Mid-West Capuchins

Understanding The Spirit Within Part 2

2012-02-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

Last week I defined what discernment was and how it can beused in our daily lives. This week I want to go a little deeper and look at discernmentin the eyes of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Before we begin I feel that it isnecessary to define a couple things so that we are on the same page. First Ignatiusrefers to various movements in our lives using consolation and desolation. Whatdoes he mean?

Ignatiusdefines consolation in this way: “ When some interior movement is caused in thesoul, through which the soul comes to be inflamed with the love of its Creatorand Lord, and consequently when it can love no created thing on the face of theearth itself, but only in the Creator of them all.”. Ignatius later describesdesolation as: “ The contrary ofconsolation, such as darkness of soul, disturbance in it, movement to low andearthly things, disquiet from various agitations and temptations and as if separated from one’s Creator andLord”.

So whatdoes this all mean for us in our daily lives? To me it seems that in order forus to understand our vocation and our God we need to understand the movement ofthe Spirit in our daily lives and within ourselves. There are several steps weneed to take to help us to understand this movement. The first is to begin bywanting a relationship with God. I know it sounds elementary but this can bevery difficult. I can remember when Imoved to Chicago and started to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago andI wanted nothing to do with religion or God. I was very angry with Him. I wasnot interested in having a relationship with God. He had taken a very goodfriend of mine and caused a lot of pain and frustration. I would attend massbut was not fully participating. I only went because I knew my parents would beupset if I didn’t go. I had never feltmore distant from God and more attached to the world. Looking back on thisperiod in my life I realized that I was in desolation.

Then unbeknownstto me my life made a dramatic change. Ican still remember that day that my life changed and I felt God for the firsttime in a long time. I was attending the local Ash Wednesday service at theNewman Center on Campus. They had placed little cards on the seats for us tofill out. Something inside of me told me to fill out that card and so I did. Iwas contacted the next day by the youth minister and was invited to have coffeewith her. The next thing I knew I was attending daily mass and began toparticipate in the various activities of the Newman Center. I still to this daydon’t know why I did that but all I know is that it was God that pushed me. Itwas after these days that I began to move into consolation. Reflecting back onthose days, I remember having a joy that I could not explain. I was thirstingfor something and God seemed to be filling that thirst. I had found my home,now it was time to understand God’s movement in my life.

This iswhere self knowledge and personal reflection on your life becomes a helpfultool. I can remember a couple years ago I was reflecting back on that day whenI attended the Ash Wednesday service and I saw God in the desire to fulfill myobligation to attend and in the people that made an effort to talk with me.Ignatius states several times that understanding and reflecting on your periodsof desolation can not only help you to identify your weaknesses and vulnerabilitiesbut also can help you to identify when you are in desolation. Ignatius spends a lot of time talking aboutdesolation because this is where we struggle the most.

So what do we do when we are in desolation?Ignatius gives several helpful tips to get you out of desolation. The first isto always counter desolation with prayer, penance and meditation. Don’t stoppraying, even if you feel that your prayers are going nowhere and that God isnot listening. Trust me He is. Ignatius also says that we need to try andidentify the cause of desolation. This is where the reviewing back on your lifereally comes in handy. Looking back you are able to see what caused you to falland hopefully learn from that weakness. I cannot stress this enough: understandingyour spirit will help you to understand God’s movement in your life.

So whatabout consolation? Ignatius reminds us that when in consolation prepare yourselffor desolation. Live in the moment and take those moments with you when youfind yourself in desolation. I can remember a time when I was in consolationand I had an experience where I was lying before the Crucified Christ and Marycame up to me and took my hand and began to pray with me. This experience hasbecome a reflecting point for me when I am in desolation. I reflect on Mary’slove and support for me and God’s desire to send His Son down to earth to diefor me. This experience has helped me several times move from that period ofdesolation to consolation. Never take anything that you experience inconsolation for granted because you will never know when you might need it indesolation.

The last thing that I want to sayis that God is always with you whether you are in desolation or in consolationbut it is your job to find him. Never give up looking and never give upunderstanding the movement of God’s Spirit in your life. So take this week and reflect back on yourlife and see if you can identify where God is. Next week I would like to continuethis talk on discernment and take you through my discernment process and ultimatelymy vocational story.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Anger

2012-02-29T04:51:00.000-08:00

One of the most popular games for hand-held devices these days is something called “Angry Birds.” I’ve never played it, but the game’s name and its popularity seem to reflect the public mood these days. Lots of people are angry.

Many are angry about the state of our world, our nation, and even our church. The Occupy Movement is angry about our economy, its inequities, and the breach of a social contract that once promised that if you “played by the rules”—worked hard, got an education, stayed out of trouble, etc.—you would be able to get a decent job with decent benefits. The rules seem to have changed, but the changes do not seem to have had an impact on “the one percent,” the people, banks and corporations that seem to be prospering more than ever, sometimes courtesy of a government bail-out.

The Tea Partiers are angry, too; but their anger is directed at the government itself and what they view as its profligacy with taxpayer money, its expanding role and reach in our lives and, yes, those same bailouts.

Some are angry that our government is getting too involved in the affairs of other nations; and others are angry that it’s not doing enough, especially when human rights and lives are at stake. Some are angry that the police never seem to be around when you need them; and others are angry that the police are around too much, especially in surveillance activities.

The Church, too, is the object of anger. The most obvious cause is the sexual abuse crisis, which has brought to light the suffering of many victims/survivors and their families, what some view as a lack of accountability by religious leaders, a loss of trust at many levels, and a diversion of resources that could have been directed toward feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, educating children, and supporting struggling parishes. Then there are the ongoing theological and cultural debates, ranging from who should or could be ordained to issues of religious freedom and sexual ethics and the proper role of bishops and other religious figures in the public square.

So where is all of this anger getting us?

There is nothing wrong with anger per se. It’s a very natural human reaction and it’s very appropriate in some circumstances, e.g. when one is confronted with an injustice. Jesus wasn’t afraid to show his anger, for example, when he drove the money changers and sellers out of the Temple (John 2:13-22) or when he was faced with people more interested in rigidly observing the Sabbath than in attending to someone in need (Luke 3:1-6).

At the same time, however, Jesus recognized that anger, like fire, is very powerful. It can easily rage out of control under the right (or wrong) conditions. That’s why he included a warning about anger and a call for reconciliation in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:20-26).

In Ephesians 4:26-27, Paul cautions: “If you are angry, let it be without sin. The sun must not go down on you wrath; do not give the devil a chance to work on you.” The Church has recognized the importance of this warning by offering it weekly as the reading for Wednesday Night Prayer (Compline). Anger nurtured can harden into resentment, bitterness, and depression. It can be a fire that consumes and destroys us as well as others.

Merciful God, help us to recognize the power of anger and to deal rightly with it.—JC

Lumen Gentium and the People of God

2012-02-28T08:50:00.007-08:00

Chapter 9 of Lumen Gentium begins the section of the document dedicated to The People of God. As I read this chapter, I was surprised by how much I was highlighting.

The first sentence says, “At all times and in every nation, anyone who fears God and does what is right has been acceptable to (God).” This ties back into the idea of sanctification being found outside of the Church as well. It doesn’t say Europeans or Americans or Palestinians, it says at all times and every nation. There are people who have not believed exactly what we may believe about God, and yet they have been in awe of God and have done what God wants done, which, as the prophets have told us, is Justice. This has ben described as “Anonymous Christians” but as I have said, this is us using the language we have to talk about a greater reality… just like Islam says that all people are born muslims (notice it is not capitalized): people who submit to God.

The next sentence is also amazing and goes against much that we may have been taught since the “Enlightenment” and “Renaissance.” “(God) has, however, willed to make women and men holy and to save them, not as individuals without any bond between them but rather to make them into a people who might acknowledge (God) and serve (God) in holiness.” Not as Individuals. God saves us in community. We have been told that we will each stand individually before God at Judgment, individually responsible for our own failings and sins, and yet this suggests that God saves us as a people and that the community will have an effect on our salvation. The bonds we have with each other are important. Our actions are not limited in effect to only ourselves or sprung from us individually. You affect the holiness of the community and she affects your holiness.

“This people possesses the dignity and freedom of the daughters and sons of God, in whose hearts the Spirit dwells as in a temple. Its law is the new commandment to love as Christ loved us.” I love this language. We, as the people of God, are first and foremost daughters and sons of God in whom the Spirit dwells. This is before any individuation as lay, religious, or cleric. The Document has not talked about those distinctions yet. Our “destiny is the kingdom of God.” And the document does not imply this to be some future life in Heaven but as the Reign of God on earth, which, however, will only be “brought to perfection by him at the end of time.”

The next line is a bit hard to swallow for some people today. “Consequently, this messianic people, although it does not in fact include everybody, and at times may seem to be a little flock, is, however, the most certain seed of unity, hope, and salvation for the whole human race.” You can look at this two ways. By not including everybody it could mean only the Church, which does not say that holiness isn’t in other places. Remember, the document has already said it is. Or it could mean that there are people who have in fact turned away from the Divine, in whatever form you may chose to speak about it, and live against that truth. How do we continue to be that seed of Unity, Hope, and Salvation? I think it may be by continuing to let people know that they are all God’s people and that all are called to share in that Reign of God.

(All pictures care of Wiki Commons)

InDepth Gathers Posts

2012-02-26T19:08:00.000-08:00

The Midwest Capuchin Website has launched a new page that gathers posts on a theme by a single author on this blog. InDepth takes all of the various posts and puts them into a single PDF file that has been formatted for independent use.

We launch the page gathering John Celichowski's series on The Corporal Works of Mercy. With time, many more of our series will be added. So return often.

The Reign of God: Jesus’ Ministry - Biblical Calls

2012-02-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

After our fundamental call to follow the person Jesus, we often are asked to do specific tasks in his service. The scriptures talk about teachers, healers, preachers, leaders and the like. But in the end, each individual call is a share in the bigger overarching purpose of Jesus, i.e., to bring about the Reign of God. Jesus’ work becomes our work when we are converted and answer the call to follow Jesus.

Ask yourself: What specific tasks have I accepted as my call to establish God’s reign?

(Cover of VISION Magazine, a guide to vocations in religious life, by TrueQuest Communications)

Lumen Gentium and the Mystical Body of Christ

2012-02-22T19:21:00.002-08:00

Chapter 7 of Lumen Gentium takes up another theme about what the Church is, but this is not an image. It is an actuality. I think many of us have heard about the Mystical Body of Christ before. It has been used as a model of Church but it is something more. Lumen Gentium is where this idea really took hold in our contemporary church. “’Because the bread is one, we, though many, are one body, all of us who partake of the one bread.’ In this way all of us are made members of his body.” It goes on to say “All the members must be formed in his likeness, until Christ is formed in them.” This is interesting language for me. It seems to be saying that we must all be formed, in one way or another, such as formation in a religious community for example, to be like Christ until we reach our own full stature in Christ. It seems like “already but not yet.” We are the body of Christ, yes, but we must still strive to be more like Christ.

This chapter also says that the “Spirit, who… is the principle of unity in the body, by (his) own power and by the interior cohesion of the members produces and stimulates love among the faithful.” If Christ is the heart, the Spirit is the blood. Without the Spirit we would not be the Church. It is “by communicating his Spirit, Christ mystically constitutes as his body his brothers and sisters who are called together from every nation.” This brother and sister language is wonderful for me as well. This is not Christ the Lord or even Christ the servant. This is Christ our brother, a child of God as we are.

There is a line in Chapter 8 I find particularly compelling and I’ll go into it when I discuss later documents, but is says this. “Many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its (the Church’s) visible confines.” This was a huge change in the Church at Vatican II. Before this holiness was only found in the Catholic Church. Now the council, going back to the Church Fathers and Mothers, declared that there was truth outside the Church, in other religions. It is the Spirit who sanctifies so the Spirit must, in fact, be present in these other religions. This statement was so profound that the Council dedicated a whole document to this reality. As I read this, if other religions have sanctification, and sanctification is from the Spirit, The Spirit is in them. If the Spirit constitutes the Body of Christ then these others are also part of the body of Christ in some way. Which is not to say these others are “anonymous Christians.” They are who they are. Christ, though, is recognized as being bigger than us and becomes our language for embracing all creation, all humanity, into the sacred reality… of acknowledging that they always were part of it. Wow.

The last part of Chapter 8 I want to mention says “Likewise, the church, although it needs human resources to carry out its mission, is not set up to seek earthly glory, but to proclaim, and this by its example, humility, and self-denial, Christ was sent by the Father 'to bring good news to the poor… to heal the broken hearted,' 'to seek and to save what was lost.'" I think this is incredibly important to keep in mind as we live our lives. If you’re pursuing any vocation for wealth or power or glory it’s not a vocation. We are called to live our faith openly in whatever life we live and do so as did the Poor and Humble Christ, as Francis of Assisi called him. It’s a challenge of which I hope I... we are capable.

(Religious symbols picture care of Wiki Commons.)

The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride

2012-02-21T04:48:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow hundreds of millions of Catholics and other Christians throughout the world will celebrate Ash Wednesday. We will mark the beginning of the season of Lent and its penitential purpose by having the sign of the cross traced on our foreheads in the ashes of the palms used on a previous Passion Sunday. In addition, we will undertake the spiritual disciplines of fasting and abstinence, deeper prayer, and almsgiving and other works of charity. All of these practices are designed to strengthen us on our pilgrim journey of continued conversion and, more immediately, to prepare us to celebrate the Easter Triduum and the mystery of our redemption in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

But will our ashes on our foreheads turn to ashes in our mouths?

It’s not an idle question or mere provocation. Lent is an especially serious time for us to take stock of our lives and recommit ourselves to growing in holiness. It’s not meant to be easy or a time when we can just “go through the motions.” For example, if we give up something that has become a bad habit or even an addiction with nothing more than the intent to punish ourselves and “white knuckle it” for forty days, we may be doing more harm than good—especially if we pick up on Easter where we left off. That’s not healthy or helpful.

My own experience as a pastor has taught me that of the three pillars of Lenten practice—fasting, prayer, and almsgiving/works of charity—the hardest for most people is fasting. First, as Americans immersed in a culture of consumption and materialism, it is almost unpatriotic to give something up and even more to be told or encouraged to do so. It’s often seen as a blow against our freedom. It’s no accident that after 9-11 one of the ways that we were encouraged to demonstrate our resistance against those who would harm “our way of life” was to…shop.

A bigger barrier, however, may be something far more ancient: pride. Perhaps not too ironically it is considered the most lethal of the Seven Deadly Sins first catalogued by St. Gregory the Great fifteen centuries ago. The other six are: anger, envy, lust, sloth, gluttony, and greed. We’ll address them each in turn in the coming weeks on this blog.

Pride is considered the worst of the Seven Deadly Sins in part because it contains within itself the seeds of self-deception. We go beyond a healthy self-regard to self-conceit. We so prize our independence that we overlook our interdependence with others and our dependence on God. When poisonous pride gets hold of us it can even try to mask itself as humility.

Nearly thirty years ago, when I was a Capuchin candidate, I was taught a lesson in the dangers of pride. I was nineteen years old, had two years of college under my belt, was working my first full-time job, had my own apartment, and thought that I was doing really well. But I was also mired in a chase for perfectionism, manifested in part by an eating disorder and an obsession with marathon training but also in a lot of either/or, black/white thinking. Deep down I knew that I needed help but I couldn’t ask for it.

My spiritual director, a Capuchin friar, challenged me. When I told him that I didn’t want to ask for help because there were others were worse off than me and I didn’t think myself worthy of it, he asked, “Is really it because you think you’re unworthy or because you’re too proud?”

That stopped me in my tracks. Of course, I had to admit that he was right. Thirty years later, I sometimes still find it hard to ask for help or to admit that I need a break. I still need to remember that ashes smudged on the forehead still look better than they taste.—JC

Understanding The Spirit Within

2012-02-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

What is discernment? For the next couple of weeks I am goingto take a deeper look into the concept of discernment. The primary source of myinformation will come from my own experience of discernment; however I willalso be pulling in some outside sources.

I feelthat before we get started we should identify what discernment really means. Ifyou ask six people what discernment is you will most likely get six differentanswers. For the sake of our analysis we will focus on one central definition. Richard Rohr O.F.M describesdiscernment in this way: “It is the perception of the Lord’s presence in life,within all its circumstances. Knowing what the issues are, what His word/callto me is , within the realities of my life”. Richard takes this definition astep further and gives us three tools to help us discern: Perception, Illumination and Listening. These tools will help us ona basic level to begin to understand what discernment is.

Perception, what does that mean?Reflecting back on the beginning stages of discerning my vocation, I rememberhow much I struggled with this idea. I had a hard time perceiving God in mylife. Sure I can see the trees, animals and the things that God had created butI had a hard time finding God in my own life. It was not until I started goingto spiritual direction and having my spiritual director point out the manytimes that God was present in my life before I realized the true presence ofGod. I think that this is an essential part to discerning and understanding yourvocation: Having a spiritual director. Iknow I have talked about it before but being able to see God in the good andthe bad can help us to understand His call for us.

Thisbrings up the next point Illumination.Richard Rohr defines illumination as seeking clarity by sifting through thevarious voices within me. I don’t knowabout you but I am constantly fighting the various voices in my head trying tofind the voice of God. It is not uncommon for me to have to sift through a couplevoices before I find God. I can remember I was having a bad day and the firstthought that came to my mind was “this is not the life for me”. Now if I hadlistened to that voice than I would not be still in the postulancy program. Itook some time in quiet meditation to sift through the various voices to findGod in the back saying “today was just a bad day, I want you to stay”. Now this is not easy to do because if yourmind works anything like mine, then you know that the other voices can belouder than God’s. Now I don’t want you to think that all the voices are badbecause they are not. There are times that those voices come from an experiencethat you have had previously and there is some truth to them. It might be a wayfor your mind to put up blockers or as a psychologist would say defensemechanisms. It is important to listen to those voices and try and see from wherethey are coming from. Understanding your voices can help you to understandyourself and will ultimately help you to understand God.

