"Aspiring nun" on TV

A friend of one of our students was on local TV recently.  Check out the segment by clicking on today's title.  The transcript is below. If time allows this week, please help this woman!
-----------------------------
A local woman wants to join a convent, but her college loans might keep her from answering her calling.

The Little Sisters of the Poor are hoping a bake sale will help raise the dough.

Elise Maloney, 24, is volunteer coordinator at the Jeanne Jugan Residence for the Elderly in Northeast Washington, but she believes God has called her to be a nun.

"I would like to be a Little Sister of the Poor, be serving Christ and the elderly poor," Maloney said.

The sisters run the home, and would love to have her. But there's one big problem: nuns aren't allowed to join if they have any debt.

Maloney graduated from college with $75,000 in student loans. The sisters, who get no salary and live solely on donations, say it's a serious problem nationwide: desperately needed vocations are being sidelined by college debt:

"Most congregations will not accept a young woman with a large school loan," said Sr. Camille Rose Hampton, the postulant supervisor. "So many young women are forced with a decision either to wait, and to pay off their loans . . . or to give up."

None of the Little Sisters wants maloney to give up.

"We realized that if God is calling her, then He's expecting us to do something, too, and to get in there and do what we can to help her," said Sr. Benedict Armstrong, the mother superior.

So, the Little Sisters and residents are having a bake sale this Saturday to raise money to pay off Maloney's loans.

"Elise would make a wonderful Little Sister, so I wanted to help as much as I can," said Anne Sparich, a Little Sisters resident.

The bake sale will feature homemade scones, pineapple upside-down cake and all kinds of baked goods, as well as the sisters' famous peanut brittle.

"If I didn't believe in her vocation, I wouldn't be baking thousands and thousands and thousands of cupcakes," Hampton said.

Everyone at Little Sisters believes in miracles.

"When you know what God wants for you, and ultimately He wants you to be happy, and He's giving you the opportunity to do that, of course you're excited!" Maloney exclaimed.

That bake sale is Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Little Sisters of the Poor Jeanne Jugan Residence, located at 4200 Harewood Road NE, Washington, DC, 20017.

FOCUS missionaries at GW!

Our four FOCUS missionaries have arrived at GW! FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) is an extremely effective and fruitful outreach to Catholic college students across the country. These amazing missionaries are fresh out of college and are spreading the New Evangelization. They have been here less than two weeks and have already engaged several GW students in conversation about the Newman Center and what we’re offering. To our students, please stop by Newman to meet Lauren, Becca, John, and Dan shortly after you arrive this weekend. Also, check out our website for information on how to get involved with them; it will be posted soon.


Here is some info about FOCUS from their website (http://www.focusonline.org/) which you can access by clicking on today's post.


Why do we need to reach college students?

College years are some of the most pivotal of a young person’s life. Without the support of family and friends, the majority of freshman students fall into the party culture, swallowed by promises of happiness from destructive influences. What most of these students don’t realize is that true joy is closer than they think. At FOCUS, we introduce young men and women on the college campus to a relationship with God. With encouragement from our campus missionaries, thousands of students are overcoming the harsh reality of campus culture:

o 85% of Catholic college students do not attend Sunday Mass

o Binge drinking, sexual promiscuity, moral relativism and academic hostility towards the Catholic faith

o General lack of knowledge or understanding of faith

o Scarcity of faithful young people to lead the Church into the future

How do we reach college students?

Our Model

o Win them over through genuine friendships.

o Build up their personal relationship with God and equip them with tools needed to thrive in college and beyond.

o Send them out and share the Faith with their peers.

Our Methods

o Large Group Outreach: We host events, conferences and retreats that provide opportunities for college students to respond to God’s love, foster relationships and grow spiritually.

o Bible Studies: By facilitating small group discussion, we aid students in understanding and applying Sacred Scripture to their everyday lives.

o One-on-One Mentorship: Through personal investment in the lives of our students, we model Christ’s love and guidance; teaching them how to live their faith in the midst of life’s everyday demands and distractions.

o “I am so grateful that God gave me the opportunity to become involved with FOCUS to learn more about His love and His desire for me.”

o College is the time when young adults are searching for truth and answers. Questions like, “Who am I?” and “What is my purpose in life?” begin to tug at their hearts. It is here where FOCUS meets them, reaching out to the individual offering hope, direction, and purpose in Jesus Christ. Through one-on-one invitation and mentorship, FOCUS missionaries offer themselves with radical availability, allowing the Holy Spirit to do with them what He will to bring each college student to the heart of Jesus Christ and His Church


“FOCUS allowed me to see that the youth in the Church are ALIVE!”

A solid community of friends is one of the most important pieces of a student’s college years. FOCUS engages students in weekly Bible studies and large group events as a way to help them find Christ-centered fellowship with their peers.The love and support found in a joyful, vibrant community of friends helps carry students through the challenges of college with confidence and trust in God.

“I came to FOCUS out of curiosity, as I am not Catholic. The speakers, conferences, and fellow peers were amazing in answering my questions and encouraging me. Thank you for opportunity to look into your amazing faith!”

The beauty of a Christian community is that its joy is infectious. In mentorship and Bible study, FOCUS students cultivate their personal prayer lives, but they also live the Gospel, spreading Christ’s love to their classmates and neighbors. In the past 12 years, FOCUS has reached tens of thousands of college students on hundreds of campuses. At our most recent National Conference, 265 colleges were represented; 220 of those schools did not have FOCUS on their campus. The word is out, and students across the nation are seeking out the type of extraordinary fellowship that only the Holy Spirit can inspire.

21st Sunday - homily

We hear much about “nations” in today’s readings, especially the first reading. Nation is important to all of us. A nation is where we are from. It helps form our identity as people. We identify as people of a nation and can legitimately take pride in being from a particular nation. The word nation has also arisen in pop culture, mainly with regard to sports teams. There’s “Redsox nation”, “Redskins nation” (my personal favorite…go Redskins!), and a ton of others. It seems to indicate a large number of fans or followers for a particular team. It’s almost as if the team is the preeminent team in our nation; like, it’s America’s team. And, people of, let’s say Redskins nation, really let others know that they are a part of Redskins nation. You see it on their cars, in their homes, on their clothing. They are proud to be an active part of Redskins nation and let everyone know it.


What if there was “God nation”? Would we be a part of it? If we could only choose one “nation” to be a part of, would it be God nation? Would we choose God nation over Redskins nation? Specifically, God nation refers to Israel. They are the first nation, the first people, who are invited into covenant with God. Jesus teaches about “the first” and “the last” in today’s Gospel. Israel is “the first”; they are the first chosen people. But, even some of the first aren’t active in God nation; they’re not big fans of the Lord, especially the Christ. So, they become the last. Then, “the last” are people of all the nations. Christ extends the covenant to all nations. Some in the last become big fans of God, especially the Christ, and become the first.

