Why They’re Leaving The Church

_______________________________________________

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics.  

My motto…
“Be happily and uncomplicatedly
Catholic”

Michael J. Sheehan, Archbishop
of Santa Fe

____________________________________________________________

Why they’re leaving the Church- (Part 1 of 4)

(Let’s be aware of these problems and consider how we Joyful Catholics can help in the solution)

 This has been a rough time for me because some people who are special in my life have given up on Catholicism. A relative, who for her 40-plus years on this planet has been an active and happy Catholic, has now joined the Episcopal Church. Her comment was, “I suddenly realized how lonesome I was as a woman in the Catholic Church. Also, I wanted to quit a lifetime of playing a minor role – a second-rate citizen in a male dominated organization.”

I have empathy for her because I appreciate the splendid accomplishment and acceptance of women in the past seven decades. In the 1950s when I worked for the Hartford Insurance Company (then the largest USA insurer), it was company policy that women could only be typists and secretaries. The excuse for this  restriction was because “Our agents would not feel at ease talking with a  female underwriter.”  Twenty years later, I had a battle to get the bank board on which I was serving to add a woman director. They finally resented and the next year my woman board member was so popular they made her chairman of the important audit committee. Today, 15 of the Fortune 500 companies have women CEOs, and this number is increasing.

A Christian Brother friend, who counsels those who are shaky in their faith, told me that most women agree that at some point we should return to being a church of the
people, but few of them believe it will be anytime soon. They understand that  the aged bachelors who are calling the shots in the Vatican
move with a speed that would make a snail pace seem like an Olympic racer.

As a sign of the times, last month 300 Austrian priests have signed a “Call to Disobedience”, which calls for a parish to have an individual leader – whither man or woman, and for admission of women to the priesthood.

In her book There Is a Season, Joan Chittister, O.S.B., writes about the need for spiritual re-builders—those who take what other people only talk about and make it the next generation’s reality. She is right in that we should join together in our effort to make sense of relationships within our Church. We have made improvement in that the conservative priests who refused to let little girls serve on the altar are now in their dotage or have passed on to the next life. And although most of us can’t wait until 2111 when I predict the Vatican  will accept female deacons, we should now take positive steps to profess our admiration and appreciation for our woman church members. Mother Teresa said, “Holiness is not a luxury for the few; it is not for some people. It is meant for you and me, for all of us. It is a simple duty because if we learn to love, we learn to be holy.”

How do you think this can be done? (aljagoe@comcast.net)

 

 Other recommended Catholic blogs

Catholic Cuisine

The Shrine of the Holy Whapping

Testosterhome

 

Recommended
readings

“The Church and the Eucharist” in June/July Homiletic
& Pastoral Review

“It Doesn’t Sing” in July 13, Commonweal.

 “My Water, His Wine” in July-August Touchstone.

 

Roster
of Joyful Catholic Priests

The media loves to publicize bad priests, and we should give recognition to our Joyful Catholic Priests. Send me your recommendation for ones you think merit membership in this splendid group. (aljagoe@comcast.net)

Rev. Robert
Aufieri (NYC)

Rev. Edward
Gorman, O.P. (DE)

Fr. Andrew
Gries (DC)

Msgr. Edward
Filardi (MD)

Archbishop
Jerome Listecki, (MN)

Bishop Dennis
Madden (MD)

Fr. Joseph
Marini (CA)

Fr. John Mericantante (FL)

Msgr. Thomas
Modugno (NYC

Rev. John
O’Donoghue (TX)

Fr. Matthew
Ruhl, S.J. (KS)

Fr. Michael
Scanlon (OH)

Rev. Richard
Trout (FL)

Rev. Hayden
Vaverek (NYC)

Rev. Malcolm
Sylvester Willoughby, O.P. (DC)

Canon Stuart
Wilson (London, UK) 

Lightning Bug Catholics

 

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics.

My motto… “Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholic.”
Michael J. Sheehan
Archbishop of Santa Fe

Lightning Bug Catholics

Recently, my wife and I enjoyed an evening cookout in the park. At dusk as we sat looking over a grassy area towards the woods, we had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Suddenly the area became alive with hundreds of lightning bugs. They put on a show like quiet fireworks on the 4th of July. One of the little fellows landed on the top of my hand and stayed long enough for me to observe his orange head. Then he lighted up his lower abdomen and took off.
Return home, still tingling from the awe of having witnessed this phenomena of nature, I did some research. I learned that “the bug’s light production (bioluminescence) is caused by enzyme luciferase acting on luciferin in the presence of magnesium ions, ATP, and oxygen to produce light with wavelengths from 510 to 70 nanometers.” Wow!
During the week I realized that we Joyful Catholics are the lightning bugs in the Church. Those other staid, conservative and me-only Catholics are the non-lightning bugs who go about doing their own thing, unnoticed and unnoticing. By contrast, we Joyful Catholics brighten the world around us by demonstrating our concern and love for others—perhaps with a warm smile for a stranger, a call to the lonely, an act of kindness or a note of thanks and appreciation.
As I have said before, a complacent Catholic is third rate. What great joy there is in being a Joyful Catholic!

Recommended readings

- “No Third Reading” in Homiletic & Pastoral Review
- “Saint Teresa of Avila: Prayer-Centered Reformer” in Spiritual Life
- “A Reckoning- the Price Tag for America’s Wars” in Commonweal 7/16
- “The Jesus Controversy” in America 8/2-9 (Comment: I get annoyed at us Catholics who enjoy debating “the historical Jesus”. Why can’t we just accept that he was God-Made-Man, and ponder that forever.)

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics. My motto — “Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholic.”

Michael J. SheehanArchbishop of Santa Fe

My favorite priest, layperson, breathing saint or organization

As the Executive Director of the Religious Formation Conference, Sister Violet Grennan of the Missionary Franciscan Sisters is a dynamo of energy and enthusiasm.  The purpose of the Conference is to enrich Catholic religious women and men by helping them to gain new knowledge and skills in their pastoral ministries. She is benefiting us Joyful Catholic by endowing our spiritual guides with fresh and effective tools. Sister Violet, we love you!  

Now, tell me about your favorite Catholic priest, layperson or organization that is making a difference.

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net 

Quiz

Last week, the winner of the autographed copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholic is Susan Fox in New Orleans. Here are the answers:

1. The sons of Jebedee whom Jesus nicknamed “Sons of Thunder” were James and John.
2. 130 is the maximum number of Cardinals permitted to elect a

(Comment, I wish the maximum age were 50.)

1. The patron saints of farmers is Isidore. 

News flashes

-         Bishop Felipe Arizmendi in Mexico lit a blaze when he blamed child abuse by priests on eroticism on television.

-         Commenting on the U.S, Conference of Catholic Bishops publication of “Setting the Record Straight,” Commonweal magazine said, “If the authors of this publication wish to seize a ‘new opportunity for the Catholic community to come together in defense of human life,’ they can start by not questioning the motives of those Catholics who disagree with them about how best to interpret the provisions of the new health-insurance law.  On questions such as this, disagreement should not be understood as a threat to unity, but as a sign of the church’s intellectual vitality.

