Year of the Priest: Shepherds

I want to share with you part of an entry from the Catholic Chicago Blog by Fr. Joseph Noonan, the Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Chicago:

Recently, a retired priest left his shoes in the sanctuary and processed out of his final Mass of his parish in his stocking feet! In his parting words, he challenged his congregation to invite and encourage vocation to the priesthood and religious life. After decades of loving service, in which he was fulfilled as a priest and Christian man, he asked his congregation, “Who will fill my shoes as a priest for the Archdiocese?”

The symbolism of those shoes can go all the way back to the time of Jesus and His disciples as well. Just replace the shoes with sandals, or perhaps footprints in the sand. Who will walk the path to priesthood? Who will answer God’s call to serve the Church as an ordained priest? The Catholic Church is constantly growing and the need for Shepherds (Priests) is growing as well. We need to realize that soon we might be “like sheep without a shepherd” as Jesus says in today’s Gospel from Mark.

The imagery of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is personally, not only as a seminarian, but as a Catholic Young Adult, one of my favorite images. Jesus surrounded by sheep with a lamb over his shoulder reminds me vividly of any Catholic Parish Family. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is present in the priests of this Archdiocese. The priest, in persona Christi, Latin for, in the person of Christ, is surrounded by his flock. That flock being YOU AND ME! So, who will be our “NEW SHEPHERDS?” Discerning the call to priesthood is such a special grace that I have received from God, and I constantly thank God for this opportunity and for this call in my life. A line from sacred Scripture which resonates this Sunday as we speak of sheep and shepherds is the question which Jesus posed to Peter. Jesus asks Peter, “Peter, do you love me? Yes Lord, he replied, I love you. Feed my sheep!” Who is going to feed the sheep, you and I, when our current priests are gone? Who is going to feed the sheep when, God willing, I am gone as a priest? We have to encourage vocations! We have to pray for vocations! Because, it is only together with much prayer and support, that we can begin to answer the questions, “who will fill those empty shoes?”

Year of the Priest: Mundelein Semianry

When I finish my degree at St. Joseph College Seminary at Loyola University this coming May, I will move from the collegiate level seminary to the major seminary, Mundelein. It is there ultimately, after four years of graduate studies and formation, that my dream and vocation to the priesthood, like many before me and hopefully many after me, becomes a reality when I am ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The primary mission of the University of St. Mary of the Lake / Mundelein Seminary is to prepare candidates to be priests of Jesus Christ, priest, teacher and shepherd. It educates men for pastoral ministry as diocesan priests to be co-workers with their bishops in the service of the Catholic Church. Currently the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary has 209 students studying for the diocesan priesthood. Seminarians come from 44 dioceses in the United States, as well as many international dioceses. Mundelein Seminary is the largest priesthood preparation program in the United States.

I can tell you personally that there is a certain sense of anxiousness and excitement when I think of beginning to study Theology at Mundelein in the fall of 2010. This is not to say that I have not loved every single minute of study and formation at St. Joseph College Seminary, nor that I dislike my studies in Philosophy, because Philosophy and Theology really walk hand in hand when studying them. However, the idea of Theology and the idea of priesthood being that much closer is something which is exciting. I know, by no means, that I am ready to be a priest tomorrow. That is the truth! But further formation, further apostolate work, further parish ministry through the seminary will only further my growth as I prepare for the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

For the last three weeks I have introduced you to the three main programs of the Archdiocese of Chicago: Quigley Scholars- for high school age men, St. Joseph College Seminary- for undergraduate studies, and now, Mundelein Seminary- the Major Theologate. It is my hope, now having read and learned of these programs, that you begin, especially in this Year of the Priest, to encourage men to consider a vocation to the Priesthood. It is so important that we continue to promote this vocation in life, because WE NEED PRIESTS! We need good and holy men to come forward and consider this vocation, and that can only be done if we, as a Catholic Parish Family, begin to encourage vocations to the Priesthood. More importantly, however, we need to pray for vocations, and we need to pray for the men who have answered that call and are studying to be priests, and we need to pray for those who are already priests, those prayers only show us your love and support!

