- Fr. Benjamin
On the surface American religion is divided into many denominations and faith traditions as well as unaffiliated believers. However, the more I learn, the more I see that these traditions don't have the distinction they once did. The "old neighborhoods" where everyone was Jewish or Polish Catholic have been diluted by new immigration or disbursed into the suburbs.
These cultural changes are minor compared to the shift in American religions themselves. American Jews became Reformed and made Hanukkah christmaslike. Today they learn more from the wisdom of television than from the Torah. Mainstream Protestants turned to a liberal reading of the Bible and made belief in the resurrection optional. Catholics started eating meat on Fridays, stopped praying the Rosary, traded Latin for the common tongue, and turned churches into auditorium-like "worship spaces" indistinguishable from Protestant temples.
It is not that Americans are less religious today. Our sense of God, however, is no longer formed by ancient rites or expressed in strange languages difficult to translate. Instead it is formed by glossy novels and sentimental e-mail forwards. Theological debate is replaced by conversations on my personal creed over a chai latte, where no opinion is wrong.
Many would say this is progress, since the updating of faith has cleaned out the ancient clutter and created a more open sense of belief, tailored to each person's experience and in better step with the modern culture. The old religions, based on traditions inherited from the distant past and experiences of God that spanned centuries, did not easily conform to the latest trends. As a result, their sense of God often challenged the culture in which they were found.
Since faith today is less influenced by past experience (which comes from ancient times and makes us different) and more influenced by personal experience, differences have given way to a certain common creed based on our common personal experience as modern Americans. I present, for you consideration, that common creed which a majority of Americans, regardless of religious, economic or social differences, appear to hold in common.
Creed of the American Believer
-I believe in myself. I believe that I am talented, gifted, and unique. I believe that I can do whatever I choose to do and be whatever I want to be.
-I believe God loves me just the way I am and is there for me when I need help. God supports me and my choices, and God wants me to make the most of my life and get the most out of life.
-I believe God does not judge but accepts everyone just the way they are and gives them permission to be themselves. I believe that God does not discriminate due to race, language, religion, gender, age, or sexual orientation. God wants us to help other people, to let them be themselves, and to make the world a better place.
-I believe that the church should reflect God's love, not judging or excluding but welcoming all and helping them in their search for God.
-I believe that those who die are in a better place, and they live on in our memories.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Fr. Joel's Homily for June 28
Ord13 - How to Raise the Dead (6:24)
Ordinary Time, 13th Sunday. Jesus heals an elderly woman because she has faith in him. He raises a young girl from the dead because of her parents' faith. We often meet people who act like they are dead -- weighted down, worn out, hopeless. We might think we can do nothing to help them, but we are wrong. As Christians we can show them love, compassion and encouragement. Jesus will work through us to raise the dead. (28 Jun 2009)
Readings | Subscribe | iTunes
This is my last homily at my current parish before I start at a new place. It was a sad moment not only for me, but also for the whole parish. While I make some allusions to the transition, I determined just to preach the homily that had come to mind instead of reflecting back on my time in the parish. I'm not sure where the hum came from; maybe it was the Holy Spirit.
Ordinary Time, 13th Sunday. Jesus heals an elderly woman because she has faith in him. He raises a young girl from the dead because of her parents' faith. We often meet people who act like they are dead -- weighted down, worn out, hopeless. We might think we can do nothing to help them, but we are wrong. As Christians we can show them love, compassion and encouragement. Jesus will work through us to raise the dead. (28 Jun 2009)
Readings | Subscribe | iTunes
This is my last homily at my current parish before I start at a new place. It was a sad moment not only for me, but also for the whole parish. While I make some allusions to the transition, I determined just to preach the homily that had come to mind instead of reflecting back on my time in the parish. I'm not sure where the hum came from; maybe it was the Holy Spirit.
Fr Benjamin's Homily for June 28
The sick and the dead need Jesus
Jesus came to heal us from everything that oppresses us; sickness, addictions, sin and death. While he wants us to be healed, very often God uses our sicknesses to open us up for our need for God. In the Gospel the man believed Jesus could heal the sick, he did not believe that Jesus could raise the dead. But we realize that it is easier for Jesus to raise the dead, than for us to wake up someone who is sleeping. Instead of ending death, Jesus transforms it into the gateway to everlasting life. Jesus took our death on himself for love of us, and now he invites us to face death and pass through it for love of him. As Christians we still stuffer, we are still hungry, thirsty, and tired, still sick, we still have to die. Jesus leaves the walls of our life, but transforms it from the inside by filling it with the love of God.
Podcast | Subscribe
Jesus came to heal us from everything that oppresses us; sickness, addictions, sin and death. While he wants us to be healed, very often God uses our sicknesses to open us up for our need for God. In the Gospel the man believed Jesus could heal the sick, he did not believe that Jesus could raise the dead. But we realize that it is easier for Jesus to raise the dead, than for us to wake up someone who is sleeping. Instead of ending death, Jesus transforms it into the gateway to everlasting life. Jesus took our death on himself for love of us, and now he invites us to face death and pass through it for love of him. As Christians we still stuffer, we are still hungry, thirsty, and tired, still sick, we still have to die. Jesus leaves the walls of our life, but transforms it from the inside by filling it with the love of God.
Podcast | Subscribe
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
New Mysteries of the Rosary
I am in the habit of praying a Rosary every morning and none of the traditional three sets of mysteries or the newly minted Luminous mysteries really reflected the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist, so I invented a new set of mysteries.Mysteries of St. John the Baptist
The first mystery: the Visitation of Jesus to John the Baptist
The second mystery: the Nativity of John the Baptist
The third mystery: John points out the Lamb of God
The forth mystery: the Baptism of Jesus by John
The fifth mystery: the Beheading of John the Baptist
Actually, these mysteries are contained in today's preface which says,
"Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We praise your greatness as we honor the prophet
who prepared the way before your Son.
You set John the Baptist apart from other men,
marking him out with special favor.
His birth brought great rejoicing:
even in the womb he leapt for joy,
so near was man's salvation.
You chose John the Baptist from all the prophets
to show the world its redeemer, the lamb of sacrifice.
He baptized Christ the given of baptism,
in waters made holy by the one who was baptized.
You found John worthy of a martyr's death,
his last and greatest act of witness to your son."
In case you are wondering what else these mysteries are good for, I plan to pray them for August 29th, the memorial of the Beheading of John the Baptist. - Fr. Benjamin
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Fr Benjamin's Homily for June 21
I had a really good homily tonight. It was 18% preparation, 23% genuine talent, 12% unquoted plagiarism and 51% pure Holy Spirit. Unfortunately the recording did not work. So here is a print version.
In the Gospels during Ordinary Time we are able to travel with Jesus and experience what his disciples experienced. We realize that traveling with Jesus must have been quite a trip, since what should have been ordinary was transformed into extraordinary by his presence. In the Gospel today, the disciples and Jesus have gotten into a boat to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It was a long way to walk around, so the boat made for an easier crossing.
As I was thinking about this story I tried to think of my own boating experiences, and my biggest memories of boats are going on canoe trips with my dad. Sure, we tipped the canoe a few times, but I don't remember ever being afraid. We had our life jackets, and Dad was in the boat. My father never seemed to be afraid, so we figured whatever happened he would take care of us, and we confidently paddled down the rivers.
My experience of canoeing might actually be more experience in a boat than Jesus had growing up. He was from the hill country of Nazareth, and probably did not have a boat. Yet, when the storm came up, he was the one sleeping peacefully on the cushion. The disciples, some of whom were experienced fishermen, were the ones who were terrified. They woke Jesus up. They did not even have the faith to ask him for anything, the blurted out more of a scream than a prayer, "Don't you care that we are perishing?"
How many times do we make that prayer? "God, I'm dying here." That's not even a prayer, but it is almost a prayer, and Jesus answers it. He says "Quiet, be still!" Immediately the wind and the waves are still. Perfect calm. The disciples have seen a lot on this lake, but they have never seen this. "Who is this," they ask, "who even the wind and the waves obey?" Jesus himself is amazed, not at the calm, but at their lack of faith.
First of all, he told them "Let's cross to the other side." He didn't say, "Let's go out in the middle of the lake and drown." No matter how the waves pound, he is the one who put them into the boat, and they should trust him. Why isn't Jesus afraid? Because from his perspective, this is just like one of my canoe trips. Jesus reveals to us the face of God. He reveals that God is not primarily a general, a governor, a lord, a master, or a king. The face of God that is most true is the face of a father. Jesus isn't afraid because his Father is with him, and he knows that nothing will happen to him because of his Father's protection.
The revelation of Jesus not only changes our sense of God, it changes our sense of fatherhood. If God is Father, the true Father, then every father on earth should be a father in the way that God is Father. True fatherhood imitates the leadership of God. Some people complain that the Catholic Church is patriarchal, and what they mean by that is it is ruled by men. The priests are all men. They report to bishops, who are all men. The visible head of the church is the Pope in Rome, another man. Where are the women? We forget, however, that patriarch does not mean general, or governor, lord, master or king. Pater is Latin for father. The priest should be a father to his people. The bishop should be a father to his diocese. Pope is a very poor english version of the Italian, which is Papa. Il Papa means just what it sounds like, it means Dad. The Pope is the Holy Father of the Church here on earth. If the Popes, Bishops and priests live their ministry in the way God meant us to, we become living images of the Fatherhood of God.
Women have their own unique calling, and it is incredibly beatiful, but since today is Father's Day, I want to focus on fatherhood. Not only are priests and bishops called to reflect the Fatherhood of God, but every father is called to live his fatherhood as God is Father, and to become an image of God the Father. This is an incredible calling, which we so easily fall short of. We don't fall short because this is difficult, but we fall short becuase it is impossible! No one is like God but God himself. The mistake that we make is trying to be fathers on our own. We try to do the best we can, even though we are really out of our depth.
I think every father has a moment when he looks at his new baby and thinks, "I'm way out of my league, I don't know what I'm doing." Trust me, priests have that moment too, the moment of, "Oh my goodness what have I gotten myself into?" We are doing things that are beyond our capacity, but we soldier on as best we can with the little we know. Like the disciples we wind up out at sea, tossed by the waves, taking on water, panicking, starting to perish.
But remember that Fatherhood was God's idea. Where do children come from, if not from God? He was the one who said, "Let us cross to the other side." The secret of successful fatherhood is to stay close to the only one know knows what He is doing in being a Father. We cannot calm all the storms, but as long as God is with us we don't have anything to fear. He can calm the storm with just two words. Even if he doesn't calm the storm, he will help us get across safely.
I thank God for my own father, who is a great example of fatherhood for me. His love taught me to trust in the love of God, and that is the greatest gift I have ever received. A happy Father's Day to you Dad and to all men who have become fathers.
In the Gospels during Ordinary Time we are able to travel with Jesus and experience what his disciples experienced. We realize that traveling with Jesus must have been quite a trip, since what should have been ordinary was transformed into extraordinary by his presence. In the Gospel today, the disciples and Jesus have gotten into a boat to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It was a long way to walk around, so the boat made for an easier crossing.
As I was thinking about this story I tried to think of my own boating experiences, and my biggest memories of boats are going on canoe trips with my dad. Sure, we tipped the canoe a few times, but I don't remember ever being afraid. We had our life jackets, and Dad was in the boat. My father never seemed to be afraid, so we figured whatever happened he would take care of us, and we confidently paddled down the rivers.
My experience of canoeing might actually be more experience in a boat than Jesus had growing up. He was from the hill country of Nazareth, and probably did not have a boat. Yet, when the storm came up, he was the one sleeping peacefully on the cushion. The disciples, some of whom were experienced fishermen, were the ones who were terrified. They woke Jesus up. They did not even have the faith to ask him for anything, the blurted out more of a scream than a prayer, "Don't you care that we are perishing?"
How many times do we make that prayer? "God, I'm dying here." That's not even a prayer, but it is almost a prayer, and Jesus answers it. He says "Quiet, be still!" Immediately the wind and the waves are still. Perfect calm. The disciples have seen a lot on this lake, but they have never seen this. "Who is this," they ask, "who even the wind and the waves obey?" Jesus himself is amazed, not at the calm, but at their lack of faith.
First of all, he told them "Let's cross to the other side." He didn't say, "Let's go out in the middle of the lake and drown." No matter how the waves pound, he is the one who put them into the boat, and they should trust him. Why isn't Jesus afraid? Because from his perspective, this is just like one of my canoe trips. Jesus reveals to us the face of God. He reveals that God is not primarily a general, a governor, a lord, a master, or a king. The face of God that is most true is the face of a father. Jesus isn't afraid because his Father is with him, and he knows that nothing will happen to him because of his Father's protection.
The revelation of Jesus not only changes our sense of God, it changes our sense of fatherhood. If God is Father, the true Father, then every father on earth should be a father in the way that God is Father. True fatherhood imitates the leadership of God. Some people complain that the Catholic Church is patriarchal, and what they mean by that is it is ruled by men. The priests are all men. They report to bishops, who are all men. The visible head of the church is the Pope in Rome, another man. Where are the women? We forget, however, that patriarch does not mean general, or governor, lord, master or king. Pater is Latin for father. The priest should be a father to his people. The bishop should be a father to his diocese. Pope is a very poor english version of the Italian, which is Papa. Il Papa means just what it sounds like, it means Dad. The Pope is the Holy Father of the Church here on earth. If the Popes, Bishops and priests live their ministry in the way God meant us to, we become living images of the Fatherhood of God.
Women have their own unique calling, and it is incredibly beatiful, but since today is Father's Day, I want to focus on fatherhood. Not only are priests and bishops called to reflect the Fatherhood of God, but every father is called to live his fatherhood as God is Father, and to become an image of God the Father. This is an incredible calling, which we so easily fall short of. We don't fall short because this is difficult, but we fall short becuase it is impossible! No one is like God but God himself. The mistake that we make is trying to be fathers on our own. We try to do the best we can, even though we are really out of our depth.
I think every father has a moment when he looks at his new baby and thinks, "I'm way out of my league, I don't know what I'm doing." Trust me, priests have that moment too, the moment of, "Oh my goodness what have I gotten myself into?" We are doing things that are beyond our capacity, but we soldier on as best we can with the little we know. Like the disciples we wind up out at sea, tossed by the waves, taking on water, panicking, starting to perish.
But remember that Fatherhood was God's idea. Where do children come from, if not from God? He was the one who said, "Let us cross to the other side." The secret of successful fatherhood is to stay close to the only one know knows what He is doing in being a Father. We cannot calm all the storms, but as long as God is with us we don't have anything to fear. He can calm the storm with just two words. Even if he doesn't calm the storm, he will help us get across safely.
I thank God for my own father, who is a great example of fatherhood for me. His love taught me to trust in the love of God, and that is the greatest gift I have ever received. A happy Father's Day to you Dad and to all men who have become fathers.
Fr. Joel's Homily for June 21
Ord12 - Fathers Day (9:20)
Ordinary Time, 12th Sunday. God has put order to the universe, creating a reliable, dependable environment for his children to play in. Fathers are called to do the same. It is like building a cathedral -- the family is a lasting witness filled with mystery where God is worshiped. Many families have had the experience of setting out with good intentions but finding themselves trapped by a storm in the middle of a lake. Only God's help can gives us what we need to build good families in God's image. (21 Jun 2009)
Readings | Subscribe
Ordinary Time, 12th Sunday. God has put order to the universe, creating a reliable, dependable environment for his children to play in. Fathers are called to do the same. It is like building a cathedral -- the family is a lasting witness filled with mystery where God is worshiped. Many families have had the experience of setting out with good intentions but finding themselves trapped by a storm in the middle of a lake. Only God's help can gives us what we need to build good families in God's image. (21 Jun 2009)
Readings | Subscribe
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus
“A good shepherd, a pastor after God’s heart, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy”.
Pope Benedict quotes these words in his beautiful letter annoucing this year as the year of priests. He was quoting St. John Marie Vianney, the holy pastor of a tiny village of 230 people in France. I had the privilege of being able to visit Ars last year, and the testimony of his dedication to Christ and to the people is still there. To modern ears it sounds strange for a pastor to be saying what a gift from God a good pastor is. St. John Vianney, however, speaks not only out of his experience as a pastor but from his earlier experience as a parishioner, grateful for the priests who had nourished his faith and his vocation. The priest is important, very important, not because he matters personally but because he is an ambassador for Christ, and Christ is very important.
The importance of the priest does make the laity less important. On the contrary, the priest is important because he serves the people, and their holiness is God's chief concern. As Pope Benedict says, "Priests and laity together make up the one priestly people and in virtue of their ministry priests live in the midst of the lay faithful, "that they may lead everyone to the unity of charity, 'loving one another with mutual affection; and outdoing one another in sharing honour.'" (Rom 12:10)
The focus of Pope Benedict's letter is again and again on the holiness of priests, and he holds St. John Vianney up as an example. The primary reason that he declared this to be the year of the priest was, in his own words, "To deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a more forceful and incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world."
Someone asked me what the church needed today, and I responded "It needs holy people." Pope Benedict turns that comment back to me, "It needs holy priests." These two aren't in competition, they go hand in hand. The priests need to be holy, so they can guide the people toward holiness. The laity need to be holy for their own sake and especially as a witness to the world.
It is significant that Pope Benedict chose the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as the day to begin the year of the priest. As St. John Vianney was fond of saying, "Priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus." I think that holiness is nothing less than living completely in that love, doing everything because of that love. I am slowly realizing how strong the love of Jesus can be and how much it demands. Not only that I answer the phone with the love of Jesus, but that my breakfast in the morning, my driving, my shopping, need to reflect the love of Jesus. I know my own heart is too small to love completely as Jesus does, and I have a feeling that the challenges of priesthood are hollowing me out, to make room for his heart in my chest.
Pope Benedict quotes these words in his beautiful letter annoucing this year as the year of priests. He was quoting St. John Marie Vianney, the holy pastor of a tiny village of 230 people in France. I had the privilege of being able to visit Ars last year, and the testimony of his dedication to Christ and to the people is still there. To modern ears it sounds strange for a pastor to be saying what a gift from God a good pastor is. St. John Vianney, however, speaks not only out of his experience as a pastor but from his earlier experience as a parishioner, grateful for the priests who had nourished his faith and his vocation. The priest is important, very important, not because he matters personally but because he is an ambassador for Christ, and Christ is very important.
The importance of the priest does make the laity less important. On the contrary, the priest is important because he serves the people, and their holiness is God's chief concern. As Pope Benedict says, "Priests and laity together make up the one priestly people and in virtue of their ministry priests live in the midst of the lay faithful, "that they may lead everyone to the unity of charity, 'loving one another with mutual affection; and outdoing one another in sharing honour.'" (Rom 12:10)
The focus of Pope Benedict's letter is again and again on the holiness of priests, and he holds St. John Vianney up as an example. The primary reason that he declared this to be the year of the priest was, in his own words, "To deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a more forceful and incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world."
Someone asked me what the church needed today, and I responded "It needs holy people." Pope Benedict turns that comment back to me, "It needs holy priests." These two aren't in competition, they go hand in hand. The priests need to be holy, so they can guide the people toward holiness. The laity need to be holy for their own sake and especially as a witness to the world.
It is significant that Pope Benedict chose the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as the day to begin the year of the priest. As St. John Vianney was fond of saying, "Priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus." I think that holiness is nothing less than living completely in that love, doing everything because of that love. I am slowly realizing how strong the love of Jesus can be and how much it demands. Not only that I answer the phone with the love of Jesus, but that my breakfast in the morning, my driving, my shopping, need to reflect the love of Jesus. I know my own heart is too small to love completely as Jesus does, and I have a feeling that the challenges of priesthood are hollowing me out, to make room for his heart in my chest.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Fr Benjamin's Homily for June 14
Blood relatives with God
The sprinkling of blood sealed a covenant between God and Israel, making them blood relatives with Almighty God. Every year they offered blood, as a reminder to themselves (and to God) of their sinfulness for which they needed to repent. In the new covenant, Jesus offers his own blood, pure and without sin, we finally have a perfect offering to give to God. We who receive this divine Body and Blood are marked with the blood, just as the people of Israel. This, however, is the blood which takes away the stain of sin.
Podcast | Subscribe
The sprinkling of blood sealed a covenant between God and Israel, making them blood relatives with Almighty God. Every year they offered blood, as a reminder to themselves (and to God) of their sinfulness for which they needed to repent. In the new covenant, Jesus offers his own blood, pure and without sin, we finally have a perfect offering to give to God. We who receive this divine Body and Blood are marked with the blood, just as the people of Israel. This, however, is the blood which takes away the stain of sin.
Podcast | Subscribe
Fr. Joel's Homily for June 14
Corpus Christ - Communion through Sacrifice (7:22)
Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus loved to sit down to a good meal. Eating with him, sinners become friends, friends become disciples, and disciples become saints. But we cannot forget that in a world gone wrong, there is no Communion without Sacrifice. Christ sacrificed so that we could have communion with him. We too must sacrifice to make this communion a reality for us. (14 Jun 2009)
Readings | Subscribe
Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. Jesus loved to sit down to a good meal. Eating with him, sinners become friends, friends become disciples, and disciples become saints. But we cannot forget that in a world gone wrong, there is no Communion without Sacrifice. Christ sacrificed so that we could have communion with him. We too must sacrifice to make this communion a reality for us. (14 Jun 2009)
Readings | Subscribe
Here is an excerpt from Pope Benedict's Homily at St. John Lateran today:
"Becoming the Eucharist: let this be our constant desire and commitment! So that the offer of the Body and Blood of the Lord we make upon the altar may be accompanied by the sacrifice of our own lives. Every day we draw from the Body and Blood of the Lord the free and pure love that makes us worthy ministers of Christ and witnesses to His joy. What the faithful expect from a priest is the example of authentic devotion to the Eucharist. They like to see him spend long periods of silence and adoration before Jesus, as did the saintly 'Cure of Ars' whom we will especially recall during the imminent Year for Priests".
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Bake Sale Leftovers
Posting on the internet takes on a certain life of its own. Once you drop something in the great ocean of the world wide web, you never know what beach it might wash up on. This is especially a problem because I write from a certain point of view as an American Catholic and that does not connect with everyone.Certainly this was true of my posting on the youth bake sale. As some of the comments attest, this post connected well with people in youth ministry and those familiar with an American parish. Like several of my posts, however, this post was on a journey. It started with an experience (frustration and feeling crowded by the activity) moved to a realization (the activity is good and mutually reinforcing) then added a second experience (the confused first communicants) which pushed the realization into a challenge (with all our activity have we missed passing on the faith?) Not everyone follows the train of thought from A - B - C - D, and many are left with the sense that I am frustrated at the situation and critical of the people I work with.
There is reason for serious thought after a weekend like this. I saw a parish thriving with activity, practically unable to fit more, yet simultaneously struggling to connect with our children on a faith level. One comment confirmed my fears, saying, "Of all of my classmates, I can count on one hand the number of people I know who still go to church regularly." This is cause for serious soul searching. What are we missing in all the activity?
If this were just a Sunday morning at my parish, however, there would be no reason to publish it. Why vent my personal experience to the whole world? I wrote this because there are a lot of Catholic parishes just like mine, that are lively and thriving with activity, but that struggle to connect on the faith level. This was not a criticism of my parish, but a critical reflection on parish life. Our deacon, our hard-working catechist, our enthusiastic but easily frustrated youth minister (which is me), our Knights of Columbus, our volunteers running the parish raffle can all be found in other churches. Likewise, our well-dressed but confused first communion children can be in many places. I am not so naive as to believe we are the only parish whose first communion children are confused at Sunday Mass.
As I said in one posting, GM & Jesus, "The Catholic church in a similar way is facing an American 'market' in which customers are far less loyal than previous generations...As a Church, we cannot make the GM mistake of offering a faith which is 'good enough.' We need to be better than good." My ultimate point was, with all of our activity which appears successful, is the Catholic Church in the United Sates failing to achieve the one point that matters, passing on the faith?
Some took this as an aggressive attack on both the deacon and our catechist. I felt the deacon was exonerated by my subsequent statement, "I suppose it is my own short-sighted jealousy that sees the parish activity at cross purposes. Instead we are reinforcing one another, and I should be grateful for all the activity our deacon oversees." For the catechist, I said with deliberate sarcasm, "First communion preparation is the responsibility of one of our staff members who invests a great amount of personal energy. This allows priests and parishioners to focus instead on youth bake sales and parish raffles."
Passing on the faith is the responsibility of every parent, grandparent, older brother, catechist, staff member and priest at the parish. We hand most of the responsibility for First Communion preparation to a single person, then occupy ourselves with other things that arguably are less important. When a few teaching sessions does not make an impact on the children, the catechist seems to bear the blame. We as priests and people of faith need to get some collapsible chairs (metaphorically speaking) and spend quality time with our children teaching them to pray and receive the sacraments. Otherwise they might leave home without the protection of faith in a world that can be harsh and cold.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Subscribe to Fr. Ben's Podcast
Subscribe to Fr. Joel's Podcast
Subscribe using iTunes