Pray for vocations

"The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few:
pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,
that he would send forth labourers into his harvest."
Luke 10:2

Hope among the dust

In today’s first reading, the book of Job reaches an emotional climax: his suffering seems infinite and absolute, and instead of bringing comfort, his friends just add to his misery.

But it is at that very moment, when things seem to be at their worst, that Job, with great and unshakeable seriousness, reaffirms his faith in God.

Pity me, pity me, O you my friends,
for the hand of God has struck me!

Why do you hound me as though you were divine,
and insatiably prey upon me?

Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead
they were cut in the rock forever!

But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives,
and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust;
Whom I myself shall see:
my own eyes, not another's, shall behold him,
And from my flesh I shall see God;

My inmost being is consumed with longing.

Despite the suffering that he seems to have received from the hand of God, Job knows that God will come through for him. He is not sure when or how, but he knows that he himself will see God come to his rescue.

Many translators over the millennia (and all Christians) have understood that what Job is referring to (although the original Hebrew is vague) is the Resurrection of the Body and our redemption in Christ. Nowhere has this been expressed more perfectly than in Handel’s Messiah:

I know that my Redeemer liveth,
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth;
and though worms destroy this body,
yet in my flesh shall I see God.
(Job 19:25-26)

For now is Christ risen from the dead,
the first-fruits of them that sleep.
(1 Cor. 15:20)

Indeed, may these words be carved in stone in our minds and in our hearts! That no matter what may happen to us, no matter what suffering or isolation we may endure, if by God’s grace we persevere, our Redeemer, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, will come and raise us up and with our own eyes we shall see God.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Ubi est?

As wonderful as Jerome’s work was, scholarly adjustments have had to be made to the Vulgate over the centuries.

The latest edition can be found on the Vatican web site
http://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/nova_vulgata/documents/nova-vulgata_index_lt.html

The Bible Gateway has an edition that may be slightly different, with a more hi-tech interface.
http://bible.gospelcom.net/languages/index.php?language=latin&version=VULGATE

A much older, incomplete edition is available at
http://vulsearch.sourceforge.net/html/index.html


I myself am not a scholar, but every translation has its limitations and also its own insights. One quick example may be seen in one of the most familiar verses of Scripture:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

The older Vulgate says
Dominus regit me, et nihil mihi deerit
The Lord rules me, and nothing to me will be lacking.

The newest Vulgate says
Dominus pascit me, et nihil mihi deerit
The Lord pastures me, and nothing to me will be lacking.

The first phrase in both versions is more active than the familiar English version (and generally more faithful to the ancient text).

The older Vulgate would seem to resonate better with people who have a more benevolent concept of "being ruled" (which is not generally the case today). It might also be more appropriate for city dwellers who have no experience of shepherding.

The newer Vulgate restores the more pastoral flavor and thanks to modern education and communication nearly everyone can summon a wonderful image of a shepherd (even though few of us have ever met one).

Again, just some ideas -- I am not a scholar and "have no mind for strife except with the Enemy and his servants."

To the big city and back

He was a young man from the boondocks, lured by the attraction of the greatest city in the world, but when he got there, what ultimately seized his imagination were not the great monuments of power and commerce, but rather the churches and the faithful people. He received baptism and devoted himself to studying ever more deeply the faith he had embraced.

During his life, he would find himself in many places, but his favorite place was in the Holy Land, in Bethlehem, where he would live and work for many years, often in near isolation.

He wrote books, sermons, and commentaries full of wisdom and insight, but his greatest work was commissioned by an old bishop friend of his: a high-quality translation of the entire Scriptures into the language of the day that could be given to the people for their use.

So great was the quality of his work, his translation of the Holy Scriptures is still used even today: nearly one thousand and six hundred years after he completed it!

St. Jerome – priest, hermit, and ancient Father of the Church – died in Bethlehem on this very day in the year 420, about fifteen years after completing what would be known as the Vulgate or Biblia Vulgata: a Bible for the people (who in Jerome’s time used Latin).

Austrian bishop quits

The BBC reports that Bishop Kurt Krenn, 68, the bishop responsible for a scandal-ridden Austrian seminary is stepping down. Investigators had found thousands of lewd images at the seminary, including child pornography.

