Category Archives: Faith

Fully Praying the Mass

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Dear Folks,
Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. When we talk about the hope that the Catholic Church in America flourishes in the future, how much we flourish will revolve around how we respond to the Eucharist. The Second Vatican council has
given us some principles:
1. We are called to understand: Jesus is uniquely present, and makes present His one sacrifice on the cross (which happened once in history, but whose power is eternal, see Revelation 5). We are called to participate and be incorporated into that sacrifice,
that we can become an offering to God.
2. We are called to participate internally: The faithful are called to offer the Divine Victim not only through the priest, but together with him, and in so doing offer our own lives. We offer our work, our struggles, our suffering, our joys and sorrows, all the
aspects of our walking with God through the week.
3. We are called to participate externally: This expresses and strengthens our internal participation and encourages those around us to participate more fully (we are responsible for supporting each other). We are called to sing or say the words and do the actions that the liturgy gives us to do and do it like we mean it. There is no need to add a bunch of other things that the liturgy does not call us to do; we can focus on doing our part with all our minds and all our hearts. That will be challenge enough.
4. We are called to live out the meaning of what we celebrate in the rest of our lives that week. Think of how a bride and groom give themselves to each other in their marriage vows at their wedding and give themselves to each other is living out those vows
in their lives. The sacrament and the living out the sacrament form one act of selfgiving and each gives meaning and strength to the other.
Having someone who cares for us personally is unlike anything else in reality. I hear people are developing robots with artificial intelligence and the ability to mimic human expressions. They can be programmed to tell us how much they love us and how wonderful we are. Someone might fool themselves for a while with such a toy, but ultimately it is empty. What matters is encountering someone who truly loves us. No one loves us more than the Lord, and this most intimate encounter in the Eucharist is more precious than anything the earth can offer. Many people leave the Church or stop coming to Mass because they forget this or never were taught in the first place. If we realized what a great gift it is, how could we leave? What on earth could make us stop coming?
As I have said before, if we want a better church, if we want a better world, the first step is to fall more deeply in love with Jesus. One thing we can all do is ask: do I respond to the call to the Eucharist like I really believe in it?
Blessings,

The Core Meaning of All Reality

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Dear Folks,
Today is the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, a feast day that should get more acclaim than it does. Fasten your seatbelts; we’re going deep.
Catholics should, at a minimum, know that there is one God who is three divine, coeternal persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, almost all just stop there and never give it another thought.
Folks, this is the core of all reality and makes all the difference.
As we look at the basic questions of existence and consider what to believe, there are some primal questions. Is the ultimate reality personal or impersonal? If we accept the atheist materialist view, then it is impersonal, and personhood is just a blip in the dance of matter- energy in the universe. I experience consciousness, but don’t know why (there is vague talk about a byproduct of electrical activity of the brain, but I don’t think that explains much). I experience good and bad feelings, and I want to maximize good feelings, and that’s about it. In this scenario, when I die, nothing of me is left, and the race will die, and it won’t matter that we existed at all. I don’t find this very inspiring.
If the Christian point of view is correct (and, in case you are wondering, I believe it is), Then personhood is the foundation of all reality. Beyond even the universe. Furthermore, God is the perfect community of love all by Himself. The Father is eternally giving Him- self in love to the Son, who is eternally receiving and returning that love, and the love that passes between them is the Holy Spirit. Though God does not need anything, love by nature is fruitful, and so God created the universe, including us. We are meant to receive His love and give ourselves as gift to Him, and that is the fullness of the meaning of being human and the fullness of joy. Unfortunately, sin inhibits this gift, and we become centered on our own desires (classically: power, pleasure, wealth, and honor). Only by be- coming one with Jesus in His perfect gift of self, which culminated on the cross, can we be saved from it. In Him, we can learn how to give ourselves as gift, and receive the strength to do it. The more we grow in Christ, the more we receive His love and the more we give ourselves in love. In heaven, that flow of love becomes perfect and complete. See John.16:20-24 and John 17: 20-26.
We must be careful about self-deception. In our sinful condition, it can be easy to tell our- selves we are loving God and others when we are actually at our center serving our de- sires. Matthew 6 (the middle chapter of the Sermon on the Mount) is all about that danger. Our scribe and Pharisee friends are the poster children for this.
The big question in life is: are we at our center about serving our own desires, or about giving ourselves in love with our own desires as a side dish? Everything starts from this.
May Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Fr. Jim 

Praying for Vocations

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Dear Folks,

Today we celebrate the Ascension of the Lord. Jesus, after His triumphant resurrection, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He left us with homework: “Go make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19),” “Go into the world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).” I suggest a critical question for our time is, do people in church see themselves as customers or coworkers in mission?

