On Being Catholic

Lenten ashes long since washed away
In these 40 days we wander
Searching souls wailing weeping
A squandered life, each to ponder

Tempers flair as wounds are touched
Flags and flutters, blue and pink
Legislation flying souls a dying
Could we not just pause and think?

Mother church her arms a reaching
Legal blows of lance and nail
Against her nature, character and mark
Gates of hell shall not prevail

Lies and smiles and photo spots
Insulted we, to what we cling
Competing Christs, fooling few
A siren’s call, let freedom ring

Moses loved, gave the law
Molten gods, Babal to Lot
Each prophet came to call them back
Remember your Law and thou shalt not

No God’s but me before thee fall
My name in vain use not today
Holy Sabbath shall you keep
honor parents and obey

Kill not, no matter what
Nor sleep with neighbor’s wife
Steal not from others, respect their goods
Make your words in court bring life

Neighbor’s goods and neighbor’s wife.
Belong to him, God alone
Try what you will and what you might,
This old law was writ in stone.

He took flesh and dwelt among
No want of fame or glory vain
but zeal to love and conquer sin
so get up my friend to try again.

Homily
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body. These words of St. Paul, echo so strongly throughout our nation this week as Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Muslims, believers and non believers from all over this land go to our nations Capitol to witness to the dignity and sacredness of all human life.
This year’s March for Life occurs during an historic moment for our country, the peaceful transition of power and the inauguration of our new president. In the midst of this joy for our nation and expectations for change we rise early this week to travel to Washington to March for Life.
Now some will say that our efforts divide the nation, some will say that it spoils the euphoria of the celebration but we know by our faith that our efforts cry out for a deeper unity, a deeper freedom, a deeper truth that all life is sacred and that our land and its laws must protect the weakest, the most vulnerable and the future of us all.
We hear today in the readings the call of Samuel who responded Speak Lord, your servant is listening and we hear in the Gospel the call of Peter, who Christ calls the Rock. On Him, Christ’s Church will be built and the gates of hell shall not prevail over it. There is a guarantee from God in your faith that brings about true change in the form of conversion and brings about true hope in the person of Jesus Christ.
At last year’s March for Life in Washington DC, Bishop Burbidge encouraged us to stand up for Life. In referring to Roe vs. Wade, he reminded us that since 1973 when that legislation passed more than 50 million innocent children have been lost to abortion and that that law is unjust, that it MUST not stand, it CANNOT stand, it WILL not stand.
Today, more than ever, our nation stands at a crossroads where pending legislation called the Freedom of Choice Act would widen the injustices against the innocent and further erode the compassionate and caring heart. This act would deepen the divide between a culture of life and a culture of death with drastic moral consequences. The bill would require that you and me, through our tax dollars would be required to pay for federally funded abortions on demand, a parents rights to assist their minor children with decisions making would be erased by this legislation which removes parental notification of abortions for minors. As you know today, a school nurse or principal must call home to get permission to give an aspirin, under this law a minors right to an abortion would require no call home. For those who grew up in the northeast, places like New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland and Pennsylvania where there is a strong tradition of Catholic Medical Care, this legislation would require all hospitals to provide this “care”. As a result, the bishops of those dioceses have pledged to close those hospitals if this legislation were passed thus ending a tradition of Caring and Compassionate Catholic Medical Care. Our nation would lose 30% of is medical care, medical care that is mostly directed to the poorest of the poor in our nations largest cities.
As our nation gathers this week celebrating change and expressing hope, as Catholics we must not be silent about what kind of change is truly needed, the change of the heart to follow the Lord, the change that brings about conversion, the change that brings about life. We must not be silent about what kind of hope our hearts long to express, hope that one day we will live in a land where there will be no more abortions, where there will be no more assisted suicides, no more death penalties or lethal injections, no more freezing and experimentation of human embryos. With prayer and action, you can make a difference and I ask you to do that in three ways. You can pray, that is most important or in addition you can come to Washington on one of two busses we have going, there is still room, you can fill out the three cards today from the Bishop’s Conference letting your senator, and your representatives know how you feel, we’ll even pay your postage for you, just see the helpers at tables with red shirts after mass. Or you can take it home an pray about it.
I know the message I preach is today will comfort some and will disturb others, please know that I love you and give my life to serve you, I love you enough to preach the truth while being mindful that we also have little ears here so I have tried to use language that adults and teens can understand but that does not upset young children. You can be assured that my preaching is without judgment for as a sinner I recognize the debt of gratitude I owe to God’s for his love. My words echo the words of St. Paul in this year of his jubilee, words that are relevant today more than ever. I know that these words will unite and not divide, that they will bring freedom and not slavery to sin, that they will bring life and not death, these words are not mine but those of St. Paul’s, inspired by God through the Holy Spirit, he says: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body, let us not stand and glorify God together by professing our Faith.

