secular Institute for the laity under religious vows

Daily Reflection
February 2nd, 2006
by
Dick Hauser, S.J.
Rector and Theology
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Malachi 3:1-4
Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40


Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer


I've always liked this feast of the Presentation of Lord. For me it dramatizes how fully the Holy Family entered into the religious practices of ordinary Jews of their time. Like all Jewish families, Mary and Joseph brought their son to the temple to be offered to the Lord. In their family observance of the prescribed religious practices of their religion, the Holy Family becomes a model for families today for practicing faith. Our age needs this reminder.

And today's epistle reminds us of a truth about Jesus we sometimes forget: in his human nature Jesus is like us! The epistle explains that since Jesus is our high priest interceding for us to God he "had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way." So like us, Jesus suffered and was tested and "because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested."

Too often we assume that since Jesus was "fully divine" -- and not only "fully human" -- he must have been spared from sharing fully in the human condition. We assume falsely that his divine nature kept him from experiencing our suffering. But not so.

In recent years the Church has been reiterating the truth of Jesus' full humanity as taught by the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451. Consider this startling statement in "The Church Today" from the Second Vatican Council: "For by his incarnation the son of God has united himself in some fashion with every man. He worked with human hands, He thought with a human mind, acted by human choice, and loved with a human heart. Born of the Virgin Mary, He has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin."

We Christians have the immense consolation of knowing that when we bring our trials and tribulations to Jesus he fully understands: "He has truly been made one of us, like us in all things except sin."


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No, I'll be taking my son Clive (not his real name) to The White Mountain
Adaptive Ski School at Loon. They have a great program for physically
and mentally challenged folks.

miss you!

Aqui.

Good Neo!

Hi Everyone! I have news for you! I have been approved by the minpin rescue in Louisville, Kentucky for the minpin I desire to buy! Check him out! Look up at www.minpinrescue.org. When you get there look for dogs available, then hit on it! When you hit on it you will see all sorts of states. Hit oh "KY" for Kentucky! Then look for "MILO" that is his name right now! When I finish the pictures of my yard and paperwork and send in the check and drive down and get him, his name will be "RJ, junior" after my other one! Tell me if you like how he looks! Right now is when to get his ears cropped, but I will leave them floppy. I don't want to hurt him by cutting his ears to making him look just like a doberman pinscher which is what they look like!

Thanks for listening!

n

February 3rd, 2006
by
Marcia Cusic
School of Medicine

Sirach 47:2-11
Psalm 18:31, 47 and 50, 51
Mark 6:14-29


Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer

Haven't we all been chosen? The challenge and the zest in life is trying to figure out what we have been chosen for and then to fulfill and meet that (those) challenges. David, as a youth, follows the word of God and trusts that God is with him in his challenge with Goliath. "Crushed the pride and wiped out the people's disgrace- now that's a person who goes forth, without fear, under the guidance and trust in God." What a wonderful experience for an individual, and for all of us, to know and experience success by placing our trust in God's hands and then going forward to meet life "dead-on", feeling confident that we, using our gifts, can meet life's challenges. Going forward in life, not feeling proud or over compensating out of fear but strong and confident as we continue to stay in contact with our true selves and staying in contact with God.

"When he assumed the royal crown, he battled and subdued the enemy on every side." What a role model David can be for us in keeping us mindful of how powerful our lives can be and how we too can conquer by enemies of greed, envy, fear, over indulgence and other personal enemies. "With his every deed he offered thanks to God Most High, in words of praise." I absolutely love this reading, which tells me: "You go girl", because I am with you, just don't forget about staying centered and to say thank you.

"The Lord forgave him his sins and exalted his strength forever; He conferred on him the rights of royalty…" The reading reminds me to trust, to use my abilities to make the world a better place for all those that I can touch even with my humanness. I often feel in fact, that my personal humanness is what has allowed me to connect, to be compassionate and respectful. In some ways, my personal humanness and my personal experience of sin and forgiveness seems to have allowed me to understand, to listen and to be empathetic with others. Because I have been nurtured and forgiven by God and people in my life I look for opportunities to help people cope, accept, understand, change and in the end to see all of our life experiences as blessings and gifts. We are all "royalty" in some way, in the sense that we all have power to influence and affect others.

"Blessed be God my salvation" - an Amen to that! The Psalm speaks of a faith and trust in God that is alive and is solid as a rock. As I live life and encounter uncertainty and anxiety I have trust that the Lord's shield will protect and guide me, leading me to feel peace and serenity in my daily life.

In the Gospel, Herod and Herodias are perfect examples of people who act out of fear. Rather than listening and contemplating what John is saying they react in the moment and behead a holy and insightful man. We too, can get caught up in the moment or in the social pressure, in our personal pride, in our… and make the wrong decision. This Gospel account, from Mark, hopefully makes us stop and think about evil and how very important it is to stay connected with the word of the Lord and to attempt, every day, to live life accordingly. We need to be mindful of our need to love others along with discerning who we are, with our unique gifts and talents that, when brought forth, will allow all of us to live life rejoicing with our fellow men and women knowing that God will accompany us on this journey of life.

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from www.americancatholic.org

Q: I have recently returned to the Catholic Church after a long time away. I never lost God, only the rites and practices of the Church into which I was baptized and then confirmed. I am now attending Mass as often as I can. I am enjoying a new relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

My problem is this: When I left the Church during the early 60's, many of the practices and even prayers were not the same as they are now. I am feeling very inadequate and would be embarrassed to admit to my parish priest that I need instruction. I want desperately to become an active and contributing member of my parish and I am afraid that I will be thought of as a novice, or worse, a fraud. What suggestions do you have for me?

A: Welcome home. We're glad to see you back.

For information on many different topics, see our list of Catholic Updates in print. You can also see a catalog of all our publications.

You could learn much by going through the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process in your own or a nearby parish. You may find that you're not the only returning Catholic who feels lost. Four books that may be helpful to you come to mind. Faith Rediscovered: Coming Home to Catholicism, by Lawrence S. Cunningham (Paulist Press), has an appendix listing basic readings. Another is While You Were Gone: A Handbook for Returning Catholics, by William J. Bausch (Twenty-Third Publications). Another book from Paulist Press, by John J. Kenny, is Now That You Are a Catholic: An Informal Guide to Catholic Customs, Traditions and Practices. Finally, I recommend Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk's new book, Practicing Catholic (St. Anthony Messenger Press).

I truly believe that anyone who passes admissions requiremens requirements to get into the seminary today and remains celibate should be ordained. If they say that they are gay and remain celibate then celibacy is the requirement, isn't it?

I know that anyone entering today must go through a rigorous and extensive evaluation process. It is not just an intervies and that is that!

I know for me it was very extensive and over many, many months and background checks before I got accepted to the first step!

It is such a controvercial topic here in Boston! What is it like where you live?

n

from

www.vaticannews.com



Pope accepts resignation of liberal U-S bishop

VATICAN CITY Pope Benedict has accepted the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit, who recently revealed that he was abused by a priest 60 years ago.
Gumbleton, a liberal voice in the U-S church, is supporting an Ohio bill that would remove time limits that have prevented past victims from suing the church over their alleged abuse.

Gumbleton also has written that gay men should be ordained, and in 2003 he urged U-S troops to disobey orders to go to war in Iraq.

The Vatican says the pope accepted the resignation for reasons of age. Gumbleton turned 76 last week, a year past the normal retirement age for bishops.

nancyann, there's a dual requirement there - not just celibacy but also chastity - in mind and body. I think The Church position re gay seminarians is, in a wierd sorta way, at least in one component, a pastoral, protective approach; She wishes to not place those who likely would be so inclined into a situation which would engender the occasion of sin - sorta save the gays from themselves.

Thanks for the clarification Timber! I know 2 priest who say that they are gay and celibate!

But I appreciate your clarification!

n

Today's reading speaks about taking time to pray! I remember when I was just begining to learn how to pray I found it hard to sit and pray at church! I found it boring! I thought only old ladies about to die who had nothing else in their lives left to do came to mass daily and stayed after for a bit to say the rosary to fill their mornings, just to fill their day. All this I thought until I made it a monotony of love each day, going to mass and making a visit for an hour of adoring. Talking to Jesus each day about the day in my own words, sometime in tears and sometimes in joy, sometimes in jounal writing, but always in my own words, the minutes that seemed so lomg at the beginning semed so short after a while. I feel in love with my best friend!

I invite you too to speak to your best friend and get to know Hin better as He knows you so well.

Nancyann

February 4th, 2006
by
John O'Keefe
Theology
1 Kings 3:4-13
Psalm 119:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Mark 6:30-34
Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer



The word of the day is listening. Solomon went to Gibeon; the Apostles, with Jesus, went away to "a deserted place to rest and to pray". The goal of the journeying was reflection. Solomon wished to know how he could rule with wisdom, although he was young. The Apostles were seeking an opportunity to reflect upon what had happened recently in their ministry. I find this parallel instructive. Time and distance are often needed if we are going to be effective servants. God wants to have an opportunity to be present to us - "come away for a while" is a standing invitation.

Things don't always work out. Jesus and the Apostles ran into complexity. Rather than finding an opportunity to rest, they are confronted with a needy crowd, and they rightly respond. The requirements of the Christian life often interrupt our need for rest and renewal.

Yet, I think, when the needs quiet and the when the crowd grows silent, the invitation to go away and take some time remains. Without this we will eventually lose our way. We may even forget why we are doing what we are doing. Without time for prayer and renewal we will not be able to live into the depths of today's psalm prayer, "Lord, teach me your statutes."

No one is too busy. Take the time.


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All people can change

FRED W. HALLBERG

WATERLOO --- Diana West (Jan. 26 Courier) wants journalists to pay more attention to Pope Benedict XVI's opinion that Islam is incapable of reform. She endorses Benedict's opinion and suggests we deal with Islam with a policy of social and cultural apartheid. But surely Muslims are as capable of change as you and me. We can change because we are human, and despite West's malice toward Muslims, they too are as human as you or me.

It is true Muslims treat the Koran as inerrant. But no one seriously believes you can get from the Koran to Shari'a (Islamic law) without lots of free-wheeling interpretation. It is true a consensus took root late in the 10th Century that "the doors of interpretation should be closed," and the "ijihad" which created Shari'a" was replaced by "taqlid," or conformity to pre-existing Islamic law. There is no basis in the Koran for this "closing of the doors of interpretation," so there is no fundamental Islamic reason why they should not be opened again.
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I once believed (in the 1950s) that Roman Catholic dogma was fixed and inalterable. Then Vatican II occurred and overturned many of the key tenets of the 15th Century Council of Trent. I now believe all people of good will are capable of adaptation and change, whether they are Muslims, Christians or Jews.

February 5th, 2006
by
Larry Gillick, S.J.
Deglman Center for Ignatian Spirituality
Click here for a photo of and information on this writer.
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Mark 1:29-39
Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer


PRE-PRAYERING

There is the ancient question about why there is anything. There are other "big questions" as well floating through the liturgy towards which we are moving these early days of February. "Why am I who and where I am at this time of history?" "What am I to do with time and the others realities of my life?"

We are praying these days, not so much for clarificational answers, but the faith and the courage which faith provides to live toward peaceful trust. We can pray with the experiences of our time and talents which can lead us to that peaceful, though unexplainable contentment. We pray to rise from our debilitating paralysis of fear and doubt. We pray for the spirit of the adventure of faith which proves life's questions are valid, but not absolutely essential for real fulfillment.

REFLECTION

Job, in our First Reading, has had a hard time of it. He is more downer and outer than anybody else in Scriptures. He is experiencing the crucible of fidelity. The devil sort of makes a bet with God that if Job is squeezed enough he will cry out in some way of disbelief. The devil says that Job is a man of faith, because he has everything in hand and within his control.

What we hear is a most natural response to the questions which suffering can create. Job asks the usual questions about the meaning of life. We hear two such questions and then his tormentful musings about the meaning of his personal life and that of all humankind.

Job has been laid low by the hand of God. His family, his possessions and even his own physical well being have been removed. He is struggling to stay faithful. He is a most conventional or usual human being. These lines are his answers which are being wrenched from his mouth by the twistings of his body and soul. He has lost everything except some trust in the value of life, but very little at that. His "ouch" we all know in our own lives.

