Don't Take Our Priest! by Beth Dake

Can we really link/cluster/merge parishes successfully? “Don’t take our priest!” is a sentiment often heard in elevated tones. That’s why our parish deemed attending the Racine Consultation presented by the North American Forum on the Catechumenate this past August as essential.
Pastoral ministers from around the country gathered to share a variety of experiences, identify emerging best practices, and develop strategies for more effective implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in the challenging pastoral circumstances that come with linking, clustering or merging parish communities. The August gathering was one of two Consultations on the RCIA in multiple parishes. The information gathered from these two Consultations will serve as the primary building blocks for the forthcoming institute on the RCIA in multiple parishes.
During the two-day Consultation, two key issues emerged. The first was letting people experience and work through a grieving process. Loss of the familiarity of parish life can easily (or frequently) manifest itself emotionally like the loss of a cherished loved one. Parishioners in the context of clustering need time to heal - more than simply needing time to adjust. As a practical matter, they need time to express thoughts and feelings, time to let go, time to experience the transition within. They need permission to mourn.
The second issue was that the process of linking/clustering/merging itself takes time and is therefore often done best over an extended period. It’s a process that ought not be rushed or hurried. It was recognized that it may take three to five years to successfully link/cluster/merge an RCIA process. There are many factors to consider: geographic distance, cultural differences, the RCIA director, and the temperament and style of the pastor. Each plays a role in how the RCIA will be expressed and experienced in a multi-parish setting.
The information shared during the Consultation was provided by those in the trenches - those who are already ministering within this new dynamic. They testified firsthand to the life giving and difficult experiences, to times of hope and times of sorrow and pain. Some ministers had ended up leaving their parish community, while others were able to continue. Some clustering of parishes were good matches, while others simply did not work. It was interesting to learn how commonplace linking/clustering/merging has become nationwide.
We were asked to read Pastoring Multiple Parishes, by Mark Mogilka and Kate Wiskus before attending the Consultation. This turned out to be a treasure for me. This volume is a wealth of information, guidance and best practices. A thrill for me personally was the unexpected “insider’s access” to author Mark Mogilka. Mr. Mogilka was my “chauffeur” from the ferry in Milwaukee to Racine. During the ride, I was able to speak with him about several aspects of his book which had caught my attention. These included the need to let people express their grief bolstered by leadership’s critical role in helping these individuals and families navigate the anger of loss.
 
Can we really link/cluster/merge parishes successfully? Can we share a priest? Can we re-think when and where Mass and church rituals will be conducted? Yes - knowing that change takes time, the grieving process takes time, and leadership skills are key to the process. “Change challenges us. The apostles understood this. Account after account in the Acts of the Apostles describes the challenges the disciples and the new communities of Christians faced in the wake of the resurrection and Pentecost. We do well to understand that change dares us to anticipate those challenges and to charitably move forward together in building up the Body of Christ” (Pastoring Multiple Parishes, 13).
 
Beth Dake is the Director of Faith Formation for St. Philip Neri in Reed City and St. Anne in Paris. When the transition in pastoral assignment occurs for the parishes in Evart and Marion, these parishes will be clustered with St. Philip Neri. At the time of that clustering, St. Anne will become a seasonal chapel.

