Freedom of Conscience and Law

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Deacon Bob

Let me take a stab at this topic.  It would seem so many have a really hard time understanding the Church’s teaching on conscience and law.

We must obey our consciences.  We must.  We must also properly form our consciences through a spirited attempt to learn our faith and faith’s implications in daily life, i.e., moral theology.  If we fail through laziness, apathy, or neglect to learn of our faith and its prescriptions for life, we are culpably ignorant and our consciences are ill-formed. If we sincerely seek the truth as best we can, and learn of the truth as best we can, then even if we make mistakes in judgment as to the rightness or wrongness of an action, we are not culpable.

So many of us seem to believe that the natural law and divine law are restrictive, limiting our freedom an human dignity. In fact, it is only when our inner self, our conscience, aligns itself with the truth, who is God, do we really find freedom. And the truth that sets us free is God himself who is reflected in our very nature (natural law), which in turn is illuminated amply by the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Spirit (divine law).  

Anyone who has been freed from an addiction can appreciate what I mean here regarding freedom and the law.  If our choices to do or not to do whatever in life are not directed to and in line with the True and Good to which we are called, our choices will be toward other things that enslave us. An addict who is in recovery often attributes his or her recovery to an admission of the need for God, and he or she will direct daily choices toward the greater good which sets them free from their addiction.  Their freedom comes not from a self-directed willfulness to define for themselves what is right or wrong; rather, freedom comes from the recognition of the truth of their lives and re-directing their lives one day at a time toward the One who has saved them from their addiction.  Freedom comes from obedience to the “new law”, and daily searching to learn and conform their lives to that new way of living.

Natural law and divine law amplify and magnify our human dignity, and the fully frees of our consciences to choose what is good.

We then create a fitting dwelling place for our God deep within us.

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Quote of the Day

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Deacon Bob

“We must know at first hand the experience of the people of our own time — their alienation, their dissatisfaction, their searching for spiritual experience, so that we can proclaim hope from within their experience not from without….”  — Joseph P. Chimmici, OFM

Posted in General Interest, Prayer and Meditation | 1 Comment

Show Me the Face of God

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Deacon Bob

St. Theophilus of Antioch wrote a beautiful piece on seeing the face of God.  A few quotes for your reflection.

“If you say, ‘ Let me see your God’, I will say to you, ‘ Let me see the man within you, and I will show you my God’.  Let me see, therefore, if the eyes of your soul see, and the ears of your heart hear.

“God, indeed, is seen by those who can see, that is, those who have eyes.  But some eyes are clouded  and do not see the light of the sun.  Just because the blind do not see, you cannot conclude that the light of the sun does not shine.  Justifiably, they attribute their blindness to themselves and their own eyes.

“The eyes of your soul are clouded by your sins and your evil behavior…..God does not show himself to those who do such things unless they are not first purified from every stain. 

“If you understand these things, O man, and if you live in purity, holiness and justice, you will see God.  But first of all faith and awe of God need enter your heart, and behold, you will understand all of this.”  Lib. I, 2. 7; PG 6, 1026-1027. 1035

How true it is that we fail to recognize the face of God within us because our vision is clouded and obscured by the sin in our lives and by our lack of faith.  Our Christian faith also teaches us that if we want to see God, look to Jesus who is the complete revelation of the Father.  Jesus is he who lives in us.  That is why St. Theophilus tells us, “Let me see the man within you and I will show you the face of my God.”

Posted in Prayer and Meditation, Saints and Prophets | 1 Comment

Live Without Fear

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Deacon Bob

A couple of months ago, I wrote about my New Year’s resolution to live without fear.  I am finding it easier said than done.  No surprise there, I suppose.

I ran across this from St. Padre Pio of Pietrecina today.  It is good encouragement for me.

“Pray, hope, and don’t worry!”

Living without fear is, of course, tied in with living in faith and trust.  I think Padre Pio is making reference to the three great virtues:  Love (expressed in prayer), hope (as directly stated), and faith (Don’t worry!).  His words are a good reminder that to live without fear, in faith, you must cultivate a love of God and others, and maintain a joyful expectation for the future.

Isn’t it true that Christianity needs to return to its ancient roots and practice in which Christians everywhere were noted for their joy, hope and courage?  We can choose to live this way today.  I offer you that challenge.

Posted in Prayer and Meditation, Saints and Prophets | 1 Comment

Lies

Posted on March 15, 2009 by Deacon Bob

Have you ever asked yourself why the Scripture writers have called Satan the father of lies?  I have.  Think about it.  What has been the effect in your life when you have lied or been lied to?  What impact has it had on you and those involved?

Lies create division, disunity, a lack of faith, and a hurdle to charity.  It quashes hope, at least for a while. Lies cast out love and brings death. Lies are sins.

Ever notice how the one caught in a lie casts blame on something or someone else?  Adam did it.  So have countless others in the course of history.  Yet the plasticity and shallowness of this is readily apparent.

When the apostle Peter lied to the crowd around the warming fire the night our Lord was being questioned by the Sanhedrin before his death, he immediately assumed responsibility.  He responded with sorrow. We don’t know what effect his lie had on those who heard it.  Perhaps they found it even more difficult later to believe in the Good News because of Peter.  God forgave Peter, but the natural consequences of his lie played themselves out, I am sure.

I am meditating today on the impact of dishonesty in my life.  I have been deceived in my life, and the temptation is always to respond with anger and separation. Yet, I know that is exactly what the father of lies wants me to do.  I refuse to do so, with the help of God.

Lies enslave and entangle. Jesus clearly taught that only the Truth would set us free.

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“Leave me Lord. I am a sinful man.”

Posted on March 14, 2009 by Deacon Bob

I have found Luke 5: 1-11 to be a good Lenten meditation.  It is his account of the calling of the first disciples.  You have heard the story: Jesus is near Lake Gennesaret and he sees two boats moored by the lake.  He instructs Simon Peter to put out into deep water and cast his nets.  The catch was so great that the nets nearly broke. What was Peter’s immediate response to the recognition of the Son of God in his midst?  “Leave me Lord.  I am a sinful man.”

Isn’t it true that when we recognize Jesus in our lives, in the lives of those to whom we are called to serve, in the lost, forsaken, poverty-striken, homeless, undocumented and persecuted in our midst, we are left with a keen sense of our sinfulness?  The scriptures have examples of this:  Moses when approaching the burning bush, Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, Peter when Jesus casts a glance at him after his betrayl on the night before he died, King David when confronted with the truth of his sin by the prophet Nathan.

Is it perhaps the reason fewer and fewer of us seem to be meeting our Lord?  We have lost our awareness of sin.  The Lord reveals himself to the sinner.  “I have come to the sinner, not the righteous” said Jesus somewhere in the Gospels.  Jesus shows himself to us in our sinfulness.  

Don’t expect a radical conversion like St. Paul.  Those kinds of conversions are luxuries, I think.  Most of us are converted slowly, over time.  Life whittles away at us.  Our daily choices, to get up and do something this day that is loving, forgiving, just and true are what convert us, for in doing so, we face our limitations, our weaknesses, our sinfulness, and thus our need for Jesus.  It is then that he reveals himself.

And we too can bring in a netful of good work; we too will experience the miraculous if we are willing to meet Jesus and say with Peter, “Lord, I am a sinful man.”

Posted in Prayer and Meditation | 1 Comment

Pope Benedict’s Apology

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Deacon Bob

As you may have heard today, Pope Benedict has issued a letter to all the bishops of the world regarding the Williamson issue. You recall, the Pope remitted the excommunications of four illicitly ordained bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1988. They are members of the still schismatic sect of the Society of St. Pius X. One of those bishops is Williamson, who is a Holocaust denier. The Holy Father’s actions here have been loudly criticized both within and without the Church.  In today’s letter, Benedict clarifies his decision, admits having made mistakes which he state he deeply regrets and makes clear the status of the SSPX and the bishops whose excommunications have been remitted. Here is an excerpt from the Holy Father’s letter:

“An unforeseen mishap for me was the fact that the Williamson case came on top of the remission of the excommunication.  The discreet gesture of mercy towards four Bishops…suddenly appeared as something completely different: as the repudiation of reconciliation between Christians and Jews, and thus the reversal of what the Council had laid down in this regard to guide the Church’s path…..That this overlapping of two opposed processes took place and momentarily upset the peace between Christians and Jews, as well as peace within the Church, is something I can only deeply deplore…..Another mistake, which I deeply regret, is the fact that the extent and limits of the provision of 21 January 2009 were not clearly and adequately explained at the moment of its publication.  The excommunication affects individuals, not institutions.”

I would stongly encourage you to read the Pope’s letter at: http://212.77.1.245/news_services/bulletin/notizia.php?lang=en&index=23520

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Celibacy and the Priesthood

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Deacon Bob

I was over on Deacon Greg Kandra’s blog today and noticed a post by him regarding the retiring New York Cardinal Egan’s comments on priestly celibacy.  It sounds as if the Cardinal anticipates a possible relaxation of this discipline in the Latin Church in the future, at least in certain areas of the world.

You can read Deacon Greg’s post at:

www.deacbench.blogspot.com

or read his source at:

http://www.osvdailytake.com/2009/03/ny-cardinal-predicts-discussion-on.html

At the OSV site, you can also hear the radio interview for yourself.

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Another Blow to Pro-Life “Grazie a” President Obama

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Deacon Bob

As most of you know already, the president signed an executive order today allowing taxpayer monies to be used to destroy live human embryos for stem cell research.  President George Bush had signed an order in 2001 essentially prohibiting such funding, so our current president is reversing what was a pro-life accomplishment of eight years.

The chairman of the USCCB’s committee on Pro-Life Activities, Cardinal Justin Rigali, issued a statement calling Presidents Obama’s executive order a “sad victory of politics over science and ethics.” He also said:

“This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human life, treating vulnerable human beings as mere products to be harvested…..it ignores the fact that ethically sound means for advancing stem cell science and medical treatments are readily available and in need of increased support……If the government wants to invest in hope for cures and promote ethically sound science, it should use our tax monies for research that everyone, at every stage of human development, can live with.”

I like that last sentence.

I suspect unborn human embryos would also if they could speak for themselves.

I also suspect that this is simply warming us up for even larger invasions by the culture of death in the next four or five years. The pro-life effort will more and more include things like trying to get your 60 or 70 year old parents treatment for cancer or other chronic illnesses (they may be denied because they will be deemed “not worth the investment” of medical resources) or trying to prevent the state from encouraging your elderly relatives to take their own life “for the betterment of the young.”

This past year, we voted with our pocketbooks and not our values and moral convictions. I believe it will bring great shame on us all.

Posted in Ethics and Morality, Politics | 3 Comments

Biblical History vs. “Myth”

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Deacon Bob

I am in the middle of reading an interesting book entitled, The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology’s New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Secrets by Finkelstein and Silberman.  I am only half-way through, but it is evident their contention is that the Old Testament is a result of a Deuteronomic writing during the reign of King Josiah in the seventh century BCE. They cite examples of archaelogical evidence that the patriarchs, Exodus, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, King David’s united kingdom, etc. never existed. They contend the Hebrew Bible, for the most part, is a work written during the reign of the Judahite king Josiah to legitimize and support his dream of reacquiring the lost territories of the north, which had been conquered.  The book also has an alternative explanation for the origin and development of the Israelites as a people who were Canaanite but formed themselves in the hill countries of the north and south, who worshiped the God YHWH (and other gods at times on the side).

I will begin reading soon a book by Norman Gottwald entitled, The Hebrew Bible: A Socio-Literary Introduction.  It is my understanding that Gottwald offers yet another view as to the development of the Israelite nation, i.e., that they were Canaanite people that fled the coastal cities for the hill country and worshiped the God YHWH and later came into contact with a very small band of escaped slaves from Egypt with a story of deliverance and monotheistic ideas gleaned from religious change in Egypt.  These elements then merged to form a religion and people.

After I complete my reading, I will report back. I would be interested in anyone’s ideas who may have read either or both of these books. Post a comment if you are one of them.

As you can surmise, I love ancient history.  I wish I could read the ancient languages.  I once knew Koine Greek, but I never studied Hebrew, Aramaic or other ancient languages.

Posted in Scripture | 1 Comment

References by the Holy Father Today

Posted on March 8, 2009 by Deacon Bob

The Holy Father just completed a retreat, conducted by Cardinal Arinze. In today’s Angelus address, Benedict talks about the experience and also about today’s Gospel reading on the Transfiguration. I have heard three different homilies on it in the past two days, one by my bishop at the Diaconate Day of Reflection yesterday, one by my pastor, and now the Pope’s thoughts.  A few excerpts from the Holy Father:

“I wish to underscore that the Transfiguration of Jesus was substantially a prayer experience (cf Lk 9, 28-29).  Prayer, in fact, reaches it culmination, and thus becomes the font of interior light, when the spirit of man adheres to the Spirit of God and man’s will melts in a sense, into oneness with Him. When Jesus climbed the mountain, he was immersed in contemplation of  God’s loving plan that had sent him into the world to save humankind….. Jesus saw before him the Cross, the ultimate sacrifice necessary for freeing us from the dominion of sin and death.” (My translation of the Italian original.)

After the Angelus, he spoke to the women of the world:

“Today’s date, 8 March, invites us to reflect on the condition of women and to renew our effort to ensure that always and everywhere every woman may fully live and manifest her abilities, obtaining her full respect and dignity…..the witness of the Saints is of value here; our era has had that of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a humble daughter of Albania, who became, by the grace of God, an example to the whole world of charitable works and service to human progress.  How many other women work each day, behind the scenes, for the good of humanity and the Reign of God!  I assure all women today of my prayers so that they may be always respected in their dignity and valued for their potential.” (My translation of the Italian original.)

