Thoughts on Newtown, CT

The tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut is one that makes all of us pause in shock and disbelief. How could this happen? How could someone just randomly shoot others, particularly children? As I have been reading the updates on the internet, the words from Tuesday’s first reading from Isaiah are echoing in my head: “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” (Isaiah 40:1) Like those before us awaiting the birth of Jesus, we are in need of healing, peace and joy as we await the Lord’s return. The darkness seems to once again be the victor of the day, hope has taken a hit. Our reaction is the same as it would have been 2,000 years ago: disbelief, despair, anger, resigned to a belief that evil trumps goodness. Yet, even this tragic event can’t hide God. I’m reminded of a quote I heard someone say in the aftermath of the Columbine shootings: “Even in the midst of evil, the face of Christ shines through!” Where is Jesus? Doing what Isaiah said: giving comfort. He was the teachers and staff who tried to stop the tragedy as it unfolded. He was the police officers and rescue personnel running into the school. He was the parent, teacher, staff person, neighbor, sibling consoling a young child. He is posting messages of condolence on Facebook and Twitter. One of the effects of baptism is it makes us other Christs in our world. We are his hands, his eyes, his voice and his heart in the midst of this unspeakable tragedy. In order to be sure that we are authentic to this identity, we need to be sure we remain connected to Him. We can’t handle all of this on our own. We need the support and love of others. We need to spend time with Him to unload the burden we carry. We need to hear his words of comfort and hope, his message and promise of love. We need to let his light overtake the darkness in our hearts, that we may bring that light to overtake the darkness that exists in our world. May the Lord bless the families who are suffering this day. May the souls of the departed rest in peace. St. John of the Cross, pray for us!

Live Advent!

When I was in college I had a philosophy professor who would give us a quiz at the start of each class. The question s would range from topics from class reading to something he may have seen on his drive that morning. His purpose was twofold: 1. To take attendance, and 2. To begin the lecture and class discussion from the perspective of everyday life. At the end of the quiz everyone would pass their answers to the front of the row and he would collect them. One day I was sitting at the head of the row. When he came to collect the papers, I said “Merry Christmas!” It was the spring semester, so it was a bit of humor on my part to an ordinary classroom activity. He actually stopped, called the attention of the rest of the class and told them what I had said. He turned to me and said “Thank you very much.” He then said to all of us that Christmas isn’t just a once a year be nice to everyone season. It is a 365 day a year way of life. If you are serious about Christmas, live it. The same could be said about Advent. Yes, liturgically the Church marks Advent for four weeks out of the year. In reality, it is lived everyday by the Christian. Advent isn’t about getting ready for the birth of a newborn. It is about anticipating and preparing for Christ’s return. Advent reminds us that God is beyond ouir comprehension, as is His vision and His plan. When he offers us his love, he is not just thinking what we will need for this earthly life, he is thinking of our perfect union with Him that is only possible in the heavenly kingdom. Our lives on earth are spent preparing for that. Learning more about this God and uniting ourselves more and more to Him. The sentiments of hope, joy, peace and goodwill to all are characteristics of this preparation. We come to realize-and experience-that the darkness that exists in our world does not have power over God. Our lives are spent opening our minds and hearts to the light of Christ. The more we nurture our relationship with Christ, the less we fear, the more we love. Let us take advantage of this season of Advent, but let us seek to live Advent 365 days a year.

To be Thankful...

This week we will celebrate the the holiday of Thanksgiving here in the United States, an occasion that for many involves football, family and lots of food. Whenever human beings celebrate, it tends to involve at least two of those: family and food. Even our family of faith utilizes these, including our celebration of the Eucharist. Eucharist, a word that means thanksgiving. We are a Eucharistic people, that is, a people of thanksgiving. This means that everything that we are about, that we do is in thanksgiving to God. Have you read President Lincoln’s proclamation establishing Thanksgiving? Let’s reflect on that for a moment. The nation was in the midst of the Civil War, a war that killed 2% of the nation’s population. To put that into a current day perspective, do you know someone who is a student at a 4 year private college or university? That group makes up 2% of the current American population. A bit overwhelming, isn’t it? Yet, in the midst of this national tragedy, at a point when the outcome of the War was not known, Lincoln calls upon the country to set aside a day to give thanks to God: “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union… …I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens…” (Presidential Proclamation of Thanksgiving, October 3, 1863) In the midst of such a crisis, the President was able to list the things that the country should be thankful. The challenge of this civic holiday for us who are a people of thanksgiving is simple: do we take the time the thank God for all we have, for all God has gifted to us including his love and faith, even in our times of crisis?