       “American bishops too often seem to fear that any acknowledgement of the complexity of the issue of the church’s teaching on abortion would weaken their own position.”

(Comment – AMEN!)

-         Even though half of Catholic schools have closed since 1965, with a 20% drop in enrollment in the past ten years, Timothy Dolan, New York’s archbishop is working on a strategic initiative to save the Catholic schools in his archdiocese by co-operating closely with Catholic universities. This is in opposition to converting the schools into charter status (as in Washington, DC) and they no longer operate as religious establishments.

(Comment – Congratulations, Bishop Dolan, may other Catholic educators follow your lead.)

 

-   A sign outside the Church of God in Phoenix: HONK IF YOU LOVE  JESUS; TEXT WHILE DRIVING IF YOU WANT TO MEET HIM.

 Interesting sayings

Once I was at vespers and was gazing at the cross. And while I was thus gazing at the cross with the eyes of the body, suddenly my soul was set ablaze with love; and every member of my body felt it with the greatest joy. The joy which seized my soul in this moment can in no way be spoken of. And in no way whatever can I be sad concerning the passion; on the contrary, my joy is in seeing this man, and to come to him. All my joy now is in this suffering God-man.

Blessed Angela of Foligno, who died in 1309, was a wife and mother, and later a Franciscan tertiary and mystical writer.

 When you are going through hell, keep going.

   A waitress in Atlantis, FL

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.

James Thurber 

Communiqués

The avalanche of messages from “The Pope is Pregnant” blog deserves a whole blog of its own.  They were both favorable and unfavorable, including a few threats.  So, be patient until I put it together.

 Chuckle time

In the book. How to Become a Bishop Without Being Religious, the author said there were two major requirements to be a bishop:

(a)  grey hair

(b)  hemorrhoids to give you a sorrowful look.

 

Special Intentions List

  As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer.  My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, Isola Todd, David Abbey, Amie Ellis,

Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Tom Medved, Eileen Grotsky, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, Donald Whitcomb, Violeta Zepeda, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo,

 Sharon McPike, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby, Russell Edwards,

Gertrude Goldstein, Rev. Stephen Huffstetter, Hugh Cannon, Eric Moore, Joan Barrett, 8-year-old Michael Fotta and his parents, Lolita Alvarez, Camilus Musselman, Jack Conner, Ed Block, Isobel Milligan,

Peter Bartkiewiez and his family, Joe Toles, Grace Toomey,

Camilus Musselman, Bob Kehlhofer, Ed Cole,Bishop Thomas Olmsted,

Rev. David Granfield, Mort Barron, Jay Parker

As you note, because of miraculous healings, several names have been deleted and added to our Deo Gratias list.

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics

  

 

My motto 

 “Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholic.”

Michael J. Sheehan

Archbishop of Santa Fe

 

My favorite priest, layperson, breathing saint or organization

In 2003, Catherine Meloy resigned as Senior Vice President of Clear Channel Communications, ending 20 years as a prominent media executive to become the President and CEO of Goodwill of Greater Washington (DC). Although she had little experience in the field of rehabilitation and marketing, she welcomed the challenge.

          During the past seven years she has restructured the overall mission of Goodwill, and established national records in training and job placement of handicapped persons.  She has completely redesigned end expanded the Goodwill stores to make them attractive and profitable locations.

          Cathy’s deep religious faith and zest for life makes her a model for all of us Joyful Catholics.

Interesting sayings 

The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 29:19

 The way the Israelis are acting, you can understand why Jesus, a Jew, decided to become the first Christian.

                  Armiger Jagoe 

The love of man increases in the same proportion as the love of God increases, and it lessens by the same cause and in the same proportion.  O you then, Author of this miracle, sacred tie of the visible and invisible, inexhaustible source of our present happiness and our future beatitude, of our perfection begun and our perfection to come!

       

   Father Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, O.P., who died in 1861, was a splendid Dominican who founded the Order of Preachers in France after the French Revolution.

 Sometimes when I look at my children, I say to myself, “Lillian, you should have remained a virgin.”

Lillian Carter, mother of Jimmy Carter

Communiqués

Regarding Carol Keehan, I hope this is not the sister who favours abortion and fellow traveler of Obama.  

                             Kalapurra C. Thomas

(reply: Yes it is, and I am one of her friends and admirers.)

 

For my weekly visits to a Catholic Retirement Home, I take copies of your Joyful Catholic blog, and the residents love them.  Keep it up!

                             Rebecca Armstrong

How can I be a Joyful Catholic with all the problems the Church has today?

                             Bill Whitmore

(reply: Bill, climb to a new height to overlook current Church problems and marvel at the joyful treasures you have because of your Catholicism.) 

Chuckle Time

When Jesus was confronting the men threatening to stone the woman for her sins, he said, “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.”

          Just then as a stone flew past his head, he turned and said, “Damn-it, Mother!”

 

Special Intentions List

 As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer.  My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, Isola Todd, David Abbey, Amie Ellis,

Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Tom Medved, Eileen Grotsky, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, Donald Whitcomb, Violeta Zepeda, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo,

 Sharon McPike, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby, Russell Edwards,

Gertrude Goldstein, Rev. Stephen Huffstetter, Hugh Cannon, Eric Moore, Joan Barrett, 8-year-old Michael Fotta and his parents, Lolita Alvarez, Camilus Musselman, Jack Conner, Ed Block, Isobel Milligan,

Peter Bartkiewiez and his family, Joe Toles, Grace Toomey,

Camilus Musselman, Bob Kehlhofer, Ed Cole

Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Rev. David Granfield, Rev. Patrick Granfield,

Mort Barron

As you note, because of miraculous healings, several names have been deleted and added to our Deo Gratias list.

“Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholic.”

We do indeed need to show joy as Catholics.   My motto — “Be happily and uncomplicatedly Catholic.”

Michael J Sheehan

Archbishop of Santa Fe

 

Quiz

The first to send the right answers to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net will receive a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics.

1.     Who was the Church official Henry VIII sent to Rome to try and get Papal approval of annulment so he could marry the already pregnant Anne Boleyn?    

2.     In what year did Pope Pius IX define the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception?    

3.     What was the name of the tax collector who left his customs post to follow Jesus and later gave a great banquet for him?   

 News flashes

        As I predicted in my “Cheap Shooting” column, The Washington Post, a true master in the art of cheap shooting, confirmed it is going to milk the pedophilia subject to the fullest. In the April 21 paper, they put it on the front page.

The British House of Lords voted down the requirement that churches had to hire non-believers and those “whose private conduct is inconsistent with their teachings”.  (comment: Hurrah!)

The Pope is encouraging priests to use the Internet which can help “create deeper forms of relationship across great distances, opening up enormous new possibilities of evangelization.”

My new blog friend 

George Torres is a poet and the editor of Sofrito for Your Soul, a splendid website for the Latino-Hispanic communities worldwide.  He has succeeded in establishing an invigorating center for cultural information. Welcome, George, to the pack!