We have begun praying a prayer for vocations to the priesthood, deaconate, and religious life. The number of priests and religious have been declining for decades, and God willing, we hope to ordain one priest this year, but next year there will be no one. Meanwhile, the rest of us are getting older.

I read from a couple of authors “Never work harder to help someone than they are willing to work to help themselves.” I have had occasions where someone was demanding that something be done, but were unwilling to put forward any action to help make it happen.

What would God think of such petitions?

When we talk about action, many immediately focus on encouraging young people to consider vocations. I would suggest a much more critical task is giving them reasons to believe that such vocations are not only worth doing, but worth giving their lives to. What do they see when they look at the people of the Church today? What messages do they receive?

One youth minister said, “Never ask people to choose between God and sports, because God will always lose.” One youth minister said that they had asked the confirmation students, “Why do you want to affirm your faith?” One young man said, “You can be Catholic without it affecting your life. If you’re Baptist you can’t drink or dance, but Catholics can do anything they want.” What messages are they getting?

What do young people see in the adults around them (yes, parents play a huge role, but kids see more than their parents) that tells them that God and the Church are important enough to be worth giving their lives to serve? Do they see a people who dearly love the liturgy, and participate like it is the most important thing they do? Do they see people hungry to learn more about their faith and thirsty to grow in holiness? Do they see people zealous for the mission of the Church, and dedicated to helping the Church accomplish great

things?

What if, as we ask God for more vocations, we each examine ourselves? How might we better show in our lives that vocations in the Church are important, worth dedicating one’s whole life?

I believe God has given us what we need to flourish as Church. If we respond well to this

moment in history, I’m convinced we can have a bold future.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

What is Love?

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Dear Folks,

Our first reading this Sunday from Acts 10 shows St. Peter dealing with a major issue in the first century Church: whether righteousness (being in right relationship with God) comes through works of the Law of Moses or through faithfulness to Jesus (spoiler alert: faithfulness).

In our Gospel from John 15, we see a major emphasis on how to be faithful is to love one another. A temptation is to respond with “now I know what I need to know; this is simple.”

Not so fast. In theology, I read a book called “Situation Ethics” by Joseph Fletcher. He insisted that there should be only one law, the law of love, because any other law, any other ethical principle would sooner or later conflict with the law of love. As I kept reading, I realized that he was presuming that anyone who looked at a given situation would know what was the loving thing to do. Studying history and philosophy should show us that what seems obvious to us now was unthinkable in ancient times. Looking at modern discourse we can see that many people have opposite positions and are sure that their position is true, right, and obvious.

“Love” is a word we use so much it is easy to overestimate how well we understand the challenge. There are some major issues we must tackle:

1. What is love? Christianity teaches that it is not a feeling, but a decision to seek the good of others, even at a cost to oneself (the greatest act of love is “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends [John 15:13]).”

2. What is the good? Is it getting what we desire when we desire and how we desire? Or is there a good that is more profound, and that is to be discovered and that we are to grow into seeking? Such a good involve virtues being encouraged and incentivized by a healthy society.

3. How do we achieve it? Lenin, Stalin and Mao murdered tens of millions of people insisting that this would serve the greater good, but they brought about enormous misery instead. If we agree that we want an end to gun violence, we must still ask if a given gun control legislation will make people safer or less safe? Are there other things we can do? If we agree we want to help the environment, we are left with questions: does switching to electric cars help or hurt the environment? Does less drilling for oil in the U.S. help ore hurt? Does the benefit outweigh the harm? In Ann Garrido’s wonderful book “Redeeming Conflict” talks of “undoing the knot of intention.” Good intentions don’t necessarily produce good results.

4. How can we, a sinful people, do better? Christians know that we cannot overcome temptation by our own strength. It is only in our union with Jesus that it becomes possible. With His grace, however, we can do great things. With prayer, sacraments, and penance, we can open ourselves more and more to His presence so we can have

the humility to see where we fall short, and the wisdom and strength to move forward.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

When God Calls

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Dear Folks,

I saw the movie “Irena’s Vow.” It is beyond amazing. It is about Irena Gut Opdyke who sheltered a group of Jews during World War II, and one would never have believed how she did it. The movie showed the terrible evil of the Nazis who were seeking to make Germany “free of Jews.” We remember how the Nazis accused the Jews of all sorts of crimes in an attempt to justify their actions.

