Pastor's Desk Archive (July 2009)

Independence Day 2009 (7/5/2009)
Caritas In Veritate - Love In Truth (7/12/2009)
The Lord Is My Shepherd (7/19/2009)
Anointing The Sick (7/26/2009)

Independence Day 2009 (7/5/2009)

We celebrate this weekend the 233rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. (Did you know it was actually “declared” by the Constitutional Congress on July 2nd?). I wonder how many of us have any real idea of what life was like that many years ago? It was certainly much more difficult than it is today. But it was especially challenging for the men who signed that document and their families. The British government certainly regarded these people as traitors and public enemies. In declaring that certain truths were self-evident from the very nature of things and from “nature’s God”, they were shaping a new nation in which “all men were created equal” and were “free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.”

These were godly men and women who were willing to endure hostility, even war, to form what would become a union of federated states in which people would be free to worship God according to the dictates of each one’s conscience. This had not been possible in England or in other places in the old world from which they had fled tyrannies of various kinds. The birth of this free nation followed only after a difficult labor which cost the lives of many. Thirteen years later in 1789, those great sacrifices were expressed in a constitution and a bill of rights creating the United States of America. Those first ten amendments were issued to limit and proscribe the powers and duties of the Federal government so as to guarantee the prerogatives of the individual states and its free citizens.

The first of those amendments begins with these critically important words: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The meaning of these words has been argued about endlessly. Unfortunately, many of those arguing don’t know what they are talking about when they suggest that the intent of the framers was to protect us from religion. Reading the writings of the framers makes it clear that they were not intending to establish a secular nation, but one in which religion could flourish according to the beliefs and dictates of each citizen’s conscience. For the first 60 years of the Capitol’s existence, church services were held in the House of Representatives. The desk of the Speaker served as the pulpit from which freedom rang through the voices of clergymen of every church and denomination—including a two hour homily delivered by a Catholic priest. On this July 4th weekend let us thank God for our freedom of worship. Let us also remember that true Freedom is not free, it is a gift that must be cherished and defended or lost.

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Caritas In Veritate - Love In Truth (7/12/2009)

The title of this encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," is significant. Of the three basic kinds of love -- philia, eros and agape -- none is safe if it is not pursued according to the truth of things, of the proper object of love. Just as we cannot love something that is not loveable, so we cannot love something unless we know what it is, which is saying the same thing in other words. The separation of truth and love in the name of love or "kindness" is the characteristic of our times. Love, it is said, covers a multitude of sins. In the modern world, it eliminates them altogether if truth is not a component of love. "Two loves built two cities," very opposite cities, as Augustine said.

Here a few highlights from Pope Benedict’s latest “encyclical” or pastoral letter to the Church:

"The human being develops when he grows in the spirit, when his soul comes to know itself and the truths that God has implanted deep within, when he enters into dialogue with himself and his Creator. When he is far away from God, he is unsettled and ill at ease.”

"Social and psychological alienation and the many neuroses that afflict affluent societies are attributable in part to spiritual factors. A prosperous society, highly developed in material terms but weighing heavily on the soul, is not of itself conducive to authentic development.”

"The new forms of slavery to drugs and the lack of hope into which so many people fall can be explained not only in sociological and psychological terms but also in essentially spiritual terms. The emptiness in which the soul feels abandoned, despite the availability of countless therapies for body and psyche, leads to suffering.”

"There cannot be holistic development and universal common good unless people's spiritual and moral welfare is taken into account, considered in their totality as body and soul."

“Profit is useful if it serves as a means toward an end,” the Pope wrote. But "once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty.”

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The Lord Is My Shepherd (7/19/2009)

Psalm 23 is so familiar that it readily calls to mind these and other well known verses: “He leads me beside green pastures where He gives me repose” and “though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for You are at my side.”

One thing this Psalm illustrates is that we don’t have to have any personal experience or knowledge of shepherds, nor need we think of ourselves as sheep in order to be inspired by the soaring beauty of these verses. After all, neither Jesus nor the apostles made their living as shepherds. Rather, they were carpenters and fishermen. We can readily understand that Jesus is using the image of a shepherd to illustrate what kind of a leader He is. He cares for his followers as a shepherd cares for sheep. He cares so much for those who stray away from the flock that He is willing to leave the rest safely in pasture while He goes in search of them. Moreover, He is even willing to lay down His life for His followers. Jesus is truly a Good Shepherd.

As it was in the days of Jesus, is now, and perhaps ever shall be, there never seems to be any shortage of wayward followers of Jesus. In fact, there are very few of us who can honestly say that “we have never been among the wayward.” There are so many ways we can stray. Some of us have preferred to be our own leaders, claiming that God has given us brains and wits to figure out life for ourselves. There’s a kernel of truth there which can easily beguile us into becoming lone rangers who end up leaving a trail of failures and foolishness.

Others have set off in pursuit of fame and fortune supposing that happiness and security will be the outcome. How tragic and disappointing it is when they discover belatedly that in that direction lies no end of woes and, in the end, the grave like everyone else.

So, who will turn the wayward onto the right path if not the Good Shepherd and those who strive to be His faithful followers? If we invite the Lord to lead and guide us, then we are in a position to lead and guide others. How blessed are children who grow up with parents who allow Jesus to guide them along right paths. Blessed, too, are parish members who have pastors who, having walked through the valley of the shadow of death, have been found by the Good Shepherd and pointed in the direction of living in the house of the Lord all the days of their lives.

Let us pray for good shepherds who can lead us and guide us in the name of the Lord.

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Anointing The Sick (7/26/2009)

Not a month goes by in which I am not called upon to celebrate the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick with a parishioner who has fallen ill. The Rite itself very simply involves prayer, the laying on of hands, and anointing with oil on the forehead and the palms of the hands. But it can be very moving and powerful for all who are involved. Occasionally, someone who has been diagnosed with a serious illness will come to daily Mass. Following Holy Communion this person will come and stand in the front near the altar and many of the other worshippers will gather around them and gently reach out to touch them as I lay hands on them in the name of the Lord. This manner of celebration makes it clearer that the sacraments are communal celebrations in which the Lord shows forth his saving power.

Who is eligible for the Anointing? In general, a Catholic may be anointed if:

• They have a serious illness that could be life-threatening.
• They are scheduled for a major surgery.
• Their great age has resulted in fragile health.
• They have suffered a life threatening injury.

We should bear in mind that the Anointing of the Sick is not the only healing sacrament the church has to offer. Before receiving Holy Communion we pray, “Say but the Word and I shall be healed”. The Sacrament of Penance brings with it spiritual healing for the sin-sick soul.

There are circumstances in which a non-Catholic spouse or family member of a good Catholic might be anointed. I’m thinking of an individual who is a baptized Protestant but who has been coming to Mass with a Catholic spouse over the years. When in doubt, just ask.

I am still startled from time to time to encounter Catholics who continue to postpone this anointing until they are literally at death’s door. This older understanding of the sacrament as “extreme unction” gave way to a richer understanding of its purpose and effects more than forty years ago.

Does this sacrament bring spiritual healing or physical healing as well? It certainly brings spiritual healing because it includes the forgiveness of sins. It often brings physical healing as well—sometimes miraculously—depending on God’s will. An ideal setting for the anointing is in the presence of loved ones following a Sunday or daily Mass when possible.

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