“Preventive Medicine”?

Posted on February 14, 2012 by mlbuckley

Preventive medicine: Medicine designed to avert and avoid disease.  MedicineNet.com

“I don’t know about you, but I never considered a child to be a “disease”.  Sadly we live in a world where many people consider that to be the case, including our federal government.  The defenders of the Department of Health and Human Services‘ birth control mandate consistently refer to birth control, sterilization, and abortifacsants as “preventive care”.  By their definition these medications, devices, and procedures are not just a “right”, but a right that you and I should pay for with our health insurance premiums.

 

Our leaders, who consider our future citizens to be diseases, apparently live in some sort of fantasy world where they believe that health insurance carriers are going to turn into nonprofit organizations who will gladly dispense free birth control without passing the cost along to their customers.  The president’s suggestion that faith-based organizations won’t have to pay for these things would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.  I suppose that’s the mindset of someone who’s never had a real job.

 

Catholic (and other religious) hospitals, universities, and other institutions are nonprofits.  Insurance companies are businesses that survive by making profits.  We are not a socialist nation, at least not yet.  Don’t be misled by labels.  Pro-abortion and pro-choice are the same thing.  ”Women’s rights” groups support only certain rights for women.  The president’s so-called “tweaking” of the birth-control-mandate means no change at all.

 

This entire controversy is nothing more than an attack on our First Amendment rights.

Children are not a disease!

Filed under: Church teaching, Current Events, Life | Leave a Comment »

Senator McCaskill on the DHHS Mandate

Posted on February 7, 2012 by mlbuckley

This afternoon Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) told Mark Reardon of KMOX radio that she definitely supports the Department of Health and Human Services birth control mandate for religious institutions.  She made the bizarre statement that free birth control for all women is the leading method to reduce the number of abortions in the United States.  There are two things wrong with her thinking.  One is that included in the mandate are abortifacient drugs like the so-called morning-after pill.  The second is that the wide availability of artificial birth control is a major contributor to the promiscuity of today’s society and that no method is 100% foolproof.  Pills and condoms do fail.  In fact, research shows that pills fail to prevent pregnancy 2-9% of the time.  Condoms are ineffective 15-24% of the time.

So, given a (possibly false) sense of security, extra-marital sex runs rampant and the total number of unwanted (or inconvenient) pregnancies skyrockets.  Saying that forcing religious employers to provide free birth control will reduce abortions is nonsense.  Here’s the thing.  Our Constitution provides us with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Free artificial birth control and sterilization are not included.

On the other hand, our Constitution does protect our religious freedom.  The DHHS mandate is a direct assault on our religious rights.  And make no mistake, if this mandate is allowed to stand, it’s only the beginning.  No matter what your religious faith, you cannot sit idly by and let this happen.  Whether you’re Jewish, Muslim, or a member of any of the Protestant communities, this health care mandate affects you and your freedom to practice your faith.

Now a word just to Catholics.  Ms. McCaskill said today on KMOX that the Catholic Church has no idea how many of its members use artificial birth control.  She’s wrong.  Of course the Church knows.  They have access to the same survey information as everyone els.  But it’s not the Church’s place to monitor what goes on in each Catholic’s bedroom.  That’s between the individual and God.  All the Church can do is point out what’s a sin and what isn’t.  You have free will to make a choice.  You don’t have to answer to the Pope, or your local Bishop, or your priest or deacon.  You will have to answer to Jesus.

The Church does recommend and teach Natural Family Planning.  NFP has proven to be 90-98% effective, roughly the same effectiveness as the pill and much more effective than diaphragms and condoms.  NFP has no side effects.  The same can’t be said for the pill.

Wait!  NFP does have a side effect.  Couples who practice it have a divorce rate of less than 1%.  Why?  Because NFP couples have to talk to each other!  Sexual activity has to be planned and sometimes it has to be postponed.  That shared commitment makes marriages stronger.

One more thing:  Groups that oppose the Catholic Church’s position on this subject, like McCaskill, love to point out the statistics on artificial birth control among Catholic women.  Catholic women, and all women who favor so-called reproductive rights, like to point out that these are personal decisions that don’t affect anyone else.  Well, before you take that pill or put on that condom, think of this.  Those who oppose the Church are using your failure to follow Church teaching to prop up their arguments.   Your “personal decision” to ignore Church teaching and God’s plan effects the entire Church.