The Chapel of Jesus our Eternal Priest

The Chapel of Jesus our Eternal Priest started when our Shepherd, The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge processed the Holy Eucharist into the chapel on September 27th, 2008. The evening procession took place as hundreds of our Diocesan Youth formed a candle lit pathway for their Lord amidst a downpour of rain and grace. In February of 2008, we were visited by Father Joseph DeLuca and began the planning for the Chapel of Perpetual Adoration. As the months flew by, God’s generosity poured forth strong leaders and over 600 of the faithful who responded to the invitation to commit their lives to adoring Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. This generous response was contagious and the work on the chapel began. Our Monstrance was given to the Church by a humble hermit who began praying for the Priesthood over 25 years ago. In a matter of three months, the once little nursery, was transformed into a nursery of prayer and adoration. By generous benefactors and skilled hands, the walls, ceiling, lighting, carpet, pews, kneelers, Stations of the Cross, plants, painting, Sanctuary Lamp, Statues, Crucifix, linens, crown and baseboard molding, chapel sign-in table, altar and altar stone came together by God’s miraculous grace and Our Lady’s intercession. We hope you fall in love with Jesus who longs to sit an hour with you. Thank you for visiting.

St. Bruno and Companions

Today the Church celebrates one of my favorite Saints. St. Bruno and Companions. He was the founder of the Carthusians, a rare vocation to a radical monastic life of asceticism and silence. Born in Cologne about the year 1035, St. Bruno was educated at Paris and after ordination to the priesthood, he taught theology. However, he desired a solitary life and to this end he founded the first Carthusian monastery. He writes: "I rejoice, as I should, in the growing fruits of your strength, and yet I grieve and grow ashamed that I lie idle and senseless in the mire of my sins... Rejoice, because you have escapes the various dangers and shipwrecks of the stormy world... Rejoice, because you have reached the quiet and safe anchorage of a secret harbor...whoever partakes of this desirable good, should he in any way lose it, will grieve to his death, if he has any regard or concern for the salvation of his soul."

Forming Conscience

Respect for Unborn Human Life: The Church’s Constant Teaching

Fact sheet by the USCCB

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (No. 2271).

In response to those who say this teaching has changed or is of recent origin, here are the facts:

From earliest times, Christians sharply distinguished themselves from surrounding pagan cultures by rejecting abortion and infanticide. The earliest widely used documents of Christian teaching and practice after the New Testament in the 1st and 2nd centuries, the Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) and Letter of Barnabas, condemned both practices, as did early regional and particular Church councils.

To be sure, knowledge of human embryology was very limited until recent times. Many Christian thinkers accepted the biological theories of their time, based on the writings of Aristotle (4th century BC) and other philosophers. Aristotle assumed a process was needed over time to turn the matter from a woman’s womb into a being that could receive a specifically human form or soul. The active formative power for this process was thought to come entirely from the man – the existence of the human ovum (egg), like so much of basic biology, was unknown.

However, such mistaken biological theories never changed the Church’s common conviction that abortion is gravely wrong at every stage. At the very least, early abortion was seen as attacking a being with a human destiny, being prepared by God to receive an immortal soul (cf. Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you”).

In the 5th century AD this rejection of abortion at every stage was affirmed by the great bishop-theologian St. Augustine. He knew of theories about the human soul not being present until some weeks into pregnancy. Because he used the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, he also thought the ancient Israelites had imposed a more severe penalty for accidentally causing a miscarriage if the fetus was “fully formed” (Exodus 21: 22-23), language not found in any known Hebrew version of this passage. But he also held that human knowledge of biology was very limited, and he wisely warned against misusing such theories to risk committing homicide. He added that God has the power to make up all human deficiencies or lack of development in the Resurrection, so we cannot assume that the earliest aborted children will be excluded from enjoying eternal life with God.

In the 13th century, St. Thomas Aquinas made extensive use of Aristotle’s thought, including his theory that the rational human soul is not present in the first few weeks of pregnancy. But he also rejected abortion as gravely wrong at every stage, observing that it is a sin “against nature” to reject God’s gift of a new life.

During these centuries, theories derived from Aristotle and others influenced the grading of penalties for abortion in Church law. Some canonical penalties were more severe for a direct abortion after the stage when the human soul was thought to be present. However, abortion at all stages continued to be seen as a grave moral evil.

From the 13th to 19th centuries, some theologians speculated about rare and difficult cases where they thought an abortion before “formation” or “ensoulment” might be morally justified. But these theories were discussed and then always rejected, as the Church refined and reaffirmed its understanding of abortion as an intrinsically evil act that can never be morally right.

In 1827, with the discovery of the human ovum, the mistaken biology of Aristotle was discredited. Scientists increasingly understood that the union of sperm and egg at conception produces a new living being that is distinct from both mother and father. Modern genetics demonstrated that this individual is, at the outset, distinctively human, with the inherent and active potential to mature into a human fetus, infant, child and adult. From 1869 onward the obsolete distinction between the “ensouled” and “unensouled” fetus was permanently removed from canon law on abortion.

