Author: Capital Catholic Happenings

As the temperature inched toward 90 this week, I’m sure we all started dreaming about warm, sunny days at the beach with friends and family!

What will you, your friends, and your family be wearing?

I went to Miriam-Webster Online today to look up the difference between equality and equity (the state of being equal vs. justice according to natural law…in case you were wondering). On the homepage was a list of the “Top Ten Words from Place Names.” Here was the first listing:

#1 Bikini

In July 1946, the United States detonated two nuclear bombs at the Bikini atoll, an island in the South Pacific, which of course was big news around the world.

A year later, a French fashion designer introduced a scanty two-piece bathing suit and named it the bikini.

Unable to find a model immodest enough to wear it, he debuted it on a stripper – and it too became big news.

It was debuted on a stripper…and now little girls as young as 4 are sporting bikinis, not to mention blossoming 17 year olds? Hm.

I’ve had conversations with both men and women, Catholic and non-Catholic, about the objective morality of wearing a bikini and have gotten a variety of opinions. Today I’d be interested in discussing it with you all.

If you wear a bikini or allow your daughter to wear a bikini, what virtue do you see in this? What vice do you see in this?

If you do not wear a bikini or do not allow your daughter to wear a bikini, what virtue do you see in this? What vice do you see in this?

(The 1922 photograph above documents Bill Norton measuring a woman after Col. Sherrell, the Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds, issued an order that bathing suits at the Washington, D.C. bathing beach must not be over six inches above the knee.)

Yesterday morning I was doing my daily Lectio Divina when I came across the passage in Matthew 8 where Jesus heals a man of leprosy then tells him “go show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses prescribed.”

I had no clue what Moses had prescribed but was curious, so I looked in the margin where it said, See Leviticus 14. Being a new Bible-reading Catholic, I had to look up the table of contents to see where Leviticus was located and felt a little stupid that it’s the 3rd book in the Bible.

There, I found this passage:

“If the priest finds that the sore of leprosy has healed in the leper, he shall order the man who is to be purified, to get two live, clean birds, as well as some cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop. The priest shall then order him to slay one of the birds over an earthen vessel with spring water in it. Taking the living bird with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, the priest shall dip them all in the blood of the bird that was slain over the spring water, and then sprinkle seven times the man to be purified from his leprosy. When he has thus purified him, he shall let the living bird fly away over the countryside.”

What struck me was the second bird who is is freed only by the blood of the sacrificed one. Sound familiar?

I always thought Leviticus was just a list of random rituals and all the dos and don’ts that got replaced by the New Covenant. But maybe there is more  to Leviticus than I thought!

And to end this blog…a little Lynyrd Skynyrd just for fun.

http://popup.lala.com/popup/432627103688501076

Reviewing Lent

With my apologies to the Marine Corps and their excellent “Earned-Never Given” motto, I want to share the Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom. You may wonder if I am breezing by the passion and death to get to the resurrection. I offer the homily now because this is the time in which in which we come face to face with how well we lived Lent this year. This is the time in which we sometimes regret that we let Lent get away. This is the time in which we are feeling pretty good about our discipline and thinking we deserve a great Easter.

It’s all about Grace

I do think that there is a correlation between how well we have prepared in Lent and our celebration of the Triduum, but it is grace at work in us that is the is the cause of new found insight and discipline.  The following homily captures perfectly the right Easter disposition.

In the words of St. John Chrysostom

If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived therefor. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; he gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour.

And he shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one he gives, and upon the other he bestows gifts. And he both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.

Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered Thee in the lower regions. It was embittered, for it was abolished. It was embittered, for it was mocked. It was embittered, for it was slain. It was embittered, for it was overthrown. It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

In the Orthodox Tradition

It is the custom in Orthodox traditions to read the homily at the Easter Sunday liturgy. Click here to listen

The flower in the picture is nick-named the Lenten Rose and you can spot them in gardens all over our area. They really are well-matched in color and in the early bloom to the Lent-Easter cycle.

 

 

Yesterday, I attended a book signing for the publication of When they Come Home. Written by Melanie Rigney and Anna Lanave, the book has terrific how-to advice for parishes interested in being intentional about welcoming back inactive Catholics.

Starting and Stopping

One of the authors shared her own experience. Though having received the sacraments as a child her family did not regularly attend Mass or participate in parish life. As she grew up there was not much encouragement or reason to go to church herself. A marriage to man who was not Catholic was the final step away from the church. Or so she thought. Over the years she felt drawn back to Mass and she would go and it would be fine except that no one ever greeted her or drew her into conversation. She said she had questions, she wanted to talk, and yet, there did not seem to be a place or people for the conversation. She tried other denominations, she made some terrific friends and she had some serious conversations about God and faith and she continued to give the Catholic Church another try.

Not a Unique Experience

I do not think this experience is unique to this author. I do think our churches over the next ten days will be filled with just such people. People who are responding to the Spirit at work in them, people who just can’t seem to stay away from church but who sure don’t feel like they really belong and wonder if they really are still part of the family. What struck me in yesterday’s presentation and in conversations I have had with other Catholics returning to the church is that all they really need–at first– is to be greeted and welcomed! They do not expect the experience to be perfect or to discover that everything that didn’t like about the church has changed. They want to feel welcomed and to be invited to come again.

