Ho Kai Paulos

From the Father, To the Father

2012-02-13T19:01:00.001-05:00

The Holy Father begins the third and final part of Verbum Domini by describing the "fundamental paradox of the Christian faith". We both have and have not seen the face of God. "No one has ever seen God", Pope Benedict quotes from John 1:18 (cf. 1 Jn 4:12). At the same time - in the same first chapter of John's Gospel, no less - we are told that "the Word became flesh". We have seen the face of God because we have seen Christ, and Jesus is the one true God. We have not, however, seen God without flesh. No one has seen God the Father as He is, only the Father as shown through the Son.

In Crossing the Threshold of Hope, John Paul the Great teaches us that "(t)he Church professes: 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God'. Over the centuries this has been the Church’s profession of faith and of all those to whom the Father revealed the Son in the Holy Spirit, just as the Song in the Holy Spirit revealed to them the Father (cf Mt 11:25-27)."

We might say that we've seen God in the flesh but not in the spirit (that is, apart from the flesh). What we've seen is God come into the world. God sent Himself to us. The Holy Father goes on in that opening paragraph of part three to remind us that God taught that "the word of God 'shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose...'". The Word came from the Father and did not return empty. Jesus accomplished in the world what He was sent to do, then He returned to the Father (the ascension).

The Word comes to us, too, individually. The Word is preached to us at each Mass. We receive Him in the Eucharist. We receive Him spiritually in our hearts. Should Jesus come to us individually and return empty?

Pope Benedict notes that "(t)he one whom the Father has sent to do his will... makes us part of his life and mission.... empowers us to proclaim the word everything by the witness of our lives." This is what God has sent into our individual lives - a share in the life and mission of Jesus Christ. That is what He has sent to us, and we must not let it return empty. "Everyone today, whether he or she knows it or not, needs the message," Pope Benedict tells us. "It is our responsibility to pass on what, by God's grace, we ourselves have received."

Consider the parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-30). The man that returned to his master without doing anything was cast out. Those that did something, however large or small, were rewarded. I suspect that even had one servant lost the investment, that he used it and acted would be enough.* God works good through even our failure. He waits, instead, through our inaction. if I might mix my metaphors (and parables), it is not our job to make the seeds grow, only to plant them. We cannot be sure we'll be successful in the world, but we're not told to always be successful. We're told to go into the world and witness.

"We are called uponnot to be successful, but to be faithful."- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

* Kevin O'Brien treated this topic with humor and clarity in a recent article in the St. Austin Review: The Problem of Love and Frozen Banana Stands

Lectio Divina

2012-01-24T22:45:00.000-05:00

Near the end of the second part of Verbum Domini, "The Word of God in the Life of the Church", Pope Benedict spends time on the subject of lectio divina: "the prayerful reading of sacred Scripture".

What is lectio divina?
It is a practice dating to at least the third century which the Pontifical Biblical Commission described as "a reading, on an individual or communal level,of a more or less lengthy passage of Scripture, received as the word of God andleading, at the prompting of the Spirit, to meditation, prayer andcontemplation." The Synod acknowledges it as "a great patristic tradition" in which we not just read Sacred Scripture but dialogue with God about it. Of all the methods for approach Sacred Scripture, lectio divina is the one on which the Synod spent the most time.

It is made up of four stages: lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio; or, reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation. Briefly, you begin by reading a short passage from Scripture - a line or so, then meditate on the meaning(s) of it. What is God telling you in those words of His? Next, you pray, speaking to God about what He is telling you. After speaking a little, of course, you should listen all the more; in the last step, you sit quietly in God's presence so He may respond. The Holy Father notes that these steps must ultimately lead to "actio": putting the Word of God into action in your life and living a Christian witness.

Note that this isn't intended to take the place of authentic interpretation from the Magisterium or public reading of the Word of God in the litury. Pope Benedict reiterates this reminder of the Synod, "that God’s word is given to us precisely to build communion, to unite us in the Truth along our path to God.... Consequently, the sacred text must always be approached in the communion of the Church."

In an address on Oct 28, 1996, Blessed John Paul II called it "the privileged occasion for meeting God while listening to His Word." This is not a subject that I can treat adequately in one article, nor am I an expert on "divine reading" by far. I've recommended some additional resources below, and I encourage you to read about the practice and give it a try.

Some resources, from brief to in-depth:
Lectio Divina in Our Catholic Life Today, Fr. Scott A. Hayes, S.J.C. (free article)
Meditation, from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, ¶2705-2708
Lectio Divina and the Practice of Teresian Prayer, Sam Anthony Morello, O.C.D. (booklet)
Praying Scripture for a Change: An Introduction to Lectio Divina, Dr. Tim Gray
Praying with Saint Paul: Daily Reflections on the Letters of the Apostle Paul, Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P.

References
John Paul II. 1996. Renewed Catechesis Will Lead to a More Incisive Promotion of Vocations. Address at World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Available from http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP961028.htm .
Pontifical Biblical Commission. 1994. On the Interpretation of the Bible in the Church. Available from http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PBCINTER.htm.

It's been quite a while since I started this measured read-through of Verbum Domini. In my next post we start the third and final section: Verbum Mundo.

The Word of God and Our Vocation

2011-12-30T20:09:00.003-05:00

Continuing with the last section of part two of Verbum Domini, "The Word of God in the Life of the Church", the Holy Father next addresses vocations. The Word of God "calls each one of us personally, revealing that life itself is a vocation from God," he reiterates from the Synod. "In other words, the more we grow in our personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, the more we realize that he is calling us to holiness in and through the definitive choices by which we respond to his love in our lives..."

At the end of each episode of Catholic Answers Live, host Patrick Coffin signs off with "Be a saint! What else is there?" That is exactly right - there is one "universal call" and it is not a new teaching from the Second Vatican Council. It appears in the Old Testament (Lev 11:44, 19:2, 20:7) and in the New (Eph 1:4, Rom 1:7). Saint Paul's opening in his letter to the Romans is quite like Patrick's sign-off (fortunately, Paul never trademarked it).

How do we answer this universal call to holiness? How do we become a saint? The Pope details the role of Scripture in that task for each state in life - ordained bishops, priests, and deacons; seminarians; consecrated religious; and single and married laypeople. Whatever our state in life, we have at least one section addressed to us that we should consider carefully.

For laypeople, the Holy Father cites Jesus speaking in St. Matthew's Gospel: "the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the Kingdom" (Mat 13:38). He applies this especially to laypeople, calling them to "live out their specific vocation to holiness by a life in the Spirit expressed 'in a particular way by their engagement in temporal matters and by their participation in earthly activities'." We are not meant to hide away from the world, to shun anything secular. We are sent into the world, to spread the Gospel and to witness to everyone how a Christian lives. Each person can do that in whatever state of life they have - in how they raise their children, how they date, how they work, how they spend their free time. We don't have to go looking for ways to live a Christian life, as they are right here around us. God has set up the good works for us to do (Eph 2:10); we need to do them.

Christian life, like a good relationship, is not all grand gestures; it is lived in the little things, day to day.

Away from the manger...

2011-12-25T16:19:00.000-05:00

At the National Catholic Register blog, Joseph Pronenchen wrote about "Christmas in Africa" as shown through a collection of creches. Among them, a Nigerian scene stands out because, as he writes, "it includes the entire village engaged in their everyday activities during the birth of the Savior.".

For me, at least, it is easy to look at an isolated nativity scene under the tree or on the mantle and forget that there was a world around it. The census was in full swing. Families were uniting, travelers coming and going, daily life being lived. Meals were cooked, arguments argued, money exchanged, trash swept, animals fed. Life happened all around that scene, and it's likely that few, if any, knew what was going on nearby.

Doesn't that happen today, as well? God comes into the world quietly. He waits for us as we go about our daily lives. While we're working, relaxing, eating, or sleeping, God is present on this earth in every tabernacle.

We are meant to live as Christians in the world, not live in the church all day, every day. We are sent (from which we get the word "Mass") into the world to bring Christ, to show and tell that He is alive, He is real, and He is here. And we are called back each week (or each day) to come before Him and worship.

The bustle of the world is not ungodly. We are meant to work, play, rest, and spend time with each other. We must make sure, though, that even if we're not physically there before Emmanuel - God with us - we do not forget that He has come.

Come Redeemer!

2011-12-24T17:00:00.000-05:00

Msgr. Charles Pope blogged on his favorite Christmas hymn, Veni Redemptor Gentium, at the beginning of Advent. It is a right expression for tonight as well: Come Redeemer of the Nations!

What wonderful language St. Ambrose used in this hymn. He calls Christ "a giant in twofold substance one". What a glorious paradox is this giant tiny baby, this one that is two, this child of a virgin.

"The Holy Spirit, 'the Lord, the giver of Life', is sent to sanctify the womb of the Virgin Mary and divinely fecundate it, causing her to conceive the eternal Son of the Father in a humanity drawn from her own." (CCC ¶485) Her sanctified womb became the new temple, the new ark of the covenant that would carry the Word of God into the world. In this hymn, when we sing that "God in his temple dwells below", we sing of Mary's womb as His human tabernacle, temple, and ark. We sing, too, of Christ coming in the Eucharist to dwell in every tabernacle throughout the world. Truly, Jesus comes to us through Mary; without her 'yes', there would be no incarnation and, thus, no Eucharist.

When we receive Christ into our hands or onto our tongue at Mass, like Mary we are receiving our Lord in a vulnerable state. Each time, we must ask ourselves if we are properly disposed to be His dwelling place.

Tomorrow, we celebrate the birth of Christ "whose advent sets thy people free". May the beginning of this Christmas season bring you all freedom, blessing, and great joy.

Merry Christmas!

What Child is This?

2011-12-22T17:14:00.000-05:00

This post has an unusual inspiration: good grammar.

For her 300th episode, Grammar Girl covered "Christmas Carol Grammar". In particular, she analyzed the beginning of "What Child is This?". When properly parsed and punctuated, the question that opens the song reads:What child is this, who, laid to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping?

Now, I'm a bit of a word-geek. Learning about squinting modifiers and adjectival passives just makes my Christmas a little merrier, so I'd argue that getting that question right is good. However, getting the answer to that question right is everything! Jennifer Fulwiler put it very well in her article on "What Child is This?", that this is "not only the most important question I could be asking right now, but the most important question I could ask ever."

Who is this little baby? Why does he inspire such devotion in so many, and such anger in others? The very next words provide the answer: This, this is Christ the King!

The next question posed is answered somewhat less satisfyingly. Why lies He in such mean estate where ox and ass are feeding? In other words, why did God choose that time and place? Why not arrive fully grown and clothed, like Athena springing from Zeus' head? Why not be born to a great human king or queen? Why not appear now, when His YouTube videos could go viral?

We are tantalized with ideas by the rest of the lyrics:

He came "for sinners here".
"The silent Word is pleading" even from that lowly manger in Bethlehem, even before He could speak. Wrapped in swaddling clothes and helpless, He pleads for our salvation; years later, He would plead for it unclothed and hanging from a cross: "Father, forgive them..." (Luke 23:34)
He came so that nails and spear could pierce him through. He came for the cross to be borne for me and you.
He came to show us God, to make the Word flesh.
He came to bring salvation.

These answers tell us why He came but not why He came to a young girl in Bethlehem two millennia ago. At the National Catholic Register, Dan Burke briefly reviewed ten reasons for the incarnation, in these two categories, in "An Augustine Christmas: 10 Comments on the Incarnation of Christ". Several of these bear on the "why there?" question.

It was an act of humility to be born a helpless baby, another to be born and grow up in less than regal conditions. It was an invitation for no one to be afraid to come to him. "Come, peasant, king, to own Him!" God is within reach, literally.

It was a divine rescue - a drop behind enemy lines, as C. S. Lewis suggested, to sabotage the enemy in this world.

It was also a work of divine poetry, artistic creativity from the Creator. The baby that would be the Bread of Life for the world was born in Bethlehem - translated "house of bread" - and placed in a food trough.

Scripture as a Personal Encounter with Christ

2011-12-06T21:51:00.000-05:00

Have you accepted Jesus as your personal lord and savior?

In the last section of part two of Verbum Domini, titled "The Word of God in the Life of the Church", the Holy Father reminds us that a Christian life is one that not only follows Christ but encounters Him. While members of Christian denominations encounter Christ in the Scripture, His words and actions in the Gospels, we experience Christ in far more ways. He is here to be encountered in far more ways. We receive His forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation. We receive the Holy Spirit, that was sent by Christ, when we're confirmed in the faith. We receive His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist. We see and hear and touch and taste Jesus Christ.

We are Bible Christians; we are just not Bible-only Christians.

“The Christian life is essentially marked by an encounter with Jesus Christ,” Pope Benedict writes. He shares with us the synod's hope that “...prayerful and faith-filled reading of the Bible will, with time, deepen their personal relationship with Jesus.” We are called to have a personal relationship with Christ, for Christ to be, so to speak, our personal lord and savior. He is not just the Lord of All in a broad sense but, very personally, the Lord of my life. He is the Lord of me. As such, His Word should be a part of each day of my life.

If you aren't reading Scripture daily, start including the Bible into your daily life. You could read a passage each morning when you wake or before bed (or both!), or you could share a meditation on Scripture with your family over dinner. However you do it – and you can start small – find some way to follow St. Jerome's advice quoted by the Holy Father, to study a passage of Scripture each day.

You can begin by reading a few lines from one of the Gospels each day. They tell the central story of the Bible – indeed, the central story of history. Start from chapter one, verse one, and make your way through one of the four accounts of Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection. You can also study Scripture more deeply at Dr. Scott Hahn's website, salvationhistory.com, which offers free online and audio Bible studies.

Fuller Participation and Liturgical Song

2011-11-26T20:45:00.000-05:00

One last recommendation of the Holy Father & Synod for fuller participation is "Biblically-inspired liturgical song". His words seem to suggest a hierarchy of preference and several categories of liturgical music which are acceptable:

1. Gregorian chant. Here, the Holy Father cites Sacrasanctum Concilium (¶ 116), which gives Gregorian chant "pride of place" in the liturgy, and the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) which itself, in ¶ 41, cites SC. You can listen to several examples online from the Miles Christi schola cantorum.

2. "Songs handed down to us by the Church's tradition". There is a long tradition of beautiful and theologically-rich hymns in the Church. For example, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote several, including probably his best known, Tantum Ergo Sacramentum. Also, Fr. Frederick Faber wrote many English-language hymns in the 1800's, including Faith of Our Fathers and Sweet Sacrament (Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All).

3. "Songs which are of clear biblical inspiration and which express... the beauty of God's word." In this last category, we have other liturgical music - including modern - which draws on Scripture for inspiration. The Psalms seem the obvious choice, as they were the early hymns, though any book of the Bible is fair game, as "(a)ll scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching... and for training in righteousnes..." (2 Tim 3:16) It is notable, though, that the Holy Father gives some additional criteria. The songs must be used "at the times called for by the particular rite." The GIRM is the key reference here, providing instruction on which parts get preference (¶ 40) and on music during specific parts of Mass (e.g. ¶ 47-48)

Indeed, this is what is meant by physical "active participation" - our taking part in the Mass "by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes." Our minds and spirits must be actively engaged, but so should our bodies - by picking up the hymnal and singing!

There are many more articles on liturgical music. For a further breakdown of Church documents, as well as independent articles, I recommend stopping by Adoremus.

Full Participation and the Importance of the Word of God

2011-11-09T20:42:00.000-05:00

Continuing with the Holy Father's suggestions for a true "fuller participation" in the liturgy, we find several that relate, in one way or another, to emphasizing the importance of the Word of God.

Pope Benedict shares the synod's suggestion "that the proclamation of the word of God, and of the Gospel in particular, should be made more solemn..." Especially on major feasts, the book from which the Gospel is read should be processed in at the beginning of Mass. It can then be carried up to be read from, rather than simply waiting at the lectern like any old book. The Pope also suggests proclaiming the Gospel in song to emphasize its importance. (What might this sound like? Try the Miles Christi Schola Cantorum's recording of the Passion according to St. John.)
Whether its sung or read, the Gospel needs to be heard. The Holy Father specifically points to the visual and hearing impaired as needing help "fully participating". They need appropriate assistance so that they, too, can "experience a living contact with the word of the Lord." More broadly, the Holy Father also asks for attention to church acoustics within liturgical and architectural norms.

He also notes several things about the ambo. It should be clearly visible (no guessing where the Gospel reading will take place), placed to naturally draw attention (no neck cramps from looking way over there), fixed (no portable wooden podium), and designed to "present visibly the theological significance of the double table of the word and of the Eucharist." (In a way, the ambo is the "altar" on which the Word is offered to us.)

And in case there was any question, the Holy Father reiterated the Synod, which reiterated Pope John Paul II, who reiterated liturgical law, which clarifies ancient liturgical practice: no reading, including the Responsorial Psalm, may come from any source but the Bible.

Fuller Participation and Silence

2011-10-30T16:28:00.002-05:00

Picking up from my post on "Fuller Participation & Celebrations of the Word", we find that the Pope's second suggestion for "fuller participation" is silence. How can being quiet lead to fuller participation? To participate, shouldn't I be doing something?

Well, silence is "doing something", of course. It is in silence we can process what's already been said or done. In silence, we can reflect. It is the silence after that makes the last dramatic notes of a song so moving. Without silence, significance can be lost because we're already on to the next sentence, the next verse, or the next action. The Holy Father will emphasize this on May 20, 2012 with a seeming contradiction: presenting on the World Day for Social Communications the theme of "silence". CatholicCulture.org quotes from the Vatican press office that silence was chosen "precisely because it favors habits of discernment and reflection, can in fact be seen primarily as a means of welcoming the word."

Consider Mary. She had quite a lot happening around Jesus' birth. She received warnings, gifts, and messages that we continue to hear and read and contemplate to this day. There in the bustle of activity, she stopped, " reflecting on them in her heart." (Luke 2:19) Consider, too, another Mary who sat at Jesus' feet and listened, putting the bustle of activity aside for a time to listen in silence. "Mary has chosen the better part," Jesus tells her harried sister, Martha - and tells us. (Luke 10:38-42)

I try to end most posts here with something to do, some small way to put the topic into action. My suggestion today is nothing. The next time you read Scripture, receive the Eucharist, hug your child, or even watch a sunset - just do nothing. Take it in. Be present to the wonder of the God who made you, speaks to you, and is present to you.

(Addition: Auxiliary Bishop James Conley has written a piece on the topic: Silence and the liturgy.)

The Rosary: A Cheat Sheet for Salvation History

2011-10-27T07:47:00.002-05:00

I've guest-posted today on Sarah Reinhard's excellent blog, Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering.

There are wonderful spiritual benefits, for ourselves and others, when we pray the rosary. What about intellectual benefits? Can the rosary help us understand our faith better? Can it help us transform by renewing our minds, as St. Paul instructed?

I say "yes", and you can find out why at: A Cheat Sheet for Salvation History.

Fuller Participation and Celebrations of the Word

2011-10-23T15:54:00.000-05:00

The Holy Father ends the section of Verbum Domini titled “The Liturgy, Privileged Setting for the Word of God” with a list of seven “practical proposals for promoting fuller participation in the liturgy”. Now, the phrase “fuller participation” may get some hackles up. If it does, I suspect it's because the idea of “participation” in Mass has been misused to support unnecessary (and unauthorized) liturgical “innovations”. Certainly, Pope Benedict didn't spend 23,540 words, so far, on the Word of God only to suggest things, now, that will distract from it (and Him).

These seven proposals came from the Synod Fathers – the bishops that met from October 5-26, 2008 to discuss the Word of God. In what way does Pope Benedict see these promoting “fuller participation”? They will, hopefully, make “the People of God ever more familiar with the word of God in the context of liturgical actions [such as atMass]...”

