Pew Forum Poll

Headlines blaze “Atheists and Agnostics know more about religion in general than Catholics!”

Alarming, right? I don’t think so. Most Americans don’t know their faith very well, while Agnostics and Atheists know theirs intimately. Most people who do know their faith would do very well, because faith is important to them. Many Americans, even those who say they’re affiliated with a religion, are the Sunday only variety. I know it would be hard to qualify people other than by what they say, but I know many Catholics in church couldn’t even tell you what the scripture readings were on a given Sunday. They go because they have to, or they’re supposed to, not because they should or want to. Similarly, most people who do have a faith don’t know much about other faiths.

Some things were very disconcerting, though, for Catholics:
–More than four-in-ten Catholics in the United States (45%) do not know that their church teaches that the bread and wine used in Communion do not merely symbolize but actually become the body and blood of Christ.
–Roughly seven-in-ten (71%) know that, according to the Bible, Jesus was born in Bethlehem. More than six-in-ten (63%) correctly name Genesis as the first book of the Bible. And more than half know that the Golden Rule – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – is not one of the Ten Commandments. On the full battery of seven questions about the Bible (five Old Testament and two New Testament items) Mormons do best, followed by white evangelical Protestants. Atheists/agnostics, black Protestants and Jews come next, all exhibiting greater knowledge of the Bible than white mainline Protestants and white Catholics.
–Fewer than half of Catholics (42%), including 47% of white Catholics and 29% of Hispanic Catholics, are able to name Genesis as the first book of the Bible.
–63% of Catholics knew that the Golden Rule is not one of the Ten Commandments
–47% of Hispanic Catholics knew that Jesus was born in Bethlehem
–33% of Catholics could name the four Gospels

The Gospel of Prosperity vs. the Gospel of Truth

Hello, all, after a too-long hiatus.

In today’s scripture readings from the lectionary come from Job, and Luke, read here, Job and Jesus both prove that there is nothing to the modern-day notion of the prosperity Gospel, the idea that, if you’re a good person, God will bless you with abundance.

In Job, Job himself speaks, wondering why in the world he was even born, considering all the misery he had to endure. Yesterday, God Himself held Job up as a perfect specimen of a man: “Have you noticed my servant Job, and that there is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil?” Satan says, basically, that anyone who was surrounded with prosperity the way Job was could be the same way.  God took up Satan on his bet, and allowed Satan to basically cause catastrophe to happen in Job’s life. And the reading ends “In all this Job did not sin,
nor did he say anything disrespectful of God.” Today, Job questions his purpose in life, much the way Jesus does when he prays to Our Father in the Garden of Gethsemane.  At any rate, both Job and Jesus were gleaming examples of humans who did good always, yet were torn down by life.  Even Job’s friends and family thought that he wasn’t the man he made himself out to be, that he must have sinned somewhere in the past and therefore, all this calamity was a payback.  Yet we know that Jesus was perfect, but he chose to live among the poor, chose not to have all he wanted, and showed that it is truly the poor who will be blessed in the next life, and ultimately was tortured, and suffered death on the cross.

We are not being told that accumulating wealth is a bad thing.  It’s not.  What matters is how we use our wealth, such as it might be, to help others.  Money is not the root of evil.  Love of money is.

Do we share God’s gifts?  A few months ago I wrote about the man who walked to church, and on the way passed the starving child in the street.  Outraged, he prayed at church, asking why God would allow a child to starve.  God answered, telling the man that he didn’t allow it, he put the man in the child’s path in order that the man might reach out to help the child. 

Despite what the prosperity gospel teaches, life is not easy, even when we live life the way God wants.  In fact, to live the way God wants is harder than to live the way the devil wants.  But each way leads to a different eternity.  Do you think that a pro football team has it easy?  They play a game for three hours once a week, about half the weeks of the year.  We often forget what they go through to get to the pinnacle of their profession.  It starts about three weeks after their last game.  Meetings and workouts, keeping their bodies strong, their minds focused.  Every month they meet to practice together as a team, in order that they may work better together, and all know the plays inside and out. In the heat of the summer they put in daily two-a-day sessions, where they work at nearly full speed in the blazing heat. Then there’s the season with at least 4 days a week of practice before the game.  The meetings, the practices, the prep work all to try and shine on Sunday afternoon.  It’s the hard work in the loneliness and solitude that gets you to the glory of the weekly victories, and the championship.  With that model in mind, let us earn our way, with God’s grace, to heaven.

What is faith?

It is said that 90% of Americans believe that God exists.  But what does that mean? Many who say they believe in God mean that they think that God exists.  Let’s keep in mind, though, that the devil believes that God exists, too.  He just refuses to serve God.

Faith is different from belief.  It’s much deeper. Faith involves trusting the person you have faith in.  A pregnant woman at an abortion clinic who says she believes in God means that she thinks God is up there, somewhere.  She doesn’t trust God’s will for her, otherwise, she would say, like Mary did, “Be it done to me according to your will.” Faith is exhibited in the second reading today, Hebrews 11, which recalls the faith of Abraham, who ‘obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out not knowing where he was to go.’

The gospel readings for today, found here, show us that faith requires obedience, sometimes forcing us to take a leap, possibly not understanding the fullness of what is happening.  When a couple decides to wed, they take a leap of faith, publicly expressing their trust in each other (this is also why knowing what marriage really is is very important!).   Faith is an action, though.  It’s more than saying I believe in you,  it is living it day in, day out, come what may.  As the servant waiting for the master’s return, it requires that, even though life throws curveballs our way, we remain steadfast, trusting God to give us what’s best for us at the time.  Sometimes it might be a dose of humility (admittedly, humble pie doesn’t always taste very good), or some time with our knees in the dirt.  Other times it might be toiling with no apparent personal benefit.  In this day and age, it’s hard for people to do that.  Humility is not America’s strong suit.  But remembering that every breath is a gift, every heartbeat should be a joy, and we should continually thank God for our existence.

Bumpersticker theology

I’ve been taking some bumper stickers to heart lately, well, stomping on them mentally, really. The plethora of Obama stickers two years after the election is one reason.

While we might think some bumper sticker sayings are fun, they’re also usually wrong. Two immediately come to mind:

“God is my Co-Pilot” -Wrong, this means that God serves you. God is really my pilot. He’s in control.

“Marriage is 50/50” -Again, wrong. Marriages that are 50/50 have a great chance of ending in divorce. Marriage, my friends, is 100/100. You’re either all-in, or you’re not.

As I see them, I will try to update this, and will make it a sticky to remind me.  If you see any that sound good, but aren’t, please comment.

July 7-“Experience Life At No Cost! Call 1-800-MEET-God” Experiencing real Life means it costs you everything.
“Going to church does not make you a Christian anymore than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger. Ever hear of planting a seed? We take our babies to Mass for a reason. We remember how long it took St. Monica to bring her son Augustine to Catholicism. I understand, with the way it is in some parking lots after Mass, this might sound true, and I once saw a lady drive out of the parking lot after mass flip off someone she just cut off, every little bit helps.

Santo Nino de Cebu

One of the places I visited on vacation the past two weeks was the site of Ferdinand Magellan’s death at the hands of the natives of the island of Cebu.

Magellan’s expedition headed for Cebu and found the island very hospitable. He made Cebu the base of his exploration, Christianization and conquests. King Humabon and Queen Juana of Cebu gave him a warm reception and embraced Christianity as well. As gratitude to his hospitality, Magellan agreed to fight with king Humabon who was at war with the neigboring tribe, Mactan. Unfortunately, Magellan was killed in the battle. His men returned to Spain, and that same expedition has set the record to be the first to circumnavigate the earth.

Spain sent another expedition to the Far East Region. An Augustinian priest, named Andres Urdaneta, a world-known cosmographer who lived inside the monastic walls of the Augustinian monastery in Mexico was summoned to lead the expedition. On November 21, a memorable expedition left Mexico for the Philippines and arrived in Cebu on April 27, 1565.

Because of Cebuanos suspicion that the purpose of their return is to bring retribution for Magellan’s death, another battle broke out. But heavy artilleries and huge cannons forced the natives to flee to the mountain leaving behind their villages burnt to the ground. As Spanish soldiers inspected the burnt village, one soldier found an image of the Child Jesus under the pile of ashes unscathed inside the wooden box.

An earlier entry in the Journal of Pigafetta, clerk in the Magellan expedition, explains the origin of Santo Nino: “On the day Queen Juana was baptized by Father Pedro Valderama, chaplain of that expedition, Pigaffeta himself presented her with the Image.”

The same Image now lies in the Basilica del Santo Nino and become a favorite destination for millions of pilgrims each year. For four and half centuries now, the Image of Santo Nino continues to make wonders in the lives of many Filipinos. On the third Sunday of each year, in Cebu, millions flock to the streets for a colorful festivity, honoring and placing the Island and the entire Philippines under His Patronage.