Year of the Priest: St. Joseph College Seminary

When I am not working and ministering to all of you here at the great St. Thomas of Villanova Parish, or at my family home, I am probably at my home away from home St. Joseph College Seminary, where I am working on my Undergraduate Degree in Philosophy.

St. Joseph College Seminary is the undergraduate seminary program of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The men who attend St. Joseph Seminary enjoy the community focus of a small seminary and the academic challenges offered by Loyola University Chicago. The seminary environment offers seminarians the opportunity to experience the duties of priesthood while working toward earning a prestigious college education. The Apostolate Program places students in parishes (like me and 11 of my brothers are doing this summer), hospitals and even other countries, where they live the life of a priest, ministering to others and gaining a greater understanding of the values of religious service.

We really have a fantastic community at St. Joseph Seminary. This past year we had 40 men studying for the Archdioceses of Chicago, Milwaukee and Atlanta, the Dioceses of Toledo, Ohio and San Bernardino, California as well as men studying for the Carmelite Order. If it were not for St. Joe’s I do not know if I would have been able to fully embrace God’s call in my life to the priesthood, and try to live that ideal out in everything I do. The opportunities for prayer, discernment and academics, have only aided me in further developing my own vocation to the priesthood. Our community gathers for prayer almost three times a day (7:15 a.m.-Morning Prayer, 5:30 p.m.-Evening Prayer and 9:00 p.m.-Night Prayer), however our day and our lives are truly and fully rooted in the Eucharist. Each day we as a community celebrate the Eucharist at 7:30 a.m. as well as have weekly Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

All of these opportunities for prayer, mixed with academics, and of course our pastoral work through our apostolate, like my summers here at St. Thomas, as well as working with Youth and Young Adult Ministry at St. Barbara, and teaching Religious Education at St. Ignatius, really make St. Joe’s a sweet place to live and discern your call. We have great priests, led by our Rector, Father Jim Presta, who show us the ideal of priesthood, and show us how to live out that vocation in everything they do.

Pray for me, my brother seminarians at St. Joe’s and our Priest Formation Team, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood.

Year of the Priest: Quigley Scholars

When I was here in April preaching at all the Masses on the “Called By Name” program of the Archdiocese of Chicago, one of the questions that people kept asking me was what does the Archdiocese offer for men who are younger than 18, who are thinking of studying for, or who we think would make good, priests. The answer to that question is the Quigley Scholars Program.

The Quigley Scholars Program was designed and instituted by Francis Cardinal George in 2007 to provide support for Catholic young men in Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago who have interest in Diocesan Priesthood. The Scholars Program is established to promote vocations to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, and in memory of the history of the high school seminary in the Archdiocese of Chicago, of which I am a proud graduate of the Class of 2006. When Quigley Seminary closed it’s door in June of 2007, the Scholars Program was launched to continue to foster young vocations to the Priesthood.

Those in the program, like one of our own from St. Thomas will be next year, come from both Catholic and Public Schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago. These young men come once a month to St. Joseph College Seminary, where I live, pray, and to go school, for Mass and Dinner with our entire seminary community, and then they go off, based on years in the program, for formation with our seminarians who are teachers in the program, like me. It is a great opportunity for young men to come together, not only to pray, but also to discuss living out the values of the Quigley Scholars Program in their own various schools, and how they themselves can promote vocations to the Priesthood and call other young men, possibly even their classmates, to become a part of this great program.

I was blessed and lucky to have been “called by name” by own parish priest back when I was in 8^th grade, and I have tons of support from my entire family. Now it is our turn to look within our own Catholic Parish Family for possible candidates to the priesthood. As someone who has been a part of the seminary system for nearly 8 years, it gives me hope to see young men continuing to respond to God’s call in their life. We need priests! That is the reality of our Church. We need people, like you and me, to call young men forward, even those in our own families, to come, learn, and discern, possibly, the call to Priesthood in their life.

Year of the Priest Kick Off Article

Have you prayed for our parish priests lately? Father Tom? Father Ryszard? Father Ray? Have you prayed for, God willing, a future priest? Seminarian Brad? For all my brother seminarians?

