Election Aftermath

Ok, our votes have been cast and now whoever will be seated in the legislature, Congress, and the Whitehouse is who we have for the next two, four, or six years – depending on the office.  Regardless of who won or lost, whether it was our preferred candidate or not, we all have a job to do.  The job? Living our baptismal call to holiness.

One of the interesting things about our faith is we recognize the world is not, nor has it ever been perfect.  Some look aghast when confronted with St. Paul’s call to slaves in his letter to the Ephesians (6:5-9).  “Shouldn’t he be railing against slavery?” they ask.  In the same letter they are astounded to hear him calling for prayers for the emperor.  How can he do that when the emperors were so evil???

When we read Paul’s letters, as well as the whole of the Gospels, we realize that our job isn’t to set the world right.  Our task is a much weightier and more important one: to set ourselves right in following The Way, the way Christ marked out for us to Calvary, the tomb, and on to the right hand of the Father – heaven.

We often forget, sometimes willfully so, that the only thing we can really control is our own efforts at pursuing perfect love, perfect holiness (they’re the same, really).  And we are called to walk that path in good times and in bad, whether it is easy or especially when it is particularly difficult or challenging.

What’s more, now that the crescendo of lies, subterfuge, and posturing that goes with the campaign season are past, we are called to respond with love, with forgiveness, with understanding.

Would it be nice to live in a world, country, state, city where God’s view of the world, his plan for human life is the pattern for our efforts as a society?  Of course.  But we don’t live in that world.  We live in a world where our most cherished beliefs have been bartered on one side and flat out mocked on the other for months now.  Do you want to live in a world where life is cherished from conception to natural death?  Then live your life in a way that gives witness to the dignity of every person from conception to natural death.  The government has not of late, nor will it do this for us.  It is up to us to live our lives as a witness to God’s wonderful plan for human life and dignity.

If we live his plan faithfully, we will come to know salvation.  Not only that, but our witness will draw others to Him as well.  You never know.  Maybe, if enough of us redouble our efforts at living the life we profess, we might even see our city, our county, or even our state reflect these values in law.  But first, we must live in integrity and teach our children to do so.  Until we do that, all the rest is just so much shouting and posturing.

 

Archbishop (elect) Jeffrey Grob

It was announced this morning that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Listecki of Milwaukee and has appointed Bishop Jeffrey Grob (pronounced 'Graab'), until now auxiliary bishop of the Chicago Archdiocese, to be the new archbishop of Milwaukee and of the Milwaukee Province.

From what I have read it's looking good for the State of Wisconsin.  Archbishop Grob has a doctorate in canon law as well as other degrees.  He has been, until now, the exorcist of the archdiocese and judicial vicar.  He has had success as a pastor and a regional bishop.  An article by Joseph O'Brien published in the Adoremus Bulletin is particularly revealing of a solid priest with a shepherd's heart.

I was also taken by his coat of arms.  The large gold emblem is a plow, hearkening both to his call as a priest to plant the seed of the Gospel as well as his childhood, growing up on a dairy farm outside of Crossing Plains, WI.  The crescent stand for his devotion to our Blessed Lady under the title "the Immaculate Conception".  Fleur de leis stand for his devotion to St. Joseph, the husband of Mary (he was born on the Feast of St. Joseph - March 19) and Pope St. John XXIII.

I'm very hopeful for the continued stabilization and following growth in mission of the Church in Wisconsin.  Join me in giving thanks to almighty God and prayers for the Church in the Milwaukee Province.

What is the Catholic Church in favor of? (Part Two)

In my last post I discussed how important it is for us to not allow the culture to dictate the terms of our conversations about life and other important issues.  My point was that we have a beautiful and very consistent view of the world that needs to be proclaimed!  Unfortunately, because we allow the culture to dictate the terms of the conversation, our side of that conversation too often comes off as things we are against.

About 17 years ago I had a cyst reappear on my shoulder.  Because I lived in a parish where I didn’t have family or close friends nearby, I asked a nurse who was on my finance council if she would mind repacking my shoulder with gauze every other day for the two weeks the doctor prescribed.  I was so grateful for her positive response.  That time, every other day, gave us an opportunity to talk, and we started talking about medical ethics (a subject that still attracts my attention and study today).  She stated the view that the Church seems to throw out opinions and dictates.  Why should the Church have anything to say to medical professionals about medicine?  Thus began a conversation of several days in which she came to an appreciation of where the Church’s view and teaching comes from.