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Coming Together

Have you ever heard of Al Smith? He was the nominee for President by the Democrats in the 1928 election. He was also the first Roman Catholic to be a nominee by a major party. John F. Kennedy was the first (and to date only) Roman Catholic to be elected President.

Al Smith lost in 1928, but his name lives on. There is a charitable foundation that bears his name that raises money for many Catholic charities. Since 1960 candidates for President from both parties have been invited to be keynote speakers at the annual event. The event is hosted by the Cardinal Archbishop of New York. The candidates are not allowed to give political speeches, it is meant to be lighthearted evening to raise money. There have been some very humorous moments over the years as the candidates have poked fun at themselves and their opponent. Both President Obama and Governor Romney noted that it is a great thing about America when the two candidates can come together for such an evening, to laugh at and with each other, to recognize that there is more to life than politics. Here are videos of Gov. Romney, Pres. Obama and Cardinal Dolan:

A Year of Faith!

Fifty years ago the Second Vatican Council began. The evening of that first day, thousands of young people gathered in St. Peter's Square in a candle light procession and were addressed by Pope John XXIII. This evening thousands gathered in a candlelight procession and were greeted by Pope Benedict XVI. His comments (taken from Rocco Palmo's Whispers in the Loggia blog) follow:

In these fifty years, we have learned and experienced that original sin exists, and that it translates itself into personal sins which can become structures of sin, having seen that even in the Lord's field there is discord, that even in the net of Peter there are bad fish, that human weakness is present even in the church, that the ship of the church is steering in the face of an opposing wind, amid differing threats. And sometimes we have thought that 'the Lord is sleeping and has forgotten us.' But we've also been made to experience the presence of the Lord, from his goodness the gift of his presence. The fire of Christ is never a devouring or a destructive one; it's a quiet fire, a small flame of goodness. The Lord doesn't forget us, his way is humble, the Lord is present, he gives warmth to our hearts, creates charisms of goodness and charity that illuminate the world, which are for us the guarantee of the goodness of God. Yes, Christ lives with us and, even today, we can be happy. And finally, I dare to make my own the unforgettable words of Pope John: 'When you go home, give your children a hug and kiss and tell them that it's a hug and kiss from the Pope.'

The Holy Father was a young theologian at that great Council and is using the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to challenge us to recommit ourselves to faith in the New Evangelization. Think of what the first apostles and disciples were able to accomplish in the first great evangelization. Now think what each of us has available to us in terms of communication. We should have an even greater success in sharing the Word and the message of God's love with the world. The early Christians were driven by their joy and knowledge in the Resurrection. That should be our source of enthusiasm and joy as well, the motivation to share this faith. However, we need to be convinced of the Resurrection ourselves. We aren't talking about a neat trick, or some guy named Jesus who had some cool ideas. We are talking about the fact that the Word became flesh, lived on the earth, suffered real pain, experienced real death and was risen from the dead! We who seek to live in relationship with him have the opportunity to share the fruits of that victory! The worst the world can do to us is not match for what God has in store for us! That is the source of our joy and enthusiasm. If you can't feel it: go to Mass. Pray. Read Scripture. Talk to others about it. Read the Catechism. Participate in one of the activities offered by Catholic Campus Ministry or your home parish. If you can feel it, are alive in faith: go to Mass. Pray. Read Scripture. Talk to others about it. Read the Catechism. Participate in one of the activities offered by Catholic Campus Ministry or your home parish. This faith is a 24/7 commitment. That's a big commitment, but no bigger than God's commitment to us!

The Hookup Culture

Sorry it's been a while folks.  September was much busier than I anticipated!  I sure hope that everything is going well.

A couple of weeks ago I was in a conversation with some students who were expressing concerns with the "hookup" mentality that they found on campus, particularly towards first year female students.  They found it demeaning and potentially traumatic to all those involved.  As frustrating they found the situation, they found it even more frustrating that there didn't seem to be anything they could do to change it.  Since that conversation I cam across a video by Fr. Robert Barron from Word on Fire addressing the very same issue.  Instead of trying to recreate a wheel, I'll just post it below and allow you to hear from him directly.