Feast of All Saints 2013

Today, on the Church’s calendar, was the Feast of All Saints.  It is a day in which the Church acknowledges, and celebrates the thousands of Christians who are saints.  These are individuals who have strived to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in whom the love of God shines out most brightly.  They may be unknown to us, but they are known to God.  The Church publicly identifies some persons as saints, holding them up to the rest of us as a source of inspiration.  This day reminds us that there are saints in our midst.  We should seek them out, learn from them, and be inspired by them.

For A Better Catholic Blog, Follow These 10 Commandments

Deacon Greg Kandra has come up with 10 Commandments all Catholic bloggers should follow for a more compassionate and civil blogosphere..

Here is the link.

What Sad Fact 60% Of American Catholics Believe!

“An official asked him (Jesus) this question, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and mother.’ ‘And he replied, ‘All of these I have observed from my youth.’ When Jesus heard this he said to him, ‘There is still one thing left for you; sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ But when he heard this he became quite sad, for he was very rich.” (Luke 18: 18-23)



“What good is it; my brothers, if someone say he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,’ but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2: 14-17)“Francis sympathized lovingly and compassionately with those stricken with any physical affliction and he immediately referred to Christ the poverty or deprivation he saw in anyone. He was kind and gentle by nature and the love of Christ merely intensified this. His soul melted at the sight of the poor or infirm and where he could not offer material assistance he lavished his affection.” (Bonaventure, Major Life of St. Francis of Assisi, Chap. 8, Para. 5)


Sometimes, something has to be reported on television before it really grabs you. This happened to me today. I have glanced at the stories being reported by the National Catholic Reporter, from the survey they helped sponsored concerning Catholics in America. What I missed was a fact reported by the television program Religion and Ethics Newsweekly; that 60% of American Catholics believe that you do not have to donate anything to help the poor, nor work for the poor, and still can consider yourself a “good” Catholic!


Now I really went ballistic over this. If one looked at the tradition of the Church; if one examines the lives of a majority of Catholic saints, I believe, one sees a constant theme of how important service to the poor is in the life of the Church. And I do not mean just the charitable institutions of the Church, I mean the entire community of believers. If one believes in Jesus Christ, one follows the teachings Jesus Christ, to love God with all our heart and soul; and to love our neighbors. And that does not just mean our middle class neighbors, it means all of them, poor, disabled, and foreigner.

We are called to share the love of Christ we experience through the Eucharist with everyone we come in contact, by any means at our disposal. By our words and actions, we are to show to the world the power of the Gospel we preach. If we cannot live the faith we believe in, each of us individually, then that faith is truly dead. And the world will cast us aside.

"From the Pews in the Back," Women in the Church - UPDATED

Today I attended a luncheon talk sponsored by the Massachusetts Bible Society. The presenters were Kate Dugan and Jennifer Owens, who are the editors of a collection of essays written by young Catholic women, entitled “From the Pews in the Back.” These women share their views of the Catholic Church; how they see their place and roles within it. I found it an excellent presentation.

The Church has always seemed to struggle with the role of women within it. The Church as institution has only males as ordained clergy, yet most of its charitable works, past and present, has been organized and lead by women. If you go into many parishes, you find that various ministries within it are performed by women.

Throughout the Church’s history, there have been women who have been spiritual giants, whose lives continue to inspire many Christians. Among my favorites are St. Clare of Assisi and St. Teresa of Avila, both reformers, both founders of Catholic communities of women. They sometimes had to stand up to Church authorities for their ideals, but did it with respectful stubbornness. Then there was Dorothy Day, whom I found out from the presentation, has been an example for many of the women essayists.

All the gifts that many Catholic women, religious and lay, have shared with and for the Church, and yet they have been treated as second class citizens within parts of the Catholic community. And some would say they have even been treated as third class citizens, after the clergy and men.

Catholic women deserve to be listen to by the leaders of the Church. They should let their needs be known, and Church must address them. And they must be recognized and thanked for the gifts of themselves and their talents that they have given to us all.

UPDATE: The MassBible has posted the video of the talk.

Ripples

As I read and listen to the stories of the growing European clergy sexual abuse scandals, I have this image of a stone hitting a pond, causing ripples through the water. The scandal broke open in Boston, and the ripples caused by it surged through the rest of the country. Now it seems to have rippled through Ireland and Europe, and touching even the Papacy.

