Archive for October, 2008

Candy Collectors on Beggars Night

theophilus October 31st, 2008

Just got back from taking my candy collectors out on Beggars Night – or at least that is the new terminology used by our suburban newspaper.  Go figure.

Today is, of course, the last day of October – the Month of the Holy Rosary.  And I’m thrilled that I somehow prayed the Rosary every day this month.   It’s the longest stretch I’ve ever managed and I have found a peace and trust that was alluding me as October dawned. 

Throughout October, I have found myself becoming more devotional and committed to my conversation with God.  I’m not exactly praying morning, noon and night; but I have stepped up my prayer life in a way I never thought would be possible or necessary.

I have fasted at times, been more attentive at Mass and more focused at Eucharistic Adoration.  I’ve prayed the novenas flying around the blogosphere.  I’ve prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet.  I’ve been more contemplative in praying the Liturgy of the Hours. 

And I do believe that all of these attempts to talk to and hear from God are necessary.  This nation, this Shining City on a Hill, is at a point where we will either become a nation continually blessed by God or one separated from him.

Sometime ago, we started interpreting freedom of religion as being the exclusion of religion.  Some started talking about the separation of church and state and their talk began sounding more like they wanted a separation of God from public life altogether.

And once we started to separate God from our public life, he started disappearing from our private lives as well.  The result has been a culture so toxic and so broken that it has left debris everywhere from the Baby Boomers to each successive generation.  Our teenagers are now only starting to pay their price for our misplaced priorities.

So, what do we do?  We pray, and then pray, and then pray some more.  We recognize our individual guilt in the worsening of our culture; whether that guilt is direct or indirect, by commission or omission.

I’ve been praying the past few weeks for forgiveness.  I’m not a bad person.  I’ve done my best to not support a culture gone wrong.  But have I done enough?  Have I allowed myself to financially support, either directly or indirectly, those institutions which produce and facilitate this stuff?  Have I done enough to stand up for the very simple notion that right is right and wrong is wrong, especially when it comes to the sanctity of life and the marriage covenant?  Have I given into the desire to be entertained no matter the message being sent?  Have I misplaced my priorities?  Do I rely too much on the comforts of this world?

God is asking us to choose; right here, right now.  I really don’t think he is going to give us too many more chances. 

This point is reinforced each morning in the Liturgy of the Hours, which begins each day with Psalm 95.  The verses that always get me are the following:

“Today, listen to the voice of the Lord: do not grow stubborn, as your fathers did in the wilderness, when at Meriba and Massah they challenged me and provoked me, although they had seen all my works.  Forty years I endured that generation.  I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray and they do not know my ways.’  So I swore in my anger, ‘They shall not enter into my rest.’”

Too many of us have stopped listening to the “voice of the Lord.”  Too many have grown stubborn.  We challenge God and provoke him.  God has been patient, but he may soon decide that we are beyond help; that our hearts go astray and we do not know his ways.  He may soon decide to just let us wander around.

So, as I’ve gone through this month, I’ve been burdened by my fear that God will turn his back on us and leave us to sink in our own mire.  But as this month progressed, and the Rosary decades started adding up, I became aware that this month of prayer and fasting was giving me a profound sense of hope that we can turn it around.  We can create a culture that is healthy for our kids or a constructive force in our own lives.

Today’s Morning Prayer included Psalm 51 (the Miserere Mei), the one King David wrote after Nathan called him on the carpet for his affair with Bathsheba and his complicity in having, Uriah, her husband killed.  It’s a powerful plea for forgiveness.  When I prayed it this morning, I found myself substituting the second person for the first person (”we” instead of “I” and “us” instead of “me”).  I found myself praying for our nation, for our people. 

As this month of October comes to a close and we turn our attention to the month of November, the month of saints, all souls, and thanksgiving; it is a good time for us to think about whether we are preparing ourselves for life eternal and whether we are helping our fellow travelers to do the same.  The state of our culture is a vital measure in determining the adequacy of our preparations.