I relate this story because our consistent view of human life means that some things are inconsistent with a vision grounded in the dignity of the human person.  And so, I thought it might be important to enumerate these things without explaining them (which would take more than several weeks’ worth of articles).  If you have any questions about the things on this list, I'm sure your pastor or any other priest would be most happy to have a conversation with you, explaining what the Church’s understanding of the issues are.

Things which are inconsistent with our understanding that God is the Creator and Lord of human life include (so, this is not an exhaustive list, just the most current issues): contraception, abortion, euthanasia, vasectomies, tubal ligation, the medically unnecessary amputation of body parts (e.g. arms and legs - yes, that is a thing).  Basically, anything that disrupts, disfigures, or otherwise frustrates the normal functioning of the human body, which is otherwise functioning as designed, is something the Church recognizes to be an injury to the dignity of the human person.

That last sentence leaves an awful lot of ground for dialogue; dialogue which would uncover much of the political messaging we have been receiving over the last many decades (never mind the last several months) as a cynical play on our feelings and on our understanding of the suffering of so many in our society.

So, anyone interested in an honest conversation?

What is the Catholic Church in favor of?

Too often the Church is better known in our culture for what it is against rather than what it is for.  I guess this is the consequence of being engulfed in a societal shift and our sometimes desperate attempts to hold on to what we have known to be good.  Unfortunately, in doing so we too often allow evil to set the agenda and the terms of the conversation.  So, I’d like to take an opportunity to re-set the terms of the conversation.

What does the Church Christ founded, and we who are members of the Body of Christ, stand for?  What does our belief in Christ mean?  What does He bring to the experience of being fully human?  We find the answer in the Gospel according to St. John, chapter 10, verse 10b: “I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” Everything Jesus did, and does, is about healing us and bringing us to the fullness of life.  Why?  So that we might be with Him and the Father for all eternity through the power of the Holy Spirit.  And we are called to give witness to this truth of human existence.  We are called to give witness to its goodness and beauty.

We give witness to this truth, in particular, by cherishing, nurturing, and protecting human life.  At our best we do this quite naturally and beautifully.

When a woman is pregnant we are naturally attracted to her and to her growing child.  We want to be of help in nurturing, protecting, and caring for both her and her child.  It’s a beautiful thing.  It’s so beautiful that sometimes it gets a bit much for the mother.  People want to feel the baby growing inside of her; and the attention can get overwhelming. 

When the baby is born, it seems like everyone wants to hold him or her.  We make goofy faces and weird noises; and then we squeal with delight when the baby responds with a smile or giggle.  A nursing mother and child is a beauty to behold, and even dirty diapers bring strange expressions of delight.

It has been such a privilege to see a family delight in their child, even when things aren’t “perfect”.  My cousin has a child with a brain disorder wherein the hemispheres of the brain don’t have all the connectivity of a normal brain.  What is their response?  They love her all the more even as they strive to get her the help she needs to have her best life.  And I’ve seen this in so many families.

As we grow older we don’t stop needing the love, care, and protection of those around us, especially as we make our way through the “third” stage of life.  This can be particularly difficult when dementia or Alzheimer’s is involved.  And yet, that too can be very beautiful.  As one daughter stated at her father’s funeral: “I fell in love with each of the personalities he developed as he made his way through that difficult time.”

The Christian way of life is love; in season and out.  Period.

Sacred Worship

This week we wrap up our series of reflections on parish life focusing on Sacred Worship.  This is the area of parish life the majority of us are most connected to in the life of the parish.  That is appropriate since the Vatican Council II teaches us that the Mass is “the source and summit of our life in the Church” (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium 10).  Unfortunately, that means it can also become a flashpoint for endless bickering in the parish family as well as the Church as a whole.  This is why it becomes particularly important that each parish have a well-functioning Sacred Worship Committee; and that that committee be committed to first of all understanding what the Church calls us to in sacred worship by studying the documents relating to the liturgy and the devotional life, and then discerning with the pastor how best to bring this about in the particular community.  In other words, it should never simply be about “what I like”.

I have been pleased to find at Sacred Heart – St. Patrick Parish a well-functioning Sacred Worship Committee and a real appreciation for liturgy well done and for the importance of the devotional life – indeed, there is a certain pride here in the devotional life.  There have been challenges, particularly in the area of music, which I hope we have begun to address in a satisfactory way.  But while much has been done to get all on the same page and moving together in all areas of our liturgical / devotional life, what has been accomplished thus far has primarily been about a new pastor and those already engaged getting to know one another and getting on the same page.  There remains the always ongoing task of engaging the larger parish.

You will find in our new Sacred Worship Committee Pamphlet a description of the several ministries which are necessary for the full flowering of the liturgy and the devotional life of our parish.  I have let our confirmation candidates know that, for our parish family to flourish, we need them to be involved BOTH in the life of the parish generally AND in the liturgical ministries; and there is plenty to do!  We are in particular need of help with hospitality (ushers), music (choir, instrumentalists, cantors), and altar servers.  If you can be of help in any of these areas especially, please see the sacred worship pamphlet for contact information.

The liturgy and our devotional life are uniquely important for the life of our parish community.  The way in which we come together in worship has a evangelizing effect all its own which draws our children, those who are searching, and ourselves as well to our God – Who reveals Himself to us in a particular way in our worship of Him through the paschal mystery of his Son in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ss. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael - Archangels (Sept.29)

While today (Sept.29) is the 26^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, it is also the Feast of the Archangels: Michael, Gabriel, & Raphael - formerly known as "Michaelmass" as each of the three had their own feasts on the calendar before the reforms of the late 1960's.  While the feast is not celebrated liturgically this year (Mass / Office of the Hours), it is kept in our hearts all the same.

I wrote, several weeks ago, about why I continue to lead the assembly in the Prayer to St. Michael at the end of our holy Masses.  I will only reiterate that when we consider how we are going out from holy Mass into a world filled with temptations, seductions, and other pitfalls, it is good and right that we enlist the assistance of so strong a defender before we go out into that battle.  Offering that prayer also reminds me that I am, indeed, going out to engage in battle; first of all: in battle against my own weaknesses, and then: “against the wickedness and snares of the devil”.

Participating in the “St. Michael’s Lent”, a Franciscan practice of entering into a “little Lent” for the 45 days before the Feast of the Archangels, I have also come to a greater appreciation for recourse to St. Raphael, “God’s remedy (healing)”.  Those taking part in this exercise through the Exodus 90 app have been reading through the book of Tobit, in which Raphael appears and plays a major role.  As I continue laying the groundwork for a healing ministry in the north-west region of the diocese, I turn more and more to St. Raphael.  I share with you a Prayer to St. Raphael:

Glorious Archangel St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, you are illustrious for your gifts of wisdom and grace.  You are a guide of those who journey by land or sea or air, consoler of the afflicted, and refuge of sinners.  I beg you, assist me in all my needs and in all the sufferings of this life, as once you helped the young Tobias on his travels.  Because you are the medicine sent by God, I humbly pray you to heal the many infirmities of my soul and the ills that afflict my body.  I especially ask of you the favor of ____________ and the great grace of purity to prepare me to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.  St. Raphael, of the glorious seven who stand before the throne of Him who lives and reigns, angel of health, the Lord has filled your hand with balm from heaven to soothe and cure our pains.  Heal or cure the victims of disease and guide our steps when doubtful of our ways. Amen.

Evangelization & Catechesis (Education)

Having reflected on parish life in the areas of Family Life and Social Concerns, we turn our attention, this week, to Evangelization & Catechesis, better known as – the Education Committee.

Too often, in our parish experience, education has been primarily focused on the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) or the religious education program for children and young people.  It is true that this is an important part of our parish’s efforts in this area.  And, happily, in our parish and the Eau Claire area there are some wonderful opportunities and options for helping our young people come to know, love, and serve God.  However, if this is all “education” is in our parish it is no wonder that our young people see the REP program as just another ‘class’ they have to go to and are very happy to ‘graduate’ from CCD when they are confirmed.  No, this area of parish life must support the formation of our young people with the continuing formation of our adults!

When young people see their formation in our religious education program for young people as only the beginning of a life-long love affair with God, they will get so much more out of those foundations which are laid in their youth.  They will see what they are doing as the gateway to the wonderful growth and life they see in their parents, grandparents, and other adults around them in church, in their school, and in the community – wherever our adults are found in our young people’s lives.  You will see in our pamphlet on evangelization and catechesis a number of ways in which we form our young people as well as our adults.

Focusing on adults, we have a program for forming and bringing adults into the Church known as the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults.  This is a one-year (September – May) program for getting adults familiarized with the Church and preparing them for Baptism, Confirmation, and the reception of Holy Communion.  This program serves everyone from those who are not yet baptized to those who were baptized but never really raised in the Church to those who just want to learn more about a faith they desire to know more about.

Our Adult Continuing Formation takes the form of periodic bible studies, book studies, and video-based programs for growth and acquiring an ever greater appreciation for the great wealth of knowledge, experience, and culture which is our Catholic faith.  These are often led by a lay person who is learning right along with everyone else in the group.  If you have a desire to learn about some particular topic, ask!  There are most likely excellent resources which can be accessed for your continued growth in our Catholic faith.