         
Pastor's Desk Archive             
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Pastor's Desk Archive (February 2009)Anybody Needing A Faith Lift? (2/1/2009) Anybody Needing A Faith Lift? (2/1/2009)Who of us is not in need of a stronger faith? On one occasion the apostles realized how weak their belief was and asked Jesus to increase their faith. But He responded by saying, “If your faith were only the size of a tiny mustard seed, you could move mountains.” So maybe our real problem is that we don’t understand fully enough what faith is and how we are supposed to use it. Have you ever considered that faith has a number of different but related meanings? In the first place, faith is a gift that God freely gives us when we are baptized. This gift provides us with the capacity for knowing, loving, and serving God. But it’s a gift that has to be formed and shaped by other believers beginning with faithful parents and godparents. It’s also a gift—like any other—that can be laid aside or even lost. This has been the case with countless adults who began to realize somewhere along the way that we were falling way short in knowing, loving, or serving God. Faith also refers to belief in the teachings of Christ. We cannot, in fact, know the true and living God without knowing what Jesus Christ taught. We can have certain “spiritual” beliefs and feelings but unless they are rooted in the Gospel, they have no power to save us. Sadly, we live in an age in which religious beliefs have become so privatized that many people think they are free to fashion beliefs of their own liking and choosing. It’s one thing to acknowledge that we must have a certain tolerance for people’s religious beliefs, it’s quite another to think that one belief is as good as another. Christianity is a religion based on the fact that God has revealed himself to us through the scriptures and tradition. If we don’t make a sincere effort to grow in our knowledge of the faith, we can easily end up practicing a false religion. Faith is also about power. The power to love, to forgive, to be compassionate, to be honest, to bear witness to God’s life in us, and to be agents of healing. This kind of faith also makes it possible for us to worship God and to love Him with all our soul, mind, and strength. Lent is coming soon and with it a special opportunity to grow our faith. Why not begin praying about that in earnest. You might even pray that God would grow the faith of the whole parish. Pope's "Act of Charity" Leads to Huge Controversy (2/8/2009)Recently, Pope Benedict ordered the lifting of the excommunications of four “traditionalist” bishops who were illicitly ordained by the late Archbishop LeFebvre in 1988. This man and his followers rejected the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and insisted that the Latin form of the Mass authorized since the 16th century was the only valid one. As it turns out, one of these four bishops, Richard Williamson, had given an interview on Swedish television in which he stated his belief that the Holocaust of six million Jews during WWII never happened. The very act of denying the Holocaust is considered a crime in Germany and so the Pope’s action set off a fire storm of criticism. Why would the Pope have lifted the excommunication of a prelate who denied the holocaust? The Vatican asserts that his only motive was one of charity towards all four men in an effort to heal the breach between the Society and the Church. As a matter of fact, though these bishops are no longer considered excommunicated, they are still forbidden to exercise any authority within the church either as bishops or priests until they recant their condemnation of the “new Mass” and the teachings of Vatican II. So the lifting of the excommunication, in the Pope’s mind, had nothing to do with the personal views of any of the bishops including the notorious Holocaust denier Williamson. In fact, the Pope later said he did not even know of these views when he lifted the excommunications. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, went so far as to publicly criticize the Pope—an unusually strong action—and urged him to make crystal clear his repudiation of Bishop Williamson for his unacceptable stance regarding the Shoah (the Jewish word for the Holocaust). The Chief Rabbi in Israel also broke off all its ties with the Vatican in protest. A number of Catholic Bishops, including the German Cardinal, Walter Kaspar, and the Austrian Cardinal, Christopher Schoenborn, made carefully crafted remarks questioning the way in which this was handled without appearing to be criticizing the Holy Father. Pope Benedict XVI, a German himself, has made public statements in which he clearly upholds the Church’s filial love for the Jewish people and condemns those who would even question the Holocaust. Journalists have speculated that this whole matter was mishandled by Vatican officials who might have urged the Pope to consider more carefully the consequences of his decree. Perhaps this is a lesson in how important it is for the Pope to consult more thoroughly with cardinals and bishops before making decisions of such magnitude. But, then, what do I know? The Wisdom in Hot Chocolate (2/15/2009)A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were attending an alumni reunion when they decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired, who was always an inspiration to them. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work, lives and relationships. Offering his guests some hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups. Some cups were porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite. He invited each to help themselves to the hot chocolate. When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor began to share his thoughts. Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What each of you really wanted was hot chocolate. You did not want the cup but you consciously went for the best cups. Now friends, please consider this: Life is the hot chocolate. Your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor does it change, the quality of life you are living. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. Always remember this: God brews the hot chocolate, He does not choose the cup. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have!! The moral of this story is: Live simply Enjoy your hot chocolate!! Lent & Easter: 90 Days to Grow in Christ (2/22/2009)The 40 days of Lent and the 50 days of Easter present us with yet another opportunity to become more faithful disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we choose to do so, we can think of these ninety days as an extended retreat during which we can seek spiritual growth. We can make choices that will make it clearer to us and to others that we are truly willing to allow God’s grace to make us holy. Being holy is not about walking around all the time with our hands folded prayerfully. Visible piety is one element of holiness, but not the only one and not even the most important one. The most important element involves learning how to live in the world as moms and dads, as sons and daughters, as husbands and wives, as widows and single people, as co-workers, as fellow students, as employers and employees, and as faithful members of our parish family. The stewardship card attached to this bulletin provides each of us with a chance to assess our priorities as Lent begins. We often talk about not praying enough and not setting aside enough time to grow spiritually. The truth is we always do what we really want to do. We make time for what we regard as most important. Doesn’t all our time belong ultimately to God? Isn’t He the one who gave us this life for a particular amount of time? If we don’t set aside time for spiritual growth this Lent, when will we do so? Do we want to be caught off guard should a serious illness or accident befall us or someone we love? It’s later than we think. Force yourself to read the ages of the people in the daily obituaries—just one day. I think you’ll find it sobering. While there are a host of things you can choose to help you grow spiritually, I want to particularly recommend you add a daily Mass or two each week during Lent. It is a relatively short investment in time while holding the promise of a great reward—a stronger connection to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are two morning Masses and two evening Masses to choose from. I also highly recommend your participation in the Way of the Cross on Friday evenings and the Lenten meals that follow. Christ made the ultimate sacrifice. Perhaps you can make a little one. |
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