Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Elijah and Pushing a Rock

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2016:

Third Sunday of Easter, 2016

by Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas June 5, 2016

I have chosen to speak to you today on our first reading, from 1st Kings. In part because I couldn't believe that a part of the story I hadn't read before, and if I have, I have forgotten it.

The story comes from the time of Elijah the prophet. It was a difficult time in Israel's history. The kingdom had fallen into idolatry. Baal worship had become the official state religion. And there was a terrible drought and famine in the land. Food was scarce, and Elijah the prophet was on the run from the King and his wicked wife, Queen Jezebel. The Lord led Elijah to a brook where he could drink, but soon it dried up. And thus the word of the Lord came to him: "go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there."

Zarephath was located on the Mediterranean coast between Sidon and Tyre in the heart of pagan territory. In fact, it was not far from where Queen Jezebel's home town is located. It was a most unlikely place for Elijah to hide from Ahab and his henchmen. Then God said something else to Elijah that was equally as unlikely: "I have directed a widow there to supply you with food."

This sounds counter-intuitive because nobody struggles more mightily during a time of drought and famine then do widows unless they have grown children to provide for them. The government certainly didn't do it. Their neighbors didn't do it either, as they were probably in as bad a shape as the widow. As Elijah made his journey to is Zarephath , he was certainly thinking that a pagan town and a widow and her young son with little resources could not be of very much help but he went where God told him to go.

This appears to be the first secret, of course, of a fulfilling life. If God tells you to do something or to go somewhere, then get a move on.

There's story about a weak and sickly man who was unable to afford a doctor. He lived in the deep backwoods in a log cabin. In front of his cabin was a huge boulder. One night he had a vision in which God told him to go out and push on the rock in front of his home, all day long, day after day, until God was to tell him to stop. The man got up early in the morning and did as he was told. He pushed on the rock as long as he could. After rest he pushed more. Each day pushed a little harder and a little longer. Day after day he pushed. Days rolled on to weeks, and weeks into months, as he faithfully pushed against this rock.

After several months of pushing this rock, however, the man was getting tired. He began to doubt that his vision came from God. He decided to measure how far he had been able to move the rock during those months, and he discovered that it had not budgeted all.

The man was disappointed and in despair. He sat on his porch and cried, because he had invested so much time and effort for nothing. This day the sun was setting, and Jesus came and sat down next to the man. Jesus asked, "son, why are you so sad?"

The man replied," Lord, you know how weak I am, and the vision you gave me built up false hope. I have pushed with all that was within me for many months and that old rock is right where it was when I started."

Jesus said to him, "I never told you to go move the rock, I told you to push against the rock." Then Jesus told him to step in front of the mirror and look at himself. The man did so and was amazed. He had been so sickly and weak, but now what he saw in the mirror was a strong muscular man. And it dawned on him that he had been feeling better the last two months and it was all because he had been pushing the rock. Suddenly the man understood that the plan of God was not to change the position of the rock, but to change him. That's how obedience to God works. Our task is not to understand what God is seeking to accomplish. Our task is simply to obey.

Later we will see the blessings that will flow due to our obedience.

Elijah then, heard the word of the Lord that he was to go to the town is Zarephath were God had instructed a widow to supply them with food. Elijah did as he was told even though the plan seemed to be misguided. When he come to the gate of the city, he encountered a widow who was gathering sticks. Since this was Baal territory, we may assume that this woman had been raised to worship idols. Yet she was a giving person, a kind person. Elijah called to the window and asked, "would you bring me a little water so that I may have a drink?" Amazingly she did as he asked, even though there was little water to go around. And, as basic as his request for water was, she was going to get it, Elijah called after her and said, "and bring me, please, a piece of bread."

She and her son were on the verge of starvation yet she honored the request of Elijah, as Elijah says to her, "don't be afraid."

I'm sure you all remember the story very well for the oil and flour that she used for baking just never seemed to run dry.

The part of the story that I have to admit I just did not remember and is the part of the story where her son becomes gravely ill and dies in her lap. She was concerned that she was being punished for her sin by having her son taken away from her.

How sad it is that we too sometimes have the same concern.

Yet Elijah picks the boy up from her lap and takes him in his arms carries him upstairs to his room and lays them on the bed. Then he cries out to the Lord, "Lord my God, have you brought tragedy on this poor widow that I'm staying with, by causing her son to die?" You think because Elijah is a prophet that he has life all figured out. But he has no idea how this widows son is dead or at least on the verge of death. After all, he had stopped breathing, so Elijah stretched himself on the boy three times cried out to the Lord, "Lord my God that this boy's life my returned to him!" And so it happened and Elijah picks up the boy and return him to his mother's arms alive.

Similarly is the story in the Gospel where Jesus restores the son of a widow lady on the way to his burial place. Jesus, "says, young man, I tell you, arise!"

How can we wrap ourselves around these stories unless we have the firm belief that when God speaks, it is. Plus!, When God speaks we are, not only to listen but to get busy and do.