Thisleads into the last point- Listening.Another tool in helping to understand the voices is just simply listening tothem. This I think can be the hardest part of discerning because like I saidsometimes you don’t know where the voice is coming from. Listening is not just hearing but it isactively participating and paying attention to what God is saying in the goodand the bad.

I think that is enough for this week. Next week we will betaking a deeper look into discernment by using Discernment of Spirits by St. Ignatiusof Loyola to begin to understand the movement of God in our lives.

The Challenge of Peace

2012-02-17T07:21:00.000-08:00

When I go home to visit my parents in Ohio and go to mass with them, I know almost nobody there. It isn’t a community for me. I never see these people. I have no relationship with them. At the sign of peace, it’s very easy to wish peace to people to whom you are indifferent. You have nothing against them. You have general good will toward people and there is nothing to stop you from shaking their hand.

Living in Community is very different. I see these people everyday. There are times when they get on my nerves. There are times when the last thing I want to do is make reconciliation with one or the other of them. I want to hold onto my hurts and anger. I have heard stories, though, of communities where the differences and hurts became all anyone could think about; communities where the members who weren’t caught up personally in the feud were asked to speak between two warring factions in the same room. “Dan, would you ask Jeff to pass the salt?” “Dan, tell Joe that he can come get it himself.” You get the idea.

Enter daily mass and the sign of peace. There are times when the last thing I want to do with one of my brothers is offer a sign of peace. And yet I do because we all give the sign of peace to everyone in the community because of how small we are. The sign of peace is a challenge. Can I really extend peace to someone with whom I’m angry and hurt? It isn’t easy but I find that the challenge of the sign of peace is effective. It’s very hard to let those hurts fester if you must make a conscious effort to extend peace. It requires conversion.

Now, that doesn’t mean that I give the sign of peace perfectly every time, but by acting on that peace gesture, I find over time that my heart changes. The relationship might never be one of perfect camaraderie but the relationship survives and doesn’t degrade into war. I am grateful for that and, though I may not like the challenge, I accept it. I think as Christians, we are all called to accept it.

(The top picture is care of Wiki Commons.)

A Vocation Director’s Prayer, Part 2

2012-02-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

My first post coming out of my retreat was on the five characteristics of prayer I find in the Thanksgiving section (1 Thess 2-10) of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians. They are: universality, frequency, concreteness, mutuality, and the predominance of thanksgiving leading to praise.

Paul cites what we typically call the theological virtues, present in the Thessalonian Christians, as a starting point for his prayer. What caught my eye was the way he phrased them: your work of faith; labor of love; and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1:3). His phraseology is so different from that used by St. Francis of Assisi when he was discerning his vocation. In Francis’ Prayer before the Crucifix, he asks for “true faith, certain hope, and perfect charity.” I suppose the difference can be attributed to Francis asking for the gifts of faith, hope and love as he discerned and Paul being moved by the witness of faith, hope, and love in the conversion of the Thessalonians.

Being a regular student of Francis, I wanted to spend more time with Paul this time. Especially since I was using his letter as the focus of my retreat. At first, it seemed that the first noun in each set was the major word, i.e., work, labor and steadfastness. But closer examination helped me realize that the first word in each set flows out of the reality of the second noun. So work comes out of faith; labor flows out of love; and steadfastness emerges from the hope. One noun doesn’t modify the other. Rather, the two share the same reality at their cores.

Without the works, there would have been no visible Thessalonian faith that could have moved Paul to prayer. I thought of The Letter of James: “What good is it, my brothers and sister, if you say you have faith but do not have works” (2:14). “So faith by itself, if it has not works, is dead” (2:17). “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith” (2:18). There’s a dynamism to faith that can’t be separated from work. They are part and parcel of each other. Paul knew there was great faith in the Thessalonians because he could see the dynamism.

Love labors. When speaking, I often ask audiences which image best conveys maternal love: a washed baby, rapped up all cuddly on a smiling mother’s bosom; or a mother-to-be in stirrups grimacing in pain as she is coached to push her baby out? There’s a reason we say something is a “labor of love.” Labor implies toil, exertion, and difficulty. This is the measure of love. Without any toil, exertion or difficulty, there is no love. So, again, love is dynamic. In some way it requires selfless action. It’s that type of action that confirmed Thessalonian love and led Paul to the prayer of thanksgiving.

Hope contains the idea of patient confidence as we wait for something in the future. In First Thessalonians, Paul’s object of hope is the future coming of “our Lord Jesus Christ.” But this hope is intrinsically steadfast. As such, it sustains us, offers us constancy, and gives us perseverance. Once again, hope is dynamic, and its visible steadfastness assured Paul that the Thessalonians had hope, which brought him to thanks-giving prayer.

Toward the end of his letter, Paul mentions this trilogy a second time, now in military metaphor. He writes, “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for the helmet the hope of salvation” (5:8). Here he suggests that faith, hope, and love are essential qualities of Christian life. So, it makes sense that when he saw them so clearly in the Thessalonians’ lives, he was moved to pray in thanksgiving for what God was doing in them.

Vocation directors see a similar thing in their inquirers and candidates. Often the inquirers and candidates cannot see it themselves because, immersed in their own conversion or discernment, they are too close to their experience to see what God is doing in them. It’s too early in the conversion process, just like the Thessalonians were probably too immersed in their new faith, hope, and love to see the dynamism like Paul could. Good vocation directors see the same dynamism in their inquirers and candidates.

And it often leads them to prayers of thanksgiving and praise.

(Photograph by +Vincent Reyes, OFM Cap.)

A Vocation Director’s Prayer, Part One

2012-02-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

My guess is that most people suspect a vocation director’s prayer is that lots of new inquirers join his or her religious order or diocese. Frankly, I desire that conclusion, but seldom pray that there will be lots of new recruits.

I’m on retreat this week, spending my time with Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians. It seems appropriate to include a post to the vocation blog during my retreat since much of my retreat has been spent reflecting on my prayer. That’s because the Thanksgiving (1 Thess. 1:2-10) at the beginning of Paul’s letter talks a lot about his prayer.

As I reread the Thanksgiving numerous times, I found five characteristics of Paul’s prayer that often fuel my prayer as a vocation director. The first is universality. Paul mentions no one from Thessalonica by name in this letter. Rather he uses you and your in the plural and mentions "all of you" (1:2). He calls the Thessalonians "brothers and sisters" loved and chosen by God. While my prayer for inquirers and candidates often starts with one or two men with whom I’ve recently worked, it rarely stays with them. My current list of vocation contacts contains 37 names. When I start praying for one or two, my mind travels on to about ten others. When I pray with the whole list in one sitting, I have to be sure to have lots of available time.

Second, Paul says, “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers…constantly…” (1:2). I really understand the frequency of Paul’s prayer. Anyone working intimately with others thinks of those others often. Perhaps to a fault, I have a very hard time placing inquirers and candidates to the side, even for a moment. I can’t forget about them. They drive me. I keep working and praying for them because I can’t stop. I understand the frequency of Paul’s prayer.

Concreteness is the third characteristic I see in Paul’s prayer. He was incredibly moved by the Thessalonians’ response to God’s election communicated through his ministry to them. My prayers of petition are often quite concrete. When a candidate seeks to overcome a spiritual obstacle, that goal is quite concrete in my prayer. But more often than not, I’m struck by some powerful spiritual movement in an inquirer or candidate, and it concretely becomes a prayer of thanksgiving or praise.

There is also tight mutuality visible in Paul’s prayer, the 4th characteristic. He had a close relationship with the Thessalonians. So, this letter is a testimony to how their conversion influenced his prayer, and he concludes by asking them to pray for him, Timothy, and Silas who first evangelized them. I’m always moved when a candidate or inquirer promises to pray for me and my ministry. God’s work in any of us inspires others to thanks, praise and concern.

The fifth and final characteristic of Paul’s prayer is his predominant stance of thanksgiving, which often is a segue into praise. This shouldn’t be a surprise since all this prayer-talk is in the section of Paul’s letter called The Thanksgiving. But there’s more than that to explain why Paul is in hyper-thanksgiving mode. He just had an awesome experience of God working in people’s lives. That didn’t lead him first to petition, but to thanks for what’s happened to them and praise for the God who worked this awesome thing in them. That’s what mostly drives my prayer for inquirers and candidates as well. Despite all the challenges and struggles that are part of vocational discernment, no one would be there if God didn’t first start to work something wonderful in her or him. Starting with prayers of thanks and praise makes lots of sense to this vocation director.

Another list found in this Thanksgiving from First Thessalonians strikes me. It’s Paul’s focus on the faith, love, and hope of the Thessalonians as a reason to give thanks and praise. I save that for a second post coming out of this retreat.

Lumen Gentium and Images of the Church

2012-02-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

As I continue my Look at Lumen Gentium, A Light to the People, I move into chapter 6 which begins giving us some images, some metaphors for, the Church.

The first image given is a pastoral image… and I mean that in the literal sense of Pasture: The Sheepfold and Flock. It’s not the most endearing way we could describe ourselves. Sheep are smelly, dirty, and tend to be a little stupid. It takes great humility to describe ourselves with this image. While some may be called to be pastors, they are still part of the flock because Christ is the Shepherd. I think I’m going to start reminding myself I’m a sheep whenever I become sure I know what’s what.

The second image is the farm, or field, where an ancient olive tree grows. Our roots go all the way back to Abraham and Sarah. As the olive tree is a symbol of peace, so should the Church be. As the olive gives oil that soothes and heals and blesses, so to should the Church sooth and heal and bless. We are also a vineyard. Christ is the Vine and we are the branches. As grapes give sustenance and become wine to give joy to human hearts, the Church should too bear fruit and bring joy to the world.

The third image is the Building or Temple. The churches we go to “represent” as the document says, the Temple we the people of the Church are: the place where God dwells. This one is particularly relevant to Franciscan belief because when Christ spoke to Francis from the San Damiano cross, Francis thought he was supposed to rebuild churches. He later learned that he was supposed to help fix the Church of his day that had grown comfortable and decadent in its wealth and power. It’s important to remember that until the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, Jews and Christians alike believed God was present in the Temple… that God lived there. Buy claiming that we are living stones and that the Church is the Temple we claim God lives in Us.

Other images are “The Jerusalem which is above,” and “our Mother”. Jerusalem means vision of peace. And if the Church is our Mother, a vocation is not marrying the Church. The last image is that of an Exile. We are away from our homeland. Because of this we should love, cherish, and help all others who are also away from their homelands. We know what it is like.

(The first two pictures are care of Wiki Commons)

Fruits of the Spirit—Self-Control

2012-02-14T17:52:00.001-08:00

The world is still reeling from the sudden and tragic death of Whitney Houston. The 48 year-old, who sold hundreds of millions of records and garnered dozens of awards over her career, was found dead in a bathtub at a Beverly Hills hotel. Although toxicology tests need to be completed, there are some strong indications that her death was related to her long and well-documented struggle with drug abuse and addiction.

After a series of mistakes and embarrassments in recent years, Ms. Houston—an extremely talented artist who combined beauty, emotional power, and the ability to sing in three octaves—was working on a comeback. No more. She has now apparently become one of the people who die every 19 minutes in our country due to prescription drug misuse.

The late Senator Barry Goldwater was once famously quoted as saying, “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.” Perhaps it’s the legacy of the days of the pioneers and Manifest Destiny, but there is something in our national psyche that equates freedom with pushing limits. We use the word “extreme” as a badge of honor and attach it to everything from a hair gel’s hold to an energy drink’s stimulating effects. Our waistlines are expanding along with the portions our restaurants offer. People post things to their Facebook pages that often seem better left unsaid.

What has happened to self-control?

In James 1:12-18, the author commended those who persevere in temptation; and he saw the roots of temptation in desire, which in turn gives birth to sin, which leads to death. If desire is our emotional accelerator, then self-control is the brake. Living life “pedal to the metal” may work well in a commercial for an “extreme” deodorant; but it’s not a healthy way to travel through life. Even if what we desire is good, it there is not self-control, there’s a real danger that we can will crash and burn.—JC

Lumen Gentium: The Church and The Spirit

2012-02-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

Vatican II changed the Church. Most of us discerning vocations these days never experienced what the Church was like before this Council. Many of us live taking the gifts of the Council for granted.

The other night I decided to pull down my copy of the Vatican II documents and begin working my way through them. These 16 documents are the basis for who we are as the Church in the contemporary age. These documents changed the face of Ecumenical Councils by being Pastoral instead of Condemnatory. Unlike the previous councils of which we have records, there is not a single declaration of anything as anathema in these texts. I’m reading them because of how important they are and because I think it’s important to have read them and taken some part of them into myself. I don’t know if I need to KNOW them but I think we all should have some understanding of what is in them. These documents are the highest authority in the Church.

So I started with Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. As I read I highlighted what struck me personally as important. The first thing I marked was in Chapter 3. It reads “In the sacrament of the Eucharistic Bread, the unity of believers, who form one body in Christ, is both expressed and achieved.” The Eucharist shows that we are the already the Body of Christ but also makes us that reality.

Chapter 4 talks about the Spirit’s role in the Church as guide, unifier, gift-giver, and rejuvenator. Chapter 7 continues to speak of the Spirit as the “One Spirit who, out of (his) own richness and the needs of the ministries gives (his) various gifts for the welfare of the Church.” I’ve said before that our gifts are given to us not for our own use but to build up the Church. You have your gifts for a reason. The gift you have is important to where you are called to be and the Spirit will call you to be where your gifts are needed because that’s why you have them.

Chapter 5 states “the Lord Jesus inaugurated his church by preaching the good news of the coming of the Kingdom of God.” The Church is formed to continue the declaration of God’s Reign. Chapter 5 also states, “While it slowly grows to maturity, the church longs for the completed Kingdom.” This is strong language because it states explicitly that the Church is not yet mature. We, the Church, are still growing and learning and we need to remember that we are not perfect yet. That’s humbling.

I’ll leave it at this for now. I think it’s enough to think about for a while. Remember that your vocation, whatever it may be, is important. It is for the Good of the Church, which is for the good of the Reign of God. I hope you find a place to be that uses your gifts for the Reign of God and to help our Church grow to maturity.

(The second picture is care of Wiki Commons. Lumen Gentium means "Light to the Nations" and comes from this part of the Gospel.)

Candidate Residency

2012-02-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

When I first started looking intoreligious life and in particular the Capuchins, it is pretty safe to say that Iwas naive. I had heard about people in religious life but had never met one oreven knew anyone who was in it. After the weekend discernment retreat inDetroit, I knew that I had to pursue this idea of becoming a Capuchin. I wastalking with the then vocation director and he suggested that maybe I couldcome and live with the guys in Chicago. I was taken back at first but then Igot to thinking about it and thought,why not?

After a series of talks with thevocation director, we finally made arrangements for me to move in to continueto discern my vocation with the Capuchins. I can still remember that day, myfuture brother-in law came and picked me up and helped me move from the Northside of Chicago to the Southside. Theminute I walked into the house I immediately felt at home, even though no onewas actually at home. After a couple of hours of settling in I came down forevening prayer and officially met all the guys. I had met many of them beforethrough various events and coming over for dinner but there was still a few Ihad not met.

As the weeks progressed I became morecomfortable with the surroundings and with the day-to-day operations. The firstthing that really stuck out was their communal prayer. Every morning we gottogether and praised the Lord with one voice. This act of solidarity andcommunity really inspired me and made me want to be a part of it. The idea ofcommunity continued later that night when we all sat down together to eatdinner and had a social hour. The solidarity and community that I experiencedat St. Clare’s reinforced my desire to join the Capuchins. I was able to take aglimpse of their life while I was still working at a local psychiatric office.I looked at it as my transition from a life of secularism to religious life.

This experience really helped me tomake the transition. To be completely honest with you I was not sure if I couldhandle this kind of life. I was stuck to the material world and didn’t want tolet go. Living in the house with the other guys who were in temporary vowsreally gave me an insight into the life and really taught me values and lessonsthat a brochure can never express. The brothers at St. Clare have taught meabout the strength of brotherhood and the strength of communal faith. I can saythat one of the main reasons I am here in postulancy today is because of thebrothers at St. Clare and St. Agnes. They helped remind me of my love forworking with the poor and my joy in spending time together as one in prayer andEucharist.

If this is something you might want to explorefeel free to contact your vocation director and see what you can do? Livingwith the guys is an experience I will never forget. So thank you St. Clare andSt. Agnes community for helping me to become the postulant I am today.

Explore the Roots of Franciscan Spirituality- March 2-4

2012-02-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

What makes Franciscans and Capuchins, who are Franciscans, different?

This is the question most discerners seek to answer sooner or later. It's key for any authentic response to a God-given call to explore Franciscan life.

The next Midwest Capuchin Vocation Weekend seeks to answer that question by exploring the root-Franciscan metaphor of sister-brotherhood. While Francis seldom uses the Latin word fraternitas (fraternity or sister-brotherhood) in his writings, both his writings and his legends are replete with a dynamic living witness of intimate relationship centered in God the Creator and the person of Jesus.

In fact, Francis uses the metaphor of sister-brotherhood in two ways. One explores how all of creation is tied together with moral consequences because of our common source in a common creator. Francis' The Canticle of the Creatures is his most famous celebration of this relationship.

Francis also uses the metaphor to explore our sister-brotherhood in Christ, where, through our baptism, we share in the very life of God through poverty and humility in service to the desire of God the Father. This service to the desire of the same father puts us all in relationship to one another, but most especially with Jesus, whose incarnation is the greatest example of this characteristic of divine life.

Participants in this weekend will not be running around to experience as many Capuchin ministries as possible, as they do in some other weekends. Rather, they will spend a more reflective and casual time with the friars in Chicago, exploring the spirituality that supports their life.

