Balancing the Need for Conservation and Growth in Religious Education

It’s called the “kumbaya approach.” Those of us too young to have experienced its emergence in the ‘60’s have most likely either run into a successor or heard it spoken of disparagingly. The principle which brought it about is simple enough. After the Second Vatican Council many perhaps well-meaning Catholics took it upon themselves to make the faith accessible and attractive to people of today as the Council Fathers urged.  Unfortunately, many did so without a full understanding of the teachings in question or the guidelines which the documents laid down for the process. The outcome was inevitable; by far the easiest way to make the Creed acceptable to people is to remove the demands that it makes on our lifestyle. It was the same for Henry VIII in sixteenth century England: Reconciling faith with his personal choices was simple enough; he would simply make himself the supreme authority in the matter and the issue was resolved.  Although recent approaches have been less blatant, it boils down to basically the same thing. Read the rest of this entry »

In these past two weeks I have noticed a strange similarity amongst several of my peers: late homework assignments, lower grades, unfocused study halls, and even messier lockers. It’s all summed up in one word: senioritis. It’s an illness that has plagued generations of high school seniors.  Merriam-Webster describes senioritis as “an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades.” At one point, I feared that I too had contracted this debilitating disease. To further conduct an accurate self-diagnosis, I consulted the online Urban Dictionary for the related symptoms, which happen to include: laziness and an over-excessive wearing of track pants or old athletic shirts.

Luckily I never reached the stage of wearing track pants and old athletic shirts. The most my symptoms were ever manifested was being late for midday Angelus or experiencing an unusual lack of motivation in doing my Calculus homework. Providentially, with reassessed goals and motivations this brief phase of senioritis has passed over before final exams, which begin in just a few days. Senioritis is just another one of those small bumps in the road, which take us by surprise and throw us off course for a minute or two. It’s seems like a life changing moment or a life-changing illness that would change us forever, but with a simple step back and a look at the big picture, it’s really not that bad at all.

Gorse is a spiny shrub common across Western Europe, but particularly prevalent in Ireland and England. I knew of it from almost as far back as I can remember, listening to my mother read to us from Winnie the Pooh, by. A.A. Milne, and it seemed an unpleasant thing to fall into.  It was, however, only when I came to Ireland that I experienced it for myself. On first encounter, it seems surely to be one of those reminders that this is not heaven yet.  It is almost entirely thorns, which when green, rip and tear at passers-by, and when dry, lodge in clothing and skin alike.

But what has this to do with anything? Read the rest of this entry »

“Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.” ― St. Catherine of Siena

My parents were faithfully and, for the most part, happily married for 45 years until my dad died in 1995. My mom told me that there were some difficult times, but that her Faith helped her through the many bumps and challenges. Lots of forgiveness, lots of "letting go", lots of love! My dad told me that he had made this commitment in the presence of Christ and he had never questioned this fact…he was going to make it work. As their son, I believe this was their greatest accomplishment and I will be eternally grateful!

From our mother's womb, our life began.

As tottlers we loved to hold her hand.

Shopping, cooking on the frying pan,

No time to read, rest or work her tan.

Mom's hearts burn bright, yet are crowned with thorns,

Their kid's digressions cause them to mourn.

Glasses are broken, trousers are torn,

They break rules from which they were forewarned…

Sharp migraine headaches and sleepless nights,

Resolving scuffles, breaking up fights.

Offering wisdom, precious insights…

Mom's firm Faith is a beacon of light.

This "school of love" is taught without pay.

Mom's strong example, shows us the way.

Her warm, gentle smile kept us all at bay…

I love you mom, Happy Mother's Day!!!

