Keeping Christmas All Year Round

Keeping Christmas All Year Round

During Advent we have been encouraged to prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus through various practices and disciplines.  The Advent wreath, Jesse tree, communal penance services, and works of charity are all popular preparations for celebrating the birth of Jesus.  The liturgy of the Church has given us a variety of material upon which to reflect on the coming of Jesus in a threefold manner.  Now that Christmas is here it helps to step back and see if our Advent preparations helped us in these three areas.

The first coming of Jesus is the historical coming of Jesus in time.  In the Advent readings we heard proclaimed the prophetic writings and the anticipation of the coming Messiah.  The Church asks us to step back in time and to relive again the expectation of the Messiah within the community of Israel.  In this practice we can imagine life before Jesus was born.  We can imagine the mindset of the people of Israel in reflecting on salvation history, wondering where and when and how God would fulfill His promise of redeeming His people.  With Christmas now here we can relive the joy and mystery of how it is God came among us in the person of Jesus. 

The next theme of Jesus’ coming is found in the New Testament writings within the season of Advent, for they speak about a new expectation:  the second coming of Jesus in history.  After the Ascension of Jesus the early church expected the return of Jesus very soon.  As that expectation became unfulfilled with each passing year, the Church gradually saw the mystery of Jesus’ second coming as being very similar to the mystery of Jesus’ first coming.  So in Advent we are encouraged to wait in joyful hope for the coming again of our Savior in His final glory.  Our lives should reflect a people waiting with joy for its king to come. 

The final coming of Jesus is the one that is often unspoken, and yet the one that really matters the most:  the coming of Jesus now in our own personal lives.  The first two expectations are set in different times – one recalls a coming of the past, while the other looks ahead to a future coming at a time we do not know.  While it is important to focus on both of those comings, we would do well to recall that the point of them both is the fact of Jesus coming into our lives here and now.  Has the Lord Jesus been born into our hearts?  Is Jesus present to us now? 

With Christmas also comes the winter version of the culture wars known as “the war on Christmas.”  It is a time when the culture warriors fight about manger scenes in public places, greetings to one another, and a host of other pitched battles.  As we observe this phenomenon from a distance, we might remember the lesson from “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”  The Grinch thought that by stealing the external trappings from Whoville that Christmas would not come, for the people would be unhappy without all these objects.  And yet Christmas came nonetheless, for Christmas does not come in a box, nor from a store, but rather it means something much more. 

If the Lord Jesus has truly been born in our hearts, then nothing can take Christmas saw from us and these culture wars are utterly without meaning.  The Grinches may come to take away Manger scenes, Menorahs and Festivus poles, but what of it?  If we have grasped the Church’s preparation for us in the Advent season, then we know that Jesus has already been born in the fullness of time historically in Palestine two millennia ago, and the Lord has already been born within us in the fullness of our own personal history.  And these comings provide us with the Presence we need to be the joyful people who await the final coming of the Lord Jesus at the end of human history.  This joy animates our entire being, enabling us to continue what we began in Advent – to be people of mercy, people of charity – people who will be like Ebenezer Scrooge and keep Christmas all year round.

As we come together to celebrate the coming of Jesus among us, let us rekindle our Christian joy in our pilgrimage toward the reign of God.  We pray:  “Almighty God and Father of light, a child is born for us and a son is given to us.  Your eternal Word leaped down from heaven in the silent watches of the night, and now your Church is filled with wonder at the nearness of her God.  Open our hearts to receive his life and increase our vision with the rising of dawn, that our lives may be filled with his glory and his peace, who lives and reigns forever and ever.  Amen.”

 

The Standard of Christian Living

The Standard of Christian Living – 33^rd Sunday In Ordinary Time Year C

Teaching ethics to children is a great challenge.  Invariably we begin by setting up rules for them to follow, and this works well until the parent breaks the rule and the child notices.  When we attempt to explain exceptions to the rules, children do not understand and the rules fall away as an ineffective ethical system.  We adults face that same dilemma as well.  The rule “Thou shalt not kill” is a good one, until we start allowing for more and more exceptions to the rule that the rule has little value for establishing an ethical system.  Seeking the standard of Christian living is the challenge we face in this week’s readings.

The prophet Malachi speaks of the justice due to evildoers, and he likely refers to doing evil in the sense of breaking God’s law, the fundamental life of the people of Israel.  The entire prophetic tradition sees the infidelity of Israel as a violation of God’s law.  While laws and doctrine are important, these do not form the foundation for our life of faith.  The Mosaic Law lacked the ability to save us, and it is clear from the Gospels that Jesus is not establishing a code morality for us to follow.  In fact, the attitudes of purity of heart, meekness, and the other qualities of the Beatitudes replace the code morality of the Mosaic Law. 

Other people seek the security of beautiful places of worship and exquisite liturgical practice as a foundation for Christian inspiration of living.  Some within Jesus’ company seem to fall into this category, as the Gospel text today speaks of some who were talking of the adornments of the Temple and the votive offerings of the Temple.  The Temple was the central symbol of faith for Israel, and upon its destruction an entirely new understanding of Jewish life was necessary for Judaism to survive.  The same is true for the Christian.  Public worship and beautiful buildings for that worship are important factors, and yet we see that Jesus asks us to look elsewhere for grounding our Christian life.

Paul provides us with the fundamental obligation for the follower of Jesus – be imitators of the Lord Jesus.  Imitation is an action worthy of children of God, as children imitate their parents and others they admire in order to be like them.  For imitation to be effective in the Christian life, it cannot be reduced to merely external actions and practice.  Imitation must find its way to the virtue in the person of the Lord Jesus.  The Law can admit of interpretation and legalism, while worship and buildings can be reduced to formalism unless they are all grounded in the imitation of the Lord Jesus in our own lives. 