Our Second Reading, which is not usually thematically united with the First Reading and the Gospel, does have Paul's spin on the meaning of life for him. Paul was an unusual man who found the meaning in life from his preaching the Gospel. Paul preaches what he has received, the Good News of the freedom from condemnation through Jesus Christ. This is his meaning and sharing it with others so as to save them for that freedom intensifies his peacefulness.

The Gospel continues our watching Jesus in His early days. He is curing humans, not of their humanity, but of those illnesses which prevent them from the usual way of living.

Simon's mother-in-law rises from her bed of fever and begins doing something good with her being well. So many others were healed that when He went off to pray by Himself, His friends came to find Him. Everybody in town was looking for Him. He refused that invitation and left with His friends for other villages and folks to cure. Jesus had received His meaning for life, His "purpose", which was to be and live His being - the Good News. He was an unusual person.

I would want to be unusual and in many ways, thank God, I am. As with Job, I would desire to have the natural "ouchings" of life. I would not want to live a faith which trivialized losses, sufferings and confusions. Eventually Job proved unusual in that he wrestled with God and the meaning of suffering-faith. I would desire to live the unconventional way Paul lived. He was not cool, nor cooled by what others thought of him and his way of preaching. I recently was told by someone attending a talk I was giving that I spoke too quickly and was boring. I had a little Job-like response of wondering why I was doing this and what was the use of it all. Whether it was a simple correction or an expression of frustration I do not know. I rose from my temporary bed of doubt-fever and went on with the talks. I would propose that this is an example of my being unusual - not odd - but not lying down in my Job-bed of self-question and saying doubting things about God's workings through me.

I would desire to continue the unusual ways of Jesus who did not return to be celebrated and attract people to a worldly cult of physical healing and wellness. His moving on was His special way of living His identity. I would like to be unusual, too, in my following His way of resisting self-satisfying egoisms

If I am boring, so be it; I will try to be, not what you think I should be, but even more of who God has given me to be and Jesus has cured to do. My being desirous of being unusual is more of the interior variety. I do suspect that it does creep to the outside on various occasions. Job moaned about his condition. Paul rose from the dust of his condition. Jesus raised others from their demons and sicknesses to do something.

What Paul and Jesus did was not unusual for them. Paul had done the unusual interior work of hearing and believing what he had heard from Jesus. Jesus Himself had heard and believed what He knew Himself to be. We are invited to that same strangeness. What are our lives all about? Paul's life's actions and the works of Jesus made them both unusual, but for them, it was the life-thing, the ordinary, the real life's work to do. Paul could not see himself doing anything else, living any other way. Jesus kept moving on to others, to us and always doing the work of bringing us to life. What an unusual way to live, bringing others to life in its many forms!

"Praise the Lord, Who heals the brokenhearted." Ps. 147


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Movies and the Occasion of Sin
Is it a mortal sin for an adult Catholic to go to a movie rated "Morally Offensive" because of violence or sex? If my intention is not bad or I do not think that the movie is a proximate occasion of sin for me, can I see this type of movie that is rated "Morally Offensive" by the bishops' office for film and television?

Are the ratings of the film office binding under sin for an adult Catholic? I am scrupulous and have problems making decisions.

If you can judge from reviews and advance publicity that a particular motion picture would be a proximate occasion of grave sin for you, it would be seriously sinful to attend it. Your own past experience, ads or TV spots for the picture might lead you to conclude it would be the occasion of sin.

While I'm sure they are reliable, the reviews and classification of the U.S. bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting are personal or group opinions. Individual reviewers there may not agree on the worthiness, message or moral effect of a picture. Such judgments are subjective.

Different reviewers, for instance, had different interpretations of the movie Priest. Accordingly they differed in their moral evaluations of the picture.

Elements in a story can be morally offensive, without the picture being an occasion of sin. Just because a character murders his brother and marries his widow and the dead man's son seeks revenge (Hamlet) doesn't mean the play would be an occasion of sin.

According to the head of the Office for Film and Broadcasting, in an article by Mary Jo Dangel in the December 1995 issue of St. Anthony Messenger, the office does not intend to censor pictures. The office offers information and evaluations so people can make their own decisions.

In the end you have to judge for yourself and follow your own conscience. Because you are scrupulous and have difficulty making decisions, the ratings of the Office for Film and Broadcasting should be especially helpful to you.

