HAS ANYONE EVER WALKED INTO THE WOODS NAKED?

It takes a lot of people to support one person who is going to “make it on their own.” So a person decides they are going away from civilization and live completely independently out in the wilderness. I don’t want to knock the talent, bravery, and perseverance such a bold initiative may entail, but I do want to say it takes a whole lot of people to enable that individual to make it on “his own.”

Nobody walks into the woods naked. And then there is the ax for example. The metals had to be mined, forged, connected to a wood handle, packaged and shipped, delivered to a store and sold to the person who needs it to be able to not need anybody. And that does not account for the people who made the machinery to mine the metal, forge it, made the vehicles so that it might be shipped so forth and so on. All of our seemingly single actions in reality may take scores, hundreds, or thousands of invisible people who make what we do possible. That is the truth of the Verizon commercial where every phone call is backed by hundreds and hundreds of technicians and laborers.



You might also be surprised at how many people it takes to get an average Sunday Mass off the ground. It can seem so effortless if all a person does is show up on the weekend. But it takes massive amounts of coordination, people, and planning. There is of course the Celebrant and of he is lucky the deacon or two. A good number of servers to have is about four and somebody needs to schedule (and train) them. There is the lector (and the person who schedules and trains them.) There are the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and the person who must schedule them. If there are eight stations and assuming there is a priest and deacon, that is fourteen additional souls to cover them. A sacristan is needed to get the vessels and linens ready.

You need ushers to take up the collection, usually about eight. If you are fortunate you also have greeters that help pass out song books and welcome people to the parish. Let us say four per Mass. There is the choir, the choir director, musician, and cantor. There are the two or so people who bring up the gifts. The sexton unlocks the place and turns on the lights so we can all get it to do our jobs. If you have Children’s Liturgy of the Word that is at least another handful of people at Mass. There are those involved with RCIA who leave with them before the Liturgy of the Eucharist to help them reflect more deeply on the Word. So far that is a little over 100 people. You could multiply this a couple of times for all the Masses of a weekend.

Then there are those who jobs are important but have either been done before or after Mass. There are counters, people who wash and iron all of the linens, clean the Church, make the purchases of bread, wine, and candles, make repairs on broken kneelers, decorate, schedule the intentions, write the Prayers of the Faithful, hold practices when necessary, type up the announcements (not to mention of the bulletin) and clean and lock up when everybody else has gone home. (This is why I am reluctant to clap for any one group of people at Mass.)

And one of the most important of all the roles is participation in the Mass. Most of above roles are secondary. When people artificially multiply the secondary roles it places the false thought into people’s minds that the secondary roles mean that someone is MORE involved. But nothing is more important that the active, conscious, and full participation of the man, woman, or child who comes to pray.

Now – can you imagine what it takes to have just one Papal Mass in a field in the United States?

VIOS CON DIOS

Sunday there was an interesting dinner. It was a group of friends having a sending off of one of our own who is going into the convent. Kay, or as some of you have come to know her through Adam’s Ale, Lillian Marie, is packing her bags and moving into Lourdes Shrine in Euclid to discern life with the Trinitarian Sisters! She is actually only the third person I know to go into the convent as of late. Sr. John Paul joined the Nashville Dominicans and Sr. Brigid joined the Sisters of Life in New York.

I remember when Sister Brigid was contemplating religious life. One of her biggest obstacles was the paying off of her student loans. There are organizations that help with this endeavor but hers were considerable and there were some difficulties at first but fortunately it was rectified. Kay had a unique solution. Even though she will be living at the convent and going through formation she will continue her job at the Rapid Transit Authority (not only does she work there, she is one of their biggest fans!) to help pay down her obligations. Good for the Trinitarians for being so flexible!

We were joking about what she must have said to her boss about taking time off on Thursday to make the move. “Um, I need a day off in order to move into a convent because I am becoming a nun.” How often has a boss heard THAT excuse? (It probably can only be used once in a lifetime.)

Please keep Kay in your prayers. There is the initial excitement of such things but that wears off even for the most ardent for religious life. The real period of adjustment happens when the newness grows thin and the situation must be faced without the adrenaline of excitement – not so different from being married or moving to another city I suppose.

Kay – you are in my prayers! Thank you for going more deeply into discernment and for letting us be a part of it! We need you more than you can ever know.

And here is prayer for all of you contemplating and discerning. Thank you!

