It’s Nice to Know People Care

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It’s nice to know people care.  I’m not talking about people who care about me.  Two weeks we had major flooding in the southeast corner of our diocese from the remnants of Hurricane Lee.  The Diocese of Rochester in which I live and serve covers a twelve county area.  Only three counties (Chemung, Tioga, and Tompkins) were severely affected by flooding with Tioga receiving the worst damage.  Broome County in the Syracuse diocese and the neighboring counties in Pennsylvania were also greatly affected.

People have lost homes.  Some businesses aren’t sure if they will ever reopen.  People are in need and people in the surrounding area have been donating money and goods.  Some are forming volunteer work groups to help.  Jesus calls us to care and help and people are doing just that.

Our Bishop, Matthew Clark, has called for all our parishes to take up a second collection.  You can read more about that at http://www.dor.org/index.cfm/news/news-docs/second-collection-for-flood-victims/.  Bishop wrote this week in his column and was going to join the local parish community this past week for Sunday Mass.

If you would like to read more about the effects of the flooding check out the local media coverage.

 Be mindful of people in need because the Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Working Together As One

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To me one of the great treasures of the Catholic Church is that we are not just an agglomeration of individual churches.  Each church has its own building but we share the same liturgy with every Latin Rite Catholic Church across the world.  When a person goes to any Latin Rite Catholic Church in the world on Sunday, they hear the same readings and prayers as every other Latin Rite Catholic Church.  So, when we celebrate the Mass we act in unity with every other Latin Rite Catholic Church in the world.

While united in the readings and prayers there is also diversity.  Each church selects its own music (under common principles).  Each church hears a homily that respects “The Signs of the Times” in each community.  While normally based on the readings, each homily may be different in accord with the local needs and circumstances.  What is the most important issue in a small rural church in the United States may not be important in a church in a large city in China.

The local church is the place where we celebrate the Mass and we are part of a worldwide church under the Pope.  We also need to be aware that we are part of a diocese under the local bishop.  We are called to work together as a diocese.  Each parish is called to work together with each other and the bishop to help proclaim the gospel message and serve the needs of God’s people.

In today’s church, we are seeing a new development in the way we see the church.  Most adults in the United States today grew up in a Catholic Church where the local church was the parish.  Now, with a decrease in the number of people who attend church and a decrease in the number of priests we are seeing parishes that are no longer one church building. 

Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Community where I serve is just such a community.  Originally six churches (St. Andrew’s in Dundee, St. Januarius’ in Naples, St. Mary’s in Rushville, St. Michael’s in Penn Yan, St. Patrick’s in Prattsburgh, and St. Theresa’s in Stanley), it is now one parish sharing two active priests and a shared lay staff. 

The driving force behind these churches combining is both the declining number of priests and parishioners.  The fact that both the number of priests and number of parishioners has decreased cannot be denied.  Some will argue about why the numbers are done.  What I want to discuss here is, in light of the churches coming together, how can we be the best parish possible. 

Logistically some of the benefits come in the administrative side where we have one business manager who does all the financial work for all the churches and two secretaries instead of several, so we are paying less in salaries freeing up money to do direct ministry.

I also see the combining of the churches under one pastor (with a parochial vicar) as a means to work together to take what is best in each church and share it with the others.  The churches are not all the same but we can share ideas.  Sharing one pastor is a first step.  To help facilitate the working together several of our councils/committees serve as one committee for the whole parish.  We have one Parish Council, one Finance Council, one Stewardship Committee, and one Liturgy Committee.

The coming together of the six churches has not been easy.  There has been loss including two of the churches no longer having Mass.  We cannot deny the loss.  We could choose to try to avoid any change, to hold on to the past.  While acknowledging the good of the past, I choose to look forward to see how we can pool our resources, taking the best from each church, and become the best Church we can be guided by the grace of the Holy Spirit. 

I can’t change the past but I can do my part to make our parish and our Church the best it can be.

May God always guide us to be not the church we want to be but the church he calls us to be.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Appreciating the New Translations

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Here is the this week’s bulletin article on the new translation of the Roman Missal. 