Hi Everyone:

Thursday I fly to Louisville, Kentucky and pick up my new miniature pinscher puppy!

Daily Reflection
February 6th, 2006
by
Tim Dickel
Education Department

Memorial of Saint Paul Miki, S.J.
1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13
Psalm 132:6-7, 8-10
Mark 6:53-56


Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer

I struggled with 1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13, the Responsorial Psalm 132:6-7,8-10, and Mark's description of Jesus and his disciples coming to Gennesaret, as I read them through, again and again. I could not seem to capture in my mind any central meaning for me.

Then, I received an email that caused me to re-read with greater intensity. The email informed me of the death of a high school classmate. I had heard last summer that Libby was battling cancer, and I began to include her in my daily prayer. Of course, I prayed for her healing and complete recovery from the cancer. As the months passed, I periodically heard that she was not beating the cancer, and I was left with what I believe to be a very human dilemma. Should I continue to pray for her recovery, or should I ask God to give her comfort in her final days?

Mark tells us that at Gennesaret "as many as touched [the tassel of Jesus' cloak] were healed." How were they healed? Where they physically healed? Or, were they simply healed from, or given comfort in the face of, the psychological and emotional stress of dying? What is it that they and the persons who brought them for healing wished from Jesus? What is it that we pray for when a loved one is seriously ill?

As the reports of my classmate's health changed from battling cancer to living out her numbered days, my prayers did change from healing and recovery to comfort and peace. I have learned that I cannot always have what I want as I pray, but I can tell myself that there is a bigger plan. God may not be able to take away the disease but is able to provide comfort and peace if we are open to this kind of healing.

A follow-up email informed me that there will be a celebration of Libby's life, and paraphrasing today's Responsorial Psalm, the faithful ones are shouting merrily for joy that Libby lived, that her life was full of love, and that she is now with God.

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Q: Our whole family has been very upset since a priest refused to baptize my nephew's baby. Every generation of our family has been raised Catholic.

Since becoming adults, however, my sister's children are not practicing Catholics. One of her sons had a job transfer out of state. When he and his wife took their new baby to be baptized, the priest said he would have to have a letter from my nephew's previous parish, stating that he was a member in good standing.

My nephew offered to take instructions, or whatever is necessary, if the priest would baptize their baby, but the priest refused.

Is this the new practice of the Church and, if so, why? I've been told by a friend that the reason is the Church wants to be sure the child is raised Catholic. I find refusing Baptism to an infant very hard to accept.

A: I am sorry for the problem that has arisen, but there may be a happy ending to this story.

The Rite for Baptism of Infants includes questions to the parents about their readiness to raise this child as a Catholic. The priest or deacon asks two questions: What name have you given the child? What do you ask of God's Church for this child?

After the parents give the child's name and respond, "Baptism," the priest or deacon says: "You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of raising him/her in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him/her up to keep God's commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?"

At the end of the rite, after a blessing for the child's mother, this blessing for the father follows: "God is the giver of all life, human and divine. May he bless the father of this child. He and his wife will be the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith. May they be also the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We baptize infants when there is a reasonable hope that they will be raised in the Catholic faith. Priests should be prudent about this, not delaying Baptism without a good reason, but also not placing parents in a situation where they would have to lie about their intention to raise the child in a faith which the parents do not intend to practice.

The best way for your nephew to have this child baptized is to resume the practice of his faith, join a parish and attend Sunday Mass regularly, then approach the pastor or parish staff and request Baptism.

Jordan's king talks Islamic moderation to evangelical Christian group

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan took his efforts to promote moderation in Islam to the evangelical-dominated National Prayer Breakfast in Washington Feb. 2, earning a standing ovation with a speech that quoted the Bible as much as the Quran. He called upon people of faith to witness to its positive role in public life by being an example of "the principles transgressed by those who oppose us." "In every generation, people of faith are tested," King Abdullah said. "In our generation, the greatest challenge comes from violent extremists who seek to divide and conquer. Extremism is a political movement under religious cover. "Its adherents want nothing more than to pit us against each other, denying all that we have in common," he continued. "We must therefore heed the words of the New Testament: 'Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.'"