Prayer! Meditation! Science!

I've been writing about science quite often, which is no surprise since I'm fascinated by this creation and how it works.

A Catholic could practice our faith and never try to learn how this universe works: although I think that would be an odd way to show respect for its Creator, and that's another topic.

Prayer, on the other hand, is important. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2697-2699) So is meditation. I've put a quick overview of prayer and meditation, Catholic style, at the end of this post.¹

Prayer

Prayer can be just talking to God. When I pray, I often use the same sort of language I'd use when talking to the boss of my boss's boss.

Sometimes I use the sort of semi-archaic, very formal, language: the sort of "dost thou speakest unto this, your humble servant" thing that some folks see as very 'religious.' Others doth perceive with the ears of their heads such utterances and ponder what fools these beadles be.

I like formal language, but I also like contemporary English. I figure God understands both: and any other language, for that matter.

Meditation

I've run into some folks who think meditation is groovy, others who think it's silly, and some who are convinced that it's Satanic. Not everyone who's afraid of meditation is a Protestant whack job. Some Catholics don't know our faith very well, and that's almost another topic.

I wouldn't try to convince a zealot, but Psalms 139 is a meditation on God's omnipresence and omniscience. Daniel 9 is another sort of meditation.

Then there's this recommendation for meditating on the commandments of God:

"Reflect on the precepts of the LORD, let his commandments be your constant meditation; Then he will enlighten your mind, and the wisdom you desire he will grant."
(Sirach 6:37)

I suppose by some standards, that's not "Biblical," since some Protestants edited Sirach out of their Bible. More topics.

Science

Not all Catholics are as interested in science as I am, some are scientists, and we all follow our faith as best we can: or should. I didn't become a Catholic because there's a 'Vatican science academy,' and that's yet another topic.

Ever since a snit between Victorian gentlemen, the weird notion that science and religion are at war has been popular in some circles. That may be finally going the way of fainting couches, for which I'm duly grateful.

As a Catholic, religion and science get along just fine. Each is, in its own way, a search for truth:

"...methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God...."
(Catechism, 159)

And that's - what else? - yet again another topic.

Related posts:

• Prayer
  • "Guilt and Group Discounts"
    (April 14, 2013)
    Particularly
    • Pleasure, Reason, and Balance
    • Sin, Real and Imagined
  • "Prayer, Technology, and Looking Ahead"
    (February 24, 2013)
  • "Still Learning to Pray"
    (February 17, 2013)
  • "Remembering the '60s; Praying for America"
    (November 6, 2012)
    Particularly
    • 'The Good Old Days' - Weren't"
  • "Ash Wednesday, 2012: Another Lent, Another Chaplet"
    (February 22, 2012)
    (includes short video)
• Meditation
  • "Yoga, Ephesians, and Getting a Grip"
    (May 30, 2011)
  • "Aspergers, Meditation, Tolerance and a Loud Pump"
    (September 3, 2010)
  • "Catholics aren't Klingons"
    (April 27, 2010)
  • "Fourth Sunday in ordinary Time, 2010"
    (January 31, 2010)
  • "Working on Sunday: At Growing the Christian Interior Life"
    (January 2, 2010)
• Science
  • "Antigravity Experiments, Quantum Entanglement, and Making Kidneys"
    (May 3, 2013)
  • "Love, Neighbors, and Asteroids"
    (April 26, 2013)
  • "Spaceships, Robots, and Being Catholic"
    (April 12, 2013)
  • "Studying the Builder's Craft"
    (April 5, 2013)
  • "DNA, Voyager 1, Habitable Worlds, and the Universe"
    (March 22, 2013)

---

¹ About prayer and meditation:

• Prayer
  • Is important
    (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2697-2699)
  • May be
    • Vocal
      (Catechism, 2700-2704)
    • Contemplative
      (Catechism, 2709-2719)
• Meditation
  • Is a quest
    (Catechism, 2705)
  • Opens the book of life
    (Catechism, 2706)
  • Methods are
    • Many and varied
    • Only a guide
    (Catechism, 2707)
  • Should be done regularly
    (Catechism, 2707)
• Advancing is important
  • With the Holy Spirit
  • Along the one way of prayer
    • Christ Jesus
  (Catechism, 2707)
• Strengthens our will to follow Christ by
  • Engaging
    • Thought
    • Imagination
    • Emotion
    • Desire
  • Thereby mobilizing what is necessary to
    • Deepen our convictions of faith
    • Prompt the conversion of our heart
    • Strengthen our will to follow Christ
• Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ
  • This form of prayerful reflection is of great value
    • But Christian prayer should go further, to
      • The knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus
      • Union with him
  (Catechism, 2708)

"Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain. We are usually helped by books, and Christians do not want for them: the Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers, works of spirituality, the great book of creation, and that of history—the page on which the 'today' of God is written."
(Catechism, 2705)

---

"There are as many and varied methods of meditation as there are spiritual masters. Christians owe it to themselves to develop the desire to meditate regularly, lest they come to resemble the three first kinds of soil in the parable of the sower.⁵ But a method is only a guide; the important thing is to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus."
(Catechism, 2707)

---

"Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him."
(Catechism, 2708)

---

Yoga, Ephesians, and Getting a Grip

My household has a Wii. Part of it belongs to #3 daughter, but we all use it now and then.