The first suggestion is the promotion of “celebrations of the word”. In this type of service, the faithful would receive the written word of God but not participate in the sacrifice.

In some parts of the world, people do not have access to a priest every Sunday and without a priest, there cannot be a Mass. When there can't be a Mass, a celebration of the word – the Word of God proclaimed, even if the Eucharist cannot be confected – is far better than nothing. The Holy Father is careful to note that a celebration of this sort is not an alternative to Mass. Verbum Domini cites Sacramentum Caritatis (specifically, section 75), which also clearly states the same: that there needs to be “adequate instruction about the difference between Mass and Sunday assemblies in the absence of a priest... care should be taken that these assemblies do not create confusion about the central role of the priest and the sacraments in the life of the Church.”

Both Sacramentum Caritatis and Verbum Domini suggest that those at such a celebration of the word pray particularly for vocations, “for God to send holy priests after his own heart.” That's an excellent suggestion not only for those parishes in need, but for all of us to pray for the needs of those brothers and sisters without easy access to the sacraments.

It's important to note, I think, that such “celebrations of the word” are not only suggested when a population can't have Mass. It is suggested as a supplement – an expression of popular piety, rather than a formal public liturgical act. The Holy Father notes that those bishops in the synod “also recommended celebrations of the word of God on pilgrimages, special feasts, popular missions, spiritual retreats and special days of penance, reparation or pardon.”

I'm oversimplifying, perhaps, but in essence: hearing the Word of God is not just for Mass. We can, and should, hear the Word of God proclaimed outside of Mass. Our Christian life and, therefore, our need for the Gospel, is not limited to an hour a week or even an hour a day. Christian life is 24x7.

The Liturgy of the Hours

2011-09-30T18:00:00.000-05:00

Continuing with "The Liturgy: Privileged Setting for the Word of God" in Verbum Domini, we find the Holy Father noting the "undoubted place" held by the Liturgy of the Hours among all kinds of scriptural prayer. He cites from Principles and Norms for the Liturgy of the Hours, which explains that "...the Church, exercising the priestly office of her Head, offers ‘incessantly’ (1 Th 5:17) to God the sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name (cf. Heb 13:15). This prayer is 'the voice of a bride speaking to her bridegroom, it is the very prayer that Christ himself, together with his Body, addressed to the Father.'"

The Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office, is "the public prayer of the Church", in which we hear the word of God and pray the psalms throughout the day. DivineOffice.org presents a very thorough set of General Instructions online. The Catechism teaches on the Liturgy of the Hours in paragraphs 1174-1178.

In part, the Catechism tells us that:

"The Liturgy of the Hours is intended to become the prayer of the whole People of God." [1175]
"The celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours demands not only harmonizing the voice with the praying heart, but also a deeper understanding of the liturgy and of the Bible, especially of the Psalms." [1176]
"The hymns and litanies of the Liturgy of the Hours integrate the prayer of the psalms into the age of the Church, expressing the symbolism of the time of day, the liturgical season, or the feast being celebrated." [1177]

Who prays the Divine Office?

The Holy Father explains that "Bishops, priests and deacons aspiring to the priesthood, all of whom have been charged by the Church to celebrate this liturgy, are obliged to pray \all the Hours daily." What about the rest of us? Pope Benedict tells us that "(t)he Synod asked that this prayer become more widespread among the People of God, particularly the recitation of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer." He recommends " that, wherever possible, parishes and religious communities promote this prayer with the participation of the lay faithful."

What if there isn't a local group praying the Divine Office? You can join in the public prayer of the Church on your own. It is public prayer, after all - jump right in. A lay person may join this worldwide prayer at any time, praying as many or few of the hours as desired.

How do I pray the Divine Office?

Traditionally, the Liturgy of the Hours has been set in a series of books. You can purchase a full four-volume set (Liturgy of the Hours (4-Volume Set), or Large Print) or a condensed single volume (Christian Prayer : The Liturgy of the Hours). You can also find text and audio versions at several websites, like universalis.com and divineoffice.org.

If you do want to use the printed book(s), it will help to have a guide. The classic English guide to praying the Divine Office is the St. Joseph Guide. You can find the 2012 version by searching for "Saint Joseph Guide for Christian Prayer 2012".

Free Trial - Satisfaction Guaranteed

The online versions can serve as a "free trial" (no commitment, satisfaction guaranteed; though I can't promise an operator won't call you) before you buy books or as your sole source of the day's prayers.

Try a single hour and see how you like it. You can pray the morning hour before you leave for work. If, like me, you're not a "morning person", you can try praying the evening hour before you leave work (or before your spouse gets home); it provides a clear transition between your day and your evening. You can also pray the night hour right before bed.

Scripture and Sacraments

2011-09-19T18:02:00.000-05:00

In the section of Verbum Domini titled "The word of God, Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick", the Holy Father briefly connects Scripture to the seven sacraments. He reminds us, first, that "the Eucharist certainly remains central to the relationship between God's word and the sacraments". Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, which we receive in the Eucharist. We receive the written word in the Liturgy of the Word, and we receive the living Word in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Pope Benedict also stresses "the importance of sacred Scripture in the other sacraments". "We ought never to forget that 'the word of God is a word of reconciliation, for in it God has reconciled all things to himself' (cf. 2 Cor 5:18-20; Eph 1:10)." While he emphasizes the Sacraments of Healing here, there are certainly scriptural connections to all of the sacraments.For example, from the Catechism we have:

Baptism: "Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: 'Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.'" [1213]
Confirmation: "This fullness of the Spirit was not to remain uniquely the Messiah's, but was to be communicated to the whole messianic people. On several occasions Christ promised this outpouring of the Spirit, a promise which he fulfilled first on Easter Sunday and then more strikingly at Pentecost. Filled with the Holy Spirit the apostles began to proclaim 'the mighty works of God...'" [1287]
Holy Matrimony: "Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of 'the wedding-feast of the Lamb.' Scripture speaks throughout of marriage and its 'mystery,' its institution and the meaning God has given it, its origin and its end, its various realizations throughout the history of salvation, thedifficulties arising from sin and its renewal 'in the Lord' in the New Covenant of Christ andthe Church." [1602]
Holy Orders: "Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time: thus it is the sacrament of apostolic ministry." [1536]

The Holy Father encourages us, also, "to prepare for confession by meditating on a suitable text of sacred Scripture". A quick search found some good suggestions. In his article "Preparing for Confession: Thinking Outside the Box", Gerald Korson highlights Jesus' words on adultery in Matthew 5:27-28 and the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matt 25). The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference of Bishops' document, A Guide to the Sacrament of Penance, also provides numerous Scripture and Catechism references.

The Homily

2011-09-10T12:27:00.000-05:00

In my last post on Verbum Domini, we learned a little bit (I hope) about the lectionary. Right after that - both at Mass and in the second part of the Holy Father's exhortation - comes the homily.

The clergy and laity have different responsibilities when it comes to the word of God, but we do all have responsibilities. We laity must listen to and meditate on God's word; that is our duty, not just something we may do in response to really exceptional preaching or a particularly good mood. The homiletics road goes both ways, and the Holy Father both reiterates his call (from the 2007 exhortation "Sacramentum Caritatis") that "the quality of homilies needs to be improved" and reminds laity to "welcome the word which was proclaimed and..let it bear fruit in their lives."

What does this latest exhortation tell us about the homily?

It "is meant to foster a deeper understanding of the word of God".
A good homily "helps the faithful to realize that God's word is present and at work in their everyday lives."
It should not be "generic and abstract" or draw "greater attention to the preacher than to the heart of the Gospel message."
Christ "must stand at the centre of every homily."

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM, PDF version) refers to the homily in several places:

The homily is a "living commentary on the word" that should foster "a fuller understanding and a greater efficaciousness of the word". (¶29)
It develops the main part of the Liturgy of the Word, which is "the readings from Sacred Scripture together with the chants occuring between them." (¶55)
The Priest may give the homily "standing at the chair or at the ambo itself or, if appropriate, in another worthy place". (¶136)
"(A) period of silence may be observed", but the General Instruction does not require it. (¶136)
The homily may be given by a Deacon (¶171) or a concelebrant (¶213).
No other exceptions are listed in the General Instruction; the norm appears to be "(t)he Priest... gives the Homily." (¶136)

We need to pray and support our priests in this aspect of their ministry. The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to different people, and not all priests (just like not all laity) find it as easy to research, write, or deliver a homily. Where there are difficiencies, let's work to build them up. (Consider buying your priest an excellent commentary, like the Navarre Bible or the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible.) And let's not forget to praise the good when we see it, as well. Thank your priest for a good homily, and tell him why it was good.

Let's remember, too, our own responsibilities as laity to listen to Scripture, to read it outside of Mass, and to make it part of our lives.`

The Mass Readings

2011-08-02T17:05:00.004-05:00

In Part Two of Verbum Domini, in the section "The Liturgy, Privileged Setting For The Word Of God" is a subsection "Sacred Scripture and the Lectionary". In this, the Holy Father emphasizes the importance of the Lectionary and applauds the abundance of Scripture offered at Mass. The Second Vatican Council reformed the Lectionary, he reminds us, and this may lead to a few questions.

First, what is the lectionary? Shouldn't we be reading from the Bible?

We are, of course. The Bible is the whole collection of inspired documents, and passages from the Bible are arranged for convenience in the lectionary. Properly, a "lectionary" is any liturgical book meant to be read aloud during a service, and through Church history such books were produced according to different needs. For example, when books were more costly to produce, the priest's prayers and the choir's antiphons were in their own volumes, rather than take the material and time to duplicate unneeded pages. (Thurston) In our day, we can produce book relatively easily and cheaply, so duplication is not as great a concern.

Our lectionary was introduced March 22, 1970 and contains all of the Mass readings. (Hardon) Scripture is organized by the day to be read, rather than in books and chapters. This applies to the Latin rite of the Church, which includes most - but not all - Catholics. There are other rites, including the extraordinary form of the Latin rite, which follow other rules. (The Holy Father refers to sui iuris (pronounced like soo-ee your-is) Churches that have their own laws. That is, in fact, what "sui iuris" means - their own laws.).

Second, what did the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) reform about the lectionary?

There is now an "interplay of the Old and New Testament readings". There is an intentional relationship between the readings for a given day, all with Christ at the center. The new lectionary uses a three-year cycle of readings for Sundays and solemn feasts, and a two-year cycle for weekday Masses. Over the course of three years, Catholics hear a large percentage of Scripture as readings (not to mention the Biblical references throughout the rest of the Mass) and the connections between the Old and New Testaments are highlighted. For example, the handing over of the keys of the kingdom to Eliakim (Is 22:19-23) is paired with the handing of the keys to Peter (Mt 16:13-20). That Old Testament reading helps explain the power given to Peter by Christ.

The Holy Father also reminds us of the need to view Scripture as a whole. If we have difficulty seeing the relationship between two readings (or between any two passages), we must find our answer in the whole of the Bible. Scripture does not contradict itself; only interpretations of verses contradict. We should work to resolve difficulties in interpretation "in light of canonical interpretation, that is to say, by referring to the inherent unity of the Bible as a whole." (By "canonical", the Holy Father means "according to the canon" or according to the official, revealed list of the books of the Bible.)

If there are "other problems or difficulties" with the use of the Lectionary that you can't resolve by yourself (or with a few others), then you can do what Jesus said and "take it to the church" (Matt 18:17). Specifically, you would take it to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. This body is the department, so to speak, that oversees the Mass and sacraments, as well as sacramentals, the liturgy of the hours, and the observance of holy days.

Hardon, John. 1999. "Analogy of faith". In The Modern Catholic Dictionary. Inter Mirifica.
Thurston, H. (1910). Lectionary. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved August 2, 2011 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09110b.htm

The Word of God in the Mass

2011-07-20T09:35:00.001-05:00

In the second section of part two of Verbum Domini, the Holy Father tells us that the Catholic liturgy is the "privileged setting for the Word of God". Sacred Scripture is most "at home" in the Church, in the context of a Mass. Why is that? Well, what is the more full realization: the command to do something or the actual doing? The prophecy or the fulfillment? In Scripture, Christ's sacrifice is described; at Mass, it becomes present [1364, 1545]. In Scripture, John tells his followers, "behold, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:29); at Mass, we behold the Lamb of God.

Scripture tells us what Christ did and that His Word is efficacious. At Mass, His Word is spoken and His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity is really present. That is where the Church as the Body of Christ gathers, and it is where the Body of Christ in the Eucharist is confected. "It is he who speaks when Scripture is read in Church", the Pope reminds us, quoting from Sacrosanctum Concilium. A speaking voice is most at home with the Body from which that spoken Word comes, just like your voice can be heard in recording but is most natural and most "at home" coming from your body.

Some use the term "Bible Christian" to distinguish themselves from Catholics. But we, too, are people of the Word - and more so because we do not just study it but carry it out. "A faith-filled understanding of sacred Scripture must always refer back to the liturgy..." We don't just believe in Christ, but we also do the things He commanded. Some of these things are done publicly and corporately (all together). This is the public work or "leitourgia". We are Bible Christians, just not Bible-only Christians; studying and living the Word of God is part (though not all) of our sacred work.

So what could we be doing better? The Holy Father tells us that "in pastoral practice, however, the faithful are not always conscious of this connection (between Scripture and Sacrament), nor do they appreciate the unity between gesture and word." He goes on: "The relationship between word and sacramental gesture is the liturgical expression of God's activity in the history of salvation through the performative character of the word itself. In salvation history there is no separation between what God says and what he does." When the priest speaks at Mass (or, for another example, during absolution in the sacrament of Confession), he speaks with Christ's voice. Christ's words are efficacious because He is the Word of God. Christ is Truth, not just one who speaks truth, and when the priest acts and speaks at the altar, it is Christ acting and speaking through him.

What mysterious and wonderful things happen each day at Mass!

Recreated by the Word

2011-06-25T23:48:00.000-05:00

We're in the second part of Verbum Domini, at long last. In the first section, "The Word Of God And The Church", Pope Benedict XVI cites St. Augustine on our creation. "(Y)ou were created through the word, but now through the word you must be recreated." St. Augustine is commenting on St. John's Gospel. John tells us that "to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God." (John 1:12-13)

Created by the Word

In the beginning was the Word, and by God's Word all things were made. (John 1:1-3) Whether our first parents were created directly or through an evolutionary process instituted by God, we are a result of that initial physical creation.

We are also a direct spiritual creation; however our bodies came into being (and always ultimately by God), our souls are a direct, special creation. [366]

Recreated by the Word

We were created by God's Word, and we must be recreated by God's Word. Our bodies will receive recreation by God in the end. (cf 1 Cor 15:51) Our souls are brought back to life, back into the spiritual order, when we receive the Word. We receive baptism in the name of Jesus, the Word of God. We receive the living Word in the Eucharist. And we receive the Word spoken to use at Mass and lived out by Christians in the world around us.

Most of us will not perform a baptism or distribute the Eucharist. All of us, however, are called to bring the Word of God into the world. We are sent forth at the end of each Mass for that purpose; the word "mass", in fact, comes from "missa" or "sending forth". The Holy Father reiterates a point made by Vatican II in Dei Verbum, that "a defining aspect of the Church" is that "she is a community that hears and proclaims the word of God."

We are to be instruments for spreading the Gospel. We are called to bring that Word of God that recreates us into the world, so that the world can be recreated, one soul at a time.

The Four Senses of Scripture

2011-05-28T00:23:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I briefly covered the Pope's "fundamental criteria" for reading Sacred Scripture as more than a stand-alone, dead, historical text. At the end of the first section of Verbum Domini, the Holy Father also talks about the counsel's biblical hermeneutic. "On the one hand, the Council emphasizes the study of literary genres and historical context... on the other hand... Scripture is being interpreted in the same spirit in which it was written..." Here, the Pope is talking about historical-critical exegesis and what he calls theological exegesis. This theological exegesis goes beyond critical analysis of the historical events, composition, and style of the Biblical books.

Beyond the literal sense of Scripture - the actual events recorded - there is a spiritual sense "subdivided into three senses which deal with the contents of the faith, with the moral life, and with our eschatalogical aspiration." These are often called the allegorical, moral, and anagogical senses. These senses allow us to take the literal sense that looks back at the past and apply it to present and future meaning.

The allegorical sense helps us understand our faith and how everything is Christocentric (Christ-centered). Jesus Himself teaches with the allegorical sense. For example, He describes the three days He'll spend in the tomb by comparison to the three days Jonah spent in the belly of the whale (____, ____). Jesus takes an Old Testament story that does not directly refer to Him and shows how it applies to Him or helps us better understand what He has done.

The moral sense is also aimed at the present. In particular, it focuses ther eading of Scripture on our present actions. when we read in the moral sense, we take lessons from Scripture and use them to guide the formation of our conscience and the daily choices we make. We may never be in exactly the same situation as Sts. Peter, or Paul, or Stephen - or even Judas - but we can relate to the overall sense of the situations they were in. We may never have stood beside a charcoal fire and asked if we know Christ, but we've surely been challenged to serve our own interests before serving Christ. We have all had our faith scoffed at. "Surely, you don't believe *that*?" We have probably never been asked to step out of a boat and walk on water, but each of us *has* been challenged by the Spirit to take a leap of faith.

The anagogical sense, lastly, looks to the future and our ultimate destiny. Sacred Scripture tells us about Heaven directly, by parable, and by analogy.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church briefly describes these four senses in paragraphs 115-119. If you'd like to read more, Catholics United for the Faith has an article called "Making Sense Out of Scripture: the Four Best Kept Secrets in Biblical Studies Today". You can also read Dr. Sri's book, The Bible Compass or Mark Shea's Making Senses Out of Scripture.

The Divine Dimension of the Bible

2011-05-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

Near the end of the first section of Verbum Domini, the Holy Father gives us three "fundamental criteria for an appreciation of the divine dimension of the Bible": the unity of scripture, the living tradition of the Church, and the analogy of faith. These are echoed in the Catechism, paragraphs 111-114. Together these mean that while Scripture is a collection of multiple books and letters, it is also a unity - one Bible.

1) We must consider any given passage in the light of the rest of Sacred Scripture. We must look for other examples or counterpoints in other books. For example, Jesus' statement "call no man father" cannot be taken literally. If it were, Jesus would be contradicting other parts of the inspired Word of God where people refer to others, or themselves, as "father"(cf 2 Kings 2:12, 2 Kings 6:21, Acts 7:2, Romans 9:10).

2) We must also look to Sacred Tradition, handed down through the Church's teaching, for, as St. John tells us, not everything Jesus taught was written down (John 21:25). Scripture does not include vital words like "trinity", nor does it tell us what books are inspired. Christian worship from the very beginning included the reading and study of Sacred Scripture but did not focus exclusively on it.

3) Lastly, no single belief stands or falls on its own. "(E)very individual statement of belief must be understood in the light of the Church's whole objective body of faith." (Hardon) We see this same concept in Scripture, when Paul tells prophets to prophecy "in proportion to the faith" (Romans 12:6). (This is handily explained in more detail in the Feb 1993 edition of This Rock magazine.)

Together, these criteria speak of the breadth and unity of our faith. The Catholic faith is one body of different parts, just like the Church is one Body of Christ. There is a unity and connectedness between everything.

Hardon, John. 1999. "Analogy of faith". In The Modern Catholic Dictionary. Inter Mirifica.

Blog On!

2011-05-05T11:45:00.000-05:00

Michael Voris gave a keynote to some of the Catholic bloggers in Rome for the beatification of JPII and the Vatican's blogging conference. His words are both sobering and heartening:

Any time we're approached about our faith, it is an opportunity to spread the Gospel. Any time the Church is attacked, we should be ready to defend Her (1 Peter 3:15) and to plant the seeds of Truth. That's all we can do, but it's also what we must do.

There are going to be trials. There may even be death. Jesus didn't say to sling your backpack over your shoulder and follow Him, right? (Luke 9:23) If we follow Him, we'll do it carrying a cross. If we walk that road, it will take us away from the mainstream. I often reread what G. K. Chesterton wrote in "The Defendant":

"The person who is really in revolt is the optimist, who generally lives and dies in a desperate and suicidal effort to persuade all the other people how good they are. It has been proved a hundred times over that if you really wish to enrage people and make them angry, even unto death, the right way to do it is to tell them that they are all the sons of God."

Bin Laden, Judas, and Divine Mercy

2011-05-02T06:30:00.001-05:00

I always enjoy Jennifer Fulwiler's thoughts on spiritual matters. Her atheist-to-Catholic conversion provides a different and often enlightening perspective. Today, she pointed out the shocking truth that God loves Osama bin Laden too. She talks about "one of the most difficult moral truths I’d ever heard: That God not only could, but wants to forgive Osama bin Laden. That even someone who was responsible for a terror attack that slaughtered thousands could ask for God’s forgiveness, and receive it."

What an oddly appropriate day for this news to break - the close of Divine Mercy Sunday and the beatification day of Blessed John Paul II. A great champion of life is honored, and a taker of life is killed. Unable to peer into souls, that is how we mortal men see things. God, though, looks at all men - all - with eyes of mercy. The Catechism tells us that "to die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice." [1033] God wants all to accept His love. He"does not want "any to perish, but all to come to repentance"" [1037], and if we repent, if any of us truly repent and ask God's mercy, we will get it. Even Bin Laden.

That is the difference in the ends of two New Testament men: Judas Iscariot and Saul of Tarsus. Today, we honor St. Paul. Schools and churches are named for him. His is the great conversion story, the one we recall to others when they feel too far gone for God's mercy. (Some of us even name their blogs after him.) He repented and accepted God's loving mercy. What would be different today if Judas had done the same? The great betrayer could have received Christ's mercy and been one of the greatest saints. We could proudly attend St. Judas parish and pray for his intercession. There is no persecutor or betrayer so terrible that God cannot make them a great saint. More importantly, there is no one that God does not will to sanctity. If I am truly conformed to Him, then I must will the same.

In my fallen state, though, I have trouble forgiving even one slight from someone I love. It feels nearly impossible to forgive thousands of deaths from a terrorist leader. How can I pray that bin Laden repented in his last moments? It seems impossible, even wrong. Yet every night, I stand by my son and pray with him those very dangerous words: "...and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

We ask to be forgiven only as much as we forgive. [2842] Oh, how we need Divine Mercy!

The Church's Book

2011-04-17T18:12:00.000-05:00

In the last section of Part One of Verbum Domini, the Holy Father states that "authentic biblical hermeneutics can only be had within the faith of the Church". The paradigm - the model - of this is Mary's fiat: "May it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). Mary demonstrated faithful obedience to the angel's message. We're to show similar faithful obedience to the Church in our reading of Scripture.

Is this too restrictive? No. The foul lines don't restrict me from playing basketball; they allow me to play. The lines on the road don't restrict me from driving; they allow me to enjoy the freedom of the road. The limits give the freedom. This seems paradoxical to us only because we, as a culture, have a lousy working definition of freedom.

In the same vein, "the ecclesial context" is not a rule applied to Biblical study but an intrinsic part of it, as the lines are part of the road or the playing field. This context - reading the Bible within the Church - allows us to enjoy fruitful Bible study. "(T)he ecclesial context...is something demanded by the very nature of the Scriptures and the way they gradually came into being."

Reading the Bible without communion, without a full faith life, "might suggest interesting elements on the level of textual structure and form" but could not begin to plumb the depths of the meaning of God's written Word.

What does this mean for us? If you want rich Scriptural study, live a rich Catholic life. The Mass is Scriptural. The Catholic life is Scriptural. The more we live it, the more we'll see it in Scripture, and when we recognize ourselves on the surface of Scripture, we'll be more ready and able to dive past that reflection and into the ocean of His Word.

What is historical-critical exegesis?

2011-04-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

We need to lay a little more groundwork. Last time, we answered the question "What is hermeneutics?" Not long after we first encounter "hermeneutics" and "exegesis", the Holy Father discusses "historical-critical exegesis". We know that the point of exegesis "is to find out what exactly a given passage of the Bible says" (Hardon 1999), but what is this particular kind of exegesis all about?

Someone performing historical-critical exegesis seeks to "penetrate the secret of language, to understand it in its structure and its mode of expression". That exegete* focuses on the historical facts that the Holy Father tells us make up "a constitutive dimension of the Christian faith" and searches for the meaning of the author's words in historical context. The historical-critical exegete looks at the Bible as a collection of historical documents to be read with the mind and experience of the original audience. How did John's audience understand his Gospel? What did this saying of Jesus mean to those hearing Him? There is value to historical-critical study, because "(t)he history of salvation is not mythology, but a true history." The Pope tells us that "attention to such methods is indispensable, linked as it is to the realism of the Incarnation."

Note, though, that the Holy Father doesn't recommend using this method exclusively.Scholars should neither reject a scientific approach not rely on it solely (the Catholic "both-and" rather than "either-or").

To put these two approaches in opposition is a "dualistic approach to sacred Scripture", while, really, the "then" and "now" views complement each other. The scientific and spiritual work hand-in-hand. The Bible is not "a text belonging only to the past". The Pope calls this a "secularized hermeneutic...based on the conviction tha the Divine does not intervene in human history." Indeed, viewed in this purely secular way, it is only a history book whose figures are all long dead. The God of that book would be long dead and silent as well. Instead, we worship the living God that speaks to us today in His written word.

Everyday readers of Scripture can benefit, as well, from a combined spiritual and scientific view. The story of Scripture, the way God's plan of salvation has been accomplished, is fascinating; at the same time, the words of Scripture tell us about Christ, about our own moral life, and about the goal of Heaven.

If you'd like to see how this "both-and" scholarship works - and how it can benefit your understanding of Scripture - read some of the current orthodox Catholic Scripture scholars. Drs. Barber, Bergsma, and Pitre blog at The Sacred Page. Also, Tim Staples often digs into the original languages when explaining Bible passages on Catholic Answers Live!

As we continue through this section of Verbum Domini, we'll learn more about these two complementary approaches to Scripture and how to read the Bible with them.

* The person doing exegesis

Hardon, John. 1999. "Hermeneutics". In The Modern Catholic Dictionary. Inter Mirifica.

What is Hermeneutics?

2011-04-13T16:11:00.000-05:00

First, thank you for your patience. I'm currently writing a catechetical book, and it is not on good time management, believe me. But we continue with Pope Benedict XVI's wonderful apostolic exhortation, Verbum Domini.

We're in final section of Part One, titled The Interpretation of Sacred Scripture in the Church. It takes two sentences for the Holy Father to get into the question of "authentic hermeneutics". Before we can read on, then, we must ask: what is a hermeneutic?

Hermeneutics is "the art and science of interpreting the Sacred Scriptures and of inquiring into their true meaning." The word comes from the Greek "hermeneus" or "interpreter" (Hardon 1999). The word "hermeneutics" itself doesn't imply interpretation of Scripture, but that's become the common meaning (Maas 1910). It makes sense, then, for the Holy Father to describe the Church as "the primary setting for biblical hermeneutics". The Church is, after all, the pillar and bulwark of the Truth (1 Tim 3:15).

When Philip encounters an Ethiopian eunuch reading Scripture (Acts 8:26-40), he asks the man "do you understand what you are reading?" The eunuch rightly replies, "how can I, unless someone instructs me?" Philip interprets a passage from Isaiah in relation to Christ. Here we see his hermeneutic - his law (Hardon 1999) or rule for interpreting the prophet. If Philip didn't know or believe in Christ, he would have a different set (and a wrong set) of rules for interpreting the passage in question.

Hermeneutics shouldn't be confused with exegesis; the two terms are very closely related. Exegesis is the process of interpreting and expressing the meaning of Sacred Scripture. Hermeneutics are the rules for conducting such work. You can do exegesis without good hermeneutics, just as you can drive a car without traffic laws. Both, I expect, would end with roughly the same results.

Hardon, John. 1999. "Hermeneutics". In The Modern Catholic Dictionary. Inter Mirifica.
Maas, A. 1910. "Hermeneutics". In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07271a.htm (accessed April 13, 2011).

Sayings from the Bible

2011-03-22T16:20:00.000-05:00

In a paragraph near the end of Our Response to the God Who Speaks in Verbum Domini, Pope Benedict XVI comments on "Mary’s familiarity with the word of God". "The Magnificat... is entirely woven from threads of Holy Scripture..." The clearest example, I think, is the series of connections to Hannah. In 1 Samuel 1:16-18, the childless Hannah refers to herself as a handmaiden and maidservant. In the next chapter, after she's given a child, she praises God with these words:

"My heart exults in the LORD, my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory. There is no Holy One like the LORD; there in no Rock like our God. (1 Sam 2:1-2)

The words, structure, and rhythm are very similar. It's easy to imagine Mary drawing on her knowledge of Hannah's prayer when searching for adequate words to express herself. The Holy Father points out how "completely at home Mary is with the word of God". She "speaks and thinks with" it. Mary is a powerful example in prayer. We should follow her example, thinking and speaking with Scripture; God isn't going to accuse us of plagiarism!

Our prayers in the Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours, and the rosary follow this plan for Scriptural prayer. In fact, the USCCB has put an annotated Order of Mass online, which shows many of the connections back to Sacred Scripture. (We are Bible Christians!)

The idea is to speak with Scripture, not incidentally but purposefully, to use Scripture to help form our minds and hearts and words. The more we read and meditate on the written Word of God, the more it becomes part of us.

It's also interesting, though, how Scripture enters our speech without our awareness. There are many common expressions that I'm sure were originally spoken with Scripture in mind but now pass without much thought. Have you ever said that there's "nothing new under the sun"? Those words come from Ecclesiastes 1:9. Perhaps Job was the first to escape by the skin of his teeth (Job 19:20). The Prophet Jeremiah first asked if a leopard can change its spots (Jer 13:23), while the Psalmist first remarked on the things that come "out of the mouth of babes" (Ps 8:3). And it was Christ, Himself, that first warned about "the blind leading the blind" (Matt 15:14).

Lastly, Jesus spoke with Scripture as well, and the Gospel authors wrote with it, citing the Old Testament often. The Psalm above, in fact, is referenced by Christ when he asks "have you never read the text, 'Out of the mouths of infants and nurslings you have brought forth praise'?" (Matt 21:16)

So... can you "read the writing on the wall" (Dan 5:5)?

Catholic Media Promotion Day

2011-03-15T13:08:00.000-05:00

It's Catholic Media Promotion Day. What are you waiting for?

Close those books, head over to Facebook, and find some great podcasts, blogs, books, and music you haven't heard of yet.

http://www.facebook.com/promotecatholicism

We'll be back into Verbum Domini tomorrow with a look at Mary's own use of Scripture.

Our Response

2011-03-01T21:00:00.001-05:00

Appropriately, after the section of Verbum Domini called The God Who Speaks, the Holy Father writes about Our Response to the God Who Speaks.

Looking back at the previous section, he tells us that "(b)y emphasizing the many forms of the word, we have been able to contemplate the number of ways in which God speaks to and encounters men and women, making himself known in dialogue." We communicate with each other in a variety of ways - looks and gestures, spoken words, recorded messages, books, letters, email. Why should we imagine God is more limited or less creative than those made in His image? (Hmm.. Could you imagine "a reading from the 156th tweet to the Romans"?)

God's communication with us, in all its forms, is a gift. We are not peers, and there is no reason the creator should communicate with His creatures. It is a sign of God's great love for us.

It is a sign of God's love. It is not because God wants to stifle or control us. God's word to us is not given with the intention to limit us. "The word of God...is not inimical (harmful or hostile) to us; it does not stifle our authentic desires, but rather illuminates them, purifies them and brings them to fulfillment." If there is a contradiction between my desire and God's word, where do I look first for the problem? The realistic response - the one that recognizes my own fallibility and limits - is to look to myself for the source of contradiction. We all know this inherently. We find ourselves asking 'Why did I do that?' or 'What was I thinking?' Our culture and our own tendency to sin (concupiscence) lead us, time and again, to fool ourselves into thinking that if I want it - really, really want it - it must be good. It is very easy to fool ourselves, but "the divine word..discloses the sin that lurks in the human heart."

What do we do with that? What do we do once we've at least accepted our powers of self-delusion and our need for the guidance of God's word. Well, you don't get a traffic ticket for failing to read a street sign; you get one for failing to obey it. "The obedience of faith must be our response to the God who reveals."

And why obey it? Why care our our self-delusion about sin? Why listen to the word of God? God has given us Scripture "so that we may not only believe in but also possess eternal life." The Word of God is not something to just believe in but something to unite with. The Bible is not a text to memorize for the big test, it is the answer key.

Mary is a beautiful example of not only believing but living God's word. She exemplifies "obedient faith", not only believing what God said through His angel but letting it change her life entirely. "Her obedient faith shapes her life at every moment before God's plan." She demonstrates for us "an active listening which interiorizes and assimilates, one in which the word becomes a way of life." We are called to this same obedient faith, to let God's word change our lives, to say "yes" as Mary did.

Pray today for the grace to give that unconditional "yes" to God. Ask Mary to show you how. Make an Act of Faith (The Catholic Spiritual Direction blog just posted Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love).

Taught by the Spirit and the Church

2011-02-13T15:06:00.000-05:00

Let's continue reading Verbum Domini, picking up from "The word of God and the Holy Spirit" to the end of the first section.
Jesus is not a word of God but the Word of God. Singular. The Holy Father quotes St. John of the Cross, telling us that "(God) spoke everything at once in this sole word - and he has no more to say... he has spoken all at once by giving us this All who is his Son."

What of the Holy Spirit, then? The Holy Spirit spoke through the prophets and inspired the authors of the written word of God. He sustains the Church. Pope Benedict seems to be telling us that the Holy Spirit works to express, clarify, and spread the one definitive revelation of Christ.

Without the Holy Spirit, we would have the Word of God but not be able to understand it. "(W)ithout the efficacious work of the 'Spirit of Truth', the words of the Lord cannot be understood." I can give my child a book, but I must also teach him to read.

The Spirit acts to spread the Word and help us understand Him through the Church. The Holy Spirit inspired the prophets and apostles, and now guides our mother Church. Unless we cross that "pneumatalogical horizon", we have no hope of really understanding the Word of God! So many Christians have the book but won't let their mother teach them to read.

There are far more lessons a parent teaches by spoken word and by action then by a written book. Our mother, the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, has taught by word and action for two thousand years. It is "important...for the People of God to be properly taught and trained to approach the sacred Scriptures in relation to the Church's living Tradition, and to recognize in them the very word of God."

Read Acts 8:26-35. We can be confident in our understanding of Sacred Scripture because we have the Church to guide us, and the Holy Spirit guiding the Church. If the homilies at your Masses don't often focus on Scripture, or if you want to supplement with even more teaching from the Church, you can find excellent homilies online. I recommend both Fr. Larry Richards and Fr. Robert Barron.

Realism and Knowing Christ

2011-02-09T20:57:00.001-05:00

Let's continue with the first section of the first part of Verbum Domini: The God Who Speaks.

God created all things and each one of us. "All reality expresses this mystery," the Pope tells us. Everything God created points back to its Creator. We are all evidence of God's loving care.
In particular, man stands out, as we were made in God's image (Gen 1:27) [355-361]. In the section on "the creation of man", the Pope reminds us of the precious gifts God has given just to us: "the value of our body, the gift of reason, freedom, and conscience." We are "words of God" in that we proclaim not only that God is but show some of who He is.

We cannot forget, though, the first and most fundamental meaning. The "basic meaning of the word of God" is the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. Our existence - through the history of the universe, and from moment to moment in our daily lives - is willed by God. In the beginning was the Word and through the Word all things were made. This "is the foundation of all reality". In fact, "God makes us change our concept of realism: the realist is the one who recognizes in the word of God the foundation of all things."

Ultimately, it comes back to the "Christology of the word". As the Holy Father writes in that section, Christ's "unique and singular history is the definitive word which God speaks to humanity." Being a Christian is fundamentally about "the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a definitive direction." Being a Christian is not primarily about a list of "thou shalt nots". Being a Christian is not primarily about knowing the rules or even about knowing about Christ. Being a Christian is about knowing Christ - encountering Him, listening to Him, and following Him. Christ shows us the goal and how to get there.

If you don't feel like you know Him, spend some time before the Word of God. Sit in His presence and listen. Stay after Mass for some quiet adoration, or find a church with Eucharistic adoration.

The Word of God

2011-01-23T16:58:00.000-05:00

Last year, we finished with an introduction to Verbum Domini. Let's get into the document and see what the recent synod and the Holy Father have to tell us about the Word of God.

The first section of Verbum Domini is titled "The God Who Speaks". This leads naturally to a few questions. How does God speak to us? And why?

The first subsection - "God in dialogue" - gives us a very rich description of the Trinity (as much as God in His nature can be adequately described), and it's worth some time rereading and meditating on. For now, let's focus on just a few statements. First, we read that "the Father eternally utters the Word in the Holy Spirit." Right there, we find all three persons of the Trinity interacting. God the Father speaks the Word, and we know from St. John that that Word is Jesus Christ (John 1:14). God speaks His Word in the Holy Spirit. There is a "dialogue of love between the divine persons", as the Pope puts it. Like the love between a married couple that becomes a distinct person, the Holy Spirit - the spirit of love in which God speaks - is the third person of the Trinity.

We have, then, (1) God the Father speaking. His spoken Word (2) is called the Logos, in Greek; this can refer to language (as in "spoken word") but also reason (as in "thought" or "mind"). We might say, then, that Jesus is the living mind of God. No wonder that Jesus said believing in Him is believing in the Father (John 12:44) and that His words are the Father's (John 12:49). Finally, the Father speaks His Word in the Holy Spirit (3), creating a dialogue of love. We might say, then, that the Holy Spirit is this spirit of love between the Father and Son.

Let's get back to our two questions. First, how does God speak to us? We'll be exploring other ways shortly, but the primary way is through the incarnation of His Word - through Jesus Christ. The Father speaks to us through His Son, and to know the Son is to know the Father. Second, why does God speak to us? Why send His Son to us? He gives us His Word in the Holy Spirit, in the same spirit of love. God is love (1 John 4:8). He speaks to us because He loves us, and He wants us to know Him.

The Word of God (Verbum Domini) is Jesus Christ, given because of God's great love for us. So that's it, right? We're done.

Well, not quite. The phrase "Word of God" can have other, secondary meaning. There are many ways to use the phrase "word of God". All of these other meanings will fit together and, ultimately, refer back to Christ. This gives us what the Pope calls "a symphony of the word". Among the instruments in this symphony, we have God's word spoken through the prophets, the word preached by the apostles at Christ's command (Mark 16:15), the living Sacred Tradition handed down through the apostles' successors, and the divinely inspired Sacred Scripture. We are not Bible-only Christians but full Christians that read the written Word, follow the spoken Word that's been handed on, and receive "the incarnate and living Word" that is Jesus Christ at Mass.

Still, God's word is spoken "most fully in the mystery of the incarnation, death, and resurrection of the Son of God." It all centers on Him. It's all Christ.

Almost there...

2010-12-24T17:35:00.000-05:00

"My soul languishes for thy salvation; I hope in thy word.
My eyes fail with watching for thy promise; I ask, "When wilt thou comfort me?"
For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten thy statutes.
How long must thy servant endure?" (Psalm 119:81-84a RSV)

We're over two thousand years separated from the event. We can't see Jesus being born. Yet two thousand years ago, there were no witnesses either, save for the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph - none other save for a few barnyard animals. Being apart from it, whether by space or time, doesn't change the importance or impact of His birth on each of us.

Our God is not bound by time. The sacrifice of Christ becomes present to us at every Mass [1330], Jesus' perfect offering washing our sins as surely as if we were there at the foot of the cross. Indeed, at each Mass we are are the foot of the cross. For our God, unbound by time, every moment is present. Christ's birth is as present, as real, today as it was millenia ago. We, as His Body, "the Church never tires of singing the glory of this night." [525]

Truly, on this night, our wait is over and our Savior comes.

Silent Night

2010-12-24T15:00:00.000-05:00

Last year, when I wrote about Silent Night, I brushed past verses one and two of Silent Night like a desperate shopper and ran right for the third. Let's go back and atone for that particular sin (even if blogging on Christmas Eve with a two year old probably explains my brevity).

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child.

I wish I could say that I always had a handle on this. When I was a child, I pledged allegiance to "one nation, under God, in the visible", because I had no idea what "indivisible" meant. I was getting a word wrong in the pledge; similarly, I was getting the punctuation wrong in Silent Night.

Maybe it was due to how we typically sing the song. When I sing Silent Night, I pause after "bright", and so I mentally place a period there. The night was silent, holy, calm, and bright. That seems like a complete thought.

Then why is yon virgin round? Did Mary have baby weight to work off? Maybe Joseph should have gotten her down from the donkey for part of the walk.

That's silly, of course. Those first three lines are one sentence - one complete thought. Seeing that allows us to understand the real message of the lyrics.

I've had quite a few Christmas Eve's so far.* I don't think many of them were silent or calm. In the broader view, that first Christmas Eve wasn't silent and calm either. Cattle were lowing. Angelic choirs were singing. A bunch of shepherds came running in out of the fields. Where is this silence and calm? It's round yon virgin mother and Child.

There in the stable, an island of brightness, holiness, and peace surrounds Mary and her Son. This night of all nights is peaceful and holy because of Christ. Since the fall in the garden, the world has not been peaceful. In our daily lives, even (or maybe especially) in the bustle of this special night, we are often not peaceful. But then we go to see Jesus, just as the shepherds and magi did.

There at Christmas Mass, on the altar, is Christ. There, once again, is the island of peace and calm in this fallen world. And He offers Himself in that Eucharist, to come into us, to bring that peace and calm and holiness inside our bodies and souls, where nothing in the hectic world can touch it.

* Four years ago, this Joseph was driving his pregnant wife to Bethlehem, PA on Christmas Eve. I should have stopped at the local inn and asked if they had room. They'd have been telling that story for years.

Verbum Domini: Introduction

2010-12-23T22:15:00.000-05:00

The Holy Father's "supreme and fundamental priority", as Dr. Michael Barber highlighted in a recent article, is "(l)eading men and women to...the God who speaks in the Bible." On September 30, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI gave us the "post-synodal apostolic exhortation" titled "Verbum Domini" (or "The Word of the Lord").

This is an important new document on Scripture, and, so, in the new year, I invite you to read through it with me, chapter by chapter. Let's whet our appetites by reviewing the introduction.

What is it?

Verbum Domini, or "The Word of the Lord", is a "post-synodal" document. This means it follows a synod - a council of bishops that discusses an issue and advises the Pope and, through him, the whole Church. Verbum Domini comes after the Twelfth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that met from October 5-26, 2008. Their theme - the topic they met to discuss - was "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church".

This document is an "apostolic exhortation". The Pope in his role as successor to St. Peter, the visible head of the Church, is exhorting us to do something. What? We'll spend the first weeks of the new year exploring that in detail; in brief, he wants to "make know to the whole People of God the rich fruits which emerged from the synodal sessions" and "point out certain fundamental approaches to the rediscovery of God's word in the life of the Church".

Difficult Passages

I encourage you to read the whole document along with me. I'll try to pick out any particularly technical passages or those with terms you may not have encountered, and explain the meaning.

For example, in the introduction, the Holy Father writes: "From this kerygmatic standpoint, the synodal assembly was a testimony, before the Church and before the world, to the immense beauty of encountering the word of God in the communion of the Church." Let's break that down:

The previous sentence sheds some light; the pope writes: "Called to communion with God and among ourselves, we must proclaim this gift" (the word of eternal life)."Kerygma" means "preaching" or "proclamation", so "From this kerygmatic standpoint" refers to the call to proclaim the gift of life; we might say, instead, "From the standpoint of preaching (rather than teaching)".
We know that the "synodal assembly" is the assembly of bishops called to discuss "The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church".
"We are called to communion with God and among ourselves," so the "communion of the Church" refers to the faithful joined as one body (Romans 12:5) by the sacraments [790-791].

We might rephrase that sentence - albeit imperfectly - as: "From the standpoint of preaching, this assembly of bishops was a testimony before the word to the immense beauty of encountering the word of God as a united Church." When we come together at Mass, we hear the written Word of God preached and receive the incarnate Word of God in the Eucharist. The Christian faith is not something to be practiced alone; "just me and my Bible" was never the plan.

Christ's Revelation

In this introduction, the Holy Father reminds us that everything Christ did was ordered to revealing God more fully to us. "(H)is words and works, signs and miracles, but above all his death and resurrection from the dead, and finally his sending of the Spirit of truth" were involved in achieving the perfect revelation of God.

Near the end of the introduction, Pope Benedict XVI writes that he "would like the work of the Synod to have a real effect on the life of the Church; on our personal relationship with the sacred Scriptures..." Christ perfectly revealed the infinite God to us. We can study God's revelation for our whole lives and never fully explore and understand it. We can continue to bring the Word of God more and more into our lives. That well will never run dry (John 4:13-14). That's exciting! If we continue to study the Word of God, we will never be bored; there will always be something new to learn.

The Greatest Priority

What does the Pope say is the greatest priority? It is "to enable the people of our time once more to encounter God, the God who speaks to us and shares his love so that we might have life in abundance." How do we encounter God? One way is through the written Word of God - sacred Scripture. I suspect this will be a main focus of Verbum Domini, as we read through it together.

If you want to make a great new year's resolution, why not prioritize with the Holy Father? Make a resolution to "encounter..the God who speaks to us and shares his love". You can encounter Him in prayer, at Mass, especially in the Eucharist - and in Scripture, as we explore the gift Pope Benedict XVI gave us in this exhortation.

Ignorance and Immaturity

2010-11-13T21:25:00.000-05:00

Many Catholics have trouble defending their faith. What the Church teaches and what we understand it to teach are often different things.

"Catholicism taught that we are saved by faith, by grace, by Christ, however few Catholics understood this. And Protestants taught that true faith necessarily produces good works. The fundamental issue of the Reformation is an argument between the roots and the blossoms on the same flower." - Dr. Peter Kreeft, "Hauled Aboard the Ark"

That doesn't mean the Church is wrong, but it does mean that catechesis is lacking somewhere. If you are a "hunt-and-peck" typist, does that mean your keyboard is defective? No, it means you need to be taught how to type. If your child slides a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into the VCR, is it the machine's fault? No. More importantly, is it the child's fault? Not entirely. We are spiritual children, not acting out our Catholic faith because: A) we have not been truly taught it and, also, B) we are children. We can correct the first problem easily - through good education. The Catechism spells out what the Church truly teaches, and you can read it for free online. If you are just starting to learn your faith, I recommend the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which presents a shorter but still accurate version of the Catechism in a question-and-answer format.

The second problem is that we are spiritual children, spiritually immature. Are we free from judgment because of that immaturity and ignorance? Will they be sufficient defense for our case when we face judgment? Simply, no. We are children, and while children are forgiven for their mistakes, they are also punished for them. Without correction and punishment, there is no learning and the spiritual child never matures.

There is a reason we call God "Father", and it is not just because of our genesis (and Genesis). By making us, God became our Creator. But by adopting us, He became our Father. (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6) God is a father and all a father should be. God guides us - with a gentle touch or a firm shove, depending on our need. He knows when he can let go of the bicycle, even if we're still yelling at him not to.God knows when there is truth to those words many children have heard from a parent - "you could have tried harder" or "you aren't applying yourself".

As children, then, we must rely on God our Father to solve this second problem. We cannot mature on our own, without guidance. In that case, we must be open to guidance and correction. We must be willing to stop talking and listen to God, to say "speak, your servant is listening". (1 Samuel 3:10) The next time you are in a church, kneel for a time before Christ in the Eucharist, say those words to Him, and remain silent. Listen to God speaking in your heart, and you will be surprised.

Faith Precedes Understanding

2010-11-11T12:58:00.000-05:00

The Bible is a story. It is a story of God chastising, forming, and loving His family.

I cannot hope to understand a story if I deny the integrity of its characters. I can't claim that Hamlet in Act II is a different person than Hamlet in Act I and still hope to understand the story. I have no evidence that they're the same; I can't see Hamlet in front of me and must trust the author's honesty and the reliability of the other characters. To read Hamlet, I must make a leap of faith in Shakespeare, then see it bear out on the page. If, instead, I start reading with the certainty that it won't make sense to me, I will surely prove myself right.

Similarly, you cannot expect to understand the Bible if you read it without a faith in the story. The Bible is the instruction manual, not the sales pitch. To have an understanding of the Bible as a whole, you must start with a leap of faith - the same leap you give any book you read. To understand a history book, you must start with faith in the fundamental reliability of the sources and the intent of the author. To understand a novel, you need faith that the author intends to tell a consistent, understandable story.

Consider the Gospels, in particular. Within the Bible, the Gospels are messages of good news. Good news assumes both a preexisting belief in the source of the news and an acceptance of the bad thing the good news overturns.

I will not accept good news of a cure for my illness if I think that the letter is a forgery or fake, that the doctor is a quack, or that I am not sick. To appreciate and understand this good news, I must believe that the writer is trustworthy, the physician is capable, and that I am really sick.

To appreciate and understand the Gospel, then, you must already appreciate and understand the goodness and power of God, the honesty and inspiration of the evangelists, and your sinfulness.

Training the Will for Virtue

2010-10-13T21:52:00.005-05:00

We've been spending a lot of time thinking about the virtues. Some, like prudence, operate on the intellect. The virtue of justice, in contrast, operates on the will. (Hardon) In other words, prudence is about knowing what is the right thing to do, while justice involves doing it. Most of us, I suspect, provide daily empirical evidence that the latter is more difficult.

What does this mean for us? It means the will must be trained. If you want to be just, you must practice justice. The Catechism tells us that "(p)rogress in virtue, knowledge of the good, and ascesis enhance the mastery of the will over its acts." [1734]

Let's break that down. To train the will, you should:

progress in virtue
grow in knowledge of the good
practice ascesis

Reading good catechesis, solid spiritual books, and, of course, Sacred Scripture helps you grow in knowledge of the good. God, who is goodness, is infinite; there will always be something new to learn! Progressing in virtue comes from practicing virtue. For example, if you've not been just, make reparation. The Catechism lays out the "how" in paragraph 2487. Ascesis comes from a Greek work meaning athletic training. St. Paul compares the spiritual life to athletic competition (2 Tim 4), so as a champion athlete works his body hard, we should work our bodies and souls into shape. Denial of good thing, temporarily, when we don't have to turn them down helps train our wills to deny bad things when we must.

The Catechism continues: "The upright will orders the movements of the senses it appropriates to the good and to beatitude; an evil will succumbs to disordered passions and exacerbates them. Emotions and feelings can be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices." [1768] As we master our will, it will order the movements of our senses more, and we will succumb less often to our disordered passions. In other words, the more I use my will rightly, the easier it will be - to an extent - to use it rightly later.

Today, take time to plan the next steps in your spiritual training plan. You can begin by taking a hard look at your daily life. Sin is not always (or, I suspect, usually) a sudden explosion of wrong. It is, instead, a creeping ground war that wears us down slowly and almost imperceptibly, driving back the borders of grace day by day - a siege on our daily lives. This excellent post at Catholic Spiritual Direction gives you some real-world, very pointed examples of where sin rears its head in daily life: How Can I Identify My Root Sin. Grow in your knowledge of good. Turn from your sins daily. Practice virtue. Train your body and spirit to finish the race.

Hardon, Fr. John A. The Virtues. Available from http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Virtues/Virtues_001.htm. Internet; accessed 22 Aug 2010

Providence in the Large

2010-09-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

Today, I've been thinking about how much easier it is to accept God's providence in the small things than in the large and complex.

While I walking home with my son today, I was grumbling about large-scale problems - the economy, needing to move, deadlines creeping up. Not a minute later, a neighbor's dog ran out of the house - and right to me. I petted and held the dog until it's owner could catch up. "See, son? God puts you where you need to be."

God put me in the right place to help catch a dog, but is that the limit of His power? Didn't he also put me in this house, in this place, in this time in history? Is managing those large-scale things beyond God's ability?

St. Matthew tells us in his gospel that God is omniscient. He knows everything that happens to the smallest details (Matt 10:29-30). God is omnipotent and able to do what He wants (Matt 19:26). Our God that loves us and created us for Him knows what we need and where we need to be, and He has the power to see it through. Managing not only the small details but the largest, long-term, big-picture things is within God's infinite power.

God asked Job, "Where were you when I founded the earth?" (Job 38:4) In other words, we weren't there in the beginning to advise God. We didn't create God. As His creatures, we're naturally beneath His understanding and can't take the same omniscient, long-view that He does. We have to trust a greater mind and heart than our own.

Do you also have trouble seeing God in the big things - in the overall plan of your life? Meditate with me on what the Catechism tells us about providence in paragraphs 302-305.

On Justice: Toward Others

2010-09-06T15:41:00.002-05:00

We've already looked at a bit of the Church's teaching on justice toward God. That comes first. That must come first. Without a right relationship with God, we are handicapped in our ability to practice justice toward any of His creatures. (John 15:5)

Remembering that big "if", let's continue and consider justice toward other people.

"Justice is not charity. Justice is a strict obligation." (Hardon) The Catechism quotes St. John Chrysostom on this point: "Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them... (t)he goods we possess are not ours...." This is paying the debt of justice, not performing charity. [2446]

Wait. What? So when I give to charity, I'm not doing charity?

Let's think about it this way: When you return a book to the library so the next person can borrow it, are you doing them a favor? No, you're simply following the rules of the librbary. The book isn't yours, but it was loaned to you to use and give back for the next person.

Everything you have comes from God. He gave you the mind and body to earn things, the talent to make them; He created all the material things in the beginning. We only subcreate. ("Let there be iPhones!") Creation was given to you just like that library book, to be used but also to be shared as a necessary part of the arrangement. You can't return the library book on time and expect a parade. You met the requirements of justice and no more.

So how do we do even this minimum? How do we give what is due? Jesus was asked that by a crowd (talk of axes and hellfire has a way of grabbing the attention) and He laid it out. Do you job well. Share what you have with those that don't. (Luke 3:10-14) Pray for an internal change, for help in changing your mindset. Giving these things is a minimum and the debt of justice. Charity comes after.

Hardon, Fr. John A. The Virtues. Available from http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Virtues/Virtues_001.htm. Internet; accessed 22 Aug 2010

On Justice: Toward God

2010-08-22T15:14:00.000-05:00

The word "justice" is thrown around a lot. People talk about "social justice" or a "just war". It impacts (or should!) our daily lives, whenever we find a lost item, pass a person begging for food, or do business. There is much worth sharing from Church teaching on the moral virtue of justice. We'll explore some of these applications later. For now, let's focus on some fundamentals of what "justice" means for an individual.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that justice "consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor." [1807]

There are two parts to that definition, not because they are different in kind but because they are different in priority. Even a toddler knows that. My son always puts "Hi Daddy, how you doin'?" Before "May I have some milk?" Get straight with your Father first, then worry about everything else.

Before you start to think I have a god complex, let's move on to the point! What do we owe our Father in Heaven? Everything!

Okay, that's easy to say, but do we really understand what we mean and why? God made us from nothing. Everything we have, feel, or do that is good is not ours by right. We were given existence, and there is nothing we could have done to earn it. (It's hard to earn anything when you don't exist. It only takes skipping a few classes in college to learn that lesson!)

How do you give God the everything He is owed, then? Not being infinite minds, we need something more narrow and concrete than just "give everything". God gave us the natural law written on our hearts, what we commonly call our consciences. God made His wants even more obvious, though, it dictating the Ten Commandments. These are clear instruction on what God wants that we can see and hear.

What can we do with this today? Pray for a stronger sense of justice toward God. Meditate on the first three commandments (Exodus 20) and on God's infinitely great gift of existence (Genesis 1). Keep these things in mind through your day. Lastly, make reparation if you have not been just toward God. Find a local confession time and fix it. If you have been unjust to other people, make it up. The Catechism lays out the "how" in paragraph 2487.

Hardon, Fr. John A. The Virtues. Available from http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Virtues/Virtues_001.htm. Internet; accessed 22 Aug 2010.

How to Start Living Your Vocation

2010-08-10T14:26:00.000-05:00

In today's office of readings (part of the Liturgy of the Hours), we hear from St. Augustine, preaching about St. Laurence (whose feast day is today).

St. Augustine tells us all something important about vocation. When we talk about encouraging vocations, we are usually talking about vocation to the priesthood. This is absolutely vital, of course, and any family is blessed to bring up another of Christ's priests! This is not, however, the only vocation.

St. Augustine writes:

"The garden of the Lord, brethren, includes – yes, it truly includes – includes not only the roses of martyrs but also the lilies of virgins, and the ivy of married people, and the violets of widows. There is absolutely no kind of human beings, my dearly beloved, who need to despair of their vocation; Christ suffered for all. It was very truly written about him: who wishes all men to be saved, and to come to the acknowledgement of the truth.

So let us understand how Christians ought to follow Christ, short of the shedding of blood, short of the danger of suffering death.... Christ humbled himself: you have something, Christian, to latch on to. Christ became obedient. Why do you behave proudly? After running the course of these humiliations and laying death low, Christ ascended into heaven: let us follow him there. Let us listen to the Apostle telling us, If you have risen with Christ, savour the things that are above us, seated at God’s right hand."

We are all unified in one vocation "to holiness and to the mission of evangelizing the world" [CCC 1533] but to our individual vocations as well. There are not just martyrs but also virgins, married people, and widows; priests, religious, married, and single. Each of us is called to do our part in God's plan of salvation. What does Saint Augustine advise we do? We are to humble ourselves, as Christ did. We are to be obedient, as Christ was obedient. We are to rise - spiritually and mentally first, then physically in time - with Christ.

Is there a teaching of the Church that gives you difficulty? Pray, first, for humility to obey Christ's Church. After that - after obeying humbly - seek to understand. (Some good starting points are a keyword search in the Catechism or Catholic.com's faith tracts. Eucharistic questions galore can be answered at The Real Presence.)

Great Stuff at the Catholic Writers Conference!

2010-08-06T08:36:00.001-05:00

Thank you to everyone that attended my talk at the Catholic Writers Conference. The phrase "Baptism of the Imagination" became a keyword for me over the past two days. I'm looking forward to sharing more about it with you soon, and, of course, keeping up the fundamental adult catechesis that is so necessary today.

Conferences are a wonderful way to encounter new friends and new ideas - new ways to spread the Gospel to the whole world. For each person, too, fellowship is so important. Sometimes, the modern world can make a loyal Catholic feel isolated, old-fashioned, out-of-touch. It can make a Catholic feel foolish. But, then, Paul was foolish too.

On Temperance

2010-07-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

"I can resist anything but temptation," Oscar Wilde once quipped. Temptations come at us from many sources - the world, the flesh, and the devil - and, no, we can't stop them from coming. What do we do with those temptations?

"Temperance moderates the attraction of the pleasures of the senses and provides balance in the use of created goods." [1838] Note the language used in the Catechism: "moderates" and "balance". Temperance is not about being boring or bland. It is not about rejecting every pleasure and "living" a sterile existence. God made this world and the things in it - and they're good!

Temperance is about moderation. We must be neither ingrates nor idolitors.

Our focus in being temperate is usually on avoiding excess. The Catechism gives too much food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine as examples. [2290] We are a people of excess, so rarely do we need to be told to "tune it up" rather than down. But it is important to remember that both proscriptions are there. Have a drink. A little wine is good for you, as both doctors () and Saint Paul (1 Tim 5:23) tell us. Stay off the road afterward [2290], and never drink so much that you throw up in my sink. (I'm talking to you, guy that crashed on our sofa in college.) Take your medicine, but follow your doctor's directions. Be modest and chaste, get married, and then have lots of great sex. (God's command to "be fruitful" isn't tell us to stock up on oranges!)

But we are people of excess. Rarely do we have to be reminded to enjoy something, but often we must be told when to stop. (The Church comes across as very stodgy and anti-fun as it tries to rectify this imbalance.) How do we resist that urge to go too far? Jesus overcomes Satan's temptations in the desert (Matt 4) by knowing and obeying Scripture. Just hearing Scripture read at Mass isn't enough if we're not discussing them, thinking about them, absorbing and making them part of our lives. Paul tells us to put on the armor of God - faith, truth, righteousness, hope of salvation - and to arm ourselves with the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Eph 6:11-17) Read the Word of God today and arm yourself to resist temptation.

NEWS: Catholic Writers Conference in Valley Forge, PA

2010-07-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

The second annual Catholic Writers’ Conference LIVE will be held August 4-6, 2010, at the Scanticon Hotel Valley Forge in King of Prussia, PA. Sponsored by the Catholic Writer’s Guild and the Catholic Marketing Network (CMN), and held in conjunction with CMN’s annual retailer trade show, the Catholic Writers Conference LIVE provides Catholic authors with a prime opportunity to meet and share their faith with editors, publishers, fellow writers, and bookstore owners from across the globe.

This year's conference will feature presentations on such topics as market tips and time management for busy writers, poetry, creating evil characters, working with an editor, creating winning proposals, journaling and much more. Speakers include Catholic publishing representatives Claudia Volkman - General Manager of Circle Press, Regina Doman - acquisitions editor for Sophia Institute Press, and Tom Wehner - Managing Editor of the National Catholic Register, all of whom will also hear pitches from writers. Among the other speakers are Mark Shea (Mary, Mother of the Son), Michelle Buckman (My Beautiful Disaster), Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle (Mother Teresa and Me), Susie Lloyd (Please Don’t Drink the Holy Water), and Publicist Lisa Wheeler from the Maximus Group.

I will be presenting a talk on the approaches of authors J. K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, and Phillip Pullman. Writers will learn how their worldview can come through in their work. Parents and catechists will learn important lessons about these authors' popular series. I'll also be moderating panel discussions on marketing and teaching the faith through fiction.

“Attending this conference has been the best thing I have done for myself professionally,” Carol Bannon, author of the children’s book Handshake from Heaven, said of the 2009 conference. Her fellow writer Melanie Cameron agreed, saying she left the last conference re-energized. “I recommend [this] conference as a resource for any author (or wannabe) at any stage. You will walk away empowered!”

The Catholic Writers Guild, a religious non-profit organization, sponsors both this live conference in August and an online conference in February to further its mission of promoting Catholic literature. “Our conferences are totally focused on encouraging faithful Catholics to share genuine Catholic culture and faith in their writing no matter what genre,” says CWG President Ann Margaret Lewis. “These events are integral to our mission of ‘creating a rebirth of Catholic arts and letters.”

On Prudence

2010-06-25T10:49:00.003-05:00

Prudence is the grace to form correct judgments (Mt 10:16; 1 Pt 4:7). It is "right reason in action". (ST II-II, 47, 2) It is what "disposes the practical reason to discern, in every circumstance, our true good and to choose the right means for achieving it." [1835]

Being prudent, then, involves two steps: (1) knowing what is right, and (2) doing it.

Prudence is a primarily intellectual virtue; it's about using your head, as Fr. Hardon once simply put it. It guides the other human virtues of fortitude, temperance, and justice by telling us when and how to apply those virtues. The more we are catechized, the more we renew our minds with Scripture, the deeper we delve into the sacramental life - all the more our minds are fit to know God's will. The simple answer to improving this intellectual virtue is to use your mind - work it out in Scripture study, catechism reading, and prayer.

However, that knowledge cannot simply stay in the head. Knowing what is right is useless without doing what is right. This is hard part, because "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". (Matt 26:41) We must pray constantly not only to develop prudence but to will what God wills. Our fallen natures - weak flesh - makes it very difficult to put that knowledge into action, but the more we try, the more success we have. Today, I may only have had moments of success, but God will build on those moments. Pray for prudence and grace to do God's will, and also be patient as the living water flows through those tiny cracks and slowly opens them up!

References
Aquinas, St. Thomas. Summa theologiae.
Hardon, Fr. John A. The Virtues. Available from http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Virtues/Virtues_001.htm. Internet; accessed 25 June 2010.

On Perseverence in Faith, Hope, and Love

2010-05-30T23:00:00.003-05:00

In the introduction to his spiritual maxims, Brother Lawrence writes: "All things are possible to him who believes, more to him who hopes, still more to him who loves and most of all to him who perseveres in the practice of these three virtues..."

The "trick", so to speak, is not just practicing those virtues but practicing them continually, especially when it is difficult to do so. In the "Hail Mary" prayer, we ask Mary to intercede for us "at the hour of death". We ask to persevere to the very end, to keep our faith, hope, and love alive in the very moment of death, when Satan wants to cause us to falter irreparably. Perseverance is the practice of virtue when it is inconvenient, difficult, dangerous, or painful.

Perseverance is faith to the end. It is hope to the end. And it is love to the end.

How can we hope to do this? The Catechism tells us that "to live, grow, and persevere in the faith until the end we must nourish it with the word of God" [162]. Where do we find the word of God so we can be nourished and persevere? Sacred Scripture is the written word of God. Sacred Tradition - the teaching of the Church - is the word of God passed on orally from the apostles through their successors.

Most importantly, Christ is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:1-5). He is the living water that fills and satisfies us (John 4:10). We receive Christ - we are both literally and spiritually nourished by His Body and Blood - in the Eucharist.

How do we persevere? By learning and living the faith handed down through Christ's Church, keeping 100% faithful to the Church He established. By studying and praying God's written word in the Bible. And most especially by receiving His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

On Love

2010-05-15T13:20:00.000-05:00

Love is not preference, kindness, or infatuation. Love is not good feelings.

Modern atheists, like Richard Dawkins, have pointed out the natural prediliction for survival - the selfish nature of living things. Love is contradictory to our human nature. That means it doesn't come easily, and it doesn't feel good. That also means it doesn't come from us.

Love is a gift of God. But what is it?

On love of neighbor, James asks a rhetorical question. "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?" (James 2:14) Paul tells us that what counts is faith working through love. (Gal 5:6)

Think about your own experiences. What is more important, what someone says to you or what someone does? Watch the news or an late-night police reality show and after very little time, you'll see evidence of the difference. Jesus gave us the commands to love God and love each other - to obey the first three commandments about relation to God, and the remaining seven about relation to neighbor. [2196] What is love? It's action. Love is your faith going to work outside of yourself. (Hope, in contrast, is your faith applied to your own life and prayer.)

Paul tells us that love is the greatest of the three, the one that will endure forever. (1 Cor 13:13) In Heaven, our faith will be proven true and our hope fulfilled. Our love will go on. We will act on love forever.

But we must start now.

Today, pray for the grace to see that opportunity - that chance to act in love for a friend, a family member, or a stranger.

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off...

2010-04-25T20:24:00.018-05:00

The Church is under attack today, yes, but this is nothing new. It's been under attack throughout history, just as it was in the beginning. We hear about that in the first reading (Acts 13:14, 43-52), where Paul and Barnabas are kicked out of Antioch. What was their response? They shook the dust off and kept going.

They had hope in the Lord. They had hope in joining the great multitude before the Lord, worshipping Him in Heaven. (Rev 7:9, 14b-17) We are not called to fit in with the world. We are called to conform to Christ and follow our Shepher. (John 10:27-30)

Have you listened to the Lord's voice today? We talk so much and rarely stop to really hear Him. Sit quietly in prayer and say only one sentence: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."

I Am Not Strong (On Hope)

2010-04-23T10:56:00.000-05:00

I am not strong.

I am not bold.

You wouldn't know it from looking at all 6'2" and *cough* pounds of me, but I'm a pretty meek guy. When it comes time to inherit the earth (Matt 5:5), I'll be in that lucky group that can put up their hands and claim it. (Of course, we won't raise our hands because, you know... meek and all.)

Yet here I am, confident that I am called to share the Catholic faith with you, to make a bold presentation and bold challenge to live the beauty, goodness, and truth that is Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. How can I hope to do it?

The answer is in the question: hope. As the Catechism tells us, "When God reveals Himself and calls him, man cannot fully respond to the divine love by his own powers. He must hope that God will give him the capacity..." [2090]

The difference between faith and hope
I've found it difficult to grasp the difference between faith and hope, or else I've slipped into thinking hope is just wishful thinking, like "I hope I get a bicycle from Santa Claus". Let's see what the apostle John had to say about it:

"Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure." (1 John 3:2-3)

With God's gift of faith, we come to believe in Him. With the gift of hope, we believe that we will join Him. The faithful Catholic believes there is a Heaven. The hopeful Catholic believes he could be allowed inside. And, as John wrote, when we have hope we act on it - we purify ourselves so that we don't, through our own sin and impurity, dash that hope God gave us.

Living in hope
When our circumstances are difficult – mentally, physically, or emotionally – our foundation is tested. Jesus taught us this in His parable of houses build on rock and sand (Matt 7:24-27). When the winds blow against you, the results tell a lot about your foundation. What does it look like to have a strong foundation in Christian hope?

The Catechism tells us that "hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of God; it is also the fear of offending God's love and of incurring punishment." [2090] Just as John told us, living in hope is a twofold prospect - believing that we can get to Heaven, and believing that we can offend God and turn away from Him to sin.

We shouldn't focus entirely on one side of that coin and forsake the other. It's a mistake to focus so much on God's mercy that we forget we can sin and turn from Him. I can't profess faith in God then spend a lifetime sinning and expect to be with Him in Heaven. Nothing imperfect will enter Heaven, after all. And I shouldn't focus entirely on my sinfulness to the extent that I forget God is merciful and forgiving. [2092]

In other words, keep yourself in the present. Don't dwell so much on past sin that you forget God's mercy or dwell so much in the future hope of glory that you forget to live a Christian life now. Take up your cross, as Jesus commanded (Mark 8:34), and follow Him confidently - hoping in Him, in His strength rather than your own, all the way to Calvary, and past it to resurrection.

Pray an Act of Hope today. Meditate on the words, taking your time with them, repeating them as the spirit moves you.

The Net of Peter

2010-04-18T20:11:00.051-05:00

Today's readings from Scripture tell us about the Church.

In the first reading (Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41), the just-born Church is standing up to the persecution of the Sanhedrin. In the second (Rev 5:11-14), John sees the saints and angels gathered around the throne of God in worship. We are not alone in time - the trials of the Church go back to the beginning. In every generation, the Church on earth (Church Militant) has suffered persecution and stood. We are not alone in spirit - the saints and angels surround us, and they pray and worship with us. At each Mass, we are not just a relative few in the pews but a vast multitude around the world, throughout time, and in Heaven!

The net that Peter the fisherman casts (John 21:1-19) catches many fish, but the net never tears. The net that Peter the fisher of men casts brings in many too, more and more through the years, but it never tears. The Church may strain and stretch, but it shall never break under the strain. We have Christ's promise of that! (Matt 16:18)

Take time to learn more about the Church. For example, you can read the Catechism starting with paragraph 748, try Fr. John Hardon's catechesis on the Church, or read Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth (which is keyed to the Catechism anyway!). If you need something to listen to during a commute, try the guys at Into the Deep. They have a series of podcasts on the Church starting with episode 18.

The Church Then and Now

2010-04-11T20:00:00.009-05:00

What do we see in today's readings? After the Resurrection, the apostles worked "many signs and wonders...among the people" (Acts 5:12). "(T)he sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits...were all cured." (Acts 5:16) They received visions (Rev 1:10-11) and sacramental power by the Holy Spirit (John 20:22-23). They were in the company of the glorified Christ (Rev 1:17-18, John 20:19).

We also see doubt (John 20:25) and persecution (Rev 1:9). The Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and two thousand years has not dulled the spear thrusts that come from the rest of the world. Doubt and persecution persist to this day.

What do we do? We believe in Christ. We hope in Christ. "Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God... through this belief you may have life in his name." (John 20:31) What persecution matters compared to that?

What doubts or persecutions do you face today? Bring them to Jesus in prayer. Better yet, bring them to Him in person.

On Faith

2010-04-09T10:14:00.001-05:00

Having risen with Christ, we are able to make a new start. Where, then, shall we begin? As St. Augustine wrote, "we begin in faith".

Faith is a gift of God. It is not something that comes from within us, not something we make ourselves have or do. It can feel that way, but St. Augustine explains why it cannot be that way:

"For, as a man who kills himself must, of course, be alive when he kills himself, but after he has killed himself ceases to live, and cannot restore himself to life; so, when a man by his own free-will sinned, then sin being victorious over him, the freedom of his will was lost."

If we kill ourselves physically, we don't have the power to return to life on our own. Similarly, if we kill ourselves spiritually, we don't have the power to return to spiritual life on our own. Faith must come from somewhere (someone) else. What's the practical application of this? If nothing else, it means God deserves our gratitude! If you have faith in God, you owe that to Him.

Even if you have had faith all your life and never lost it, it was gifted to you at baptism. Your parents asked for it, the priest said the words, the congregation witnessed it (or whatever your particular valid circumstances were) - but it was *given* by God. You would not thank a surgeon's instruments for saving your life but ignore the surgeon.

If you came to faith, or returned to it, later, you had to will it. does that mean you gave yourself the gift? Certainly not. God prepared your heart to receive the gift of faith. You must be offered a gift from someone else before you can will to accept it. (Do you walk into your birthday party with outstretched arms, expecting your gifts, or do you wait for someone to offer a gift?)

Again, where does this take us? I would hope it takes each of us to profound gratitude. I suspect we all take our faith for granted, especially after many years pass. Think on St. Augustine's words and remind yourself that faith is a gift, not something you grasped but something that was lovingly handed to you by God. There are many who have not been given that gift or given only a small part of it. Worse, there are many handed the gift only to throw it away unopened.

Thank God today for the great gift of your Catholic faith, for the work He has done in your heart to let you have faith in Him.

St. Augustine. The Enchiridion. Available from http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1302.htm. Internet; accessed 7 April 2010.

Happy and Blessed Easter

2010-04-04T10:00:00.023-05:00

He is risen!

This means everything for our eternal lives.

But what does it mean for our daily lives? Does that fact that Jesus rose mean anything today in my life? Am I different because He is risen?

Consider what Jesus Himself tells us. "...(I)f you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit (is) that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them..." (Luke 6:32-35)

Today, pray and ask God to reveal an area of your life that needs to better reflect Christ. Find a change you can make right away in your life to live Christ's resurrection - to be visibly, undeniably Christian. Our lives are different because He is risen today!

Using Scripture

2010-02-21T20:00:00.027-05:00

Jesus is our model. He is the rule, not the exception, so when we see Him act, then we are called to act similarly.

How does Jesus face His temptations in the desert, shown to us in today's Gospel reading (Lk 4:1-13)? With Scripture. Jesus quoted from Scripture in the face of temptations and trials. Shouldn't you?

The Bible is a Catholic book, through and through. Paul, who we also hear quoting Scripture today (Rom 10:8-13), writes also that "(a)ll scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16). Scripture has divine authority, and when you read it, you are being taught or refuted or corrected or trained by God.

Today, work to commit a single, powerful passage of Scripture to memory. Many already know John 3:16 (at least, if you've been to a sporting event). What about Mat 19:26? If you doubt God's forgiveness and your salvation, consider memorizing Is 53:5 instead. For those struggling with addiction, learn 1 Cor 10:13. Those struggling with purity in particular can learn Ps 119:9-11 or 1 Cor 6:20. "All scripture is inspired by God and useful... for correction, and for training...".

Lent

2010-02-17T23:15:00.056-05:00

There has always been a period of fasting before Easter in the Church, though the duration has varied quite a bit (Pohle, 1914).

Why 40 days?
The number is highly symbolic*. In the Bible, we find the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years. In the Gospel, we hear of Jesus spending 40 days in the desert (Mark 1:13) and, after the resurrection, 40 days with His disciples (Acts 1:3).

We do not fast on Sundays, so to make 40 days we combine 6 weeks before Easter (6 weeks x 6 days = 36 days) and half of the week prior (Ash Wednesday through Saturday = 4 days). Lent ends, then, on Holy Thursday evening.

What do we do?
The Catechism puts it this way: "By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert." [540] What did Jesus do in the desert? He prayed, growing in love of God the Father, and He fasted and battled temptation, growing in love of others and preparation for ministry (service).

We're to do the same two things. As Fr. John Hardon wrote, "(t)here are two guiding principles for the observance of Lent. During this season, the faithful are to grow in their love of Jesus Crucified, and they are to practice extra penance for their own and other people's sins." Again, we are to grow in love of God and love of others - which always leads back to God.

Daily reading is a great way to build your spiritual muscle - and grow in your love of God - during Lent. In this Year for Priests, it seems most appropriate to read from the patron saint of priests. Conveniently, Fr. Jerabek has put together a St. John Vianney reading plan.

If you prefer interacting with a group, Loyola Press has started their online retreat at Days of Deepening Prayer.

Finally, for parents, the Catechist's Journey blog offers 40 Ideas for 40 Days, so your children can get involved as well.

Looking ahead
We are all called to give the very best of ourselves - not only to God but to our spouses, our families, our Church, and the world. Lent is a wonderful time to consciously make an effort to develop virtue. [1803] There are three theological virtues, those that related *directly* to God: faith, hope, and charity (love).

Rooted in those theological virtues are the cardinal human virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Fr. Robert Barron (2001) refers to these "seven lively virtues" as the counters to the classic list of seven deadly (or mortal) sins. Lent is a perfect time to start flexing those virtuous muscles in our daily lives.

* Note that the word "symbolic" does not necessarily imply fictional. For example, Jesus' 40 days in the desert can be symbolic of the Israelite exile and really have happened over a forty-day period.

Barron, Robert. "Sermon 7 : The Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Lively Virtues." Available from http://wordonfire.org/WOF-Radio/Sermons/2001/Sermon-7---6th-Sunday-in-Ordinary-Time-----The-Sev.aspx. Internet ; accessed 10 Feb 2010.

Hardon, John. "Lent." Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Archives. Available from http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Lent/Lent_001.htm. Internet; accessed 17 Feb 2010.

Pohle, J. "Lent." The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1914. San Diego: Catholic Answers, 2007.

Defend the faith, whatever the cost

2010-02-14T20:30:00.000-05:00

Is it any surprise that we must be ready to defend our faith today? Only a short time after the resurrection, St. Paul was confronting doubters in Corinth (1 Cor 15:12, 16-20). Do you think that everyone receiving his letter changed their minds? Do you think they all treated Paul well?

We know that Paul had to write to Corinth several times. We know that he was persecuted, hunted, imprisoned, and ultimately killed. Many people don't like hearing the truth - not in Paul's day, and not today. We know from Paul's experience and the two thousand years of church history following it that this will happen. But we must not lose heart!