I’m betting we can get this thing turned around.  If we turn back to God; if we listen to his voice.

Armor of God

theophilus October 30th, 2008

As men, we tend to try and go it alone; to face all of life’s challenges and difficulties with a solitary fortitude.  We may pray for strength and guidance; but ultimately we think it’s up to us to stand up alone to all that life throws at us, our families, and our career.

And we would be wrong in thinking that we are lone wolves protecting our pack.

Today’s first reading is from Ephesians 6.  St. Paul talks about us putting on the “armor of God” to resist the evil in our lives and hold our ground.  He also talks about the “breastplate” of righteousness, the “shield” of faith, the “helmet of salvation” and the “sword of the Spirit.”

In other words, Christ is with us in every struggle we face.  He is our armor, our breastplate, our shield, our helmet, and our sword.  He is everything we need to prevail in the battles of our lives.

But there is more, St. Paul also tells us that we need to “pray at every opportunity in the Spirit” and “be watchful with all perseverance and supplication.” 

And most importantly, we need to ”draw [our] strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.”

We are not fighting alone, if we pray and rely on Christ.  We are not fighting in vain if we use all of the graces given to us by God to help us in our daily struggles with evil and sin.

There is a great battle going on in our culture today; it’s a fight that impacts our families, ourselves, and our neighbors.  God expects us to engage in this fight for us and for them; and we best put on his armor to ensure that we have every chance to win.

I’m reminded that David refused the armor of men when he faced Goliath.  Instead, he chose the armor of God.  And that choice made all of the difference.  We cannot rely on our strength (i.e. the armor of men) in this fight.  We must, like David, rely on the armor of God.  He is all that we need to prevail.

“Little Churches”

theophilus October 27th, 2008

I often struggle with how to talk to our kids about Christ and our faith in a way that is age-appropriate.  What are they ready for and when are they ready for it?

So, I was intrigued when I read through my “The Word Among Us” issue this month.  TWAU is a good resource for the daily Mass and meditation on the readings.  Each month, they also have a series of articles.  This month’s theme has been “Exploring God’s Plan for Marriage.”  There was one particular article that really caught my eye – “A Little Church: The Great Dignity and Calling of Family Life.”

This article discusses how we can make our families like “a little church;” a term first used by St. John Chrysostom.  How does our families grow closer to Jesus?  How do we grow more holy?  How do we foster Christian formation?

The article reminds us parents that we are “the first preachers to our children.”  That “[y]oung children like to be together as a family” and that “praying together is one vital way to do this.”

To do this teaching, we cannot rely on schools, books, television, the Internet or the news.  No, our kids need ”faith sources.”  We provide these sources by bringing children to Mass; preparing them for the sacraments; and teaching them how to pray, how to get along with others, and how to know right from wrong.

The article asks two questions to determine whether we are building a Christian culture in our homes.  “Is the gospel being presented clearly?” and “How can we help each of our children take up the gospel according to his or her ability?”

And then the article gets to the crux of the “how” to teach our children.  It’s broken down quite nicely.

“You can begin at creation, telling your children that God created everything, and that he made us with a special ability to know him, to trust him, and to make the world a holy place.”

“But our first parents disobeyed God, and in so doing seperated us from God.”

“Still, God loved us so much he sent his Son Jesus to save us from our sins and to bring us back to him.  That is why Jesus died on the cross, and that’s why we worship him and thank him each Sunday.”

“Jesus wants us to live holy and good lives, full of love and kindness.  He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us, and he gave us the Eucharist to feed us spiritually.

“So today and every day, it is our family’s goal to please the Lord and to serve one another.”

“We need to have times when we speak to them about these truths.  We need times when we simply pray with them and show them the value of reconciliation.”

And, the summation of the article is that we need to show love to them and to our spouses; while meditating on Jesus and “falling in love with him.”

The article just has some overall good guidance on how to teach our kids about our faith by word and deed; and how to bring our children closer to Christ as part of our own “little churches.”

One Soul

theophilus October 23rd, 2008

I went to Eucharistic Adoration today.  It’s become part of my regular Thursday routine.  I sometimes doze off (peace, quiet and serenity is so rare in my home that I naturally can’t help myself when the opportunity presents itself).  But today I stayed awake long enough to notice that we had a little bit of a crowd in the chapel.

And I realized that I’m not a lone soul. 

When I go to adoration, there are others there, no matter the time.  When I go to Friday mass at St. Gertrude across town, the place is packed.  When I go to the Cathedral for confession, I invariably have to stand in a long line.

For some reason, I’ve felt the need to periodically fast – and might even think about putting on sackcloth and ashes if I knew where to buy them – because I believe God is testing us in these times to see if we still care.  And I see that others in the St. Blogosphere are doing the same thing.

I’ve felt the need to really deepen my prayer life because I just need to talk to God in these uncertain times, and I’ve noticed novenas (here, here and here) flying around the web.

And then I watch videos like this one, and I am reminded of my responsibilities to God as a member-servant of the Body of Christ and as a citizen-servant in the greatest nation he has ever created.

So many in today’s society want to make us believe that we are alone (and I’ll leave it to you to discern whether you belong to the “us” and the “we”).  And we fail miserably if we let them succeed in making us feel that it’s us against the world.

Christ warned us that there would be times like the present.  He warned us that there would be times when things would not appear as they seemed; when we could not determine the falsehoods from the truth.  He warned us that this discipleship wouldn’t always be smooth and easy.

We must trust him, talk to him, and do what is right on our end.  And then pray that others do the same.

What is Expected of Us?

theophilus October 22nd, 2008

I often ponder the question – what is expected of us; specifically what is expected of me? 

It’s not an easy answer for me as I play many roles.  I’m a father, husband, son, godfather, uncle, friend, worker, coach, board member, fraternal brother, etc.; not to mention my responsibilities as an American and a Catholic.  I have expectations of me in each of these roles. 

Today’s gospel is from Luke 12 and sheds some light on my question.  Christ instructs St. Peter that -

“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

So, I ask again what is expected of us; what is expected of me?

I’m a regular reader of In Conversation with God by Francis Fernandez.  His seven volume work provides a five-minute or so commentary for each day’s Mass reading or feast day.  Each commentary is aimed at the ordinary person trying to keep God in their daily lives (i.e. having a conversation with God).

Today’s commentary has a great passage to consider in descerning the expectations we as individuals must meet.

“How much has the Lord entrusted to us?  How many graces has He conferred on others as a result of our lives?  How many people are depending on my own correspondence with grace?  Today’s Gospel passage is a clarion call reminding us of our responsibility with regard to our proper vocation.  Each man and each woman serve as soldiers commissioned by God to guard a part of his fortress of the Universe.  Some soldiers are stationed on the walls, others in the interior of the castle.  Everyone needs to be faithful to his duty and assignment.  No one can abandon their post.  If this were to happen, then the fortress would be exposed to the assaults of hell.”

A little further in the commentary, Fr. Fernandez quotes St. Jose Maria Escriva who wrote,

“Among those around you, apostolic soul, you are the stone fallen into the lake.  With your word and example produce a first ripple . . . and it will produce another . . . and then another, and another . . . each time wider.  Now do you understand the greatness of your mission?”

So, what is expected of us?

It’s rather simple.  We’re expected to fully understand all that we have been given and blessed with by God; to maximize our gifts by fulfilling our vocation to the best of our God-given abilities; to guard our little part of God’s fortress and remain faithful to our particular duty and assignment with every ounce of strength we can muster; to produce that first ripple around us and then watch as it radiates out beyond our vision.

We as individuals matter.  Our actions and behaviors matter.  What we do day-in and day-out has consequences on ourselves and others.  The choices we make produce ripples that grow much larger than we can ever imagine or see.  We have jobs to do, choices to make, responsibilities to fulfill in every single area of our lives; and there are no freebies.  As such, we must do everything in uniformity with God’s will for us, no matter which particular role of ours we may be playing at any given moment in time.

Regardless of our station in life, God has given each of us so much.  So, much is expected of us.  We meet those high expectations by ensuring that we have God as the center of our daily lives, even in the most routine and mundane of our choices and actions.  We each have our divine duty; and God has given each of us the ability to fulfill that duty to his expectations. 

So, will we stay at our post and get our job done?  For that is ultimately what is expected of us.

“Render Unto Caesar”

theophilus October 19th, 2008

I’m struck by three juxtapositions today. 

The first is that Cincinnati’s new Archbishop was named on Friday.  We are getting Bishop Dennis Schnurr from the Diocese of Duluth, MN.  The Cincinnati Enquirer has run a couple of articles on him.  But it was today’s that caught my attention.  It was in the form of a Q&A and one of the questions was, “what are his politics?”

The second is that today’s gospel is from Matthew 22 and tells the story of Christ instructing all to “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

The third is a recent address given by Archbishop Chaput of Denver (author of “Render Unto Caesar”) at the ENDOW dinner.  Some of his stuff is just classic (h/t to Cathoilc Report).

You need to read the address yourself, but here are a few excerpts.

“As adults, each of us needs to form a strong Catholic conscience. Then we need to follow that conscience when we vote. And then we need to take responsibility for the consequences of the vote we cast. Nobody can do that for us. That’s why really knowing and living our Catholic faith is so important. It’s the only reliable guide we have for acting in the public square as disciples of Jesus Christ.”

“We need to remember that tolerance is not a Christian virtue, and it’s never an end in itself. In fact, tolerating grave evil within a society is itself a form of evil. Likewise, democratic pluralism does not mean that Catholics should be quiet in public about serious moral issues because of some misguided sense of good manners. A healthy democracy requires vigorous moral debate to survive. Real pluralism demands that people of strong beliefs will advance their convictions in the public square – peacefully, legally and respectfully, but energetically and without embarrassment. Anything less is bad citizenship and a form of theft from the public conversation.”

“The ’separation of Church and state’ does not mean – and it can never mean – separating our Catholic faith from our public witness, our political choices and our political actions. That kind of separation would require Christians to deny who we are; to repudiate Jesus when he commands us to be ‘leaven in the world’ and to ‘make disciples of all nations.’ That kind of separation steals the moral content of a society. It’s the equivalent of telling a married man that he can’t act married in public. Of course, he can certainly do that, but he won’t stay married for long.”

“The truth is that for some Catholics, the abortion issue has never been a comfortable cause. It’s embarrassing. It’s not the kind of social justice they like to talk about. It interferes with their natural political alliances. And because the homicides involved in abortion are ‘little murders’ – the kind of private, legally protected murders that kill conveniently unseen lives – it’s easy to look the other way.”

“It’s curious that nobody seems to worry about the ’separation of Church and state,’ or religious interference in the public square, when the religious voices that speak up support a certain kind of candidate.”

“As I suggest throughout Render Unto Caesar, it’s important for Catholics to be people of faith who pursue politics to achieve justice; not people of politics who use and misuse faith to achieve power.”

“So I think that people who claim that the abortion struggle is ‘lost’ as a matter of law, or that supporting an outspoken defender of legal abortion is somehow ‘prolife,’ are not just wrong; they’re betraying the witness of every person who continues the work of defending the unborn child. And I hope they know how to explain that, because someday they’ll be required to.”

I do not pretend to be a political blog, nor do I want to be.  But this is an election with real consequences; and it is up to each of us to realize that we have to be a Catholic 24/7.  Yes, we must render unto Caesar what is his, but we must also answer to God for the choices we make.

A New Chaplet to the Sacred Heart

theophilus October 16th, 2008

A little while back, I wasn’t sleeping well; waking up in the middle of the night and being unable to get back to sleep because of some things that were and still are bugging me. 

One night, I grabbed my rosary beads and started just fingering them, trying to get some peace for what was troubling me.  For some reason, I started praying to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, asking for trust and mercy.  While praying, I drifted back to what became a peaceful sleep.  The next night, same thing.  The next night, same thing.

These prayers have worked so well to get me back to sleep that I’ve started short-circuiting the process.  I’m now praying a self-designed chaplet to the Sacred Heart after Night Prayer and right before I go to sleep.  I’ve been sleeping like a baby every night since.

As today is the feast day for St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, I thought I would share this chaplet.  St. Margaret Mary was a 17th century nun who spread the devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a world as uncertain as our own.  She received revelations from Christ and was instructed to spread this devotion, which includes the First Friday Devotion.  Christ’s Sacred Heart is all about his love; especially his mercy for us and the trust we should have in him.

While I didn’t receive any revelations like St. Mary Margaret (and I’m not really sure us lay folks are permitted to just make up our own chaplets), here’s the chaplet to be prayed on Rosary beads -

Start with an Our Father and Hail Mary.  On the initial three Hail Mary beads, pray the Jesus Prayer – “O My Jesus, only Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.”

On the Our Father beads beginning each decade, pray “Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in thee.”

On the Hail Mary beads for each decade, pray “Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.”

Finish with John Henry Cardinal Newman’s prayer to the Sacred Heart -

“O most Sacred, most loving Heart of Jesus, You are concealed in the Holy Eucharist, and You beat for us still. Now as then You save, Desiderio desideravi – “With desire I have desired.” I worship Thee then with all my best love and awe, with my fervent affection, with my most subdued, most resolved will.

O my God, when You condescend to suffer me to receive Thee, to eat and drink Thee, and You for a while take up Thy abode within me, O make my heart beat with Thy Heart.  Purify it of all that is earthly, all that is proud and sensual, all that is hard and cruel, of all perversity, of all disorder, of all deadness. 

So fill it with Thee, that neither the events of the day nor the circumstances of the time may have power to ruffle it, but that in Thy love and Thy fear it may have peace.  Amen.”

And then pray the Divine Praises (don’t ask why, it just a nice prayer to fit into your day) and then three Hail Mary’s (one for God, one for Jesus, one for the Holy Spirit; this is an old bedtime tradition I’ve read about).

The whole chaplet is a good way to send yourself off to sleep, especially when coupled with a good examination of conscience, Act of Contrition, and Night Prayer.  All of it should take less than five minutes.

 

We finally got polled!

theophilus October 14th, 2008

I have waited forever to get a call from one of those polls that, this time of year, ends up substituting for news and actual reporting on candidate positions.  I’ve always wondered who exactly these polls polled, because I sure as heck never got a call from one.

Until today. 

Of course, I wasn’t home.  My wife and kids were – and my 1st grader answered the phone.  It was an automatic, voice-activated process so my daughter proceeded to answer the questions.  Being well-schooled in her parents’ political beliefs (including the reasons for these beliefs), she supposedly answered the questions the way we would have (my wife was across the room listening in on her end of the conversation).

But remember this little ancedote the next time you hear about the polls in the news.  

On a more serious note, today is the feast day for St. Callistus I, a third-century pope and martyr.  The Office of Readings (part of the Liturgy of the Hours) for today has a reflective passage from Saint Cyprian.  While not directly talking about St. Callistus, it does have two great lines in it.

The first is “[w]e offer to the Lord a most acceptable gift, our incorrupt faith, the unshaken courage of our spirit and the glorious pride of our dedication.”

The other is “[t]he spirit of a strong and stable character strengthened by meditation endures; this unshaken spirit, which is strengthened by a certain and solid faith in the future will be enlivened against all the terrors of the devil and threats of this world.”

Just some food for thought of what is expected of us.

Covenants

theophilus October 11th, 2008

For some reason, I’ve been doing a great deal of reading recently on covenants; specifically the covenant between God and man.

Adam & Eve was the first covenant; Noah was the second; Abraham was the third.  And it is this third covenant that led to Moses’ and David’s covenants. which in turn set the basis for the fulfillment of God’s covenant with us, through Christ.

The Covenant is God’s promise to us.  It is a staple of the Old Testament, especially the Psalms.  It is a staple of the New Testament.  It is God’s promise to us that we will always be his people and he will always be our God.

And this covenant belongs to all of us.

For St. Paul says in today’s First Reading (Galatians 3) that -

“For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
there is neither slave nor free person,
there is not male and female;
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants,
heirs according to the promise.”

And then the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 105) reminds us that -

“The Lord remembers his covenant forever.”

We are descendents of Abraham and beneficiaries of the covenant God made with him.  It’s been that covenant that has seen its way through to the modern age.  We are God’s people and he is our God.

But it’s up to us to live up to our end of this covenant.  Do we live the way God wants us to live; do we follow the path Christ sets before us; do we measure up to the standards expected of us as those created in the image of God?  Do we truly embrace our divine filiation and consider ourselves rightly as the sons and daughters of God, and brothers and sisters of Christ?

The Liturgy of the Hours is filled with references to the promises that God has made to us.  It is these promises that should complete our souls and embolden us for the work expected of each of us.  It is these promises that should shine the light for us to follow and the path for us to trod.

God’s covenant with us; is there anything that can provide any more hope to those of us trying to build his kingdom here on earth?

 

Sanctifying Your Work – White Castle Style

theophilus October 10th, 2008

There is a fast food joint in the Midwest called “White Castle.”  The buildings are in the shape of a castle and the joint serves up burgers, chicken patties, and fish that are the size of your palm.  It is a tradition for college kids and late night party-goers.  The food is tasty and aromatic, but is best ingested with a knowing and strong stomach.

There is a loyalty to White Castle that transcends generations.  There is also a loyalty that permeates those who work there.

I read this week in my weekly neighborhood newspaper about Jim Mundt.

According to the Pulse Journal, he started at White Castle at the age of 17, looking for money for a car.  He worked 40 hour weeks and was quickly noticed by the higher-ups.  Increasing responsibility followed as he went from shift manager to general manager to district supervisor to area supervisor to assistant regional director.  He finally hit the White Castle jackpot when he was given responsibility over 48 stores in the Southwest Ohio region.

After 45 years, he was all set to retire on September 15th.  But, nature intervened and on September 14th, Tropical Storm Ike blew through and knocked out electricity to 90% of our region; most White Castles included.

On the morning that was supposed to be his last, Jim drove to his usual White Castle to get his morning coffee and saw that it was open for business.  And that is when he saw the lines everywhere, as this particular White Castle was one of the few area eateries open.

Jim did what he should have done.  He parked his car, went into the restaurant, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.  45 years of experience meant nothing as he worked as if he was 17-years old again.

And this attitude is how we should approach our work and our life.  Jim saw a need and took care of it.  No responsibility was beneath his pay grade; no job beneath his station in life.

He served that day as the face of Christ.

Take my word for it, those in line were thankful for a hot cup of coffee and a hot meal.  The workers at White Castle, who were expecting a normal Monday morning crowd, were thankful that their “boss from regional” was in the trenches with them.

God calls us each to sanctify our work, no matter our work, no matter the day.  Each and every day, we have a job to do; and this job is God’s work that he chooses to do through us.  Our jobs should provide for our family needs; serve other people; create something of value.  We should approach each day as if the success of the kingdom of God depends upon our effort at work that day.  And if we cannot find the extrinsic worth of our jobs, then maybe we need to be talking to God about what he wants us to be doing.

Jim Mundt fed countless thousands through his White Castle years.  He provided memories and traditions.  He enabled jobs for the young and old.  And on this, his last day, despite his lofty position, he rolled up his sleeves and turned back the clock 45 years, so he could serve one last time, White Castle style.

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