"You must follow him along the way of the cross, choosing to be crucified in his way, not yours." (St. Catherine of Siena, Letter T354.SC)

"Above all, I suffered the long tribulation of nine years in solitary confinement: seeing only two guards everyday, enduring mental torture, absolute emptiness, with no work to do, having to walk back and forth in my cramped cell from morning to night so that I would not become crippled by arthritis. I was on the brink of insanity. Many times I was tormented by the fact that I was 48 years old, in the prime of my life; I had worked as bishop for eight years, I had acquired a great deal of pastoral experience and there I was: isolated, inactive, and separated from my people by 1,700 kilometers" Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan wrote these words from prison in Vietnam…he persevered and actually converted a few of these guards with his example of kindness in the midst of so much pain. He also wrote, "I must confront reality: I am in prison…Jesus, I will not wait, I will live the present moment, filling it to the brim with love." He certainly did not choose this cross, but what an inspiration for all of us!

Did it ever happen to you that someone tells you something or that you read something that was just what you needed to hear at the time and you just had to say: “Lord, is it you talking to me”?
Not long ago someone gave a holy card. I put it in the pocket inside my cassock and later on when I took it out I was shocked; it hit me right between my eyes.

It had two images of Mary with Jesus from “The passion” and the words that Our Lady of Guadalupe said to St. Juan Diego: “ Listen, put it into your heart, my little child, that the thing that frightens you, the thing that afflicts you, is nothing: do not let it disturb you… Am I not here, I who am you Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need something more?” Read the rest of this entry »

“Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.” (G.K. Chesterton)

The Catholic Church is all about Jesus Christ. We go to Mass so as to receive Christ in our hearts, allowing him to transform us from within. We go to Confession to tell our friend, Christ, that we are sorry for messing up his plan, (which is always for our own good). We read Sacred Scripture to discover the Heart of Christ and to listen to him in applying these words to our daily lives. We pray to Mary, because Our Blessed Mother takes our prayer right to her son, Jesus, and Jesus cannot say no to his mom. Being Catholic means knowing and loving Christ and sharing this love with others!

I have just been reading Come, Be My Light by Mother Teresa. It includes a meditation she did while in the hospital in Rome in 1983.

“Who is Jesus to me?
Jesus is the Word – to be spoken.
Jesus is the Truth – to be told.
Jesus is the Way – to be walked.
Jesus is the Light – to be lit.
Jesus is the Life – to be lived.
Jesus is the Love – to be loved.
Jesus is the Joy – to be shared.
Jesus is the Sacrifice – to be offered.
Jesus is the Peace – to be given.
Jesus is the Bread of Life – to be eaten.
Jesus is the Hungry – to be fed.
Jesus is the Thirsty – to be satiated.
Jesus is the Naked – to be clothed.
Jesus is the Homeless – to be taken in.
Jesus is the Sick – to be healed.
Jesus is the Lonely – to be loved.” (pg 302-303)

She continues on naming a few specific ailments we need to care for. When I read this, however, I thought that for me as a Legionary, I would conclude it with a few other items:

Jesus is the Apostle – to be followed.
Jesus is the teenager – to be accompanied.
Jesus is the ignorant – to be instructed.
Jesus is the Catholic – to confess and offer spiritual direction.
Jesus is the prayerful person – to be launched as an apostle.
Jesus is the businessman – to be offered ethical principles.
Jesus is my neighbor – to be spoken well of.
Jesus is the king – to reign in society.
Jesus is the model – to be imitated.
Jesus is my everything.

A few pages later she has a short prayer she taught to the sisters a few years beforehand. I think it could be applied just as well to us: Read the rest of this entry »

“A friend is more to be longed for than the light; I speak of a genuine one. And wonder not: for it were better for us that the sun should be extinguished, than that we should be deprived of friends; better to live in darkness, than to be without friends” ― St. John Chrysostom

My best friend at Michigan State was my roommate and fellow Regnum Christi member, Kevin Konno. He went to Mass every Sunday and when possible during the week, and he was faithful to his daily prayers, rosary, and weekly holy hour. Kevin was an extremely dedicated Electrical Engineering student, he played basketball with intensity but also with charity, and he had fun in a measured way, always treating girls with respect. He came up with the idea that if either one of us ever came back to the room drunk, we would have to pay up $25 "cash" the next morning. Kevin was a genuine friend who continually inspired and challenged me. Do your friends inspire and challenge you?