We Remember and Work for Justice

The first reading from the Book of Sirach reminds us to release or turn over to the Lord our anger and desire for vengeance, for it is God’s role, not ours, to punish those who have done evil. We are not to be vengeful; we are to forgive.“The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail,” Sirach writes. But as for us, we must forgive: “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven.” 
It is important to remember, however, that forgiving another does not mean absolving them of responsibility.  To forgive another is to confirm that they have done wrong and are in need of forgiveness.  Mercy does not cancel out justice or the need for conversion, but it does open up a path of charity that encourages and promotes conversion and justice.  For the Christian in the world, we live in mercy and we long for justice, but we entrust final justice (final conversion) always to God.  As long as we believe in the power and mercy of God, we always hope for this.
Note that the reason given for why we should forgive, both in Sirach and in the Psalm, is that none of us are free of sin and guilt. We are all sinners, we have all done wrong. Yet, God forgives us, and so we must forgive others. The Psalm proclaims that God “has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our deeds deserve.” God treats us with forgiveness, love and compassion, and we must do the same. As we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Again in the Gospel, the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, we hear the story of the master (representing God) who forgives the servant of his debt (the servant represents us). The message is that God forgives us not because we deserve it, but because God is merciful. Yet, when that servant does not extend the same forgiveness to others, he gets himself into trouble, for he has not acted toward others the way the master acted toward him. We are called to forgive those who sin against us. This message is made clear by Peter’s question to Jesus, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?”  Jesus answers, “Not seven times but seventy-seven times” (Mt. 18:21-22).
We have probably heard this instruction many times and we can sometimes take it for granted. It may be easy to apply to everyday situations: I will forgive you for leaving your dishes in the sink, being late to pick me up, forgetting my birthday, etc.  But in fact, these everyday situations are ultimately about developing an attitude of forgiveness that can define our lives.  Without that kind of attitude, what will we do about the really difficult situations in life:
…the close friend who says something hurtful behind your back; …the spouse who cheats;…the murderer on death row; …the terrorists who plotted and carried out the attacks on September 11, 2001?
Our inclination may be simply to say that some things are too terrible to forgive. Certainly, it is only human that we must often go through a period of anger, bitterness, and mourning.  Indeed we will never forget some wrongs.
But there is great wisdom in Jesus’ words about forgiveness. Our human experience tells us that when we hold on to anger and hatred, it eats away at us. It can begin to change us and make us into persons we never wanted to be. In some ways, forgiveness frees the one who forgives from carrying that burden.  We can let it go and entrust the other to God who is better able to deal with them. Finally, this teaching on forgiveness is about being able to live with the peace of love instead of hate, which tears and destroys. 
Jesus is not urging us simply to be passive in the face of evil. We must work to protect the innocent and to hold those who perpetrate crimes against humanity accountable.  But at the same time we are called to forgive even while asking, in love, how we can move forward in truth and love. Forgiveness requires that we address the situation in a positive and loving way, instead of with fear and hatred.
The U.S. Catholic bishops wrote in their statement shortly after the attacks that in difficult times it is our faith that can sustain us. They reminded us then, as they do now, that instead of fear and hatred, we must make this:
·         A time for prayer: for victims and families; for leaders; for the military; for an end to violence; for the Afghan people; and for our adversaries as well.
·         A time for teaching: to better learn Catholic teaching on war and peace.
·         A time for dialogue: with Muslims, Jews, fellow Christians and other faith communities.
·         A time for witness: to live our values of mutual respect, human dignity, respect for life, and security without resorting to discrimination.
·         A time for service: to continue to provide assistance to those still hurting both here and abroad.
·         A time for solidarity: with all who live under the threat of violence and uncertainty each day. And…
·         A time for hope: in God’s grace, in ourselves, and in one another.
Remember, forgiveness does not mean doing nothing. Many tasks must be achieved in the work for peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. We all must play a continuing role to make it happen. We can pray, teach, engage in dialogue, and urge our leaders to work together for peace and to eliminate injustice.
 

A Prayer After Deeds of Terror

Gabe Huck, September 2001.