My wife, for example, uses the Wii Fit program for a series of exercises most mornings. One of the routines is a set of yoga exercises.

I could, taking my position as head of the household seriously, throw the Wii Fit DVD in a fire, smash the Wii, and forbid my wife ever to exercise again without my permission.

I could: but I think that would be a stupid thing to do. I've discussed Ephesians 5:21-30 before, by the way. (February 17, 2011¹)

Or I could, taking my position as head of the household seriously, see if there's a problem with regular exercise.

Is Regular Exercise Okay?

To begin with, the Church doesn't think that the physical world is evil, a product of the fall. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 285) That, in my opinion, at least hints that we shouldn't regard our bodies as something to ignore or neglect because they're not 'spiritual.'

There's that instruction to "heal the sick" (Catechism, 1509), so it looks like being sick isn't necessary for a Catholic - or desirable. The importance of maintaining good health is implied, at least, in the political community's duty to honor the family. (Catechism, 2211)

Since common sense seems to say that exercise - done regularly and in moderation - is good for a person's health, and that being healthy is not against Catholic teaching: My guess is that regular, moderate, exercise is something that a practicing Catholic may do.

Yoga - Definition Time

I think it's a good idea to know what words mean. Here's what a dictionary has to say about yoga:

• Yoga
  1. Discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility that is achieved through the three paths of actions and knowledge and devotion
  2. A system of physical, breathing and meditation exercises practiced to promote control of the body and mind
  (Princeton's WordNet)

Sometimes "Yoga" isn't "Yoga"

Yoga, with definition #1 in mind, isn't, in my considered opinion, a good idea. It seems to fall under the heading of "Erroneous Ways of Praying" that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote about, back in 1989.²

That's not what my wife is doing. Not even close.

"Yoga," as "a system of physical, breathing and meditation exercises practiced to promote control of the body and mind," is pretty close to what's on the Wii Fit's set of routines. The physical and breathing part, anyway. I suppose someone could cobble together an argument that any routine is a sort of meditation - but I'm not going to try.

Looks like I don't need to destroy that DVD.

"Yoga," Words, and Getting a Grip

Why explain my reasons for not having a fit because my wife does stretching and breathing exercises? I've run into folks who assert that yoga is bad: and something that Catholics shouldn't do. They're right, sort of, but often don't explain what they mean by "yoga."

That, I think, isn't a good idea. Particularly when someone who knows about yoga as a set of stretching exercises hears "the Church forbids yoga." The idea could register as 'proof' that Catholic faith is for folks who aren't reasonable - or particularly healthy.

Not, perhaps, the best message.

Then there's "meditation," which is something that I'm supposed to do, if possible, on Sunday. (Catechism, 2186) And that's another topic.

Slightly-related posts:

• "Called to Holiness, Not Stupidity"
  (February 6, 2011)
• "Catholics and the Common Cold"
  (May 19, 2010)
• " 'If you must see ghosts ...' Materialism, Being Spiritual, and Uncle Deadly"
  (December 18, 2009)
• "Are You a Boy, or Are You a Girl?"
  (September 26, 2009)
• "Modesty: Living in Balance"
  (August 16, 2009)

---

¹ Here's the usual disclaimer: I've got the full authority of "some guy with a blog." I don't speak for the Church. I do, however, try to be an informed layman who follows the teachings of the Bible, Tradition, and the Magisterium.

² See

• "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic CHurch on Some Aspects of Christian Meditation*"
  Joseph Card. Ratzinger, Alberto Bovone (Titular Archbishop of Caesarea in Numidia,
  Secretary) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (October 15, 1989)

Aspergers, Meditation, Tolerance and a Loud Pump

I spent the morning, and part of the afternoon, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, today: getting tested for Aspergers syndrome. Among other things. I know: Aspergers is something that's diagnosed in children. The screening I took for that is clearly aimed at pre-teens. What I'm doing now is following the 'better late than never' principle. About a half-century late, in my case.

I'll be going back in about two weeks. The testing was supposed to be a one-day thing, but after talking with me, the doctor decided that she'd cast a wider net. I sometimes inspire that reaction in people.

All of which explains why I saw a sign that would have read something like "chapel" back when my hairline was near the front of my head.

Not a "Chapel"

A sign in a sort of vestibule reads:

"Welcome
---To Rest
---To Think
---To Pray
---To Be"

I thought having a room like this - and presenting it in this way - was a pretty good idea.


"Meditation Prayer Room" at CentraCare Health Plaza, St. Cloud, Minnesota. September 3, 2010

I also realized that someone could be terribly affronted, offended, and/or appalled at those words. For a number of - reasons? Let's say for a number of points. I'm not convinced that reason has all that much to do with this sort of negative reaction.