 

The Perplexing Beatitude

This is of value in our sorrow for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

God does nothing without cause and truth. But, believe me, a person cannot completely grasp the meaning of God’s locutions and deeds, nor can he determine this by appearances without extreme error and bewilderment. Since the duration of these causes is uncertain, the fulfillment of the promise is too. One should seek assurance, therefore, not in understanding but in faith.

    Saint John of the Cross, written 1585

 The Perplexing Beatitude 

Aaron Weiss, the popular mod singer, composer and head of the MeWithoutYou Band, has it tattooed on his wrist.  I have read many writing which were unsuccessful in convincing me of its meaning.  Then the light finally came by something said by a man who is in no way a theologian.

 

In the Southern town where I grew up, when you spoke of someone who was greatly distressed and burden down with worries, you would say, “Poor soul, he sure is poor in spirit.”  And when you asked this person how he was feeling, he might say, “Mighty poorly.”

          For that reason, I have long been disturbed by the first of Jesus’ beatitudes, when he said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  It didn’t make sense to consider yourself blessed if you were a mealy-mouth person, all down and out. 

          One evening when Donald Trump had again hit the skids and was head-over-head in debt, he and his current wife were walking down a street in New York.  When they passed a street person with his hand out, Trump said in truth, “See that fellow? He is richer than I.”

         

     Since that moment of revelation, I have accepted “poor in spirit” as meaning one who acknowledges the tremendous debt he owes to the Supreme Being who continuously allows the debt to increase each day. God is like a banker, who out of compassion rather than good business sense, keeps extended one’s line of credit. He knows that only in a minute way can the creditor repay what he has been given freely.

         

     The value of something is what you would let it go for. So, the gift of my eyes, ears and other senses would have a price tag of over a million. Each family member and friend would each be worth a staggering sum. In appreciation, if I valued $1 for each bodily cell which performs so perfectly, I’d add a billion to my debt.  For example, how could I establish a value for my Catholicism?  My life would have less meaning if I were ignorant of the fact that God became Man with of His message of love. When I put a total price tag on God’s gifts to me, the 000s go out the window. 

         

     May I tattoo on my memory slate each morning, “Please bless me, one of the poorest of the poor!”

(And give me your thoughts about this Beatitude,  joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

Interesting sayings

 In order to desire to be saved, we must know we are lost.

          Servant of God Madeleine Delbrel   1958

 

Surprising God, keep my mind and heart open to the unexpected ways you manifest in my life.         

          Sister Joyce Rupp, O.S.M.

 

(And what are a few of your favorite sayings?)  joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

 

 

 

News flashes

-        In the 2/5 Wall Street Journal, Sarah Pulliam Bailey wrote an interesting article, jabbing sports reporters for not giving attention to the faith of the sports champion about whom they write. Her examples included Tim Tebow, Kurt Warner, and Joe Gibbs.

 

-         In the February issue of U.S. Catholic, Phyllis Zagano wrote “The case for Deacon Pam” encouraging us having women deacons.  I’ve got bad news for you, Phyllis, because I don’t think the first woman deacon has yet been born. Last month with pressure from the Vatican, Bishop Joseph Grech (not “Grench”!) in Australia stopped a parish church from lending its facility to an Anglican church that is under repair. The reason—the fellow Christians were going to have an ordination service for seven deacons, four of them women. The Bishop said that the ordination of women would be a potential source of confusion and conflict. (What do you think about this. joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

-   A good economical sign! The editorial board of America magazine selected Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury for its 2009 Campaign Award Recipient. “Gifted with a creative mind and poetic spirit, Archbishop Williams writes eloquently about many things: theology, prayer, church history, icons, religion and literature. His body of work nourishes the mind and the spirit.”

 

Joyful experiences

  –   With the snow storms of the century in the Washington, DC, area, the community has responded with admirable help and compassion for those in need. Everyone with whom I have talked has an account of being either the benefactor or recipient of sincere caring.  It’s interesting that it sometimes takes a catastrophe to bring out the best in us. But, it’s there!

(And what joyful experience do you want to share?)

      joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)  

 

 Examples from martyrs

As a young man who’s wife was expecting their second child, Blessed Luis Magana Servin told the Mexican judge during the anti-Catholic persecution, ”If you accuse me of being a Christian, yes, I am, and if I must be executed for that reason, I welcome it.”

          The next day, February 14, 1928, when he was being shot in the vestibule of his parish church, he told his executioners, “I want to tell you that from this moment I pardon you, and I promise that on arrival in the presence of God you are the first ones for whom I will intercede.”    Wow! 

 

Quiz

The first to send the right answers to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net will receive a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics.

 

1.     What is the least Catholic area of the United States?

 

2.     In the Bible, what were the last words spoken by Mary?

 

3.     What are the seven sacraments of the Church?

 

Recommended reading:

 

 Conversing with God in Lent by Stephen J. Binz

 

Communiqués received

 Many thanks for telling about your Prayer Group. I intend to give it a try with four of my friends.

                                                Rebecca Robbins, Birmingham, AL

 

 I find it hard to believe that you fellows in your Prayer Group have been meeting so long. I discussed this with my priest who wants to start a group in our parish, using your guidelines.

                                                          Erick Tims, Erie, NY

                            

(Let me hear from you via joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

Other recommended Catholic Blogs

         www. Zenith.com (daily news from the Vatican

        Rumor has it that after seeing the wide approval of our Joyful Catholic blog, the Pope is encouraging priest to start their own blogs in order to communicate better with their congregations. I am glad the Pope didn’t ask me to relinquish the title of this blog. If he had, since he is younger than I, I would have given in.

 

Chuckle time

 (Via Bob Kehlhofer in Atlantis, FL

If you also have a favorite chuckler, send it to me.    joyfulcatholic@comcast.net

 

A nun in a Catholic hospital was quizzing a penniless man without insurance about who would pay his bill and she asked if there were concerned relatives. When he said he had only a spinster sister who was a nun, the inquiring nun shot back, “A nun is not a spinster, because she is married to God!’

          The old man said, “Well then, send the bill to my brother-in-law.”

 

 

My favorite religious priest, layperson or organization

The fifth grade students in the school at St. Anthony’s Parish in Columbus, NE, recommended Father Del Lape by listing 14 (!) things they like about him. A few of these are:

“Father Del is a great priest and teacher, a person who tries to teach about God and has a fun time when he’s doing it/ he eats lunch with the kids and makes them laugh/ he is trustful and kind/ he is the best preacher ever/ he is always ready to hear our thoughts. Father Del, you are terrific and the best priest ever!”

And let me know about your favorite Catholic priest, layperson or organization that is making a difference.  Share this with our many Joyful Catholic members.

joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

 

Special Intentions List

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Eileen Grotsky,

 Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis, Donald Whitcomb,

Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor, Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Tom Ryan, Joseph Normile, Jim Quimby, Russell Edwards, Mary Darwish, Msg. Louis Quinn, Rev. Lawrence Boedt, Gertrude Goldstein.