After the Penitential Rite comes the ‘ancient hymn of praise,’ “The Gloria.”  At first glance, it may seem to have changed a lot.  What has changed is the order of the words.  The order of the words for the first six lines is very different but it is mostly the same words.  The word order simply repeats the order in Latin which emphasizes our action to praise, bless, adore, and glorify God for all the wonderful things he has done for us.

9-11 & Forgiveness

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Here’s my homily on September 11th

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Sirach 27:30-28:7
Romans 14:7-9
Matthew 18:21-35
September 11, 2011

The traditional Jewish custom was to forgive a person three times.  If they continue to sin against you after that you were not obligated to forgive them.

Peter puts the question to Jesus, “how often must I forgive?”  Peter knows the importance of forgiveness, so he suggests seven times.  The people would have been impressed at the level of forgiveness when only three times was required.

While the people may have been impressed with Peter’s suggestion of seven times, Jesus was not.  Jesus replies with a much larger number, ‘seventy-seven.’

What is your reaction to Jesus suggesting the number ‘77’?  Did you let out a mild groan?  Do it seem impossible or ridiculous?  Maybe there’s someone thinking, ‘Ok, if Jesus says forgive 77 times, but NOT 78!’

We’re not supposed to keep a scorecard.  That’s missing the point. The point of ‘77’ is that it seems huge.  Why?  The point is that there should be no limit to our willingness to forgive.

Sound impossible?  

Isn’t it what we hope we have available from Jesus – unlimited forgiveness?  We must strive to do our best (not to sin) but when we do, we count on Jesus’ forgiveness.

Forgiving can seem so difficult.  What does it really mean to forgive?

Sometimes we think forgiveness means forgetting that the person ever did something to hurt us.  That would be nice and with the little things should be the reality.  We must not keep a scorecard.  But this must be balanced against justice and protecting ourselves.  

For instance, if a person commits a violent crime against us, we are called to forgiveness, but we also have a right to make sure they don’t do the same thing us to again.  They also need to be willing to accept the consequences of their actions.  

Forgiveness precludes revenge (an emotional response) but justice can still be served.

We might also ask “why should I forgive?”

First, because it is the right thing to do.  To forgive is to love as Jesus calls us to love.

Secondly, we forgive in recognition of our own need for forgiveness.  None of us is perfect.  We need forgiveness from God and from other people that we may have hurt.  We cannot be like the servant who begged for patience and mercy to his master and, after receiving complete forgiveness (more than he asked for), he went and did not reciprocate with the person in debt to him.

Think of the words of the Lord’s Prayer, ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’  What right do we have to ask for forgiveness if we are not willing to forgive others?

A third reason to forgive – if we have not forgiving, then we are holding a grudge with angry in our heart.  Holding that angry in our hearts can keep us from loving, not just the one who has hurt us but from loving others.  It can also keep us from moving forward.  If we wish to move forward in hope, then we need to let go of the past.  Part of that letting go is to forgive.  When we don’t forgive, we hurt ourselves.

Today is the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.  The attacks were a terrible thing.  Many innocent people died.  We cannot forget what happened.  But does that mean we can’t forgive? 

Have we let go?  Or at we still stuck on 9-11?  We can still seek justice but is it justice or revenge we seek?  What’s the difference between revenge and justice?  Sometimes, the difference doesn’t seem very clear.  I think revenge has a lot more to do with emotions (primarily anger) while justice comes from reason and God. 

What concerns me is things like the reaction from many people when our military killed Osama Bin Laden.  There is certainly an element of justice and our safety involved but when people start celebrating a human death, I don’t see that as justice.  It seems more like revenge to me.

I don’t know how you feel about 9-11 and forgiveness.  But I imagine that at some point we have all found forgiveness difficult.  It can be done. 

For example of forgiveness, look at Pope John Paul II when he was shot.  What did he do to the man who shot him?  He forgave him.

May we have the grace we need to forgive others as we need to be forgiven ourselves.

Next Article on the New Translations

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Here’s the bulletin article on the new translations for 9-11-11.

