Church of the Nativity

September 8

Administrative Structure of the Church.

From the outside, its seems as though the Church looks up to the Pope as the pinnacle of the Priesthood. Yet, although he is the Vicar of Christ on Earth, he is not at the top of the totem pole when it comes to responsibility of care.

With the view of the “Vicar of Christ” as the “CEO”, one could put him at the top of the pyramid in the Church organizational structure. But to see his real purpose, we need to turn the pyramid upside down.

The pope is responsible for the entire Church. We locate him at the bottom of the pyramid. Next would be the archbishops who are responsible for a group of dioceses. Nashville is within the Archdiocese of Louisville. The Archbishop is responsible for the souls within the archdiocese. Third is the local bishop who is responsible for all of the souls within his diocese. A diocese is simply a geographical region. Originally, the Diocese of Nashville encompassed the entire state of Tennessee. Now, there are three dioceses: Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville. The Diocese of Nashville is from the KY border to the AL border; west to Wayne county and East to Cookeville.

Within the diocese are parishes. Again, geographical boundaries. A priest is responsible for every soul within the boundaries of his parish. To assist the priest are deacons who are only responsible for the souls within a particular church and answerable to the parish priest. The laity are the top of the pyramid as the people whom the clergy is to serve (the clergy is not to be served)!

There is another layer of the clergy:  Cardinals. Within the Vatican, there are several offices which are referred to dycasts (pl. dycastries). Examples are Catholic Relief, Office for Propogation of the Faith, etc… These offices are headed by a Cardinal. A Cardinal also may be the head of a very large diocese.  Altogether these cardinals form the College of Cardinals. Some are referred to electors (electors must be under 80 years old). A primary function of some cardinals is to select a new pope when necessary. They are also part of the Curia which helps assist with the papal office. 

The overwhelming job is to be pope who is responsible for the entire Church. I have heard that at his election as pope, Pope Francis stated, “may God forgive you for what you have done to me.”

September 1

Going Forward in our Building Expansion

Now that we have brought our debt below $1 million dollars, we can begin shaping up the expansion of our campus to accommodate our growing community.

There are several steps to take.

1. Contact the Bishop and the CFO (Mr. John Roberts) to establish a feasibility study. The letters concerning this were mailed on 8/23/3024. However, even without a document to move forward, we have discussed already utilizing the original footprint of the campus which was designed by Mr. Tom Bauer, the architect of Nativity. Additionally, we have been gathering your ideas as to what an expanded campus will need (see the website). This includes the next two steps of the process.
2. Parish investigation of the feasibility.
3. Parish preliminary planning
4. Next we select an Architect. We believe that since Bauer/Askew prepared the campus outline and did such a good job with the present facility, we would like to return to this company. They have also procured a liturgical architect to work specifically with church buildings.
5. Initial pledge drive. If we do a capital campaign, we would have to contact the diocese for permission. However, we have paid off a very significant amount by the communities’ participation. We believe we will just need to move forward in the same method. We must procure 50% of the overall cost in cash or pledges to begin. At this point the final cost is not available.
6. Schematic/Design development design phase. Since the intended building has already been prepared, the schematic would only need interior adjustments which would streamline this procedure.
7. Diocesan review of design
8. Construction documents presented
9. Bidding for Contractor
10. Construction

The interior of the new building is being studied with an already seated committee which pulls from the suggestions from the community. The committee consists of those who work daily in the building and a general contractor.

The interior suggestions will be handed to the architect the first of December, 2024 who will then construct a model for inspection by the entire community. This should be ready in Jan. 2925

Consensus of the design will be gathered and then we can move forward.

August 25

Why do Priests Wear Those Clothes?

Every piece of clothing that a priest wears has a meaning. First, the clothing must cover the daily clothes of the priest. The black and the white collar are indicators of daily work. For a Mass, the priest enters into the person of Christ, the persona Christi or, being Christ for the community and doing the work of Christ on the altar to bring forth the sacrament of the Eucharist. 

Alb. Alb means white (albino). The priest puts this on to remind himself to be a pure as he can be to touch Jesus (the Eucharist).

Amice.  This is a cloth that a priest wears only if his alb doesn’t cover his collar. The amice is like a helmet that ties around the waist but the cloth covers the priestly collar. Most priest wear an alb that eliminates the need for this article.

Cincture. A rope to go around the waist to remind the priest to be as chaste as possible to touch Jesus (the Eucharist).

Stole. The stole is the “yoke” that a priest puts on to do the work of Christ (take my yoke upon you….). It is also the mark of the priestly office.

Chasuble. Literally means “little house”.  St. Paul says to put on Jesus Christ and so the priest puts on the chasuble to mark his priesthood and to inform the congregation of the Mass:  green is for ordinary time, white is for solemnities such as Christmas and Easter (on very important days, silver or gold can be worn), red is for blood as for the martyrs and Good Friday’s blood of Christ on the cross, violet is a penitential color for Lent and Advent.  Occasionally blue is worn for Masses in honor of Mary.

August 18

SAME-SEX ATTRACTION

Does the Church expect those with same-sex attraction not to love and just live in the closet?

Affirmation: All people, including those who experience same-sex attraction, are called to love and receive love.

