June 27, 1999 |
Sometimes it almost seems as though Jesus tears apart the very center of the love he preaches. Why should we be willing to abandon father or mother, son or daughter, husband or wife to follow the Lord? (3) Aren't these relationships images of the love we are commanded to show to all people? Indeed they are! When we become aware that our baptism into Christ Jesus is indeed a baptism into his death (2) we also become aware of the life we share in his resurrection. Until we place our relationship to the Lord at the center of all relationships those other relationships will never come to eternal life. When we can see the Lord in the faces of those around us we have no shortage of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers or spouses. When our first question becomes Can something be done for her (or him)? (1) we have begun to recognize our connectedness and the full extent of the family of God.
An ordinary Christian is committed to being an extraordinary person. Through Baptism we are joined to the Risen Lord and are formed into His Body. When we act together we make His Presence visible now. We are seen as His Body most clearly when we gather at the Eucharist. But He promised that He would be with even two or three of us when we gather to pray and act in His name. This is an extraordinary commitment, to be bound together to act in His Name but it is the way that the Holy Spirit acts through us to make His Way visible in the world. Together, we show the way to God's Kingdom. Together, we are light for the world.
With the summer months upon us, with all of its travel and activities, I thought that it might be well to share a few thoughts about the importance of Sunday, with its worship, and the necessity to alter our busy schedules a little on the Lord's Day. Some of this has gotten lost in the contemporary world in which we live. For this reason, Pope John Paul II last year wrote an apostolic letter on the importance of Sunday, entitled On Keeping the Lord's Day Holy, or in Latin DIES DOMINI. Paragraph No. 67 of this inspiring work reads:
Through Sunday rest, daily concerns and tasks can find their proper perspective: the material things about which we worry give way to spiritual values; in a moment of encounter and less pressured exchange, we see the face of the people with whom we live. Even the beauties of nature - too often marred by the desire to exploit, which turns against man himself - can be rediscovered and enjoyed to the full. As the day on which man is at peace with God, with himself and with others, Sunday becomes a moment when people can look anew upon the wonders of nature, allowing themselves to be caught up in that marvelous and mysterious harmony which, in the words of Saint Ambrose, weds the many elements of the cosmos in a bond of communion and peace by an inviolable law of concord and love. Men and women then come to a deeper sense, as the Apostles says, that everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer (1 Tim 4:4-5). If after six days of work - reduced in fact to five for many people - people look for time to relax and to pay more attention to other aspects of their lives, this corresponds to an authentic need which is in full harmony with the vision of the Gospel message. Believers are therefore called to satisfy this need in a way consistent with the manifestation of their personal and community faith, as expressed in the celebration and sanctification of the Lord's Day.
Therefore, also in the particular circumstance of our own time, Christians will naturally survive to ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy. In any case, they are obliged in conscience to arrange their Sunday rest in a way which allows them to take part in the Eucharist, refraining from work and activities which are incompatible with the sanctification of the Lord's Day, with its characteristic joy and necessary rest for spirit and body.
The theme of the readings for this Sunday is hospitality. The prophet Elisha was welcomed into the home of an influential woman and her husband from Shunem. Each time Elisha passed that way, he dined and stayed with them. Little did they know that their hospitality would be rewarded with the good fortune of having a son, even though the woman and her husband were getting on in years. And Jesus says in the Gospel, whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple - amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.
Hospitality seems to be a forgotten virtue. Perhaps it is because of our busyness; we have so little time for ourselves let alone for others. I would suggest it is time to resurrect the habit of welcoming family, friends, neighbors and fellow parishioners into your homes for dinner, conversation, and yes even prayer. And remember, in welcoming them and others, we are receiving the prophets and even Jesus himself. There must surely be an eternal reward for such hospitality.
Have a blessed week!
Father Kemme
Summer time is great. The children are on summer break and enjoying all sorts of summer activities. Families are planning weekend vacations, as well as longer vacations. A time of rest, fun, sun, travel and so many things.
HEY, WAIT -- Did you and I forget something?? Did we forget to put God in this summer equation? Does He come in Last Place in our plans?
If you forgot your dad on Father's Day last week, how do you think he felt? What does God our Father think when we put Him in last place. What are we teaching our young children about the real values of life by acting like this? These are just some thoughts we should have as we plan our summer.
Remember, we don't take a vacation from loving God. We don't take a vacation from living as His sons and daughters. Just think of the reverse. If God took a vacation from us, we would really be in deep trouble!
This week's Gospel says, "And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because the little one is a disciple -- amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."
These words got me thinking. We often hear the lament about the shortage of priests and about the lack of religious brothers and sisters. We wonder why so few go into the seminary or convent and why even fewer follow through on their formation. There is no one slick answer to respond to every case, but in my opinion there are two major factors which contribute to the scarcity of vocations.