Appreciating the New Translations
After the opening greeting at Mass comes the Penitential Rite.  We come to Mass to receive the grace we need.  We come acknowledges how we are imperfect and in need of God’s mercy.  In order to help us open our hearts to God, we take a moment to call to mind those sins and ask for the Lord’s mercy.  This is not the same as receiving the Sacrament of Penance (Confession).  There are three options for this.  The option we are most familiar with is Form C, where the priest (or deacon) says words to remember the Lord’s mercy.  The congregation verbalizes by saying Lord have mercy, … Christ have mercy . . . Lord Have Mercy.  The words may be a little different but no big changes here.  Another option that we tend not to use at Sunday Mass but is more common at Daily Mass is the Confiteor that begins I confess to you almighty God . . . There is one significant change here.  Traditionally we have said “I have sinned through my own fault.”  This form of acknowledging our sins comes from King David in 1 Chronicles 21:8.  In the new translation, we will say ‘through my fault’ three times.  The repetition is not meant to make our feel like we are terrible people.  It is a call to humbly admit how much we are in need of God’s mercy

Building a Better Community

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23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Ezekiel 33:7-9
Romans 13:8-10
Matthew 18:15-20
September 4, 2011

Today Jesus gives us some instruction about how to deal with those who have sinned against us.

Note there is no mention of revenge.  There is no mention of punishment (except being treated as a Gentile or tax collector).  There is no mention of restitution.  

That’s because Jesus’ point isn’t revenge or punishment.  Here, Jesus’ point is to help the sinner become a better person.

So, “the process” starts with a one-on-one discussion.  Why?  Because perhaps the person doesn’t realize what they have done or that it was wrong.  Maybe it is all a misunderstanding that can be cleared up just between the two people involved.  I might add that in this one-on-one discussion we should also be offer to considering our own responsibility in the situation.  Did we do something wrong?

If the person does not listen, we are to gather two or three witnesses (in accord with Deuteronomy 19:15) but we are not just to look for witnesses who will agree with us.  This process that Jesus gives us is not about proving we are right.  Instead, its purpose is to come to the truth.  One-on-one, each side may have their own opinion.  The witnesses help establish the facts and the truth.  

Then, if the person is still not listening or realizing what they have done, Jesus says to take them to the church.  The church is responsible for leading us in knowing God’s will for us as a community.  No one individual knows all of God’s plan but together it can come into focus.

Only if the person does not listen to the church, does the mention of any “punishment” come up.  The person is to be treated as a Gentile or tax collector, meaning expulsion (excommunication) from the community.  

But I hesitate to call this punishment.  As described, the point is not “punishment” (not that being thrown out of church is fun).  The point is what is good for the community.  If the person sins, it can harm the community.

Now in the history of Christianity, there have been churches who might seek to cast out anyone who is not perfect.  Since no one (except Jesus) is perfect this didn’t last long.  

Recognizing our own imperfections, we should not rush to cast out the sinners.  What’s Jesus getting at?  Fraternal correction – helping each other to sin no more and to carefully avoid the occasions of sin.  

In fact, while the reading looks to start out by involving a sin between two people, “If your brother sins against you” many of the early copies of Matthew’s Gospel don’t include the words “against you.”  So, the idea is that if we see anyone sinning, we would point it out to them.

Now, this could cause a lot of trouble!  It’s probably not going to help to point out every fault you see another person make.  Example – have you tried “correcting” every one of your spouse’s faults?  How well did that go over?

Of course, there is the other extreme.  If you think your spouse does some things wrong and never point them out to them (keeping it all in yourself) how does that work out?  

Does a parent correct every mistake of a child?

So what faults do we point out?

Obviously there are big items; the church calls them “mortal sin.”  If you see someone murder someone you should speak up (but in that case, I suggest you go to the police and not deal with it yourself).

Do you see a friend going down a destructive path (slippery slope)?  Maybe they started with one drink but it has grown.  The alcohol blurs their judgment so they may not even realize their drinking has increased.

Another way of thinking about it is to ask yourself if you were doing the same thing, would you want someone to help us you realize it?

Sometimes, we might not want to say something because we know the person is going through tough times.  Ask yourself is the tough time causing the sin (then help them with the tough time) or is the sin causing the tough time (then help them to realize it).

