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Pastor's Desk Archive (June 2009)We Hold These Truths... (6/7/2009) We Hold These Truths... (6/7/2009)Many surveys report that there is a lot of uncertainty as well as outright lack of knowledge of the truths of the faith among a large percentage of people who identify themselves as Catholics. Some of this can be accounted for by the fact that these surveys don’t always distinguish those who are actually practicing their faith. But even among practicing Catholics, the data do not indicate a good deal of certainty about church teachings. Many Catholics, for instance, seem to have stronger feelings about their faith as opposed to clear knowledge. They may speak about a firm attachment to the Catholic faith while admitting they don’t feel very confident about speaking to others about specific Catholic beliefs. They may make attempts to do so, but simply don’t have a lot of confidence when doing so. Now these same things may be true about many members of other Christian churches, but it is our knowledge of the faith that needs to be a focus of concern. There’s a lot riding on this. For one thing, why would young men express an interest in serving the church as priests if their understanding of the Catholic faith is weak and uncertain? And if they have uncertainties about the faith would those not be rooted in their experience of the Catholic faith in their homes? We also have a very serious difficulty recruiting volunteers to serve as catechists, youth leaders, and helpers. Could it be because many people don’t believe they know enough in order to do a satisfactory job? Every year we conduct our Journey of Faith process for those who wish to inquire about the Catholic Church or for Catholics wanting to grow in the knowledge and practice of their faith. We publish announcements in the parish bulletin for weeks on end and I often reinforce this in my homilies or in comments following Communion. Yet very few members of the parish actually invite people to come. Doesn’t everyone know a few people who are unchurched or who are not attending any church at the moment? How will the church grow and flourish if those who have been given the gift of faith keep it to themselves rather than hand it on to others? Below, I have listed some key Catholic beliefs, ones which distinguish us from other Christians. Some people apparently believe that since faith is such a personal matter, that it doesn’t make any difference what a person believes as long as he/she does believe. That may sound true-ish, but it is not. Why would any of us wish to remain Catholic if it doesn’t make any difference? We are being called to become fervent and intentional followers of Christ in the Catholic Church. The Bible is a collection of writings authored by human beings under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. While all of its teachings are useful for teaching and admonition, the meaning of those teachings is not self-evident. The Jews had rabbis, and the first Christians depended upon the teaching of the apostles. Tradition comes from a Latin word which means to hand down. Before there was a collection of writings known as The New Testament (around the 4th century AD), Christian communities were formed throughout the known world based on the teachings and practices of the Apostles and their successors. Authentic Christian faith is based on both the Bible and Tradition. Christ said to His Apostles: “As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.” The New Testament attests clearly that Jesus made the apostles authoritative teachers of the faith. It also bears witness to the fact that the Apostles designated successors through the laying on of hands and through the invocation of the Holy Spirit. The authenticity of any church rests on its claim to be part of the Apostolic Succession. Christian communities of various kinds and descriptions may claim to have inspiring or charismatic preachers; their services may include wonderful music; their members may be full of kindness and hospitality who claim a broad knowledge of the Bible; but if their pastors are not in the Apostolic Succession, under whose authority do they serve? Eusebius Beltran was ordained a priest for service to the archdiocese of Atlanta by Archbishop Paul Hallinan who had been appointed a bishop by Pope John XXIII. In 1978, Pope Paul VI named him the second bishop of Tulsa. Father Beltran became Bishop Beltran when he was ordained by Archbishop Salatka of Oklahoma City. In 1992, Bishop Beltran succeeded to the office of Archbishop of Oklahoma City upon the resignation of Archbishop Salatka. In 1997, Archbishop Beltran appointed Fr. Jack Feehily as the 5th Pastor of St. Andrew’s. Fr. Feehily had been ordained a priest in 1973 through the laying on of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit by Archbishop John Quinn. Among the Twelve Apostles, Simon Peter enjoyed a key leadership role. His successors, the Bishops of Rome, play that same key role by confirming their brother bishops in the Unity of the Faith. The Pope thus has the authority to ensure that the members of the church are of one mind and heart in their profession of and practice of the faith that comes to us from the Apostles. While the Commandment of Love is of paramount importance in the life of authentic Christians, it is a love that is rooted in Christ who is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. This is the same Christ who taught: Do this in memory of Me; and My flesh is true food and my blood true drink….unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood you do not have Life within you. The True Church is the one that centers its life around the celebration of the Paschal Mystery in the Eucharistic Banquet. My Flesh Is Real Food, My Blood Is Real Drink (6/14/2009)Of all the truths that have been handed on to us from the Apostles, none is more important than the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of those called to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. A great many believers will speak about the importance of worshipping God, but they are often talking about different things. They may be referring to listening to and studying God’s Word, or to singing hymns of praise, or listening to a great sermon, choir, or band. But as Catholics we believe that Jesus taught us how to worship God in spirit and in truth by gathering on the Day of the Lord (Sunday) to offer God a perfect sacrifice of praise. We call this holy and living sacrifice The Eucharist or The Mass. At his last supper with the apostles, Jesus instructed them to do this in memory of Him. Do what? We remember His saving death and resurrection when we Take and Eat….Take and Drink. And as often as we eat His body and drink His blood we proclaim His death until He comes again in glory! When we celebrate the Eucharist, Jesus acts as our great high priest in leading us in worship through the ministry of the bishop or priest. Jesus is also acting through the members of His priestly people whom He has gathered for worship. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the words which Jesus spoke at the last supper, Christ becomes present in His body and blood, soul and divinity. I can assure you that we stand only with the Orthodox Churches in holding this central truth. So while it may be “nice” and may make us “happy” that people we know and love are at least going to some church on Sunday we should harbor no illusion that it doesn’t make any difference how God is worshipped. It is at this point that some may wish to object that the only important thing is “love”. We do indeed have an obligation to love other Christians, but that love does not require us to dismiss what has been handed on to us from the apostles. We don’t believe that the Bible is the only authority, despite its great importance. We also believe in what has been handed down to us as sacred traditions. How we worship comes to us both from the bible and tradition. Jesus has given Himself to us wholly and entirely in the sacrament of His Body and Blood. He does so in order to make us holy and loving as He is holy and loving. As Catholics we are nourished by both Word and Sacrament so that we can go forth in peace each week to love and serve the Lord. How can we ever be grateful enough for the most holy sacrament of the altar? We Hold These Truths... St. Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 11: Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have died. In incorporating this important teaching into its practice, the church came to insist that Christians who accuse themselves of grave sin must first repent and confess any such sins to a priest in order to receive communion worthily. This is in accord with the power which Jesus gave to his apostles on the night He rose from the dead: “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven…..” The Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass is not a form of the sacrament of penance. It is, rather, an expression of our profound gratitude to God who stands ready to forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life….as often as we repent of them and confess them. It does, however, bring with it forgiveness of venial sins. Each communicant is free to receive Holy Communion in one’s hand or on one’s tongue. Neither practice is more reverent or correct than the other. In order that we may receive more reverently, each communicant should bow slightly prior to partaking of both the Body and the Blood. Each communicant is free to receive the Body and Blood of Christ under the form of bread or wine or both. Individuals who need to avoid gluten may receive the whole Christ under the form of the wine alone. While Catholics are not obligated to receive communion under both forms, it is highly encouraged. After all, Jesus did say, Take and Eat, Take and Drink. When we receive Holy Communion we are united not only with Christ Himself, but with all the members of His Body. This means that we can be united with our loved ones who have fallen asleep in the hope of rising again. Catholics have an obligation to refrain from eating and drinking ONE HOUR prior to receiving communion. Taking water does not break the communion fast. Chewing gum during the celebration of the Eucharist constitutes an act of irreverence and does break the communion fast. Is True Worship about God, Or About God AND Us? (6/21/2009)This past week an American priest and theologian, Fr. Gus DiNoia O.P., was appointed by Pope Benedict as the new Archbishop-Secretary for the Congregation of Divine Worship. He is the first American to hold this high post and will, no doubt, as an English speaker bring an important perspective to the work of this curial department which oversees the rites of the Mass and all the sacraments throughout the world. In commenting about his appointment, Archbishop designate DiNoia said "I think the liturgy should give us a sense of the heavenly liturgy; it's about God, not us." I found that a very provocative statement which addresses a controversy involving the Rites of Catholic worship that has been going on for the last forty plus years. We are all aware that a small but outspoken number of Catholics never did accept the reforms in the Mass and the Sacraments which occurred after Vatican II closed in 1965. These people led by a rebellious French Archbishop insisted that the Latin Mass as celebrated since the 16th century was the only valid and true Mass. He was eventually excommunicated for direct disobedience to the Holy Father when he ordained four bishops, creating a formal schism with the Holy See. One of those very bishops was in the news recently when he publicly stated his denial of the Holocaust. But over and beyond that conflict, there have been many Catholics at all levels of the church who have expressed a desire to roll back at least some of the changes brought about in the Mass since 1970. This can be seen in part in the greater use by some priests (and bishops) of incense, in the wearing of older style vestments, and in the ringing of bells at the consecration. Advocates of these practices speak about “restoring” a greater sense of reverence and dignity in the Mass which they contend should be focused more on God and less on the worshippers. I take exception to this kind of polarization. Authentic liturgy certainly has its central focus on the worship of God. To suggest that such worship is only tangentially related to the involvement of God’s priestly people comes dangerous close, in my view, to overturning the Vatican Council’s insistence that the sacred rites be reformed so as to make their meaning clearer and by calling Catholics to the full, conscious, and active participation which is their right in virtue of their baptism. The last thing I would want to see is a return to a form of the Mass in which the people are reduced once again to passive spectators. Pope Benedict Calls For "The Year Of The Priest" (6/28/2009)The Holy Father has dedicated the next twelve months to a worldwide reflection on and celebration of the indispensable gift of priestly ministry in the Church. He is holding up as a particularly fitting inspiration for priests the life of a simple French priest named John Vianney who is known to many as the “Cure d’Ars” (The parish priest of Ars) St. John Vianney was ordained in 1815 and soon became known for living a holy life. In time, he became beleaguered by swarms of penitents with whom he demonstrated an imperturbable patience. He was a wonderworker loved by the crowds, but retaining a childlike simplicity, he remains to this day the living image of the priest after the heart of Christ. He would hear confessions of people from all over the world for as much as sixteen hours each day. His life was filled with works of charity and love. It is recorded that even the staunchest of sinners were converted at his mere word. He died August 4, 1859, and was canonized May 31, 1925. I feel enormously inadequate when I contemplate the life of this saintly priest, but at the same time his example spurs me and countless other priests to rededicate ourselves to the faithful service of our Lord and his Church. These days we are in desperate need of men who will answer God’s call to serve him as priests. At the same time, we should be enormously indebted to the men who have and do serve as priests throughout the world. There have been numerous priests I have had the privilege to know who have made an enormous impact on my life. Sadly, the number of priests is dwindling even as the number of Catholics continues to grow. The announcement of this special year provides each of us with an opportunity to redouble our prayers for those who serve as priests. We need these prayers precisely because we are such imperfect “vessels of clay”. I have included the accompanying article about a Minnesota priest who succumbed to wounds he received more than four years ago in Iraq because he inspires me. He exemplified the example of his Master in “laying down his life for his sheep.”
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