So, are we among the first or the last? Are we big fans of God? Do people know that we are a part of God nation? Do they see it on our cars, in our homes, or in our clothing? Do they see it in the way we live? Does God know we are a part of God nation? (We can’t fool God.) When I talk about being a part of God nation, I don’t mean being a fair-weather fan. I mean being a faithful follower of His, through thick and thin…through the good times and bad. Imagine if someone had left Redskins nation a while ago because they were so bad (as many people have). And let’s say, the Redskins win the Super Bowl sometime soon (a priest can dream, can’t he?). If those same people come back to Redskins nation at about that time, the rest of us will be like, “who are you? We don’t know where you’re from.”

It’s the same with God. We can’t be a fair-weather fan of God’s. We aren’t followers of His only when times are good or when we need something. We are with Him through thick and thin…good times and bad. To be a part of God nation means to be faithful to Him and to let everyone know we are followers of His, mainly in the way we live. If we aren’t, then we will be among the last.

Based on today’s Gospel, that means that we would be among those who are invited, but not chosen. Jesus is asked about those who will be saved. He then makes a distinction between the first and the last. “The first” are those who will eat at table in the Kingdom of God. “The last” refers to those who are not saved. He would say to them “I don’t know where you are from” and “depart from me”. He also speaks of “wailing and grinding of teeth” which refers to punishment, most commonly eternal damnation. Can you imagine trying to get into Heaven and hearing God say to you, “I don’t know where you’re from”. In other words, I don’t know you. I don’t know which nation you are from. You were invited to be a part of my nation, but you chose to be a part of another nation…another team.

Finally, the best way for us to be among the first - the chosen, those who are saved – is the Eucharist. When we come to the Eucharist, we are those “from the east and the west and from the north and the south..(who) recline at table in the Kingdom of God”. And, in John 6, Jesus promises that anyone who receives the Eucharist “has eternal life”. May the Grace of the Eucharist give us the courage and strength to out God first…to be among the first…to let everyone know that we are faithful fans and followers of Jesus Christ.

"You're not a homosexual. You're a man"

My post on December 11, 2009, “A student teaches a teacher (about homosexuality)”, included comments from one of our students about homosexuality to a former teacher. A local youth minister invited me to speak to her youth group after reading the post. So, I gave a talk on homosexuality to about 40 teens from her group and other parish youth groups last month. A mother of a teen in one of the youth groups emailed me about her son who is struggling with same-sex attraction. She hoped he would attend the discussion, but he didn’t. She was looking for help in understanding more about his situation and how best to approach it with him. I mentioned this to the same student here, and she found the following article from faithandfamilylive.com, mainly for the mother to read. It’s good reading for all of us, especially the recommended resources at the bottom.



Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of new monthly columns by Simcha Fisher where she will interview a variety of Catholics in order that we might learn from their unique perspectives.)

Steve Gershom (a pseudonym) is a young, Catholic professional who recently came out as a homosexual to friends and family.


What advice would you give to a Catholic who thinks he might be homosexual?

First, don’t assume that you’re “gay” and that’s that. I think of homosexuality as a spectrum, and there are plenty of people in the middle for part or all of their lives.

Find a priest to talk to who is both orthodox and understanding. Isolation gets you into bad mental habits.

Find a support group that you’re comfortable with: Courage is one, and there are dozens of others.

Finally, pray a lot. You won’t be able to “pray it away,” but prayer, adoration, and frequent communion and confession make everything better. Of course, that goes for anyone with any kind of a cross to bear. Which is everyone.


What advice would you give to parents who are concerned about their son’s sexual identity?

It’s terribly important for fathers to be accessible, emotionally and otherwise, to their sons; to spend regular one-on-one time with them; to praise them when they do well; and to give them lots of physical affection, from early on. I mean really early—we think of the adolescent years as being particularly formative, but a person’s emotional makeup can be drastically affected, for good or ill, from day one.

If the horse is already out of the barn, then first educate yourself [see below for recommended reading], and then talk to your son, in a careful, loving way. That is going to hurt a lot, for both of you, but not talking is much worse. He needs to know that you’re not scared or disgusted.


Do you think that you might be able to become heterosexual, or that anyone can?

I believe some degree of change is possible. Ex-gay groups are caricatured as brainwashers and Bible-thumpers, who will tell you how depraved you are, and to squash your feelings down into the back of your psyche.

My experience with one group is the exact opposite. The work I did with People Can Change would benefit almost every man I know: they helped me to open old, badly-healed wounds, confront old fears and prejudices, and dismantle some of the lies I had been telling myself. It was scary and it hurt like hell, but it left me with the beginnings of a peace and confidence I had never experienced before.

Has it made me less attracted to men, or more attracted to women? Yes, a little bit. But more importantly, it has made me a less fearful, more integrated person. That’s a work in progress.

Maybe I’ll be able to get married and have children, maybe not. But the one sure way to be miserable is to obsess about the things you don’t have, and forget to give thanks for the things you do have. I have a lot.


Is there anything you wish you could change about the Church’s teaching on homosexuality?

Not a thing. Without the Church’s clear teaching on the issue, I would have been at the mercy of my badly confused emotions. When your instincts are misleading, you need something unshakable. The Church is a rock.

On the other hand, I do think the Church’s approach to the topic needs work, and badly. You might hear a sermon or two about gay marriage, but that’s not terribly helpful. Catholics often talk about homosexual men as if they were another species—who should of course be pitied and prayed for: Those poor freaks!

This isn’t due to ill will, obviously. It’s because people are embarrassed, are scared of offending someone, and have been badly misinformed by all the cultural propaganda.


If you could clear up one common misunderstanding about homosexuals, what would it be?

I don’t believe that “gay” is a valid category, the way “male” and “female” are. I used to think being gay meant being a different kind of person altogether—like a third gender. These days I think that it’s something I have, not something I am.

The surprising thing is that gay men are gay because they are masculine, not because they are feminine. What I mean is this: men, gay and straight, want to know they’re real men. If something stops them from believing that, then they’ll go looking for that manhood for the rest of their lives.

Some men look for it by finding a man who will give them acceptance and affection—or at least sex. These are the men we call “gay.” Some men look for it by sleeping with a lot of women and picking a lot of fights. These are the men we call, well, “jerks.” But both of them are the way they are, and want the things they want, because of the specifically masculine traits they started out with.

The best way to sum it up is something a very good priest once said to me in confession. He said, “You’re not a homosexual. You’re a man.”


—Simcha Fisher is a mother of eight who writes from her home in New Hampshire. She blogs at I Have to Sit Down.

Resources Steve recommends:

• For general understanding: The Homosexual Person: New Thinking in Pastoral Care by John Harvey

• For practical help: Growth into Manhood: Resuming the Journey by Alan Medinger; and PeopleCanChange.com

• For a referral to a therapist: Narth.com

Great advice for young Catholics

Every day, priests, deacons, and religious are required to pray the "Liturgy of the Hours".  It involves praying over the Psalms, canticles, readings, and writings by the saints.  It's all done in the tradition of praying seven times a day, as Christ did. "Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws." -Psalm 119:164

It's an amazing and peaceful devotion; almost everyone I've ever introduced it to has fallen in love with it.  One time, I gave the LOH to a friend for Christmas; he still says it's the best present he's ever received!