Jesus tells us not to be judgmental.  When we point out the sins of others, it should never be in I am a ‘better than you’ attitude.  The point is to help each other become better individual Christian disciples and together a better Christian Community in accord with God’s will.

Next Bulletin Article on the New Roman Missal

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Here is my bulletin article for September 4, 2011 on the new Missal.

Appreciating the New Translations
We do not have to proceed far into the Mass before we come to the first change in the new Translations.  The priest leads us in the Sign of the Cross and then says one of three options, the first being “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”  This form of greeting is found frequently in Paul’s Letters.  Just one word is changing in the new text.  Fellowship is changing to communion.  Fellowship can speak of people coming together to share.  It isn’t just about being “friends.”  The word communion will be used to indicate the deeper relationship between the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit that we seek to be part of.   Next comes the response from the people “And also with you.”  For our senior citizens, do you remember “Et cum Spiritu?” which translates as “and with your spirit?”  Historical study shows that “and with your spirit” dates back to at least the fourth century.  So this change is simply returning to what has been done for a long time.

More on the New Missal

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I wrote the article below for the parish bulletin to introduce a series of short articles to help us prepare for the new translations.

Becoming Familiar with the New Translations of the Mass

In January, we began to talk about the new English translations of the Mass that we will begin to use in Advent.  In February, our homilies focused on explaining the four parts of the Mass.  (If you missed any of that you can find out more by going to our parish web site, www.ourladyofthelakescc.org and click on “Understanding the Mass.”).  As it gets closer to Advent, it’s time to take a deeper look at the new translations.

Our celebration of Mass is the most important thing we do as Catholics.  The Church uses the phrase, lex orandi, lex credendi, what we pray is what we believe.  The whole intent of the new translations is to make sure the words we pray are what we believe.  While at first the new translations may be strange, we will adapt quickly. 

The official prayers of the Mass are written in Latin and translated into other languages.  The Latin text did change some in 2000 but is basically the same as when it was written post-Vatican II.  There are more changes in the English.

For instance, in the third Eucharistic Prayer, the opening paragraph currently includes the phrase so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made to the glory of your name while the new translation will say so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.  It is changing from a geographic reference (east to west) to a time reference (rising of the sun to its setting).  Again, the Latin was always the later.  Either wording may seem nice.  What is lost in making it a geographic reference is the origin of the phrase.  It comes from Malachi 1:11, “For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting, my name is great among the nations” (cf. Psalm 113:3).  We are changing the English translation to help understand the origins of the words.

Another example to show why we are changing the translations is seen in what we call the Memorial Acclamation.  The priest begins it currently “let us proclaim the mystery of faith” which will be shortened to “The mystery of faith.”  For the past 25 years, there has been four options for the people to respond with.  Two of the most common are “Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus come in glory” and “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.”  In the Latin, there are only three options.  The two I just mentioned are translated from the same Latin text.  I never would have guessed that because the translations are so different.  It shows how loosely some of the translations were done.  In the new English translations, these two options will become one translated as “We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.”

Change is not easy.  Some of the current translation may seem more friendly while the new translation may seem “formal” or “stuffy.”  Does God not deserve good words?

Starting next week, there will be a short article inside the bulletin each week helping us to know the scriptural references for some of the texts, explain the meaning of new words, and why we say what we do. 

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

The Sacrament of Marriage

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A primary responsibility of priests is the celebration of the sacraments.  Among them is the Sacrament of Marriage.  Deacons can also witness the Sacrament of Marriage.  I use the word “witness” deliberately because it is the couple that celebrate the sacrament with each other.  The priest or deacon serve as the official witness of the Church.  The priest or deacon presides over the ceremony.  (Please note if the wedding ceremony includes a full Mass, only the priest celebrates the Mass itself.)

Two weeks ago, I celebrated the marriage ceremony with one couple.  Later this year, I will preside at three other weddings and there are weddings already being scheduled for next year (wedding couples should always contact the church at least six months in advance, some churches require one year).

