New Wineskins

MIKE’S MEDITATIONS New Wineskins By Mike Van Vranken

We have all shared our longing for walking down that aisle to “take and eat” and “take and drink” the real presence of Christ. Knowing the “real presence” is already in each one of us, we have equally missed our church communities; the sojourners we experience Mass with each week, or even daily. We waited patiently, and sometimes not so patiently, for churches to reopen. We want things to “go back” to where they were. In all of this, I have a new understanding of Jesus’ statement: “People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:17.) Or, as the Message Bible says: “you don’t put your wine in cracked bottles.”

Of course, we have had the “new wine” all along. We just have trouble placing it in new and uncracked bottles. Jesus gave us this “new wine” when He explained how He came to fulfill the law (old wine.) He continued to teach us how to be blessed, now, already in His real presence. Some apparent ways to experience community and real presence were given to us 2,000 years ago.

Jesus said, we are blessed when we are poor in spirit. Can we find the real presence of Christ in the community of the financially poor, and the poor in spirit? Are we so hesitant to meet the real presence in the poor communities because of our lack of generous openhandedness? Could our new normal be one of blessing because we join the poor with our generosity and our presence with Christ among them?

Jesus said we are blessed when we are meek. He does not describe us as “Christian Soldiers” and certainly not as “militants.” In our meekness, do we search the real presence of Christ in the suffering communities around us? Are we interested in meekly being present to Christ there?

We are blessed when we show mercy. Every community on earth needs mercy, compassion and forgiveness. When we show it to each other, we show it to Christ. Do we have any interest in the real presence of Christ by showing mercy to every, single community out there?

We are blessed when we hunger and thirst for justice. There are many communities who deserve justice. And, of course, the real presence of Christ is living among them. Are we?

We are blessed when we have a clean heart. He does not say a clean “mind” nor a clean “body.” A clean heart blesses us. Are we willing to detach from our biases and closed minds to grow into clean hearted ministers to the real presence of Christ in communities who do not look or think like we do?

We are blessed when we are peacemakers. Do you see any communities in our society who are at odds with each other? Everywhere, right? As a peacemaker, can you experience Christ in those communities? Is He calling you to be that peacemaker?

And, of course, we are blessed when persecuted and insulted when we look for and find Christ in those communities. And Van Vranken the blessing here is so great, we are called by Jesus to “rejoice and be glad.”

Finding and consuming the real presence of Christ in our churches is still vital to us, and rightly so. But that alone is not our calling. Neither are we called to shout the good news from the rooftops. Instead, Christ is inviting us to live these blessings as found in Matthew 5:3-12. And, as we see them clearer today because of our pandemic experiences, they become, once again, our new wine; our new normal as prescribed by Jesus.

Are you ready to put this new wine into a transformed way of experiencing Christ by living these beatitudes? Even better said, are you ready to pour this new wine into your new wineskin? Do you have the courage to find the real presence of Christ in these needy communities? Or, are you so desperately clutching to your old wineskins (old ways of doing things) that you are blind to see that these old containers are already leaking all over your shoes? We may not readily have answers to all these questions. But God certainly does. Daily conversations with him will allow you to hear his answers as you experience the real presence of Christ within yourself.

Mike Van Vranken is a spiritual director, a member of the teaching staff for the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center of New Orleans Formation of New Spiritual Directors, an author and a speaker. You can contact him at mikevanvranken@comcast.net.

Diocesan Seminary Burses

The Diocesan Seminary Burse program provides the faithful of North Louisiana the opportunity to invest in the education and formation of our seminarians into holy and effective priests to serve the Diocese of Shreveport.

What is a seminary burse, and how do they contribute to seminarians? A seminary burse is an endowment used to pay tuition, room and board for the seminarians of the Diocese of Shreveport. The principal amount donated is not touched, but invested, and the support for our seminarians comes from the earned interest. Each donation to a burse is truly a gift that will continue giving as more men enter priestly formation in the years to come!

Who can establish a burse? Anyone can establish a seminary burse, and name it in honor of loved ones (e.g., family members, teachers, mentors, pastors), in honor of organizations and faith or social groups (e.g., Knights of Columbus councils, ACTS, schools, church parishes), for themselves or their families as an instrument of personal giving, or in memory of a deceased loved one. Burses and their balances, and new contributions, are listed monthly in The Catholic Connection.

Who can contribute to a burse? Anyone can contribute any amount to any established burse.

How can I establish or contribute to a burse? You can establish and name a burse with a donation of at least $250, or you can contribute any amount to a burse simply by designating its name when the contribution is made. Contributions may be mailed to the Office of Church Vocations, Diocese of Shreveport, 3500 Fairfield Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71104. Be sure to note the name of the burse in the memo line.