Think about it.

External Links

Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body

7 Common Birth Control Side Effects

Sex and Fertility

Phyicians for Life

Natural Family Planning

Filed under: Church teaching, Current Events, faith, Life, Personal Growth | 2 Comments »

5th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Posted on February 5, 2012 by mlbuckley

We have a letter today from Archbishop Carlson.  He writes:

February 1, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith.  The federal government, which was formed to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people – the Catholic population – and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception.  Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health policies they write.  And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.

In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty.  And, as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled either to violate our consciences or to drop health coverage for our employees (and bring about the consequences for all in doing so).  The Administration’s sole concession was to give nonprofit employers, like hospitals and universities, which do not currently provide such coverage, one year in which to comply.

We believe this new requirement signals a direct attack on our religious freedom.  People of faith cannot be made second-class citizens.  We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom.  Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God-given rights.  In generations past, the Church has always counted on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties.  I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same.  Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

And, therefore, I would ask of you two things.  First, as a community of faith, we must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting, that wisdom and justice may prevail, and religious liberty may be restored.  Without God, we can do nothing; with God, nothing is impossible.  Second, I would also recommend visiting www.usccb.org/conscience, to learn more about this severe assault on religious liberty and how to contact Congress in support of legislation that would reverse the Administration’s decision.

I call upon each of you to join me and the Bishops of the United States in speaking out on this violation of religious freedom and conscience by contacting your U.S. Representatives and our U.S. Senators.  Every Catholic has the responsibility to promote the dignity of human life and religious freedom.  If we do not make our voices heard, no one else will.  Let us work together to preserve the freedoms our forefathers established in our Constitution!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

 

Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson

Archbishop of St. Louis

 

Both the second reading and the Gospel today speak to us about preaching.  Paul writes to the people of Corinth, “If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it.”

 

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus tells the Apostles, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also.  For this purpose have I been sent.”

 

When Father and I were ordained, we knelt before the Archbishop.  We placed our hands on the book of the Gospels and he said, “Receive the Book of the Gospels, whose herald you now are. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, practice what you teach.”  In just a few months our seminarian Ray will hear these same words when he’s ordained to the transitional diaconate.

 

That’s our call; to believe the Gospel; to teach the Gospel; and to practice the Gospel.  It’s also your call.  Saint Francis told his disciples to always preach the Gospel and if necessary to use words.  All of us, ordained or not, preach the Gospel by the way we live our lives.  You shouldn’t have to walk around with a Bible in your hand for others to know that you’re a Christian.  That’s what the Archbishop is telling us today.

 

Sometimes I wonder what it takes to make Catholics mad.  I know, Jesus told us to turn the other cheek; to love our enemies; to return good for evil.  But sometimes even Jesus lost His temper.  He turned the money-changers tables over in the temple.  He called Peter, the man He chose to form His new Church, Satan.  He called the Pharisees hypocrites.  There are some things that even Jesus won’t put up with.

 

We live in a society that does its best to discourage us from following our Christian faith.  Sit down in front of the television some evening with a list of the Ten Commandments.  Then check off each one as you watch it being broken.  I promise you you won’t have to watch very long.

 

The thing is, I’m not so sure that most of what we see and hear in the media is malicious.  A lot of it is probably just ignorance.  I wouldn’t say that every television producer is anti-Christian or anti-Catholic.  They just don’t know any better.  Besides, a lot of the really offensive stuff gets good ratings where wholesome shows are often ratings flops.  Since television networks live off commercials and they charge more for more popular shows, the networks sink to the lowest common denominator.  That’s one thing.

 

But when our government, which we pay for with our tax dollars, deliberately attacks our beliefs, that’s something else altogether.  And that’s what we have here.  The Department of Health and Human Services is saying, “Sorry, Catholics.  We don’t care what you believe.  Your employees are going to have birth control, abortion-causing drugs, and sterilization.  And you’re going to pay for it.”

 

Can you imagine the outcry if the Amish were forced to connect their homes to the electric grid?  Every person of faith would be offended and demand that such an order be rescinded.   Or if Muslim hospitals (if there were any Muslim hospitals) were told they must serve pork to their patients and employees?  There would be serious ramifications.  It would never happen.

 

But, even in an election year, our government thinks it’s ok to impose their will on Catholics and other Christians.  Why would they do that?  Because they don’t think we’ll respond.  History shows that they’re right.  Roe vs. Wade has been the law of the land since 1973.  That’s 39 years.  Millions of unborn babies have been murdered in nearly four decades.  The Church has railed against Roe.  Every year thousands of Christians, not just Catholics, march on Washington, DC.  Right here in Saint Louis, Archbishop Carlson leads demonstrations in front of the local abortion mill.  But the demonstrators are a tiny percentage of all Catholics.  When election time rolls around, we keep reelecting the same pro-abortion candidates.  That wouldn’t happen without the votes of so-called “pro-choice Catholics.”  Why would politicians think that we would turn against them now.

 

But notice that the Archbishop and all the Bishops haven’t said anything about voting.  What they’re asking us to do is listen to Paul’s words.  “Woe to me if I don’t preach the Gospel”.  Stand up for your faith!  Write to Washington and tell them you won’t sit still and watch your religious rights be taken away.  Ask your friends and family to do the same.

The Archbishop said, “Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God-given rights.”  That statement should have special relevance for this church.  The immigrants who built this church by hand, brick by brick, then built it again when the tornado blew it down, would be mortified to see what’s happening today.

 

You and I have been given the privilege of keeping their memories alive in this historic church.  But it’s going to take more than just new boilers, and new air conditioners.  Without our faith, this is nothing but a big, old building.

 

Archbishop Carlson is asking you to honor their memories by standing up to anyone, including the United States government, who tries to take your faith away.  “Woe to all of us if we don’t preach the Gospel.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Whatever Happened to the 1st Amendment?

Posted on February 2, 2012 by mlbuckley

Here in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, our Archbishop, Robert Carlson, has written a pastoral letter which is to be read in every parish.  The topic is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate that all employers, including Catholic employers provide insurance coverage for artificial birth control, abortion, and the morning-after abortion pill.  This is in clear violation of the Constitution’s first amendment which assures religious freedom.

Archbishop Carlson writes, “In generations past, the Church has always counted on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties.  I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same.  Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.”

The Archbishop, along with all the U.S. Bishops is calling on Catholic Americans to stand up for our faith.  Imagine if the government would mandate that all Amish must be hooked up to the power grid.  The Amish would be outraged, as would every American citizen who values their religious faith.  Suppose the feds mandated that all religions observe Sunday as their sabbath day.  How would our Jewish brothers and sisters react to that?  Or, imagine this.  What if the government mandated that Muslim hospitals (if there were such a thing) serve pork to their patients.  I shudder to think what their response would be.

We can’t be so complacent as to think that if the government can interfere in one of our basic religious rights, that they will stop there.  A lot of us live in an environment where anti-Catholic bigotry lies beneath the surface.  But it’s alive and well.  What the haters don’t realize is that when the government takes away our rights, their rights are threatened too.

I’d like to share with you some comments from a local newspaper forum on Archbishop Carlson’s letter.  Keep in mind that these are anonymous posts.  The writers are hiding behind pseudonyms.  I’m sharing just a few highlights so you won’t have to waste your time reading this garbage.  Just keep in mind that one of these people may be your next door neighbor.

“No surprise here. Catholic church needs all the children it can get for brainwashing.”

“I’m waiting for the archbishop to pour as much money into ending the death penalty as he does abortion.”

“I’m Catholic, we don’t use birth control, but I think making birth control more available for those who want it is a good thing.”

[Note:  This issue isn't about providing birth control.  It's about forcing Catholic institutions to pay for it.  Two very different things.]

“The more kids the parishoners have the more choices priest have to chose from.”

“If Catholics don’t want to use contraception, that is fine. But the rest of us, who live in the real world, and have kids who live in the real world, don’t want this provision canceled from the health care bill because of some arcane and misguided belief that making contraception available is somehow wrong.”