One final comment: don't tell God He can't do that! Listen and believe!

You all be Good, be Holy, preached the Gospel always using Words and Holy Actions!.
'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.
More reflections:
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Sunday, April 10, 2016

"Amoris Laetitia" — or — Don't Panic


(From Elia Kazan, via Petrusbarbygere/Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Screenshot from a "Panic in the Streets" trailer. (Elia Kazan, 1950))

Actually, "Amoris Laetitia" means "The Joy of Love."

Pope Francis signed "Amoris Laetitia," about 58,000 words about love in the family, March 19. The apostolic exhortation was released Friday.

So far, I've heard an imaginative summary on radio news, read a few dramatic headlines, and a handful of online remarks about it that make sense.

The latter generally boil down to 'I haven't studied it yet, so I don't know what it says.'

That's pretty much where I'm at, but that won't stop me from talking — briefly, for me — about what I have read. So far, I've finished the introduction, glanced at the index, and am working my way through the first chapter.

I put links to the Vatican Press online copy near the end of this post, along with other resources.1

"Amoris Laetitia" reviews topics raised during Synod 14's two sessions, "...adding other considerations as an aid to reflection, dialogue and pastoral practice, and as a help and encouragement to families in their daily commitments and challenges...."2

This, from page 6, seems like excellent advice:
"...Given the rich fruits of the two-year Synod process, this Exhortation will treat, in different ways, a wide variety of questions. This explains its inevitable length. Consequently, I do not recommend a rushed reading of the text. The greatest benefit, for families themselves and for those engaged in the family apostolate, will come if each part is read patiently and carefully, or if attention is paid to the parts dealing with their specific needs...."
("Amoris Laetitia," Pope Francis (March 18, 2016)(released April 8, 2016))
[emphasis mine]
Like I said, "Amoris Laetitia" runs to about 58,000 words in my language, so reading it "patiently and carefully" will take time.

I'm okay with that: although it means I won't be declaring that Pope Francis changed the Decalogue today. I wouldn't anyway. That's a daft notion.

I'm pretty sure that at least a few folks will get upset at what the Pope wrote — or didn't write — about families. Or how he wrote what he did.

"Cultures are ... Quite Diverse"


Folks who feel everyone should live as the Cleavers did may have conniptions when they hear what Pope Francis says about "various ways of interpreting some aspects"3 of what the Church teaches.

The basics are, as I keep saying, pretty basic.

I should love God, love my neighbor, see everybody as my neighbor, and treat others as I want to be treated. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1789)

I don't always do so, and that's another topic. (December 13, 2015; July 5, 2015)

Those basics leave a lot of room for individual and cultural differences: which is just as well, I think.

I wouldn't feel comfortable, trying to force everyone to live the way my household does. That's just as well, too, since as a Catholic I must believe that there is no one 'correct' culture or political system. (Catechism, 24, 814, 1901, 1957)

Here's what the Pope says about "traditions and local needs:"
"...Each country or region, moreover, can seek solutions better suited to its culture and sensitive to its traditions and local needs. For 'cultures are in fact quite diverse and every general principle… needs to be inculturated, if it is to be respected and applied'.3..."
("Amoris Laetitia,"2 Pope Francis (March 18, 2016)(released April 8, 2016))
I'm okay with that.

Bear in mind that I'm one of 'those crazy kids' who thought we could do better, back in the '60s. I still do, and that's not another topic. (August 23, 2015; May 3, 2015; September 28, 2014)

Future Generations


If I thought upper-middle-class suburban Americans of the 1950s lived in the best possible society, I might be trying to make everyone live that way. My memory is too good. I remember "Happy Days" America, and perfect it wasn't.

I spent my teens in the '60s, and thought we could do better. A half-century later, America — and the world — still isn't perfect, and I still think we can do better.

I can't sit back and say 'that's not my problem.' I'm a member of society, so my responsibilities include doing what I can to help future generations. (Catechism, 1905, 1917, 2415, 2456)

The Pope's 'environmental encyclical, "Laudato si'," upset quite a few folks. After reading it, all 31,000-plus words, I thought Pope Francis might have expressed his ideas more diffidently: but agreed that acting as if future generations matter makes sense. (September 20, 2015)

I figure "Amoris Laetitia" will be controversial, too: most likely for the same reason.

Tradition and 'Being Traditional'


I'm a Catholic, so Tradition is important.

That's Tradition with a capital "T."

So is the Bible and Magisterium.4

I've talked about those before. (March 3, 2016; February 13, 2015)

Our capital "T" Tradition "...comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit...." (Catechism, 83)

It's not 'being traditional,' trying to live as if we're in 1st century Rome, 10th century Carinthia, 19th century New York, or some other imagined 'Golden Age.' (July 12, 2015)

Maybe it's easy to assume that new laws and customs are bad and old ones are good, or that "new" is always "good."

What matters is how closely a law and custom matches natural law.