This Sunday the Gospel is about Jesus the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18). The Good Shepherd “lays down his life for the sheep.” This is the essence of the Gospel: the Lord, with nothing to gain for Himself, paid the ultimate price for our salvation, and calls us to

receive His gift and give ourselves in love. This is not only the greatest story ever told, but the greatest story that could ever be told. It will never be repeated but has echoed in the lives of many Christians who suffered, sacrificed, and put their lives on the line for the love of God and neighbor.

There are many true stories about people who make heroic, selfless sacrifice to help others. Irena Gut Opdyke is one. Irena Sendler is another (see the movie “The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler.”) I’m also fond of the story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty, whose

work is detailed in the movie “The Scarlet and the Black” and was subject of the book “Hugh O’Flaherty: The Irish Priest Who Resisted the Nazis” by Fiorella De Maria.

We remember the terror attack in Israel on October 7 and the horrible cruelty that was committed. We see how Hamas is still holding hostages while trying to maximize civilian casualties. We see people accusing Israel of crimes while dismissing the crimes of the terrorists. There have been rallies in the United States, including Michigan, in which people have shouted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America.” At a time when hate crimes against Jews is on the rise, at a time when people are getting more and more casual about destroying human lives, we would do well to pay attention.

I notice that at the worst times in history, God raises up great heroes. True stories of heroes remind us what one person can do, and that often these people are the ones you would least expect. We don’t know what God will call us to before we are done. Not all Christians are called to die for the faith, but all Christians are called to be ready to die for the faith, and all are called to service. What would we be willing to do to answer God’s call?

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Telling the Story

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Dear Folks,

Story telling is one of the most basic human activities. We take tidbits of experience and weave it into a narrative. We don’t see directly into people’s minds, but we see their actions and hear their words, and put them together like puzzle pieces to get a picture of what they are like. We decide some people are our friends and others are not. Sometimes we can be mistaken, and someone who had acted friendly had been trying to take advantage of us.

In detective movies we see events, details and conversations, and in the end, the detective typically calls everyone together, weaves those tidbits into a narrative describing what happened, and reveals the killer. If the movie is well done, we say to ourselves that we remember those things, why didn’t we put them together?

In the Easter readings, we see people’s experience of the risen Jesus. Jesus explained how the Old Testament led up to the Gospel (Luke 24:27, 45-47). Earlier, Jesus suggested to scholars that the Old Testament pointed to His story, but they didn’t get it (John 5:39).

All creation was made through Jesus and for Jesus (Colossians 1:16), so all stories lead to Jesus. It is a matter of putting together the puzzle pieces. We have to start where people are at. We remember that St. Paul told the Gospel story one way to Greek philosophers in Athens (Acts 17:22-34) and another way to the Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 22).

If we want to tell the Gospel story, or a part of it, to someone, it really helps to hear their story first. It would be useful to know what experiences they’ve had with religion in general and Christianity specifically. Were they taught anything? Were they taught so poorly that they couldn’t recognize any goodness, beauty, or truth in it? Did they find it silly or trivial? Were they hurt or disillusioned? What do they believe strongly? What is important to them?

Sharing our knowledge of the Faith and our personal experience in a way that might be meaningful to others is more art than science. Most of us are not practiced in it, but we can learn, and that will be helpful to fulfill Jesus’ mandate to be his witnesses (Luke 24:48; Matthew 28:19-20). We can start by asking ourselves: Why is the faith precious to us? What strikes our hearts most powerfully? How are our lives different because of it? What have been our good experiences? What have been our bad experiences? What

have they taught us?

We are an Easter people. Let us rejoice!

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Being an Easter People

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Dear Folks,

As we celebrate the second Sunday of Easter, we continue to consider what it is to be an Easter people. We see in our Scriptures today Christian generosity (Acts 4:32-35), forgiveness of sins

(John 20:19-23), and the power of wounds (John 20:24-49).

Generosity is not just giving, but giving from the heart, and finding joy in the giving. It includes not just giving stuff, but also time, patience, empathy, and understanding. We all have responsibilities and limited resources, so there is only so much we can do, but we look for opportunities to be good to others as we would hunt for treasure. Faith includes believing that giving of ourselves for the love of Jesus is a greater source of happiness than the world can give.