Below is the Second Reading from Monday's Liturgy of the Hours.   It's a letter from St. Stephen of Hungary to his son.  Monday was the memorial of St Stephen, who was a powerful king of Hungary in the 11th century and solid Catholic and father.  This letter to his son is absolutely beautiful and spot-on advice for any of us, but especially young Catholics.


From admonitions to his son by Saint Stephen

My dearest son, if you desire to honor the royal crown, I advise, I counsel, I urge you above all things to maintain the Catholic and apostolic faith with such diligence and care that you may be an example for all those placed under you by God and that all the clergy may rightly call you a man of true Christian profession.  Failing to do this, you may be sure that you will not be called a Christian or son of the Church.  Indeed, in the royal palace after the faith itself, the Church holds second place, first propagated as she was by our head, Christ; then transplanted, firmly constituted and spread through the whole world by his members, the apostles and holy fathers.  And though she always produced fresh offspring, nevertheless in certain places she is regarded as ancient.

However, dearest son, even now in our kingdom the Church is proclaimed as young and newly planted; and for that reason she needs more prudent and trustworthy guardians lest a benefit which the divine mercy bestowed on us undeservedly should be destroyed and annihilated through your idleness, indolence or neglect.

My beloved son, delight of my heart, hope of your posterity, I pray, I command, that at every time and in everything, strengthened by your devotion to me, you may show favor not only to relations and kin, or to the most eminent, be they leaders or rich men or neighbors or fellow-countrymen, but also to foreigners and to all who come to you.  By fulfulling your duty in this way you will reach the highest state of happiness.  Be merciful to all who are suffering violence, keeping always in your heart the example of the Lord who said: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.  Be patient with everyone, not only with the powerful, but also with the weak.

Finally be strong lest prosperity lift you up too much or adversity cast you down.  Be humble in this life, that God may raise you up in the next.  Be truly moderate and do not punish or condemn anyone immoderately.  be gentle so that you may never oppose justice.  Be honorable so that you may never voluntarily bring disgrace upon anyone.  Be chaste so that you may avoid all the foulness of lust like the pangs of death.

All these virtues I have noted above make up the royal crown and without them no one is fit to rule here on earth or attain to the heavenly kingdom.

The Feast of the Assumption - homily

Sometime ago, I went to dinner with a couple that I’ve been friends with for a long time. After dinner, they invited me to pray the rosary with their four kids who ranged in age from three to about eleven or twelve. It’s always uplifting to pray with families, especially the rosary. This one was definitely unique; each of their kids prayed a decade of the rosary, including the three year old boy. When his turn came, it was a trip! Like his siblings, he was very serious and focused. But, he only knew about every fifth word of the Hail Mary: “Hail Mer, fulla gray, Lor wid thee, bless whim, bless fwoo… Jesus”. I was trying so hard not to laugh. It was quite the scene – the priest trying not to laugh hysterically as the other kids and their parents all were praying efficaciously: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us…” It was a trip!


I started praying the rosary in the early nineties after hearing a tape from Fatima. Mary said to the three kids at Fatima (and to all of us), “pray the rosary every day for the salvation of sinners”. I took this as a directive and have been praying the rosary every day since then. It has changed my life! I look at it in the language of Scripture: this was the day that I “took Mary into my home”. I truly believe that my devotion to Mary has been one of the most significant reasons I am a priest. She is a powerful intercessor!

If you know the scene of John and Mary at the foot of the Cross. Jesus gives Mary to John (who represents the Church): “behold your mother”. Scripture then says, “And from that hour the disciple took her into his home” (Jn 19:27). This changed John’s life. Of course, Christ is his life, but to have His Mother with him every day must have been amazing. He was able to get tremendous insights from her incredible wisdom of being the Mother of God. And, it must have been so powerful to be in the presence of her incredible faith, virtue, and motherly care.

In today’s Gospel, Mary enters the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Right away, we see her power. It’s really the power of God through her. Elizabeth is crying with joy and John, of course, leaps in his mother’s womb. This is a life-changing experience for all, and Elizabeth makes that clear. The Mother of her Savior is in her home and carrying the Lord in her womb! It is a powerful encounter with the Grace of God through Mary. This is how we as Catholics approach the Blessed Mother: we go to Jesus through Mary. We do not worship her; we worship God alone. But, we go to Him through her as He came to us through her. And, when we do, it is powerful!

We can look at three things that shows us the power of God through Mary. The first is today’s feast of the Assumption. Mary is taken up body and soul into Heaven…take up into glory. This imitates her son who ascended into Heaven…into glory. The second is the Devil. The Devil hates Mary. We see this throughout Scripture. In the first book of the Bible (Genesis), enmity is declared between her and Satan (represented as a serpent). Then, in the last book of the Bible (Revelation) which we just heard in the first reading, Satan (represented by a dragon) chases after Mary and her son. Satan hates her because she brings salvation into the world. His contempt for her is similar to his hatred for the Eucharist which is our Salvation; there are many stories of evil forces desecrating the Eucharist. Satan knows the power of Mary and the Eucharist and wants to destroy both. The third thing that shows us Mary’s power is the saints. Two things that all of the saints have in common are a great devotion to the Eucharist and a great devotion to the Blessed Mother. These are both saint-makers and the Devil knows it. He knows that these devotions bring salvation to people; he wants no one to be saved.

Finally, a challenge and recommendation for all of you: bring Mary into your homes, if she is not there already. Pray the rosary as a family. The Church often says, “the family that prays together stays together”. As individuals, pray the rosary every day for the salvation of sinners. I know everyone is busy and many people complain to me that it’s hard to block out 15 minutes to pray the rosary. So, take two minutes and pray at least a decade of the rosary every day. Turn to the Mother of all Graces and bring Grace to the situation about which you are praying. Just as importantly, draw close to Mary. Pope Benedict has written that “precisely because Mary is with God and in God she is very close to us”. The rosary helps us to become close to Mary and to get to know her. Through it, we get to know her incredible faith, virtue, and motherly love. Through the Grace of the Eucharist, may each of us this week take Mary into our homes and, ultimately, enter into God’s home, His eternal Kingdom, forever.

Free Chipotle (Sept. 4) and Archbishop Wuerl (Sept. 12)

All new and returning GW Catholics are invited to the following events to start the new school year:

                              Opening BBQ
                              Sat, Sept 4, 12 noon - 4 pm

                   FREE Chipotle and Coldstone!!