One, I feel, is the lack of promotion in word and action. The other the lack of support -- spiritually, psychologically, materially -- for those who show signs of a vocation.
Lack of Promotion: I am amazed and disheartened when I hear that adults not only do not encourage their children or grandchildren to consider ordained ministry or religious life as a viable, creative, productive option for their future, but actually put down in front of the kids the possibility of a church vocation because of the issues of celibacy or poverty or obedience. How do we expect our children to consider a priestly or religious vocation as a worthwhile, acceptable, positive choice if we adults do not promote, affirm, influence, and even ask our children to think in this direction? How do we expect an increase of vocations if we do not respect and validate those who have made such choices, who are considering such choices, and who might be open to such choices. If we value vocations to the priesthood and religious life, we must also promote the life- choice of being a priest or a brother or a sister.
Lack of Support: Did you know that a seminarian's education costs about $12,000 a year? When was the last time you talked to your pastor about your desire to support the education of a future priest?
Did you know that most high school students who make mention of a vocation get no follow-up from clergy or parents? If someone talks about a vocation or show signs of a vocation, encourage and support that student with your attentiveness and concern.
Do you realize how necessary and powerful it is to pray for vocations? Please make this part of your daily intentions.
If we want more priests and religious, we need to promote and support vocations.
--Fr. Benet OFM
Because of its special solemnity and the obligatory presence of the community, and because it is celebrated "on the day when Christ conquered death and gave us a share in his immoral life," the Sunday Eucharist expresses with greater emphasis its inherent ecclesial dimension. It becomes the paradigm for other Eucharistic celebrations.
Each community, gathering all its members for the "breaking of the bread," becomes the place where the mystery of the Church is concretely made present. In celebrating the Eucharist, the community opens itself to communion with the universal Church, imploring the Father to "remember the Church throughout the world" and make her grow in the unity of all the faithful with the pope and with the pastors of the particular churches, until love is brought to perfection.
--Pope John Paul II, Dies Domini, 34
Some people become Catholic gradually by: being baptized as infants, growing up in Catholic homes, receiving a religious education, gradually sharing in the sacraments of the Church. Other Catholics came to the Church as adults, some already baptized, others had already received their religious formation in another faith. They may have been contacted by a Catholic, but they probably made the first move talking to a priest or someone else about the Church. For those who think they might wish to become Catholic, the Church has the Catechumenate, which is a formal title for the whole process of preparing adults for initiation into the Catholic Church.
WHO IS THE CATECHUMENATE PROCESS FOR?
It is for all adults who wish to join the Catholic Church.
WHAT IS THE CATECHUMENATE?
The Catechumenate is an extended period of: formation, praying, listening to the scriptures, observing how Christians actually live their faith. It provides an opportunity for deepening one's understanding of the gospel message, for spiritual renewal and for direct contact with members of the local church. These people will share their faith and values with the candidates.
The Catechumenate is a journey in faith which prepares persons for full membership in the Catholic Church. It includes various liturgical observances that are celebrated on the way to full membership. These liturgical observations are signposts on the journey of faith which mark the spiritual growth of the candidate, and visibly express the community's concern for them.
The Catholic Church offers the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) to help discover how school age children, youth and adults become Catholic. Anyone wishing to know more about this process should contact [the pastor of the closest Catholic parish].
THEME: HOSPITALITY: As children, my sister and I visited our grandparents in West Virginia. Carloads of aunts, uncles and cousins came to see us. As the visit ended, each family bid farewell and headed toward the road. About half way across the footlog, they turned back toward all of us waving from the front porch. Come and go up with us, they'd call out. With excitement and anticipation of more playing time with the cousins, we'd beg our parents, Please let us go. I often wonder now if our relatives really meant for us to take them up on the offer every time they extended it, but they always made us feel welcome when we'd go home with them. Looking back, I realize they also welcomed Jesus into their homes with generous hospitality.
This Sunday's Gospel contains the missionary discourse series that ends with a collection of sayings on two themes: the radical nature of Christian discipleship, and hospitality to those disciples who continue the mission of Jesus.
The radical discipleship passage begins with two descriptions of attitudes and behaviors that are not appropriate in Christian disciples. The central message here is that following Jesus is of primary importance. All other commitments and relationships are secondary to one's response to Jesus. Any disciple who loves parents or children more than Jesus is therefore deemed unworthy. Such a statement is not intended to devalue family bonds, but to underscore the radical demands of the relationship with Jesus. Likewise, anyone not willing to suffer is unworthy of discipleship. Taking up one's cross is not a direct reference to literally dying on the cross. It was a proverbial expression for suffering, and therefore reflects the expectation that a disciple be ready to face adversity. The final saying about losing and finding one's life also refers to self-denial. The one who accepts the demands of discipleship wholeheartedly, not clinging to one's own securities, is promised life.
The second set of sayings deals with hospitality. Traveling missionaries at this time were dependent upon the assistance of others, since inns were few and of notorious reputation. The Didache, a first-century Christian document, addresses this situation: Anyone coming in the name of the Lord must be welcomed...If the arrival is a transient visitor, assist him as much as you can...Every genuine prophet who is willing to settle among you is entitled to his support. Likewise, every genuine teacher is, like a laborer, entitled to his support. Here Mt. also speaks of hospitality to the prophet and the disciple. They are to be welcomed because they are his emissaries, identified with him, and therefore with God. The final phrase uses the expression lowly ones or little ones in reference to the disciples, possibly because, as missionaries, they are dependent on the hospitality of others. (Homily Helps Resource June 27)
EXCERPTS FROM JOHN PAUL II'S CELEBRATE 2000
Spiritual Formation in the Family
June 27, 1999
The Christian family, as the domestic Church,... makes up a natural and fundamental school for formation in the faith. Father and mother receive from the Sacrament of Matrimony the grace and the ministry of the Christian education of their children before whom they bear witness and to whom they transmit both human and religious values. While learning their first words, children also learn the praise of God, whom they feel is near them as a loving and providential Father. While learning the first acts of love, children also learn to open themselves to others, and through the gift of self receive the sense of living as a human being.
The daily life itself of a truly Christian family makes up the first experience of Church, intended to find confirmation and development in an active and responsible process of the children's introduction into the wider ecclesial community and civil society. The more that Christian spouses and parents grow in the awareness that their domestic Church participates in the life and mission of the universal Church, so much the more will their sons and daughters be able to be formed in a sense of the Church and will perceive all the beauty of dedicating their energies to the service of the Kingdom of God. [CL n. 62]
The family's catechetical activity has a special character, which is in a sense irreplacable... Education in the faith by parents, which should begin from the children's tenderest age, is already being given when the members of a family help each other to grow on faith through the witness of their Christian lives, a witness that is often without words but which perserveres throughout a day-to-day life lived in accordance with the Gospel. This catechesis is more incisive when, in the course of family events (such as the reception of sacraments, the celebration of the great liturgical feasts, the birth of a child, a bereavement) care is taken to explain in the home the Christian or religious content of these events.
But that is not enough: Christian parents must strive to follow and repeat, within the setting of family life, the more methodical teaching received elsewhere. The fact that these truths about the main questions of faith and Christian living are thus repeated within a family setting impregnated with love and respect will often make it possible to influence the children in a decisive way for life. The parents themselves profit from the effort that this demands of them, for in a catechetical dialogue of this sort each individual both receives and gives.
Family catechesis therefore precedes, accompanies and enriches all other forms of catechesis. Furthermore, in places where antireligious legislation endeavors even to prevent education in the faith, and in places where widespread unbelief or invasive secularism makes real religious growth practically impossible, the church of home remains the one place where children and young people can receive an authentic catechesis. Thus there cannot be too great an effort on the part of Christian parents to prepare for this ministry of being their own children's catechists and to carry it out with tireless zeal.
What is this Provincial Chapter that is so important that all the priests must be there for a whole week? I think it is best described as a cross between a corporate shareholders meeting and a family reunion. It is an unusual combination, which tries to meld serious decision making with lighthearted interaction. The Chapter celebrated this past week was especially important since it was the first Chapter of the new United States Province. The Chapter elects the Assistant Provincial and the members of the Provincial Council. Together with the Provincial, these elected men form the representative governing body of things Servite in the United States for the next three years. The Chapter also communicates to the governing body, goals and directions the membership wants pursued during this time. The governing body, in turn, asks the membership to support some critical decisions that must be made over these years. To not be there leaves a community vulnerable and without input to the decisions. The workdays consist of morning, afternoon and evening sessions, so it is not a boondoggle. One very critical decision has to do with the staffing of parishes. Our Rule expects Servites to live community life, but we have too many parishes and not enough personnel resources to live up to this expectation. It is the Provincial and his council who will have to make decisions, but our presence tells the decision-makers what our thoughts are on this issue. Our absence would give a very different message. Another issue was the integration of two Provinces that over the years had developed diverse cultures and interpretations of our Rule. So being together, sharing in good will and fraternity, and just honestly talking about differences is the best way for the integration to proceed smoothly. So Father Tim, Father John and myself were really working for you and the best interest of Seven Holy Founders Parish last week by obeying our Rule and talking about the viable Servite ministry that goes on here. It was a busy work-filled week but also most pleasant seeing family not forgotten but seldom visited.
Father Michael Doyle, OSM