March 2-4, 2012
Starts with supper and ends with Sunday brunch
St. Clare Friary in Chicago

As always, prior registration is required. New inquirers need to have an interview with a Capuchin vocation director before attending. Contact Fr. Bill Hugo at 313-595-2182 (cell) or WilliamHugo1253@gmail.com

Image by Bro. Michael Gaffney, OFM Cap.

Ain't it Good to Know that You Got Friends?

2012-02-10T11:44:00.000-08:00

I’ve been feeling a little frustrated lately about a number of things. It’s had me a little depressed and withdrawn. Today, though, I went out for lunch with a good friend of mine, Lori, who goes to CTU with me and was part of a Capuchin volunteer program in New York at one point. It was good to get together with her and just talk about school and stuff… to get other issues off my mind. We went to a little Middle Eastern place in Hyde Park and just had a nice lunch and good conversation. Though it hasn’t solved any of my frustrations, it has definitely helped me feel better. It was good to share some of my school frustrations and here some of the frustrations she has as a lay student.

And of course all this got me thinking.

It is so important to have friends outside of a religious community. There was a time in the Church when such relationships, such friendships, were not approved of at all. Friendships within community were also looked on with suspicion. We’ve changed those stances, though. We know and acknowledge today that it is important to have particular friendships. Having a friend who has other interests, or another state or mode of life, is incredibly important for having a balanced sense of the Church. How can one possibly understand the struggles a married couple has when you don’t have friends who are married that can share those with you? How can one understand the worries and point of view of a religious if you don’t have someone to share them with you? Having friends helps us loose stereotypes and see the other as human with worries and needs we might have no clue about.

It’s also important to have friends outside of the community because while you may be brothers or sisters in community, that doesn’t always make you best friends or people you can share your most intimate self with… your real struggles and worries.

When and if you enter religious life, remember that those relationships you have from before are still important. You are not severing ties with an “Old Life.” You are adding a new dimension to the life that you have been given to live. You are not becoming the property of the Order so that any external relationship is taboo. All of the other vocations in the Church have something to say to each other and ways to help the others grow. If there was one perfect vocation the Church wouldn’t need all of the ones She has.

Learning to Challenge My(Your)self

2012-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

I have invited my brother NickBlattner to write about his experience with the House of Peace. Here is what hehad to say:

I used to takethe easy way out. I did it at school when I would look for the easiest classesto take. I did it at work when I would look for shortcuts around my duties. Ieven did it in prayer when I would rationalize that one hour at Church per weekwas enough; however over time I started to realize that I was selling myselfshort. I was not challenging myself. I was deliberately prohibiting my personalgrowth in knowledge, skill, and spirituality. It was then that I made a promiseto myself to always embrace challenges. I wanted to seek experiences that wouldmake me feel uncomfortable. For it is in uncomfortable situations in which I amchallenged to grow as a person the most. This situation was ever present in myministry discernment.

For an entireweek, I wrestled with the choice of my ministry. After much discernment Irealized there were two questions that kept popping into my prayers. Wherewould I feel the most challenged? Where would I feel most uncomfortable? Itsoon became clear that the ministry that would fulfill both these questions wasthe House of Peace. I could foresee myself growing the most at the House ofPeace. After only two weeks of working there I realized my prayers wereanswered. I found that I was being challenged both mentally and spiritually;exactly what I had hoped for. However, I also found something that I did notexpect; joy and comfort. I can honestly say that through those first coupleweeks, where I experienced everything from heartache to joy, my faith grewexponentially.

Now looking back I realize had I not chosen tochallenge myself, I would have not been blessed with the graces of both joy andcomfort. Much like when I first decided to contact the Capuchin vocationoffice. Yes, I struggled for many months debating whether or not I should takethat initial step in discerning my vocation. There was much hesitation on mypart. For whatever reason I felt uncomfortable contacting the Capuchins. Whatwas I afraid of? Why was I hesitant? Why did I feel uncomfortable? To this dayI don't know why. All I know is that I had to challenge myself. I needed tostep outside my comfort zone. I had to because the call from God was so strongthat I could no longer ignore it. The ball was now in my court; I had to make amove. In doing so I found a group of men who were wholly devoted to living outtheir faith and serving Christ's poor.

Now I know there may be some of you readingthis who are thinking about contacting the vocation office, but are hesitant todo so. Do not hesitate. Do not be like me and wait for several months and letyour anxieties get the best of you. Do it for God. Do it for your Church. Do itfor yourself. The ball is in your court now. What are you going to do? Avoidthe challenge or make a move?

Fruits of the Spirit--Chastity

2012-02-07T12:59:00.000-08:00

Two months ago Newsweek magazine featured a cover story entitled, “The Sex Addiction Epidemic” (Chris Lee, December 5, 2011). The story was published about a month after I participated in a workshop sponsored by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men that discussed the growing problem of internet pornography in religious communities as well as the wider society. The latest edition of Lukenotes, the newsletter of the St. Luke Institute in Silver Spring, Maryland included an article entitled, “Understanding Cybersex Compulsion.” Many priests who hear confessions these days tell me that one of the sins most frequently brought to the Sacrament of Penance is the use of pornography, particularly on the web.

It’s a big problem—and a big business. The Newsweek article noted that, “An estimated 40 million people a day in the U.S. log on to some 4.2 million pornographic websites, according to the Internet Filter Software Review” (50). According to Bryan Silva and Nancy Kluge, the authors of the Lukenotes piece, “With an income exceeding $12 billion annually in the United States alone, the business of pornography is larger than many Fortune 500 companies” (1). The growing popularity of online pornography, the article suggests, is primarily driven by three factors: (1) Anonymity (real or, more likely, imagined); (2) availability (24/7); and (3) affordability (many sites are free and most are relatively inexpensive) (Id.).

Drs. Silva and Kluge go on to note: “Research (Lasser & Gregiore, 2003) has indicated a number of factors that put priests and religious at higher risk for using internet pornography. Three are overwork, loneliness and an immature spirituality.” At the risk of oversimplification, for the workaholics pornography is used as a “reward” and stress-reliever; for those who are lonely, shy, and socially anxious it is used to at least give the illusion of being “connected” with others; and for the spiritually immature it is the shadow side of a double life, one that is often marked by the seemingly “perfect” observation of external rules and rubrics and patterns of rigid, black-and-white thinking. In addition, those who have histories of other addictive behaviors are also at risk of adopting internet pornography as yet another form of “self-medication.”

Many express shock or at least dismay when they hear of priests and religious using internet pornography, particularly in light of the fact that we take perpetual vows of chastity and are committed to expressing it celibately. That’s understandable. When someone makes a public vow—whether it’s as a religious, priest, or married person—they’re expected to live up to it. At the same time, priests and religious are men; and men (and an increasing number of women) in our society are driving the porn market.

Pornography is a problem; but in reality it’s a symptom of a wider diminution of the virtue of chastity that we are called to embrace first by virtue of our baptism and then in our vocational choices. As the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults notes:

All people—married, single, religious, and ordained—need to acquire the virtue of chastity. “Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner quality of man in his bodily and spiritual being” (CCC, no. 237). Chastity unites our sexuality with our entire human nature….Jesus is the model of chastity….The acquisition of chastity depends on self-discipline and leads to an internal freedom, which enables human beings to temper sexual desires according to God’s plan for the appropriate expression of love in the marital relationship of a man and a woman” (405).

Let’s unpack that for a moment, because there are a lot of misunderstandings and even distortions about what the Church actually teaches in this area. Here are the main points:

(1) We are all called to chastity, regardless of our stations in life.

(2) Chastity is not a matter of denying or suppressing our sexuality but rather healthily integrating it into who we are and how we live.

(3) Jesus is our model for chastity. He had disciples and enjoyed friendships with men and women. He upheld the sacredness, permanence and indissolubility of marriage (see, e.g. Matthew 5:27-32). He was committed to loving friendship (John 15:11-17).

(4) Chastity involves self-denial-we can’t just do whatever to/with whomever whenever we want—but its true purpose is for our own human development and self-giving (see, e.g. 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 and 7:32-35).

Some of us are called to celibacy and/or accept it as part of our vocation. All of us, however, are called to chastity. It is a powerful and needed witness in our world.—JC

Photo Album of Wisconsin Ministry Weekend

2012-02-06T15:34:00.000-08:00

Candidates and inquirers recently participated in a Capuchin Wisconsin Ministry Weekend. We visit Capuchin ministries in Milwaukee (St. Martin de Porres, St. Ben's Meal Program, The House of Peace, and St. Francis Parish) and St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin.

Click here to see a photo album of the event.

Thanks to all who made the weekend possible.

What If I'm Not Perfect?

2012-02-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

As time draws closer to when Vocation directors start trying to finalize who will be in the next Postulancy class, I’ve ben thinking a lot about what Postulancy actually is. This past weekend we had a group of candidates come to Milwaukee to see our ministries and the first night, as we met each other, some of the postulants were asked what Postulancy was.

Here is how I would answer that question.

I’ve said Postulancy is like dating but I want to qualify that. When you’re initially dating someone the goal is to see whether the two of you fit together. This is also true about you and the Order you may be entering formation with. There is a big difference, though.

Postulancy is also formation.

When dating someone you are usually not concerned about making changes to yourself, at least not initially. If you and the other person don’t agree on something or have a falling out it’s easy to leave and find someone else who is more like you. There is nothing wrong with this. However, if you have made a commitment to someone or to an Order, you’re going to have to change and grow. No one enters Postulancy as the perfect member of that religious congregation. You will have to grow and change. It’s not easy. It’s not always pleasant, but if you are committed to someone or something more than just superficially then growth will have to happen.

It’s the same with any vocation. Look at marriage. Love isn’t just about romance. As two people grow with each other they will find differences that must be overcome if their love is real. Change is inherent in any relationship.

So, if you’re looking at entering formation, don’t worry that you won’t be perfect because you won’t be. You can’t be. Your formators will understand that. That’s why it’s called Formation.

(The second picture is care of Wiki Commons)

Spend the Triduum with Other Candidates, Inquirers, Volunteers and Capuchins

2012-01-31T12:13:00.000-08:00

The Triduum is special every year. It comprises the three holy days: Holy Saturday; Good Friday; and Holy Saturday. Each year, the Capuchin Vocation Office offers a Triduum "Retreat" at Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin. I put "Retreat" in quotation marks because I don't want to deceive you into thinking this is an experience mostly filled with silence. Given the fact that we are bringing together so many different kinds of people from so many places, it is clear that there will be lots of talking. When people have not seen each other for some time, there will always be lots of talking.

In fact, we encourage talking on this vocation experience. With so much richness among us because of our diverse experiences, it would be a waste not to talk and share and learn.

Besides talking together, we also celebrate the principle liturgies of the Triduum together in a way that give us much thought for our "Retreat." And we add to the richness through four talks offered on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

Helmut (right) with the General Minister

This year's speaker will be Capuchin Helmut Rakowski who was the very popular preacher at our 2007 Triduum Retreat, then in Burlington, Wisconsin. A member of the German Capuchin Province, Helmut ministered eight years in an indigenous parish located in the mountains of southern Mexico. Since 2003, he has promoted and coordinated the mission activities of the worldwide Capuchin Order.

So, evangelization and inculturation are themes close to his heart. But while we may be accustomed to think of Africa, Asia or Latin America when we hear the word "inculturation," Helmut hopes to penetrate the culture of young people. Having visited the United States often, he is a keen observer of American culture and capable of poignantly exploring its youth. He also brings his global experiences to this task so as not to become myopic. Titling his talks "A Story of Love, A Story of Life," Helmut plans to use video more than words to explore his theme.

John Celichowski

Born in 1962, Helmut joined the Capuchins in 1981 and studied journalism in Münster and Tübingen while spending internships with a local newspaper and TV channel.

Our Provincial Minister John Celichowski will also join us to preside at the Holy Saturday Vigil Service.

I'm posting early about the Triduum Retreat, even before our March Vocation Weekend, because it is such an important and powerful experience for our inquirers and candidates. I cannot encourage you enough to attend. So, please work it into your schedule and let me know if you can attend.

Attendance requires a prior interview with Capuchin Vocation Director Bill Hugo: 313-595-2182 or WilliamHugo1253@gmail.com

Event Particulars:
St. Lawrence Seminary and Friary
301 Church Street
Mt Calvary, Wisconsin 53057

April 5-8, 2012

St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt Calvary, Wisconsin

Fruits of the Spirit--Modesty

2012-01-31T02:45:00.001-08:00

Modesty seems to have a tough time of it these days. In magazines, on TV, and on the internet celebrities parading on the red carpets of a seemingly endless array of awards shows often proclaim in their dress (or lack of it) the old maxim, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” In an economy that is only slowly emerging from recession people are told that that they need to “market” themselves more effectively so that they will stand out and get the job they want. Some even take that marketing to new and ever more creative levels by “enhancing” their resumes with things they’ve never done, degrees they’ve never earned, and skills they don’t really possess.

In professional sports we witness all kinds of chest thumping, screaming, posing, and other forms of carrying on. What started years ago as a spike in the end zone or slapping somebody five after a basket or home run has now become a series of choreographed signature demonstrations even after the most routine plays. It’s harder to throw a flag for “excessive celebration” when it all seems so excessive. Is it just me or is the NFL morphing into the WWE?

The Bible has all kinds of warnings against unhealthy pride and self-aggrandizement. When Belshazzar the King of Babylon decided to use the sacred cups that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem for a party, God showed him literally by “the handwriting on the wall” that his days and those of the Babylonian Empire were numbered (Daniel 5:1-30). When King Herod chose to bask in the people’s worship after a speech rather than give the glory to God, he was very quickly forced to come to terms with his own mortality (Acts 12:20-23). In the gospels Jesus warns against the dangers of self-promotion (see, e.g. Luke 14:7-11), concluding: “Everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled, while they who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jane Bradley Pettit, an heir to the Allen Bradley fortune, was a well-known philanthropist in the Milwaukee area for years, generously providing tens of millions of dollars for a variety of civic, arts, and cultural efforts. While her name and that of her family are on a number of well-known buildings in the area she personally eschewed the limelight that many wanted to cast on her because of her contributions. At ground-breakings, ribbon-cuttings, or awards ceremonies she was often asked to give a speech.

It is said that on these occasions she gave one of only two speeches she had prepared. Her short speech was, “Thank you;” and her long speech was, “Thank you very much.” In her demeanor she may have been a “plain Jane” but her heart and spirit of generosity were stunning and spectacular. She had been given much and gave even more.

In a world filled with Lambeau Leaps perhaps we could do better with more Pettit peeps.—JC

Video Response Continued: What Have We Done? What Must We Do?

2012-01-29T06:43:00.000-08:00

As I continue to delve into the video, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus,” I think there’s something we all need to be asking ourselves, whatever our religion is. What might we have done to create an atmosphere where a person, this poet, having had a real experience of the love and mercy of the Divine, has decided to walk away and claim that religion is an infection? How might we have we failed to be the community that is supposed to show God’s love to the world?

These are not easy questions to ask and if it were just one person it would be easy to dismiss it, perhaps. But the video has gone viral and gets as many “amens” as it does “smack downs.” That’s hardly pastoral on our part. I’m as guilty as the rest in my response. When I get defensive or emotional I retreat to my head where my belief is that if I approach something calmly and rationally people will take me more seriously. Maybe my failing is that I don’t show my faith as a love affair.

The poet claims that religious people ‘front,’ that we pretend to be holier than we are and look down on people who don’t live up. I know many people would like to point to famous preachers who are guilty of the sins they rail against to prove this point. Do we ever stop to think that maybe they realize just how sinful they are and can’t stop and are trying to get others to change or not fall into their same trap? We often feel that if people see us sinning in a particular way they won’t take our pleas to change that behavior seriously. Think of a parent who smoked pot in his or her youth and gets mad at their child for doing the same thing. Now I’m not saying we all need to air our dirty laundry. I think that it’s sufficient to work at improving ourselves and not necessarily share the particulars of our sinfulness, but we do need to acknowledge that we are in fact sinners. Do we front? We need to ask ourselves this pretty seriously.

Another thing we might do that would lead people to think we aren’t living the life to which we are called is talked about when he says we fail to feed the poor. We are all called to serve, just like Jesus did at the last supper in the Gospel of John. We are all called to work for Justice like the prophets of the Old Testament continually reminded Israel. What are you doing to work for the Reign of God? Prayer is powerful, yes, but I think we need to do more than just pray and go to service or mass on Sunday. Even monks live in community and try to live the gospel message with each other and not just pray. Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew 25 that every time we do or do not help someone, we do or do not help him respectively.

And then there are some of us, and I keep using us because we are a community, who in fact just use religion to look good while continuing to do other things without any sense of the inconsistency of our lives.

We all need to take a good look at our institutions and ourselves and see where we are going wrong AND ALSO where we are in fact doing the work of the Reign of God because to think we are only doing one or the other is to do ourselves a disservice. Human beings are complicated. To say we are basically evil is to deny the blessing God gave us at creation when he said we were “very good” and to say that we don’t sin is to say we are already perfect and to ignore the evil in our world that we as humanity have caused to be.

I hope we all continue to grow in our relationship with God and to become the holy people God wants us to be and so become a community that people want to be a part of.

(The first two pictures are care of WikiCommons. The final is my own.)

The Call Is to Follow after Jesus - Biblical Calls

2012-01-25T06:33:00.000-08:00

Very often, we understand a divine call to mean a request by God to do a specific work. This does happen, and there are numerous biblical examples. However, in the New Testament, the divine call is fundamentally to follow Jesus. This first or fundamental call is to the person of Jesus and often experienced as a conversion. But don’t’ miss the point; it’s a conversion to a person.

Ask yourself: What keeps me from totally throwing myself at the service of Jesus?

