Catholic Faith and Reflections

The archdiocesan newspaper The Catholic Spirit (www.catholicspirit.com) about a week ago ran an interesting article on the experience Archbishop John Ireland in the Civil War, from 1862 shortly after the battle of Shiloh until April, 1863.

In 1862 Bishop Thomas Grace of St. Paul requested a state chaplain be appointed for all Minnesota regiments. Just ordained, then-Father Ireland joined the Fifth Minnesota. On battlefields and in hospitals, he called out to Catholics, heard their confessions, and administered the Last Rites. From September 18-19, 1862, he sat all night under a tree hearing confessions, and received non-Catholics into the Church.

One man, dying from being shot in the face, ask for a chaplain on a slip of paper. He was quickly dying and said to Father Ireland, “Speak to me of Jesus.” Though the man was not Catholic, the memory of his death was etched into Ireland’s memory and he stated, “I have not doubted the salvation of that soul.”

Later in life, Archbishop Ireland said, “My years of chaplaincy were the happiest and most fruitful years of my ministry.”

Those of us in Minnesota who know Church history here, know well of the enormous personality, force of character, and formidable leadership that Archbishop Ireland enjoyed. The Cathedral of St. Paul, sitting on top of a hill in the city of that name, and not far from the state Capital building, speaks of his influence in this state.

Let us pray for all military chaplains. They are often forgotten. I remember especially tonight Fr. Joe Graves with whom I worked during the summer of 1978 in Germany. He was a Catholic chaplain to the troops there. Fr. Graves, if you are still among us in the diocese of Peoria, may God bless you!

To read the entire article in The Catholic Spirit, log on to: www.catholicspirit.com/spotlight/civil-war-chaplaincy-counted-father-ireland-among-its-ranks

I was listening this morning to the radio, and the person interviewed made mention of his observations of younger people and their reaction to silence. He observed that most were frightened of times of silence, always being “plugged in” to technology and getting a distressed, bewildered look on their faces when confronted with silent situations.

Are you afraid of silence?

There are many of us in my generation and older who long for silence. We look forward to it, knowing full well that it is increasingly a rare experience.

Spiritual directors often remind us that unless you spend a lot of time in silence, you really cannot continue to humbly serve the Lord. They know, as thousands of years of experience has taught us, that without silence you lose touch with God present in the depths of your spirit. You loose your footing and your way without regular periods of silence.

Are we running the risk of losing our younger generation to spiritual groundlessness by either our encouragement of, or passively permitting, constant stimulation from the internet, cell phones or other forms of technology?

Are we in essence creating a fear of meeting God in the silence of one’s own heart?

There is some interesting research being done on the neurological impact of repeated and early exposure to technology of this sort, and its effect on social development. I would suspect the results of this developing area of research may also be applicable to the relational aspect of spirituality.

Turn off your cell phone today for several hours. Shut down the computer for the same length of time. See how you feel after doing so.

Nuture your family and your spirit during the downtime.

To all who log on today, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Blessings,

Deacon Bob