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.

What the Heck is a Synoptic Gospel?

As this liturgical year comes to a close, we are really finishing up more than just one set of readings.  We are concluding Cycle C, and on Sunday, we will begin a new year, with Cycle A readings.  You probably know that the Catholic Church rotates through three different cycles or sets of readings:  Cycle A, which contains Sunday Gospels mostly from Matthew; Cycle B, with Sunday Gospels mostly from Mark; and Cycle C, with Sunday Gospels mostly from Luke.   We do read from the Gospel of John as well, typically during the Easter season.

You might have noticed that many of the Sunday Gospels during Ordinary Time sound familiar from year to year.  They don’t change that much from Matthew to Mark to Luke.  That is because Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the synoptic Gospels.

Huh?  You might ask, what the heck is a synoptic Gospel?  (Pardon the very typical Utah phrase.)  When I was younger, I used to think synoptic meant that these three Gospels presented a synopsis of Jesus’ life, and it was just a coincidence that they were so similar.  But, as I got older and my English-major-like tendencies kicked into high gear, I took a closer look at the word.

Synoptic comes from two roots:  syn meaning “same,” and optic meaning “view.”  So, a story that is synoptic presents the same view as another story.  They corroborate each other.  The synoptic Gospels present more than just a synopsis of Jesus’ life.  They present roughly the same story, with some differences here and there, owing to the fact that they were written at different times by different authors for differing audiences.  For instance, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount takes place on a the plain instead.

It is tempting to zone out when we hear a familiar Gospel passage, especially if we have heard it a dozen or more times.  But, when you do hear a Gospel reading from Matthew, Mark, or Luke that seems very familiar, challenge yourself to find the ways in which it differs from the other two synoptic Gospels.  If you’re really ambitious, go look up the other two in your Bible at home.  (Concordances, or similar passages, are usually cited in the notes.)  Note the differences.  Ask yourself why there are differences.  Does it take away from the main theme of the passage?  This can help you delve deeper into scripture, something which Catholics of the pre-Vatican II generation were often discouraged from doing.

Even if you don’t make it a habit to do this every Sunday, try to commit to doing it during an “extraordinary” season of the liturgical year, such as Advent, or Lent.  It could be a valuable way to prepare yourself for the seasons of Christmas and Easter.

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.

Milestones

Today is my brother’s birthday.  We don’t tend to make a huge deal of birthdays in my family, but this is one of the big “milestone” birthdays.  His girlfriend threw him a party on Monday night, and we are celebrating tonight and next week.  It got me thinking about milestones in our spiritual lives.  We tend to celebrate at weddings, whether they be church weddings or more secular events.  But do we celebrate other “milestone” sacraments?

Of course, there are some sacraments that seem to make more sense to attach celebrations to:  the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, First Eucharist, and Confirmation) and Matrimony or Holy Orders.  These are definitive milestones in our lives.  We become members of God’s family.  We receive Jesus for the first time in the holy sacrifice of the Mass.  We are sealed with the Holy Spirit.  We join ourselves to another, or we make a commitment to serve God as a priest or religious brother or sister.  These are causes for joy. 

It may not make sense to celebrate a “first confession” or an anointing of the sick, since those are typically more solemn sacraments, but there could be an element of celebration to them.  When a person goes to confession for the first time, he or she is restored to right relationship with God.  Isn’t that worthy of celebration? 

The sacrament of anointing of the sick is meant to give consolation and strength to those who are ill.  In this case, a celebration might be going “too far”, but we could still give thanks that God is with us in our trials.  And certainly, in the case of Last Rites, when the dying person receives the sacraments for the last time, we could celebrate that they are now ready to go to God.  Perhaps we don’t think of it as celebrating when we gather for a funeral, but part of a Catholic funeral liturgy is giving thanks to God for the life of the person who has passed away and praying for his or her soul.

Have you celebrated milestone sacraments in your life or your children’s lives?  How?  How could you incorporate a sense of celebration to other times of receiving sacraments?

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.

Are You a Priest?

I consider myself blessed to have witnessed 19 adult baptisms and 120 Catholics being confirmed in April of 2015. And these awe inspiring and meaningful events made me nostalgic as I remembered the kind of priesthood we all share in Jesus Christ.

There is a certain passage on priesthood that says: “One is Priest, Some are Priest, and All are Priests”. At a first glance this passage makes no sense, but if you are going to analyze it, in the light of our faith as Catholics, this grammatically incorrect statement makes sense.

One is Priest. This means that there can only be one priest, a high priest according to the Letter to the Hebrews 7:2627:

“For it is indeed fitting for us to have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need to do every day what those priests do, to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people, since he did this in offering himself once for all.”

Jesus is the One Priest, the only priest who offers permanently a sacrifice pleasing to the Father, and that is Jesus offering himself to the Father for the salvation of us all.

Some are Priests. There are those among us through the grace of God who was ordained to the MINISTERIAL PRIESTHOOD. They were ordained not for themselves but for the sake of service and ministry for the people of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church number 1547 beautifully said:

“The ministerial priesthood is at the service of the common priesthood. It is directed at the unfolding of the baptismal grace of all Christians. The ministerial priesthood is a means by which Christ unceasingly builds up and leads his Church. For this reason it is transmitted by its own sacrament, the sacrament of Holy Orders.”

All are Priests. By virtue of our baptism when the priest anoints the child with chrism he receives the kingly, prophetic and priestly function of Jesus, thus making us sharers of Jesus’ COMMON PRIESTHOOD. That is why in when danger of death you can baptize; you can give communion if you are delegated by the priest.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church number 1547 also states:

“The common priesthood of the faithful is exercised by the unfolding of baptismal grace a life of faith, hope, and charity, a life according to the Spirit”

Having reminded that all of us share the priesthood of Jesus, we therefore should fulfill our priestly role as baptized Catholics. We should preach the Gospel not only by preaching through talking, but by preaching through a life of holiness. Let us be agents of peace, unity, forgiveness, love and mercy to the entire world, so that the Kingdom of God will truly be spread far and wide.

