Civil discourse

It's presidential campaign time again and the negative, demeaning, and character assassination ads are on the networks and on Facebook and other social media. We live in a very fortunate time. With the help of technology we can learn the TRUTH about any candidate if we are willing to spend some time reading and studying. It doesn't take much effort to "Google" Mitt Romney or Barack Obama and find out what their positions are on economic stimulus, taxation, entitlement programs and abortion and every other issue. We can examine their past voting records and policy statements and find out all about them in a very objective fashion. But that is not where most of us get our information about candidates. We live in an age of slick marketing and sound bites. Candidates, like advertisers, appeal to our emotions and sense of "good looks" rather than tell about their own position on issues. (To that point, one of my college marketing instructors made the point that Abraham Lincoln could never be elected in today's culture because he was not a "good looking" man.) Many in our electorate actually believe the half-truths and bald faced lies that are told in those campaign ads paid for either by their opponent or by some political action committee.
My Catholic faith teaches that all of the problems facing our society can never be met by any one candidate, political party or election. At the same time we need to participate in the process and bring a personal witness of faith along with us. We are called to know our faith which means knowing what is intrinsically evil and can never be tolerated, and what issues, although serious and moral, may be approached from a variety of reasonable positions by persons of good will. I implore each and every citizen to examine their own hearts and determine through intelligent research which candidates to vote for this fall in national as well as local elections.
A great guide for Catholics and others is published by the Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops and is available in PDF form by clicking here.

A Vatican 2 "did you know?"

Many people would probably argue that the Second Vatican Council had little or nothing to say about birth control -or- the "regulation of birth" but that is not so. They might even say the Council basically left it up to the conscience of the individual - also not so. The longest document that the Council produced is "The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World" (Gaudium et Spes). In the first half of the document, a foundation is laid for the necessity of the Church's activity in the modern world and in the second half specific issues are examined including marriage, family life and birth control.
As you may be aware, the more definitive document on this topic is an encyclical written by Pope Paul VI in 1968 entitled "Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life)". But the council has a few things to say about it as well in the Pastoral Constitution. There are a few long paragraphs and sections dealing with conjugal love and I will quote just a couple of sentences. In section 51 this paragraph sums up what the Church wants all of humanity to be aware of in regards to these matters:
"For God, the Lord of life, has conferred on men the surpassing ministry of safeguarding life in a manner which is worthy of man. Therefore from the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes. The sexual characteristics of man and the human faculty of reproduction wonderfully exceed the dispositions of lower forms of life. Hence the acts themselves which are proper to conjugal love and which are exercised in accord with genuine human dignity must be honored with great reverence. Hence when there is question of harmonizing conjugal love with the responsible transmission of life, the moral aspects of any procedure does not depend solely on sincere intentions or on an evaluation of motives, but must be determined by objective standards. These, based on the nature of the human person and his acts, preserve the full sense of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love. Such a goal cannot be achieved unless the virtue of conjugal chastity is sincerely practiced. Relying on these principles, sons and daughters of the Church may not undertake methods of birth control which are found blameworthy by the teaching authority of the Church in its unfolding of the divine law." (emphasis added) 
When I was newly married and deciding about these matters I did not follow what the Church taught but arbitrarily made my own decisions - something I deeply regret today. As I read the documents now and understand more fully the Church's teaching on the human person and human sexuality I finally "get it". The Church is NOT our enemy regarding marital love but teaches in a way that allows the spouses to live it out in beautiful and meaningful ways. I challenge all who have read this post to go the links below and read all of Humanae Vitae and sections 47-52 in Gaudium et Spes.
Comment and let me know what you think. Do these teaching surprise you?
Humanae Vitae

Gaudium et Spes:

People and work and things...

As I continue to study the documents of the Second Vatican Council statements like the one above take on a deeper meaning. In "The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World", no small amount of space was dedicated to human labor. This realization comes first from the fact that Jesus Christ was a skilled laborer. He was a carpenter, one who worked with His hands to fashion items to make life easier for others. In our world today, indeed in my own work experience, people are often used - often with their permission. Such was the case with me. I worked very hard and stayed on the job for long hours in my previous state of employment because I wanted to get ahead. I wanted to please my boss and I was self-driven to excel. Although in one regard there is nothing wrong with any of those motives, it is when I allowed them to become obsessive and when they actually obscured (rather than supported) my vocation as husband and father that they became sinful. In other words, I allowed myself to be used.
In doing so I was worshiping work and the things I could get from working. I often fooled myself into believing I was doing these things for "the good of the family" but oftentimes I just wanted more stuff or nicer stuff. 
In a document written several years after the Council (Laborem Exercens, On Human Labor), Pope John Paul II (a huge contributor at Vatican II) says this: "The Christian vision of reality focuses on the human person and their dignity as created in God's image." This means that the PERSON must always be the priority of work. In other words, work is for the person and NOT the person for work. The Pope goes on to say: "Work is a great thing but man in incomparably greater. Man is sacred and this sacredness is inviolable."
The questions become these:

1. Are you aware of what the Catholic Church teaches about human labor and the reality of work?
2. What is your personal view of your own work? Are you a workaholic? Have you allowed yourself to be "used" in the workplace?
3. Have you "cheated" your employer by not putting forth the reasonable amount of time and effort requested?

By the way, I found the image at the top of this post on Fr Bob Lacey's Facebook page.

Recognizing Jesus

In the Gospel reading for Mass today, Jesus is recognized for who is REALLY is as Messiah, Son of God, the Holy One of God, etc. etc. This recognition does not come from one of His followers, friends, or disciples but from a demon! (Luke 4:31-37) This causes me to question my own perception or image of Jesus. Who is He, to me? Do I see Jesus as a human, specially blessed, but still just a man? Do I see Him as a convenient friend who can work His magic and get me out of a tight spot? Is He, for me, something like an aspirin that I only reach for when I need it? All of these are common and erroneous ways of relating to Jesus. He is who the demon described - the Holy One of God! He is the Savior, the Prince of Peace, King of Kings, and Messiah. Jesus is who He is regardless of who I want Him to be. Many of the Jews who followed Jesus thought he would be the one to throw off Roman oppression and restore the Davidic kingdom to Israel. Many of us today think Jesus is going to overthrow our enemies so we can live the life of wealth and convenience that we desire.
Today, take a few moments to ponder how you would recognize Jesus. Is He, for you, the Holy One of God? Is He your savior? (Which means that you need to be saved.) Do His peaceful, humble, and tough love ways make you uncomfortable?  If you can answer "yes" to these then you are well on the way to true recognition of, and relationship with, the One who loves you best.

Light to the nations...

"Christ is the light of the nations." So are the first words in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church - Lumen Gentium. As I have been rereading the Vatican II documents in preparation for the 50th Anniversary of the Council I have been again surprised by their beauty and readability. The Bishops, and those that wrote and re-wrote Lumen Gentium, did a wonderful job of describing the Church (people of God) and its hierarchy. I would bet that many fans of Vat II have not read this very important Constitution. I would exhort all Catholics to read (at least) the four Constitutions that the Council Fathers approved.
In the First Vatican Council, the infallibility of the Pope was a big topic but that Council ended early due to the Franco-Prussian War. The Second Vatican Council takes up that issue once again and expounds upon it. While Lumen Gentium affirms everything that was said at Vatican I about the Pope's decision making power it also includes the notion of collegiality, saying that the best pronouncements in the Church come from the Pope and Bishops working together. Lumen Gentium also has an entire chapter describing the role of the Laity - something no other council in the Church's history attempted.
So here are some questions:

1. Did you know that Vatican II affirms the doctrine of papal infallibility?
2. What do you know about "religious assent" and "full submission"? What is the difference and what does it mean for Catholics?
3. Do you know what the Council says about the role of the laity in the Church?
4. Were you aware that the Council (in Lumen Gentium) opened the door for the restoration of the Permanent Diaconate?

Please let me know what questions you have about the Second Vatican Council in the comment section.

You are NOT lacking

Are you baptized? Do you receive Jesus Christ regularly in the Eucharist? Have you been Confirmed? If you said yes to at least two of these three then congratulations. You are not lacking in any spiritual gift. Paul says as much at  the beginning of his 1st Letter to the Corinthians as he tells them: "I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gifts as you await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Our challenge today is to LIVE as persons who believe what that verse says. Maybe you'll get some inspiration from this video that I found posted on the Deacon's Bench Blog:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5whWXxGHUA

Your assistance please...

On October 11th, our Church celebrates the 50th anniversary of the convening of the Second Vatican Council. For our time, this was the MOST significant event in Church governance. I will be doing a presentation beginning Thursday, October 11th at St Michael Parish in Sioux Falls covering the Council. Here is where I NEED your help. What is your perception of what happened at the Council? What questions do you have about it? PLEASE use the "Comment" Section of this post to let me know what YOU would like to see covered at a presentation on Vatican 2. Your help can assist me in shaping a presentation that is relevant to those who attend.

THANK YOU