"Yes, I'm resigning immediately as bishop of St Poelten," he said in an interview with Der Standard newspaper.

Abortion's effect on women

The Office of Communications for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops reports that a congressional hearing today included testimony from a woman who suffered profoundly after an abortion and a medical doctor who has researched the physical and psychological health complications from induced abortion.

Contemplate this!

The Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Monastery of Our Lady and St. Joseph in Boston, Massachusetts, have a beautiful web site that explains their life and offers wonderful insights about vocations to the contemplative life.
www.carmelitesofboston.org

St. Michael in Stained Glass

Saint Michael the Archangel
Our Lady of Carmel Church
Chicago, Illinois
http://mt-carmel.org/glass.htm

Images of angels

The most common images of angels in today’s culture are blank-faced glimmering things with wings atop Christmas trees or cherubs from Renaissance paintings (that seem to resemble the Greek god Eros).

The angels we celebrate today are very different.

Today’s readings present us with images of angels in their multitudes: thousands upon thousands ministering to God as well as ascending and descending on the Son of Man.

Today’s feast presents us with very special images of angels, far removed from the frilly conceptions of popular culture, a close-up view of the grand images in today’s readings.

I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels,
which present the prayers of the saints,
and which go in and out before the glory of the Holy One.
Tobit 12:15

And the angel answering said unto him,
I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God;
and am sent to speak unto thee,
and to shew thee these glad tidings.
Luke 1:19

And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out,
that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world:
he was cast out into the earth,
and his angels were cast out with him.
And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,
Now is come salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ:
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Revelation 12:7-12a

These angels are no Christmas ornaments or valentine cartoons: these are beings of great power and majesty.

Some Christians today prefer not to speak of angels, either dismissing them as vestiges of primitive anthropomorphic religion or boasting of a more “direct” relationship with God.

To be sure, God grants us a direct relationship with Him through His Spirit working within us, but God always chooses to work also in a most special way in and through others: through the prophets, through the writers of Scripture, through the Apostles, through ministers, through each other, and most perfectly through the humanity of Christ.

As God works in and through these tangible beings, so too God works through creatures that we may not always see. That is the way God worked in the days of Scripture. That is the way God works now.

The Feast of the Archangels is a reminder that God’s work is being done even if we cannot see anyone doing it (which does not absolve us from our obligations to do God's work).

There are angels; there are archangels: creatures of majesty and power who we cannot see but who are accomplishing the will of God, just as we strive to do. We may not see them, but they are there and, God willing, we will one day see them and rejoice with them in glory.

A Blogger Departs

Mark Windsor, a rather prolific Catholic blogger, has grown weary of the seemingly incessant negativity of so many in the blogosphere and decided to terminate his blog.

"There are people out there who like nothing better than to complain about the Church. I’ve even taken to calling them the 'blame the Church first crowd.' They disavow anything the church does that’s good, instead focusing more on scandal and ugliness. (Yes, such needs to be exposed, but the Church has not devolved to the point where scandal and ugliness are its defining features.) They’ve begun spreading their disaffection at every opportunity in every comments box they can find. Some readers are drawn to their cataclysmic view; their faith challenged, broken, or at the very least altered and nearly unrecognizable. To speak out against them is to be considered uncultured; blind, ignorant, otherworldly. Even the blogs that attempt to do some good, and come close to doing so at times, attract those that seek to poison the Church and all she stands for....

"There’s far more good that comes from the Church than bad, and it sickens me that a few people are able to skew the debate publicly."

(Hat tip to Gerard Serafin)

A Penitent Blogger says, I admire the good-hearted people who have the time, patience, and intellectual energy to facilitate dialogue by enabling comment boxes on their blog. It is very sad that one of these good people has been worn down and driven away. I hope he comes back and that more good people will speak up for Truth and Charity in the blogosphere.

A retired Bishop reflects

The retired Bishop of Corpus Christi, Texas, the Most Reverend Rene Henry Gracida, reflects on the controversy over admitting pro-abortion politicians to Holy Communion, drawing upon his own pastoral experience.

Feast of the Archangels

"You should be aware that the word 'angel' denotes a function rather than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits. They can only be called angels when they deliver some message.