Fruits of the Spirit--Faithfulness

2012-01-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

I recently saw an HBO documentary on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, one of the most infamous disasters in the history of the American workplace. 146 people, 127 of them women, died in New York City on March 25, 1911. Some were burned, others overcome by smoke, and many leapt to their deaths because the ladders of the fire trucks too short to reach those trapped on the 8th and 9th floors.

The workers, who had fought and failed to unionize the factory in order to improve their pay and working conditions, had never been through a fire drill; and the stairwells leading to safety in their new building were only 2 ½ feet wide. There was no sprinkler system, though they were available. In the name of free enterprise and avoiding “excessive” government regulation, things like wider stairwells, mandatory fire drills, and sprinklers were not required. In the name of maximizing profit, they were not built, implemented, or installed. The owners of the factory had locked the doors to the exits, ostensibly to prevent worker thefts. Indicted and tried on manslaughter charges following the fire, they were acquitted on all counts within two hours by an all-male jury.

The Triangle Fire and the public guilt and rage that ensued led to a host of reforms that made the workplace safer for everyone. In addition, just as the attacks of 9-11 would 90 years later, this tragedy also had its share of heroes. One of them was the elevator operator, an Italian immigrant, who had finished his shift but repeatedly returned to the upper floors to save panicked workers, even as the smoke and flames were consuming them. Time and time again, he drove his elevator back up to the 8th and 9th floors, packing it as full as possible. He only stopped when the weight of those jumping down the shaft and on top of the elevator cab forced it into the basement. He saved hundreds of lives through his determination, courage, and faithfulness.

We live in an era of free agents and few commitments. In the global economy companies hire, fire, and move the jobs of workers seemingly at will…and in the name of free enterprise. Workers move from job to job with a frequency that would have amazed and alarmed their grandparents. People delay or avoid marriage, preferring to be “partners” (a term once relegated to business relationships) rather than spouses. Religious affiliations and commitments are often determined more by how people feel they are “fed” or what they “get out of it” rather than what they can give or what their presence and engagement might mean to the community. Religion and faith are now consumer goods or “lifestyle choices,” along with cars, breakfast cereal, and deodorant.

Jesus embodied faithfulness. He was not a consumer but rather was consumed by love and faithful to his Father and his mission: “I have glorified You on earth. I have finished the work which You have given me to do” (John 17:4). He was faithful to his disciples: “I will not leave you orphans. I will come back to you….Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 14:18, 15:13). He was faithful to those he had been called to serve. He told his disciples: “[W]hoever desires to be great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you who desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43b-45, NKJV).

Jesus defied the logic and the demands of the marketplace. His moral compass was not guided by Adam Smith’s invisible hand but by the hand of his loving Father.

Lord, increase our faith…and our faithfulness.—JC

Brother David's Video Response to the "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus" Video

2012-01-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

I offer a continued response to the "Why I hate religion, but love Jesus" video. I always planned to respond in a more personal way at the end of what I had been writing but I probably should have done this first.

Peace and Good

David

As I’ve been looking at a number of responses to this “Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus” video, I’ve noticed that they are all very sectarian… usually saying something like “our church is the right one” which doesn’t address the need this man has. Why has this video gone viral? Why are so many people hungry for what he has to say? Where, in a sense, has religion gone wrong that this particular video has caused such a stir?

Did you know that the single largest group of psalms in the Psalter is songs of lament, songs of people yelling at or questioning God? In the book of Job, Job gets angry with God, even while trusting God to do the right thing. I think this is what our poet friend has done. He went through a very difficult time in his religious community, a time of personal trial in which he confronted his own failings. He talks about it. He talks about his pornography addiction, and about putting a face up, pretending to be holy when he knew he wasn’t. And because he was living a lie, at first, he rightly or unrightly assumed the rest of his community was as well.

The truth is we are all struggling to be holy people and we fear that others will judge us for our sins and so we keep our weaknesses to ourselves, afraid to be seen for the imperfect, mark-missing earth creatures, which is probably the best translation of adam in Genesis, that we are. The truth is this man experienced God and it changed his life. For that I’m grateful.

The truth is, in fact, that when Jesus died on the cross his death was a culmination of his salvific action in our world and it saved us from sin and did it once and for all. The truth is that we still sin and though we sin we are saved from its power over us. The truth is we owe it to ourselves and to God to keep struggling to be better people and not to become comfortable in our sin and savedness. If we don’t try to be better, how will we ever be the prophets of the Reign of God we are all called to be?

The truth is that Jesus gave us a community to rely on so we would not have to go through this alone. God be praised, there is no such thing as an individual Christian. WE are the body of Christ. The truth is that one of the gifts of religion is that we can learn from the experience handed down, traditioned to us from our ancestors so each generation doesn’t have to re-discover everything about our faith in a void. The truth is that religion fails at times because human persons fail. We all need to look at our lives and see if we are living up to the message of God in our lives and call our faith traditions to constantly turn back to it. The truth is that in community there will always be someone to call us back to the truth.

I hope the poet will remember the gift his community is and the gift they have given him by handing down the faith to him. And I hope we all remember that without a personal commitment to living our life of faith, then our religion is in fact hollow.

Remember, the Church doesn’t have a mission, God’s mission has a church.

(All pictures are my own work.)

Why I Love Jesus Through Religion. Part 4: Religious People Whores?

2012-01-19T09:19:00.000-08:00

I continue with my look at the “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” video.

The Poet asks why religion:

“tells single moms God doesn’t love them if they’ve ever had a divorce.”

How do I get into this one? First off, if any person or religion tells anyone God doesn’t love him or her, they are wrong. God cares for all God’s creatures. Jesus practiced open table fellowship and his followers should as well.

The issue of divorce is a sticky one. Jesus said, “Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Mark 10:9) We also know that there are abusive relationships, for women and men, in which it is not safe for a spouse to stay with their spouse. I wonder how any person can say they know for certain which people God has joined together. I think we may have to chalk this one up to the Mystery of God.

“But in the Old Testament God actually calls religious people whores.”

Alright, this is a misreading of scripture, unless there’s a scripture passage I don’t know about. To understand the “whore” language of the prophetic books we have to look at the use of bridal language in the Old Testament. Throughout the story of the people of Israel and their relationship with God, the image of bride and bridegroom is used. Isaiah 62: 4-5 is a perfect example of this. “You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;  but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.  For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” Or look at the entire book of the "Song of Songs." Now, if you were a married man and your wife was sleeping around with other men I bet you’d have some choice words to say about her faithfulness. This is the same thing the prophets are talking about. God doesn’t call Israel ‘whore’ because Israel is religious but because Israel has forsaken the religion that God gave her and followed other gods and religions. Israel should have been in a marriage relationship with YHWH and instead was “sleeping around.” Religious people aren't equated with whores. God wanted Israel to follow the religious system they were given and to stay true to God.

So, I hope that clears up that part.

(All photos are from WikiCommons.)

P.S. I hesitated to use the image of the sinful woman wiping the feet of Jesus above because I don't want to perpetuate a "sinful woman" motif but the image does speak about forgiveness and the scene itself has long been associated with sexual misconduct on the woman's part, though this is an association and not substantiated by a close reading of scripture as the text just says 'sinful' and says nothing about sexual sin. It is sexist to think that when a woman is called sinful she must be unfaithful sexually but when Peter calls himself a sinful man we don't jump to the same conclusion.

Fruits of the Spirit--Gentleness

2012-01-17T06:46:00.000-08:00

Nobody likes a wimp or a whiner.

Our media—whether the relentless paparazzi, talk radio, or so many of the cable “news” shows—is “in your face.” Professional boxing and wrestling have surrendered their pay-for-view popularity to the UFC and the almost-no-holds-barred world of mixed martial arts. Political debates—ostensibly held to inform voters about the candidates—have become a virtual sound bite smorgasbord which, in any case, is being smothered by a bitter and greasy cacophony of expensive “issue ads” put out a variety of shadowy groups who, thanks to the Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case, are demonstrating daily that speech, like time, is money.

It’s not a time when many appreciate the gift and virtue of gentleness. Yet it was a hallmark of Jesus and his ministry. He certainly didn’t shrink from confronting evil, hypocrisy, ignorance, or a lack of mercy; and he wasn’t afraid of showing his anger. At the same time he was remarkably gentle with sinners, the sick and suffering. In Matthew 11: he gives us this compassionate invitation:

Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light (NJB)

In his encounter with the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-12), Jesus demonstrates his gentle spirit. There was little doubt that she had sinned; but while the religious leaders and crowd were ready to pick up stones and summarily execute her Jesus had a far different response: he stooped down and wrote in the dirt. When the others demanded an answer from him, he did not respond with a loud and self-righteous speech or even a defense of his own actions. Instead he simply replied, “Let those who are without sin be the first to cast a stone at her.”

That did the trick. One by one, people in the crowd dropped their stones and walked away. Even when he was left alone with the woman Jesus refused to condemn her; but he didn’t let her off the hook for her behavior, letting her depart with her life spared and a gentle but firm admonition to avoid sin.

Gentleness, Jesus reminds us, is not weakness but quiet strength.—JC

Why I Love Jesus Through Religion. Part 3: Churches and Feeding the Poor

2012-01-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

So we continue with our look at the “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” video.

The poet says:

“Why does it build huge churches but fails to feed the poor?”

So lets look at this question. The first part asks why religions build huge churches. I would say this. Since the dawn of time humans have been drawn to places of great beauty. The Shinto religion of Japan built and builds shrines in beautiful natural places. The earliest religions of the British Isles worshipped in sacred groves and stone rings and the Incas built Machu Pichu on a beautiful mountaintop. Humans are drawn to beauty and when they can’t have it naturally they build it. Humans build buildings to house their numbers… the larger the gathering, the larger the space needed. Humans want to beautify the things that are precious and important to them. True, there are some people who are so committed to their belief structures that they do not do these things. I’m not sure what that percentage is and I won’t hazard a guess. My guess is that humans like to have beauty and the art/craft-making urge is ingrained into us.

The second part about failing to feed the poor is next. I’ve done some research on this. The National Park Service says that in 2010 35% of all charitable giving was given to religious institutions including churches. This is equal, perhaps a little larger than, the next three combined. Also, in a survey done by the Hoover Institute at Stanford University, religious people are 25% more likely to donate money than secularists (91% compared to 66%) and 23% more likely to donate time (67% compared to 44%). On top of that work you have Inter-religious groups like NRCAT (National Religious Coalition Against Torture) who are activists for other Justice issues. I have known people who have changed religions because of what the respective religions offer in social justice and charitable work. I haven’t been able to find what percentage of charitable work religious institutions do but these numbers are compelling. And these numbers include all religions from Buddhism to Judaism.

And why haven’t religions solved the problem? The problem is too big. Even Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you.” (Matt 26: 11a) I would love to see the problem end. As a member of a religious order whose purpose is to work for the poor that is an end I am working toward. I don’t know if it’s possible for humans to do it, but with God all things are possible.

Peace and Good

David

(The Photo of Notre Dame is from WikiCommons and the pie chart from dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com who got it from Giving USA Foundation. The final picture is a drawing of mine.)

Why I Love Jesus Through Religion. Part 2: Politics and War

2012-01-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

So I continue my look at the “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” video.

The second line of the poem is:

“What if I told you voting Republican really wasn’t his mission?”

Suffice to say there is no political party or candidate for the presidency that is completely in line with Jesus’ teachings.

“What if I told you Republican doesn’t automatically mean Christian.”

Obviously. Neither does Democrat nor Libertarian nor Green nor Socialist nor any other party. Nor does it mean their followers aren’t.

“And just because you call some people blind doesn’t automatically give you vision.”

Once again, obviously this is the case.

“I mean, if religion is so great, why has it started so many wars?”

Alright… saying religion has started wars is like saying the candlestick led to the killing of Mr. Body in the board game Clue. People start wars, not religions. Humans have been fighting since time immemorial and it hasn’t been always about religion. Even the crusades were about a rival people, who happened to have a different religion, who attacked and conquered land that another group considered their own and so fought to get it back. The Church had a political and monetary stake in it. The leaders of the Western Church wanted to have clout with the Eastern Church with whom they were not on good terms and having property in the Holy Land was a huge asset as well. Yes, they used religious language to get people to fight but the fighting would have happened anyway. In a culture where there was no separation between Church and State this is to be expected but not condoned. As I said in my previous post, religious people slip away from their religion’s truths from time to time.

I use the candlestick here on purpose. The candlestick is supposed to be a form used for holding a light. It is a thing of beauty and purpose. When used correctly it illuminates the whole house and gives beauty to it. Hitting someone with it, misusing it, does not make the candlestick evil.

I’ll leave this here for now. The next line of the poem needs a response in itself so we’ll do that next.

Please respond as this moves you. I haven’t said anything personal on the matter yet, choosing instead to answer the questions. I’ll get to personal response later. Please add any other points of your own to the ones I’ve so far talked about and remember, I’ll get through the whole poem eventually.

Peace and Good

David

(The Democrat/Republican images are common on the web. I'm not sure exactly where I picked them up. The other photos are my own.)

Why I Love Jesus Through Religion. Part 1: Jesus Abolished Religion?

2012-01-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

So, I’m sure you’ve seen the video going around on YouTube by bball1989 entitled “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.” I’ve seen it shared by friends on Facebook as well as responded to by many other people, both positively and negatively. I haven’t seen anything yet, though, that I would say shares all my own feelings and thoughts on the matter. Obviously the four minute video is going to take longer to look at than just one blog post can do here so I think I’ll end up breaking it down into a couple of sections.

First the poet says, “What if I told you Jesus came to abolish religion?”

I would say you were mistaken.

This is obviously not the case or the meaning of Jesus’ life. We know Jesus attended Sabbath services in the synagogues of his day. We know he celebrated the Passover meal. In John’s Gospel he is in the religious center of the religion of Judaism three times during Passover. These are religious actions. In Mark 12: 41-44, Jesus points out the widow giving her two mites to the temple as a model of Discipleship. In Matthew 5: 17-18, Jesus says that he has not come to abolish the Law but fulfill it and that not the smallest part of a letter will pass away until all things have taken place. He goes on to say that whoever breaks a commandment or teaches others the same will be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. It's interesting to note here, as well, that he doesn't say they won't be in the Kingdom of Heaven at all.

Also, and I owe part of this insight to Bad Catholic on Patheos.com, Jesus, in a sense, instituted a religion. He formed a community with a code of ethics and a ritual, namely the Eucharist, to bind them. Community + Ethical code + Ritual = Religion. Also, according to Acts, the early followers of “The Way,” what Christianity was called before being called Christianity, continued to worship in the Temple and synagogue until the temple was destroyed in 70 CE and they were driven from the synagogues in the following years.

Now, granted, religions aren’t all they are cracked up to be. Jesus was definitely critical of the religious establishment of his day. They have good times and bad times; times when they are closer to their own truths and times they are further away. You can see it in Christianity. At the Council of Trent in the mid 16^th century, Catholics closed their doors to the world. It wasn’t until almost exactly 400 years later, to the day that Vatican II opened the windows of the Church and that she, the Church, was even able to say that other followers of Christ were indeed followers of Christ and try to repair ties with her separated brethren. (We don’t use ‘heretic’ anymore.)

So… just the first sentence of a poem and I’ve written a whole article. I’ll keep it up. Let me know what you think about this first part. I always hope to hear from you.

Peace and Good

David

(All images come from Wiki Commons.)

New and Old Ministries on Display in Wisconsin Weekend, Feb. 3-5

2012-01-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

It's an annual event. Once a year, the Midwest Capuchin Vocation Office and the friars from Milwaukee and Mt. Calvary host new inquirers and veteran candidates on a whirlwind tour of their ministries in Southeast Wisconsin. This is an important experience for anyone seriously interested in learning about the province. It includes St. Lawrence Seminary, which is the oldest still functioning Capuchin establishment in North America and a host of Milwaukee ministries anchored in an incredible past but always adjusting in fascinating creativity.

We begin in Milwaukee where we are hosted by the the friars of St. Conrad Friary, which hosts the Postulancy Program. Accompanied by many of the current postulants, we will visit four sites renown in Milwaukee for their Catholic outreach to African-Americans, including the historic St. Benedict the Moor where the first Catholic parish, grade school, high school, and hospital in Milwaukee were dedicated to the service of African-Americans. Today, inspired by the Catholic Worker Movement, St. Ben's continues to sponsor a 40-year-old hot meal program, as well as shower, bus ticket, and ID programs. Perhaps the most exciting event of the year for St. Ben's has been the grand opening of the Capuchin Apartments whose residents, with the help of case managers, keep their lives together to avoid probable homelessness.

Milwaukee Archbishop
Jerome Listecki
recently visited the
House of Peace.

St. Martin de Porres and St. Francis Parishes continue to serve the African-American community, and St. Francis has a particularly creative pastoral plan to reach out to diverse groups around the parish, including a growing young-adult ministry.

Our Milwaukee visits are rounded out with a visit to the well known House of Peace. Founded by the beloved Capuchin Bro. Booker Ashe, the House of Peace slowly evolved from a storefront situation to an ample modern facility serving people in Milwaukee's near Northwest neighborhood. Besides operating food package and clothing distribution programs, the HOP also hosts a legal clinic staffed by professors and students of Marquette University Law School, and a medical clinic staffed by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Nursing School. The facility also serves as an affordable location for many neighborhood organizations that help to build cohesion and stability for all.

After this whirling Saturday morning, we pick up a quick lunch and head north to St. Lawrence Seminary High School and Friary located in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin, a beautiful hour and fifteen minute ride to the north. This "Hill of Happiness" is the oldest still-functioning Capuchin establishment in North America. Begun as a business school for poor German immigrants, St. Lawrence slowly evolved into the country's largest Catholic high school seminary. Touting students from nineteen different countries, it is among the most diverse high schools to be found anywhere. Dedicated to academic excellence and spiritual depth, the school provides the safe environment needed for students to develop social skills and a spirit of service for a life-time.

