TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK - XV

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "(La Mannais became convinced that Christianity was itself true democracy; it alone recognized the equality of all souls."

QUOTE II - "It was an easy trick to turn and not for the last time, the refashioning of Christ into the modern, sophisticated prejudice's, a reduction to convenience and tacit dismissal."

The above two from Thomas Nevin's, "Therese of Lisieux."

IN OTHER NEWS:

LETS GET FIRED UP! Or not. Whatever. David Brooks writes this in last Friday's N Y Times about this trend among Catholics in America;

"Always try to be the least believing member of one of the most observant sects. Participate in organized religion, but be a friendly dissident inside. Ensconce yourself in traditional moral practice, but champion piecemeal modernization. Submit to the wisdom of the ages, but with one eye open."

Perhaps we could name it, "Limited Cafeterianism."

I was reading "BUtterfield 8" as a summer read. It is considered a "masterpiece of American fiction." It is not what you would call inspirational reading, but often little gems of truth can be found anywhere. Here is a little gem from "B 8";

"On the other hand Eddie liked absolute faithfulness in a wife, not so much because his own mother practiced it, but because as a result of her practicing it she became finally a much better person in his eyes than his father. The years of being constant were a lot like years of careful saving, compared to years of being a spendthrift. It was just that it was easier to be a spendthrift than to save. Of course sometimes you save for nothing better than a bank crash, but even though you lost everything that was in the bank, you still had something around the eyes, something in the chin, that showed you had been a saver. Sometimes he would say to himself; "Yes, but your mother was pretty stupid." All right, what if she was? She had kept her promise, which was more than his father had done. . . . Maybe it all did come down to the vale of a promise. You gave your word that you would not sleep with another woman; in either case it was a promise, and if you couldn't depend on a promise then nothing was any good."

The Diocese of Cleveland E-Newsletter wants Catholic War Veterans to know about this site.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" This is a day long retreat designed to help single, Catholic adults living in the Cleveland area explore and learn more about the priesthood and consecrated religious life. It will be held at the Center for Pastoral Leadership on June 16, 2007. For more information you can contact my classmate, Fr. Michael Gurnick at mgurnick@dioceseofclevealnd.org.

WOULD YOU DIE FOR PIZZA?

There is a difference between running a social club and a youth or young adult group in a Catholic parish. It is not about get-togethers at all costs; it is about helping Catholics live a more authentic Christian life-style. If instilling the faith is not our objective goal, then we are stepping outside of our mission statement and wasting our valuable and limited time and resources. We are not a social organization. Community comes from living the mission; it is not to a mission simply to establish community.

Here are a couple of interesting insights from Colleen Carroll’s book, “The New Faithful”:

“[Y]oung Christians must find communities and fellowships that inspire and sustain them. Not every community fits that bill. Many churches, parachurch organizations, and religious orders struggle to attract young adults who seem hopelessly unresponsive. The attempts of these organizations to appeal to the next generations by diluting their message or softening their demands seem to backfire, leading many religious leaders to conclude that today’s young adults cannot commit to Christian communities of any stripe.” Page 95

“The decisions to be an orthodox Christian today entails a conscious choice, not a passive inheritance. And living that choice is no easy task.” Page 45

“’People think that if we make it easy on [young adults], we’ll draw them in,’ she said. ‘It’s the very opposite. Youth are looking for a cause, a reason to live. They need something to give their lives to.’” Page 70

“Law said, ‘I think every Christian knows it deep down – that it’s a life of self-sacrifice. But we never had a place to fall down and die.’”

It is truth that is compelling. I will not lay down my life, give of my earnings, wake up early on Sunday or devote my vocation to an organization because it will provide free pizza and games for me once a week for a couple of hours. Many places provide that already. Give me something to live for and die for and I will be there.

Now, that is not to say that we never have dances or pizza nights or open gym, but it must grow organically out of Christian fellowship, not be the attempted cause of it or the only people you will attract are those who simply have no place else to go that day. You will have visitors, not warriors for Christ.

A cool place for Clevelanders to check out is the Saint Rose Young Adults Group who seem to have a great balance. Good luck out there finding a place to lay down your life. If you can’t find one – start one.