I'm exaggerating the points for the sake of clarity and brevity. Not by much, though, in some cases.

• The name of the room is wrong
  • Those rooms are "chapels"
  • Meditation is Satanic
  • Prayer is superstition
• The words in the vestibule are wrong
  (To rest, think, pray, be)
  • "To be?!" That's New Age evil!!
  • Those rooms are "chapels"
  • I don't like it

Most folks, I think, at least in this part of America, have gotten used to the idea that this isn't the fifties or sixties any more, and have the common sense to use the room for the uses outlined: to rest, think, pray, and just to "be" for a few minutes.

The room itself is quite restfully designed and decorated. In my opinion. I hope it's a sunny day two weeks from now, when I come back: I'm curious to see what it looks like with sunlight coming in through the skylight.


Restful colors, water sculpture: and a loud pump. September 3, 2010

That dark shape is a sort of water sculpture - and represents the only criticism I've got for the place. The sound of running water is quite pleasant and soothing - and water has symbolic significance in my background that could start useful meditations.

Just one problem: The pump inside the water sculpture makes about as much sound as the water running over the shapes. I like mechanical sounds, as a rule: but this didn't fit the ambiance.

The stained glass is in a pleasantly abstract pattern - without religious significance as far as I could tell.

The chairs, the colored glass, that sculpture and the loud pump are what first caught my attention when I entered the room. Looking around, I found - what else, in a place like this? Gideon Bibles.


Gideon Bibles: They're everywhere. September 3, 2010

Also a Bible without "Gideon" on the front, and some other literature.

"Meditation Prayer Room" - Why am I Not Offended?

Rooms like that were generally called "chapels" when I was growing up. Then, as now, they provided a place where folks could sit and sort out thoughts, feelings, and memories. It's nice to be able to do that in a quiet setting - particularly if we're either waiting to learn what 'the results' are, or have just gotten unsoothing news.

If it were just for me, I'd like a place like that to have a crucifix where that water sculpture is, pictures of saints on the walls - St. Jude comes to mind - and a basin of holy water at hand. Naturally enough, since I'm a practicing Catholic.

Not everybody in central Minnesota is. We've got Protestants (Lutherans, Baptists, you-name-it), Jews, folks who don't approve of God being around, and - for quite a few years now - Muslims. Also, in all probability, Buddhists and folks who follow quite a few other beliefs.

Millions of people live in this state: and we're not all alike. (U. S. Census Bureau) I like it, but even if I didn't: that's the way it is. It isn't reasonable to expect a public facility to cater to my own preferences - or that of the various groups I'm part of.

Tolerance in America: Sometimes Grudging, but There

American isn't perfect. This country doesn't have a perfect record on anything: from Olympic gold medals to tolerating people who aren't 'regular Americans.'

'Real Americans' have been trying to 'protect' the Anglo-Saxon States of America from Catholics, foreigners and other dangerously un-American influences for centuries. (September 26, 2008) Which I think is rather silly - but then my ancestry and family isn't all that 'pure.' Good thing, too - look what happened to the Hapsburgs. Which is another topic.

Happily, from my point of view, 'real Americans' have been profoundly unsuccessful at keeping everybody who wasn't just like them out. Arguably, one of the reasons that this country has - haltingly, grudgingly - accepted the idea of religious tolerance is that folks who settled here weren't all alike. Many left the British isles so that they could worship the way they wanted: not as their king said they should.

By the time 1776 rolled around, there was quite a patchwork of believers in the 13 colonies - some of whom had been at each others' throats back home. Instead of restarting religious wars, they decided to bury the hatchet. Not, surprisingly, in the other fellow's back.

And that was just with the mostly-English colonists. Those troublesome Irish were already here: but they must have seemed positively British, compared to the waves of immigrants that started sloshing ashore.

Over two hundred years later, we've still got folks coming to America: which I see as a considerable vote of confidence. Yet another topic.

That "Meditation Prayer Room?" Okay: so it would have been called a "chapel" when I was in my teens. I might like a room with its function to contain a crucifix.

I'm just happy that a room like that is there. There are folks who really don't like to acknowledge the spiritual side of human nature - and I see that "Meditation Prayer Room" as an affirmation that people are more than a mass of protoplasm and cultural conditioning.

Sort-of-related posts:

• "Assumptions About Religion, and American Rules of Etiquette"
  (April 14, 2010)
• "Prayer, Medicine and Trusting God"
  (March 4, 2010)
• "Religion Doesn't Cause Intolerance?!"
  (February 27, 2010)
• "Medication for Depression? Yeah: The Catholic Church is Okay With That"
  (February 25, 2010)
• "Jesus Christ, Beer, Tobacco, Idols and Indian Law"
  (February 22, 2010)
• "Hating People: Not a Good Idea"
  (January 22, 2010)
• "Tolerance: Yes, it's a Good Idea"
  (August 3, 2009)

Catholics aren't Klingons

Maybe you've heard this, in a "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode. Maybe not. Not everybody's a "Star Trek" Fan.

"Counselor Troi: I know Klingons like to be alone on their birthdays. You probably want to meditate or hit yourself with a pain stick or something."
("Star Trek: The Next Generation," Parallels (1993), quoted on IMDB)

I watched "...Next Generation" when it was airing: and liked some aspects of the 2nd Trek series. Including that line.

Catholics aren't Klingons: Quite

"You probably want to meditate or hit yourself with a pain stick or something" was funny, in context. It's also pretty close to the way quite a few Americans view Catholics. My opinion.

That's an informed opinion. I was born into a nice, mainstream-Protestant family. We lived in a part of the country where many folks were terribly, terribly Christian (just ask them). Quite a number of these Christians believed with a holy(?) passion that those Satanic Catholics over there were anything but.

Needles to say, I got interested in Catholics and Catholicism. Think about it: what teenage boy isn't fascinated, at least a little, by something big and bad?

Then, after digging into the last several thousand years of humanity's story, I converted to the 'Whore of Babylon.' (These days, it's "Queen of Whores - tomato, tomahto.) But my conversion is another topic.

Growing up outside Catholicism, and converting well into my adulthood, gives me a perspective that cradle Catholics don't have.

Let's face it: to outsiders, we look weird. Strange. Alien.

Sort of like Star Trek's Klingons.

I don't mean the bumpy foreheads of the "Star Trek" movies and later series: I mean inside, where it counts.

"Star Trek's" Klingons are pagans, by the way: quite a bit like my Norse and Celtic forebears. A bit more civilized, though. Klingons didn't, as I recall, conduct 'human' sacrifice. My ancestors did. Well into historical times.

Catholics worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Three Persons, One God. Pagans we're not. (We aren't polytheists, by the way - but I don't know how the Trinity works)

And, we're real.

(Father Dowling isn't: Which is yet again another topic.)

Catholics: Strange People With a Thing For Pain?

Quite a few folks, in America at least, if they think about those Catholics at all, are likely see us as strange people with a thing for pain and suffering. Or dupes of warped men. Or people working for some sort of international corporation. (I wish I was kidding about that. Which is yet another topic. (February 4, 2010, for starters)

The idea that Catholicism is all about pain and suffering is, to me, very understandable. The Desert Fathers - 17 centuries back, was it? - left a lasting impression. Then there are all those 'lives of the saints' books from the 19th and early-20th centuries: full of brave little saints dying horribly, with brave little smiles on their cherubic faces.

Some people find those books spiritually uplifting. Me? Not so much: although I've learned to appreciate that sort of spirituality. Another topic.

Martyrdom is a sort of fast-track to sainthood: but not all saints are martyrs. ("Saints: That's so Medieval" (February 14, 2010))

Then there are people who punish themselves - severely, sometimes - because they think that's what God wants them to do. Yes: sometimes we need to suffer. The way I see it, if I need to suffer, I can count on God to supply that spiritual medicine.

Besides, the point of suffering is more about penance than about feeling pain. (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1434-1439, for starters) And penance involves a whole lot. Like praying, fasting, almsgiving, and reading the Bible.

By the way: particularly because of some medical conditions I've been blessed with, I needed to look up Catholic teaching about using our brains when it comes to health care:

• "Prayer, Medicine and Trusting God"
  (March 4, 2010)
  • Bottom line: "trusting" doesn't mean "stupid"

Catholics: We say that we must trust God (215); and we go to doctors anyway? No wonder some folks think we're hypocrites.

Catholics and Crucifixes

Then there are those crucifixes.

There's a joke about a boy who was giving his parents and teachers trouble, so his folks sent him to a Catholic school. Coming home after the first day, he went straight to the kitchen table, opened his books and did his homework. All of it. A week later, it still was the same story. His parents asked him why he was studying so hard. The boy replied, "you said they were disciplined there? They've got one guy nailed to the wall!"

A Catholic crucifix can be a little - unsettling - to someone who's not used to them. Particularly if the Corpus is life-size, with realistic coloring.

I'd say "lifelike," but that's a 3D representation of a dead body: a man who's been tortured to death. And, my Lord.

Which is why there are several small sculptures of a horribly-dead man on the walls of my home: and another, smaller, one hanging around my neck.

Klingon decor, anyone?

Acting Like Jesus Matters

Then, there's the sort of thing Garrison Keillor probably had in mind when he invented the "Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility Catholic Church" for Lake Wobegon.

We put a bit more emphasis, compared to some branches of Christianity, on acting like we give a rip about what Jesus said and did. Although individual Catholics may have - interesting - views, Robert Burns' "Holy Willie's Prayer" (1785) describes a distinctly non-Catholic approach to holiness.

Despite what you may have been told, by the way, Catholics do not believe that we can work our way into Heaven.

