Per Christum

I read a recent article about a priest who called for new strategies to keep young people in Church. I agree that this should be a vital aspect of parish ministry. Vibrant parishes usually have a lot for youth, a lot for older people, a lot for families, but outside of university campuses almost nothing for single or married younger people. As someone who is still barely a young adult, I want to unpack some of the arguments made by Fr. Cusick (who is quoted in the article).

1. Churches need better music, preaching, and hospitality- I don’t know what he means by this, but I would agree as long as I can define what constitutes “better!” If he means putting drums near the altar to play 1970s songs in 1990s style then most young adults would probably pass. Keep the liturgy traditional and dignified and save the hip and contemporary stuff for the coffee and conversation afterward.

2. Create “satellite” sites away from the parish for social activity and discussion- As long as he’s not talking about informal masses in someone’s garage, then I agree. Finding a place to connect, hang out, and build social relationships is important. In many ways, evangelicals understand that young adults typically don’t have families close by and need social contact through their communities. Catholic parishes outside of campuses would do well to understand this too and create opportunities for social connection and fellowship, like Theology on Tap.

3. We need a “new apologetics”- Once again, I agree, as long as he’s not talking about dumbing down. If he wants to teach the Catholic Faith to postmodern people in a clear way without compromising the Truth, then we here at Per Christum are way ahead.

Thoughts?

On Wednesday April 16th, Carmel and I welcomed Grace Catherine into the world. She is healthy and happy and the entire family is doing well. Life is truly a miracle and Grace is a strong reminder of that. She was born during a papal visit and shares the same birthday as Pope Benedict. Not a bad start!

Today is the 45th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Although there are rays of hope, especially among orthodox dioceses and orders, the United States and Europe still suffer a shortage of vocations which could negatively impact the Church’s mission in the near future. We all need to pray for vocations and above all encourage and nurture them in our families and among our friends. Pope Benedict XVI has issued a message on this day of prayer. I was particularly struck by this statement:

Besides, in order that the Church may continue to carry out the mission entrusted to her by Christ, and in order that there will never be a lack of those who preach the Gospel and who are badly needed by the world, it is necessary that Christian communities do not fail to give both children and adults a constant education in the faith.

It confirms what many of us already know: strong catechesis (mixed with good formation) for young people and adults, in the home, at school, at RCIA, etc. creates strong Catholics who are willing to serve the Church. Weak and watered down teaching does not. As a bishop, I think, once said, people will give their lives for a mystery, but not a question mark. Catholic education in much of the Western world has been emphasizing question marks and our vocations have duly suffered. The bishops have recently taken more control of Catholic education, which should help in the long run. Make sure to read the rest of Benedict XVI’s message on vocations. It’s well worth it.

Finally, here is a beautiful prayer for vocations. I urge all of our readers to pray this or similar prayers daily for men to answer the Church’s call to ordination and men and women to follow God’s leading to the religious life.

Hail Mary, full of grace;
all generations call you blessed.

Hail Mother of God; when asked by the angel
to bear the Son of the Most High,
filled with faith, you responded:
“Let it be done unto me.”

Holy Mother of Jesus, at the wedding feast at Cana,
you prompted your Son to perform his first sign.

Be with us as we discern our life’s work
and guide us in the way we are called to follow
in the footsteps of your Son.

Holy Mother of the Savior, at the foot of the cross
you mourned the death of your only Son.

Bless and embrace the loving parents of all priests,
deacons, brothers and sisters.

Holy Mother of the Good Shepherd,
turn your motherly care to this nation.

Intercede for us to the Lord of the harvest
to send more laborers to the harvest
in this land dedicated to your honor.

Queen of Peace, Mirror of Justice, Health of the Sick,
inspire vocations in our time.

Let the word of your Son be made flesh anew
in the lives of persons anxious to proclaim
the good news of everlasting life.
Amen. (English Prayers for Vocations)

According to the blog of liberal news outlet the Huffington Post, here is what Barack Obama said at a fundraiser in San Francisco:

You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. (Reuters)

If he said it in these exact words, then Obama has a lot to learn about small town people. Yes, small town life in the Midwest has suffered because of economic pressures. I hate to break it to him, but religion (and even guns) is an important part of Midwestern small town life and culture and was long before an economic downturn. And, to imply that religious faith is the fruit of bitterness is astounding. I’m sure some people, of all types, are bitter, but why the small town stereotype? To give Obama some benefit of the doubt, I’m sure he was trying to bring his usual message of hope (even though I think it’s a misguided one) by emphasizing that he will bring prosperity to areas of economic depression. Fair enough and I would welcome that. However, putting down the culture and core values of the people you are supposedly trying to help is not going to win votes and is condescending. It also reveals that he probably has little understanding of the average, non-urban, non-liberal American.

I thought I’d end with another man’s words who truly understands hope. Oh, and he happens to be in the USA right now too:

The right state of human affairs, the moral well-being of the world can never be guaranteed simply through structures alone, however good they are…Since man always remains free and since his freedom is always fragile, the kingdom of good will never be definitively established in this world. Anyone who promises the better world that is guaranteed to last for ever is making a false promise; he is overlooking human freedom.

The great hope can only be God, who encompasses the whole of reality and who can bestow upon us what we, by ourselves, cannot attain. The fact that it comes to us as a gift is actually part of hope. God is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end, each one of us and humanity in its entirety. His Kingdom is not an imaginary hereafter, situated in a future that will never arrive; his Kingdom is present wherever he is loved and wherever his love reaches us. His love alone gives us the possibility of soberly persevering day by day, without ceasing to be spurred on by hope, in a world which by its very nature is imperfect. His love is at the same time our guarantee of the existence of what we only vaguely sense and which nevertheless, in our deepest self, we await: a life that is “truly” life.

From Spes Salvi, by the Holy Father Benedict XVI

This is to be delivered by Benedict XVI at Ground Zero in New York City according to Reuters:

O God of love, compassion, and healing, look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions, who gather today at this site, the scene of incredible violence and pain.

We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here — the heroic first-responders: our fire fighters, police officers, emergency service workers, and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on September 11, 2001.

We ask you, in your compassion to bring healing to those who, because of their presence here that day, suffer from injuries and illness.

Heal, too, the pain of still-grieving families and all who lost loved ones in this tragedy. Give them strength to continue their lives with courage and hope. We are mindful as well of those who suffered death, injury, and loss on the same day at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Our hearts are one with theirs as our prayer embraces their pain and suffering. God of peace, bring your peace to our violent world: peace in the hearts of all men and women and peace among the nations of the earth.

Turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred. God of understanding, overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy, we seek your light and guidance as we confront such terrible events.

Grant that those whose lives were spared may live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain. Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all.

Source: Reuters

Update: The entire missal for the Pope’s US visit is online (here). The prayer for Ground Zero can be found there. Also, note that there is a Catholic blessing that follows the prayer reprinted above.

Various dissident groups within the Church are preparing to use Pope Benedict’s visit to promote their pet causes. And, although the media are blowing it out of proportion, I’d wager that many of these groups are pretty small and graying. The tactics to grab attention are funny, but demonstrate a certain desperation, kind of like saying “hey, notice me…please!!!” For example, a group of women promoting priestesses is giving Benedict, for his birthday, the gift of “women.” Of course, Benedict has that in abundance in the form of the many female saints, martyrs, faithful theologians, nuns, sisters, and everyday Catholics. Of course, they don’t count for many feminists.

What bothers me the most is how some think the Church is a democracy subject to whims of activism and advocacy. The silly tactics to draw attention to pet causes simply seem cheesy and are definitely out of line for God’s one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. I’m sure many of these protesters would be shocked that some of us actually love the Church and strive for obedience. Although it is tempting to get upset at these dissenters, we must remember that for every angry protester there will be hundreds if not thousands of Catholics who are proud to see the holy father visit our great country and many more non-Catholics who will perhaps look deeper into the Faith.

Source:

Unruly Americans Vie for Attention (from National Catholic Reporter, aptly titled)

Avery Cardinal Dulles, an agnostic during his college years, returned to the Christianity of his youth upon seeing the budding of the trees around the springtime. Later, he converted to Catholicism. Here are his own words (from “A Testimonial to Grace”):

I was irresistibly prompted to go out into the open air … The slush of melting snow formed a deep mud along the banks of the River Charles, which I followed down toward Boston … As I wandered aimlessly, something impelled me to look contemplatively at a young tree. On its frail, supple branches were young buds … While my eye rested on them, the thought came to me suddenly, with all the strength and novelty of a revelation, that these little buds in their innocence and meekness followed a rule, a law of which I as yet knew nothing … That night, for the first time in years, I prayed.

For a course I was taking, I had to read the commentary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on John Paul’s Ad Tuendam Fidem, which changed Catholic canon law in 1997. Reading this document, which outlined different types of Catholic belief and the assent expected for each one (and the penalty attached for failure to believe), coincided with my recent reflection on the general nature of belief and how we arrive at beliefs.

My interest in the topic comes from my experience as a teacher, where I encounter so many Catholic students who come from nominally Catholic families. Needless to say, many of them do not respond well to Church teaching on difficult topics, especially those that contradict their or their families’ worldview. Yet, I see in the vast majority a genuine predisposition to believe (perhaps it’s the grace of their baptism) that is hindered by cultural, familial, and other baggage. As a religion teacher, it’s important and indeed a mandate to teach the Faith of the Church. However, simply telling today’s post-modern, nominally Catholic youth that the Church teachers x, y, and z and therefore you must believe isn’t always enough, nor do I think it should be. Almost every time I teach something, some student asks “why?” I like these questions because I think it’s equally important to show the reasons behind Church teaching. Basically, I want students to know apologetics, even if they don’t know they know it. In fact, in most lessons, I try to explain the “whys” of Catholic belief. It demonstrates that our Faith is reasonable and consistent and may help when fundamentalists come knocking.

However, every now and then, I get questions that are far more difficult, ones that indicate the student is struggling with deeper questions of faith, belief, and worldview. These are the hardest questions and ones that I have a tough time answering, but I try to give the best answer according to the Church.

Why have I written this post? Because I think the Church needs to address the difficult issue of “faithful questioning” a term I use to refer to the genuine struggle some Catholics face when accepting Church teaching. This is not willful dissent, which of course, is a grave wrong; really it’s somewhere in between full assent and dissent. However, I believe that failure to provide answers and guidance during periods of honest questioning can lead a person to dissent, which is a tragedy for them and the Church.

How do we address struggling, nominal, young, or other Catholics who question Church teaching, yet have not crossed the threshold to willful dissent? I think this is an extremely important question for the future of catechesis. Any thoughts?

I would not be Catholic today if it were not for John Paul II. I began to think about it this week as I reflected on his death three years ago. Basically, my conversion from Protestantism to Catholicism (more details can be found here) probably never would have occurred if it weren’t for the late holy father.

First, his personality and spiritual integrity loomed large. While most of my Episcopal leaders were effete elitists, John Paul was a true man, and a man of the people at that. He brought down communism, spoke out on behalf of the poor, and also found time to record a CD; he was a true Renaissance man. His charisma didn’t hurt either: as a lifelong U2 fan, I admit that the photo of him wearing Bono’s “fly” sunglasses impressed me.

Second, the wisdom flowing from his encylicals and other writings encouraged and touched me in so many ways. Unlike the watered down vagueness of my mainline Protestant background, I knew any teaching coming from the Vatican would be solid, meaty, and well-reasoned, even if at the time I couldn’t quite agree with every word of it. Reading the brilliant Catholic Catechism, a product of John Paul’s pontificate, finally answered my most stubborn Protestant objections at a crucial time.

Third, he was ecumenical, yet honest. I knew that John Paul loved me and respected me as a Protestant, so much that he refused to lie or hide the truth of the Catholic Faith. He believed I was a Christian, but called me to the perfect and fullest expression of that Faith. In short, he loved me and others like me enough to tell the truth of Christ’s Church with the gentleness of a true pastor.

Although my academic interests, liturgical orientation, and goals for the Church may be closer to Pope Benedict’s, John Paul’s witness brought me and countless others to Catholicism and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Ven. John Paul II, pray for us!

Last night, I dreamed that I went to confession at the usual time before mass and it was incredible: the line was not only out the door, it was wound around the outside of the church! The pastor even had to call on two different priests to handle the number of penitents. My line, which seemed to never move, had a bunch of teenagers in it, one of whom even wanted to celebrate confession in Latin!

It was somewhat frustrating actually, since in my dream I was hoping to be confessed before mass and it obviously wasn’t going to happen. Still, when I woke up I thought about how wonderful this scenario would be in real life America: young and old waiting in line for over an hour just receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and it wasn’t even a penance service!

Read more about his recent visit to Assisi (from the Telegraph)

The woman who runs Eucharistic adoration at my parish was persistent enough that I finally called her back after expressing interest in November. Her enthusiasm was pretty contagious and she clearly believes in the importance of Eucharistic adoration. I must say, she got me pretty excited about it too, so I signed up. From now on, I’ll be with Jesus in a special way on Mondays at 8:00pm.

I have two points I want to make about adoration and me. First, this is the last practice I would have seen myself embracing seven or eight years ago as an evangelical Protestant. In fact, I probably would have been viscerally bothered by it, even though my mind was curious (I would often recoil in my mind when I heard the words “Mother of God,” for example). Yet, it is an incredible affirmation of the Church’s belief in the Real Presence, which I now wholeheartedly embrace.

Second, as a religion teacher, I am focused on religion 6 hours a day for five days a week. It is even more if you count the planning and the grading. Yet, in the midst of it all, I don’t find much time for spiritual growth or refreshment. I’m hoping that the practice of Eucharistic adoration will provide it: a time away from the hustle and bustle in quiet solitude with Jesus. I know that many people credit adoration with all sorts of graces in their lives, including helping a few discern a call to the priesthood or religious life. I’m hoping for spiritual nourishment and to better live my calling as a husband, father, and teacher.

I’ll keep you updated on my experience and I invite you to share yours.

Image from Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady of Consolation, Carey, OH

As the Roman Empire converted en masse to Christianity, one of the questions Christians had to ask was: when is war, which seems contrary to Christian norms, allowable? The Church, following Augustine and Aquinas, has generally embraced the view that a war can be just under certain conditions. Here are the conditions as listed by the Catechism:

- the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain

- all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective

- there must be serious prospects of success

- the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modem means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

First, I want to add that although I respect the right of conscience, I do not understand total pacifism. It’s one thing to act non-violently and oppose war personally, it is quite another to allow the rest of society, especially the poor and the weak, to be at the mercy of oppressors. However, as Vatican II noted, war should still always be a last resort when all other efforts have failed. In fact, in recent times, “just war” theory seems to be regarded as a way to prevent war rather than to actually justify it. For example, in the Catechism, the arguments for just war appear under the heading “avoiding war.” Likewise, in the Challenge of Peace, the US Bishops note specifically that “just war” principles are so rigorous as to actually prevent war. Perhaps this is why Pope Benedict, then Cardinal Ratzinger, wondered out loud if just war is even possible in an age of modern weapons.

Thoughts?

It seems that the Episcopal Church has released a “stations of the MDGs.” For the uninitiated, the MDG’s are the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations. And yes, the “stations” part is modeled after the traditional Stations of the Cross. Normally, something like the “stations of the MDG’s” would simply be an exercise in bad liturgy and hokey social justice activities, except the Episcopalians promoting them specifically want them used in place of the Stations of the Cross.

I want to approach this issue fairly and recognize that there are many Episcopalians who are tying to remain faithful to Scripture and tradition. But, when I hear about actions like this, it just makes me wonder what is left of the Christian identity of the Episcopal Church. Sure, the MDG’s, as long as they are not implemented in a liberal fashion, are perfectly acceptable and even beneficial. And, doing the Stations of the Cross during Lent and Holy Week is not a dogmatic command, but still. “Stations of the MDG’s” during Holy Week in place of the Stations of the Cross just seems trivial and tacky and demonstrates how some in the Episcopal Church (and admittedly elsewhere including our own Church) have little use for Jesus Christ.

For a copy of the service, go here (warning .doc file)

Time magazine has re-opened the controversy of the “Jesus tomb.” I guess the anti-Christian news was at a standstill and Time decided to revisit an old chestnut. Evidently the new information is that the widow of the man who discovered the tomb tells us that her husband actually believed it was the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth, but he feared speaking out because he feared a backlash of anti-Semitism. Baloney. Academics of all stripes have been promoting similar ideas for years. He should’ve had the guts to back his convictions instead of hiding behind vague fears of anti-Semitism. Still, I find this whole story lacking in credibility and it will fade. The fact that Time has to remind us of it again demonstrates my point. I’m not going to argue against the “Jesus tomb” here except to bring up one point: why would Jesus of Nazareth have a family tomb in Jerusalem? What bothered me the most about the article was the Methodist minister/academic who declared that if this were Jesus’ tomb, it would help many Christians because it would prove Jesus did exist; sure it would end belief in the bodily resurrection, but it’s ok, because there’s the spiritual resurrection! That would be a dream for liberal Christians: proof of their historical Jesus and an end to superstitious religious dogmas.

But, I hate to break it to our Methodist minister and his academic friends, but the bodily resurrection is vital to the Christian faith. In fact, it is essential. God’s plan of creation and redemption has always included the physical world. God created humanity body and soul and we sinned in the body and soul. Our salvation came through the Incarnation where God redeemed our body and soul. And, this divine man was raised from the dead in his body and soul so that our souls may be restored to our bodies at the last judgment. The cycle is clear: original bliss in the body, sin in the body, redemption in the body, resurrection in the body. You take any of these out of the equation, particularly from Jesus who pioneered the way for our salvation, and the whole system loses its consistency and parts of our humanity remain unsaved. Perhaps this explains why the Church, in spite of its emphasis on asceticism and virginity, at times extreme, has always vigorously fought Docetism, the belief that Jesus only appeared to be human, in all its forms.

Today, Docetism, or at least practical Docetism, is present in many Christian denominations, and even among liberal Catholics. Although few Christians would deny that Jesus had a body on earth, they minimize the Incarnation through iconoclasm, rejection of the bodily resurrection and the real presence (which makes no sense without a bodily resurrection), and promotion of such abstractions as the Jesus of history vs. the Christ of Faith. As Protestants moved beyond the earthy Luther to the cerebral Zwingli and Calvin, the emphasis shifted to spiritual salvation with little concern for the body or the physical. I’m not surprised to see a Methodist, one living in the inconoclastic tradition of Calvin and Zwingli and their English promoters, reject the bodily resurrection.

For more of my thoughts on the resurrection, visit On the Resurrection of Jesus: A Catholic View