If not, maybe this year can begin to pray for your priests, and for all who are answering the call to the priesthood. Pope Benedict XVI has proclaimed a Year of the Priest starting June 19, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It’s an opportunity for all Catholics to reflect on the gift of the priesthood, and to find ways that we can support our priests and to encourage priestly vocations in our families and in our parishes.

The Year of the Priest finds it’s roots in St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, whom Pope Benedict XVI called “a true example of a pastor at the service of Christ’s flock” during his address announcing the special year on March 16. The year 2010 will mark the 150^th Anniversary of the saint’s death, and the Pope has proclaimed St. John Vianney as the patron saint of all the world’s priests.

Obviously as a seminarian this is a great year for me to further develop my love of the Lord and truly dive much deeper into my own personal calling to the priesthood. But, more importantly I look at this year as a great opportunity for us to not only pray and be thankful for the many shepherds who have helped us in our lives, even beyond STOV, but to take this year as a sign to begin, or hopefully, continue to promote the priesthood. Perhaps it is within this year, that we can begin to Call By Name men to consider this vocation from our own parish community.

Within the next few weeks, I will use my column as a means to talk about the seminaries and programs of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the places where men, just like me, come to study to be priests. I close this week with the official “Pray for Priests.”

Dear Lord,

We pray that the Blessed Mother wrap her mantle around your priests and through her intercession strengthen them for their ministry.

We that Mary will guide your priests to follow her won words, “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5).

May your priests have the heart of St. Joseph, Mary’s most chaste spouse.

May the Blessed Mother’s own pierced heart inspire them to embrace all who suffer at the foot of the cross.

May your priests be holy, filled with the fire of your love seeking nothing but your greater glory and the salvation of souls.

Amen.

Saint John Vianney, pray for us.

Article for the Solemnity of the Most Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Today we gather around table, we gather around the Altar for a meal at which we discover in a special way that we Christians are family. We discover that we are brothers and sisters members of the Body of Christ. We discover that every time the Eucharist is celebrated, at the moment when that simple gift of bread, and that simple cup of wine, becomes the Body and Blood of Christ, the whole universe stands still and is present, because this is the “source and summit of our Catholic faith.” At that very moment Christ enters our presence and is present fully in the Eucharist. He is present in the greatest gift which He gave us. As St. Luke writes, “Then Jesus gave bread to his disciples, saying, ‘This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.’ He did the same with the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant of my blood, which will be shed for you.” Those words are important for us to meditate upon. The words “given for you” and “shed for you” remind us of the sacrifice which Jesus gave for us on the cross: His Body and Blood.

Each time we celebrate the Eucharist together, we participate in Jesus’ offering of himself to his Father. The Eucharistic meal that we celebrate together each Sunday is not something new; it is not a new sacrifice. Rather, it is the same sacrifice that Jesus began at the Last Supper and completed on the Cross. Why did he do this? HE DID IT FOR YOU AND FOR ME!

Now let me suggest that at Communion time, when the Eucharist is held before your very eyes, think about, really think about, what you are and who you are receiving. It’s the living body of Jesus. It’s the same Jesus who died on the cross for us. It’s the same Jesus who rose from the dead for us. When we think of Jesus truly present in the Eucharist, it truly is astonishing and something which we should all hold near and dear to heart. The Eucharist is so awesome that it’s hard to imagine. Yet we now, by faith, it’s true! Only someone who truly loves us, like our God, could have given us such a special and incredible gift.

“At that first Eucharist before you died, O Lord, you prayed that all be one in you; at this our Eucharist again preside, and in our hearts your law of love renew. Thus may we all one bread, one body be; through this blest Sacrament of Unity.”

God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

To put it simply the mystery of the Holy Trinity says that in God there are three distinct persons. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Yet, there are not three Gods, but only one.

We can think of the three persons of the Holy Trinity as three faces smiling upon us, the children of the Lord. First, there is the face of God as Father. When God smiled, it resulted in our origin and the origin of all things: the bright stars in the sky, the birds that fly in the sky and the fish that swim in the sea. Second, there is the face of God as Son. When the face of God as Son smiled, God came down from heaven, taking flesh, walking side by side with each of us showing us how to love and live our lives. Finally, there is the face of God as Spirit. When the face of God as Spirit smiled, God entered within us, dwelling within our souls.

