God's Grace in Darkness

Dear Friends:

Already at the second Sunday of Lent, this week we focus on Meeting God’s Grace in Darkness. We know that the paths of life can sometimes be so dark that no light seems to permeate the blackness of sorrow, sickness, or despair.  Yet, the light of faith, God’s grace can illuminate where all else fails, leading us ever onward and upward.

It is through the eyes of faith we always see God’s love for us.  It is right to hope in times of darkness and to call on God’s grace because we have been promised the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and we know the salvation that has been bought for us at a great price because God loves us.

Few times are so painful and dark as those times when we sin grievously, thus blocking the light of God’s grace in our souls.  It is then that we fail to love ourselves. It is then that the enemy and evil enter onto our path with a plan to sabotage our journey of faith and all our joy.

When we sin, we lose our vision, and become weak.  This weakness surrounds us in darkness and tries to take away our hope, our optimism, and our faith. This is the best time to remember that we have help in getting back out of that darkness.  We are not alone.  We call on God’s grace.

A wise priest once encouraged me, “A saint is not the person who never falls; a saint is the person who gets back up after every fall.”  The success of our journey is much about getting back up over and over again - running from the darkness into the light.

As we march through Lent, the days are getting lighter - a good reminder that as we move closer to the Resurrection, so too does our lives.

Perhaps this week we can spend some time remembering times that we have been in darkness and pray for that someone who was a guiding light for us in faith and in love.  Perhaps also we can recommit ourselves to be that light for any members of our community who may be stuck in the darkness, and promise to help show them the lighted way.

Some of the greatest things God’s grace can accomplish in us are the many good things we can do for one another; so let’s help one another, through encouragement, to walk away from darkness and back onto the virtuous path of light.

Blessings!

RSM

Building a Strong Domestic Church Together

I just finished reading today's Wall Street Journal article entitled, "Thank God American Churches are Dying".  (Click here for the full link to the article.) It surely raises feelings for those of us both in leadership and membership of parishes in our country and beyond.

The author, Erika Anderson, writes that "it’s true that denomination-based churches—Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, Catholic—have been on a downward slope for years. But nondenominational evangelical churches are growing in number, from 54,000 in 1998 to 84,000 in 2012, according to the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion."  She adds that "Pew Research data show a similar trend continuing to the present, with steep declines among mainline churches as evangelical ones keep popping up. And 42% of these new congregations report growing attendance, data from Lifeway Research shows."

The article certainly begs the question, Why!?

Anderson offers one answer, sharing that new churches are "armed with modern ideas to attract and tend to a new generation of believers", and she adds that "can be exactly what a community needs."  She explores the impact that millennials and nones have had on the numbers as well.

The parts that I find most interesting relate to the ability of the "new Churches" to cater to specific needs, the concept of house churches, and the manners in which believers seek to live faithfully in less structured ways. These concepts are not new for Catholics.  For years, in fact, since the Second Vatican Council, Catholics have been urged to develop the domestic Church, that is, the family. (Lumen Gentium #11)

We have known and believed that it is in the context of the family that we first learn who God is and to prayerfully seek God's will for us. And while today's Churches in general, and local parishes in particular, despite their sizes and complexities,  can surely better take the pulse and respond to the specific needs of its people, the following bullet points offered by the United States bishops offer some suggestions on how to better build a “domestic Church” through a life of prayer that can help all the members of one's family.

• Begin praying as a family and reading from Scripture daily, certainly before meals, but also first thing in the morning or before bed. Find a time that works for your family. Use the liturgy of the Church as a model for prayer, and try to include heartfelt unstructured prayer as well.

• Pray a Family Rosary (each member leads a decade, and everyone shares intentions).

• Have a crucifix in a prominent place in the home, and in every bedroom.

• Make the Sacraments a regular celebration – take the whole family to Confession and Mass!

• Begin family traditions based on the seasons celebrated in the liturgical calendar.

• Make your vacation a holy pilgrimage by visiting the shrines and saints of our land and the world.

