Preparing for the Unpredictable

At the moment, it feels like we are in something of an indefinite holding pattern.  We don’t know what the next few months, let alone the next few weeks or days, will look like.  I am friends with a lot of teachers at various levels of the education system, and they are feeling the uncertainty particularly strongly as we enter the months of planning and preparation for the new school year.  What will our “public life” look like in the fall?  It is impossible to say.  And yet, teachers have to prepare for all eventualities.  Whether students are back in the classroom or still learning from home, teachers will be there to support them and their parents. 

I myself find myself working through several models of how I might present faith formation for those who would like to become Catholic.  We are very fortunate to have access to online options at the moment, but it can become a poor substitute for in-person interaction.  I find myself falling back on certain strategies I learned in my special education training classes in college.  Differentiated instruction, here we come!  Find multiple ways to convey the same information.  Simplify.  Break down.  Chunk.  All of my education buzzwords.  Don’t assume one way will work for everyone, just because it works the best for you.

Who knows?  Maybe we will stumble onto something that is better than what we had before.  And if not, that’s okay too.  We will adapt, and we will carry on, and we will do the best we can with the circumstances we face.  It doesn’t do us any good to despair over the fact that we don’t know what is coming.  Even when life seems to be predictable, it really isn’t.  Life is going to throw us curveballs, and our reaction to them is what matters in the end.

Do I Have to Believe That?

Do I have to believe that?

It’s a question we may have to contend with in our own lives and also one that comes up in RCIA sessions for those discerning whether they are ready to become Catholic.  During the first half of our sessions here at Saint Ambrose, we tackle the basic beliefs of the Catholic Church throughout a unit which the Symbolon program calls “Knowing the Faith.”  What’s nice about Symbolon is that it takes a catechism-based approach, and the first unit is centered on the Creed.

I heard a story once of a Catholic boy participating in Boy Scouts with his neighborhood troop, which was predominantly LDS.  During one scout meeting, he was asked to “bear his testimony.”  The boy thought about it, and then stood up and recited the Nicene Creed.  The Creed (Nicene or Apostle’s) is a condensed but nonetheless complete statement of our basic beliefs as Catholics.  If there are parts of the Creed one does not agree with or one has issues with, perhaps the Catholic faith is not for you.

This isn’t to say that religion itself is not for you.  Plenty of religious denominations share core beliefs with Catholicism but differ on some key points.  For instance, in 1054, the Eastern Orthodox Church split from the Roman Catholic Church over one word (in Latin) or phrase (in English) in the Creed regarding the Holy Spirit:  qui ex patre filioque procedit – who proceeds from the father and the son.  It may seem trivial to have such a big disagreement over one Latin word (or English phrase), but if it affects belief significantly enough, it may be justified.

After Christmas in RCIA, as we approach Easter, our focus shifts to Living the Faith.  How do we put into action the beliefs that we hold?  Throughout the RCIA process, it is important for those participating to engage in discernment – deciding what their beliefs are and if they match the beliefs of the Catholic Church.  It is important for them to do so, because this is a major life decision they are making.  We on the RCIA team emphasize to the participants that the Catholic Church has held beliefs for centuries, and we as Catholic faithful, hold these same beliefs today.  We do not change beliefs because it is trendy or culturally acceptable.  We may adapt to changing times, but we apply our beliefs to changing situations.  As the Serenity Prayer states:  Lord, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.

Give Us A Chance

A new group of RCIA inquirers has begun meeting here at Saint Ambrose on Tuesday nights.  We call the first “stage” of RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) the inquiry stage because at this point, those who are participating in the process are checking out the Catholic Church.  They are deciding if this is a good fit for them, if this is what is right for them at this stage of their faith journey.

At this point, the inquirers are giving us a chance.  Obviously, we want to put our best foot forward.  We want to show the best side of the Catholic Church and why it is a great “place” to call “home” (even though the Church with a capital C is much more than just the physical building).  This can be tricky, especially given the events and scandals of recent months and years.  But as one of our newly baptized Catholics who received the sacraments at the Easter Vigil in April said to us at about this time last year, the Church is more than the actions of some of its priests.

Our inquirers have taken the first step.  They are giving us a chance.  And whether the average parishioner in the pew realizes it or not, the entire parish is a participant in forming each new potential member of the Catholic Church.

Help us help them give us a chance, and put our best foot forward.

We are Sent

The beginning of summer usually brings with it graduations—from high school, from college, from middle school, and in some places, even from Kindergarten.  Sometimes, these ceremonies are referred to as commencements, which is a fitting description.  Often, speakers at graduations will note that it is not the end of something, but the beginning.

So, let’s think about the words “graduation” and “commencement.”  Graduation brings to mind some kind of a change, a stepping up, or a stepping out.  When a person graduates they move on from one part of their life or schooling, to another part.  While they leave one part, they begin something new.  Similarly, “commencement” is the noun form of the verb “to commence,” which is a synonym for “to begin.”  Participants in commencement ceremonies are beginning a new stage of their lives.

In my work with the RCIA program this year, I have tried to have the same sort of attitude.  I stressed to those in the program that the Easter Vigil was not the end (though it was the climax), it was the beginning.  We had our final get-together on Tuesday night, and this was the sign I made for our party.

As I was considering what the sign should say, I thought of the words the priest says at the dismissal at the end of Mass.  There are several options for him to choose from:  “Go forth, the Mass is ended,” “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life,” or simply, “Go in peace.”  Each of these is an exhortation to go, and to carry God with us to others as we do.  Thus, just as a graduation or a commencement is the beginning of a new stage of life, we can see the end of Mass as the beginning of the rest of our week, or if we attend daily Mass, the rest of our day.

What efforts can you make to keep the spirit of Mass with you after you leave Mass?

Life-Changing Moments

Life is full of moments.  This is made all the more obvious to us in today’s culture.  Social media gives us myriad opportunities to share even the most mundane occurrences in our lives using “Stories” on Facebook or Instagram, or through the use of dedicated video clip apps like Snapchat and Tik Tok.  With the proliferation of these services, sometimes it can seem like even small events in our lives become big moments.

It is important for us to take a step back and realize that some events really are bigger than others.  Some are truly life-changing.  Getting a first job (or a dream job), getting married, starting a family, etc. are all bigger, potentially life-changing events. 

Working with the catechumens and candidates in RCIA this year, I have been, and will continue to be, witness to several of these moments in their lives.  This past Sunday, we celebrated the Rite of Sending.  This means that we as the faith community of Saint Ambrose are sending the catechumens and candidates to Bishop Solis to become the Elect.  As the Elect, they will be received into the full communion of the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil.  The Rite of Election will be this Saturday at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

For the catechumens and candidates, this Saturday is one of the bigger moments in their lives.  It is something they will remember for the rest of their lives.  We in the RCIA team are here to support them during this time, but they need the support of the entire community of Saint Ambrose.  Please pray for them this Saturday as they enter the final stages of their process of Christian initiation.