Saturday afternoon will include a tour given by Rector/President Fr. Dennis Druggan. That evening, we'll spend a holy hour processing and praying about our experiences. On Sunday morning, we'll participate in one of the most moving Eucharists you can experience with the student body, many parents and staff members.

This weekend is a great introduction to Capuchin ministry for any new inquirer. It is a necessity for any veteran candidate who has yet to visit Wisconsin Capuchin Ministries.

Prior registration is required to attend this weekend. Please contact Vocation Director Bill Hugo at 313-595-2182 or WilliamHugo1253@gmail.com

An Example of Discernment with Brother David

2012-01-12T19:35:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody. We talk about discernment a lot. Here's an example of how a discernment might look from my own life. Hope it's helpful.

Peace and Good

David

(The picture is a copy I did of a famous painting by Zurbaran.)

Fruits of the Spirit—Generosity

2012-01-10T10:02:00.001-08:00

Octavia (not her real name), a middle-aged woman who I came to know at the first parish in which I served, was a one of those people who often get overlooked. She wasn’t involved in a lot of ministries or committees; she didn’t speak up at parish forums; and she really wasn’t the partying type. She dressed modestly and walked to church. As far as I could tell her life centered on her job and looking after her grandchildren when needed.

But she was there for Mass virtually every week; and, like a lot of other faithful Mass-goers she almost always sat in the same spot. Ours was a small community; and we were fortunate to have a church building that was just the right size—the kind that didn’t cost a fortune to maintain and that didn’t take a whole lot of people to fill. On the other hand, if folks were missing, you noticed.

Even if she missed Mass on occasion, Octavia virtually never missed keeping up with her Sunday contribution envelopes. She must have been serious about tithing, because the amount that she gave back in the mid 1990’s would still be considered a significant contribution today: $60—week in and week out.

Some might hear about Octavia and think of the story of the widow’s mite (Mark 12:41-44, Luke 21:1-4), where Jesus contrasts the great sacrifice of a poor widow in contributing her entire livelihood—a few copper coins—while the wealthy contribute far more money but far less of their substance. It’s important, however, to place this gospel story in the larger context of Jesus’ preceding criticism of the scribes for their pride, ambition, and ostentatious piety. “They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers” (Mark 12:40a). It is as much a critical observation of a systemic injustice as it as a commendation.

Octavia, by contrast, wasn’t really poor; but she wasn’t wealthy, either. She was, I came to learn, a postal worker—one of thousands who work receiving and sorting the mail in a system that, despite its many difficulties, is still considered among the most efficient and reliable in the world. She was, very simply, generous.
Generosity is our response to and a reflection of God’s own goodness and providence. In the Bible we see it reflected in the thanksgiving and harvest songs like Psalm 68, the beautiful prophecy of hope and redemption we heard in the Mass for the Epiphany of the Lord (Isaiah 60:1-6), and Jesus’ admonition about the measures of forgiveness that we render to others (Luke 6:37-38).

We all marvel at the major donors who are able to put their names on the sides of gymnasiums or fine arts centers or who leave behind foundations that bear their names. We should have that same sense of awe for those countless others whose generosity is far less publicized but no less important, a generosity that even those of us of modest means can emulate.—JC

Cowboys have it easy at eight seconds, try holding on for life...

2012-01-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago, I was talking with a friend of mine and I wasventing about some of the struggles that I was having and my friend said to me,“Your in religious life, I thought it was going to be easy”. I kind of laughedinside and then I said to her, “Anytime you embrace your vocation, it is notgoing to be easy but as long as you keep God in the mix you will be able to getthrough it.” That experience with my friend really got me thinking aboutvocations and the journeys that we embark on to understand them.

This week we were blessedto have some candidates who are looking into our order come and share in ourlives for a week. It kind of felt weird to me at first because I can rememberjust last year coming up to Milwaukee to meet the postulants and learn abouttheir program. Now it was my turn to host and share with them my experiences ofpostulancy. My goal from the beginning was to be very honest with them and toshare with them my joys and struggles. To say that religious life is easy wouldbe grossly understated. Just discerning ones vocation already defies the law ofsocial norms. You have all these websites that help you to find the perfectmatch and all these songs about finding your true love. You don’t hear verymany songs about finding the perfect religious order. Then when you do decideto join the order you defy the laws even more, but that is not what I want tofocus on.

I want to focus on thejoy in finding your vocation and the struggles you will face. When one makesthe decision through prayer and Devine grace to embrace their vocation it doesnot come alone. Somebody once told me that when you decide to embrace your vocation(whatever it is) the devil will do anything in his power to stop you. Thisunfortunately has happened to me. My heart and my mind have been focused onfinding my treasure in life through material wants. It was not until aboutthree years ago that I began looking for my treasure with God. In that processI found my vocation and I found my hearts true desire but unfortunately my mindwas still stuck on the material.

Moving up to postulancy I had to face thereality of living life in poverty. This is a constant struggle for me because Istill have that mindset of materialism. Everyday I have to face that strugglebut I have a couple weapons that I didn’t have before that and that is mycommunity and my God. So is religious life easy the answer is no but what Ihave found out is that as long as you have that desire, that joy and that lovefor Christ than you can make it through. For it says in Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heartwill be also.” So the next time that you are struggling with your vocation just findyour treasure and there you will find your heart and you will be able stay onthat bull for a longer period of time.

Once a Brother Always a Brother

2012-01-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

There is a common phrase which states that, "Everything good must come to an end," but I would also add, "so that something better might grow forth from it."

Last Sunday, after dinner, our brother Michael Beaupré made the official announcement that after much time of discernment he had decided that he would be leaving the novitiate program.

Michael, who came to us from the Province of Central Canada, has been with those of us from the Province of St. Joseph's since the beginning of postulancy. Since that time I think it is safe to say that we had all become rather good friends and having known him so well it is obvious that during his time with the order Michael grew a lot both spiritually and as a person in general. It is easy for anyone to see that he has a strong faith life and deep love for the Church.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that for the time spent in the order there was a purpose for Michael's presence within it. If anything it helped him to further discern that religious life and the priesthood is not where God is calling him and that amount of discernment can be seen as a success. Our lives are a constant process of discerning which never ends and when one door closes another will open for us. I have no doubt that this is the case with Michael, that God has something else and something better planned for him.

Our thoughts and prayers go with Michael as he continues to discern God's will for him in his life. Though he may not be wearing the habit any longer, and though he doesn't have Bro. in front of his name, he will always remain a brother to us and we give him our love and our support as he continues his own journey of faith.

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

The rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand

Brother David's Mid-Year Ministry Update

2012-01-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody. Here's my new Vlog with an update on my Ministry with 8th Day Center for Justice. Hope you like it.

Peace and Good

David

(The picture is me with my co-ministers at 8th Day Center at our Christmas party.)

Silence?

2012-01-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

Our life is so full of noise. We are surrounded by it and we don’t always even realize that we feel awkward when it’s not around. I’m as guilty of this as anyone; of preferring the noise of music to silence that can seem boring at times. I noticed this the other night and, while I usually sleep with my computer playing soft music in the background, this time of year it’s still Christmas music, I decided to turn it off and sleep without it.

This got me thinking about a topic I’ve touched on before, that we need silence to hear God’s call. As I think about this more, I’m not sure that’s entirely true.

Most of us are aware that there are personality types and various ways to type your self from the Myers-Briggs to the Enneagram. Looking at the MB system in particular, we are told there are two end points on a continuum of Extrovert to Introvert. Extroverts like being around people, talking, and tend to be out-going. Introverts are the opposite end of that spectrum. They like quiet to process their thoughts and need time alone to think things through.

So how would these two groups process a vocational call?

It seems to me that an extrovert would need other people to discover the call. They would need good conversations and perhaps the call of the community to point out their vocation. As they talk, they think, and that spur of the moment speaking could manifest the call. From there it would take soul searching and conversations with a trusted spiritual director or friend, is my guess.

I think this also opens up an interesting part of the calling to religious life. Even if someone is not called to that consecrated life, they may see who might be and their speaking it to that person may be just the call the person needs to even consider it. I’ll quote the public transit signs in Chicago, “If you see something, say something.” You might change a life.

The introvert, I think, would be more keyed to the inner stirrings in silence. But even after that I believe we all need someone to talk about it with, perhaps a vocation director, your parish priest, a spiritual director, or a trusted friend.

So, think about who you are. God speaks in the way you can hear and maybe that isn’t always in silence but in the voices of your community.

Discovering Postulancy

2012-01-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

What will it be like?

That's the most common question inquirers ask as they consider applying to postulancy. Often, there's some excitement underneath that question, as well as anxiety and fear. "What will it be like?" is often a way of asking "What will I be like?" or "Will I like it?"

Well, we're currently ending a week (January 1-6) during which inquirers and candidates have been able to live in postulancy and see what it's like. They could stay for a day or for the week. This week was chosen because many college students are not in school yet and had the opportunity to make a vocation event that was not on a weekend, thus having an experience of what postulancy during the week is like.

Thus, they got up for morning meditation, attended morning prayer and Mass, and picked-up breakfast like everyone else. Each morning, they participated in a postulancy class, which this week was the fifth and final week of the postulants' study of the life and writings of St. Francis of Assisi. They were able to experience a seminar presentation given by each of the postulants as well as explore core ideas in Francis' spirituality.

In the afternoons, visitors tagged along with postulants to their ministries. Thus, they experienced St. Martin de Porres and St. Francis of Assisi Parishes. Many dropped into the House of Peace and St. Ben's Meal Program. A few visited an education program for women offenders and Voces de la Frontera, a Milwaukee organization working with immigrants. Some who had never visited St. Lawrence Seminary in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin took Wednesday afternoon to run up to the Hill to at least see the oldest functioning Capuchin foundation in the United States, even though the students were still away on Christmas break.

After evening prayer and supper, visitors spent their evenings meeting with the postulancy staff, processing the experience they were having in prayer, or engaging in a Q&A with the current postulants. A total of 8 inquirers or candidates made some part of the week-long experience.

To view a photo album of the event, visit our Picasa site.

Genesis One Code, pt 1

2012-01-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

The Genesis One Code. Daniel Friedmann.
New York: Park East, 2011. 231 pp.

This month I had the opportunity to preview The Genesis One Code by Daniel Friedmann. As a student of both religion and science, it was a wonderful opportunity for me to read and critique the work of someone who'd found a way to interpret science and faith as disciplines that can point towards a common truth.

The Genesis One Code focuses on cosmology as told by the scientific community as well as through his own faith. This is an initial problem for people of different disciplines: the evidence towards an old universe conflicts with the 6-day creation narrative of the Abrahamic tradition. While these two approaches towards the creation of the universe appear to be incongruent, the focus of Friedmann's book is to show that, indeed, both the scientific evidence and the 1st chapter of Genesis point to a common truth: scientific findings regarding the age of the universe are in agreement with Genesis that the world is 13.75 billion years old (plus/minus .13 billion years).

This is a strong claim, however Friedmann shows that he is familiar with both approaches. One of the things I enjoyed about the book is that it did not present one side to be more "correct" than the other...an approach that would have easily imbalanced a highly volatile thesis. Rather, the author systematically approaches both disciplines, explains the history and thought behind both, and provides a mechanism of thought that seemingly unifies the fields of science and religion.

I say "seemingly" because Friedmann's methodology raises some questions. The author does well to illuminate his sources as well as explain their importance to the discussion, especially when discussing the entirety of Jewish Law. However the use of these various sources does not make Friedmann's conclusion necessary. Rather, it can be argued that the presentation of the religious material confirms the scientific approach rather than independently arriving at that same conclusion. For example, if scientific knowledge later showed how the universe was 23 billion years old, it's possible that Friedmann's religious interpretation of Creation could be altered to fit that number as well.

Whether or not other readers agree or disagree, the value of The Genesis One Code goes beyond validating one's beliefs. I found it rather appropriate that the book's introduction should include a quote by Pope Pius XII:

It would seem that present-day science, with one sweep back across the centuries, has succeeded in bearing witness to the august instant of the primordial Fiat Lux, when along with matter, there burst forth from nothing a sea of light and radiation, and the elements split and churned and formed into millions of galaxies.

As Catholic Christians, we are invited to see science as something that compliments our faith, not to see it as something that contradicts it. It is, for some, a hard part of our Catholic faith. This has been especially troubling throughout the Church's history as it dealt with advances in science...a point that Friedmann makes in his book.

This is where, in my reading, the book has the most value. Daniel Friedmann, when presented with contradictions between science and religion, chose to learn both rather than picking one and dismissing the other. Friedmann presents an understandable description of the cosmology of the universe, including the Big Bang Theory as well as the Theory of Evolution. Both are not fully explained, however I found myself learning more about the structure of these theories as well as the science behind both. Similarly, the author explains the depth of the understanding of Genesis from the Judaic perspective. It is clear from the book that the author has taken time to educate himself in both areas of study. Genesis One is a framework not just to look at our beginnings, but provides an example of incorporating science and faith towards a common goal.

Genesis One is a unique read in that part of the book reads like a science text while the other reads like a Raymond Brown text...bombarded with references and various interpretations of religious thought. Thankfully, the author provides timelines and visual aids to help readers synthesize the data. If you are looking for a spiritually stimulating book, this might not be your choice. However if you are looking to read something that will increase your knowledge as well as make you think about your own viewpoints, this is the book for you. I also recommend this book for Catholics who, although have no "official" teaching on the Evolution and Big Bang Theories, are encouraged to come to their own positions that compliment faith and science. The Genesis One Code will provide an insight towards thinking of religion and science as complimentary disciplines that can both lead humanity to understanding the truth.

Image: tungphoto

Fruits of the Spirit--Goodness

2012-01-03T19:00:00.000-08:00

One of old sayings that I learned as a child was that, “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” I didn’t always appreciate it at the time, especially when it was attached the expectation that I would clean my room or take a bath. Over the years, however, I grew to see the wisdom of that saying—by practicing it.

We could say that goodness is not only “next to” godliness but is in fact the embodiment of godliness. When I was Pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Milwaukee one of the community’s favorite rituals at the Call to Worship prior to the celebration of the Mass was to remind ourselves: “God is good…all the time; (and) all the time…God is good!”

When Jesus was asked by rich and earnest young man, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” he responded, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone” (Matthew 10:17b-18). In other words, God is absolute goodness. Psalm 34:9 urges us: “Learn to savor how good the Lord is; happy are those who take refuge in him;” and in Psalm 119:68 we pray: “You are good and do what is good; teach me your laws.”

A hallmark of Franciscan spirituality is its emphasis on God’s goodness. St. Francis saw it everywhere, particularly in the beauty and bounty of creation. In one of his prayers of praise he acknowledges God as “All good, supreme good, totally good, You who alone are good….”

That’s pretty good.

As we begin a new year, may we who have been created in God’s image and likeness cultivate that goodness in ourselves.—JC

Vulnerability

2011-12-30T20:43:00.000-08:00

For starters, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers. The Christmas season is always a busy one and after a long semester the ability to rest from studies and the daily community schedule is nice. It didn’t last quite long enough, though. During this week since Christmas, those of us in first vows have been doing a seminar on celibacy at Saint Lawrence Seminary and Friday we had small theological reflection groups where we discussed vulnerability. During this time, someone spoke about how one of his most vulnerable moments was when he said, “Do with me what you want,” to God.

I’ve never considered, before this, the sheer vulnerability required in saying “Yes “ to God. When I first began discerning that I was being called, all I had were these faint stirrings, stirrings so deep within that they were coming from beyond me. This is the call of God. And who knows what God will require of us? As much as we have theological language about how God is love, God’s love is inscrutable. It is the God Who Is Love who drowned the Egyptians in the Reed Sea and called the prophets to speak, most of whom were mistreated if not outright killed by the chosen people they were sent to.

Saying “Yes” to God is not safe. It requires great vulnerability to place yourself in God’s hands because there is no real way of knowing to what exactly you are being called to, at least not the long-term ramifications of it. Clarity is not always part of the equation. All we can do is be vulnerable and trust that God has our best interest and the best interest of the Reign of God in mind and that isn’t easy. It's like Francis embracing the Leper. But being vulnerable is sometimes the only way we can grow to be the person God is calling us to be.

The initial Yes might be the hardest thing you ever do.

(Pictures care of Wiki Commons)

Fruits of the Spirit—Kindness

2011-12-27T07:51:00.000-08:00

It’s an embarrassment of riches.

One of the remarkable experiences that I have had as a friar over the years has been witnessing the extraordinary generosity and kindness of people who support us in our ministries. Nowhere is this truer than in my current home in Detroit, and at no time is it more evident than during the six weeks that stretch from Thanksgiving into early January. From the many extra treats that the friars receive at St. Bonaventure Monastery to the many gifts that fill the mailboxes in our Development Office, it is humbling and sometimes almost overwhelming to receive such support.

Of course, fund raising experts will tell you that it’s very normal for any charity or nonprofit to receive the bulk of its gifts during the holiday season. Accountants and perhaps cynics will point to the need and desire that many people have for tax deductions as they prepare to “render unto Caesar” in the first months of the coming year. That may all be true; but I think that there is something more at work: simple human and Christian kindness.

We live in a world that can be very harsh. Those who succeed and are elevated on the pedestal of celebrity find that the pedestal can be shaky. They are subject not only to public scrutiny and just and reasonable accountability but invasions of their privacy. Those who fail, especially when that failure is public, can be relegated to the human equivalent of the Island of Misfit Toys…forever. Rehabilitation is too often dismissed as a mushy but unrealistic relic of a liberalism that was tried and failed. Electronic records and youthful drunken Facebook faux pas, like the dead albatross in Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, accompany people wherever they go.

In the midst of all of that, and still more violence in its many forms, the goodness of people is still very evident. A week or so ago, a team of “Secret Santas” went about the city of Detroit, on the street and on the bus, randomly giving away $100 bills to the people they met. Some people who received the gift yelped with excitement, others were left speechless, and some were left in tears. A little kindness can go a long way.