During the last World War, a bomb fell inside the Church but the Image was recovered unscathed. It was one of the numerous miracles and powers attributed to the Holy Image.
In 1965 the historic Santo Nino Church was renovated for the observance of the Fourth Centenary of the Christianization of the Philippines held in Cebu City. It was during the centennial celebration that the Sacred Congregation of Rites elevated the Santo Nino Church to the rank of Basilica Minore with all the rights and privileges accruing to such title.

 

  

 

 

Richard Lane’s parish mission

I have just come from spending a week with hosting duties for Richard Lane.  I haven’t had a chance to digest his content yet, that will come later.

I did want to say that Richard is great!  He’s a good solid man.  Why do I say that?  Because he delivers on his promises.  Richard says that he’s obedient to the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit told Richard that, because parishes are hurting in these economic times, he should preach for just free will love offerings.  Don’t charge any up-front fees.  And so he does.  In our case, we couldn’t really afford to pay any up-front costs-travel expenses and so on.  Richard said he would depend on the Holy Spirit to provide.  And so He did.  Richard didn’t need a car or a hotel either.  Of course we picked him up at the airport, and put him up in our rectory.  But he says that you never know what you’re going to get when you stay in a rectory.  But he relies on the Holy Spirit.  He practices what he preaches.  He also relied on the Holy Spirit to provide his food and needs.  I can promise you, he ate pretty well, even if it wasn’t steak every night…

Also, you’d think, in human terms, if a guy’s not getting paid, per se, for his work, that work might suffer?  Well, I will tell you that Brother Richard Lane don’t skimp on nothing. He gave about 1 1/2 hours of preaching each night and each morning (did I tell you we asked for two missions, one in the morning and one in the evening?), he talked to the school kids every day, he gave a retreat to the parish staff, he counselled people.  The man really cares, and really takes care of his assignees.

We engaged Richard for four days work in our parish, another day at another parish, and another four day mission this week.  Richard engaged (some of) us for a lifetime.  He challenges, he inspires, he cares.  If you’re looking for a dynamic speaker for a parish mission, may I recommend Mr. Richard Lane?

The vine and the branches explains Catholic hierarchy

Today’s gospel reading from John 15:1-8,

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified,  that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

Here, Jesus gives the Apostles the basis for the hierarchy of the Church, and also shows where priests come from. Jesus is the vine, the apostles are the branches (those validly ordained in Jesus), showing that if they remain in Jesus’ teaching, they have the truth, as well. Branches usually branch off themselves, and these show the priesthood, and the importance of apostolic succession. Jesus is the vine, the bishops are the main branches, and the priests ordained by the bishops are the minor branches. Jesus is the truth, the bishops gather their truth from Jesus, the priests get theirs from their bishop. This passage also shows how, when a priest or a bishop does not bear good fruit (or any fruit at all), it is pruned and burned. Even the branch that bears fruit is pruned in order to bear more fruit. Jesus even acknowledges that some branches will not be in communion with him, and those get cut and burned as well.  Jesus, being the good provider he is, sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to protect his one true Church from deviating from the truth he taught.

Church = “boring”?

We’re preparing for a parish mission with Richard Lane next week, and our pastor put a question box for parishoners to ask the speaker questions.  Not many were  put in the box, but one was pretty poignant:

“How do we get people interested in “boring” church, especially kids who refuse to go to “boring” church, since there is no consistent presence?”

I think that the answer is catechesis, both of the parents and of the children. People would never think of Church as boring if they understood Jesus’ real presence at each and every mass.  But the parents have to be firmly convinced of this fact, and act like it at home, for the kids to get it.  We often see the physical and ignore the spiritual.  This is not a new thing, it even happened when Jesus walked.  The people often saw Jesus humanity, and stopped there, forgetting that Jesus was divine.  Same thing happens now.  We see the visible and forget the invisible.  We see the bread, and forget that that IS the real Body of Christ.

I think even people who go regularly and practice faithfully often forget this fact.  The altar of your parish church is where heaven and earth meet at each and every mass.  Scott Hahn explains all this very well in “The Lamb’s Supper, The Mass as Heaven on Earth”. Mass is revealed in the Apocalypse. In the Book of Revelation Jesus is called the Lamb of God 28 times in 22 chapters. Dr. Hahn enlightens us to the fact that the only thing in Revelation on every page is the Liturgy. White robes, songs, prayers. Every page of every chapter the Heavenly Liturgy corresponds to the Earthly Mass. The Rite of Communion is the Marriage feast of the Lamb. Heavenly Liturgy and Earthly Mass are one in the same. Liturgy in Heaven, however, is far more glorious than can be described. But, he told us; we can go to Heaven here on Earth. That is where we are in Mass.

So if you really believe your faith, live it, learn it, love it.  Show it.  And then teach it to your children, and let them learn to love it.

