A Few Thoughts In Passing; December 6th

1. Happy Saint Nicholas Day!!! Saint Nicholas, the generous and kind 4th century bishop of Myra, Lycia (now modern day Turkey) from whom the legend of our Santa Claus rose.

2. An Manhattan Declaration update. As of today there are 176 various church leader signatories and there are at least 260,605 people who have endorsed the declaration.

3. Last Monday, November 30th, Catholics commemorated the feast of the apostle Saint Andrew. Saint Andrew was seeking the Lord and was a follower of Saint John the Baptist before encountering Jesus. Though his role is not as predominate as Saints Peter, James and John in the gospels; he did play a significant role. According to the Gospel of Saint John, he was most likely the first apostle to find Jesus and he is credited for bringing Peter to Jesus (John 1:41), he also is the apostle who brought the young boy with the bread and fishes to Jesus (John 6:8-9). Subsequently when a group of Greeks asked to see Jesus, he was the one who took the message and the Greeks to Him.

Saint Andrew evangelized throughout Asia Minor and, as recorded by the bishop Eusebius, traveling as far as Scythia, the Black Sea, the Volga and Kiev. It is believed he was crucified in Patras, Achaea (Greece) around 70 ad. [Eusebius is credited with writing the first history of the Church; he lived from 260-339 ad.]

Saint Andrew is the patron of Scotland and Russia.

Saint Andrew's behavior as recorded in the Gospels demonstrates to me how God is depending on us to bring others to Him and even though we may not be big figures in the big picture, we are called to play a key role in building the Kingdom of God. Each of us is unique and God is depending on each of us.

Advent-A Time of Waiting

Today, November 29th, we begin the Season of Advent leading up to our celebration of Christmas--commemorating the birth of Jesus. In our Catholic churches, and in some homes, we have Advent wreaths and the churches are adorned in purple and the "Gloria"
is normally omitted from the liturgy. Yet, many of us go on our daily lives, other than decorating, partying and shopping, with little preparation for Christmas.

I'd like to note that if you were an Orthodox or Eastern Rite Catholic Christian, this would not be the case. No, if you were either Orthodox or Eastern rite Catholic you would be practicing a period of penance or sacrifice similar to what Latin (Roman) rite Catholics practice during Lent leading to Easter.

Wouldn't it be a good idea if we implemented a voluntary practice similar to our Eastern brethern. Maybe some small sacrifice like attending Mass during the week, eating smaller portions when not partying and accumulating the money saved for a needy cause/person, reflecting daily during Advent on the first two chapters of the Gospel of St. Luke and the Old Testament prophets, praying for someone you know in need, praying and reflecting on the five joyful mysteries of the rosary each day or practicing the virtue of patience; and the one I like to do, daily praying for the unity of the Orthodox and Catholic Church. This latter is of special concern to me as I reflect on the late Pope John Paul II who sought unity so that "...the Church could breath with both lungs".

For you who have access to Catholic radio, I hope you have the opportunity to listen to the weekly "Light of the East" program produced by Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Church in Homer Glen, Illinois and hosted by Father Thomas J. Loya; once you have, I believe you'll come to realize the beauty the Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic Church has to offer us. If you can't listen on a local radio station, you may visit the church's beautiful web site and stream past radio shows at www.byzantinecatholic.com.

Out of the Desert

As with many people, as I reflect in my life I realize how many years I wandered in the desert of life--as our ancestors of Faith wandered in search of The Promised Land.

Though I was baptized and remained a Catholic my entire life; for many years I was what is often referred to as a cafeteria Catholic--one who picked and chose how to practice one's Faith. Throughout those years I received numerous "pricks" from God but for the most part I remained unmoved. God finally hit me with a 2 X 4 in the early 1990's and ever since my relationship with Him and His Church has continued to grow. That is not to say that I haven't experienced moments of darkness but to this point they have passed followed by a greater brightness. God created us, thinking reasoning beings and though we are believers of God and followers of Jesus through a gift of Faith; God wants us to use our reasoning powers as God is the essence of Logic.

There are moments in my life when I experience an overwhelming sense of gratefulness for the love of God, a love I do not deserve. One of these moments occurred two weeks ago while as Mass when all I could respond was quietly saying "Thank You, God". My response must have been evident as the woman kneeling next to me touched me on my arm and asked "Are you okay?" I answered, "Yes I'm okay, I'm just easily moved."

Though I'm still wandering through my journey of life, I am so thankful that I am not alone; I'm out of the desert journeying with God's large community of saints, with God providing life support.

The Manhattan Declaration--A Call of Christian Conscience

A group concerned with the impact of the post-Christian secularism on our society got together and drafted the "Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience" in New York on October 20th. The declaration was released on Friday, November 20th with over 150 Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical Church leaders as signatories.

Today the number of signatories is 168. The declaration specifically addresses/defends:

1. The sanctity of human life

2. The dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife

3. The rights of conscience and religious liberty

Those who agree with the declaration are encouraged to show their support by logging in to the "manhattandeclaration.org" web-site and indicating this support. At my last check over 182,000 endorsed the declaration.

The declaration is available as a link as well as a summary of the declaration and the list of signatories.

I first heard of the declaration on Catholic radio who announced it was going to be released and saw a report on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). Fox News also reported the release, as did Bill O'Reilly.

I hope you are moved to go the web-site, read the declaration and then hopefully endorse it. I believe our culture is at a cross road and it is imperative that Christians and like-minded people let their voices be heard.

An Opportunity Lost

Whatever a person thinks of the deceased Senator Kennedy's political positions, one has to acknowledge that he was very influential in the government and he left his mark. My greatest sadness is what I see as an unique opportunity lost regarding life and marriage.

What many of us forget is that Edward Kennedy was "pro-life" earlier in his political career. What happened? Well back in the mid to late 1960s when the issue of legalized elective abortions was being bantered about, five Catholic theologians, all priests and I believe all from Massachusetts, discussed over a weekend whether or not a politician could morally support elective abortions even though they personally abhor the procedure. They determined that yes a politician could and they so advised Senator Kennedy (and probably others) and the rest is history. Unfortunately this opened the flood waters as we all know how the Democratic Party platform evolved.

I do not know whether or not the archbishop of Boston subsequently explained the Catholic position to the senator and was ignored or if for some reason he did not raise the issue. As early as 1968, Pope Paul VI had written his famous, though to some unpopular, encyclical "Humanae Vitae" which condemned contraception and elective abortion and noted that a contraceptive mentality was a stepping stone to an elective abortion mentality.

There were those bishops who took issue with the position supported by these newly "converted" politicians but their authority was limited to politicians who were in their dioceses. Pope John-Paul II took a firm direct position explaining the error of the Catholic politicians who supported elective abortions.

The American Catholic bishops as a group attempted to address the problem of Catholic politicians who voted/advocated "pro-choice" but possibly due to their concern to remain pastoral and compounded later by the disclosure of the clergy sex abuse scandals, their efforts were greatly impaired. There were several bishops who spoke out aggressively, especially those younger bishops installed under Pope John-Paul II, but their initial efforts were still hampered by those attempting to obtain a successful solution through a more a pastoral approach. Meanwhile there were many lay organizations speaking up, pressing their bishops to take a more direct role. Finally when a pro-choice Catholic was running for president in 2004; the bishops spoke out but yet in a somewhat muffled voice. By the 2008 election, with a pro-choice Catholic Vice-Presidential candidate, the bishops were speaking in a clear voice; however, other concerns overshadowed many of the Catholic minds and many were still unclear regarding the moral issue of electing pro-choice candidates due to the earlier inaction; result--53 percent of Catholics voted for a confirmed "pro-choice" administration, insuring the pro-choice administration's election.

Regarding the now deceased senator, if we look at his life in total with all his failures it is evident he had a big well meaning heart and as we say, "charity covers a multitude of sins" and he accomplished much good. Also, no one knows the mind of another. We do know he was a man of prayer. As he approached the sunset of his life he was administered the Sacraments. Also, the ailing senator had President Obama deliver a ten page letter to Pope Benedict XVI during his recent visit. An extract of senator's letter and the Vatican's response were read at the internment of the senator.

Regarding the funeral Mass, a couple points of interest. Reportedly, two of the Kennedy's choices for the funeral Mass were not honored. One choice was the church where his mother Rose was baptized but that pastor refused. The other was the archdiocese's cathedral, but that request was also denied. Finally the present archbishop-cardinal of Boston attended the funeral Mass, but he did not preside nor did he distribute the Eucharist. His only direct leadership involvement was the prayer at the end of the service where he led the prayer for the deceased senator.

There are many that believe the misdirected logic of the theologians that advised the senator, not only was germane to so many Catholic politicians, and some non-Catholics, supporting elective abortions but also led to the mind-set supporting homosexual relationships and "marriages", and the breakdown of monogamous marriages and the traditional family.

I pray that the five misguided theologians have come/came to realize their error and have made amends. If you'd like to read more on the subject, you may read the respected Catholic apologist Patrick Madrid's blog at patrickmadrid.blogspot.com. The names of the theologians are in his blog.

The above situation illustrates the impact of our own words and actions on others, probably beyond what we would believe. One day we too will have to face the results of our words and actions--hopefully we wont have to account for too many "opportunities lost".

Opus Dei #5

Yester was August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. A sign of hope for us all that we too will someday be in Heaven.

There were at least 100 men at the morning recollection. The three reflections were "Prayer" and "Meditation" led by the Opus Dei priest and "Time"--proper use thereof--led by an Opus Dei layperson. The three reflections were provocative. Ironically, the night before I had difficulty sleeping as my mind was "in gear", (Normally I sleep "like a rock"). As I've written, "Ironically", since many of the observations made during the morning recollection mirrored the thoughts I pondered the evening before. A friend at Opus Dei suggested that The Holy Spirit was getting me prepped. Who knows; all that I know is that the reflections rounded out my day.

Taking Up One's Cross

'Jesus said to His disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct."' (Matthew 16:24-27)

When you read the above from Matthew's Gospel what comes to your mind?

It is worth noting that this quote in Matthew immediately follows Jesus foretelling of His death and resurrection, Peter's rebuke and Jesus' strong condemnation of Peter's rebuke. (Matthew 16:21-23)

Imagine we are among Jesus' disciples. The stir this causes. We are Jews living under the iron fist of detested Roman occupiers. We are anxiously awaiting the promised messiah who we believe or at least hope this Jesus is. As the messiah we expect Jesus to cast off the tyranny of the detested Roman gentiles and establish a kingdom blessed and far exceeding that of King David. Hopefully then, we as his favoured disciples, will share in the power and glory of this new realm.

But no, now this Jesus tells us that we are to deny ourselves and willingly take upon ourselves the most horendous instrument of death available in the Roman Empire, the cross, and be willing to suffer with Him and for Him; even be willing to die for Him. Then and only then will we be rewarded. Wow!!! Surely He must be kidding!

And yet, probably within 40 years of Jesus' death and resurrection when hearing Matthew's account at the Eucharistic liturgy it all resonates and it makes sense.

Isn't it somewhat surprising after all these years of Christians understanding the importance of denying oneself, taking up one's cross and following Jesus; how many today believe that being Christian precludes suffering or deny the significance of suffering on one's road to eternity? Many have forgotten or over look St. Paul's observation on the subject.

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is the Church." (Colossians 1:24)*

*Catholic Biblical footnote. '"...what is lacking..." Christ's suffering were of course, sufficient for our redemption, but all of us may add ours to his, in order that the fruits of his redemption be applied to the souls of men. (The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version / Second Catholic Edition, Ignatius Press p.168)

"Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

Aren't these words of our Lord; "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." (Matthew 14:27) really encouraging? Here we have the apostles in a boat that is being tossed about in turbulent waters, fearing the possibility of drowning and seeing what appeared to be a ghost approaching them--very likely they saw this as a omen of their pending demise. But no, the image they saw was not a ghost, it was Jesus.

There were times in my life when I felt that everything was going wrong or there was no way out of a given predicament--that I was drowning in the situation--and I heard these comforting words; "Don't give up, I am here, do not fear." And yes, everything did work out. I know these comforting words were not of a ghost; I know God wants to talk to me/assure me if only I listen.

I pray that I learn that prayer is a conversation, which means I need to be a better listener--after all God has a lot more to say than I and what He has to say is of much greater value.

God who is Love so wants to share Himself with us if only we'd let Him.