[Note:  I'll bet you thought you were living in the real world, didn't you?]

“If the Archbishop do (sic) not like our laws in this country, he can take his church to another country.”

To all the right wing nut jobs who continue to follow the mindless ramblings of a holy roman empire cult that brought you the inquisitions, the crusades, the “irish laundries” the holy wars, the pedophile scandals, and now the tax free status of a MAJOR “PAC”. when are we gonna wake up and realize that we were founded on a “no religion is better than the other,”

“The only reason the church denounces birth control is because they want more asses in the seats on sunday morning, period.”

“Mr. Bishop,  Get a clue.”

“Hey Catholics, don’t like birth control then don’t use it. How is it your ‘religious freedom’ to impose your freedom-stealing views on others?”

“I’m burning. I’m burning. Hell is horrible. I never should have prevented that unwanted pregnancy.”

“Heres an idea, why dont you get off your knees (not from praying, but from servicing bishop carson) and wake up the the bullspit they are shoveling. All they care about is populating their pews and if they cant do that, they shut em down.”

“Catholic “leadership” opposes equal rights for all of thier (sic) employees. Meanwhile child molestation and sexual abuse continues to be denied, ignored and swept under the carpet. Typical of the catholic church to go crazy over the unborn but ignoring the needs of the children entrusted to their clergy. The catholic church has lost the higher moral ground and now they are as corrupt as any politcal party with a politcal agenda that does not include how Jesus Christ would treat others. The non-profit status of the catholic church should be revoked now that they are actively pursuing actions in politics and preaching their case from the pulpit. No more special treatment for the liars with the white collar.”

Excuse me for going off on a rant, but enough is enough!  If we, as Catholics, don’t respond to our Bishop’s request for action then we deserve whatever happens.  What you and I need to do is ( 1) pray.  Pray hard and often.  Pray that our employees in Washington DC will wake up to what they’re doing to our country.  (2) Find out exactly what the government is proposing and let your congress person and senator know how you feel.  Check out the US Bishops’ web site.  They have a convenient link to connect you with Washington.  It takes just a few seconds.

These people like their jobs (who wouldn’t) and they want to keep them.  If enough of us let them know we oppose this violation of our religious freedom, they will react.

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The Third Sunday of Ordinary Time–Jonah

Posted on January 22, 2012 by mlbuckley

Our first reading today is from the book of Jonah, one of the shortest books in the Old Testament. It’s just four chapters long.  It’s a short book but there’s a lot there. The passage we read today is from Chapter 3, right in the middle of the story.  Today’s reading begins with the Lord speaking to Jonah, sending him to Ninevah to deliver a message.  But it’s not the first time the Lord’s given Jonah the command.

 

Chances are that when you think of Jonah, you think of him being swallowed by the whale, and you’re right.  As Paul Harvey used to say, that’s the rest of the story.

 

When the Lord first spoke to Jonah and asked him to go to Ninevah, he was afraid.  See, the Jews and the Ninevites were bitter enemies.  The Lord wasn’t just sending Jonah to deliver an unpleasant message.  He was sending him into a city where he might be killed, even if he was bringing GOOD news.  Jonah was so afraid that he jumped a ship headed to Tarshish.  He thought he could hide from God.

 

Tarshish was in the land we now today as Spain, more than 2,000 miles from Ninevah.  At that time, around 500 BC, Tarshish was literally the end of the world.  Jonah was running, or sailing, as far away from God as he thought he could.

 

But you can’t hide from God and shortly after the ship set out, a violent storm took hold of it.  To make a long story short, the other men on the ship find out that Jonah is running from the Lord and that the storm is God’s punishment.  At Jonah’s request, they throw him into the sea and immediately the storm stops.  Jonah is swallowed by the whale.  In the belly of the whale Jonah repents of his sin and after three days God commands the whale to take him back to Ninevah and spit him out on the beach.

 

Notice Jonah didn’t spend two days in his watery hell.  He didn’t spend four days.  He spent three days.  Sound familiar?  Jesus also spent three days in the nether world before he was raised from the dead.

 

 

Being 21st century Midwesterners, you and I may not have a lot of insight into 5th century life on the Mediterranean Sea, so I thought I’d share this with you.  In the book Moby Dick by Herman Mehlville, a character called Father Mapple preaches on the story of Jonah.  His congregation was sailors, sailors’ wives and sailors’ widows. He says,

“Shipmates, this book, containing only four chapters—four yarns—is one of the smallest strands in the mighty cable of the Scriptures.  Yet what depths of the soul does Jonah’s deep sea-line sound!  What a pregnant lesson to us is this prophet!  What a noble thing is that canticle in the fish’s belly!  How billow-like and boisterously grand!  We feel the floods surging over us; we sound with him to the kelpy bottom of the waters; sea-weed and all the slime of the sea is about us!  But what is this lesson that the book of Jonah teaches us?

 

“As sinful men, it is a lesson to us all, because it is a story of the sin, hard-heartedness, suddenly awakened fears, the swift punishment, repentance, prayers, and finally the deliverance and Joy of Jonah.  As with all sinners among men, the sin of this son of Amittai was in his willful disobedience of the command of God—never mind now what that command was, or how conveyed—which he found a hard command.  But all the things that God would have us do are hard for us to do—remember that—and hence, he oftener commands us than endeavours to pursuade.  And if we obey God, we must disobey ourselves, wherein the hardness of obeying God consists.”

One more passage from Father Mapple:

 

“Then God spake unto the fish; and from the shuddering cold and blackness of the sea, the whale came breeching up towards the warm and pleasant sun, and all the delights of air and earth; and vomited out Jonah upon the dry land; when the word of the Lord came a second time; and Jonah, bruised and beaten—his ears, like two sea shells, still multitudinously murmuring of the ocean—Jonah did the Almighty’s biddint.  And what was that, shipmates?  To preach the Truth to the face of Falsehood!  That was it!”

 

The Lord tells Jonah to go into Ninevah to tell the people that in forty days their city will be destroyed.  Now Ninevah was a fairly large city.  Chapter 4 tells us that it was more than 120,000 people.  The writer tells us that it takes three days to walk across it.  But, in just one day Jonah convinces them to repent.  The king proclaimed a fast and everyone put on sackcloth.  Jonah must have been one heck of a preacher.  When God saw that they had repented, he spared the city.

 

In the second reading, Paul warns the people of Corinth that time is running out, just like Jonah told the people of Ninevah.  “The world in its present form is passing away.” Turn away from sin and turn to God.  The pleasures and the riches of this world are nothing compared to what God has in store for them, and for us.

 

Finally, in the Gospel today Jesus tells the Galileans “This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.”  Simon and Andrew abandoned their nets to follow Jesus.  James and John walked away from their Father and their fellow fisherman.

 

That’s what God is calling us to do.  Walk away from the nets that entangle us.  What are your “nets”?  What are the things in your life that are keeping you from following Jesus with “all your soul, with all your heart, and with all your mind”?  Are they really that important?  The honest answer is, “No, they’re not.”  God speaks to us all the time.  He wants us to do his will.  But that usually means we have to make a choice.  We gave up some other activity to come to church today.  When we spend time in prayer, there’s always something else that we could be doing.  When we do good works for others, we’re sacrificing time and treasure that we could be using for some other purpose.

 

Father Thomas Merton once said that when you’re trying to choose between two things, God’s will is usually the harder choice.

 

When He calls, you can run away like Jonah did.  That didn’t work out so well.  After much suffering and repentance, he ended up doing what God asked after all.  Or you can do what the Apostles did; lay down your nets and follow Jesus.

 

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Behold the Lamb of God

Posted on January 14, 2012 by mlbuckley

Lambchop with Kermit the Frog

You and I, as 21st century Americans, may not get the image John shares with us in this Sunday’s Gospel.  As Jesus walks by, John the Baptist says to his two disciples, “Behold the Lamb of God.”  When we think of a lamb, we probably picture a cute, warm and fuzzy little beast.  I have a stuffed lamb that sits in my office.  My particular lamb is black, reminding me of the back sheep, the rebel, the trouble-maker, that we all tend to be sometimes.  You are probably familiar with Lambchop, ventriloquist Sherri Lewis’ puppet.  Maybe you picture the sheep that promote a certain brand of mattress.

Or, if you’re more into food than stuffed animals, you may think of lamb chops with mint jelly.  Lamb stew, or Irish stew may be in your mind.  If you’ve been to the Emerald Isle, you know that, outside of the cities, sheep and lambs are everywhere.  In America you’re most likely to see an actual lamb at a petting zoo.

But, to a first century Jew, the lamb was a symbol of sacrifice.  When John pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God, his message was that Jesus would become a sacrifice.  He would be killed.  Even so, the disciples chose to follow Him, knowing that they might also be called to sacrifice their own lives.  The question is, are we willing to follow the Lamb?  Are we willing to give up everything for the sake of the kingdom?

Here’s a link to an excellent homily by Father Robert Barron on this Gospel.  It’s about fifteen minutes long and well worth your time.   Check it out.

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Epiphany

Posted on January 7, 2012 by mlbuckley

Today we celebrate the Epiphany, the day when the Magi arrived in Bethlehem to pay homage to the new born king.  Surprisingly, we don’t know much about the Magi.  Matthew’s is the only Gospel that mentions them.  We don’t know exactly where they came from.  Matthew only tells us they came “from the east”.  The “east” is a pretty big place.

We also don’t know that there were three of them.  Over the centuries we’ve come to think there were three because they brought three gifts.  But, it’s not unreasonable to think that more than one king brought Jesus gold, or frankincense or myrrh. If there were no duplicate gifts, the stores wouldn’t set up special “return lines” the day after Christmas.  In fact, the Eastern tradition believes there were twelve magi.

So what DO we know about these magi.  We know that they followed a star to Bethlehem.  The word “magi” is the root of the word “magic”.  The magi were astrologers.  They were experts on stars and it’s no surprise that they followed one to Bethlehem.

A Greek manuscript from around 500 AD names the three kings; Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.  Like I said, we don’t know how many kings there really were, but three gifts brought by three kings is logical and the three names have been around for 1,600 years, so we’ll go with that.

But, what’s the point of the kings, no matter how many there were?  In the first reading, Isaiah prophesies that “Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining brilliance.”  The arrival of the kings, following the star, fulfills the prophecy.  These kings, how ever many there were have come to pay homage to a baby; not just any baby, but a baby born in a cattle stall.  You can imagine that those mighty, wise men wouldn’t make such a long trip, bring expensive gifts, and prostrate themselves to anyone less than the Son of God.

Herod tried to use the visitors to find the Baby Jesus.  It makes you wonder, if the magi saw the star, why didn’t Herod?  Obviously, God didn’t want Herod to see it.  If he’d seen the star, he could have gone and found Jesus himself.  Or, he could have followed the magi.  But he didn’t.  And the magi were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod.  As Matthew says, “they departed for their country by another way.”  You could say that once you’ve found Jesus, you can never go back the way you came.  Your life, like the lives of the magi, is forever changed.

OK, so why gold, frankincense, and myrrh?  The gold is a symbol of kingship.  For a king to give a gift of gold showed tremendous respect.  Frankincense, or what we call simply incense today, is a symbol of deity; or Godliness.  We use incense in the church today on special occasions.  Myrrh was a perfume that was used in Jesus’ time for embalming.  It was a symbol of suffering and death.

Look at the words of the hymn “We Three Kings”.

“Born a king on Bethlehem’s’ plain, gold I bring to crown him again.” 

 

“Frankincense to offer have I:  Incense owns a Deity nigh.” 

And, “Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gathering gloom”. 

The final verse begins “Glorious now, behold Him arise, King and God and Sacrifice.”  Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

If these mighty, foreign kings recognized who Jesus was, can we do any less?  We’re at the end of two very special times of the year; Advent and Christmas.  It’s time to take down the trees and the lights and get back to normal.  But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep the spirit of the season in our hearts for the next ten months until we do it again.  Scholars tell us that Jesus probably wasn’t born in December.  But does it really matter?  For faithful Christians Jesus is born in us each and every day.

For the last two months strangers have been greeting strangers with a smile.  We’ve been exchanging greetings with one another.  Why stop now?  [There’s a reason why we exchange the sign of peace during mass.]  At the hospital where I volunteer they have a five foot/ten foot rule.  When someone is ten feet away you’re supposed to make eye contact.  When they’re five feet away you’re supposed to smile and greet them.  That’s a good rule for anybody, anywhere.  Something like that could actually change the world.  And changing the world is what we’re called to do.  If mighty foreign kings could prostrate themselves before a baby in a manger (and think about what’s on the floor of a cattle stall) smiling at strangers is the least we can do.

You’ve probably seen the “Catholics Come Home” TV commercials.  With 70% of people who call themselves Catholic not coming to mass, the commercials are a great idea.  But I think they’re making one mistake.  Where’s the joy?  Yes, we invented the college system.  Yes, we’re the largest charitable organization in the world.  Yes, we created the Bible.  Those are all wonderful things but I’m not sure any of them would make me want to come back to church if I’d been away.

Here’s the thing.  It’s a PRIVELEGE to be Catholic.  We have SEVEN SACRAMENTS.  Most protestant churches have three. We receive the actual Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist.  If you want to join most protestant denominations, all you have to do is show up and say you want to join.  If you want to be a Catholic, you have to go to school!  It takes months!

If we want people to come back to church, and believe me, it’s critical for this particular church that we get people to come back, we have to show them the joy.  You and I have to show the world how happy we are to be Catholics.  We should sing when we’re supposed to sing.  We should pray when we’re supposed to pray.  And we should walk out of here at the end of mass with a big smile on our faces, knowing that we’ve just received the greatest gift God could give a mere creature; the gift of Himself.

There’s no way we can ever repay God for such a great gift.  The magi tried.  They traveled many miles. They gave Him the best they had.  The best we can do is to worship Him and to do whatever we can to share His gift with others.  That’s the message of the kings, no matter how many there were.

There’s a tradition in the Church that we bless our homes on the Feast of the Epiphany.  We do this by writing an inscription above the doors with blessed chalk.  Before the final blessing today, Father will bless chalk that you can use at home.  The chalk will be at the entrances of church along with the prayer that you can use.

With everything that’s going on in the world today, we encourage you to take the time to bless your home and the people who live there.  If you know someone who’s in that 70% of inactive Catholics, feel free to take an extra piece of chalk and prayer sheet for them.

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I’m Not Worthy

Posted on January 6, 2012 by mlbuckley

“This is what John the Baptist proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.”

Isn’t John the Baptist speaking for all of us? Really, who IS worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals? I know I’m not. But here I am, reading Jesus’ words in the Gospel but knowing that I’m not now and I never will be worthy of such a great responsibility. Then I’m supposed to say something profound.

It’s really hopeless when you think about it. Over the past 2,000 years there have been a lot of people who have proclaimed the Word of God. Some have been great preachers, like Bishop Fulton Sheen or Father Benedict Groschel, or Cardinal-elect Timothy Dolan. Saint John Chrystostom is the patron saint of preachers, but even he, possibly the greatest of all time wasn’t worthy.

Of course, we all know that there are bishops, priests, and deacons who have failed horribly in their responsibility to the Church and to the people. Yet they’ve proclaimed the Gospel, and no matter how unworthy they were or are, the Word is still true.

I guess the trick is to know that you’re not worthy. I know a few guys who think they ARE worthy, but I believe that that kind of thinking makes you even less qualified to speak on Jesus’ behalf. Each of us is called to spread the Good News in our own way. John the Baptist wasn’t anything to look at. He wore animal skins and ate bugs, but people came to him in droves, asking him to baptize them. Unworthy though he was, he was preparing the way for the Messiah. Well, the Messiah came. We celebrated His birthday just a couple of weeks ago. But everyone hasn’t gotten the message. After 2,000 years there are still unbelievers. There are even more who believe that He came, believe that He was the Messiah, but don’t necessarily believe what He said. You and I are called to show them the way. Whether we think we’re worthy or not, we’re the tools that Jesus has chosen to build His kingdom.

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Congratulations!

Posted on December 31, 2011 by mlbuckley

You did it!  You made it through another year.

I have no way of knowing if 2011 was a great year for you or a terrible year, but one thing I know for sure, as of midnight tonight it’s over.  2012 may be a turning point for you, or it may not.  Depending on where you stand today, I can’t say which choice you’d make.  But for good or bad, 2011 is in the books.  We can’t change it now.

Tomorrow many of us will make New Year’s resolutions.  Come February 1, we’ll either be well on the way to achieving our goals or we may be saying “What resolutions?”  Whatever we do, it’s pretty much up to us.  Since last spring I made it a point to ride my bicycle at least 25 miles two time each week.  Then November came and the weather didn’t cooperate.  Then I fell off a ladder and that put the kibosh on my riding.  Now it’s January.  I missed a potentially good bike riding year by just two months.

Here’s the thing.  As I write this I’m looking at a perfectly good stationary bike sitting in my office.  I can ride it on cold days or rainy days and until my ribs heal up, I can ride it for ten minutes several times a day.  So far, I’ve  not done that.  Will I change in 2012?  I hope so.

Whatever it is that you want to achieve in the new year, don’t forget to include God in your plans.  Jesus said if we have faith the size of a mustard seed we can move mountains.  So have faith!  Ask God to help you.  Author Matthew Kelly suggests this prayer:  “Lord, show me what I can do today to make me a better version of myself.”

Getting  back on the bike, stationary or otherwise, will definitely make me a better version of myself.  If I remind myself that God wants me to be in better shape, that should help me get off the couch.  Better health, lower blood sugar, longer life, these things should be motivation enough.  But personally, I need God’s help.  Chances are you do too.

Whatever it is that you want to do in 2012, include God in your plans and you’ll be surprised how well things will work out.  Remember that God created you as a unique individual.  There’s never been another person exactly like you and there never will be again.  He wants you to be the best you that you can be.

PS.  If you’d like a free copy of Matthew Kelly’s book Rediscovering Catholicism, check the link in the right hand column of this blog.

Filed under: faith, Life | Leave a Comment »

We Buried a Priest Yesterday

Posted on December 28, 2011 by mlbuckley

Monsignor Don was more than a priest to me.  Apparently he was more than a priest to a lot of people.  The church was packed.  No one speaks ill of the dead (at least not often) so it wasn’t surprising to hear so many accolades for a man whose life was too short.  But the large number of people, priests, deacons, and lay, spoke volumes about this quiet man’s life.

He made such a big difference in my life that I had to be there.  First, he was my wife’s cousin.  They had been friends for life.  When I decided I wanted to marry his cousin, my late mother-in-law to be insisted that there was no way her daughter was going to marry a non-Catholic.  She called on Monsignor Don, who was then an associate pastor, to “fix” me.  Time was short, but the young priest was up to the task.

In a single week I was baptized, made my first confession, my first communion, and was married.  Father joked that I had received five of the seven sacraments.  In those days, just after Vatican II, and before the restoration of the permanent diaconate, he said that it would be a long time before I received “last rites” and, of course, I’d never receive Holy Orders.

As the years passed, “last rites” became anointing of the sick, a sacrament I’ve received many times and when I received Holy Orders in 2002, Monsignor Don was there.

When my mother-in-law passed away in 2009, I had one of the greatest honors of my diaconate, I served mass with the Monsignor in the church where he married Jan and me.  I had no idea that I would never have the opportunity to serve him again.

I think every one of us who has been called to serve the Church would be proud to say that we try to be as good a minister as this man.  He was quiet.  He was humble.  He made everyone feel as if they were the most important person in his life.  Hence the huge crowd for his funeral.   Being a very organized person, he left specific instructions for his funeral.  First and foremost he wrote, “no eulogies!”  When dozens of priests show up for a funeral and hundreds of people fill the church, I suppose no eulogy is necessary.

But this a blog, so I don’t think he’ll mind if I say he was one of the greatest priests I’ve ever known.

In his last visit with his bishop, he asked the bishop to pray that he died before Christmas.  He said he had spent every Advent of his life preparing for Christ to come.  This year he was spending Advent preparing to go to Christ.  He died on December 22.

Rest in peace, Monsignor Don.

Filed under: Christmas, Life | 1 Comment »

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