When my Father lay dying, I remember that one of the losses I began to grieve was that he was the keeper of many family stories. He was the one who could look at an old family photograph and tell you who they all were and something about each of them. As I saw him lying there, no longer able to talk much, I thought of all the memories stored up in his mind, all the stories, all the people he once knew and had spoken so vividly of.
And not only the family stories, but he was also a great historian and a great wellspring of the classics. He had read all the “Great Books” all of Shakespeare, all of Sacred Scripture, so many other worthy writings, and had memorized many lengthy quotes.
Such an encyclopedic mind, vivid thoughts, vivid memories, the keeper of the family story. And though I knew he’d take it with him in his soul, there was a grief to me that his magnificent mind was now closing to me. I regret I did not more carefully retain all he told me.
Thankfully he had written a family history that stays with us, and all his many photos and family films, that we worked to preserve, stay with us. We his sons, are moving much of this to digital, but it took Dad’s living presence to really bring these things home.
The video below put me in this reflective mind. It is of an old man who lays dying. And in various flashbacks we see his life, his stories, his good moments and tragedies. And then he passes.
I remember a Bible verse my father had jotted down on the frontispiece of a book he was reading at the time of his own father’s death:
But as for man, his days are like the grass, or as the flower that flourishes in the field. The wind blows, and he is gone, and his place never sees him again. (Psalm 103:16)
Reading that, as a very young teenager, I realized, for the first time that the Bible was very beautiful and I was startled to think that the house in which I was sitting would one day “never see me again.” All the stories, all the memories, gone with the proverbial winds.
The photo at the upper right is the last picture I ever took of my father. He standing in front of the family home. This was taken as he was leaving it for the last time. He moved into a retirement community for a brief while, but he was not long for this world. And, there he is, standing in front of the place that “never sees him again.”
Yes, there is something very precious about our memories, our stories. They are meant to be shared, handed down. But something irreplaceable, dies with each person. A very personal glimpse of history, a very personal story, something that can never be fully shared with anyone, no one but the Lord.
Only the Lord really knows our story, knows it better than we ourselves:
O LORD, you search me and you know me.
You yourself know my resting and my rising;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down;
you know all my ways through and through.
Before ever a word is on my tongue,
you know it, O LORD, through and through….
For it was you who formed my inmost being,
knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I thank you who wonderfully made me;
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being fashioned in secret
and molded in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw me yet unformed;
and all my days were recorded in your book,
before one of them came into being…
at the end I am still at your side… (Ps 139:varia)
Yes, the Lord knows. He knows all about us.
An old spiritual says,Nobody knows the trouble I seen, Nobody but Jesus. For in the end, he is the keeper of every story, my father’s, my own, yours. And whatever is lost in death will be restored a hundredfold, with understanding besides, in the great parousia. Not a story, not a word will be lost, but we shall recover it all, and tell the old, old stories once again.
We tend in modern times to link our notions of happiness and inner well-being to circumstances and happenstance. And thus happiness will be found when the things of this world are arranged in the way and quantity we like. If we just get enough money and creature comforts, we will be happy and have a better sense of mental well being.
And yet, it remains true that many can endure difficult external circumstances and yet remain inwardly content, happy and optimistic. Further, many who have much are still not content and are beset with great mental anguish, anxiety and unhappiness. Ultimately happiness is not about happenstance or circumstances, it is an inside job.
St. Paul says,
For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Phil 4:11-12)
Interesting, Paul wrote theses words from Jail.So its not a bunch of slogans.
Earlier in the same chapter he tells us the “secret” to this contentedness, to joy and mental well-being whatever the circumstances. He gives a kind of five point plan, that, if we work it, will set the stage for a deeper, inner peace, a sense of mental well-being and contentedness not easily affected by external circumstances. Let’s review what St. Paul has to say as a kind of five-point plan. (I am indebted to Rev. Adrian Rogers for the alliterated list, though the substance is my own reflection).
Here is the text of St. Paul’s five point plan for better mental health. And then we look to each point.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your moderateness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Phil 4:4-9)
Step I. Rejoice in the Presence of the Lord – The text says, Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your moderateness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Of supreme importance in the Christian life is to request, receive and cultivate the gift of the presence of the Lord. We are too easily turned inward and forgetful of God’s presence. To become more consciously and stably aware of God’s presence is to be filled with joy and peace.
Note that the text mentions joy, (χαίρω) but it also mentions moderateness. The Greek word here is ἐπιεικὲς (epieikes) which means to be gentle, mild, forbearing, fair, reasonable, or moderate. Epieíkeia relaxes unnecessary strictness in favor of gentleness whenever possible. Such an attitude is common when one is joyful and unafraid. By contrast, an unbending and unyielding attitude often bespeaks fear.
There are of course times to insist on precision and to not easily give way. But often there is room for some leeway and the assumption of good will. A serene mind and spirit which are the gift of the presence of God can often allow for some leeway and presume good will. There is an increasing ability to allow things to unfold rather than to control and manipulate conversations and outcomes and to win on every point.
