Parish Life - Social Concerns Committee

 While “social justice” has gotten a somewhat problematic association in our contemporary culture and political life; we, as Christians, are called by God to be concerned about our society and those individuals within it – especially the poor, the distressed, and the vulnerable.  Over and over again, the Scriptures remind us that care for those in need is an integral part of our life in Christ.  Christ, Himself, teaches his disciples, and us, that we are to “follow Him”.  Following Him means following his example of service to those most in need.  Just as He came down from heaven to save us in our need, so we are to humble ourselves to serve the needy in our community.

 You will notice in our Social Concerns Committee pamphlet a detailed listing of the several ways this is being done in our parish family.  Some of these ministries have a long history in the City of Eau Claire and in our parish: Sojourner House, Beacon House, and Community Table.  Others have had a lower visibility and cry out for interest and attention: Pro-Life Ministry and the missions in particular.

Pro-Life ministry can be difficult in our society.  Satan has been very effective in whispering to those forming the political and social messaging in our day.  I have lived long enough to see abortion and contraception be barely whispered about, to being spoken of as a necessary evil, to their transformation into a public virtue and a human right; much of this transformation aided and abetted by Catholics.

Ministry to the homeless and the hungry is a well-founded and attested concern in the Scriptures and in the lives of the saints.  While some may argue the politics and social advisability of helping such people, Christians can only see a brother or sister made in the image and likeness of God who is in need.  In the Catholic Church we even have the Corporal Works of Mercy as a reminder of this obligation to minister to those in need.

Finally, the missions, as attested by the letters of St. Paul, is a concern for every Christian.  Indeed, it was a principle commended to him by the original Apostles, and an act of charity to which he gives witness repeatedly in his letters.  The former director of our diocesan mission office, Msgr. Anthoney Wagoner, used to always say: “the parish that cares for the missions will itself always be cared for”.

These particular areas of ministry are those that are well-established in our community or are areas of particular focus in the Church.  Do you see a further need in our community?  What can you do to help us meet that need?  Let us know!

Labor Day

As we observe our annual celebration of Labor Day this weekend, it is important to recall that this is more than a “three-day weekend”.  It is a day on which we recall the important part played in our society by those who make their living and support their families “by the sweat of their brow”.  The first “labor parade” seems to have been held in New York City in 1882, sponsored by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, two early organizations attempting to stand for the rights of laborers.  Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894.  In the years since, the labor movement in this country, and around the world, has continued to make known and support the rights of workers; not just those who “labor”, but all who have had their rights infringed by their employer.

Holy Mother Church has recognized and advocated for the rights of workers from Biblical times and the Apostolic era.  However, Her more recent advocacy and teaching can be traced to Pope Leo XIII’s ground breaking encyclical, Rerum Novarum, “On Capitol and Labor”, published on May 15, 1891.  Several times over the succeeding years, this teaching has been updated in order to address new challenges and contemporary issues related to capitol and labor.  The Church further encouraged a recognition of the dignity of labor with the establishment of the Solemnity of St. Joseph the Workman on May 1, 1955 by Pope Pius XII.  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has put together a page of resources for those who would like to better understand the Church's teaching on labor.

So, let us celebrate, this weekend, those who labor.  Let us give witness to our recognition of the rights of workers, not only as those who serve our needs, but as people made in the image and likeness of God who have hopes and dreams for themselves and their children.  And, this weekend, in the midst of our enjoyment of an extra “day of rest”, let us offer an extra prayer for those who contribute so importantly to our way of life.

John 6 - #3

 

Receiving worthily –

Receiving holy Communion is a statement of faith, of belonging to this covenant community which we call the Catholic Church.  Receiving holy Communion is not a matter of hospitality.  It is also not a sign that those receiving this holy gift “have it all together”.  It is a sign of commitment and belonging, which includes receiving in faith all that the Church teaches or proposes for belief. 

So, beyond the issue of having been baptized in the Church, it also means we really do “belong” – body, heart, mind, and soul!  Because of this it must never be “ok” to approach the Church and Her teaching like a buffet (from which we get the term “cafeteria Catholic”).  I admit, this can be difficult because it calls us to a real examination of conscience before receiving Communion.  Am I in communion with the Church, or am I not?  If I am not, then integrity would demand not receiving Communion until I have resolved that conflict of heart and mind.  To do otherwise would be to lie to God, to those present, and to myself.

Who ever imagined receiving Communion was such a big deal?  I have to believe in what I am receiving; I have to believe what the Church teaches not only about the Eucharist, but everything else as well; and I have to definitively stake my claim as a child of God within His household – the Church.  That’s a lot!  Indeed, it is.  And that is why the Church takes the reception of holy Communion so seriously.

This is why the Church does not, cannot, invite those outside of formal communion with the Church to receive holy Communion.  To do so is to, in fact, do them a disservice – not only from a social perspective (they don’t really belong to this covenant community: either fully, or in part), but also from a spiritual perspective.  St. Paul warns in his first letter to the Corinthians (11:27-30) about the unworthy reception of the Lord’s Body & Blood and observes that to do so leads to illness (spiritual or physical) and even eternal damnation.

There is so much more to be said on the worthy reception of Holy Communion – more than can be covered in this space.  So, if you have any questions about this, or are simply struggling to understand and accept this, please feel free to address these with me.  I am always very happy to help in your understanding and acceptance of this admittedly “hard” teaching.

John 6 - #2

As we continue making our way through the sixth chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, I’d like to take the opportunity to address some issues related to our reception of Holy Communion which follow on from our belief about what, or rather WHO it is we receive.  Before I address why only Catholics can receive Communion (next week) I’d like to address what it means to receive holy Communion.

When we receive holy Communion, we are making a public statement of faith.  When we are presented with the Eucharistic species, the minister of Communion says, “The Body of Christ”, and we respond with, “Amen”.  Our “Amen” signals that we do indeed believe that what we are receiving is truly the living Body, Blood, Soul, & Divinity of Jesus Christ, Who suffered and died for our salvation, rose again on the third day, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in glory.  The Eucharist is not a “symbol”; it is not a presence alongside the substance of bread and wine; and it is certainly no mere remembrance of a meal taken 2,000 years ago.  It is what (and Who) our Lord, and His Body, the Church, says it is.

Over the years, however, we’ve emphasized the reality of the Eucharist so much that we’ve kind of forgotten about the other aspect of what we are giving witness to when we receive holy Communion – that is, the covenant community into which we have been received and to which we adhere in that reception of the fruits of this sacrifice.

To understand this idea of covenant, we have to recognize what our Lord and his disciples took for granted.  One is adhered more fully to the community through participation in the covenant making sacrifice, which is accomplished by eating of the sacrificial offering – the lamb.  The Jews did this once a year at Passover.  They didn’t just “remember” the sacrifice and subsequent meal eaten by Moses and the children of Israel on the night of Passover; they participated in it, and thus staked their claim as members of God’s covenant with the children of Israel – a covenant community.

In the Mass, our Lord, the Lamb of God, makes us present to His eternal sacrifice, made once for all on Calvary, at the altar.  Being made present to the sacrifice of the Lamb, we then eat the flesh and drink the blood resulting from that sacrifice in holy Communion; and in this eating of the Lamb, we are adhered more fully to the covenant community – the Church, the Body of Christ; but only if we receive worthily.  As the Apostle, Paul, tells us in his second letter to the Corinthians (11:29-30) – beware receiving unworthily, for to do so is to “eat and drink condemnation on ourselves”.  This is why our next topic in this series will be the worthy reception of holy Communion.

John 6

I thought I might start out by backing up.  Since we are in the middle of our journey through John 6, which we undertake every three years, I though I'd post the first articles over the next couple days.  Enjoy!

Today’s Gospel passage shows the Jews grumbling because Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven”.  They immediately start saying, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?”  In the same way, so many look at the holy Eucharist and find themselves unable to get beyond what they think they know, they can’t get beyond the appearance.  Indeed, in both cases, they and we begin raising objections which keep us from receiving and accepting the truth of the matter, and the Truth Himself.

While the Jews in today’s Gospel point to Jesus’ assumed parentage and then ask, “how can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven’”, we look at the Blessed Sacrament and pile on all kinds of objections: “It looks like bread, it tastes like bread, it must be bread”, or, “What, are we cannibals now???”; and we even try to accommodate what Jesus has said with our preconceptions, saying: “Well, it is bread, but Jesus somehow inhabits the bread so that He and the bread exist side by side”.  Finally, some just completely dismiss the idea and claim that Jesus must be speaking allegorically: (we will discuss in a couple of weeks why this doesn’t hold water) In which case, Communion must simply be a mere remembrance of the Last Supper.

All of these ways of dealing with what our Lord says has very serious implications for how we see the Eucharist, how we approach the reception of holy Communion, and what we believe about our Eucharistic discipline – that is, who is able to receive Communion in our Church, and why we are unable to receive Communion in Churches and Ecclesial Communities outside of the Catholic Church (in the former instance because of their discipline, and in the latter instance because of ours).

But for today, it is enough for us to recognize that we need to take Jesus at His word.  We may not understand (yet!) how this can be; we may have difficulty accepting what He is saying; but, if we but trust Him and patiently wait for that Truth to fully reveal itself, we will be richly rewarded.

So, be patient.  Dawn will rise and we will see and rejoice in the Truth of our Lord’s presence among us in the most holy Eucharist; and we will then desire this gift like no other, because it is the gift of His very self.

Here We Go Again...

It's been 18 months since my last posting.  My duties guiding three parishes and principal of our parish school with a new healing & deliverance ministry left no time or inclination for blogging.  However, as of December 1, 2023, I have been transferred to the parish of Sacred Heart - St. Patrick in Eau Claire, WI; and as of July 1, 2024, I have been relieved of my responsibilities as principal at Sacred Heart - Cashton.  So, one parish, no direct responsibility for a school, I'm going to have at it again.

While there are plenty of things, hopes & dreams, competing for my attention in my new assignment, I think blogging could again be a positive addition to my priestly ministry.  It could also give me an outlet for sharing thoughts on the world and our interaction within it - remembering always that we, as Christians, live in the world, but are not of the world.

If I write something that pushes a button with you, remember always that this blog is, in part, an outlet for wrestling with the questions and issues that are on my mind and on the minds of many.  I am happy to engage all comers in a spirit of charity.  However, time is precious and I won't be drawn down a rabbit hole.

So, with those ground rules laid down, here we go!

Living the Vocation to Holiness - 29 January 2023

 This week we hear from the 5^th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the beginning of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount.  This sermon of our Lord, which covers chapters 5-7 of St. Matthew’s gospel, will be our focus from now until the beginning of Lent, the next four weeks.

The beginning of this sermon is known to us as the Beatitudes.  It is striking that just as Moses climbed the mountain at Sinai and delivered to the people of Israel The Law, so our Lord climbs the mountain and delivers to the people of the New Israel the New Law, which tone is set by the Beatitudes.

The word beatitude means “supreme blessedness or happiness; utmost bliss”.  So, we see our Lord brings to us a law which is intended to lead us to the joy we all desire; however, the way to that joy is seemingly counter-intuitive: blessed are the meek, the sorrowing, the merciful.  And yet, our Lord leads off his greatest recorded sermon / teaching with just this.

Not only are the Beatitudes difficult to grasp from the stand-point of what we might expect in seeking happiness, but the Beatitudes, as enumerated, don’t always make a lot of sense.  How do we LIVE them???  I have to admit, I’ve struggled myself to fully grasp their meaning such that I might live them well, that is: live a life of beatitude.  It’s no wonder so many often simply slip back to the Decalogue / Ten Commandments.  “You shall do this” and “you shall not do that” is so much easier to grasp, but we can find ourselves missing the point when focused simply on what it is we must “do”.

And yet, we are called, “invited” really, to a life of beatitude.  Indeed, what is heaven if not supreme blessedness or happiness; utmost bliss?  And so the invitation of our Lord is not merely a matter of understanding some concept, but is rather a matter of eternal life!

Happily, there are a number of resources for wrapping our minds on the Beatitudes and reflecting on them.  For those who have undertaken the Marian Catechist Basic Course I would recommend reviewing again lesson 9 on the Beatitudes.  I review it myself, typically twice a year.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church can also be helpful with a relatively brief discussion in paragraphs 1716 - 1723.  There is also an after dinner talk by Bishop Robert Barron which I have found helpful and will link on my blog.  It’s about 45 minutes and is quite enlightening (and entertaining).

There are also any number of books and articles which have been written over the years.  If there is something you found particularly helpful / insightful, let me know.  Just remember, our Lord is inviting us to intimacy with Him and the Beatitudes sets the tone for making that journey.