From where I sit, as horrific as the crimes committed against children by trusted priests are; what has really gotten people so upset and angry is the fact that our bishops failed to protect our children. It seems that the bishop’s primary goal was to protect the image of the Church; to keep a lid on the scandal, but they were trying to keep a lid on a pressure cooker. Eventually, the pressure proved too great, and the scandal exploded, bankrupting dioceses, demoralizing the good and honorable priests, and incurring distrust among the laity.

At a time when the modern secular world is challenging the Christian faith and values, these ongoing scandals only aid those who oppose the Church, and drives away those who are searching for a loving God. And then there are those who have been severely wounded, physically, mentally, and spiritually; the Church needs to acknowledge them and care for them.

The time has come for the pope and bishops to seriously address this situation as a world wide crisis. They must be accountable for their role in it, and where necessary, lose their office. We are getting beyond the point, where words, no matter how heartfelt they may be, are enough. What is required is action to hold those responsible for this tragedy to task; and changes in the Church must be explored and implemented.

"Fostering an Open and Trusting Dialogue"

“Called like Saint Francis to rebuild the Church and inspired by his example, let them devote themselves energetically to living in full communion with the pope, bishops, and priests, fostering an open and trusting dialogue of apostolic effectiveness and creativity.” (Article 6b, Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order)

David Gibson, in Politics Daily, wrote a column on the U.S. bishops desire to restore unity in the American Catholic Church. Mr. Gibson makes the observation that this could be difficult, when even the bishops themselves are divided over some issues, or on how to address them. There are differences among some of them on how to best promote, some would say, enforce, Catholic teaching among a growing fractured, disaffected faithful. Some bishops seem to tilt towards a more authoritarian approach, reminding Catholics that it is the bishops that call the shots. They seem to have little respect for the laity, at least where the life of the Church is concerned. Gibson writes that these bishops appear to want a return to old days, when the laity “pray, pay and obey.” .

But those days are long gone, at least in this country. The changes began when the bishops of the Second Vatican Council declared that the laity has an active role to perform in the life of the Church. And that they have a duty to let their priests and bishops know about their spiritual needs. This means sometimes standing up to their local priest or bishop, letting their feelings be known. And with the way many of the U.S. bishops mishandled the clergy sexual abuse scandal, there are laypersons calling on their bishops to be more accountable for their actions. And if the bishops do not listen or respond, people get angry, whether they are on the left or right of the spectrum.

Mr. Gibson had an interview with Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, AZ. Bishop Kicanas is advocating a spirit of dialogue between the bishops and laity, that while the bishops do govern, it will help if they did so in a spirit of collaboration with the faithful. To me, this seems to be an approach that has the potential to reinvigorate the Church in America. Yes, the bishops have the final say in decisions, but I think a majority of Catholics accept that. What I think Catholics want is input in the decision making process. They want their voices heard and respected. Now this does not always make for an orderly process, but if the bishops make a real effort to dialogue, to really listen and respect the opinons of all American Catholics, maybe the laity in return will really listen to what the bishops have to say.

Copyrighting "Catholic?"

The recent meeting of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops created it fair share of religion news. One item that was reported by both the National Catholic Reporter and David Gibson of Politics Daily, was a speech by the president of the NCCB, Cardinal Francis E. George, Archbishop of Chicago. In that speech, he called for more accountability to Catholic bishops, by Catholic universities, independent Catholic media, and other organizations that serve the community under Catholic auspices.

Especially where it applies to the media, I am very uncomfortable with this. I have always believed strongly in a free, independent press, whether in civil society or in the Church. An independent media provides a check by bringing to light abuses of power by either civil or religious authorities. It can be a prophetic voice in the Church, challenging the status quo, challenging us to discern if we, as a community, are living the Gospel. It gives us a different point of view on issues that we not get from diocesan newspapers.

Now, is it an orderly, civil process? Not always. The media, whether newspapers, magazines, TV and radio, or weblogs, can sometimes push the envelope too far. Some writers, commentators, and just plain pundits can very cruel in their comments. It is then that the bishops can call them to task, just as their readers and viewers call them to task. But I do not see any way that bishops can rein in independent newspapers. And trying to control the Web, even governments are not successful at that. The best the bishops could do is to issue guidelines for Catholic media.

The word “Catholic,” means universal. It means that we should strive to have a big tent that welcomes all, show compassion to all in the name of Christ.