As you note, because of miraculous healings, several names have been added to our Deo Gratias list.

Don’t Fight With a Duck!

Favorite Quote

The Church involves a tension between the human and the divine. It does so because it stems from the Incarnation, which is the primary tension involving the fully divine in the person of Jesus
Rev. William P. Clark, O.M.I.  

Don’t Fight With a Duck! 

When I returned home from a week’s stay in my place in Florida, I wanted to tell friends my torn-up left hand was from a fight with an alligator.  But the embarrassing truth is that I had a losing round with a duck. (“A what!?” is the response I get when I tell of this event.)

 The last day of my visit, I went over to meet a new neighbor who had recently moved in next door. As I was walking on the lawn, I was shocked to realize something had grabbed hold of the back of my left leg and wouldn’t let go. I turned around and found that a large Muscovy* duck had attacked me.

 As I tried to kick it off, I slowly fell on the ground. At age 72 (At 80 I started counting backward and will be 71 next year), my balance ain’t what it used to be. The man-eating duck keep biting me, and when I got up, I grabbed it by the neck and it became limp.  I started taking the critter down to dump in the lake when it suddenly became a violent flapping volcano. In a flash, it reached up with its webbed foot and took off the top of my left hand. I released it and the damned duck waddled off, claiming victory.

  Mary, the new neighbor, heard the commotion and came to my rescue. Inside her house, she used her entire supply of band aides to stop the bleeding.  She is a 6’2” blonde with a heart in proportion to her size.  After her first aid treatment, she came back with me to meet my wife and began our new lifetime friendship.

  That night before getting to sleep, as a joyful Catholic, I used my “thank You!” mantra to recount this event and its aftermath. First was receiving the treasure of our new friend Mary. If the duck had attacked my wife instead of me, we would be looking forward to a Christmas meal of roasted duck instead of turkey.  At the medical clinic I met many splendid young and dedicated people, especially the efficient doctor, who looked like he had just finished high school.  While he was stitching up my hand and I was lying, saying it didn’t hurt, I thought of what real pain must be like. I remembered that, as I was doing, Christ had stretched out His hand, but He did this to get a spike pounded through His wrist.  And He did this for you and me — Wow! Thank You, Christ.

 Another benefit is that it has made an amusing story for the wonderful people I visit in the nursing homes I visit. All-in-all, I’m glad it happened because it woke me up to the wonders and benefit of being a joyful Catholic. Amen!

*Muscovites are a South American duck species which reach over 20 pounds and can take two people to restrain. Their feet have strong sharp claws. (You betta believe it!)

 Admired saying

 The Christian faith is this: encounter with Christ, the living Person who gives life a new horizon and thereby a definitive direction.

                                Jeff Ziegler, in The Catholic World Report

 

News flashes

– (Church in crisis) Detroit archdiocese is losing $42,000 a day and laying off 1/3 of staff.  The Catholic World Report

–(for Catholics who have nothing better to do) Michelle Obama is criticized for having worn a black veil when she met Pope Benedict XVI. U.S.Catholic, Org. 

– Be aware of the dissenters, calling themselves “the American Catholic Council” who are trying “to create a new Church”. The Catholic World Report

 Haiku time

(Submitted by Susan Keller in Omaha, Nebraska) 

Rejoice!

When God became Man

This renewed all creation.

Yes, God became man! 

(send me yours: joyfulcatholic@comcast.net 

Recommended reading

-         “More ‘Access’ Means Less Care” in November issue of

The Catholic World Report  www.catholicworldreport.org  

-        
http://www.zenit.com/
  (daily news from the Vatican)         

Last Week’s Quiz Results

The first winner of a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, who clocked in at 3:32 PM on November 26, is Jim Beckingham in Tucson, AZ.

 1.     What were the names of the two future disciples whom Jesus found casting their nets into the sea, and he told them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”?

Simon and his brother Andrew

2.     Who was the saint, born in Assisi in 1193, who established an order of women devoted to the poor?

Saint Claire

3.     The Vatican Library originated in which time?

(a)  13^th Century

(b)  <15^th Century>

(c)   17^th  Century

Chuckle time

 Internal Revenue Agent: Father Kincaid, is it true that your parishioner, John Jones donated $10,000 to your church last year?”

  Father Kincaid: He will.

My favorite priest

(Submit your favorite priest to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

          As there is no current recommendation (shame on you!), I submit a very special person: Brian Burnie, an English self-made millionaire who sold his 16 million pound country hotel and gave the proceeds to cancer charities. He said, “We live in a me, me, me society, and it has always been important for me to think of others. My ambition is to die penniless.  We came into the world with nothing and we should leave with nothing.”     

London Telegraph  5/20/2009

 

Special Intentions List

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky,

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis,

Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor,

Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan.

Note that Susan McGahee has now entered Eternal Paradise. We still keep her in our prayers.

 

Pray with a Broad Brush

Open letter to Bishop Thomas Tobin 

If you had been the priest instructing me during my conversion to the Church, which happened before you were born, I would still be a Protestant. At that time I learned that being a Catholic was committing oneself to Christ and his teachings. It meant devoting one’s life to love of God and love of all others. Joining the Church would entitle me to receive the Eucharist and benefit from the other Sacraments.

          In your letter to Congressman Patrick Kennedy, you imply that when one becomes a Catholic, this person relinquishes freedom of thought and action. As demanded by the four most prominent dictators of the last century, all must conform to the dictates of authority.  Back then, citizens who did not commit to ordered thinking, talking and acting were considered traitors. Your requirement for membership in the Church calls for mandated conscience. And in your opinion, Catholic laypeople should be like robots, which nod in unison when Church leaders press the button. I have never studied theology, but I doubt if that is what Christ had in mind when he initiated the Church.

          You would like for Catholics to act as do pawn Congresspersons who vote as instructed by their Party, regarding of what they think of the merits of pending legislature. Although this is effective in cramming through legislation, I don’t think it should have a role in our Catholic religion.

          I pray for you.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, the whole group of   disciples joyfully began to praise God at the top of their voices for the miracles they had seen.

                                                                                      Luke 19:37 

 

Pray with a Broad Brush 

Never underestimate the effectiveness of your prayer.  In this world of unseen magical mystery, no one knows by what means one’s thoughts can affect another person.  But it can and often does. So, recognize this fact and put it to good use.  In my six-man prayer group which has been meeting for over a dozen years, we have had so many healings for those on our Special Intentions List that we refer to it as our Miracle List.

          One summer, I was at a “Salvador Dali Happening” in a town in the Costa Brava region of Spain. The event was staged in the large market center where a string of bed sheets had been strung from wires.  When the great maestro appeared with his perfected waxed moustache, he took hoses filled with different colored waters and playfully sprayed designs on the hanging sheets and also splattered some of us in the crowd. Then he laughed and shouted, “Now you can tell your grandchildren you were painted by Dali!”