On the other hand, we do think that we're supposed to act like we take Jesus seriously. There's a pretty good discussion of faith and works in this article: "Introduction to the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy," insidecatholic.com (April 27, 2010) (A tip of the hat to newadvent, on Twitter, for the heads-up on that article.)

Works of mercy are things we do. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2447)

Let's put it this way: I'd just as soon not try explaining to my Lord why I said I followed him - while refusing to follow his orders.

Why do I Take Jesus Seriously?

Quite a few people have said that they're God. Jesus is one of them. What sets him apart is that, a few days after he'd been executed: he got up; traveled around; and had a working lunch with his followers. Then there was the time - after he'd been crucified, died, and was buried - that my Lord gave the eleven disciples their marching orders. (Matthew 28:16-20)

Worked for them: works for me.

Klingons Meditate: So do Catholics

Again: "Star Trek's" Klingons are fictional. Catholics aren't.

Still, there are points of similarity:

• Believing there's more to life than having a good time
• Taking duty seriously
• Meditating

I know: The "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Klingons mostly meditated off-screen - and their culture was modeled on non-Western cultures.

Well, cultures other than the contemporary Western one.

Christianity is a Really, like, Western Religion, isn't It?

No: and Jesus isn't an American.

Christianity "looks" Western because Europe (eventually) embraced Christianity: and European countries have been fairly prominent players in global affairs for the last few centuries. But my faith started out in lands at the east end of the Mediterranean: in Asia. For that matter, I've heard Christianity described as an "oriental mystery cult." There's something to that. Again, sort of.¹

Somewhere between five hundred and a thousand years from now, I suspect that 'everybody' may 'know' that Christianity is an African religion: but that's definitely another topic.

Catholicism is a universal faith. We've got a solid core, but the trimmings tend to reflect what folks in an area were doing before they heard of my Lord.

For example, at Our Lady of the Angels church, down the street from my house, we drag a tree inside each year, for Christmas. I wouldn't necessarily expect Catholics in Sri Lanka (we're there) or Cebu (we're there, too) to have this custom. It may not be a particularly good fit with their cultures.

Then there's liturgical dance. It's forbidden in Catholic churches: in the West. Other parts of the world, it's encouraged. Why? Dance means different things in different cultures. (January 10, 2010)

Wrenching myself back to the topic:

Catholics Meditate: How Weird is That?

I've heard that meditation is bad, foreign, Satanic: downright un-American. Granted, that was back in the sixties and seventies. Quite a few things were changing then: fast. Some folks take change better than others.

I'll grant that meditation probably isn't the first thing you think of, when you hear the word "American." We're a peppy - sometimes jittery - lot, and anything that involves sitting still and 'doing nothing' doesn't really appeal to many of us.

I'm an American, by the way: and on the whole I like the culture(s) I was born and raised in.

I'm also a Catholic, so I need to pay attention to what the Church says. Like this:

"The Lord leads all persons by paths and in ways pleasing to him, and each believer responds according to his heart's resolve and the personal expressions of his prayer. However, Christian Tradition has retained three major expressions of prayer: vocal, meditative, and contemplative. They have one basic trait in common: composure of heart. This vigilance in keeping the Word and dwelling in the presence of God makes these three expressions intense times in the life of prayer."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2699)

After that, there's quite a bit about

• Vocal prayer (2700-2704)
• Meditation (2705-2708)
• Contemplative Prayer (2709-2719)

Here's how the paragraphs on meditation start:

"Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking. The required attentiveness is difficult to sustain. We are usually helped by books, and Christians do not want for them: the Sacred Scriptures, particularly the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts of the day or season, writings of the spiritual fathers, works of spirituality, the great book of creation, and that of history - the page on which the 'today' of God is written."
(Catechism, 2705)

There's more, of course, about meditation. In Catholicism, it seems like there's always more.

I'll wrap this post up with another quote about meditation, Catholic style:

"There are as many and varied methods of meditation as there are spiritual masters. Christians owe it to themselves to develop the desire to meditate regularly, lest they come to resemble the three first kinds of soil in the parable of the sower.⁵ But a method is only a guide; the important thing is to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus."
(Catechism, 2707)

Related posts:

• "Scapulars and a Crucifix: Showing Where You Stand"
  (April 20, 2010)
• "The Catholic Church: Universal. Really"
  (April 19, 2010)
• "Pain, Grace, Sin, Penance, Renewal: The Pope Speaks"
  (April 15, 2010)
• "Catholicism isn't Nice: That, I Can Live With"
  (April 8, 2010)
• "Jesus Christ, Tough as Nails"
  (April 7, 2010)
• "Good Friday, Catholic Beliefs, and Fitting In"
  (April 3, 2010)
• "Saints: That's so Medieval"
  (February 14, 2010)
• "Those Realistic, Ghastly Crucifixes: There's a Reason"
  (January 19, 2010)
• "Accommodating Indigenous Cultures: Including Ours"
  (January 10, 2010)

---

¹ Oriental?! Christianity?!! Before someone has a stroke, let's look at what some words mean:

• Oriental:
  • "denoting or characteristic of countries of Asia" (Princeton's WordNet)
• Asia:
  • lands "...east of the Suez Canal, east of the Ural Mountains and south of the Caucasus Mountains (or the Kuma-Manych Depression)... and the Caspian and Black Seas... bounded on the east by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Indian Ocean and on the north by the Arctic Ocean"
    List of countries
  (Wikipedia, Asia)

I know: "Asia" is a word in a Western language. People living in Asia see themselves as members of distinct cultures: Sort of like Italians think they're not quite identical to Germans or the Irish. "Oriental" is in that enormous list of words that are "offensive." Well, this isn't a perfect world. Moving on.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and (after some time in Egypt) grew up in Nazareth. He was executed in Jerusalem. All those places, except for (most of) Egypt, are in that Wikipedia list of "Asian" countries. And "Oriental is "denoting or characteristic of countries of Asia."

I don't see that it's so crazy to think that Christianity started out in Asia. The Church making its headquarters in Rome made sense, at the time: For the first few centuries, Rome was sort of like New York City, Washington, London, and Paris for lands around the Mediterranean. Now, not so much: but after about 2,000 years you have to expect a little change.

"Mystery cult?" Well, I don't feel all that good about the word "cult:" but I can see the point. Again with a definition:

• Greco-Roman mysteries
  • "Mystery religions, sacred Mysteries or simply Mysteries, were religious cults of the Greco-Roman world, participation in which was reserved to initiates...."
  (Wikipedia, Greco-Roman mysteries)

Okay: I can see the connection, sort of.

Christians generally practice baptism. For Catholics, it's a sacrament. (Catechism, 1213-1274) The Eucharist is something reserved for baptized Catholics - with some qualifiers.

So, yeah: Catholicism is a mystery religion. Sort of.

As for being secretive about what we believe, or what's involved? We're ordered to tell about who (and whose) we are, what we do, and why we do it. Take the Eucharist, for example. (Catechism, 1322-1419)

Fourth Sunday in ordinary Time, 2010

Readings for January 31, 2010, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time:

• Jer 1:4-5, 17-19
• 1 Cor 12:31-13:13 or 13:4-13
• Lk 4:21-30

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Fourth Sunday in ordinary Time, 2010

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
January 31, 2010

Ecclesiology is a big word Father used last week and is from the word Ecclesial pertaining to the Church as the community of believers, with stress on their Faith and union through Love, and on the invisible operation of divine grace among the faithful. I'm telling you this because we had to take a course on the subject before ordination. Our teacher was Abbot Jerome and he gives us this book to read and of course you look who wrote it and it says, Abbot Jerome, so I'm wondering is this the only way to get rid of this book?

As the story goes we are assigned to read the first three chapters for the first class. OK, so I read the chapters and Oh my Gosh, what did he try to say? So the next class I finally raised my hand and asked, "Abbot what were you trying to say in these three chapters?" And he laughed, and said you'll understand the rest of the book, so I said, "why would you write something that no one can understand?" You have to keep your standing in academia somehow, he said.

The point to be made, I think, is that it is not necessary to make Church that complicated. For the most part we are a simple people with a simple Faith hat reflects the Life of Christ in the World.

Some stories are happening right here in our parish: You may remember that some time ago Father had given a very good Homily about being GOOD. Very GOOD and well done. So next week was my turn to preach and so I titled my homily out loud: Good isn't good enough, you must be Holy. So what is come out of that is that as I greet people, I will often say, be good and they will respond, be holy. A simple greeting and yet meaningful. It's amazing how quickly the little kids caught on.

Another happening of late goes like this: I will say to someone, I worry about you! This went one for few weeks when one of the young ladies said, you should worry about him! That was my opening: There were a number of people and so I gathered them around and said to them, that I have a story to share! I said. "when my Agnes died and we gathered here, I walked into the Sanctuary and Bishop was setting in Father's chair, I didn't know he would be here, so I walked over and greeted him and said, we worry about you, and he said don't worry, pray. I responded, oh Bishop, it is a great privilege to worry about the people you Love! So you see, I told them, I worry about all of you because I Love you. If I didn't Love you I surely wouldn't worry about you. St, Paul, today, reminds us that Love never fails. Not only does Love never fail but it can not be made less by giving Love. Love given increases the capacity to Love. So if I say to you, I Love you, that doesn't mean I Love some one else less. Never, never be afraid to say I Love you!

Today's Gospel from Luke begins the story of the journey Jesus must make to instill the Good News of Salvation in the world. This journey of Jesus is the beginning of what was called the Way, well before the title Christian. Maybe the best way to share with you the 2nd half of my homily is to title it:

I WANT TO WALK WHERE JESUS WALKS.

How many times in prayer or meditation have you said to yourself, if only I could walk in the footsteps of Jesus! You will note that my title does not say were Jesus walked, but where Jesus walks. This is from a meditation while I was laying back in my chair trying to say a Rosary.

Be careful now because I have new hearing aids and I can almost hear someone thinking, OH, Oh, we're in trouble now, Deacon is thinking! Listen up, because I bet you haven't thought of this before either. So let us consider our coming here to church after telling someone that you are going to walk were Jesus walks.

First of all, why would you say that and how would you explain it to someone from your own experience? For a moment go back to the beginning of this homily and reflect, CHURCH. Then recall the exchange that Saul had with Christ on the Road to Damascus, From Act, 9, 4-5, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' "Who are you Sir?" The voice answered, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting." Father reminded us last week that therefore when you persecute the Church you are persecuting Jesus and when you persecute Christ you are persecuting the Church.

Please understand that because you were Baptized you are the property of the Father, adopted Sons and Daughters. Baptized, priest, prophet and king. You are to be other Christs in the world, to do, to say, to perform the works of Christ. So now we can say without question that were you walk, there walks Christ. Coming here with brothers and sisters you are therefore walking were Christ walks. Consider this: if Jesus can say to Saul, "why do you persecute me", then you, setting here are Church, the very Body of Christ.

Again: where you walk, there walks Christ. Consider this: Father Statz is ordained Priest, that is with a capital P, because of Ordination is in the person of Christ, therefore were he walks, there walks Christ. When he walks down this isle, here comes Christ. When he steps to the altar there steps Christ. I said something like that to a priest one time and he said, don't put that load on me! I answered, I didn't but your bishop did.

The problem with all of this is exactly as Father has been saying, the unwillingness to really believe in the Incarnation. Not only, if that were not enough, that God becomes man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but that God in Jesus comes into us through Baptism and all the Sacraments, with highest value being in the receiving Jesus under the appearance of Bread and Wine.

Why can we not understand and believe that Jesus is who He says that He Is. You know the answer as well as I and know that is sin. I like to tell my 7th graders it is do to the new trinity, me, myself, and I. In other words, my will be done, not the will of God be done in my life. This is another one of these idea's that we come about late or often too late. God has created us individually for a purpose, however with a free will, to except or reject the plan of God in our lives. True happiness is to find that purpose and to fulfill it as best we can as a fore-image of what is awaiting us, Eternal Life with the Father in Heaven.

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More:

• "Reflections from Sauk Centre's Our Lady of the Angels Church"

Working on Sunday: At Growing the Christian Interior Life

Holy days of obligation and servile work came up, briefly, in yesterday's post. (The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God: Yeah, It's Kind of a Big Deal)

Again, holy day of obligation is "a day when Catholics must attend Mass and refrain from servile work, and Episcopalians must take Communion" (holy day of obligation, Princeton's WordNet).

That's clear enough. (WordNet is a secular resource, by the way - and a pretty good online dictionary)

But what's "servile work?" That's a little more complicated:

"(submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior) 'spoke in a servile tone'; 'the incurably servile housekeeper'; 'servile tasks such as floor scrubbing and barn work'
"(relating to or involving slaves or appropriate for slaves or servants) 'Brown's attempt at servile insurrection'; 'the servile wars of Sicily'; 'servile work' "
(servile, Princeton's WordNet)

Going really literal, I could say that since I'm not a slave (my surname may mean "slave," but that's another topic), and I'm not particularly submissive in behavior, and don't work in a barn or scrub floors, I can work on Sundays.

I could say something like that, but I think that'd be missing the point.

Checking around, online, I get the idea that most people who use the term "servile work" assume that everybody else understands what it means. Or, maybe it's a term that's too rarely used to warrant much discussion. Either way, I didn't come up with anything that was from what I consider a reliable source.

"Working on Sunday:" That I found discussions of.

Why Sunday? Why Not Worship on the Sabbath?

Since I'm a Catholic, I recognize Saturday as the sabbath. And Sunday is the big day for worship each week.

"Jesus rose from the dead 'on the first day of the week.'¹⁰⁴ Because it is the 'first day,' the day of Christ's Resurrection recalls the first creation. Because it is the "eighth day" following the sabbath,¹⁰⁵ it symbolizes the new creation ushered in by Christ's Resurrection. For Christians it has become the first of all days, the first of all feasts, the Lord's Day (he kuriake hemera, dies dominica)-Sunday:

"We all gather on the day of the sun, for it is the first day [after the Jewish sabbath, but also the first day] when God, separating matter from darkness, made the world; and on this same day Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead.¹⁰⁶"

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2174)

Which is why dates running down the left side of most calendars in this country are Sundays. It's the first day of the week.

Okay: That's why we have Mass on Sunday. Every other day of the week, too: but Sunday's is the one we're supposed to get to, if it's at all practical.

What's the score on "servile work" on Sunday?

Working on Sunday: The Catholic Church has Rules About That

One thing that American culture's stereotypes almost have right about Catholics is that we have rules. Lots of them. If you're looking for a church that preaches salvation through warm fuzzies and feeling spiritual, without a lot of practical restrictions on your behavior: This isn't it.

(I think it's a really good idea to get on board with the Catholic Church, but I can't 'make' you. And wouldn't try. My job is to deliver the message. What you do with it is your responsibility.)

As a Catholic, I recognize that there are - when you boil it all down - two rules:

"...You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind...." and "...The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.'..."
(excerpt from Matthew 22:36-40)

I suppose they're more 'principles' than 'rules.'

Applying those two basic principles to what people do 24/7/365 that makes for all the rules.

So, Catholics have a lot of rules to follow. I must be some kind of conformist, right?

Hardly. I've written about that before: "I'm Not Awed by Authority, I Don't Conform Easily: So I Became a Catholic?!" (September 19, 2009). I don't particularly like conforming to some leader's idea of what is and isn't appropriate. But when the leader is God, I think it's a good idea to follow.

Sunday, the Sabbath, and All That

A little more, about why Sunday is a big deal:

"Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath. In Christ's Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish sabbath and announces man's eternal rest in God. For worship under the Law prepared for the mystery of Christ, and what was done there prefigured some aspects of Christ:¹⁰⁷

"Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping the sabbath, but the Lord's Day, in which our life is blessed by him and by his death.¹⁰⁸

"The celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human heart to render to God an outward, visible, public, and regular worship 'as a sign of his universal beneficence to all.'¹⁰⁹ Sunday worship fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his people."
(Catechism, 2175, 2176)

So, what's that "outward, visible, public, and regular worship" of God? Going to church on Sunday is part of the picture, but there's more. Quite a lot more, actually: there's a lot more to that part of the catechism than these excerpts.

'Don't Work on Sunday' - Isn't that Kind of Negative?

The idea that we shouldn't do servile work on Sunday isn't as negative as it sounds. It isn't so much an instruction to not work, as it is an exhortation to make sure that the important work (in another sense of the word) gets done:

"Just as God 'rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done,'¹²¹ human life has a rhythm of work and rest. The institution of the Lord's Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their familial, cultural, social, and religious lives.¹²²

"On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body.¹²³ Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.

"The charity of truth seeks holy leisure; the necessity of charity accepts just work.¹²⁴

"Those Christians who have leisure should be mindful of their brethren who have the same needs and the same rights, yet cannot rest from work because of poverty and misery. Sunday is traditionally consecrated by Christian piety to good works and humble service of the sick, the infirm, and the elderly. Christians will also sanctify Sunday by devoting time and care to their families and relatives, often difficult to do on other days of the week. Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life."
(Catechism, 2184-2186)

"Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life."

Has a sort of monastic feel, doesn't it? Pretty good advice, though.

I started this post to help me follow up on an impression I'd gotten yesterday, that I ought to review my Sunday habits and the idea of "servile work."

I haven't done "servile work" in one sense for a long time. I'm a writer and artist, so my work is mostly digging up information, sorting out ideas, and creating images. I love what I do. Which made it easy for me to let quite a bit of work spill over into Sunday.

Tracking down facts and arranging ideas didn't feel like "work," since it's something I like doing. And I'm not too worried about what I've done, since I see the myriad facets of creation as the work of God. I could rationalize that I've been 'reflecting' on God all the time, and just go ahead with business as usual.

That's probably not the best idea. Like I said, I'm not too worried: but I also think it's time for re-tooling my habits.

I've already been holding off writing the Sunday post for my Sauk Centre Journal until after sunset on Sunday. And, as of this week, I've gotten the three daily posts for another blog's Sunday quota written and programmed for posting Sunday morning.

But that's just 'not working:' making room for something more important.

I've put "Sunday is a time for reflection, silence, cultivation of the mind, and meditation which furthers the growth of the Christian interior life" on a sheet of paper and set it at (sitting) eye level, to the left of my desk.

That, alone, won't make a difference: but now I'll be reminded of what Sunday's about at fairly frequent intervals. And, I trust, see to it that I hang out with my family, reflect on the wonder and glory of God, and work at growing this Christian's interior life.


'Christian interior life' sheet, fresh from the printer. January 2, 2010.

Posts about work, rules, or whatever:

• "Animals: Yeah, the Catholic Church has Rules About Them, Too"
  (August 17, 2009)
• "Help Abort or Be Fired: A Nurse in Brooklyn"
  (July 26, 2009)
• "The Roman Catholic Church isn't a Democracy"
  (February 19, 2009)
The Catholic Church Won't Even Let People Kill Themselves" (January 28, 2009)
• "Catholics Not Allowed to Read Bible!! Catholic Church Banned Bible Ownership!!"
  (January 27, 2009)
  • (No, not really: but you may have heard that)
• "The Catholic Church: Authoritarian, Which Isn't Necessarily a Bad Thing"
  (October 2, 2008)

More:

• "The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church"
  Synod of Bishops, XI Ordinary General Assembly, The Holy See
  Particularly
  • The Eucharist in Various Situations in the Church