American Bishops Issue a Statement on Physician Assisted Suicide

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Deacon Bob

As you may know, presently in the United States there are three states that allow physician assisted suicide. These are: Oregon, Washington and Montana.

Today, the bishops of the United States approved a statement on this encroaching evil in our country. Its title is To Live Each Day with Dignity: A Statement on Physician-Assisted Suicide.

I believe it to be a well-crafted document and worth your time to read and study. Click on the highlighted link above. I have yet to read it in its entirety, but I want to share a few paragraphs.

As Christians we go even further: Life is our first gift from an infinitely loving Creator. It is the most fundamental element of our God-given human dignity. Moreover, by assuming and sharing our human nature, the Son of God has more fully revealed and enhanced the sacred character of each human life.

Therefore one cannot uphold human freedom and dignity by devaluing human life. A choice to take one’s life is a supreme contradiction of freedom, a choice the eliminates all choices. And a society that devalues some people’s lives, by hastening and facilitating their deaths, will ultimately lose respect for their other rights and freedoms.

Our society should embrace what Pope John Paul II called “the way of love and true mercy” – a readiness to surround patients with love, support, and companionship, providing the assistance need to ease their physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. This approach must be anchored in unconditional respect for their dignity, beginning with respect for the inherent value of their lives……

Effective palliative care also allows patients to devote their attention to the unfinished business of their lives, to arrive at a sense of peace with God, with loved ones, and with themselves. No one should dismiss this time as useless or meaningless. Learning how to face this last stage of our earthly lives is one of the most important and meaningful things each of us will do, and caregivers who help people through this process are also doing enormously important work. As Christians we believe that even suffering itself need not be meaningless — for as Pope John Paul II showed during his final illness, suffering accepted in love can bring us closer to the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice for the salvation of others.

Attached to the statement are various fact sheets, educational articles, an archive on Assisted Suicide, and prayers during serious illness.

Take the time tonight to read it.

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A Document on Preaching On Its Way

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Deacon Bob

There was lively debate on the first day of the spring general assembly of the U.S. bishops meeting in Bellevue, Washington yesterday. Archbishop Robert J. Carlson from St. Louis presented a proposal to authorize a 50-page document on preaching for consideration in November 2012.

As reported by Catholic News Service, the topic seemed to light a spark in the bishops with about a dozen speaking in favor of the proposal. There apparently was concern that the homily was not being fully utilized as a opportunity for catechesis. They also want to look at the obstacles to good preaching such as time constraints, communication issues and cultural conflicts.

It will be interesting to see what is developed here. I certainly do know that many of the faithful are asking for and missing good preaching and proclamation of the Word of God.

As deacons, we need to pay particular attention, as this is such a central part of who we are and what we do.

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The Social Doctrine of the Church

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Deacon Bob

There is a wonderful body of Catholic doctrine we call the Church’s social teachings.  The social doctrine of the Church developed in the nineteenth century when the Gospel encountered the modern industrial society and its new concepts of society, production of goods and services, labor and ownership.

One of the first questions one must ask is, “When does the Church make moral judgments about economic and social matters?” The answer is, “When the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires it.”

This is why the Church so consistently and strenuously warns all men and women about the evils of abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, war, same-sex marriage. These are social issues where the fundamental rights of persons and the salvation of souls are at stake.

It is also the reason that Church has spoken out against the excesses of capitalism, the evil of communism, the rights of the worker, the legitimate rights of unions, the dignity of the undocumented alien, and many other social matters.

The Church’s social teachings has three ends:

1. To propose principles for reflection by all.

2. To provide criteria for judgment.

3. To give guidelines for action.

We will discuss more of this topic in later posts.

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Quote for the Day

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Deacon Bob

“That we may give glory to God and enjoy peace on earth let us live a poor and humble life as pilgrims and strangers here on earth, awaiting the coming of the Lord.” — Fr. Valerius Messerich, OFM

(Fr. Val was my pastor from 1982-84) at Guardian Angels parish in Chaska, Minnesota. He was the first to call me to the diaconate, although I turned him down at the time. He was a deep and gentle soul who died several years ago.)

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And the Answer Is…

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Fausto is correct.

The answer to the diaconate quiz of yesterday is:  Michael Cole, in 1969, was ordained a deacon by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen  of the diocese of Rochester, New York.  Cole had been an Anglican priest. Unfortunately, fairly soon after his diaconate ordination, he left the Church and returned to the Anglican Church in Canada.