A prize of great value

I know a priest who starts missions by preaching all the weekend masses prior to the mission.  He asks the people for a show of hands “If I told you that if you come to all four days of my mission this week, I’ll give you 1 million dollars, how many of you would come to all four days?”  Of course nearly everyone raises their hand.  Then he tells them that, if they come for all four days, he’ll guarantee them something better…the grace of God.  That means eternity in heaven, which is much greater than $1,000,000, or even $1,000,000,000.

Most of us admire sports people/teams, and have a favorite athlete who trains hours, days, weeks, months, years, for a few seconds of effort, and a trophy.  If they fail, they get nothing, really.  A second place trophy means little to most people, just ask the 2009 Indianapolis Colts.

So if you were asked “What would you do to win the highest honor in your respective sport?” you might talk about giving up your summer to get your body strong, 8 hours a day, eating right, cross training, then go into team drills to get a team mind-set, then preparing really, really well for each opponent, for the ultimate prize.  In short, you would work day and night for a long time to be worthy of that ultimate prize, and then some to actually win it.  Hours and hours.

You would not go in with this attitude:  Well, I’ll go in for an hour, once a week, depending on who the coach is, and I’ll do all the shortcuts, coming late, leaving early, sleeping during meetings…I would say you will never win a championship with that attitude.  But that’s the way many Catholics are today.  They don’t believe what the Church teaches, they go to mass reluctantly, leaving early, coming late, just doing the bare minimum, and it’s an obligation.  Like it’s a chain around their neck. 

Well, if you knew that the prize for living your faith was much more than a Lombardi Trophy, or a Wimbledon Cup, or a Claret Jug, wouldn’t you want to do everything in your power to get it?  Live your faith!  Go to mass like it means something.  Go a few minutes early, adore the Blessed Sacrament, act like the tabernacle you are when you receive the Eucharist, stay a few minutes and get to know somone you don’t know already.  Make the parish what it was in other times-the center and summit of life.  Go to socials, participate in ministries, go to confession, invite your priest for dinner (treat him like a member of your family-he is!).  Try to go to daily mass, start a Legion of Mary chapter, invite an outside speaker into your parish to fire up your parishioners.  Give more than a buck in the collection plate.  Understand your faith-live it, learn it, love it.

</rant>

Why does the media always get it wrong??

Problems the Catholic Church faces thes days are seldom simple, and seldom black and white.  I think the media almost always gets it wrong because they speak in soundbites.

If you’re a faithful Catholic, and the secular media has something to say about your Catholic Church, you probably need to get another opinion.  In about 9 out of 10 cases, the secular media gets it wrong.  This is nothing new.  What modern people believe about the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Spanish conquest of the Americas,  the role of the Catholic Church in general in Europe, the founding of the Catholic Church, , Galileo and the oppression of science, and so on, are mostly the stuff of urban legends.  And for some reason, while many people eventually find that the legend is false, the Catholic urban legends get promulgated even more.

Most recently, in the last year, two big ones have come to surface: 

Reported: BBC News says “Pope rejects condoms for Africa” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4081276.stm

Actually said: http://cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=12457

Pope Benedict: “It is my belief that the most effective presence on the front in the battle against HIV/AIDS is precisely the Catholic Church and her institutions. I think of the Community of Sant’ Egidio, which does so much, visibly and invisibly to fight AIDS, of the Camillians, of all the nuns that are at the service of the sick.

“I would say that this problem of AIDS cannot be overcome with advertising slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem. The solution can only come through a twofold commitment: firstly, the humanisation of sexuality, in other words a spiritual and human renewal bringing a new way of behaving towards one another; and secondly, true friendship, above all with those who are suffering, a readiness – even through personal sacrifice – to be present with those who suffer. And these are the factors that help and bring visible progress.

“Therefore, I would say that our double effort is to renew the human person internally, to give spiritual and human strength to a way of behaving that is just towards our own body and the other person’s body; and this capacity of suffering with those who suffer, to remain present in trying situations.

“I believe that this is the first response [to AIDS] and that this is what the Church does, and thus, she offers a great and important contribution. And we are grateful to those that do this.”

Secondly:

National Post headline: Vatican Cardinal links homosexuality with pedophilia and abuse scandal

Actually said: “Many psychologists, many psychiatrists have demonstrated there exists no relationship between celibacy and pedophilia,” Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, said in Santiago on Monday. “But many others have demonstrated, and have told me recently, that there is a link between homosexuality and pedophilia. This is true, this is the problem.”

“While homosexuality does not cause predatory behavior, and most gay priests are not molesters, most of the molesters have been gay.”