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A Deacon’s Meditation

Posted on March 7, 2009 by Deacon Bob

Our bishop today led the diocesan diaconal community in a day of reflection. One of the suggestions given to us was to pray over and meditate on the Prayer of Diaconal Ordination.

To all deacons:  do you recall this powerful prayer on the day of your ordination?

Draw near, we pray, Almighty God, giver of every grace, who apportion every order and assign every office; who remain unchanged, but make all things new. In your eternal providence, you make provision for every age, as you order all creation through him who is your word, your power and your wisdom, Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.

You grant that the Church, his body, adorned with manifold heavenly graces, drawn together in the diversity of its members, and united by a wondrous bond through the Holy Spirit, should grow and spread forth to build up a new temple and, as once you chose the sons of Levi to minister in the former tabernacle, so now you establish three ranks of ministers in their sacred offices to serve in your name.

And so, in the first days to your Church through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, your son’s Apostles appointed seven men of good repute to assist them in the daily ministry, that they might devote themselves more fully to prayer and preaching of the word, by prayer and laying on of hands they entrusted to those men the ministry of serving at table.

We beseech you, Lord: look with favor on these servants of yours who will minister at your holy altar and whom we now humbly dedicate to the office of deacon.

Send forth upon them, Lord, we pray, the Holy Spirit, that they may be strengthened by the gift of your sevenfold grace for the faithful carrying out of the work of the ministry.

May there abound in them every gospel virtue: unfeigned love, concern for the sick and poor, unassuming authority, the purity of conscience, and the observance of spiritual discipline.

May your commandments shine forth in their conduct, so that by the example of their way of life they may inspire the imitation of your holy people. In offering the witness of a clear conscience, may they remain strong and steadfast in Christ, so that by imitating on earth your Son, who came not to be served but to serve,  they may be found worthy to reign in heaven with him, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

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Social Justice ala St. John Chrysostom

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Deacon Bob

When we talk about fasting during Lent, how often do we think of social justice as a form of fasting? Take a look at what St. John Chrysostom has to say:

“Not to enable the poor to share in our goods is to steal from them and deprive them of life.  The goods we possess are not ours, but theirs.” –St. John Chrysostom, Hom. in Lazaro 2, 5; PG 48, 992 (Italics mine)

Talk about a Lenten challenge, a Lenten fast.  It would seem that the dollar bills we toss into the collection basket at church, the pocket change we give to the panhandler on the streets would not cut it with St. John. He vigorously challenges us to more.

When was the last time we enabled a poor person to share in our goods? To do this would require a certain fasting from our need for control and superiority. A certain fasting from our blindness to the Church’s social teaching on the universal destination of all goods. A certain fasting from our identity with our material possessions.

What a Lenten fast that would be.  How transformative!

The thing is, St. John seems to be saying it is not optional.  It is a requirement for discipleship.

Something to pray about, then act on in some way.

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Who are Deacons — Part 2

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Deacon Bob

A number of weeks ago, I posted a bulletin insert on diaconal identity. I promised to post more, so here is a second installment of my effort to catechize the faithful about the diaconate.  What do you think, deacons?

“Deacons have a three-fold ministry.  The first is MInistry of the Word. One of the deacon’s primary responsibilities is to proclaim the Gospel by his manner of life.  He is also to read the Gospel at Sunday Eucharist and other liturgical celebrations.  If a deacon is at the altar, he will proclaim the Gospel reading. Most deacons usually preach the homily (sermon) at Sunday Mass about once a month.  So the deacon’s Ministry of the Word includes reading the Gospel in the liturgical assembly, preaching homilies on occasion, teaching the faith in various other ways to the faithful, and living out the Gospel by his way of life, a life dedicated to simplicity, humility and service to others.  The bishop tells the newly ordained deacon: “Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you now are.  Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you preach.”

The local and universal Church needs to develop a coherent theology of the diaconate.  I suspect it will take a couple of generations for this to occur.  It has been neglected for nearly 1200 years and only brought to the forefront once again by the restoration of the permanent diaconate in 1968 by the Vatican Council and Pope Paul VI. Deacon Bill Ditewig has some very interesting ideas in his recent book, The Emerging Diaconate: Servant Leaders in a Servant Church. Take a look at it if you haven’t yet.

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Quote for the Day

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Deacon Bob

“No one deserves to go hungry, and there is no ecological reason for people to be hungry today.  People are hungry today solely because of the social and economic structures of sin:  greed, pride and lust for power.” — Br. Keith Warner, OFM

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