Lord and lover of mankind,
teach us to groan as you must groan,
sudden mourners, all of us.
Cry with us,
instruct us in the language of lamentation.
For wars we thought were far away
have snatched lives so near,
anonymous as our own, dear as our own.
And what shall we do, Lord,
with all our might?
What are we to do,
we who came to Jesus in Baptism,
and are people of this nation?
In the horror of so much death,
tear open with us the Gospel’s hard truth:
Is this the hour to trample down violence,
to deny death any more lives,
to refuse the false safety of walls and weapons,
to beg of you, good Lord,
the hardest courage and so look anew
at all that is amiss in our world?
Around the table of our assembly
we give you praise
even in the midst of our lamentation
and we hunger and greatly thirst
for the Body broken for all,
the Blood poured out
for the life of the world,
Jesus, who is Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

Almighty God and Loving Father,
welcome into your loving embrace
those who were killed on September 11.
Grant them eternal peace and light.
Comfort and give strength
to those who have lost loved ones.
Be with those who still suffer pain.
Grant patience and wisdom
to those who govern.
Create in us a pure heart
so that we may bear witness to your presence
in the face of our enemy.
In the midst of pain and suffering,
let your Spirit show us the way
to justice and forgiveness.
Remind us to love our enemy
and to do good to those who harm us.
Protect us, keep us safe,
especially from the weapons of hatred,
Grant us a willingness to forgive
and hearts of tranquility and peace.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
- Adapted from a prayer
by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

O God of mercy and forgiveness,
we stand before you in pain,
in fear, and in grief.
We know you desire good for your people,
which is why we are stunned
when we are faced with terrorist attacks.
We cry out to you with the world that we share
with one another and ask: Why?
In our fear and doubt,
we still turn to you, O God,
and bid your presence.
Welcome those who were killed on September
eleventh into your loving embrace.
Give them eternal peace.
Comfort the families
of those who lost loved ones.
Give them strength.
Be with those who have suffered pain. Heal them.
Guide the rescue workers, police, and firefighters.
Be their strength.
Lead our country through this grief. Comfort us.
Bring justice to those responsible for terror.
And Almighty God,
we pray that you do not abandon your people in
their time of need. Amen.
-- Jerry Galipeau (adp. Thiron

The Big Bang Theory

When I debated atheist Christopher Hitchens recently, one of the eight arguments I offered for God’s existence was the creation of this supremely fine-tuned universe out of nothing.  I spoke of the five main lines of scientific evidence—denoted by the acronym SURGE—that point to the definite beginning of the space-time continuum. They are: The Second Law of Thermodynamics, the Expanding Universe, the Radiation Afterglow from the Big Bang Explosion, the Great galaxy seeds in the Radiation Afterglow, and Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity.
While I don’t have space to unpack this evidence here (see I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist), it all points to the fact that the universe began from literally nothing physical or temporal.  Once there was no time, no space, and no matter and then it all banged into existence out of nothing with great precision.
The evidence led astronomer Dr. Robert Jastrow—who until his recent death was the director of the Mount Wilson observatory once led by Edwin Hubble—to author a book called God and the Astronomers. Despite revealing in the first line of chapter 1 that he was personally agnostic about ‘religious matters,” Jastrow reviewed some of the SURGE evidence and concluded,  “Now we see how the astronomical evidence leads to a biblical view of the origin of the world. The details differ, but the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same: the chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy.”
In an interview, Jastrow went even further, admitting that “Astronomers now find they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth. And they have found that all this happened as a product of forces they cannot hope to discover. . . . That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact.”
Jastrow was not alone in evoking the supernatural to explain the beginning. Athough he found it personally “repugnant,” General Relativity expert Arthur Eddington admitted the same when he said, “The beginning seems to present insuperable difficulties unless we agree to look on it as frankly supernatural.”
Now why would scientists such as Jastrow and Eddington admit, despite their personal misgivings, that there are “supernatural” forces at work? Why couldn’t natural forces have produced the universe? Because there was no nature and there were no natural forces ontologically prior to the Big Bang—nature itself was created at the Big Bang. That means the cause of the universe must be something beyond nature—something we would call supernatural.  It also means that the supernatural cause of the universe must at least be:
·         spaceless because it created space
·         timeless because it created time
·         immaterial because it created matter
·         powerful because it created out of nothing
·         intelligent because the creation event and the universe was precisely designed
·         personal because it made a choice to convert a state of nothing into something (impersonal forces don’t make choices).
Those are the same attributes of the God of the Bible (which is one reason I believe in the God of the Bible and not a god of mythology like Zeus).
I mentioned in the debate that other scientists who made Big-Bang-related discoveries also conclude that the evidence is consistent with the Biblical account. Robert Wilson—co-discoverer of the Radiation Afterglow, which won him a Noble Prize in Physics— observed, “Certainly there was something that set it off. Certainly, if you’re religious, I can’t think of a better theory of the origin of the universe to match with Genesis.”  George Smoot—co-discoverer of the Great Galaxy Seeds which won him a Nobel Prize as well—echoed Wilson’s assessment by saying, “There is no doubt that a parallel exists between the Big Bang as an event and the Christian notion of creation from nothing.”
How did Hitchens respond to this evidence?  Predictably, he said that I was “speculating”—that no one can get behind the Big Bang event.  I say “predictably” because that’s exactly the response Dr. Jastrow said is common for atheists who have their own religion—the religion of science.  Jastrow wrote, “There is a kind of religion in science . . . every effect must have its cause; there is no First Cause. . . . This religious faith of the scientist is violated by the discovery that the world had a beginning under conditions in which the known laws of physics are not valid, and as a product of forces or circumstances we cannot discover. When that happens, the scientist has lost control. If he really examined the implications, he would be traumatized. As usual when faced with trauma, the mind reacts by ignoring the implications—in science this is known as ‘refusing to speculate.’”
Hitchens admits the evidence but ignores its implications in order to blindly maintain his own religious faith (watch the entire debate at CrossExamined.org).  How is it speculation to say that since all space, time, and matter were created that the cause must be spaceless, timeless and immaterial?  That’s not speculation, but following the evidence where it leads.
Dr. Jastrow, despite his agnosticism, told us where the evidence leads.  He ended his book this way:  “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”
 