Civility in the Catholic Blogosphere

American Catholic.Org is carrying a story from the Catholic News Service about a meeting held at the Vatican on Catholic communications, which included what was happening on the World Wide Web. The attending cardinals and media experts were all commenting on the number of so-called "Catholic" websites and blogs that contain a lot of hatred, name calling, fire and brimstone directed not only at the world, but also to fellow Catholics.

I have commented before about the lack of civility in today's society, especially among Christians, Catholics in particular. Is it any surprise that our young people are turned off about the Church, when they see the lack of love, and courtesy in some Catholic blogs, as they surf the Web. What they are looking for is authenticity; they want to see the Gospel being lived.

At this Vatican meeting, there was suggestions about establishing a code of ethics for Catholic bloggers. Some of the participants doubt the effectiveness of such a code. One thing is clear to me, that we need to encourage a more respectful tone, not only in the blogosphere, but also in discussions taking place the living Catholic community. We need live and love as the early Christians did, so that the whole world will recognize us as followers of Christ.

The Cardinal and His Critics

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,” will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” (Matthew 5: 21-23)

“Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6: 37)

“Nothing should upset the servant of God except sin. And no matter how another person may sin, if the servant of God lets himself become angry and disturbed because of this, [and] not because of love, he stores up guilt for himself (cf. Rm2:5). That servant of God who does not become angry or upset at anything lives justly and without anything of his own. And he is blessed who does not keep anything for himself, rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s (Mt 22:21).” Admonition XI, - St. Francis of Assisi.


The Catholic blogosphere has been alive with comments about the funeral of Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, and the participation of Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Boston, at that funeral. The Cardinal has taken a lot of heat for being in attendance, and for leading the final prayers. Michael Paulson of the Boston Globe gives some of the details of this story. His Eminence has also commented on his own position concerning giving a Catholic funeral to the Senator, and what all this harsh rhetoric and comments is doing to the Church and the pro-life movement.

The Church is at its best when it shows compassion and mercy even to those who disagree with it, who may have taken positions against Church teaching. Yes, the Church has a prophetic role to play in the world and it must speak truth to power, but it must do so in such a way that does not violate Christ command to love one another. And when Jesus says love one another, he is not just talking about our friends, he is also talking about those who oppose us, who harm us. It is a spiritual work of mercy to admonish the sinner, but not with words of fire, brimstone, and damnation, but with words of concern, courtesy and respect for a fellow child of God.

Finally, it is a corporal work of mercy to bury the dead. And the Church in Boston was showing mercy to Ted Kennedy and his family, when it gave the Senator a Catholic funeral, trusting in the Father’s love and wisdom.

Photo from Boston Herald

The End Of An Era

Senator Edward (Ted) M. Kennedy was the senator from my state. His death was expected, but it still came as a shock. It brings to a close the Kennedy Era, which has been a part of my life since I was a little child. I barely remember the election of John F. Kennedy as the first Catholic President. My most vivid memory was being at my grandparent’s house for our Sunday visit. The campaign was in progress. The adults asked me who I wanted to be elected President. I declared in a loud voice, “Nixon!” Only luck and my mother kept me from being thrown out of the house.

My next memory was being in Catholic elementary school on a day in November, 1963. Word of President Kennedy's assassination spread through the school, the sisters were all tearful. I remember the following days being very sad. I have no clear memories of where I was when Robert Kennedy died, but I do remember being shocked by it.

Ted Kennedy remained, and served Massachusetts as its Senator. His career has had highs and lows. He has had more than his share of tragedies and losses. Yet he seems to overcome them and became one of the most respected legislators on the U.S. Senate. He always maintained his concern for the poor, the marginalized, and the emigrant. He spoke up for them, even when it was not popular to do so. He spoke out for peace, even when most of his colleagues were agreeing to war. He was passionate about his causes; he did have the roar of a lion.

He held to positions that put him in conflict with the Church, for which he will have to make an accounting of to God. But I hope in God’s compassion and mercy. And I will keep him in my prayers.

Michael Paulson of the Boston Globe has reported on Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s statement and the funeral plans. The National Catholic Reporter has published essays on the life and death of Senator Kennedy.

Engaging Bishops in dialogue

Canon 212: 2-3; “The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires.

According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons.” (Code of Canon Law)

“Called like Saint Francis to rebuild the Church and inspired by his example, let them devote themselves energetically to living in full communion with the Pope, bishops, and priests, fostering an open and trusting dialogue of apostolic effectiveness and creativity.” (Art 6b, Secular Franciscan Order Rule of 1978)


In San Antonio, Texas, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is meeting. Already, there are some commentators who have doubts about what will come out of this meeting, whether they will really address the needs of the Catholic laity or that of the country. (http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2009/06/the_bishops_agenda.html) Catholic laypersons on the USCCB’s National Advisory Council have suggested that the bishops discuss the state of the economy and how it is affecting people, especially the poor. (http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/lay-group-asks-bishops-tackle-economic-crisis) It needs to be seen whether they will listen or not. In either case, we need to keep talking, need to keep asking our bishops and priests to enter into dialogue with us, to hear our experiences of what it mean to be a Catholic in today’s world. They need to hear of our struggles to live the Gospel, and how they are either helping or hindering us. Some may not know how to listen, some may not want to hear what we have to say, and there may be a few who do not care. Still we need to persist, respectfully, courteously, but persistently. It is our right; it is our duty to the Church.

Reflections on the Father Cutie' Affair

“Profession by its nature is a permanent commitment.

Members who find themselves in particular difficulties should discuss their problems with the council in fraternal dialogue.” (Article 23c, Secular Franciscan Order Rule)


If you read CNN.com, or other Catholic and religion news websites, you have no doubt heard the story of Father Alberto Cutie’, a popular Miami Catholic priest, famous for his television appearances. He was removed from his parish and ministries after pictures were published of him being intimate on a beach with a woman. News hit the wires that he and his girlfriend have joined the Episcopal Church. Michael Paulson of the Boston Globe has an informative piece on his blog, Articles of Faith (http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/).

Mr. Paulson reports on how uncomfortable many commenters have felt about these events, and I want to add my voice to that number. I do not want to be, and I hope I am not sounding judgmental, because there may be things, we are not aware of going on internally or externally with Father Cutie’, but this incident does bring questions about his commitment to the Church, or his understanding of the quality of that commitment.

At ordination, a priest makes a commitment to the Church that is just as deep and intense as the commitment I made to my wife on my wedding day, as the commitment I made to my Secular Franciscan fraternity, when I made my profession. In all these instances, one should go in knowing full well what the relationship requires, and is welling to fulfilling those requirements, because of the love one has for one’s spouse, the community, the Church. Even when things do not go well, there should be dialogue and attempts to repair the breach, to reconcile. If a breakdown in the relationship is inevitable, if there was a deep connection in the beginning, then there is time of grieving over the loss.

I see no signs of grieving in Alberto Cuties’ face in that picture of him with the Episcopal bishop and clergy. He makes it appears that changing church communities is as easy as changing political parties. Maybe this is a sign of the times, where so many of our young people are so commitment phobic. It is up to the Church and we who are happily married to show the joys and strengths of being in a committed relationship.

Wounds reopened

“And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matt. 18: 5-6, NAB)

On May 20, 2009, an investigative commission, created by the Irish government, issued a report on child abuse in Church sponsored institutions. It covered a period from 1930 to about 1990. ( http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0902314.htm). It is reported to be a list of horrific acts perpetrated against children by both clergy and religious. In this country of Ireland, a nation with the most visible Catholic identity, a dark side is once again revealed about the Church; once again, Church leaders seek to protect the reputation of the institution rather than the safety of children.

As a Catholic in the Archdiocese of Boston, MA, this story opens old wounds. It brings back memories of reading the reports in the Boston Globe about the clergy abuse scandal, seeing the stories constantly on the local TV news. I have listened to survivors of clergy abuse relate their stories, one time at a permanent diaconate formation class. Each time I felt a great sadness for the victims, and great anger at those bishops who let these horrors continue. Yet, I never felt angry enough to leave this Church, as I said to someone who asked why I stay, I am Catholic to my core, to my bones.

What I want to see is the Catholic Church to address these issues of child and sexual abuse honestly and make reform. Some feel that this is beyond the ability or will of Catholic bishops; many want to see bishops prosecuted in the courts. Many want the current hierarchical structure torn down completely. I am not so radical, but what I want to see is the laity demand that the institutional culture be changed from one of monarchial leadership, to one of servant leadership. Bishops need to learn that they are shepherds of people, not institutions. They must be open to dialogue with their people, to hear their concerns and fears and act on them. They need to earn the trust of their communities, by serving them, not ruling them.

We laity can never let our bishops forget what has happened; always remind them that people come first. At the same time, we must respect our bishops and priests, for the offices they hold, and remember that in this country, a person is innocent until proven guilty. As difficult as it may be, we are all called to have compassion and charity to all, saint and sinner alike.