                  Newman Catholic Student Center
                             22nd and F St
                          ----------------------------
                             Opening Masses
                                  Sun, Sept 5
                      5:30 pm, 7:30 pm, 10 pm
             St Stephen's Church (25th and Penn. Ave.)
                          ----------------------------
                     Mass with Archbishop Wuerl
                           Sun, Sept 12, 7:30 pm
                             St. Stephen's Church
                       Pizza after Mass in Parish Hall

"Priesthood: A Full-Contact Sport"

Today is the feast day of St. John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests. So, happy feast day to all parish priests! Last week, I spoke at “Theology on Tap” in Alexandria. The title of my talk was “Priesthood: A Full-Contact Sport”. I told stories from the priesthood which included some from St. John Vianney. Priesthood was indeed a full-contact sport for him; he did battles with the Devil directly. Satan was so upset with Fr. Vianney because he brought so many people to Christ that he shook his rectory, set his bed on fire, etc.


Here is a brief summary of the life of St. John Vianney from americancatholic.org:

A man with vision overcomes obstacles and performs deeds that seem impossible. John Vianney was a man with vision: He wanted to become a priest. But he had to overcome his meager formal schooling, which inadequately prepared him for seminary studies.

His failure to comprehend Latin lectures forced him to discontinue. But his vision of being a priest urged him to seek private tutoring. After a lengthy battle with the books, John was ordained.

Situations calling for “impossible” deeds followed him everywhere. As pastor of the parish at Ars, John encountered people who were indifferent and quite comfortable with their style of living. His vision led him through severe fasts and short nights of sleep. (Some devils can only be cast out by prayer and fasting.)

With Catherine Lassagne and Benedicta Lardet, he established La Providence, a home for girls. Only a man of vision could have such trust that God would provide for the spiritual and material needs of all those who came to make La Providence their home.

His work as a confessor is John Vianney’s most remarkable accomplishment. In the winter months he was to spend 11 to 12 hours daily reconciling people with God. In the summer months this time was increased to 16 hours. Unless a man was dedicated to his vision of a priestly vocation, he could not have endured this giving of self day after day.

Many people look forward to retirement and taking it easy, doing the things they always wanted to do but never had the time. But John Vianney had no thoughts of retirement. As his fame spread, more hours were consumed in serving God’s people. Even the few hours he would allow himself for sleep were disturbed frequently by the devil.

Who, but a man with vision, could keep going with ever-increasing strength? In 1929, Pope Pius XI named him the patron of parish priests worldwide.

Comment:

Indifference toward religion, coupled with a love for material comfort, seem to be common signs of our times. A person from another planet observing us would not likely judge us to be pilgrim people, on our way to somewhere else. John Vianney, on the other hand, was a man on a journey with his goal before him at all times.

Quote:

Recommending liturgical prayer, John Vianney would say, “Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that.”

18th Sunday - homily

God matters.

Almost every year since I’ve been ordained, I’ve gotten together with classmates from high school for a class Mass. It’s a great tradition that I especially enjoy: being my old friends in the context of the Eucharist. Last week, only a few guys came down to the Newman Center chapel, but we had a beautiful Mass. Then, we went to Georgetown for dinner and some, ahem, refreshments (a little trip down Memory Lane!). While we were enjoying our meal, one of my buddies asked if “snip-snip” (vasectomy) was ok in the eyes of the Church. I replied, “Snip-snip? No-no”. Of course, they peppered me with questions and comments for the rest of dinner.

I defended and explained the Church’s teaching on procreation, that each couple needs to be open to life. Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the recommended method of the Church. A big part of NFP is prayer and being open to God’s Will. When I brought up these points, they seemed to either get lost in the conversation or were not that significant. These are good men who want to be good Catholics, but they were focused mainly on earthly matters. There was a definite disconnect between us. They were telling me that the Church needs to “get with the times” and not be so “out of touch”.

The disconnect happened specifically with one of them later in the night when he dropped me off at the rectory. He wanted to know more about the Church’s teaching and asked some good questions. He raised the question of what is the difference between a couple who uses NFP only to avoid pregnancy and a couple who uses artificial contraception. Good question. I told him that they were both forms of contraception; one is natural and the other is artificial. But, I pointed out that NFP involves much more; it involves prayer. One of the key aspects of NFP is being open to God’s Will. Whatever His answer is each month is what the couple is to do. If the answer is ‘no’ to having a child, then that’s God’s Will. The answer might change. The key is to be open to life…open to love…open to God’s Will. Again, this point seemed to get lost in the conversation. He was focusing on the practical, logistical, earthly matters only. Again, a disconnect between him and me.

These conversations got me thinking. Do these guys really pray? My friends might represent a large number of Catholics. They are good people who are generous and want to be good Catholics. But, there seems to be a disconnect with the and the Church. One of the reasons for this is prayer. Do Catholics really pray? I don’t mean just saying grace at meals or saying rote prayers. I mean getting down on our knees and entering into conversation with God. I mean getting to know God and the Church. I mean what St. Paul writes in the second reading: “think about what is above”.

At the heart of the Church is prayer. For 2000 years, the Church has spent time getting to know God and what He has revealed to us. It is focused on what matters to God. It focuses on the supernatural and the natural. The disconnect between Catholics and the Church might come when the supernatural is brought into the natural. This is what happened with my friends. This is what happens with regards to the Eucharist. 70% of Catholics believe the Eucharist is only a symbol. To them, it’s only bread and wine. It’s only about the natural. It’s only an earthly reality. But, the Church has always believed that something supernatural takes place at Mass – that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. One might give the same response to this teaching as it does with family planning: ‘give me a break…where does the Church come off teaching this?’ With the Eucharist, it’s because Jesus says so: “this is my body”.

Jesus says in today’s Gospel that we are to become “rich with what matters to God”. The Church helps us to become rich with what matters to God…with the supernatural. These matters are important! God matters. These are not just nice things to focus on or do, they are necessary for everyday life. How do we become rich with what matters to God? We get to know God in prayer. We get to know the Church and what it teaches. The saying is that “millions of people hate the Catholic Church for what they think it is. Less than a hundred hate it for what it actually is”. Catholics need to know what the Church teaches and why it teaches it. We need to know that the authority of the Church to teach on God matters like contraception is the same authority as Christ himself.

Finally, we have an example of someone who has grown rich in what matters to God. Anne Wein will be receiving the sacrament of Confirmation as an adult in a few minutes. She has been meeting with me every week the past several months getting to know God and the Church better. She has become more familiar with Church teaching and has entered into prayer. For those who say they don’t have time to do this, please know that Anne has done all of this while working full-time and planning her upcoming wedding! She will now receive the fullness of the faith she received at Baptism and the great treasure of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

When we grow rich in what matters to God, we receive real treasure. Earthly things only are vanity, as we hear in the first reading. The things that matter to God bring us true happiness and fulfillment. They are real and they matter! They are the real treasures in life.

Do Catholics really pray?

Last night I celebrated Mass with some classmates from high school. It’s been an annual event since I’ve been ordained. I am grateful to my mates from Gonzaga for doing this. It is so meaningful to us – especially me – to get together in the context of the Eucharist and then to catch up and reminisce over dinner and refreshments. Only a few guys showed up this year, but it was so good to be with them. After Mass, we went out to grab a bite. At dinner, one of the guys asked the Church’s position on contraception, specifically with regards to “snip-snip” (vasectomy). I replied with “no-no”. When I clarified what that meant and that the Church was against any form of contraception, I was peppered with questions and criticisms for the remainder of the meal, not surprisingly. It was a respectful and civil conversation, and these are good men (who have several children between them). There was mutual respect, but a clear disagreement on what the Church teaches regarding being open to life permanently.

My conversation with one of them continued later in the night. He heard my explanation of the family planning method (Natural Family Planning) the Church recommends and wondered how it differed from artificial contraception. I had explained at dinner (what a conversation for a mini high school reunion!) that NFP is the natural method by which a couple can gauge the woman’s fertility, based on her cycle. The couple is in conversation with each other and with God; if they discern that God is not calling them to have a child in a given month, then they would abstain from sex during her fertile period (4-5 days, typically). His argument was that NFP is similar to artificial contraception in that it attempts to avoid pregnancy and isn’t open to life.

He raised a couple of good questions. Isn’t the practice of abstaining during the fertile period in order to avoid pregnancy a contraceptive act? Isn’t abstaining during the fertile period preventing union between the husband and the wife? We talked about these specific questions for most of our time together and he revealed the practice of him and his wife in these areas. He is a deeply good man who gives himself so much to his wife, kids, and friends. He spoke truly and substantially about marriage, the importance of union with his wife, and how open to life he and his wife have been. He was talking to me in order to learn, for the most part. But, some comments he made revealed that no matter what I or the Church or God said, he wasn’t going to change.

I agreed with him that if NFP is used only to avoid pregnancy and is approached on a natural level only, then it is natural contraception. The second part of that condition is what I focused on the last part of our conversation. NFP is not to be on a natural level only; it is to be supernatural as well. It is meant to include God! It is meant to include prayer! This is a huge part of the method because it puts the couple under the heading of God’s Will. If they discern in their prayer that God is not calling them to have children in a given month (e.g., it would be irresponsible for them based on their resources), then they would abstain during the fertile period. This would be God’s Plan for them at that point; maybe His Plan will change for them in a few months. That is a far different approach than contraception because the couple is acting according to God’s Plan (NFP), and not their plan (contraception).

God doesn’t call every couple to have 100 babies and says through the Church that parents should be responsible in their family planning. In fact, the answer from God is much more often ‘no’ than ‘yes’ when it comes to couples conceiving children over the span of their marriages. The better way to put it would be “not right now” or “I have something better in mind”. These are often God’s answers to our prayers. Neither of these answers is worse than ‘yes’. If it is God’s answer (even though it is not our answer), then it is supremely good. If it is God’s Plan (even though it is not our plan), then it is supremely good.

If we combine the fact that God has given wives a natural method to determine their fertility and the fact that most months He is not calling couples to have a baby, then we see that abstaining during the fertile period can be God’s Plan. Again, it has to be done as a result of prayer in order to be in union with His Will. If it is from God, then it is good and can never be a sin. It doesn’t act against the union between husband and wife; it actually acts toward union! It involves a few days of sacrifice…a few days of sacrificial love. The husband and wife may not be uniting with their bodies, but they are uniting in love with their souls and spirits. Studies have found that couples who do this experience stronger intimacy when they reconnect in conjugal love. Also, studies have found that 96% of married couples that use NFP stay together.

The final point of all of this has to do with prayer. I don’t know if my buddy and his wife have been praying about all of this. But, it is an enormous part of the conversation. Without prayer, NFP can be natural contraception; it can be the couple doing their own will and not God’s. With prayer, it is a way to give glory and honor to God because it is putting everything in His hands, whatever that might be. On a larger level, though, last night’s conversations with my high school friends prompted some reflection on the disconnect between the Church and many Catholics. One of the main reasons for the disconnect might be prayer. At the heart of the Church and her mission is prayer. She has received and continues to receive God’s revelation in her mind and heart. His revelation is as real as anything in life and is of primary importance.

Do many Catholics approach God’s revelation (in public through Scripture and Tradition and in private through mental prayer and meditation) in the same way? Do Catholics really pray? I don’t just mean grace at meals or rote prayers. I mean do they really open their hearts and minds to what He is saying to them? Do they go to Mass regularly? Do they make time for mental prayer each day? Do they meditate on Scripture? Do they know the authority of the Church as entrusted by Christ himself?

If the answer were yes, then there wouldn’t be such a disconnect between Catholics and the Church, in my opinion. The Church would not be “out of touch” because people would be in touch with God and the Church. This is my opinion…what is yours?

"We the people" and God

A friend sent me the following which is a revealing contrast between the words of our president and those in the preambles of our states. The president's words do not directly contradict those found in the preambles. But, the word "God" is absent in his definition of who we are while some reference to God is present in the preamble of EVERY STATE in our country. The president's words can be interpreted to mean that we are an atheistic country which would be a direct contradiction to our states' preambles. So, they could represent a principle of the West that Pope John Paul warned us about: "the principle to which people aspire is to think and act as if God did not exist."

However you look at it, this is enlightening stuff about our president and about our states.




President Barack Obama said in Turkey: "We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

I found this very interesting. Do you know the Preamble for your state?


Alabama 1901, Preamble
We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution..

Alaska 1956, Preamble We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.

Arizona 1911, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arizona , grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...

Arkansas 1874, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arkansas , grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...

California 1879, Preamble We, the People of the State of California , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom...

Colorado 1876, Preamble We, the people of Colorado , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe....

Connecticut 1818, Preamble.. The People of Connecticut , acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.

Delaware 1897, Preamble Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences...

Florida 1885, Preamble We, the people of the State of Florida , grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...

Georgia 1777, Preamble We, the people of Georgia , relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution...

Hawaii 1959, Preamble We , the people of Hawaii , Grateful for Divine Guidance ... Establish this Constitution.

Idaho 1889, Preamble We, the people of the State of Idaho , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings..

Illinois 1870, Preamble We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil , political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.

Indiana 1851, Preamble We, the People of the State of Indiana , grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.

Iowa 1857, Preamble We, the People of the St ate of Iowa , grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a con tinuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution.

Kansas 1859, Preamble We, the people of Kansas , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.

Kentucky 1891, Preamble.. We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties..

Louisiana 1921, Preamble We, the people of the State of Louisiana , grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.

Maine 1820, Preamble We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity . . And imploring His aid and direction.

Maryland 1776, Preamble We, the people of the state of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...

Massachusetts 1780, Preamble We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction

Michigan 1908, Preamble.. We, the people of the State of Michigan , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, establish this Constitution.

Minnesota, 1857, Preamble We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:

Mississippi 1890, Preamble We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.

Missouri 1845, Preamble We, the people of Missouri , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness . Establish this Constitution...

Montana 1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution ..

Nebraska 1875, Preamble We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom. Establish this Constitution.

Nevada 1864, Preamble We the people of the State of Nevada, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, establish this Constitution...

New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.

New Jersey 1844, Preamble We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.

New Mexico 1911, Preamble We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty..

New York 1846, Preamble We, the people of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.

North Carolina 1868, Preamble We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those...

North Dakota 1889, Preamble We , the people of North Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...

Ohio 1852, Preamble We the people of the state of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common.

Oklahoma 1907, Preamble Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty, establish this

Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences

Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance....

Rhode Island 1842, Preamble. We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing...

South Carolina , 1778, Preamble We, the people of the State of South Carolina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

South Dakota 1889, Preamble We, the people of South Dakota, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties ....

Tennessee 1796, Art. XI..III. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience...

Texas 1845, Preamble We the People of the Republic of Texas , acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.

Utah 1896, Preamble Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.

Vermont 1777, Preamble Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man ..

Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other

Washington 1889, Preamble We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution

West Virginia 1872, Preamble Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God .

Wisconsin 1848, Preamble We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility...

Wyoming 1890, Preamble We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties, establish this Constitution...

17th Sunday - homily

Last year when I first started here, I was holding a meeting with some students on the bottom floor of the Newman Center. The door opened and in walked a freshman. He blew past all of us and headed straight upstairs. About an hour later, he came back down and introduced himself. I asked him, “where did you go? Where have you been for the past hour?” He replied, “I was praying in the chapel”. “Oh, ok. Good”, I said. Wow! This became the norm as the year went on. The students at the Newman Center pray. Dozens of them came throughout the year to pray each week…some for minutes, others for hours. I am convince that these students will be fine as they go through life as long as they keep up their prayer lives. They are shining and inspiring examples to all of us.

Today’s readings focus on prayer. Many Catholics want to become better Catholics by having a better prayer life but don’t know how. When they ask me about this, I usually put it on the level of friendship. If they know how to do friendship, then they know how to do prayer. To be friends with someone means getting to know them, spending time with them, talking and listening to them. It’s the same with prayer. Prayer is conversation with God. It means getting to know God, spending time with Him, and listening to Him. We need to be committed to prayer as we would a friendship; we need to be persistent and persevere in prayer. How persistent was Abraham in the first reading! Many people think that God is tired of hearing them pray for the same thing over and over again. And yet, it is right there in Scripture, so God must be telling us to pray persistently like Abraham.

So, if this is what prayer is, how do we pray? When we pray for something specifically, I offer two suggestions: 1) pray “thy will be done” and 2) pray for what you need. Praying “thy will be done” is probably the most prudent way to pray. If some of our students are praying about getting a particular job after college, they might think, “is this what God wants or is this what I want?” They should just pray for God’s will to be done. ..pray for what should happen and for what will be best. Pope Benedict has said that when we pray this third petition of the Lord’s Prayer, we become closer and close to God. We begin to see things the way God sees them, specifically with regards to the thing for which we are praying.

Also, we should pray for what we need as opposed to what we want. I remember one of my first nights in the seminary, praying in the chapel. I was alone with the Lord, freaking out about being in the seminary. ‘What am I doing here?’, I lamented. Then, someone else came in an sat down right behind me. It was one of the comedians of the house. He knelt down right behind my ear and said, “dear God, please give me….a million dollars!” I turned around and thought, ‘what the?’ I turned around and we both had a good laugh. We should pray what we need, not what we want. Pope Benedict also has said that we have the right and the duty to pray for what we need.

Jesus tells us in the Gospel that God knows what we need…more than we do. Today’s Gospel is all about God’s benevolence and graciousness. He knows us better than we know ourselves, so He knows what we need more than we do. Christ commands us to pray for what we need. Some ask why? If God knows what we need, why do we have to pray for it? So that we participate in the process. So that we begin to see what God sees. So that we begin to see what we truly need. Some people get discouraged because their prayers aren’t answered. They feel that they have asked, but haven’t received. But, a wise priest once said that all our prayers are answered; it’s not always the answer we’re looking for. He said the answer is one of three things: 1) yes, 2) not now, or 3) I have something better in mind.

Finally, where do we pray? We can certainly pray anywhere: in nature, in our homes or rooms. But, the best place to pray is in Church, in the presence of the Eucharist. It is so fruitful to make the time to be with Christ. I have seen so many people bring all of their “stuff” to Christ in Adoration and experience tremendous fruit and healing. My challenge to all of you is to make a chapel visit sometime this week. It can be five minutes, it can be an hour. But, go see your friend, Jesus Christ. I promise you it will be fruitful.

I will close with a story about a man in France a couple hundred years ago who went to Adoration regularly. He would go for hours at a time and bring nothing with him – no books, no Bible, no rosary. The holy priest at the parish finally asked him, “sir, what do you do all this time you are here in prayer?” The man’s response is the example for our prayer. The man responded by saying, “I look at Him and He looks at me”.

The first Christian thing

“Kevin” asked the following questions in response to my post, “If you miss Mass…” (8/8/06): “Why is missing mass considered to be a mortal sin. How many people are attending church just because of this rather than because they want to. Would Jesus prefer me to spend that hour helping others? Having grown up a strict catholic, I like many others stopped going to church once I left school, but am now going back with my children. I am beginning to question whether Jesus would prefer me to spend the hour with my child doing Christian things such as helping others or attending mass.”

Thanks for your questions, Kevin. I addressed this way back in 2004 when this site was just a baby blog. Here are my bullet points for why we go to Church every Sunday:

-God says so in the 3rd commandment: "Keep Holy the Sabbath". We give Him the praise that He is owed.

-Jesus commanded us to celebrate the Eucharist together: "Take this all of you and eat it. This is my body which will be given up for you...Do this in memory of me"

-Jesus showed us how we are to worship God: when he worshipped the Father, it was with his friends, gathered around a table, and centered on a meal

-our obligation is not just to God, but to each other. We are a family of believers. Just like dinner in the home, every member of the family needs to be there for the family to be whole.

Regarding your point about doing “Christian things”, please remember that the first thing we do as Christians is love God. We love God first and foremost. Loving God means worshiping God. Being Christian means worshiping God. So, the first “Christian thing” that we do every week is to worship God. From there, everything else flows, including doing loving our neighbor.

The most Christian thing you can do for your children or others is to bring them to the Eucharist. You want them to get to Heaven, and Jesus promises that everyone who receives the Eucharist has eternal life (Jn 6). They, like all of us, need to be at Mass to receive the Eucharist. We can’t receive the Eucharist outside of Mass.

I make the bullet point that we need to be at Mass for others as well. To be Christian means to be in community….to be in communion with God and others. God wants us to worship Him together, not in isolated places or homes. We are a communion of persons.

Finally, there was an excellent point made in one of our comments this week. “Matt Shoemaker” posted the following comment about Sunday’s Gospel with Martha and Mary: “Couldn't it be also said that Mary represents the reasoning why we need to go to Mass every Sunday, to hear Christ and to see Him face to face in the Eucharist? While Martha's working and helping others is good stuff, the important thing is to take time out and be with Christ.” You and other bloggers might want to take another look at Sunday’s Gospel (Lk 10:38-42). Jesus says, “There is need of only one thing”. I said in my homily this one thing is the presence of God. We primarily and most fruitfully experience the presence of God at Holy Mass. So, for Catholics on Sundays, there is need of only one thing: to participate in Sunday Mass.

"God bless pro-lifers!"

I don't know if I've mentioned this here before, but there is an abortion facility on the campus of GW, one block from the Newman Center. Many people are unaware that abortions are performed at the Washington Surgi Clinic. When we have gone there to pray the rosary in front of the building, we have received surprising looks and comments from people. One student who lived at the dorm next to the "clinic" expressed anger and disgust when he learned that abortions were being performed next to where he lives. Overall, almost all of the reactions from people to our presence there have been positive.

Our peaceful and prayerful protest to abortion on this campus has been much less dramatic than ones that have taken place in Rockford, Illinois. I have been hearing about the battles between pro-lifers and pro-abortionists for sometime now. The following is the latest in the dramatic series:


ROCKFORD, Illinois, July 9, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The staff at the Rockford abortion mill, which has been blaring the radio through its speakers to drown out pro-life counselors for several weeks, got an unpleasant surprise Friday morning when a local D.J. found out what his show was being used for.

LifeSiteNews.com has reported numerous times on the bizarre Rockford abortuary, which has taken to taunting pro-life witnesses with signage and other paraphernalia mocking Christianity and Jesus Christ, and even directing personal insults at local pro-lifers...

The facility’s latest form of harassment, blasting a radio talk show through its outdoor speakers to keep women from hearing the message of pro-life counselors gathered outside, backfired when D.J. Doug McDuff's scheduled talk show guest cancelled, and he opened the phone lines for comment.

Seeing his chance, Rockford pro-life veteran Kevin Rilott whipped out his cell phone and was on air within seconds, loud and clear outside the abortion centre where he was standing. Rilott took the opportunity to explain to McDuff and his listeners how the radio station, WNTA, was being used to silence pro-lifers' attempt to help mothers in need.

McDuff, none too pleased, decided to take matters into his own hands. "God bless pro-lifers! God bless pro-lifers! God bless pro-lifers!" the D.J. shouted.

One of the staff members, who was walking from across the parking lot at that moment, was so aghast, Rilott told LifeSiteNews.com, that "I thought she was going to have a heart attack."

"The abortion mill nurse who heard this began waving her arms around her head like she couldn't believe what was being broadcast over the abortion mill public address system," related Rilott. "The look of almost terror and confusion on her face was priceless as she scrambled into the mill."

The D.J. then gave Rilott airtime to explain how those who keep vigil outside the Rockford mill come "to offer love, help, and hope to mothers in need," and to request prayer for mothers in need and an end to abortion.

The landlord of the abortion mill, still determined to drown out both the radio and the pro-lifers, charged outdoors with a chainsaw running. But even that was not enough to prevent at least one mother from hearing the message and choosing life for her baby.

Rilott said that a woman who had entered the clinic earlier in the morning left after the incident, before the abortionist arrived for the day. "She certainly heard it inside the clinic, and when she left she gave us a big smile and thumbs-up, and she left before the abortionists arrived," he told LSN. "So it was a good day."

16th Sunday - homily

I spent last week on vacation with family at the beach. I spent a whopping 15 minutes on the beach itself…oh well. It was mainly a get-away to play some (bad) golf and get some rest. And, the short time I spent on the beach was at night. I went out for a rosary walk on the beach and was able to enjoy the serenity of the ocean. I really enjoy the serenity and calmness of the ocean. It really lends to meditation in general. But, specifically, that night, I had an insight about the ocean that I don’t know how many people pick up on when they go to the beach.

The ocean is an image of God’s love! It is so vast; it goes as far as the eye can see in any direction. It is an image of God’s love and presence. It is a proof of God’s existence! How did the water get there in the first place? Water is an image of God’s love in the Old Testament. God’s love is as deep as the ocean. The water of the ocean or rivers are images of God’s grace, especially with regard to Baptism. I don’t expect people to have these deep insights when they go to the beach, but how many enter into any kind of meditation about God when they are at the ocean?

I know that people are busy when they go to the beach. Vacations can be more work than work! Parents are busy making sure their kids are enjoying every minute of vacation; there are so many activities going on. Everyone is busy having fun and enjoying the sand, waves, etc. It’s hard to meditate on the beach amid so much busyness, but it’s also hard to miss the power and calmness of the ocean.

I am going on and on about this because I think this relates to today’s readings. People who go the beach and miss out on the ocean are like people who are so busy in life that they miss out on the presence of God. Martha is so busy – doing good things – that she misses out on the presence of Christ. She is busy being a good hostess while Jesus is in her home. But, she is filled with anxiety and worry. She is worried about all the things she needs to do. But, Jesus calls her out on missing the one thing she truly needs. “There is need of only one thing”, he says. I believe that one thing is the presence of God. Mary gets it and she is absorbed in the presence of Christ in her mind and heart. We are called to be busy like Martha and prayerful like Mary.

The most relevant example for us Catholics with all of this is with the Eucharist. Statistics from years ago say that seven out of ten Catholics miss out on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist; they believe the Eucharist only a symbol of Christ’s Body and Blood. For some reason, they have missed the true teaching and thus, miss out on the amazing fruits of Christ’s true and visible presence on earth. Catholics who miss out on the Eucharist are like people who miss out on the ocean at the beach.

The Eucharist is the best way for us to enter into the presence of God with our minds and hearts. It is the best for us to imitate the prayerfulness of Mary. We are busy like Martha. We live in a busy world and are busy doing good things…busy working for justice. We can spend time with the Eucharist, not just on Sundays during Mass, but during the week. We can make chapel visits during the week and spend time with the Lord. Even if it’s for just a few minutes. If that is not possible, then we can spend some time in our rooms, praying over Scripture. This is how we enter into the presence of God in our minds and hearts. To be prayerful like Mary even though we are busy like Martha means to have a prayer life where we spend time with the Lord.

So, my brothers and sisters, we are called to be busy like Martha and prayerful like Mary. We are called to do good and work for justice. But, we are also called to spend time in prayer when we enter into the presence of God in our minds and hearts. It’s not an either /or; it’s a both / and. When we are so busy that we don’t spend time in prayer, we are filled with anxiety and worry. But, when we make time to pray, we enter into God’s presence and love. Just like a trip to the beach when we experience the vastness of the ocean, a trip to the chapel brings us an experience of God’s vast presence, vast love, and vast peace.

I'll be away until July 17.

"Our five frozen children...in storage"

“My husband and I could create embryos, freeze them and, essentially, donate them to our future selves… Our five frozen embryos, which we call our baby blastocysts, will remain in storage until we are ready to use them.”

These are quotes from a woman who wrote in the Washington Post yesterday about how her husband and she have discovered and used in vitro fertilization and the freezing of their embryos. Since embryos are children – the smallest of children – let’s substitute the word ‘children’ for ‘embryos’:

“My husband and I could create children, freeze them, and essentially, donate them to our future selves… Our five frozen children… will remain in storage until we are ready to use them”.

How messed up is this! What do they say when people ask if they have children? ‘Yes, we have five. They are in storage’.

One of the things I have learned about IVF – and all sin for that matter – is how self-serving it is of the parents. “Until we are ready to use them” – children are not to be used; they are to be loved!

Please click on today’s title to view the Post article in full. This is an example of what the following article calls “the devil…manipulating the very act of creation”:


WASHINGTON, June 14, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - “Satan is normally ‘hidden’ … but nowadays he is walking tall in powerful structures of sin like abortion, pornography, sex slavery, rapacious greed and terrorism,” writes pro-life leader, Catholic priest and exorcist Reverend Thomas J. Euteneuer in his new book, Exorcism and the Church Militant.

The devil, says the President of Human Life International, “flexes his muscles” with “pernicious ideologies like radical feminism and ‘pro-choice’ extremism, the militant homosexual movement and the aggressive mass media which is the ministry of propaganda for Satan and all his works and all his empty promises.”

Father Euteneuer has conducted exorcisms in several dioceses around the United States and spoken to thousands of people on the subject.
In the newly released book, Fr. Euteneuer warns: “Never in all of history have we seen evil promoted so effectively and the true good so roundly mocked and rejected as in this age of extreme technological prowess.” He explains, “the difference between the modern world and past generations is that Satan has a greater ability to use groups and institutions for increasing his wicked reach into human life and society.”

Far from hidden, suggests the exorcist, “Nowadays, objective evil is displayed out in the open air with impunity, celebrated in the public forum and strategized in plush board rooms.”

Fr. Euteneuer presents the case that “the devil's spiritual warfare on our flocks will intensify as the years proceed and that all Christians, but especially priests, will have no choice but to engage more deeply in the spiritual battle for souls.”

“The devil now,” he warns, “arrogates to himself the right to control the totality of human existence even in so-called free societies: from manipulating the very act of creation (in vitro fertilization, cloning, Human Genome); to the authority over life and death (abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia); to the definition of human sexuality and marriage (birth control, divorce, homosexual unions); to the very prospect of human annihilation (nuclear war, genocide and the impending New World Order). “

Along with Exorcism and the Church Militant, Father Euteneuer is also releasing Demonic Abortion, the first of two companion works. This 120-page booklet is a meditation on the evil nature of the abortion industry, from the perspective of a priest and exorcist who has been fighting in the pro-life trenches around the world for well over a decade. With a release date of July 7, 2010, Demonic Abortion is now available for pre-order.

More information about both Exorcism and the Church Militant and Demonic Abortion can be found at http://www.exorcismbook.com/.

"The Meaning of the Folds of the American Flag"

A friend just sent me this; very cool and rich meaning to the folding of our American flag!

The Meaning of the Folds of the American Flag

Below is the text that is recited by honor guards when folding the American flag at the funeral of America's heroes.

1. The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

2. The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.

3. The third fold is made in honor and remem­brance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our coun­try.

4. The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for his divine guidance.

5. The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."

6. The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

7. The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our Republic.

8. The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.

9. The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty, and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have
been molded.

10. The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

11. The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew cit­izen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

12. The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glori­fies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.


When the flag is completely folded, the stars are upper­most, reminding us of our national motto, "In God We Trust."

14th Sunday - homily

I have been leading a Bible study with about a dozen students at the GW Newman Center this summer. The students and I have been totally into it; it’s been great. We’ve been studying the story of the Bible from the Book of Genesis through the New Testament in an 8 week series. One of the main themes has been trust in God. It’s been fascinating to see the nation of Israel either show their trust in God or not throughout the story….to see a whole nation, a body of people show trust in God. As we celebrate our independence as a country today, we can look at the United States of America and ask, ‘do we trust in God as a country?’ There are some indications that we don’t. Some Americans trust in things other than God: themselves, money, the things of the world, etc. And, a small but powerful minority wants to kick God out of our schools, courts, and public square. But, then, all we need to do to know if we trust in God as a country is look at a dollar bill. On our currency is our national motto: “In God we trust”. We do trust in God! Way to go, U.S.A.!

I don’t want us think of trust in God as just a nice thing to do or something that we should take for granted. You might be thinking, ‘of course we trust in God if we believe in Him’. It can be a great challenge to fully trust in God. And, we shouldn’t overlook the value and significance of trust in God. One of the things that God reveals to us in today’s readings is that when we trust in Him, we receive tremendous power. When we put all of our trust in God, we have power that is stronger than anything in the world.

In the first reading, the Israelites’ trust in God is put to the test. They have just returned from being exiled from Israel for 50 years. They come back to find that their cities, lands, and homes are ruined. They have nothing. They are totally bummed out…totally depressed. Through the prophet Isaiah, God encourages them and invites them to trust in Him. He says that they will prosper and Jerusalem will be a mother to them. They will flourish like the grass. Better days are ahead. One of the key lines is “God’s power will be known to his servants”. At this point, they have nothing; if they trust in God, they will have great power.

This point is brought out in the Gospel. Jesus goes out of his way to say that the 72 disciples he sends out should have nothing: “no money bag, no sack, no sandals”. Again, the underlying point is that all they need is trust in God. And, when they return, they express that they have great power: “Lord, even the demons are subject to us”. They can drive out demons! God gives great power to those who put their trust in Him.

This scene is significant in understanding God’s power being known through his servants who trust in Him. At that time, the Jewish thought was that there were 72 nations in the world. So, Christ sends out 72 disciples which symbolically represents all of the nations. Later, he would really send out disciples to all the nations of the world, including the United States of America. When we look at the mission of the Church over the past 2000 years, we see the power of God made known to and through His servants! The harvest has been the whole world, and the laborers have been those who have fully trusted in Him. God has revealed His power in spreading the message of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth through His servants.

St. Paul helps to name the power we receive when we trust in God: “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”. When we talk about Grace, we talk about a share in God’s life. It is God’s power, strength, love, and life. We primarily receive His Grace through His sacraments. Grace is powerful stuff, especially for those who have little or nothing else!

I would like to end with an example of someone in our modern world who exemplifies full trust in God and the power that goes with it: Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. We know the story of Mother Teresa: she fully trusted in God and worked with the poorest of the poor. What a lot of people don’t know is that she and her sisters began every day by participating in Holy Mass. They had Mass way early (like 6 am) before serving the poor. Mother Teresa said that if she didn’t receive the Eucharist every day, she wouldn’t have lasted more than a week doing the work she did. She recognized the power of the Grace of the Eucharist. She had great power every day. This is all based in her trust in God. God invites all of us to share in His power. He invites all of us to fully trust in Him. Through the Grace of this Eucharist, may we as a body of Americans and as individuals live out our national motto: in God we trust.

Skydiving priest!

Check out a video that a friend sent me of a French priest who has jumped out of an airplane over 1,000 times. It is way cool! Kind of makes me want to try it...well, maybe not. To see the video, please click on today's title.