"Moreover, those who deliver messages of lesser importance are called 'angels'; and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance are called 'archangels.'

"And so it was that not merely an angel but the archangel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary. It was only fitting that the highest angel should come to announce the greatest of all messages.

"Some angels are given proper names to denote the service they are empowered to perform. In that holy city, where perfect knowledge flows from the vision of almighty God, those who have no names may easily be known. But personal names are assigned to some, not because they could not be known without them, but rather to denote their ministry when they came among us.

"Thus, Michael means 'Who is like God'; Gabriel is 'The Strength of God'; and Raphael is 'God’s Remedy.'

"Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by his superior power. So also our ancient foe desired in his pride to be like God, saying: 'I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven; I will be like the Most High.' He will be allowed to remain in power until the end of the world when he will be destroyed in the final punishment. Then, he will fight with the archangel Michael, as we are told by John: 'A battle was fought with Michael the archangel.'

"So too Gabriel, who is called God’s strength, was sent to Mary. He came to announce the One who appeared as a humble man to quell the cosmic powers. Thus God’s strength announced the coming of the Lord of the heavenly powers, mighty in battle.

"Raphael means, as I have said, God’s remedy, for when he touched Tobit’s eyes in order to cure him, he banished the darkness of his blindness. Thus, since he is to heal, he is rightly called God’s remedy."
From a sermon by St. Gregory the Great
(Office of the Readings)

Saint Michael the Archangel

defend us in battle;
be our protection
against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God, thrust into hell
Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Leo XIII

Sancte Michael Archangele,
defende nos in proelio;
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli
esto praesidium.
Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:
tuque, Princeps militiae Caelestis,
satanam aliosque spiritus malignos,
qui ad perditionem animarum
pervagantur in mundo,
divina virtute in infernum detrude.
Amen.

Depressed

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD!"

But why does it have to hurt so much?

As we heard in yesterday’s reading, Job knows intellectually that everything is a gift from the Lord and he strives to remain faithful to God, but that does not spare him from feeling the full grief of his situation: the death of all his children, the destruction of all his possessions, and the unceasing pain of his sores.

In today’s first reading, we have the full brunt of his anguish: a pain and heartache so deep and so intense that Job longs for death.

We know how the story ends: Job perseveres and is rewarded with much more than he ever had before. But it may be useful for us not to leap over this excruciatingly painful moment in our rush for the Happy Ending.

Why do we rush? Perhaps because we are afraid. Perhaps because it reminds us too much of dark moments we have had in our own lives or (God forbid) may even be experiencing now: feelings of wrenching pain, choking depression, and yearning for death.

Don’t be afraid. Look. You are not alone. You are not the only one to feel these feelings. Job felt them. So too did Lorenzo Ruiz and so many of the saints and martyrs. Even our Lord himself cried out,

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Yet our Lord knew he was not forsaken and so did Lorenzo and all the saints. They sought and received grace from the Lord, directly and through the help of others, and, through their pain, persevered in doing what was right – no matter the pain, no matter how long or short the time.

If things go bad for us, if we feel depression and despair, we should remember that we are not alone.

Job has been there. Others have been there. God is there.

We must reach out to God. We must reach out to the Church. We must seek strength from God and continue to strive to live as God wants us to live.

God will give us his strength and his grace, often in unexpected ways, and the rewards will be greater than we can imagine.

Inside stories

Some may have noticed that I like to post short stories about saints, following the liturgical calendar.

Some may have also noticed that I like to present these stories somewhat in the style of radio commentator Paul Harvey's famous “The Rest of the Story” segments.

My intent (as I’m sure it has been for Mr. Harvey) is to present the stories of these people’s lives in ways that seem more fresh, immediate, and relevant to our own lives.

Saints and other historical figures often seem too far off and irrelevant to the challenges we face here and now. For many, they are just two-dimensional figures, devoid of life and humanity.

Yet we have much to learn from history, from the life experience of those who have gone before us, and most especially from the saints, whose imitations of Christ give us an ever-richer understanding of the same Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we too seek to imitate.