Proverbs 14:31 tells us: “He who oppresses the poor blasphemes his Maker; but he who is kind to the needy glorifies him.” In Luke 6:35 Jesus exhorts us, “love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.” Kindness is part of who God is. We are called to make it part of who we are.—JC

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T08:17:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas From Our Family

To Yours.

May The Lord Bless You And Your

Family

During This

Christmas Season!

Your Brothers In Christ,

St. Conrad's Community,Milwaukee, Wi

Papal Preacher's Advent Sermons Discuss the New Evangelization

2011-12-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

Capuchin Raniero Cantalamessa is the well known preacher of the papal household who has published many books and is know throughout the Catholic world. Because many inquirers and candidates follow Raniero's writings, I thought many would appreciate his four Advent sermons delivered before the Pope about Evangelization. He presents much history that is intended to lead up to his reflections on the New Evangelization which will be the subject of a synod of bishops in 2012.

Raniero says, "I intend to identify in these Advent meditations four waves of evangelization in the history of the Church, that is, four moments in which we witness an acceleration or a taking up again of the missionary commitment. These are:

1) The spread of Christianity in the first three centuries, until the eve of Constantine’s edict, which is led by, first, the itinerant prophets, and then the bishops;

2) The 6th to 9th centuries in which we witness the re-evangelization of Europe after the Barbarian invasions — evangelization led by the work above all of monks;

3) The 16th century, with the discovery and conversion to Christianity of the peoples of the “New World” — the work above all of friars;

4) The present age, which sees the Church committed to a re-evangelization of the secularized West, with the decisive participation of the laity. In each of these moments I shall attempt to illumine what we can learn in the Church of today: the errors that must be avoided and the examples to be imitated and the specific contribution that pastors, monks, religious of active life and the laity can make to evangelization.”

They are hefty texts to read. But devotees of our brother Raniero Cantalamessa might enjoy checking them out. The reflections were presented in four sermons before Pope Benedict XVI.

First Advent Sermon

Second Advent Sermon

Third Advent Sermon

Fourth Advent Sermon

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

The Capuchin Vocation Office

wishes all our

candidates, inquirers & friends

a very blessed Christmas.

Fr. Bill Hugo, Vocation Director
Ms. Joanne Mendez, Office Assistant

Image by Bro. Michael Gaffney

Fruits of the Spirit--Patience

2011-12-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

One of the great ironies of modern life is the drive-thru window at McDonald’s® or any other fast food outlet. There’s a particular store on Middlebelt Road near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) that I’ve gotten to know pretty well over the past several years. I occasionally stop there for a late night “dinner” after arriving from an evening flight: a large order of fries and a small vanilla shake.

OK, it won’t score high on the nutritional scale; but it’s only a couple of times a month and it is delicious (at least to me). One of the interesting things that I’ve noticed over the years is how few cars there seem to be in the parking lot. It might lead one to wonder how the restaurant survives…until one looks at the drive thru lanes. It’s not unusual to see more cars in the drive thru, with their engines idling, than in the parking lot.

Going to the drive thru is supposed to be more convenient. We don’t have to park our cars or make the long walk (10 or 20 yards at least) to the door. We don’t have to stand in line at the counter. Instead we can sit in line at the drive thru. In addition, the added efficiency of the drive thru affords us the opportunity to make three stops—one to look at the menu and talk to the often-undecipherable voice in the box taking our order; another to pay the person attached to that voice; and yet another to pick up our food. Going into the store would mean that we would have the added burden of one stop at the counter and having to deal with the same person for all three transactions.

I’m not convinced that going through the drive thru is a real time-saver. Perhaps its biggest value is that it gives us the illusion of saving time; and in our frantic, 24/7, do-it-yesterday world sometimes that illusion is enough. Of course, it seems like a minor disaster on those occasions when the food isn’t ready at the end of the drive thru process and we have to pull to the side and-gasp!—wait for our food to be brought to us. We forget that for billions of our brothers and sisters, finding and preparing food is a task that can take hours. Others wait for food that never comes.

Patience, it is said, is a virtue. It is also one of the fruits of the Spirit…and one of my struggles. I like to move things along, check things off my “to do” list, get answers, solve problems, etc. I don’t like having to wait; but often it’s the best and only option. Trying to rush people or situations doesn’t help and it may actually make them worse. When I step back from my impatience, too often I see that the real culprits are fear and my need for control.

Those are the times that I need to pause, take a deep breath, and reflect. Sometimes I need to be saved from my own impulses. People and situations need time to work themselves out. Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.

During a time of great crisis for his people, the prophet Habakkuk wrote this:

I will stand upon my guard post/ and station myself upon the rampart/and keep watch to see what he will say to me/ and what answer he will give to my complaint.

Then the Lord answered me and said/ “Write down the vision/ Clearly upon tablets/ so that one can read it readily/ For the vision still has its time/ presses on to fulfillment/ and will not disappoint/ If it delays, wait for it/ it will surely come/ it will not be late” (2:1-3).

God of every time and age, for whom a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day, help us to grow in patience. –JC

Simply Living Poverty

2011-12-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

I think that it is very common for people to misunderstandwhat it means to live a life of poverty. St. Francis of Assisi said that livingpoverty is living with nothing of your own. So does this mean that we are tolive without clothes, computers, cellphones or even books. No it does not; However Francis does call his brothers to live in the world but to take nothing for their own. As with many things, this idea has progressed through the years and has been adapted to the modern times. So what does living in poverty mean in the 21^stcentury, well this is a difficult question because in my eyes this is no longeran objective question but a subjective one. So I guess I will have to answerthis question based on the little experience that I have had.

For me thishas always been one of the hardest things to understand. Growing up I was usedto getting what I wanted and not thinking twice about it. If I wanted a newpair of shoes I would just go to the store and get them; however now that Ihave chosen to follow Christ with the heart of a child things are different.You are probably wondering what that means. Well it is as simple as followingthe Lord as a child does. Children follow the Lord with love and admiration.They don’t worry about the sins they have committed because they know that Godloves them anyway. They don’t worry about food or clothes or how they are goingto pay the electric bill; they just have complete trust in their parents andGod that they will provide.

Poverty however is notall about the materialistic; it is also about the spiritual. In my eyes povertycalls you to swallow your pride and to live humbly. It calls you to sacrificeyour time and energy to help those that are less fortunate. It calls you tocomplete those task with all your heart and without complaining and to seeevery task as if you are doing it for the Lord. Let me be honest this is noteasy, especially during this time of the year. Christmas is a time ofcelebrating our Lords birth by exchanging gifts, or is it? I can tell you thatif you were to ask me two years ago what Christmas was about I would give youthat answer. Now, not so much.

Christmas is about celebrating the incarnation of our Lordand Savior by way of an innocent and simple baby. Christmas is a time of givingthanks to God for the many blessings and joys that He has placed into ourlives. It is not about the gifts and the food and cookies and candy but aboutthe time with family and friends and our Lord. Living this life of simplicityhas allowed me to see through the cloud of materialism and embrace the truemeaning of Christmas. Christmas, howeveris not the only time that this struggle comes about. I have to face thischallenge everyday and every day I have to make a choice. Will I always makethe right choice probably not but I hope that I will most of the time. So whatdoes this mean to the rest of you that have not chosen to take the vow ofpoverty. Well, I think that it can be as simple as this; To follow Christ fullywith one’s mind , body , and soul. One must look at life through the eyes of achild: With Simplicity.

Pictures: Top Left: My Nephew Dominic, Bottom: My Nieces Dulcinea and Marisa

It's about God, not Us

2011-12-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

I recently came across a quote from Pope Benedict's prayer vigil with young people in Frieburg, Germany last September 24th. It reminded me of so many inquirers who worry they are not good enough to be a religious or priest.

Often, it seems my words cannot convince. Perhaps the words of a pope will be more effective. This is what Pope Benedict said:

"There is no saint, apart from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who has not also known sin, who has never fallen. Dear friends, Christ is not so interested in how often in our lives we stumble and fall, as in how often with his help we pick ourselves up again. He does not demand glittering achievements, but he wants his light to shine in you. He does not call you because you are good and perfect, but because he is good and he wants to make you his friends. Yes, you are the light of the world because Jesus is your light. You are Christians - not because you do special and extraordinary things, but because he, Christ, is your life, our life. You are holy, we are holy, if we allow His grace to work in us."

Novices Use Social Networking to Study St. Francis

2011-12-13T09:14:00.000-08:00

I'm at our Capuchin novitiate in Santa Ynez, California teaching the life and writings of St. Francis. This novitiate serves Australia, Guam, Great Britain, Puerto Rico, Canada and the USA. This is my final week teaching the novices who are making seminar presentations using the medieval primary sources to study Francis' life. It is one of the most pleasurable things I do because the novices are always very creative.

For instance, this morning, Freddy Avila, originally from Jalisco, Mexico but now in formation for our Stigmata Province headquartered in New Jersey, and Jason Salisbury from my Midwest Province, made a seminar presentation on Pietro Bernardone, the father of St. Francis. Their presentation masterfully presented a mock Facebook page for Pietro, using his friends' posts to convey to their fellow novices what they learned about Pietro. They then followed up by posting the actual medieval testimonies so other novices could see for themselves what we can know about Pietro.

While these seminar presentations are always creative and interesting, this was the first time a Facebook wall was used to present the material!

One of the things I often hear from inquirers is the question, "What is the day-to-day life like in postulancy or novitiate. Well, I think Feddy and Jason's Facebook creation gives an interesting insight into what the novitiate classes are like.

If you want to take a look at Pietro's Facebook wall, check it out here!

Pietro Bernardone

Fruits of the Spirit--Peace

2011-12-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

In our celebration of the Eucharist, shortly after the Lord’s Prayer and shortly before we share in communion, we exchange a Sign of Peace. This gesture varies from parish to parish, according to the prevailing culture, customs, and even practical considerations like how close together the people are seated. Over the years I’ve seen everything from a brief and distant nod or wave to a hearty hug and conversation. A couple of years ago, in order to prevent the spread of the flu, a number of parishes and even dioceses temporarily suspend the most common gesture—the handshake. It seems to have returned, more or less.

The purpose of this sign is so that the communion that is nourished and strengthened when we receive the Body and Blood of Christ is in part the communion that we already experience. Immediately before we offer each other a sign of peace the priest says a prayer that recalls part of Jesus’ farewell discourse to his disciple in the Gospel of John: “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (14:27 NKJV).

In this passage Jesus clearly distinguishes the way he offers peace to us from the way that the world gives it. As often as not the powers of this world use war and other forms of violence to bring their people peace and security. Sometimes even the threat of war is deemed sufficient. Several years ago one of our presidents dubbed a missile armed with nuclear warheads the “Peacekeeper,” blending irony with the risk of annihilation.

In contrast to a peace built on the fear of mutually assured destruction or the hard and cold peace of repression, Jesus offers us a peace build on love. But it is not a soft or easy peace. It demands a courage and self-sacrifice that we regularly associate with soldiers but only sparingly acknowledge in non-violent heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, Archbishop Oscar Romero, and the Mahatma Gandhi.

A little later in that same farewell discourse that Jesus shared with his disciples during the Last Supper Jesus reminds us that, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s live for his friends” (John 15:13). His circle of friendship is built on the widest embrace, one that welcomes even our enemies and those who are marginalized in society.

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace may we recommit ourselves to sharing and building the peace that he wants us to give.—JC

Martin Sheen and Holiness

2011-12-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

As I wrote previously, the weekend before Thanksgiving I went to the School of the Americas Watch and Protest in Fort Benning Georgia. While there, I noticed all the many types of people who had come out for the event; the many faith traditions represented, and people of all modes of life: Lay, Religious, and Cleric, many of whom have made this protest their life’s work; their vocation, if you will.

While I was there, I had the good fortune to have my picture taken with Martin Sheen. I’m sure you all know who Martin Sheen is. He is an Actor, a good Catholic, and was born and raised in Dayton Ohio. He uses his fame and name to lend support to charities and activist organizations all over and is particularly involved in the SOAW. He is an inspirational man.

And I’ve ben thinking about that. So many times in the Church we can think that the holiest people are those in religious life. We can think that the only way to be holy is to do the same thing with our life. I think Martin Sheen shows us this isn’t true. Here is a married layman who has found his calling as an Actor. He is informed by his faith, choosing roles that he finds in line with his moral stance, such as the President in The West Wing or as a father on a spiritual journey in his new movie, written by his son Emilio, The Way.

There was a time in our Church’s history where just being an Actor was considered sinful. The theatre was considered a den of iniquity and no one would trust an Actor. Yet here we have a man who has turned it into a vocation and who love the Church, a man who is a strong proponent of the Second Vatican Council, as can be seen in his desire to use the arts of communication to spread the Good News, an idea that found its rebirth at the Council.

I think Martin can be an inspiration to all of us as we discern whom we are supposed to be. After all, the highest calling anyone can have is to be oneself for the Reign of God.

Less a Choice; More an Acceptance - Biblical Calls

2011-12-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

Candidate Nick Blaida recently commented on my post "It Starts with a Call, Not a Choice." It seemed so good to me that I want to give it more attention in a post. Here is what Nick wrote:

When one contemplates Biblical figures and how they responded to being called it seems like less of a choice and more of an acceptance. For instance, when God called upon Moses to free the Israelites, Moses' natural response was an objection; he did not jump feet first into Egypt and proudly display himself before Pharaoh demanding Israelite freedom. In fact Moses responded slowly to God's call and with much hesitation. Finally after repeated attempts by Our Creator, Moses said "yes". Only God knows why God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of captivity. Even though Moses experienced much doubt, God knew all along that Moses was the right man for the job.

We also see in the first chapter of Jeremiah God telling the prophet that he was chosen before birth. Like Moses, Jeremiah was hesitant but eventually agreed.

Experiencing a call is an excellent way to think about vocation. I am sure that Moses would not have tried to free the Israelites because he thought it would be fun; he was answering the Lord. In this sense Biblical "calls" invited the prophets into dialogue with their Creator. Over time the dialogue ended with a response to the divine invitation, and, as we say, the "rest is history".

Perhaps some will now want to comment on Nick's post. If you want to read my original post, visit Call, not Choice.

The Muppets!

2011-12-08T07:50:00.000-08:00

I’m sure you’ve already heard it but if not you’ll hear it here.

You need to go see the Muppets.

I really had high hopes for this movie and I was not let down. While the previous Theatrical Movie, Muppets from Space, and several Made for TV Christmas specials have been stinkers, Jason Segal, who wrote this latest installment, has created a gem that goes back to the original roots of what a Muppet movie should be.

The story revolves around 5 main characters and a villain. Caregiver Gary, played by Segal, is a big brother who likes to care for others and needs to be needed by his brother, Walter. He is very much in love with his girl friend, Mary, who he has been dating for 10 years, but can’t seem to move that relationship to a more mature level. Wide-eyed Walter, a Muppet, is Gary’s younger brother who has always idolized the Muppets and dreams of meeting them. While a caring and wonder-filled character, he isn’t ready to be alone and needs to be taken care of, or at least he feels that way. He is in need of self-confidence and maturity.

Mary is a strong, capable young woman who very much loves Gary but always feels outside of the relationship between him and Walter, though she accepts Walter as a part of Gary’s life she must live with. Kermit the Frog is the leader who let it all slip away and lives his life missing his friends, especially Miss Piggy, though he won’t admit it to himself, being to much of a giver to accept his own needs. Miss Piggy is another strong, capable woman who very much loves her Frog but realizes that she has to move on with her life because Kermit won’t commit. The Villain, Richman, is an oil baron who wants to tear down the old Muppet Studios and drill for oil.

The movie revolves around Kermit, Gary, Mary, and Walter trying to rebuild the Muppet community to save their theatre by putting on a show. Walter becomes the instigator of this movement and is in any ways the hero of the movie. As the Muppets come back together, life returns to their community. As a team, though they face difficulties, they pull together to save try and save their theatre. During this time Walter is asked to perform and Gary looses Mary because of his blindness in the relationship. He has to decide what is most important to him, the woman he loves or his brother Walter. Both of the Characters grow through their crisis. Gary comes to a more mature relationship with Mary and Walter, seemingly abandoned by his brother, is forced to make the choice to grow-up and rely on himself to find his gift. Kermit also must grow to realize that he has needs beyond the group as well. However, as all the individuals discover themselves, the whole community and all the relationships are strengthened.

Of course, throughout this film about Vocation and Love, we are treated to Muppet comedy that never gets old. Its refreshing, family-friendly content proves that it can still be relevant and desired in a world that increasingly looks to the violent or spectacular for entertainment, another theme of the movie. The jokes and situations are a joy for those who remember the Muppet Show and are modernized enough to draw in a new audience. Laughter, the world's third greatest gift, and sniffles abound in a movie that will draw you in completely.

In the end all the characters in the movie must face failure and their own coming-to-be-who-they-are and are stronger for it. Thank you Jason Segal for “Getting It” and bringing back the Muppets and reminding us that Goodness and clean humor is still relevant.

(All pictures are property of other people and found on the web.)