As we become more aware of God’s presence and thus serene and less conflicted within, we no longer need to shout or win in every moment and on every point. We insist on what is true, but are able to express ourselves more moderately and serenely. We are able to stay in the conversation and are content to sow seeds rather than insist on reaping every harvest of victory.
Cultivating a joyful sense of the presence of God and the serenity and moderateness that are its fruits are a first step toward and sure sign of greater mental health and contentment.
Step II. Rely on the Power of the Lord – The text says – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition…present your requests to God.
There are very few things as destructive to our mental health as worry. Worry is like sand in a machine. It not only hinders the working of the machine, it damages it.
But simply being told not to worry isn’t very helpful. In this case St. Paul is not simply saying “Don’t worry.”
He has already laid a groundwork for the diminishment of worry in telling us to cultivate a sense of the presence of God. Some years ago when I was a little boy, my Father left for the Vietnam war. For the year he was away, I spent many anxious nights worrying about a lot of things. But when my Father returned my fears went away. Daddy was home, everything is alright.
And for all of us, to the degree that we really experience that God is near, so many of our fear just go away. My own experience is that as my awareness of God’s presence has grown, my anxieties have significantly diminished.
Paul also says, that the power of God is only a prayer away. Here too, I and many can testify that God has a way of working things out. He may not always come when you want him, or handle things exactly as you want, but when I look back over my life, and I think things over, I can truly say that God has made a way for me. And whatever my struggles and disappointments, none of them has ever destroyed me. If anything, they strengthened me.
Whatever it is, take it to the Lord in prayer. And ponder deeply how he has delivered you in the past, made a way out of no way, and drew straight with crooked lines.
Let the Holy Spirit anoint your memory to make you aware of God’s saving power in your life and recall how God has delivered you. These memories give us serenity when we consider how prayer is both effective and an every present source of power.
So much worry, which is a kind of mental illness just goes away to the degree that we experience God is both present and that his power is only one prayer away.
And here is the second step to greater mental health, knowing by experience that God can and that God will make a way.
Step III. Remember the Provision of the Lord – The text says, with thanksgiving,
Thanksgiving is a way of disciplining the mind to count our blessings. Why is this important? Because too easily we become negative. Every day ten trillion things go right, and about a half a dozen things go wrong. But what do we tend to focus on? You bet, the half a dozen things that go wrong. This is a form of mental illness that feeds our anxiety and comes from our fallen nature.
But gratitude disciplines our mind to count our blessings. As we do this, we begin to become men and women of hope, and of confidence. Why? Because what you feed grows. If you feed the negative it will grow. If you feed the positive it will grow. And the fact is, God richly blesses us everyday if we will but open our eyes to see it.
Step three is disciplining our fallen minds to see the wider reality of our rich blessings. This heals and gives us us great peace and serene minds.
Step IV. Rest in the Peace of the Lord – And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
As we begin to undertake these steps our mental outlook and health improves. Gradually, serenity becomes a deeper and more stable reality for us. The text here says that this serenity will not only be present, it will “guard” or as some translations say “keep” our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. In other words as this serenity grows it screens out the negativity of this world and the demons of discouragement. Having this peace allows us to see the Lord, and seeing the Lord deepens that peace… and the cycle grows and continues!
It has been my experience that the profound anxiety and anger that beset my early years has not only gone away, but also the serenity I now increasingly enjoy makes all that anxiety unlikely to return. I am guarded and protected increasingly by the serenity God gives.
Step V. Reflect on the Plan of the Lord –Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.
And as this serenity, this sense of well being, this mental health, comes to us, St. Paul finally advises a kind of maintenance plan wherein we intentionally and actively focus our thoughts and attention on what is Godly, true, good and beautiful.
While it may be true that we need to stay up with the news of the world, be careful of too steady a diet of the 24/7 news cycle. They focus on the bad news, on what is controversial and adversarial. If it bleeds it leads. Too much of that and you’re unsettled before you know it. Limit your portions of this and focus on the greater, better and lasting things of God. Ponder his plan, his truth, his glory, his priorities.
And old song says, More about Jesus would I know, more of his saving mercy show, More of his saving fulness see, more of his love who died for me.
Yes, more about Jesus, less of this world. How can we expect to keep our mental health and serenity on a steady dose of insanity, stinking thinking, wrongful priorities, endless adversity, darkness, chaos and foolishness?
Do you want peace? Reflect on the plan of the Lord for you.
So then, here are some steps to better mental health. It all begins with the practice of the presence of the Lord, calling on his power and being grateful for his providence, savoring his peace which inevitably comes and turning our attention more to the things of God and less to the things of this world.
With some fear and trepidation I broach again the topic of the worthy reception of Holy Communion.
Clearly the topic has been much in the news in the recent past and has intersected with politics, for the usual demands are that politicians be denied communion for their support of abortion, euthanasia and matters related to so-called Gay “marriage.”
Bishops for their part do not appreciate being baited and/or drawn into making disciplinary actions that many will see as political (even if they are not) and one-sided (generally Democrats would receive the discipline).
And, thus, while prudentially concluding that the such disciplines would generally backfire, the Bishops are then excoriated by many theoretically loyal Catholics for malfeasance and/or dereliction of duty. It is a major mess and field day for the devil who brings in a harvest of wrath.
I too have suffered great wrath from many readers here how are furious that I do not “take the bait” and slam the bishops. I of course will do no such thing, for they are shepherds and Fathers to me and, if I were to have any burden under their leadership, I would speak to them privately and as to a father, respectfully, never drawing the faithful into attitudes of dissension and disrespect, or to legalistic notions that they only need to reverence the bishops in a few restricted matters.
And yet, in today’s reading (Wednesday of Week 13) came the clarion warning to us all from the Prophet Amos that we should be very careful approaching the divine Liturgy with hearts full of sin and injustice and hands stained with blood and oppression. As always, Amos words’ leave no room for face-saving niceties:
I hate, I spurn your feasts, says the LORD, I take no pleasure in your solemnities; Your cereal offerings I will not accept, nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings. Away with your noisy songs! I will not listen to the melodies of your harps. But if you would offer me burnt offerings, then let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream. (Amos 5:21-24)
And old African American song says, What if God is unhappy with our praise? What if God is unhappy with the way we live? We must change the way we walk, we must change the way we talk. We must live a life that’s pleasing to our king….
Cardinal Ratzinger in his memo Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion reminds us all:
Presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion should be a conscious decision, based on a reasoned judgment regarding one’s worthiness to do so, according to the Church’s objective criteria, asking such questions as: “Am I in full communion with the Catholic Church? Am I guilty of grave sin? Have I incurred a penalty (e.g. excommunication, interdict) that forbids me to receive Holy Communion? Have I prepared myself by fasting for at least an hour?” The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion, merely as a consequence of being present at Mass, is an abuse that must be corrected (# 1).
Commenting as he was on the questions of abortion and euthanasia the Cardinal said further:
Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist. (# 5)
Note that the Cardinal, Now Pope Benedict, speaks of the role of pastors. For while it is frequently bishops who get the venom of the faithful, it is the pastors of wayward Catholics that have the first obligation to both warn and instruct the faithful, politician or otherwise, when serious sin becomes evident in the life of any.
Pastors have the duty first to instruct in a general sort of way that the faithful ought not approach the Sacrament of Holy Communion if they are aware of serious (mortal) sin, or are in grave disunity with the teachings of the Church. It is usually helpful to instruct them based on the scriptural admonition of St. Paul:
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. (1 Cor 11:27-32)
The context of St. Paul’s admonition makes it clear that he has in mind serious sins that include more than merely sexual matters, but also matters that extend to a grave lack of charity toward others, something which too few judge as very serious today.
And thus the Pastor ought to instruct in a general kind of way, taking care not to excite grave scrupulosity, but being clear of the need for regular confession, especially in the case of habitual serious sin.
More specifically the pastor may sometimes need to approach certain individuals and, after ascertaining the facts, warn serious sinners in a private and clear way to repent and to stay away from Communion until such time as they are ready to do so wholeheartedly. Cardinal Ratzinger cited this as a clear duty of pastors.
For my own part, and speaking in a very general sort of way, I have indeed undertaken this duty in more than a few cases to warn certain individuals in serious sin to repent. This was not, in every case, sinners who were only in sinful sexual liaisons, and almost never did it include politicians. It also included certain people who were exhibiting a very grave lack of charity or causing serious harm in their family or the parish.
It was my duty in all such cases not only to warn them that they should stay back from Communion, but also that they risked Hell. For when one is in so serious a state that they should refrain from Communion, this is not their only problem! The prospect of strict judgement and hell are also very serious and real likelihoods.
Hence, when the Church teaches on the manner of receiving communion worthily, it is good and important to broaden the discussion beyond certain politicians or certain subjects. Otherwise it appears that our agenda is more political than spiritual. Pastors (and Bishops too) thus should look to teach on this matter in broad as well as specific ways.
There are many sins that can and should exclude one from receiving Holy Communion unless and until repentance is manifest and Sacramental confession is received (or, in specific circumstances, a perfect act of contrition with the intent to receive the Confession is made):
One may habitually skip mass, and thus be in mortal sin.
One may ridicule sacred things or person and thus harm seriously the faith of children or others.
One may give grave scandal or harm the reputations of others in serious ways by gossip.
One may be gravely lacking charity or unreasonably refusing of mercy.
One may be seriously derelict in their duties toward parents or family.
One may be seriously insubordinate and cause grave harm to unity.
One may be reckless in their behavior and thus seriously endanger the lives or well being of others.
One may have procured or assisted in the procuring of abortion.
One may be in sinful and wrongful sexual liaisons, have engaged in seductive behaviors that led others to sin, or may be sexually uncontrolled and irresponsible.
One may born false witness or told lies that seriously misled, endangered others or caused others to make seriously wrong choices or conclusions.
One may have taken from others, or failed to render what others were due in significant ways.
One can be seriously derelict in their duties to the poor and needy.
And one can be locked into serious greed that unreasonably seeks to posses what belongs to others or is needed by others.
We tend, in our culture and times to emphasize certain things to the exclusion of others. But there are many things from which we should repent and which, when repentance is lacking should require us to step back from the Sacrament of Communion, the Holy Sacrament of love, union and charity.
Jesus says,
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matt 5:23-24)
We all do well to, as St. Paul says, “examine ourselves,” and be frequent in confession if we are going to frequent the altar. Again, to quote the Pope (then Cardinal Ratzinger): The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion, merely as a consequence of being present at Mass, is an abuse that must be corrected.
And this admonition is for us all, not just for some, lest we fall condemned under the word of Amos above or of these similar words from Isaiah:
“The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have had more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals;….Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Is 11:11-20ff).
Though it is right that we trust in God’s mercy, the door to that mercy is repentance and humility. God is clearly not pleased with presumption, vain worship or sinful Communion. A message for us all.
It is the Fourth of July and a day to reflect on Liberty, on Freedom. And yet many today have concerns that their freedom is being eroded by increasing and over-reaching governmental intrusion.
And, while as Catholics steeped in the moral vision of the Scriptures and Tradition we seek to balance individual rights and the common good, we do rightly have concerns that one of our most fundamental rights recognized in the very First Amendment is being threatened by an unprecedented mandate that we violate our consciences and surrender our religious liberty simply because the government demands it.
Note the language that the First Amendment “recognizes” our freedom to freely exercise our religion. For the State does not grant us this right, God does. It is among those rights the Declaration of Independence so nobly calls “unalienable” rights and says are endowed by our Creator.
Hence, in no way can our right to religious freedom be abridged simply because a president, a congress or a director of a government agency says so. They did not give us this liberty and they cannot take it away. We will not and cannot cede to man, what God has given.
And mind you, the HHS mandate is only the latest and boldest move of what has been a steady stream of threats eroding our religious liberty. These issues affect not only Catholics, but people of many religious backgrounds. However, the Catholic Church is particularly targeted and threatened because we have stood so vocally and firmly in opposition to many aspects of the cultural revolution in America such as Abortion, Embryonic Stem Cell research, euthanasia, the increasing “genocide” against the disabled via selective abortion and pernicious prenatal screening, the Gay rights agenda, Gay “marriage,” and so forth.
As the wider American culture continues to move away from Biblical teachings and Natural Law norms, our Catholic adherence to this age-old wisdom has come to be seen by many as obnoxious, and we are considered to be an influence which must be strongly withstood. Rather than understand our concerns as a principled stance rooted in Biblical norms that we cannot simply set aside, many, in the wider culture, have chosen to describe our stance as bigoted, reactionary, hateful, and broadly intolerant.
As such, many see the repudiation of our religious rights and liberty as “righteous” and as a vindication of their cultural agenda. But the rejoicing in some circles and the active attempt by some to suppress our religious liberty is short-sighted. For, if the Government can deny the liberty of one group, all groups are threatened. If the Government can attempt to legally force a large segment of the US population to act contrary to their conscience, no other segment is safe either.
The threat to religious liberty is both real and growing. To review the HHS Mandate issue note that, until now, federal law has never prevented Catholic institutions from providing for the needs of their employees with a health plan that is consistent with Catholic moral teachings. There were reasonable religious exemptions in place that have always been a respected tradition in the laws of this country as written.
However, under the HHS mandates, virtually all Catholic hospitals, elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, and charitable organizations would be required to provide coverage for sterilization procedures and contraception, including drugs that may induce abortions, unless they stop hiring and stop serving non-Catholics. The HHS mandate will attempt to force Catholic organizations and individual Catholics either to violate their conscience or risk serious penalties and fines. We cannot and will not comply.
Those who want to turn this into a debate about contraception are missing the point and are being deceived. Because, if the government can seek to compel in these matters offensive to long-standing Catholic teaching, it can just as easily come after what others consider sacred and right. Do not be deceived, this is about a serious threat to the First Amendment and to the religious liberty of all, not just Catholics, and not just the various churches, but against you, as an individual citizen as well. It is not just the Church that has religious liberty, YOU have religious liberty and no government or official has the right to prohibit the free exercise of your religious duties.
More than freedom of worship! Do not allow others to describe the First Amendment merely as the “freedom of worship.” It is far more. It is to able to freely exercise one’s religion. I am not a Catholic merely inside the church building. I am a Catholic at the supermarket, at the job, in the political arena, in the influence of public policy, and in the daily discourse that seeks to influence the thinking and behavior of my fellow citizens. We, as believers, have the same rights as any other citizens or groups to advocate and organize for causes and courses of action we see as helpful to this country. An essential part of the free exercise of our religious duty is to evangelize the culture and everyone who will listen. It is unacceptable to speak of religious liberty as merely the freedom to worship inside a Church building, it is far more.
Real and subtle – Please understand that the threats to our religious Liberty are very real, but also, at times, subtle. For, beyond the HHS Mandate that is in the news, much of the erosion is carried out in incremental ways, hidden in the deeper details of legislation, and emerging from strict interpretations of various judges. As such, it requires the Church and other religious organizations to fight on multiple fronts in a wearying number of, often arcane but very significant, legal minutia.
At some level, the erosion of religious liberty is happening simply due to the repeated quality of the multiple and hostile legal maneuvers. The Church and other religious entities may win an individual battle in one case, only to have to face multiple appeals and similar battles in other jurisdictions.
Keeping the faithful organized and alert, and having the legal and financial resources in place to meet every challenge is difficult, and this is part of the erosive technique of the extreme secularists.
Here are just some recent examples of the kinds of cases and issues that emerge:
In 2009 the Baltimore City Council passed a bill regulating the speech of pro-life pregnancy centers by requiring them to post a sign listing services they do not provide (abortion and contraception) or face a daily fine. Abortion clinics and other such pro-choice centers faced no similar requirement. (Montgomery County soon approved a similar regulation. The ordinance has been declared unconstitutional by a federal court but even though the Courts may overturn these sorts of laws, such legal actions place a huge time and financial burden on these charitable organizations and are a distraction from their mission.
600 Catholic hospitals are finding themselves under increased scrutiny since they provide care in accordance with Catholic religious beliefs. The American Civil Liberties Union has asked the federal government to investigate Catholic hospitals for declining to provide abortion and emergency contraception. The ACLU alleges that Catholic hospitals are thus violating federal laws by adhering to their religious beliefs.
The District of Columbia Government informed Catholic Charities that it would no longer be an eligible foster care and adoption partner. since, as a Catholic organization, Catholic Charities was devoted to placing children in homes with both a mother and a father. Moreover, when District residents filed an appeal to bring the issue of marriage before voters, so that they could have a voice in the debate, their request was repeatedly denied by the D.C. Board of Elections.
Last November the same thing happened in Illinois. The Church there would have been required to provide adoption services to same-sex couples, based on a civil union law that had been passed. “The decision not to pursue further appeals was reached with great reluctance, but was necessitated by the fact that the State of Illinois made it financially impossible for Catholic agencies to continue to provide these services due to the legal cost of continuing the battle.
There has also been a growing trend of government intrusion into the institutional and administrative life of the Church. One of the most disturbing examples of this was in 2009, when a bill was introduced in the Connecticut legislature that would have allowed the state of Connecticut to mandate the structure and organization of Catholic parishes (and only Catholic parishes; it applied to no other denominations). The measure, which ultimately failed, would have removed many administrative and pastoral responsibilities from the pastor and placed them instead in the hands of committees whose membership was defined by the state legislature. Here too, though we won, that such an intrusive principle could see the light of day was disturbing and to fight it cost the Church and Catholics a huge amount of time and money.
Christians cannot speak publicly of their values? Medina Valley Independent School District, allows the class valedictorian to deliver a graduation address. The speech is written by the student and delivered in his or her own name as a personal reflection on what has helped them attain to their success and to give an encouraging word to fellow students. Last year, valedictorian, Angela Hildenbrand, a Bible-believing Christian, was valedictorian. Many knew that Angela would give thanks to God for blessing her work as a student, and that she might offer a prayer. Alleging that hearing a prayer would cause serious and irreparable harm, lawyers at “Americans United for the Separation of Church and State” (AUSCS) filed suit for an agnostic family. A federal judge….issued an order that no prayers could be offered, and also that Angela could not utter certain words in her speech, including the phrase “bow your heads” or the specific words “prayer” or “amen.” The reality is, the judge’s order, not a prayer Angela might offer in her speech, violated the First Amendment. A student is given the stage to speak about her values and priorities and to thank whomever she wishes for helping her succeed in school. Because she’s a private citizen (not a government agent), her speech is protected by the First Amendment Free Speech Clause. For government, (including a judge), to censor her private speech is unconstitutional. On June 4, the Fifth Circuit federal appeals court granted an emergency motion to reverse the district judge.
Grants denied on Religious Grounds – In 2008 the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts brought suit against the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, seeking to eliminate a grant to programs that aid victims of human trafficking. Because Catholic programs don’t refer for abortions, the ACLU alleged that public support amounts to the establishment of religion. The Obama Justice Department defended the grant in court. But recently, HHS abruptly ended the funding.
And again – It is now standard procedure in the Obama administration to deny funding to some Catholic programs based solely on their pro-life beliefs. [4]
The latest and most pervasive threat is the New HHS law described above.
At the beginning of a New Year, please take these threats seriously. The extreme secularists presume they can simply wear us down by their repeated and numerous legal maneuverings. And, frankly, they may be right, unless people like you and me are vigilant and unflinching in supporting the Church as she battles these attacks.
And don’t be too sanguine about how we should be willing to endure persecution. We should, but that does not mean we simply surrender our Constitutional rights at the door and let secularists, and proponents of the cultural revolution isolate us. We have every Constitutional right that any American does and we cannot simply let the Church be silenced by either ignoring the problem or minimizing it.
There is an important Battle underway. Where do you stand? What will you do? To quote Martin Luther King Jr., “My daddy always said, ‘If you find a good fight, get in it.'” Well this is a good fight, a necessary fight. Get in it.
The title of this Post is the refrain of the responsorial Psalm of Mass for Monday of this week. It is a provocative antiphon to say the least.
Given the difficulties that continue on the East Coast and the Midwest in the aftermath of Friday night’s remarkable storm (a mini hurricane, really), the readings of Monday’s Mass really spoke to how forgetful we can be regarding our fragility. Millions remain “powerless” in the midst of sweltering heat and electric companies say it may be the end of the week before power is restored. Yes, human “power” (aka electricity) is sorely lacking and all the kings horses and all the kings men are currently unable to deliver help.
Disclaimer – I write this as one unaffected by the power outages and I “coolly” reflect on these matters in air conditioned comfort. But fully half my parishioners are not so lucky and cannot even run a fan to get relief. It is they who must experience our frailty while I merely comment on it. I tip my hat to those who show patience in this current unpleasantness.
The readings today however give us an important teaching that is worth pondering.
The first reading today from Amos, while largely a warning from God that he will punish his unrepentant people, also speaks eloquently to the fact that even what we usually consider “mighty” cannot stand before the far mightier powers we call nature and, and neither can they stand before the Lord God:
Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong man shall not retain his strength; The warrior shall not save his life, nor the bowman stand his ground; The swift of foot shall not escape, nor the horseman save his life. And the most stouthearted of warriors shall flee naked on that day, says the LORD (Amos 2:14-16)
I quoting this, I do not suggest personal sin is the cause of Friday’s storm or of the current suffering in its aftermath by some. It is true, collectively, we ALL have enough pride to fuel a worldwide storm. But here I quote the passage simply as a reminder of how even what we call great and powerful (our technology and military might) is actually very fragile.
Fragile! Almost every process, function and comfort, in our homes depends on a thin little wire bringing electricity into our homes, and another thin little wire bringing and sending information. Cut these little cords and modern life as we know it goes back to the stone age. And, unlike our even recent ancestors who knew how to make a go of it without these umbilical cords, we are quite helpless. Most of us don’t even know how to cook over an open fire, let alone build one. Two thin and fragile wires, it all rests on that. Cut that cord and the mighty and modern word “flees naked on that day.”
And, not only are our individual lives fragile, but so is what we call civilization. When power outages are widespread (this one is spotty) there is often social unrest to include looting and riots. Social order breaks down very quickly in such circumstances, and we discover that civilization is a thinner veneer than we imagined.
The responsorial psalm says,Remember this you who never think of God, and, I would add: Remember this you who think that, in your own power, your strength lies. And these two lines are also good and powerful reminders also for us who do think of God, but do not often remember that this seemingly powerful world with all its glories is fragile: For this world in its present form is passing away. (1 Cor 7:29-30)
Yes, in an instant, in the rush of a wind, it’s promises and power all collapse.
An old song says, “In times like these you need a savior…” Only the Lord can help us set our heart and our hopes in that place where true and lasting joys are. Reminders like this storm can help, but only Jesus can truly convert our hearts and focus us on the lasting things of God and heaven.
An old hymn says: On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand, And the verses go on to add:
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
And perhaps a final admonition from Scripture:
But as for man, his days are like the grass or as of the flower of the field. The wind blows and he is gone, and his place never sees him again. But from everlasting to everlasting is the Lord’s love for those that fear him. (Psalm 103:15-17)
I’m am about to venture into dangerous territory. It is territory that is doubly dangerous because it has to do with women’s fashions, AND weddings, two areas where men should never seek to render any opinion whatsoever. I don’t know if it helps to point out that the idea I am about to brook came from a woman, but in case it helps, I offer this character witness on my behalf.
Even more dangerously I am going to suggest something about THE most critical aspect of wedding fashions: “The Dress,” as in, “The WEDDING DRESS.” Yes, I must go delicately into that world “where no man has gone before….” 😉
Yet there is a tradition about the wedding dress that is so beautiful and moving that I felt I had to share it. Some of you may say, “Oh Father, we have done that for generations in my family.” But I had never heard of it, and though I am not the most savvy and informed, I suggest that others have not heard it either.
The tradition I speak of is that of taking the wedding gown and, instead of packing it away in some trunk, the gown is converted to baptismal robes or gowns for the children that will come. In some cases, where there is a lot of fabric, several gowns for children can be made. In the case of simpler wedding gowns with less flowing folds etc, one baptismal gown (or robe) is made to be worn by all the children who will come.
What a beautiful tradition (it seems to me) that links the wedding and the marriage to blessed pro-creation and to the gift of children. Weddings are a day when we celebrate love, beauty and attraction. And the wedding gown celebrates these powerfully. And yet love, beauty and the attraction of the spouses for each other is meant to bear fruit, the fruit of children. Yes, children are the fruit of the marital love that is celebrated on the wedding day. How fitting it seems, that the dress that signals love, marriage, beauty and attraction, should become the fabric of the baptismal robes for the children, who are the holy fruit of that love.
I can see that such an idea may not always be possible. Some women do not, in fact, purchase a special dress just for the wedding. Back in 1959, when my mother was married, it was not uncommon for women to rent a gown or to wear a gown passed down from their mother or a friend. The photo at the upper right is of my mother in a wedding dress, a dress that she and several other of her friends had passed down, with necessary alterations.
But these days most brides tell me that they buy their own wedding dress. The costs some of them quote to me, scare me, especially since the dress will only be worn once. I understand now why, in the old days, dresses were often handed down, from mother to daughter or from close friend to close friend.
But for those who own their wedding dress and wear it only once, what do you think of the possibility of converting it to a baptismal gown or robe for your children? I think it is a beautiful thought, but I am just “some dude.” I can almost hear some women now reaching over to pat my hand and say, “Oh Father, you’re such a dear, but you really have no idea of what you speak. Leave such topics to the experts and stay in your own lane.”
And yet I really do wonder what many of you think. It seems quite a beautiful thought to me. How say you ??
Here are some very nice and modest wedding dresses (but what do I know, I’m just some dude).
The Gospel today focuses on a man named Jairus and a journey he makes from despair to deliverance, with the help of Jesus. Of course Jairus is not merely a synagogue official who lived two thousand years ago. You are Jairus and his journey is yours.
We also meet in this Gospel a woman of great faith to whom the Lord points as an exemplar. If you are ready to accept it, she also can be you.
Let’s observe this Gospel in six stages as Jairus makes his (our) journey.
I. TRIAL – The text says, When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.“
Jarius is in a great crisis, a great trial. Most of us have experienced similar things. Perhaps it is the grave illness or injury of someone we love. Perhaps it is the sudden loss of a job, or of our own health. Perhaps it is the sudden loss of a friend or the effects of a sudden storm or natural disaster. Perhaps it is simply the fear of some catastrophe that looms.
In his crisis Jairus seeks Christ, and falling to his knees, he pleads for help and healing for his beloved daughter.
Note that it is this very crisis that brings him to Jesus so prayerfully. While suffering remains a mystery, it is a recognizable fact that it sometimes takes suffering and crisis to bring us to Jesus. It should not be this way, but it is often the truth. Even for regular Church-goers, it sometimes takes a real crisis to make us finally realized and cry out: “Lord! I really need you! I cannot survive without you!”
And thus Jairus, quite possibly a proud synagogue official possessed of great dignity, it now at the feet of Jesus pleading for mercy. And what of us? Does it take this? Perhaps it does. But, for whatever purpose, God often allow suffering to find us for a reason and for a season.
Jairus is now undergoing a trial, a test. But remember, there is a test in every testimony.
II. TRAVELING – The text says [Jesus] went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
Note that there is a kind of delay here. Jesus could have simply healed the daughter, instantly from where he was (as he did with the Centurion’s servant). But instead Jesus says, (in effect) to Jairus, “Let us journey together for a awhile.” The Lord delays the healing of the daughter, and as we shall see, this delay means her death.
We too must often experience the Lord’s delay, for our crying out for healing and mercy does not often yield instant results. It is as if the Lord want us to live our questions and struggles awhile. It is as if he wants to walk with us in a journey of faith that requires a kind of waiting and watchful trust.
Such a delay is likely part of God’s plan to build our trust and faith, but whatever its cause, the Lord often requires that we wait, that we hold out. Gospel music is replete with such themes. One song says, I promised the Lord that I would hold out, He said he’d meet me in Galilee. Another song says, Hold on just a little while longer, everything’s gonna be alright. Another song says, Keep your hand on the plow, hold on! Yet another says, Lord, help me to hold out, until my change comes.
Thus, the Lord walks with Jairus and us and summons us to a faith that holds out. Scripture says, Weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come with the morning light (Ps 30:3).
III. TESTIMONY – Along the way the Lord arranges a lesson in trust for Jairus in the person of a woman of strong faith. The text says:
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to Jesus, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?'” And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
Here is a woman of remarkable faith. She has come to a point in her life’s journey that she simply knows by faith that all she has to do is touch Jesus, and she will be healed. Surely she has come to this faith only by a long and painful journey. But she HAS come to this moment, and now she has the faith to be saved.
And she touches Jesus.
Do not miss the significance of this touch, for Jesus does not. Sensing the power of her faith and that healing power has gone out from him he says “Who touched me?” The disciples react with exasperation saying, (in effect) “Lord, hundreds of people have been bumping up against you in the crowd!” But Jesus did not asked who had bumped up against him, or brushed aside him. He asked, “Who touched me?” For it is one thing to bump up against the Lord and another thing to touch him, to touch him in faith.
How many of us really touch God when we come to Mass? He speaks to us in the Liturgy of the Word, do we really hear him? He touches us in Holy Communion, but do we touch him? Do we really expect healing when we go to Mass, do we really expect a healing touch? Or are we only going to be in a crowd bumping up against Jesus?
Many people put more faith in Tylenol than the Eucharist because, when they take Tylenol, they actually expect something to happen, that the pain will go away and healing will happen. But what do they expect when they receive Holy Communion? Often nothing.
How about you? Are you like the woman who touches Jesus expecting healing or just the crowd that brushes past him?
Jesus insists on meeting this woman of faith. And it may well be that he had Jairus in mind. As if to say, “Pay attention to this woman Jairus. Do you see what her faith has gotten her? Do you believe Jairus?” And into our own life the Lord will also and often send those who can testify to us of faith and show what faith can do.
Thus on this journey, Jairus is given a witness to encourage his faith. Who are the witnesses in your life that the Lord has sent?
IV. TEMPTATION – The text says, While [Jesus] was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?”
Note that while there is, on this journey of Jairus, an encouraging testimony of what faith can do, there are also these temptations against faith, and temptations to despair and hopelessness.
And what of us? We too often must confront individuals and a world that are largely negative.
And note how Jairus is told by the negative ones to dismiss Jesus: “Why bother the teacher any more?” Yes, there are many in our life and in this world who not only have no hope, but insist we dismiss Jesus, that He is of no hope or relevance. Many secularists, themselves having no hope, ridicule us who do and taunt us to dismiss the Lord from our journey.
This is a temptation that must be rejected.
V. TRUST – The text says, Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out.
To such as these who are negative and ridicule, Jesus has only a rebuke and he “puts them all out.”
Then turning to Jairus he says, “Be not afraid – Just have faith.” The command that we have faith resonates not merely as an “order” from Jesus but also as a dynamic principle. For the same God who said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, now says “Be not afraid but have faith” and so trusting and saving faith is possible for Jairus and for us.
One of the most principle tasks of Jesus and his holy Spirit is to grow faith within us.And as this faith grows our victories become more and more evident and existent. Scripture says:
For thus says the Lord God, the holy One of Israel, “By waiting and calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies… (Is 30:15)
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint (Is 40:30-31).
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. (Heb 10:35-39)
Hence the Lord Jesus commands faith to bring us reward. And that leads to the final place in the journey:
VI. TRIUMPH – The text says, He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.
Sure enough, Jairus’ journey with Jesus leads to victory. And so will ours. It may not be the Lord’s will to raise every relative recently deceased, but the Lord will surely give us the victory in every travail and difficulty. And to those who die in him, he will surely say as he said to the little Girl: “I say to you, Arise!”
And for us, in every trial, if you are in the Lord and journeying with him I promise you complete victory in Jesus: To every trial and distress…just say “I’ll Rise!”
In sufferings and sickness…”I’ll Rise!”
In setbacks and sorrows…”I’ll Rise!”
Tears in my eyes…”I’ll Rise!”
No money in my pocket…”I’ll Rise!”
On the rough side of the mountain…”I’ll Rise!”
Yes, just say “I’ll Rise!”
Jairus has made a journey with Jesus from Trial to Traveling with Jesus. Through Testimony and Temptation to the empowering command Trust! And thereby unto Triumph.
The Journey of Jairus is our journey and his victory is ours if we like him journey with Jesus.
Some years ago a scripture professor asked: “Do you know what the biggest obstacle is in understanding Scripture?”
Now since we were doing graduate level Scripture study, a few of us opined that it was the lack of the knowledge of Greek or Hebrew. Or perhaps it was that people today do not know the culture of Jesus’ time, or have not studied the historical-critical method (that answer usually got us extra points in Scripture class back in those days). Other students opined that fundamentalism was the biggest problem (another answer sure to gain points back then).
“No” said the professor. “Our biggest problem in understanding Scripture is our sin.”
Could it be that simple? Surely the woeful lack of catechesis, and the general ignorance of Scripture is the reason!
No, it is our sin. For if we were pure in heart we would seek truth, love Scripture, and the study of the faith. No one would have to drag us to Mass, and staying alert during the readings, sermon and prayers would be little effort, since some one we loved, the Lord, was speaking. We would prefer the beauty of God’s truth to the empty and vain trends of the world, and error would repulse and trouble us. Ignorance and lack of learning would not be an issue, for we would say with Blessed Job: Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food (Job 23:12).
If we were pure in heart we would not wince at the moral teaching of the Scripture and rashly and rebelliously reject it as unrealistic and outdated. Instead we would weep for our sins and rejoice in the truth with the words of Baruch: Happy are we. O Israel, for what pleases God is known to us (Baruch 4:4)!
If we were pure in heart, our minds would connect so many dots, for we would lovingly remember that God had said similar things in other passages. We would see how grace and love and mercy were like threads connecting the whole of Scripture and Tradition. We would see victory even in apparent defeat, providence on every page, and wisdom in every paradox. We would see the whole of the Old Testament as a preparation for Jesus, the whole of the New Testament as the fulfillment of that was promised, and more. Love would enlighten every page of Scripture and Tradition, and that very light would scatter the darkness of worldly errors and selfish interpretations.
Yes, is quite simple in the end, our sin is our biggest obstacle in understanding God’s word. Sin leads to senseless, foolish and darkened minds.
Greek is good, parsing Hebrew verbs, a worthy matter. But seeking a purer heart opens doors that exegetical methods can only knock on. Learning is surely good and required, especially if it looks to the heavens, but only pure love can pierce the veil.
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God (Matt 5:9).
I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children (Matt 11:25)
Here is a funny video that reminds us that things are sometimes simpler than they first appear.