(Besides, some of these are just great stories – despite my own shortcomings as a storyteller. The literary parallels go far beyond Paul Harvey. The story of St. Vincent de Paul being captured by pirates recalls Robert Louis Stevenson [although I avoided the word “pirate,” which too often evokes cartoonish images of Long John Silver]. The story of Wenceslaus’ murderous royal family could have been told by Shakespeare. The story of Lorenzo Ruiz, an innocent man being caught up in intrigues of murder and horror, recalls the movies of Alfred Hitchcock and the books of Steven King. If I had more time, discipline, and skill, I might have consciously crafted these stories to reflect those literary genres, but alas I do not.)

Just a regular guy

Lawrence had a wife and three kids. He had a modest job as a document specialist and he went to Church regularly.

Out of nowhere, this regular guy was accused of murder. The local justice system was notoriously corrupt and unreliable, so fellow church members arranged for him to leave the country.

This regular guy soon found himself on a ship with four priests and a leper. To make matters even more uncomfortable, after the ship left port, Lawrence discovered that they were going to a distant country where Christians were routinely tortured and killed

Sure enough, not long after their arrival, Lawrence and his companions were arrested. They were cruelly tortured for days. They reaffirmed their faith in Christ and rejected the offer of release.

Lawrence said, "I'm a Christian and I will remain a Christian even to the point of death. Only to God will I offer my life. Even if I had a thousand lives, I would still offer them to Him. This is the reason why I came here in Japan, to leave my native land as a Christian and die here as a Christian, offering my life to God alone."

Lawrence and his companions were hung upside down and bled slowly to death. Days later, Lawrence was the last to die, on September 29, 1637 outside Nagasaki.

Pope John Paul II beatified Lawrence Ruiz and his companions nearly 350 years later in Lawrence’s home country of the Philippines. He canonized them on October 18, 1987.

Following a thread...

I was looking at A Catholic Blog for Lovers and followed a link to a Christianity Today blog entry that linked to a GetReligion thread about the Christian teams who were finalists in The Amazing Race (the thread's title was "Believers with too much leisure time" -- uh, oh).

I love the LORD

because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me,
therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.

The sorrows of death compassed me,
and the pains of hell gat hold upon me:
I found trouble and sorrow.
Then called I upon the name of the LORD;
O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
yea, our God is merciful.
The LORD preserveth the simple:
I was brought low, and he helped me.

Return unto thy rest, O my soul;
for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death,
mine eyes from tears,
and my feet from falling.
I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

I believed, therefore have I spoken:
I was greatly afflicted:
I said in my haste, All men are liars.

What shall I render unto the LORD
for all his benefits toward me?
I will take the cup of salvation,
and call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows unto the LORD now
in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his saints.
O LORD, truly I am thy servant;
I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid:
thou hast loosed my bonds.

I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and will call upon the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows unto the LORD now
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the LORD's house,
in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem.

Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 116

Vocational Self-Test

A very interesting set of questions relating to one's own faith and personal discernment.

A Dysfunctional Family

Vaclav was a fine young man, raised by his grandmother in the Christian faith of his father. His mother, however, hated Christianity and when Vaclav’s father died, she sought to drive it out of the country their family ruled.

Though he was not yet of age, responding to the pleas of the people, Vaclav overthrew his mother. He made an alliance with the neighboring superpower, brought in more priests, built churches and cared for the poor.

One Sunday, he was visiting a church in another town. He planned to return home after Mass, but his brother stopped him and made him stay the night.

Early the next morning, as the church bells rang, Vaclav rose and went out. His brother followed him to the church door.

Vaclav, knowing that his brother and his mother had been scheming against him, looked back at him and said: “Brother, you were a good subject to me yesterday”.

“And now I intend to be a better one!” said his brother as he struck Vaclav’s head with his sword.

Vaclav grabbed his brother and wrestled him to the ground, saying, “Brother, what are you trying to do?”

One of his brother’s henchmen then stabbed Vaclav in the hand. Vaclav let go of his brother and went to take refuge in the church, but his brother’s henchmen struck him down at the church door and ran him through with a sword.

They say that Vaclav, still a very young man, died there on this very day in the year 935 with the words: “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit!”

The people immediately acclaimed Vaclav as a saint and a martyr. He remains the patron saint of the Czech Republic to this day. (Sadly, many remember him only through a Christmas carol by the Latinized form of his name: Wenceslaus).

Again, what about them?

Christopher at the Ratzinger Fan Club has posted a very interesting and substantive reflection about Islam within the Christian economy of salvation.

It is thoughtful and thought-provoking.

Too many people either
consider all religions to be equally Godly or
consider all other religions thoroughly demonic.

I exhort therefore, that, first of all,
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks,
be made for all men;
For kings, and for all that are in authority;
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life
in all godliness and honesty.
For this is good and acceptable
in the sight of God our Saviour;
Who will have all men to be saved,
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God,
and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus;
Who gave himself a ransom for all,
to be testified in due time.
1 Timothy 2:1-6

Do you want to help the poor?

"Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.

"As a reflection of the whole family of God, Members, who are known as Vincentians, are drawn from every ethnic and cultural background, age group, and economic level. Vincentians are united in an international society of charity by their spirit of poverty, humility and sharing, which is nourished by prayer and reflection, mutually supportive gatherings and adherence to a basic Rule.

"Organized locally, Vincentians witness God's love by embracing all works of charity and justice. The Society collaborates with other people of good will in relieving need and addressing its causes, making no distinction in those served because, in them, Vincentians see the face of Christ."
www.svdpusa.org

The Pope Blog

Well, not exactly...

As BeliefNet reports, "While this one isn't written by the clergy member in question, it is a digest of news about Pope John Paul II. The bloggers, students at the University of Notre Dame, frequently update readers on the Pope's speeches, travel, and health."

(Hat tip to Amy Welborn)

Very bad storms

Amazingly, the day after the second major hurricane in a month strikes the same Florida coastline, the first reading for the daily Liturgy features the story of Job’s family and property being destroyed by bad weather.

Yet on the same day some people in Florida were complaining of hurricane fatigue, some people in Haiti were worshipping God even as they mourned the loss of thousands and suffered unimaginable deprivations from the very same storm.

Then Job began to tear his cloak and cut off his hair.
He cast himself prostrate upon the ground, and said,
"Naked I came forth from my mother's womb,
and naked shall I go back again.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
blessed be the name of the LORD!"

That is not to say that everyone in Haiti reacted to calamity in the same pious way as Job. In both Haiti and Florida, some reacted piously, some reacted heroically, some reacted irritably, and some reacted maliciously.

For most of us, the bad things that may happen in our lives are far, far less dramatic, but we should learn from the example of Job.

He was not reckless or irresponsible. He was prudent with what he had. Yet even as he worked hard and was blessed with great wealth, he always remembered that each and every thing was a gift from the Lord and that what was important is how he used these things.

He loved his children deeply and did everything he could to make them safe and happy, but he always remembered that they too were gifts from God, that they too were in the hand of God, and that what was important was how he loved and taught them. (Perhaps, as we read of Abraham in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Job also realized how God could give him back his children in the resurrection.)

God gives us many gifts, but it is His love that lasts forever and will keep us truly safe and happy, no matter what we have or what we lose.

Vincent

was a young priest, still continuing his studies and traveling, when he was kidnapped by violent men from the Middle East and forced into slave labor. Within two years, however, he converted one of his captors to Christianity and together they made their escape.

Back home, Vincent soon found himself ministering to the rich and powerful, but his heart went out to the poor and the rejected. He established groups to care for the poor and for prisoners. He also wanted to establish an order of priests to serve the rural poor, but he soon realized that there was a desperate need for more and better seminaries. Vincent’s priests would eventually run a third of the seminaries in the country, in addition to their missionary work to the rural poor in many places.

St. Vincent de Paul, founder of the Congregation of the Mission and of the Daughters of Charity, died on this very day in 1660. He was canonized in 1737. A hundred years after that, a group of laymen drew upon St. Vincent as the inspiration for the service of the poor and founded the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Come to our help, Lord

"holy Father, almighty and eternal God;
you are the source of every honor and dignity,
of all progress and stability.
You watch over the growing family of man
by your gift of wisdom and your pattern of order.

"When you had appointed
high priests to rule your people,
you chose other men next to them in rank and dignity
to be with them and to help them in their task;
and so there grew up the ranks of priests
and the offices of levites, established by sacred rites.

"In the desert you extended the spirit of Moses
to seventy wise men
who helped him to rule the great company of his people.

"You shared among the sons of Aaron
the fullness of their father's power,
to provide worthy priests in sufficient number
for the increasing rites of sacrifice and worship.

"With the same loving care
you gave companions to your Son's apostles
to help in teaching the faith:
they preached the gospel to the whole world.

"Lord, grant also to us such fellow workers,
for we are weak and our need is greater."
Prayer of Consecration - Rite of Ordination of Priests

Who must care for the poor?

The bottom line: all of us.

• The government. Many people today look to the government to take care of the poor. Other people point to the inherent limitations and historical flaws of government poverty programs. Government certainly has its proper role, but it is only one part of the equation.
  
  As citizens, we should not leave this responsibility to others but rather we should fully enter into the public discussion of what government should do for the poor and what it should not.
  
  
• Non-governmental organizations. Many say that nongovernmental organizations (private charities, faith-based groups, etc) do a better job than governments of helping the poor permanently rise above their poverty. Not all the people who say this, however, give a fair share of their money and time to these organizations. These organizations have their proper role, but they are only one part of the equation.
  
  As members of society, we cannot stand off by ourselves, but we should make use of these organizations to combine our time, talents, and treasure for the betterment of our fellow man.
  
  
• Our individual efforts. Too many of us have an “I gave at the office” mentality. Caring for our brothers and sisters in need should not just be a matter of politics or charitable donations or social involvement.
  
  Each of us as individuals, as we go about our lives, have an obligation to be keep our hearts open to those in need. To be sure, we must be prudent – we should not destroy ourselves and we must not fail in our responsibilities to our children and those entrusted to our care – but we must be careful about using excuses as a cover for our own selfishness.
  
  
• The poor themselves. Too often, care that is given to poor people treats them as passive creatures, not as human beings of dignity and worth. What the rest of us do to help the poor must help them as much as possible to help themselves and to become contributing members of society: people of worth who add value. Too many people have been caught in a quagmire of dependence that continues for generations.
  
  Human beings who are poor remain human beings and they should be encouraged to help themselves as much as possible (which is not to absolve government, charities, or the rest of us from our obligations to help).

Who must care for the poor?

Each of us - rich and poor, governments and charities, groups and individuals – you and I must care for the poor - for God's sake, for their sake, and for our own.

Feel comfortable?

It is a good bet that if you can read this blog, you are much better off than most of the people in the world.

Even if we feel that we are not doing well or that we’re suffering in some way, there are always people whose suffering is worse.

Today, the first reading and the Gospel both speak strongly against people who are living a comfortable life.

Too often, when we hear these readings, we think that they’re talking about someone else, some rich person, not ourselves. That is a dangerous way for anyone to hear Scripture, for there is invariably a message for us and we ignore it at our peril.

What’s wrong with being comfortable? Certainly we should appreciate the good things that God has given us, but there are dangers.

First, we can become too focused on the transient pleasures of this world and lose touch with the eternal happiness of heaven. As our Lord says,

Woe to you who are rich, for your consolation is now.
Luke 6:24

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be.
Matthew 6:21

Second, we can fail to use the gifts we have received to help our brothers and sisters in need as we should. This is a responsibility that none of us can shirk, no matter how rich or not so rich we may be. St. John makes this point very clearly:

But if any one has the world's goods
and sees his brother in need,
yet closes his heart against him,
how does God's love abide in him?
1 John 3:17

Is our treasure in heaven?

Do we close our hearts against our brothers and sisters in need?

Could we not do a better job of sharing with them our hearts as well as what time and treasure we have?

Listen to what God is saying.

Could we not do more?

Could God be calling you

to serve him as a Little Sister of the Poor or to contribute your time, talents or resources to their mission of hospitality to the aged poor?

For more infor­mation about the life and work of the Little Sisters of the Poor, go to http://www.littlesistersofthepoor.org/.

I charge you before God

who gives life to all things,
and before Christ Jesus,
who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate
for the noble confession,

to keep the commandment without stain or reproach
until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ
that the blessed and only ruler
will make manifest at the proper time,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone has immortality,
who dwells in unapproachable light,
and whom no human being has seen or can see.
To him be honor and eternal power.
Amen.
1 Timothy 6:13-16

Health Insurance for Catholic Feds

The New York Times reports that the Bush administration has broken new ground in its 'faith-based' initiative, this time by offering federal employees a Catholic health plan consistent with Catholic tenets, specifically excluding payment for contraceptives, abortion, sterilization and artificial insemination.

Joy and gloom

Today’s readings both depict enjoyment of what feels wondrous overshadowed by foreboding of what seems ominous.

In the first reading, Ecclesiastes warns young people to enjoy their youth while they can, but to be mindful of the inevitability of decline, of death, and of judgment.

In the Gospel, the disciples are amazed at the wonderful miracles of Christ – sure signs that He is the long-awaited Messiah – only to hear our Lord hint about a future too ominous for them to even ask about.

In our own lives, we may have times when everything seems wonderful and times when our future looks grim.

It is important for us to keep a properly balanced attitude: neither to focus so much on enjoyment that we dislodge prudence and morality, nor to focus so much on that which is unhappy or fearful that we fail to appreciate truly the good gifts God still gives us.

What helps us keep that balance is God’s grace and focusing always, in good times and in bad, on the will of God: understanding always, as St. Paul says (Romans 8:28), that ultimately
“all things work together for good
to them that love God.”

The fifth season of the Amazing Race

ended this week, after winning its second Emmy for Best Reality Competition television show (how could it lose? No voting, no firing, just an extremely competitive race around the world through some of the globe's beautiful locales as well as some of its most challenging - first to finish, wins).

The winning team, married parents in their 40’s, said that the first thing they would do with their million dollar prize money is tithe to their church.

The sixth season will premiere in the next month or so (date and time TBA).

Watch for it.

Timeless

I have considered the task
which God has appointed
for men to be busied about.
He has made everything appropriate to its time,
and has put the timeless into their hearts,
without men's ever discovering,
from beginning to end,
the work which God has done.
Ecclesiastes 3:10-11

The first eight verses of today's first reading are extremely familiar (especially for those familiar with pop music from the 1960's): so familiar and so simple that they might almost seem trite.

But those first eight verses receive a very special perspective and profundity when heard together with the 10th and 11th verses of that chapter, given above.

It isn't just a matter of there being a time for one thing and a different time for something else: it is God who has made everything appropriate to its time and he has put the timeless in our hearts.

These two verses call to mind Augustine's classic meditation:

'Great art thou, O Lord, and greatly to be praised;
great is thy power, and infinite is thy wisdom.'
And man desires to praise thee,
for he is a part of thy creation...

Thou hast prompted him,
that he should delight to praise thee,
for thou hast made us for thyself
and restless is our heart
until it comes to rest in thee.
(St. Augustine, Confessions, Book 1, Chapter 1)

We may trudge through the world day after day, faced with one thing after another, but we are more than just the things we do and the things we experience. God has put the timeless in our hearts: we have immortal souls that are destined for eternity with the wondrous, beauteous infinity of God.

To every thing

there is a season,
and a time
to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born,
and a time to die;

A time to plant,
and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill,
and a time to heal;

A time to break down,
and a time to build up;

A time to weep,
and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,
and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get,
and a time to lose;

A time to keep,
and a time to cast away;

A time to rend,
and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,
and a time to speak;

A time to love,
and a time to hate;

A time of war,
and a time of peace.
Ecclesiates 3:1-8

Archbishop v. Kennedy-Cuomo

(In his column this week in the Denver Catholic Register, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M.Cap., denounces the division between faith and public service as articulated by the late John F. Kennedy and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and adopted by many Catholic politicians since. Here are some highlights.)

. . . . .

"Forty-four years ago this month (Sept. 12, 1960), (then-Senator and Presidential candidate) John F. Kennedy delivered remarks to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association wherein he effectively severed his Catholic identity from his public service. It’s OK to elect me president, he argued to a wary Protestant audience, because I won’t let the pope tell me what to do.

"In pledging to put the 'national interest' above 'religious pressures or dictates,' Kennedy created a template for a generation of Catholic candidates: Be American first; be Catholic second.

. . . . .

"The Kennedy compromise seemed to work pretty well as long as the 'religious pressures' faced by Catholic elected officials involved issues like divorce, federal aid to Catholic schools or diplomatic relations with the Holy See. Each of these issues was important, surely, but none involved life and death. None was jugular.

"In 1973, by legalizing abortion on demand, the U.S. Supreme Court changed everything. The reason is simple: Abortion is different. Abortion kills. The great Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke for the whole Christian tradition when he wrote:

"'Destruction of the embryo in the mother’s womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder.' ([Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Ethics (New York; Macmillan, 1965) 175-6])

"Resistance to abortion cuts across all religions. It’s not a 'Catholic' issue. In fact, it’s finally not a religious issue at all, but a matter of human rights...." (emphasis added)

"(Eleven years after Roe v. Wade, then-New York Governor Mario) Cuomo argued that 'in our attempt to find a political answer to abortion - an answer beyond our private observance of Catholic morality' - he had concluded that 'legal interdicting of abortion by either the federal government or the individual states is not a plausible possibility, and even if it could be obtained, it wouldn’t work.' He might privately oppose abortion but, in his view, he had no right to “impose” that belief on others.

"In hindsight, Cuomo’s speech is a tour de force of articulate misdirection. It refuses to acknowledge the teaching and formative power of the law. It implicitly equates unequal types of issues. It misuses the 'seamless garment' metaphor.

. . . . .

"Next month, October, is Respect Life month. It’s a good time to reflect on the meaning of the Kennedy-Cuomo legacy. In brief, it’s OK to be Catholic in public service as long as you’re willing to jettison what’s inconveniently 'Catholic.'

"That’s not a compromise. That’s a deal with the devil, and it has a balloon payment no nation, no public servant and no voter can afford."
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M.Cap.

Yet another blog

"But God said..." is a lovely blog by a young Christian mother that sometimes soars poetically in its reflections on faith and on everyday life.

There is no remembrance

Of former things.

Thus says Ecclesiastes in today’s first reading. How true that observation rings today!

The overwhelming majority of people today have a very, very poor knowledge of history.

This lack of remembrance is crippling for people in a democracy, depriving them of history’s lessons and of the perspective that history gives, leaving them vulnerable to the manipulations of the glib and the ever-changing currents of popular opinion.

Remember the new technology that promised to revolutionize the economy and connect people everywhere? Millions were invested into companies that “built out” or otherwise aimed to capitalize on that technology. In the end, there was a capacity glut: the majority of the companies went bankrupt and thousands of those who had sought to capitalize on this technology were left with nothing.

That is what happened with railroads in the 19th century and there was little or no remembrance of these former things by those who invested in the Tech Boom at the end of the 20th century and subsequently lost millions.

Such a lack of remembrance is even more dangerous for those of us who are Christians. First of all, we believe in Salvation History: that God not only speaks to our hearts through the Spirit, but that God’s most definitive communications with us came at particular places at particular points in our history – most definitively when God walked among us two thousand years ago in a small Middle Eastern country in the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remembrance of these “former” things is essential.

It is also good for us to have remembrance not only of God’s explicit interventions in human history but also of God’s people before and after the time of Christ. For too many of us, our knowledge is limited to what we read in Scripture and the examples we see in our brothers and sisters here and now: with no remembrance of the believers of old and of the example they give, good and bad alike.

We are thus deprived of the lessons and the perspective that comes with knowledge of the people of old. We are deprived of the edifying examples of those who have imitated Christ most profoundly and most spectacularly since the time of the Apostles: the great saints. We are deprived of the example of saints who may have been less high profile, but whose devout imitation of Christ may resonate in a very special way with our individual personalities. We are also deprived of the lessons of how God’s grace has continued to work in and through His people, even when some of these people and their leaders have behaved in ways that were less than edifying.

Remembrance of former things can give us guidance, perspective, and even hope as we seek to imitate Christ ever more closely in our own day and in the days to come.

An authentic vocation

"requires a life of intimacy with the Lord, ...a spiritual freedom acquired through mortification of defects, a forgetfulness of self so as to enter into the concerns of others, community demands, and the life of the Church."

From the website for The Sisters of the Visitation at Rockville, Virginia.

"The sisters are called to...

• A contemplative life of prayer and meditation.
• Unite to God in one heart and one soul.
• Live a life of profound humility
• A life of great simplicity and joy in the common life.
• Strive to transform daily reality into ever greater joy."