Here are the worst of the toxic personalities out there and how to spot them:

1. Manipulative Mary: These individuals are experts at manipulation tactics. Is a matter of fact, you may not even realize you have been manipulated until it is too late. These individuals figure out what your 'buttons' are, and push them to get what they want.
• Why they are toxic: These people have a way of eating away at your belief system and self-esteem. They find ways to make you do things that you don't necessarily want to do and before you know it, you lose your sense of identity, your personal priorities and your ability to see the reality of the situation. The world all of a sudden becomes centered around their needs and their priorities.
2. Narcissistic Nancy: These people have an extreme sense of self-importance and believe that the world revolves around them. They are often not as sly as the Manipulative Marys of the world, but instead, tend to be a bit overt about getting their needs met. You often want to say to them "It isn't always about you."
• Why they are toxic: They are solely focused on their needs, leaving your needs in the dust. You are left disappointed and unfulfilled. Further, they zap your energy by getting you to focus so much on them, that you have nothing left for yourself.
3. Debbie Downers: These people can't appreciate the positive in life. If you tell them that it is a beautiful day, they will tell you about the impending dreary forecast. If you tell them you aced a mid-term, they'll tell you about how difficult the final is going to be.
• Why they are toxic: They take the joy out of everything. Your rosy outlook on life continues to get squashed with negativity. Before you know it, their negativity consumes you and you start looking at things with gray colored glasses yourself.
4. Judgmental Jims: When you see things as cute and quirky, they see things as strange and unattractive. If you find people's unique perspectives refreshing, they find them 'wrong'. If you like someone's eclectic taste, they find it 'disturbing' or 'bad'.
• Why they are toxic: Judgmental people are much like Debbie Downers. In a world where freedom rings, judgment is sooo over. If the world was a homogeneous place, life would be pretty boring. Spending a lot of time with these types can inadvertently convert you into a judgmental person as well.