Redefine love: Our secular culture often equates sex with love. Many believe that a lack of sex means a lack of love. Most messages in popular media and music do not reflect an understanding of how abstinence can express love. Everyone, though, is called to love according to his or her specific state in life. Regardless of a person’s sexual attractions, all are called to live lives of chastity—a profound expression of love. All, no matter what their sexual desires, are called to live in purity of heart, mind, and body.

Two options? People who experience same-sex attraction may believe they have only two options: live “in the closet” in fear or come out, embrace an actively homosexual lifestyle, and decide on their own what is right and wrong regarding sexual behavior.

 Hard road: A person who experiences same-sex attraction may approach it this way: “I feel like I’m caught in a no-win situation. If I obey my sexual impulses, it will require me to deny my Christian faith. But if I deny my impulses to obey God, I feel like I’m walking away from love and denying my identity!” Few people can imagine the difficulties that people with same-sex attraction experience every day. The Church wants to love and support them by aiding them in a life of ever-increasing prayer, sacraments, and virtue; assisting them along the road of self-mastery; helping them foster genuine friendships; and providing resources to help them navigate the many difficulties faced.

Third option: Chastity is rarely proposed as a viable option—the only one that brings freedom. In this option, you acknowledge your attractions, recognize your true identity as a child of God, and have the courage to follow God’s designs for sexuality. Chastity, and in this case abstinence, is certainly a long and hard road, but not an impossible one, for Christ gives us the strength to “do all things in him” (Philippians 4:13).

Reaffirm: God loves every person, no matter what their situations may be. No one is outside the reach of God’s deep mercy, powerful love, or plan of hope for each person. God desires happiness for all people. However, sex does not equal happiness. Therefore, the Church teaches us that chastity in one’s state of life is possible, has the capacity to generate authentic love and brings great joy. While the challenge of living a chaste lifestyle should not be underestimated, one should not underestimate the graces that God gives to those who trust in him.

August 11

Proper reverence before the Monstrance 

Due to the three-year program of Eucharistic renewal, Nativity makes it a practice to have the Body of Christ exposed before Masses on the weekends as well as every Wednesday and First Fridays. The Body of Christ is placed in a monstrance. Monstrance comes from a Latin word “monstrare” meaning to look at or show.

There are a prescribed number of candles for Eucharistic adoration. For the monstrance, the number is four to six, but usually four. For exposition with an open ciborium on the altar, two candles are used.

When we Catholics enter church we genuflect before the tabernacle containing Jesus. The right knee should touch the ground or some type of equivalent motion depending on one’s physical ability.

It used to be that for the monstrance, one would do a “double genuflection”. That is, to put both knees on the floor and bow. This is no longer the case. Since the genuflection is a sign of respect; the single genuflection is just as appropriate for the monstrance as the tabernacle.

FROM EWTN: With respect to the genuflection: Since a genuflection is, per se, an act of adoration, the general liturgical norms no longer make any distinction between the mode of adoring Christ reserved in the tabernacle or exposed upon the altar. The simple single genuflection on one knee may be used in all case.

However, if you want to make a double genuflection, please do so.

August 4

CELIBACY:  If the Church is so gung ho on marriage, why does it promote celibacy?

Affirmation: Celibacy does sound strange at first. But a deeper look reveals that the Church’s understanding of celibacy vows flows directly from its understanding of marriage.

Foreshadowing: The purpose of marriage is to provide an earthly foreshadowing of the “marriage of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7), the eternal union between Christ and the Church that awaits us in heaven.

 No marriage in heaven: When Jesus affirms this, he is pointing to the fact that marriage on earth will be fulfilled in the marriage of heaven. • For the kingdom: In Matthew 19, Christ calls some to “skip” the Sacrament of Marriage to devote themselves entirely to the marriage that alone can satisfy: the marriage of Christ and the Church. It is celibacy not for celibacy’s sake, but for the kingdom. • It is not a rejection of sex but a living out of the ultimate purpose and meaning of our creation as male and female and our call to union—to point us to Christ’s union with the Church.

Does the Church still teach that celibacy is a higher calling than marriage?

Affirmation: There has been a lot of misunderstanding on this point. St. Paul teaches that he who marries does well, but he who refrains does better (see 1 Corinthians 7:38). But he does not mean that marriage is a second-class vocation. Nor is it only for those who “can’t handle” celibacy. The Theology of the Body firmly rejects any interpretation of these words that would belittle or devalue marriage.

Value of marriage: The value of marriage determines the value of celibacy. The value of a sacrifice is determined by the value of that which a person sacrifices (no merit if a non-smoker gives up smoking for Lent). If marriage were “bad,” every Christian would be called to renounce it.

Objective/Subjective distinction: What’s better, heaven or earth? Celibacy is “better” by virtue of its object; it is a choice for the heavenly marriage. Subjectively speaking, the better vocation for you is the one to which you are called by God.

Why aren’t Catholic priests allowed to be married?

Some are: We often forget in the West that Eastern Rite Catholic churches permit married men to be ordained as priests. Mandatory celibacy is a discipline of the Latin (or Roman) Rite of the Church, which has decided to choose its priests from among those men who have embraced a life of celibacy for the kingdom.

Important symbolism: While it is not essential that a priest be celibate, a celibate priest has an important symbolic value in imaging Christ, who himself was celibate. Christ was not married because he came to “give up his body” for all humanity—for his Bride, the Church.

