Missive (24 June 2020)

     As I write this, on the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, I am reflecting on the twenty years of priesthood that has come and gone in not much more than an instant.  Oddly enough, almost half of those twenty years have been spent here, with all of you.  Considering that another two of those years were spent in nearby Coon Valley, I have spent just over half of my priesthood within fifteen miles of the town in which I grew up.

     Another number that kind of astounds me is that I have spent eighteen of those twenty years in Catholic education, beginning with my first two-year assignment as chaplain / instructor of religion at Pacelli High School and St. Peter’s Middle School in Stevens Point.

     Other things I never would have guessed on that Saturday morning, twenty years ago: serving on the board of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of La Crosse for nine years; beginning an Hispanic ministry apostolate and building a new school in Arcadia; taking over a Latin Mass apostolate and running a school here in Cashton.  In between there have been two church renovations (St. Mary's - Coon Valley & St. Boniface - Waumandee), and the completion of a couple more renovations when I arrived in Cashton.

     With each of the adventures enumerated above there are dozens and, in some cases, hundreds of people whose lives of faith I have been privileged to share.  So many faces; so many Masses and confessions; so many baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals; countless home visits, anointings, and just sitting and talking with people about God’s loving presence in their lives.  Priesthood truly is an adventure with twists and turns that one would never begin to guess starting out.  But one thing these twenty years have been is a privilege.

     Thank-you to all who have been part of making those years such a joy.  And, you might consider talking to the boys in your life about whether God might have such an adventure planned for their life.  All I can tell you is: it’s been a joy so far, and totally worth it.

     “May Christ our Lord help us all with His bountiful grace, so that we may know His holy will and perfectly fulfill it.” (St. Ignatius of Loyola)

Christifidelis Laici 42

I'm sorry I didn't get this up yesterday, but the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is my anniversary of priestly ordination (2000) and it was just a bit busy.  But, here you are!

     On we continue now to section 42 of Pope John Paul II’s great exhortation to the lay faithful.  In this section, having recognized the dignity of the human person and its source in God’s own nature; having recognized we are called to communion by that same nature; we now delve into another of the specific consequences of this communion to which we are called: our political life.

     Too often the political sphere is defined by “party politics”, special interests, and the seeming inevitability that stepping into the public square means “getting dirty”, or giving up our most deeply held convictions.

     Our Holy Father reminds us rather that Christian men and women have a duty to enter into the public square precisely as men and women of virtue and love: concerned for the common good and caring, in particular, for the poorest and most vulnerable among us.  We do this when we recognize that the teachings of Christ, passed down to us by our loving Mother, the Church, are not just “personally held convictions” but are rather God’s revelation of who we have been called to be.  Respecting the pluralistic nature of our society we seek to inform it with the Gospel, that is, the good news that saves.  This is particularly important as we find ourselves in the gathering crescendo of our national election cycle.

     As we seriously consider what the Church teaches will we all come to the same conclusion regarding the many serious issues that face us?  Will we march in lock-step to the voting booth in November?  No.  While some issues are “non-negotiable”, there are so many more that are not so black and white.  And so, we are left to study, prayer, and the resulting call of our conscience.  We are not alone in the voting booth however: if we will allow it, God will be there with us.

      1.     Am I conscious of myself acting as a son/daughter of God when I step into the public square?  Am I aware that even this will in some way define me as I stand before God?

      2.     Do I take seriously the duty to form my conscience according to the teachings (especially the social teachings) of the Church?  Am I careful to read our bishop’s reflections on faithful citizenship as I prepare to participate in our political life?

      3.     Do I trust in God or man (myself)?  Do I serve God or mammon?

Challenge:  As you prepare for the November elections and your participation in our nation’s life together, read the U.S. bishop’s statement on Faithful Citizenship and bring it to prayer as you reflect on your choices and participation in our nation’s communal life.

Missive

What a week.  Oy!  There were a  couple of days where it just seemed like the bad news kept piling on; and then the significant increase in covid-19 cases in La Crosse & Monroe counties keeps us wondering what the future holds: hopefully not (speaking for myself) the lockdown experience of the first couple months of the pandemic.

What does one do in such times?  It seems to me that times such as these will either drive us to give in to inevitability, bringing with it a life of hopelessness and following (more often than not) licentiousness, OR it will focus us on the purpose of our existence – the love of God and our neighbor.  There are many experiences in life that bring us to that particular fork in the road.  It is important that we recognize in times such as these that we always have a choice – and the choice we make is what will define us.

This week I think in particular of the stories my dad told of growing up during the immediate post-war years of the late 1940’s.  His family was rather poor, and yet his mother consistently made choices to live in hope: working for a better tomorrow for her children, taking care of sick relatives, looking out for those who were poorer still than her, living her life as best she could and in accord with her Catholic faith.  It seems to me that no matter where or when we find ourselves we are confronted by that same choice: Who do I choose to be?

So many people we find in the Gospels faced the same question – Mary Magdalene, Matthew and Zacheus the tax-collectors, the woman at the well, the rich, young man, Judas Iscariot.  Each of them were, at some point, confronted by their life story, each of them in that life story had an encounter with Christ and in that encounter were confronted with a choice.  Each chose.  Some chose to live in hope, following in the footsteps of Christ; some chose to walk away not conceiving of how they could go on, how this could work.

So, when you come to that fork in the road what will you choose to do?  Will you choose to allow Christ to accompany you in hope, or not?  Why not take some time to stop in at church, even if you aren’t yet ready to come to Mass?  Take some time to encounter our Lord; hear what He has to say; feel His presence; know His love.

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Trial, or distress, or persecutions, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword?  Yet in all this we are more than conquerors because of Him Who has loved us.”  (Romans 8:35, 37)