I've talked about positive law, human-made rules; and natural law, universal principles; before. (August 29, 2014)

Sometimes positive law works. When it doesn't, our job — part of it — is bringing the positive law of our culture closer to natural law. (Catechism, 1928-1942)

Positive law changes: and must change, as conditions we live in change. It varies from one culture to another, too. We're not all alike, we're not supposed to be, and that's yet another topic.

Natural law is the same now as it was when Abram moved out of Ur.

How we apply it has changed, a great deal: and that is a good thing.


(From Jadrien Cousens, used w/o permision.)

I don't think we'll have a perfect society two millennia, or ten millennia, from now.

But if we work with all people of good will, keeping what is good and just in our societies, changing what is not, and learning from our mistakes — I think we can build a better world for tomorrow's families.

We certainly must try:
1 'Synod 14' (The XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops), from the Pope's viewpoint:
  • "Amoris Laetitia"
    Pope Francis, Vatican Press (March 18, 2016)(released April 8, 2016))
  • Homily
    Pope Francis, Synod 14 closing Mass (October 25, 2015)
2 From "Amoris Laetitia," page 5:
"...I must also say that the Synod process proved both impressive and illuminating. I am grateful for the many contributions that helped me to appreciate more fully the problems faced by families throughout the world. The various interventions of the Synod Fathers, to which I paid close heed, made up, as it were, a multifaceted gem reflecting many legitimate concerns and honest questions. For this reason, I thought it appropriate to prepare a post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation to gather the contributions of the two recent Synods on the family, while adding other considerations as an aid to reflection, dialogue and pastoral practice, and as a help and encouragement to families in their daily commitments and challenges...."
("Amoris Laetitia," Pope Francis (March 18, 2016)(released April 8, 2016))
3 From "Amoris Laetitia," page 4:
"...Unity of teaching and practice is certainly necessary in the Church, but this does not preclude various ways of interpreting some aspects of that teaching or drawing certain consequences from it. This will always be the case as the Spirit guides us towards the entire truth (cf. Jn 16:13), until he leads us fully into the mystery of Christ and enables us to see all things as he does. Each country or region, moreover, can seek solutions better suited to its culture and sensitive to its traditions and local needs. For 'cultures are in fact quite diverse and every general principle… needs to be inculturated, if it is to be respected and applied'.3..."
("Amoris Laetitia," Pope Francis (March 18, 2016)(released April 8, 2016))
[Link to John 16:13 added.]
More:
Some of my take on living in a big world:
4 The Bible, Magisterium, and Tradition, with a capital "T:"
  • "BIBLE: Sacred Scripture: the books which contain the truth of God's Revelation and were composed by human authors inspired by the Holy Spirit (105). The Bible contains both the forty-six books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament (120). See Old Testament; New Testament."
  • "MAGISTERIUM: The living, teaching office of the Church, whose task it is to give as authentic interpretation of the word of God, whether in its written form (Sacred Scripture), or in the form of Tradition. The Magisterium ensures the Church's fidelity to the teaching of the Apostles in matters of faith and morals (85, 890, 2033)."
  • "TRADITION: The living transmission of the message of the Gospel in the Church. The oral preaching of the Apostles, and the written message of salvation under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Bible), are conserved and handed on as the deposit of faith through the apostolic succession in the Church. Both the living Tradition and the written Scriptures have their common source in the revelation of God in Jesus Christ (75-82). The theological, liturgical, disciplinary, and devotional traditions of the local churches both contain and can be distinguished from this apostolic Tradition (83)."
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Sunday, September 20, 2015

Family, Firsts, and Francis: also Trading Cards


(From Libreria Editrice Vaticana, used w/o permission.)

Pope Francis arrived in Havana, Cuba, yesterday. It's his first stop on the latest apostolic journey:
The first two events in Havana today are Mass at Plaza de la Revolución, followed by a courtesy visit to Cuban officials at Palacio de la Revolución.

Weirdness Ahead?


Conspiracy buffs take note: Pope Francis plans to stay several days in Cuba, one of the last bastions of Marxist/Leninist politics.

I won't be surprised if 'down with Francis' enthusiasts warn about the Pope's 'communist sympathies.' Again.

Hue and cry over the 'communist crucifix' never quite got traction, maybe because too many folks realized it was a gift to the Pope. World leaders get all sorts of offbeat gifts. (July 19, 2015)

The Pope's first stops in the United States are in Washington, D.C. — I'll get back to that. Then he goes to New York City, for meetings at the United Nations, and an interreligious encounter at the Ground Zero memorial.

The United Nations1 meetings will probably ruffle some feathers:
"...The Secretary-General welcomes the visit of Pope Francis as an important part of a historic year in which the United Nations marks its 70th anniversary and in which Member States will take major decisions about sustainable development, climate change and the future peace and well-being of humankind.

"During the visit, Pope Francis will address the United Nations General Assembly. His Holiness will also have bilateral meetings with the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly and will participate in a town hall gathering with United Nations staff.

"The Secretary-General is confident that His Holiness Pope Francis's visit will inspire the international community to redouble its efforts to achieve human dignity for all through ensuring greater social justice, tolerance and understanding among all of the world's peoples."
("Visit of His Holiness Pope Francis at the UN Headquarters and public address," United Nations)
Cross-referencing the papal itinerary with durable conspiracy theories, I came up with a doozy: the Pope's visit is part of the New World Order's plot to establish the Fourth Reich through population control and mass media.

I think it sounds silly, but some folks might not: so I'd better explain that I'm just making this up. 

Apocalyptic prognostications are another perennial favorite, so someone may cook up another End Times prophecy — starring Obama as the Antichrist, the Catholic Church as Babylonian paganism, and the United Nations as a Zionist plot.

Or maybe not. I haven't heard a peep about the Papal corn alter in Paraguay, back in July: apart from a CNA article.

Corncobs and Rookie Cards



(From CNA, used w/o permission.)
("Papal altar at Asuncion's Ñu Guazú park in Paraguay. July 2015."
(CNA))
Spectacular Paraguay altar destined to be broken down, recycled
Catholic News Agency (July 12, 2015)

"Asunción, Paraguay, Jul 12, 2015 / 03:07 pm (CNA).- The more than 60,000 corncobs, 20,000 squashes and 150,000 coconuts that adorn the altarpiece in Asuncion’s Ñu Guazú park where Pope Francis celebrated Mass on the last day of his visit to Paraguay won't be going to waste.

"Now that the Mass and the Pope have come and gone, the products will be recycled.

" 'The coconuts will be used to make soap and the corncobs are destined to feed animals. The squash will be given to people. From it, a sweet called "andai" is made,' the artist, Kiko Ruiz, told CNA days before the celebration...."

(From CNA, used w/o permission.)
(Corncobs, coconuts, squashes, and the Pope, in Paraguay. (July 2015))

The altar was 131 feet long, almost 56 feet tall: more than 4,305 square feet covered with corn, coconuts and squash. The mosaics show St. Francis, left; and St. Ignatius of Loyola, right: recalling the Franciscan and Jesuit missions who evangelized Paraguay.

Getting back to the Pope's visit to Cuba and the United States, the Philadelphia Phillies have been giving away Pope Francis Rookie Cards. (cardboardconnection.com)


(From cardboardconnection.com, ABC6 News in Philadelphia; used w/o permission.)
("...Phillies-themed Pope Francis at the First Base and Third Base Kiosks...."
(CardboardConnection.com))


(From cardboardconnection.com, ABC6 News in Philadelphia; used w/o permission.)
("In addition to his basic info, the card is number 266 in honor of his spot in the chronological order of popes. It also notes his Papal Debut and Position."
(CardboardConnection.com))

This isn't the first time a Pope appeared on a trading card.

Pope Francis is on a 2013 Topps card. Beckett.com says Popes St. John Paul II, and Bl. Paul VI, and Leo XIII, had cards, too.

I think Becket.com's Ryan Cracknell has a good attitude about the 'Papal' trading cards:
"...The Pope Francis card looks like a fun piece with a definite late 1990s or early 2000s vibe to it. The bottom says that it’s a rookie card, an innocent nod to the hobby that does actually add to the presentation...."
(Ryan Cracknell, Becket.com (September 16, 2015))
One thing I appreciate about the cards pictured by CardboardConnection.com is that they seem to be fairly high quality.

I've opined about kitsch, schlock, and religious art, before. (August 17, 2013)

Another positive point about the new Papal trading cards is that they got their facts straight.

Two 'Firsts,' and Business as Usual


If all goes well, we'll have two 'firsts' next Wednesday: a canonization Mass in the United States, and a Pope addressing this nation's Congress.

Predictably, not everybody is happy about this:
That's understandable.

Father Junípero Serra's missionary activities "suppressed" local cultures here — much as Christian missionaries suppressed my ancestors' more colorful habits. (August 9, 2015)

More recently, Pope Francis upset quite a few folks with his 'environmental encyclical.' Instead of skimming through it, I've been studying the document — all 31,000-plus words.

As nearly as I can tell, the Pope says that we should behave as if we care about future generations. I can see where that would be controversial, since he also says 'business as usual' isn't acceptable.

The Pope's address to Congress apparently will include some concerns raised in "Laudato si'." Maybe that will prod me into studying the last few pages.

Getting a Grip about "Dominion"


Being rich or poor is okay. Having money isn't a problem: loving the stuff is. (1 Timothy 6:10; Hebrews 13:5; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2544, 2546)

The trick is being detached from wealth. (Catechism, 2556)

Everyone — rich, poor, and in between — has equal dignity. But we're not all alike: and aren't supposed to be. These differences include age, physical abilities, and wealth. (Catechism 357, 1934-1938)

We can use our differences as opportunities for generosity, kindness, and sharing of goods. Or we can decide to misuse them. (Catechism, 1937-1938)

Here's where I get back to environmental concerns, climate change, and "Laudato si'."

One of our jobs is having "dominion" of this world's resources. (Genesis 1:27)

"Dominion" is not ownership.

We're like the steward of an estate, or a shop foreman: with authority and responsibilities.

Making reasoned use of the world's resources is part of our job. So is making sure that future generations have what they'll need. (Catechism, 339, 952, 2402-2405, 2456)

Earth's climate has been changing for billions of years, and will, I think, continue to do so. But now that we're here, and have technology that affects climate, managing that change is our responsibility.

So is using our brains.

I've been over this before:

World Meeting of Families, 2015


Someone's sure to be upset after Pope Francis meets with Hispanics and other immigrants at Philadelphia's Independence Mall, and visits detainees at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility: either because of what they read in the news, or what they didn't read.

I've already run into imaginative comments — praising Pope Francis for his "openness" to non-traditional families, and criticizing him for the same reason.

As far as I can tell, it's like his 'changing stand on abortion.'

It's what our Lord told us: repentance is possible, and so is forgiveness.

Instead of pitching the first stone, Jesus told the woman whose accusers "went away one by one:" "Neither do I condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more." (John 8:3-11)

I've talked about sin, forgiveness, and the news, before. (September 6, 2015)

I checked out the World Meeting of Families Congress website yesterday. It's not the same as being there, but my online jaunts are a whole lot easier on the family budget.
Photos and an excerpt from the Pope's Family Day 2013 homily seems like a good way to wrap this up:


(Copyright Photographic Service L'Osservatore Romano, www.photo.va - email: photo@ossrom.va; used w/o permission.)
"...True joy comes from a profound harmony between persons, something which we all feel in our hearts and which makes us experience the beauty of togetherness, of mutual support along life's journey. But the basis of this feeling of deep joy is the presence of God, the presence of God in the family and his love, which is welcoming, merciful, and respectful towards all. And above all, a love which is patient: patience is a virtue of God and he teaches us how to cultivate it in family life, how to be patient, and lovingly so, with each other. To be patient among ourselves. A patient love. God alone knows how to create harmony from differences. But if God’s love is lacking, the family loses its harmony, self-centredness prevails and joy fades. But the family which experiences the joy of faith communicates it naturally. That family is the salt of the earth and the light of the world, it is the leaven of society as a whole.

"Dear families, always live in faith and simplicity, like the Holy Family of Nazareth! The joy and peace of the Lord be always with you!"
(Holy Mass for the Family Day,"2, Pope Francis (October 27, 2013))
Part two of Synod 14 starts in about a month, and that's another topic.

So are these posts, more or less:
1 I'm no great fan of the United Nations — or the United States Congress. But these institutions are what we have to work with today. (July 5, 2015; August 24, 2014)

Tomorrow — I hope that we will eventually cobble together an international authority "with the necessary competence and power" to settle disputes with justice and mercy. (Catechism, 2308; "Gaudium et Spes," 79)

That will take time, and a great deal of effort, but I think we can. We certainly must try:
"...We must overcome our fear of the future. But we will not be able to overcome it completely unless we do so together. The 'answer' to that fear is neither coercion nor repression, nor the imposition of one social 'model' on the entire world. The answer to the fear which darkens human existence at the end of the twentieth century is the common effort to build the civilization of love, founded on the universal values of peace, solidarity, justice, and liberty...."
("To the United Nations Organization," Pope St. John Paul II (October 5, 1995)
2 Full text of the Pope's homily:
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Sunday, August 30, 2015

Mother — When mamma prays

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2015:

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2015

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
August 30, 2015 (and following Sundays)

I have titled this homily, "Mother" with a subtitle, "When mama prays".

We are taught in our class on Homiletics that we are to take from Scripture the basis to our homilies. This will be a little difficult this weekend because this homily was prepared for last week's readings. But nevertheless we can take from this Gospel reading the last two sentences, "They were exceedingly astonished and they said, he has done all things well. He makes the deaf to hear and the mute speak". This fits the purpose of my homily this way. If we are to be other Christ's in the world should we not do as he did? When mama prays.

Jumping back to last week reading from the same Gospel, how the Jews traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. Which reminds me of the story that my mother told of working for a Jewish family in the Twin Cities before she was married and how she had one time used a meat knife to cut butter, the man of the house was quite horrified and took a tea kettle of hot water to scald that knife back to purity.

Mother also taught us when we were very young how they used to pray the rosary in Bluffton, in German. They would insert in the Hail Mary a few words reflecting on the mystery that they were praying. An example would go something like this: Hail Mary full grace the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women and Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus, .... who was announced, would be the first of joyful mysteries, .... holy Mary mother of God......... this little insert in the Hail Mary helps to keep our minds on the mystery that we are praying and it can be used for all of the 20 mysteries of the rosary including the new Luminary Mysteries. When mama prays.

My Agnes is gone for me now 11 years as of last week. Her claim to fame was and is that she is a mother. Good wife as well she told father Andrew shortly before she died that she was happy that Lawrence was a Deacon it would give them something to do. The first Christmas after her death we found enough of her rosaries to give each one of the grandchildren a rosary along with one that stays by my chair. When mama prays!

A week ago Thursday when we were at Mass at St. Paul's we found it to be the feast day of St. Monica. Her claim to fame, was as much that she was a mother but more so a mother who prays. She was born in North Africa, a Christian married to a pagan, yet it is said, that she remain faithful and was concerned that all of the Christian values were made prominent in her home. She had three children, one to be St. Augustine, which is a story in itself but most important is Monica prayed for her husband and her children, for 17 years. Finally her husband and Augustine embraced the Catholic faith. When mama prays.

A week ago Tuesday when we where at Mass at St. Paul's we saw all these women arrayed in front of us. Yes, there were a few man but for the most part all women representing Holy Family School. More than anything else every women there, was and are mothers, whether maternal or spiritual, who have taken on the responsibility of teaching our children. Taken now from the second reading of St. James, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself undefiled by the world." How easy it would be to add to this passage the instruction of our little ones. When mama prays.

When I would teach my seventh graders concerning the Corporal and Spiritual works of Mercy I would use their mothers as the prime example: we don't have time for everything but let's take a look at the Corporal works of Mercy as relates to mother. Who feeds you when you're hungry? Who gave you to drink when you are thirsty, who clothes your nakedness, who provide you shelter, who visited you when you were sick, who came to you when you were imprisoned in your crib our playpen? And how many mothers have had to bury their own children? When mama prays!

With the Spiritual works of Mercy we find mother converting the sinner, instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, comforting the sorrowful, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving injuries, and praying for the living and the dead. Why does mother go through all this torment and pain to instruct her little ones, the simplest answer to all of this is that mothers know full well, instinctively, that they are to one day populate heaven along with their children. When mama prays!

We think today of St. Faustina, a spiritual mother to all of us and who spent her entire life interceding before the throne of the Merciful Jesus on our behalf.

When mama prays!

We can think of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton a mother of five and yet founding the first Native American religious community for women the Sisters of Charity and opened parish schools and Catholic orphanages. When mama prays!

We could go on and on remembering all the mothers in Heaven who still Pray for us because they wish for us to join them! When mama prays!

Finally we take a look at Mary the mother of Jesus and our Spiritual Mother, not because she is the last on the list but because she is a total example of motherhood, who taught her Son to pray and for sure she taught in the Psalms. She joined her Son in His Passion and Death, and as prophecy would dictate a sword of sorrow pierced her Miraculous Heart. Even though she must have received word from her Son that at the appointed time they would be together in Heaven and she would be crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth, nevertheless seeing her Son suffer so, must've nearly broken her heart and maybe did. Holy Mary mother of God, pray for us!

I speak now, not only of mothers, but dads and children as well! The one assurance we have, here, as family is to gather around the altar of God, really not only on Sunday but as often as possible, again for a simple reason, there is no greater happening on Earth than what takes place on this altar. There is nothing more beneficial to our community, nation and world then what happens right here in a few moments from now.

Now in part the reason for this homily, is titled when mama prayed, by Randy Travis. [Deacon Kaas explained that one of his granddaughters, my daughter, often played guitar and sang when visiting. A favorite song on these occasions is "When Mama Prayed." — B. H. Gill]

So you all be Good, be Holy, preached the Gospel always using Words and Holy Actions!
'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.
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Sunday, July 12, 2015

Sex, Satan, and Me: Getting a Grip

This post is about sex, Catholic Style.

Now that I've got your attention, a little background.

I'm a Catholic: an adult convert, so I'm rather gung-ho about my faith.

This post is longer than most 'Sunday' ones: mostly because I discuss a recent Supreme Court decision in the context of love, free will, and Addams Family Values:
There are a few things I must believe, and must do, if I'm going to be Catholic.

For starters, I must love God, love my neighbor, see everybody as my neighbor, and treat others as I want to be treated.

That's not easy, but it's a requirement. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31, 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism, 1789)

More accurately, I must try. I've talked about faith, works, and very bad ideas, before. (March 22, 2015; March 15, 2015)

I also must respect Tradition, with a capital "T:" a living transmission of our faith, managed by the Holy Spirit. (Catechism, 77-79)

Lower-case "tradition," clinging to the world of Leave It to Beaver and Happy Days, is something else. We can't bring back the past. (July 5, 2015)

Accepting the status quo isn't an option, either. One of our jobs is building a better world, moving ahead. (Catechism, 1928-1942, 2419-2442)

I also must believe that I can decide what I do or don't do. I can accept or refuse truth. I have free will. That freedom includes responsibility for consequences of my decisions. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 144, 150, 1730-1742)

Next, why I think Satan isn't a good role model.

Satan, Sin, and Being Human


Angels had free will,1 like us: but unlike us, they don't have bodies. We're very different kinds of creatures, and that's another topic. Topics. (Catechism, 328-330, 355-373)

Satan is our name for an angel who decided that he'd reject God. The first of us, like dummkopfs, listened to him: and we've been dealing with consequences of that decision ever since. (Genesis 3:5; 2 Peter 2:4; Catechism, 391-395, 412)

Satan is not God's evil twin, an opposite and equal power of darkness. He is a powerful creature: but just a creature, a created person like each of us. (Catechism, 285, 395)
"...'The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.' "
(Catechism, 391; quoting Lateran Council IV (1215))
Okay — Satan is a fallen angel, and angels are creatures with no bodies. Then why are there so many pictures of angels and their fallen counterparts?

Short answer: the pictures are visual metaphors. A metaphor is "a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable." (Oxford Dictionaries)

I could decide to follow Satan's example, and say "no" to God: but that doesn't make sense. Not to me. Satan is powerful; but just a creature, like me.

In the end, each of us decides whether we say "yes" or "no" to God. I think following Joshua's and Peter's example makes sense. (Joshua 24:15; John 6:68-69)

That's because I like truth, and think what I do should make sense. Besides, I've found that truth is easier to deal with than lies: in the long run.
"Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as 'an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.'121"
(Catechism, 1849)
We can sin by using our bodies: but our bodies aren't bad. Genesis sums up God's evaluation of the universe, and us:
"God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good...."
(Genesis 1:31)
We're creatures made of the stuff of this world and in the image of God: body and soul, matter and spirit. What we do with our body, mind, and soul — is up to us. (Catechism, 355-373, 1730-1742)

Not Living in the Past


It's been more than a decade since some folks made a big deal out of "family values" — I'll get back to that — and Scott Rudin produced "Addams Family Values."

Some of the "family values" stuff was probably just another campaign slogan or marketing gimmick. But I suspect that other folks who declared their support for "family values" wanted America to return to the 'good old days' of the 1950s.

Ancient Greeks called their 'good old days' the Golden Age, Χρυσὸν Γένος Chryson Genos: a mythological time when everything was spiffy. Other folks had pretty much the same idea, expressing it differently.

Some of my ancestors apparently thought that gullaldr would come after Ragnarök: which they were looking forward to.

That was then, this is now, and I'm a Christian: a Catholic. I take the Bible, Sacred Scripture, very seriously. (Catechism, 101-133)

But I don't assume the Bible was written by a poetically-challenged contemporary Westerner (September 19, 2014)

Getting back to the idea of a Golden Age, what I gather from Genesis 3:1-21 is that the first of us lost no time in messing up our original harmony. (Catechism, 398-400)

Genesis?!

Considering the craziness surrounding science and religion since the mid-19th century, I'd better repeat my views —

I could be a Christian, following my Lord, if I believed that we live on a flat plate with nothing but a solid dome between us and the cosmic ocean.

But my faith doesn't depend on ignorance of what we've learned in the last two dozen or so centuries. (March 29, 2015)

I think the universe is billions, not thousands, of years old; Earth isn't flat; Adam and Eve weren't German; poetry isn't science; and thinking is not a sin. (November 21, 2014)

Respect, Dignity, and Drunk Driving


An important 'family value' is respect. Bear with me: this isn't the old fashioned 'I'm your father/husband, so you serve me' thing. Respect goes both ways.

Children have duties, including respect for parents. (Catechism, 2214-2220)

Parents have duties, too. We're to see our kids as children of God, and respect them as human persons. (Catechism, 2221-2231)

The respect between parent and child has its limits. For example, I can't tell my kids to get married — or not get married. Deciding what their jobs will be is out, too: even if it's a family tradition. (Catechism, 2230)

Not all parents observe these principles, more's the pity.

I'm also expected to show respect for the dignity of the human person. (Catechism, 1929-1933, 2284-2301)

The love and respect I should have for others, all others, doesn't include unthinking approval. You may be too young to remember the old "friends don't let friends drive drunk" campaign: but that's the sort of love I'm supposed to have.

Love isn't necessarily approval. Not letting a friend drive drunk is tacit disapproval of his or her decision: but it is, arguably, a loving act. Labeling someone a useless drunkard, maybe not so much. (March 15, 2015)

Attitudes about drunk drivers have changed a lot since the 'good old days,' and the change didn't come easily. Not letting a sozzled buddy have the keys may have ended some friendships: but I'm guessing that it saved a few lives.

Chastity: It's Not What You Think


Sex is not a mistake.
"God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them....

"God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good...."
(Genesis 1:27, 31)
First of all, forget that dusty 'Lives of the Saints' book with its 19th-century illustrations. Not all Saints were darling children dying horribly, or socially-challenged recluses.

True, St. Catherine of Vadstena is notable because she and her husband took a vow of absolute chastity: but she's a daughter of St. Bridget of Sweden.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Thomas More, and Saint Monica, are other married Saints: and so is St. Gianna Beretta Molla, whose canonization ceremony was attended by her husband and children.

Married Saints make sense: given the Catholic idea of chastity.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines chastity as "the state of not having sex with anyone."

As Catholics, my wife and I are supposed to live chaste lives: which, according to Merriam-Webster, would make our kids very hard to explain.

The answer involves what we believe about humans.

We think humans are animals, but not just animals. We're a special sort of animal: endowed with reason, capable of understanding and discernment. (Catechism, 1951)

We think we are people: rational and therefore like God, made in the image and likeness of God; created with free will, masters over our actions. We think all humans are people, with equal dignity: no matter where they are, who they are, or how they act. (Catechism, 360, 1700-1706, 1730-1825, 1932-1933, 1935)

Mind you: being rational, having brains, doesn't mean that we must act rationally. Like I said, we have free will: and can decide to do something daft, or not.

Being animals, humanity is male and female: men and women with "an equal personal dignity."2 (Catechism, 2331-2336)

I've discussed clownfish, banana slugs, the New Mexico whiptail, and getting a grip, before. (April 3, 2015)

That gets me back to the Catholic meaning of "chastity."
"Chastity means the integration of sexuality within the person. It includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery."
(Catechism, 2395)
Someone who lives without sexual intercourse may be living a "chaste" life: or not.
"19 'You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'

"But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
(Matthew 5:27-28)
That does not mean that every time I feel affection for my wife, I'm digging a deeper pit for myself in Hell. Sexuality is part of human nature. We're supposed to be sexual creatures. However, we're also supposed to be rational creatures: making decisions with our brains, not our glands.

Human sexuality is part of our nature. It's good, it's special. But like anything else, it can be misused.3 (Catechism, 2331-2336)

Law, Love, and Nine Judges


If the United States Supreme Court had ruled that OSHA regulations 1926.502(a) through 1926.502(c)(2) were "unconstitutional"4 — I might be explaining why guardrails and safety nets are still a good idea.

That hasn't happened, and I doubt that Congress will try to repeal the law of gravity. But the Supreme Court did decide that same-sex marriage is legal.

I think that's a bad idea, since I think marriage is a profoundly human, sexual, and blessed, union between two people: a man and a woman. (Catechism, 1601-1617, 1621-1624)

My country's highest court has made regrettable judgments before, and probably will again.

I'm nowhere near as upset as some folks apparently are: partly because I've been paying attention to judicial antics for about a half-century now, partly because I know a bit of America's history.

I'm confident that the universe, and humanity, will endure: and that we will still be sorting out this mess a century from now.

Resources listed under "Background," below, show what Catholic bishops in my country and state say about marriage, family, and the recent Supreme Court decision.

I'm not happy about the Supreme Court decision, but — I don't hate people. I'm not allowed to.

If I hated used car salesmen, redheads, or judges: my job would be rooting out that hatred, not expressing it. It's that "love my neighbor" thing.

I certainly don't hate folks who experience sexual urges which aren't just like mine. That'd be daft: and quite hypocritical.

Despite the impression some folks apparently have, the Catholic Church isn't — as far as I can tell — obsessed with sex, and is even less focused on homosexuality. Only three of the Catechism's two dozen or so paragraphs discussing the vocation to chastity, in the Catholic sense, deal with folks who experience homosexual attraction. (Catechism, 2337-2359)

One of those paragraphs includes very direct instructions for everybody else who claims to follow our Lord:
"...They [folks with deep-seated homosexual tendencies] must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided...."
(Catechism, 2358)
That "respect, compassion, and sensitivity" has been notably lacking in assorted rants and screeds I've seen since June 26, 2015.

What can I say? Some Christians, including Catholic Christians, aren't exhibiting the love and heroic virtue shown by Saints. And that's another yet topic. (September 1, 2013)

Background:
More of my take on life, love, and not being daft:
1 Verb tense is awkward, when describing creatures who live/exist outside time.

Angels, those who decided/decide/will decide/have decided/continue to decide that saying "yes" to God makes sense, are always with God. The angels who decided/decide/will decide/have decided/continue to decide that they'd rather say "no" to God — don't.

"God is infinitely greater than all his works.... To God, all moments of time are present in their immediacy...." (Catechism, 300, 600)

The angels who were/are/will be/continue to be with or apart from God — can and do interact with us, but they're not 'inside' space and time as we 'currently' are. (Catechism, 300, 328-333, 391-395, 600, 1085)

2 "Equal dignity" doesn't mean that humanity is — or should be — a bunch of mass-produced identical clones. Some of us are smarter, or less intelligent, stronger or weaker, richer or poorer, more or less talented; than others. Again, that's okay. (Catechism, 1934-1938)

3 Definitions:
"Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes."
(Catechism, 2351)
"SIN: An offense against God as well as a fault against reason, truth, and right conscience. Sin is a deliberate thought, word, deed, or omission contrary to the eternal law of God. In judging the gravity of sin, it is customary to distinguish between mortal and venial sins (1849, 1853, 1854)."
(Catechism, Glossary, S)
4 Give me a running start, and no sense of responsibility, and I might cobble together an argument that gravity is "unconstitutional:" based on emanations from the Constitution's Preamble; and Article I, Section 8. The text mentions liberty and weights — add generous dollops of imagination and pretentious syntax, and gravity might seem optional.
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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.