          That day, rather than painting on a small canvas, this artist created large patterns on the sheets.  In the same way, I find it invigorating to expand a secret prayer for many people. It can be done anywhere.  Often when I am on a plane or bus, I will pray for all the passengers.  While waiting in a crowded bustling airport, I might pray for everyone there.  I can imagine an anxious soul seated at the other end of the building, suddenly getting a tingle of comfort from my prayer, never knowing where it came from. This makes me feel like a generous and anonymous billionaire.

          So throughout the day, test your power of prayer by using it generously for all within your area of being. Be aware of your prayer-power and don’t be stingy.  Also, realize that out-going prayers have a boomerang effect.

          In 1550, Blosius the Venerable, abbot of a Benediction abbey in Liessies, France, wrote, “Each man, without any exception whatever, must sincerely love as himself all others spiritually, desiring for them the grace of God and everlasting happiness. He should look upon all as bothers and sisters, called to the same happiness as himself.”

Admired sayings

“A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.”

                                      Abigail “Dear Abby” Van Buren

Haiku time

          A joyful Catholic

          gives joy and love to all, so

          joyful Catholic be!

(Send me yours: joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

Current news

          In response to an atheist appealing to a Florida judge for an Atheist Holy Day, the judge told his attorney, “The calendar says April 1 is April Fools Day. Psalm 14.1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God.’ Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1 is his day. Court is adjourned!”

Joyful Catholic Quiz

The first winner of a gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, who clocked in at 8:40AM on November 10^th, is Luella Margarita in Key West, FL.

1.     Saint Luke died by hanging in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the non-believers.

2.     At the Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica was built in the 16^th century as a replacement of the original structure.

3.     Saint Jane Frances de Chantal is the saint who was married, had seven children; she established the order of Visitation nuns and eight-five monasteries before her death in 1641.

Chuckle time

Elderly parishioner: Oh, Father Moran, you have had such an interesting life, you should write your autobiography.  

Father Moran: As a matter of fact, I have been recording my life story. But I am so busy, it probably will be published postmortem.

Elderly parishioner: Well, the sooner the better.

My favorite priest

 Father John Mericantante,

Pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Pahokee, Florida.

Pahokee is a small agricultural community on the shores of Lake Okeechobee in central Florida.  The earth is rich and black, and from December to June it brings forth wonderful crops of vegetables and sugar cane. Later in the year an occasional September hurricane or a freeze in January/February can destroy those wonderful crops.  The people doing the back-breaking work to raise these crops are mostly poor migrants who came from Central and Latin America and are trying to eke out a meager living for themselves and their families.  The majority of them are Catholics. 

Father John was sent to St. Mary’s 10 years ago, without speaking Spanish, and he has submerged himself totally in their culture and needs, helping in every way possible.  For example, the water in Pahokee is very often not drinkable and he shares the clean water from the rectory’s filtering system with whoever needed it.  He has assisted in completing paperwork, obtaining housing etc. for his parishioners whenever asked. 

St. Mary’s Church is tiny and behind it there are two small wooden sheds, one for food and one for clothing and appliances.  People from other communities, members of the Knights of Columbus and unaffiliated private citizens bring the above-mentioned items to St. Mary’s.  Some are given away, some are sold at very low prices and any “profits” are then used to pay such things as electric bills for the needy.  When we bring a van full of items, Father helps unload the bags and boxes.  He has also arranged to have a clinic on the premises where doctors give their time without charge to give medical aid to the poor people in the area.  

He was recently offered a transfer to another parish but he chose to remain in Pahokee with the community that needs him so much.  In the midst of all this poverty a very special thing occurred last year: an anonymous donor gave $750,000 to St. Mary’s Church so that a new, larger Church can be built.  Hopefully, there will be a ground-breaking soon.  Fr. John is a very special person and a very special priest.

Submitted by Anita and Bob Kehlhofer in Atlantis, Florida

(Submit your favorite priest to joyfulcatholic@comcast.net)

Special Intentions

As you pray with a broad brush, please include these loved ones, who have been submitted by our readers. You, too, are invited to send me names of your special persons who are in need of prayer. My address is joyfulcatholic@comcast.net. They will be on the list for 60 days. At the end of that time, if prayers are still needed, you merely have to renew the name.

Juanita Caldwell, David Abbey, Amie Ellis, Linwood “Skip” Williams, Gerry Paradiso, Nick DeCarlo, Tom Medved, Bob Haines, Eileen Grotsky,

Rebecca Matthews, Roseanne Somlock, Nicholas Gallagher, Tom Lewis,

Susan McGahee, Violeta Zepeda, Rev. Joseph Healy, John Aylor,

Rev. Joseph Marini, Enrique Portillo, Sharon McPike, Joe Berger, Tom Ryan

Hurrah for Bishop Nickless !

Once more will he fill your mouth with laughter and you lips with rejoicing.  

                                                          Job 8;21

Hurrah for Bishop Nickless !

For years I have protested the post Vatican II degrading of the spiritual value of the Eucharist during a busy Mass. Every Catholic bishop and many priests have been exposed to Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics with my chapters, “Communion, ho-hum” and “The New Mass, a la Show Biz.”  My response from Catholic leaders was as effective as a whisper to the deaf. Seven Episcopal ministers sent praise and not a peep from these Catholic leaders. I assume they either think I’m a fool or they just don’t give a damn. I fear the latter is true.

          Now, like a white knight on a magnificent stallion, Bishop R. Walker Nickless, Bishop of Sioux City, has come to the rescue of our Church in crisis. His “Pastoral Letter on the Future of the Church in the Diocese of Sioux City” should be spoon fed to every Church leader in America. It will be appreciated and acknowledged as one of the most effective Church writings of this century. The following are excerpts from this magnificent document 

          We need serious reflection and evaluation on the current state and direction, challenges and opportunities for faith and ministry in our Lord Jesus Christ in our Diocese.

          (After Vatican II) sometimes we set out to convert the world, but we were converted by it. We have sometimes lost sight of who we are and what we believe, and therefore have little to offer the world that so desperately needs the Gospel.

          “The ‘hermeneutic of discontinuity’…has wrecked havoc on the Church, systematically dismantling the Catholic Faith to please the world, watering down what is distinctively Catholic, and ironically becoming completely irrelevant and impotent for the mission of the Church in the world.  The Church that seeks simply what works or is “useful” in the end become useless.

          We must renew our reverence, love, admiration and devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament

          It is imperative that we recover this wonder, awe, reverence and love for the liturgy and the Eucharist.

          The Council’s goal in reforming liturgy was, of course, to facilitate the “fully active and conscious participation” of the faithful…Yet active participation does not preclude the active passivity of silence, stillness and listening: indeed, it demands it.

          Conscious participation calls for the entire community to be properly instructed in the mysteries of the liturgy, lest the experience of workshop degenerate into a form of ritualism.

          I exhort all communities of the diocese to explore ways of making the Eucharist more central in our lives through periods of Exposition, Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, and Eucharist Processions.

          Devotion to the Blessed Mother, such an important part of our tradition and spirituality, also leads to a deeper appreciation and love of the Blessed Sacrament.

          The first two pastoral priorities, renewal in Eucharistic Spirituality and Catechesis will foster faithful family that is the foundation of the Church ad the society.

Thank you, God, for this splendid Church leader!

Current news

Early this fall, Father Timothy Keeney introduced his unique “Bluegrass Mass” at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Bristol, VA.  He wrote Bluegrass songs for the congregation to sing for the entrance, including the Gloria, Sanctus, alleluia, Memorial Acclamation, the Amen, and especial singing during communion. He said, “You really need to do this. The people here need something Catholic that is part of the experience that goes on in our town. Everyone seemed to have big smiles on their faces as they left church.”

          A reporter stated that during the service, the congregation tapped feet in time with the music. And a jolly time was had by all.

 Recommended Reading

“An Emmaus Walk with Teresian Wisdom” by Sr. Mary C. Carroll, SSSF, in the fall issue of Spiritual Life.  Sister May Carroll is Associate Director of Pastoral Formation at Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales Corner, Wisconsin. 

Joyful Catholic Quiz

(The first to send the right answers will receive a gift copy of

Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics) 

1.    How did Saint Luke die? 

2.    At the Vatican, Saint Peter’s Basilica:

(a)             was built soon after Saint Peter’s death,

(b)            was order to be built by Emperor Constantine

in 324 A.D.,

(c)             was built in the 16thCentury as a replacement of the original structure.

 3.    Who was the saint who was married, had seven children, established the order of Visitation nuns and established eighty-five monasteries before her death in 1641? 

Chuckle Time

Instead of wearing a religious metal around his neck saying, “I am a Catholic. In case of an accident, call a priest”, a priest has one made saying, “I am a Catholic priest. In case of an accident, call a doctor.”

Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian no more than standing in a garage makes you a car. 

Answer by five-year-old Gregory: “I only know names of two angels. Hark and Harold.”

My Favorite Priest

Brother Edward Adams, FSC, MA, ML

There is a joyful Catholic named Brother Ed Adams. He is always engaging people with joy in every environment he enters. He greets people with joy at church, in the library, at the malls, at the post office, at the car service center—in short, wherever he goes.

 People often ask him, “Why are you so joyful?”

  His reply is, “I’m so glad you asked. I am joyful because Jesus is in my heart, and I see him in every person I meet.”

  (Submitted by John Ceccotti, Bethesda, MD)

Brother Ed is a De La Salle Christian Brother, who was a high school teacher and administrator for 23 years. With a past of distinguished service in many branches of Catholic Faith, he is now Director of Inter-faith Activities at the Dennis and Phillip Ratner Museum and a board director of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington, DC

How Long, Oh, Lord, How Long?

How Long, Oh, Lord, How Long?

Joyful quote-   “No matter what activity you are engaged in, perform it with awareness and joy”

I realize the Church moves slowly and cautiously, but how long it is going to take it to correct some of the goofs of Vatican II?  Two generations have passed and the Church has its head in the sand regarding very serious problems created by Vatican II. 

          Through the centuries, the Mass was developed as a fitting vehicle for the deserved reverence and awe of the holy sacrament of the Eucharist.  The guts of Catholicism can be summed up in three words:  God became Man  The Mass service in which the reenactment of this event and of parishioners physically  receiving Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was one of deep reverence with a sense of awe at what was taking place.  The Eucharist and the act of Communion have limitless spiritual depth — an ocean in which man with his limited human mind can only wade.  But wade he should!.

During Vatican II, the key players used six Protestant leaders to advise them on means of modernizing and popularizing the Mass.  Unfortunately, they heeded their suggestions, and the baby went out with the wash. It was decided that superimposed music should be the most prominent factor in a busy Mass. Parishioners would be requested to sing more than a dozen times during an hour-long service, when every minute would be filled with sound or activity.  Silence and meditation were eliminated. Music would be written for the “Our Father” and the Gloria would be modified into a zippy song.  One music director suggested re-writing the Apostle’s Creed into folk music. To water down the awesome fact that the Church members were to receive the Body of Christ, they were asked to sing before and after receiving Communion, without a moment to realize the awesomeness of what was taking place.  The solemnity and mystique of the Mass were to be a thing of the past as the Church Fathers attempted to bring the Mass to the people rather than bringing the people to the Mass.  This misguided act was like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa.

As a awake-up call, every clergyman (from bishops on down) should sit in

the back of a church and observe what now takes place during a busy Mass. 

He would find that during this sing-a-long service, only one out of twenty parishioners is singing. So, the hymns are a distracting solo performance. After forty years of trying to get Catholic to blast out hymns like the Protestants do, accept the fact that it ain’t going to happen. 

While sitting in the rear of the church, the clergy-person would also observe the ho-hum attitude of the parishioners going up to received Communion.  Monkey see and monkey do. With rare exception, each follows another in a disciplined manner to proceed to the front of the church to accept the wafer. Why not?  It’s a free entitlement and is included in the package of attending Mass.

          It would be an eye-opener if the observing clergy-person would ask parishioners what is to take place when they receive Communion. A minute number would reply, “I am going to take part in one of the most important acts of my life. Christ, who is both God and Man, has become the bread and wine. When I receive Communion, God is actually becoming one with me.”  Instead, because of the current watered-down concept of Communion, 92% of parishioners could reply that receiving Communion is like swallowing a spiritual vitamin pill. Why not take it — it can’t hurt and it might help.

        

  With these findings, the observing clergy-person might ask himself, “Could Vatican II changes in the Mass have caused the fact that today one out of ten Americans are now former Catholics?  Is it possible that the modernized Mass is a factor for the Church now being in crisis?” Only by first acknowledging facts with self-scrutiny can our religious leaders consider and take corrective action.

Pray that they do!

 

Current News

Big deal! The Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian group, has told its members that it is OK for them to pray for President Obama. Personally, I think it is the obligation for every American to pray each day for our President of the United States. For eight long, long, long years, each morning I even prayed for George W. Bush. 

Recommended Reading

For an inspiring account of a modern day saint, read “A Life Freely Given” on page 22 in the October 5^th issue of America 

Quiz Time

 

The winner is Inez Thomson, Bronx, NY, who chimed in at 8:41AM on October 18.

 

1.       The states with the highest number of church goers are Georgia and Mississippi. (Being a Southerner, I’m proud of this!)

And the states with the smallest number of church goers are New Hampshire and Vermont.

2.       The European political leader who didn’t follow his grandmother’s advice of “Do whatever you want, but don’t marry a Catholic” is

Tony Blair.

3.       There are over 10,000 saints, with 1,500 in the waiting room (and that doesn’t, but should, include 72% of you Joyful Catholic blog readers)

Chuckle Time

One morning, Father O’Reilly, an Irish priest recently assigned to the parish is a small Texas town, called the sheriff’s office to report there was a dead donkey on the church lawn. When he answered, the sheriff chuckled and said, “Well, you Catholics should know what to do. Just give the poor critter the last rite.”

“That I have done,” Father O’Reilly said, “and my second chore is to notify the next of kin.”

 

My favorite priest

For this issue, as there has been no submission for one’s favorite priest, I want to present one of my favorite Catholic laypersons.  He is Joe Difato, publisher of The Word Among Us, which for a decade has been one of my morning readings, and I strongly recommend this monthly publication.

         After many years of observing business and non-profit organizations, I found that greatness doesn’t seep upward.  Every outstanding operation has an outstanding person at the head. Joe Difato proves this is true. Being one who has had his faith tested by personal tragedy, he is an admirable Catholic. Today, he and his splendid editorial staff are making a strong impact on the future of our Church. In addition to their many subscribers who benefit from The Word Among Us, his organization makes this publication available each month to 48,000 prisoners and 15,500 military persons. You can contribute to help finance this splendid action via joe@wau.org.

          Thank you, Joe, for being such an outstanding example of a joyful Catholic!

Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist priest and author

Love without Provisos

I’m worn out by worries, night and day. Stop. Everything is secondary to God. Give in to reason. God didn’t make me in vain. I am turning my back upon this song. Now when the beloved mind has sung for me these things, I headed home, now laughing at this self-estrangement.

                        Saint Gregory Nazianzen (died 390)

 

Love without provisos

     Love is love and it comes in many flavors. As joyful Catholics, we know that this broad expanse includes the love of humans for fellow humans, for pets, possessions, geographic location, nationality, religion, etc.  “Love” is the only verb Jesus used in his advice to us — to love one another as He loves us, and to love God.  He didn’t add a “however” for those whom some might consider not qualified.  What instruction could be clearer?

With the Church in crisis, I’m getting tired of the flurry about same sex marriage.  Why should we spend so much time fighting pro-and-con about this?  I can name five other national problems of extreme importance that better merit our concern.  Is there a need for national dispute about legalizing a lifetime loving relationship between two people of the same sex? 

     No one is protesting the deteriorating importance of marriage between a woman and a man, yet 50% of marriages today end in divorce. If we want to raise a rumpus about social behavior, let’s do something about our annual record of 30,000 abused children and even greater number of battered spouses.

     Love in any form should be encouraged.  This includes love of husband and wife, parents and offspring, young and old, rich and poor, resident and alien, those of different religions and the intimate relationship between persons of the same sex. If one loves a person of the same sex, it is understandable for one to want legal and financial protection for the person he or she loves.  The hurdle they face in achieving these goals is the word “marriage.”

     We can solve the problem by changing our laws to have “Confirmed Relationship” be given the same legal rights as “Marriage.”  Then, by means of this innovative law, lovers of the same sex could have their relationship legalized and each receive the same social and legal benefits as if they were “married.” After executing a legal Confirmed Relationship document, same-sex couples could celebrate their togetherness with a Confirmed Relationship celebration. Let’s restrict “marriage” for a male and a female, and “confirmed relationship” for two of the same sex. And hopefully we’ll all live peacefully from then on.

(And what are your thoughts?) 

Admired saying

  Hans Urs van Balthasar, the Swiss theologian writes,    “Christianity is a joyful message. Its essential note must therefore incontestably be joy.  Christian joy retains such a particular burning, devouring element.”

 

 

Recommended reading

Via the New Advent blog and YouTube, enjoy Father Barron’s  talk on “The danger of turning religion into a toy.”  He’s an effective spokesman for our Church.  I like him.

 

 

Joyful Catholic Quiz

(The first to send the right answers will receive a gift copy of

Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics)

 

1.  In a 2006 Gallup survey, which states had the highest and the lowest number of church goers?

 2.  Who the European political leader who didn’t follow his grandmother’s advice of “Do whatever you want, but don’t marry a Catholic”?          

3.     Which is correct?  Our number of saints are:

(a)   over 1,000

(b)  over 5,000

(c)  over 10,000 

Chuckle time

Nine-year-old Michael wrote about angels:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s not easy to become an angel. First, you die. Then you go to Heaven, and then there’s flight training to go through. And then you got to agree to wear those angel clothes.

 

My Favorite Priest

 

(Submit your recommendation for your favorite priest by clicking here)

Busy Work!

Just because I am God’s own, totally unique, God’s very own possession, what else can I do but sing of God’s goodness. My whole being sings
Sr. Charleen Hug, S.N.D
(She teaches theology at Notre Dame Academy in Toledo, OH)

Busy Work 

With the Church in crisis, I was puzzled by our bishops devoting so much time and effort to change words in the Mass.  They remind me of two of my women relatives.  The first was my Mississippi great-grand-mother who raised prize chickens.  Back in the early 1900s, house parties were popular social events in the South. One would invite four or five couple to come for a several day visit, when they would be constantly entertained with fancy dinners, parties, dances, picnics and games.  My mother told me that the few days before she had a house party, the place was in constant turmoil with the family and servants preparing food, getting the house in order and planning for every hour of the event.  During this time, her grandmother would devote her time to cleaning out her chicken house.

          The other person was my splendid Spanish mother-in-law.  Whenever she observed someone doing something which she thought was not of importance, she would say, “Ah, they must not have much to do.”

          One aspect of the bishops’ changes puzzles me. At the beginning of the Mass, the priest faces the congregation and offers his blessing: “The Lord be with you.” When he says “you”, I assume he is blessing each body and spirit. We used to answer, “And also with you.”

          But now, in reply, we are to say only “And with your spirit.” What gives?  Why shouldn’t we also want a blessing on the priest’s physical being?

          One reason they made this change might have been because of an event which happened one day at the beginning of a Mass when the priest was having trouble with his microphone. At the start of the service he was fumbling with his mike speaker attached to his robe, and the sound came on just as the priest said to the deacon, “There is something wrong with this mike,” and the congregation said with one voice, “And also with you.”

 

Admired sayings

“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.”

                             Henry James 

 

 

Shame on me

(A letter to me from Rita S., in Portland, Oregon)

“Armiger, I read your book, Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics, and if I were the Pope, I would excommunicate you!”

 

Returned serve

(I wrote back)

“Dear Rita, I thank you for your frank comment about my book, and I thank God that you aren’t the Pope.”

 Current news

Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is considering a run for the presidency in 2012. (God, please save America)

 

 

Recommended reading

If have an interest in teenagers, don’t miss the article, “Faulty Guidance”, by Father William J. O’Malley, S.J. in the September 14-21 issue of America magazine. It’s an excellent no-holds-barred article.

 

Also, check out the “Pray” article by Zev Chafets in the magazine section of the Sunday New York Times on September 20.  In discussing how we Catholic pray, there is an interesting interview with Sister Janet Ruffing, director of Fordham’s program on spiritual direction. 

 Joyful Catholic Quiz

 (Answers to last week’s quiz)

The winner of the gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics is Jacob Rodriguez in Chicago in New Orleans who logged in at 8:27 AM on September 23.

 

1.     Because of the stain on her garment, St. Veronica is the saint patroness of laundresses

 

2.     Papal Elections take place in the Sistine Chapel.

 

3.     The first USA bishop was John Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore, consecrated on August 25, 1790.

 

Chuckle time

  From the book, How to Become a Bishop without Being Religious, by Charles Merrill Smith

“Two requirements to be a bishop: gray hair and hemorrhoids to give you that sorrowful look.” 

My Favorite Priest 

Rev. Andrew Gries, O.C.S.O.

While visiting at Carroll Manor, a nursing home in Washington, DC, I met Father Andrew Griest, a wonderful Trappist monk whose life has been dedicated to prayer and silence. While confined in this facility for the rest of his life, he continues his priestly mission by attending daily Mass in the chapel and sharing his time with fellow Trappist patients, Father Edmund and Brother James. He welcomes, listens and counsels both Catholics and non-Catholics who come to him for advice. He is a true priest—a good representative of God. I look forward to each visit with him and always leave peaceful and happy.

Submitted by Margaret Headley in Washington, DC 

                   (Click here to submit your recommendation for your favorite priest)

Communion, Juicy Fruit Flavor

You will discharge your labor well if you perform with gaiety,

quietly, courageously, constantly.

Bishop Joseph Fenwick (1846)

 Communion, Juicy Fruit Flavor At Mass last Sunday I had a thought provoking experience. Two rows in front and sitting alone slightly to the right was a neatly dressed young man. I estimate he was in his late twenties.  What attracted my attention was that he was obviously chewing gum.

He seemed attentive during the service while he constantly chewed in a slightly rotary movement. At the time for Communion, I followed him up the aisle and watched as he received the Sacred Host.  He chewed going and returning to his seat.  At the end of Mass when we walked out of the church, he was ahead of me, still enjoying his gum.

          Wild thoughts raced through my mind.  What action took place inside the young man’s mouth when he received the Host?  Had he stashed the chewing gum in the corner of his cheek so that he could quickly swallow the Host before he resumed chewing?  Or, God forbid, did he crush the Host into the gum?

          I have since wondered what action I should have taken.  Had he insulted my wife sitting beside me, there would have been a scene. Instead, his action implied lack of respect for the Son of God, and I was silent. My excuse for inaction was to put the blame on others.

The fellow was probably born fifteen years after Vatican II Conference.  Since then, the Church has successfully undervalued the Eucharist and Communion Sacraments in favor of a busy Mass which eliminated Mystery, silence and meditation.  As do too many Catholics, the gum-chewer probably considers the Host to be merely a spiritual vitamin pill, freely dispensed during the service as a doctor might give a sample placebo to his patients.

When I converted to Catholicism over fifty years ago, I was attracted by the spiritual reality of God having become man and the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the very Body and Blood of the risen Christ. But the young man, whose behavior upset me, probably has scant knowledge of the dogmas of Incarnation and Communion.  Who should have prevented his ignorance?

          My only consolation is the fact that this young man was at Mass. 

(And what are your thoughts?)

 Take The Joyful Catholic Quiz- Just Click Here!

The winner of the gift copy of Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics is Adrienne, who logged in at 7:05 PM on August 13.. 

 

Chuckle Time

  One beautiful Sunday morning, a priest who wanted to play golf, asked his associate to cover for him at early Mass. Observing this from on high, this annoyed St. Peter, who asked God, “Are you going to let him get away with it?”  God told him to be patient.

          On the 4^th hole, the priest, playing alone, hit the most fabulous shot of his life — 420 feet straight towards the green. When he walked to the ball, the priest realized he had made a hole-in-one. This puzzled St. Peter who asked God, “What kind of punishment do you call that?”         

          God smiled and said, “Who’s he going to tell?”

 

My favorite priest

(Submit your recommendation for your favorite priest in the tab above)

Self-Blindfolded in Paradise

Just because I am God’s own, totally unique, God’s very own possession, what else can I do but sing of God’s goodness. My whole being sings.

                                                              Sr. Charleen Hug, S.N.D.

(She teaches theology at Notre Dame Academy in Toleodo, OH)

Self-Blindfolded in Paradise

 

Last week when I was in Florida, I took an early morning walk.  The morning sun felt good on my face.  I shook hands with a giant benjamina ficus tree by firmly grasping one of its root stalks, and I sensed the power and strength of this masterpiece of Nature.  Further along, I stopped to listen to a mocking bird in a large hibiscus tree with yellow bell-shaped flowers. For my benefit, the bird sang every song it has ever heard — non stop.

          When I passed a six-foot gardenia bush covered with white flowers that perfumed the area, I snapped off a flower to put in my buttonhole.  In all directions, there was lush green vegetation and shrubbery with bright red and orange flowers.  I thought that the word which best described the place was “paradise.”
          Then I saw a man walking forward me, with a dog on a leash and a cell phone held against his ear.  As we passed, he didn’t see me.  I startled him when I said, “Good morning!”

          He gave me a quick nod and pressed the phone closer to his face.

          “Communication’s a great thing,” I said.

          “You betcha,” he muttered as he passed on his way.

          As have millions of his compatriots, the poor fellow walking the dog is a victim of the Age of Distraction, which has been successfully nurtured by mobile technology.  iPods, Walkmans, cell phones and the yet-to-be-invented audio-communication tools entice us to be blind to that which is within our field of vision.  It is difficult to be a joyful Catholic when you are not aware of nearby people and things in which you should have interest.

          It is good to test ourselves occasionally to be sure we haven’t let modern hearing and speaking devices prevent us from quiet time. As Father Thomas Massard, S. J., wrote in a recent American magazine, “If technology is rendering this sort of deliberate oblivion more likely, then let’s unplug and make a choice for immediacy.”

          I think it’s important to be available and receptive to hear the Voice which needs no device to reach our ears.

 

(And what are your thoughts?)

         

 

Joyful Catholic Quiz

(The first to send the right answers will receive a gift copy of

Light Reading for Good and Wayward Catholics)

 

1.   Who were the women who discovered the empty tomb of Christ on Easter morning?

 

2 When a new Pope is elected, what is the color of the smoke that arises from the Vatican chimney?

 

3.  Who was St. Monica’s famous son?

 

 

 

Chuckle time

 (Church Bulletin) Now that we have a second baptism fount at the North Entrance of the church, babies can now be baptized at both ends.

 

My favorite priest

Don’t forget to submit your recommendation for your favorite priest above.

American Catholics, Don’t be Proud!

At first glance, it doesn’t look too bad.  I read that, in the period 2004-7, we rated 9^th among other nations with our number of 309,000 adult baptisms. Then when I gave this further thought, I was ashamed of our poor rating.

 For example, ahead of us in 7^th place was Peru with 425,000 baptisms.

Since their population is less than one-tenth of that in America, relating our miserly achievement to theirs is comparing Buffalo, NY, to Los Angeles.

  In 6^th place is Mexico with 445,000 baptisms.  As their population is one third that of the USA, comparing our number of new Catholics to those in Mexico is relating Corpus Christi to San Antonio.

Why do we have such a poor record of attracting others to our faith?  Could it be that we are too smug and secure with our self-satisfaction, too free of fear of deprivation, etc.?

  What are your thoughts?