Christ tells us that we're blessed when people hate us, exclude or insult us. We should rejoice when our name is smeared or our character attacked (Lk 6:17, 20-26). Yes, "if Christ has not risen, your faith is in vain", but He is risen! Christ is risen and our faith in Him saves us, whatever may come.

Today, take the time to learn about one common argument against your faith. Learn how to defend yourself, to increase your own faith and to be able to offer a reasoned explanation to others. Select just one topic from Catholic Answers' collection of Faith Tracts or listen to a talk from the Bible Christian Society.

Grace Freely Given

2010-02-07T20:00:00.003-05:00

At the end of today's Gospel reading (Lk 5:1-11), Peter falls to his knees and declares himself a sinful man. Peter see in himself something that is true of all of us - none of us deserve Christ. None of us have merited God's grace.

The Catechism agrees, describing grace as "the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call". [1996] We draw our very breath because God wills it, because He has chosen to give us each life.

Thank God today for the gifts He has given you, however large or small they may be. None of us have earned the things we have, in truth, because everything comes ultimately from God. We can - and should - say with St. Paul that "by the grace of God I am what I am". (1 Cor 15:1-11)

One Body of Many Parts

2010-01-24T22:00:00.043-05:00

St. Paul continues from last week's reading (1 Cor 12:4-11), when he reminded the church at Corinth of the different graces each person receives. Today (1 Cor 12:12-30), he describes us as one body.

A body has different parts - ears, eyes, hands, feet. You may be one part and I'm another; we can't all have the same role. A body with nothing but hands or nothing but eyes cannot function. Our unity as one body does not come from ourselves, though our individual gifts do not hinder unity, either. [791, 814] It is not the role we take that unites us, but Christ. We are united, we are one, by being in the Body of Christ. [792-5, 813]

Do the actions in today's reading from the Book of Nehemiah (Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10) sound familiar? Ezra stood on a platform over the people. The people rose and Ezra read. He praised God ("thanks be to God") and everyone replied "Amen". The Levite priests instructed the faithful. Catholic unity extends not just through the world - through space - but down through time as well. The appearance of the church, the structure of Mass, the sacrificial nature of it, and more come down from Biblical times. In many cases, they come down from Old Testament times.

The Old Testament prepares for the New, for the Church we know today. [761-2] We are truly one Body, through time and space - one Church - with Christ as our head.

Today, pray for the unity of Christ's Church, and think of a time during your day that you're not focused on the Head of the Body. Find a time when you're focused away from Christ and work to reorient yourself, to be mindful of the contribution your work, whatever it is, makes toward good in the world and serving the Body of Christ.

Grace from Outside Ourselves

2010-01-20T20:12:00.003-05:00

Let's continue digging into Paul's words from this Sunday's reading (1 Cor 12:4-11). In part, the reading tells us that:

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit....
But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes. (1 Cor 12:4-6, 11)

Already, we've learned from Paul that each of us is given different gifts, each according to God's will. You may have more gifts or fewer. Your gifts may be more or less visible, or seem more or less grand. They are all given by God for God's purpose.

The footnotes for this passage in the New American Bible point out that "all are gifts (charismata), grace from outside ourselves". Further, the Catechism tells us that these charisms are one of the ways that we know the Holy Spirit [688], who it calls "the artisan of God's works". [741]

God in His love for us gives these special graces, or charisms. [2003] Yes, they are given directly for doing God's work ("leitourgia" or "liturgy", meaning service in public). While being able to do God's will, to take part in fulfilling His plan, is a great gift, it is hard for us, at times, to see it as such. Instead, what is suggested by the Catechism, above, is perhaps easier for us to see. These charisms given us help us know the Holy Spirit. We see the artist in the brushstrokes made in our lives and on our own souls.

When we use our gifts well, we not only serve God and build up the Church [2003], but also communicate with Him. We deepen our relationship by using what His love has gifted us; we open the flue a bit more and urge on the fire of the Holy Spirit inside us.

Today, think about your skills, knowledge, and circumstances. All these good things are gifts from God. Identify one today that you can use more directly in God's service. If you aren't certain, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you to new ways to use your particular charisms, your special graces, to serve Him.

A Love Letter

2010-01-20T14:21:00.000-05:00

You have a letter from your Father waiting. I recommend that everyone take the time to read it at Catholic Spiritual Direction.

Catholic Writers Conference Online

2010-01-18T08:36:00.000-05:00

Are you a Catholic writer? Looking for an opportunity to learn more about writing and marketing, a chance to meet like-minded authors, and get an opportunity to pitch your work? The Catholic Writers' Conference Online, which will be held February 26-March 5, 2010, is for you. Hurry, though - registration ends Feb 15.

The conference is held via chats and forums at http://www.catholicwritersconference.com. Sponsored by the Catholic Writer's Guild, the online conference is free of charge and open to writers of all levels who register before February 15, 2010.

Publishers hearing pitches include well known Catholic publishers like Pauline Books and Media, large Christian publishers like Thomas Nelson, and small secular presses like White Rose. Thus far, eleven pitch sessions are scheduled, running the gamut from Christian romance to Catholic theology.

In a new program, dozens of attendees will have the opportunity to have pieces of their work critiqued by successful editors and writers. In addition, there will be forum-based workshops and chat room presentations covering topics from dialogue to freelancing to how Catholic fiction differs from Christian fiction.

To register or for more information, go to http://www.catholicwritersconference.com.

Different Gifts

2010-01-17T19:24:00.003-05:00

St. Paul tells us what he told the church at Corinth (1 Cor 12:4-11) - that we're given different gifts from the Holy Spirit. Each of us receives the gift or gifts we need to perform our service to the Lord. Gifts vary greatly, from speaking in tongues and discerning spirit, to teaching and wise management. Being a good organizer or an effective teacher may seem less a gift than prophecy, but Paul would disagree.

You may not find your gift valuable or recognize it as a gift at all. Paul reminds you that "there are different forms of service but the same Lord". Variety is more than the spice of life, it is a necessity of life. Without each role, even the seemingly small ones, the whole could not function. The Body of Christ - the Church - needs every part working together.

Perhaps you feel jealous of another's seemingly more important gift. I think Paul would tell you that each manifestation of the spirit - even those seemingly mundane - is chosen specifically for that individual and for their benefit. Your gift is yours for a reason, regardless of whether you see it yet.

Lastly, you may wonder why God has given you a particular gift. Why hasn't He given you an easier one or a more desirable one? Paul reminds you that gifts are given as the Spirit wishes, not as you wish. God gives the gift that will enable the service He desires, that fits His plan for you.

We are each called to use our gifts - and use them toward the same goal as the rest of the Body of Christ, the Church. The instruction that Mary gives in John's Gospel (John 2:1-11) applies to each of us: Do whatever He tells you.

If you know what gift you have been given, pray for guidance in using it well for God. Think on ways you can direct your own spiritual gifts to the Church. As your pastor for ideas. If you aren't certain what gifts you have been given, pray to recognize them more readily. Think on what talents you have, what time or knowledge or skill you have. And pray for the wisdom to recognize your gifts. Let us all pray today in gratitude for the gifts God has given each of us.

The Humility of Christ

2009-12-31T18:00:00.003-05:00

Christmas is far from over, friends. The Church gives us a Christmas season to reflect on the meaning of Christ's birth, lasting through the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on January 10. Let's take advantage of the continuation of Christmas and reflect, as we move into a new calendar year, on the humility of the newborn Jesus.

The Scriptural and historical evidence places Jesus' birth in the little town of Bethlehem (as the song goes) (O'Connor, 1984). How little a town? At the time, Bethlehem probably had two or three hundred occupants. Jerusalem, in contrast, was home to tens of thousands (Pacwa, 2000). Bethlehem was a hundred times smaller. And into this tiny town came not a full-grown man, like the Greek goddess Athena bursting from her father's head in full armor. No, God came as a little baby to the little town of Bethlehem.

That swaddled baby could not move on His own. He was entirely in Mary's care. She placed Him in the manger. She presented Him to the shepherds and wise men that came to worship the King (Luke 2:8-20).

This is the same God that humbles Himself to become what appears to be a little piece of bread. Like the infant Jesus, the Eucharist is moved by other hands. He is placed before us by human hands as sacrificial lamb, as our spiritual food.

Our God is a creative and witty author, as well. This, too, is why Jesus was born in bethel yehem - the "house of bread". This is why He was carried into a stable like a lamb and laid in a trough like a meal.

As you start a new year, find a place in your life where God does not dwell. Find the place where your pride still rules, where you call the shots instead of God. [2113] If we are to be Christians - followers of Christ - then we must follow His example. Put yourself into another's hands - into the hands of God and into the hands of His One Church [813-822, 2032] - and trust. Today, commit one more part of your life to God's care, saying in faith Thy will be done.

O' Connor, James. 1984 The father's son. Boston: St. Paul Books and Media.
Pacwa, Mitch. When Jesus was born. Catholic Answers. http://www.catholic.com/radio/event.php?calendar=1&category=0&event=1543&date=2000-12-22 (accessed Dec 30, 2009).

Advent in Song: Silent Night

2009-12-24T16:00:00.001-05:00

I hope for everyone this is a Holy night (if not a Silent Night!). We celebrate the night of Christ's birth, the dawn of the light of the world. Most of us, I'd guess, know the first verse of Silent Night very well. Many of us know the second (the shepherds quaking). Let's look, then, at the imagery of the third:

Silent night, Holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy Holy Face
With the dawn of redeeming grace.
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.
Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.

Christ is God's living Word, the divine intellect that illumines us. Jesus is the light of the world. (John 9:5) Compare this image with the Holy Spirit that comes as fire and burns in our hearts. (Acts 2:3)

Light and heat. Those are perfect analogies. We see the light of a fire before we feel its warmth, and to receive the fulness of grace from the Holy Spirit of God we must first see by His Light. We must see by the Light of Truth, God's incarnate Word, and follow Him.

The shepherds trembled and rightly so. This is a staggering idea. What an unfathomable gift! What a terrifying reality, that God would come walk among us.

What part of His Truth has given you difficulty? Is there a part of your life where the Light of the World isn't shining? Perhaps you have a question about the Eucharist, or marriage and divorce, or contraception, or abortion. Perhaps you don't understand one of the Sacraments or an aspect of Mass as well as you could. Respond to the coming of the Light of the World by getting those questions answered. Talk to your local priest. Read up on your topic using a faithful source like the faith tracts at Catholic Answers or the booklets at the Bible Christian Society.

Advent in Song: Joy to the World

2009-12-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday, we heard the story of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-45). John the Bapist, the last prophet before the public ministry of Jesus, was already fulfilling his call. In utero he evangelized the only person he could in the only way he could. John, in the womb of Elizabeth, felt the presence of Christ - the living bread was in the living tabernacle of Mary.

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

When we sing "Joy to the World, the Lord is come", we leap for joy - at least vocally - not only because He came but because He is still here. He has not left us orphans (John 14:18). Elizabeth continues, saying "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." (Luke 1:45) And blessed are each of us who believe what is spoken by the Lord, including His words recorded by the apostle John: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life..." (John 6:54).

The living Bread of Life spent nine months in the tabernacle of Mary's womb. The living bread now resides in tabernacles around the world. What a gift God has given to each of us! This Christmas season, take time to be like Elizabeth and John, to be in the presence of Christ, even when He is hidden from sight in the tabernacle. Even if it is for a minute, stop in a church and greet Him.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!

Advent in Song: Creator of the Stars of Night

2009-12-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

Advent is a time of preparation. What are we preparing for? How should we do it?

The USCCB's Advent site reminds us that Advent "...directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas." We are preparing our hearts and minds for Christmas and for Christ's second coming. Advent is a yearly reminder to prepare ourselves, because "the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night". (1 Thess 5:2)

Today's hymn is a good example of that dual-focus - on Christmas (Heaven on Earth) and Eternity (Heaven in ... actual Heaven). The hym is "Creator Alme Siderum", or "Creator of the Stars of Night". (There are other, perhaps more literal, translations of the lyrics, too.) You can look and listen online to one of several versions: one from Milan or this lovely version that shows the Latin on-screen. (Not that any of us need a transcript to understand sung Latin. No sir-ee!)

I suspect a lot of us forget Easter when we're celebrating Christmas. I suppose it feels like looking at a cute piglet and saying "hi, bacon!" (Of course, some of us have twisted senses of humor like that. I've been known to pair a trip to the aquarium with a later seafood dinner.) We have to remember that Jesus is different; Christ is no mere sacrificial animal. He is the perfect sacrifice, and furthermore the perfect priest offering the sacrifice. Jesus didn't come to Earth to teach and then accidentally, along the way, get crucified. God incarnated in Mary "by an act of generous love", as the hymn reminds us.

He "didst from a Virgin's womb proceed and on the Cross a Victim bleed." Christmas leads on to Good Friday and death, then to Easter and resurrection. So while we enjoy Christmas, we have to prepare for Good Friday.

Paul tells us how to prepare. He tells us to "stay alert and sober...putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet that is hope for salvation." (1 Thess 5:6,8) Faith, hope, and love are the three theological virtues, the good habits that are aimed at God and, in practicing them, bring us closer to Him. Read about the theological virtues in the Catechism (paragraphs 1812-1829) and be alert for the opportunities gifted to you today to practice and build them. Find an opportunity to practice each of the three theological virtues today, and take it.

Advent in Song: Verbum Caro Factus Est

2009-12-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

God's plan for us is both historical and deeply personal.

In the Gospel reading (Luke 3:1-6), Luke sets the scene in detail. Throughout salvation history, God reaches into our time and space to act in history. As the Catechism puts it, "(t)he witness of Scripture is unanimous that the solicitude of divine providence is concrete and immediate; God cares for all, from the least things to the great events of the world and its history. The sacred books powerfully affirm God's absolute sovereignty over the course of events..." [303]

Christ is the perfect revelation of God, and as we experience the Advent and Christmas readings we'll see how God acts in human time and space - in "concrete and immediate ways" - to save us. Our Advent hymn today, Verbum Caro Factum Est, reminds us of God's incarnation in a particular time and place, and in His eternal glory.

Verbum caro factum est
Et habitavit in nobis
et vidimus gloriam ejus
gloriam quasi unigeniti a Patre
plenum gratiae et veritatis.

The words come from the beginning of St. John's Gospel (John 1:14):

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us
and we saw his glory...as of the Father's only Son
full of grace and truth.

As we prayed in the psalm response on Sunday, "the Lord has done great things for us". (Ps 126:1-6) If you catch a Sunday football game after Mass, maybe you'll see a sign with that famous summary of John's: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (John 3:16) This is the greatest thing God has given us in the long history of our salvation - our salvation through Jesus Christ.

God has given us immeasurable gifts, and He continues to give to each of us individually. Take time today to consider the gifts God has given you, the ways that He is at work in your life. Make St. Paul's prayer for the Phillipian church (Phil 1:4-6, 8-11) your own today:

Lord, this is my prayer:
that my love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that I may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.

Advent in Song: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring

2009-12-04T11:59:00.000-05:00

Christmas is a time of joy. We hear that on television and radio, and we read it online and on many of the greeting cards that change hands this month. What is joy?

A lyric penned in 1661 gives the answer: Jesus, the Joy of Man’s Desiring. Joy is where we're drawn by Him. It is that to which our souls are aspiring. Christ, our joy, is the "truth unknown" (or, perhaps better, not fully known) that we strive for, that we soar toward. Christ is that to which our hope is guiding.

Our destiny is achieved on "entering into the joy of the Lord" [1720]. There are pleasures in our earthly lives, but there is not true joy outside of our encounters and our relationship with Christ.

Advent is a time of preparation. Are you preparing to enter into the joy of the Lord? Today, read the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-29) and note what is required.

Father, we pray that all of us use this time of Advent well, that we prepare ourselves to encounter the Truth that You are and bring it fully into our hearts. And when our time is over, after our last Advent, may we all be with You fully, in the love of joys unknown. May we hear those beautiful words: 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.'

USCCB. "Advent and Christmas Seasons". Online. Accessed 2 Dec 2009 at http://www.usccb.org/advent/

Advent in Song: Once in Royal David's City

2009-11-29T23:00:00.003-05:00

Our first song for advent is "Once in Royal David's City". The choice of song is especially appropriate today, as the prophet Jeremiah makes the connection to David (Jer 33:14-16). Jesus would be a "just shoot" - a branch in King David's family tree. In a few weeks, we'll be hearing about Christ's birth from the line of David. (Both Mary and Joseph were descendants of that line.)

The song tells us that "He came down to Earth from Heaven, who is God and Lord of all...". It does not remain fixed on the manger in Bethlehem, though. It goes on that "He leads His children on to the place where He has gone. Not in that poor lowly stable...but in Heaven...". As we begin Advent and prepare Christ a place in our hearts and lives, we should remember where Christmas takes us. In order to follow Jesus and reach Heaven, we must follow Jesus. "He is our childhood's pattern" as the song goes; for we adults, He is our pattern as well. Jesus is our model. And Jesus' path leads to Calvary and sacrifice.

The Gospel today (Lk 21:25-28, 34-36) reminds us of this. It might seem like quite a buzz-kill after a nice Thanksgiving and a few days decorating and shopping. Suddenly, we're hearing about the end of the world? The Gospel tells us to be vigilant and pray for strength. We don't know when we will find ourselves before Christ, and we should always strive to be in closer relationship - in communion - with Christ.

Think, then, what you can do this week to better model Christ. Find a part of your life where you have not let Christ in, and make Him more a part of it. Don't be caught napping; don't be caught in a moment or place where you haven't allowed God to be present.

Advent in Song

2009-11-29T22:37:00.000-05:00

I love music. Something about it elevates our words and stirs our hearts. When are angels are worshipping along with us at Mass (and they are!), I assume they must also sing along with our hymns. (After all, they're arranged in choirs, hm?) The sound of that, heard from Heaven, must be magnificent.

Through Advent, I'll be exploring the meaning of several timely hymns. The USCCB recommended a number of them on their Lessons and Hymns page. We should always strive to really understand the words we pray at Mass - and the songs we sing.

Perservering in Prayer

2009-11-26T14:02:00.005-05:00

It seems appropriate to end this series of blogs on prayer today. While we may pray for things we need or want, we also pray to praise and thank God. The gift of life, before and above anything else we may be thankful for, is an immeasurably valuable gift. Each of our lives, our existencen, is not something we could ever earn; it is truly a free and beautiful gift from God.

We should thank God for our lives and for all the good things in them, not just today but every day. That is the topic today: perserverence.

The first obstacle to perserverence - to a consistent, steady prayer life - is disappointment. St. Augustine advised that sometimes "we ask for something it would be better for us not to get", that unknown to us "could have brought us some still greater affliction". We might ask for something that at first seems good, but is "the kind of good fortune that brings corruption and ruin." God sees ends that we cannot, so we must accept our disappointments patiently and with trust in God's will. St. Augustine goes on to remind us that even when Jesus prayed "let this cup pass me by, he transformed the human will... and added Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it."

The second obstacle is time. Fr. Bartunek says it as directly as it can be said: don't cop out on prayer. Make time.

The first commandment is first for a reason. God deserves praise and worship, let alone that we need prayer. If you need a reminder, make that your goal today. Place a prayer book, rosary, or Bible where you will see and use it. Set up an alarm on your mobile phone. A service like Remember the Milk can become "remember the prayer" if you schedule an email reminder for your lunch hour.

Augustine, Letter to Proba.

Bartunek, Fr. J., "The Second Most Important Thing", Catholic Spiritual Direction. Online. Accessed 23 Oct 2009 at http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2009/10/23/the-second-most-important-thing

2009-11-25T10:51:00.008-05:00

If you haven't heard about it yet, please read and sign the Manhattan Declaration. This ecumenical statement was released on November 20 and states in no uncertain terms our moral stand on:

the sanctity of human life
the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
the rights of conscience and religious liberty

I'm proud that U.S. Catholic bishops are standing up and fixing their name to this document. (That confirms, too, for faithful Catholics the moral truth in this declaration.) As of Nov 19, signers include:

Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Denver
Most Rev. Salvatore Joseph Cordileone, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, Calif.
Most Rev. Timothy Dolan, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of New York, N.Y.
Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky.
His Eminence Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop Emeritus, Roman Catholic Diocese of Detroit
Most Rev. Richard J. Malone, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine
Most Rev. John J. Myers, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, N.J.
Most Rev. Joseph F. Naumann, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City, Kan.
Most Rev. John Nienstedt, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
His Eminence Justin Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
Most Rev. David A. Zubik, Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh

Amen.

Is Christ your King?

2009-11-22T22:16:00.001-05:00

In today's Gospel reading (Jn 18:33b-37), Pilate asks Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?". Both Daniel (Dn 7:13-14), writing before the birth of Christ, and John (Rv 1:5-8) after, say yes. Christ is "ruler of the kings of the earth". His is an "everlasting dominion".

Jesus answers Pilate's question with a question: "Do you say this..?" In other words, do you say that I'm the king? St. Augustine tells us that "our Lord knew indeed both what He Himself asked, and what Pilate would answer; but He wished it to be written down n for our sakes." Why did Jesus want it written down? Perhaps the answer is because we'rebeing asked the same question.

So, do you say that Jesus is the king? You say it at Mass each Sunday, of course, but do you say it with your actions? Do you proclaim Christ the King with the other 167 hours of your week?

The Catechism tells us that "...man should not submit his personal freedom in an absolute manner to any earthly power, but only to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ..." (CCC 450) Today, find an area of your life where your loyalty has been given to an earthly power - a thing, place, or person - before and in opposition to God. At your job, are you asked to do something that pricks your conscience? Do you sit at dinner or in the lunch room with someone that verbally attacks the Faith? Do you watch a television program that constantly derides Jesus Christ?

Consider how you can change to give honor to God during your life outside of church. It can be difficult, even impossible, to shift our allegiance from an earthly power to God. In prayer today, ask God for the grace to help you do it!

"No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor 12:3) Lord, give me the grace each day to proclaim that Jesus is Lord by my words and actions.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Catena Aurea: Gospel of John. Online at http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea-John18.php

Another Bishop Wielding the Sword!

2009-11-13T12:45:00.002-05:00

I'm not a Catholic news blog, but once in a while I can't resist posting a good story. Bishop Tobin has picked up that Sword of the Spirit we're all handed and given it a good swing. Catholic Culture reports his letter to Congressman Kennedy in "The Bishops at the Cliff: Tobin's Challenge".

Focusing in Prayer

2009-11-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

For the last two months, I've been posting off and on about prayer. I've asked you to try lectio divina, the rosary or divine office, and prayer in your own words. Once you've found a method or two that works well for you, the trick is sticking with it. The world conspires to give us so many "important" things to do that prayer goes by the wayside.

You have a lifetime to practice and grow, and an eternity to praise God in His presence; don't let any slow-going now discourage you. At the same time, don't let slow-going become not-going.

Father Bartunek has suggested a few things we can do the night before to prepare for tomorrow's prayer:

gather your materials into one place: crucifix, Bible, book of meditations, whatever you use
jot down key points for tomorrow's meditation

where did you leave off today?
who or what would you like to pray about tomorrow?
what virtue will your meditation focus on?

I would add to this something perhaps too obvious - make time. Does it need to be said that God deserves our time? God, in fact, created time, so it's His to begin with. Our time is simply loaned to us. Start small and give a few minutes each day - first thing in the morning, right before bed, when you take your lunch break - and give them to God in prayer.

Father Serpa reminds us that "God is not that big vending machine in the sky that will release the goods if we know just how to appease him." A certain prayer formula or method is a tool to help us communicate more easily, not a purchase order to get what we want. Prayer is about "acknowledging our complete dependence on him—and willingly accepting whatever and however he chooses to respond...a matter of loving trust and absolutely nothing else." Setting aside time and properly preparing will help keep the focus where it belongs - on God.

Bartunek, John. "How can I better prepare for prayer and meditation?" Available from http://rcspiritualdirection.com/blog/2009/10/12/how-can-i-better-prepare-for-prayer-and-meditation. Internet; accessed 10 Nov 2009.

Serpa, Vincent. "Quick Questions." Available from http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/quickquestions/author/Fr.%20Vincent%20Serpa/page2. Internet; accessed 7 Oct 2009.

Once and for All

2009-11-08T18:13:00.006-05:00

We learn something important about the Mass in our second reading today (Heb 9:24-28). In Old Testament times, the high priest made offerings for sin. Those offerings were made again and again. They had to be, because what can we possibly offer that is equal to our sin, to rejecting the infinite God? The high priest offered "blood that is not his own" - animal sacrifices.

Christ came "not that he might offer himself repeatedly..." but "once and for all". Christ came to offer His own blood "to take away sin by his sacrifice". What, then, are we to make of the sacrifice at Mass? Are we offering a sacrifice repeatedly when, as Jesus said on the cross, "it is finished"?

First, the word "Eucharist" means "thanksgiving", and we offer thanks to God "for all that he has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification." [1360]

It is the memorial that Jesus established when He told the apostles to "do this in memory of me".

Lastly - and to answer the question of one sacrifice versus many - the Eucharist represents the sacrifice at Calvary. [1366] Read that carefully: it re-presents or presents again the sacrifice. We are made present again at Calvary as witnesses to Christ's singular offering of Himself for us.

I may not be in the room with you, but as you read these words, I am present in a way. If I call you on the phone, I am present to you though not physically in the same space. Similarly, we are present again (re-presented) at Calvary as Christ dies for us, giving us each the chance to claim that victory as our own.

Today, review the words spoken in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. You can listen to them as spoken at Mass, read them (at catholic-resources.org, or with commentary at sjy.org) or view a recorded Mass online. Meditate on the words spoken and find examples of thanksgiving, of memorial, and of our presence at Christ's sacrifice once and for all "so that sins may be forgiven".

Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Savior of the World.

Mental Prayer

2009-10-21T22:02:00.000-05:00

This has been a difficult series of posts to work on. My prayer life, too, is developing; indeed, it feels (and is) simply infantile at times. It takes time, patience, and, most of all, grace to build up your prayer life. And the building is never over. Through prayer we grow in our relationship with Christ and with members of God’s family (CCC 2663–2696), and there can be no end, in this life, to that growth. You can always strengthen the connection, always grow more in that relationship because the One on the other end is infinite.

I've also discovered that, strangely, we all seem to be different people. (Who'd have thought?) What works for you may not work for me, or, at least, may not be ideal for me. Thankfully, we have a long history of prayer to draw on, to find those methods and times and ways that best work for each of us. You don't have to pray just like St. Ignatius or St. Francis or St. Teresa. We love choice, and a society that can put a half dozen adjectives before the word "coffee" must be able to find joy in the wealth of different ways of prayer available!

When you have built your "mental muscle" and the habit of mental prayer, you can start to explore these different methods. There is no one set structure for mental prayer. According to St. Teresa of Avila, it is "nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us." (McClernon)

The first and most important tip, whatever approach you take, is to remember the end of prayer. The means may change - meditation on the rosary or on a Bible passage, a holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament, open dialogue - but the end, the goal, is always the same. At the other end of prayer, like the other end of a phone call, is a person. Every great saint's writing about prayer emphasizes this. You are communicating with a person.

That explains the great variety of prayer methods, doesn't it? Do we always communicate with a person in the same way? At home, I may sit and talk at my wife if I'm excited about something, never letting her get a word in. I may complain about my day. I may dialogue back and forth. I may sit and listen. (Don't forget that one!) At times, I just sit quietly in her presence; we're just quietly together without anything to say aloud, though our presence and silence can speak volumes.

So it is with God. God is a person and you can benefit by talking, by conversing, by listening, or simply by being.

Not sure which method to start with? Here are some choices:

Go to your church when its quiet and kneel before the Blessed Sacrament. Ask God for help. As St. Josemaria Escriva said it, "as soon as you have said, 'Lord, I don't know how to pray!' you can be sure you've already begun. " (90)
Listen to other faithful Catholics discussing prayer. The first several podcasts of Into the Deep are a great discussion on methods of praying.
Experience Lectio Divina. There are several good introductions, including one by Fr. Luke Dysinger and another from the Jesuit offices in Toronto.

Escriva, Josemaria. The Way. As cited by josemariaescriva.info. Online. Accessed 21 Oct 2009 from http://www.josemariaescriva.info/article/speaking-with-god
Sermon in a Sentence: A Treasury of Quotations on the Spiritual Life, Vol. 4 : St. Teresa of Avila
John McClernon (ed.)

At Christ's Left and Right Hands

2009-10-18T16:52:00.002-05:00

In today's Gospel (Mk 10:35-45), James and John cut to the WIIFM (pronounced "wiffum") - what's in it for me? They are looking for the payoff at the end of these three years of work, at the end of all the traveling and preaching. Jesus chastises them because He knows what waits at the end of the earthly road - not a throne but a cross. Jesus told them to think about what's in it for others, because they were being called to serve. Nearly all of them served to the last, gave their lives, before their earthly work was done, but in these moments with Jesus, James and John missed the point.

Think about what specifically they asked for - to be at Jesus' right and left. They expected those positions to be powerful and lofty. They didn't know, then, what we know now.

Read ahead a few chapters to Mark 15:27, and see what those positions entail. Ask yourself what you would give, today, if it came down to it. Whatever your answer, pray today for the grace to give more.

The Need for Detachment

2009-10-11T06:00:00.004-05:00

As was described in the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 4:12), "the word of God is...sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating...able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart." Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1-5) and exemplifies this quote in today's Gospel reading (Mark 10:17-27).

Jesus must have read the heart of the man who questions Him about getting to Heaven. Jesus doesn't call him out about obedience to the law or the goodness of his heart. We must assume, from what Jesus does not say, that the man was truthful - he obeyed Jewish law. The man has done nothing wrong, yet he has not gone far enough. Jesus calls him to go beyond earthly laws (Jewish dietary regulations, etc.) and to the cross, to sacrifice and follow Him. What can this man sacrifice? He is rich, so his sacrifice is money.

Now, money is not evil in itself. Money, though, must be a means rather than an end. Money is not necessary itself but can be used for necessary things (e.g. food). Why, then, is it hard for a rich man to enter Heaven? Because excessive money, like excess of nearly anything, is addictive. As Venerable Bede wrote, "there is a great difference between having riches, and loving them". When you have a lot of money, your thoughts can easily turn to protecting, rather than using, your money. Rather than use your money in expressing your love of others, your love turns to money itself as its object.

Each of us is this man. We each have something of this earth to which we are too attached. If you're over-attached to money (whether you actually have it or not), then you must overcome that attachment that draws your focus from Christ. Alcohol is not itself evil. (Jesus did not pass Welch's around the table at the Last Supper.) You must, though, be sober to walk steadily after Christ. Sex is not itself evil; we are commanded from the very beginning to be fruitful. Sex is a mean to the end of producing life. If you are too focused on sex, you cannot focus on the Author of life.

I beg of you, my Lord to remove anything which separates me from you, and you from me.

Remove anything that makes me unworthy of your sight, your control, your reprehension; of your speech and conversation, of your benevolence and love.

Cast from me every evil that stands in the way of my seeing you, hearing, tasting, savoring, and touching you; fearing and being mindful of you; knowing, trusting, loving, and possessing you; being conscious of your presence and, as far as may be, enjoying you.

This is what I ask for myself and earnestly desire from you. (Blessed Peter Faber)

Blessed Peter Faber Prayer for Detachment, cited by Bernaccio, P., Online at http://aseedinbriar.blogspot.com/2009/09/blessed-peter-faber-prayer-for.html

St. Thomas Aquinas, Catena Aurea: Gospel of Matthew. Online at http://www.catecheticsonline.com/CatenaAurea-Mark10.php

Moving from Vocal Prayer to Mental Prayer

2009-10-07T06:00:00.004-05:00

We are composite beings, meaning we are made of both body and spirit. We're not just bodies alone, and we're not souls that are just driving the bodies around. Both parts of us are important. It makes sense, then, that we can reach out to God with both body and spirit, in both vocal and mental prayer. [2702]

Both vocal and mental prayer are important. Soul does not trump body, and so mental prayer is not somehow better than vocal prayer. It is different and gives us another way to connect with God. Fr. Thibodeaux calls this "listening to God", as opposed to talking at or talking to Him. (p. 25)

We can use our bodies and speak in rote vocal prayer or unrehearsed talking to God. Similarly, we can use our minds in a rehearsed or read prayer, or in a spontaneous, unrehearsed way. And similarly, starting with rote prayer by reading or reciting is a good first step in mental prayer.

The rosary provides a good starting point for mental prayer. Especially for those (like me) that have a hard time sitting still and being quiet, the acts of speaking words and touching beads provides a spiritual, connected activity for the body while the mind is actively working.

Any good resource on praying the rosary will list the meditations for each decade. For each decade of the rosary, create an image in your mind of that scene. If you're praying the first of the Joyful Mysteries, imagine the annunciation to Mary. Your imagination may pull up a painting or picture you've seen of it. It may focus on the whole picture or a specific element, like "zooming in" on Mary's face as she receives the Good News. It may stay focused on one picture or flicker through many, like a slideshow or movie. The goal is not to see the event the way I see it, like a spiritual paint-by-numbers, but to connect with the event in your own mind, in your own way.

On one level, you're connecting with God in a new and different way, being mentally "present" to a part of His Divine Revelation to us. On another, you're training your mind for mental prayer. While there are certainly spiritual benefits (this is, in fact, one of my favorite ways to pray), the practice of focusing your mind on the image is good mental exercise and helps ready you for deeper exploration into mental prayer.

Thibodeaux, Mark E. Armchair Mystic. Cincinatti: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2001.

Patience and Spiritual Immaturity

2009-10-04T06:00:00.003-05:00

In today's Gospel reading (Mk 10:2-16 or 10:2-12), on one level we see Jesus clarifying the Old Testament teaching on divorce. This teaching alone - the sanctity and permanence of the marriage bond between a man and woman - is very important, but there is still more we can take from the passage.

Jesus explains that Moses allowed divorce to continue (Deut 24) because his people had "hardened hearts". They wouldn't accept full weight of the purpose and meaning of marriage (Gn 2:18-24). They weren't spiritually mature enough to handle it, perhaps, so Moses was more permissive with them.

We apply this idea to the physical world all the time. They get small basketballs and Little Tykes hoops only two feet off the ground, because they aren't ready to reach daddy's net. They play with fake phones to distract them from making toll calls around the world on the real one. They use make-believe irons and stoves so their still-growing hands aren't burned.

Do we apply it, too, to the spiritual world? Too often, I find myself frustrated and hurt by the fractures in the Christian Church and in the attacks from nonbelievers outside. I think and act as if everyone else should just "get it", that no one should have the spiritual doubts and struggles that I've had - and still have. We are often understanding of our own, personal need to grow but hard on others. Instead, we should be tough on ourselves - looking to our own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) - but forgiving and understanding of others' weaknesses and immaturity.

We are all God's children. What happens when the family is called to the table? Some children pout and stay locked in our rooms. Others get carried to a booster seat. And others are grown enough to walk there on their own.

Today, resolve to be patient with someone who isn't in the same place spiritually. We all make different marks on the spiritual growth chart, but as long as we grow and seek Truth, we are promised to find it. (Mt 7:7)

“Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes. Patience attains all that it strives for. He who has God Finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices.” - St. Teresa of Avila

Talking to God

2009-09-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

Unlike a mother bird pushing its young from the nest, we don't just send our children right into the deep. When we teach a child to swim, where do we start? We teach them to float, then perhaps to doggie paddle, then to really swim. When we teach how to walk, we start with a crawl and with balance, before walking and running.

When we start in prayer, we "talk at God" (Thibodeaux, 2001, p.17); we get comfortable with the idea and the action of prayer. We are God's children, and these are our first baby steps in prayer. After we're comfortable with the idea and we've incorporated a little "talking at God" into our daily lives, we can take the next step. After talking at God in rote prayer we can start talking to God.

But what do I say to God?

Consider what we can learn from Jesus' own prayer. To be "Christian" is to follow Christ, so let's follow His example in prayer. Jesus' prayer included bold petition, praise of God's goodness, and gratitude for God's gifts. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2599-2606)

When you start to talk to God, in your own words, Jesus' example is a trustworthy guide. Use this framework as a constant guide for how and what to say, a frame on which to hang your own words in confidence, faith, and love.

Today, pray in your own words to God. Thank Him for a gift you received today - for family, for a happy occasion, for the gift of a new day itself. Praise God's goodness in giving us life and the chance to know Him. And ask God, boldly, for what you need, as a child would confidently ask a caring father.

Thibodeaux, Mark E. Armchair Mystic. Cincinatti: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2001.

How to Get to Heaven

2009-09-27T23:35:00.002-05:00

In today's Gospel reading (Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48), Jesus spells out some clear rules for us to follow if we want to get to Heaven. And we should all want to get to Heaven; that is our purpose. That is the meaning of life (not that hard to figure out, huh?).

Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe (in me) to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

Bishop Fulton Sheen once said that the surest way to Heaven is to take someone with you. It seems that Jesus is warning us here that, in contrast, a sure way to lose Heaven is to hold someone else back from it.

What do we do to fulfill our purpose and be with God forever? Serve others. Serve them in positive ways by providing for their needs, physical and spiritual. And serve them in negative ways by avoiding sin, which affects us all.

Jesus never said the gesture must be large. In fact, His example is very simple - giving a glass of water. Find a way to serve Christ through someone today.\

Consider, too, in what ways your words and actions causes others to sin. Did you anger someone by cutting them off in traffic? Were you rude or impatient? Did you raise your voice? Did you enable someone else's sin by giving aid, money, or even your silence?

From willful sins keep your servant; let them never control me. Then shall I be blameless, innocent of grave sin. Let the words of my mouth meet with your favor, keep the thoughts of my heart before you, LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Ps 19:14-15)

Vocal Prayer

2009-09-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today, we continue our exploration of prayer. We've considered our personal obstacles to prayer, now let's start with the most familiar type - vocal prayer.

Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise. (Ps 51:17)

God speaks to man through His Word - through the written word of the Gospel and the living Word that is Christ. Man replies, as well, through words. (Catechism, 2700) It's only natural that our first instinct is to communicate aloud, to respond to God with spoken words. We're built for it; God gave us voices, and I cannot believe He intended us to keep them silent.

Vocal prayer gets a bad rap. It's often treated as inferior to unspoken (mental) prayer and meditation. It's something we ordinary people do because we're not disciplined enough to meditate; because we're not holy enough to mentally connect with God. That's ridiculous. We Catholics have always professed that differences (like men and women, or clergy and married) need not be differences in worth. Two things can be different in certain qualities without being different in value or dignity. Vocal prayer is different than mental prayer, not less than it. Like male and female, the two are complementary.

Do you find yourself repeating things to other people during the day? Do you give your boss the same answer all the time? Do you say "I love you" the same way to your spouse? Yes, sometimes, we repeat words into meaninglessness. Sometimes, though, we repeat words like "I love you" knowing - trusting - that the other person understands the meaning behind them.

Some people, especially non-Catholics, disparage our memorized (rote) prayer. These are the spoken prayers, like the Lord's Prayer (Our Father) that Catholics repeat. These repetitions, said in love and trust rather than boredom and uncaring, are a good starting point.

Rote prayer is a starting point, and that's important. If we never start, we'll never get anywhere. We need to connect with God, however weak that connection may start out.

If you've not made regular use of prayer, make this your starting point today. Memorized or read prayers are a good starting point for moving into a richer prayer life and deeper relationship with God. Start today with the Lord's Prayer. If you feel more bold, pray the rosary (1-page instructions) or an hour of the Divine Office.

The Inner Critic

2009-09-21T00:03:00.001-05:00

According to the Book of Wisdom (Wis 2:12, 17-20), the wicked man wants to challenge the just man. And, we assume, he wants to see the just man fail the challenge. Why? Because the just man "reproaches us for transgressions of the law"; the just man calls them as he sees them.

If I want to feel better about my actions, I have two choices: choose better actions or eliminate the voices of my critics.

What happens, then, when the critic's voice is my own? What happens when the criticism of my actions is coming not from outside but from inside, from my conscience. I still have the same choices - change my action or silence my critic.

I've found that my own struggles with belief often belie struggles with conscience. A sudden theological problem may be a symptom of a moral problem, a moral cancer that's grown enough to eat away at other parts. As James warns us (Jas 3:16-4:3), conflicts come from the passions. "The wisdom from above is...pure" so our internal moral disorder, in turn, makes it harder for us to grasp Christian wisdom.

We can break this cycle only with God. James warns us further that we may ask God for things but not receive if we ask for the wrong reasons. We must ask for help in breaking this cycle - for moral strength and faith in God - for the right reasons, for the fulfillment of God's will. For Him, not for us.

Today, ask God for a clean heart and for a mind in line with His own. More importantly, ask for the right reasons, to better honor and serve our God that gave us life, that deserves our belief, honor, and worship.

O God, by your name save me, and by your might defend my cause.
O God, hear my prayer; hearken to the words of my mouth. (Ps 54:3-4)

Praise You in the Storm

2009-09-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's not always easy to do God's will. He has a different perspective than we do, and never is this more deeply felt than one a loved one dies. If you have lost someone close to you, you may have felt angry at God or defeated or questioned if He was really there. Why would a good and loving God take someone from me?

We fail to remember, in those times, that death is not a loss to God but a homecoming. God's goal for each of us is just that - to die and rise again, to be with Him forever. What is a loss to us is a gain to God - the prodigal son or daughter returning from the journey.

God calls us to not just have faith but to live it. James' words today (Jas 2:14-18) are used to support Christian charity - public acts of love for our fellow man. However, James also reminds us of the need to live our faith - to work it out in our lives, not just pay it lipservice.

When things are hard, do you fall away from your faith? Do you stand and tell God how things should be, as Peter tried (Mk 8:27-35)? If we truly believe, then we must accept that God is God and we are not. That means that we won't always understand what God does. We can, at least, try to see things from His perspective.

Lord God, it is easy to praise your work in the sunshine. Grant me the grace of a stronger faith. Help me to see you, too, in the storm.

Green Eggs and Prayer

2009-09-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

If you have ever found it hard to pray, you are certainly not alone. We all struggle with prayer. How many of these sound familiar?

I can't find time.
I'll be late for work.
I'll look silly.
It feels so fake.
I don't know what to say.
I keep getting distracted.
It's boring.

Perhaps you have unique additions of your own. Whatever your reasons for not praying, the cause is likely the same. Bishop Fulton Sheen said that "(t)here are not a hundred people in America who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions of people who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church". Likewise. I suspect that we avoid what we think prayer must be; few, if any, of us reject prayere for what it really is.

So we need to understand what prayer is before we can do it. The Catechism of the Catholic Church calls prayer a battle [2725]. We are battling with ourselves and all those excuses above, and we are battling with the devil, who certainly does not want us communicating with God. Divide-and-conquer is a simple military strategy - cut the enemy off from communication with headquarters and pick them off. We need prayer; we need to radio in for help with our daily battles.

We'll spend the next few weeks exploring the arsenal - learning about different forms of prayer - so we can integrate this vital action into our daily lives.

As a child. You may have read Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham", or perhaps you've read it to your own child. Sam follows an obstinate character with a plate of the oddly-colored breakfast, trying time and again to get him to taste. "Try it! Try it! You will see!" The would-be fan of green eggs and ham had always rejected what he thought the dish would be like. All the difference is made by going out on a limb and trying.

Start today. Start right now with a simple prayer. Speak it aloud or in your heart. (Try it! Try it! You will see!)

Father, I have had difficulty with prayer. I am stepping out into the dark now. Reach out Your hand to me and guide me to a real prayer life with You. I am ready to explore it with openness to you and patience with myself. Help me, Father.

A Personal Relationship with Christ

2009-08-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

"Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?"

Many Christians ask that question. You may have been asked that question yourself. What does it really mean to have a personal relationship with Jesus? What are we being asked here?

God is unchanging. He is the "Father of lights", as James calls him (Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27) - the creator of the sun, moon and stars - and unlike those bodies that rise and fall, come in and out of our daily lives, God is constant. God's law is constant, too - as constant and unchanging as the Lawgiver. God is ever present in our lives, and we are meant to be ever present to God through obedience to His laws out of love. We are to be "doers of the word", according to James.

An intimate relationship - the kind of changes you, inside and out - is a relationship of constancy. Many of us have a bad relationship with God. We're sitting there on the couch, being asked "Where are you? It feels like you're not even here." And we're not. We've "checked out" of the relationship. We're inside our heart full of selfishness, pride, and unworthy desires and outside of that personal, intimate relationship with Him.

Christ warned us when he corrected the Pharisees and scribes (Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23). From inside us comes "unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly" - all of the things that offend God and hurt our relationship with Him. These are all things that break our connection, our intimacy with Him. They take us away and rob us of that constancy that makes for a good relationship.

So how do we get back? How do we become constant in God's life, as He is in ours? Compare Jesus' list from the Gospel reading today to the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:2-17. Do you see the connection? Everything that Jesus warns defiles us - takes us away from the relationship with God - is something God commanded through Moses. That ten-point list is the ultimate relationship quiz.

Which of the items on Jesus' list is causing problems for you today? Find one way that you can overcome that problem today and bring yourself closer to God.

God, Father of Lights, ever-present creator, be always on my mind, at my lips, and in my heart.

What was your god today?

2009-08-23T06:00:00.004-05:00

Father, open my heart to Your Word today. Give me the grace to recognize the truth and the false gods in my life.

We all have trouble with the first commandment, with the worship of false gods. this isn't a new problem. From the very beginning, we have put other things before God - pride, sex, money, power. Joshua challenged his people and they remembered that God had fulfilled His promises. (Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b) They remembered that their land, their many gifts and graces, all came from God. Later, Christ Himself challenged the apostles similarly. (Jn 6:60-69) When things were difficult to accept and understand, when it was easier to leave, would they abandon God? Would they turn away. Peter answers for all of them, that God alone has the Truth, that God alone can grant eternal life.

Nothing and no one else can save us from death. Nothing and no one else is God. What was your god today? What did you put before the one true God?

The Ten Commandments are a Cliff's Notes version of the moral law written on each of our hearts. God gave them to us to help draw our attention to His law when we're so set on missing it. Review those commands with an eye to which have been causing a problem for you today.

Pick one instance when you've put something before God. It doesn't have to be big - any instance from the past day - and plan how you will prevent that from taking your focus off God and eternal life again.

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall be ever in my mouth. (Ps 34:2)

To Be Fully Alive

2009-08-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. For the last two thousand years that point has been argued. Some have said that Jesus was just a man, even if very wise or even perfect, stil just a man. Some said that Jesus is God but was never truly human. We can learn something of ourselves from this debate, which the Church settled by teaching that Jesus is both fully man and fully God.

The glory of God is a human being fully alive. - St. Irenaeus

In this life, we could decide that the world doesn't matter at all and that we should be wholly spiritual. We would become entirely of God but not of the world, and we would be missing something.

We could decide that the world is everything and there is no God. We would become entirely of the world - materialistic - and ignore God or proclaim He doesn't exist. We would again be missing something.

By bringing both together, by living in God and in the world, we become fully alive. This world and everything in it is ultimately God's creation. That makes the world inherently good and worthy of our attention, our care, and our love. But it is not worthy of our worship, because the world is not God. God deserves our worship, and we are only fully alive - fully human - when we live the reality of God *in the world* seven days a week, instead of just an hour on Sunday.

The Bread of Life

2009-08-16T06:00:00.002-05:00

Friends,

The readings from the book of Proverbs (Prv 9:1-6) and the letter to the Ephesians (Eph 5:15-20) give us the same instructions:

"Forsake foolishness"

"advance in the way of understanding"

"do not continue in ignorance"

"try to understand what is the will of the Lord"

The Church does not randomly stick readings together on a given Sunday. They are selected for a purpose, to build toward some point or to improve our understanding. That is what we'll focus on today - that the Church has selected these two readings for a reason. What is the Church telling us? What do these readings tell us? They tell us to pay attention. What is coming up is important. What is coming up is, in fact, the most important idea ever. Period.

In the Gospel today (Jn 6:51-58), what does Jesus tell us? What does He tell us eight times in this passage?

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; (1) and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. (2) ...Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. (3) Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. (4) For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. (5) Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (6) ...the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. (7) This is the bread that came down from heaven ...whoever eats this bread will live forever. (8)"

Eight times.

"Do not continue in ignorance." Jesus is very clear here; when you kneel at Mass while the priest raises up that piece of bread and says "this is My Body", you are kneeling before Christ. We don't kneel to the priest, we kneel to Christ really present before us. To put it simply and bluntly, to think anything else - to act like anything else is true - is to call Christ a liar.

Ask yourself today if you believe the words of Christ. Do you trust Jesus to tell you the truth? If you do, then ask yourself - especially the next time you're at Mass and looking at that bread in the priest's hands - what that is. Ask yourself what it must be, if Jesus was telling the truth.

And what an amazing gift, that any of us should be allowed to touch and taste God. That is, over and above all else, the reason that we are Catholic.

Fire and Lightning

2009-08-12T06:00:00.004-05:00

Even in Biblical times, some people would just "go through the motions" regarding God. We can see this many times in the New Testament. The Pharisees were very good at following the letter of the law - of doing just the right ritual - but that's not enough. God wants emotion from us. He wants fire.

Why? Because God has emotion. God has fire. God is fire.

St. Leo the Great chose to describe Jesus, the Word of God, as fire. And he warns us that fire both "has the power to enlighten and the power to burn." (Hahn, p.275) St. John described Him, instead, as "the lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev 5:5). Almost two thousand years later, that's still one of the strongest images of Christ, prompting C. S. Lewis to remind us that "he is not a tame lion".

Dr. Peter Kreeft once said that "Jesus is the only man in history who never bored anyone." He goes on to describe Jesus as lightning. Like fire, lightning is wild and, as St. Leo warned us already, it can burn.

When we truly encounter God, it shouldn't be a quiet, calm affair. When you receive Him in the Eucharist, is your heart set on fire? When you hear His Word, do you hear the roar of the great Lion? Let it happen. The next time you kneel at Mass and the Eucharist is raised, think about what is really happening - Who is really there. Say it to yourself, "this is God", until the spark starts up inside. Let yourself be filled with wonder and awe, as the lion gazes back at you.

Hahn, S. and Aquilina, M. (2003) Living the Mysteries. Our Sunday Visitor.
Kreeft, P. Shocking Beauty. (2007) Accessed 2009-Aug-11 at http://peterkreeft.com/audio/36_shocking-beauty/peter-kreeft_shocking-beauty.mp3

Strength for the Journey

2009-08-09T06:00:00.002-05:00

Today, Elijah is ready to give up (1 Kgs 19:4-8) when he's provided with food to strengthen him. He travels a day's journey into the desert, which puts him under the broom tree, asleep, at night. In the night, the hearth cake appears for him to eat - bread from Heaven, like the manna that appeared to the Israelites during their wandering in the desert.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus teaches about that bread. The manna that came down for the Israelites was food from Heaven, yet the Israelites still died. Elijah received bread and yet died. Now Jesus offers new bread - the bread of life - and He tells us what it is. "I am the bread that came down from Heaven" and "I am the bread of life" He tells us.

We are all on a journey home to Heaven, and we're instructed just as the angel instructed Elijah. "Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!"

Our Priests song

2009-08-06T13:21:00.002-05:00

If you haven't heard about it yet, please visit OurPriests.org. They've produced a wonderful song and video celebrating our priests. In these times, especially, it is important to remember how vital spiritual fatherhood is. We would never dream of turning our backs on our physical parents, so let us not ignore our spiritual parents - those that father us on our journey to God. Remember that it is their sacred hands that give us the Eucharist, that baptize us to begin our new life and journey to God.

Our Master's Voice

2009-08-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Humanity is expert at passing judgment; we're just not that good at passing the correct one. We can't even pass proper judgment on a very small scale - one of out five dentists constantly disagrees with the other four! There is a natural law that we all recognize deep down inside ourselves, written on our hearts, but we all apply it differently. More and more today, there are those who try to ignore its presence at all, that argue that everything is relative and your "good" isn't the same as mine.

God gave the Israelites the ten commandments not to establish moral law but to emphasize it. He was providing Cliff's Notes to a society that just wasn't "getting it". He sent prophets all the way to John the Baptist and He continues to pick out good teachers for us to this day. He gave us His Son, the Bible, and the Holy Catholic Church.

The RCA dog, Nipper, cocks his head toward the sound of his master's voice. Without that record player beside him, the scene is comic and he is just a silly dog that thinks he hears something. With the speaker beside his ear, his is a loyal friend who recognizes his master and waits for his command.

How often each day do you turn your ear toward our Master to listen for His voice?

God the Father or God the Uncle?

2009-08-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

We call God "our Father" all the time, but I suspect we usually want a kindly grandfather. We want that cool uncle that bought us the gifts our parents didn't want us to have.

In the first reading (Ex 16:2-4, 12-15), the Israelites complain to God. They'd rather die than suffer in the desert. Aren't we like this at times? We ask uncle God for what we want, but we rear up in anger against our Father teaching and chastising us.

We want our comforts. We'd rather lightning hit our bodies than our cable lines. Jesus calls the crowd out for this in John 6:24-35. The crowd followed him like hungry pets instead of found sheep.

Today, how do you approach God? More importantly, perhaps, are you ready to accept His lessons and guidance? Are we animals looking for a handout or sheep looking for our shepherd?

The Early Mass, Our Mass

2009-07-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

The things we use and the work we do change very quickly in modern times. Some changes are not even generational; a pre-adolescent could look on a teenager as an old fogey that grew up in the dark times before you could share videos with your friends by iPhone. I believe there is a part of all of us, though, that loves consistency. On some level, we love consistency from day-to-day and grumble when we can't do something today the same way we did it yesterday (or ten minutes ago). Even the happiest early-adopter has a moment of consternation when their favorite home page has reorganized or the new version of their favorite app has moved a button.

There are very few things that offer true, unbreakable consistency. There are very few things on this earth with true constancy, perhaps only one thing. All of us have the Church and its Mass - the Eucharistic Liturgy. The words have been translated into other languages. The priests have turned around to face another direction. The trappings have changed with the change of the times. Yet, at its heart, we celebrate the same Mass celebrated from the very beginning.

In the "First Apology", written in the mid 100's AD, we find a very familiar Mass:

And on the day called Sunday, all ... gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read ... then ... the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, ... bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, ... and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each ... they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who ... in a word takes care of all who are in need. (St. Justin, ch.67)

We celebrate the same Mass in New Jersey as in New Zealand. We celebrate the same Mass in a Roman Catholic church in Ireland whether it is 2009, 1009, or just 39. We are connected to each other across the globe and across time - one universal Church, one Body of Christ, in saecula saeculorum.

St. Justin Martyr. The first apology. New Advent. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0126.htm (accessed July 28, 2009).

Putting Yourself in the Scene

2009-07-26T06:00:00.002-05:00

Imagine the scene in today's Gospel reading (John 6:1-15). Can you imagine being in one of the apostle's shoes? Poor Philip. He's in class and the teacher is asking him a trick question.

Written accounts can't easily convey posture or tone. I wonder how Philip looked and sounded in reply to Jesus' question. Was he surprised? Exasperated? Apologetic? Embarassed?

If you were portraying Philip on film, how would you play this scene?

What if you stood in for Andrew? Would you offer those meager few fish with a sheepish look and soft voice? Would you offer them with confidence that while you may not see "what good are these for so many", Jesus surely would.

I find that putting myself in "the scene" - sometimes even moving and talking aloud - helps me see it more vividly. Finding any way to dive deeper into the event - playing the scene, writing about it, doing your feeding five thousand calculations, etc. - can connect us to it in a more real way.

Imagine it. Jesus has told you to let all five thousand or so recline (the way people of the time took meals) but not why. Note that Jesus doesn't say "because I'm about to do something". There is simply an implied, unspoken "trust me". And the disciples do.

As we do. As we trust Christ's word at each Mass that He is really present in the appearance of bread and wine. As we trust Christ when we put ourselves in this scene at Mass - gathing together to hear His words, and to take and eat. And as before, the bread is broken and passed. Each of us receives God in full, the spiritual food that will not run out. There is abundance of His grace, His Holy Spirit, and His Body and Blood to fill us all.

Travel-size Morality for Our Convenience

2009-07-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

We love that there are Ten Commandments.

I don't mean that we like individual commandments. Lord, no. Many of us hate individual commandments. How dare God tell me not to do x when, right now, all I want to do is x?

No, I mean that overall we like the idea. We especially like the number. "Ten" is a comfortable concept. We have ten fingers and ten toes. We use a numeric system with ten digits, 0 through 9. We make top ten lists. When we remake The Taming of the Shrew, we end up with 10 Things I Hate About You. It's a very comfortable number for any of... well, at least ten reasons.

If we divide the commandments into two groups, as is done in many good depictions, we have three commands related to God and seven relating to other people. Three and seven - also stand-out numbers. Three is a wonderfully significant number for Christians - the number of days Jesus spent in the tomb, the number of persons in the Trinity. Seven is also easy to remember - days of the week (per God's design!), number of dwarves.

Moreover, I suspect we like how short and sharp they are. Compare a commandment to any statute in your town charter; the commandment is shorter and more direct. It's probably easier to read.

The Commandments are compact - travel-sized for our convenience. Between their brevity and their number, they seem designed to be remembered. God made us a memory aid. With a nod to my own day-job, I would call this a "performance support system".

Finally, as Chesterton reminds us, the Commandments are there - believe it or not - to make us happy. It may not seem it at many points in our lives, looking from our own limited perspective, but God wants us to be happy!

"The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion, but, on the contrary, of its liberality and humanity. It is shorter to state the things forbidden than the things permitted: precisely because most things are permitted, and only a few things are forbidden." - G. K. Chesterton, ILN 1-3-20

Bad Shepherds, Good Shepherds

2009-07-19T06:00:00.008-05:00

Friends,

We can see that in Old Testament times, too, there were misleading religious leaders. Even among those following the true God, there can be misguided or ill-intentioned individuals. This is a sad reality that speaks not of any weakness on God's part but on own. In the Old Testament reading today (Jer 23:1-6), God promises to punish the bad shepherds and appoint good ones. God promises to protect His people, His Church, overall and keep them gathered to Himself. What a powerful promise that is, that we may find poor individual leaders and pastors - weak humans, like all of us - but trust in God's care and the Church He established for His children.

It is worth noting, too, that while the second paragraph prefigures Christ - the righteous shoot of David, the king to reign and govern wisely - the first speaks of appointing shephers in the plural. God is giving us not just Chirst - as if that wasn't gift enough! - but promising us human shepherds that we can trust as well God protects the Church He made, against which "the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail". (Matt 16:18)