Dwelling within our souls is the Holy Spirit who, as St. Paul tells us gives us a variety of gifts, and those gifts come from the Father through the Son. There is almost like this chain of command in which we can begin to understand the Trinity, yet there is one ultimate person who these gifts come from. We have God (Father) who bestows the gifts through the Word (Son), and the Spirit makes us aware of them in our lives. Similarly, the gift of the Trinity is given by the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. When we share in the Spirit, we possess the love of the Father, the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

The Trinity truly is a trademark of our faith, whether we realize it or not. Every time we gather together for Mass we call to mind the Trinity. Before we eat a meal we pray and recall the Trinity. The Sign of the Cross, that Trinitarian action has become the trademark of our faith- Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Veni, Sancte Spiritus: Reflection on Pentecost

Veni Creator Spiritus! Come Holy Spirit!

We tend to forget that Pentecost marks the moment when God began to dwell among God’s people in a totally new form. For 30 years God literally was in our presence, he dwelt among the people as Jesus Christ. But, because Jesus was fully human, as well as fully divine, his presence among God’s people was limited to a human life span. Thus, if God were to continue to dwell among us after the life span of Jesus, it would have to be in a new form-a form different from a human body. Pentecost marks the moment when God began to dwell among us in a totally, and radically new way-no longer in the physical person of Jesus, but in the spiritual presence of the Holy Spirit.

But, Pentecost also marks more than the change in the form of God’s presence among us. It also marks the change in the form of Jesus’ presence among us. Jesus now dwells among us, but as someone dwelling inside us.

One of the privileges of being a seminarian is being able to serve as a Master of Ceremonies for a Bishop. I have the pleasure of being one of the Masters of Ceremonies for Bishop George Rassas which allows more than anything to see the different parishes of the Archdiocese, but also to share in one of the most important moments in the lives of us Catholics, and that is the reception of the Holy Spirit through the Sacrament of Confirmation. When you speak of Jesus dwelling within us, I am immediately drawn to us receiving Jesus, in the form of the Holy Spirit, through Confirmation. A truly beautiful moment in the lives of Catholics, and one that we should not take for granted. We now have within us! Jesus, the Holy Spirit, who is there to guide us throughout life, more than ever through those seven special gifts that we receive. The gifts of piety, courage, wisdom, knowledge, wonder and awe, understanding, and counsel are given to us as a sign of our now, full membership in the Church. We should therefore realize that these gifts are within and when we see them or feel them in action it is because the Holy Spirit is dwelling within us, using us to bring forth the Kingdom of God.

We often forget that the Holy Spirit is within us! We forget that the Holy Spirit ultimately is Jesus, which makes all of us his children; children who are made in the image and likeness of God, children who are brothers and sisters, who are one in the Spirit. May God continue to bless us with the presence of the Holy Spirit, and may He continue to renew the face of the Earth.

A Thursday Reflection

Today’s Gospel is another one of those Gospels where we find Jesus at prayer. It’s another one of those Gospels where he is praying for us. He did that well! He prayed for us always even until the point of death on the cross. But how often do we pray? Jesus constantly urges us to use the greatest power He gave us: the power to address Him in prayer!

Jesus prayed a lot! We see him praying at His Baptism, before he picked His twelve Apostles, and before teaching his own disciples how to pray. Now, knowing what we do about Jesus’ approach to prayer, we could safely say that he prayed for discernment, for the ability to know God’s will and do it. Then he acted!

It sometimes happens that our prayer becomes a request from God. It’s like we expect this tiny little package of something or other- like a job or relief from sickness. We think this prayer-parcel will come all wrapped up in a bow, or perhaps even be delivered by UPS. But that’s rarely what we get; we have to do something as well.

Perhaps we need to fall back once again to the example of Jesus and understand prayer as a two-part process. We can and should pray for discernment- for the ability to know God’s will in our lives and in our world. That is, we have to listen to God. Then comes the hard part. We can’t stand around waiting for some “package” to fall out of the sky, or come via the UPS truck, that’s not how prayer works. We have to do something too!

Ascension Sunday Reflection

Jesus tells his disciples in the Gospel today to "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” Are we not commissioned to do the same? Are we not called to spread the Gospel? Are we not called to cry the Gospel? Are we not called to live the Gospel? Here we stand together, hand in hand, at the gateway of our faith, on the rock of Peter and the saints, with the Holy Spirit showing us the way to be holy, and cry the Gospel, cry the Gospel with OUR LIVES! God's love and gift of salvation is not just for a few, or for a nation, but it is for the whole world – for all who will accept it. The Gospel is the power of God, the power to forgive sins, to heal, to deliver from evil and oppression, and to restore life.

This great commission is given to whole Church. All of us share in the task which Christ has given us. From children just born to the oldest members of society, all believers have been given a share. It’s a scary task, but Christ tells us that we are not alone, because he works in and through us. He promises us that he will always be with us, forevermore. All we have to do is put ourselves in His hands and trust in his love. Bring it all to him; all your worries, all your anxieties, all your cares, and just trust that He is with you. We receive Christ constantly both physically through the Eucharist and spiritually through all the Sacraments and our own prayer, now it is our turn to go and spread His word, taking comfort in knowing that He is within us and we are with Him. He loves us because we are His children, take comfort in that, and be not afraid because he is always with us, even until the end of the world.

Let Summer Apostolate Commence

Well Ladies and Gentlemen it has begun again, Summer Apostolate 2009 at the wonderful and vibrant parish of St. Thomas of Villanova in Palatine!

I moved out here, after a few days at home to process the end of the year at the seminary, not going to lie, it was a rough transition into parish life, I think only because I truly realized next year when I come back to St. Joseph College Seminary, I am at the top of heap, and two of my closest friends are not going to be there with me. None-the-less the summer had to come, certainly a time for me to process things, and really dive, again, into the parish priesthood dimension which I love so much and which we, in Chicago, are ordained to be!


I arrived here Wednesday mid-morning and really just picked up where I left off, it was like I never left. After the usual welcome back, we missed you, we are glad you are heres from people and the Staff, which truly made me feel right back at home, I really spent the rest of the day simply relaxing and enjoying being back out here. Basically what that means, is I had to unpack and "Bradify" my room here at the Rectory.

Thursday was a good day, spent the majority of it in the office just doing some clerical work and things of that nature with Tom. Not a whole lot went on, again, had the usual morning, Mass at 8:00 a.m. and then went to Breakfast with Tom and two of the faithful 8:00 a.m. Mass go-ers. Came back to the office after that and did some work, and then I was back at the Rectory and spent the rest of the day just relaxing in the room.

Friday was an extreme day of office work. After helping at a 10:00 a.m. Funeral, Tom and I were back in the office getting him ready to go off on vacation. So after we cleared out his mailboxes, did some major shredding and things of that nature, we were off to run some errands and then back at the Rectory so he could back, while he was doing that, I wrote my article for next weeks Bulletin on Ascension, look later this week for the article. We then went out to dinner with Connie at Barnaby's a nice little pizzeria on Rand Road out here, it was nice to go out and just relax. I had been feeling sick all day, so I called it a night very very early, well 10:30 p.m. and did not wake up till about 9:45 a.m. this morning. GOTTA LOVE SATURDAY'S!!!!

Today does not bring much other than the usual Saturday Parish activities, basically that means NOTHING!!! Tonight we have Family Mass so I will be helping a lot with that, but after that, pretty much just going to relax and chill for the evening. Have all three Masses on Sunday, figured I should make an appearance it being my first weekend back and all, and then rumor has it, one Mr. Michael Olson, one of my bestest friends, is coming out for a visit. It will be good to see him and hear his stories from his first week of parish life at St. Hilary.

Until next time.............peace and love!!!

Priest, Prophet and King

Today’s first reading spoke of the void in society of a priest, prophet and king, type figure. I can’t help but wonder if that same phrase is true in today’s society. In a society, today, full of euthanasia, killing of school children, abortion, and a push for the recognition of gay marriage by the Church, it could be easy to fall into a rut and think that such a person is truly missing.

However, while we know that Christ is the P-riest, P-rophet, and K-ing, I beg to also offer that we are also a part of that priesthood, of that prophet-ness, and of that kingship. When we were baptized, we were baptized, just as Christ, to be priests (not in the ontological change sense), prophets, and to be a part of that KING-dom. So there really is no lack of a person being a priest, prophet and king.

We have seminarians studying to become priests, wanting to be in persona Christi, wanting to give of themselves for others and for the kingdom. We have priests in parishes now who are not only fulfilling Christ’s role, but also are like prophets, like Jeremiah and like Paul before them, they are preaching the Word and truly evangelizing their communities of faith with the Word of the Lord. But, when it comes to being Kings, there is only one King, the King of Kings, Christ Jesus the Lord. But, we are a part of His KING-dom. It is up to you and I bring forth the kingdom, to live out the gospel values everyday of our lives to truly bring the world we live in temporarily, more like the world we will live in eternally. Each time, we as Catholics, come to the Eucharistic Banquet, heaven, that glorious KING-dom, is presented right before our eyes to make sense of the trials and tribulations of everyday life.

Yet still, having said that, and knowing that myself, we still need an example to get us outside of ourselves to stand up for these values which are evident in the Gospel and in the teachings of Christ. We have to be like John the Baptist. We have to counter-cultural to preach what people do not want to hear and be a living witness to the kingdom, literally saying “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” The season of Lent is really the perfect time for the devil to act on us, because we really are waiting to be saved, we are vulnerable. Lent is not a time to loose sight of why we are fasting, praying and giving alms for 40 days. Our eyes need to be, and should always be, FIXED ON CALVARY! We need to constantly keep at the forefront of our lives the CRUCIFIED CHRIST, because there is no better image then why we must be witnesses to Him than that. We gave us THE SIGN of witness and obedience to the will of God. May we, His children, constantly return to Him, who is Priest, Prophet, and King, so that we too might share in the glory of His cross that is the Kingdom of Heaven.

A Wednesday Reflection on the Gospel

Its hard today not to pick up a newspaper, magazine, or turn on the TV, and not hear some sort of critique or criticism of the Catholic Church. Our Church is very forthcoming and transparent in who we are and what we stand for and believe in. While it is hard to hear and see these things today, it is nothing new. Jesus told us it would also happen since such attacks have always been the consequence for those who follow his Father.

In today’s Gospel Jesus foreshadows his passion. He tells his twelve disciples, that in Jerusalem he will be handed over to the authorities and will be mocked, scourged and crucified. Jesus was ridiculed, mocked and put to death because he surrendered to His Father’s plan. Now the question is posed to us just as it was to the sons of Zebedee, “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said they would and they did. So can we? For many, the chalice entails the long routine of living a Christian life, with l its daily sacrifices, disappointments, set-backs, struggles, and temptations. The challenge today is for us to do the same. We can’t be surprised when we find ourselves experiencing the mockery and ridicule that Jesus and his apostles all had to suffer before us. As Disciples of Christ we must be ready to lay down our lived each and every day in the little and big sacrifice required. St. Patrick told us we need to arise through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial, for as long as Christ is with me, before me, behind me, in me, beneath me, above me, on my right and left, and in the heart of every person who thinks of him, we can all drink of that chalice. For it is only in suffering with Christ that we might truly follow him in glory.

Walk His Way

Lent 2009

Walk with the Lord: From Ashes to the Tomb

Pushing Your Own Agenda

I kind of got into a heated argument yesterday with Mom about the Church. My Mom goes to this Church in Chicago, notice the issue right away, my family goes to one Church and I go another, in which the Pastor uses inclusive language, mainly changing the words of the Creed to be more inclusive, I suppose. He changes the words of “he became man” to “he became one of us,” and “for us men and for our salvation,” to “for us all and for our salvation.” Words of the Eucharistic Prayer are changed as well, and his homilies are something to be desired, but the Creed is what gets me when I go to Church with my family. Granted, there are bigger fish to fry in the sea in terms of problems in the Catholic Church, but is that not leading the faithful astray.