Comfort Zones

What do we mean by Comfort Zones? Judith Bardwick says it is a state within which a person operates in an anxiety neutral position. Brene Brown says, “It is where our uncertainty, scarcity and vulnerability are minimized, where we believe we’ll have access to enough love, food, talent, time, admiration. Where we feel we have some control.” And many other psychologists refers to it as a state within which a person feels at ease, familiar, and in control, and experiences low anxiety. A person in this state uses a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady level of performance, usually without a sense of risk.

A Comfort Zone is an area which we are used to. It is plans, thoughts, words, actions and things that we love to do because with them we are assured of our happiness and success. We are used to them because it gives us a certain level of comfort. And so outside this zone, we become uncertain, insecure and unsure because we don’t know whether we will be happy or unhappy, successful or failures.

I believe that all of us have Comfort Zones. We do things that make us happy, we go with people that we are sure of. We go to places that are safe and secure. We do things where we can predict the outcome. We frequent restaurants that assure us of good and satisfying food and service. We make this; we plan that because we are sure of the outcome. These are our Comfort Zones.

The Apostles Simon, Andrew, James and John also had their own Comfort Zones. They were all fishermen. They were good at fishing. That was as far as they could go and fishing was their only Comfort Zone. Then here comes Jesus and invites them, “Come, follow me.” Following Jesus is way outside the boundaries of their Comfort Zones. They don’t know Jesus, they don’t what kind of word that this man Jesus is offering them, they don’t know where are they going to live, they don’t know what will happen to their families, but just the same they go beyond their Comfort Zones and do a heroic act: they follow Jesus. They just have found a new secure and reassuring Comfort Zone in Jesus.

Let us challenge ourselves to go beyond and move out of our Comfort Zones and discover life and discover Jesus. Some of us have so many fears, we have set our parameters so tightly around us that we cannot move anymore. Let us break loose, grow and discover new beginnings, new opportunities and more and wider Comfort Zones in life with God

Enhance your Experience at Mass

Have you ever noticed that sometimes the readings at Sunday Mass seem to be particularly relevant to what you are going through in your life at the time?  I have been noticing a link between the message of the readings and what our RCIA candidates and catechumens are learning about in our Tuesday night sessions.  We examined the sacrament of Baptism in depth shortly after the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.  Shortly before we took a deeper look at the Mass in RCIA, we had readings which detailed the beginnings of Jewish worship practices.  This week we looked at the sacrament of Reconciliation, which is very appropriate with Lent, the penitential season of the Church, right around the corner.

Of course, sometimes it is more difficult to find a link between your current circumstances and the readings at Mass.  To reflect on how God is speaking to you in the readings each week, you could consider practicing what the Church calls Lectio Divina.  Lectio Divina has four steps: Read (lectio), Meditate (meditatio), Pray (oratio), and Contemplate (contemplatio).

Read:  Choose a scripture passage.  It can be a passage from the Liturgy of the Hours or a reading from the daily or upcoming Sunday Mass.  Read it slowly.  Perhaps, read it several times.

Meditate:  Ask yourself what God is trying to convey to you through this scripture passage.  Were there parts that challenged you?  Parts that comforted you?  If you practice Lectio Divina in a group, after a period of silent meditation, you may share some of your thoughts with the group in what is called a “shared echo”.

Pray:  Speak to the Lord in whatever way the scripture passage inspires you to.  You may offer praise and thanksgiving to God, or you may ask for pardon or for a specific petition.  Or, you may just have an informal conversation with God about what is happening in your life at the moment.

Contemplate:  Think about the major themes in the scripture passage you read.  How do they apply to your life at the moment?  Do you need to make a change in your life to better follow God’s path?  If so, how?

If this kind of prayer sounds appealing to you, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic.Bible publish a weekly Lectio Divina resource for the Gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday.  You can subscribe to receive it by e-mail.  Simply complete the form at the bottom on this page.

Advent Calendars and Christmas Count-Downs

Secular culture hears the phrase “Advent calendar,” and what comes to mind almost immediately are the cardboard boxes with the pictures of Santa Claus or a winter scene with the little doors.  Open a door, get a little piece of chocolate, rinse and repeat each day until Christmas.  These commercial “Advent” calendars usually start on December 1^st and go until December 25^th, with no regard for what the liturgical season of Advent actually is.

Typical commercial “Advent” calendar

Of course, there is nothing wrong with using one of these commercial calendars with your family, so long as there is also a focus on the liturgical season of Advent.  However, it is my personal opinion that such calendars should be thought of as Christmas count-downs rather than Advent calendars.

I am lucky to have and use an Advent calendar that my family made for me when I was young.  It consists of a wooden Christmas tree with ornaments to place on it each day of Advent.  There are enough ornaments for each day of Advent, regardless of whether it starts the last week of November, or the first week of December.  My brother’s is a similar concept – a felt Christmas tree with felt ornaments that one can attach to the tree with Velcro each day of Advent.  Both of our calendar ornaments contain religious symbols, as well as more secular symbols of winter.

An Advent Calendar similar to my own

An Advent Calendar similar to my brother’s

These calendars enhanced our experience of Advent growing up, when the commercial calendars were far less prevalent, because they opened the door for conversation about why we were celebrating during the run up to Christmas.  It gave our mother the chance to get us ready:  mind, body, and soul.

What kinds of Advent calendars do you use with your families?  How do they help you get ready for Christmas, and “Prepare the way of the Lord”?