Say Hello

I decided driving home last night that I will do two things over the course of Holy Week. Today, I invited two friends who are inactive and not quite ready to come to Mass to a Tenebrae Service at the Dominican House of Studies. It is a beautiful evening of chant and music and prayer which sets the right tone for Holy Week. Next week, when I see an unfamiliar face at one of the services I am going to say hello and whatever else may seem appropriate. In some cases the person I greet may end up being a fellow parishioner who goes to a different Mass but odds suggest that if I do this a couple of times, I will encounter a less regular church-goer.  Really, how difficult can this be!

Perhaps why I am so taken with these authors’ experience is because I spend a lot of my day thinking about evangelization on the grand scale of Archdiocesan initiatives and emerging trends and new programs and yet at the core of evangelization is a friendly encounter of two people who both feel drawn to Jesus. It can be the start of a great relationship.

Have you ever heard of the todah? No? Neither had I until last night! I was reading “Graced and Gifted: Biblical Wisdom for the Homemakers Heart” by Kimberly Hahn, and while discussing the importance and significance of the Eucharist in family life, she explained the todah.

I did a little more research on the internet today and…check this out!

“A todah sacrifice would be offered by someone whose life had been delivered from great peril, such as disease or the sword. The redeemed person would show his gratitude to God by gathering his closest friends and family for a todah sacrificial meal. The lamb would be sacrificed in the Temple and the bread for the meal would be consecrated the moment the lamb was sacrificed. The bread and meat, along with wine, would constitute the elements of the sacred todah meal, which would be accompanied by prayers and songs of thanksgiving, such as Psalm 116.”
(from Catholic Education Resource Center)

Does that sound like the Eucharist or what?! The article goes on to explain the todah, the Eucharist, and The Last Supper Passover meal, and is definitely worth a read.

So this Holy Thursday or Easter Sunday when your non-Catholic friends or Catholic friends who haven’t been to church in a while ask, “Why do you do all that stuff? What does it mean?” teach them about the todah!

Last evening, the Office of Young Adult Ministry hosted Conversations. Unlike Theology on Tap, which invites a guest lecturer to speak on some matter of faith, Conversations is an evening of Q&A with two expert panelists where we discuss some practical yet controversial aspect of living a moral life.

“[Young adults] said that they need a forum not only where misgivings and doubts can be expressed but also where the teachings of the Church can be clearly articulated in response…much of what young adults feel regarding the institutional Church arises from a misunderstanding of what the Church actually teaches.”
-Sons and Daughters of the Light, USCCB

The topic being discussed last night was “Is the Catholic Church out of date when it comes to same-sex attraction and same-sex marriage?” and there are certainly lots of misgivings and doubts among the faithful on this topic. Some people came to Conversations because they knew someone with same-sex attraction, and some came because they had questions about the Archdiocese’s response to the DC government’s law recognizing same-sex “marriage”. (See last month’s blogs for more on this.)

Our two panelists were David Morrison, former gay activist and author of Beyond Gay, and Peter Murphy, Director of Family Life for the Archdiocese of Washington. David was able to speak from his experience as a Catholic convert with same-sex attraction, and Peter reinforced the teachings of the Church on chastity and marriage.

In order to keep the conversation as open, honest, and comfortable, we did not record the evening. However, I want to share an interview called “The Homosexual Reality” with Melinda Selmys (self-described as a former secular lesbian) and Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons (a psychologist who has counseled many people with same-sex attraction). The interview hits on many of the same themes that were discussed at Conversations.

http://www.lhla.org/tv-shows/14476-the-homosexual-reality.html

For more information on upcoming Conversations, email [email protected].

I was away over the weekend and when I returned home last night I was delighted to see that my garden is filled with lots of bright green shoots. Even under the dead brush, there are signs of new life.

A Lenten metaphor

I think the present state of my garden serves as a metaphor for Lent. We are just past the half-way point of Lent and our penance and practice should begin to bear fruit in daily living. For many of us, we made a decision to do some pruning of actions and habits that are not expressive of who we are as disciples of the Lord and of who we want to be.  The disciplines we adopted this Lent–more prayer,  fasting and abstinence, a more generous spirit ought to be revealing some shoots in an outward and visible way.  Can you see where the practices have taken root and the shoots are becoming visible?

Where the real fruit is found

Those of us who are experts at Lent know that any change that happens will become permanent only if we continue to keep the disciplines that we practiced in Lent in place after Lent and beyond. I was reminded of this over the weekend at  Mass with Sean Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston.  I had the privilege of presenting two workshops at the Diocese of Providence Annual  Catechetical Day. More than 1200 catechists and parish ministers gathered for Mass and workshops. It was a terrific conference. During his homily Cardinal O’Malley preached on the relationship of prayer and work and quoted this very famous teaching of Mother Teresa:

The fruit of silence is prayer
the fruit of prayer is faith
the fruit of faith is love
the fruit of love is service
the fruit of service is peace.  

I think that the shoots we should be seeing in the garden of our souls are indeed silence, prayer, faith, love and service.  So, how does your garden grow?