When is a burse completed? Seminary burses are completed when the balance reaches $10,000. Once this goal has been reached, and those who established the original burse wish to continue their donations, a new burse in the same name may be opened. Thanks to our Recent Donors: (006) Cathedral of St. John Berchmans ($250) (008) William & Deloras Walker ($100) (011) Debora L. Prest ($100) (011) Robert & Paula Rivers ($100) (018) Deacon Charles & Nadalie Thomas ($50) (020) Chris A. Ward ($500) (020) Richard W. Ward ($500) (020) Rosemary C. Ward ($500) (020) Betsy C. Peatross ($50) (020) Dr. & Mrs. James Lusk ($150) (022) David & Suzanne Broussard ($250) (023) Joseph & Susan Wheeler ($1,000) (024) Dorothy Tipton ($500)

Completed Burses: (001) Fr. Mike Bakowski Memorial Burse #1 ($10,000) (006) Msgr. J. Carson LaCaze Memorial Burse #1 ($10,000) (010) Memory of Rita Scott from the John Scott Family ($10,000) (011) Rev. David Richter Memorial Burse #1 ($10,000) (012) Jack E. Caplis, Jr., Memorial Burse ($10,000) (013) Mary Evans Caplis Burse ($10,000) (014) Bob & Peggy Semmes Memorial Burse ($10,000)

Incomplete Burses: (001) Fr. Mike Bakowski Memorial Burse #2 ($1,200) (002) Joseph & Antoinette Bakowski Memorial Burse ($2,500) (003) Sam R. Maranto Memorial Burse ($1,400) (004) Kathryn Atherton Cook Memorial Burse ($350) (005) Cathedral of St. John Berchmans ($450) (006) Msgr. J. Carson LaCaze Memorial Burse #2 ($3,432.12) (007) Dr. Carol Christopher Memorial Burse ($1,300) (008) St. Jude Parish ($5,918) (009) St. John Berchmans Knights of Columbus Council 10728 ($1,550) (011) Rev. David Richter Memorial Burse #2 ($2,304) (015) Bishop’s Seminarian Burse ($1,235) (016) Elaine Malloy Frantz Memorial Burse ($1,000) (017) Msgr. George Martinez Knights of Columbus Council 1337 ($7,521) (018) Knights of St. Peter Claver Council 144 ($880) (019) Margaret Glenn Memorial Burse ($1,250) (020) Dr. James V. Ward Memorial Burse ($2,740) (021) Rev. Edmund “Larry” Niehoff ($1,000) (022) Rev. Blane O’Neill, OFM Memorial Burse ($250) (023) Msgr. Edmund J. Moore ($1,000) (024) Rev. Joseph Puthuppally Memorial Burse ($500) JUNE 2020 13

Plotting a Plot: The Importance of Pre-Need Today

By Kate Rhea

Everything from financial planning and family planning, to planning meals for the week is commonplace for most families these days; it is a normal part of life to make plans for just about everything. However, even though it is something everyone will eventually need, most people do not have definite end-of-life arrangements in place. Often, when a loved one passes, there is a scramble to make last-minute decisions that end up being based on affordability and time constraints rather than what the deceased may have genuinely wanted. It is an obvious notion that peace of mind comes with planning ahead, but death is not exactly the easiest topics to discuss with family or yourself.

For over 100 years, purchasing burial plots was as common for Americans as buying a first home or acquiring insurance. But in this day and age, it is far less common for people under the age of sixty-five to have plans for their own passing. Many of the plots in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery were purchased in blocks of eight-or-more at a time by Catholics who wished for their families to be together in their final resting places. Such a purchase was crucial in a time when life was more difficult and less certain. Times are different now; with greater life expectancy and medical cures and preventions, end-of-life planning has fallen by the wayside.

The importance of pre-need could not be clearer. Beyond the obvious benefit of getting exactly what you want, pre-need 14 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION planning spares family of any burden, removes uncertainty during an already difficult time, and provides the peace of mind you get from guaranteeing a plan.

St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery has many plots available for purchasing burial rights and the Catholic Center staff is ready to help with your pre-need purchase. You will be helped every step of the way from selecting a plot to completing your purchase and you will receive an official certificate and a complimentary Personal Reference File published by the Catholic Cemetery Conference to help organize additional details for burial and funeral plans.

To begin your pre-need process, please contact Kate Rhea at (318) 219-7264 or krhea@dioshpt.org.

Graphic Novel Series on Shreveport 1873 Yellow Fever Epidemic Martyrs RIGHT: The Catholic Connection is running a graphic novel series each month, featuring the story of five priests who gave their lives in service to others in the Shreveport Yellow Fever epidemic of 1873. This graphic novel is provided courtesy of the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans and is illustrated by Deacon Andrew Thomas.