Jesus breathed on the apostles and gave them the Holy Spirit for the power to forgive sins. The Catholic Church understands this as the origin of the sacrament of reconciliation, but forgiveness is a key part of being Christian. We remember it is a form of healing, healing our hearts, and, if possible, healing the relationship. Some relationships can’t be healed, and then we have to settle for healing within ourselves. I recommend Desmond Tutu’s book “No Future

Without Forgiveness” and the sequel that he wrote with his daughter Mpho, “The Book of Forgiving.”

Jesus showed Thomas his wounds, and even invited him to touch them. His wounds were now marks of glory and showed that it was really Him and really raised. It moved Thomas to a powerful expression of faith. We remember how early Christians went to their deaths in the arena singing hymns of praise, and this moved people to want to know more about Christianity. Being able to endure suffering, hardship, even mistreatment without becoming mean and bitter makes a statement. In Mark 16:18 when Jesus is talking about believers handling serpents and drinking deadly things without harm, He’s not encouraging us to play with reptiles or drink

poison. He is saying His followers can face the evil in this world without being defeated, without becoming evil. Victor Frankl, in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” spoke about how he had seen many people who had suffered terribly and became kinder and more generous, while others who suffered relatively less became hard and mean. He suggested the difference had to do with the meaning people found in there suffering. The ultimate meaning of our suffering can be found in taking up our cross and walking with Jesus for the sake of the Kingdom.

“Now I rejoice in my suffering for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church (Colossians 1:24).” Dawn Eden’s book “Remembering God’s Mercy” talks about healing the wounds of our hearts from a Catholic perspective.

For all of this to happen, of course, the first step is to fall more deeply in love with Jesus. It is His work in our lives that transforms our minds, our hearts, and our lives. If people notice that

difference in us, that may lead them to the Gospel.

Alleluia!

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Blessed are the Peacemakers: Redeeming Conflict

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Dear Folks,

Our Gospel today (Matt 18:15-20) deals with reconciling conflict in the Church. This is such a critical topic I’ve refurbished an old article on the subject. One of the major ways that Satan undermines the work of the Gospel is sowing division and conflict in the Church. Resolving conflict is a mighty way to combat Satan and his work.

If I could recommend one book for people, I would emphasize “Redeeming Conflict” by Ann Garrido. I have mentioned it before, but it is time to mention it again. It is about twelve habits that can transform conflict and make it a spiritual journey.

The twelve habits are:

1. Sidestep the triangle (go directly to the person with which you have the problem).

2. Be curious (What is happening with the other person? What is that person thinking? What is that person seeking? What might this person see that I don’t? Is there more to the situation than either of us sees?) That is related to #3.

3. Listen to understand (We usually listen to refute their point of view, but remember their beliefs make sense to them, so how do they fit together in their mind?).

4. Undo the knot of intention (we tend to judge ourselves on our intentions and others on their results, but good intentions don’t guarantee good consequences, and we need to keep that in mind for both parties).

5. Welcome emotion (our emotions give us clues to what is really happening inside us, and what this situation means to us).

6. Speak your voice (while we emphasize hearing and understanding the other, the situation cannot truly be resolved without your side of the story being articulated).

7. Know and steady thyself (some issues trip our triggers, and we can go off and say things we will regret. It is good to know and compensate for such tendencies).

8. Pray to forgive (Forgiveness is essential to dealing with conflict, and the ability to do so is a gift from God, so we need to pray for it).

9. Repent (very often, both sides have contributed to the problem, at least somewhat, and we need to own our part).

10. Problem solve (It really helps to develop creative solutions where both sides win).

11. Be trustworthy, not necessarily trusting (not everyone is trustworthy, but we need to be, and Christians are called to do right no matter how much others do wrong).

12. Practice prudence (knowing which of these habits to exercise and when is more art than science).

It is a very Catholic book, but I don’t think there is anything there to offend our nonCatholic brothers and sisters.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). Jesus took a whole beatitude to emphasize this point (I have a lot to say about how important the beatitudes are in the teaching of Jesus). If we want to follow Jesus’ teaching (we do, don’t we?) and we want to be called “children of God” (we do, don’t we), would we not be intentional about increasing our ability to be peacemakers?

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

It All Fits Together

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Dear Folks,

This is the feast of the Transfiguration. It’s a beautiful story, giving a taste of the glory of Jesus, but is there more to it than that?

Of course. First, let’s get some background. Old Testament prophecies led the Israelites to expect the coming of a new Elijah and a new Moses.

“Remember the law of Moses, my servant, whom I charged at Horeb with statutes and ordinances for all Israel. Now I am sending you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and terrible day; he will turn the heart of fathers to their sons and the heart of sons to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with utter destruction (Malachi 3:22-24).” This was fulfilled in John the Baptist. “As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, ‘What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swaying in the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?

Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, “Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way before you.” Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force. All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, the one who is to come (Matthew 11:7-14).’” “As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, ‘do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’ Then his disciples asked him, ‘Why do the scriptures say that Elijah must come first?’ He said in reply, ‘Elijah will indeed come and restore all

things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.’ Then the disciples realized that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist (Matthew 17:9-13).”

Elijah was perhaps the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, and he proclaimed a drought, called down fire from heaven, killed 450 priests of Baal, and turned the Israelites away from Baal worship (1 Kings 17-18). He also had an encounter with God on a mountain (1 Kings 19).

Moses had said, “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kindred; this is the one to whom you shall listen (Deuteronomy 18:15).” So when God’s voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;

listen to him (Matt 17:5b)” they would have connected it to the prophecy in Deuteronomy. “As Moses came down Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he spoke with the Lord (Exodus 34:29).” When Jesus’ face “shone like the sun (Mat 17:2)” that echoed the radiance of Moses face.

Moses was the instrument of the covenant, the Passover, the exodus from Egypt, manna, and led them to a new promised land. Brant Pitre in his book “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist “talks about Jewish expectation for a new Moses, a new temple, and a new exodus with a new manna to a new promised land. There will be other references to Jesus as the new and improved Moses (see John 6:30-33). He encountered God on a mountaintop.

Jesus was not just one more prophet. He is the fulfillment of the promises that God made to his people. We often don’t see it, but God’s plan encompasses the whole picture, and when we step back we can see how things connect.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim

Worthless, Valuable, and Most Valuable

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Dear Folks,

In 1961 there was an episode of the Andy Griffith Show in which Andy’s son Opie meets and befriends a hobo, David Browne, who lives by petty larceny and conning people. Opie was getting attracted to that lifestyle, and Andy confronted the hobo.

David Browne “Well Sheriff, maybe I do look at things differently than other people. Is that wrong? I live by my wits. I’m not above bending the law now and then to keep clothes on my back or food in my stomach. I live the kind of life that other people would just love to live if they only had the courage. Who’s to say that the boy would be happier your way or mine? Why not let him decide?”

Andy Taylor: “Nah, I’m afraid it don’t work that way. You can’t let a young ‘un decide for himself. He’ll grab at the first flashy thing with shiny ribbons on it, then when he finds out there’s a hook in it, it’s too late. The wrong ideas come packaged with so much glitter it’s hard to convince him that other things might be better in the

long run, and all a parent can do is say, ‘Wait. Trust me.’ And try to keep temptation away.”

A video clip of that has been popping up on social media.

Of course, we adults have to make decisions, but we still have a tendency to be drawn to shiny things with ribbons and glitter, and we can still get caught by the hook. Wisdom is one of the ongoing themes in the Bible, and we need wisdom, and the ultimate source of wisdom is God. A critical component of wisdom is discerning what is valuable and what is worthless. If you’ve ever seen something at the store and thought that it would be wonderfully useful, and then ten years later found it on a shelf still unused (Believe me, I have), you understand such discernment is harder than one may think. Here are some Biblical reflections:

“Two evils my people have done: they have forsaken me, the source of living waters; they have dug for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jeremiah 2:13).” You know that in Israel it rains in the winter, but never the summer, so you must catch rainwater when it falls and store it in cisterns to survive the

summer. A broken cistern spells doom.

“Thus says the Lord: cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a barren bush in the wasteland, that endures no change of season, but stands in lava beds in the wilderness,

a land salty and uninhabited. Blessed are those who trust in the Lord; the Lord will be their trust. They are like a tree planted beside the waters, that stretches out its roots to the stream; it does not fear heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the year of

drought, it shows no distress, but still produces fruit (Jeremiah 17:5-8; see Psalm 1).”

“Who may go up the mountain of the Lord? Who can stand in his holy place? The clean of hand and pure of heart, who has not given his soul to useless things, what is vain (Psalm 24:3-4).”

“And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for

the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11).”

It’s not as simple as thinking we should just go back to the way they used to do things. “Do not say: how is it that former times were better than these? For it is not out of wisdom that

you ask about this (Ecclesiastes 7:10).” Things like Catholic Social teaching, Theology of the Body, and daily Scripture reading can do a lot to help.

When God’s teaching seems to be spoiling our happiness, it is worthwhile to remember that our perception can be skewed toward sin, and so we may want to look deeper into His teaching.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim