I just learned on CNN.com that the worst movie made in our lifetime has made $29 million dollars. Here's all that I'm going to say; if you support them when they hate us, don't be suprised when they keep hating us. This movie is nothing but lies masquerading as truth and now Catholics have proved that we will not only financially support a book that, in the worst tradition or plagarism and prejudice, condemns our historical foundations but now we are going to financially support a movie that does the exact same thing.
If there is a market, Hollywood will whore itself out to make money. In the next few years, it will find new and more explosive ways to "reveal" the truth of Christianity and we will probably all be surprised what they do. But, if you are holding a ticket stub for Ron Howard's house of lies, you have no right to be angered!
Saturday, May 20, 2006
God is love
I was/am struck by an amazing coincidence. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column about the pope's encyclical called "Deus Caritas Est" or God is love. It appeared in the bulletin this weekend. In the meantime, since the readings for this weekend are saturated with love language, I wrote my homily on the same topic.
Here's what I emphasize in my homilty. God's love is a full understanding of love...a self-less love. We love God because God loved us and sent us his son. We, in turn, love each other with that same kind of love that God first loved us with. I highlight that our culture is fixated on erotic love, or eros, but that God's love is more than just eros and moves in the direction of what is called agape.
I was going to make my point even more explicit by stating, "That's why we shouldn't need to believe that Jesus had sex and fathered children in order to believe that he is human. Any animal can have sex and breed. Jesus' accomplishment was that he taught us the meaning of selfless love and, in the process, gave us a goal of what it means to be fully human." But I didn't. I'm still struggling with how to respond to DaVinci evil.
Here's what I emphasize in my homilty. God's love is a full understanding of love...a self-less love. We love God because God loved us and sent us his son. We, in turn, love each other with that same kind of love that God first loved us with. I highlight that our culture is fixated on erotic love, or eros, but that God's love is more than just eros and moves in the direction of what is called agape.
I was going to make my point even more explicit by stating, "That's why we shouldn't need to believe that Jesus had sex and fathered children in order to believe that he is human. Any animal can have sex and breed. Jesus' accomplishment was that he taught us the meaning of selfless love and, in the process, gave us a goal of what it means to be fully human." But I didn't. I'm still struggling with how to respond to DaVinci evil.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Monday, May 15, 2006
Fast for DaVinci
The first showing the of DaVinci code in Ames, Iowa will be at 11:30 this Friday. I will fast for one full day and pray that people just avoid evil. Anyone want to join me?
Thursday, May 11, 2006
My students love me
On the last student-planned Thursday Night mass of the semester, a group of students with whom I routinely worked presented me with a gift of a year's subscription to L'Osservator Romano, the Official Vatican Newspaper. The first issue came today and I couldn't be any happier!!!
The Pope with arms in "orans" (prayer) position next to the headline "The Resurrection and rediscovering Mary in our lives".
I started shaking because I was so happy.
The Pope with arms in "orans" (prayer) position next to the headline "The Resurrection and rediscovering Mary in our lives".
I started shaking because I was so happy.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Bishop Paul S. Loverde's wisdom
I kind-of wish more bishops would communicate like this. I especially enjoyed hearing about "A chance to share the vision" in which the bishop met with parish leaders to build a common vision. My archbiship did this five years and is discussing ways that we may do this again.
Jubilarians of the world...unite!!!
We had our yearly priests' Holy Hour and celebration of those celebrating anniversaries. Usually, these celebrations are just awful. The speakers talk for too long and turn the evening into a rousing celebration of lament. This year was different, however. The speakers got to the point and sat down. They let us know what it means to be a priest and didn't tell all kinds of stories about the priests that weren't in that room - those that left priesthood. I left Dubuque feeling inspired and honored to be a priest.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
All are Priests. Some are Priests. None are Priests
A few years ago, pastoral leaders in this diocese; priests, deacons, and lay pastoral staff, were invited to come together to reflect upon the relationship of priestly leadership to lay pastoral leadership. We heard a very complex theological explanation by a professor from St. John’s University in Minnesota named Susan Wood which I found fascinating and thought provoking but almost everyone else found to be boring and wordy. Then we heard from another speaker named Zeni Fox who everyone else seemed to find enlightening but I felt like she reduced ministry to a hug, used lots of meaningless jargon, and generally oversimplified a complex issue. I had hoped the conversation at my table would help us understand the complexities at hand and come to some common ground but, instead, I found myself assigned to a table with a group of embittered priests and laity who complained about the declining number or priests and admitted to me that they didn’t try to work with the young men in their parish to nourish vocations to the priesthood because they want to “solve” all the church’s problems by forcing the Pope to allow women and married men to be priests. I walked away from the whole day feeling frustrated, angry, and concerned for the future of the church – and no closer to understanding the relationship of lay leaders to the ordained.
So you can imagine my surprise as I was reading over a commentary on today’s scriptures and heard the phrase that seemed to answer this very question. It said, “All are priests, some are priests, none are priests.” Let me repeat that in case you think that I left out a note or two. I said, “All are priests, some are priests, none are priests.” Now, let me explain. The Second Vatican Council rightly emphasized that, through the imposition of the Holy Spirit at baptism, we have all come to share in the priesthood of all believers. By being initiated into the Church of Christ, we are called upon by Christ to lay down our lives to lead a life of holiness. This vocation to holiness was described well in our second reading today. It said we are children of God just like Jesus was a child of God. This childhood is a sharing in the priesthood of Christ in the faith, hope, and love that was given to us in Christ’s triumph over sin and death on the cross. We, in turn, must live lives of faith hope and love in the way we steward our lives. Parents play a special role in this by training their children in the faith. Next week we will remember our mothers who, oftentimes, laid down their lives to raise their children. It’s only appropriate that we thank them for that sacrifice, so don’t forget!
Yet, amidst this general priesthood to which all people are called, there are a group of people that are called to a special priesthood. These priests, to which I have been called, model Christ for the community in a radical way – in their gender and in their undivided devotion to God. This is the priesthood in which Peter was participating in the first reading. He has been filled with the Spirit and is called forth by Jesus himself to be a leader in the Christian community. He was to put a holy order to things so that it was possible for the gospel to spread. His ordering of the holy community tells us that priests are not meant to do everything in a parish, nor are they confined to doing only the sacraments. They are to model Christ by laying down their lives so that they can be the shepherds of a community. That’s why we can’t be like the people at my table at that meeting hoping to coerce a change in the church. We need to pray that God continue to call forth good, holy leaders from among his people and always encourage our young men to be priests.
So, all are called to the priesthood of the faithful in baptism and some are called to priesthood by ordination. But what was I talking about by saying none are priests? The truth of the matter is that Jesus Christ is the only shepherd of his Church, the only priest. It said so in our Gospel today when Jesus said that there will be one flock and one shepherd. If any of us, lay or ordained, begin to believe that we have the authority to make decisions about faith or morals outside of the teaching of the Church of Christ then we have in effect strayed from the fold in an attempt to make ourselves the shepherd. The only true everlasting priesthood is that of Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd. He is the one who appoints certain men to be priests and he is the one who calls us all to the priesthood of all believers. Truly all are priests, some are priests, none are priests.
So you can imagine my surprise as I was reading over a commentary on today’s scriptures and heard the phrase that seemed to answer this very question. It said, “All are priests, some are priests, none are priests.” Let me repeat that in case you think that I left out a note or two. I said, “All are priests, some are priests, none are priests.” Now, let me explain. The Second Vatican Council rightly emphasized that, through the imposition of the Holy Spirit at baptism, we have all come to share in the priesthood of all believers. By being initiated into the Church of Christ, we are called upon by Christ to lay down our lives to lead a life of holiness. This vocation to holiness was described well in our second reading today. It said we are children of God just like Jesus was a child of God. This childhood is a sharing in the priesthood of Christ in the faith, hope, and love that was given to us in Christ’s triumph over sin and death on the cross. We, in turn, must live lives of faith hope and love in the way we steward our lives. Parents play a special role in this by training their children in the faith. Next week we will remember our mothers who, oftentimes, laid down their lives to raise their children. It’s only appropriate that we thank them for that sacrifice, so don’t forget!