Secular laws against abortion were being reformed at the same time and in the same way, based on secular medical experts’ realization that “no other doctrine appears to be consonant with reason or physiology but that which admits the embryo to possess vitality from the very moment of conception” (American Medical Association, Report on Criminal Abortion, 1871).

Thus modern science has not changed the Church’s constant teaching against abortion, but has underscored how important and reasonable it is, by confirming that the life of each individual of the human species begins with the earliest embryo.

Given the scientific fact that a human life begins at conception, the only moral norm needed to understand the Church’s opposition to abortion is the principle that each and every human life has inherent dignity, and thus must be treated with the respect due to a human person. This is the foundation for the Church’s social doctrine, including its teachings on war, the use of capital punishment, euthanasia, health care, poverty and immigration. Conversely, to claim that some live human beings do not deserve respect or should not be treated as “persons” (based on changeable factors such as age, condition, location, or lack of mental or physical abilities) is to deny the very idea of inherent human rights. Such a claim undermines respect for the lives of many vulnerable people before and after birth.

Preparing the Chapel

I am getting excited as the Lord is preparing us to initiate Perpetual Adoration at St. Catherine of Siena Parish. The walls and ceiling were put in last month and the carpet was installed last week. Linda Specter our PA Coordinator has worked very hard with her division captains and hourly leaders. They now have all critical adoration time slots covered and are seeking only 18 prayer partners. This is great news. The pews arrive next week along with the monstrance. I ask you to keep the Maronite Hermits of the Eternal Priesthood of Jesus Christ in your prayers. She donated this monstrance for our chapel. May the Lord be praised and adored eternally. St. Michael protect us and Blessed Mary guide us closer to her Son, Jesus Christ.

Called to Holy Orders ?

STEP 1 Imagine Being a Priest"You have not chosen me.
I have chosen you. Go and bear fruit that will last." (Jn 15:16) What an awesome message to hear: "I have chosen you." God has created and chosen us for a particular purpose. Through baptism we are called into a life of holiness. Ultimately, some men are called to serve the People of God on their pilgrimage towards holiness as Diocesan Priests. These Priests serve in a diocese under the leadership of a Bishop, a successor of the apostles. In union with a bishop, priests serve as shepherds of local flocks in this diocese called parishes. The Vocations Office of the diocese assists young men who are interested in exploring a possible call to the diocesan priesthood. The staff of this office provide opportunities for a young man to become aware of God's call, to discern the meaning of this call, to become educated about the life and ministry of a diocesan priest, and to provide for their formation should they be accepted as candidates for the diocese. All inquiries are confidential. This is an awesome call that demands a great deal of a candidate. It is a heroic life lived entirely for Christ and His people.
Could God be calling you to this life?

STEP 2 Pray Putting it in God’s Hands
When we decide to put our life in God’s hands, only then do we discover true freedom and lasting peace. Praying for a vocation to the Priesthood is the place to start. The three anchors of the prayer life for any Catholic are:
• Love for the Mass and Eucharist
• Daily Devotional Prayer (Rosary)
• Frequent Confession
With these three foundations in place, you will find a deepening of your spiritual life and the courage to follow wherever God is asking of you to follow Him. As you begin to be attentive to the three steps above, you might also ask the help of a Priest for spiritual direction. They can help you develop your prayer life, your advancement in holiness and your growth in virtue. Finding a group of peers in a discernment group can be helpful in learning how the Lord works in the lives of others who are discerning a calling to the Priesthood. The church asks you to pray and discern rightly. Ultimately, God will lead you to where you can serve Him as He desires. Discernment of your vocation, your calling from God, is the responsibility of every Catholic. Having the ability to be good at discerning will help you, not only in life, but in the life to come.
STEP 3 Apply Know the Process
• Canonical Status: A single Catholic male in good standing with the Church
• Ecclesial Status: A practicing Catholic for at least 2 years
• Parochial Status: A practicing and participating Catholic for at least 2 years
• Minimum age for application: 17.5
• Maximum age for application: 49
• Length of formation program: 6 to 8 yrs.
• High School Diploma: 4 years College Seminary; 4 years Theologate;
• College Degree: 2 years Pre-Theology; 4 years Theologate
• Spiritual Life: Has a regular practice of daily prayer and at least Sunday Mass
• Relationships: Has a minimum of two years of chaste living
• Pastor Endorsement: Pastor must recommend an applicant
• Minimum education for acceptance: High School diploma with above average grades, Financial Issues: No significant debt. Who Pays for Formation? The diocese pays for entire costs of Pre-Theology and Theologate; the Diocese offers a $5000.00 scholarship per year for College Seminary.

CONTACT: Mr. Brad Watkins at: brad.watkins@raldioc.org