Restorative Justice for Bishops

Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, France, is seen praying in this 2007 file photo.
 (Credit: CNS photo/Mohamed Messare, EPA.)

When I was told that a Novena of Penance and Prayer for the physical and spiritual healing of our diocese, over the sexual abuse and coverup by bishops was going to take place, I exclaimed incredulously, "But we didn't do anything!"

An answer was ready.  "We are a community.  We support each other."

That shut me up but it didn't satisfy my feelings.  So here are my thoughts.

The buck stops at the bishop's crosier.  The abusing priest is sick.  He was the start of the problem.  But instead of fixing the problem, the bishops enabled the problem.  I don't buy that doctors' said that the priests were healed.  For the past 50 years????? 

One priest in my parish was drunk and exposed himself to a woman.  He was taken out of the parish and assigned someone else.  Where?  He became chaplain to an all-female college. 

Is that not the bishop fault?  Even if a million doctors said the priest was OK, why would you take the chance?

BTW, that priest got into trouble at the college.  (I bet you're not surprised.)

Anyway, I lay the blame on the bishops. 

I also don't think we sheep should be doing penance for our shepherds.  We didn't even know about any abuse.  Those who did (Bishops) need to do penance and make reparation. 

Families are a good example.  They certainly are a community.  When one member misbehaves he is given a time-out.  Not everybody--to support him.  That one member alone is standing in a corner where everyone can see him doing his "time."  When a citizen commits a crime, he is sent to prison where the public takes note that he is doing his "time."  Society doesn't accompany the perpetrator to prison.  So why should we do "time"?

I propose that the bishops in the USA do public penance by teaching.  It would be nice if the bishops taught the faith and concretely translated it into action by teaching at least one hour a day.  I envision the bishop teaching a CCD class every day and another RCIA class, additionally. 

Both would benefit.  The bishop would get to know vital sheep in his flock, i.e., children and discerning adults. 

For their penance, bishops should teach a CCD class, every day, for a year.  Additionally, they should teach RCIA for a year, also because RCIA should be year long, anyway.

And in this way, the sheep will get to see and know that their shepherd is humble and contrite.  May God, Who sends the Holy Spirit to spread grace through forgiveness, give pardon and peace to His Holy Church.  Grant this Father, through Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

The First Catechism

One of the candidates in RCIA inadvertently told a joke.  Well, not so inadvertently, but it will make you think.  We were discussing how the catechism came about.  Someone noticed that in the book of Sirach, in the Bible, the introduction states that the

                       book was used to teach moral teachings to catechumens and the faithful.

So should Sirach be considered the first catechism?

When you think of it, most people couldn't read so there was no written catechism.  People taught orally.  Hence, statues, stained glass windows, and paintings.

But the educated must have written for instructions for others.  St. Augustin wrote the Enchiriodon. 
Should that be considered the first catechism?

One of the first things Martin Luther did was write a catechism--but that was the sixteenth century!  Luther prompted the Council of Trent to write a Catholic catechism.  Still, sixteenth century.

Mmmm.

That's when the class' smart aleck suggested, "Mary."
 Mary?
Yes!
Why do you say, Mary?
Because she said, "Do as he tells you."   
                                          John 2:5

Misplacement of Course Books

When students enroll for a course, they're given a list of books to get for that course.  I propose that it's a misplacement of the texts.  How does the instructor know where the students are? 

I'm thinking of my RCIA class.  How can catechist assign a text without knowing who's entering the class?  One book applicable to both the Satanists and the Catholic who just needs to be confirmed doesn't make sense.  I think copied pages from different books are more useful.  In fact, I think after Easter, IOW after everyone has gone through the sacraments of initiation, then handing out a book list would be valuable. 

Would this also be true for any course?  How does an instructor know what level of expertise his students are--even introductory courses?  I would wait and see how "introductory" my students are.  Once everyone is on the same page (so to speak) then we all use the same book.

Anyway, I'm not ordering books for RCIA, except the catechism.                                                             And even that, will be a graduation present, not a course book.

Teacher's Evaluation

Much to my surprise, my baby Catholics want me to demand more from them.  I'm talking about the people who came into the Church during the Easter Vigil.  We had a meeting today to celebrate their new status and also to critique my RCIA class.

They want homework.  I never gave any because everybody is too busy.  Taking that into account, they suggested that the homework not be mandatory but suggested.  So I'll try it and see if they do it.