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK - CV

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND - "Never become dupes of your own learning. In this life our knowledge will always be imperfect." Blessed Columba Marmion

QUOTE II - "We have a great capacity for believing lies and illusions." Fr. Gene Fulton

IN OTHER NEWS:

Just what kind of Catholic are you anyway? You can find out what beliefnet thinks of you anyway by taking this QUIZ.

I. E. sent this in, "WASHINGTON—The U..S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has launched an e-mail campaign urging Congress to maintain widely-supported pro-life policies and to oppose the federal funding and promotion of abortion. The e-mail campaign augments the massive national postcard campaign launched in dioceses throughout the country in late January. Both efforts are being coordinated through the USCCB’s partner organization, the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment (NCHLA)." For more information look here.

Just so you know, Gus sent this in, "Irondale, AL (EWTN) – EWTN Global Catholic Network will provide live coverage of the Pope’s visit to Cameroon and Angola March 17 to March 23."

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my honor to tell you that Catholic Carnival 214 is ready for your perusal.

PICTURES ON PARADE

My sister and I ascended to the 1928 bell tower over the school this past week to have refreshments and watch the sun set. The view is not as wonderful as the 1958 tower over the new church but it will do in a pinch.

As we were coming down this view presented itself. It seemed so serene it was captured and shared here with you. Well, having Sebastian around is proving to be a good thing. One of the best advantages of having him around is that he makes me go outside from time to time. This past Sunday we went for a walk in the rain just as the sun was preparing to go hide out below the horizon. The light was so amazing that I wanted to run in and get the camera. So the debate began: If I ran in and got my camera would it have passed and I miss it all? Was this just meant to be enjoyed in the moment and nothing "done" with it. Well, running and getting the camera won out. By the time I got back out to the street the light had changed but just into something else interesting. Enjoy.

This next picture looks like a 1950s postcard with the colors exaggerated to make the scene look better but in reality it just looks someone colored the pictures with too-bright colors. But this is the way the church looked yesterday.

One last parting shot overlooking the school.

MONDAY DIARY - BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR

David Koepp, the director of Ghost Town, said, “I don’t believe in ghosts, but I do believe in ghost stories.” When confronted with “God stories,” those little amazing incidents in our lives, we tell the story with a bit of a shy nature for while the story is true, we fear the reaction of others who would much rather chalk it up to extreme coincidence or some other factor – in fact, anything but God who might think us a bit off. I too am cautious by nature with “God stories,” but am always open to the possibility that God likes to pull little scenes together. These moments are not as dramatic as the parting of the Red Sea (though there are plenty who would find other explanations for the slicing of the water) yet not quite subtle enough just to write off. It is one of these stories that I share with you this week.

After Mass I generally stand by the front doors of the church to shake hands. A couple came up with startled looks on their faces. “May we ask you a quick question,” they asked. This is always a scary proposition. The fact that someone feels the need to ask permission to ask a question usually means that the question is in fact not going to be quick and that everyone else in line will have to be ignored. But what can you say?

“Sure.”

“Did you plan to quote John XXIII today in your homily?”

This was an odd question. Not one I’ve ever been asked before. In actuality I did not and further did not quote him the night before when I gave the same homily. The quote came to me at the second I gave it during the homily. It was simply something that seemed to fit really well at the moment. (A further thought just came to me. I hadn’t even intended on giving this homily. I was going in a completely different direction but this idea kept haunting me.) Anyway, so I told them it was a fluke and they walked away looking even more startled.

When the last person in line had passed they came back. “We have a story to tell you,” they said. She began, “My husband was offered a job in another state and had been going back and forth. I interviewed with a school there named after John XXIII and was offered a job. Well, don’t you know right after that, my husband was offered another job here in Cleveland! We felt torn and came to Mass today looking for direction. I told God that if we were to move to another state to mention John XXIII today in the homily or something AND THEN YOU DID!”

So I’m sorry to be losing parishioners but what are you going to do after THAT?

Which goes to show another point: Is it not swell that we do not know what God wants us to do with every last detail of our lives? We would have choices in NOTHING. We would wake up every morning (when we were supposed to) and have every second filled with knowing exactly what we were to do. Every choice to anything otherwise (having the grape jelly instead of the marmalade) would constitute major sin in the rejection of God and His will. And there would be no surprises. A message like, “Move to the other state,” would have been as common and uninteresting a story as, “You should stop at the stop sign.”

I love a God that likes to have fun.

FRIDAY FAIR - KEEPING YOUR HEAD IN THE CLOUDS

Since last week we took a quick look at zodiac (and further, since there were no other requests this week) I thought we might keep our eyes focused on the sky for a spell.

If you were looking up at the sky here in northeast Ohio today what you would mostly see is clouds. At least they are not heavy with snow. (And I love snow, but I think I need a break.) When clouds part they reveal our bright blue sky above. That is why blue is considered the color of truth, for when the clouds part it is seen in all of its vastness and glory, an analogy to the unveiling of truth.

Often clouds are associated with heaven also. This makes sense since heaven is often referred to as being “up there” though it is not of this realm at all. But “the heavens” help us speak about this place. In pictures of the Ascension or the Assumption, Christ or Mary are often seen as being surrounded by clouds as they enter the heavenly gates.

A common sign of God the Father is a hand of creation reaching down from a big fluffy cloud. Clouds themselves may be symbolic of the unseen God.

I’m reminded of a passage from Ken Follett’s book, Night Over Water “The day war broke out was a lovely late summer day, mild and sunny.” It struck me because of the juxtaposition of war against a lovely summer day. If you look at many paintings of the life of Christ, or the Stations of the Cross, or even portraits of the saints, the clouds or lack thereof play a strong symbolic role more than an attempt at a factual presentation of how the clouds may have appeared that day. They set the mood and would rarely if ever have the striking contrast of the Follett book.

Just as an interesting side note - while looking for images to put with this post I found this news article about the Phillipine Government putting out a health warning concerning crucifixion. But is it approved by the FDA?

'LONG AS YOU KEEP 'EM WAY OFF BALANCE, HOW CAN THEY SPOT, YOU GOT NO TALENTS?

There is nothing with the insane man’s reasoning muses Chesterton in his seminal work, “Orthodoxy.” The difference between a sane man and an insane man is the basic principles or truths upon which he constructs his reasoning. For example, if a person thinks that he is being spied on by the government and we try to persuade him otherwise his very wise reasoning would be, “Of course they would say this. Spying is supposed to be a covert operation by definition.” His reasoning is very sane but his starting principles are (in those who claim to be sane) off.

That being said it should be stated straight out there is nothing wrong with debating Church teaching, practices, and beliefs. In fact it is quite healthy. It should help us appreciate and understand them better if the debate is taken seriously and even handedly. If a couple of solidly Catholic adults want to get together and debate the celibate priesthood, the doctrine of original sin, same sex marriage, women priests, or any what-have-you topic in a respectful, honest, informed, and well intentioned debate then knock your socks off.

But if he is responsible for the education of young minds or officially and publically representing the teachings of the Church, it is horrible abuse of position to present opinion on these matters. Even if it is a person’s intent to present something they find fairer than Church teaching or more in line with social justice or even more academically stretching, what is truly being taught is that one’s personal opinion is more important than the universal teaching of the Church. The basic principles upon which a young person is going to build his reasoning is askew. What a horrible legacy to leave behind.

Of course, that will not keep topics from being brought up by those being introduced to the faith. There are claims of fairness and ability and rights that need to be faithfully debated. The very sad reality is that those who hold these beliefs can only give, at best, a rudimentary understanding of why the Church has a teaching or discipline, almost nothing of the history involved, or the greater ramifications of their particular positions. Allowing the debate to take place without introducing all of these factors, particularly when it is done in the name of academic freedom is disingenuous and harmful to the Church, the individual, and the cause.

Take the debate about allowing women into the priesthood. This should be debated! True debate brings about truth. But too often the debate, when the person is pressed as to why this should be, answers about matters of fairness and ability. If the person who is representing the Church teaching shrugs his shoulders and says, “You know, I agree,” what deeper understanding has been achieved? A young mind is encouraged in prizing his own opinion over 2,000 years of collective thinking of the brightest minds that have ever gone about the business of thinking without even engaging the ideas. And if honesty were in the debate the Church does not deny a woman’s ability to do the work of a priest or that if they could be priests that they should in keeping with fairness. The true debate is elsewhere but this straw man is able to be built, debated, and treated as a flesh and blood issue when the real issue is out walking about the field.

Education and savvy does not solely subsist in being in opposition to collective reasoning but in first understanding it, building a platform upon which to stand, and setting up basic principles upon which you can build your reasoning. It is shallow and destructive philosophies that are entirely built upon what one feels is fair or thinks feels the best. It is sign of narrow thinking that our society assumes that what we deem fair and right is universally correct for all people of every nation and all times (when judging history.) Exploring this totality is where true education and good reasoning start to form.

CAN'T I HAVE MY CAKE AND EAT IT TOO?

Which side do you think the ACLU will come down on?

In an interesting case of separation of Church and state the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported this past week that members of city council want to put a stop to the Church's plan to do what it wants with its own property. What I find most interesting (and telling) is that NOBODY finds this the least bit provocative. Here are some interesting lines:

"'I'm not about to lose these churches to the wrecking ball,' said Councilman Mike Polentsek."

"Citing Church law (emphasis added) Tayek has said that sacred artifacts, including stained-glass windows, will be removed from the churches . . ."

"That could spark a showdown between church law and city law."

"I would fight anybody who wanted to take those windows out." Attributed to Councilwoman Dona Brady.

"Councilman Jay Westbrook said stripping churches of artifacts and architectural features diminishes the building's value, making it harder to sell."

"If the diocese is going to make closing announcements and just let the community suffer the consequences, it will require us to enact stricter legislation." (Emphasis added)

I hope you see the double standard being applied in the modern and spurious "Separation of Church and State" debate. The sad part is that I hope they win and find a foundation with a billion dollars to keep the Churches open as historical monuments. But that won't happen.

Many years ago my home parish was sold. The new church was build down the road and the old church sold with an agreement that we could come back and take the pipe organ which never happened. I went to the minister of the parish and offered to by the organ for the loft had been turned into a bookstore and there were shelves drilled into the cabinets containing the pipes. "It adds to the value of the building," I was told. Two additional years later I revisited the church to find the organ gone. It was given to somebody who had it in their garage.

Just how protected would the church artifacts be if left to the city? What would prevent eventual resales from having windows end up in fashionable pubs, confessionals turned into phone booths (Oh, that's right, we don't have phone booths anymore) or pews turned into restaurant booths? Will a historic designation mean there will be money available in an already cash strapped city to preserve them? I'll give you a hint: The answer is no.

I am terribly sad that these things are happening. Some of my favorite places are in danger of closing. I would give a lot for them to stay open and intact in some fashion. But where were those who are trying to enact governmental laws to stop the Church from exercising her rights when we were in trouble all these many years? Did they come to Mass? Did they promote going to Church? Did they call people back to the parishes from the suburbs? Did they provide funds to keep the places going? No.

If course not. That would be a violation of the separation of Church and state.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CIV

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND - "Reason really is dangerous in a society that rejects truth and the direction of reason itself." James V Schall S.J.

QUOTE II - "It is not uncommon for rude people to act offended when their rudeness is not tolerated. Miss Manners assures you that this does not make it rude to refuse to tolerate rudeness, as long as this is not done with retaliatory rudeness." Miss Manners

IN OTHER NEWS:

Please help get the word out: Theater of the Word will be performing, "Old Thunder - An Evening with Hilaire Belloc" at Saint Sebastian parish (Akron) on the Zwisler stage. This is the fellow quoted on the header of this blog. The performance will be Sunday, March 15th at 1:00. The performance lasts about an hour and is free and open to the public. Here's more on Theater of the Word.

Yes, I have a platonic infatuation with Miss Manners. That is why I quote her as often as I do above. My second P.I. is with Marilyn for the Ask Marilyn column in the Sunday paper. She invited readers this past week to visit Sounds 101 to vote on your least favorite noises and those you found funniest. I did, found it fun, and thought I would share it.

I just found out that there is a Catholic tube. There is not much there yet it seems but at least it is there. I enjoy listening to conversion stories. Here is one from the site.




"Proudly bringing the faith into the public square" is the motto for this Catholic site, "One Nation Under God" that came in my mail this past week.

We have not heard from Habemus Papem in some time but she sent this video for your viewing pleasure. I hope you find it humorous. If not - sorry in advance. Blame Habemus!




The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter wants you to have the following information for Lent: The Pope's Ash Wednesday Address, Bishop Lennon's Address, Fish Fry Finder for the Diocese of Cleveland, Lecture Series in the Diocese of Cleveland, and a Lenten message for the USCCB.

Also from the same source, "The Most Reverend Richard G. Lennon, Bishop, Diocese of Cleveland recently agreed to a video interview request made by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.. In his interview, Bishop Lennon speaks on camera about his soon to be announced reconfiguration of parishes in the eight counties of the Diocese of Cleveland. The bishop will be announcing details of the diocesan-wide parish reconfiguration in a March 2009 press conference on a yet to be determined date, time and location." Watch it here.

They also provided us with the EWTN's Lenten Activity Calendar.

Hurray! It's time for Catholic Carnival 213!

I.E. sent this on-line Lenten retreat sponsored by the Jesuit Retreat House.

Frank sent this on-line screen cleaner for those who may need it. I tried it and am surprised how well it works.

MONDAY DIARY - WIRED FOR SOUND

Last Tuesday the no longer named Fr. O and I ran an errand together. He was stopping by just long enough to tackle our little excursion and then he was to be off. As we scooted about I told him that I shared with you his flopped attempt at going by the moniker Fr. O. We tried “Fr. J” and that seemed to lack a certain ring too. Later in the week I found out from his brother that his initials are actually JP. Now that has a ring to it. Maybe we can make him JP Three.

On our way back to the rectory I offered the, for now named, Fr. J a cup of coffee at a local establishment since we were going to be done early. “No,” he said, “Today is my day for running errands and I want to get them all done.” That was fine and thought perhaps I could get a few phone calls and Emails taken care of before the next thing on my own agenda. That is when I had the strange sensation one gets when you prepare yourself for a turn but the car keeps going straight as if you were slipping on an icy road, the car continuing on its path though the tires are pointed off to the right.

“You do realize that you just passed my driveway?”

“Yes. I changed my mind. Coffee sounds good. Where do you want to go?”

Just that week I had been reading the back of our bulletin and noticed that there is only one coffee house there. “To the Nervous Dog!” I instructed him. The Nervous Dog is in a thoroughly uninspiring building but once inside the four walls of the coffee house’s cube it is quite nice. As we were walking it occurred to me that something interesting always seems to happen in this particular place. I don’t know that it is this place exactly but that interesting things always seemed to happen. And they did this day also.

We made our coffee order and I asked our server to say thank you to the manager who advertises in our bulletin. A young man standing next to me who seemed to be waiting for one of those complicated drinks that take five minutes to make introduced himself to me and asked from which parish I came. “I’m from Saint Sebastian too!” he exclaimed though it turned out he had not cast a shadow in a pew in some years. I offered to take him over to a private section of the place and hear his confession so he could come to Mass that very weekend and receive Communion but he declined. Nobody every takes me up on that offer.

Settling ourselves into some nice club chairs in the window from where the clock could be seen we chatted and carefully sipped our too hot coffee waiting for it to cool down. “Excuse me.” We looked up. It was the young man from the counter. “Would you mind if I asked you a question? I mean, how often do you get a priest so handy to ask questions to?”

He asked his question which was of no minor concern which soon required the acquiring of another chair. A few minutes more and one of his compatriots joined us. “I’m afraid of priests,” she informed us, “but I have some questions too.” The nature of her questions were such that I could understand why she might think she should be concerned about bringing things up to a couple of priests. But if a person is open to conversation there is no need to be defensive on either side. We stated clearly that we would give and defend the Catholic position as clearly as we knew how (and believe me the questions were weighty and difficult) but we would also be respectful if they disagreed. A great discussion then took place but it did trump our plans for getting busy work done that day. It was a great exchange of information, fellowship, and community.

By and large people know the teachings of the Catholic Church. Well, they think they do. They know the “Don’t”s; a bit less the “Do”s, and almost never the “Whys.” Without the “Do”s and the “Why”s, the “Don’t”s can seem very arid and depressing. The only difficulty is the “Don’t”s take about half a second to teach, the other two categories take an unexpected afternoon at a coffee shop. But even if we have not brought more people into practicing the faith by it, there is some good will (in both directions) and some clearing of some misconceptions. When with their peers a topic of Church teaching comes up, they will be able to say, “Actually, I talked to some priests and what they told us was . . .”

Of course, we too now have a better idea of from where they are coming. That will help us in our ministry.

FRIDAY FAIR - A SIGN OF THE TIMES

Libby wrote in to ask, "I was just wondering if you could answer a question of mine regarding symbols. After discussing what ancient people believed about astronomy's relation to astrology/necromancy in one of my literature classes, my teacher brought up the interesting fact that a particular cathedral in France (I can't remember its name right now, but it is one of the famous ones) has the symbols of the zodiac above a doorway and in a stained glass window. We were unable to find any explanation as to why they were placed in a cathedral like that. I was just wondering if you knew why or knew of any places we could look for the answer.”

Thanks for the question! Here in the Diocese of Cleveland we are awaiting to hear the results of our Vibrant Parish Life initiative which will determine which church buildings remain in use and which ones will close or consolidate. Everybody has their hopes that a particular building will remain for one reason or another. I do too. For artistic and symbolic worth (I know, I know, hardly a reason to keep a building going. But still . . .) one of my favorite parishes in the diocese is Saint James in Lakewood. (So many of my favorite buildings are slated for possible closure. I need a billionaire friend to keep them open as museums for me and future architects etc . . .) In the apes of this building are all the symbols of the zodiac. There are all kinds of rumors in certain circles as to what the meaning of these symbols might be. (Ah! Maybe that will be another series!) Pictures in the semi dome are all the major stars of the night sky connected by lines that make up the symbols of the zodiac.

For starters lets be clear. This has nothing to do with astrology. The Church has long condemned astrology and for very good reasons which are beyond the purview of this article. They represent two very important concepts for us. Firstly they represent the cosmos which our God created. “King of the Universe!” we call Him. It also represents time/seasons as each symbol corresponds to a month. Our great God also created time. You might recall the great Catholic hymn sung in advent, “Creator Alme Siderum” or “Creator of the Stars of Night.” (If you need a more specific and credited source see, Sings and Symbols in Christian Art" by George Ferguson.)There is nothing mysterious being represented here. You may refer to this site which will explain that while astrology itself was set aside, it did provide us with wonderful images that we have baptized. Consider the alternative which would be an apes with a snow flake, a candy heart, a kite, rain, flowers, etc. You’ve got to admit the symbols of the zodiac are much more impressive. Especially of you are 12 years old.

WELL, WELL, WELL, - DEEP SUBJECT

There is an old saying, which I will rephrase aware that they are young readers under the age of 50, that states, “You don’t relieve yourself in your own well.” I would imagine that there are few people who are willing to dispute this. I would take it a step further. I would argue that it should also be a truism that one should not allow others to relieve themselves in your well either for the exact same reason.

This deep and aquatic reference is only tenable if everybody agrees that we are using the same well. It does not make any difference of you are only using “your side” of the well. Once your relief hits the watery reserve hidden beneath our feet, your relief becomes my anxiety. You may claim your right to use your side of the well as you see fit (it is, after all, on your side of the property line) but it effects me as it will you even though you prefer to deny that has any real and lasting impact on either of us.

Such is the trouble with the assertion of a recent Letter to the Editor in the Akron Beacon Journal. To quote the author asserts, “I am so sick and tired of hearing these people who don’t have a life of trying to tell women what they should or shouldn’t do concerning an abortion. This is a personal decision and is nobody’s business.”

This is a phrase often thrown out as a truism that is expected to be taken as obvious as the ones mentioned above. But I would caution the person on the other end of the argument from letting it pass. Here is truism that is not really all that clear. Is it true that this effects the woman and nobody else? Is it true that her decision to abort really has no effect on my side of the well? Can she keep her relief on her side of the water?

I think it would be much easier to prove that the decision to abort has a poisonous effect on society as a whole as a person’s personal decision to smoke has an effect on others in the room. It may not be as easy to quantify but it is still there.

I do wish the contraceptives and abortion worked for the betterment of society. I do! It would make my life a whole lot easier. I could say that, well, true the Church teaches this way but you know, it works, it does not effect me or society as a whole, and so knock your socks off. But I can’t. Hidden away behind all of the hype are the statistical conveniently ignored or maliciously obfuscated.

So how does that effect society as a whole? Look at our art, our movies, televisions, computers, billboards. See what is taught and reinforced in our schools. Aid from governments being held hostage to their direct intervention in family life. More and more woman treated as objects to be used and then set aside. Far from curing the problem of single parent households or youth parenting we have an explosion of it. This effects every fiber of our society. We are not islands. Our actions are not as private as we would like to believe. Just because the well is unseen or you wish not to believe it does not mean that what you pour into it is not having negative consequences for the people around you. It merely means you no longer have to deal with it. We all will have to. And not in the most pleasant of ways.

