—should receive the Eucharist knowledgeably if he does not believe that our teachings are the teachings of Christ(*). Taking Communion is an act of love for Christ as well as actually receiving Christ into one’s heart. To do that and yet not believe Christ is clearly a contradiction between one’s act and one’s beliefs—and that’s a problem.

(*) – including transubstantiation / the teaching on the Real Presence.

2) “I also wonder about those who want to receive the Eucharist but cannot because they are, for example, divorced and remarried and are therefore excluded from that sacrament. By still attending Mass and not receiving, are they still receiving grace despite their ability to partake? Isn't their presence at Mass and their desire to receive enough? And what of those who receive regularly but do not believe in the Real Presence? How are they nourished by a grace in which they do not believe?”

Pope John Paul II addressed the situation of divorced Catholics who have remarried outside the Church in “Familiaris Consortio” (The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World”), 1981. He wrote that “they can, and indeed must, share in (the Church’s) life. They should be encouraged to listen to the word of God, to attend the Sacrifice of the Mass, to persevere in prayer, to contribute to works of charity and to community efforts in favor of justice, to bring up their children in the Christian faith, to cultivate the spirit and practice of penance and thus implore, day by day, God’s grace” (#84). They do receive grace in all of these things, but still need, as we all do, the sacramental grace of the Eucharist: “growth in Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion” (CCC, # 1392). Hopefully, their desire to receive the Eucharist leads them to have their marriage validated in the Church so that they can receive.

Regarding those who knowingly and freely don’t believe but receive, it was stated above that they shouldn’t receive. If they receive, then they make an illicit communion. It is also an unfruitful communion because they have closed themselves off to the grace of the sacrament.

3) “Maybe a weird question- but are those who receive the Eucharist on a daily basis ‘more’ nourished with grace than those who only receive on the Sabbath and Holy Days?”

Yes, because they avail themselves to the grace of the sacrament more often.

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ - homily

2009-06-14T11:27:00.002-04:00

One of the best experiences I’ve had here has been the Great Adventure Bible Study. This is the 24 week series that began in Lent and will resume in the Fall. It’s been amazing to see the response – we’ve had over 50 people participate in it – and the commitment. People have come out every Monday night for two hours, and this is after they’ve done at least two hours of reading during the week. We have all really enjoyed the series and gotten so much out of it. The most common reaction I’ve heard is that people are surprised to see so many connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament. There are so many connections! It’s been so eye-opening for people as they’re closely studying a book or story from the Old Testament and then realize that it all sounds so familiar – like it’s speaking about Jesus or a story out of the Gospel.

Every Sunday we hear connections between the Old and New Testaments. The Church has organized the readings – particularly the first reading and the Gospel – so we would make the connection. This Sunday it is pretty easy to make the connection – to figure out what at least one of the themes is: blood of the covenant. As a society, we don’t do too well with blood. On the one hand, we are hyper-sensitive to blood. We can’t stand the sight of blood and don’t like to hear about it. If we get a little cut on our hand, we say, “ah! I’m bleeding”. But, on the other hand, we are going more and more to movies that show a lot of blood. Hollywood producers have seized on this, and thus, there are so many more violent movies now.

If we were listening to the first reading (Exodus 24), then we heard some things that sound familiar. It involves a priest at an altar who is offering a sacrifice of blood in making a covenant. Moses offers a sacrifice to God on an altar on behalf of the people. God enters into covenant with his people through blood. Blood seals the covenant. This is the blood of the old covenant. The people are sprinkled with blood and their bodies are cleansed. This covenant leads to the New Covenant. It is external and symbolic only, symbolic of the Eucharist.

When we come to Mass, we witness and experience the same things. There is a priest who offers a sacrifice of blood on an altar in making a covenant. But, this sacrifice does not involve the blood of animals; it is the blood of Christ! It is the blood of the new covenant which fulfills the old covenant. It is an eternal sacrifice that is not merely external; it is internal. It cleanses our souls and our consciences, as the second reading tells us. How much more efficacious is the blood of Christ to that of the blood of animals! The Eucharist brings great healing to our souls in bringing us in union with Almighty God and his peace. St Thomas Aquinas said that “no other sacrament has greater healing power” than the Eucharist.

On a side note, I noticed another connection between the Old and New Testaments in the Bible Study. There are many instances in the Old Testament of people “grumbling” about food, especially in Exodus 15. The people are in the desert, complaining that they don’t have any food. Then, God sends down bread from Heaven – this is the manna which is a definite preview of the Eucharist. Then, when Jesus talked about food, the people grumbled again. In John 6, when Jesus taught about the Eucharist, the people grumbled. So, we see continuity throughout the Bible, not just with how God acts toward us, but also with how we have acted toward Him. I heard some grumbling here in the first few months, mainly about the announcement I make before Holy Communion: “let all faithful Catholics come receive our Lord”. I understand the grumbling – this was new for people to hear. I hope you know by now why I say it: I don’t want anyone receiving unworthily. St Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11 that anyone who eats the flesh or drinks the blood of the Lord unworthily brings judgement on himself; he is responsible for the blood of Christ. I don’t want anyone who isn’t Catholic or is a Catholic not in a state of grace to do that. It is out of love for you that I do it.

Finally, it is my great hope that all of us here are Eucharistic people with our lives. This means that we don’t just come here on Sundays and worship and received the Eucharist. It means to make the Eucharist the center of our lives. Everything starts here with Christ and goes out from here. He gave his life for us; let us give our lives to him. As we hear the words of consecration (the words of institution), “this is my body…this is my blood” today, as we hear him give us his life, let us say those same words to him. Through the grace of the Eucharist, may each of say these words to God in our lives: ‘this is my body…this is my blood…which is given up for you’.

Special graces and favors

2009-06-12T12:31:00.001-04:00

Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. Please join us!!

Anon posted the following: “I have a question that will probably sound stupid to many- but what is the purpose of novena? How is it different to any other form of prayer?”

This is a good definition from ewtn.com: “A novena is a nine-day period of private or public prayer to obtain special graces, to implore special favors, or to make special petitions. (Novena is derived from the Latin "novem", meaning nine.) As the definition suggests, the novena has always had more of a sense of urgency and neediness.” Ewtn also provides examples of novenas on its site; please click on today’s title to view the site.

After Adoration tonight, I will celebrate Mass in the home of the family of a parishioner who died last Thursday. The family has been praying a novena since then and asked for a Mass as a great way to finish the novena. I don’t know what kind of novena they have been praying and if they have been doing it individually each day or together, but what a beautiful offering for the repose of the soul of their loved one.

The parish offers at least a few novenas during the year. We pray the Miraculous Medal Novena on Mondays after the 8:30 am Mass. From Good Friday to Divine Mercy Sunday we have offered the Divine Mercy Novena. On this site, we prayed a novena for the election last year; you can go to October ‘08 and November ’08 in the “Archives” section to see it. I have known of many people praying novenas before and after major events in their lives or in the lives of family or friends (weddings, ordinations, job interviews, funerals, etc.). Something special often happens when specific intentions are presented in specific ways to the Kingdom of God over a period of time. As the definition indicated, this is usually in the form of special graces.

For example, someone might pray a novena to St Joseph for the sale of their home; he is the patron saint of home life (and home selling). The below example of a novena to St Joseph includes naming the petition which can be anything, of course. But, it’s most efficacious to take specific intentions to those who have abundant graces in those areas. St Joseph is also the patron saint of a happy death. The coolest example I’ve heard of with this was Fr. Bill Finch: he died after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday at the statue of St Joseph. It seems that Fr. Finch had a devotion to St Joseph and that his devotion was rewarded with a happy death. Powerful intercessor, that St Joe!

St. Joseph Novena

Feast of St. Joseph

Novena Dates March 10-18, Feast Day March 19

O good father Joseph! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows and joys, to obtain for me what I ask.

(Here name your petition).

Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers, everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Be near to me in my last moments, that I may eternally sing the praises of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Amen.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)

"I don't understand the Immaculate Conception"

2009-06-09T11:29:00.001-04:00

Mindy posted the following: “…I've been thinking about that banner in church that says ‘Mary conceived without sin.’ Now, I understand that she was literally ‘conceived’ in the normal way, but at what point did she become conceived without sin. Was her original sin negated and/or how is one, other than Jesus, literally ‘conceived’ without sin? I also read an article that talked about the ark being the holy vessel that held the old covenant and Mary was the holy vessel that held the new covenant. I never thought of her that way- it's pretty cool. I guess my (follow-up) question would have to be, if Mary was immaculately conceived, would it mean that her mother would also have been sinless so that Mary would not inherit sin? I guess, in a nutshell, I don't understand the Immaculate Conception.”

Good questions! In all of my study and research of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, I don’t remember seeing any specific descriptions of how Mary was immaculately conceived. We have that with the conception of Christ: “he was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit”. The reason why the Church gives little or no specific analysis of Mary’s conception is because she has already told us how it happened: “by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God”. This was the phrase used by Pope Pius IX when he declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854:

“the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin” (Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854).

The definition clarifies a few things for us. First, Mary’s Immaculate Conception occurred by the Grace of God alone. God granted Mary an extraordinary grace by preserving her from any stain of original sin when she was conceived by her parents, (Sts.) Ann and Joachim. This was so that she could live out her vocation as the Mother of God: “To become the mother of the Savior, Mary ‘was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role’” (CCC, # 490).

Second, this was a grace given to Mary alone; no other woman (or created human being, for that matter) has ever been given this grace. Mary alone is “full of grace” (Lk 1:28) from the moment that her body and soul are conceived in the womb of Ann. No other person has received such a salutation in Scripture or the title of “Immaculate Conception” from the Church. “The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person ‘in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places’ and chose her ‘in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love’” (CCC, #492).

Third, Mary was redeemed at her conception. This is what “in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race” means, as the Catechism helps us understand. “Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, ‘full of grace’ through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses” (#491). In anticipation of the redemption of Christ, God gives Mary at conception the grace that will save her. (others who lived B.C. could have been saved by the grace of Christ in the same way: in anticipation of Christ’s redemption…it is the same grace that Mary receives, but she has it in full and at the moment of her conception).

“Catholic Answers” provides some good insights to all of this as well as a useful analogy. Here are some excerpts; to view the full article, please click on today’s title.

It’s important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ’s conception in Mary’s womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is the Virgin Birth. Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived "by the power of the Holy Spirit," in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what "immaculate" means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God’s grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings.

When discussing the Immaculate Conception, an implicit reference may be found in the angel’s greeting to Mary. The angel Gabriel said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). The phrase "full of grace" is a translation of the Greek word kecharitomene. It therefore expresses a characteristic quality of Mary.

The traditional translation, "full of grace," is better than the one found in many recent versions of the New Testament, which give something along the lines of "highly favored daughter." Mary was indeed a highly favored daughter of God, but the Greek implies more than that (and it never mentions the word for "daughter"). The grace given to Mary is at once permanent and of a unique kind. Kecharitomene is a perfect passive participle of charitoo, meaning "to fill or endow with grace." Since this term is in the perfect tense, it indicates that Mary was graced in the past but with continuing effects in the present. So, the grace Mary enjoyed was not a result of the angel’s visit. In fact, Catholics hold, it extended over the whole of her life, from conception onward. She was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence.

Fundamentalists’ chief reason for objecting to the Immaculate Conception and Mary’s consequent sinlessness is that we are told that "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23). Besides, they say, Mary said her "spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Luke 1:47), and only a sinner needs a Savior.

Let’s take the second citation first. Mary, too, required a Savior. Like all other descendants of Adam, she was subject to the necessity of contracting original sin. But by a special intervention of God, undertaken at the instant she was conceived, she was preserved from the stain of original sin and its consequences. She was therefore redeemed by the grace of Christ, but in a special way—by anticipation.

Consider an analogy: Suppose a man falls into a deep pit, and someone reaches down to pull him out. The man has been "saved" from the pit. Now imagine a woman walking along, and she too is about to topple into the pit, but at the very moment that she is to fall in, someone holds her back and prevents her. She too has been saved from the pit, but in an even better way: She was not simply taken out of the pit, she was prevented from getting stained by the mud in the first place. This is the illustration Christians have used for a thousand years to explain how Mary was saved by Christ. By receiving Christ’s grace at her conception, she had his grace applied to her before she was able to become mired in original sin and its stain.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity - homily

2009-06-07T10:47:00.000-04:00

“Did anything so great ever happen before?” This question from our first reading (Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4) prompted another question for me last week: what are the greatest events in the history of the world? I challenge you to think of the five greatest events that have ever happened. I think we’d all agree as Catholic Christians that three of the major events of God would be in the top five: creation of the world, redemption of the world (life, death, and resurrection of Christ), and revelation of God which I’ll get to in a minute. Other events on our list might be major discoveries or inventions, major events in government, politics or movements where good won over evil, the birth of Joe Gibbs…! (or maybe just Super Bowl XVII when the Redskins beat the Dolphins). I challenge you to think about this and maybe even post your list of the five greatest events in the history of the world on our parish blog site this week.

The author of the Book of Deuteronomy rejoices in the revelation of God as being a great event. If we know the story, people waited hundreds if not thousands of years to know who God is. He then revealed himself: “I am the Lord, your God…and you will be my people”. He revealed himself to them as their God who will protect and guide them and keep them safe. It is a slow but gradual revelation in the Old Testament. One of the things that surprises people when they study the Old Testament is how loving and merciful God is. Time and again, God offers another chance to his people even though they continually sin against him. He reveals himself and his love and mercy; this revelation finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

We’ve all heard of stories of people who were separated from their parents at birth (e.g., adoption). When they grow up and learn that they were separated from their biological parents, they want to know who their parents are. When they find the truth, it is a great event. It may not be the happiest event because there might be bad feelings involving abandonment, but the truth brings them peace and healing. It is the same way with all of us. When we learn who God is, it is one of the greatest events in our lives! God is our Father and we are his children. The difference with us is that when we learn that God is a Father who never abandons us, it is all good.

If any of us or anyone we know doubts that God is loving and merciful, all we have to do is look at a Crucifix. God sends his Son into the world not only to reveal himself to us through words – that God is Father, Son, and Spirit – but also through action. He loves us so much that he is willing to die for our sins to be forgiven. The Father sends the Son into the world to reveal himself, and then sends the Spirit to bring us into relationship with himself. It is through the Spirit that we enter into relationship with the Holy Trinity and that God is revealed to us in love and mercy. There are some who are yearning for God to reveal himself to them. They have received the public revelation of God through Scripture and Tradition. But, they desire a personal revelation of his presence, love, and mercy. It is my great hope that the Spirit will grant their prayer and that they may experience a deep revelation of the presence of God in their lives.

Finally, we enter into relationship with the Holy Trinity through the sacraments, starting with Baptism. Christ makes this clear in today’s Gospel (Mt 28:16-20). He tells the Apostles to go out to all the nations and invite people into relationship with the Trinity by baptizing them “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. Every time I baptize a child or an adult, the Father, Son, and Spirit come to dwell in that person. The relationship begins there at Baptism and is nourished by the Eucharist. What a gift we have every time we come to Mass! We not only receive the revelation of who God is through the Word, but we also see God in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. Where there’s the Son, there’s the Father and Spirit. We will see God on this altar in a few minutes, and then receive Him We will come in union with Divine Love: truly it is Holy Communion. As a family, we come in union with the Holy Family of Love – a Communion of Love. It is the greatest event of our day, no matter what other great events happen today. It is the greatest event of our week. It is the greatest event of our lives.

Healing Mass: "was so...Joyful!"

2009-06-05T11:26:00.003-04:00

1) Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. The Holy Hour will be offered for priests as part of an Archdiocesan effort as we approach priest ordinations (June 20). Please pray for priests!
2) DC ‘Hood vs. Holy Redeemer at Georgetown Prep, tonight, 6:30 pm. This is the make-up game from last week’s rainout. It will be indoors at the new gym at Prep. Go ‘Hood!!
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Anon asked, “What is a healing Mass? How is it set-up? Has anyone ever been to one?”

I don’t have any experience with healing Masses, so I’m not the best one to answer this. I know that there are healing Masses around the Archdiocese (e.g., St Jerome’s, Hyattsville) from time to time. I don’t think that every healing Mass follows the exact same format, but it is charismatic (invoking the gifts of the Holy Spirit) in nature. The following is a comment from another blog site by someone who attended a healing Mass (he seemed to indicate in other parts of his post that he used to be skeptical about such Masses). After reading this intriguing reflection, I might be interested in celebrating one some day:

…They call the Mass a "cenacle". The Mass was celebrated by the parish priest, and about 15 nuns of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Siervas de los Corazones Traspasados de Jesus y Maria) were present. I'm part of the leadership team for an Emmaus retreat which will be held at our parish in March, and I also went with the hope of juicing up my personal spirituality in preparation for the retreat…

I left the wife and kids at home. My wife asked if she should come and bring our youngest son who suffers from some allergies. I said let me check it out first.

I showed up at the church about 10 minutes before the 8pm Mass started. There were lots of people in the church, young and old. The church was eventually packed. I'd say there were 200 people there on a Friday night, lots of people in their 20s too (I'm 44). They were praying the rosary, of course.

This was a serious crowd. Serious in the sense that they were quiet. Better dressed than the Sunday parochial school congregants at my parish. Very little pre-Mass chatter. Very few cell phones ringing. People kept filing in after the Mass started…

The Mass was in Spanish. The lector was really good. The priest gave a great homily about John the Baptist, and about courage to have Christian values.

I was really struck by the music. The nuns would sing really praiseful, hallelujah music. It was not like what you see on tv in evangelical African-American churches, but it was really joyful with a tempered, Catholic twist. The hallelujahs seemed to escalate, building power, until they seemed to knock you over like a wave of water. These were women singing. They sang into microphones, but their voices sounded powerful apart from the electronic boost, and distinctly feminine. They sang at different points during the liturgy of the Eucharist. I felt like crying, it was so beautiful, but held it back.

The priest reminded everyone that they should have been to confession to receive the Eucharist (I went yesterday to get ready for this). Lots of people did NOT go to receive the Eucharist. I'd say maybe 25 or 30% sat it out. In my parish, I would say 95% of the people receive the Eucharist every Sunday. The make-up of the crowd was about the same as in my parish - almost 100% hispanic, with maybe 70 or 80 percent being Cuban/Cuban-American.

The Mass ended about an hour after it started, but there was no dismissal. A monstrance was brought out, and the Eucharist displayed and adored as virtually everyone kneeled. During the adoration those little nuns blasted out their beautiful, strong, hallelujah music. Many people held their hands up in the air as they kneeled. I just kneeled with my hands pressed together tightly. The priest held what seemed to be a very heavy monstrance up in the air for quite a few minutes. Then he walked around the church with it, up and down all the aisles and sides. People held up their hands towards the Eucharist. I just kept my hands together. We all stared at Him in the Eucharist, as the nuns continued to sing. It was so.... Joyful!...

Be friends with believers

2009-06-02T14:26:00.000-04:00

DC 'Hood at Holy Redeemer, Friday, June 5, 6:30 pm. The game will be outdoors (9705 Summit Avenue, Kensington, Md 20895) and is the make-up game of last week's rainout. Go 'Hood!
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“But we can elude God if we choose to ignore Him, can't we? Isn't that why Hell exists?”

This comment from an anonymous blogger was in response to my post on April 24, “Hound of Heaven”. Yes, we can choose to elude God. “Elude” is an interesting word. The dictionary defines it as meaning “to avoid or escape by speed, cleverness, trickery, etc.” It would take an awful lot of speed, cleverness, trickery, etc. to elude God in this life. That’s what people who have experienced the “Hound of Heaven” have found. No matter how much they try to avoid Him or His goodness, He is still there seeking them. He is there in their experiences, He is there through other people, He is there in their minds and hearts. St Theresa of Avila once said that Jesus is always speaking to us, the question is are we listening?

So, it takes a lot of work to elude God in this life! He is all around us. His grace is present in all things but sin. I guess for someone to totally avoid Him in this life, they would have to remain in sin constantly which I don’t think is possible. Obviously, someone can choose to enter into a state of mortal sin and never leave it in this life; then, they would experience the catastrophe of being away from God and all that is good for all eternity in the state of Hell. But, God seeks those who are in mortal sin. He hounds them! He hounds all of us sinners! Anyone who doubts that should take one look at a Crucifix. Take a look at the Old Testament and see how many times God reaches out to His people in mercy and love. Take a look at a line for Confession and see how God’s Grace has moved people to confess their sins and reconciled with God and the Church. His grace is all around us, even when we have been eluding Him in sin.

We can liken this whole question to a student in school. A student can elude getting a passing grade on a test. Let’s say that the student has received all kinds of help in passing the test. The teacher has taught the material every day for weeks, reviewed the material several times just before the test, basically given the students the questions for the test, and gone out of his/her way to even tutor the individual student. The student’s friends have offered to help study with him. There is help for the student at every turn. It would take an awful lot of work for him not to pass the test! It would involve a lot of avoidance and escape by speed, cleverness, trickery, etc. Even though we don’t understand their intentions, some students do elude all the help to do well in school and some people elude all the help to experience God’s love in life.

Now, there are extraordinary situations where students in school or people in life are really trying to get it but just can’t. This is where some of our bloggers are. They are trying to find God, but can’t. They have tried Adoration, daily Mass, daily prayer, Scripture, this blog…the works. Still, they have no experience of God’s presence. It’s kind of like the student who can’t get the material. He just doesn’t get it. Well, what if the problem is the students with whom he’s studying. What if they don’t get the material themselves? They might even think they get it, but really don’t. I would tell him to study with other kids – the smart kids. Hang out with students who get it. I would give similar advice to bloggers who are struggling to find God: be friends with believers. Talk to and pray with devout Catholics. Be with people who pray, live the Gospel, are devoted to the Eucharist, go to Confession regularly, are God-fearing men or women, etc. It’s so important for all of us to be with people who build up our faith, not tear it down, especially for people who are struggling to find God. Good friends can be a huge source of help and support with faith. We all need support from others to live our faith. It’s virtually impossible for someone to live faith when they are regularly with people who don’t believe just like it’s virtually impossible for students to do well in school when they regularly study with people who don’t pass tests.

Pentecost - homily

2009-05-31T11:27:00.000-04:00

“You can’t handle the truth!” This is the famous line from the movie, “A Few Good Men”. Jack Nicholson says this to Tom Cruise after Cruise says, “I want the truth”. “You can’t handle the truth”. This is basically what Jesus is saying to the Apostles in today’s Gospel (Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15). The Apostles weren’t ready to hear the truth, the fullness of truth. We are all like the Apostles in that way – sometimes we just can’t handle the truth or don’t hear the truth when it is given to us. But, today is the day that the Apostles were ready for the truth. Today, Pentecost, is when the Spirit of truth came down upon them and led them to all truth. May we be open to the Spirit in hearing the truth.

Truth has a face – it is the face of Christ. Christ is the truth. The words that come from his mouth are truth – the beautiful, rich, true, and real words of Christ. When we hear the truth, it changes our lives. Truth demands a response. In “A Few Good Men”, once Jack Nickolson testifies to the truth, there is an immediate reaction by the court and justice is done. When the Holy Spirit comes upon the Apostles with the truth, they respond immediately. We’ve been hearing the Acts of the Apostles throughout the Easter season – stuff has been happening, things have been moving. Truth demands a response.

I have seen many here respond to the truth. For example, many have heard the truth about the Eucharist and responded. One parishioner told me last night that even though she went through 16 years of Catholic education, it wasn’t recently here that she heard the truth about the Eucharist and has responded to it. I’ve worked with others here who have heard the truth about sin. A few years ago, the extent of their examination of conscience was that they hadn’t killed anyone. Now, they’ve learned that other things in their lives are sins – drunkenness, gossip, gluttony, for example – and they have responded by going to Confession and going regularly. Nationally, we saw the recent results of a poll that show that most Americans are now pro-life. They have seen and heard the truth about abortion and have responded. Again in our parish, the hope is that our young people are searching for the truth about their vocation and that when they learn the truth, they will respond generously.

Truth demands a response. There are two ways we can respond when we hear the truth. One option is that we can hear the truth and dismiss it. Many will say, “that is your truth but it is not the truth for me”. Folks, there is one truth! There aren’t several truths. Either something is the truth or it is not. Like, in math, two plus two is four…it’s not three or five or whatever you want it to be. It’s four. That’s the truth.

Can a Catholic dismiss the truth that the Church teaches? Not regarding doctrine. Not regarding teachings of faith and morals. The doctrine of the Church is the doctrine of Christ. It is the truth. The second option when we hear the truth is to follow it. It means hearing Christ and following him. May we all hear the truth of Christ and follow it.

Finally, for those Catholics who are like Tom Cruise and say, “I want the truth!”, where do they find the truth? There are many resources in our Church, but the best one is the Catechism. It’s a big, fat book that can be overwhelming, but it has the truth that the Church teaches. We can go to someone we know who knows how to use the Catechism or go to a priest to help us find the truth that our Church teaches. When we find the truth, we find Christ because Christ is the truth. Where there is truth, there is love. May each of us find the fullness of truth, and may the truth set us free.

Is the Eucharist necessary for salvation?

2009-05-29T15:13:00.001-04:00

1) Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. All are invited!!
2)DC ‘Hood at Holy Redeemer, Kensington, tonight, 6 pm. Go ‘Hood!!
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In my Easter Sunday homily, I mentioned the role of the Eucharist in the life of a Catholic. I said, “Jesus tells me that I need to receive the Eucharist if I want to get to Heaven”. One blogger said that he/she had never heard this before and another said that he/she was confused on what I meant (i.e., receiving the Eucharist was a requirement for getting to Heaven). Also, Cynthia quoted St. Thomas Aquinas who argued that the Eucharist is not necessary for salvation. It seems as though one comment from a homily has caused some thought, reflection, and research which is a good thing! Please let me clarify my comment.

First of all, please keep in mind that I was speaking to mostly Catholics, some of whom come to Church only on Easter and Christmas. In a nutshell, I was trying to get their attention about the paramount importance that Jesus places on receiving the Eucharist in John 6:53-54: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day”. I have found that many Catholics are not familiar with John 6, especially verses 53 and 54. It is my duty as a priest to teach them the doctrines of the Church and the Eucharist is among the most important doctrines. As you have noticed, I use creative ways to teach the doctrines. Maybe I used a little too much creative license to make my point, but the point was heard and has been heard by many Catholics who otherwise would not have heard it.

Secondly, it is a debatable point in the Church – some say that the Eucharist is necessary for salvation and others say not. For example, Fr. John Hardon was a well-known and well-respected Jesuit who taught that the Eucharist is necessary for salvation. He said:

Like Baptism, the Eucharist is necessary for salvation to be received either sacramentally or in desire. Christ's words, "if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not have life in you" (John 6:53), means that Holy Communion is necessary to sustain the life of grace in a person who has reached the age of reason. Those who, through no fault of their own, do not realize this can receive the necessary grace to remain in God's friendship through other means. This is similar to what happens with the baptism of desire to first receive the state of grace.
- http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/pea/bas_hsc.htm

Also, there is this from newadvent.org:

The doctrine of the Church is that Holy Communion is morally necessary for salvation, that is to say, without the graces of this sacrament it would be very difficult to resist grave temptations and avoid grievous sin. Moreover, there is according to theologians a Divine precept by which all are bound to receive communion at least some times during life. How often this precept urges outside the danger of death it is not easy to say, but many hold that the Church has practically determined the Divine precept by the law of the Fourth Council of Lateran (c.xxi) confirmed by Trent, which obliges the faithful to receive Communion once each year within Paschal Time.

The main reason that I would use to argue that the Eucharist is necessary for salvation is because Grace is necessary for salvation, and in the Eucharist there is Grace. That’s what Jesus is really saying in John 6 – that if we don’t receive the Eucharist, we will not have Grace within us. We first receive Sanctifying Grace at Baptism and it is nourished and nurtured by the Eucharist. The Eucharist builds up Grace (“eternal life”) within us and gives us strength to avoid serious sin, as the above article states. If serious sin is accompanied by the knowledge and consent that make it mortal, then the state of grace is lost and “you have no life within you”. Catholics know they need to be at Mass every Sunday and I don’t want them to fall into mortal sin. So, I emphasize receiving the Eucharist so that Catholics will come to Mass and keep holy the Sabbath each week.

Finally, I hope that all those who enter into this discussion are receiving the Eucharist in the Catholic (or Orthodox) Church. St. Thomas Aquinas might have argued against the necessity of the Eucharist for salvation (and that was probably regarding those who are ignorant about the Eucharist), but he loved the Eucharist dearly and regularly received the Blessed Sacrament. His exquisite and rich writings on the Eucharist are some of the best in the Church and should lead all who read them to not only need the Eucharist but hunger for it. I hope that all those who take his side in this debate follow his example.

"Let me get through today"

2009-05-26T00:34:00.000-04:00

It has been a while since we’ve had a post about a saint, so here is a short bio from americancatholic.org on the saint the Church celebrates today: St. Philip Neri (1515-1595). St. Philip’s quote is especially apt for us.

Philip Neri was a sign of contradiction, combining popularity with piety against the background of a corrupt Rome and a disinterested clergy, the whole post-Renaissance malaise.

At an early age, he abandoned the chance to become a businessman, moved to Rome from Florence and devoted his life and individuality to God. After three years of philosophy and theology studies, he gave up any thought of ordination. The next 13 years were spent in a vocation unusual at the time—that of a layperson actively engaged in prayer and the apostolate.

As the Council of Trent was reforming the Church on a doctrinal level, Philip’s appealing personality was winning him friends from all levels of society, from beggars to cardinals. He rapidly gathered around himself a group of laypersons won over by his audacious spirituality. Initially they met as an informal prayer and discussion group, and also served poor people in Rome.

At the urging of his confessor, he was ordained priest and soon became an outstanding confessor, gifted with the knack of piercing the pretenses and illusions of others, though always in a charitable manner and often with a joke. He arranged talks, discussions and prayers for his penitents in a room above the church. He sometimes led “excursions” to other churches, often with music and a picnic on the way.

Some of his followers became priests and lived together in community. This was the beginning of the Oratory, the religious institute he founded. A feature of their life was a daily afternoon service of four informal talks, with vernacular hymns and prayers. Giovanni Palestrina was one of Philip’s followers, and composed music for the services.

The Oratory was finally approved after suffering through a period of accusations of being an assembly of heretics, where laypersons preached and sang vernacular hymns! (Cardinal Newman founded the first English-speaking house of the Oratory.)
Philip’s advice was sought by many of the prominent figures of his day. He is one of the influential figures of the Counter-Reformation, mainly for converting to personal holiness many of the influential people within the Church itself. His characteristic virtues were humility and gaiety.

Comment:
Many people wrongly feel that such an attractive and jocular personality as Philip’s cannot be combined with an intense spirituality. Philip’s life melts our rigid, narrow views of piety. His approach to sanctity was truly catholic, all-embracing and accompanied by a good laugh. Philip always wanted his followers to become not less but more human through their striving for holiness.

Quote:
Philip Neri prayed, "Let me get through today, and I shall not fear tomorrow.”

Ascension of the Lord - homily

2009-05-24T10:49:00.002-04:00

One day Jesus walking through the streets of Jerusalem when he decided that he needed a new robe. After looking around for a while, he saw a sign for Finkelstein, the Tailor. He walked in and was fitted by Finkelstein for a new robe. A few days later, he came back to try it on and it was a perfect fit! Jesus asked how much he owed, and Finkelstein said, “Oh, no, no charge for the Son of God. But, Jesus, when you give your sermons, please mention that your new robe was made by Finkelstein the Tailor”. Jesus said, “sure”. So, Jesus did exactly that – he finished his sermons by mentioning that Finkelstein the Tailor had made his beautiful new robe.

Months later, Jesus was walking through the streets of Jerusalem again and saw a huge line outside the door of Finkelstein’s shop. He made his way through the crowd and found Finkelstein who said, “Jesus, look at what you’ve done for my business! This is wonderful. Would you consider a partnership?” Jesus said, “Certainly. Jesus and Finkelstein it is”. But, Finkelstein said, “Oh, no, no. Finkelstein and Jesus it is. After all, I am the craftsman”. The two of them went back and forth and had a spirited debate over the name of their shop. Finally, they came to an agreement and a sign went up a week later over the shop: LORD AND TAYLOR

Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. As we celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven (into glory), I ask you to go back a little over forty days ago to Good Friday. Jesus is really down: fallen, wounded, hurt, stripped, ridiculed. It was a really dark time for him. He is carrying his cross, he is on the cross. It’s really bad. Who could ever have thought it would get better for him? Who would have seen this day coming after seeing Good Friday? Who could have thought that he would be glorified after being humbled so much? And, how could it happen?

After a little over forty days, Jesus’ situation got a whole lot better. He went from being greatly humbled to being glorified. This all came about through the power of God. God raised Jesus from death and then raised him to glory. Now, we might not be that surprised about this. After all, this is God’s son! And, we know the story well. But, the story of Christ is our story, too: through the power of God, we will ascend into glory.

Each of us will go through Good Friday at some point in our lives. We will be beaten down, fallen, wounded, hurt, stripped, ridiculed. We all have our dark times. We are all probably carrying a cross right now. It’s really tough and doesn’t seem that it will get any better. It doesn’t seem that we will get any better. And yet, if we bring ourselves and our situation to the power of God, we will rise. If we carry our cross in union with Christ, we will ascend into glory. It may not be forty days from now, but it will happen someday. God’s power – the “surpassing greatness of his power” as the second reading says – will raise us from this world to a world of glory.

A couple of examples of people who brought their situations to the power of God and have experienced an ascension. A married couple came to see me weeks ago. They were going through a tough stretch and were having problems. They sat down in my office pretty far apart from each other and barely looked at each other. It is interesting to see different couples come in to see me. Engaged couples preparing for marriage sit right next to each other, hold hands, and are all goo-goo for each other. Couples who have been married for some years and are going through some problems sit farther away from each other, rarely hold hands, and sometimes don’t even look at each other. That was the way this couple was acting. There was some loud talk – even yelling – and arguing. As we talked over the course of the hour, they came closer together and spoke more respectfully to each other. By the end, they were holding hands and actually left the rectory in a warm embrace. The wife sent me a letter a few weeks ago, saying that they were doing better. They had brought their very dark situation to the power of God and their marriage has now been raised up.

I am friends with a college student who is not from this parish. She has had a very tough freshman year. She has been extremely sad, especially lately. It got so bad that she said she didn’t see the point in going on, that she didn’t want to live anymore (obviously, she is getting professional help). I asked her to take this to Christ, specifically the Eucharist. She is familiar with Adoration, so I asked her to go to Adoration each day for 30 days. I promised her that Jesus would do something during those 30 days that will tell her that everything will be ok. She agreed, and has started her 30 days. A few days into it, she sent me a text that said she thinks this will get better and everything will be ok. Again, she brought her very dark situation to the power of God and is now being raised up.

We, too, will experience an ascension into glory if we take ourselves and our situations to the power of God. If we live in Christ – if we unite our suffering to his – we will experience what he experienced even though we can’t see how that could possibly happen. We, too, will be raised from this world into a world of glory.

"The Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all"

2009-05-22T11:21:00.000-04:00

Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. Please join us!!
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Anon asked the following: “How does Jesus understand the pain, the inner turmoil we feel (towards ourselves and those we've hurt) as a result of mortal and venial sin(s) we've committed? I grasp the concept that He understands the pain we experience when unexpected and unfair events that we have no control over occur. I grasp the concept that He can forgive our sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but just how does He understand the pain we experience from events that are the result of our poor or wrong choices? He never made poor or wrong choices. He never committed any sins. Even His death was perfect. Can one truly empathize, be sympathetic or understand that which they have never experienced? If so, how? What do they use as a baseline for their understanding if they've never experienced the emotion or feeling?”

These are definitely good questions, Anon. The answers focus on the person of Christ. His Incarnation is itself a mystery, so any specific aspects of his experience is ultimately a mystery. But, the Church helps us to gain some understanding by looking at his person. Because he is fully human and fully divine, Christ’s experience on Earth transcends all things. As a Divine Person with unlimited power, he could enter into the full human experience with one thought and in the blink of an eye. The fact that he chose to experience this himself in his human nature shows us how much he desires to be in union with us.

How does Christ enter into full union with us? How does he experience every human pain due to sin? Scripture helps us to begin to understand: “The Lord laid upon him the guilt of us all” (Is 53:6). Christ had the guilt of our sin on his shoulders on Calvary. He was literally carrying the weight of the world’s sin on his back. He was carrying our suffering. Suffering is the result of the guilt of our sin. The Lord laid upon Christ all of our suffering. It has been said that Christ saw every sin that has been or will be committed from the Cross; we can say that he felt the pain of every sin that has been or will be committed.

The Catechism sheds some great light on Christ’s union with us in paragraph #’s 602 and 603 with some relevant Scripture passages:

Consequently, St. Peter can formulate the apostolic faith in the divine plan of salvation in this way: "You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers. . . with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake."402 Man's sins, following on original sin, are punishable by death.403 By sending his own Son in the form of a slave, in the form of a fallen humanity, on account of sin, God "made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."404 (602)

Jesus did not experience reprobation as if he himself had sinned.405 But in the redeeming love that always united him to the Father, he assumed us in the state of our waywardness of sin, to the point that he could say in our name from the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"406 Having thus established him in solidarity with us sinners, God "did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all", so that we might be "reconciled to God by the death of his Son".407 (603).

Also, Pope John Paul II expands upon this in his apostolic letter, Salvifici Doloris (1984):

…After the words in Gethsemane come the words uttered on Golgotha, words which bear witness to this depth—unique in the history of the world—of the evil of the suffering experienced. When Christ says: "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?", his words are not only an expression of that abandonment which many times found expression in the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms and in particular in that Psalm 22 [21] from which come the words quoted(47). One can say that these words on abandonment are born at the level of that inseparable union of the Son with the Father, and are born because the Father "laid on him the iniquity of us all"(48). They also foreshadow the words of Saint Paul: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin"(49). Together with this horrible weight, encompassing the "entire" evil of the turning away from God which is contained in sin, Christ, through the divine depth of his filial union with the Father, perceives in a humanly inexpressible way this suffering which is the separation, the rejection by the Father, the estrangement from God. But precisely through this suffering he accomplishes the Redemption, and can say as he breathes his last: "It is finished"(50).

One can also say that the Scripture has been fulfilled, that these words of the Song of the Suffering Servant have been definitively accomplished: "it was the will of the Lord to bruise him"(51). Human suffering has reached its culmination in the Passion of Christ. And at the same time it has entered into a completely new dimension and a new order: it has been linked to love, to that love of which Christ spoke to Nicodemus, to that love which creates good, drawing it out by means of suffering, just as the supreme good of the Redemption of the world was drawn from the Cross of Christ, and from that Cross constantly takes its beginning. The Cross of Christ has become a source from which flow rivers of living water(52). In it we must also pose anew the question about the meaning of suffering, and read in it, to its very depths, the answer to this question.

Can't we just get the truth?

2009-05-19T10:07:00.003-04:00

Yesterday’s Gospel (Jn 15:26-16:4a) is a timely passage:

“Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.

"I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you."

There were a lot of words spoken on Sunday at Notre Dame’s graduation ceremony and the analysis that followed. I watched much of it, but could only take so many "words” (plus, there were sports on TV). To many of us, it was just words. Let’s not forget an important axiom: “Actions speak louder than words”. Our President spoke of reducing the number of abortions, and yet he has worked since the first week of his presidency to increase the number of abortions.

In the Gospel passage above, Jesus is telling his disciples that they will be persecuted for speaking the truth. They will be expelled by people who think they are doing the right thing – “offering worship to God”. I have no doubt that most of the Catholics who cheered and stood for Obama on Sunday (they even cheered his position on embryonic stem-cell research) think they are doing the right thing. They think they are offering worship to God in dismissing the truth about human life. Jesus makes it clear that they don’t know Truth: “they have not known either the Father or me”.

Ultimately, the blame for why “Notre Dame Catholics” are ignorant of Truth falls on those who are the primary teachers of Truth in the Church – bishops, priests, and parents. On one of the news networks yesterday, a priest erroneously presented the teachings of the Church – he suggested that the issue of war had the same moral weight as the issue of abortion. A non-Catholic corrected him! I imagine that many, many Catholics walked away from Sunday’s coverage confused about what the Church’s true position is on all this stuff. Can’t we just get the truth?

The truth is that abortion is evil. Direct abortion is wrong every time. President Obama knows that abortion is evil and concedes this whenever he says that we need to reduce the number of abortions. If he thought there was nothing wrong with abortion, then why would he say that it needs to be reduced?

The truth is that over 3,000 babies are aborted in the United States each day and well over 1,000,000 each year die to abortion. President Obama has aligned himself with the largest provider of abortions in the United States, Planned Parenthood. Is he aware that the vision of the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, was to use abortion to eliminate minorities? Almost 70% of abortion centers in the U.S. are in minority neighborhoods. The abortion movement in our country is more about power, money (it is a billion dollar industry), and discrimination than it is about a woman’s right to choose. Abortion is a holocaust and the greatest civil rights issue of our time. Has the truth about abortion reached the ears of Notre Dame Catholics?

Historically, God’s people have not consistently taught their children Truth – Truth about God, life, morals, etc. In the Old Testament, some generations of Israelites were ignorant about faith and morals because their leaders and parents didn’t teach them. We are seeing that today in our Church, especially in the United States. Many, many Catholics are ignorant about the sacraments, moral issues, Church history, the Church, and the Bible. We who are open to the Spirit of truth need to teach Truth more effectively and more boldly. Sunday’s expulsion of Truth at Notre Dame was an historic indication of that.

6th Sunday of Easter

2009-05-17T10:12:00.004-04:00

The following is a homily for today from homily.net.

Homily from Father James Gilhooley 6 Easter

Sixth Sunday of Easter - Cycle B - John 15:9-16

In 1941, the German army began to round up Jewish people in Lithuania. Thousands of Jews were murdered. But one German soldier objected to their murder. He was Sergeant Anton Schmid. Through his assistance, at least 250 Jews were spared their lives. He managed to hide them, find food, and supply them with forged papers. Schmid himself was arrested in early 1942 for saving these lives. He was tried and executed in 1942.

It took Germany almost sixty years to honor the memory of this man Schmid. Said Germany's Defense Minister in 2000 in saluting him, "Too many bowed to the threats and temptations of the dictator Hitler, and too few found the strength to resist. But Sergeant Anton Schmid did resist."

Name a person who better obeyed the admonition of the Christ in today's Gospel. "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." The hero Schmid went beyond what even Jesus encouraged. He laid down his life for strangers.

What a welcome the court-martialed Anton Schmid must have received from Our Lord when he entered the Kingdom.

Being a Christian requires all the character we can summon up. However, in the face of people such as Sergeant Schmid, we should not grow weary and give up the quest. When our Master returned to His Father, he sent to us the Holy Spirit. It is He who increases the spiritual marrow in our Christian backbones. It is He who empowers us to stand up and be counted as Christ followers. As one pundit says, "What Jesus accomplished for us in His lifetime, the Holy Spirit accomplishes in ours."

With the Spirit, we can face the might of hell and win.

William Barclay suggests the Teacher has chosen each one of us to be advertisements for Himself. Our lives should be billboards for Christ. He is most anxious that we produce abundant good works. The only authentic method of spreading the Gospel message is to be oneself a genuine Christian. History proves we waste our time arguing or forcing other people into becoming Christians. They do not want to hear about Christianity. They want to see it work. Our lives must attract them to the truth of the Gospel.

It was Socrates who told us that the greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

When the Catholic Al Smith, later four time Governor of New York, was a member of the New York State Assembly in the 1920s, he roomed with a fellow Assemblyman, Robert Wagner, in the state capital. Wagner, who was later to be a distinguished member of the US Senate, became a convert to the Church. He was asked what prompted his conversion. He replied simply, "Watching Al Smith get down on his knees every night to say his prayers."

Like Smith, each of us is an ambassador with portfolio for Christ. Oftentimes, we are completely unaware of the role we are playing. But the non-Christians watching us do not forget that we follow Christ. Frequently we disappoint them. Said one agnostic, "I expected nothing and he did not disappoint me." You have tried many times to be a Christian only to fall on your face. Do not grow tired.

Reflect, as an historian tells us, that the first electric bulb was so faint that a lit candle had to be used along with it. Thirty-two hours were initially required to make the trip by steamboat from Albany to New York - a trip of but 150 miles. The initial flight of the Wright brothers in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina lasted but 12 seconds. The top speed of the first car was anywhere from two to four miles each hour. We know what those inventions can do today.

Remember the aphorism that God makes a great finish out of a slow start and nothing can be done until we take the first step. Be patient. It takes an oak fifty years to produce an acorn.

Once you have begun to make progress, speak that prayer of the old man: "Lord, I am not yet what I would like to be. But thank you, Lord, because I ain't no longer what I used to be."

Jesus gave up His life for our sins. We must give up ourselves for His service.

Finally one person can make a difference. If you have any doubt on that point, check it out with any of the 250 people whose lives Sergeant Anton Schmid saved.

The Christian in the world

2009-05-15T09:52:00.003-04:00

Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. All are invited!!
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The following is a brilliant reflection from Wednesday’s Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours. While it is an ancient letter to Diognetus, it applies to all times, especially our modern age as shown by recent events (e.g., Miss California), movies (e.g., “Angels and Demons”), media publications, etc.

“Christians are indistinguishable from other men either by nationality, language, or customs. They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life. Their teaching is not based on reveries inspired by the curiosity of men. Unlike some other people, they champion no purely human doctrine. With regard to dress, food and manner of life in general, they follow the customs of whatever city they happen to be living in, whether it is Greek or foreign.

And yet there is something extraordinary about their lives. They live in their own countries as though they were only passing through. They play their full role as citizens, but labor under all the disabilities of aliens. Any country can be their homeland, but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country. Like others, they marry and have children, but they do not expose them. They share their meals, but not their wives. They live in the flesh, but they are not governed by the desires of the flesh. They pass their days upon earth, but they are citizens of heaven. Obedient to the laws, they yet live on a level that transcends the law.

Christians love all men, but all men persecute them. Condemned because they are not understood, they are put to death, but raised to life again. They live in poverty, but enrich many; they are totally destitute, but possess an abundance of everything. They suffer dishonor, but that is their glory. They are defamed, but vindicated. A blessing is their answer to abuse, deference their response to insult. For the good they do they receive the punishment of malefactors, but even then they rejoice, as though receiving the gift of life. They are attacked by Jews as aliens, they are persecuted by the Greeks, yet no one can explain the reason for this hatred.

To speak in general terms, we may say that the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body. As the soul is present in every part of the body, while remaining distinct from it, so Christians are found in all the cities of the world, but cannot be identified with the world. As the visible body contains the invisible soul, so Christians are seen living in the world, but their religious life remains unseen. The body hates the soul and wars against it, not because of any injury the soul has done it, but because of the restriction the soul places on its pleasures. Similarly, the world hates the Christians, not because they have done it any wrong, but because they are opposed to its enjoyments.

Christians love those who hate them just as the soul loves the body and all its members despite the body’s hatred. It is by the soul, enclosed within the body, that the body is held together, and similarly, it is by the Christians, detained in the world as in a prison, that the world is held together. The soul, though immortal, has a mortal dwelling place; and Christians also live for a time amidst perishable things, while awaiting the freedom from change and decay that will be theirs in heaven. As the soul benefits from the deprivation of food and drink, so Christians flourish under persecution. Such is the Christian’s lofty and divinely appointed function, from which he is not permitted to excuse himself.”

God is good!

2009-05-12T11:46:00.002-04:00

Anon asked the following questions: “When it is said that ‘sin separates us from God,’ what does that mean? I’m perplexed with this idea. If I am full of sin, sin not confessed- maybe even sin for which we are unrepentant, does it mean God isn't with us? I don't understand the concept. Please explain.”

Let’s first look at the definition of sin found in the Catechism: “Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as ‘an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law’” (#1849). Sin and evil are privations of goodness; they are a lack of good. There is no good in sin or evil. When we choose to sin and enter into evil, then, we choose to be where there is no good.

I often like to add an “o” to God’s name: God is good! If we substitute God for good, then we can say that when we choose to sin, we choose to be where there is no God. Our faith tells us this: God exists in all things but sin. He exists is what’s good. Everything that comes from Him is good and everything that is good is from Him. Sin is a lack of good; it is like the hole of a donut. The donut represents “the good”; the hole represents “sin”. The hole exists (i.e., it is real), but there is no donut there. It is a lack of donut. In the same way, sin exists, but there is not good there. It is a lack of good. It is a lack of God.

Now, it is important to make the distinction between mortal sin and venial sin. “Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture,(cf. 1 Jn 5:16-17) became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience. Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him. Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it” (CCC, #1854-55). So, in this post, our discussion of sin (including the donut analogy) is mainly referring to mortal sin. When we choose to commit mortal sin, we choose to separate ourselves from God.

It might help us to understand all of this better by focusing on love (charity). We see how the Church focuses on charity in presenting the effects of sin: “sin…is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor…mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man”. As Pope Benedict reminded us in his first encyclical, God is love. If we say that when we sin, we separate ourselves from God, then we can also say that when we sin we separate ourselves from love. This will probably make the point as much as anything because we have all had the experience of separating ourselves from those we love when we have offended them. This doesn’t just mean a physical separation, although if it is serious enough, it can bring that. It means a personal separation; a separation of hearts.

In my ministry, I encounter different kinds of personal separation due to sin on a daily basis (except on most Thursdays, my day off, when the usual separation I deal with is my golf ball from the hole…it’s normally a long one). Spouses separate themselves from each other because of anger or lust, siblings separate themselves from each other because of pride, kids separate themselves from parents because of disobedience, friends separate themselves from each other because of gossip, etc. If the initial separation is not repaired through reconciliation, then hearts grow further and further from each other. This is why I am in the “reconciliation business” – to repair the damage that sin does in our relationship with God and others.

5th Sunday of Easter - homily

2009-05-10T10:03:00.001-04:00

I’ve been working with a couple on getting their marriage validated in the Church. I spoke with them the other night about the Church’s beautiful and rich teachings
on marriage which are based on Christ’s teachings on marriage. We talked about the qualities of Christian marriage, the goods of marriage, and the promises that the spouses make - the intense promises to love and serve each other “in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death does us part”. I like to review these promises with all couples who I prepare for marriage because they are so beautiful but also so significant. Do they realize what they will be saying to each other before God and others?

So, the three of us were going over all of this beautiful stuff when the man jumped in with some examples from the news. He pointed to some tough situations where spouses hadn’t lived out their promises, and in fact, lived out the opposite of what they’re called to do in marriage. He pointed to examples of violence of spouses toward each other or their children, infidelity, etc., and asked why it is some people live out marriage so poorly and others live it out so well. The woman immediately gave an answer which is right on the money. She said, “the difference is Christ”.

“The difference is Christ”. This is such a profound statement about living a fruitful marriage, and about living a fruitful life in general. And, this is the exact point that Jesus is making in today’s Gospel. He says, “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit because without me you can do nothing”. It really is put very simply for us: if we want to live good and fruitful lives, then we need to live in Christ. This is really the statement that this couple is making about their marriage: it will be most fruitful if it’s in Christ. It’s the statement that all of us make when we come to the sacraments because it is in the sacraments that we remain in Christ and bear much fruit.

I would like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers, and use the example of some mothers to see how the difference is Christ. First, our mothers on earth. When we look at our mothers and how fruitful their lives have been, we see that it’s because they have remained in Christ and Christ in them. We see it in their love, kindness, generosity and all of their virtues. They have remained on the vine which is Christ and their lives have been fruitful.

Next, we look at Mother Church. We learn from Scripture that the Church is the bride of Christ (Book of Revelation) and that Christ and the Church are one (St. Paul). The Church has been so fruitful for 2000 years because she has lived so faithfully in Christ. Christ is the vine and the Church is the branches. Now, some people cynical focus on the barren branches – those in the Church who haven’t remained in Christ and so haven’t been fruitful. But, there are thousands and thousands of examples in the Church of people – the saints - who have lived very fruitful lives on the vine of Christ. I would like to focus on one of those in a moment.

We also look at our mother in Heaven, the Blessed Mother, Mary. She is the most fruitful mother of all time. This is not just because she is the Mother of the Savior, the Mother of God. It is because of her virtue. She lived heroic virtue her whole life. She remained so close to Jesus and always said yes to the Father’s Will. We should constantly look at Mary and see how she lived virtue, especially in the midst of suffering. She is the model for mothers and for all of us.

Finally, the best way for us to remain on the vine which is Christ is in the Eucharist. In fact, when Jesus teaches about the Eucharist in John 6, he uses the exact same language: “whoever remains in me and I in him will live forever”. This is how we remain in Christ and he is us: Holy Communion. The Eucharist is how we grow on the vine and bear fruit in our lives. Another mother, Mother Teresa, teaches us this. She said that she wouldn’t have lasted more than a week serving the poorest of the poor if it weren’t for receiving the Eucharist each morning at Mass. The Eucharist was her secret and the secret of all the saints, especially saintly mothers, in living fruitful lives. Through the Eucharist, may we all be fruitful branches on the vine which is Christ.

Christian dignity and loyalty

2009-05-08T11:35:00.000-04:00

1) DC ‘Hood vs. St. Columba’s, Oxon Hill, today, 1 pm. It is our first day game at a school! Go ‘Hood!!
2) Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. Please join us!!
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Anon asked:
1. How does one distinguish between swallowing their pride and setting aside their dignity? Or- is there even a difference?

First, let’s see what the Catechism says about the dignity of the human person:

“The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God (article 1); it is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude (article 2). It is essential to a human being freely to direct himself to this fulfillment (article 3). By his deliberate actions (article 4), the human person does, or does not, conform to the good promised by God and attested by moral conscience (article 5). Human beings make their own contribution to their interior growth; they make their whole sentient and spiritual lives into means of this growth (article 6). With the help of grace they grow in virtue (article 7), avoid sin, and if they sin they entrust themselves as did the prodigal son1 to the mercy of our Father in heaven (article 8). In this way they attain to the perfection of charity” (#1700).

What does all this mean, especially “attain to the perfection of charity?” It means that our dignity is found and fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. We lost our dignity through (Original) sin, but Christ restores our dignity when he became one of us. So, in order for us to fulfill our dignity as persons and to attain to the perfection of charity, we must live in Christ and love as he loves. Later in the section on dignity, the Catechism focuses on charity:

“Jesus makes charity the new commandment. By loving his own "to the end," he makes manifest the Father's love which he receives. By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they themselves receive. Whence Jesus says: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love." And again: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (#1823). “The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which "binds everything together in perfect harmony” (#1827).

Now, let’s look at the dignity of Christ on the Cross. His unparalleled love and humility is on display. This is the greatest example of “swallowing one’s pride”. Did he lose his dignity? No, because he did the Father’s Will and loved his own “to the end”. Jesus says this is the greatest love. Those who killed him acted against his dignity, but Christ’s dignity is not only preserved, it is fulfilled because he entrusted himself totally to the Father’s will in deep charity and humility.

So, when we live humility (i.e., swallow our pride), we imitate the love of Christ. Not only is our dignity not set aside, it is preserved and actually fulfilled. If we are in situations where we think that living humility compromises or even sets aside our dignity, then we need to look more closely at the Cross of Christ. If the Crucifixion set aside Jesus’ dignity, why would a crucifix hang high in each Catholic Church?

2. What is more correct, to be loyal to another person or to be loyal to a value?

Most correct is to be loyal to Christ. He calls us to be loyal to both persons and values. If someone we know is acting against a value, then we continue to be loyal to them as much as our conscience allows. I’m thinking about the loyalty of the martyrs, particularly St. Thomas More. He was loyal to the Church and to King Henry VIII. When the King’s extramarital affair presented a conflict between his loyalty to the Church and to the King, he remained as loyal to the King as his conscience would allow. This was a tremendous struggle for Thomas. In remaining loyal to his values, Thomas was actually being loyal to Henry! Henry was sinning against himself (his dignity) and God as well as bringing scandal to many others. Thomas remained loyal to both Henry and his values until death. Like all the martyrs and in imitation of Christ, Thomas didn’t choose death; he didn’t stop being loyal to others. Others chose death for him. His loyalty to people and to his values remains in tact to this day.

On board with Christ

2009-05-04T23:59:00.002-04:00

The following are two emails from Eric Belin, a SAA parishioner who is aboard the US Navy’s hospital ship, the Comfort, for another heroic humanitarian mission. Eric gave me permission to post these emails. Please pray for him and his shipmates.

Good Morning from Miami,

We got underway from Norfolk Wed, 31 Mar and arrived in Miami thismorning (4.4.09).

Because we have no priest on board, I have been designated as one of two Catholic lay leaders for the ship. As such, I am helping the chaplainplan activities for Catholics, such as praying the rosary, reciting the Stations of the Cross, etc. Last evening, we held Stations and had 6 people show up - better than I was anticipating actually - but ironically enough, there was an added Fifteenth Station: Jesus departs in a rowboat - apparently in an attempt to escape the flooding that is occurring in the officer's staterooms.

For the last two nights, we have been taking on water in our berthing areas. To date, the source of the leak has not been identified; however, what is encouraging is that I can hear a lot of water sloshing behind the walls - at least I have that going for me. The problem was simply made worse this morning as we limped into the port of Miami and the ship was forced to level out -until this morning we were cruising with a planned 5 degree port list in order to avoid flooding the starboard hatch. For a little perspective, go set your treadmill on a 5 degree elevation and go through your day.

Overall, life is good, just a little wet. I hope all is well with you.

Have a fine Navy day!

Eric Belin
LCDR MC (FS)
USN Dermatologist/Flight Surgeon/Berthing Dehydration Specialist
USNS Comfort

Happy Easter from Haiti,

I have been on the ground in Haiti for two days. Haiti is on the island of Hispaniola, where Columbus first landed, and shares the island with the Dominican Republic (DomRep). Given its location, geographically Haiti should be a lush, tropical island, as DomRep currently is;however, Haiti has been completely deforested and is now very barren.

Haiti is essentially a failed state, administered by the UN, with an 80%unemployment rate. The average Haitian earns less than $500 per year. There is no sewage system, no trash collection - and nearly two million people live in the capital city of Port au Prince where we are. 1 in 5 Haitian children die before the age of 5. Yesterday we saw a 6 pound one year old - 6 pounds is small for a newborn in the US. Towards the end of our clinic yesterday, after the gates were closed and we were not seeing any more patients, the crowd threw an old woman over the fence,which was at least 8 feet high, to essentially force us to see/accept her. We have had people approach the ship, which is anchored about 1-2 miles offshore, on rafts and small boats and then jump into the waterand feign drowning, forcing our security boat personnel to deal with them. Once rescued, the people request asylum. They are then simply returned to the Haitian Coast Guard.

The point of all this is to simply say, on this Easter Sunday, give thanks not only for the sacrifice that Christ made for our salvation, but also for the sacrifice made by our forefathers to allow us to live in what remains the most blessed nation on Earth. There is a bumper sticker which reads "If you can read this,thank a teacher. If you can read it in English, thank a soldier." I would submit "If you can go to the bathroom, thank God. If you can flush it and wash your hands with potable water when you're done, thank a soldier."

On this Easter Sunday, I wish you and your family the peace and joy of the risen Lord.

Eric

Eric Belin
LCDR MC (FS)
USNDermatologist/Flight SurgeonUSNS Comfort

4th Sunday of Easter - homily

2009-05-03T10:42:00.001-04:00

I think I told you this before, but I had a t-shirt years ago that had a question on the front of it: “Who is your hero?” There was a list of names of celebrities: movie stars, atheletes, politicians, and musicians. On the back of the shirt were the words, “Would he die for you?” I’d like to use a similar t-shirt and questions with regard to today’s Gospel: “Who do you trust?” Do you trust politicians, athletes, rock stars, actors, or people in the media? And, I would like to ask the same question, “Would he die for you?” This might seem a bit extreme, but it’s one of the very points of today’s Gospel.

Who do you trust? Why do you trust them? We trust people who care for us and who love us. We know them and know that they want what’s best for us. They don’t have any hidden agenda or alterior motive. They just want the best for us. I think a sign that we can trust someone is when we see them sacrifice something for us: they give us their time, effort, or energy.

The greatest sign that we can trust Jesus is the Cross. He made the ultimate sacrifice for us. As the Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for us, his sheep. He gave up everything for us. He wants what’s best for us. We can trust him because we know him and we know that he cares for us.

It’s easy for me to say that we should trust in Christ, it’s hard to live it out. It’s hard for many people to trust in Him. Trusting in God comes up a lot with people I talk to. It’s hard for married persons to trust in Him when it comes to being open to life. When I remind them that they are called to be open to life, they are often scared at the mere possibility of having another child. But, to trust in God is to trust in His Plan. He knows what’s best for us; He knows better than we do. His Plan is what’s best for us even if it doesn’t appear to make sense or be what we had in mind.

It’s hard for parents to trust that sending their kids to Catholic schools is what’s best, especially these days where retirement accounts and education funds are dwindling. It takes a lot of trust that all of the sacrifices you are making for your kids are worth it and that you are doing the right thing. It’s hard for single adults to trust in God’s Plan as they are discerning their vocation. It takes a lot of trust that God has a plan for them and will reveal their vocation to them, showing them their place in the Church. People are often scared to go to Confession. It takes a lot of trust that they will have an experience of mercy there.

It’s probably toughest to trust in Christ in the midst of suffering, of carrying a big cross. It’s tough to trust that Christ is with you and that good will come out of it…that there’s a purpose and meaning…that he knows what he’s doing and has a plan.

I’m sure it was a challenge for Christ in his human nature to trust in the Father as he was on the cross. As he approached death, it took a lot of trust that he would rise from the dead. That’s why the Father loves him: because he trusted that if he lay down his life, he would rise again. He trusted in the Father’s plan that resurrection would follow death.

Christ calls us to enter into this type of trust in the Father’s Plan. If we are there with Christ on the cross, we are called to trust that we, too, will have a resurrection experience. We are to trust in Christ as he trusts in the Father. It’s a whole lot easier to trust in ourselves than to trust in God. But, my brothers and sisters, we are sheep. Christ is the shepherd who is leading us. He knows what’s best for us. He knows better than we do. It’s tough to trust in Him, especially when we his answer to our prayers is not what we wanted or things don’t happen as we think they should. But, He is the Good Shepherd who cares for us and laid down his life for us. He truly knows what’s best for us and only wants what’s good for us.

Finally, when we come to the Eucharist, we trust in what Jesus has said. We trust that “this is my body” means “this is my body”. We trust that the Spirit changes the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. We trust in the whole story: that the Good Shepherd became a sheep. He became a lamb, a sacrificial lamb: the Lamb of God. As we receive the Eucharist today, let us say to Him with our hearts, “Lord Jesus, I trust in you.”

"Abortion is a moral issue"

2009-05-01T12:39:00.002-04:00

Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. Please join us!!
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Mindy wrote, “There is something I don’t understand. There are several Catholic politicians who say that they don’t want to impose their religious beliefs on others- people like Pelosi, Biden and this new cabinet member, Sebelius, have all directly said that. I think, ‘Ok. Don’t impose your “religious” beliefs, but what about moral ones?’ The constitution upholds moral beliefs, doesn’t it? Life and liberty, freedom from enslavement- aren’t those all moral issues? Why is it then, when speaking of any matter of dignity, any matter of rights, ANY matter of morality for the unborn, it becomes something only ‘religious.’ I don’t understand. I also don’t understand the word ‘rebuke’ when used to describe the actions of a bishop or archbishop towards one of these people. What does it mean when one is rebuked by the Catholic hierarchy?”

First, it’s a keen point that some Catholic politicians confuse the terms “religious” and “moral” when it comes to certain issues. Archbishop Chaput of Denver has said, "These are not sectarian issues. We're not saying Catholic legislators ought to promote belief in the Trinity. Abortion is about killing somebody else. It's about human beings. Do you keep quiet if someone's going to kill someone else, or do you speak up?” Abortion is not a religious issue; it is a moral issue.

It was very interesting on Wednesday night to hear President Obama speak about abortion during his press conference. He, too, said that abortion is a moral issue: "I think abortion is a moral issue and an ethical issue". But, then, he started to define the moral issues involved with abortion. "I think that those who are pro-choice make a mistake when they - if they suggest - and I don't want to create straw men here, but I think there are some who suggest that this is simply an issue about women's freedom and that there's no other considerations. I think, look, this is an issue that people have to wrestle with and families and individual women have to wrestle with," Obama continued.

He might have said this before, but I’ve never heard it. He made the first part of the statement but not the second. He said that abortion is not only about a woman’s right to choose. But, then, he stopped before saying the second point. I presume the second point would have been about aborting a child. He wanted to say, then, that the morality of abortion is not just about a woman’s right to choose but also about whether it’s ethical to abort a child. He stopped himself halfway because he knows that he can’t say the second part. Neither he nor any pro-abortion politician can speak to the real ethics involved with abortion: that is, the killing of a baby in the womb.

Obama is interesting in that, while he doesn’t appear to be conflicted with the abortion issue with all of his consistent, radical pro-abortion legislation and voting records, sometimes when I watch him speak about it, he seems very shaky. In fact, I noticed for the first time the other night, he actually got dry mouth when about to say the words, “pro-life”. I don’t know what to read into it, if anything; it was just interesting. Like the above referenced politicians, though, he does seem to go back and forth on invoking authority on certain moral issues and passing on it on others.

Second, when one is rebuked by Catholic hierarchy, it means that they are being called out publicly for something scandalous. Anthony wrote about this last summer; I’ve included an excerpt of his reflection below. As I understand it, private discussions occur first between the bishop and the person. If the bishop recognizes that the discussion were not fruitful, he might decide to publicly rebuke the person so that the person would change. As is stated below, the bishop might then impose penalties against the person if the private and public rebuke did not “repair the scandal, restore justice, and reform the offender”.

“Thus, a penalty such as excommunication does not cause the excommunication. Rather, it is merely visibly expressing the excommunication that the person has already made public by their sin. But this excommunication is imposed by the Church only in extreme cases. In fact, from Canon Law (# 1341) a bishop ‘is to take care to initiate a judicial or administrative process to impose or declare penalties only after he has ascertained that fraternal correction or rebuke or other means of pastoral solicitude cannot sufficiently repair the scandal, restore justice, reform the offender.’ In other words, a bishop is only to impose the penalty of excommunication as a last resort, to prevent scandal, to restore justice, and most importantly, to call the offender to repentance and back to full communion with the Church. This decision is made carefully, but it is always to promote both the common good and the good of the person. This excommunication can apply to all the sacraments (except in cases of death) and to even the holding of any office in the Church.”

Biblically correct vs. politically correct

2009-04-28T09:26:00.002-04:00

Serious props go out to Miss California, Carrie Prejean, who stood up for Truth at the recent Miss USA pageant. When asked her position on same-sex “marriage” by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, an open homosexual and one of the pageant’s judges, Prejean responded by saying, “…a marriage should be between a man and a woman”. Apparently, this cost her the crown, but won her the ire of Hilton who viciously attacked her on his website following the pageant. “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first” (Jn 15:18).

With the media coming down on her like vultures (“wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will be” -Mt 24:28) since the pageant, Prejean has remained true to her self and her beliefs and has had some great lines:

“…am I trying to be politically correct, or do I want to be biblically correct? And I think that I want to be biblically correct.”

"I will be praying for (Hilton)… I feel sorry for him, I really do. I think he's angry, I think he's hurt. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. He asked me specifically what my opinion was on that subject, and I gave him an honest answer."

Continuing with the theme of Jesus (and his followers) versus the world, here’s another comparison that was sent to me by a parishioner:

Cell phone vs... Bible

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat
our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill…

3rd Sunday of Easter - homily

2009-04-26T10:50:00.001-04:00

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures… (where) ‘it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day’”. Where in the Old Testament does it say that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day? What Scripture passages did Jesus reference to the Apostles and disciples? It is so fascinating to study these passages in the prophets, the psalms, and the Law of Moses – Scriptures that were written hundreds of years before the death and resurrection of Christ. And, they give specific details of these events. Let’s look at a few of these passages. We do it with the understanding of the Church: the Catechism tells us that the Church reads the Old Testament “searching for what the Spirit who has ‘spoken through the prophets’ wants to tell us about Christ’” (CCC, # 702).

So, let’s see what the Spirit tells us about Christ in the Old Testament, beginning with the prophets. The prophet Zechariah in about 500 B.C.: “he will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver” (11:12-13)…“his side will be pierced” (12:10). Of course, these things happened to Jesus in his passion. The prophet Isaiah in about 700 B.C.: “he will be spat upon” (50:6)…“he was wounded, bruised, and scourged for us” (53:5). And, then the experience of the prophet Jonah (about 800 B.C.) spending three days and three nights in the belly of a whale is a foreshadowing to Jesus spending three days in the dead.

Next, the Psalms (written around 1000 B.C.) which give such specific accounts about the suffering and death of the Messiah. Psalm 22: “they will divide his garments among them”…”they will cast lots for his garments”. Psalm 30 speaks of the resurrection of the Christ: “he will be raised to life on the third day”. Psalm 68: “he will escape the powers of death”.

Then, within the Law of Moses is a passage from Deuteronomy 18. Moses says, “a prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you”. He is talking about the Christ. The Jews acknowledge this about Jesus in John 6 after Jesus multiplies the loaves and the fish. They say, “this is truly the prophet” (of whom Moses spoke). In Peter’s speech from the first reading (a few lines after our reading), he quotes Deuteronomy 18. So, the Apostles and the Jews recognized that Jesus was the prophet- the New Moses –spoken of in the Old Testament.

It is so interesting to see how the Spirit speaks about Jesus throughout the Old Testament, especially with regards to his death and resurrection, revealing that he is the Christ.

Finally, it is also a great study to see how the sacraments are prefigured in the Old Testament, especially the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the new Passover. In fact, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper on the feast of Passover. If you know about the Passover, you know that lambs were sacrificed and the blood of lambs were used to save the Jews. Now, Jesus is the lamb -the Lamb of God - who is sacrificed. His blood saves us. Through the Eucharist and through Scripture, may we recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.

"Hound of Heaven"

2009-04-24T12:07:00.002-04:00

1) Youth Group Car Wash – Sat, April 25, 9 am – 12 noon. Please come support this fundraiser for our Youth Group.
2)Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm., SAA Church. Please join us.
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A few bloggers recently referred to a poem, “Hound of Heaven”, written by English poet Francis Thompson. Someone may have left a link to the 182-line poem; I’ll leave a link to the full poem which bloggers can access by clicking on today’s title.

It’s a fitting poem for many of us on this site! I have heard it many times from people that my returns to the seminary and ultimately, my priesthood, are because of the Hound of Heaven. God just doesn’t stop chasing us! I, for one, am glad that He doesn’t. We have had several bloggers express this type of “Hound of Heaven” experience, either explicitly or implicitly. Here is a critique of the poem as well as excerpts from the poem:

'The name is strange. It startles one at first. It is so bold, so new, so fearless. It does not attract, rather the reverse. But when one reads the poem this strangeness disappears. The meaning is understood. As the hound follows the hare, never ceasing in its running, ever drawing nearer in the chase, with unhurrying and imperturbed pace, so does God follow the fleeing soul by His Divine grace. And though in sin or in human love, away from God it seeks to hide itself, Divine grace follows after, unwearyingly follows ever after, till the soul feels its pressure forcing it to turn to Him alone in that never ending pursuit.’
—The Neumann Press Book of Verse, 1988

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbéd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet—
“All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.”

...Now of that long pursuit
Comes on at hand the bruit;
That Voice is round me like a bursting sea:
“And is thy earth so marred,
Shattered in shard on shard?
Lo, all things fly thee, for thou fliest Me!
Strange, piteous, futile thing!
Wherefore should any set thee love apart?
Seeing none but I makes much of naught”
(He said),“And human love needs human meriting:
How hast thou merited—Of all man’s clotted clay the dingiest clot?
Alack, thou knowest not
How little worthy of any love thou art!
Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,
Save Me, save only Me?
All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms.
All which thy child’s mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home:
Rise, clasp My hand, and come!”
Halts by me that footfall:
Is my gloom, after all,
Shade of His hand, outstretched caressingly?
“Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,
I am He Whom thou seekest!
Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.”

"Conspiracy against life"

2009-04-21T09:31:00.003-04:00

Here are two questions from my post “Procreation, naturally” (3.10.09).

1) Is the use of Viagra, Cialis et al considered acceptable?

The general rule of thumb is that anything that assists marital intercourse in reaching its procreative potential is morally acceptable; anything that substitutes for intercourse (i.e.. adding a “third party” into the act of conception) is not morally acceptable. The conjugal act must be unitive and procreative.

2) Can FG please elaborate on "sterilization?" I.e., is it limited to only having tubes tied or a vasectomy? –Thanks

Rev. William Saunders has elaborated on sterilization in the following online article, mainly addressing the difference between direct sterilization (immoral) and indirect sterilization (moral). To view the full article, please click on today’s title.

Direct sterilization means that the purpose of the procedure is to destroy the normal functioning of a healthy organ so as to prevent the future conception of children. The most effective and least dangerous method of permanent sterilization is through vasectomy for a man and ligation of the fallopian tubes for a woman. Such direct sterilization is an act of mutilation and is therefore considered morally wrong. Regarding unlawful ways of regulating births, Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Humanae Vitae (1968) asserted, "Equally to be condemned... is direct sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary" (#14). The Catechism also states, "Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law" (#2297).

However, indirect sterilization is morally permissible. Here surgery, or some protocol, e.g. drug or radiation therapy, is not intended to destroy the functioning of a healthy organ or to prevent the conception of children; rather, the direct intention is to remove or to combat a diseased organ. Unfortunately, such a surgery or therapy may "indirectly" result in the person being sterilized. For instance, if a woman is diagnosed with a cancerous uterus, the performance of a hysterectomy is perfectly legitimate and moral. The direct effect is to remove the diseased organ and preserve the health of the woman's body; the indirect effect is that she will be rendered sterile and never able to bear children again. The same would be true if one of a woman's ovaries or if one of a man's testes were cancerous or functioning in a way which is harmful to overall bodily well-being. Keep in mind, to be morally right, the operation or protocol must be truly therapeutic in character and arises from a real pathological need...

Pope John Paul II warned in his encyclical The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae) of "scientifically and systematically programmed threats" against life. He continued, "...We are in fact faced by an objective 'conspiracy against life,' involving even international institutions, engaged in encouraging and carrying out actual campaigns to make contraception, sterilization, and abortion widely available. Nor can it be denied that the mass media are often implicated in this conspiracy, by lending credit to that culture which presents recourse to contraception, sterilization, abortion, and even euthanasia as a mark of progress and a victory of freedom, while depicting as enemies of freedom and progress those positions which are unreservedly pro-life" (#17)…

Divine Mercy Sunday - homily

2009-04-19T08:58:00.001-04:00

This was the homily I gave on this feast last year; still applies!
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I have a great deal for you! It has to do with today’s feast. The Church has been celebrating the Second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday since 2000. It is also the eighth day of the Easter octave, so it’s the ‘grand finale’ of our eight day Easter celebration. In general, Divine Mercy Sunday celebrates God’s infinite and tender mercy which we experience most fully through the death and resurrection of Christ. But, the specific opportunity we have today is incredible! It is a sweet deal!

Today, any Catholic can receive a plenary indulgence. A plenary indulgence removes all punishment due to sin. To understand this, let’s use an example of someone committing the sin of gluttony (overeating or overdrinking). The person who commits this sin needs to do two things to be right with God again: they need to be forgiven (go to Confession) and they need to make satisfaction for their sin. To make satisfaction is commonly understood as serving some type of punishment and this is usually done by time in Purgatory.

Each sin carries some type of temporal punishment. Let’s say for the sin of gluttony, the punishment is 10 days in Purgatory. Now, “days” in Purgatory may not be 24 hours, but they are some increment of time. And, let’s say that the person commits the sin of gluttony 50 times in his or her lifetime. That would be 500 days in Purgatory for that sin alone. Some of us can expect a long stay in Purgatory (which would be fine because it means we’re going to Heaven)!

A plenary indulgence removes all that punishment, all that time in Purgatory. We can apply the indulgence to ourselves or to someone who has died. If we apply it to ourselves, then all punishment is removed for sins we have committed to this point. If we apply it to someone who is in Purgatory, then it sends them straight to Heaven! In order for a Catholic to gain a plenary indulgence on a feast like today, he or she has to do three things within eight days: 1) go to Confession, 2) receive Holy Communion, and 3) say prayers for the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI – commonly this is an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. In order to give you a better chance to receive the plenary indulgence, I will be hearing confessions after Mass and from 12:30 – 2:30 today. May you take advantage of this great deal!

Much of what we celebrate on Divine Mercy Sunday coincides with what Our Lord revealed to St. Faustina in the 1930s. He told her to remind people of his great mercy in specific and extraordinary ways. Of course, we already know of his incredible mercy from Scripture and Tradition. We know that his whole life is a mission of mercy. Was this mercy only offered to the people of his time, the people who lived 2000 years ago? No. We know that his mercy is offered to all people, including us.

As we just heard in the Gospel, he hands on his mission of mercy to the first priests, the Apostles, for them to continue. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you”. He gives them his power to forgive sins: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained”. Was the opportunity for people to go to priests for Confession only for the people who lived 2000 years ago? No. We know that the power to forgive sins has been passed down from the first priests all the way to current priests.

As a reminder for us that it’s really Jesus in the confessional and it’s really his power of forgiveness that is given through the priest, our Lord said to St. Faustina, “When you approach the confessional, know this, that I myself am waiting there for you”.

Finally, we hear in the first reading about the life of the first Christian community who experience God’s great mercy. It was a community filled with joy, happiness, and unity. If you picked up on it (it was said twice in the reading), they were centered on the breaking of bread - the Eucharist. I see similarities between their community and our parish community. May we continue to grow as a community centered on the Eucharist. May we continue to grow in unity open to the Mercy of God as we continue to attain the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls.

"A Disturbing New Teen Trend?"

2009-04-17T09:46:00.003-04:00

1) Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7 pm, SAA Church. Please join us!
2) The Archdiocese of Washington has a blog site! Please check it out at http://blog.adw.org/
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A priest friend sent me the following informative but troubling article:

'Sexting': A Disturbing New Teen Trend?

by Chana Joffe-Walt

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101735230&sc=emaf

One in five teens sends nude or partially nude photos to others via cell phone, according to a representative of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

All Things Considered, March 11, 2009 · On a June weekend, just after high school finals, 16-year-old Brooke Nielsen was hanging out with her best friend in suburban Seattle. There was lots of laughing and taking pictures with cell phone cameras. Then they decided just for fun to take a shower, and they put the cameras up on the mirror and took a side-profile picture of themselves naked.

As Brooke's mother, Kathy Nielsen, tells the story, her daughter deleted the picture but the friend did not. The friend denies sending the photo to anyone, but a copy soon arrived in the cell phone of another student — and then the cell phone of a football player, then the football team, then the senior class.

Finally, an anonymous envelope with Brooke's naked photo inside was left in the mailbox of Bothell High School's vice principal. That's when Kathy and Ed Nielsen got called in.

"They sat me down at the table and they said, 'We have pictures of your daughter and another girl naked, do you want to see them?' " Ed Nielsen says. "And I said, 'No I don't want to see that!'"

There's a name for what happened. It's called "sexting," where teenagers send nude or partially nude photos to one another. And 1 in 5 teens does it, according to Bill Alpert of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

"The primary reason young people give is they say this is a fun or flirtatious activity," Alpert says. "Of more concern is the second primary reason they cite — among girls — is they do this as a sexy present for their boyfriends."

'How Is She Gonna Handle This?'

Brooke's mother says that being called before the vice principal was "terrifying."

"I mean, she just turned 16 a month before that," Kathy Nielsen says. "I was just thinking, 'Oh my goodness, how is she gonna handle this? How is this gonna affect the rest of her life?'

"Things really got complicated after that. Brooke and her friend were suspended from the cheer squad. The Nielsens wanted to know, what about those who shared the photo with other people, and they reported it to the police. Then they sued the school. Brooke and her parents are scheduled to be deposed next week.

An Uncomfortable Issue

Sexting isn't exactly a comfortable issue to deal with if you're a parent or a high school football coach or a middle-aged police detective like Vern Myers.

In a separate incident, Myers got a call from Castle Rock Middle School in Colorado and thought, "OK, investigate." He interviewed dozens of white-faced 12- and 13-year-olds and pimply 14-year-olds with twitchy legs. And he tried to figure out intent: Why did you take the photo? Why did you send it? He says that in response, he heard things like "we just thought it'd be funny" or "so and so asked me to send it to him."

Myers says it was the first time he has dealt with sexting, and he didn't really know what else to do.

"On something like that it's child pornography. If you take that picture, you're manufacturing it; if you send that picture, then you're distributing it," he says.

In at least four states, sexting kids are facing charges of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a minor.

Just like parents, attorneys and police are often shocked to see nude pictures of 14-year-olds passed around. And for now, they're responding in wildly different ways, with everything from felony charges to educational assemblies on the dangers of the Internet.

"The resurrection of the body"

2009-04-14T09:54:00.002-04:00

“Cindy” emailed me a question for our site. She wanted me to post the following exchange which dovetails the conclusion of my homily on Easter Sunday:

Hello Father Greg!

I have a question that I thought I knew the answer to growing up as a Catholic. I always believed that when a person dies, their soul immediately goes to be judged and I thought that by their judgment, they go on to heaven, purgatory or hell. But in the past few years, I have heard that we "await the resurrection of the body in death." Does this mean that when we die, our soul does not go immediately, but awaits the final day when we are all lifted up and judged?

Thank you for your time,

Cindy
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Hi Cindy,

Thanks for your question. The Church teaches what you have always believed: "Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven - through a purification (purgatory) or immediately - or immediate and everlasting damnation" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, # 1022). So, each one of us will be judged immediately when we die. This is called the Particular Judgment.

But, Scripture and Tradition is also clear about a General Judgment. This will come at the end of the world when Christ comes for the second time. We say this in the Creed: "He will come to judge the living and the dead". In the General Judgment, everyone will be judged immediately and will either go to Heaven or Hell forever (see Matthew 25):

1) The living will either go to Heaven or Hell
2) Those in Purgatory will go to Heaven
3) Those already in Heaven or Hell will remain there forever (i.e., their particular judgment remains in tact forever).

We also profess belief in the resurrection of the body; this gets to the second part of your question. Just prior to the General (or Last or Final) Judgment, Christ will raise the bodies of those who have died. The Catechism explains:

"In death, the separation of the soul from the body, the human body decays and the soul goes to meet God, while awaiting its reunion with its glorified body. God, in his almighty power, will definitively grant incorruptible life to our bodies by reuniting them with our souls, through the power of Jesus' Resurrection (#997)."All the dead will rise, 'those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment'" (998).

As you can see, both of your points are correct! Our bodies separate from our souls at death and either go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. Then, they are reunited with our bodies forever either in Heaven or in Hell.

Hope this helps…

In Christ,

Fr Greg

Easter Sunday - homily

2009-04-12T10:55:00.002-04:00

On behalf of Fr. Mike, our deacons, and our entire parish staff here at St. Andrew’s, I wish you all a happy Easter!

There is a bumper sticker that’s been around for a while that reads, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” It’s a good question for all of us to consider. For our purposes here, I will pose the question, “If you were on trial for being a Catholic, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” And, I will ask each of you to imagine that you are on trial here for being a Catholic. You are on the stand. Everyone else here is the jury; it’s a large jury! I will play the lawyer because, well, I’m already up here, so I might as well.

If I’m a good lawyer, the first question I will ask you is, “do you believe in the Resurrection? You say you are a Catholic; the most fundamental and basic question for any Catholic is, ‘do you believe in the Resurrection?”

I ask people that question when they come to me and say, “Father, I think I’m losing my Catholic faith. I don’t know if I believe anymore”. I ask them, do you believe in God? “Yes”. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? “Yes”. Do you believe in the Resurrection? “Um… yeah”. Not as strong as the first two answers! I ask them why they believe in the Resurrection. They might say, “um, I don’t know. I guess because…well, my parents taught me…priests…I just always have…I never really questioned it before”.

So, let’s say that you say this to the lawyer. He grills you – “you are on trial for being a Catholic. You need to give us better reasons than that”. Now, your answer was on the right track – we believe in the Resurrection because others have believed it. Here’s a fuller answer. You can say, “I believe in the Resurrection because of those who were there. I take their word for it. They saw the risen Christ! They saw him walking the Earth for forty days in his risen body. I wasn’t there, but I trust the testimony of those who were there.

Also, the Resurrection changed them. This event transformed their lives! Look at the Apostles – they were afraid to even tell people that they knew Jesus before the Resurrection. Then, they went out and told everyone about Him. They were so unafraid that all of them – except John – were martyred because of their faith in Christ. The Resurrection has to be real because so many people who were there were transformed”.

Now, the lawyer proceeds with another question. “Ok, you say that you believe in the Resurrection. But, how does your life show that you believe?” You could say, “I have hope. I live hope. The Resurrection gives me hope. Again, think about the Apostles and disciples. For three days, they had lost their hope. Jesus was their hope. They had hoped that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. But, then He died like any other man. For three days, their hope was crushed because they thought that Jesus wasn’t who they thought He was.

But, then, on the third day, He rose from the dead. He is risen! Imagine the hope this gave them! He is the Messiah. He is the Son of God. He brings life after death. He brings eternal life. He conquered death, He can conquer anything. He can conquer anything in my life. As Mother Teresa said, ‘don’t ever become so sad that you lose sight of the Resurrection’. The Resurrection is my source of hope”.

The lawyer asks a final question that will hopefully be an easy answer: “Do you practice your Catholic faith regularly?” He is prepared for an answer of ‘no’ or ‘I only go to Mass a couple of times a year’. So, he is ready with some comparisons such as, ‘if someone says they are athlete but only plays sports a couple of times a year, are they really an athlete? Or, if someone says that they are in a serious relationship with someone, but only sees that person a couple of times a year, is it really a serious relationship?’

Before he can make those points, you say, “Yes, I go to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. I need to be here. I need the Eucharist. First, because Jesus tells me that I need to receive the Eucharist if I want to get to Heaven. There is nothing more important in my life than getting to Heaven, so I need to be at Mass every Sunday to get there. But, I also want to be here. I want to be with Jesus and with others. This is about a relationship with a Person; it’s not about a religion. I want to receive Christ so that I receive His life and bring it to others. The Eucharist is the biggest thing that convicts me of being a Catholic.

My brothers and sisters, this will happen for each of us some day. We will all go before the judgement seat of God. Christ the Judge will ask us very similar questions. Hopefully, our answers will please Him! Hopefully, our answer will prompt Him to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Come, share in your master’s joy!”

"God...dies for man"

2009-04-10T10:40:00.002-04:00

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Rev. William Finch, the pastor of St. Raphael's parish in Rockville, for his family and for his parishioners. Fr. Finch died suddenly last night at the end of the Mass of the Lord's Supper at the age of 55.

Eternal rest, grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
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Pope: Easter Triduum "Fulcrum" of Liturgical Year

Offers Reflection at General Audience

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI reflected on the Easter triduum at the general audience today, which he called the "fulcrum of the entire liturgical year.

"Holy Week, the Pope said, "offers us the opportunity to be immersed in the central events of Redemption, to relive the Paschal Mystery, the great mystery of the faith."

"How marvelous, and at the same time amazing, is this mystery," the Pontiff said. "We can never meditate this reality sufficiently. Jesus, though being God, did not want to make of his divine prerogatives an exclusive possession; he did not want to use his being God, his glorious dignity and power, as an instrument of triumph and sign of distance from us.

"On the contrary, 'he emptied himself' assuming our miserable and weak human condition."

Benedict XVI noted that the Easter triduum begins Thursday afternoon with the Mass of the Lord's Supper: "The Church commemorates the institution of the Eucharist, the ministerial priesthood and the new commandment of charity, left by Jesus to his disciples."

Holy Thursday, he said, is "a renewed invitation to render thanks to God for the supreme gift of the Eucharist, to be received with devotion and to be adored with lively faith.

"Good Friday, the Pontiff continued, is the "day of the Passion and crucifixion of the Lord. Every year, placing ourselves in silence before Jesus nailed to the wood of the cross, we realize how full of love were the words he pronounced on the eve, in the course of the Last Supper."

"Jesus willed to offer his life in sacrifice for the remission of humanity's sins," the Holy Father reflected. "Just as before the Eucharist, so before the Passion and Death of Jesus on the cross the mystery is unfathomable to reason. We are placed before something that humanly might seem absurd: a God who not only is made man, with all man's needs, not only suffers to save man, burdening himself with all the tragedy of humanity, but dies for man.

"Christ's death recalls the accumulation of sorrows and evils that beset humanity of all times: the crushing weight of our dying, the hatred and violence that again today bloody the earth. The Lord's Passion continues in the suffering of men."

He added, "If Good Friday is a day full of sadness, then it is at the same time all the more propitious a day to reawaken our faith, to strengthen our hope and courage so that each one of us will carry his cross with humility, trust and abandonment in God, certain of his support and victory."

"Hope," said Benedict XVI, "is nourished in the great silence of Holy Saturday, awaiting the resurrection of Jesus. On this day the Churches are stripped and no particular liturgical rites are provided. The Church watches in prayer like Mary, and together with Mary, sharing the same feelings of sorrow and trust in God.

"Justly recommended is to preserve throughout the day a prayerful climate, favorable to meditation and reconciliation; the faithful are encouraged to approach the sacrament of penance, to be able to participate truly renewed in the Easter celebrations."

Following the "recollection and silence of Holy Saturday" is the solemn Easter Vigil, which the Pope called the "mother of all vigils."

"Proclaimed once again will be the victory of light over darkness, of life over death, and the Church will rejoice in the encounter with her Lord," he added. "We will thus enter into the climate of the Easter of Resurrection."

"The vast tunnels of a gold mine"

2009-04-07T11:21:00.000-04:00

As we prepare to enter into the Easter Triduum, the following is a deep and rich meditation for Holy Thursday (cf. Lk 22:14-20) from “The King, Crucified and Risen” by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R.:

“The Sacred Triduum – the three holy days (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) – opens with joy and sorrow, love and betrayal, life and death, the promise of eternity and a feeling of impending death at the Last Supper. This is the great day of paradox – that is, apparent contradictions mysteriously containing truth. For example, we call this Passover meal the Last Supper. But these simple events are the beginning of billions of commemorations in Eucharistic liturgies. Could anyone there have imagined Bach’s Mass in B minor, or a Mass performed by native Africans singing an accompaniment to the renewal of the Last Supper?

It’s a very sorrowful meal. Christ promises the Eucharist, which has been the greatest single source of spiritual joy and consolation that the Christian world has ever known. Christ leaves the supper to be arrested; within eighteen terrible hours He will be tortured to death, and yet He tells us that He will be with us till the end of the world. The most significant sign of His presence is the bread and wine consecrated and transformed at the re-presentation of this holy meal.

During the past several days we have been meditating on some of His discourse to the apostles in John’s Gospel. If you have been reading along, you realize that these pages, including John chapters 5 and 6 and chapters 13-17 (called the Book of Glory), contain the most profound revelation of who Jesus Christ is and what He can be to those who seek to love Him.

Try to take some time during the Holy Triduum to read and meditate on these events. Although they happened so long ago, they are repeated over and over till the end of the world.

Any thinking Christian knows that Christ is betrayed, abandoned, humiliated, and suffers hunger and thirst constantly in his members. ‘I was hungry and you gave me no food’ (Mt 25:42). He is constantly on trial somewhere in the world, and He is left alone in our own neighborhoods in the sick and the dying.

The events of Holy Thursday are almost all incomplete realities. They look forward to what is to come for their completion. The very next day the Blood of the Eucharist must be shed and the Body must be broken. But even then, what do we see but the corpse of an atrociously abused man, like the image seen on the Shroud of Turin? We must keep going so that the Eucharist is not a funeral procession and the life of Christ is not just another noble failure. He lives! On the third day He comes back to life, never to die again. ‘I am with you always, to the close of the age’ (Mt 28:20).

There is so much in the Last Supper, and then there is the agony in the garden and the arrest of Jesus. Start anywhere prayerfully and thoughtfully, and you will walk into the vast tunnels of a gold mine. The events of these days can teach us every year and, in fact, every day of every year, because they come back to us not only in our memories but also in the sacramental reality of the daily Eucharist.

Is there one word that can sum up Christ’s deeds and our response as disciples? Obviously the word is love. It begins the account of the Last Supper in John 13:1: ‘Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.’

The Gospel is above all a story of love, and love should be our response. St. Paul, who was called after all these things came to pass, summed it up so well in words that should guide our minds and hearts: ‘The charity of Christ urges us on’ (2 Cor 5:14).”

Palm Sunday - homily

2009-04-05T10:44:00.002-04:00

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

A friend of mine named Shannon was one of the teenagers at the first youth group at which I helped in the early nineties. She and I hit it off right away and have stayed in touch over the years. She married Craig, the only man she ever dated. Three years into their beautiful marriage, they were in a tragic car accident. Craig died and Shannon miraculously survived. She has made an amazing physical and personal recovery.

About a year after the accident, Shannon said to me that the hardest thing about her situation was that there was no one she could talk to. There were no 27-year-old widows with whom she could relate. No one knew what she was going through. I said (more or less), “Shannon, Jesus knows what you’re going through. He experienced every human pain there is. He was not abandoned by the Father, but he united himself with all those who feel abandoned… lonely…isolated…or rejected. He knows what you are going through. You know what he went through. You are there with him on the cross. He is there with you.”

Shannon would say later that that conversation was one of the two most powerful conversations she’s ever had. Back in the youth group, she probably thought that none of this applied to her because she hadn’t really suffered. Just a few years later, it would completely apply to her. I got together with her not too long ago and she is doing well. Please pray for her.

To all of our young people here today and to all of our adults, please remember this. If you aren’t suffering now, tuck this away for when you are. When you feel abandoned… lonely…isolated…or rejected, please know that Jesus has experienced it. Mother Teresa said that this was his greatest pain. He is with you in your suffering. You are there with him on the Cross.

He was with us on the Cross. He is with us in the Eucharist. He tells us to come to him in the Eucharist. “Come to me all who labor and are burdened”. Come to me all who are abandoned…lonely…isolated…depressed…angry…discouraged…grieving…stressed. “Come to me… and I will give you rest”.

True reconciliation is powerful stuff

2009-04-03T11:32:00.001-04:00

Tonight at SAA Church: Stations of the Cross, 7 pm, with Eucharistic Adoration to follow. Please join us!!
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A blogger posted a question earlier this week that I would also like to present to SAA bloggers: why do you think that the Penance Service this past Monday night was attended by so few people? I didn’t count how many people, but my guess is there were less than twenty. We’ve had much larger turnouts at other Penance Services the past three years (we had over 100 people a couple of years ago). Now, there were other things going on Monday night (e.g., Bible Study, Maryland women’s basketball game), but I don’t think that would have affected the vast majority of our parishioners.

A couple of people have suggested that it’s because St. Andrew’s offers so many other times for Confession on a regular basis. That might enter into it, but I don’t think it played a big role in the small turnout Monday night. And, my take on all of this is the more that Confession is preached and offered in a parish, the more people will come to the sacrament. In other words, it’s a cultural thing. I’ve seen the culture change with regard to this sacrament here, thanks be to God. Many people have returned to the sacrament after being away for many years and others who had been going infrequently have been going more often. And, I would imagine that people in both groups have been leading others to come to the sacrament. This is how it works (i.e., how the kingdom spreads) and it’s an awesome thing to witness!

Some people who came Monday night were themselves surprised at the low turnout; one person deliberately came late, trying to avoid the “big crowd” he (or she) said that he expected. Now, I am grateful for those who came and for the opportunities that arose with them. And, this is not about “numbers”; it is about people responding to God’s call to reconcile with Him and the Church through Confession. The most important thing is that people go, and hopefully before Easter. Confession helps us to give our whole heart to Christ (our goal for Lent) and to enter more fully into the Paschal Mystery (the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ).

So, SAA bloggers, was it just that Monday was a tough night for most people? Or, was it that they didn’t know about the Service? Or, was it something else? I appreciate your input.

Speaking of Reconciliation, here is a recent question (series of questions):

“If a person close to you…won't go to Confession, how is it that Jesus forgives them, or does He? …how do we forgive them? What does one do when the closest admission to the sin consists of, "C'mon, cut me a break, I'm human and I'm doing the best I can."? Do we forgive with the hope that they'll change? Or, do we sin through forgiveness which allows or enables the behavior to continue?

Anon, you can check out my post, “Why Forgive?”, on 8/22/08 which is related to your questions. A person has to ask God for forgiveness in order to reconcile with and be forgiven by Him. He is Mercy, so He is always offering mercy. God cannot not forgive. He cannot not offer forgiveness. He always offers forgiveness, but it’s up to us to receive His forgiveness. It’s like that way with the Eucharist (or any gift): God is constantly offering the gift of the Eucharist, but it’s up to us to receive it. The person who doesn’t come to Mass doesn’t receive the Eucharist. So, too, the person who doesn’t come to Confession doesn’t receive God’s forgiveness (for mortal sins; he/she can receive God’s forgiveness for venial sins outside of Confession, but they still need to ask for it…through Act of Contrition, receiving the Eucharist, etc.).

We are called to be Christ-like in this way – to always offer mercy (e.g., forgive “seventy-times seven times) to others. We are called to always offer forgiveness. If someone sins against us and won’t apologize, then forgiveness remains in our hearts only. If they ask us for mercy in any way (no matter how small), then we should forgive them. However, if their apology remains in the “half-hearted” category, then we might want to gently challenge them to say, “I’m sorry” or “please forgive me”. These are very important words for true reconciliation. This is not to humble them as much as it is to make clear that they are asking for forgiveness. If they can’t explicitly ask for forgiveness, then we can’t explicitly forgive them (only implicitly...in our hearts).

Finally, we forgive others who have implicitly or explicitly expressed an intention of changing their sinful behavior. If someone asks for forgiveness but has no intention of changing, then we need to make clear to them that they we can’t forgive them (it is also true in Confession that we need to make a “firm purpose of amendment” in order to receive absolution). It’s not true reconciliation without an intention of amendment (it’s like a house built on sand…no real foundation there).

If they do intend to change, then we forgive them. Will they change? We can’t know at the time of reconciliation. But, we give it a chance because we know that true reconciliation is powerful stuff, indeed. There is grace at work there that can help a person, in time, move away from their sin (“where sin abounds, grace abounds the more”).

April Fool's Day

2009-04-01T07:28:00.003-04:00

Someone (I know who) has already played an April Fool's joke on me - they moved my "Redskins fans only" parking sign to another spot in the rectory lot. Unfortunately, it is the spot that our housekeeper has been parking in every day for years and years. Today, with the sign there, she parked in the spot next to hers...!
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FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY

In Florida , an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays."

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned.

Notre Dame and Obama

2009-03-31T12:15:00.002-04:00

“Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions”.

These words were written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in a statement in June, 2004. They should be at the center of the debate over the University of Notre Dame’s invitation to President Obama to speak at this year’s graduation and receive an honorary law degree. These words are the result of other Catholic institutions giving such honors or platforms to those who have acted in defiance of our fundamental moral principles before 2004, so this isn’t the first time the Church has encountered this. This situation is heightened, of course, because it involves the current President of the United States who is also the most powerful advocate of abortion and embryonic stem-cell research in the world.

I have seen, heard, and read different reactions of people to this– Catholics, non-Catholics, etc.. A parishioner and Notre Dame alumnus already regrets the contribution he gave his alma mater earlier this year. A Catholic commentator on a news cable network used this situation to present his laundry list of criticisms against the Church which he said is on “life support”. A commentary in yesterday’s Post referred to those Catholics who are protesting Notre Dame’s invitation as “conservative”. The author did not make a big point of it, but this is exactly how many in the media work: they use a catch word or phrase that immediately paints a biased picture. And, the image that was created with one word: “those crazy conservative Catholics are at it again!”

I would offer a couple of words that are more accurate and less polarizing: faithful and principled. First, we who object to Notre Dame inviting President Obama to speak at graduation and giving him an honorary degree are faithful Catholics. Faithful, mainly, because the U.S. bishops have said that Notre Dame shouldn’t do this! But, and this goes to the core of being a Catholic, more than that, we are faithful to the culture of life. President Obama has distinguished himself as a big proponent of the culture of death as a state senator (e.g., voted against the Infants Born Alive Act), as a U.S. senator (e.g., had the highest pro-abortion rating of any senator), and now as the President of the U.S. (ordered taxpayers to fund abortions overseas and embryonic-destructive research). In short, the University of “Our Lady” has invited the leader of the culture of death in the free world to speak to their graduates and to honor him with a degree. Catholics who are faithful to the culture of life are outraged by this.

Dr. Janet Smith (former professor at Notre Dame) made a compelling comparison in her letter to Notre Dame’s president:

“If someone like George Wallace had been elected president of the United States–no matter how much good he had done–no matter how many causes “near to Notre Dame’s heart” he had elevated, Notre Dame would not have invited him to be the commencement speaker nor given him an honorary degree, for the world would not have believed that Notre Dame remained “firm and unwavering” in its opposition to racism and would not have thought that Notre Dame was hoping to spark a national dialogue on racism. It would have thought Notre Dame had lost its mind and faith.”

Second, we are principled Catholics. It’s the principle of the thing! The principle of this thing has been very clearly laid out by the U.S. bishops: “Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions”. The fundamental principle is that a Catholic institution should not give a platform to someone who advocates the culture of death. This is not just because they might promote an agenda that is opposed to the culture of life in their speech, but because it scandalously gives tacit approval of their actions.

Finally, some people have asked if there would be protest among Catholics if former President George W. Bush were speaking at Notre Dame, mainly because of his support of the war in Iraq which the Church has opposed. This recalls many of the debated issues in recent elections; we remember what Pope Benedict XVI wrote in 2003 (as Cardinal Ratzinger) - “Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion”. While the Church opposes the war in Iraq, it does not condemn war as an inherent evil which it does with abortion and embryonic stem-cell research. Catholics are not obligated by the Church to oppose war and capital punishment in every case as they are obligated to oppose abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, racism, etc. in every case. So, it would be logical to say that Catholics are not obligated to oppose someone like Bush (in favor of war and capital punishment) speaking at Notre Dame as they are obligated to oppose someone like Obama (in favor of abortion and embryonic research) speaking there.

Please click on today’s title to join in the opposition.

5th Sunday of Lent - homily

2009-03-29T13:36:00.002-04:00

“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”.

Let’s pretend I am holding a grain of wheat in my hand - a little, tiny seed of wheat. In his life, this little guy doesn’t do a whole lot for me or you. But, in its death, it gives us a lot! When this little seed of wheat is buried in the ground as if it were dead, then it gives us so much fruit – well, actually, things like bread, cookies, and, of course, my favorite cereal: Golden Grahams! Seriously, the first ingredient that is listed (on a box of Golden Grahams) is whole grain wheat. So much comes from this little seed – not from its life, but from its death.

Jesus often uses the analogy of a seed in the Gospels. He uses this analogy to refer to Himself – He is the seed. He is the grain of wheat which dies in order to produce much fruit. He is using this analogy today to talk about his upcoming death and to show its necessity. His death produces much fruit for us. The fruit of his death is our salvation. The fruit of his death is life for us…eternal life. In his death we have life.

How is each of us to be the grain of wheat? Is Jesus telling us that we need to fall to the ground and die as He did? Is he calling us to crucifixion? No. He is not calling us to a physical death, but to a personal death. He is calling us to die to self. He explains: “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life”. The word “life” here means “self”. Whoever loves himself (or herself) loses himself…his soul…his life. Whoever loves himself less (“hate” here means “love less”) will save himself…his soul…his life. The person who does not die to self does not produce fruit and loses eternal life. The person who dies to self produces much fruit and gains eternal life.

Let’s look at some examples - first, marriage. In marriage, each spouse is called to die to self, first in their promises to one another and second in living out what they promise. They lay down their life for the other; their seed falls to the ground and dies. And, it produces much fruit – the fruit is on their love and in their children. Children are the first fruits of marriage. But, if one of them decides not make the promises in the first place or not to live out their promises – really because of love of self, then they remain a grain of wheat and produce little fruit.

Another example is Confirmation – we have young men and women here tonight who were made their confirmation retreat today. Confirmation gives us the help to live out this Gospel – to die to self. And, these young people have a great challenge ahead of them- they will be confronted by a culture that says, “live for yourself”. Each time they tell their friends that they are going to Mass or Youth Group, they will die a little death. Whenever they tell their friends that they are pro-life, they die a little death. In relationships, when they talk to the other about living chastity, they die a little death. The Holy Spirit will give them help at Confirmation to stand up for what’s right even if means that their image dies. He will give them wisdom and courage to live for Christ and for others. To all of our young people here tonight, I say that we support you, we love you, and we have great confidence in you!

Next, Confession. Confession plays a role – I think a big role – in this Gospel because it is where and how we die to self. Confession is where our sins go to die. It is where our pride, anger, laziness, whatever go to die. And so, those parts of ourselves die – the person coming out of confession is different than the one who went in. The proud, angry, lazy person has died; a new person lives and produces much fruit. Confession is necessary for us if we wish to fall to the ground and die, and to produce much fruit. A Catholic who never goes to confession is like a grain of wheat that remains just a grain of wheat: he or she doesn’t produce much fruit.

Finally, the analogy from this Gospel is also a reference to the Eucharist. Christ is the grain of wheat which falls to the ground and dies, producing the Bread of Life (the Eucharist). Holy Communion is the abundant harvest of the Lord in which we all share.

One, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church

2009-03-27T10:18:00.005-04:00

Stations of the Cross, tonight, 7 pm, SAA Church, with Eucharistic Adoration to follow. All are invited!!
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“Another question regarding the Creed- I’ve seen the Creed written with the words ‘Catholic’ and ‘catholic.’ Which is correct?”

At Mass, we profess the Nicene Creed (from the Council of Nicea, 325 A.D.) in which we say, “We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church”. These are the four marks (attributes) of the Church: one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. When used as a mark of the Church, “catholic” is correct. When used as a reference to the Catholic Church in general, “Catholic” is correct.

This can get confusing, but Vatican II has helped to clarify. In “Lumen Gentium”, it states that:

Hence the universal Church is seen to be “a people brought into unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”. (#4)

The one mediator, Christ, established and ever sustains here on earth his holy Church…(#8)

This is the sole Church of Christ which in the Creed we profess to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic… (#8)

This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him. (#8)

LG explains that the universal (catholic) Church is “a race made up of Jews and Gentiles which would be one, not according to the flesh, but in the Spirit, and this race would be the new People of God” (#9). So, the “catholic Church” refers to the new People of God. “All men are called to belong to the new People of God” (#13). This is the Church that Christ established. It is the Church based in the new covenant. It is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

“This Church…subsists in the Catholic Church”.

The best way to put this is that the Church that Christ established subsists (exists) FULLY in the Catholic Church. LG does acknowledge that “many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside its visible confines” (#8). Christ’s Spirit dwells in other Christian denominations, but the fullness of the Spirit – the fullness of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church – is found in the Catholic Church. LG is hopeful that these gifts of the Spirit will bring non-Catholic Christians into the fullness of Christ and His Church: “Since these are gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, they are forces impelling towards Catholic unity” (#8).

The following are excerpts from an article from catholic.com which include descriptions of the four marks of the Church. Please click on today’s title for the full article.

FOUR MARKS OF THE TRUE CHURCH

If we wish to locate the Church founded by Jesus, we need to locate the one that has the four chief marks or qualities of his Church. The Church we seek must be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.

The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13, CCC 813–822)

Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing churches (Lutheran, Baptist, Anglican, and so on). The Bible says the Church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:23–32). Jesus can have but one spouse, and his spouse is the Catholic Church.

His Church also teaches just one set of doctrines, which must be the same as those taught by the apostles (Jude 3). This is the unity of belief to which Scripture calls us (Phil. 1:27, 2:2).

Although some Catholics dissent from officially-taught doctrines, the Church’s official teachers—the pope and the bishops united with him—have never changed any doctrine. Over the centuries, as doctrines are examined more fully, the Church comes to understand them more deeply (John 16:12–13), but it never understands them to mean the opposite of what they once meant.

The Church Is Holy (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7–8, CCC 823–829)

By his grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as he is holy. This doesn’t mean that each member is always holy. Jesus said there would be both good and bad members in the Church (John 6:70), and not all the members would go to heaven (Matt. 7:21–23).

But the Church itself is holy because it is the source of holiness and is the guardian of the special means of grace Jesus established, the sacraments (cf. Eph. 5:26).

The Church Is Catholic (Matt. 28:19–20, Rev. 5:9–10, CCC 830–856)

Jesus’ Church is called catholic ("universal" in Greek) because it is his gift to all people. He told his apostles to go throughout the world and make disciples of "all nations" (Matt. 28:19–20).

For 2,000 years the Catholic Church has carried out this mission, preaching the good news that Christ died for all men and that he wants all of us to be members of his universal family (Gal. 3:28).

Nowadays the Catholic Church is found in every country of the world and is still sending out missionaries to "make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).

The Church Jesus established was known by its most common title, "the Catholic Church," at least as early as the year 107, when Ignatius of Antioch used that title to describe the one Church Jesus founded. The title apparently was old in Ignatius’s time, which means it probably went all the way back to the time of the apostles.

The Church Is Apostolic (Eph. 2:19–20, CCC 857–865)

The Church Jesus founded is apostolic because he appointed the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, and their successors were to be its future leaders. The apostles were the first bishops, and, since the first century, there has been an unbroken line of Catholic bishops faithfully handing on what the apostles taught the first Christians in Scripture and oral Tradition (2 Tim. 2:2).

These beliefs include the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, the sacrificial nature of the Mass, the forgiveness of sins through a priest, baptismal regeneration, the existence of purgatory, Mary’s special role, and much more —even the doctrine of apostolic succession itself.

Early Christian writings prove the first Christians were thoroughly Catholic in belief and practice and looked to the successors of the apostles as their leaders. What these first Christians believed is still believed by the Catholic Church. No other Church can make that claim.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

2009-03-25T08:56:00.003-04:00

One of our teens has asked me to post the reflection I gave at Youth Group this past Sunday night during Adoration. “YG Junkie”, thanks for asking and glad that you liked it; here it is, more or less:

Before I begin the Scriptural meditation, I have to say that you all are…amazing. It is amazing that there are over 40 of you here for Adoration. Some of you only come out for Adoration! And, you bring your friends. This is not normal. Not every youth group does this. This is extraordinary! I’ve told you before that I’ve worked with teens for many years now, and I’ve never seen this. Not only do you come here in great numbers, but you come here in great respect and reverence. When you came in here, you did it in silence and with reverence. You all are great! You inspire us adults and you please Jesus so much when you come to Adoration. It is so awesome!

As we prepare for Christ’s passion in a few weeks, I thought it was fitting to focus on one of the words that Christ’s says from the Cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This is from Matthew's Gospel, chapter 27:

“From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some of the bystanders who heard it said, "This one is calling for Elijah." Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the rest said, ‘Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.’ But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit” (vs. 45-50).

I‘ve been talking with one of the college students who stayed here during the March for Life in January. She has been struggling for a while with cutting herself and depression and thoughts of suicide. She is trying so hard to move away from all of it. She has said on more than one occasion, “God, where are you in all of this?” She has been asking for Him to help her move away from this dangerous habit. She has been saying what Jesus said from the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" It is a phrase that I hear not just from college or high school students, but also from adults.

Jesus wasn’t forsaken or abandoned by the Father. He is always in union with the Father. But, in his human nature, he experienced what many people feel: that God has abandoned them. God abandons no one, but many people feel that He has.

Many people have been abandoned by others. They have been rejected, isolated and feel lonely and depressed. Mother Teresa said that this is the greatest suffering there is. Jesus enters into this and unites himself with all of those who have been abandoned or rejected by others and feel lonely and depressed. He went to the depths of human suffering and felt every human pain there is. So, Christ is in union with those who feel this way; and, they are in union with Him.

There is a girl from my first youth group who I am still good friends with. She married her high school sweetheart at age 24. Three years into her marriage, she and her husband were driving down the road early one morning. The car went off the road out of control and hit a tree head-on at sixty miles an hour. He died instantly and she barely survived; the motor of the car came into the front seat and lacerated her ribs. She has made a miraculous recovery.

About a year after the tragic accident, she and I were talking about everything. She said it is so hard because she feels all alone. “There aren’t any 27 year old widows who I can talk to. There is no one who understands what I am going through”, she said. I said, “Shannon, Jesus knows what you are going through. He experienced every human pain there is on the Cross. He is the only one who knows what you’re going through; and, you know what He went through. You are right there with Him on the Cross”. She would say later that it was one of the two most powerful conversations she’s ever had.

When Shannon was in your position in high school, she hadn’t experienced any real kind of suffering and probably thought that a talk like this didn’t apply to her. In whatever way you all are suffering now or will suffer in the future, Christ has experienced it and is always with you. He knows what you are going through and you know what he went through. He mourns for you and for the sorrows in your life. He wants to share in your sorrows and in your joys.

He wants you to dump all of your crap on Him in Adoration – all of the tough stuff that is going on in your life. Just give it all to Him.

He says, “come to me all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). Come to me all you who labor and are lonely, depressed, isolated, rejected, stressed out, angry, and abandoned…and I will give you rest.

The Mass: Heaven on Earth

2009-03-24T11:15:00.002-04:00

“I'm trying to ‘come back’ to the Church at the urging of some dear friends, but it is so hard for me to go to Mass. All I hear about there is death, suffering, blood, hell, and more death. You don't go 2 minutes in Mass without hearing about something dark. I have enough depression in my life, and Mass is just more of it, at least for me.”

To this blogger, we say, welcome back! We are very glad that you have come back to the Church and come to this site. We are very sorry that it is so hard for you to come to Mass and that you “have enough depression” in your life. We ask that you peruse this site more thoroughly, if you haven’t already. There are many uplifting comments and insights that bloggers make here on a regular basis. It’s really quite amazing!

In no way am I trying to discount your experience at Mass. I have talked with people who have had similar experiences when they come to the Church, mainly because they bring such sadness with them when they arrive. And, if the Mass is not properly celebrated as the Church intends (e.g., a joyless celebrant; deviation from the rubrics), then I can understand even more of someone having a negative experience there.

But, can I ask you to try and hear objectively a few of the beautiful and uplifting words and phrases that are heard at every Mass?

“The grace and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all”. These words are said right away at Mass, right after we make the sign of the Cross. Grace and peace are two words that we hear repeatedly throughout the Mass. It’s what we are all looking for!

“May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life”. Again, these words are said by the priest at the beginning of Mass. Mercy and everlasting life are two more main themes of the Catholic Mass. Also, if we understand that sin (either our sin or the sin of others) is the leading cause of depression, then we understand that the forgiveness of our sins is the leading cure to depression. The theme of forgiveness is dominant in the readings that we hear at Mass and in Sacred Scripture in general.

“Take this all of you and eat it. This is my body which will be given up for you”. In my opinion, these are the most uplifting and powerful words that have ever been spoken on the face of the earth. Jesus gives us food to eat – always a positive thing! And, more significantly, this food is his body! God gives himself to us!! The Eucharist is not only a visible sign that God loves us and is with us, it is God’s love and mercy in the flesh. When we receive the Eucharist, we receive eternal life. Heaven on Earth!! This is the most positive and uplifting experience we can ever have in this world. It is union with God and all that He is – love, mercy, goodness, beauty, joy, peace, kindness, etc.

So, Anon, I would ask you to specifically focus on the Eucharist the next time you go to Mass. Maybe even hit a daily Mass during Lent. Also, it might be good to prepare for Mass by reading John 6 in which Jesus teaches about the Eucharist. He teaches there that “I am the bread of life” and “the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world”. Christ is the life of the world. Everything we are looking for is found in Christ. What we receive at Mass is what we are all looking for because what we receive at Mass is Christ, specifically in the Eucharist. We receive his grace and peace and are sent out from Mass to “go in the peace of Christ”.

4th Sunday of Lent - homily

2009-03-22T12:07:00.001-04:00

Recently, I got a call to anoint a parishioner. This sacrament is the Anointing of the Sick. It is no longer called “Last Rites” or “Extreme Unction”. And, it is not just for those who are dying; it is for those who are gravely ill or about to undergo an operation. So, I never know exactly what I will encounter when I go to anoint someone. I learned pretty quickly in this situation – in talking with the man and in being with his family – that he was, in fact, dying. So, I asked him, “are you afraid of dying?” Immediately and without any hesitation, he said, “no”. What a response of faith! This was one of the main points I made in the homily at his funeral – that he had such great faith and hope. His faith and hope was that what was on the other side was all good.

We hear about faith in Christ in the famous lines from John’s Gospel, chapter three. “God so loved the world that He sent His only Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save it. Whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life” (v. 16-17). One of the aspects of faith in Christ is that it demands a response. Faith in Christ demands a response! Just like love demands a response. If we say that we love someone but never respond to them in any way, then we really don’t love them. It’s like what St. John writes in his first letter: “whoever says that he knows Christ but doesn’t keep the commandments (doesn’t respond to Him) is a liar and truth does not dwell in him” (2:4). If we say that we believe in Him, we need to respond to Him. God has responded to us throughout history – throughout Scripture and Tradition. His response of love and mercy is made in full when He sends His Son to us, that we might believe in Him and have eternal life.

So, we know that we need to respond to God. How do we do it? It’s really the same question that we already know the answer to: how do we respond to someone we love or are in love with? We know how to respond to them. We do something beautiful for them. We do something immediate, something grand, something creative, generous, kind, or thoughtful. We might do it for the sake of love or to win the love of the person. It might be different with God because we don’t need to win His love. We know that He loves us. So, we should do something for Him for the sake of love. He is Love! We should do something beautiful, something immediate, something creative, generous, kind, or thoughtful. As Mother Teresa would say, “do something beautiful for God”.

It really is the same thing as being in a relationship with someone else. We should do things for God as we would do for other people. He is a person and we are in relationship with Him. I will leave it up to all of us to figure out ways to respond to God because I think we all know how to respond to Him in our own ways.

Now, there might be some people who are afraid to respond to God because they haven’t responded to Him in a long time. We are reminded, though, in the second reading that “God is rich in mercy”. He is rich in mercy. He offers His mercy to us as soon as we make the initial response to Him. He is rich in mercy and offers us a bailout. We hear a lot about bailouts these days. Well, in his richness, God offers a bailout, especially to those of us who are spiritually bankrupt. We call this Confession. At St. Andrew’s, we offer many opportunities for “God’s bailout” in Confession. During Lent, we have extraordinary opportunities for it – there are confessions on Tuesdays at 8 pm in the Church, we will have a Penance Service on Monday, March 30 at 7:30 pm, and all of the ordinary times that we offer confessions. We offer it a lot here because God is rich in mercy, and we want to offer people here a chance to receive his rich mercy.

Finally, in a few minutes, we will live out these lines from John’s Gospel. God will send His Son to us in the Eucharist, not to condemn us but to save us. When we come to the Eucharist – the visible sign of God’s love and mercy - when we come to Holy Communion, we make a response in faith, and as Jesus teaches about the Eucharist, we have eternal life.

"Ashes on their heads"

2009-03-20T10:13:00.003-04:00

Tonight at St Andrew’s Church: Stations of the Cross, 7 pm, with Eucharistic Adoration to follow. All are invited!!
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Anon: “At Ash Wednesday Mass, when the Gospel talks about praying in secret, it seems at odds that we would do something as public as a display of ashes. We literally wear our faith on our foreheads… Ashes are meant to be an outward sign of our sin, but I wonder, when I see so many (people) I don’t see any other time of the year, if it isn’t also an act of pride. Question- are the leftover ashes buried?”

First, leftover ashes are stored year after year in the parish. If and when they are ever disposed, they are buried. Next, the question of why Ash Wednesday Masses are the most attended Masses of the liturgical year is one of the more intriguing questions in our Church. Part of it might be that we like to get “free stuff”! We like to get our ashes on Ash Wednesday, palms on Palm Sunday, indulgences on Divine Mercy Sunday (I heard confessions for 4 hours last year on DMS – people really wanted their indulgences!...even if most of them were for other people), gift cards at Youth Group, etc.

On a more serious point, the reason has to be tied in with the purpose of Lent because Catholics seem to really get into Lent. The practices of abstaining from meat on Fridays in Lent and giving up one thing during Lent are probably as popular as receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday. My guess as to why all of this is is that these practices, while pointing to heavenly realities, are earthly in nature. People seem to respond more to the earthly realities of our faith because they can relate to them.

For example, I recently gave a talk on suffering at another parish that was very well attended; if the topic was on the Trinity, there probably wouldn’t have been as many people, unfortunately. Also, I have found over the years in talking with people about praying the rosary that the sorrowful mysteries are the best ones for people to meditate on because they “can relate to them the best”.

Anon, you make interesting points about the nature and purpose of wearing our ashes. As excerpts from the following article from americancatholic.org present, wearing ashes as a sign of our repentance is steeped in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Jesus even upholds this practice in Mt 11:21 (and Lk 10:13). It is very similar to and even stems from the practice in the early Church of public penance (referred to below under “Order of Penitents”). I don’t think it is an act of pride for someone to publicly reveal that they have sinned and need to repent!

To view the following article in full, please click on today’s title:

Ashes in the Bible

…In the book of Judith, we find acts of repentance that specify that the ashes were put on people's heads: "And all the Israelite men, women and children who lived in Jerusalem prostrated themselves in front of the temple building, with ashes strewn on their heads, displaying their sackcloth covering before the Lord" (Jdt 4:11; see also 4:15 and 9:1).

Just prior to the New Testament period, the rebels fighting for Jewish independence, the Maccabees, prepared for battle using ashes: "That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes" (1 Mc 3:47; see also 4:39).

In the New Testament, Jesus refers to the use of sackcloth and ashes as signs of repentance: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes" (Mt 11:21, Lk 10:13).

Ashes in the History of the Church

Despite all these references in Scripture, the use of ashes in the Church left only a few records in the first millennium of Church history. Thomas Talley, an expert on the history of the liturgical year, says that the first clearly datable liturgy for Ash Wednesday that provides for sprinkling ashes is in the Romano-Germanic pontifical of 960. Before that time, ashes had been used as a sign of admission to the Order of Penitents. As early as the sixth century, the Spanish Mozarabic rite calls for signing the forehead with ashes when admitting a gravely ill person to the Order of Penitents. At the beginning of the 11th century, Abbot Aelfric notes that it was customary for all the faithful to take part in a ceremony on the Wednesday before Lent that included the imposition of ashes. Near the end of that century, Pope Urban II called for the general use of ashes on that day. Only later did this day come to be called Ash Wednesday.

The Order of Penitents

It seems, then, that our use of ashes at the beginning of Lent is an extension of the use of ashes with those entering the Order of Penitents. This discipline was the way the Sacrament of Penance was celebrated through most of the first millennium of Church history. Those who had committed serious sins confessed their sins to the bishop or his representative and were assigned a penance that was to be carried out over a period of time. After completing their penance, they were reconciled by the bishop with a prayer of absolution offered in the midst of the community.

During the time they worked out their penances, the penitents often had special places in church and wore special garments to indicate their status…

…There is a certain irony that we use this Gospel (for Ash Wednesday), which tells us to wash our faces so that we do not appear to be doing penance on the day that we go around with "dirt" on our foreheads. This is just another way Jesus is telling us not to perform religious acts for public recognition. We don't wear the ashes to proclaim our holiness but to acknowledge that we are a community of sinners in need of repentance and renewal.

…When we receive ashes on our foreheads, we remember who we are. We remember that we are creatures of the earth ("Remember that you are dust"). We remember that we are mortal beings ("and to dust you will return"). We remember that we are baptized. We remember that we are people on a journey of conversion ("Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel"). We remember that we are members of the body of Christ (and that smudge on our foreheads will proclaim that identity to others, too).

…From the very beginning of Lent, God's word calls us to conversion. If we open our ears and hearts to that word, we will be like the Ninevites not only in their sinfulness but also in their conversion to the Lord. That, simply put, is the point of Ash Wednesday!

"The Man Who Ordered Three Beers"

2009-03-18T08:48:00.002-04:00

A parishioner sent us the following Irish joke yesterday, a fitting follow-up to the St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

An Irishman moves into a tiny hamlet in County Kerry, walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers. The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone.

An hour later, the man has finished the three beers and orders three more. This happens yet again. The next evening the man again orders and drinks three beers at a time, several times.
Soon the entire town is whispering about the Man Who Orders Three Beers.

Finally, a week later, the bartender broaches the subject on behalf of the town. "I don't mean to pry, but folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?"

"Tis odd, isn't it?" the man replies. "You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America , and the other to Australia . We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond."

The bartender and the whole town were pleased with this answer, and soon the Man Who Orders Three Beers became a local celebrity and source of pride tothe hamlet, even to the extent that out-of-towners would come to watch him drink.

Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers. The bartender pours them with a heavy heart. This continues for the rest of the evening. He orders only two beers. The word flies around town. Prayers are offered for the soul of one of the brothers.

The next day, the bartender says to the man, "Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for th e death of your brother. You know-the two beers and all...."

The man ponders this for a moment, then replies, "You'll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well. It's just that I, meself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent."

Confession - "I believe; help my unbelief"

2009-03-17T09:42:00.002-04:00

Happy St Patrick’s Day!! To read about the amazing life of St Patrick, please go to my post on 3/17/07 under the “archives” section of this site.
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Anon: “I don’t understand something from today’s Gospel (Mk 9:14-29) . The father of the boy says, ‘I believe; help my unbelief.’ I thought there were two kinds of doubt- doubt with the desire to believe (but NOT belief) and then the refusal to believe. I thought the opposite of faith is doubt. So can one have faith and doubt at the same time? I think my challenges in faith come from a genuine lack of understanding rather than doubt, so I can say, ‘I believe; help me in my understanding of You.’ But I don’t see how I could say that I believe then ask for help for my not believing. I don’t understand.”

Anon, one can have (general) faith and (specific) doubt at the same time. I think we all do! With the exception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, no human being has perfect faith in Jesus Christ. I come across people on a regular basis who express belief in Christ, but not in the Eucharist…not in Confession…not in the Church. Or, we might have faith in all of these things but still doubt God’s power in specific situations. Lent is a season that helps to reveal those areas in our lives in which we still have doubt.

We should all say the words of the boy’s father to our Lord when we turn to Him in prayer – “I believe; help my unbelief”. In order to understand how he made this statement, it’s necessary to show what he said just prior to it. He approached our Lord with the request to heal his son. He said, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us”. Jesus immediately calls him out on his doubt: “If you can! Everything is possible to one who has faith”. The man shows his (general) faith in Christ by coming to him, but reveals that he still has some (specific) doubt that Christ can heal his son. “If you can” reveals the doubt. This is similar to those who might pray, “God, if you are there” or “God, if you can hear me”. They make an act of faith by turning to God, but there is some doubt.

The father gets a second chance and takes full advantage: “I believe”. This is a strong statement of faith in Christ in front of a large crowd of people. He then makes a humble admission that he has doubted: “help my unbelief”. This is similar to those who go to Confession. They make an act of faith in Christ by going there, reveal all of the times they have failed to believe fully in Him (through sin), and ask the Lord to help them. Just as Jesus drives out the demon from the young boy because of the father’s faith, so does He drive out evil from the penitent because of his/her faith. In both instances, He rewards faith even though it’s imperfect faith. He gives His Grace to those who ask for it, especially those who humbly pray, “I believe; help my unbelief”.

The following are excerpts from a column (5/12/06) by Archbishop Jose H. Gomez about faith, specifically in regards to this Gospel passage. Please click on today’s title for the full column.

…Faith, for us Catholics, is a theological virtue, that is, a virtue that man cannot acquire by himself; rather, it is given by God. But human beings are free, and can either accept or reject faith, increase or lessen it.One of the most revealing passages of the Gospel that refers to this reality can be found in St. Mark, when a father brings a demon-possessed son to Jesus, because the apostles had not been able to heal him.

The father tells Jesus: “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, but help my unbelief.” (Mk 9:22-24) The cry of the father reveals what all of Catholics should say: “I do believe, but help my unbelief.”

We certainly have faith, but must always enrich and strengthen it. The urgent need to strongly practice our faith daily, in moments of trial and need, demand from us an ongoing effort to be men and women of faith. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has just published in English and Spanish, begins with the words that contain the real beginning of our being Catholics: “I believe — we believe.”

“I believe” because our faith is a personal and free act. “We believe” because our faith is not individualistic, but a reality lived, nurtured and strengthened in community.

In fact, as The Compendium of the Catechism explains in its first paragraph: “God the Father sent his Son as the Redeemer and Savior of mankind, fallen into sin, thus calling all into his church and, through the work of the Holy Spirit, making them adopted children and heirs of his eternal happiness.”

God has called each one of us to salvation by name. But in order to fulfill this design of salvation, he has called us to his church, that is, to the community of the faithful.

As the passage from St. Mark shows us, asking Jesus to “help my unbelief” has practical consequences: our faith has to be fed and nurtured through prayer and study.

As I said before, with the new Compendium of the Catechism, Catholics have a great tool to nurture and strengthen our faith. During these days of Easter, in which the faith of many is shaken or affected by new “codes” and “gospels” which distort the truth about Jesus Christ, let us ask our Mother Mary, the woman with an unbreakable faith, to help us overcome our lack of faith and become strong men and women of faith.

3rd Sunday of Lent - reflection

2009-03-15T11:48:00.000-04:00

The following reflection (3rd Sunday of Lent, Year B) from Zenit.org is by Basilian Father Thomas Rosica…a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

…One intriguing aspect of today's Gospel story is the portrait of an angry Jesus in the temple-cleansing scene that gives way to two extremes in our own image of the Lord. Some people wish to transform an otherwise passive Christ into a whip-cracking revolutionary.

Others would like to excise any human qualities of Jesus and paint a very meek, bland character, who smiled, kept silent and never rocked the boat. The errors of the old extreme, however, do not justify a new extremism.

Jesus was not exclusively, not even primarily, concerned with social reform. Rather, he was filled with a deep devotion and burning love for his Father and the things of his Father. He wanted to form new people, created in God's image, who are sustained by his love, and bring that love to others. Jesus' disciples and apostles recognized him as a passionate figure -- one who was committed to life and to losing it for the sake of truth and fidelity.

Have we given in to these extremes in our own understanding of and relationship with Jesus?
Are we passionate about anything in our lives today? Are we filled with a deep and burning love for the things of God and for his Son, Jesus?

Message of the cross

In writing to the people of Corinth, Paul was addressing numerous disorders and scandals that were present. True communion and unity were threatened by groups and internal divisions that seriously compromised the unity of the Body of Christ. Rather than appealing to complex theological or philosophical words of wisdom to resolve the difficulties, Paul announces Christ to this community: Christ crucified. Paul's strength is not found in persuasive language, but rather, paradoxically, in the weakness of one who trusts only in the "power of God" (I Corinthians 2:1-4).

In St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians (1:18, 22-25), we hear about "the message of the cross that is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." For St. Paul, the cross represents the center of his theology: To say cross means to say salvation as grace given to every creature.

Paul's simple message of the cross is scandal and foolishness. He states this strongly with the words: "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. It was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles."

The "scandal" and the "foolishness" of the cross are precisely in the fact that where there seems to be only failure, sorrow and defeat, precisely there, is all the power of the boundless love of God. The cross is the expression of love and love is the true power that is revealed precisely in this seeming weakness.

St. Paul has experienced this even in his own flesh, and he gives us testimony of this in various passages of his spiritual journey, which have become important points of departure for every disciple of Jesus: "He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:9); and even "God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something" (1 Corinthians 1:28).

The Apostle to the Gentiles identifies himself to such a degree with Christ that he also, even in the midst of so many trials, lives in the faith of the Son of God who loved him and gave himself up for his sins and those of everyone (cf. Galatians 1:4; 2:20).

Today, as we contemplate Jesus' burning love for the things of his Father, and the saving mystery of his cross, let us pray these words:

O God, whose foolishness is wise and whose weakness is strong,by the working of your grace in the disciplines of Lentcleanse the temple of your Church and purify the sanctuary of our hearts.
May we be filled with a burning love for your house,and may obedience to your commandmentsabsorb and surround us along this Lenten journey.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, the man of the cross,your power and your wisdom,the Lord who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God for ever and ever. Amen.

[The readings for this Sunday are Exodus 20:1-17 or 20:1-3, 7-8, 12-17; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 and John 2:13-25. For use with RCIA, Exodus 17:3-7; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 and John 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42]

"One word...many facets"

2009-03-13T08:51:00.002-04:00

1) Tonight, SAA Church: Stations of the Cross, 7 pm, with Eucharistic Adoration to follow. All are invited!!
2) DC ‘Hood vs. Washington Pats @ Verizon Center, Sunday, 2 pm. Go ‘Hood!!
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In my Valentine’s Day post, “Dedicated to Love”, I included some reflections from the Pope’s first encyclical, “God is love” which focused on the different types of love. One blogger asked for “a clear cut definition between eros love versus filial love”. The following is a good description, especially for parents, of the different types of love. It comes from the website of the Diocese of LaCrosse, Wisconsin: “The Parent’s Place”. I encourage all bloggers to check out this site by clicking on today’s post.

“In today’s culture there is great misunderstanding about the true meaning of love. Part of the confusion stems from the fact that we have only one word to describe something that has many facets. Consider that in ancient Greek times, there were four words to describe love and each word depicted one aspect of human love.

Four Levels of Love

The first and most base level of love was called ‘eros’ or erotic love. Eros is the love of attraction. It is the recognition of something good and the desire to possess it. Within human relationships this aspect of love often takes the form of sexual attraction. However, it may also include elements of friendship that we find enjoyable or beneficial. If we only love others on this level, we run the danger of using others as objects rather than loving them as persons. However, eros can be healthy and good when mixed with higher forms of love.

The second facet of love in ancient Greek times was called filial love. Filial love is also known as familial love. It is the love shared within a family - between parent and child and among siblings. It is portrayed as “the happiest of loves” because it signified a “oneness” between people. Filial love is present when there is a strong sense of unity between individuals. Within the family, filial love develops when another child is born. At that time, the older sibling is called to share all that he or she has. (Up to that point, all the love from the parents has been focused solely on him or her. This can be a real wake up call for the oldest!) Little by little, the oldest will come to know genuine bond of oneness with the new sibling. This is filial love.

The third level of love in ancient Greek times was known as philios, or brotherly love. Philios was considered by the Greeks to be the noblest form of love until Christ came to teach us the perfection of love. It was considered the noble bond of friendship. It can best be defined as ‘willing the good of the other.’ This form of love is selfless in the sense that your concern is for the beloved before it is for yourself. Such love can bring great balance to eros and can enliven filial love.

The highest form of love is ‘agape’ love. Agape is the complete gift of yourself for the sake of the other. Jesus revealed agape love to us when He died on the cross to save us from our sins. For Christians, the cross is the sign of perfect love. Jesus challenges us to love as He loved - to love perfectly by making ourselves a complete gift to others. Agape love makes erotic love a selfless appreciation of the good. It perfects filial love, especially between spouses. It ensures philial love. Agape goes beyond just choosing what is good for others to being willing to sacrifice everything to secure the good for them. Agape is the goal of the Christian life. If you want your children to find true happiness, teach them to love completely and selflessly by making themselves a gift to others.”

Procreation, naturally

2009-03-10T12:06:00.002-04:00

Anon asked the following question: “I’m not sure how to ask this w/o being too graphic, but I’ll try. Why does the church frown upon the withdrawal method of birth control?” This blogger went on to compare this method (called “coitus interruptus”) with another method called “IUI” because he/she heard that IUI was “alright as long as the sperm is collected through licit means”. IUI (intrauterine insemination) is a method in which “sperm are collected from a perforated condom after normal intercourse, washed, and then injected into the uterine cavity, bypassing the cervix to avoid ‘hostile’ mucus” (http://www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/nfp/treatment.htm).

First, the purpose of IUI is “to assist the sperm to achieve its natural goal of insemination” (“Ethics and Medics”, October 2007). I have researched this and found no definitive statement from the Magisterium about whether IUI is morally permissible or not. In the above referenced link to the USCCB, IUI is listed under “Reproductive Technologies under Discussion (neither ‘approved nor ‘disapproved’)”. My seminary professor of medical ethics (great class!) said that he is “hesitant to endorse IUI in general since it seems to be one of the procedures which can be a substitute for intercourse. In addition, is there a finis operantis problem? Does the couple intend to produce a child or consider themselves in possession of a right to a child? Is this a process which can be done by the husband and wife or does it require the intervention of a third party?”

So, there are many questions and factors to consider with these methods, especially IUI. The professor mentions a potential “finis operantis” problem – this refers to the ultimate intention of an act. His ensuing questions speak to the ultimate intention of a couple using IUI. Please remember that the morality of an act is judged by all three components of an act: 1) the act itself, 2) the circumstances of the act, and 3) the intention of the person committing the act. If any of the three components is not good, then the act is not good (i.e., immoral).

With this in mind, we turn back to Anon’s question about the withdrawal method. The intention of the couple who uses coitus interruptus is NOT to procreate even if “sperm could fertilize an egg with this method”. Their intention is not good – it goes against the natural purpose of sex (procreation) – so the act is not good. But, this is different from IUI because the intention of the couple there is to procreate! IUI may still be immoral for the potential reasons the professor suggests in his questions, but its intention is procreative while the intention of coitus interruptus is contraceptive.

NFP was mentioned in some of the comments in this thread. I would argue that the finis operantis of the couple using Natural Family Planning is to be open to God’s Will. If they discern in prayer and in conversation with each other that at that time He is calling them to procreate, then their intention during the fertile period is to conceive. If they discern that He is not calling them to procreate, then their intention during the fertile period is not to conceive. For those who would argue that the latter is contraceptive, please check out the following from www.catholic.com. It defines contraception (from Humanae Vitae) and gives clear teaching from Scripture about coitus interruptus. It also addresses a point by another Anon about how certain sexual acts (e.g. masturbation) are not mentioned in Scripture. To view the full text, please click on today’s post.

Contraception is "any action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act [sexual intercourse], or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" (Humanae Vitae 14). This includes sterilization, condoms and other barrier methods, spermicides, coitus interruptus (withdrawal method), the Pill, and all other such methods.

The Historic Christian Teaching

Few realize that up until 1930, all Protestant denominations agreed with the Catholic Church’s teaching condemning contraception as sinful. At its 1930 Lambeth Conference, the Anglican church, swayed by growing social pressure, announced that contraception would be allowed in some circumstances. Soon the Anglican church completely caved in, allowing contraception across the board. Since then, all other Protestant denominations have followed suit. Today, the Catholic Church alone proclaims the historic Christian position on contraception. Evidence that contraception is in conflict with God’s laws comes from a variety of sources that will be examined in this tract.

Nature

Contraception is wrong because it’s a deliberate violation of the design God built into the human race, often referred to as "natural law." The natural law purpose of sex is procreation. The pleasure that sexual intercourse provides is an additional blessing from God, intended to offer the possibility of new life while strengthening the bond of intimacy, respect, and love between husband and wife. The loving environment this bond creates is the perfect setting for nurturing children. But sexual pleasure within marriage becomes unnatural, and even harmful to the spouses, when it is used in a way that deliberately excludes the basic purpose of sex, which is procreation. God’s gift of the sex act, along with its pleasure and intimacy, must not be abused by deliberately frustrating its natural end—procreation.

Scripture

Is contraception a modern invention? Hardly! Birth control has been around for millennia. Scrolls found in Egypt, dating to 1900 B.C., describe ancient methods of birth control that were later practiced in the Roman empire during the apostolic age. Wool that absorbed sperm, poisons that fumigated the uterus, potions, and other methods were used to prevent conception. In some centuries, even condoms were used (though made out of animal skin rather than latex).

The Bible mentions at least one form of contraception specifically and condemns it. Coitus interruptus, was used by Onan to avoid fulfilling his duty according to the ancient Jewish law of fathering children for one’s dead brother. "Judah said to Onan, ‘Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.’ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and he slew him also" (Gen. 38:8–10). The biblical penalty for not giving your brother’s widow children was public humiliation, not death (Deut. 25:7–10).

But Onan received death as punishment for his crime. This means his crime was more than simply not fulfilling the duty of a brother-in-law. He lost his life because he violated natural law, as Jewish and Christian commentators have always understood. For this reason, certain forms of contraception have historically been known as "Onanism," after the man who practiced it, just as homosexuality has historically been known as "Sodomy," after the men of Sodom, who practiced that vice (cf. Gen. 19).

Contraception was so far outside the biblical mindset and so obviously wrong that it did not need the frequent condemnations other sins did. Scripture condemns the practice when it mentions it. Once a moral principle has been established in the Bible, every possible application of it need not be mentioned. For example, the general principle that theft is wrong was clearly established in Scripture; but there’s no need to provide an exhaustive list of every kind of theft. Similarly, since the principle that contraception is wrong has been established by being condemned when it’s mentioned in the Bible, every particular form of contraception does not need to be dealt with in Scripture in order for us to see that it is condemned.

2nd Sunday of Lent - homily

2009-03-08T12:14:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, I like to use props sometimes during my homily. When I gave a homily on this Gospel (the Transfiguration) here almost three years ago, I used three t-shirts as props. The first shirt was a clean, white t-shirt that represented Christ’s clothes that became “dazzling white” at the Transfiguration. This shirt is the soul after Baptism. It is totally clean and dazzling white. I used another white shirt that had a little dirt on it – this is the soul that has committed venial sin. The Eucharist and Confession can remove this dirt and the soul becomes dazzling white again. I used a third shirt that was completely covered with dirt and mud; it was gross. This is the soul in mortal sin. Confession is necessary for the soul at this point; it can remove all of that mud and dirt and the soul can become dazzling white again.

I put the shirts in a large bin in the sanctuary just before Mass began. I didn’t want to put it out too early because I thought that someone might remove it – I assumed that people here weren’t used to seeing props during Mass. So, I waited until the last possible minute to put the bin with the shirts in the sanctuary. I then went to the vestibule a minute or so before Mass began.

We processed in as Mass started and I came up to the sanctuary. The bin was gone! It was nowhere to be found. What happened was my Mom came to Mass! She arrived just before Mass started, sat in the front and noticed the bin. She thought, ‘that doesn’t belong here’, and moved the bin into the sacristy. I spent the first part of Mass looking for the bin and finally found it as the readings were being proclaimed. My Mom told me after Mass what happened – I was like, “what, were you cleaning my room?”

I would like to focus on another part of this magnificent event, the Transfiguration. Peter sees Jesus’ clothes become dazzling white as he is there with Moses and Elijah and says, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here”. It is good that we are here. This is a line that we should all repeat from time to time. It is good that we are here with our family. It is good that we are here with our friends. It is good that we are here in the workplace. It is good that we are here with our parish family.

Years ago, I was part of a men’s prayer group in my home parish. This group of men would meet once a week to discuss the Sunday readings, faith, and life. When this Gospel came up, one of the men focused on this line from Peter. He was saying, “guys, it is good that we are here in this group”. It really struck him how good the group was and that he was blessed to be a part of it. The fact that he focused so powerfully on that line has always stayed with me and I try to repeat it whenever I am in a situation where it is good to be there.

Hopefully, we say this when we are with our family. It is good to be here. Family is everything! It is good to be with our family. It is not always easy and not always enjoyable to be with our family. But, it is good. We are all so blessed to have family.

We are all so blessed to have the friends we have. Many of us realize this in certain situations with our friends. We should say from time to time that it good to be here - with our friends.

Especially with the state of our economy as people are losing their jobs all over the place, we should say that it is good to be here – at work. Whether we say it to ourselves or to our co-workers, it is good to be here in the workplace.

I thank God every day that I am at St. Andrew’s. It is good to be here! We have a great parish. We are not perfect, but we are good. We are all so blessed to be in a parish community like this one. It is good to be here at St. Andrew’s.

The first part of Peter’s statement is key because he acknowledges that this event is from God. He says “Rabbi, it is good that we are here” Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the see the Transfiguration. He gave them that sight with him in dazzling white clothes. He has given us everything that is good– our family, our friends, our jobs, our parish family. We should appreciate all that we have as blessings from God. “Lord, it is good that we are here”.

Finally, it is good that we are here at Mass. It is not always easy and not always fun to be at Mass. But, it is good. It is the best thing that we will do all week! We come here as a family, hear the Word of God, and receive the Eucharist together. We come here to see a magnificent event like the Transfiguration. Through the eyes of faith, we see the bread and wine transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. As we approach the Eucharist today and received Him into our souls and bodies, let us say the words of Peter, “Lord, it is good that we are here”.

"40 Ways to Get the Most out of Lent"

2009-03-06T00:03:00.002-05:00

Tonight at SAA Church: Station of the Cross, 7 pm, with Eucharistic Adoration to follow. Please join us!!
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The following is a partial list of “40 Ways to Get the Most out of Lent” which is from “The Crossroads Initiative”. The first suggestion is probably the most important – pray about which of the activities is prudent and possible for you, depending on your situation in life. In other words, we don’t try to do them all, but we do try to do at least some of the activities. To view the full list, please click on today’s title.

1. Take (time) to pray, ask the Holy Spirit’s guidance, look over this activities list, and make a few practical Lenten resolutions. Be careful. If you try to do too much, you may not succeed in anything...

4. If you can’t do Mass daily, go to Mass on Fridays in addition to Sunday and thank Him for laying his life down for you. Maybe you can go another time or two as well.

5. Spend at least 30 minutes in Eucharistic adoration at least one time during the week.

7. Get to confession at least once during Lent after making a good examination of conscience…

9. Make a decision to read at least some Scripture every day…

10. Even if you can’t get to daily Mass, get a Daily Roman Missal or go visit the Crossroads Homepage for a link to the Daily Mass readings, and read these readings daily. During special seasons such as Lent, the Mass readings are thematically coordinated and make for a fantastic Bible study!

11. Pray the Liturgy of the Hours. You can buy a one volume edition or a full four volume edition. Or you can get it day by day online for free at www.universalis.com. Or you can subscribe to a monthly publication called the Magnificat that provides a few things from the liturgy of the hours together with the Mass readings of the day. The Magnificat is a great way to start learning the Liturgy of the Hours.

12. Get to know the Fathers of the Church and read selections from them along with Scripture. Short selections from the Fathers writing on Lenten themes can be downloaded for free from the Lenten Library of our website at www.crossroadsintiative.com

13. Make the Stations of the Cross each Friday either with a group or by yourself. If you have kids, bring them.

15. Purchase the Scriptural Rosary, which supplies you with a scripture verse to recite between each Hail Mary. This makes it easier to meditate on the mysteries. Another resource to deepen your understanding of the Rosary is my CD set “How Mary and the Rosary can Change Your Life.”

16. If you’ve never done a family rosary, begin doing it. If starting with once a week, try Friday or Sunday. If it’s tough to start with a full five decades, try starting with one. Use the Scriptural Rosary and have a different person read each of the Scriptures between the Hail Marys. This gets everyone more involved.

17. Make it a habit to stop at least five times a day, raise your heart and mind to God, and say a short prayer such as “Jesus, I love you,” or “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” or “Lord, I offer it up for you.”

28. Find a form of fasting that is appropriate for you, given your age, state of health, and state of life. Some fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays. Some fast from sweets or alcohol throughout Lent. Some fast on one or more days per week from breakfast all the way to dinner, spending lunch hour in prayer or at noon Mass. Some cut out all snacks between meals. The money saved from not buying various things should be given to an apostolate or ministry serving the physically or spiritually poor.

29. Prayer is like breathing – you have to do it continually. But sometimes you need to pause and take a very deep breath. That’s what a retreat is. Plan a retreat this Lent. It could be simply a half day, out in nature, or in a Church. Or it could be a full day. Or an overnight. You can certainly read lots of things during your retreat or listen to lots of talks. But try sticking to Scripture, the liturgy, and quiet as much as you can. During or at the end of the retreat, write down what the Holy Spirit seems to be saying.

30. Find a written biography of a Saint that particularly appeals to you, and read it during Lent.

31. Instead of secular videos for weekend entertainment, try some videos that will enrich your spiritual life. Suggestions: Jesus of Nazareth, by Franco Zeffirelli, The Scarlet and the Black, the Assisi Underground.

32. While driving, turn off the secular radio for awhile and use commute time to listen to some teaching on audiocassette or CD. Some great resources can be purchased through this site or from other Catholic apostolates and publishers that you can find on our links page.

33. Find a local homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or crisis pregnancy center, and volunteer some time there throughout Lent. Serve the people there with the understanding that in so doing, you are serving Jesus. Try to see Jesus in each person there.

34. Visit someone at a nursing home or in the hospital or sick at home. Again, love Jesus in and through the suffering person.

35. Is there a widow or divorced person living in your neighborhood? If so, invite that person to your home for dinner, coffee, etc.

37. Invite folks to view The Passion of the Christ with you, especially people whose faith is rather nominal, or who do not practice their faith, or who do not profess Christian faith at all. Give them a copy of The Guide to the Passion.

38. Spend some focused time with your spouse, strengthening your marriage. Start praying together, or make praying together a more frequent occurrence.

39. Spend some focused time together with each of your children. Listen. Pray. Maybe even have fun.

"Food as ministry"

2009-03-03T11:34:00.003-05:00

The following is an article in today’s Metro section of the Washington Post. I’ve met this priest a few times – he’s very friendly and down to earth. I thought he was very gifted before reading this article! I first met him years ago when he was entertaining crowds at “Men in Black” games (similar to DC ‘Hood). Seeing the Post’s interest in talented priests, my hope is that the next article will be about the DC ‘Hood game at Verizon Center on March 15 (obvious follow-up to this!).

Mass had been over only a few minutes and the Rev. Leo Patalinghug had already traded his green and gold robe for an apron, his priest's collar poking out over the top. He was chopping onions with the speed and flair of a celebrity chef --which he is.

Sort of.

The unusual cooking demonstration occurred on a recent afternoon at a Catholic bookstore in downtown Washington. About two dozen people took their lunch hour to see the compact, smiley 39-year-old show how to make penne alla vodka, with dramatic flames of burning liquor and a dose of spiritual encouragement delivered in a snappy, chatty manner.

"This is my favorite sound!" Patalinghug proclaimed as he popped raw onions into a pan of hot oil. "That, or 'Go in peace and serve the Lord.'"

Corny, telegenic, not aggressively religious -- that's Patalinghug's style, more Emeril than Benedict. The Baltimore native has two self-published cookbooks and a Web site that has 10,000 visitors a month. He travels frequently to speak to crowds who want to see the priest who cooks, break dances and stick fights. (He has won a world championship in arnis, a martial art.)

PBS is hoping to put him on the air. The Food Network is taping a test show with him in June.
It has become commonplace for Protestant ministers -- evangelicals in particular -- to embrace pop culture and the mass media. And then there's the Orthodox rabbi with the TV show and the jet-setting Muslim preacher who has wowed crowds worldwide with his theology. But few Catholic priests are in the public eye in that way, and Patalinghug says it's time to try something new to engage people and their faith. It is part of a movement among traditional Catholics who are pushing what Pope John Paul II called "the new evangelization," an effort to use mass communication to draw people to the Church.

Patalinghug is using his role as a budding celebrity chef to preach the importance of the dinner table in family life. The family that cooks and eats together stays together, he says.

"Grace Before Meals" is the name of what Patalinghug calls his "movement." It's also the title of his first book (which has sold 6,000 copies), Web site, e-mail blasts and "webisodes" of him cooking. What he describes as his "calling" involves him in marketing meetings, fundraising and fretting that the camera is adding five pounds. But it's all a plunge into pop culture that he feels is necessary for Catholicism.

To Patalinghug, who grew up cooking in a Filipino household in Baltimore, food as ministry comes naturally. The references in the Bible are everywhere. Adam and Eve eating in the Garden of Eden. Jesus at the Last Supper. The Hebrew word "Bethlehem" means "house of bread."

"I didn't initially want to do this. I thought it was silly. But things that have happened because of this have been profound," he said in an interview. "I've received e-mails from people around the world saying I'm helping to save their families."

Joanne Alloway, 61, an Annapolis writer, said hearing Patalinghug speak prompted her to push for more family meals with her daughter and grandson. Seeing a man who is supposed to be a representative of God be "so real," she said, boosted her faith. "A lot of clergy act like they're almighty. He makes it clear we are all God's people, we all make mistakes and God takes us back."

Patalinghug studied performing arts in college and won break dancing contests in Baltimore in the 1980s. With his growing popularity as a cook, he has become a sought-after speaker on the Catholic young people's circuit. He talks about chastity among the unmarried, "fearless sex" (which to him means without contraception) among the married, and, especially, the sacred aspects of food.

His videos show him cooking, and aside from the collar, the location -- some are shot at his current assignment, Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. -- and his occasional religious references, they look much like other cooking shows. His cookbook, however, includes Scriptural passages and parenting advice. Each chapter includes advice for conversation-starters, such as: What events should we celebrate in our house over a meal that we don't already?

Patalinghug is aware of the danger of looking gimmicky -- or unpriestly -- and addresses the subject even unasked.

"It looks like such a shtick: a priest cooking show!" he said during Mass at the Catholic Information Center, the downtown bookstore-chapel where he did his recent penne alla vodka presentation. "But I know the only way I can reach your hearts and minds is through your stomach."

Many of those at the bookstore were conservative Catholics, regular Mass-goers who said they would like to see more priests like him.

"A lot of them are so --" Gilda Del Signore, a tour guide from Northwest Washington, made a sour face. "So many aren't very social."

Signore, like everyone else at the event, didn't seek out Patalinghug for spiritual information. She wanted to know which spices he was adding and why he didn't use Parmigiano-Reggiano as well as heavy cream.

"Sure, he wears a collar, but I think it's kind of cool, and to be honest, it's a different marketing experience," said Larry Rifkin, a programming executive with Connecticut Public Television, which hopes to produce a show with Patalinghug. "You're always looking at ways to have your series stand out."

Right now, Patalinghug said, people are buying into the "fast-food" mentality, not only in what they eat but in how much time they spend together.

"It's the mentality that says: I'm too busy for the people I love. I'm too busy to cook for you. I'm too busy to even care about what you might be eating."

1st Sunday of Lent - homily

2009-03-01T10:38:00.001-05:00

Recently, a father of eight children told a story involving one of his sons. It happened at the dinner one night when the boy was around 4 or 5. The son had only eaten a small portion of his dinner. There was a lot of food left on his plate, but he asked to have dessert! The father said no way. The son said he was done eating dinner; the father said that he needed to eat more of his dinner. They went back and forth for a while. There was some complaining and some crying (that was just the Dad).

Finally, the father said, “look, you can’t do anything else until you eat more of your dinner. I think you need to go to your room and think about this. When you’re ready to have more of it, your dinner will be here. We will take this into tomorrow if we have to”. The son went up to his room. The father could hear that his son was upset and crying. After some time, he heard the boy call out to him, “Daddy…”. “Yes”, the father said…“can we start over?”

We’ve probably all been a part of that experience either as a child or as a parent. We all definitely have that experience with Almighty God, our Daddy in Heaven. We know that we can always say, “Daddy, can we start over?”, and He will start over with us. No matter how much food we have on our plate, no matter how messy our plate has become, no matter if we’ve complained or argued with God, no matter how long it has been that we’ve been in relationship with God…we can always start over with Him.

We know this because we know through our faith who God is. When we come here each week, we hear from Scripture that God is merciful, compassionate, and caring toward us. We hear stories like the one from our first reading (Gn 9:8-15). In this story, God takes the initiative in starting over with us. He wipes the slate clean with all of his creatures after the Flood. And, He makes a covenant with Noah and all creatures on Earth. God has been in covenant – in deep relationship, like a marriage covenant – with us from the beginning. He began a covenant with us through Noah, continued it through Abraham and Moses, and fulfilled it with a new covenant in his Son, Jesus Christ.

We know that we can always start over with God. But, there are people who don’t come here anymore and who don’t believe that they can start over with God, for whatever reason. They might think that there is too much food on their plate, that they’ve made too much of a mess, that it’s been too long since they’ve been in friendship with God or the Church…that they can’t say, “Daddy, can we start over?”

We know people like this in our families, among our friends, and among our co-workers. We can help them to know that He will start over with them. We can invite them back to Him. We can invite them back to Church. We can give them an envelope that invites them back. We have these envelopes in the vestibule of Church that contain written invitations from the Archbishop. We can simply give these invitations to them (and then run away if we want, as the Archbishop has said!). If they ask us how to come back, then we can give specific suggestions: “come to Mass with me… come to Confession with me…come pray with me…give Fr. Mike a call…give Fr. Greg a call”.

We have probably thought for a long time that we should do this with these people. Well, as our Lord says in the Gospel, now is the time! Now is the time to invite them. This Lent is the time. And, what time does Jesus say it is? “Now is the time of fulfillment”. Jesus is our fulfillment. He is our satisfaction. We find our happiness and fulfillment in Christ, especially at Mass. We are fulfilled by the Eucharist - the Bread of Life satisfies us. We are fulfilled by the Word of God. We are fulfilled by prayer. We are fulfilled by going to Confession. We are fulfilled by coming here as a family in worship. And, we want those who have been away from us here to experience this. We want them to be fulfilled by Christ.

So, let us take courage, not be afraid, and invite them back to the Lord and back to the Church. Through our invitation and God’s Grace, may they say sometime soon, “Daddy (in Heaven), can we start over?”

Mother's way of honoring the dead

2009-02-27T10:31:00.005-05:00

Stations of the Cross, 7 pm, tonight; Eucharistic Adoration to follow. All are welcome!!

Anon wrote the following: “I have a question- why do people visit the gravesites of loved ones? My grandmother’s birthday was the other day and my mom reminded me that I should visit her grave. My immediate thought was, ‘Why- she’s not there anymore?’ I didn’t want to be disrespectful of my mother’s way of honoring her mother’s memory, but I never really understood that tradition. I visit my grandmother in memory. I don’t understand visiting her bones. I didn’t go to the cemetery but instead went to her parish and lit a candle- that seemed more appropriate”.

Anon, your mother’s way of honoring her mother’s memory has been the Church’s way of honoring the dead since the very beginning. In fact, it started with Mary Magdelene visiting the tomb of Christ. The different Gospel accounts reveal specifically why Mary went to visit the gravesite of Christ. She went to “see the tomb” (Mt 28), to “go and anoint him” (Mk 16) with the “spices and perfumed oils…they had prepared” (Lk 23-24), and “stayed outside the tomb weeping” (Jn 20). In general, they reveal Mary’s “sensitivity and affection” (Navarre Bible) for the burial place and dead body of her Lord.

Jesus’ tomb was a sacred place for Mary Magdelene and for the others who visited it. Now, we probably easily understand why the gravesite of our Lord was sacred. It contained the deceased body that had been sacrificed for the salvation of the world. Also, it was the resting place of a Sacred Person! These two truths are unique to Christ. But, Christian gravesites are sacred places as well mainly because they contain the remains of those who shared in Christ’s death and resurrection. As is stated below, “there is a direct relationship between Jesus’ death and resurrection and the death and resurrection of the Christian”.

Also, please keep in mind the following: “the bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit” (Catechism, #2300). I would suggest that visiting a gravesite is, by extension, a corporal work of mercy because it is an extension of burying the dead. It definitely is an opportunity to gain an indulgence for the deceased person. The list of indulgences that I’ve linked here before includes a plenary indulgence for “a Visit to a Cemetery. Only applicable to the souls in Purgatory when one devoutly visits and prays for the departed. A PLENARY INDULGENCE is bestowed for this work each day between November 1 and November 8”. It would be a partial indulgence for other days.

Finally, the following are two sites from different dioceses that include information and insights that might also be helpful in understanding why we visit gravesites:

“As people of faith, our burial places share an important meaning for us, since they are sacred places. Each visit to the cemetery is a reminder to us of the love, fellowship and faith that we shared with our deceased family members and friends. It is also a reminder to us of our own mortality and belief in the Resurrection.

Just as we are brought to a sacred place, the Catholic Church, at the time of our birth to be baptized and enter into the life of Christ, so too are we brought to another sacred place, a Catholic cemetery, at the time of our death to await the resurrection of the dead and the promise of eternal life that comes to us through life in Christ”
http://www.madisondiocese.org/diocesancemeteries/FrequentQuestions/tabid/1176/Default.aspx

“Catholic Cemeteries are an extension of the parish where those who have worshipped and prayed together in life now await the resurrection of the body in death.

Catholic Cemeteries are rooted in ancient religious traditions that display a respect for the deceased and a reverence for their physical remains.

A core belief which dates back to the birth of Christianity is that there is a direct relationship between Jesus’ death and resurrection and the death and resurrection of the Christian. Catholics believe in life eternal. Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me will never die.” (Jn.11:25-26). Just as Christ rose from the dead, He will raise our mortal remains to be like His in glory.

Catholic cemeteries are a constant reminder that death is just a part of the journey that leads to new life.

Catholic cemeteries are sacred places that strive to create a religious environment conducive of prayer, reflection and remembrance. Our cemeteries encourage prayerful visitation through the use of statuary, landscaping, architecture and Christian symbolism throughout buildings and by memorialization.”
-http://www.holyroodcemetery.org/faq.htm

Ash Wednesday

2009-02-25T08:14:00.003-05:00

Mass schedule today at St Andrew's: 6:30, 8:30, 10, 7:30 pm
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"Return to me with your whole heart" (Joel 2:12).

This is from today's first reading. It is our mantra as we begin the season of Lent. Hopefully, we have given our hearts to Christ in general. But, let us do it in specific ways. There is at least one specific thing in which each of us needs to give our hearts to Christ (e.g., patience, chastity). Whatever fasting or works of penance we do is mainly to help us give our hearts to Christ in the specific thing. If we fast from chocolate, for example, but don't give our heart to Christ with our one thing this Lent, then the fast was pointless.

As Jesus indicates in today's Gospel, our fasting, prayer, and almsgiving is between us and God. This Lent, it's between you and God. Give Him your whole heart!

"Happy the man who finds wisdom"

2009-02-24T12:31:00.000-05:00

Please sign up for The Great Adventure!! If you or someone you know is interested in TGA Bible Study, please sign up today. You can register up until March 2, but we will be placing the order for the materials tomorrow and it would help us to have all the registrations in. So far, over 30 people have registered. You can register by sending me an email (gshaffer@adwparish.org) saying that you are interested in the Bible study.
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In my homily at Mass this morning, I made the point that the more I read Sacred Scripture, the more I find the answers to people’s questions. Well, maybe the passages from Scripture don’t fully answer people’s questions, but they certainly provide more understanding and authority than anything I say! I was especially thinking of questions on this site from bloggers as I’ve been reading through the Book of Proverbs recently. One passage (Prov 3: 11-12) in particular addressed questions about suffering:

“The discipline of the Lord, my son, disdain not;
spurn not his reproof;
For whom the Lord loves he reproves,
and he chastises the son he favors”.

This is identical to a passage from the Book of Judith (8:27) that I’m almost certain I’ve posted here before: “It is by way of admonition that (the Lord) chastises those who are close to him”. And, the passage from Proverbs is recalled exactly in Hebrews 12: 5-6. God reveals throughout Sacred Scripture that He disciplines those He loves. We shouldn’t hate the suffering or chastisement or reproof that comes from God because they are all signs that He loves us!

Now, I understand that this is a hard concept to grasp, indeed. But, please keep in mind that it is under the heading of Wisdom. God reveals true Wisdom to us in Sacred Scripture! In fact, here are the lines that follow the above passage in Proverbs:

“Happy the man who finds wisdom,
the man who gains understanding!
For her profit is better than profit in silver,
and better than gold is her revenue;
she is more precious than corals,
and none of your choice possessions can compare with her” (13-15).

In different places in the Gospel – such as today’s Gospel (Mk 9:30-37) - Jesus holds up children as the model for us to follow when it comes to faith. One of the best things about children is that they trust what their parents tell them. They trust that their parents are telling them the truth and they follow it. I can already hear the comments from some bloggers: “Father, you’re obviously not talking about my kids!”. This doesn’t apply to all kids all of the time, but by and large, what our Lord says about children is true: parents instill wisdom in their children and children accept it.

We are to be the same with the wisdom God has instilled in us through Sacred Scripture (and Sacred Tradition). The above passages, then, are Wisdom speaking to us about suffering. When we enter into relationship with God, we can expect some level of discipline via suffering. When we can recognize this discipline, we then use Wisdom to know that it is a sign of God’s love for us! For those who don’t accept the lesson of Wisdom from Proverbs and Judith, God has given an even greater lesson: His Son’s Passion and Death. He allows him to suffer tremendously, and yet has infinite love for His Son. Suffering, then, is a sign of God’s love for His Son and anyone who imitates the Son in taking up their cross. The Cross is a gift!

If we, as children of God, can simply accept what our Father reveals to us in Sacred Scripture, then we can begin to grow in wisdom and understanding.

7th Sunday - homily

2009-02-22T10:37:00.000-05:00

A few items of business today. The first has to do with the signs you see around the Church about the Great Adventure Bible Study. This is a great opportunity for all of us to understand the Bible better which is something that we all desire. It is a series of DVDs with Jeff Cavins who is a great teacher of the Bible. In the first DVD, Cavins reminds us of the quote from St. Jerome: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ”. I am the first to admit that I need to know the Bible better, so I will be participating in the series along with everyone else. If you haven’t already signed up, I encourage you to do so. The series will begin on March 2, the first Monday of Lent.

The second item is one that you might have read about in the Catholic Standard. It is the new campaign of the Archdiocese for Lent, “Belonging to God’s Family”. The last few years it has been, “The Light Is On For You”. That will continue – I think we will be offering confessions every Tuesday night from 7-8:30 here. But, the new campaign will be an invitation for Catholics who have strayed from or left the Church to return. Archbishop Wuerl has written invitations and placed them in envelopes; we will have the invitations here next Sunday. He are asked to give them to Catholics we know and invite them to return to the Church, especially to the Eucharist.

It will be an opportunity to be like the friends of the paralytic from today’s Gospel who went to great lengths to bring their friend to Jesus. What has always struck me is the urgency of these men. They bring the man to the house where Jesus is. There is a huge crowd there. But, they are not deterred. They lower the man on a mat through the roof of the house. What might be even more startling is Jesus’ reaction. He sees the faith of these men and the first thing he does is forgive the man’s sins. This is significant because it shows us that the most important healing to God is spiritual, personal healing. It is only after this healing that Jesus heals the man physically; and that is to give a sign to the scribes.

Now, I don’t know if this is what the friends intended when they brought their friend to Christ. But, it really is like they are bringing him to Confession! It would be like bringing someone to Confession and there is a long line at the Church; they would take him to the front of the line. The Church sees this story as analogous to the Sacrament of Confession because Confession bring great healing. Again, the most important healing to God is spiritual, personal healing.

If we look at the two campaigns that Archbishop Wuerl has initiated here, we see that his vision is for healing. He sees the great healing power of Christ in the Eucharist and in Confession. He knows that we need it for ourselves and for others. The hope is that we will all experience healing through the sacrament of Confession this Lent…that we will all go to Confession during Lent.

Finally, this weekend is the follow-up to last weekend’s commitment to the Archbishop’s Appeal. For those who were unable to be here last weekend for whatever reason, we will have the in-pew commitment to the Appeal again. The Appeal gives us the opportunity to bring healing to those around the Archdiocese who are in need. It gives us the chance to be like the friends of the paralytic and bring people to Jesus. Through the Appeal, we support the charities of the Archdiocese that help those who are in need of healing.

For those who weren’t here last weekend, I’m sure you’ve been wondering all week if we’re going the in-pew campaign again this weekend. You’ve been calling the rectory and asking, “are you going to do it again?” (!) Yes, we’ve got you covered. I’ll go through the steps now. For those who gave last weekend, I ask for your patience. On behalf of Fr. Mike, I thank you for your generosity and commitment…

"Amazing grace-filled landing"?

2009-02-20T12:02:00.003-05:00

Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. Please join us!!
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We should all be familiar now with the incredible story of the airplane that landed safely on the Hudson River in New York last month. Below are excerpts of a first-person account which a friend emailed me. It’s being called “Miracle on the Hudson”. I am hoping that our bloggers are astute enough to know that while the thought is correct (that something supernatural was at work in the landing of the plane), the theological language is not (I am such a stickler!). Technically speaking, miracles are changes in nature that can be picked up by the senses (e.g., water turning into wine, a blind person gaining sight).

Now, I am not smart enough to come up with the most appropriate title of this story (my leading choices would probably be: “Grace on the Hudson”, “Grace on board”, “Amazing grace-filled landing”, “Angels on the wings”). So, I leave it to our bloggers, the real theological experts of this site: what would be your title for this story?

This is from a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles, an executive recruitingfirm, who was on Flight 1549. Gerry McNamara (New York/Charlotte) was onUS Airways Flight 1549 last week. Here is his account of the event:

…I remember walking on the plane and seeing a fellow with grey hair in the cockpit and thinking "that's a good thing... I like to see grey hair in the cockpit!"

...I had started to point out items of interest to the gentleman next to me when we heard a terrible crash - a sound no one ever wants to hear whileflying - and then the engines wound down to a screeching halt. 10 seconds later, there was a strong smell of jet fuel. I knew we would be landing and thought the pilot would take us down no doubt to Newark Airport . As we began to turn south I noticed the pilot lining up on the river still -I thought - en route for Newark .

Next thing we heard was "Brace for impact!" - a phrase I had heard many years before as an active duty Marine Officer but never before on a commercial air flight. Everyone looked at each other in shock. It all happened so fast we were astonished!

We began to descend rapidly and it started to sink in. This is the last flight. I'm going to die today. This is it. I recited my favorite bible verse, the Lord's Prayer, and asked God to take care of my wife, children, family and friends.

When I raised my head I noticed people texting their friends and family....getting off a last message. My blackberry was turned off and in my trouser pocket...no time to get at it. Our descent continued and I prayed for courage to control my fear and help if able.

I quickly realized that one of two things was going to happen, neither of them good. We could hit by the nose, flip and break up, leaving few if any survivors, bodies, cold water, fuel. Or we could hit one of the wings and roll and flip with the same result. I tightened my seat belt as tight as I could possibly get it so I would remain intact.

As we came in for the landing, I looked out the windows and remember seeing the buildings in New Jersey , the cliffs in Weehawken , and then the piers. The water was dark green and sure to be freezing cold. The stewardesses were yelling in unison "Brace! Brace! Brace!"

It was a violent hit - the water flew up over my window - but we bobbed up and were all amazed that we remained intact. There was some panic - people jumping over seats and running towards the doors, but we soon got everyone straightened out and calmed down. There were a lot of people that took leadership roles in little ways. Those sitting at the doors over the wing did a fantastic job...they were opened in a New York second! Everyone worked together - teamed up and in groups to figure out how to help eachother.

…We were standing in 6-8 inches of water and it was freezing. There were two women on the wing, one of whom slipped off into the water. Another passenger and I pulled her back on and had her kneel down to keep from falling off again. By that point we were totally soaked and absolutely frozen from the icy wind.…

The ferries were the first to arrive, and although they're not made for rescue, they did an incredible job…We could not stop shaking. Uncontrollable shaking…

I am struck by what was truly a miracle. Had this happened a few hours later, it would have been pitch dark and much harder to land.. Ferries would no longer have been running after rush hour and it would not have been the same uplifting story. Surely there would have been fatalities,hypothermia, an absolute disaster! I witnessed the best of humanity that day. I and everyone on that plane survived and have been given a second chance. It struck me that in our work we continuously seek excellence to solve our client's leadership problems. We talk to clients all the time about the importance of experience and the ability to execute. Experience showed up big time on Flight 1549 as our pilot was a dedicated, trained,experienced professional who executed flawlessly when he had to.…

There is a great deal to be learned including: Why has this happened to me? Why have I survived and what am I supposed to do with this gift? For me, the answers to these questions and more will come over time, but already I find myself being more patient and forgiving, less critical and judgmental.

For now I have 4 lessons I would like to share:
1. Cherish your families as never before and go to great lengths to keep your promises.
2. Be thankful and grateful for everything you have and don't worry about the things you don't have.
3. Keep in shape. You never know when you'll be called upon to save your own life, or help someone else save theirs.
4. When you fly, wear practical clothing. You never know when you'll end up in an emergency or on an icy wing in flip flops and pajamas and of absolutely no use to yourself or anyone else.

And I'd like to add: Fly with grey haired Captains.

"Actual flesh and blood!"

2009-02-17T12:07:00.002-05:00

Have you always wanted to know the “big picture” of the Bible? Discover it this Lent! St. Andrew’s is offering The Great Adventure Video Bible Study on Monday nights from 7-9 pm in the rectory basement. The 24-week series will begin on Monday, March 2, 2009; the cost is $40 per person (including materials). To register or for more information, please call Fr. Greg at 301.649.3700 ext. 314 or email him at gshaffer@adwparish.org.

In answer to a blogger’s question, this is the same Bible Study that has been shown on EWTN. Almost 20 people have already registered!
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Here are some recent comments from bloggers:

1) “Yesterday, when I was driving there was a car in front of me covered with bumper stickers. There were stickers about peace, war, love, Obama and choice. But the one that caught my eye was a large plain sticker that simply said, ‘Love your Mother.’ I was thinking, ‘Yeah, love your mother- because YOU ARE. If she made a different ‘choice’ you would never know ‘peace’ or ‘love’ or feel the need to go to ‘war’ on any issue.’”

Cool thoughts, Anon, but the sticker is talking about “Mother Earth”. The next time you see one, look for the picture of the Earth next to the word Mother.

2) “This suffering refers to the reproach that Christ's followers must suffer because of their identification with Him. (All those who live godly in Christ will face persecution - 2 Tim 3:12) This has nothing to do with salvation or Christ's work on the cross.”

“James” left this comment in response to my post on Oct. 14, 2008, “What is lacking in the afflictions of Christ”. Assuming that James is referring to the main reference of the post (Col 1:24), I will go with the interpretation of the Church – specifically Pope John Paul II and St. Augustine as mentioned in my post – over his interpretation any day. ALL human suffering has to do with salvation and Christ’s work on the Cross! “In the mystery of the Church as his Body, Christ has in a sense opened his own redemptive suffering to all human suffering” (JP II). It’s up to each person to unite his/her suffering with Christ’s.

3) “I don't think that Thomas' seeing Jesus' wounds is comparable to our seeing Jesus in the Eucharist. The wounds shown to Thomas were exactly that -- physical wounds. But the host does not look like a person. So it truly takes faith to believe in the Real Presence. Thomas, on the other hand, had an easier task. During Communion at Mass, I feel like a mere onlooker because it brings no special experience to me whatsoever. I really do it because not doing it would send a message to my kids that I do not believe, which could dampen their belief.”

This Anon is responding to what I wrote in my post on 1.27.09, “Stay close to the Eucharist”: “Seeing Christ in the Eucharist (through the eyes of faith) is for many people what it was for Thomas seeing his wounds – he believed because he had seen (in fact, we whisper at the consecration at Mass what he said at that moment, “my Lord and my God”).

I appreciate your comments, Anon, and am sorry that you feel like a mere onlooker at Mass. I agree that Thomas’ seeing is not totally comparable to us seeing the Eucharist, but the common denominator in each situation is that something is visible. Thomas saw wound marks on the risen body of Jesus; we see a host and a cup filled with wine. And our reaction to what’s visible in front of us should be the same as Thomas’ reaction to what was visible in front of him: “my Lord and my God”. Faith underlies both reactions.

For those who are struggling to believe in the Real Presence, I recommend a 29 min. video, “This my Body, This is my Blood, Miracles of the Eucharist”, by Bob and Penny Lord. It is available through Journeys of Faith (1.800.633.2484). It presents four documented miracles that Jesus has worked through the Eucharist in the past 1300 years. In one of the miracles, the Host turned into flesh and the Wine turned into Blood. Like, physical flesh and blood that looks like actual flesh and blood! Through these miracles, Christ helps us to believe in His eucharistic Body as He helped Thomas to believe in his risen Body.

"Dedicated to love"

2009-02-13T12:08:00.001-05:00

1) Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. All are invited!!
2) Please pray for our Youth Group that we will have a fruitful weekend at the Mount 2009 retreat in Emmitsburg.
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Here is a brief summary of the origin of Valentine’s Day provided by americancatholic.org:

“Although the mid-February holiday celebrating love and lovers remains wildly popular, the confusion over its origins led the Catholic Church, in 1969, to drop St. Valentine's Day from the Roman calendar of official, worldwide Catholic feasts. (Those highly sought-after days are reserved for saints with more clear historical record. After all, the saints are real individuals for us to imitate.) Some parishes, however, observe the feast of St. Valentine.

The roots of St. Valentine's Day lie in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on Feb. 15. For 800 years the Romans had dedicated this day to the god Lupercus. On Lupercalia, a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and would then keep the woman as a sexual companion for the year.

Pope Gelasius I was, understandably, less than thrilled with this custom. So he changed the lottery to have both young men and women draw the names of saints whom they would then emulate for the year (a change that no doubt disappointed a few young men). Instead of Lupercus, the patron of the feast became Valentine. For Roman men, the day continued to be an occasion to seek the affections of women, and it became a tradition to give out handwritten messages of admiration that included Valentine's name.

There was also a conventional belief in Europe during the Middle Ages that birds chose their partners in the middle of February. Thus the day was dedicated to love, and people observed it by writing love letters and sending small gifts to their beloved. Legend has it that Charles, duke of Orleans, sent the first real Valentine card to his wife in 1415, when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. (He, however, was not beheaded, and died a half-century later of old age.) “

As tomorrow is a day “dedicated to love”, it is fitting to include some reflections on love from Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical, “Deus Caritas Est” (“God is love”):

“3. That love between man and woman which is neither planned nor willed, but somehow imposes itself upon human beings, was called eros by the ancient Greeks. Let us note straight away that the Greek Old Testament uses the word eros only twice, while the New Testament does not use it at all: of the three Greek words for love, eros, philia (the love of friendship) and agape, New Testament writers prefer the last, which occurs rather infrequently in Greek usage. As for the term philia, the love of friendship, it is used with added depth of meaning in Saint John's Gospel in order to express the relationship between Jesus and his disciples. The tendency to avoid the word eros, together with the new vision of love expressed through the word agape, clearly point to something new and distinct about the Christian understanding of love…

5… the contemporary way of exalting the body is deceptive. Eros, reduced to pure “sex”, has become a commodity, a mere “thing” to be bought and sold, or rather, man himself becomes a commodity…True, eros tends to rise “in ecstasy” towards the Divine, to lead us beyond ourselves; yet for this very reason it calls for a path of ascent, renunciation, purification and healing.

6. Concretely, what does this path of ascent and purification entail? How might love be experienced so that it can fully realize its human and divine promise? Here we can find a first, important indication in the Song of Songs, an Old Testament book well known to the mystics. According to the interpretation generally held today, the poems contained in this book were originally love-songs, perhaps intended for a Jewish wedding feast and meant to exalt conjugal love. In this context it is highly instructive to note that in the course of the book two different Hebrew words are used to indicate ‘love’. First there is the word dodim, a plural form suggesting a love that is still insecure, indeterminate and searching. This comes to be replaced by the word ahabà, which the Greek version of the Old Testament translates with the similar-sounding agape, which, as we have seen, becomes the typical expression for the biblical notion of love. By contrast with an indeterminate, ‘searching’ love, this word expresses the experience of a love which involves a real discovery of the other, moving beyond the selfish character that prevailed earlier. Love now becomes concern and care for the other. No longer is it self-seeking, a sinking in the intoxication of happiness; instead it seeks the good of the beloved: it becomes renunciation and it is ready, and even willing, for sacrifice…”

"You knew full well..."

2009-02-10T11:59:00.001-05:00

Have you always wanted to know the “big picture” of the Bible? Discover it this Lent! St. Andrew’s is offering The Great Adventure Video Bible Study on Monday nights from 7-9 pm in the rectory basement. The 24-week series will begin on Monday, March 2, 2009; the cost is $40 per person (including materials). To register or for more information, please call Fr. Greg at 301.649.3700 ext. 314 or email him at gshaffer@adwparish.org.
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“For those who know the Church’s teachings on a particular act but believe the teaching is incorrect, do they have ‘full knowledge’ that the act is wrong? …what constitutes ‘full knowledge’ of sin and culpability?”

An excellent question from a blogger. This is one answer I have yet to find exactly. On the one hand, full knowledge could imply a complete awareness of all of the aspects of a particular act. That would be a lot! On the other hand, it could mean that one simply knows fully well that a particular act is wrong. For example, a parent might scold a child for doing something they knew was wrong by saying, “you knew full well that …” The Church’s brief definition of full knowledge is probably closer to the latter viewpoint: “knowledge of the sinful act, of its opposition to God’s law” (CCC, 1859).

The best and simplest answer might be that full knowledge means that you know an act is wrong and that you are committing the act. For example, a married couple learns from the Church (through a homily, article, discussion group, blog site, etc.) that artificial contraception is morally wrong and opposed to God’s law. At that point, they know that is wrong. Assuming that that they know what artificial contraception is and that one spouse isn’t secretly using contraception, they would both know if and when they are doing it. So, they would both have full knowledge.

Now, let’s say that one or both of the spouses says that they don’t believe the act is wrong. They have heard what the Church teaches and said that the Church is wrong. Dangerous ground: they know better than the Church! A good question might be, “do you also disagree with the Church when it says that murder or adultery or stealing is wrong”? They would most likely say no. So, how do they know which teachings of the Church are correct and which ones are incorrect? And, on what authority do they base their position? Their weak and shallow position has no real authority because the Church is the moral authority on Earth, as given by Christ. It’s such dangerous ground to disagree with the Church on matters of faith and morals because it’s the same as disagreeing with Christ.

“My daughter asked me a question that I’m not sure I answered correctly. She learned about the parts of the Mass in school and asked why we need to go to Confession if we have the penitential rite at the beginning of the Mass. In thinking about it, the penitential rite does sound like Confession (minus absolution). We are told to call to mind our sins and ask for God’s forgiveness. I told her that absolution must be granted to be fully reconciled with God, and that’s why we go to Confession- to be reconciled. But I can see how some might think they don’t need confession if they reflect on their sin and ask for forgiveness each Mass. She went on to ask, if people are recalling their sins but not going to Confession, shouldn’t most people there NOT be receiving the Eucharist. I told her to ask her teacher about that one.Adding to my daughter's question, if I remember correctly, in other churches absolution IS granted with the penitential rite, and the church does not say those people will not go to Heaven. If God is going to welcome other non-Catholic Christians and non-Christians into Heaven, and they don’t go to confession, why do I need to?”

Your daughter asks a great question! You did a good job in answering most of it. I would have added something about the value of receiving the counsel of the priest which we don’t get in the Penitential Rite at Mass. That personal advice has helped so many people! Your daughter also gives a tremendous insight which also hints at a big part of the answer to her question. The forgiveness of mortal sins is reserved for the sacrament of Reconciliation, not the Penitential Rite. So, when she suggests that most people should not be receiving Communion without going to Confession first, she hits at a big problem: many Catholics receiving the Eucharist in mortal sin.

Finally, the “absolution” given by the priest to conclude the Penitential Rite at Mass “lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance” (USCCB).

5th Sunday - reflection

2009-02-08T10:22:00.000-05:00

Healing the Fevers of Life

Biblical Reflection for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Father Thomas Rosica, CSB

TORONTO, FEB. 4, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The centerpiece of the stone ruins of the village of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee's northwest shore is the black octagonal Church of the Panis Vitae (Bread of Life), built directly above what is believed to be Simon Peter's house, the setting for today's Gospel story [Mark 1:29-39]. One of my mentors and teachers, the late Passionist Father Carroll Stuhlmueller, once told me that the real centerpiece of Capernaum should be a huge memorial statue dedicated to the mothers-in-law of the world!

Try for a moment just to imagine the setting of this day in the life of Jesus. The newly constituted group of disciples who had left their nets, boats, hired servants, and even their father, to follow the Lord [1:16-20] are delighted in his presence. Jesus' words and actions completely overpower evil. His personality is so compelling and attractive. Leaving the synagogue where an evil spirit has been overcome, Jesus and his disciples walk only a few feet before encountering further evils of human sickness, prejudice and taboo. We read: "The whole city gathered together about the door" [1:33-34]. What a commotion!

In Mark's Gospel, the very first healing by Jesus involves a woman. He approaches Simon's mother-in-law as she lay in bed with fever. He takes her by the hand and raises her to health [1:31]. Such actions were unacceptable for any man -- let alone someone who claimed to be a religious figure or leader. Not only does he touch the sick woman, but also he then allows her to serve him and his disciples. Because of the strict laws of ritual purity at that time, Jesus broke this taboo by taking her by the hand, raising her to health, and allowing her to serve him at table.

Peter's mother-in-law's response to the healing of Jesus is the discipleship of lowly service, a model to which Jesus will repeatedly invite his followers to embrace throughout the Gospel and which he models through his own life. Some will say that the purpose of today's Gospel story is to remind us that this woman's place is in the home. That is not the purpose of the story. The mother-in-law's action is in sharp contrast to that of her son-in-law, Simon, who calls to Jesus' attention the crowd that is clamoring for more healings [1:37] but does nothing, himself, about them.

In Mark's Gospel stories of the poor widow [12:41-44], the woman with the ointment [14:3-9], the women at the cross [15:40-41], and the women at the tomb [16:1], women represent the correct response to Jesus' invitation to discipleship. They stand in sharp contrast to the great insensitivity and misunderstanding of the male disciples. The presence of Jesus brings wholeness, holiness and dignity to women. How often do our hurtful, human customs prevent people from truly experiencing wholeness, holiness and dignity?

Job's test

In the Old Testament reading from Job [7:1-7], Job doesn’t know it yet, but he is part of a “test” designed between Satan and God. Prior to today’s verses, Job has endured immense suffering and loss. He knows that the shallow theological explanations of his friends are not God’s ways; but still, he is at a loss to understand his own suffering. Job complains of hard labor, sleepless nights, a dreadful disease and the brevity of his hopeless life. For Job, all of life is a terrible fever! How often do we experience “Job” moments in our own life as our fevers burn away?

The healing of Simon's mother-in-law proclaims Jesus' power to heal all sorts of fevers. Around the year 400 A.D., St. Jerome preached on today's Gospel text in Bethlehem: "O that he would come to our house and enter and heal the fever of our sins by his command. For each and every one of us suffers from fever. When I grow angry, I am feverish. So many vices, so many fevers. But let us ask the apostles to call upon Jesus to come to us and touch our hand, for if he touches our hand, at once the fever flees" ["Corpus Christianorum," LXXVIII 468].

With Jesus, healing of mind and body becomes a clear sign that the Kingdom of God is already present. Jesus' healing Word of power reaches the whole person: it heals the body and even more important, it restores those who suffer to a healthy relationship with God and with the community.

May we pray with confidence the words of Cardinal John Henry Newman’s Sermon on Wisdom and Innocence: "May he support us all the day long, till the shades lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in his mercy may he give us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last."

Finally, it is important to recognize what Jesus did after he healed the woman in today’s story. He took time away to strengthen himself through prayer. Do we do the same in the midst of our busy worlds in which we live, in the midst of the burning fevers of life and the burdens of our daily work?

May these first moments of Jesus' ministry in Mark’s Gospel teach us to recognize the goodness which God brings into our lives, but also that this goodness is not ours to horde for ourselves. The healing power of Jesus is still effective today -- reaching out to us to heal us and restore us to life.

[The readings for this Sunday are Job 7:1-4, 6-7; I Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23; and Mark 1:29-39]

* * *Basilian Father Thomas Rosica is the chief executive officer of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network in Canada. He can be reached at: rosica@saltandlighttv.org.

"Side by side"

2009-02-06T11:40:00.003-05:00

Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. Please join us!!
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Someone from our Bible Study group gave me the following. It's a clever little poem that speaks of a big problem.

Side by Side

They lie on the table side by side
The Holy Bible and the TV Guide
One is well worn and cherished with pride.
Not the Bible, but the TV Guide.

One is used daily to helps folks decide.
No, not the Bible, but the TV Guide.
As the pages are turned, what shall they see.
Oh, what does it matter, turn on the TV.

So they open the book in which they confide.
No, not the Bible, but the TV Guide.

The Word of God is seldom read
Maybe a verse before they fall into bed.
Exhausted and sleepy and tired can they be.
Not from reading the Bible, from watching TV.

So then back to the table side by side
Lie the Holy Bible and the TV Guide.
No time for prayer, not time for the Word,
The plan of salvation is seldom heard.

But forgiveness of sin, so full and free
Is found in the Bible, not on TV.

"He will give you the strength"

2009-02-04T12:53:00.003-05:00

“A popular Catholic statement is often about ‘carrying one’s cross.’ We also say things like, ‘God never gives us more than we can bear.’ How do we reconcile these statements with the fact that Simon carried Jesus’ cross when he could not? I’m overwhelmed and can’t ‘carry’ one more thing…right now I’m feeling like my cross is more than I can bear.”

“I also cannot believe that God does not give us more than we can bear. People commit suicide. They lose their lives to addiction. There are so many broken people in the world who are beyond help. I have such people in my family. Maybe some return to the land of the living by the grace of God, but most do not. Sometimes religious beliefs sound like fairy tales to me.”

“When I hear homilists talk about God not giving us more than we can bear, it doesn’t make sense- if we believe that God doesn’t CAUSE our problems.”

These are recent comments made by some bloggers. I can see how the phrase “God never gives us more than we can bear” can cause confusion. I know that some saints (Mother Teresa, e.g.) and theologians have used this phrase, while others don’t agree with the premise. It’s more of a cliché than a doctrine. Most people like hearing it; some don’t. A better phrase which we should all agree on might be, “God will give us abundant strength to bear our sufferings if we only ask Him.”

The fundamental point here is that God will give us the strength to bear suffering in this life. No matter who it is or what the situation, “God will give us abundant strength to bear our sufferings if we only ask Him.” I doubt that anyone here questions that part of the statement. If He didn’t give us abundant strength, then He wouldn’t be God. So, it’s the latter part that is the key: “if we only ask Him”. To the bloggers and for all of those to whom they are referring, I promise you that He will give you the strength you need to bear your sufferings….if only you ask Him.

God’s strength comes in abundance and in abundant ways. It often comes through other people – as it did for Jesus through Simon. I just experienced God’s strength through other people with my recent stomach virus. Fr. Mike and Marie in our office were huge helps for me, especially at moments where I was out of strength (some of it was brutal). Thanks be to God, I live and work in a home where faith and love is abundant. So, God’s strength is much more abundant through those who live and work here.

If faith and love are abundant in our lives and we are surrounded by people who have abundant faith and love, then we will experience God’s strength more abundantly in the midst of suffering. “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there”. God is with those who have invited Him in. The more that He is invited in, the more He dwells there. This means that His grace begins to branch out and grow in their lives; this is what the mustard seed parable speaks to. His grace comes in abundance and in different ways. It can certainly come in the form of strength amid suffering. For those who ask Him – either explicitly or implicitly – God does provide abundant strength to bear their sufferings.

The negative position (i.e., the opposite of what I write!) is often presented by bloggers on this site. The negative experience of the scenario I just presented would be that faith and love are absent in people’s lives and in those around them. This is what most often leads people to not have the strength to endure suffering, in my opinion. Apart from God, we don’t have the strength or endurance to handle suffering. On our own, we can’t do it. We weren’t made that way. We can’t carry our own cross (i.e., bear suffering on our own) for very long; even Jesus needed help. But, we need to ask Him for help. The only people are who beyond help are those who don’t ask for it. The quote below about suffering comes from Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and speaks to this point – we need to ask God to help us. And, He will. I promise.

Finally, it seems ironic that the phrase “fairy tales” was used in a comment on suffering. Is there anything more real than suffering? Than the Cross? I understand the point, though, and offer my own: sometimes God’s love sounds like a fairy tale to me.

"Suffering has to come because if you look at the cross, he has got his head bending down—he wants to kiss you—and he has both hands open wide—he wants to embrace you. He has his heart opened wide to receive you. Then when you feel miserable inside, look at the cross and you will know what is happening. Suffering, pain, sorrow, humiliation, feelings of loneliness, are nothing but the kiss of Jesus, a sign that you have come so close that he can kiss you. Do you understand, brothers, sisters, or whoever you may be? Suffering, pain, humiliation—this is the kiss of Jesus. At times you come so close to Jesus on the cross that he can kiss you. I once told this to a lady who was suffering very much. She answered, "Tell Jesus not to kiss me—to stop kissing me." That suffering has to come that came in the life of Our Lady, that came in the life of Jesus—it has to come in our life also. Only never put on a long face. Suffering is gift from God. It is between you and Jesus alone inside…. Our total surrender will come today by surrendering even our sins so that we will be poor. "Unless you become a child you cannot come to me." You are too big, too heavy; you cannot be lifted up. We need humility to acknowledge our sin. The knowledge of our sin helps us to rise. "I will get up and go to my Father."
-Mother Theresa

"The cross reminds us that there is no true love without suffering”
- Pope Benedict XVI

4th Sunday - homily

2009-02-01T13:45:00.001-05:00

So, we have the Super Bowl tonight – should be a good match-up. It’s the Pittsburgh Steelers who have won five Super Bowls against the Arizona Cardinals who are making their first Super Bowl appearance. I’m rooting for the Cardinals for the obvious reason: the Redskins beat the Cardinals this season, so we can say that we beat the Super Bowl champs! It has been really neat to read the comments by the players and coaches on both teams about their faith in Christ. So many have been unabashedly proclaiming their strong Christian faith and on such a big stage. It’ll be cool for whoever wins the game.

I would like to use the analogy of a football team to describe God and the Church, using some parts of today’s Gospel and the Creed that we profess, tweaking some of the wording to fit the analogy. God is the “upper management” of the team. God the Father is the owner and maker of the team. God the Son is the general manager and God the Spirit is the coach. We, the Church, are the players. But, the Son also became a player. By the power of the coach, he came down from the owner’s box and became a player (let’s say a quarterback).

He had great power and authority over his opponents, as we hear in today’s Gospel. His power was so great on and off the field (in deed and in word) that he “amazed” and “astonished” the crowds, and “his fame spread everywhere”. His biggest opponent was sin. He won victory over this archenemy of his on the Cross. It was the greatest victory of all-time in the game of life, in fulfillment of the playbook. As players on his team, we all share in his victory. He retired from the game, and ascended into the owner’s box where he sits at the right hand of the owner.

Now, the Spirit has been the coach from the beginning and he has spoken through the players from of old. But, when the Son ascended, he gave full leadership of the team to the coach. The Spirit leads the Church. He teaches us how to play to the best of our abilities. He teaches us how to play as Jesus played – with love. If we play as Jesus played…if we play the game of life with love, we share in his victory. It is the greatest victory of all-time in the game of life.

Finally, the Son has one more role. He is the nourishment of the team through his Body and Blood. The Eucharist is our Gatorade! It nourishes us, refreshes us, and strengthens us as players so that we will play as Jesus played. We might look at Jesus in the tabernacle and think that his work is done…that he is resting after his victory on the field. He retired but his work is not done. He continues to work – feeding us and giving us strength in the Eucharist. If we play as Jesus played – if we live love – then we will share in his victory which is the greatest victory of all-time in the game of life.

A "bad catch"?

2009-01-30T12:47:00.000-05:00

Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. All are invited!!
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Here are some questions from bloggers:

1) “I've been curious about the meaning of a ‘good confession’ for some time. There are articles on the internet that refer to; ‘How to Make a Good Confession’. I'm sure there are little handouts that describe the steps to making a good confession. I understand that there is a protocol or format to confession. I also understand that all sins are not equal - some are mortal, some are venial. On the other hand, all sin is equal in that it is wrong. If a person has basically followed the format; i.e., examined their conscience, been honest with self and confessor, has true sorrow for their sin(s), desires not commit sin(s) again, verbalizes some form of the Act of Contrition, receives absolution and completes their assigned penance, wouldn't that make for a good confession? If one can make a good confession, can one make a bad confession as well?”

Imagine if during this weekend’s Super Bowl one of the announcers says that a wide receiver makes a “bad catch”. Can a receiver make a bad catch? No. He may not make the most graceful catch, but if he catches it, it is a catch. Some catches are better than others, but every pass caught is a good catch. It’s the same with making a confession. Everyone who follows the “format” as you have laid it out (and you nailed it!) makes a good confession. Some confessions are better than others, but everyone who does their best in following the format makes a good confession.

2) “I’m sporadic with Bible Study in general, but I missed this past Advent’s series, so PLEASE answer me- in response to today’s homily (12/31/08), where in the Bible does it speak about Mary’s prayer life?”

There are many examples in the Gospels that refer to Mary’s prayer life, and several are posted in the comments under my post of 12/30/08, “We have a new bishop!” The Gospels do not give a general description of Mary’s prayer life, but they do provide many instances of Mary at prayer. I used one of these instances (“Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” - Lk 2:19) as a basis to present Mary’s prayer life in general in my homily for the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God.

3) “I have a question about Baptism by Desire- Say someone had heard of Jesus, was not a Christian but still answered a call to do a life of good work. Perhaps they were well-educated but were raised in a place where Christianity was not prominent and the lived values espoused by another faith, and their life was committed to love, peace and equality. Would that person be considered saved- if they knew of Jesus but did not claim him as their savior?”

I cannot say whether or not a person like that would be saved because it depends on what they know and how they’ve come to know it. We’ve discussed full knowledge on this site before – how much do they really know about Jesus Christ? What have they been exposed to? Also, how have they been taught about Him?

Someone came up to me after a Mass in which I preached on the different types of Baptism. They asked if someone who had been well-educated about Christ (or the Church) but in the wrong way could be saved. An example of this would be that the person was taught about the Resurrection, but that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead: his disciples stole the body from the tomb. (Some people today still teach this!) This can also include being taught about the Bread of Life discourse in John 6 but that Jesus was only speaking symbolically. God understands that if people are given the wrong knowledge about His Son (from parents, teachers, priests, rabbis, etc.) their whole lives even though they believe it’s the truth, then they are not accountable for the errors of others.

With salvation, it’s all about people doing the best with what they’ve been given. If someone has been given less than full knowledge or been given the wrong knowledge but has truly desired to do God’s Will in his/her life, then they can be saved (baptism by desire). That desire basically means that their heart claimed Christ as their Savior because to live God’s Will is to live Christ. To live Christ is to live God’s Will.

"Stay close to the Eucharist"

2009-01-27T12:33:00.000-05:00

Anon asked the following questions:

“Fr. Greg- You’ve talked countless times about “staying close to the Eucharist.” I’ve never really asked you about that statement. The Eucharist is Christ, so why not say, “Stay close to Christ?” I’m unclear what you mean- are you saying to go to Mass and Adoration? Maybe I’m being obtuse, but some clarity on what exactly it means to “stay close to the Eucharist” would be helpful.”

Thanks for the question, Anon. The main reason that I say “stay close to the Eucharist” is that it’s much more specific and concrete than “stay close to Christ”. You’ve probably noticed that I like to focus on specific, concrete aspects of our faith in my homilies. These aspects have always engaged me much more than general, abstract ones (although I do love my philosophy!). Especially in a world that has become highly visual-oriented, I find it necessary to speak in terms that give people concrete images as often as possible.

“Staying close to Jesus” is a beautiful concept. It is our way of living as Christians that takes on so many forms and meanings. When it comes to their prayer lives, I have heard many people - young and old - express this exact desire so many times. “I just need to stay close to Jesus” they will say when admitting that their prayer lives have been lacking. Catholics do have a general desire to stay close to our Lord. Unfortunately, it stays more in their desires than in their wills. Put another way, it remains an abstract thought and not a concrete reality.

One of my main jobs as a priest is to inform people of specifically how to stay close to Jesus. In homilies, I have made mention of many ways to do this in prayer and service. In private conversations with people (who have expressed their desire to stay close to Jesus), I give them concrete ideas for good habits they can develop (praying to Jesus from their hearts throughout the day, meditating on Scripture daily, praying the rosary, reading the lives of the saints, etc.).

Now, I dwell on the Eucharist so much because it is Christ in the flesh. God on Earth! Yes, Jesus is spiritually present everywhere but sin. We can talk to him in our rooms, in the kitchen, on the subway, etc., and those can be powerful moments of grace. But, in the Eucharist, He is REALLY present – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. To pray in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is to be in the presence of the Master. Praying in the presence of the Eucharist is much more efficacious and fruitful because a) we make more of an effort to be with Him, and b) there is more actual grace available. Also, while he is invisibly present in the world, he is visibly present in the Eucharist. Seeing Christ in the Eucharist (through the eyes of faith) is for many people what it was for Thomas seeing his wounds – he believed because he had seen (in fact, we whisper at the consecration at Mass what he said at that moment, “my Lord and my God”).

Finally (although there is much more I could say), I say “stay close to the Eucharist” in the same way I would say “stay close to your parents” or “stay close to your friends”. People know what it means to be close to others – as in, “I am close to my mother”. They know that it means to be in regular contact with others – spending time with them, getting to know them more and more, doing things for them, etc. We often measure our closeness to others by these concrete acts. So, when I say “stay close to the Eucharist”, I mean do these concrete acts – spend time with Him (Adoration), get to know him more and more (meditation and contemplation), do things for Him (going out of your way to visit Him)…go to be with Him regularly. Be in relation-ship with Him! Jesus himself speaks of the fecundity of staying close to Him in the Eucharist: “whoever remains in me and I in Him will be much fruit”.

3rd Sunday - homily

2009-01-25T12:48:00.001-05:00

For many years, the Archdiocese has had vocations retreats for boys and girls in high school. As a seminarian, I helped out with a few of the boys’ retreats which were 2-3 days in the summer. Some of the boys called it, “Priests Camp”. They would have fun and play games but there would also be the stuff of priesthood: Mass, confessions, prayer, and talks on the priesthood. The retreat was officially called, “Come and See”, which is based on the call that Jesus gives to the first Apostles: Come and see what life with me is like…come and see what I am calling you to.

The Archdiocese actually asked me to give talks to the boys about my vocation story. I told them about how I entered seminary (after the craziness of college and high school)…how I left seminary…then re-entered seminary…then left again…then re-entered again! When I discussed leaving the seminary the first time, I said that I felt like the rich young man in Matthew’s Gospel who Jesus calls to sell everything he has, give it to the poor, and come follow Him. The man couldn’t do it, and so he walked away from the call, ”sad”. That’s the way I felt. I had heard God calling me to the priesthood but I didn’t want to do it. So, I walked away from the call, sad.

We see and hear different responses to God’s Call throughout Scripture and Tradition. We see the response of the rich young man which is to walk away from God’s Call. We also see the response of someone like Jonah who answered God’s Call to be a prophet but his heart wasn’t in it. We hear in today’s first reading that Jonah prophesied to the town of Nineveh and helped convert that town. What we don’t hear is that Jonah had resisted God’s Call initially. He tried to run from God, but realized he couldn’t. So, he’s only serving as a prophet because he realizes that there’s no way out. We might say that he’s simply going through the motions.

Then, we hear the response of our patron saint, Andrew, in today’s Gospel. Andrew is called by Christ to “come after me”. Andrew and his brother Simon “abandoned their nets” and followed Jesus. He responded immediately to God’s Call and his heart was in it. It really is an incredible response that we shouldn’t overlook. He gave up everything on the spot to follow Jesus! He gave up his job. He gave up his livelihood. He left his family. He abandoned his own plans. He abandoned his own hopes and dreams.

Andrew didn’t know what he was getting into. He didn’t know what being a fisher of men meant exactly. He just knew that it would be good because it was what Jesus was calling him to do. As we heard in last Sunday’s Gospel, he believed that Jesus was the Messiah. So, whatever the Messiah wanted him to do, he would do. Andrew showed great faith and trust in God. He showed great love and generosity in answering God’s Call. He is a great example for us to follow.

We see the different, general responses to God’s Call when it comes to the Eucharist. We know people who have had the different responses. Some have heard God’s Call to receive the Eucharist and have left. They have left the Church…they have left the Eucharist. Some come here on Sundays and receive the Eucharist, but their hearts aren’t in it. They are doing God’s Will in being here, but we might say they are going through the motions. Some have responded to the Eucharist as Andrew responded to Christ’s Call: immediately and generously. They come here on Sundays and even weekdays with hearts that are open.

The key in responding to God’s Call is our hearts. Are our hearts open to Christ? Are we open to what He is calling us to do? Have we put ourselves in a position to encounter Him? I really believe that Andrew responded the way he did because he had had an encounter with Christ. Just like the woman at the well in John 4, Andrew had encountered the living God in a deep way and his heart had been moved. This is what changes lives. This is what changes hearts. This is what leads people to leave everything to follow Him. May we be open to encountering our God today in the Eucharist so that we will do His Will today and throughout our lives.

"Catholics Abandon the Unborn"

2009-01-23T09:44:00.001-05:00

Eucharistic Adoration, tonight, 7-8 pm, SAA Church. Please join us!!
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Here is an article from the “On Faith” section of Wednesday’s Washington Post. It serves not as a downer after yesterday’s uplifting March for Life, but as a reality check on where the pro-life movement (led by the Church) is in the United States.

Catholics Abandon the Unborn in the 44th Presidency

“A simple web search for the order of presidential succession in the newly-minted Obama administration makes clear what a profound debacle the '08 election was for the pro-life movement in the United States. The country's top leadership now looks like a Who's Who of the National Abortion Rights Action League's "100% pro-choice" club. Largely ignored in the last election, abortion remains a massively important political issue. Catholics who did so should be ashamed of themselves for voting with disregard for a ticket and party that is inimical to a central moral tenet of their Church's teaching. Abortion kills.

This nation daily tolerates the willfully procured death of over 3,200 innocent and defenseless human beings, and that slaughter is an abomination far beyond other considerations that entered into electoral decisions last year. To maintain any sort of credible witness to the value of human life, Catholic leaders and faithful must choose to directly and publicly reengage the pro-life movement and to put John Paul II's Gospel of Life at the very top of their social and political agendas in the battles that lie ahead.

The new Cabinet, White House staff and top Congressional leadership, several so-called "pro-choice Catholics" among them, look to be clearly unfriendly to the protection of embryonic life. From House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, voting records indicate a steeply pro-choice political trajectory for the coming years. (Vice President Biden actually received only a "mixed" pro-choice rating, based in part on his support of the partial birth abortion ban.) Worse than having these elected and appointed officials around for the coming term, can it be imagined that President Obama will not nominate as lifelong Supreme Court members jurists as radical on life issues as his cabinet and staff? The new administration is headed by a man who said that one of his first actions as President would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, as extreme a piece of pro-choice legislation as can be imagined. A clear and chilling harbinger of things to come, his first executive orders are likely to be targeted at overturning Bush era restrictions on using federal funds for abortions overseas and for research that destroys embryos.

The Respect Life community failed to make abortion a meaningful issue in the past election and the current situation is the sour fruit of that negligence. Catholics especially abandoned the unborn at the polls. At least 54% of those identifying themselves as Catholic supported President Obama, while "Church-going Catholics" voted 50% for McCain to Obama's 49%. Either number demonstrates an inability in the ecclesial hierarchy and the lay leadership in the Catholic Pro-life movement to make a convincing argument about the nature of the abortion act and the issue's relative importance versus other weighty but lesser political questions such as the election of African-American leaders, the economy, or the war on terror.

Abortion kills and its deadly impact is orders of magnitude beyond the violence of the Iraq war or any indignities visited upon detainees held at Guantanamo. However many millions of visitors may have journeyed to the Capital for this week's inaugural, it is certain that several million Americans never had the slightest chance of making it to the festivities. At least 45 million to be more accurate: all those aborted since the handing down of Roe v Wade. While the election of President Obama means good things for progress in racial integration in this nation, it cannot be ignored that abortion continues to heavily disproportionately target African-Americans, 13 million since 1973.

While claims that embryos and fetuses are members of the human family are often dismissed as based on faith alone or merely a matter of personal opinion, from a scientific standpoint this is entirely untrue. At the moment of conception, when egg meets sperm, either in the petri dish or the fallopian tube, the complete genetic blueprint of a new unique human individual comes together. This is scientific fact. It was at the moment of conception that each and every reader of this article began to journey through the developmental stages of life. Those destroyed in an abortion are genetically human except under the most bizarre circumstances. They are also certainly alive, consuming nutrients, excreting waste products of metabolism, growing, possessing the potential to reproduce, and responding to external stimuli such as local pH, availability of oxygen, and the presence of hormones in the fetal and maternal circulation. Abortion kills a human being in the earliest days, weeks or months of its development, period.

Today, as the bunting comes down and crews disassemble the reviewing stands on Pennsylvania Avenue, the annual March for Life will stream quietly by the Capitol dome and Congress will prepare to debate the Freedom of Choice Act as a first order of business. This government is poised to push the pro-life movement in America into oblivion. Whether they decide to do so in the pulpit, the media, or in their extensive school networks, bishops, clergy and lay leaders in the Catholic Church will have to motivate their flocks to action if they want to see any movement out of the moral quagmire this country finds itself in on abortion.”

Dr. William Blazek, a Jesuit scholastic and physician, is a board certified specialist in Internal Medicine and a Research Scholar in the Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He teaches ethics and clinical skills as an Adjunct Assistant Professor while preparing for ordination to priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church.