The next suggestion was interesting.  Instead of one topic a class, to have many topics each class and repeat them for the rest of the year.  For example, instead of a class on the Mass, a class on Jesus, a class on the sacraments, a class on prayer, a class on the Bible, a class on the Catechism, do them all in each and every class.  That comes out to 20 minutes on each of those topics which would take up the class' two hours.  In that way when a catechumen misses a class, he won't miss the entire topic. 

I also should keep attendance to the point of who wasn't there to learn the topics on that day and give them make-up materials.  I also have to stay on topic and keep the catechumens on topic.  Venting to a certain extent is permitted but must be brought back to topic. 

IOW, I was too easy on them.  They want homework.  They want to keep to the subjects and not go off on tangents.  They want attendance taken and to be made accountable.

Lord, help me.

Apologists, Catechists, Theologians: Wake Up!

MEK Picture

Apologists, Catechists, Theologians: Wake Up!: After perusing the latest Pew Study on why young people are leaving the active practice of Christianity, I confess that I just sighed in exasperation. I don't doubt for a moment the sincerity of those taking the survey.  It's just their objections are so easily answered--hasn't anyone ever addressed them?



I agree with Bishop Barron's article.  I was shocked once when I asked my RCIA class what they wanted to learn.  The first subject was Jesus.  I had always assumed that everyone was Christian and was in my class to become Catholic.  WRONG!  I had Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccan, and once a Satanist, but most were basically nothing.  They were taking RCIA to learn what Christianity is all about.



All catechists have to assume that their students know nothing.  Start                                                                                                                               with Jesus.

SPQR

In preparing for my RCIA class I learned that the word sacrament comes from the Latin word, sacramentum.  In ancient Rome, army recruits had to undergo a ritual called sacramentum to become soldiers.  They would pledge their fidelity to the gods of Rome and their loyalty to their commanding officer.  They would be tattooed with the seal of Rome, Senatus Populusque Romanus, SPQR.  This tattoo indicated that the man is a soldier and entitled to all the rights and privileges of a soldier.

In the days of early Christianity, the pagans understood joining an organization with an sacramentum.  Somehow, this word was used by the early Christians.  Well, Christians do pledge fidelity to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and loyalty to the Chrisitan community by confessing its beliefs.  We do think that once one is baptised we are marked with an invisible and indelible sign as a child of God.

The early Christians were actually plunged into water.  Baptism means plunge.  After drying off, they changed into a white robe, to symbolized starting a clean, pure, new life.  Then these neophytes would be anointed with chrism, like royalty, to show their special status as children of God.

Lastly, everyone would sit down to the meal of bread and wine: the Eucharist.  As they broke bread, they became members of the community.  

Who Am I?

I'm working on creating a game for my "cloistered brothers."  The R.C.I.A. catechumen are looking at patron saints. So they will play a game with the rest of the  Bethany Community.  We're calling it, "Who Am I?"

The community will be given two facts.  For example: I am a male, born in 1182.

The catechumen will answer whatever questions the community asks--up to ten questions.
Are you a martyr?   No.
Are you a priest?     No.
Are you married?   No.
Are you a soldier?   At one time.                                                      
Are you a founder of a religious order?  Yes.
Are you known for helping the poor?  Yes.
Are you St. Vincent de Paul?  No.
Are you Spanish?  No.
Are you Italian?  No.
Are you St. Ignatius Loyola?  No.   

The answer is St. Francis of Assisi

Who is Jesus to You?

Just beginning RCIA, we are discussing Jesus--Who He is? He is:

Teacher   --   John 13:13

Lover      --   John 15:9, 12-13

Friend     --   John 15:15

There's more, but these are the ones that mean most to me.  Could Jesus be whoever you want Him to be?  I don't think so because let's suppose you were crazy and want Jesus to be evil.  That He could never be except inside your misdirected mind.

But to me, Jesus as a teacher, lover and friend helps me relate to others better.  He teaches me to be a better person.  And a better person means I love others.

What is Jesus to you?

Healer?
Servant?
Redeemer?
God?

The Cross and the Lotus

Two recent converts to Catholicism were in my RCIA class.  They come from a Buddhist tradition.  I've found being an RCIA teacher, that Buddhists make excellent Catholics.  They have been a great help to me.  They also told me some stories from Buddhism that resonate with Christian stories.  They even tell me that legend has it that Jesus traveled East and met with the Buddha.

Well, what was Jesus doing between the ages of 12 and 30?  Nice legend.

My friend, Mary, who is from Kerala, India, speaks of other Christian faiths in India.  Her husband is a Syriac Christian who trace their history back to Jesus' followers and once called themselves Nasranis.  Think Nasranis = Nazarenes = followers of the Nazarene, Jesus.

Mary is quite comfortable talkings about Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Protestants.  She looks at their similarities.  In fact, she has a symbol of the cross blooming out of a lotus blossom.  The lotus is a symbol of Buddhist enlightenment.  And see what's blooming out of the lotus.

This symbol if found not only in India, but along the coast of China.  The two faith traditions must have been accepted and collaborated.  Aren't Buddhists and Christians interested in intellectual curiosity and spiritual advancement?  Ecumenical good will?  Alleviating suffering?  Atoning for sin?  Meditation?  Sacrifice?  Love?

Catholic Aerobics

I asked Daniel how he liked his first Mass.  He said he didn't know.  "It was so strange."  Daniel is in my RCIA class.  He may not get baptized; he's religion shopping.

The strangest thing, according to Daniel, was the different body positions.  Up, down, kneel, genuflect, shake hands, get in line for communion, bow, bless oneself--so much; how do Catholics know what to do, when?  Everyone in the small group agreed with him.  That's the first thing everyone noticed.

I explained what I could.  Most of these gestures are for respect.  We dip our fingers in the holy water and bless ourselves as we enter the church because we are reminding ourselves of our baptism.  Then we may genuflect on the right knee to show our respect for God, Who is living in the tabernacle.  In the pew, we kneel to pray and sit and wait for Mass to begin.

Mass begins with the ministers processing up the aisle to the sanctuary.  We stand as they process by our of respect.  We sit when the procession is done.  We sit to listen to readings, except for the Gospel, which we stand to hear, out of respect.  Then we sit to listen to the homily.

Then we reach into our pockets for the collection.

Again we kneel for a longer time as the priest consecrates the bread and wine.  We then walk up to receive the consecrated Body and Blood of Jesus.

We're just about finished as we finish our personal prayers of thanksgiving while kneeling.  We bless ourselves and stand while the priest recesses out.

So it's mostly respect and common sense that determines what posture to take.  Besides, if you follow along in the missal, the directions tell you what to do.

What surprised me was that Daniel and some of the others said they were a little frightened.  The procession scared them.  They wondered what the heck had they gotten themselves into.  I think it was just too foreign to them.  I pointed out that a bride processes down the aisle.  And when you graduate?  They agreed; they just weren't expecting it.

Pray for these RCIA candidates, please, especially Daniel.  

Indulgences = Good Time

Usually, when talking about indulgences, I have a hard time explaining what they are:  

What is an indulgence? The Church explains, "An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain defined conditions through the Church’s help when, as a minister of redemption, she dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions won by Christ and the saints" (Indulgentarium Doctrina 1).

Got that?  It's as clear as mud.

I even know a priest who doesn't believe in indulgences.  It is very hard to understand.

But not for my candidates in RCIA.  They immediately connected indulgence with good time.  You see, I do RCIA in a prison, and the inmates understood indulgences, almost instinctively.  It's call good time:

Good time is remission before the state, courts, and legal authorities of the temporal punishment due to crimes where time has already been served, which the inmate who is duly disposed gains under certain defined conditions through which the correctional institution's help when, as a minister of justice determination, she dispenses and applies with authority the power of satisfactions given to her by the state's courts.*

 I'm going to call this frame of reference cognitive intelligence.

* Book of Faith ;-)

Davy and Mary

This picture reminds me of Davy, in my RCIA class.  He loves the rosary.  He walks around with it wrapped around his hands.  He wants to pray Hail Mary all day.

Davy actually wanted to be Catholic because he thought we worshipped Mary.  We've told him a hundred times that we don't, but he insists that we honor her so specially that it's worship.  I don't know what else to do to get through to him.  Finally, I've asked Mary to lead him to Jesus, not her.  Mary will straightened Davy out.

Davy and three others will be confirmed, Saturday.  Come Holy Spirit!

The Scapegoat

Confessions

RCIA got contentious.  One of our confirmandi argued the right of a Confessor to administer Absolution.

Scripture didn't convince him.  The power to absolve is clear in St. John (20: 20-23)  "Whose sins ye shall forgive they are forgiven..."  Other Bible references were used.   Matt 16: 19, 18: 18.  

 He couldn't get out of his mind the idea that Jesus' crucifixion satisfied all sins forever.  He also thought that confessing his sins to a friend was OK.  I pray that in thinking over his arguments, he'll see how silly that one was.  He will have to pray for understanding, as will we.

However, James told a story that I didn't know.  In giving scriptural references for the forgiveness of sins, he said that the Old Testament gave the power to absolve and atone for sins, to the Jewish priests, and he told us the story of the "scapegoat."

A goat was chosen to be burden with the people's sins on the day of Atonement.  The priest would confess the sins of the people (figuratively) on the head of the goat, whereupon the goat would be sent out into the wilderness.  Hence the origin of the term "scapegoat."

Catholics believe that the sacrament of Reconciliation reinforces our faith in Jesus and the priest acts in persona Christi, in forgiving us our sins.  Isn't it good and beautiful that Mother Church offers us this sacrament?

The Last 24 Hours

Whew!  I've been in a whirlwind of activity these last 24 hours.  I've been too busy to think, never mind worry.  In fact, I've decided that keeping busy is the best way to stop worrying.  I know that Matthew 6: 25-34 tells us to trust in God, and when you're busy you are trusting Him because you're too busy to trust in anyone else, certainly not oneself.

Yesterday, we started by going to the Russian Icon Museum.  I wished I lived closer; I'd be a docent. Afterwards, we had dinner at The Mill Restaurant.   I had chicken champagne salad, and hubby had baked haddock.  In the evening, my parish had a book discussion on Mathew Kelley's Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic.  It was incredible.  There were over a hundred people.  I think the Holy Spirit was bouncing off the walls.  Everyone left excited!  In fact, my friends and I weren't ready to go home.  We went out for coffee and appetizers, and continued our discussion.  When I came home my phone messages were blinking.  It seems that the designer for the newsletter, eLumen, which I edit, had been trying to reach me. The March issue is ready to be sent on Saturday, and the placement of some of the articles needed to be reorganized.  That discussion left me crawling into bed, after midnight.

The alarm woke me up early because my friends and I had planned to go hiking today.  The temperature said 4 degrees.  I wouldn't have gone but one of my friends depends on me taking her.  She looks forward to it, so I went.  I was happy I did.  There was no wind and talking with friends you don't notice the cold.  It was actually nice.  When we finished, the temperature said 14 degrees.

I had to rush home to get to RCIA.  One of my "cloistered brothers" was talking about the sacrament of marriage.  He said that love is an emotion and emotions don't stay the same.  But marriage is a commitment.  To Catholics, marriage is a sacramental covenant.  It is a vow, meaning it takes sincere effort to persevere.  He said it affirmatively and completely.  I had nothing to add.

Next is a nap.

Worshipping Mary--Not!

Yesterday's encounter with the ministers was still on my mind.  So I asked my RCIA candidates and catechumenate, what they thought of the ministers' refusal to engage in conversation with me.

Geeesh!  If I had said, "Look at the facial expressions of 'Little Bo Peep,' in these paintings.  What do you think?"  Would the ministers have reacted differently?

They can't even look at Mary?

Come on!

Sigh......

Well, the RCIA candidates who were Protestants, and the one Buddhist, said that "Mary" was the issue.  If I had said the woman was Little Bo Peep, the ministers would have responded differently.  Mary is the problem.

Sad, very sad.

One of the candidates is a former Protestant who has some sort of mystical relationship with Mary.  In fact, he said that Mary told him to go to the Catholic Church.  He seems normal; he's your average guy; until you bring up the subject of Mary.  He wears a rosary around his neck and also, another rosary is wrapped around his wrist and somehow his middle finger back down to his wrist.  He constantly prays the rosary--all day.

Yet, he seems like the average guy.  He told me that the ministers won't even entertain thoughts of Mary.  They dismiss even thinking about her, like a Christian should dismiss evil thoughts.

I said to him, "You do know that Catholics don't worship Mary?"
Everyone answered in agreement, except for him.  He insisted that Mary was right up there with the Trinity because there would be no Son if it weren't for her.

While that's true, there's only one God and that's who Catholics worship.    Mary is reverenced, greatly, but not worshiped!  I couldn't get him to agree to that.  I kind of think he wants to be Catholic because he loves Mary so much, he wants to worship her.  As a Protestant he was taught that Catholics worship Mary, and that's the reason he wants to join the Catholic Church.  Lord help me explain to him that it's only You Who is God.

Finally, I told him to pray about it.  He must continue reading and praying for understanding and wisdom.  Me too!  I need to find a way to tell this man that Mary is not equal to God.  Catholics do not worship Mary.