• Make worshiping God a priority. Never miss Mass, even while traveling – go to: www.MassTimes.org. . . to find a church near you!

• Teach stewardship and charity to your children, through word and example.

• Demonstrate love for your spouse, your children, your neighbors, and the world. Remind their children that they are loved by God and have been given gifts to serve others.

• Talk freely about the presence of God in the joys and sorrows of your life.

• Welcome into your home and support priests, brothers, sisters, deacons, and lay ministers in the Church.

• Participate in the lay ministries and activities of your parish community.

• Allow your children to witness you in private prayer. Encourage your children to pray daily on their own, to listen for God’s call, and if heard, to respond.

• For more ideas on how to build your home as a Domestic Church, go to: www.domestic-church.com. . . or visit The Family Fully Alive. . . , sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.)

Building stronger domestic Churches builds stronger and more faithful families.  It may follow that then these families can build stronger Churches, where particular needs can be better addressed and where people can be better cared for. And while the numbers tell part of the story, my hope is that by strengthening families, all people can have more more meaningful spiritual relationships. RSM

The Modern Priest's Journey

Recently I was asked to celebrate Mass and preach to the members of The National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy who were visiting our Archdiocese.  In my homily, I cited a USA Today op-ed, written by Tim Busch, the founder of the Napa Institute.  The article is entitled, In this time of great scandal, faithful priests need your love more than ever.  It opens with these words:

"There’s a crisis in the Catholic Church that no one’s talking about. It’s not abuse. It’s not cover-ups. It doesn’t spring from Vatican infighting. It starts much closer to home, with the shepherds who guide the flock. Many good and godly Catholic priests are struggling with their vocation."

Busch editorializes that priests are exhausted, because of two trends. First, the number of priests in America is shrinking, both in size and in percentage engaged in active ministry ... and second, the number of Catholics in America continues to rise.  He adds that fewer and fewer priests are being asked to do more work for more people, all in a culture that’s increasingly hostile to faith.

While trying to offer some insight and even consolation to the group gathered, offered by the Scripture reading of the day from the letter of James, Busch's words really struck a chord with me. Perhaps it's because many of us who serve as priests know only too well that some, including many Catholics, have little sympathy for us and our Church these days. Clearly, the anger in the pews and other venues is palpable.  Given the scandals, people are demanding answers about what happened, what’s still hidden, and what’s coming next.

And while most of us agree that these feelings are understandable, even justified, its frustrating because we priests aren’t the ones setting Church policy nor covering up crimes and scandal.  Unfortunately, while more remains to be done by so many of us in every corner of the Church, the expressed anger being taken out on priests has driven holy men to desperation … to walking away from their sacred vows and in some cases … even worse.

As priests, men like so many on the journey of faith, we wrestle with the bigger question, "what are we to do?" Without a strong and vibrant priesthood, without a well-educated and nourished priesthood, without a humble and servant priesthood, the mission of the Catholic Church cannot be fulfilled.

Despite having heard, even from experts, that priests are no different from the rest of God's people, we know one difference is that priests and other clergy oftentimes are idealized and held to a standard that we feel like we can't ask for help. After all, we are the individuals that other people come to for assistance, and so it creates a dissonance and lots of stress when we ourselves feel like we can't seek support. Consequently, we allow ourselves to go down without reaching out to professionals, to one another or to our good people, who in so many cases really love us.

In this generation priests seek a sign … one for sure that only the Lord can give, but one that communities of faith can also express in every parish where faithful priest serve and serve generously.  The Scriptures in so many places walk us through the practice of living the Christian faith. God's word exhorts us to maturity and holiness.  In these days, priests need for communities to take the abstract concept of faith and make it concrete alongside with them.

Perhaps folks can take some time to learn more about who we are, what we do, what we say, what we feel, and what we have. Faith communities cannot be afraid to address each of these areas boldly, courageously and compassionately.

I know God is present in our Church – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Perhaps the words of St Teresa of Avila can help, she said: “We must have a determined determination to never give up prayer.” We pray for each other, as together we walk the journey of faith in our respective lives.

Blessings to you!

RSM