As a seminarian, studying for the Roman Catholic Church, in the Archdiocese of Chicago, is it not my responsibility to say something about this. The words of the Creed are what we believe as Catholics to be our faith. It is from the Latin “credo” which means “I believe.” (With the new translations to be approved we will soon be saying “I Believe” instead of “We Believe.”) By the priest changing the words of the Creed, he is therefore, in my opinion, changing what we, as Catholics, profess to be the truth, and therefore, not only leading us astray, but pushing his own agenda. The Altar, the Ambo or the Presiders Chair is not a place for a priest to push his own agenda. When priests are ordained they promise to uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church, the Creed is a teaching of the Church, and therefore by him changing words, he is not upholding the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Maybe I am blowing this out of proportion, but as someone in the seminary, having asked priests about this, they seem to be on my side. Should we even have sides, when we are on the side of the Church, in professing and upholding the teachings correctly, should not all priests be on the side of the Church? I guess this is just something which has been bothering me for sometime. My Mom fired back at me with it is not just this priest or this parish, it is everywhere, and that is true, so what are we to do? This parish never used to be that way, or maybe it was, but it never came from the Altar out of the priest’s mouth. I just find it funny to have this inclusive-language Father at the same parish with a “more conservative” Father there as well. It just does not make sense to me.

We should be united in what we believe and profess, mainly our “Credo.” So how are we to be united in faith through our Creed when priests are out there doing things like this? Leading their flocks away from Christ is not being a “Good Shepherd,” so what are we to do? I guess we all need to pray for a conversion of heart, but still, is there not more we should do?

Return to Me

What is Lent? Certainly it is an easy question to answer, it is the 40 days of fasting, prayer and alms giving, which lead up to the joyous celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter. But isn’t it more than that? Or is it as simple as prayer, fasting and alms giving?

During Lent we are constantly reminded that we need to “Return to God.” Jesus is constantly inviting us through the scriptures of the Lenten season to come back to him with all our hearts, putting all of our fears aside. It is through that prayer, fasting and alms giving which we can fully embrace our Lord and return to Him. Every year we are reminded or perhaps it has become habitual, which in that case, in my opinion it loses it’s meaning, to give something up. Every year around this time of year my Mom likes to remind me about this and says she has a list of things I can give up, which is fine and dandy, but for me, giving something up is a time in which you can constantly die unto yourself. So you may ask, well what can you possibly be giving up? It’s not for you to know, nor is it my business to know what you are giving up, that covenant, if you will, is truly between me (or you) and God. The Gospel on Ash Wednesday reminds us of this. We should not sound the trumpet and say we are fasting; rather we should go into a private room and close the door, that is real fasting, that is really dying unto oneself.

However, to put a spin on this “typical” Lenten fast, I wonder if Lent is also not a time for us to GIVE as well as give up. We are a church who is missionary, we are called to spread the Gospel and look out for our fellow man. That is why as Catholics we have the Corporal Works of Mercy. We are called to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit those in prison and bury the dead, to bring the “goods” of life to those who do not know them or have access to them. Perhaps now it is time for us to actually begin to live those works of mercy out in our everyday lives. Knowing this, it then becomes our moral responsibility to aide others in gaining those “goods” whatever they may be. We are all called to action. We are all called to gain that lasting happiness through attaining the “ultimate good.” Jesus addresses this question in his sermon on the mount. The beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness that God has placed in every heart. They teach us the final end to which God calls us, entering into the joy of the Lord and into his rest. Jesus' beatitudes also confront us with decisive choices concerning the life we pursue here on earth and the use we make of the goods he puts at our disposal. The beatitudes which Jesus offers us are a sign of contradiction to today’s world's understanding of happiness and joy. How can one possibly find happiness in poverty, mourning, and persecution?

Jesus promises his disciples that the joys of heaven will more than compensate for the troubles and hardships they can expect in this world. Lent should not be a dark, dreary, gloomy time, it should be a time when we can begin to turn our poverty into growth, our mourning into dancing, and our persecution, well our persecution is truly blessed, because it is when wicked tongues insult and hate us, that we are truly seeing Christ. Christ was persecuted for us, and so we too, this Lent, should be persecuted for Christ, living out the Gospel, living out our faith for all to see, so that others, not only us, can begin to return to God!