Toilet Paper Roll School of Thought

Yesterday, the RCIA catechumenate discussed self-esteem and narcissism.  Self-esteem is good.  You should be proud and have faith in yourself.  Narcissism is too much self-esteem.  You would never think of anyone but yourself; rules and laws don't apply to you.  Narcissists think they're always right.

When it comes to going to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, they're in a quandary.  They probably wonder why they have to, because they haven't sinned.  Everyone understood this.

Everything was going along fine, until someone mentioned that narcissists don't change the toilet paper in the bathroom because they had what they needed; let the next person change the roll.  Everyone laughed but me.  Hubby is always accusing me of doing this.  But I don't think I'm being narcissistic.  It's just because I change it when it's near the end of the roll.  He always wants an extra one handy, all the time.  I claim it's just a different school of thought, not narcissism.

Do you see my point?

The Christmas Cactus does well next to the toilet paper.

How do I Become Catholic?

Once, after Lectoring, I was taken by surprise by a lady stopping me, as I walked out of the church.  She asked, "How do I become Catholic?"

What surprised me was that she asked me--not the priest, nor the deacon, who were out front shaking hands with everybody leaving the church.  I was so taken aback that I just gave her a pamphlet for RCIA and walked on.

Since then, I've prayed for her.  It's the least I could do since I failed her miserably when she reached out to me. And when I think about it, we Lectors and Cantors, are the most approachable, of the visible participants, in the Mass.  I know everyone is participating, but I'm trying to look through the eyes of a non-Catholic attending a Mass.  Approaching the priest or deacon, is too intimidating.  It's the lay people, a lay inquirer would seek out.  I know I would.

What would my advice be now?  I'd befriend a Catholic who knows what they believe.  I'd ask the Catholic if they attend Sunday Mass; daily Mass would be a great find.  I'd ask them to take me to a Mass and afterwards we'd go out for coffee and discuss whatever questions came up.  I'd encourage getting together every once in a while to chat.  I'd recommend reading the Compendium on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and YOUCAT, together.  Both these would have questions that would be great discussion topics.

Maybe I could get a priest to discuss some topics with us.  Here is where we'd ask about RCIA and maybe sign up.

This won't happen over night.  You know how excruciatingly slow God's time is.  But when the inquirer is ready they can be Baptized.  It is appropriate to be baptized at Easter.  Here you may also receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and then you may receive the Holy Eucharist.

The Eucharist is what keeps me Catholic.  And it's the reason, my unknown inquirer is searching.  But that's a topic for another post.

Book Review

There are some people, I would guess, who have left the church and would like to come back.  They’re thinking about it, but don’t know how to go about it.  This book, Why God Matters, by Karina Lumbert Fabian and Deacon Steven Lumbert is the “home free” ticket.  I’m recommending this book to the RCIA leaders in my parish.  It’s perfect for Catholic “newbies.”

      One of the appeals is the format.  Readers are not bogged down in doctrinal “vaticanese.”  Each chapter begins with a Life Lesson, which offers some thoughts and/or sometimes suggestions that prepare you for the story.  After the Life Lesson is a Scripture reference. Then a quote from the Catechism.  Lastly, is the story by either Karina Lumbert Fabian, or her Dad, Deacon Lumbert.  That’s it—5 pages. 

     The stories themselves reveal a journey of faith that everyone will find something to identify with.  They seem to cover everything.  One of my favorites was Chapter Six, “Does God Send Flowers?”.   Karina tells the story of having a bad day when the door bell rings with a flower delivery for her.  They were a birthday gift of flowers from her in-laws, but she knew it was from God giving her just what she needed. 
     I have a similar story, where I was really trying very hard to love praying the Rosary.  One day, I had planned to be alone for an afternoon so that I could concentrate, once and for all, on praying a really, really, good Rosary.  I knelt down in the middle of the living room floor and swore to myself that I wouldn’t allow any distractions, whatsoever.  Then the door bell rung.  I couldn’t believe it!  I thought that damn bell was broken.  Who would be ringing my doorbell?  It was a flower delivery of a dozen roses.  My children were sending a dozen roses for my wedding anniversary.  And I also knew that the Rosary was symbolized as a garland of roses.  I too, like Karina, knew God had sent them.

     I used the book as a daily reflection.  It would be good for Eucharistic Adoration, too.  There’s plenty of meditation.  Buy it; read it; enjoy it; and pray with it.  It will bring you closer to God.