I landed in Kansas City this afternoon, and Lisa Hendey (who had landed some time earlier) found me en route to baggage claim. Shortly after we had retrieved my bags, and "Captain Jeff" was about to take them to the car, Pat Gohn crossed our path. All four of us are now ensconced at the "Savior Pastoral Center" of the Diocese of Kansas City (KS) for the Catholic New Media Conference. I'm lucky. I have until (early) Saturday to tweak my talk; Lisa and Pat have two talks to give.
Silly me; I was working so late last night on my talk, and then this morning, that when I finally packed (around noon), I didn't check the weather in Kansas City. It's pure summer over here. I'll be nice and warm with my turtlenecks... Well, so often conference rooms are extra chilly, maybe I'll be glad I packed for the wrong season! It's comfy in my room, though, and there's a great wifi connection.
I'm sure that the proceedings on Saturday will be streamed live so you (and you, Mom) can join in; try this address or maybe this one. (I'll try to get the precise information by Saturday!) Meanwhile, counting on your prayers!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Defend us in battle...
Today's feast of the biblical archangels is a special one for my community of Chicago (Sr Helena's profession name—the name she added to her baptismal name on vow day—is Raphael). And today is my great-niece Leah's third birthday, so it's special for my family, too. And face it, who isn't intrigued and entranced by these magnificent, mysterious servants of God?
At Mass, the lector (Sr Helena Raphael!) proclaimed the first reading from Daniel, rather than going with the option from the book of Revelation. I, on the other hand, had made my meditation using Revelation (“war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels prevailed over Satan...”) and the responsorial Psalm (138—the one I chose for my memorial card when I die: “In the presence of the angels I will sing your praise). And that got me thinking about Psalm 8: “on the lips of children...you have found praise to foil your enemy.”
The only conclusion I could come to was that Michael, whom I always thought of as practically the personification of power, is probably not really all that strong. In fact, that battle in heaven could have been your typical David and Goliath match, and Michael, to put it bluntly, was not the giant. It was by praise that he “foiled the enemy, silenced the foe and the rebel.” His ardent love and praise of God was the power that overcame Satan and his followers with a titanic supernatural shock wave.
And that selfsame power can be ours.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Grave thoughts...
Today's readings have something odd in common. Both make fleeting references to burial. As in graveyards. In the first reading, from Nehemiah, the king's servant is mournful because "the city where my ancestors are buried" is in ruins. In the Gospel, there is a much less sentimental tone. A would-be disciple eagerly informs Jesus, "I will follow you, but first let me bury my father." (No indication that his father is dead yet, mind you.) Jesus responds, "Follow me, and let the dead bury the dead!" (This is our nice, sweet Jesus?)
In both readings, what is important is the direction of the heart. Nehemiah's heart is fixed not so much on his ancestors' graves, as on the city of Jerusalem, the city of the living God. The responsorial psalm even puts his prayer on our lips: "If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand wither!" To "sing the songs of Zion" is to sing about God: "How could I sing the songs of the Lord in a foreign land?" Jesus expects that same kind of single-hearted attachment: to himself, the ultimate dwelling-place of the living God. It is clear that Jesus had called that would-be disciple to follow him in a special way. Filial duty was just an excuse. The man's heart was in danger of death. Jesus' rough command was a kind of spiritual cardio resuscitation to bring him back to the land of the living.
Where is my heart today?
In both readings, what is important is the direction of the heart. Nehemiah's heart is fixed not so much on his ancestors' graves, as on the city of Jerusalem, the city of the living God. The responsorial psalm even puts his prayer on our lips: "If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand wither!" To "sing the songs of Zion" is to sing about God: "How could I sing the songs of the Lord in a foreign land?" Jesus expects that same kind of single-hearted attachment: to himself, the ultimate dwelling-place of the living God. It is clear that Jesus had called that would-be disciple to follow him in a special way. Filial duty was just an excuse. The man's heart was in danger of death. Jesus' rough command was a kind of spiritual cardio resuscitation to bring him back to the land of the living.
Where is my heart today?
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
More wisdom from Benedict
Toward the end of his trip to Germany, the Pope met Sunday night with members of Catholic associations. His talk addressed a critical issue for the Church today, and in his typically forthright way: "For some decades now we have been experiencing a decline in religious practice and we have been seeing substantial numbers of the baptised drifting away from Church life. This prompts the question: should the Church not change?"
Short answer? Yes. Naturally, there is more to it than just that:
"The Church is not just other people, not just the hierarchy, the Pope and the bishops: we are all the Church, we the baptised. ... Yes, there are grounds for change. There is a need for change. Every Christian and the community of the faithful are constantly called to change. ... As far as the Church in concerned, though, the basic motive for change is the apostolic mission of the disciples and the Church herself. ...
"In the concrete history of the Church, however, a contrary tendency is also manifested, namely that the Church becomes settled in this world, she becomes self-sufficient and adapts herself to the standards of the world. ... It time once again for the Church resolutely to set aside her worldliness. "
It doesn't get clearer than that. Yes, change is needed in the Church in her institutional dimension but also in each and every member taking up the challenge to live in continual conversion of heart and of life. It means that we, and our institutions, are called to live by the Gospel even when that puts our security at risk (the kinds of risk I've posted about recently, and which are getting closer every day): "Secularizing trends", he added, "whether by [confiscation] of Church goods, or elimination of privileges or the like, have always meant a profound liberation of the Church from forms of worldliness, for in the process she has set aside her worldly wealth and has once again completely embraced her worldly poverty." In freeing herself of material ties, "her missionary activity regained credibility."
Short answer? Yes. Naturally, there is more to it than just that:
"The Church is not just other people, not just the hierarchy, the Pope and the bishops: we are all the Church, we the baptised. ... Yes, there are grounds for change. There is a need for change. Every Christian and the community of the faithful are constantly called to change. ... As far as the Church in concerned, though, the basic motive for change is the apostolic mission of the disciples and the Church herself. ...
"In the concrete history of the Church, however, a contrary tendency is also manifested, namely that the Church becomes settled in this world, she becomes self-sufficient and adapts herself to the standards of the world. ... It time once again for the Church resolutely to set aside her worldliness. "
It doesn't get clearer than that. Yes, change is needed in the Church in her institutional dimension but also in each and every member taking up the challenge to live in continual conversion of heart and of life. It means that we, and our institutions, are called to live by the Gospel even when that puts our security at risk (the kinds of risk I've posted about recently, and which are getting closer every day): "Secularizing trends", he added, "whether by [confiscation] of Church goods, or elimination of privileges or the like, have always meant a profound liberation of the Church from forms of worldliness, for in the process she has set aside her worldly wealth and has once again completely embraced her worldly poverty." In freeing herself of material ties, "her missionary activity regained credibility."
Citations from V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service. www.visnews.org
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Afraid to ask
Can't you relate to the disciples in this morning's Gospel? Jesus had just alluded to his upcoming rejection and death, but none of them understood what he meant. And yet, instead of asking him about it, they all kept quiet.
I know what that's like. When I suspect that something I heard is something I'd rather not know, I don't go out of my way for an explanation. I might tell myself it really meant something else, or that it's probably none of my business, or that the person who said it intended to close the conversation. But I won't pursue it.
I can imagine any number of scenarios where we are just afraid to ask something because we're afraid of the answer. But this is the one scenario where the answer is actually so good it is literally unimaginable. Jesus would have to tell his disciples (actually, he did tell them rather explicitly, but they didn't understand that, either) that his death was only part one; what would come after would be the beginning of a new creation.
Come to think of it, isn't a new creation on the horizon whenever we face something...we'd rather not face (especially if we face it with Jesus)?
I know what that's like. When I suspect that something I heard is something I'd rather not know, I don't go out of my way for an explanation. I might tell myself it really meant something else, or that it's probably none of my business, or that the person who said it intended to close the conversation. But I won't pursue it.
I can imagine any number of scenarios where we are just afraid to ask something because we're afraid of the answer. But this is the one scenario where the answer is actually so good it is literally unimaginable. Jesus would have to tell his disciples (actually, he did tell them rather explicitly, but they didn't understand that, either) that his death was only part one; what would come after would be the beginning of a new creation.
Come to think of it, isn't a new creation on the horizon whenever we face something...we'd rather not face (especially if we face it with Jesus)?
Friday, September 23, 2011
Lessons Learned from a Revolving Door
I've been in Chicago for ten years now, so I have started to take revolving doors for granted. When I first arrived, though, I was mystified by how many downtown buildings were outfitted with these extremely inconvenient portals. There was a whole science that I hadn't yet learned about exactly how and when to attempt entry: should I zip in when the door was halfway open, but still in motion, or wait until the next quadrant opened up completely? Why are they so hard to push? How do you manage to keep upright when you and a rolling computer case are sharing the same rotating pie-wedge? (Pity the poor mother attempting to maneuver a folded-up stroller and a toddler through a revolving door!)
I have had to learn from experience that a big guy in the space ahead of me will push the door so fast that I have to speed up or be crushed by the onrushing panel behind me. I have had to learn not to push the door too hard when there is a little old lady in front of (or behind) me. I have had to learn that exquisite sense of timing that allows someone on the other side to enter at the same time as I, so that the door will continue to revolve evenly.
Revolving doors teach you to look around (no pun intended): to notice the other people who are sharing, or are about to share, this spinning space. Not a bad image for life on a spinning planet full of other people, is it?
I have had to learn from experience that a big guy in the space ahead of me will push the door so fast that I have to speed up or be crushed by the onrushing panel behind me. I have had to learn not to push the door too hard when there is a little old lady in front of (or behind) me. I have had to learn that exquisite sense of timing that allows someone on the other side to enter at the same time as I, so that the door will continue to revolve evenly.
Revolving doors teach you to look around (no pun intended): to notice the other people who are sharing, or are about to share, this spinning space. Not a bad image for life on a spinning planet full of other people, is it?
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Chiseling away at freedom of conscience
I didn't pick up a bulletin at Church on Sunday, but when I went for choir practice I did find one, and realized that I had missed something really important in that weekly bulletin that usually only provides Mass times and pious reflections.
Maybe you missed it, too.
It was an information piece from the US Bishops Conference describing the requirements of a ruling from the US Department of Health and Human Services. According to this "interim final rule," almost all health plans in the country (and this includes religious employers and religious insurers) must include coverage, without co-pay or any cost-sharing, for contraception and sterilization, including the abortion pills RU-486 and Ella. Until now, no private health plan has been required to cover such things.
The religious exemption is so narrow as to be meaningless.
This means that the government, as part of "health care reform," is effectively abrogating conscience rights in the whole sphere of medicine, and attempting to coerce religious institutes into financing morally repugnant "services." (More info on this podcast.) Even if a majority of Catholics personally ignore Church teaching in this area, they should be able to recognize what an intrusion this is on the part of the federal government.
You can be sure that this is only the beginning, especially since the current administration and its functionaries habitually refer to teachings regarding the sanctity of marriage as bigotry (see this cable from the US diplomats in Poland) and as “sexual orientation discrimination," leaving Catholics and other Christians vulnerable to lawsuits and legal persecution simply for acting in accordance with their religious convictions.
There is one week left to respond to the HHS ruling, and it couldn't be easier.
It wouldn't hurt to follow up via "snail mail" with a message like this (to both HHS and your Representative):
Mailing address for HHS:
Maybe you missed it, too.
It was an information piece from the US Bishops Conference describing the requirements of a ruling from the US Department of Health and Human Services. According to this "interim final rule," almost all health plans in the country (and this includes religious employers and religious insurers) must include coverage, without co-pay or any cost-sharing, for contraception and sterilization, including the abortion pills RU-486 and Ella. Until now, no private health plan has been required to cover such things.
The religious exemption is so narrow as to be meaningless.
This means that the government, as part of "health care reform," is effectively abrogating conscience rights in the whole sphere of medicine, and attempting to coerce religious institutes into financing morally repugnant "services." (More info on this podcast.) Even if a majority of Catholics personally ignore Church teaching in this area, they should be able to recognize what an intrusion this is on the part of the federal government.
You can be sure that this is only the beginning, especially since the current administration and its functionaries habitually refer to teachings regarding the sanctity of marriage as bigotry (see this cable from the US diplomats in Poland) and as “sexual orientation discrimination," leaving Catholics and other Christians vulnerable to lawsuits and legal persecution simply for acting in accordance with their religious convictions.
There is one week left to respond to the HHS ruling, and it couldn't be easier.
It wouldn't hurt to follow up via "snail mail" with a message like this (to both HHS and your Representative):
Pregnancy is not a disease, and drugs and surgeries to prevent it are not basic health care that the government should require all Americans to purchase. Please remove sterilization and prescription contraceptives from the list of “preventive services” the federal government is mandating in private health plans. It is especially important to exclude any drug that may cause an early abortion, and to fully respect religious freedom as other federal laws do. The narrow religious exemption in HHS’s new rule protects almost no one. I urge you to allow all organizations and individuals to offer, sponsor and obtain health coverage that does not violate their moral and religious convictions.
Mailing address for HHS:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: CMS-9992-IFC2
P.O. Box 8010
Baltimore, MD 21244-8010
In writing to your Representative, be sure to urge support of the "Respect for Rights of Conscience Act" (HR-1179) and to your Senators, support of the "Respect for Rights of Conscience Act" (S. 1467).
For more information, fact sheets and so on, follow the links throughout this page.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The surprise of God's call
Today's feast of St. Matthew (the "publican") got me thinking about the paradoxes in the way Jesus called his disciples. We see the one by one (at times two by two) of people like Peter or Philip or Nathanael, or the two "sons of thunder." By all accounts, these were fervent and observant Jews, and a good half (at least) seem to have been disciples of John the Baptist. And then you come to Matthew at his tax collection station. Here is someone allied with the enemy. Definitely on the wrong side. And it is he, and not the hapless person getting assessed, that hears and responds to the "Come, follow me."
What Matthew was to his own people, Paul was to the early Christian community. Definitely someone whose gaze you would try to avoid. And he's the one who hears the voice of God!
Truly, "not as man sees does God see."
What Matthew was to his own people, Paul was to the early Christian community. Definitely someone whose gaze you would try to avoid. And he's the one who hears the voice of God!
Truly, "not as man sees does God see."
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Learning the Hard Way
Another full day of Photoshop instruction, and what did I learn? That many of the things I found "workarounds" for on my own were really doing it the hard way. Figuring it out for myself, I had been doing three or five steps instead of one; making permanent (or changes that degrade the image quality) instead of reversible steps (that maintain the quality). Stuff like that.
It struck me that evangelization is something like that Photoshop class. Can people be saved without hearing the Gospel in its integrity? Who would dare limit the Holy Spirit's reach and say no? And yet, even with special grace, the way involves trial and error, intellectual and moral anguish, and a lot of risk! The Lord doesn't want people to have to learn the hard way the things that matter most.
It struck me that evangelization is something like that Photoshop class. Can people be saved without hearing the Gospel in its integrity? Who would dare limit the Holy Spirit's reach and say no? And yet, even with special grace, the way involves trial and error, intellectual and moral anguish, and a lot of risk! The Lord doesn't want people to have to learn the hard way the things that matter most.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Oops!
Like Martha in the Gospels, I have been running around, distracted by much ministering. So much so that I forgot to post anything on Saturday, and was unable to get online at all today--and it looks like the forecast for tomorrow will be the same. Sr Frances and I have been attending a Photoshop class. I have had a limited edition of the program for years, but only got an hour or so of training from our eminent graphic artist, Sr Sergia (in Rome). This was back when I was stationed in Italy. So I've been using what I know or can figure out to do such things as...this blog's header and the occasional poster for our bookcenter's front window. I don't really have an urgent need to acquire high level graphic skills, but I was offered the class for free (my favorite word) and didn't want to pass up the opportunity to learn something with potential for the ministry. (Our founder used to advise us to never stop learning, and to learn from everything.)
I managed to prepare a short post for the Chicago Tribune on a local situation that mirrors something happening nationally, with government entities defining what does or does not constitute a dimension of religious identity. In the first, the US Department of Health and Human Services is requiring that employers who provide insurance benefits must also cover such things as contraception and sterilizations. Religious institutions must follow this rule (conscience be damned!) unless they measure up to the extremely narrow criteria determined by the HHS, criteria that perfectly match what Cardinal George said was one of the aims of "aggressive secularism": "confining the church’s mission to private worship" [and that means confining freedom of conscience to matters of personal, private worship, too]. The agency is allowing 2 months for input toward a more acceptable definition of a religious institute.
The busy-ness of the week continues with choir practice season starting up (I actually missed the first rehearsal last week!) and the consecration of the new altar at Our Lady of Mt Carmel this Sunday. (We won't be doing any "special" music for the event; just our "ordinary" Mt Carmel music program.) Friday night I am scheduled to share a little something with the local Legion of Mary on prayer: it's a helpful reminder to me not to let the "better part" go in the midst of so many things to do!
I managed to prepare a short post for the Chicago Tribune on a local situation that mirrors something happening nationally, with government entities defining what does or does not constitute a dimension of religious identity. In the first, the US Department of Health and Human Services is requiring that employers who provide insurance benefits must also cover such things as contraception and sterilizations. Religious institutions must follow this rule (conscience be damned!) unless they measure up to the extremely narrow criteria determined by the HHS, criteria that perfectly match what Cardinal George said was one of the aims of "aggressive secularism": "confining the church’s mission to private worship" [and that means confining freedom of conscience to matters of personal, private worship, too]. The agency is allowing 2 months for input toward a more acceptable definition of a religious institute.
The busy-ness of the week continues with choir practice season starting up (I actually missed the first rehearsal last week!) and the consecration of the new altar at Our Lady of Mt Carmel this Sunday. (We won't be doing any "special" music for the event; just our "ordinary" Mt Carmel music program.) Friday night I am scheduled to share a little something with the local Legion of Mary on prayer: it's a helpful reminder to me not to let the "better part" go in the midst of so many things to do!
Friday, September 16, 2011
The Way: Smart and Funny
Sr Helena and I attended last night's screening of the new Emilio Estevez/Martin Sheen movie, "The Way." The father and son duo are making a road trip across the country in a special bus (Sheen joked that they don't have a typical Hollywood marketing budget for the film, but they do have a $40,000 bus); this is a project that depends on word of mouth (or pen of blogger) for its promotion.
I didn't know what to expect, but (as I wrote earlier this week) I was interested in it just because of the topic. I didn't expect the movie to be as intelligent, inspiring and truly entertaining as it turned out to be. This is a rare bird of a Hollywood film, with enough meat on its bones to bear watching two or three times, and no scenes that would require a nun to avert her eyes. There's a lot to talk about, making it ideal for groups. There's no getting away from its Catholic ethos. And it really does have its laugh-out-loud moments, proving that you can be smart and funny at the same time in a "spiritual" movie.
Go see it. (It should appear in theaters in October.) Recommend it to your friends. Heck, take out an ad in your parish bulletin and promote it (or at least ask your parish secretary to put a little something in the bulletin).
Sr Helena introduced Estevez and Sheen for the Q&A session after the movie, but then didn't actually get any time to meet them! I taped the Q&A, but it will need a bit of work before I post it here (check back tomorrow).
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Motherhouse moments: Sister Death
Shortly before I left Boston, the provincial shared with us the news that one of our senior sisters, the feisty Sr Mary Nazarene (a.k.a. Snaz, Snazzy), was no longer able to tolerate the dialysis treatments she had been receiving for so many years that all the staff had fallen in love with her. It was time for all of us to begin saying "Good bye."
I'm grateful I was able to share a meal with Sr Nazarene the evening before my departure, and to say "Arrivederci" on behalf of all the sisters in Chicago. "Get ready," I told her. "We're going to keep you very busy once you get to heaven." "Good!" she said, "Keep me busy!" Just over a week later, on this feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross, the Lord called her home. One of our first American vocations (entering just five years after the Daughters of St. Paul came to the US), she was 91.
Snazzy was kind of a roly-poly fixture in the motherhouse, serving as a math teacher for the high school aspirants, then (when I entered) in various services, such as cassette duplication (she didn't just copy cassette tapes, she made them, using enormous spools of magnetic tape) and parlor duty, where she kept track of phone calls, door bells and packages. Occasionally she was called on to wield her official seal as a Notary Public. In her later years (I mean in her late 60's and 70's) she was stationed in New York, and was sent hither and yon to help out in our smaller communities for a couple of weeks at a stretch, but she was always glad to come home to Boston.
The past week seems to have passed very slowly for Sr Nazarene. She kept asking when Jesus was going to come. I had been praying that the Lord would allow her direct passage to heaven, with no transit stops along the way, if you catch my drift. And it seems to me that this week of longing corresponds beautifully to the role of Purgatory, where we are simultaneously purified and perfected: our full gaze turned toward the Lord, finally recognized as the one and supreme "Good" of our lives. What better day to achieve that Good than the day which honors the Cross which claimed it for us?
Rest in peace, Snazzy dear. And get ready: we're going to keep you very busy.
 |
| Sr Fay and Snazzy. |
I'm grateful I was able to share a meal with Sr Nazarene the evening before my departure, and to say "Arrivederci" on behalf of all the sisters in Chicago. "Get ready," I told her. "We're going to keep you very busy once you get to heaven." "Good!" she said, "Keep me busy!" Just over a week later, on this feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross, the Lord called her home. One of our first American vocations (entering just five years after the Daughters of St. Paul came to the US), she was 91.
Snazzy was kind of a roly-poly fixture in the motherhouse, serving as a math teacher for the high school aspirants, then (when I entered) in various services, such as cassette duplication (she didn't just copy cassette tapes, she made them, using enormous spools of magnetic tape) and parlor duty, where she kept track of phone calls, door bells and packages. Occasionally she was called on to wield her official seal as a Notary Public. In her later years (I mean in her late 60's and 70's) she was stationed in New York, and was sent hither and yon to help out in our smaller communities for a couple of weeks at a stretch, but she was always glad to come home to Boston.
The past week seems to have passed very slowly for Sr Nazarene. She kept asking when Jesus was going to come. I had been praying that the Lord would allow her direct passage to heaven, with no transit stops along the way, if you catch my drift. And it seems to me that this week of longing corresponds beautifully to the role of Purgatory, where we are simultaneously purified and perfected: our full gaze turned toward the Lord, finally recognized as the one and supreme "Good" of our lives. What better day to achieve that Good than the day which honors the Cross which claimed it for us?
Rest in peace, Snazzy dear. And get ready: we're going to keep you very busy.
Smoothing the way for the New Roman Missal
Hopefully, you are already not just aware, but well-informed about the changes in the Mass translation that we in the US will begin implementing on Nov. 27.
That puts you in a definite minority. A recent study shows that not even one in four Catholics is aware that changes are coming. The level of awareness increased according to the degree of liturgical life, but even among the most regular Sunday Mass participants, only 57% know that anything is going on.
When I gave my one hour summary presentation on the changes in the Mass last week at the motherhouse, one of the sisters mentioned her concern for family members who aren't the most committed to Sunday Mass: if they go to Christmas Mass, and find it so unexpectedly different, they could be alienated from the Church's life for good.
This is the biggest area of concern, but it is also one that each and every Catholic who is aware of the upcoming changes can do something about. Just mentioning the fact in passing can be one way of starting a conversation. You can also share this link, which includes yours truly talking about some of the specifics of the new Missal.
Meanwhile, here is an excellent summary of where the translation came from:
New Roman Missal for Parents and Adults - Word for Word by Life Teen from Life Teen on Vimeo.
What other ideas do you have?
That puts you in a definite minority. A recent study shows that not even one in four Catholics is aware that changes are coming. The level of awareness increased according to the degree of liturgical life, but even among the most regular Sunday Mass participants, only 57% know that anything is going on.
When I gave my one hour summary presentation on the changes in the Mass last week at the motherhouse, one of the sisters mentioned her concern for family members who aren't the most committed to Sunday Mass: if they go to Christmas Mass, and find it so unexpectedly different, they could be alienated from the Church's life for good.
This is the biggest area of concern, but it is also one that each and every Catholic who is aware of the upcoming changes can do something about. Just mentioning the fact in passing can be one way of starting a conversation. You can also share this link, which includes yours truly talking about some of the specifics of the new Missal.
Meanwhile, here is an excellent summary of where the translation came from:
New Roman Missal for Parents and Adults - Word for Word by Life Teen from Life Teen on Vimeo.
What other ideas do you have?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Do you know "the Way"?
 | ||
| Along the Camino, little scallop-shell signs signal the direction to walk. This one is in Puente la Reina. |
I've posted about the Camino before. There have been a number of beautifully reflective books published in the past five or six years about this 500-mile walk. (I especially enjoyed Joyce Rupp's "Walk in a Relaxed Manner.") In the middle ages, the Camino led to what was one of the most important destinations in the Christian world (Jerusalem and Rome being the other two).
In 2006 I was traveling in Spain, and our little group criss-crossed the Camino in more than one location. I felt a trifle guilty zipping past the pilgrims in a car while they trekked across the mountains on foot, but before the trip, Compostela was only a vague footnote in my Catholic imagination. Once I had actually been there, I conceived the desire to make the Camino for real. Given my profound lack of stamina, I'm not sure that's a dream that has the slightest chance of becoming a reality, but it's still a very nice dream. In the meantime, there are movies.
Monday, September 12, 2011
What's your Catholic Bookstore story?
I'm still catching up on so much from the summer, including this little piece about about bookstore memories from America magazine (issued while I was on retreat, so I'm kind of validated in not having read it until now). Here's my Catholic bookstore memory. (What's yours? I'd love for you to share it!)
The fact is, I owe the discovery of my vocation to a bookstore. (You can already see where this is going, can't you?)
It was March, I think, of my senior year in high school. I was planning to major in communications in college, in view of a career that would somehow bring together the media and my Catholic faith. I wanted to give the Church more of a voice in the world of communication, but wasn't sure if the best way to go would be to focus on Catholic media (the only kind I knew of was the diocesan press) or to be a faithful Catholic in secular media. My godmother had all kinds of connections in the New Orleans TV scene, so I was pretty confident she could help me get an entry-level position somewhere in that world. So there I was, getting ready to graduate and looking at the future, while the little girl across the street, the child of a "mixed marriage" (her Mom was the only Jewish person I knew), had her tenth birthday.
Since my sisters used to play with Lacey, Mom was heading to the store to get a birthday present. But she wanted to support Lacey's Catholic upbringing by adding a religious gift to the fun gift my sisters would bring to the party. She walked by me dangling the car keys: "I'm going to the Catholic bookstore to get Lacey a present. Do you want to come with me?"
Bookstore?! I was in.
So there I was, browsing the shelves of the "St. Paul Catholic Book & Film Center" (now known, in case you haven't guessed, as "Pauline Books & Media") in our New Orleans suburb. While I stacked up a few lives of saints, a book on the Rosary and some other good reading, I had no idea that I had come under the approving gaze of one of the nuns who ran the place. She played it cool, even when I brought the toppling pile over to the check-out counter.
"You know," she began, "We sisters print some of these books ourselves."
"Oh, that's nice." I wanted to be polite. (She was a nun, after all.)
Then the Holy Spirit swooped in. Sister continued, "It's our mission to put the media of communication at the service of the Church."
Media?! Church?! Not just in one sentence, but in the same life?! I wasn't the only person who had this desire? I was amazed: a life seemingly tailor-made for me!
I have no idea which of the sisters was at the counter that day; at the time they were all nameless nuns to me. But that one visit to a Catholic bookstore set the course of my entire life from then on.
As Paul would say, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!"
Now what's your Catholic bookstore story?
The fact is, I owe the discovery of my vocation to a bookstore. (You can already see where this is going, can't you?)
It was March, I think, of my senior year in high school. I was planning to major in communications in college, in view of a career that would somehow bring together the media and my Catholic faith. I wanted to give the Church more of a voice in the world of communication, but wasn't sure if the best way to go would be to focus on Catholic media (the only kind I knew of was the diocesan press) or to be a faithful Catholic in secular media. My godmother had all kinds of connections in the New Orleans TV scene, so I was pretty confident she could help me get an entry-level position somewhere in that world. So there I was, getting ready to graduate and looking at the future, while the little girl across the street, the child of a "mixed marriage" (her Mom was the only Jewish person I knew), had her tenth birthday.
Since my sisters used to play with Lacey, Mom was heading to the store to get a birthday present. But she wanted to support Lacey's Catholic upbringing by adding a religious gift to the fun gift my sisters would bring to the party. She walked by me dangling the car keys: "I'm going to the Catholic bookstore to get Lacey a present. Do you want to come with me?"
Bookstore?! I was in.
So there I was, browsing the shelves of the "St. Paul Catholic Book & Film Center" (now known, in case you haven't guessed, as "Pauline Books & Media") in our New Orleans suburb. While I stacked up a few lives of saints, a book on the Rosary and some other good reading, I had no idea that I had come under the approving gaze of one of the nuns who ran the place. She played it cool, even when I brought the toppling pile over to the check-out counter.
"You know," she began, "We sisters print some of these books ourselves.""Oh, that's nice." I wanted to be polite. (She was a nun, after all.)
Then the Holy Spirit swooped in. Sister continued, "It's our mission to put the media of communication at the service of the Church."
Media?! Church?! Not just in one sentence, but in the same life?! I wasn't the only person who had this desire? I was amazed: a life seemingly tailor-made for me!
I have no idea which of the sisters was at the counter that day; at the time they were all nameless nuns to me. But that one visit to a Catholic bookstore set the course of my entire life from then on.
As Paul would say, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!"
Now what's your Catholic bookstore story?
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Just a reminder about Theology of the Body today (if you're reading this in the morning!).
This evening I really do want to get to Millennium Park for at least some of the evening concert with "The Stars of Lyric Opera" (including Renee Fleming!), but at a certain point, I am going to have to head due west to Daley Plaza for the Interfaith vigil observance for the 10th anniversary of the terrorists attacks on New York and Washington.
It's pretty important that there be a specifically religious observance (it doesn't have to be official to count!), because of the temptation out there to claim that the attacks we witnessed ten years ago are the "normal" fruit of religion. (A claim that, conveniently enough, ignores all the charitable works that, until 100 years ago, were the almost exclusive domain of religious groups.) That, plus what Cardinal George wrote of as the agenda of "aggressive secularism" "to prevent the church from acting in history" tell me that we are in a time when a new apologetics is needed. A two-fold sort of explanation and defense of the faith, with one part covering the intellectual issues (as traditional apologetics does), while the other part is a vibrant apologetics of life: the kind St Peter wrote about, that "wins over without a word" through the convincing power of a life well lived.
If religiously committed people can't offer that witness, things are dark indeed.
This evening I really do want to get to Millennium Park for at least some of the evening concert with "The Stars of Lyric Opera" (including Renee Fleming!), but at a certain point, I am going to have to head due west to Daley Plaza for the Interfaith vigil observance for the 10th anniversary of the terrorists attacks on New York and Washington.
It's pretty important that there be a specifically religious observance (it doesn't have to be official to count!), because of the temptation out there to claim that the attacks we witnessed ten years ago are the "normal" fruit of religion. (A claim that, conveniently enough, ignores all the charitable works that, until 100 years ago, were the almost exclusive domain of religious groups.) That, plus what Cardinal George wrote of as the agenda of "aggressive secularism" "to prevent the church from acting in history" tell me that we are in a time when a new apologetics is needed. A two-fold sort of explanation and defense of the faith, with one part covering the intellectual issues (as traditional apologetics does), while the other part is a vibrant apologetics of life: the kind St Peter wrote about, that "wins over without a word" through the convincing power of a life well lived.
If religiously committed people can't offer that witness, things are dark indeed.
Friday, September 09, 2011
TOB tomorrow: a much-needed vision
Our Theology of the Body classes start up again tomorrow. Join us here in Chicago or online at 10:30 Central Time as we continue with the book study of "Love and Responsibility," the precursor (pre-papacy) to Pope John Paul's papal audiences.
How timely this is was brought home to me as I read the current issue of National Geographic. One of the articles looked at the family attitudes of Brazilian women (where the birthrate has plunged to below replacement levels in less than two generations). There was little doubt that much of the drastic change was related to the depiction of wealthy (and small) families in the nation's wildly popular evening dramas. It wasn't that the TV producers had a social change agenda in mind: it's just easier to write and produce shows that don't have too many central characters. Between the attractive lifestyles on TV and a still-prevalent attitude that sees domestic violence as a sign of machismo, women have been motivated to resort to every sort of sterilization, even discovering the abortifacient qualities of a certain ulcer drug long before the medical world caught on (and the drug's producers found a new way to market it). They didn't need the Chinese style imposition of a one-child policy; they just needed the dreamy vision of a glamorous lifestyle. There just wasn't an attractive alternative to draw them in a different direction, one that promises even greater human fulfillment.
We're hard-wired to set our hearts on whatever we see as "good." It may be a true good, consistent with the other "transcendentals" of beauty, truth and unity. Or it may be a passing good, like achievement, prosperity, health. It may even be only an apparent good that leaves sorrow and bitterness in its wake. If we see something as good, we will go for it with all we've got.
For those with ears to hear, Pope John Paul does offer the "attractive alternative" to superficial glamor, but it's going to take some time before his vision gets "packaged" for a media culture. In the meantime, while it is still hidden away in books, it is time for us to catch the vision ourselves!
How timely this is was brought home to me as I read the current issue of National Geographic. One of the articles looked at the family attitudes of Brazilian women (where the birthrate has plunged to below replacement levels in less than two generations). There was little doubt that much of the drastic change was related to the depiction of wealthy (and small) families in the nation's wildly popular evening dramas. It wasn't that the TV producers had a social change agenda in mind: it's just easier to write and produce shows that don't have too many central characters. Between the attractive lifestyles on TV and a still-prevalent attitude that sees domestic violence as a sign of machismo, women have been motivated to resort to every sort of sterilization, even discovering the abortifacient qualities of a certain ulcer drug long before the medical world caught on (and the drug's producers found a new way to market it). They didn't need the Chinese style imposition of a one-child policy; they just needed the dreamy vision of a glamorous lifestyle. There just wasn't an attractive alternative to draw them in a different direction, one that promises even greater human fulfillment.
We're hard-wired to set our hearts on whatever we see as "good." It may be a true good, consistent with the other "transcendentals" of beauty, truth and unity. Or it may be a passing good, like achievement, prosperity, health. It may even be only an apparent good that leaves sorrow and bitterness in its wake. If we see something as good, we will go for it with all we've got.
For those with ears to hear, Pope John Paul does offer the "attractive alternative" to superficial glamor, but it's going to take some time before his vision gets "packaged" for a media culture. In the meantime, while it is still hidden away in books, it is time for us to catch the vision ourselves!
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Big Birthdays
I love the way the Liturgy plays with time, as evidenced by the "birthdays" in the Church year. Today is one of them: the three "big" birthdays that the Liturgy marks with a special celebration. Oddly enough, today, Mary's birthday, is only a "Feast." (The other two birthdays get the highest possible liturgical "rank": solemnity.) But then, the feast of the Immaculate Conception (which we celebrated exactly nine months ago) is a solemnity. As is the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord (the virginal conception of Jesus in Mary's womb), nine months before Christmas Day. That leaves one more birthday in the liturgical year: the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist (whose conception, being fairly ordinary--Elizabeth's age notwithstanding--gets treated more discreetly). In their own way, Mary and John went "before the Lord to prepare his way." Everything about them pointed to Jesus. Even the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist (June 24) points to Jesus, since it comes at the time of the summer solstice, as the sun begins to decrease, six months before the vigil of Christmas near the time of the winter solstice, when the sun begins again to increase*.
These three liturgical birthdays have a special importance, because they highlight God acting in history, in real time. (That's another good reason for hearing the geneaology of Jesus in today's Gospel.) If God didn't act in history, we could really wonder if faith had anything to say to us in real life. Mary, John and Jesus are solidly anchored in human history, and the liturgy helps us keep them there!
*"He must increase, I must decrease," John would say at the height of his ministry.
These three liturgical birthdays have a special importance, because they highlight God acting in history, in real time. (That's another good reason for hearing the geneaology of Jesus in today's Gospel.) If God didn't act in history, we could really wonder if faith had anything to say to us in real life. Mary, John and Jesus are solidly anchored in human history, and the liturgy helps us keep them there!
*"He must increase, I must decrease," John would say at the height of his ministry.
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Our Next Lenten Program!
Starting in Lent, we will be hosting Fr Barron's 10-part video program, "The Catholicism Project" as our Lent (and Easter!) program. The book based on the scripts was released yesterday, with a video introduction by Fr. Barron:
Meanwhile, we aren't quite looking forward to Lent yet, but Advent is not all that far off, and that brings the new translation of the Mass prayers. So I am trying to organize a few talks here to introduce people to the main issues--which I have already blogged about so abundantly that you could probably fill in for me anytime! Sr Helena also filmed me doing 10-minute snippets on various aspects of the new translation. These will be on our publishing house website, along with the missals themselves (Sunday and Daily versions), which are still in the works.
I'm hoping to pull my videos into a book, too, eventually... but, unlike Fr. Barron, I don't see any book-writing sabbaticals in Rome on the horizon for me. Maybe after the CNMC I'll be able to put my nose to that particular grindstone!
Meanwhile, we aren't quite looking forward to Lent yet, but Advent is not all that far off, and that brings the new translation of the Mass prayers. So I am trying to organize a few talks here to introduce people to the main issues--which I have already blogged about so abundantly that you could probably fill in for me anytime! Sr Helena also filmed me doing 10-minute snippets on various aspects of the new translation. These will be on our publishing house website, along with the missals themselves (Sunday and Daily versions), which are still in the works.
I'm hoping to pull my videos into a book, too, eventually... but, unlike Fr. Barron, I don't see any book-writing sabbaticals in Rome on the horizon for me. Maybe after the CNMC I'll be able to put my nose to that particular grindstone!
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Home again (home again!)
I've been singing the nursery-rhyme jingle rather frequently this year (with more renditions to come). Most of yesterday was spent traveling from Boston, so today has been devoted to catching up on bits and pieces--including e-mail and Twitter posts that looked interesting, but that I didn't have time to click through.
Here's one of them: a look at how e-reader bookworms measure up to the traditional kind. (As you can see, once you hit the level of 6 books a year, the e-reading bookworms outrace print readers almost exponentially.)
On a totally different topic, there's the Holy Hour for Children and Families to be held at the Shrine of O.L. of Guadalupe here in Chicagoland:
And, to wrap things up a bit (and even more randomly), here are the very interesting results of a sociological study of Catholics and the Catholic Press (as in, you know, printed matter)... Apparently we avid bloggers and Internet reading Catholics are a distict minority. As a person with deep ties to Catholic publishing, I find that rather encouraging!
Here's one of them: a look at how e-reader bookworms measure up to the traditional kind. (As you can see, once you hit the level of 6 books a year, the e-reading bookworms outrace print readers almost exponentially.)
On a totally different topic, there's the Holy Hour for Children and Families to be held at the Shrine of O.L. of Guadalupe here in Chicagoland:
And, to wrap things up a bit (and even more randomly), here are the very interesting results of a sociological study of Catholics and the Catholic Press (as in, you know, printed matter)... Apparently we avid bloggers and Internet reading Catholics are a distict minority. As a person with deep ties to Catholic publishing, I find that rather encouraging!
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Tough advice
It's a bit late to post about today's Gospel (a great one!), but not too early to post a little reflection on tomorrow's readings. That first reading from Ezekiel is a challenging one. God tells the prophet that part of his job is to warn people who are on the wrong path. If people don't pay attention, that's between them and God. But if Ezekiel fails to warn them, then, God says, "I will hold you responsible."
Does that mean that we should spend the rest of our days warning people about impending judgment, lest we incur wrath ourselves? Seems as though many well-intentioned folks think they have no choice. If they see a transgression, they must speak up.
But God told Ezekiel to be discerning. He didn't say, "Ezekiel, if you see anyone falling short in some way you must intervene." He said, "When you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me." Ezekiel has supernatural ears that can overhear God talking to his people. What the intended recipient cannot perceive on his own, Ezekiel is commissioned to communicate. Even in sign language (Ezekiel is noteworthy for prophesying through pantomime). Ezekiel's main prophetic job, though, was listening.
Maybe that's where we lesser types fall short. If we listened more to God's interior voice, there might be fewer prophets of doom--but more messages from God in our cities.
Does that mean that we should spend the rest of our days warning people about impending judgment, lest we incur wrath ourselves? Seems as though many well-intentioned folks think they have no choice. If they see a transgression, they must speak up.
But God told Ezekiel to be discerning. He didn't say, "Ezekiel, if you see anyone falling short in some way you must intervene." He said, "When you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me." Ezekiel has supernatural ears that can overhear God talking to his people. What the intended recipient cannot perceive on his own, Ezekiel is commissioned to communicate. Even in sign language (Ezekiel is noteworthy for prophesying through pantomime). Ezekiel's main prophetic job, though, was listening.
Maybe that's where we lesser types fall short. If we listened more to God's interior voice, there might be fewer prophets of doom--but more messages from God in our cities.
Friday, September 02, 2011
Something old, something new in today's Gospel
The old wedding rhyme came to mind today. You know the one: "Something old, something new; something borrowed, something blue." Because today's Gospel is about a Bridegroom, as well as something old (and "borrowed") and something new. I didn't come up with something blue, however (maybe the patched cloak?)
According to Luke, every so often Jesus had to face the suspicions of those who didn't think he measured up to the "old" standards. Today, it was the "scribes and Pharisees" who made the veiled accusation that Jesus was not ascetical enough to be a genuine religious teacher. After all, they said, "The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Your disciples, on the other hand, enjoy their food and drink freely." (In a few chapters, we find a similar complaint, but criticizing both John--for fasting--and Jesus--for not.)
Jesus responds with several images, all involving "something new." A newlywed. A new garment. A new wineskin. New wine.
The old, borrowed from the past, was not able to bear all the newness Jesus was bringing. The scribes and Pharisees were right to challenge Jesus about his disciples' behavior. After all, by not following the familiar and hallowed practices of the past, they were clearly acting as if the Messianaic times had arrived. And yet the disciples' critics, so intent on affirming the venerable traditions of asceticism, completely missed the even deeper "fasting" the disciples had taken on. These are men who gave up not just a bit of food, but their homes, land and livelihood, their wives and their children, to follow Jesus.
It wasn't that the old standards, received from the past, were not good. They were not good enough to serve as a response to "the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus."
Something new was in order that would put Jesus front and center.
And so, when the Bridegroom was taken away, they, too, would borrow the old traditions--but to make them say something new!
According to Luke, every so often Jesus had to face the suspicions of those who didn't think he measured up to the "old" standards. Today, it was the "scribes and Pharisees" who made the veiled accusation that Jesus was not ascetical enough to be a genuine religious teacher. After all, they said, "The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. Your disciples, on the other hand, enjoy their food and drink freely." (In a few chapters, we find a similar complaint, but criticizing both John--for fasting--and Jesus--for not.)
Jesus responds with several images, all involving "something new." A newlywed. A new garment. A new wineskin. New wine.
The old, borrowed from the past, was not able to bear all the newness Jesus was bringing. The scribes and Pharisees were right to challenge Jesus about his disciples' behavior. After all, by not following the familiar and hallowed practices of the past, they were clearly acting as if the Messianaic times had arrived. And yet the disciples' critics, so intent on affirming the venerable traditions of asceticism, completely missed the even deeper "fasting" the disciples had taken on. These are men who gave up not just a bit of food, but their homes, land and livelihood, their wives and their children, to follow Jesus.
It wasn't that the old standards, received from the past, were not good. They were not good enough to serve as a response to "the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus."
Something new was in order that would put Jesus front and center.
And so, when the Bridegroom was taken away, they, too, would borrow the old traditions--but to make them say something new!
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Jesus the Skipper
Today's Gospel presents Jesus teaching the crowds from Simon's boat. After the sermon, Jesus tells Simon to head out to deep water for a catch. (First, Jesus commandeers Simon's boat. Then he assumes the captain's role over the boat and its crew!) Naturally, Simon knows better. Not only is it daylight, the fish just aren't biting: Simon was out on that water all night. But he does a strange thing. He mans the oars (or the sail) and heads back into the lake.
Sometimes in my prayer, I feel like I have been hard at work for hours with nothing in my net. But the same Jesus who skippered Peter's boat wants to skipper mine. Trouble is, if it had been my boat Jesus was in, I probably would have run the other way at the thought of rowing back to the scene of a lost night of work. But Simon Peter had a very different response. "We have worked hard...but at your word I will lower the nets."
He was responding not simply to that final command about heading to the deep water; he was responding to the whole of Jesus' teaching, and to the overwhelming experience of seeing the cure of the demoniac in the synagogue, and then the cure of his own mother-in-law. Washing his nets, seemingly oblivious to what had been happening on shore among the crowd, Peter must have been listening intently to Jesus.
Maybe that's my answer.
Sometimes in my prayer, I feel like I have been hard at work for hours with nothing in my net. But the same Jesus who skippered Peter's boat wants to skipper mine. Trouble is, if it had been my boat Jesus was in, I probably would have run the other way at the thought of rowing back to the scene of a lost night of work. But Simon Peter had a very different response. "We have worked hard...but at your word I will lower the nets."
He was responding not simply to that final command about heading to the deep water; he was responding to the whole of Jesus' teaching, and to the overwhelming experience of seeing the cure of the demoniac in the synagogue, and then the cure of his own mother-in-law. Washing his nets, seemingly oblivious to what had been happening on shore among the crowd, Peter must have been listening intently to Jesus.
Maybe that's my answer.
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