Patience is a virtue often over looked

2011-12-06T11:58:00.001-08:00

This past Friday and Saturday we had the opportunity to go to Marytown retreat center in Libertyville, IL to engage in a day of recollection. The primary focus of the retreat was to reflect on the Advent season. One of the areas that they focused on was patience. I personally struggle with this virtue very much. There are many times that I am in line somewhere and I get frustrated with how long it takes or that someone is slowing it down. I also get frustrated with traffic when I am in a hurry to get somewhere. I believe that we all struggle with this in some way especially around this time of year. Christmas has become so commercialized that often we forget the meaning and are just worried about getting the right gift. This is where the Advent season and patience really comes in handy. Advent is a time of waiting for the birth of our Lord and preparing our hearts and minds to receive Him. We have to wait for four weeks before we can receive our King and this can present many difficulties. I think one of many of those difficulties comes about during our preparation for Christmas. I can remember back before I joined religious life, worrying about getting the right gift and praying that I had enough money to buy them. Now that I have joined religious life and reflected on the meaning of Christmas I have become patient about gift giving. You are probably wondering what I mean, well let me explain. I have placed my trust with God and have realized that gifts are not important. What is really important is spending time with our families and embracing the gift of Jesus Christ. Patience has become a focal point for me during this Advent season. I am striving to just wait for what God has to offer me. To continue to pray that God may ease my troubled and worried heart and fill it with His grace and unending love. To me patience is the gift that God gives us to be fully open to whatever God has in store for us. This past Thanksgiving I truly learned the value of patience when I went out shopping on Black Friday with my mother and sister. I was designated to wait in line at Kohl’s while my mother and sister went around shopping. Instead of complaining about having to wait in line for over an hour and half I took this time to reflect and also to engage in conversation with the other strangers around. If I had let my impatience consume my thoughts I would have not been able to receive the graces God gave me on that day. Though I cannot tell you of the graces I received on that day because I do not know, I can tell you that I had a joy at the end of the experience that I have never had before. The gift of patience opened my heart to Gods voice. He gave me calmness in my heart and a joy that I cannot explain. So the next time that you are getting frustrated because the line is taking forever, embrace patience and see what God does with you.

Fruits of the Spirit--Joy

2011-12-06T10:22:00.000-08:00

We are in the midst of what are often called seasons of joy. The Third Sunday of Advent is commonly called Gaudete (“Rejoice!”) Sunday and is marked by the lighting of a rose (i.e. pink) candle on the Advent wreath—a noticeable departure from the more somber and penitential violet (purple) that marks the other three weeks of the season. One of the most popular songs of Christmas remains Isaac Watts’ classic, Joy to the World. For many people, that joy is embodied in the warm voices of carolers at the door, the bright eyes of a child opening gifts under a tree, and a generosity of spirit that seems almost infectious.

So why would St. Francis of Assisi insist that perfect joy was arriving at the friary tired, wet and cold and then not being admitted but rather being treated with contempt by your own brothers, even to the point of being thrown in the snow and beaten with a knotted stick? It sounds a bit masochistic, doesn’t it? Yet that’s exactly what he describes to Br. Leo in the Little Flowers of St. Francis, Chapter VIII.

Not surprisingly, there was a method to Francis’ apparent madness. He wanted to teach Leo and his other brothers that the essence of joy is not so much in its expression but rather in its internal experience. After all, giddiness can mask profound sadness and getting “fired up” can be the product of anxiety more than anything else.

The point that Francis was trying to make was that the ultimate joy is really in the end to which God draws us: union with God. Just as God in Christ humbled himself to share in our humanity so we are called to share in the divine life. As Francis put it in the Little Flowers:

Above all the graces and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ grants to his friends, is the grace of overcoming oneself, and accepting willingly, out of love for Christ, all suffering, injury, discomfort and contempt; for in all other gifts of God we cannot glory, seeing they proceed not from ourselves but from God, according to the words of the Apostle, ‘What have you that you have not received from God? And if you have received it, why do you glory as if thou had not received it?’ But in the cross of tribulation and affliction we may glory, because, as the Apostle says again, ‘I will not glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Amen.”

As we sing every Christmas: Joy to the world, the Lord is come/ Let earth receive her king/ Let every heart prepare him room/ and heaven and nature sing….

Our hearts are ready to receive you, Lord. May we experience the fullness of your joy and be ready to share it with others.—JC

It Starts with a Call, not a Choice - Biblical Calls

2011-12-06T06:56:00.000-08:00

Many people consider vocation a choice. Biblical stories start from another point. They present vocation as a call. This requires a different kind of response. Many biblical figures received visits from divine messengers asking them to do something. Perhaps our calls are much more nuanced. But the biblical model of call does frame our response to a very different type of question.

Ask yourself: What outside of yourself is calling you to something new and different?

Active Waiting

2011-12-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

Advent is one of the tough seasons of the Church year for me. It’s so much less defined than Lent. In Lent you know you’re making sacrifices and giving alms and other good works as we get into a mindset to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. Advent came seem like just waiting. And since I’m writing a blog and I wanted to be seasonal I wanted to write one relevant to Advent. What do I write about; about how waiting is good? That didn’t sound right to me. I know vocation directors who regard waiting as not always a good thing. They want to try and get people to commit at least to taking the next step.

So how can I speak of waiting and a vocation? It makes me think as well about how to think about Advent in general. What are we waiting for? How are we waiting?

We’re waiting for the coming of Christ. How does this pertain to discerning a vocation? Sometimes I think those of us discerning (even I’m still discerning my vocation) can sit and hope God suddenly comes down from the clouds and tells us where to go. We are waiting for God to take an active hand in our life. Isn’t that what Advent’s about? I mean Jesus was born 2000 years ago. We aren’t waiting for that any more. We’re waiting for the coming of the Reign of God. Maybe even the Eschaton.

So that’s what we’re waiting for. But how do we wait? I would say we actively wait. We wait with purpose. Sometimes in a vocation it is actually good to wait but we must wait with intention. When God first started talking in my life I asked God to wait. I had other things to finish, like an MFA. Plus I thought I knew what God was asking of me and I had to make sure entering a monastery wasn’t running away from something. I had to wait and see what I was capable of doing in the world outside of religious life. And I pursued that purpose as my waiting.

I think everybody has things they are waiting for before taking a step to religious life. I think of Saint Augustine who said ‘Lord, make me chaste… but not yet.” We all have things we have to reconcile in our life before taking the next step but we can’t just sit and wait for it to happen. We have to actively pursue change. Waiting is sometimes ‘preparing the way for.’

Aaron Rogers Quotes Francis of Assisi

2011-12-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

OK, I grew up 30 minutes south of Lambeau Field, home of the reigning Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. Still, I think it is of more than personal interest that Packer Quarterback Aaron Rogers recently quoted St. Francis of Assisi in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The quote is viral and will be known to most of you. Many of you know that my area of study is the writings of Francis of Assisi, and I can assure you that Francis did not say these words. But we can consider the quote a paraphrase of something Francis did say and certainly a reflection of the way he lived.

You might be interested in reading the interview yourself. The relevant part is the third paragraph of the interview.

http://www.jsonline.com/newswatch/134760923.html

And aren't those Packers having a great season again!

Experience Ministry at SLS

2011-11-30T20:11:00.000-08:00

I recently posted about an opportunity for Candidates to shadow Bros. Tien and Tom at their ministry with Vietnamese youth leaders in Chicago. There's another similar opportunity available to Candidates at St. Lawrence Seminary High School in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin. Bro. Mitch Frantz has organized five other friars in postnovitate to join him in ministering at the high school three weekends each month.

The Chicago Capuchins leave Chicago on Friday afternoons and return after the Sunday mass with the students. That Sunday mass is always a highlight of any visit to SLS. The temporary professed mostly help by relieving the supervisory staff during weekend activities. It's spending a lot of time with the students, and, in the process, getting a good glimpse of what life on the "Hill" and ministry there is like.

Candidates who want to take advantage of this opportunity would simply hang out with these temporary professed as they minister to the students of St. Lawrence. To arrange a visit to St. Lawrence with our temporary professed, call Fr. Bill Hugo: 313-595-2182

Fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love

2011-11-30T14:07:00.000-08:00

We’ve come a long way from The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

That 1950’s horror classic was the first (and up to now the only) movie I ever saw in 3-D. I remember seeing it when I was a young teen in the 1970’s at some retro movie event. The old 3-D glasses gave me a headache and made me feel slightly nauseous, but it was worth it have the experience of feeling as if I was in the movie itself.

Today, of course, 3-D and HD (High Definition) movies and television are increasingly common, so much so that some critics are concerned that they are even becoming clichés—technology used for its own sake rather than for any artistic or other meaningful purpose. Still, there seems to be a ready market for 3-D; and no doubt one of the reasons is pretty basic: we live in a three-dimensional world.

Our God who is love has created us for love. As the old Baltimore Catechism used to say, we were created to know God, to love God, and to serve God. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment of the Law was, he replied that it was to love God with our entire being (heart, soul, mind and strength); and he added that the second commandment, which he describe as like the first, was to love our neighbor like ourselves (see Matthew 22:35-40). He further told his questioner that the entire Law as well as the prophets rested on that two-fold foundation of love.

Just as we live in a three-dimensional world, so as human beings we are called to love in multiple dimensions. The scriptures and our tradition speak of three: eros or romantic love; philia or the love of brotherly (sisterly) friendship; and agape, what may be described as a simultaneously disinterested but also universal and passionate love. (Note: These are loose translations. I’m not a Greek scholar!)

Eros or romantic love is, unfortunately and for a variety of reasons, something that historically has not always received as much “positive press” in the Church over the centuries. Yet it is certainly present in our tradition. Take some time and read the Song of Songs and you will see what I mean! This lack of affirmation of eros has sometimes contributed to the diminution of married life and the gift of our sexuality. Ironically, while the Church is fully armored and ready to engage in the battles of sexual ethics that are part of the “culture wars,” we sometimes perceived as “naked in the public square” when it comes to the positive dimensions of our human sexuality and how it is expressed.

Philia is the close love that we share with our siblings, the kind that springs from being part of the same family. In Sirach 6:5-17, the author compares and contrasts true friends from the fair weather variety or mere acquaintances. In Romans 12:10, St. Paul urges the members of the community to love each other “with the affection of brothers” and in the succeeding verses spells out some practical ways in which that is demonstrated, including respect, service and hospitality. In an era when people can have hundreds or even thousands of “friends” on their social networking sites, these passages invite us to reflect on what we really mean when we use the word or whether we may have cheapened it by using it too casually.

That brings us to agape, which many have considered the highest or purest form of love. There’s a danger in doing that, if it implies any lack of esteem for the other forms of love—all are important and can be life-giving.

One of the most popular scriptural passages used at Christian weddings is St. Paul’s classic and powerful reflection on love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. It reminds us that the greatest deeds can be undermined by a lack of love in doing them (vv. 1-3); then tells us what love is (patient, kind, etc.) and is not (envious, rude, etc., see vv. 4-7); proclaims that love will outlast various spiritual gifts like prophecy and speaking in tongues (v. 8); reminds us that love grows, develops, and matures (vv. 9-12); and finally exceeds even faith and hope (v. 13).

What’s remarkable about the love St. Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13, however, is that the Greek word he chose throughout the passage was not eros or even philia but rather agape. Romance is wonderful, friendship is a blessing, and it is agape that is a real hallmark of followers of Christ. When you get some time this Advent, take another look at 1Corinthians 13 and instead of seeing unity candles and hearing wedding bells, consider a love that is truly revolutionary, three-dimensional, and can transform the world.—JC

Share in Vietnamese Ministry

2011-11-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

Candidates and Inquirers often want to experience the day-to-day life of men in Capuchin formation. The Capuchin Vocation Office works with them to have those experiences around the province in a variety of ways.

One opportunity for Candidates and Inquirers is to accompany Bros. Tien Dinh and Tom Nguyen in their ministry to youth leaders for the Vietnamese Catholic community in Chicago. Tien and Tom work hard most Sundays with this group of youth leaders who use traditional and innovative techniques to reach Vietnamese youth with the faith.

It's easy for any candidate or inquirer to tag along and see what Tien and Tom are up to. I also promise that it will be an inspiring experience. Crossing into another culture (which is what this experience will be for most Inquirers and Candidates) almost guarantees an enrichment of one's own culture and faith.

This opportunity is available upon request most Sundays during the school year. To arrange for such an experience, please contact Vocation Director Bill Hugo at 313-595-2182.

Trash is Beautiful?: Ecology, Franciscanism, and Slavoj Zizek

2011-11-27T11:21:00.000-08:00

"Hans-Jürgen Schult’s, known as HA Schult is a conceptual artist who often uses trash to create his art. In 1996 he created an art installation titled Trash People where he constructed one thousand life size ‘people’ made from crushed cans, electronic waste and other refuse from human consumption." This AP picture was taken outside the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany.

(picture and quoted part of caption from http://ladyofthearts.blogspot.com/2011/01/h-schult-trash-people-and-beach-garbage.html)

This morning I watched The Examined Life, a film featuring philosophers such as Cornel West, Judith Butler, Slavoj Zizek and Avital Ronell and others. Here's the IMDB page. This film may be interesting to those of you pondering meaning and ethical be behavior in our world. I want to focus on one section of the film where Slavoj Zizek talks about trash and ecology as ideology because I think part of Zizek's argument (the last minute or two) resonates deeply with some Franciscan intuitions.

(The whole film is available on Netflix.)

See, Embrace, Challenge: Francis' Downward Mobility

Many of us know the story about Francis' conversion and the piece of that story that deals with his embrace of "lepers." Francis, unthinkably, moved down the hill to the valley where people with communicable diseases, robbers, bandits, and the socially outcast lived. At the end of the life Francis talks about his process of conversion through (God-Christ) working through the "leper." Regarding his relationship with these sick and socially outcast people, Francis would say, "what was bitter became sweet."

This is a key moment that shapes the core of what would come to be called Franciscan tradition shaped by Francis' early biographers, Bonaventure, John Duns Scotus, and many others. What Franciscans think about beauty, "otherness," and difference can be seen in the way Francis was in relationship with those at the bottom of the hill, and this comprises a core intuition of Franciscan thought. When Francis meets what is considered ugly and chooses to embrace it as sweet or beautiful, the system that labels it "ugly" or "other" begins to unravel and collapse.

Francis' migration to the bottom of the hill was not only a geographic migration, but a social migration. Bill Hugo has suggested that this migration to the bottom of the social hierarchies challenged the validity of the hierarchies themselves. In a world where you were born into a class within a feudal structure, movement between classes was impossible or rare. If people were striving to move between classes at all it was to move into a higher social class. (We actually see this with Francis pre-conversion in his desire to be a knight and move from the merchant class into a noble class.) These attempts for upward-mobility also kept the class structure intact because upward class movement had to be approved by those in the upper classes who held power. What is so remarkable then about Francis' choice is the unique nature of his movement as one of downward mobility. This movement itself challenges the hierarchic class structure because it refuses to operate out of normative desires to attain higher social standing. Francis' choice for downward mobility directly challenges social hierarchies.

In conclusion, the Franciscan intuition, in part, is this: to see what is labeled as "other," "ugly," "outcast," etc.; to embrace it (that is to try to see it within its context, see how it portrays and represents itself -- for Francis this meant seeing the "leper" as a three-dimensional person, not merely an anonymous social object); to challenge and begin to collapse systems, frameworks, social hierarchies by the very act of that embrace. What was ugly becomes beautiful, and, thus, the system that marginalized that person or thing as ugly begins to collapse. This is why Slavoj Zizek's way of talking about trash immediately resonated with me as a Franciscan.

Trash is Beautiful?: Toward a Franciscan Ecology

In the video, Zizek talks about the assertion of some ecological movements that claim our response to environmental degradation should be to reconnect with nature, turn back on our alienation from nature, and see the beauty in nature. Zizek, instead, suggests that we need to own our distance and alienation from nature -- to see the trash that we have produced. Furthermore, we need to find a way to do poetry and spirituality in the grit and dirt of our world. Only when we are really able to see and embrace trash can we expose the factors that cause environmental destruction. Only after these factors and their impacts (trash) are seen and exposed have we built the ground for real and systemic change to take place.

Like Francis moving down to the valley, we can be courageous enough to see, own, and embrace our world as it is -- as lovers of a world, perhaps, in its death throes. Only in that embrace and the spirituality and poetry that accompany it will new, more just, and more ecologically sustainable behavior begin to evolve. God working on us through the realities of our world facilitates a kind of conversion: "the bitter becomes sweet."

Thanksgiving and the Fruits of the Holy Spirit

2011-11-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

As I write this tens of millions of Americans are crossing our country to join relatives and friends for our annual celebration of Thanksgiving Day. According to the U.S. Census Bureau [http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb11-ff21.html]:

In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims, early settlers of Plymouth Colony, held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest, an event many regard as the nation's first Thanksgiving. Historians have also recorded ceremonies of thanks among other groups of European settlers in North America, including British colonists in Virginia in 1619. The legacy of thanks and the feast have survived the centuries, as the event became a national holiday in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt clarified that Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month to encourage earlier holiday shopping, never on the occasional fifth Thursday.

In addition the Census Bureau notes that the foods that make up the traditional Thanksgiving feasts are fitting symbols of our nation’s bounty. Consider:

· 248 million turkeys are expected to be raised in the USA this year, nearly a quarter of them in Minnesota. The typical American ate over 13 pounds of turkey in 2009.

· 750 million pounds of cranberries are forecast to be produced; and well over half of all cranberries are grown in in Wisconsin.

· 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkin were produced in 2010, over forty percent of it in Illinois.

We are abundantly blessed with food in this country. Yet according to Feed America…..in 2010 nearly 49 million people in the United States—one third of them children—were living in “food insecure” households [https://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-facts/hunger-and-poverty-statistics.aspx]. At the same time, the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that one-third of all adults and one-in-six children or teens in the U.S. are obese [http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html]. Yet a 2010 study conducted for the National Institutes of Health estimated that forty percent of all food in the USA is wasted each year [http://www.leanpath.com/Docs/pone-04-11-Hall.pdf].

Something is wrong. We have been incredibly blessed yet it seems that at least in the area of food we are not very good. Our freedom to produce a lot and eat a lot has left too many of us fat, too many of us hungry, and too much of our food in the garbage.

Of course, our troubles as a nation are often reflections of our own personal difficulties, habits, inconsistencies and yes, sins. We have a lot of freedom—so much that many of our leaders seem very anxious to export it to other nations (ironically, even by force)—but how well do we exercise it? This, of course, is not solely a challenge for us or our nation. It’s a very human and very ancient problem: How well do we integrate freedom, blessings, and responsibility?