The second permanent deacon in the United States was Deacon Paul Mc Ardle, who was ordained on May 24, 1970 for the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph by Bishop Charles Helmsing. Deacon Mc Ardle died in 2010 after a long and fruitful ministry.

 

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Quote for the Day

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Deacon Bob

“Let them pay attention to what they must desire above all else: to have the Spirit of the Lord and Its holy activity, to pray always to Him with a pure heart, to have humility and patience in persecution and infirmity.” — St. Francis of Assisi

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Diaconate Quiz

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Okay, deacons everywhere.

Quiz question:  Who was the first permanent deacon ordained in the United States, when was he ordained and by whom?

Answer will be posted tomorrow. Please give your answers as a comment below.

Posted in Deacons | 2 Comments

Congratulations, Archdiocese of Chicago!

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Deacon Bob

The Holy Father today has named two new auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Fr. Andrew Peter Wypych is 56 years old, born in Poland and ordained a priest for the diocese of  Krakow in 1979. He came to Chicago in 1983 and has held various offices there since. He speaks Polish and English and knows Italian and French.

Fr. Alberto Rojas is 46 years old, born in Mexico, and ordained for Chicago in 1997. He has been a parish priest and on staff at Mundelein Seminary. He speaks English and Spanish.

Congratulations, archdiocese of Chicago!

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“Come Lord Jesus, Send Us Your Spirit, Renew the Face of the Earth!”

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Deacon Bob

David Haas’ song, Send Us Your Spirit, is resonating in my mind this afternoon.  It was played and sung at three of the four Masses in our parish cluster this weekend. You know the words:

 

Come Lord Jesus, send us Your Spirit, renew the face of the earth.

Come Lord Jesus, send us Your Spirit, renew the face of the earth.

Fill us with the fire of Your love. Burn in us now. Bring us Together.

Come to us. Dwell in us. Change our lives O Lord. Come to us Spirit of God.

Come Lord Jesus, send us Your Spirit, renew the face of the earth.

Come Lord Jesus, send us Your Spirit, renew the face of the earth.

Send us the wings of new birth. Fill all the earth with your love You have taught us.

Let all creation now, be shaken with love. Come to us Spirit of God.

Come Lord Jesus, send us Your Spirit, renew the face of the earth.

Come Lord Jesus, send us Your Spirit, renew the face of the earth.

(Copyrights: David Haas)

 

Isn’t this a wonderful way to close the Easter season? As we begin again Ordinary time, a time in which we go forth renewed by the Easter mysteries and strengthened by the Holy Spirit to call the world back to Jesus, we can do so singing, Come Lord Jesus, send us Your Spirit, renew the face of the earth! Come to us Spirit of God! For it is God’s work we do, not ours. We will renew the face of the earth only with the Spirit of God.

If only every morning, as we awaken from sleep, we would have first come to mind these words, Come Lord Jesus, send us Your Spirit, renew the face of the earth!” It would be an apt expression of our love for the Lord and the placing of ourselves in the hands of Jesus to renew the world. We would rediscover the missionary calling of the Church. We would be filled with the fire of His love. All of creation would be shaken.

Could you imagine if over one billion Catholics worldwide would awaken every morning with that prayer?

The face of the earth would be renewed.

Come Lord Jesus! Come to us Spirit of God!


Posted in Evangelization, The Holy Spirit | 1 Comment

Church of the Week

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Deacon Bob

 

 

Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman

La Crosse, Wisconsin

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Blasted and Blessed

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Deacon Bob

“When we bishops propose moral principles…. we get both blessed and cursed.

One side usually blesses us when we preach the virtue of fiscal responsibility, the civil rights of the unborn, the danger of government-tampering with the definition of marriage, and the principle of subsidiarity – that is, that the smaller units in our society, such as family, neighborhood, Church, and volunteer organizations, are usually preferable to big government in solving social ills.

Yet this same side then often cringes when we defend workers, speak on behalf of the rights of the undocumented immigrant, and remind government of the moral imperative to protect the poor.

The other side enjoys quoting us when we extol universal health care, question the death penalty, demand that every budget and program be assessed on whether it will help or hurt those in need, encourage international aid, and promote the principle of  solidarity, namely, society’s shared duties to one another, especially the poor and struggling…. and then these same follks bristle when we defend the rights of parents in education, those of the baby in the womb and grandma on her death bed, insist that America is at ther best when people of faith have a respected voice in the public square, defend traditional marriage, and remind government that it has no right to intrude in Church affairs, but does have the obligation to protect ther rights of conscience.

So we bishops get both blessed and blasted…”

Read Archbishop Dolan’s comments in their entirety at: The Gospel in the Digital Age.

I might add as an aside, not only bishops, but priests and deacons are also blessed and cursed in similar fashion — yes, all witness to the fullness of the Gospel. To withstand this, we all must burn with the love of God and Church.

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“Lukewarmness Adds Weight to the Cross”

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Deacon Bob

I attended a workshop presented by Mr. Raymond de Souza, who is now director of the diocese of Winona’s Office of Evangelization. His talk centered on the need for a new evangelization, his view as to the root of the problem in the Church, and a suggested avenue with which to respond. I cannot justly summarize everything he said, but one thing rang loudly in my mind after he finished. It was a sentence he used in the middle of the workshop, a sentence he didn’t belabor as such, but may become for me the source of meditation for the upcoming week.

He said: Lukewarmness adds weight to the Cross.

He suggested rather forcefully that the “smoke of Satan” has entered through the cracks in the Church and has given rise to a lame Church, a lameness that is seen in the selectiveness that many Catholics want to enjoy by  picking and choosing to which of the teachings of the Catholic Church they will adhere.

He defined lame in this way.

Lukewarm

Apathetic

Mediocre

Erratic

His solution:  To burn with the fire of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and be willing to die for the Church and our Faith, to regain the Church’s sense of being a missionary Church, not a maintenance Church.

To burn with the fire of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To reject all lukewarmness, apathy, mediocrity and erratic/inconsistent effort.

To begin a new Apologetic … a new Ecumenism.

Food for thought.

Posted in Evangelization | 3 Comments

Papa Luciani and Evangelization

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Deacon Bob

Papa Luciani, on September 28, 1978, the day of his death, said this:

I must bear witness to his name: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God…. he is the king of the new world; he is the secret of history; he is the key to our destiny.

He went on to say:

Among the rights of the faithful, one of the greatest is the right to receive God’s word in all its entirety and purity, with all its exigencies and power. A great challenge of our day is the full evangelization of all those who have been baptized…. Our message must be a clear proclamation of salvation in Jesus Christ. With Peter we must say to Christ in the presence of our people: “You have the words of eternal life.”

For us, evangelization involves an explicit teaching about the name of Jesus, his identity, his teaching, his Kingdom and his promises. And his chief promise is eternal life. Jesus truly has words that lead us to eternal life….. it is necessary for us to emphasize this element, in order to complete our message and to model our teaching on that of Jesus….. More than ever before, we must help our people to realize just how much they need Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Mary. He is their Savior, the key to their destiny and to the destiny of all humanity.

John Paul II clearly took up this challenge to a new evangelization of the world. The new evangelization began, it seems, the day Papa Luciani died, the day in which he called for this evangelization of the world in the name of Jesus Christ.

Another example of how John Paul II completed the papacy of John Paul I.

Papa Luciani, pray for us!

Posted in Christology, Papa Luciani (Pope John Paul I) | 4 Comments

Quote for the Day

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Deacon Bob

“O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the universe, God and Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under the little form of bread.” — St. Francis of Assisi

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An Irreverant Reception

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Deacon Bob

I was reading today Te Deum Laudamus! and a letter written by the rector of the cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona. The letter outlines seven common ways recipients of Holy Communion often inadvertently receive in the hand in a manner that actually profanes the Body of our Lord.

Being a ordinary minister of the Eucharist, I too have noticed some of these errors when I distribute the Body of Christ.

The seven common mistakes are:

1. Blessing oneself with the host before consuming it. To bless with the consecrated host is called Benediction, and that act is reserved to deacons, priests and bishops.

2. Receiving the host in the palm of the hand, then contorting that same hand until the host rolls up to the fingers, then consuming it. (Use both hands!)

3. Receiving in the palm and then popping the host into the mouth like you do when you eat popcorn.

4. Trying to receive when other things are in the hand, like a rosary or a handkerchief.

5. Receiving communion with dirty hands.

6. Receiving the host then closing and dropping the hand to your side as you walk away without consuming the host.

7. Giving the host to someone else after receiving.

Remember, to receive the host in the hand, place one hand under the other, receive, then take the bottom hand to grasp the host with your fingers and place immediately in your mouth before the eucharistic minister. Typically, this is done by stepping to the side a couple of feet and consuming the Body of Christ within the peripheral vision of the cleric or extraordinary minister.

Remember also, the consecrated host, which is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in today’s world, is more valuable than all the wealth of the world combined. It is a treasure beyond price. We must treat it in this way.

Posted in General Interest | 2 Comments