Pope Francis continually reminds us that the most fundamental doctrine of Christianity is that Jesus Christ has saved us from sin.  This belief establishes for us the fundamental mission of the Church as participating in the redemptive mission of Christ.  This truth also grounds our public worship of God as a reliving of our proclamation of faith – Jesus Christ has saved us.  All of our other teachings, public liturgical acts of worship, and all of our other works must be consciously connected to the fundamental truth that Jesus Christ has saved us from sin.  No set of rules can make us be like Christ.  No beautiful church building or ornate liturgical celebration can make us be like Christ.  They can do so if they lead us to imitate the Lord Jesus and to appropriate within ourselves the perfection of Christ in our own lives.

The challenge in imitating Christ is that such imitation has two components, one that is shared and one that is personal.  On the one hand we are all called to a life of holiness that consists in avoiding that which is positively evil while also doing that which is positively good.  Hence, we all must not kill, steal, and the like as well as perform acts of love toward our neighbor.  On the other hand, we must discern how we live out the life of perfection and holiness in our individual lives.  We all have different situations of life that demand a personal discernment from us.  Not all of us are called to the priesthood and religious life, and yet even those who are must discern how best to answer that calling from God, just as we who are called to married life or the life of the single person must discern how we are to answer that call in our own lives. 

We come together in public liturgical worship in order to support one another in our universal call of imitating Christ, and to discern how God is calling me to live this imitation in my own life during the coming week.  We pray together:  “Father in heaven, our living source of all that is good, from the beginning of time you promised man salvation through the future coming of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  Help us to drink of his truth and expand our hearts with the joy of his promises, so that we may serve you in faith and in love , and know forever the joy of your promise.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.”

 

Make Way!

Make Way! – 31^st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Two conspiracies are present throughout the Gospels.  On the one hand, there is a multitude of people who are trying to prevent others from seeing Jesus.  On the other hand, there is the prompting of God that enables the person seeking for Jesus to overcome all obstacles in order to meet the Lord Jesus.  These two dynamics are present in today’s Gospel reading, and they remain present in our world today.  By reflecting on the Gospel text we might more readily see solutions to the obstacles that exist to meeting the Lord Jesus.

Zacchaeus is a notorious man known to all in Jericho.  He is a tax collector, meaning that he came from a poor background in order to obtain this position of collecting taxes for the hated Roman occupation while at the same time enriching himself along the way.  And yet Zaccheus wants to see Jesus.  However, he is a short man and he is unable to see Jesus because of the crowd.  Here we find the first obstacle to seeing Jesus.  Very often we find ourselves focusing our attention on Jesus, but we are neglectful of others and unwittingly we become obstacles to people seeking Jesus.  If we merely make room for others so that they may see Jesus, then others will find it easier to come to the Lord Jesus.  This step to overcoming obstacles requires that we recognize the need of others to see Jesus and that we need to get out of the way so that others may approach Him.

As the story progresses, the second obstacle to Zacchaeus meeting Jesus presents itself.  Jesus has indicated that He wants to stay at Zacchaeus’ house, at which the entire crowd – including the disciples – become outraged at this turn of events.  They all began to grumble, and certainly Zacchaeus could hear it.  At any point hereafter Zacchaeus could have grown afraid at the attitude of the crowd and withdrawn his offer, but he did not.  The Spirit of God had overcome this obstacle and Jesus came to stay with him.  Here we find a more insidious obstacle to people meeting Jesus – our own negative attitudes.  We, like the first disciples, set up preconceived conditions on other people meeting Jesus, and if they do not follow our method or paradigm, then we turn them aside to maintain our neat little group. 

This Gospel passage is not intended for the Zacchaeus’ of the world.  They continually seek Jesus in their lives and attempt to overcome sin in their lives.  Instead, this text is designed for the Christian community as a reminder that we must continually keep the way open for people to encounter Jesus in their lives.  At the same time the text warns us against the arrogance that would make Jesus only for ourselves and not others. 

Pope Francis has recently warned us to avoid this tendency of making the church a private chapel.  He reminds us of our identity as individuals and as the Church.  When asked who he was, the Holy Father replied, “I am a sinner.”  Has this not been the theme of the Gospel in the last two weeks?  And is not this our identity as well?  Once we recognize our brokenness before God, we then come to realize the primary and fundamental mission of the Church:  to be the reconciliation of God on earth.  Such was the fundamental mission of the Lord Jesus, and in reflecting on the Gospel we can come to see how best to carry out the mission of reconciliation on earth.  Jesus continually remained in relationship with sinners – with the disciples, Zacchaeus, Nicodemus, Martha and Mary, with me.  As sinners, we must remain in relationship with God in order to continually grow in our quest for holiness.  As members of the Church  called to be the reconciliation of God on earth, we must remain in relationship with all people, walking with them on the pilgrimage of life, introducing them to the Lord Jesus by how we live in every aspect of our lives.

As we come together as the people of God, we seek His presence on earth just as Zacchaeus did in Jericho.  We pray to overcome every obstacle in our journey and to avoid being an obstacle for others in their journey:  “Let us pray, in the presence of God, the source of every good.  Father in heaven, God of power and Lord of mercy, from whose fullness we have all received, direct our steps in our everyday efforts.  May the changing moods of the human heart and the limits which our failings impose on hope never blind us to you, source of every good.  Faith gives us the promise of peace and makes known the demands of love.  Remove the selfishness that blurs our faith.  Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.”

God's Chosen Ones

God’s Chosen Ones – Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

In seventh grade I began at a new school where I did not know anyone.  That first week the gym teacher picked me as one of the captains for kickball.  Not knowing anyone, I chose people who had been kind to me that week.  As it turned out, none of them were athletes.  Despite this disadvantage, our team played very well and we almost won, losing only by one run.  Everyone was surprised at this outcome, and I have reflected often on this incident from my youth.  I believe that my non-athletic friends played well because they were chosen.  Their usual experience had been that they were chosen last after all the better players were selected for teams.  Hence, they really were not wanted on the teams previously; they were there because they had to be chosen.  But in this one instance they were chosen first because they were wanted and valued, and they rose to the occasion.  Today’s readings ask us to reflect on being chosen by God.

Moses was the great leader of the Israelite people, called by God to lead this insignificant group of people out of slavery and to freedom in a land all their own.  In the account from the first reading, we find God’s chosen ones beset by a powerful enemy.  The Israelites had no human reason for thinking success would be theirs, and yet they proved victorious that day.  God had chosen them, and in this moment they were reminded of this fact.  By constantly being aware of our election by God we can overcome any adversary in our spiritual lives.  This account, as the early church fathers remind us, is not about war and conquering armies, but rather about our battles in the realm of the spirit.  The reality of God’s election for us provides us the inspiration we need to succeed in the spiritual life.

The Gospel text for today provides us a second example of divine election.  Widows were powerless and vulnerable people in biblical times.  So, when Jesus tells the story of a widow pleading for justice in a legal dispute, we must recall that the widow had no expectation of success in her case.  In fact, the judge does not even rule in her favor based on any notion of justice or mercy, but solely because he wanted the woman to stop bothering him.  The point of the story is that Jesus sides with the widow, just as God had done many times in the Hebrew Scriptures.  She becomes for us an example in perseverance in prayer, for she knew that while human law and judgment may be against her, God favors the poor and powerless and chooses them as His own.  Her confidence was in God alone, and so it must be for us.

Pope Francis reminds us that as followers of the Lord Jesus we must not seek to occupy spaces of power, but instead seek to be present in processes.  Divine election is about a process of ongoing growth in knowledge and love.  It is not about possessing power so that we might lord it over others and dominate them.  The task of evangelization is about the processes of relationships with others in mutual respect and dialogue, not in occupying space in pugilistic apologetic.  The model of relationship sees divine election as an ongoing process that never ends, thereby honoring the fundamental mystery that is God.  Apologetic without the balancing effect of relationship tends to see divine election as completion, that our own position is secured and we must do nothing but set up defensive walls of conflict with others who are not thus chosen by God.

The stories of failure by the Israelites in their relationship with God and the constant failures of the disciples during Jesus’ public ministry represent the importance of process and relationship.  God continually stays in relationship with His people; Jesus continues the relationship with His disciples.  The failures of God’s people in each instance occur when they see election as completion rather than ongoing relationship, for such an attitude leads to idolatry and injustice by those who hold it.

As we strive to remain in right relationship with God and one another, the examples of salvation history can help us understand the meaning of God’s choice in our lives.  We pray together for the ability to remain conscious of God’s election for each person:  “Let us pray to the Lord who bends close to hear our prayer.  Lord our God, Father of all, you guard us under the shadow of your wings and search into the depths of our hearts.  Remove the blindness that cannot know you and relieve the fear that would hide us from your sight.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.” 

Vending Machine Theology

Vending Machine Theology – 27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

Most people regard our relationship with God as akin to our relationship with a vending machine.  With a vending machine, we put money in the slot, select our preferred snack or beverage, and we have what we want and what we perceive we need at that moment.  Analogously, many people think of our relationship with God as putting in our prayer to God, making our selection, and then getting what we want and what we perceive we need at that moment or sometime thereafter.  When we do not get what we want, we get angry at God or we create some apologetic answer about God’s time God saying no.  The readings today suggest that we abandon such apologetics and seek a deeper understanding of our relationship with God.

The prophet Habakkuk is frustrated at God’s inaction with respect to his prayer.  The prophet sees violence all about, and he implores God to come at once to solve the myriad of problems that beset Israel and Judah.  Habakkuk has inserted his prayer, but God has not reacted in the way the prophet thought.  Instead, God provides the prophet a vision of what will come in terms of deliverance, but God provides no timetable for the fulfillment of this vision.  God promises that it will come, and that the just one will live because of his faith in God.  This vision, of course, is Messianic in nature and will not be fulfilled in Habakkuk’s time or in any time soon thereafter.  However, the fulfillment is not important for the prophet.  God has promised life for those who are faithful and just in every generation.  The prophet will see Israel and Judah besieged and the people taken into exile, but those who remain faithful and just in these circumstances will live.

This message of fidelity and justice is the theme of the second letter to Timothy.  The Messianic promise has come in the person of Jesus, and yet the people of God continue to face hardships.  Why?  The promise of the prophets did not consist of the absence of hardships, but rather the ability to endure them with faith while persevering in justice.  Jesus the Lord has given us an example of how to live in the midst of hardship and persecution:  we are not to resort to violence or any other human tactic.  Instead, we must suffer as Jesus suffered, for in His death and resurrection He has given us “power and love and self-control.”  Is this not what was promised in the prophetic age?  Yet, we continue to complain about hardships and suffering.  How little is our faith.

The disciples in the Gospel passage today realize their lack of faith, and so they ask Jesus to increase their faith.  They have inserted their prayer, and now they await the attainment of their selection.  However, Jesus responds to them in the same enigmatic way He always responds in such situations, and it remains for us to discern what Jesus intended.  He responds that if they had faith it could move mountains, but since they lack such faith what are they to do?  Jesus then tells us the parable of the servant who serves both in the fields and in the house, not seeking any reward for the servant is merely doing what he ought. 

The image of servant is not one we readily take to in modern times, and yet it is the only apt image for the life of faith.  We expect the life of faith to be one of ease, warm feelings, and joyful experiences.  The prosperity gospel has taught us to expect such – and riches on earth besides!  And yet Jesus tells us that if we want our faith to increase we must decrease in our own estimation of ourselves.  Jesus the Lord left His heaven to become a human being.  He was born of humble human origins in an obscure part of the world.  He bent down to wash our feet – something not even a servant would do for his master.  In the end, Jesus died a humiliating death for our redemption.  The Lord Jesus Himself became even less than a slave for us, and yet we expect to live like kings and use God as a vending machine! 

Pope Francis recently stated, “The ministers of the Gospel must be people who can warm the hearts of the people, who walk through the dark night with them, who know how to dialogue and to descend themselves into their people’s night, into the darkness, but without getting lost.”  Jesus calls us to humble service, not haughty triumphalism and pugilistic apologetic.  Jesus has given us an example to follow in the path of humble service, for in this service we will find the answer to all of our requests for an increase in faith.

As we gather together to find strength and inspiration in the journey of faith, we pray:  “Let us pray before the face of God, in trusting faith.  Almighty and eternal God, Father of the world to come, your goodness is beyond what our spirit can touch, and your strength is more than the mind can bear.  Lead us to seek beyond our reach and give us the courage to stand before your truth.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.”   

Stewardship of the Poor

Stewardship of the Poor – 25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

If someone were to ask you, “What is the treasure of the Church?” there might be a variety of answers given:  the property and fine art; the sacraments and our teaching; our history and patrimony in so many different lands.  All of these answers, fine as they are, only capture a portion of the Church’s wealth.  When brought before the emperor of Rome and asked to provide the Church’s wealth, St. Lawrence brought the poor of Rome, declaring, “This is the Church’s treasure!”  Today’s readings point to the truth of St. Lawrence’s answer.

In the Gospel text Jesus teaches us to have regard for the wealth that is ours.  He gives the example of a steward who is commissioned to oversee the wealth of his master’s household.  The steward fails in the task, as he is unable to collect the debts owed the master.  So instead, the steward lessens the amount owed by the clients, thereby enabling the steward to collect something rather than nothing.  But Jesus tells us that if we cannot be entrusted with what belongs to others, how can we be trusted with what belongs to us?  We are left to wonder what belongs to us as our responsibility and obligation.

The first reading from the prophet Amos provides the answer.  The prophet has harsh words for the people of Israel in their mistreatment of the poor.  This message is the constant theme of the entire prophetic tradition:  God judges Israel for her lack of care and for her mistreatment of the poor.  Care for the poor, then, is our responsibility and obligation given to us by God.  God’s judgment upon us will be based on whether or not we have cared for the poor in our midst.  Jesus reinforces this teaching of the prophets in the two places where He describes the judgment of God.  First, in Matthew 25, the sheep and goats are judged solely on whether they have or have not provided for the needs of the least ones.  Second, Jesus places the wealthy official in the fires of Sheol for his failure to provide for the needs of poor Lazarus.

Some may point to the commandment of loving God above all things as our primary obligation, and certainly this statement is true.  However, what type of love does God ask for Himself?  God has no need of our praise and worship, nor does he need lavish cathedrals and monuments.  “It is mercy I desire and not sacrifice” is the command God gives to Israel through the prophets.  Care for the poor is the measure by which we are all judged by God.  We can only love God, then, by loving others here on earth.  In fact, the worship of the Church given to God in her liturgy is designed to lead us to a spirit of gratitude (Eucharist=thanksgiving) so that we might be reminded of all that God has done for us in salvation history so that we might imitate Him in providing for others here on earth.

So, when we offer prayers and supplication to God for worldly leaders, as Paul teaches in the second reading, our prayer for them is that they might heed the warnings of the prophets and not harm the poor.  It is a prayer that our leaders might follow the command of the Lord Jesus in caring for the poor in our midst, and to imitate His example by selfless living for the sake of others.  For too long we have followed a theology of self-interest whereby we perform spiritual practices so that we might store up merit for ourselves in the quest to save our souls.  The way to salvation is not paved with concern for our own welfare, but rather in selfless living for the sake of others. 

St. Lawrence followed the message of the Lord Jesus and demonstrated to the rulers of this world where the true wealth of the Church lies.  Countless other saints in history have shown us this truth.  In our own times Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Dorothy Day have modeled for us the path we must follow.  Is this not the message and example Pope Francis wishes to impart to us in his pontificate?

As we strive to follow the path of Jesus in caring for the poor, we come together as a worshipping community to seek the help of God in our fundamental Christian vocation.  “Let us pray to the Lord who is a God of love to all peoples.  Father in heaven, the perfection of justice is found in your love and all mankind is in need of your law.  Help us to find this love in each other that justice may be attained through obedience to your law.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.”

A Conversation on Celibacy

A Conversation on Celibacy

Recently a prominent Vatican official stated that the issue of clerical celibacy is not a doctrinal issue, but one of discipline.  Consequently, people in the Church can have legitimate conversations about celibacy that is aimed at the true benefit of Mother Church.  Needless to say, whenever the topic arises there is little benefit to be derived from the discussion since the loud voices with agendae come forward to do battle with one another.  Rather than give those camps more consideration than they deserve, what follows is instead a series of discussion points around which a more healthy conversation on the topic of clerical celibacy can hopefully take place.

I.                    Theological Considerations

Since the topic by definition is not dogmatic, any theological musings are merely pastoral in nature.  Indeed, this pastoral approach is exactly what is contained within the New Testament in the two places where celibacy arises. 

In 1 Corinthians 7: 25-40 Paul provides some advice to people of his time as to whether they should marry or not.  A careful reading of the text provides us with two important things to note.  First, Paul makes clear that there is no command from the Lord on this topic; therefore, the advice that follows is merely that – advice.  It is neither prescriptive nor imperative in nature.  The second feature is the context in which Paul frames the conversation.  He states quite clearly that his advice is based on the fact that there is little time and that people should be making ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus.  Needless to say, the imminent coming of Jesus did not take place, and so the context of Paul’s instruction is no longer a pressing concern for the Church in subsequent ages. 

Paul was quite right that Jesus did not make a directive in the matter of celibacy, for the only time He makes reference to the issue at all is in Matthew 19: 10-12.  Again, there are two important things to note that are identical to those found in I Cor. 7: 25-40.  First, Jesus gives no command to the entire Church that all should be celibate.  In fact, Jesus points out that there are many forms of celibacy to be found:  the person born without the capacity to procreate; the person made so by others through physical operation; and those who choose to do so for the sake of the Kingdom of God.  This latter group may have been a reference to the Nazirites of old, and it may also refer to some Essene communities where celibacy was practiced by some.  In any case, there is again no command to impose the discipline on everyone. 

In addition, this passage is within the context of an earlier teaching about divorce, after which the disciples asked if it were better to marry.  As St. Augustine was to note in his time, the call to virginity is a higher calling than marriage, but it is precisely that – a calling that one freely decides to embrace for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

It should be noted that if the Church were no longer to mandate celibacy for priests and religious this decision would in no way contradict the idea that virginity is a higher calling than marriage.  A person who is called to orders or religious life still can freely choose to remain celibate or not.  The Augustinian principle would still be honored and maintained. 

However, another theological consideration is often overlooked.  Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church teach that the lay faithful have a right to the sacraments.  People must have a right to access to the sacramental life of the Church.  In many places people do not have such access, or their access is limited.  If celibacy were optional, would this mean that the Church would have more priests to provide the sacraments to the faithful?  This is an open question, but one to which we will return later in this essay.

II.                  Celibacy Today

Most Catholics today are unaware of the fact that the Western Church already has married clergy in her midst, and that optional celibacy exists within a certain part of the ordained priesthood. 

Shortly after World War II Pope Pius XII created a provision whereby Lutheran clergy who desired full communion with the Catholic Church could become ordained as Roman Catholic priests.  This provision was largely unnoticed in the larger Church as it applied to limited numbers of men in Germany and Scandinavian countries.  Blessed Pope John Paul II would use this example when he created a similar process for American clergy from the Episcopalian and Anglican traditions to become Roman Catholic priests upon their full reception into the Church.  And most recently, Pope Benedict XVI expanded this provision in creating Anglican ordinariates in various parts of the world to facilitate full communion to the Church for lay people and clergy from the Anglican tradition.  Hundreds of men have become Roman Catholic priests and are married men. 

The presence of these married priests has enriched the Church in many ways, the most important of which is the fact that more people have access to the sacraments than previously.  Imagine the pastoral challenge in providing priests in many communities if these men were not functioning faithfully as Roman Catholic priests.  In our own diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph three parishes are staffed by married priests from other traditions.  To provide a priest for those parishes without these men would be a real burden and likely would result in decreased access to sacramental life for large numbers of people.

However, since the Second Vatican Council another group of men in the Church have been living sacred orders while also being married – permanent deacons.  Here again, celibacy is optional and a great many of our permanent deacons are married men who are ordained to the diaconal form of holy orders.  Permanent deacons provide the Church with yet another opportunity for sacramental access by the faithful.  The experience of the last fifty years has shown how valuable the ministry of permanent deacons is to the life of the Church.  We can also attest to how many men present themselves as candidates each cycle.

The Church has a wealth of experience in having married clergy serving the People of God.  Should the Church decide to make celibacy optional to the larger priesthood and religious life, before doing so she would have ample data and lived experience of married priests already present from which to draw.

One final and uncomfortable item should be mentioned in this section on celibacy today, and that is the reality of celibate priests who are not faithful to their commitment to their vows of celibacy.  In itself this reality is not an argument for or against changing the discipline of mandatory celibacy.  This sadreality will exist whether a change in discipline is made or not.  However, the scandal of these violations has cost the Church a great deal, and it greatly harms the many priests who are faithful to their commitment. 

III.                The Cost

The final issue that has legitimately been raised is that of cost.  Simply put, it costs more money to pay a married priest than a celibate priest.  Families need to be supported by these men, thereby requiring more resources in which to do so.  On one level, this issue seems inappropriate:  if married priests are fulfilling an essential role in providing sacraments to the faithful who are entitled to them, then how can we put a monetary stipulation in considering the issue of priestly celibacy.  On the other hand, the material world is a consideration for us, as parishes must deal effectively with their budgets, and the Church must be good stewards of the resources given to her by the People of God.

First, it must be stressed that not all priests will be married.  Many will continue to choose celibacy just as many do in the Orthodox traditions.  Second, the Church has found creative ways to adequately compensate those married priests we currently have in service.  God will provide for His Church in this matter as He does in so many other areas.

The issue of cost is never raised when it comes to priests who violate celibacy, however.  If a priest fathers a child, for example, the Church has an obligation to provide for the child.  The priests who have violated celibacy in notorious ways have cost the Church billions of dollars in settlement monies, treatment facilities to rehabilitate wayward clerics, and attorneys’ fees, not to mention the loss of faithful due to the scandals.  Again, these violations are not arguments for or against celibacy.  It is, rather, a lesson for the hierarchy that in her discipline of supporting celibacy that serious action be taken against priests who are in violation of these vows.  For too long there has existed a double standard in upholding morality.  A lay employee who has a child out of wedlock or who is gay will be terminated quickly.  Priests who violate chastity are given many chances and cost the Church plenty in treasure and loss of reputation, though the greatest harm is often done to those who had voluntary or involuntary acts against chastity with the priest. 

Regardless of whether the Church maintains mandatory celibacy or not, she must deal decisively with priests and religious who violate the vow.  The integrity of the Church and the good of the priesthood is at stake whenever we fail to take appropriate action when such violations occur.

Conclusion

A great theological issue is at stake in this issue of priestly celibacy:  will the faithful have access to the sacramental life of the Church in an adequate manner?  This is the only consideration, theologically, that matters.  It is a matter of prudential judgment as to whether optional celibacy will help us achieve that theological mandate.  The Church has demonstrated that all other issues related to married clergy can be addressed sufficiently, at least with respect to the numbers of married priests currently in service.  Whether that can continue with a larger pool of married clergy is again another prudential decision.  We can only pray for those tasked with leading this discussion and making the decisions that they follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit wherever it leads us. 

 

Prayer and Fasting for Peace

"Bless your persecutors; bless and do not curse them.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.  Have the same attitude toward all.  Put away ambitious thoughts and associate with those who are lowly."  (Romans 12: 14-16)

To today we can have no better reading for our morning reflection - 'Bless your persecutors; bless and do not curse them."  Is this not the message Pope Francis asks us to have for today as we pray and fast for peace in Syria and the Middle East?  Indeed, this has been the message of the Church since the Second Vatican Council, a message we had long forgotten in our Church's history.

The teaching of Jesus is clear and unambiguous - love your enemies, turn the other cheek, forgive seventy times seven times, endure the cross for the love of others.  This message was upheld in the early days of the Church, as the Church Fathers rejected all forms of violence - abortion, capital punishment, gladiator fighting, and even military service - in being faithful to the non-violent teachings of Jesus and Paul.  Hippolytus of Rome even forbade soldiers from the catechumenate unless they renounced military service and violence.  Cyril of Jerusalem stated that we are soldiers in an army of peace and our weapons are not sword, shield, and helmet but rather prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Sadly, when the Church achieved official status of the official religion of the Empire, the message got changed.  Violence now became tolerated and even encouraged:  the death penalty for pagans, heretics, and the infidel; wars against the Muslims, Eastern Christians, and heretics; the torture of the Inquisition; and the horrors of the religious wars of the post-Reformation era that in many places claimed 40% of entire populations to this carnage.

How can we proclaim the sanctity of human life when we make so many exceptions to the rule of peace and non-violence?  How can we expect the world to follow Jesus when we who claim to be his followers refuse to do so in this most fundamental area of life?

Today, however, we have the opportunity to begin again - to rediscover the commitment to the Lord Jesus in the path of peace and non-violence.  Our Church today has reaffirmed the commitment and she calls us once again to proclaim and live peace in every area of our lives.

The illogic of violence has led humanity to the brink of annihilation by means of modern weapons of horrific destruction and to the idolatry of guns in our own American culture.

"Bless your persecutors; bless and do not curse them."  Let us once again follow the Lord Jesus, who rebukes us for use of the sword, and commands us to love as He loved.  It is the only way to arrive at the reign of God.

Just War, or Just Another War?

Just War, or Just Another War?

 

A danger in publishing a summary of faith is that the summary itself becomes the substitute for the faith. Summaries are intended to be outlines on basic ideas; they are not intended to be an exhaustive treatment of every topic in the tradition. Within the Catholic tradition this problem exists in the areas of Catholic social doctrine where the issues are complex and the teaching on these topics is enormous. Let us look at one example to prove the point: the just war theory, where the Catechism states:

 

2309 The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy.

Leaving aside the language that highlights the reluctance of going to war, the passage is preceded by a number of paragraphs obliging all Catholics to peace-making and the path of non-violence.  Recourse to war is an exception to the rule of non-violence, not the rule itself. The Church in no place commands her children to acts of physical violence against another person.  A more thorough presentation of the topic is found in The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, which prefaces the just war theory with numerous papal teachings on peace, including this paragraph:

496. Violence is never a proper response…. the Church proclaims “that violence is evil, that violence is unacceptable as a solution to problems, that violence is unworthy of man. Violence is a lie, for it goes against the truth of our faith, the truth of our humanity. Violence destroys what it claims to defend: the dignity, the life, the freedom of human beings”.
The contemporary world too needs the witness of unarmed prophets, who are often the objects of ridicule. “Those who renounce violence and bloodshed and, in order to safeguard human rights, make use of those means of defence available to the weakest, bear witness to evangelical charity... They bear legitimate witness to the gravity of the physical and moral risk of recourse to violence, with all its destruction and death”.

The recourse to violence is further cautioned by recognizing the horrors of modern warfare. Additionally, both texts repeat the teaching of the Second Vatican Council that it is entirely just and proper to allow the right of citizens for conscientious objection to war and allowing for other forms of community service (cf. Gaudium et Spes #79). This recognition further highlights the fact that resorting to the violence of war is not a moral obligation, but an exception to the moral obligation to work for peace and to employ non-violent means.

The doctrine of the Second Vatican Council radically changed the Church’s posture on the position of warfare. As Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) noted:

The Council moved away from the static morality of the just war toward a dynamic morality of emergency... Therefore, the attempt must be made to approach as closely as possible what is morally desirable. Thus we can at least assert moral demands, even though we cannot achieve our ultimate moral objectives. (Ratzinger, Theological Highlights of Vatican II, p. 241)

How are we to achieve the ultimate moral objective? Certainly a great effort must be made in the area of international diplomacy as an immediate response to present dangers. Education in non-violence and conflict resolution are also essential in order for violence to be averted. The future holy father noticed another pedagogical approach at work in the magisterium of the Church:

The Council does not presume to set timeless norms for questions so complex in their technological, political, and historical ramifications. Rather, it stirs up a feeling of inadequacy about the merely licit. It sees the licit as no more than a very temporary concession in a history that finds man still in progress and still very far from doing what he ought to do, very far from doing what is genuinely right….The whole of human action is shown to be abysmally deficient when we begin to confess our moral attitude in this matter, and actually in all other matters as well, is far from what it should be. We recognize that the small righteousness we manage to build up in ourselves is nothing but an emergency morality in the midst of our radical unrighteousness. (ibid., p. 243)

The recourse to violence, then, is not the norm of human action, but a great deficiency in what is actually expected of humankind, i.e. the path of non-violence. However, many Christian moralists spend a great deal of time justifying the use of violence and very little time upholding the principle of non-violence to which we are called.

Granted, there is a concession made to the idea of a just war, but the criteria for such is quite rigorous, and yet it seems that every war manages to meet the criteria of just war according to many Christian moralists. As Erasmus noted centuries ago:

Some princes deceive themselves as follows: ‘Some wars are entirely just, and I have just cause for starting one.’ First, I will suspend judgment on whether any war is entirely just; but who is there who does not think his cause just? Amid so many shifts and changes in human affairs, amid the making and breaking of so many agreements and treaties, how could anyone not find a pretext, if any sort of pretext is enough to start a war? (Erasmus, The Education of a Christian Prince, p. 104)

We see the pretext for war repeatedly, and how quickly we follow the drumbeats of war, forgetting our obligation to work for peace at all costs. Erasmus noted the horrors and abominations of war in the 16^th century. How greater the evils modern warfare brings that could be added to this description:

For it has never proved possible to terminate a single war. One war is linked to another, and drags along with it an interminable and inextricable chain of ills. These ills are so many that their number can barely be comprehended, they are so atrocious that even an utterly wicked man cannot make right of them. Yet these are the natural consequences of any war, however just. Furthermore, the grounds for starting a war are sometimes false, not infrequently contrived, and for the most part doubtful. Then the outcome of any battle is always uncertain, and finally, no victory is bloodless, and the fighting is always at the expense of the man who had least to gain by winning. So that I am led to declare boldly that the god-fearing prince will be far more astute to maintain peace, however, unfair, than to embark on even the most advantageous war; for such a war will be preceded, accompanied, and followed by such an ocean of ills, so vast a swamp of wickedness, and so black a plague of immorality. (ibid., p. 139)

May all Christians say in unison by our words and actions the words Pope Paul VI proclaimed to the United Nations and that Pope John Paul II re-echoed in 2003: “No more war. Never again!”

 

Honoring Christ

"Do you want to honor Christ's body?  Then do not scorn him in his nakedness, nor honor him here in the church with silken garments while neglecting him outside where he is cold and naked.  For he who said:  'This is my body,' and made it so by his words, also said, 'You saw me hungry, and did not feed me,' and 'inasmuch as you did not do it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did not do it for me.'  What we do here in the church requires a pure heart, not special garments; what we do outside requires great dedication.

"Let us learn, therefore, to be men of wisdom and to honor Christ as he desires.  For a person being honored finds great pleasure in the honor he desires, not in the honor we think best.  Peter thought he was honoring Christ when he refused to let him wash his feet; but what Peter wanted was not truly an honor, quite the opposite!  Give him the honor prescribed in his law by giving your riches to the poor.  For God does not want golden vessels but golden hearts.

"Now, in saying this I am not forbidding you to make such gifts; I am only demanding that along with such gifts and before them you give alms.  He accepts the former, but he is much more pleased with the latter.  In the former, only the giver profits; in the latter, the recipient does too.  A gift to the church may be taken as a form of ostentation, but an alms is pure kindness.

"Of what use is it to weigh down Christ's table with golden cups, when he himself is dying of hunger?  First, fill him when he is hungry; then use the means you have left to adorn his table.  Will you have a golden cup made but not give a cup of water?  What is the use of providing the table with cloths woven of gold thread, and not providing Christ himself with the clothes he needs?  What profit is there in that?  Tell me:  If you were to see him in that state and merely surround his table with gold, would he be grateful to you or rather would he not be angry?  What if you were to see him clad in worn-out rags and stiff from the cold, and were to forget about clothing him and instead were to set up golden columns for him, saying that you were doing it in his honor?  Would he not think he was being mocked and greatly insulted?

"Apply this also to Christ when he comes along the roads as a pilgrim, looking for shelter.  You do not take him in as your guest, but you decorate floor and walls and the capitals of the pillars.  You provide silver chains for the lamps, but you cannot bear even to look at him as he lies chained in prison.  Once again, I am not forbidding you to supply these adornments; I am urging you to provide these other things as well, and indeed to provide them first.  No one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments, but for those who neglect their neighbor a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire and torment in the company of the demons.  Do not, therefore, adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all."
- St. John Chrysostom, Homily on Matthew

The Path to Unity

The Wrong Question – 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

From the very earliest times of the Church, the problem of Gnosticism has always plagued the Christian community.  Though it has many forms, Gnostic teachings essentially seek to limit the number of those to be saved into an elite group privileged to have a special knowledge or enlightenment from God.  Only those so initiated into these esoteric insights are admitted into the company of the saved.  Gnosticism and other forms of elitism is always a temptation for those in any spiritual tradition.  Throughout her history, the Church has always tried to insist on the fundamental message of salvation history that finds its fullest expression in the Lord Jesus:  God invites all to a relationship with Him.  

In today’s Gospel the disciples ask the wrong question of Jesus:  “Lord will only a few be saved?”  As is typical when they ask the wrong question, Jesus does not answer it.  Instead, he takes the opportunity to teach the disciples what is truly important.  Rather than concerning ourselves with the math problem, Jesus instead orients us toward an examination of our own lives with regard to salvation.  Are we living in imitation of the Lord Jesus?  Are we in right relationship with God and other people?  The author of the Letter to the Hebrews also employs this tactic.  All of us are called to holiness – to an intimate relationship with God and others, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah found in the first reading.  God is for all, not just for an exclusive race or group of people.

What motivated the disciples to ask this question of Jesus?  Is the question in any way relevant for them or for us?  Various factions of Jews were prone to an exclusivist mentality.  The Pharisees, for example, saw themselves as those to be saved since they were diligently following the minute detail of every external law.  At the same time, the Essenes removed themselves completely from larger Jewish society by creating exclusivist communities in the eastern desert of Judea.  For them, the wider Jewish community was thoroughly corrupt and could not be saved by God.  Only these desert communities would be saved by the Teacher of Righteousness when he came to redeem Israel.  The disciples may have seen this community of Jesus in such Pharisaic or Essene terms. 

Jesus, however, continually rejects the temptation to close off his community of disciples.  While maintaining the ideals of right relationships with God and others, Jesus extends the invitation to the kingdom of God to all.  Gentiles become great examples of faith, and the message of Jesus extends to all peoples.  The question is, then, not how many will be saved, but rather will I be saved?  By a daily examination of our lives we can focus properly on the right question while at the same time avoiding the wrong questions.  And since we are only qualified to examine our own lives and not that of others, we can thus avoid the temptation to judge others in relation to ourselves.

At the beginning of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s pontificate, he made a comment about the Church becoming smaller in our times.  Many took this sentence out of context and began a campaign of driving out people from the Church who did not fit their particular criteria of membership.  The pope in no way intended his words to be used in such a way, as the larger context of his remarks indicates.  However, the temptation to exclusivism is ever present, and it exists in both traditional and progressive circles. 

The entire sweep of salvation history in the biblical texts, however, is that of an expansive invitation to the kingdom of God.  Our fundamental mission, then, is to extend that invitation to a relationship with God and others to everyone.  We accomplish this mission most effectively by living authentic Christian lives that imitate the example of Jesus the Lord. 

All of us fall short of the ideal to which the Lord Jesus calls us.  We are ever in need of renewal as we seek to be more effective followers of Jesus.  As we come together to once again find nourishment and inspiration on our journey to the reign of God, we pray:  “Let us pray with minds fixed on eternal truth.  Lord our God, all truth is from you, and you alone bring oneness of heart.  Give your people the joy of hearing your word in every sound and of longing for your presence more than for life itself.  May all the attractions of a changing world serve only to bring us the peace of your kingdom which the world does not give.  Grant this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.”

Harvest, Covenant, and the Holy Spirit - Pentecost Sunday

Harvest, Covenant and the Holy Spirit – Pentecost Sunday

Sometimes we are not sure what we celebrate on certain holidays.  If you asked Americans what we celebrate on Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Labor Day you might get some very interesting answers, none of which have anything to do with the actual holiday involved.  Consider the animated classic “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!”  The Peanuts gang gathers to create a Christmas play, but there is no direction.  Everyone is off doing their own activity, and Charlie Brown gets exasperated and shouts, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”  Linus steps forward and recites the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, and suddenly the entire scene shifts.  The focus has returned:  the children help Charlie Brown to decorate his tree, and they all come together in a grand finale to sing “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.” 

The feast of Pentecost is one in which many Catholics would struggle to explain to others, let alone themselves.  And yet it is one of the most important feasts of the Church year, the only one to have an octave celebration along with Christmas and Easter.  Some may know that the name means fifty days after Easter, and a few others could say that the Holy Spirit came to the disciples fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus – and no doubt all of these things are true.  But like so many other matters in our faith, there is much more to this feast.

Originally, the feast of Pentecost began as a harvest festival, a day of joy and thanksgiving for the first fruits of the fields that came fifty days after the celebration of Passover in Judaism.  The first fruits of the fields were offered to God as a thanksgiving sacrifice for God providing for the people of Israel in their material and spiritual needs.  The feast was originally called the Feast of Weeks, placing it seven full weeks after the feast of Passover.

Over time, the feast became an anniversary.  The covenant had been offered and ratified by the Jewish people fifty days after the Passover from Egypt.  Hence, Pentecost naturally became the anniversary of the covenant just two hundred years before the birth of Jesus.  Like Passover, Pentecost was a pilgrimage festival where Jews who lived outside Palestine would travel to Jerusalem for the feast in order to offer the first fruits of the harvest as a thanksgiving offering for the anniversary of the covenant.  In this way, the original meaning of the feast was retained and kept alongside the new meaning.

In the account of the first Christian Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles, we can see the concept of the harvest and covenant in the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples.  After receiving the Spirit, the disciples begin to speak in various tongues so that people from all regions understood what they were saying.  Three thousand people accepted the Good News on that very day – the first fruits of the harvest after Jesus’ Passover sacrifice of himself on the Cross.  At the same time, the gift of the Spirit is one that had been promised to the disciples by Jesus, and here we see the fulfillment of that promise, indicating a new covenant has been established by God with all people of the world, not just with the people of Israel. 

The celebration of Pentecost is not merely remembering an act of the past, but an act that is continually reenacted in our midst.  Recall that at the Easter Vigil we received new members into the Church through the rites of initiation.  Pentecost is the final journey for our new Christians, completing the time of mystagogy in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.  Pentecost is intimately connected to Easter, just as Pentecost had been connected to Passover in the Jewish tradition.  The Spirit of God is continually at work in the Church, constantly calling us to conversion and calling others to bring new life to the Church by their initiation into the Mystical Body. 

Let us ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit to animate us so that we might bring forth a harvest of souls to the new covenant of Christ who renews us in the Paschal Mystery.  “Let us pray in the Spirit who dwells within us.  Father of light, from whom every good gift comes, send your Spirit into our lives with the power of a mighty wind, and by the flame of your wisdom open the horizons of our minds.  Loosen our tongues to sing your praise in words beyond the power of speech, for without your Spirit man could never raise his voice in words of peace or announce the truth that Jesus is Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.”