NO PAIN - NO GAIN - RO GAIN

So Father B and I were traveling about and needed to take a room somewhere in Pennsylvania. I went to work out in the hotel exercise room and when I returned B was watching a televangelist. I think a lot of these people preaching for such a long period of time week after week. It must be difficult. But five minutes into it we found ourselves saying, “Please say something of substance – please say something of substance.” It was like a long drawn out joke in which a person gives too many details before the punch line. Perhaps an hour sermon (for some – others are really quite good) say as much of substance as priests (are supposed to) do in an eight minute homily.

This particular man (and I would like to emphasize that I am talking about one preacher who was unassociated with a denomination) was going through great lengths to tell people that God wants them to be successful, rich, and happy. His prayer was that this is exactly where his congregation would find itself so that others would look at them and now that God is blessing them because of their wealth and happiness show that they must have truth.

Apparently the crucifixion was lost on him.

He is far from alone in the idea that if we are good enough, if we pray enough, if we are well practicing Christians then God will give us the high life. I would want to believe this! If I were a bit more naive and thought this message possible, I would gobble it up. Why not? What would I have to lose? Why not go with the guy who promises wealth and happiness from God?

Because it is a false promise.

There are not many non-Catholic Christians out there they see the merit in redemptive suffering. It is precisely when we suffer and remain true to God that we are refined like silver in the furnace, becoming more pure, more holy, even closer to God. Love of another human being is exactly the same. A couple that never has difficulties never truly grows in love for neither must sacrifice for the other. It is exactly when sacrifice is necessary, practiced and given freely that love, which is at first tried, becomes a deeper, more mature love.

Why do we purposefully practice acts of denial, charity, and penance in this season? Exactly to train ourselves to love and focus on God. This helps us prepare for those times when trial will hit us involuntarily. This will enable to trust God to see us through difficult times – to love Him just the same and not blame Him for our woes. It is redemptive because love will be tested and found then stronger than ever.

If you need proof, contemplate His Son’s Cross, or Job, or the Virgin Mary, or the violent life and death of those closest to Jesus such as the apostles, of Saint Paul, of the Martyrs, of the missionaries, of those who stand alone in their faith, of those persecuted for believing in Him – there is a reason they are now called saints – it was not because God made them wealthy and happy in an earthly sense – but wealthy in love and full of joy even when there were tears and trials.

TUESDAY QUOTE OF THE WEEK CIII

FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND – “Shouting at an insane world is not nearly as effective as laughing at it.” Ann Colwell

QUOTE II – “Rain falls on everyone; Lighting strikes some.” from Mary Doria Russell’s, “Children of God.”

IN OTHER NEWS:

Don't forget - tomorrow is Ash Wednesday!

The Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter reports, "With tough economic conditions impacting families, The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) "For Your Marriage" web site offers ten suggestions for romantic, low-cost dates. From planning an indoor "picnic" to "midnight bowling," the ideas can inspire couples to be creative date planners." See more here.

They also have a link for the diocesan financial report and report to the community.

You can celebrate Carnival with Catholic Carnival 212!

This is interesting - I came across this accidently and have absolutely no idea what it is attached to - but there are a few "Catholic Cartoons" at this site.

Think I never posted this:

MONDAY DIARY - A PRIEST AND A RABBI WALK INTO A BAR - THE MINSTER DUCKED

I am willing to admit that I do not do everything that people think a priest should do. In fact, I’m willing to admit that almost no priest does every worthwhile ministry or activity that a priest “should do.” I suppose parents feel the same way when they look at the lists that experts have assembled pointing out everything that they should do so that their children don’t turn out to be deranged.

Fortunately there are some priorities that are set in stone: the Mass schedule, the liturgical calendar, the sacraments, but after that it is pretty much up to the individual priest what he is going to do with the remainder of his time from the list of things that others have called gravely important.

Perhaps one of the most neglected on many priests lists is ecumenism. This is understandable as every waking moment and of one’s day could be filled with taking care of one’s own community if you were so disposed. That does not make ecumenism unimportant, just difficult to get to.

That being said I am glad that I have been able to be in touch with some of the local religious leaders in this community though admittedly through their efforts, not so much mine. Many came to welcome me when I arrived which I found touching. One of them, a woman minister in full clerics, came from the local church that many consider the center of the AA movement stopped by to offer me advice on everything from where I might get my brakes worked on to who has the best pizza.

Recently I was able to go out to lunch with rabbi from Beth El which is located right off our property. Very kindly he called and offered to show me their space and take me out to lunch and I accepted. He greeted me at the door and with great pride showed me their buildings and worship space. Most interesting was their banquet facilities. They keep kosher there and so not only was their one kitchen that was larger than our well proportioned kitchen but a second equally as large one next to it that allowed them to keep separate foods that should not come in contact.

Then we got down to talking nitty gritty about the challenges we each face and it reminded me of a National Geographic special we watched as a family when I was small. They were filming the goings on of a family that lived in a jungle in thatched buildings on poles who spoke and odd language and dressed in clothes with which I was not familiar. The announcer said, “We will now listen into a typical evening with this family and translate for you the heretofore unknown mysteries of this people.” Then the speaking of the people in their house was heard with translations in orange letters appearing at the bottom of the screen. The first line was the most important. “Stop picking on your sister and come over right now and eat your dinner.”

I was highly disappointed. Some mystery. But it was not far from what happened between me and the rabbi. How do you keep the faith exciting for the youth? How do you help those who want to get married understand the importance and blessings of chastity? How do you help those hurt by practices of the faith? How do you let people know that God loves them so that they believe this truth? How do scrape enough money together to pay for the boiler? It was like an old Star Trek episode where there is a parallel universe where everything is the same only not at all.

That is the kind of relationship that can develop between people of different faiths when they are comfortable enough in their own faith not feel threatened. I think it is people of weak faith that must take all points to argument and war. Perhaps it is a grace that even our buildings sit peacefully side by side: a symbol of what can be achieved between people who love God and are confident in His love for them.

FRIDAY FAIR - DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT JESUS WAS A BLUE EYED, BONDE HAIRED SCANDANAVIAN?

Someone wrote in recently (I lost the actual wire) that asked what the difference was between men and women being priests. You might find this an odd topic for Symbolic Friday but in actuality it is not. Part of the reason we have, in the Catholic Church, an all make priesthood is precisely because of the symbolic value. Now, this is not the complete reason why there is an all male priesthood (and I stress again the teaching is, in actuality, much larger) but this is an aspect of it.

We start from an understanding of the inner life of the Trinity. From the beginning God the Father gazes upon the His Son and gives all of Himself to the Son Who in turn receives this self gift of the Father and returns it the Father. The love between these two Persons of the Blessed Trinity is so strong and so palpable that it becomes a Third Person; the Holy Spirit.

We come as close as possible to living the inner life of the Trinity here on earth in the marriage covenant. This is stamped into the very creation of our bodies. The husband pledges his life and love to his wife. He does this also physically in that he gives of himself to her in the marriage bed. The wife receives this, mingles this giving with her own gift and returns it to her husband. The love between them is to be so strong and so palpable that with blessing of God, it is to be fruitful and becomes a third person; a child born into the world, a symbol of their love, the one flesh made up equally of both of them.

The number one symbol of Jesus’ care for His Church is that of bridegroom and bride. Jesus is the bridegroom and the Church is the bride. This relationship of love is to bear fruit (80, 90, and 100 fold) by the spread and growth of the kingdom. We hold that the priest, when performing the sacraments, is standing in persona Christi or in the person of Christ. It is not the priest who performs the sacrament, it is ultimately our One True Priest; Jesus Christ. To best symbolize this (keeping in mind this in only one part of larger teaching) a male person best symbolizes Christ. It has nothing to do with talent or ability or holiness but with symbolism. It is not exactly so much about Jesus' gender but what that gender symbolizes in the greater teaching. This does not make "maleness" better or worse, just this part of the equation.

Now, some people will bring up a couple of valid point to consider. The first might be that there are many other aspects to the human person that are ignored in favor of this one aspect. For example, Jesus was not European, was probably not as tall, or blue eyed, or any of the other attributes of which a person may take inventory. But we are not looking for a copy of Christ nor what would be considered incidental attributes but closer to that which is essential to the person. That I am bald or have a full head of hair is incidental to who I am as a man, but that I am male is much more essential to my being. Will we have hair in heaven when we are reunited with our glorified bodies? Who knows? But will there be gender in heaven? Though some would argue it there is much agreement that somehow this will play a factor.

Another point of consideration is that is it not our teaching that on some level we are all to be symbols of Christ in the world? Yes, that is also true. But that is considered in a much different fashion. The symbolic values change in this case. We are symbolizing a different aspect of “being Christ for others.”

This is a very simple answer to a very complicated question but I hope it invites you to explore it more deeply.