 Free choice: The vocation of celibacy, like the vocation of marriage, must always flow from a free choice. The Church forces no one to be celibate. As a discipline, the Roman Church chooses her priests from among those men who have freely chosen celibacy as their life’s vocation

July 28

Can God forgive you if you have already been sexually active outside of marriage or in an adulterous relationship?

God’s mercy is equal to his love: it is infinite. He loves you infinitely and is always ready to forgive you if you turn back to him. He wants you in a loving relationship with him; that is why he created you!

 Biblical examples: Parable of the Prodigal Son, the woman caught in adultery, Peter’s denials.

Historical and scriptural examples: St. Augustine (premarital sex), David (murder and adultery), St. Margaret of Cortona (cohabitation), and St. Pelagia (prostitution).

Confession: Encourage the student to experience God’s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

 How do I forgive myself?

All people have things in their past that they wish they could erase.  Future: Living purely heals the past. By making smart decisions about future relationships, you will impress yourself that you have learned from the past instead of repeating it. 

Forgiveness is not a feeling: Regret may linger for some time. Forgiveness is a decision to let go. Do not beat yourself up. As St. Francis de Sales said, “Have patience with the whole world, but first of all with yourself.” Confession: It is easier to forgive yourself when you know that God has forgiven you.

How do you avoid making the same mistakes in the future?

Praise one’s desire to be pure and their insight into the necessity of planning ahead.

Sports/theater analogy: How would an actor or athlete perform without practice and rehearsal? When the time came to say one’s line or perform the play, the actors would be caught off guard. If a football player did not study the playbook before the game, he would be unprepared for the game and probably botch the play. Therefore, to be pure, one must plan ahead.

Strategies for purity: Avoid bad relationships before they begin, break off unhealthy relationships, surround yourself with good friends, get involved in youth groups, go on group dates, do not be alone with a date when parents aren’t home, and pray. All these things are more easily said than done. But you have confidence in your students.

Confirmation of a good relationship: Run as fast as you can to Jesus. If the other person keeps up; they are a keeper!

July 21

What’s wrong with masturbation?

 Affirmation: Our culture is largely silent and/or confused about the meaning of sex, so it can be hard for those of us immersed in this culture to step back and take a deeper look.

Review the meaning and purpose of sex: Marriage makes two into one flesh. The love of God is expressed in the body, procreation, and union. Explain how masturbation communicates none of these profound truths. All sex outside of marriage is wrong.

Training in selfishness: Masturbation trains you to take and to expect instant gratification. It easily becomes a habit, a vice, that is difficult to break and could lead to deeper addictions. 

Habit can be broken: Offer encouragement that this vice can be overcome with prayer, perseverance, frequent recourse to the sacraments (especially Reconciliation), and spiritual direction. A rosary is a weapon of mass destruction. Holding a rosary can prevent and guide one away for masturbation.

You may need help:  Pornography and masturbation can become so addictive that you may need professional help. Just as we can become addicted to substances, this behavior can grip the individual. There are counseling professionals geared to help in this situation. It can be a miserable cycle for the individual who feels defeated in reoccurrence.

July 14

WHAT’S WRONG WITH PORNOGRAPHY? Nobody’s getting hurt. (See GN pp. 83-85, IfU Q. 53-55)

Affirmation: The body is beautifully made. As John Paul II has said, though, the problem with pornography is not that it shows too much but too little. It reduces a person to their body parts.

Pornography does hurt people: Some people hurt by pornography include models in pictures and the participants in videos; the spouses of those who are addicted to it; the children abused by people who act out as a result of their pornography addiction; and, of course, those who view it themselves. The viewers of pornography are hurt because their ability to love is crippled. They sin against their own bodies by training themselves in boredom. The images take moments to see and years to forget.

Frog in boiling water: This popular analogy can be used to show how the effects of pornography are often unnoticed until the damage is caused. (The analogy is that a frog, because it is cold-blooded, will not respond to water heating up slowly and can end up boiling along with the water. When we are in bad situations, we tend to slowly adjust as things get worse—and if we aren’t careful, we end up like the frog.) 

Appeal to the heart: Would you want your future spouse looking at online pornographic images right now? Would you want your future son or daughter involved in the pornography industry? If not, why? “If there really is nothing wrong with pornography, why do you have any negative reaction to it?”)

Dignity: Even if a person is willing to be viewed in pornography, this does not make it moral, no more so than a woman who willingly sells her body for sex (i.e., in prostitution) makes it moral. She is using and being used. The viewer is also using and being used. No one is satisfied or loved. 

Encourage: The habit of viewing pornography can be difficult to break, but with the proper professional counseling, support, and frequent recourse to the sacraments (especially Reconciliation), it is possible to overcome such an addiction. With God’s grace, all things are possible.

July 7

Do you Remember Your Confirmation Saint?

When we are confirmed, we choose a saint to accompany us.  We have godparents who should pray for us the rest of their lives and be ready to help assist the parents in bringing their charge up in the faith.

Often, godparents are also chosen as sponsors for Confirmation, but you can pick a different sponsor. Now, that sponsor is held to pray for you the rest of their lives and to be ready to help assist the parents in bringing their charge up in the faith.

Why a saint? As Catholics, we believe that the saints are alive; they live eternally in Heaven; they are not dead. By way of the Communion of Saints, we ask the saints in Heaven to pray for us just as we would a friend, family member or community. That saint is now the patron of the confirmand and will pray for their charge the rest of our life on earth.

We connect to human bonds for support in our faith lives and also heavenly bonds by way of the saints to assist us.

At the conferment of Confirmation, your earthly sponsor stands with you and supports you the rest of their life. Then you are confirmed by the name of the saint you have chosen to stand with you for the rest of your life.

We have our confirmation students study and take great care in choosing the saint they want to select as they realize that particular saint is special to them and a support. Many choose a saint that is particular to their activities (St. Sebastian: Patron of Athletes) or an important saint by tradition of their individual families.

Some families choose the same saint generation after generation with a devotion for the help of that specific saint.

June 30

GENDER IDENTITY

1. Isn’t there a distinction between sex and gender? I’ve heard that you are born a certain sex, but your gender is a different thing.
2. Affirmation: Gender stereotyping is not a myth. As predicted in Genesis 3:16, there has been a long-standing historical imbalance between the sexes. This is a stark manifestation of sin in the world. Today, we still see this reality in the objectification of women, in the workplace, and, sadly, in dark realities like human trafficking. There are also certain overinflated gender stereotypes that cause confusion—for example, the idea that to be “manly” means one must like sports or that pink is a girl’s color. The very ideas conjured up by the words “macho” and “girly” project caricatures that are far from the experience of many men and women when it comes to their own sexual identity.
3. Challenge: While there are many cultural stereotypes of masculinity and femininity that are arbitrary—which can and should develop and shift over time—manhood and womanhood themselves are not arbitrary. The body reveals a person, and the person is created as male or female. This reality is central to the whole question of human identity. We are not souls trapped in bodies, but body-souls who will forever be male or female. Consider Mary, who was assumed body and soul into heaven. She is forever the complete manifestation of womanhood. Her sex was not a provisional reality on earth but is an eternal reality.
4. Background: Very recently, the term “gender” was co-opted and distinguished from the term “sex.” “Gender theory” recognizes the cultural stereotypes mentioned above and goes so far as to split body and soul. (For more on this, check out the excerpt from Jason Evert’s book Male, Female, Other? found in the Leader’s Resources on the Thinkific course.) In this way of thinking, sex is biological and mechanical, but gender is something more personal and tied to how one identifies. Gender theory denies that we are body-soul creatures at all. Such thinking is actually quite similar to the earliest heresies that the Church came into contact with and has marked similarities to trends of thought throughout history. Like all heresies, it identifies one reality, overinflates it, and ends up denying another entirely. Gender theory identifies major problems in our cultural conceptions and stereotypes when it comes to manhood and womanhood, but it ultimately ends up denying that we are truly created male and female.
5. The bottom line: The body reveals the person, and one’s sex is integral to personhood. When a woman feels like a man or vice versa, there may be several things going on. It may seem like a dismissal to ask, “How does a woman who feels like a man know how it feels to be a man?” But perhaps that is a good question. A woman may feel the way she imagines a man feels—but not being a man, how does she know? Her feeling that her femininity is wounded or distant is very personal and important. She is certainly in need of help, healing, and compassion. There is no debate there. But is it really a help and a mercy to allow a man or a woman to alter their bodies to project a different sex?

June 23

Cell Phones

The most common problem I hear in confession is pornography. Many men, and more women than you would think are fighting this hard. Since it releases the pleasure chemicals in your brain, it can actually become addictive. I have helped several to seek out professional help.

It is a black hole! The more you watch, it re-wires your brain. There are somethings you just can’t “un-see”. And the expectations brought forth, tend to wire men to treat women as objects and with a diminished aspect of respect.

Love is willing the good of the other for their own sake. Pornography is seeing what you can get from a person. Pornography is not willing the good, but using another person for personal pleasure. It removes the aspect of the other being made in the image and likeness of God.

The average teen is on-line an average of 4.8 hours a day. It intrudes with their physical activity, social interactions, studies, etc… The average age of the introduction to pornography for our boys is now 8 years old. The Surgeon General has asking to now have warning labels on phones that it puts people at risk of mental issues such as depression. A generation ago, cyber bullying was unheard of. And those with a low image are open to drastic measures, even suicide.

Despite what our society is telling us, everyone does not need a phone. There are phones that you can provide for your child that actually only make phone calls! No texting, internet issues; just calls.

Schools are finding students on their phones more often than listening to instruction. There are some schools who are banning phones and showing marked increase in classroom participation.

Protect your children and yourselves. If you must have a phone, put your phone where everyone can see it. Don’t take it to a bedroom or private space. Leave it with your keys at the door. Remove computers from private rooms and place them in public areas.

The dis-service provided by a cell phone/computer often far outplays its informational usefulness.

“I firmly intend, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins, do penance and AVOID THE NEAR OCCASION OF SIN.”

June 16

What’s in the Future of Nativity with Another Priest?

When Fr. Siriac arrives, he will need an office. Even though it is small, the room where the chairs and tables are kept is wired for phone usage and was the initial office space of the Office Manager.

We have purchased a pre-built building (with monies from our larger groups) to be placed on the south balcony of the church. It will store our chairs and tables. It is water-proof and can be secured with a lock. We realize it will be more difficult to set up tables and chairs but hopefully other steps will help.

Our hope is to eliminate chairs in the narthex for our Sunday liturgies. We will be adding an early Sunday morning Mass at 7:00. This Mass will be a quiet Mass; basically a daily Mass with the Gloria, Creed and homily.

It is our hope that this will siphon off enough people to reduce the population of the 8:30 and 11:00 Masses.

By adding another Mass, it is hoped that we will not need to spend any money on expanding the worship space (at least for a while) which will provide more money for our parking, entrances, church center and playground.

With the addition of Father Julio, the Spanish community will be able to have regular confessions and, with the assistance of Deacon Mario, provide more programs for evangelization, education, etc…

All Faith Formation classes will be in English, since this generation of Latinos are all speaking English.

Finally, with another priest, this will allow for more community visits and more attendance to the needs of our homebound community.

June 9

NFP

Before the20th century, the three major Christian groups were against artificial birth control:  Catholicism, Orthodox and Protestantism. With the introduction of the pill in 1952, the walls came down in the Protestant community. 

The Church, with its magisterium (all bishops with the pope as the teaching authority of the Church) debated the situation. The conclusion was to maintain a ban on artificial birth control and to promote natural family planning based on the goods of marriage of fidelity, permanence and openness to life. 

In his encyclical, Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life), Pope Paul VI stated that the usage of artificial birth control, including the pill would increase pornography, divorce and abortion. 50 years later, this all seems to have come true. 

With artificial birth control, there is a very small liability held against adultery, fornication and all sex outside the confines of sex in its gifted purpose of expression of love between a husband and wife. In fact, births outside of marriage are common today often leaving a child in a precarious situation lacking permanence and stability.

Society considered the Church as archaic and laughable; the brunt of jokes. However, over time, conclusions have shown that artificial methods can and often are dangerous. Chemicals induced via the pill send many women into a frenzied state of nervousness. The IUD is a foreign object implanted that does cause an abortion. Subcutaneous applications have demonstrated cancer and stroke issues. Spermicides used on condoms are often damaging to the woman. A side effect of this controversy also reduces communication between partners. This lack of communication can also become harmful. 

Every couple I have prepared for marriage are now looking for an holistic approach to birth control aside from harmful drugs. Therefore, NFP is embraced. 

Agreed, NFP used to be difficult and unreliable but now, you can buy a watch that will tell you of fertile and infertile times. One lady told me it wouldn’t work for her because her cycles were irregular. That’s where the watch comes in; it aligns itself to the individual. It is natural and just as effective as any artificial product which holds a degree of error, some more than most. Is it still birth control? Yes, it is, but it is God’s birth control. 

Finally, there is an issue of free will involved. Having more children than you can care for financially or emotionally is detrimental. 

I’m sure this will spark questions regarding abortion but this item doesn’t stretch that far. 

June 2

My Child has Left the Faith. What should I do.
If your adult child has left the faith, remember that they are adults who have free will. The most basic thing you can do is to continue to live your faith, love your children and pray for them. Above all, do not blame yourself! Their decisions are not faults of your own unless
you have removed yourself from the faith also. Then, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they have left.

Other ideas you can utilize:
1. Pray, Fast and Sacrifice for your child. Get others to pray also; sometimes it really does take a village.
2. Equip yourself to answer questions( at least on the big issues). Remember, honesty is reality. If you don’t know an answer look it up (www.catholic.com).
3. Plant seeds. Put a rosary in their suitcase or a good Catholic book
4. Create opportunities to talk. First listen without condemnation or correction. Get to
know what they think.
5. Ask them, “THE 5 BASIC QUESTIONS”
   a. What do you believe about (Jesus, God, the Church, morality, or faith)?
   b. Why do you think what you believe is true?
   c. How did you come to believe that?
   d. What do you mean about God? How do you see/understand God?
   e. What would you say to someone who disagrees with you on faith topics?
6. Identify Roadblocks
   a. What is the biggest thing keeping you away from the Church?
   b. What is the one thing that really bugs you about the Church?
7. LISTEN, DO NOT CONDEMN, LISTEN AND LISTEN SOME MORE
8. Clear up misconceptions.
9. Speak about your faith with joy.
10. Invite AND DO NOT PREACH.

May 26

HOW TO GUARANTEE YOUR FALLEN AWAY CHILD WILL NOT COME BACK TO THE CHURCH.

If your child is away from the Church, there are five ways that will guarantee that they will not come back

1. Don’t force them to go to Mass. Now, I’m not talking about young children, but late teens and college age. You will only frustrate the situation. In the Catholic faith, Mass is not the first step; it’s the final destination. We have to establish an understanding of God, the
underlying fundamentals of faith, what worship is, the sacrifice of Christ, redemption, theology, sacraments and relationship with Christ and then the Mass reveals its reality of what is actually happening. If you are not in love with Christ and understand what is going
on the Mass can be a meaningless ritual. The Mass was never intended to convert. Its primary focus is to worship God and provide us with sanctifying grace to be Christ in the world.

2. Don’t criticize their lifestyle. That is, don’t lead with moral correction; waging a finger about how they are doing the wrong thing. Focus on the heart’s sickness rather than the symptoms. Be open to how they see things, listening without moral correction. We must
first understand what they don’t like about the Church in order to address the issue. This means listening and communicating without being judgmental.

3. Don’t nag. Recall the scenario of a young girl in love with a young boy whom the parents see as “undesirable” or “not good for her”. She will only desire what you don’t want her to have all the more. Going over and over with your point of view as the only correct way will not convince them to come back.

4. Do not dismiss their objections. Listen with an open mind. There may be some validity to what they are thinking; perhaps some issue of abuse that you never knew about. If you refuse to see their side, you’re telling them they are not adult or smart enough to know what
they need.

5. Do not assume you can change your adult child. However, live your faith joyously. Success breeds success. Is what you have in your faith what they would want? Does your faith attract? Don’t complain about the Church or the faith. You are just providing them with more fuel to stay away.

May 19

The “Three” Churches of the Church.

The word Catholic means universal: one church that follows the teachings of Christ. In the Catholic Church there are three divisions of the church: 1) Church Militant 2) Church Triumphant and 3) Church Suffering.

The Church Militant is us on earth now. We are militant in the fact that we are not of this world; we belong the Kingdom of God. The Master of our world is Satan and the allurements of earth lead us away from God. As Christians, we should live in the world but not be for the world. We should focus on God and the Love of God and neighbor rather than the pleasures and temptations surrounding us: sex, pleasure, money, pride, power, etc.

The Church Triumphant is the Church already in Heaven. Those in the realm of Heaven exist in perfect happiness but they are also a great assistance to the Church Militant and the Church Suffering in that they can pray for others. We pray to the saints and they pray for us in a kind of circular manner called the Communion of Saints; we are in communion with the saints: they are in Heaven; we are fighting to get there, in Purgatory, we are waiting to get there.

The Church Suffering are those in Purgatory. Every sin brings with it a penalty. When are sins are forgiven, we still owe the penalty due. Example:  I hit your car. I can be forgiven, but the penalty is to replace or repair your car. Some faiths tell to not pray for the dead but even if one were killed in a crash where they were responsible, insurance or one’s estate would rectify the situation; the penalty due. Purgatory is when our penalties are not taken care of before we die. Our sins may have been forgiven, but penalties due are not completed. The souls in Purgatory also assist us with their prayers and we can pray for them to be released into Heaven. However, the souls in Purgatory cannot pray for themselves. Grace is not grated to the dead just as you cannot offer the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick to the dead. Example; someone murders another. They can be forgiven, but their penalty is a prison term. In prison, you cannot release yourself to freedom. You must rely on someone else to let you out. In Purgatory, one must wait to be released by God.

At the Mass, all three churches are present. Jesus is truly at the Mass. Heaven is opened (remember we sing with the saints and angels the hymn of Heaven: Holy, Holy, Holy….). Even with a few a Mass, the church building is crowded with the spiritual presence of all the churches.

May 12

The Selection of a Bishop

During the course of the years of a diocese, priests, whom the local diocese deem as particularly good priests in manners of the gifts granted to the Priesthood are selected as a pool of qualified individuals who would be eligible and capable to step up form priest to bishop.

When a diocesan seat becomes vacant, these names are vetted at different levels. Afterwards, the selected names are submitted to Rome. After prayer and decision, the Pope selects who may be elevated to the level of Bishop. 

The See of the Diocese of Knoxville has been vacant for quite a while with Bishop Sticca stepping down.

From the names provided to the Holy See, one of our very own priests, Fr. Mark Beckman has been chosen to succeed Bishop Sticca.

The Nuncio of the United States then contacts the individual to offer him the position. The position does not have to be accepted in fact, over time, many have refused. The job has become a relentless and tough job especially in the days of Social Media.

However, the Diocese of Nashville now celebrates the acceptance of Bishop-Elect Fr. Mark Beckman as the Fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN.

Rev. Beckman is presently pastor or St. Henry Church and previously St. Matthews. He has served the diocese for 33 years and will be a true model of a shepherd for the people of East Tennessee. The installation date has not been set.

May 5

Time, Talent and Treasure.

One of the Precepts of the Church is to contribute to its support. Notice that treasure is last! We do need money to support Nativity and to grow, but the Great Commission of Jesus is not to build buildings but to go out to all the world and proclaim the Good News.

Time well spent proclaiming the message of Jesus is a benefit for others and yourself. While many of us think that we don’t know what to say, we really do. Jesus loves you!

Imagine the sorry of those who have no idea of a saving God who is their cheerleader, the sorrow of not believing and knowing that this world is not all that God has planned for us. That’s what many need to hear. And it’s not the lost people of foreign lands. Increasingly, it’s our next door neighbor!

Are you afraid someone might ask you something about your Catholic faith? Grab that phone that EVERYONE has. Catholic.com will provide the answer you need.

Spread the Gospel constantly; use your mouth when it is necessary. Living a good life is a sign to others. Joy attracts! Think how bad you feel when you have locked yourself in sin and remove yourself from God. Then translate that to those who do not know, do not understand or walk a road without God!  Time well spent benefits you and others.

Time? Pray! Everyone can do this. Pray for the success of the faith in your environment. Pray for more priests. Pray for the courage to be a true member of the Royal Priesthood: priest, prophet and king.

Talent is a unique gift from God and not everyone has the same talent. Sometimes our talent is not something most people would consider a “talent”.  Do you talk well? Being open and approachable is a talent and we need that to reach out to others. But everyone can do something.  Caring for children in our nursery is a talent that many don’t have but maybe you do. Helping with VBS is a talent to help our young people learn about God. Our teens need consistent leaders not so much to talk to but to lead and transport.

Treasure is a quantitative amount. Some people have more; some less. A big bulldozer can move a lot of dirt but a small dozer can still dig.

I’m convinced and have experienced for myself that tithing works. God will not be out done in giving. But it takes faith. Some of us haven’t reached that faith level yet and St. Paul tells us to be patient will people whose faith is not on our level.  Tithing is a biblical principle, not a command. Tithing helps others and you but you are not sinning if you don’t hit 10%.

Money is important. We need more space and we need room to grow but that’s just the way of the world.

The precept is to suppor: Time, Talent and Treasure.  Please support the Church the best way you can. It will benefit you and others.

April 28

Who Can Get into Heaven?

Jesus says,” I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” Throughout the Old Testament, God tells us that He will take away our stony hearts and give us fleshy hearts and write His law upon them.

The law, is not the 10 Commandments, but what St. Thomas Aquinas calls, “the Natural Law”. Not, the law of nature, that’s eat or be eaten. But the Natural Law is defined by doing good and avoiding evil.

Every human is made in the “image and likeness of God”, whether they know this or not. And every human is born with the reality that certain things are wrong; certain things are good.

Unless we are mentally challenged, we all instinctively know these items. And even if we do fall short, there is forgiveness if we turn away from evil and do good.

The Catholic teaching is that every human being has the ability to get to Heaven. Yes, following Jesus is a good way, He is truth and He is life. By virtue of His suffering and death to pay for the penalty due to Original sin, the Gates of Heaven, once locked are now open.

So, do Jews, who do not believe in Jesus have the ability to get to Heaven? Yes. We are required to act to the level of the ability we can intellectually attain and even though one does not believe in Jesus, if they do good and avoid evil, the ability to gain Heaven is there. An isolated tribe in South America, who has never heard the word Jesus, if they follow the Natural Law also have the ability to attain Heaven as do all non-Christians.

We have the ability to gain Heaven by way of what Jesus has done: He has opened the Gates of Heaven by His sacrifice for the penalty due to humanity’s original sin and offers forgiveness for every sin.

God does not put us in Heaven or Hell. Each human decides that for themselves. Their activities in this life decide their cooperation or rejection with the good. We place ourselves in Hell or Heaven. Jesus is the final judge of our activities; a job given to Him and Him alone by the Father.

April 21

Confirmation

Our students are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on April 30. So, what exactly is this sacrament and what does it do?

Confirmation is confirming the promises made for you at Baptism as a child. As an adult, if you were Baptized and then received Confirmation, it still reaffirms the promises made in Baptism. But in both cases, you receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

At Baptism, we receive the implantation of the Holy Spirit and Confirmation brings the fullness that is, the seven gifts and the fruits of the Spirit to the person.

Every sacrament has two signs, outward and inward. In Baptism, the outward sign is water. The inward sign is God wiping away original sin, implanting the Holy Spirit, incorporating the person into the Church, making them a member of the Royal Priesthood (priest, prophet, king) and we are granted our salvation.

In Confirmation, the outward sign is Chrism oil. (Chrism means Christ), the inward sign is the granting of the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Usually, a bishop confers this sacrament, but a priest can be delegated to confer. The celebrant dips his thumb into the oil and says, “be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit’ while making a cross on the forehead.

In the observation of many Confirmations, never have I seen anyone float or glow. However, the sacraments do what they say they do, you receive the Holy Spirit in Its fullness. The gifts you receive come to the surface when and if you need them.

Supernatural courage is not entering a cave without a flashlight, but the courage to die for Christ. Supernatural wisdom is not knowing all of the answers on the test, but discerning your way in life with Christ. 

April 14

Should I Only Receive the Eucharist from Consecrated Hands?

A couple of times this has come up in conversation with me that only consecrated hands should distribute the Eucharist. There are some rites of the Church that impose this, but overall, it is not a necessity. The only consecrated hands at a Mass would be the priest. The deacon’s hands are not consecrated. With the number of people receiving the Eucharist, it would be very cumbersome to communicate in a timely/orderly fashion.

And then this rather undermines the dignity of the Eucharist. Jesus is in the Eucharist, truly, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. If only consecrated hands could distribute, what would that mean for our homebound Catholics who receive the Eucharistic each week. It would be impossible for most churches to have the priest visit every home communicant each week. That’s pretty much all they would be doing.

However, great detail and attention should be taken in the distribution of Jesus. From the altar, only a pyx will suffice and the Eucharist should be taken as soon as possible to the home. If there are extra hosts left over, they are stored in the tabernacle.

When you receive the Eucharist, YOU become a human “tabernacle” to carry Christ into the world with you. We become what we eat and the “bread of angels” is sent out in you.

Bishop Robert Barron tells us that the word tabernacle translates into “He has pitched His tent among us.”  You pitch your “tent” of Christ within your family, your workplace, your life.

April 7

Papal Election

At the death of a pope, the embers of the Curia (cardinals) begin a conclave. Conclave means “with key”. The cardinals are gathered and locked in; no communication out or in by any means. Meals are eaten behind locked doors. Nominations are made and discussion follows. The cardinals even sleep behind locked doors. Prayer is offered by the individuals and group for the selection of the next pope. At a determined time, a vote is taken. Should a pope be selected, white smoke is sent up the chimney. If no agreement is met, black smoke.

It may take a very long time to choose a pope. The selected man is gathered and immediately prepared to meet the Church from a balcony after the announcement is made:” habemas papum” or, “we have a pope”. 

It is the guidance of the Holy Spirit which directs the selection of the pope. The Curia is brought to an agreement under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

The longest conclave was held from 1268 until 1271 after the death of Pope Clement IV. The shortest conclave was in 1503 which took only 10 hours.

March 31

Purgatory

Every sin contains a penalty. For instance, if I hit your car, I could be forgiven but the penalty is to fix or replace your car. Even if I should die in the collision, my insurance, estate or family would be responsible to replace the car.

When we sin, we immediately receive a penalty due that particular sin. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for sin. Look at the crucifix to see how bad sin really is!

It helps to think of Purgatory as a process. From our first sin, we are purging ourselves of the penalty due the sin.

Should we die before the penalties are all paid, our sins are gone but we still owe those penalties to be reconciled so that we may enter Heaven, “perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.’ 

In His great mercy, God allows the state of Purgatory for this process. Think of it as taking a shower to get ready to meet God.

On earth, we can pray for those in Purgatory and the souls in Purgatory can pray for us. However, the souls in Purgatory cannot pray for themselves: they cannot gain any grace since they are dead (in our earthly sense).

To better understand this, if someone has committed a crime and placed in prison (although Purgatory is NOT a prison) when in prison, no one can get themselves out on their own. They need to be released by someone else: they finished their sentence, they have been release by a state or federal act of clemency or by a legal process.

Purgatory is a timeless place. Time is a human construct. No one knows how long their stay in Purgatory will be except God. Our works of mercy or indulgences can be applied for their release to assist in their entrance into Heaven.

So, scripturally, where is Purgatory in the Bible? We find this in the Book of Maccabees: “And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins. … [2 Maccabees 12;45). There is a battle and Judas Maccabeus finds dead soldiers, who are good Jews but under their armor are found amulets pertaining to other gods (similar to holding a “rabbits foot” for good luck.)  Judas knows that they are good Jews and states that it is good to pray for the dead.

Our Protestant brothers and sisters, whom we respect do not have the Book of Maccabees in their Bible. It was removed as part of the Protestant Reformation.

March 10

Indulgences.

One of the items Martin Luther was upset about was indulgences; not the fact that they existed, but that money exchanged hands. 

Indulgences have long been a doctrinal teaching of the Church based on scripture. (cf. Mt 16:19, 18:18, Jn. 20:23), An indulgence is the remittance (partially of full) of the penalty due to sin. Even though a sin is forgiven, there is a penalty attached to the infraction. Let’s say crashing a car into another car is a sin (it isn’t, but just as an example). I will eventually be forgiven for crashing your car but the penalty is to repair or replace your car. Or, you can be forgiven of a murder, but the penalty would be imprisonment. If there were no penalty attached to sin, Jesus would not have had to die to rectify sin.

Think of Purgatory not so much as a place, but rather a process. When you first sin, you have to make up for that sin by works of mercy, charity or penance; you are now in a state of purging yourself from that penalty. If all sins are forgiven and the penalties have not been taken care of at the time of death, the mercy of God allows a time to remove those penalties so that you become “perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” and thus to enter into Paradise.

By the authority given to the Church by Jesus, indulgences, again based on scripture can be offered to remove all or part of the penalties due.

But even at the time of Luther, the Church’s doctrine did not allow for money to exchange hands. There were some who did abuse this privilege, but it was not Church teaching.

There is a Handbook of Indulgences one can purchase for specific indulgences but there are some very common ones such as the Stations of the Cross. When saying the Stations of the Cross, a plenary (full) remittance of the penalties due to sin is offered by the authority of the Church. There are specific requirements.

• Be a baptized Catholic, not excommunicated, and not in a state of mortal sin at the time of the actions taken for the indulgence.
• Have the intention of gaining the indulgence.
• Perform the required actions in the required amount of time and in a devout manner.
• Go to confession and receive communion. It is good to receive confession and communion on the day of the action, but you have 20 days before or after the action. Receive Holy Communion in the state of grace. You have 20 days.
• Pray for the intentions of the Pope.

March 3

Law of Graduality

The misunderstanding among Christians is often that if people aren’t doing what I’m doing, they are not good Christians. I see this too often!  The Church gives us the Law of Graduality or the Law of Gradualness.

This means that we first identify the individual as a human made in the image and likeness of God without any expectations of where they stand morally. By association, we come to know where they stand.

Then we are called to always accept that person, made in the image and likeness of God and gradually, we help them to grow in faith and understanding.

Even within the Church, there can me a notion that everyone is on the same level, the same playing field. The rules are not applied first but rather acceptance of the person (we never have to accept what a person does but we MUST accept the human person). Then through growth, we assist by example, education and prayer a particular individual to help them grow in their relationship with God and the faith.

We see this in a normative pattern of children being formed firstly in the Domestic Church and then growing in their understanding, awareness and practice of the faith.

Some adults have never had this beginning and as mature beings are really infants in the faith. We must accept and nurture these humans, love them and respect them. As St. Paul says, “We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves;…”  (Romans 15:1].