St. Paul had to confront this issue in many of the communities he evangelized. Some of them were in what was then known as Asia Minor and is now part of Turkey. These churches were in places like Antioch, Derbe, Pamphylia and Iconium. The Galatians were probably the descendants of Celts who had invaded and settled in that region several centuries earlier. After they had been visited by Paul, many of them converted to Christianity. Paul grew frustrated with those who subsequently fell under the influence of those factions in the early church who also demanded fidelity to the Jewish law as part of that commitment. He spends the first four chapters of his Letter to the Galatians urging them not to become “slaves” to the law (e.g. 4:8-11).

Paul urged them instead to embrace the freedom that they had been given through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. “For freedom Christ set us free;” he implored, “so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). He recognized, however, that freedom itself could easily degenerate into its own form of slavery—to our appetites, to the moment, to human weakness and our tendency to sin or what the Church calls concupiscence (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1264).

That slavery to a distorted, irresponsible and self-indulgent exercise of freedom, Paul saw, led to what he called “the works of the flesh…: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21a). It’s a pretty nasty list.

The alternative or antidote to living “according to the flesh”—thinking, saying, and doing whatever we want, whenever we want, with or to whomever we want—is living according to the Spirit, i.e. allowing the Holy Spirit that is given us through the grace of Christ to direct our freedom. Paul went on: “In contrast [to the works of the flesh] the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23a).

When we use our freedom as God intended, that’s how we and others can see it.

As we celebrate at Thanksgiving the gifts of God’s abundance in nature, our freedom and the many other blessings we have received we also pray for the fruits of the Spirit to be more manifest in how we live.—JC

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T09:16:00.001-08:00

Wearing the Habit to Acknowledge Community

2011-11-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

This weekend I and my brother Stephen Greco were in Fort Benning, GA participating in the School of the Americas Watch protest, a protest that has been going on for a number of years with the intent to shut down a Military Base which trains Latin American Soldiers to commit atrocities in their home countries such as massacring whole villages. It was a graduate from this “school” that killed Bishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador. This protest is a good example of people coming together to try and live and bring about the Reign of God.

Though we didn’t wear our habits the first day, we did for the final day with the prayer and procession. It was interesting the way the habits became a locus for Franciscan Activity as well as, I hope, a witness to the Church standing with those people who are marginalized and harmed by injustice and war.

As to being a Locus for Franciscan activity, the habits brought other people to Stephen and myself who were also Franciscan. A group of Lay Franciscan Missionaries came and introduced themselves to us. Others delighted in letting me know that they, too, were Franciscans; Secular Franciscans. There were Franciscan Sisters to talk to and even a candidate who I hadn't met before came up to speak to us and grew my sense of community. The habit became a way to not build relationship but to acknowledge the relationships we already had and make them explicit. It brought our community to the fore so that we ourselves were aware of it and could participate in that community, therefore deepening that community.

It was a blessing for me to realize and see all the other members of my Spiritual family partaking in an action to help improve the world, to bring justice and peace, or at least be on the side of God’s justice and peace because I don’t think we can do it, bring justice and peace to the world that is. Only God, in the final analysis, can do that. All we can do is take part in it. Knowing that there are others out there who think and feel like we do, who have the spiritual underpinnings we do, can make that struggle easier and more joyful. In that way, wearing my habit at the event helped me to experience greater joy in my calling to be a Capuchin brother and I hope it gave life to others as well.

(The first picture is with Louie Vitale, a Franciscan friar from California. The second is with members of Franciscan Mission Service, and the third is with a group of Franciscan sisters.)

Behind the Doors at St. Bens

2011-11-22T08:40:00.000-08:00

The Postulancy program asks us to do about 15 hours of ministry with a capuchin run or sponsored program. As many of you are aware I have chosen St. Benedicts (St. Bens) as my ministry. I thought that it would be nice to kind of give a behind the doors look at what we do here and my experiences. As I have stated before I immediately feel in love with St. Bens when I visited it on our tours of the ministries. St. Bens offered both the direct service and the challenge that I was looking for in my ministry.

So what do I do at St. Bens? Every Monday I go with Fr. Francis Dambrowski to the local state prison to help facilitate a bible study. This is where the challenge came about. I had never been inside of a jail let alone facilitated a bible study for people of different religious beliefs. I was very nervous at first because I didn’t know if I had enough insight about the bible to help them to understand it. So for the first visit I just sat in the shadows and watched Fr. Francis do his work. Half way through the study I found myself sharing and talking about my understanding of the passage. To be completely honest I thought that I would not say anything at all and just sit there and nod my head. This experience has helped me express my interpretation of the bible because everyone experiences scripture different.

After I get done with the jail I go back to St. Bens and help Br. Rob Rohmer with the front door. For the rest of the week I spend my time helping with the front door. Now you are probably wondering what this means. Well at St. Bens we have a variety of different services that we offer to the homeless and impoverished community. Many of the services entail offering showers, offering co-pay coverage for medication, handing out hygiene bags, offering bus tickets for medical appointments, o9ffering a fresh change of clothes and offering tickets for people who are stranded in Milwaukee, Wi. This has been a very great experience for me because I get to engage with the guest and offer some form of relief in their day. Now let’s be honest sometimes this is not an easy task but the fruits that come from this ministry are unexplainable. I think that I have learned more about the resilience of the human spirit than ever before. I can remember a time when I was talking with a guest and I asked how he was doing and he responded, “I am blessed because God loves me and he has given me another day to prove my love to Him”. I was speechless when I heard this and I didn’t know what to say. Reflecting on what he had said reminded me of the passage from Matthew when Jesus said that if you have a faith of a mustard seed you can move mountains. This man’s faith is so simple yet so strong even though he does not have much materially. He has a human spirit that is immeasurable.

Working at St. Bens has reminded me that God specks to all of us in different ways and we can learn from each other’s experiences and overall spirit. St. Bens has also reminded me that material things don’t make us happy but love of God is what sustains us and keeps us happy. So embrace the words of the guest and make each day a gift to God because He gave you the gift of life.

The Answer Is No! - Biblical Calls

2011-11-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

A well intentioned rich young man once asked Jesus what he needed to do to enjoy eternal life. Jesus responded, “Keep the commandments.” The man asked which commandments, because the Jews had many. Jesus pointed to the Ten Commandments and the famous command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man must have been pleased to report that he already kept those commandments but wanted still more. Jesus really liked what he saw going on in this man. So, he told him to sell all he had, give the proceeds to the poor and follow Jesus. But that was just a little too much. He could not say yes and went away sad. He had many possessions.

Read: Matthew 19:16-22

Ask yourself: What attachments keep me from freely saying yes?

Franciscan Prayer: The Eucharistic Disclosure of the Poor and Humble Christ (part 8 in a series)

2011-11-19T21:28:00.000-08:00

Earlier posts on Franciscan prayer explored how Francis and Clare glimpsed the poor and humble God in the generous act of creation and his incredible self-emptying visible in the Incarnation of Jesus, especially in his birth and death–moments of such vulnerability that Jesus’ poverty and humility can scarcely be ignored.

There is one more favorite Franciscan experience of the poor and humble Christ disclosing a poor and humble God: the Eucharist. Francis’ reasoning may not be clear at first, but it is simply this. Francis thought bread and wine were about the most humble things in all of creation. Yet Christ becomes present to us under the appearance of these humble means. Thus, Eucharist becomes yet another experience of the poor and humble God.

Francis and Clare thought it was an incredible thing for the most high God to forgo the privileges of divinity in order to share our humble human nature. Well, if they thought that action was humility in action, you can understand how they were absolutely blown away by their belief that, through Christ, God daily becomes present to us in the humble forms of bread and wine.

The important part of this for our reflection on Franciscan prayer is the way they gazed at, considered, contemplated, and imitated this humble God present in Eucharist like they did the humble God visible in the Incarnation. At its core, the uniqueness of Franciscan life and prayer is the very original way the early Franciscans understood God. That would include what God’s humble life is like, how God works in the world, what God genuinely desires, and what God is willing to do to get what he wants.

Most importantly, we need to remember that these are not just neat or different ideas. Rather they are experiences of God that Franciscans hope to turn into experiences for the whole world through their imitation.

Know Thy Self (Part 1)

2011-11-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

Discernment can take on many forms, but during novitiate I have kept coming up against a common subject of discernment which has revealed itself to be a very difficult one to undertake. This, for me, has been the discernment of self. Through personal experiences, classes, spiritual reading and spiritual direction, this importance of self-discernment has continued to pop up over and over again.

The discerning of one's self, in light of one's relationship with God, is a very common theme to be found among the works of many spiritual writers. Being a big fan of authors such as Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, and Richard Rohr, I have read a lot about the need to look within myself so that I may come to know more fully who I am. But at the same time I must also realize that to do this I must also see myself in relation to the One in Who's image and likeness I am created. Many of the above mentioned authors write about seeing yourself as God see's you and coming to know your "true self" from your "false self". Just thinking about it is rather intimidating.

It has been very beautiful, exciting and even refreshing to read about such things, but, to be honest, for the longest time this is all I ever did. I merely read about it. Now as Novitiate has provided a time and a space for God to actually begin to get my attention and begin the process of making it a very real thing in my life, I am quickly coming to the realization that to actually go through the process is altogether something completely different. To look inside one's self can be and often is very challenging and, at least for me, it can also be quite terrifying.

Coming to see the real you or the real me in all our brokenness, which we are all broken, and all of our sinfulness, again realizing we are all sinners, and seeing how far one is from where one needs to be is often enough to make us run from our own reality. We find that our common instinct is to repress it and cover it up and pretend it's not even there. We often even go to the other unhealthy extreme of beating ourselves up with self-condemnation, refusing to acknowledge who we are, which is that we are broken sons and daughters of God, and to allow God to work through that brokenness. We must remember that St. Paul tells us that it is when we are weak that God makes us strong if only we allow God to work through everything going on in our lives. To be able to find your true identity as a child of God, made in His very image and likeness and what that means for us personally is the most important part of the spiritual journey in my opinion. Because in coming to know ourselves we come to find our identity which can only be truly found in God. And to be aware of all this also helps us to know where we are being called to in life and what is the next step that we must take.

It is my hope in further posts to explain what discernment of self has been like for me and where it has taken me so far, fully knowing that I am still far from where God wants me to be and for the moment that it is OK! Discernment is a constant process and it is never something which comes to an end.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Fear of the Lord

2011-11-15T07:27:00.000-08:00

In the movie The Green Lantern Ryan Reynolds plays Hal Jordan, a cocky and irresponsible test pilot who, to his own amazement and sometimes his chagrin, is chosen to join an elite intergalactic force dedicated to fighting evil. His power is in a ring that receives its power from a green lantern that in turn derives its source of energy from the good will of beings everywhere.

Hal is told that the most important quality of a member of the Green Lantern Corps is to be without fear. As the corps, their home, the earth, and the universe are threatened by an evil force called Paralax that feeds on fear, Hal is beset by doubts that he is really cut out for the call he has received. Yet his ring, which belonged to a dying Green Lantern, chose him.

What he discovers, however, is that the essential quality of a Green Lantern is not pretending that he has no fear but rather acknowledging that fear and then finding the courage to overcome it. In short, he chooses to know fear rather than to live with the brittle illusion of no fear.

Several of our scripture readings this past Sunday counseled us to “fear the Lord.” In extolling the virtues of what he considered the ideal wife—trustworthy and loved, hard-working, and generous in helping the poor—the author of Proverbs also noted that “woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Our response to Psalm 128 reminded us that, “Blessed are those who fear the Lord.”

Before acknowledging and embracing this fear, however, we need to understand what it is. In the Bible, “fear of the Lord” is a much deeper concept than being scared of God and trying to escape punishment. That’s what the “wicked, lazy servant” in our gospel passage at Sunday’s Mass (Matthew 25:14-30) discovered all too late.

This very primal element of fear drove him to bury the money or talents (each of which was worth 6000 days’ wages) that his master entrusted to him. It was so strong that he even neglected the relatively simple and risk-free option of putting that money in the bank where it would at least draw interest.

His fellow servants, by contrast, had more to lose but were willing to risk it. They had a fear of their master but it was of a different sort. They were willing to risk more because they realized not only how much they had had been given but also the tremendous trust with which they had been given it. They wanted to honor the one who had given it to them.

Fear of death can drive us to denial or various efforts to escape it. But fear of the Lord—the profound acknowledgment of who God is, the acceptance of the love that God has for us, the willingness to use the power of God’s grace at work in us and the talents and other gifts we have received, and the sobering realization that we will be held accountable for how we live—gives us the courage to live and, ultimately, to die, too.

None of us are likely to join the ranks of Hal Jordan and to be chosen to be a superhero that can fly and do anything that his mind may imagine and his ring can create. But all of us have been called. It may not have been in the way that we once expected (sometimes circumstances call us), and the gifts and talents we have received may not be our first choices or what many in the world value.

But in ways we may never understand they have been given and we have been called for a purpose. Our own fear will paralyze us. Fear of the Lord will give us courage. It is our Green Lantern.—JC

P.S. My twin brother (married for 22 yrs., father of 4, attorney in Minnesota) suggested this modification to the Green Lantern Pledge:

In brightest day, in blackest night,

No evil shall escape my sight

Let those who worship evil's might,

Beware the power of Jesus’ light!

Franciscan Prayer: Recognize Your Brothers and Sisters in Christ (Part 7 in a series)

2011-11-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

A lot of people are amazed when I claim that the core of the Franciscan mission is to create sister-brotherhood as often and as radically as possible. I’ve already discussed this regarding Francis’ prayer considering creation, which helped him to understand God’s selflessness in sharing life and all created things as his sisters and brothers.

Francis also used the metaphor of sister-brotherhood in another slightly different way that also flowed out of his prayer. Francis understood all baptized Christians to be brothers and sisters because they were united to Christ in service to the same Father. In medieval Italy, the premier characteristic of a good child was obedience to the project of the parents. So, in Francis’ view, Jesus was the best child imaginable. He selflessly served his selfless Father.

Francis believed that through baptism Christians were united to Jesus in his service to the Father’s vision. To serve the Father means one is the Father’s child. If all the baptized have the same father, they must be sisters and brothers to each other and to Christ. For Francis, this reflection had a tight yet simple logic.

My point here is to note how Francis and Clare believed we learned how to be those good children by gazing at, meditating on, and contemplating the best available example: Jesus!

So, whether we consider the Universal Sister-brotherhood of All Creatures or the slightly different Sister-brotherhood in Christ, the Franciscan vision flows out of both the favored methods and content of prayer. The content or object of reflection is the very life of God visible in the human Jesus. The method includes Clare’s novel addition of imitation to the standard three-fold monastic style of gazing (reading), considering (meditating), and contemplating.

Prayer changes Franciscans’ lives. It changes the way they experience and understand God (i.e., poor and humble). As a consequence, Franciscans come to a new experience and understanding of themselves and others. Through this, they are touched in every way possible at the deepest parts of their lives. This changes their desire and the things they seek. Desiring to imitate the Jesus with whom they have walked in prayer, they find ways of living out God’s poverty and humility in the world.

On Clarity of Discernment

2011-11-13T14:47:00.000-08:00

When discerning my vocation, the one thing I wanted above all others was clarity. I wanted to know with certainty what God wanted me to do in life. The major vocation that I was trying to discern is the mutually exclusive one: religious life or married life. That both are good and, when properly lived, lead to God seems too obvious to mention - but to recognize that it is true is a necessary starting point for healthy discernment. Since married life seemed to be the norm, I took the step to assume this vocation for myself; I still dated and kept a normal social life. I had a reoccurring thought of priesthood, so I also thought that I owed it to myself to explore it.
I was quite certain that I didn’t want to live alone in life, so it was quite clear to me that I would prefer religious life (where I wouldn’t be living alone) over diocesan (“secular”) priesthood, where it was more likely that I would have to live alone. My next step was to find out which religious order best fit me. I knew I wanted to join an order that has an established tradition, so I looked at orders which were at least 100 years old and highlighted the ones that I liked. I picked the one which I felt most at home with and could see myself in in the future; I did this by visiting the orders which I highlighted earlier and observed how they lived their life and did ministry. The Previous step took a couple of years, but I was in school at the time, so I wasn’t in any hurry. Now that I had a religious order that I could see myself in in the future, I had to make the big decision: married life or religious life. This step had such real consequences in my life, so I wanted to think and pray really hard about it. Both appealed to me and both were good. I wanted so badly for some sort of super natural revelation and then I could see with perfect clarity what I was to do. The revelation came, but it wasn’t supernatural. I would have to discern in the murky atmosphere of nature, not the clear upper-atmosphere of supernatural events.
As I began to imagine myself in both forms of life I took notice of my emotions. When I pictured myself in the married life, I could quickly summarize my following life as “go to teacher’s college, get a job, get married, have kids, go on yearly vacations, and die.” I recognized that it would be a good life but it felt boring and unfulfilled. As I thought of religious life I thought of all the ministries I would do in formation and beyond, the interesting things I would study, and all of the opportunities that I would have to help people in need. Thoughts of religious life had me feeling a sense of newness, joyful anticipation, intrigue, and left a sense of adventure. As I compared the emotions that i felt when thinking of both lives, the murky atmosphere was dissolved into a new clearness, a natural revelation.
Shortly after this, and after discussing this with my spiritual director and the vocations director, I applied to enter initial formation with the Capuchins.
Discernment is ongoing and I still find myself discerning smaller matters. The skills that I have learned from my vocational discernment have helped me immensely in discerning the smaller decisions e.g., what ministry to chose.
I should also mention that I have never been 100% clear on what my vocation is. Religious life with the Capuchins seems like the best fit though. It feels right. I like where I am and it feels right. If the shoe fits, wear it. You must see if the religious order you are thinking about entering feels right, if it fits comfortably. I hear that it is the same with marriage, that one is never 100% sure if their fiancee is the one that they are to marry. Here too, clear discernment is key.