5. Dream Killing Keiths: Every time you have an idea, these people tell you why you can't do it. As you achieve, they try to pull you down. As you dream, they are the first to tell you it is impossible.
• Why they are toxic: These people are stuck in what is instead of what could be. Further, these individuals eat away at your self-esteem and your belief in yourself. Progress and change can only occur from doing new things and innovating, dreaming the impossible and reaching for the stars.
6. Insincere Illissas: You never quite feel that these people are being sincere. You tell a funny story, they give you a polite laugh. You feel depressed and sad and they give you a 'there, there' type response. You tell them you are excited about something and you get a very ho-hum response.
• Why they are toxic: People who aren't sincere or genuine build relationships on superficial criteria. This breeds shallow, meaningless relationships. When you are really in need of a friend, they won't be there. When you really need constructive criticism, they would rather tell you that you are great the way you are. When you need support, they would rather see you fail or make a fool of yourself.
7. Disrespectful Dannys: These people will say or do things at the most inappropriate times and in the most inappropriate ways. In essence, they are more subtle, grown up bullies. Maybe this person is a friend who you confided in and uses your secret against you. Maybe it is a family member who puts their busy-body nose into your affairs when it is none of their business. Or maybe, it is a colleague who says demeaning things to you.
• Why they are toxic: These people have no sense of boundaries and don't respect your feelings or, for that matter, your privacy. These people will cause you to feel frustrated and disrespected.
8. Never Enough Nellies: You can never give enough to these people to make them happy. They take you for granted and have unrealistic expectations of you. They find ways to continually fault you and never take responsibility for anything themselves.
• Why they are toxic: You will spend so much time trying to please them, that you will end up losing yourself in the process. They will require all of your time and energy, leaving you worn out and your own needs sacrificed.
All of these personalities have several things in common. 1) the more these people get away with their behavior, the more they will continue. 2) Unfortunately, most of these people don't see that what they do is wrong and as a result, talking to them about it will fall on deaf ears, leaving you wondering if you are the crazy one. 3) Most of these people get worse with age, making their impact on you stronger with time.
Frankly, life is too short to spend your time dealing with toxicity. If you can, avoid spending mucho time with people who are indicative of these behaviors and you'll feel a lot happier. Have you encountered these personalities? What have you done? Any personalities you would add?

Greetings! My Easter reflection: Homily on Easter, 2006

First of all, let me welcome all of you here today to our Easter celebration. I want to emphasize how happy I am that each and every one of you is here with us today. Yes, even if you are not a usual member of our community I am very pleased that you made the decision to join us here today. Your presence here will make our celebration an even more joyful one.

The Resurrection of Jesus is the central event of all of human history. At that moment, the Risen Jesus took away the fear and finality of death. In its place, Jesus gave us hope that could never be put to death. He gave us a new vision for life. He abolished the threat of darkness and final destruction. Jesus Christ is risen and is with us even at this very moment. And he gives us the promise that we will become like he is - filled with life that will never come to an end. It's almost too much to take in, isn't it? Life that will never end. But that is precisely what the promise of the Resurrection means. Jesus is risen and you and I share in that risen life, here and hereafter.

This is the hope that is given by the resurrection - that the power of the resurrection of Christ can touch every part of our existence - every dark and despairing situation that we find ourselves immersed in. It can bring light into every experience of darkness that finds its way into our lives.

Let's be perfectly clear about this. I am not saying that we ignore the pain and suffering that is all around us. We are not to be like ostriches burying our heads in the sand, trying to escape from reality. Our model, Jesus, was not one who escaped from reality. In fact, his facing of the reality of his own particular situation was the cause of his suffering and death--and it could be the same for us also. No, we are not to be escapists.

But neither are we to be so caught up in the difficulties of life that we are not able to see anything else but darkness. As Christians with a Resurrection worldview, we can face the dark side of life, but always with the assurance that in the end, whether it is in this life or the next, life will win out. Christ's victory over death is one that will last for all eternity.

The Resurrection of Jesus is a promise of transformation -- a promise of deep and life-changing renewal, leading us out of our own personal deaths to personal experiences of new life. The last three days, we have been strongly reminded that suffering and death do not have the final word.

But this does not only refer to life after this life. We are also promised new life in this life. As we go through life, we know that we need to die to many things. If we don't, then we find ourselves stuck at some point in our lives, unable to move forward. As we grow older, we need to let go of our youth; when we marry, we need to let go of our singleness; when we decide to break a bad habit or an addiction, we must die to our old ways as we learn new ways of living.

The Risen Christ is offering us new life in all of these ways, if we only reach out to him in our need. He wants to see us thrive and burst with newness. He doesn't want to see us going through life shackled to dead promises or stuck in our past. The Resurrection of Christ is a promise of a future filled with hope and life. But we need to place our lives, both past and future, in his hands. We need to surrender an overly controlling attitude, pretending that we can do it all ourselves. In the first step in the twelve step program, we admit that we are powerless over whatever it is that is holding us back from life. Only after such an admission are we open enough to receive the life-giving grace that the Risen Christ wants to bring to us.

In just a few moments you will be asked to renew your baptismal promises. Through Baptism we were made one with the risen Christ. At that time we, either personally, or through our parents and godparents, promised God that we would reject the darkness of sin and live as liberated sons and daughters of God.

Since we made those original promises we may have, at times, not been true to them. But Christ doesn't keep track of our mistakes. His only concern is that we reject those past sins and begin again. I hope that our renewal of those promises will allow all of us to begin once again to live our lives in freedom and peace.

Lent Message

Will Lent be different for you this year? Are you aware of the many graces that are offered to you in this penitential season? Can you imagine that God can help transform your lives, lead you to greater freedom, greater joy, and a deeper desire for love and service? Or will you make excuses not to make this Lent different? Will it be the same old story? The usual few at week day Masses, Reconciliation, Adoration, Stations, and Scripture sharing sessions and other Lenten events? Will fasting and works of charity be deeds of faith….. or even happen at all?

Lent can change your lives if you give yourselves to it. You need to want it badly enough. We must realize how much we need to grow in freedom, how much we need to lighten our spirits, and experience that inner peace that comes from prayer, and how much some parts of our lives really need changing… we call this Reconciliation (Confession for our older folks). Lent is a wonderful time to name the sinful, unhealthy, self-centered patterns that need changing and to work on a change of heart and look at what attitudes and behaviours contribute to these negative patterns.

Lent is a season of being invited by God in a deeply personal way. “Come back to me, with all your heart.” (Joel 2:12). God invites us to drop the walls that we hold between ourselves and God. God wants us to realize that our standards, our ways of judging and loving, are very different from God’s way. What keeps us from accepting the Lenten invitation to something deeper in our lives with God? The only reality is the joy that comes from returning to God, the joy we experience when God, like a loving parent, smothers us with embraces. Like the prodigal son, we have returned.

Our Lord is calling us to a change of heart. We know that nothing will change unless we change our patterns of behaviour. With a little reflection most of us find habits and ways of being and acting that we are not proud of. We think of things we need to do and never get around to doing. We feel the call to change our attitudes, our selfishness, our ways of dealing with others. Maybe we do not take God very seriously. Maybe we miss Mass too often, and do not contribute our just share. We do not take God seriously.

Lent is the time to start new patterns of prayer. It is time to read the Scriptures, be faithful to the Lord’s invitation to Mass, time to pray together as a family, time to visit the Lord in church during the week or Adoration.

Lent is a wonderful time to practice selfless giving because it takes practice. Self-sacrificing generosity is a religious experience. It places us in union with the poor who share with one another without having any excess. It joins us with Jesus who gave himself completely for us.

WILL LENT BE DIFFERENT FOR YOU THIS YEAR?