Say Hello to Andrew, Riley, and Ted

While wandering around the blogosphere, I happened upon these fine young men studying to be priests. You can visit them at their blog In Umbris Sancti Petri. Since I was so impressed with these “whippersnappers” (at my age everyone is a whippersnapper), I decided to give them a bit of an introduction.

From their Profiles:

Andrew Hines is a Roman Catholic seminarian studying for the Diocese of Toledo in America. Currently, he is assigned to theological studies at the Pontificià Università Gregoriana and is living at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

Ted Martin - I am a seminarian for the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Michigan. I am currently assigned to the North American College in Rome for theological studies at the Gregorian University

Riley Williams - Fall River, MA

Now, we don’t know much about this Riley feller so maybe when he has time he will tell us a bit more about himself. I spent some time on the official North American College website and it is clear they are having waaaaay too much fun. Not wanting them to have too much time on their hands, thereby increasing the possibility of them getting into mischief, I suggest that we fill up their combox with insightful and pertinent comments.

Marks of the Church

About a week ago, Father V. over at Adam’s Ale had a post about the Creeds. It made me reflect on the importance of our most well known prayers; The Lord’s Prayer, The Hail Mary, and The Apostle’s Creed. When St. Thomas Aquinas gave a series of Lenten sermons on these three prayers back in 1273, he recognized that they contain a complete Christian education.

Every Sunday at Mass we stand together and recite the Nicene Creed. We announce to the world what we know to be the unchanging truth professed by the Catholic Church. The Nicene Creed is a summary of the Deposit of Faith as handed on to the Church from Christ Himself through His Apostles. Toward the end are the words, “I believe in the one holy catholic and Apostolic Church.

These words refer to what are traditionally known as the “Four Marks of the Church.” It is these marks that make it possible for us to recognize it as the one true Church, willed by the Father, founded by Jesus Christ, and forever guided and protected by the Holy Spirit.

Because these “marks” of the one true Church are so interrelated, they can be considered inseparable. They form a coherent ideal of what Christ’s Church must be. The unity, or oneness, of the Church is a universal unity of faith and hope; it is apostolic unity and a unity of holiness.

The Church is one whenever we all join together to profess the same faith. We are united through the saving sacrifice of Christ offered during Mass. We celebrate the same sacraments and are joined together under the leadership of the Holy Father.

As the visible sign and sacrament of Christ on earth, The Church is holy because Christ is holy. It teaches what Jesus taught and it calls each of us to holiness. Through the sacraments, instituted by Christ, and celebrated in unity, we receive the graces to live a Christian life.

The Church is “catholic” which means universal. It exists for all people and teaches the same doctrines. Geographical location and local custom do not change the doctrines entrusted to the Church.

Finally, the church is apostolic. The mission of the Church was given to the Apostles. These Apostles in turn appointed successors who appointed more successors and so on, until the present. When we call the Church “apostolic”, we are really saying the teaching of Jesus Christ, given to the apostles who were “sent forth”, is the very same as we teach today.

When reflected upon, these marks of the true Church strengthen our faith and give us hope. Next Sunday, take Father V’s advice and really listen to what you are saying while reciting this profession of our faith, and know that the Holy Spirit is guiding and protecting the Church Christ founded for our salvation.

Eat Your Heart Out,

Minnesota!!

We are experiencing more snow than we've had in 10 or more years. It started snowing yesterday at noon and it is still snowing over 24 hours later. Folks are slippin' and slidin' all over the freeway. Some fun!!

Update 11:00pm: We officially have about 17" and are expecting another 15" - 17" over the upcoming week. Our kindly neighbor plowed out one leg of our driveway with his tractor. Sure glad I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow.

Called by God

In just a few weeks, the participants in this year’s RCIA classes at our parish will celebrate the Rite of Election. Our Bishop will be here and the Catechumens will sign the Book of the Elect signifying their next step in the journey to becoming a Catholic.

Every Monday night since last Easter, these fine people have spent Monday evenings with our pastor and a team of teachers. I am aware that not all RCIA programs are created equally. As I surf the web, it becomes apparent that many, if not most, RCIA programs place most of the emphasis on feelings, and very little on what I like to call the “nuts and bolts” of Catholicism.

At our church, we believe that a person who actually signs up for RCIA has at least a passing knowledge of what a Christian is, and is not clueless when it comes to how a Christian should live. That being the case, we move rapidly past that period loosely referred to as the “inquiry.” They are given a Catechism and the process becomes twofold - a conversion of heart, and a conversion of the intellect.

Through attendance at Mass and through prayer, having been taught some methods of discernment, their hearts are opened to the mysteries of God and His saving grace. This is the “feeling” part of becoming a Catholic. Feelings are not bad things to have but they are subject to change. If someone were to base their entire conversion experience on feelings, there would not be a lot for them to grab hold of when the first “dark night of the soul” rolled around.

It is the “nuts and bolts” that keep us moving forward when feelings have taken a mid-winter vacation. It is the authority, given by God, to the Catholic Church that allows her (the Church) to say, “I’m sorry if your feelings are not up to par today. That is why I gave you guidelines and rules. You see, I appealed to your intellect in order to win your heart.”

This year, as in years past, when our Catechumens take the next step at the Rite of Election, they will know intellectually why they are signing that book. And they will feel the words of scripture proclaimed that day from John 17;

Lifting up His eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in Your name that you have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are one.”

“As you sent Me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate Myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth”.

TAGGED








I've been tagged by PaulaB52 (don't you love her name?) at As We Wait in Joyful Hope with a really fun book meme. Paula just celebrated her birthday. Happy Birthday, Paula!!

Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.


The nearest book to me was, What Do I Want in Prayer, by William A. Barry, SJ.

On the unhappy anniversary of Row v Wade, this is what I found by following the above directions:


Soul of Christ, sanctify me.


Body of Christ, save me.


Blood of Christ, inebriate me.



Please pray for the little ones who fell prey to the evil called abortion.

I tag:

1. MLH @ Palmetto State Thoughts

2. Father Longenecker @ Standing on My Head

3. Rachel @ Would you like blog with that?

4. Angela @ Where Angels Go...

5. Anyone who thinks this looks like fun.

Body of Christ

The Church is both visible, and at the same time, spiritual. The visible Church is an institution with rules and customs. It also has a hierarchical government, what I like to call the “pecking order.” You can see the Church in the people who gather together to worship and who, hopefully, go forth to “love and serve the Lord.”

The spiritual aspect of the Church, often described as the Mystical Body of Christ, is guided and protected by the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus said to Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” We became members of this Body of Christ by our Baptism, and as members, we are bound to believe this to be true.

When we read Acts of the Apostles, which tells us about the beginnings of the Church, we can see that it didn’t take very long for trouble to start. From the beginning, the Holy Spirit guided and protected the Church. Are we to assume something has changed since then? Is the Holy Spirit “missing in action?”

Some people today would like you to believe this preposterous supposition. It is becoming routine to hear folks refer to the “downfall of the Church”. Along these lines, we hear that bad liturgy, bad music, and bad Bishops will succeed in overthrowing the promises of Christ, and that ugly architecture and nasty vestments will prevent the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

There have always been problems associated with the visible aspect of the Church simply because it is made up of people, and people are flawed. As members of the Body of Christ, we are joined spiritually to all other members. By virtue of our baptism, we are all called to build up the Body of Christ - not tear it down.

I don’t like bad music or ugly architecture any more than the next person, but it would never occur to me to sound the death knell of the Church based on someone strumming a guitar. Our faith should inform us of the invincibility of the Church.

We are certainly free to discuss these and other problems of the Church, but it should be done in charity and with a view to solutions that are also rooted in charity. Ask yourself everyday what you are doing to build up the Mystical Body of Christ.

Is the Church Negative?

If you google “How to improve” you will find things to improve you didn’t even know needed improvement. According to Yahoo there are 2,540,000,000 sites that will help you improve.

One objection that is brought up about the Catholic Church is what some people would refer to as its legalism. People say they don’t want to be told all the things they are not allowed to do. We just learned about the concept of “positive laws” when we reviewed the Precepts of the Church. Positive laws tell us what we should be doing rather than what we shouldn’t be doing.

The Catholic Church was given the authority, in my simple thinking, to “get us to heaven.” It exists to save us and bring us to everlasting life with God. And the way it does this is by teaching us in a positive way how to live. Just as the majority of the teachings of Christ are framed in a positive, such as the Beatitudes and the wisdom of adhering to and practicing the virtues, so also does the Church teach with primarily positive messages.

Someone who comes to the conclusion that the Church consists of a whole bunch of “rules” and “thou shalt nots” is a person who is turning their back on the teachings of Christ. We are taught to practice the Virtues so our consciences will be formed in such a way that it will become second nature for us to choose good over evil. We study the Beatitudes to learn how to live in such a way as to bring peace and freedom into our lives.

The Church recognizes that when we have positive laws, there is a corresponding negative. Sometimes it becomes necessary to explain the flip side to the positive law. That is not legalistic or harmful – that is loving and honest.

So, instead of googling on how to improve your life, try practicing the Virtues or applying the Beatitudes and watch your life improve. Simple? You bet!

Blue Fish

It’s not easy being a good Catholic. In order to be a good Catholic, it is necessary to become counter-cultural. In most cases you are going to be diametrically opposed to what society claims is the “ok” thing to do.

During one of my classes on the reasons for the Catholic Church’s stance on birth control, I closed with the images of a school of little fish on the whiteboard. In the middle was one fish going the other direction. When I first drew this little vignette, my choice of marker pen colors was pretty limited. I had black and blue, so the single fish became blue. From that day the blue fish became my metaphor for “doing the right or Catholic thing.”

When we are baptized into the family of God, we accepted the dual responsibilities of learning the teachings of the Church and living by them. Nobody suggested that if we didn’t like the teachings, or if they weren’t convenient at that time in our life, we were free to change them. Not one person ever said it would be easy. The fact is, they aren’t always easy but they are always doable.

To be a good Catholic means you have to be a “blue fish.” When it seems all of society is swimming in one direction, you will be swimming in the opposite direction. The next step after the minimum required by the Precepts of the Church, would be to become a “blue fish.” And when you do, don’t expect it to be easy.

Picture by F. Frankhttp://www.newfishart.com/fishfile2/2007/blue-orange-fish-art.html

Awesome and Amazing

What most captured my attention while watching the New Year’s Eve festivities on TV was the number of times I heard the word amazing. According to Miley Cyrus, the crowds were “amazing”, the weather was “amazing”, indeed, the whole night was just “amazing.” I wondered what happened to “awesome” as the catchword of the day. Not to worry, someone else threw out “awesome” as well as “amazing”.

Since I am convinced that our use of language guides our thinking, I thought how odd that these words, previously used to describe God, were now used to describe purely secular things and events.

Popular worship songs continually refer to our Awesome God in direct reference to many Bible passages, with one of our most enduring gospel songs being Amazing Grace, of course. So how did a rather neutral slang expression such as “cool” come to be replaced by two words that, more often than not, previously were used to refer to God? Could this be another clear indication of our society replacing God with the things they think we should really be worshipping?

If our shoes and dresses are awesome and a crowd of people gathered for a secular event is amazing, then what words do we have to describe God? We still have the old standbys such as “all knowing”, “all-powerful”, “holy”, and “righteous”. Except most of those words have also been usurped. Oprah and her ilk tell us we can “know” and “have the power.” And “righteous” has been a slang term used to describe an “ok” person for quite some time.

Those of us who believe in an all-powerful and all knowing God also know we have no words to adequately describe the indescribable. Yet, because we are mere mortals, it is through our language that we must attempt to convey to others the greatness of God. George Orwell knew this when he wrote “1984.” Change the language and you change society. The emptiness of the secular world is mirrored in the language they use and they clearly have no use for God.

In Memoriam

Rose

1932-2008

At 2:30 am our friend Rose went to be with Our Lord. During her 39 years in AA she helped thousands of people. She made a difference in the world and will be missed.

Epiphany

The Epiphany is the feast of the manifestation of the majesty and divinity of the newborn Savior. The Epiphany is the high point of Christmas and the fulfillment of Advent. If you are worn out from the frantic pace of the past few weeks, the Feast of the Epiphany is a good time to jump-start our enthusiasm. Not only do we celebrate the visit of the Magi but also, the Baptism of Our Lord and the first miracle of Jesus at the wedding feast of Cana.

What we were still hoping for at Christmas has truly come to pass as we, as well as the whole world, recognizes Jesus for who He really is. If the Feast of the Epiphany is to be fully understood as the Church sees it, it will have to be viewed from two aspects: that of God who manifested Himself to man, and that of man, typified in the Magi, who responded with wholehearted faith and love.

The Three Kings were in search of the only one who could satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. They wanted to find the very meaning of their existence. Because they were open to this calling, they received the gift of faith.

Our secular society presents one of the greatest obstacles to our spiritual journey. Secularism doesn’t care about the immortal soul, but only the here and now. One of the ways we are caught up in this thinking is with the sheer magnitude of possessions we acquire.

About this time every year I tend to take a hard look at what I own, or rather, what is owning me. Moving things around our house to accommodate a Christmas tree is my first clue that we may have more than we need. Imagine if the Magi, having received the call, had to pack 6 suitcases, close up a house, arrange for mail pick up, clean the fridge, and the thousand other tasks associated with travel. I highly doubt we would be celebrating the Epiphany today. We must have space and time in order to respond to the call. When our time and space is over committed, we are severely handicapped.

Yesterday was the beginning of my annual purging of the household. It is a practice I highly recommend for those on a serious journey to allow God more fully into their lives. This is not a “ladies only” practice. Gentlemen, take a look at your toolbox, book collection, or sports equipment. If you have 20 screwdrivers like we do, there is a problem. Our “stuff” takes up space, time, and energy that rightly belongs to God.

One of the wonderful traditions for Epiphany is the blessing of our homes. While blessing your home, make a decision to start an annual purging. Give to others what you have too much of and give God the space He needs.

I have included this link with information on the blessing of your home. And, if you are in any doubt about your stuff, here is a link to George Carlin’s famous routine on “stuff.”

Precepts of the Church

Since it is the beginning of a New Year, it seems a good time to review the precepts of the Church. A precept is simply a commandment of the Church - not to be confused with the Ten Commandments. The precepts are what we call positive laws meaning; they are “thou shalls” rather than “thou shall nots.” Neither the Ten Commandments nor the precepts (commandments) of the Church are “suggestions.” These are rules that must be followed. To not do so results in being in a state of mortal sin.

It has been pointed out to me by many people that the RCIA programs in many parishes are deficient in what our pastor calls “meat and potatoes.” All the focus is placed on the emotions, and very little on the intellectual. Our conversion experience needs to be a healthy balance of “mind and heart.” When we accept the gift of faith, freely offered by God, we also accept the responsibility to follow the laws of the Church.

Paragraph 2041 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor.

1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor


2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.


3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least once during the Easter season


4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church


5. You shall provide for the needs of the Church.
   

The first precept is in the number one position for a reason – it is the foundation of a good Catholic life. When I grew up, it would have never occurred to me not to go to Mass on Sunday. When we traveled, my Mother always made arrangements to attend Mass wherever we happened to be on Sunday.

The number of Catholics who do not attend Mass has risen steadily over the past several decades, while the teaching of the Church has remained the same. You are obliged to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. Period!

Holy Mother Church, in her wisdom, has given us these laws because she knew, left to our own devices, we would probably not do very well at leading a Christian life. Since the Holy Eucharist is the centerpiece and source of our divine life and grace, it is vital for our spiritual well being to attend Mass.

The second part of this precept concerning servile work is a bit more difficult, in my opinion, because it is open to different interpretations. Since we live in a secular society, many of our decisions are based on secular worldviews.

When I was a girl, back in the covered wagon days, servile labor was pretty easy to define. In addition, our government supported a Judeo/Christian worldview. Stores were closed, except for the designated emergency pharmacy, so most people could actually have a “day of rest.” Nurses, police officers, and other necessary workers were exempt from this part of the precept.

As a child, we had a large family meal after Mass, and were then expected to play or read quietly. The adults did not engage in unnecessary work. Not all people are in the position to take advantage of full and proper observance of the Lord’s Day. Those that are able should. Dress up for Mass, have a lovely family dinner, do some spiritual reading, and curtail shopping. Make every effort to make Sunday the special day it was meant to be.

Blessed by Uncle Jim for: "her simplified wisdom, and for the insights she so willingly shares.

I’ve been blessed again, which is quite all right. I need all the help I can get. I'm not sure if "simplified wisdom" is the same as simple minded (I think it is) but, I won't quibble. Gratitude for all blessings floating in my directions is the name of the game. Thanks Uncle Jim!!!

It’s a game of tag with a difference - we look outside ourselves and praise and pray for one's blog friends. We’re going to see how far the blessings can travel and how many people can be blessed! Recipients of a blessing may upload the image to their sidebar if they choose to.

Now, here is your mission should you decide to accept it:

a) Bless 3 blog buddies each
b) Include the ‘God Bless you’ image in their post
c) Explain briefly why they are blessing the people they are blessing
d) pray/include in the post the prayer for the recipients of the blessing.
e) The recipient/sender of a blessing should type in the com box of Deb’s original post that a blessing has been sent to them so we can keep track of how many blessings are being given.

• My first blessing is for PaulaB52 at As We Wait in Joyful Hope. Paula never fails to make me laugh and humor is very spiritual. Spiritual people are happy people so hats off to Paula
• Second blessing will be going to Laura at Laura's Place for the same reason plus the added fun of giving us "Karl's Dilemma". Italians love a good tussle.
• And last, but certainly not least, is Tara at Loved Sinner 'cause you gotta' love a cute gal that admits to loving potato chips.

My blessing is that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless and keep each of you in the coming year. May you always know that you are loved and special in His eyes.