Yet, amidst this general priesthood to which all people are called, there are a group of people that are called to a special priesthood. These priests, to which I have been called, model Christ for the community in a radical way – in their gender and in their undivided devotion to God. This is the priesthood in which Peter was participating in the first reading. He has been filled with the Spirit and is called forth by Jesus himself to be a leader in the Christian community. He was to put a holy order to things so that it was possible for the gospel to spread. His ordering of the holy community tells us that priests are not meant to do everything in a parish, nor are they confined to doing only the sacraments. They are to model Christ by laying down their lives so that they can be the shepherds of a community. That’s why we can’t be like the people at my table at that meeting hoping to coerce a change in the church. We need to pray that God continue to call forth good, holy leaders from among his people and always encourage our young men to be priests.
So, all are called to the priesthood of the faithful in baptism and some are called to priesthood by ordination. But what was I talking about by saying none are priests? The truth of the matter is that Jesus Christ is the only shepherd of his Church, the only priest. It said so in our Gospel today when Jesus said that there will be one flock and one shepherd. If any of us, lay or ordained, begin to believe that we have the authority to make decisions about faith or morals outside of the teaching of the Church of Christ then we have in effect strayed from the fold in an attempt to make ourselves the shepherd. The only true everlasting priesthood is that of Jesus Christ, the good Shepherd. He is the one who appoints certain men to be priests and he is the one who calls us all to the priesthood of all believers. Truly all are priests, some are priests, none are priests.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Blindness
The first reading for today's mass was from Acts 9 and told the story of the conversion of St. Paul. I was struck with the parallel between Luke's story of the man born blind and the story of St. Paul. The man born blind has faith, he can see interiorly, but cannot see exteriorly. Saul can see many things exteriorly but cannot see with the eyes of faith. This causes him to persecute the body of Christ, the church. We are called to be the culture of life in a society that persecutes the body of Christ. We are called to see when others are blind and to try to help them see.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Diocese of Juneau has a good shepherd
You can go to this site to find this great Easter message.
The highlight of the year for Christians is Easter! At Easter we celebrate that Christ has overcome sin and the power of death once and for all. Those who have been baptized and have died in Christ have the promise of eternal life in Christ. So we proclaim, “Christ is risen! Indeed, he is truly risen! Alleluia!”
The celebration of this great Christian feast, however, has an essential connection to the preceding days. Thus, the core celebration of our faith (if I can call it that) actually takes place over three days.
Beginning on the eve of Holy Thursday, we begin the celebration of the Holy Triduum with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion and the Easter Vigil. Over these three days, we remember Christ’s passion and death and his rising to new life.
It is vital to recall that “to remember” means more than re-enact as if it were solely a past historical event. As we celebrate it liturgically, we participate in a saving mystery at work in us now. A word used by some theologians to describe what is taking place is “actualized.”
Christ’s dying and rising is an event that we experience in our own time and place because it is an experience that transcends time and place. It has as much bearing on our lives today as it did for anyone in the past or anyone in the future.
Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead for all people of all time. Because of it, we allow our lives to be transformed into a likeness that bears the stamp of God, striving always to live as daughters of the Lord and sons of God.
As we celebrate Easter this year, may we remember that Easter is not and never has been a past event. It is always a present reality that we try to embody with our lives and celebrate through our liturgy.
We proclaim over these 50 days of the Easter season, that Christ has died for us, that Christ is risen for us, and that Christ will come again in the fullness of time for us.
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia
The highlight of the year for Christians is Easter! At Easter we celebrate that Christ has overcome sin and the power of death once and for all. Those who have been baptized and have died in Christ have the promise of eternal life in Christ. So we proclaim, “Christ is risen! Indeed, he is truly risen! Alleluia!”
The celebration of this great Christian feast, however, has an essential connection to the preceding days. Thus, the core celebration of our faith (if I can call it that) actually takes place over three days.
Beginning on the eve of Holy Thursday, we begin the celebration of the Holy Triduum with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion and the Easter Vigil. Over these three days, we remember Christ’s passion and death and his rising to new life.
It is vital to recall that “to remember” means more than re-enact as if it were solely a past historical event. As we celebrate it liturgically, we participate in a saving mystery at work in us now. A word used by some theologians to describe what is taking place is “actualized.”
Christ’s dying and rising is an event that we experience in our own time and place because it is an experience that transcends time and place. It has as much bearing on our lives today as it did for anyone in the past or anyone in the future.
Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead for all people of all time. Because of it, we allow our lives to be transformed into a likeness that bears the stamp of God, striving always to live as daughters of the Lord and sons of God.
As we celebrate Easter this year, may we remember that Easter is not and never has been a past event. It is always a present reality that we try to embody with our lives and celebrate through our liturgy.
We proclaim over these 50 days of the Easter season, that Christ has died for us, that Christ is risen for us, and that Christ will come again in the fullness of time for us.
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia
Vatican asks for Duh Vinci Code boycott
How strong do I push this? Any publicity is good publicity. If I say, "please don't go see the movie, 'Da Vinci Code'" people will hear ...go see the movie 'Da Vinci Code'". My friends simultaneously say they are disappointed at how distorted the story is and, yet, they will see the movie because of Tom Hanks and Stephen Spielberg.
These are the struggles of a parish priest. In some ways, I feel like I have made my message heard and, now, all I can do is hope that people will actually listen. If I continue to push, it's just going to make me look like the albino Opus Dei member.
These are the struggles of a parish priest. In some ways, I feel like I have made my message heard and, now, all I can do is hope that people will actually listen. If I continue to push, it's just going to make me look like the albino Opus Dei member.
Once again, the socialists in China are attempting to subvert Christ's authority and set up a parallel church that they can control. Think of the number of people who are led astray by these false shepherds and how tragic this is for the one true church! My personal favorite statement from this article is this one;
"A big stumbling block remains the Vatican's official recognition of Taiwan, branded by China as a renegade province."
Actually, an even bigger stumbling block is the absolute failure of the Chinese government to acknowledge the existence of the Vatican or the Pope and/or to allow the church to operate outside of it's tentacles. If you are not a mouthpiece of the government then you are not allowed to operate in China. Pray for the true church in China which, like the early church, is forced underground and often persecuted for no other reason than fidelity to Christ.
"A big stumbling block remains the Vatican's official recognition of Taiwan, branded by China as a renegade province."
Actually, an even bigger stumbling block is the absolute failure of the Chinese government to acknowledge the existence of the Vatican or the Pope and/or to allow the church to operate outside of it's tentacles. If you are not a mouthpiece of the government then you are not allowed to operate in China. Pray for the true church in China which, like the early church, is forced underground and often persecuted for no other reason than fidelity to Christ.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
schools of liberalism
Like several commentators, I struggle to define what constitutes ecclesiastical liberalism ie. what makes someone "liberal" in the church. I used to understand the core to liberalism as "minimalism"; seeking to answer the question, "What else can I get rid of" or "How can I make this smaller/shorter".
I've discerned a new type of liberalism. It's not pure minimalism but does being by seeking to take out the permenant and make it all transitory. So, it begins in minimalism and then replaces it with something different. I experienced the height of this type of liberalism when I visited St. Joan of Arc parish in the Twin Cities. When I went there five years ago, the priest appeared in a tweed jacket and sat in an inconspicous place. The first reading was a poem. Then we heard the second reading of the day. Then there was a "happy song" that didn't really say anything about God at all. Then, the priest strolled over the pulpit for the gospel right before introducing the speaker of the day. Oh, the James Taylor songs we sang! I think you get the picture.
The first type of liberalism kills a parish by simply removing all the elements that people find comforting and, in its place, leaves a vacuum. There is no vision, let alone the vision of the church, so either the individual has to develop a deep personal spirituality or they will leave the church.
The second type of liberalism kills a parish by removing those elements and then replacing them with something a committee/staff memeber believes better expresses the "spirit of the church/vatican II" thus imposing one person's whim on a congregation and turning a parish into more of a fast food restaurant than the worship of the body of Christ (as in, "I like to go to St. X parish because it makes me happy/has great music/is child friendly)
I wonder if the John Paul II generation will learn from this or if we will simply turn into simple maximalists.
I've discerned a new type of liberalism. It's not pure minimalism but does being by seeking to take out the permenant and make it all transitory. So, it begins in minimalism and then replaces it with something different. I experienced the height of this type of liberalism when I visited St. Joan of Arc parish in the Twin Cities. When I went there five years ago, the priest appeared in a tweed jacket and sat in an inconspicous place. The first reading was a poem. Then we heard the second reading of the day. Then there was a "happy song" that didn't really say anything about God at all. Then, the priest strolled over the pulpit for the gospel right before introducing the speaker of the day. Oh, the James Taylor songs we sang! I think you get the picture.
The first type of liberalism kills a parish by simply removing all the elements that people find comforting and, in its place, leaves a vacuum. There is no vision, let alone the vision of the church, so either the individual has to develop a deep personal spirituality or they will leave the church.
The second type of liberalism kills a parish by removing those elements and then replacing them with something a committee/staff memeber believes better expresses the "spirit of the church/vatican II" thus imposing one person's whim on a congregation and turning a parish into more of a fast food restaurant than the worship of the body of Christ (as in, "I like to go to St. X parish because it makes me happy/has great music/is child friendly)
I wonder if the John Paul II generation will learn from this or if we will simply turn into simple maximalists.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Don't be deceived: You are witnesses
It was first communion for the kids this weekend so I emphasized three interconnected things in the homily:
1. Jesus "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." I told the kids that it's time that they pay attention to the readings when they come to mass and listen to what Fr. Ev or I say in the homily. I told them that the disciples heard the scriptures and didn't understand them and that it's important they listen to the church to understand them.
2. The Disciples "were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost" I told the kids that, even though they think they are eating simple bread and wine, don't be confused or scared because it is really the body and blood of Christ. This is how you become part of the body of Christ; by eating his body and drinking his blood.
3. "You are witnesses" I told them that, since they are part of the body of Christ and eat his body and drink his blood, that means they represent the catholic church. They must act like Jesus to the people they meet, treat them with love and faith and hope.
What I find instructive is that a lot of people that don't usually say "boo" to me will come up after mass and say that they got a lot out of the homily and that, sometimes, the direct approach is truly effective. It makes me wonder if I should spend less time on being poetic and more time on just saying what needs to be said.
1. Jesus "opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." I told the kids that it's time that they pay attention to the readings when they come to mass and listen to what Fr. Ev or I say in the homily. I told them that the disciples heard the scriptures and didn't understand them and that it's important they listen to the church to understand them.
2. The Disciples "were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost" I told the kids that, even though they think they are eating simple bread and wine, don't be confused or scared because it is really the body and blood of Christ. This is how you become part of the body of Christ; by eating his body and drinking his blood.
3. "You are witnesses" I told them that, since they are part of the body of Christ and eat his body and drink his blood, that means they represent the catholic church. They must act like Jesus to the people they meet, treat them with love and faith and hope.
What I find instructive is that a lot of people that don't usually say "boo" to me will come up after mass and say that they got a lot out of the homily and that, sometimes, the direct approach is truly effective. It makes me wonder if I should spend less time on being poetic and more time on just saying what needs to be said.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Bush and Oil
I don't like to get too political because, admittedly, I tend to think all politicians are to society what a bath is to an eight year old boy - a necessary evil. And, I try to support the president, whoever that president is. But, I'm frustrated by this story. I don't understand how a leader can see his people being hit with the highest gas prices in history and say that he has any confidence in oil companies to do anything but make money. What incentive is there to invest anything in anything but themselves? None. So, here's the choice: to take President Bush's advice to invest in alternative fuel sources or put the money into a brand new hummer. Which one would you do?
Thursday, April 27, 2006
School is coming to an end
I'm facing the reality that, in a little over a week, the campus of Iowa State will let out for the summer and all the students I've been serving will be going home or to jobs. This has caused a few emotions....
I'm happy that the fraternity guys living next to me will be leaving, which may cause less noise. And, I'm excited that some of the educational stuff that I've been putting off (re-learning Hebrew) may be able to start because of my decreased schedule.
I'm sad because of so many students who will soon be leaving. I will miss our Thursday Night Liturgy folks and the people who faithfully come to Sunday Night at 7:00. It will be really hard when it finally sets in that some of the seniors and a few of the students that are studying abroad will never come back. I will miss them and Hope I can keep in contact with them.
I'm hopeful that some of the mistakes that I made this year, some of the things that caused long work days, will be worked out in the summer months. Yet, I'm also skeptical because I know myself well enough to know that it's way too easy to put things off...
Mostly, I'm relieved that I made it through one year here with a sense of humor intact...so far...
I'm happy that the fraternity guys living next to me will be leaving, which may cause less noise. And, I'm excited that some of the educational stuff that I've been putting off (re-learning Hebrew) may be able to start because of my decreased schedule.
I'm sad because of so many students who will soon be leaving. I will miss our Thursday Night Liturgy folks and the people who faithfully come to Sunday Night at 7:00. It will be really hard when it finally sets in that some of the seniors and a few of the students that are studying abroad will never come back. I will miss them and Hope I can keep in contact with them.
I'm hopeful that some of the mistakes that I made this year, some of the things that caused long work days, will be worked out in the summer months. Yet, I'm also skeptical because I know myself well enough to know that it's way too easy to put things off...
Mostly, I'm relieved that I made it through one year here with a sense of humor intact...so far...
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Immigration and the Catholic Church
Here's a great shepherd trying to ensure that his entire flock is kept safe, not just the ones that the civil authorities protect.
So, do you think immigrants should boycott May 1st or not?
So, do you think immigrants should boycott May 1st or not?
Monday, April 24, 2006
When you're next to me
I have been listening to the sountrack to the movie "A Mighty Wind" a lot lately. I think that it's best when you turn songs about lust turn them into songs about the love we have for God. Oh, glorious Song of Songs...
When I’m standing next to you
There’s a song to sing
I know everything’s feeling right
When I’m standing next to you
Steeple bells ring
Only good things Do I see
When you’re next to me
When I hold your hand in mine
Different world wakes
A new morning breaks with the sun
When I hold your hand in mine
Children's dreams take flight
Through a star lit nightThat’s what I see
When you’re next to me
(Chorus)This love for you I’m feeling
Has a power that is healing
It can mend the darkest hour
With glorious light
When I taste your lips so sweet
I see beggars dine
And the sands of time up and stop
When I taste your lips so sweet
Black and white bend
Every dove lands at your feet
When you’re next to me
(Instrumental)
(Chorus)This love for you I’m feeling
Has a power that is healing
It can mend the darkest hour
With glorious light
When I’m lying next to you
I feel moonbeams burn
I see rainbows turning to gold
When I’m lying next to you
I hear Angels play
I see sweeter days
I see rivers wind
Through the end of time
I see hatred fall
From the highest hill
I see God’s good grace
Shining in your eyes
That’s what I see
When you’re next to me
When I’m standing next to you
There’s a song to sing
I know everything’s feeling right
When I’m standing next to you
Steeple bells ring
Only good things Do I see
When you’re next to me
When I hold your hand in mine
Different world wakes
A new morning breaks with the sun
When I hold your hand in mine
Children's dreams take flight
Through a star lit nightThat’s what I see
When you’re next to me
(Chorus)This love for you I’m feeling
Has a power that is healing
It can mend the darkest hour
With glorious light
When I taste your lips so sweet
I see beggars dine
And the sands of time up and stop
When I taste your lips so sweet
Black and white bend
Every dove lands at your feet
When you’re next to me
(Instrumental)
(Chorus)This love for you I’m feeling
Has a power that is healing
It can mend the darkest hour
With glorious light
When I’m lying next to you
I feel moonbeams burn
I see rainbows turning to gold
When I’m lying next to you
I hear Angels play
I see sweeter days
I see rivers wind
Through the end of time
I see hatred fall
From the highest hill
I see God’s good grace
Shining in your eyes
That’s what I see
When you’re next to me
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Jesus gives the power to forgive to those who need to be forgiven
On my last day-off, I was at home talking to my mother about the difficulty priests have in going to confession during Lent. We are usually busy hearing confessions on Saturdays when our fellow priests hear confessions. Some priests are out in the country pastoring multiple parishes with the next priest twenty to thirty miles away. We usually get on this topic because my mom can’t understand why a priest has gone to confession at communal penance. I think part of the reason she has trouble understanding this is because it probably seems annoying to her. I mean, if a priest is going to confession, that really takes two priests out-of-commission, both the priest penitent and priest confessor. But, when mom brings this up, she doesn’t ever bring that up. She says something along the lines of, “What has a priest done that he needs to go to confession.” It makes me laugh that a woman who has a son who is a priest still thinks that priests are perfect. Does she not remember my teenager years?
Today, we celebrate the end of the eight-day celebration of Easter in a celebration that Pope John Paul II declared Divine Mercy Sunday. He was heavily influenced by Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska who was fascinated by the forgiveness offered by God to his people. This forgiveness is what we celebrate each Easter, the forgiveness connected to the cross and resurrection of Christ.
In the church, we have three sacraments whose core meaning is forgiveness of sins. In Baptism, we celebrate the forgiveness of original sin that came from Adam and Eve. In the anointing of the sick, we celebrate the forgiveness of sins for those who suffer, knowing that they have a unique insight into Christ’s suffering on the cross. Yet, for the most part, I’ve never found anyone who has troubles with these two sacraments. Even people with only a slight interest in practicing their faith will have their newborn child baptized. And, despite changing the name and words associated with the sacrament of anointing of the sick, I still get calls from people whose loved one hasn’t been to church in decades who suddenly want “Last rites.” These moments are clearly moments of profound conversion and joy for people. Yet, I meet several people who have difficulty celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation, myself included, and I hear reasons why. Some say that it has to do with the changing ritual such that no one knows what will happen when they come. This may be why I try not to impose too much ritual on people who want to confess their sins. I don’t want people to feel lost but I also don’t want to take away people’s sense of continuity that should be a part of this sacrament. Nonetheless, I tend to believe that it has more to do with a loss of a sense of sin and its effects on the part of the faithful, a criticism that especially concerns me. I think it’s hard to understand God’s forgiveness if we don’t have a sense of our need to be forgiven. We have to understand what the goal of life is in order to understand why we aren’t living up to that goal and our first two readings offer just such a glimpse.
The first reading said that the first Christians held “everything in common” and that there was “no needy person among them.” This was not a form of Christian communism. In context, this is clearly seen as an elective form of charity in which each person asked themselves how they could have so much excess when there are others who don’t have enough to live, a question that should plague the Christian conscience.
If we are to look to a theological rationale behind this radical form of charity, we need look no further than the second reading. In it, John looks at this world as being transformed by the paschal mystery. As one commentator put it, “The direction of love taken by John…is reversed. (We are accustomed to) the focus (first on) a love for God, which presumes love for others. (In John) the focus is on love for God’s children, which reveals itself in love for God and observance of God’s commandments. It would seem that these two loves are co connected that it makes little difference which comes first.”[1] So, this is the goal: a society that cares for all its members and loves God. Yet, this prompts a question for all of us: is this the way we lead our lives? To put it more bluntly, are we the society of the perfect? After much reflection, I would humbly answer in a somewhat typical theological way, Yes and No.
We see this answer in the gospel story, part of which took place eight days after the resurrection. This story, to which we generally refer as Doubting Thomas, first tells the story of the apostles’ astonishment at seeing the risen Lord without Thomas and then tells a parallel account the next week with Thomas present. We often highlight the doubt that Thomas had in the meantime, a doubt that prompted him to make outlandish statements about his need for proof. Yet, in truth, I imagine we can all sympathize with Thomas in the skepticism that we have felt, at points in our lives. Maybe not right at this moment, but haven’t we all wanted to actually have more proof than the testimony of people who lived two millennia ago? Instead, what I would like to emphasize is what happened the week before to those apostles who were just as astonished, just as doubtful, as Thomas would be the next week. Despite their unbelief, our Lord turned to them and gave them authority to forgive sins. In this story, therefore, we see that God calls the sinner to also be the reconciler. This is a call to personal forgiveness and a call to forgive others, in other words to take seriously the call of the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” In Thomas, we can see that small things matter, those times we doubt God, times we don’t use our gifts and talents to show love to our neighbor, and times when we don’t love God in prayer.
In our life of faith, sometimes we are the society of the perfect and sometimes we are doubting Thomas. God’s divine mercy says we not only love one another in order to love God but we must also have a need to be forgiven for all our sins while we forgive those who sin against us.
[1] From Bergant Preaching the New Lectionary Year B
Today, we celebrate the end of the eight-day celebration of Easter in a celebration that Pope John Paul II declared Divine Mercy Sunday. He was heavily influenced by Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska who was fascinated by the forgiveness offered by God to his people. This forgiveness is what we celebrate each Easter, the forgiveness connected to the cross and resurrection of Christ.
In the church, we have three sacraments whose core meaning is forgiveness of sins. In Baptism, we celebrate the forgiveness of original sin that came from Adam and Eve. In the anointing of the sick, we celebrate the forgiveness of sins for those who suffer, knowing that they have a unique insight into Christ’s suffering on the cross. Yet, for the most part, I’ve never found anyone who has troubles with these two sacraments. Even people with only a slight interest in practicing their faith will have their newborn child baptized. And, despite changing the name and words associated with the sacrament of anointing of the sick, I still get calls from people whose loved one hasn’t been to church in decades who suddenly want “Last rites.” These moments are clearly moments of profound conversion and joy for people. Yet, I meet several people who have difficulty celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation, myself included, and I hear reasons why. Some say that it has to do with the changing ritual such that no one knows what will happen when they come. This may be why I try not to impose too much ritual on people who want to confess their sins. I don’t want people to feel lost but I also don’t want to take away people’s sense of continuity that should be a part of this sacrament. Nonetheless, I tend to believe that it has more to do with a loss of a sense of sin and its effects on the part of the faithful, a criticism that especially concerns me. I think it’s hard to understand God’s forgiveness if we don’t have a sense of our need to be forgiven. We have to understand what the goal of life is in order to understand why we aren’t living up to that goal and our first two readings offer just such a glimpse.
The first reading said that the first Christians held “everything in common” and that there was “no needy person among them.” This was not a form of Christian communism. In context, this is clearly seen as an elective form of charity in which each person asked themselves how they could have so much excess when there are others who don’t have enough to live, a question that should plague the Christian conscience.
If we are to look to a theological rationale behind this radical form of charity, we need look no further than the second reading. In it, John looks at this world as being transformed by the paschal mystery. As one commentator put it, “The direction of love taken by John…is reversed. (We are accustomed to) the focus (first on) a love for God, which presumes love for others. (In John) the focus is on love for God’s children, which reveals itself in love for God and observance of God’s commandments. It would seem that these two loves are co connected that it makes little difference which comes first.”[1] So, this is the goal: a society that cares for all its members and loves God. Yet, this prompts a question for all of us: is this the way we lead our lives? To put it more bluntly, are we the society of the perfect? After much reflection, I would humbly answer in a somewhat typical theological way, Yes and No.
We see this answer in the gospel story, part of which took place eight days after the resurrection. This story, to which we generally refer as Doubting Thomas, first tells the story of the apostles’ astonishment at seeing the risen Lord without Thomas and then tells a parallel account the next week with Thomas present. We often highlight the doubt that Thomas had in the meantime, a doubt that prompted him to make outlandish statements about his need for proof. Yet, in truth, I imagine we can all sympathize with Thomas in the skepticism that we have felt, at points in our lives. Maybe not right at this moment, but haven’t we all wanted to actually have more proof than the testimony of people who lived two millennia ago? Instead, what I would like to emphasize is what happened the week before to those apostles who were just as astonished, just as doubtful, as Thomas would be the next week. Despite their unbelief, our Lord turned to them and gave them authority to forgive sins. In this story, therefore, we see that God calls the sinner to also be the reconciler. This is a call to personal forgiveness and a call to forgive others, in other words to take seriously the call of the Our Father, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” In Thomas, we can see that small things matter, those times we doubt God, times we don’t use our gifts and talents to show love to our neighbor, and times when we don’t love God in prayer.
In our life of faith, sometimes we are the society of the perfect and sometimes we are doubting Thomas. God’s divine mercy says we not only love one another in order to love God but we must also have a need to be forgiven for all our sins while we forgive those who sin against us.
[1] From Bergant Preaching the New Lectionary Year B
Saturday, April 22, 2006
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