Certainly the wedding itself as a sacrament is certainly important.  Ultimately, it is God who provides the grace of the sacrament.  The priest or deacon is an instrument of God’s grace.  I always do my best to celebrate weddings with joy for the couple.  To help me do that I like to do the marriage preparation work with the couples, meeting with them a few times.  This serves two purposes.  First, it helps me to get to know them (and for them to get to know me) so we are not strangers at the wedding ceremony.  Secondly, I take it seriously to help make sure the couple is talking about the issues they may have to deal with in their marriage.  The example I like to tell them is that before they get married they should talk about how many children they want to have.  If one wants to have two children and the other wants twelve, they need to talk more before they get married.  If one says two children and one says three, they can work that out later. 

I think most couples have talked about the number of children they would like to have but some haven’t talked about finances or how they will work together to solve problems and challenges in their lives.  I don’t tell them how to do this.  I don’t have all the answers.  I see my role as to make sure they have talked about and know where each other stand.  Then, as a married couple, they can work together, two becoming one flesh.  Some couples wonder why they have to do marriage preparation (especially with a priest who isn’t married).  By time the process is complete, I think most couples appreciate its value.

Marriage is meant to be a lifelong commitment.  Unfortunately, a lot of marriages end in divorce.  I hope what I offer in marriage preparation helps the couples.  Ultimately, I pray that the grace God gives them in the Sacrament of Marriage leads them to a long life together.

For more on marriage, check out my web page on “The Sacrament of Marriage.”

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Jesus and the Way We Do Our Jobs

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Some people seem to think our faith doesn’t have much to do with the way we do our jobs.  A person might say I am accountant or a engineer or work in a government office.  My job doesn’t relate to my faith.  I disagree.  While the tasks we do at work may not seem to relate to our faith, the choices we make can.

For instance, do we think about how the choices we make might affect people?  Our priorities should not be based on how much money we make or if  it makes me look good.  There is nothing wrong with making a profit but when we make a profit at the expense of hurting people we have missed what Jesus has taught us.

Last night I was watching a program that examined the concern that building tall buildings or large dams in earthquake prone areas  was actually increasing the seismic activity in the area.  The phrase “just because you can do a thing, doesn’t mean you should do a thing” came to mind.  Now, the program ended up concluding that the tall buildings (the one in story was 101 stories) didn’t increase the seismic activity.  The evidence did argue that the weight of the water held by the dams was having an effect.  How much did anyone think about these issues before constructing the dams and the buildings?  We like to talk about who will be helped by what we propose.  Do we talk about who might be hurt?

Sometimes the decision isn’t ours to make but we might still have an obligation to speak up.  If we are aware of a problem, we must, in good conscience bring it to the attention of those who do make the decisions.  I think of a recent case locally where the county budget for the current year projected an increase in the fund reserve.  It turns out the fund reserve is actually decreased significantly because of some unexpected expenses.  From the report I have heard, the expenses may be completely justified.  But the only way the County Legislature found out about it  was from a routine audit.  Sounds like someone either didn’t bring the problem to the proper person’s attention or someone didn’t listen.  Jesus wants us to be honest and upfront.  Jesus wants us to use the gifts we have been given wisely. 

Turning to our politicians, I will not comment on any one individual or political party because that is not my interest.  I simply want to say that politicians (and every other person) should not be making their decisions based on what makes them look good.  We should never make a decision just based on what might get us a pay raise or a promotion.  Some say, “Well, I am just doing what the polls say the people want.” 

This leads to a difficult question.  Are we obligated to do what the majority of people want or should we do what we believe is right even if the majority doesn’t agree?  In a country based on democratic values, the temptation is to say that majority rules.  When making a decision we must listen to the people but God is the one who determines right and wrong.

God helps us to know what is right in unusual ways.  Sometimes, God speaks to us through people we disagree with.  To make a good decision we need to truly listen to all sides of the argument and listen to God.  We should never think that we have all the answers.  True dialogue can lead to the truth and understanding.

When you are faced with a big decision, do you take the time to listen to others and to listen to God?  Do you follow the crowd (majority rules) or do you do what is right?  Stand up for what you believe in.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff