Catholic East Texas: March 2016 (Vol. 29, No. 3)

Faith Reason and

Belief in God in the modern age.

March - April 2016

On Our Cover - Faith and Reason This issue of the Catholic East Texas deals with belief in God. Our Catholic faith teaches us that there is no contradiction between faith, believing what we know through divine revelation, and reason, through which we can find truth through the use of the mind.

“50.By natural reason man can know God with certainty, on the basis of his works. But there is another order of knowledge, which man cannot possibly arrive at by his own powers: the order of divine Revelation.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church We begin with an article by Bishop Strickland outlining the effects of common and popular atheism on culture. Denying the existence of God or His creation of the universe leads to a denial that the universe, and humanity, has a divinely instituted purpose.

Into this void, mankind is prone to suggesting his own, flawed ideas of purpose.

Next we turn to our first conversion story in this issue. In keeping with the theme, the conversions we deal with are not from Protestant Christianity to Catholicism. Rather, we talk to people who came to Catholicism from non-trinitarian or non-monotheistic religions.

Gary McWilliams became a Mormon, and then a Buddhist before discovering the Catholic Church. He explains the conversion process that resulted in him joining the Church and becoming a parishioner of St. Mary’s in Longview.

Father Denzil Vithanage tells us the story of his reversion during the Sri Lankan civil war of 1983. Fascinated with Buddhism, he was moving away from the Catholic Church when tragedy showed him what Catholicism is really about.

Father Denzil’s current assignment is chaplain of St. Mary’s Campus Ministry at Stephen F. Austin State University. Michael Molina gives an update of their successes and asks for the help of the diocese so that the students can have an expanded center for ministry. Please consider helping!

Our cover story is an interview with two of our local Catholic scientists, Jason Smee, PhD, and Deacon Shaun Black, PhD. We ask them whether science contradicts the faith and what the right relationship is between faith and reason. The good professors explain that science is not an enterprise capable of disproving God’s existence, but rather a set of tools for understanding His creation, which depend upon His gift of reason to work.

Next, Stephen Graves, PhD, tells us the story of his conversion from atheism, to paganism, to Catholicism. The Church teaches that human beings can, in fact, know the existence of God by reason alone. The precise nature of God, however, we can’t know by reason, and requires divine revelation which is delivered to us through the Church. Stephen’s story demonstrates that people do still walk this exact path.

Father Matthew Stehling reviews and recommends three books on the existence of God and Catholic philosophy, and Father Justin Braun explains the value of philosophical formation for men in seminary.

Sue De Matteo reports on the formation of the new Diocesan Sanctity of Life Office and its leader, Father Gavin Vaverek. It is ready to take on a variety of challenges to the sanctity of life in East Texas.

Visión Hispana reports on prison ministry with Father Ariel Cortéz, Teresa Ramirez writes about evangelizing with Mary, and Father Anthony Stoeppel explains the Church’s teaching on homosexuality. Sister Angelica Orozco interviews the sisters of the Instituto Religioso de las Hermanas Misioneras Guadalupanas de Santa Ana about evangelization in the diocese.

Finally, Father Joshua Neu explains how Paul and Titus dealt with the particular brand of paganism they found on the island of Crete.q 1

ONLINE

Between issues of the CET Magazine, you can always get the latest news and information from the Diocese of Tyler online. Here are some of the online updates and features available right now at dioceseoftyler.org>>> 271

37

Msgr. Samuel S. Metzger, 1932-2016 Sun Valley Detroit Reno Blossom

Toco

82

Honey Grove

82

Paris

Roxton 19

271

Clarksville

259

82

Annona

Avery

De Kalb

Bogata 271

Cooper Tira

24

37

Deport

Pecan Gap

Hooks New Boston82

30

30

Sulphur Springs

Cumby

Lone Oak 69

Emory

Lone Star

Edgewood

Fruitvale

Tool

Tyler

19

294 79

164

259

Joaquin

84 Tenaha 7

Garrison

Cushing

Center

59

Grapeland

7

96

Nacogdoches

103

Kennard

Chireno

Huntington

Burke Diboll

287

Lovelady

75

21

59

Broaddus

Fuller Springs

69

87

San Augustine

103

Lufkin

Hudson

94 19 21

21 59

7

Crockett

7

Wells

21

Latexo 7

Huxley

Appleby 21

Centerville Leona

Gary 59 City

59 Mount Enterprise 84 Timpson

84

69

75

147

Zavalla

Bronson Hemphill 96

Pineland 87

Groveton

Normangee

94

Madisonville 190

79

Carthage

315

79

Reklaw

Alto

287

Buffalo 45

Jewett

149 79

69

294

Oakwood

79

Marquez7

59

Beckville

Henderson

Rusk

84

Elkhart

Tatum

43

64

Waskom

20

43

Easton 149

New Summerfield Gallatin

79

84 75

259

Troup

Jacksonville

155

Palestine

Fairfield Teague

Rolling Meadows Lakeport

New Chapel Hill 64 135 Overton New London

175

287

75

84

Uncertain

Scottsville

Marshall

80

Hallsville

Liberty City

135

Poynor Berryville69 Frankston

Streetman

14

Wortham Kirvin

20

Arp Whitehouse

155 Station

Coffee City Bullard

Trinidad

175

49 Jefferson

59

Nesbitt

259

Warren City Clarksville City White Oak Longview

80

271

Kilgore

Moore

Athens

Star Harbor Malakoff

155 Winona

154

West Mountain East Mountain Union Grove

Big Sandy Gladewater

Chandler Brownsboro Murchison 31

19

175

Caney City

31

Hawkins

Lindale

64 Edom

Payne Springs Enchanted Oaks

59

154 271 300

155

80 69

Van

20

49

Gilmer

Mineola

Grand Saline

Canton

Ore City

155

154

69

Wills Point

Mabank

Texarkana

77

Linden

155

Avinger

155

37

Quitman

Alba182

19 80

243

Seven Points Gun Barrel City Eustace

59

Hughes Springs

Winnsboro

Yantis

8

Daingerfield

Rocky Mound Pittsburg

154

19

Point

West Tawakoni East Tawakoni

59

Douglassville Queen City 77 Bloomburg Atlanta

77

Marietta

259

49

271

Domino

8

Omaha

Mount Pleasant

Monticello

37

Como

Naples

67

Mount Vernon Winfield Millers Cove

Nash

67

Maud

67

19

67

Leary

Wake Village

259

Talco

37

287

69

63

Trinity

45 75

19

90

Watch Bishop Strickland’s homily and see photos from the World Marriage Day 2016 Mass:

http://cetmag.org/marriageday16 Monsignor Metzger was one of the original priests of the Dicoese of Tyler. Ordained a priest of the Diocese of Dallas in 1959, Monsignor Metzger served in Dallas, Ft. Worth, McKinney, Athens, Fairfield, Paris, Canton and a Gun Barrel City. Read more at:

http://cetmag.org/metzgerobit SOCIAL: LIKE, SHARE AND DISCUSS

Find us on Facebook

The Diocese of Tyler has a growing presence on Facebook! Follow us to see photos, news and videos. Many of our parishes are also on social media. facebook.com/dioceseoftyler Meet our new priests

Father Charles Vreeland

Father Vreeland joined the Diocese of Tyler in 2015. He is parochial vicar at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and chaplain of Bishop TK Gorman Catholic School in Tyler. Watch his interview at: http://cetmag.org/frvreeland 2

Find photos from a variety of diocesan events: www.flickr.com/dioceseoftyler/albums

THE MAGAZINE OF THE DIOCESE OF TYLER

Vol. 29 Issue 3 March - April 2016 Catholic East Texas (USPS 001726) is a publication of the Catholic Diocese of Tyler, 1015 ESE Loop 323, Tyler, Texas 75701-9663. Telephone: 903534-1077. Fax: 903-534-1370. E-mail: news@ catholiceasttexas.com. ©2015 Diocese of Tyler.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: CET Subscriptions, 1015 ESE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701-9663 Published five times per year. Periodical postage paid at Tyler, Texas, and additional mailing office.

Subscription is $20 per year. News, calendar and advertising deadlines: Aug. 10, Oct. 10, Dec. 10, Feb 10, April 10.

The publisher and editor reserve the right to reject, omit or edit any article or letter submitted for publication. The Diocese of Tyler and/or the Catholic East Texas cannot be held liable or in any way responsible for the content of any advertisement printed herein. All claims, offers, guarantees, statements, etc., made by advertisers are solely the responsibility of the advertiser.

Deceptive or misleading advertising is never knowingly accepted. Complaints regarding advertising should be made directly to the advertiser or the Better Business Bureau.

Publisher Most Rev. Joseph E. Strickland Bishop of Tyler Editor-in-Chief Peyton Low peyton@catholiceasttexas.com Managing Editor Ben Fisher ben@catholiceasttexas.com Assistant Editor Susan De Matteo sue@catholiceasttexas.com Spanish Editor Sr. Angélica Orozco EFMS sistera@dioceseoftyler.org

www.dioceseoftyler.org

This Issue

01 05 06 10 14 18 22 24 30 34 36 38 43 44 46 48 50 50 52

On the Cover

Bishop Strickland Diocesan News and Calendar Susan De Matteo

Apple Pie, Humanity, and the purpose of the universe Bishop Joseph Strickland

All roads lead to Rome The journey of Gary McWilliams

The Heart of Catholicism Father Denzil Vithanage

St. Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry This successful ministry needs your help to expand

Faith and Reason

We interview two Catholic PhDs on science and the Faith

I was a pagan

The conversion of Stephen Graves

Nothing new under the Sun

3 good books on Catholic philosophy and God’s existence

I went to seminary to learn to THINK Father Justin Braun

Re-organization for Life Susan DeMatteo

Monseñor Strickland

Si “Primereamos” Evangelizamos Hna. Angelica Orozco

Año Jubilar

P. Juan Carlos Sardinas

Evangelizando acompañados de María Teresa Ramirez

La Iglesia no Excluye P. Anthony Stoeppel

Llamadas y Enviadas para la Evangelización Hna. Angelica Orozco

All Cretans are Liars Father Joshua Neu

All registered parishioners in the Diocese of Tyler receive the Catholic East Texas magazine for free. If you are a member of a parish or mission in the Diocese and you are not receiving your free subscription to the magazine, please contact your parish/mission or complete this form so that we may add you to our mailing list. http://cetmag.org/cetsubscribe

3

Photos on these pages are from the annual Scout Mass at the Chapel of Saints Peter and Paul in Tyler, February 13, 2016.

For more photos from diocesan events, go to:

www.flickr.com/dioceseoftyler/albums

Bishop Strickland

Fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Tyler

As I reflect on the theme of this issue of the Catholic East Texas I am taken back to my days at Holy Trinity Seminary and the University of Dallas studying philosophy.

The question of how faith and reason interact is an ancient one which philosophers and theologians have been grappling with for centuries. A cursory look at the broad sweep of human history could lead one to conclude that primitive, undeveloped humanity relied on faith and belief in a divine being merely because we humans had not yet discovered science. We did not understand our world, therefore we used myth and mysticism to explain the unexplainable. This cursory overview moves through the dark ages to the enlightenment and has humanity enter into the age of science and technology in which we now live, and concludes that we have finally come of age and thus can abandon faith.

In recent years Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have spoken extensively on the issue, and they have urged us to recognize that the question is at a critical point in many elements of society today. Even within the Church the question is not without controversy with many tending to lean to one extreme or another. Both of these recent pontiffs have encouraged us to stay rooted in the basic approach that has developed in the Catholic Church. This approach states that faith and reason are in no way in conflict; quite to the contrary they complement each other. I remember as a fledgling philosophy student that my initial thought was that this was all very obvious, but much greater minds than mine have struggled mightily with the issue.

We have to acknowledge that we live in a time in history when technology, science and the apparent supremacy of reason dominate human discourse at many levels.

The scientific method which seeks empirical evidence as the answer to every quest has convinced many leaders in our world today that faith should be relegated to the world of fantasy and myth. Moments in history like the stance of the Church against Galileo are often cited as examples of the ignorance that faith engenders and we are urged to unshackle ourselves from the illusions of belief.

I would hope that as all of us ponder these significant questions we might take an even broader view than the cursory sweep

through history that I suggested above. It is my own experience as a man of faith who also has a great appreciation for science and technology that this broader view, one might say this “God’s Eye View”, begins to guide us to a profound reconciliation of any apparent conflict between faith and reason. Even the atheistic scientist must acknowledge that the human person is unique in the known universe, and as one begins to ponder the meaning of the human person in this broad perspective the truths of faith and the truths of science begin to merge.

I have to smile as I conclude these reflections. I can imagine that you may be thinking, wow, I didn’t know the bishop was a philosophy nerd! We can be tempted to

ask ourselves what all of this means, does it make any difference? I believe that some of the writings of recent popes remind us that these questions are critical to the Church and society today. Many young people are struggling profoundly with these questions and being heavily influenced by a rejection of faith that leaves us empty and diminishes our humanity. We believe that God has revealed profound truth to us regarding His nature and the meaning of existence. God’s word promises us that the “truth shall set us free”. May we never shy away from the quest for truth in all elements of existence.

As we find truth we will see that the music of the universe has been written by the finger of God.q

5

Diocesan News

By Susan De Matteo

Diocese Bishop Joseph E. Strickland will celebrate a Mass for families with special needs Saturday, March 12, at 10 a.m. in the Chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul on the Bishop Gorman Catholic Schools campus.

All families with children or adults with special needs are invited to attend.

The liturgy will be a modified one to accommodate those needs. A special dispensation from Sunday Mass will be granted to those who attend.

All parishes in the diocese are asked to send representatives to see how the modified liturgy may be celebrated for their families.

A reception will follow in the chancery.

To register or for more information, contact Linda Khirallah Porter, lporter@ dioceseoftyler.org, or call 903-266-2146.

Registration deadline is March 10.

The Diocese of Tyler Office of Faith Formation has scheduled a number of

Sue@CatholicEastTexas.com

Send us your bulletins!

If your parish is not already sending weekly bulletins to Catholic East Texas, please do so. Bulletins are our prime source of information about parish events for the news, and ideas for features and profiles. We prefer electronic submissions, either PDF or Word documents. Email to sue@catholiceasttexas.com.

We will also accept bulletins by mail. Send to: Susan De Matteo, Catholic East Texas, 1015 ESE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701. Information on upcoming parish events and photos of recent events may also be submitted to the above addresses. Photos should be emailed as JPEGs with all persons in the photo identified and information about the event provided. formation events for parish catechists.

The office is sponsoring a Spanish-language catechists’ formation day for children with special needs March 5, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the chancery.

Formation days for parish Christian Initiation teams will be April 2 and June 25.

John Barone will present a session on How to Succeed in Learning Situations for parish catechists March 5, 10 a.m.3 p.m. at the chancery. Cost is $15 by Catholic Schools Week – St. Gregory Cathedral School students in Tyler celebrated Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 31-Feb. 6, with a variety of events.

At left, for “Our Saints” day, kindergarten students Santiago Velez and Steven Rios dress as their favorite saints in familiar Franciscan habits, and, at right, fifth-grade students Adam Favre, Foster Morales, and McKenna Maloney celebrate the “Our Nation” theme by dressing in patriotic colors. The week also included visits to the campus by parents and grandparents and a book fair. Photos courtesy of St. Gregory Cathedral School

6

and Calendar of Events

March 3 or $20 at the door.

To register for any of the events or for more information, contact the diocesan Office for Faith Formation, lporter@dioceseoftyler.org or tramirez@dioceseoftyler.org, or call 903-266-2146.

The Daughters of Divine Hope will offer an 11:30 a.m. Mass March 14 for clergy celebrating birthdays or ordination anniversaries this month, and for deceased clergy. The Mass will be cele-

More news is available at www.dioceseoftyler.org/news

brated in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, with lunch following in the Cathedral Center. Future Mass dates are April 11, May 9, and June 13.

The diocesan Office for Marriage and Family Life has scheduled marriage preparation weekends for April 8-10, April 9-10 (Spanish), Sept. 23-25, and Nov. 5-6 (Spanish). For information or to register, contact the office at 903-5341077, ext. 165, or email mbesze@dioceseoftyler.org.

St. Theresa in Union Grove to celebrate 80 years UNION GROVE – Bishop Joseph E. Strickland will celebrate a Mass commemorating the 80th anniversary of St. Theresa Church in Union Grove and 30 years in the current church building April 24.

The 10 a.m. Mass will be followed by a barbecue lunch and games with prizes.

The first church in the area was established in the 1920s by Msgr. L.L. Meyer of Longview on property owned by the O’Byrne family. John O’Byrne donated two acres of land and the timber used to construct the church, which was named St. Bridget in honor of his mother.

In 1936, as the oil boom hit East Texas and brought more Catholics into the area,

To speak with a priest about a possible vocation, call Father Justin Braun at the chancery, 903-534-1077, ext. 171, or email fatherbraun@gmail.com. To speak with a nun, contact Sister Angelica Orozco, EFMS, at the chancery, 903534-1077, ext. 145, or email sistera@ dioceseoftyler.org. of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the parish hall at St. Charles Borromeo Church Catholic counseling services are in Frankston. The group is the only FA now available in the Diocese of Tyler. chapter in East Texas, and is open to Simone Key, MA, LPC-I, is on staff at anyone who has known the despair of a the Cathedral of the Immaculate Con- loved one’s addiction. Meetings follow ception to provide faith-based family, the 12-step model, and the anonymity of marriage, individual and group counsel- members is paramount. For information, ing. Initial phone consultations are free, contact Rick at 817-994-8248 or Kathy and services are provided on a sliding at 817-319-9843. fee scale. For information, call 214-6400651.

The Tyler Catholic School Foundation will host its 24th Milam J. Joseph The Maria Goretti Network is a Golf and Tennis Tournament on Monpeer ministry group for survivors of day, April 11, at Willow Brook Golf abuse and their families. The East Texas Club in Tyler. Registration begins at 11 Chapter of the Maria Goretti Network a.m., followed by lunch and tee time at meets the third Saturday of every month 12:30 p.m. Proceeds are dedicated to in the Cathedral Office meeting room support scholarships at St. Gregory Ca(not the Cathedral Center) at 7 p.m. For thedral School and Bishop T. K. Gorinformation, contact Peggy Hammett, man Catholic School. There will be raffle 903-592-1617, ext. 19, or email pham- prizes, complimentary lunch, goody bags mett@thecathedral.info. and more.

Format is a six-player team, with a Families Anonymous, a support shotgun start. Individual tickets are $150 group for those affected by a loved one’s and a team of six is $900. Tickets may be addiction, alcoholism or other destruc- purchased by contacting the foundation tive behaviors, meets the second Monday office at 903-526-5988 or by email at

a new church was built in Gladewater on the corner of Cotton and Melba Streets and renamed St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus. The old St. Bridget building served as the rectory.

By the 1980s, the parish was in need of a new building and a site large enough to accommodate growth. Under the pastorate of Father John Rohrman, the parish purchased property in Union Grove in order to make the church more accessible to parishioners from Gilmer and other neighboring communities.

The new church was completed in 1986. Descendants of the original O’Byrne and Fallwell families still attend Mass there.

nmurchison@tcsf.net.

A tennis tournament will be held concurrently with the golf tournament.

Tennis format is a doubles round robin with light snacks preceding the tournament. Afterwards, players join for happy hour while prizes are awarded.

For more information, or to discuss sponsorship opportunities, please contact Nickie Murchison, development director, 903-526-5988 or nmurchsion@ tcsf.net, or Beth Page at beth@myclassictoyota.com. For more information regarding the tennis tournament, please contact Kara Camp at tylercamps@msn. com. The foundation accepts all major credit cards.

Athens St. Edward Church. The faith formation garage sale will be April 23.

Donations may be dropped off at the storage building on Hwy. 175. Please call Zoila Hunt, 903-677-1922, or Chayo Campa, 903-681-5245, if you make a drop off.

Youth Night is every Tuesday evening 7

Diocesan News

By Susan De Matteo

By Susan De Matteo

and Calendar of Events Sue@CatholicEastTexas.com Sue@CatholicEastTexas.com

SFA Knights honored – Knights of Columbus Council 10790, the council for St. Mary Catholic Campus Ministry at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, recently received the Triple Star Award for Outstanding Membership Recruiting from the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council and the prestigious Lone Star Award for Excellence from the Texas State Council of the Knights of Columbus.

Father Denzil Vithanage, front, is chaplain of St. Mary Catholic Center. Photo courtesy of Father Denzil Vithanage in the parish hall, starting with Mass at 6 p.m. To set up text alert reminders, text @ youth2121 to 81010.

Emory

Catholic Ascension Garden

How will your final arrangements be decided?

Rose Lawn’s Ascension Garden is a place for all Catholics to have hope and reflection. This area serves as a visual reminder of the Paschal Mystery, the dying and rising of Christ in which we all share. It is the place that reminds us to hold a joyful hope for Christ’s return to glory, with all those who have gone before us, marked with a sign of faith. Putting plans into place now becomes a testimony to both our faith and our love of family. It is a loving and considerate thing to do for those we leave behind. Come out and visit our compassionate people and find how simple this decision can be. With each sale Rose Lawn will make a donation in your name to the Church of your choice or the Catholic Diocese of Tyler.

Rose Lawn Cemetery is located on Blue Mountain Blvd., One block East off Old Jacksonville Hwy, just South of Swann’s Furniture.

2003 Blue Mountain Blvd.

Tyler, TX 75703 Ph.903-939-9922 8

St. John the Evangelist Church. Saturday “Mourning” Coffee is a peer support group for those mourning the loss of a loved one. It is a place to talk about loss and learn to find peace amongst the pain, laughter amongst the tears, and life despite the loss. The group meets the second Saturday of each month, 10-11:30 a.m., in the parish Blue Room. For more information, contact Maggie Conder, 972-679-9330, mmconder@gmail.com.

Frankston St. Charles Borromeo Church. The annual parish fish fry is March 13, 10 a.m.2 p.m.

Lindale Holy Family Church. The Lindale Knights of Columbus are offering one $500 scholarship to a graduating senior who attends Holy Family Church. Applications are available from the church office.

The application deadline is March 31.

The St. Aloysius Gonzaga Youth Group meets every Friday, 6-8 p.m. in the parish hall. Young people ages 12-21 are welcome.

Madisonville

More news is available at www.dioceseoftyler.org/news

Meditation Garden blessed – Bishop Joseph E. Strickland recently blessed the newly completed Meditation Garden at Holy Spirit Church in Holly Lake Ranch. The garden consists of Stations of the Cross, three flower gardens, and a unique cross at the garden’s entrance, as well as a number of benches for individuals pursuing private reflection. The garden was made possible by financial contributions from members of Holy Spirit and by many hours of work in design and construction by Knights of Columbus Council 15174. Photo courtesy of Bob Quinn, KC Council 15174 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church. Each Friday of Lent, parishioners gather to walk and pray the Stations of the Cross, 7 p.m. in English and 8 p.m. in Spanish.

Paris On April 3 at 3 p.m., Our Lady of Victory Church will host a Divine Mercy Sunday Mission with Father Bill Casey, former superior general of the Fathers of Mercy and frequent contributor to EWTN. Father Casey is a powerful speaker whose presentation will deepen the faith of all those who attend during this Year of Mercy. For more information, call (903) 784-1000.

Tyler Bishop Joseph E. Strickland has changed the time of the Chrism Mass, celebrated during Holy Week.

The Chrism Mass will be celebrated March 22 at 11 a.m. in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, rather than in the evening as in past years. Read more at: http://cetmag.org/chrismmassmove Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store needs help in the area of pick-ups. If you could drive the truck (no special license needed) or help load and unload donations, your assistance would be vital in helping the Saint Vincent de Paul Society assist the needy. For information on this ministry, please call Dan Jager at 903-360-0332.q

The Hunt For Dessert Is Over.

Tyler · 4917 S Broadway Ave. · (903) 504-5366 NothingBundtCakes.com 9

Apple pie, humanity, and the pur Catholic belief in God and revelation,

We live in a great age of science and technology. Of course, people living 100 and 200 years ago thought and wrote the same thing, and we think their science and technology is quaint. I suppose that 100 years from now, this century will seem equally quaint, but today it seems very impressive to us. Science has described nature from the largest of scales, in beginning to measure the size of the universe, down to the smallest, investigating the fundamental building blocks of matter. Technology has connected us with instant global communications and is having a profound effect on human culture. Being surrounded with these wonders, people tend to think of science as completely sufficient to explain everything, and of technology as sufficient to accomplish anything.

What we see is that people place great faith in these purely human powers, and when they do, they neglect the place of God 10

in our human order. In this early 21st century, a steadily growing part of our American population identifies as atheist, disbelieving in God. For many, this seems like a natural and logical decision. They think that science has explained practically everything, and there is no need to invoke God in any way.

Elsewhere in this magazine, Catholics from our diocese discuss the philosophical and scientific aspects of belief, but here I want to talk about the moral aspects. We are moral creatures, with the ability to choose right and wrong, and in this we can see that we are made to be in relationship to our creator.

1950 The moral law is the work of divine Wisdom.

-The Catechism of the Catholic Church

1. The Apple Pie Imagine finding an apple pie on a windowsill. If we were with a group of scientists, they could observe and measure the apple pie. They could weigh the pie, describe its geometry using π, determine the exact composition of the pie down to the atoms, and do many other tests and measurements which would describe the pie in great detail.

There are two things they cannot do.

They cannot tell who baked the pie, and they cannot tell you what it is for.

The pie is like the universe. We Christians believe it is obvious that pies don’t bake themselves, and that no amount of describing the pie removes the need for a baker.

This is the fundamental error that people fall into concerning science and religion, and is the subject of much spirited debate in our

urpose of the universe.

, and why it matters in human society.

By bishop joseph Strickland

society. We find ourselves in a scientific age with a great ability to measure the universe, but so many people mistake measuring for explaining.

This leads to the moral problem of our time. A pie has a purpose. A person bakes a pie for a reason. No amount of measurement can tell us what the pie is for. This is an absolute limit of science, which our society is losing sight of. This is what Christianity believes about the universe: That there is someone who stands in relation to the universe the way a baker stands in relation to a pie.

The baker decides to bake the pie, the baker decides what to put into the pie, and only the baker knows what the pie is for.

We cannot know why a person baked a pie just by observing the pie. We have to ask the baker, to see if they will tell us. The only way we can know what the universe is for, is if the creator reveals it to us.

68 By love, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. He has thus provided the definitive, superabundant answer to the questions that man asks himself about the meaning and purpose of his life.

-The Catechism of the Catholic Church

2. The Purpose of Life If we understand that God is the creator of everything, then we can reason that the only way we can know the purpose of creation is if God reveals it to us. As Christians, we know that in fact this has happened. God has given us divine revelation in the form of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition to know the purpose of the universe, and of

ourselves, and of everything He has made.

If we deny that the pie has a baker, and instead profess to believe that the pie baked itself, or is purely the result of random processes without a baker’s guiding hand, then the pie has no purpose. To believe this about the universe is a fundamentally incorrect and dangerous thing. “Playing God� is a common phrase in our society. Religious people often invoke it when debating non-religious people, and it sounds very dramatic. It is also sometimes very correct. When we are discussing the important moral topics facing our human society, two very distinct positions are in conflict. One position is that of the theist, who believes in God, and believes that God determines the purpose of what He has created. The other position is that of the atheist, who does not believe that God determines purpose, and so he must invent that pur-

pose for himself. Those are the two choices humanity is faced with. Either God is the source of purpose, or there is no source and so man must determine purpose. If man denies God, he must “play God”, like it or not.

The Catholic Church understands this dilemma very well. Some of us remember the old Baltimore Catechism, in question and answer format, which began thusly:

Q. Who made the world?

A. God made the world.

Q. Why did God make you?

A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.

This remains the first truth that we proclaim to the world, that God is the author of all things, and He alone determines our purpose.

3. So What?

So, why is this a problem? Some of our neighbors don’t think God exists, or created anything, and so they determine purpose for themselves. Why should I care?

We should all care, greatly, because if someone is taking on the role of God and determining the purpose of life and the universe for themselves, they are apt to get it wrong. Great calamity and evil result from this.

To take an obvious example, let us look at the great political upheavals of the early 20th century. Communism and Fascism arose in totalitarian regimes around the world, resulting in great loss of life and freedom. The world was plunged into global war because of this fundamental error of purpose. Whereas the Church teaches that mankind is to serve and love God, these regimes believed that mankind is to serve and love the state.

We can see how destructive this is, immediately. As the Popes of the early 20th century feared when they saw these nationalist storm clouds gathering, when mankind’s purpose is perverted, great suffering results. If people exist to serve the state, then the state may use them as it pleases. People become cogs in a machine, or cannon fodder, expendable in the service of national progress. Perhaps half a billion people died this way during the 20th century, left on the killing fields of revolutions which have now failed. When we abandon God’s purpose for 12

mankind, any purpose we invent is inferior and is a denial of the created order of the universe. It will not work.

1912 The order of things must be subordinate to the order of persons, and not the other way around.

-The Catechism of the Catholic Church

4. Every Single Life This denial of purpose is not just something in history or foreign countries. It is happening right now, in our nation, in various ways.

What we as Catholics believe is that each and every human life has a share in God’s purpose. Not one single person is left out. Every person, individually, is made to know and love and serve God. No human purposes are superior to this. We, as Catholics, because we listen to the creator, know that people are not to be treated as a means to accomplish our human purposes, ever.

Catholics affirm the evil of racism and sexism because of this. To say that one person is inferior to another on the basis of race, or sex, or any other aspect of biology is to usurp God’s position as creator. He reveals that every single individual human life has the same and equal purpose in His universe.

Likewise, we Catholics can affirm that nothing else on Earth can change the purpose of a human life, because God has determined that purpose. It doesn’t matter where a person is, what sex a person is, how large or small a person is, how well a person thinks or what that person knows, how needy that person is, or how inconvenient a person is to our human plans – all human beings have a purpose given to them by God, their creator.

For this reason, we know that we must protect each and every human life, because if we serve God, we serve His purpose.

2271 God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.

-The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Unborn children are small, they are unseen, they are dependent, they are not yet thinking, and sometimes they are very, very inconvenient. Each and every unborn child, however, has a purpose, which they were endowed with by their creator.

To kill an unborn child is to say that our human purpose is superior to God’s purpose for this helpless human being. In a way, this is a form of atheism. How could a person who believes in God ever think that any human purpose is superior, more important, and more meaningful than what God has intended a human being for? When we substitute our human purpose for God’s purpose, we tend to make people a means to accomplish our purposes, and just like in war, people die.

2273 Human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin.

-The Catechism of the Catholic Church We as Catholics must have compassion (which literally means “to suffer with”) for pregnant mothers who are frightened and have lost hope and are considering abortion.

We must do everything we can as individuals and as a nation for their care and the care of their children, born and unborn. We must help them in every way to understand that while their immediate needs, their human purposes, seem most important, the only way to do right instead of wrong is to follow God’s purpose, and protect the life of their child.

5.Purpose and Marriage Because we recognize the role of God as creator, we recognize Him as the author of purpose, and we recognize His revelation as the source of our knowledge of purpose.

In political debate, Christians are often criticized for using divine revelation as a source of moral principles. The Christian, however, is on firm ground. We reason from divine revelation and knowledge of God as creator to know what we should do, as individuals and as a society. What is the alternative?

The alternative is to supply a purely human purpose for everything. If we determine what things are for, then we are subject to

the temptation to make everything about our immediate temporal happiness. Everything can be about making us feel good, right now.

Right now, the world is in the midst of an enthusiasm for homosexual marriage.

The Church is one of the few bodies to stand against this tide, and as we all know, the secular world is united in criticism against Catholicism for this. What is it that the world is saying, and how should we understand it?

What we as Catholics believe is once again based upon our belief in God as the creator of everything. We profess that marriage, like all divinely instituted aspects of the created universe, has a purpose.

372 Man and woman were made “for each other” - not that God left them half-made and incomplete: he created them to be a communion of persons, in which each can be “helpmate” to the other, for they are equal as persons (“bone of my bones. . .”) and complementary as masculine and feminine. In marriage God unites them in such a way that, by forming “one flesh”, they can transmit human life: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.”

By transmitting human life to their descendants, man and woman as spouses and parents cooperate in a unique way in the Creator’s work.

-The Catechism of the Catholic Church

As expected, what the Church teaches as the purpose of marriage is a divine purpose, not a human one. It is one drawn from reason and revelation, not emotion or sentiment. It is important to recognize that those in favor of homosexual marriage argue from human purposes. Many people are swayed by this. We can understand why – human reasons sound good to us, they sound right, if taken by themselves. “We want people to be happy.” How can we as Catholics be against people being happy?

6.The Point of it All What we as Catholics profess is that apart from God, there is no “good” and no real “happiness”. If one were to deny the existence of God, then it makes no sense to

speak of “good”. If everything is the result purely of randomness, then there is no purpose to the universe or anything in it. Human purposes could exist, but they would be the products of randomness like everything else. To appeal to something being “right” or “wrong” would be nonsensical. Happiness is reduced to merely “what makes me feel good right now”.

What we profess to the world is this: If you deny God’s existence, and thus His purpose for the universe, there cannot be any purpose to anything, except what we invent for ourselves. These inventions are not true, they are a sham. To call them true purpose is a lie. If you try to invent a purpose from merely human intentions, it will be fallible, and will not bring true peace, happiness, equality, or good. It might make a person feel emotionally good for a time, but emotions are not our guide to truth in God’s universe.

What we profess is that “feeling good” apart from God’s truth is not a real or lasting happiness. It doesn’t last on Earth, and it certainly doesn’t last into eternity. A lie, a sham, can never make a person truly happy.

We cannot ever deny what God has revealed as the purpose of marriage, and we take this stand for the good, the happiness, and the eternal salvation of exactly those people tempted by these things. We believe that only God can make people happy and only in God can they discover their true purpose.

We don’t want to deny any person happiness, we want to open up to them the true happiness of the only thing which can really be true – God’s plan for them and everyone.

27 The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for.

-The Catechism of the Catholic Church

7. The Wise Man

What we as Christians must remember is that because we know, by reason, that God created the universe, He supplies the purpose for it and all things within it. The only way to know the truth of purpose is to listen to the creator, in the same way that the only way to know the purpose of a pie is to ask the person who baked it. Science and its many powers can tell us a tremendous number of

true things about the universe, but “what is it for?” and “what are we for?” are questions entirely outside the scope of science, and always will be.

Once we understand this, we can see the danger of atheism, whether as a formal profession of unbelief or just as a denial of divine purpose, to human society. When people deny the divine purpose of creation, they deny the divine purpose of each and every human being. This leads to the treatment of human beings as means to achieve our merely human purposes, whether by ruinous political regimes, or in the mistreatment of the little and helpless because of our fear and hopelessness.

Also, when we deny God’s purpose for creation, we deny His purpose for marriage, which the Church teaches is divinely instituted and has a divine purpose. We substitute our own human purposes for marriage, which are not built upon the firm foundation of real purpose, but on human sentiment, emotion and desire.

These are few of the problems atheism and a denial of purpose cause to humanity.

This should spur us forward to help people understand our belief in God and his purpose for all of us. We evangelize in Jesus’ name to save the world, which means the souls in it and the society we form. People have a stark choice: To found their morality on the firm foundation of God’s revealed purpose, or on the illusion of a purely human purpose, which forms a shifting sand changing with human emotion.q

Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching.

Matthew 7: 24-28 13

All Roads

Lead to Rome

Gary McWilliams was a committed Mormon living in Utah who became a Buddhist, but his desire for truth eventually led him to the Catholic Church.

14

Were you raised as a Mormon?

No. I was raised in West Texas in the Church of Christ. My grandparents were very religious, and they read us Bible stories as kids, but I was never an active, interested participant in religion in my youth.

In 1976, I was stationed in Hawaii in the Army, and I met my future wife, who was a Mormon. I spent time with Mormon missionaries and eventually converted to Mormonism.

Basically, what is Mormonism?

Technically called “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,” it is a religion that was founded in the early 1800’s in New York state by a man named Joseph Smith. He claimed to be a prophet who received revelations from God the Father, Jesus, and angels.

He produced several books, most notably the Book of Mormon, which is where the religion gets its common name. Mormons hold these books to be equal to the Bible.

What is in the Book of Mormon?

The Book of Mormon, which Smith claimed to translate from a set of golden plates he unearthed in upstate New York, is a book which tells a fanciful history of the Americas. In reality, there is no evidence or trace of these golden plates, and Smith dictated much of the book to his scribe while looking into a hat.

In the Book of Mormon, several groups of people traveled from the ancient Middle East to the Americas by sea and established a society here. According to the book, after the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus appeared in North America to these people.

What do Mormons believe?

Mormons have a variety of unique religious beliefs, but Mormonism uses terms taken from Christianity to describe them, so it can be very confusing. Mormonism use the terms “Father,” “Son,” and “Holy Spirit,” but is not a Trinitarian religion. Jesus is very prominent in Mormonism, but His nature is different from what Christianity teaches. God the Father, in Mormonism, has a physical body.

Mormonism teaches a unique vision of the afterlife. Mormons believe that earthly marriage lasts eternally, and that a husband and father, if he lives a virtuous Mormon life, will be rewarded with the opportunity to become a god and create his own universe. Most Mormons believe this has happened innumerable times already, and we live in a universe created by this sort of being. As one of the leaders of the Mormon Church said, “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.”

What is life like as a Mormon?

Mormons are, generally, extremely nice and respectable people. They create family-oriented communities and teach a strict morality. I was so taken with the Mormon way of life that, after we returned to the mainland, we moved to Utah to live in a Mormon community and be in the heart of Mormon country.

What is Mormon worship like?

Mormons meet in chapels on Sundays and read from holy books, pray, and testify. There are no preachers or professional clergy. If you are a devout Mormon, you may seek a “temple recommend,” which is permission to enter one of the Mormon temples. There are 149 of these in the world currently, and they are the centers of Mormon worship. Only Mormons with a temple recommend may enter one.

I received my temple recommend and took part in the “ordinances” which take place there, such as the “sealing.” By the sealing ordinance, a Mormon marriage is made eternal, which is an important step in “exaltation,” or becoming a god with your own universe.

What first caused you to question Mormonism?

One of the holy books of Mormonism is the Pearl of Great Price.

Like the other books, it was produced by Joseph Smith. It contains a section called The Book of Abraham, which claims to be the story of Abraham in Egypt, written by the Abraham himself. It was “translated” by Smith from an Egyptian papyrus (a fragment of an ancient scroll) he purchased from a traveling mummy exhibition in 1835 in Ohio. The translation of Egyptian hieroglyphics was in its infancy then, and there was no one who could challenge Smith’s work.

Violence and controversy surrounded Joseph Smith, and he was eventually killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois in 1844. After his death, the papyrus fragments were handed down to various people and eventually sold outside the Mormon Church. They ended up in the New York Museum of Art. We, inside Mormonism, were taught that they had been destroyed in a fire.

In the 1960’s, these fragments were discovered by Egyptologists (who by this time could easily translate the hieroglyphics) and were found to say nothing about Abraham. They were standard Egyptian funeral documents. I discovered this through my reading and study, and this was the beginning of my skepticism about Mormonism.

The Mormon Church explained these problems by telling me that what Joseph Smith had done was not exactly “translation,” but a spiritual process resulting in a Holy Book. I just couldn’t accept this.

With the Old and New Testaments, accurate translation of

15

these ancient documents is a science that people work on diligently. New, better translations are prepared as an exercise in seeking the truth. I wanted to know the truth, and honestly reading what your founding documents say is the first step to that.

What else did you discover?

As I investigated, I compared the history of the Americas as described in the Book of Mormon with what archaeologists have discovered. Nothing in the Book of Mormon corresponds to actual history. The book describes many things that sound biblical but did not exist in the Americas at the time, such as horses and chariots and metal weapons. The Book of Mormon describes Native Americans as being the descendants of people who came on boats from the Middle East in biblical times, but through the study of genetics, we now know that Native Americans came from Eastern Asia at a much earlier time.

These things and many others caused me to lose faith in Mormonism, and I left the Latter Day Saints in 1996, after 20 years.

The document that started Gary’s investigations of Mormon history. Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, purchased fragments of Egyptian papyrus from a traveling mummy exhibit in Ohio in 1835. He ‘translated’ them into the Book of Abraham, which elaborates on the story of Abraham from Genesis, adding many Mormon ideas and doctrines. When examined later by non-Mormon Egyptologists, the document was found to have nothing to do with Abraham, but rather to be an Egyptian funeral text .

So, what do you think actually happened at the founding of Mormonism?

I think Joseph Smith made it all up. I like to call him the religious Stephen King. Smith was a tremendously creative person who invented these ideas himself. He was definitely a charismatic genius.

The founding of Mormonism happened during a period of revival in the Protestant Churches in the United States called the “Second Great Awakening.” Joseph Smith founded his church right at the peak of it, when religious sentiment was strongest. The center of the movement was a part of New York so thoroughly evangelized and preached-to that it was called the “burnedover district,” and that’s where Joseph Smith started his group.

He had the perfect audience of people who were whipped into a religious frenzy by decades of fire-and-brimstone preaching and who were ready to accept anything on faith, no matter what, even claims as bizarre as those made by Joseph Smith. They were willing to follow a confident, strong man and didn’t think too hard about his claims.

What did you do after you left Mormonism?

I was really in turmoil. As a Mormon, I believed that all other religions are false, and I had convinced myself that Mormonism was false, also. I was 46 years old, and I had my foundations ripped out from under me.

I started searching. I read books on Judaism and went to the synagogue a few times, but I wasn’t drawn to it. I even went to a Catholic Mass once, but I had no attraction to it at the time. In fact, because I was hurt and resentful, I was turning away from belief in God altogether.

One day as I was driving near my home in Utah, I decided to go into a Buddhist temple I had passed before. I remembered seeing Buddhists during a tour of duty in Vietnam, and I was curious. Inside was a Buddhist monk from Thailand named Wan, and I struck up a friendship with him. He gave me books and taught me to meditate. I discovered that Buddhism is a spiritual philosophy that does not really require a person to believe in God, so it suited me perfectly. I became a Buddhist.

Why do you think more people don’t realize this and leave Mormonism?

I think they find that having the religion and the support of the community is very helpful in their life. It’s a secure, familycentered religion and many people choose not to question it.

What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a complex philosophy which attempts to solve the problem of suffering. It was founded by Gautama Buddha in India in about 500 B.C.. To put it very simply, Buddha taught that all human suffering is caused by desire, and the various

16

Buddhist practices attempt to achieve enlightenment and end suffering.

What started you toward the Catholic Church?

About a year later, in 1998, we moved to East Texas. There are no Buddhist temples here, but I met some Buddhists who invited me to meditation sessions. I started going to these, and I got involved with a Buddhist meditation center in Dallas.

I was deeply devoted to meditation, and for some reason that I suppose is best explained as grace, I began to meditate on Jesus Christ. I began to meditate on the suffering of Christ and, in the Buddhist way, to try to become one with Him. I became aware that Christ became suffering itself when he took on the suffering of mankind. It was an experience that for me was an awakening of sorts. At that time I was surprised that Christ, not Buddha, would arise in my subconscious. The experience affected me deeply: I was more aware of suffering around me.

Over time, the experience faded, but I began to question my commitment to Buddhism.

I began to read Father Thomas Keating, a Trappist monk who understands contemplation and meditation very well. I found a contemplative prayer group and started practicing contemplative prayer, focusing on the sacred name of Christ. This was a good transition for a Buddhist to begin to understand the Catholic faith. I attended a retreat

at Monserrat Jesuit Retreat House in Dallas and loved it. I decided to investigate the Catholic Church. Any Christian Church which understood meditation intrigued me.

I came to Mass one Sunday at St. Mary’s Church in Longview. I found the Mass to be a meditative experience and I loved it, but I was taking a very liberal approach to Christianity. I wanted to meditate on Christ and engage in worship without really believing in things like the resurrection.

How did you become Catholic?

In 2010 I decided to attend RCIA classes, and this brought it to a point. I realized I had to make a choice. I had to decide if I could believe Christianity. I took three months off from RCIA classes, because I wanted to be certain that Catholicism is true before I made a commitment to it. For a long time, I thought I wanted nothing to do with anything connected to Christianity, because I didn’t want to get fooled again.

I dove into researching the resurrection, reading everything I could. As the Apostle Paul says in scripture, the resurrection is the central doctrine of Christianity. I had to become convinced that the resurrection of Jesus really happened, and that the resurrection is the best, most reasonable explanation for the empty tomb. It took a few months, but I became convinced.

Some things, however, you can’t research. Once I became convinced that the Catholic Church is the Church founded by Jesus who is both God and man, I could rely on the Church with faith to lead me into all truth. Then I was ready to join. I came into the Church in 2012.

How are things today?

I’m very much a Catholic today. I teach at the parish, I’m on the parish council and I lead a contemplative prayer group. I still have a lot of family who are Mormon, and they weren’t exactly happy when I told them I was going to be baptized and become Roman Catholic, but we are at peace and sometimes they even come to visit at the parish.

My wife and I have 6 children, and they’re scattered all over the continent. When we see them, I get to visit a lot of parishes, which is interesting. I really appreciate St. Mary’s in Longview, though. This is an excellent place to come and seek the truth. It certainly helped me.

I love the environment of Catholicism, where everyone is encouraged to fully understand the faith, and nothing is hidden. There are no secret doctrines. Everyone is encouraged to ask questions. As a teacher of Catholicism, I love it when people ask questions. It’s so different from where I was.

What should a Catholic family do if approached by Mormon missionaries?

Be prepared. Mainly, a Catholic needs to know their own faith, and know it well. You have to know the Catechism. If you don’t know what you believe and why, you can be led off into some fantasy.

A Catholic should study his or her faith. What the Catholic Church teaches is built upon a solid foundation that will stand up to any scrutiny. The Bible versions we use in the Church are based upon solid scholarship and translation and study. Catholic doctrines are the same as they have been since the Church was founded. You can read the early Church fathers writing in the second and third centuries, and they are obviously Catholic.

What the Mormons believe is that the Church disappeared from the earth after the death of the Apostles and was absent until 1820 when it was re-formed by Joseph Smith. Actual history shows that this is not the case. Catholics should know their own history.

Be aware that Mormon missionaries don’t tell people the entire truth up front. They are promoting a religion with ideas like men becoming gods and creating their own universes, Jesus and Satan as brothers, and polygamy as an ideal, but they don’t tell anyone those details up front. Instead, they focus on Jesus and the Bible and family, and it all sounds very attractive.

Also, it’s important to realize that Mormonism asks a convert to sacrifice. If you drink, or you smoke, or you live immorally, you have to give that up. You are required to tithe. You are required to volunteer in the church. All of these things can and do improve a person.

If someone tries Mormonism, they will see these things working on themselves, and many people feel this self-improvement and decide that Mormonism is true.

In the end, Mormonism is mostly about feelings. When a Mormon missionary presents the Book of Mormon to a potential convert, he doesn’t ask that they research it, or compare it to history, or compare its theology to the Bible and scrutinize it. No, instead, the missionary asks that you read it and see how it makes you feel. It’s a religious faith built, not upon the truth, but upon human emotions.

So, any final thoughts on your journey?

Seek the truth. Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” If you seek truth, you are seeking Jesus. I never thought I would end up as a Catholic, but I got here by searching for the truth. Christ is my rock and my foundation, and I am here, in His one, true Church.q Gary McWilliams is a parishoner and catechist at St. Mary’s Church in Longview. If you are struggling with problems relating to Mormonism, you can contact Gary at gwmcw56@yahoo.com

Donate your CAR Your vehicle can make a real difference for people in need.

Your donation is tax-deductible. We accept cars, SUVs, trucks, and vans.

Free pickup of your vehicle is available, whether it is running or not.

Call 1-888-322-8284. Proceeds benefit the needy throughout Northeast Texas.

17

by Father Denzil Vithanage

The Heart of Catholicism 33 years ago, the Sri Lankan civil war taught me the realities of paganism, and the truth of Christianity.

I was born in a town just north of Columbo, Sri Lanka, in 1963.

I was raised as a Catholic, but the family on my mother’s side were converts from Buddhism. My father’s side, farther back in history, also came from Buddhism originally. I had many cousins and relatives who were practicing Buddhists, and it was definitely a Buddhist environment I was raised in.

My attraction to Buddhism I remember going to Buddhist temples with my relatives as a boy, and within me I felt a cultural connection to Buddhism. I attended Catholics schools, but we were not encouraged to ask questions or to really understand the Catholic teachings, only to memorize them.

In college, I studied Buddhism in depth, and I was attracted to

18

the philosophy. I was friends with a Buddhist monk, and I identified as Buddhist for a time. I even declared to my parents that I was no longer a Catholic, but was Buddhist.

I was attracted to Buddhism partly because I was experiencing the human condition and suffering for myself. Buddhism was founded, according to its tradition, by a young man who saw suffering in the world for the first time and sought a solution, and I think this mirrors the experience of every person. Everyone becomes aware of suffering and death and has to come to terms with it.

I think, however, the strongest attraction Buddhism held for me was the style of worship. Where I grew up, Catholicism is noisy!

In my hometown, anything going on in the Church, Mass or anything, was broadcast outside on loudspeakers. It was loud inside the Church and outside. The Buddhists make noise too, with chanting, but they also had long periods of silence which the Catholics didn’t

have. I was raised in a crowded, noisy environment, and I was looking for some peace from it. I found my first experience of religious peace and quiet at the Buddhist temple. At the time, I knew nothing of the Catholic contemplative or monastic traditions. If I had, would things have gone differently? Perhaps.

So, while I was at university, I became deeply involved in Buddhism and its culture. It is very attractive to a young person. I think that people who live in the West, in Europe and the United States, tend to think of Buddhism in terms of peace and harmony, but this is not what I found. In Sri Lanka, there is extreme poverty and vast inequality. Buddhism, in this environment, can breed violent radicalism. Its extreme reliance on the self tends to manifest in opinions that anything is justified to end suffering.

What is Buddhism?

Living amongst Hinduism In Sri Lanka, there is an ethnic group called the Tamils, and although not all Tamils are Hindu, nearly every Hindu there is a Tamil. I lived around the Tamil people in my youth, and I studied their religion at the university as well. Because the Tamils are ethnically separated from the rest of Sri Lankans and form a religious minority, there is a lot of tension between the Tamils and the rest of the population.

What I found among the Hindu Tamils in Sri Lanka was a habit of concentrating on a particular god which represented what the people desired. There were many incidents of terrorism in Sri Lanka, and I began to see this connected with the worship of Ganesh.

Ganesh, an elephant-headed Hindu deity, is called the “remover of obstacles,” but this devolved down, in my culture, to removing the people one found to be obstacles, such as by terrorist attack. Ganesh was functioning as a god of war.

Civil War

In July of 1983, I was 20 years old. I was about to graduate from college with degrees in physics and chemistry, and I was teaching at a high school when civil war erupted. Tamil militants went to war against the government, killing 15 soldiers in the north of Sri Lanka.

When the news reached Colombo, where I was, the people began to attack the Tamils. I saw violence, killing and looting. Within hours, the entire country was placed under martial law.

I was always interested in social work, and I had been a Red Cross volunteer for some time. When the war came, I went to the refugee camp to work. I was immediately struck by the sheer number of Catholic priests and nuns who came to help people in the camps.

I waited for the Buddhist monks I was so enamored with to come, but none came. Where were the Buddhists? I found them, inciting violence!

I thought to myself, what is happening? Why are the Buddhists, who normally preach a peaceful detachment from the world, involved in this war? Why are my neighbors, who are staunch Buddhists, attacking the Tamils? I understood how the Tamils, worshipping warlike gods, could turn to violence and terrorism, but I was profoundly disappointed in the Buddhists.

What I discovered on that day was a dark side of Buddhism and its unyielding teaching about the self. Because it does not have recourse to a personal God, it looks inward to find the solution to all problems. What resulted in Sri Lanka was an ugly ethnic conflict between two sides holding dangerous philosophies. One side believed it had divine help from a deity who would remove people who were obstacles to freedom, by whatever means necessary. The other side

Father Denzil explains: Buddhism is not really a religion, Buddhism is a philosophy. It was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in India about 2,500 years ago. Siddhartha was a royal child, and astrologers told his father that the boy must not be exposed to suffering in his life. Dutifully, his father restricted him to the palace grounds and he was sheltered from the realities of life.

At the age of 18, already a husband and father, Siddhartha rebelled and escaped the palace. When he was outside, the first thing he saw was old age, and realized that he himself would grow old. Next, he saw the poor, and realized the existence of poverty. Thirdly, he saw a corpse and realized that death existed and that he would someday die. Last, he saw a mendicant, a monk who lived by begging, and saw that he was peaceful.

Siddhartha wondered how this mendicant could be at peace while so much suffering existed in the world, and how suffering could be overcome. He began to search for this peace and began a journey of meditation. He determined that detachment from the world and from desire was the key to overcoming suffering. Only by detaching one’s self from the world, and ceasing to desire anything, can one overcome suffering. He overcame desire and became Buddha, or “enlightened one.”

This is the Jataka, or story of the Buddha. There are many other stories of him, even in his previous lives as he is reincarnated, and in my native culture of Sri Lanka, Buddhist people fervently believe them. The teachings of the Buddha are not theological, and Buddhism makes no strong statements about a god or gods.

At its core, Buddhism places everything in the individual. You must overcome suffering and you do it by detachment. God is not part of human life, and is no help. There is nothing like grace in Buddhism.

19

What is Hinduism?

Father Denzil explains: Hinduism is a term applied to a variety of religious expressions which originated in India. Because Hinduism is related to earlier Indian religions, it’s impossible to say exactly when it began. One of the Hindu texts, the Rigveda, is approximately 3,500 years old.

Hinduism is a religion with no structure of authority. There is no leader, no set of doctrines, and no method to judge correct or incorrect Hinduism. Hindus are dedicated to some principles held in common by virtually all Hindus, but they worship a variety of gods who are understood in various ways as individual deities or differing expressions or manifestations of a single deity or central group of deities. Depending on how one understands the definition of a ‘god’ in Hinduism, and which branch of Hinduism one is describing, there may be millions of gods. Hinduism teaches a cyclical cosmology in which the universe begins and ends again and again.

The form of Hinduism I lived in proximity to in Sri Lanka is a truly polytheistic religion in which some people will even worship a local or tribal deity not known in the rest of Hinduism. In this way, I got to see a type of polytheism (belief in many gods) which has faded from the Earth in most places.

Polytheism of any type usually has gods that interact with each other, and there are often stories of gods being born, having sexual relations, fighting, dying, cooperating or conspiring against each other. The actions of the gods described in polytheistic religions are often quite human.

It’s important to note what a revolution in human thought and culture it was when God revealed Himself to Abraham as One. As God’s revelation to His people unfolded through history, the people of God came to understand a central truth – Because God is all-powerful, there is nothing and no one that can thwart His will and plan. The world has moved, due to Christian evangelism, from being largely polytheist to being monotheist, believing only in the One God. We can see that this is very reasonable. The all-powerful God who created everything has no peers.

believed that any change in the world had to come from within the self, and the self can be very selfish.

Into this mess of human sin came the Catholics. Not relying on themselves, but relying upon God for guidance and help. Not denying suffering, but seeking to help those in need. Not worshiping a warlike God who offered to remove people, but worshipping a God who died for all human beings.

The nuns working at the camp with me were nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Theresa’s order. I was so impressed with their kindness and compassion to everyone. I was in a severe crisis.

Where was all of the high-minded Buddhism I had studied in college? Was I just a fool who had ignored everything my parents had taught me all those years, when it was true? I used to call people like these “Holy Rollers” and made fun of them, but I realized then that all of the messages that shouted from the loudspeakers on the Catholic churches, the ones that hurt my ears, they were messages of love, of compassion, of respect for others, and of self-sacrifice and non-violence. I was profoundly ashamed and confused.

Return to Jesus, and a fateful cup of tea I left my work in a terrible state, and knew I needed to talk to a priest. It had been maybe 13 or 14 years since my last confession. I stumbled into St. Philip Neri Church in Colombo, not really knowing what I was doing…and it was quiet. I couldn’t believe it. It was beautiful inside, and there were no loudspeakers. It was a different Catholic environment than I had ever known.

I went to confession with an Australian priest there, and after my long confession of 45 minutes or so, he asked me through the screen, “Do you want to have a cup of tea with me?” I agreed. We talked for a long time, and at the end of our conversation he asked me if I might be interested in becoming a priest. I was aware now of a deep emptiness in my life, and so I didn’t immediately say no.

Over the next 10 years of my life, I discovered everything I had been missing. I discovered the Catholic contemplative tradition and the holy silence of Eucharistic Adoration with the priests of the Order of the Most Blessed Sacrament. I attended seminary studies in Sri Lanka, India and Rome, and came to understand and love all of the Catholic truths I had abandoned as a teenager. I was ordained a priest in 1993.

Around the World The Blessed Sacrament Fathers are a missionary order of priests, and so when Bishop Carmody came to ask us to come to East Texas, I was sent for a three year term. I incardinated into the Diocese of Tyler, and I have been privileged to minister here for 17 years now.

Currently, I am assigned to St. Mary’s Catholic student center at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches. I love working with the students, and I hope to use my experiences to help them to grow in understanding of the truth of the Catholic faith.

It took a war to show me what Catholicism is really about. The witness of selfless Catholic priests and nuns continues to evangelize the world. When Catholics go out to help the needy, no matter their race or politics or religion, they show the love of Christ to the world in a way that is unmistakable and undeniable. It certainly worked on me. q Father Denzil Vithanage is chaplain of St. Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.

6009 S BROADWAY AVE, TYLER

|

903.581.5530

|

SUSANROBINSONJEWELRY.COM

21

St. Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry needs your help

by Michael Molina 80% of those who leave the Catholic faith do so between the ages of 18 and 23.

St. Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry is bucking this trend. There are currently five men from St.Mary’s in seminary, studying for the priesthood. There are also 700-800 students that we reach on an annual basis throught the liturgy, with an average Sun-

22

day Mass attendance of 260-280, and daily Mass attendace of 30-50, most of these being SFA students. There are approximately 150 students actively involved in the ministry. Of those who are actively involved, we have 23 Knights of Columbus, over 50 Kappas (a Catholic sorority), 110 leading and/ or involved in Bible studies, and over 30 in

formal discipleship. We also have many students in weekly spiritual direction, 10 going on mission trips in the spring, 45 active in liturgical ministries, and 11 currently in the weekly RCIA program. We are now at the start of the Spring 2016 semester, so we expect these numbers to grow.

St. Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry is a ministry of the Diocese of Tyler serving Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) in Nacogdoches, Texas. The Ministry’s mission is to seek truth and build community through love, prayer and discipleship, and its community consists of students, faculty, staff and others who together proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in this campus setting. St. Mary’s is located on College Street, directly across from SFA. Founded in 1959 as the Newman Center in the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, St. Mary’s was transferred to the Diocese of Beaumont in 1966. In 1987 the jurisdictional control was transferred to the new Diocese of Tyler.

The ministry now has a pastor, a leadership team, diocesan support, and a group of staff and volunteers who are committed to ensuring that Catholic students are not orphaned when they come to SFA. St. Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry is not a parish, and therefore relies on the generous support of donors to meet the operational needs of the ministry that incude retreats, programs, training, education, liturgy, and more. One of the main needs of the

The proposed new student center for St Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry at Stephen F. Austin State University. ministry is a new Catholic Student Center building. Currently, there is an old house and attached steel structure that make up the center for the students, and a new structure for the SFA students is long overdue.

We hope you will prayerfully consider supporting St. Mary’s Catholic Campus Ministry, as a ministry of the Diocese of Tyler, to build a new Catholic Student Center that will meet the needs of the SFA students for many years to come. With your prayers and support, we will be even more effective in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, forming life-long disciples, and building the kingdom of God with priests, religious, and Catholics that will be leaders in the Church for many years to come. Thank you!q

For more information, please visit sfacatholic.net/new-student-center, or contact Michael Molina at 936.564.0661 or mmolina@sfacatholic.net

“My name is Nick Nappier, and I am in my first year of seminary at Holy Trinity Seminary.

Before coming to seminary, I studied music education at Stephen F. Austin. St. Mary’s helped in my discernment by providing a Catholic environment for me to learn about living my faith. St. Mary’s provided me the support I needed to be courageous in my faith.

Without the Campus Ministry, I would not have been able to discern so well.”

23

Faith “I believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe” - St Augstine of Hippo

Deacon Shaun Black, PhD We met up with two of our local Catholic scientists to discuss faith, reason, science and the Church. Deacon Shaun Black holds a PhD in Biochemistry and is a senior lecturer at the University of Texas at Tyler. He is also ordained to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Tyler. Dr. Jason Smee, PhD, is an associate professor of chemistry, also at UT-Tyler. Both are lifelong Catholics who have dedicated their careers to teaching science at the university level.

What is the proper relationship of Faith and Reason?

Deacon Black: As Saint John Paul II said in Fides et Ratio, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth-in a word, to know himself-so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” There are things we can know by reason (thinking, the use of the mind, the disciplines of science and philosophy), and then there are things we can only know by revelation from God, which we believe by faith. These things can never truly be in conflict.

Something true arrived at by the use of reason is really true, just as something delivered to us by authentic revelation is true.

What is the relationship of Catholicism and Science?

Doctor Smee: Catholicism is always pro-truth. The Church is, therefore, proscience, inasmuch as science is a search for truth. Catholicism is really “both, and” not “either, or” when it comes to matters of faith and reason. Science is concerned with finding truth, philosophy is concerned with finding truth, and Catholicism is also concerned with truth, and the truth can never contradict the truth.

24

So, why do so many people see religion in conflict with science?

Doctor Smee: Because of bad religion or bad science! If we know that the truth can never contradict the truth, then any apparent contradiction just means either you have an incorrect understanding of a religious idea or an incorrect understanding of a scientific one.

Saint Augustine, way back in 400 A.D., understood this concept really well. He wrote about the relationship of theology and science, the use of scripture in determining scientific fact, and more topics in the area. His ideas about recognizing the nature of scripture and not making contradictions where none need exist sound modern and are taught in the Church today. As a Church we have never been “anti-science,” going all the way back to Augustine and before.

We can see a lot of Christian groups in the world today which are anti-science, and seek to create a conflict using scripture. The Catholic Church, however, keeps teaching that truth is true no matter where you find it.

Deacon Black: There’s no conflict between Catholicism and science, so long as we are humble. Great scientists are humble, and through humility they seek truth and find it. Catholics, also, are to be humble and allow themselves to be taught by God, who is the author of all things.

So, a person can be both a Catholic and a scientist because the virtues necessary for both are the same.

These “conflicts” between science and religion, you don’t find them in the writings of the Popes. Instead, you find a profound respect for truth. Pope Pius XII wrote Humani Generis, his encyclical about the origin of humanity, in 1950. He was dealing with the fact that many people were using human evolution as a pretense for athe-

&

Faith and science: “Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.”

& Reason -Catechism of the Catholic Church, 159

ism or bad theology, and what do we see? A refutation of science?

Not at all. We see a document that calls for good science, and good theology, and for science and theology to work together (the two wings, again) to discover the truth of the origins of humanity. That sort of embrace of truth, that’s the Catholic way.

which this universe operates. You can’t use that same science to investigate that which is outside of the universe. As a scientist, I have

What would you say to someone who says “we don’t need God to explain the universe anymore because we now have a scientific understanding”?

Astronomer and physicist, University of Leuven in Belgium. Father LaMaitre first discovered the expansion of the universe and formulated the idea of the “Big Bang” in 1927. At the time, the accepted science assumed the universe was eternal, had always existed and needed to no explanation for its existence. Father Lamaitre’s idea was rejected by many of his contemporaries as being religion masquerading as science. Eventually, all obserrvations confirmed his work and the Big Bang is accepted cosmology today. Far from being an atheistic idea, the Big Bang demands the existence of a creator who caused existence itself in the beginning. Father Lamaitre was friends with Albert Einstein and has a lunar crater, an asteroid, and a spacecraft named for him.

Deacon Black: Having a “scientific understanding” of something is not about pushing your desired explanation of events onto it. No, undertaking a scientific investigation of something is all about humility. We let nature tell us the truth, and we are humble servants, reporting as accurately as possible what nature has divulged. To say, without any sort of scientifically collected data, without any scientific process, that we know the absolute truth about things that happened before there was any possibility to observe, that’s not “being scientific.”

Doctor Smee: I disgaree that we don’t need God to explain the universe. You can turn that statement around and understand it as “We need God, in order to be able to explain the universe.” It’s more subtle than “Who made everything?” It’s a question of “If everything is undirected and random, then why do we have faith in the ability of our minds (which would then be products of this undirected randomness) to recognize truth, or in the science we do to rightly explain anything?” I would say that only a created mind with a share of God’s divine reason can have any hope of understanding the universe. We do science, at all, because we have faith in our human minds.

Further, science studies the universe, according to the laws by

Famous Catholic Scientists

Father Georges Lamaitre

25

Dr. Jason Smee, PhD. Professor of Chemistry University of Texas at Tyler

Dr. Jason Smee in his lab.

Famous Catholic Scientists

Dr. Joseph Murray

Performed the first successful human organ transplant in 1954, awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1990.

“One truth is revealed truth, the other is scientific truth. If you really believe that creation is good, there can be no harm in studying science. The more we learn about creation — the way it emerged — it just adds to the glory of God.” 26

a responsibility to recognize what tools I have at my disposal and know what those tools are useful for. If I try to use my tools to answer questions that are impossible for them, I’m going to get bad results.

I think that many disciplines of science are there, now. They’re attempting to use otherwise good and reliable tools to examine things that are beyond their scope.

For example, I see right now a lot of scientists in the popular media who are making pronouncements about what is “settled science” and what isn’t. Particularly, I see this when the issues of the origin of the universe and the origin of life are being discussed. I am always skeptical, as a scientist, of things which are pronounced to be “determined” and “settled” which no scientist was really able to observe. Scientists are supposed to be conservative and skeptical and careful. I see a lot of “science” today which is none of these things.

What has your career as a scientist taught you about God? Doctor Smee: I like the verse from Wisdom chapter 13 that talks about studying the works to know the artisan who made them. Because I am a Catholic, I know that when I study chemistry, my field, I am in a way, studying God. If I seek to know the maker by his works, than I can tell you that He is magnificent and orderly. Of course, by revela-

tion we can know that God possesses all the perfections, but through chemistry I can tell you that the divine personal being who is responsible for this universe is orderly to a tremendous degree. There are things we can know by reason alone, but I couldn’t tell you that God is a Trinity through chemistry. That is the sort of thing we know by revelation. I can, however, tell you a lot about Him from science: He is not random, and nothing He makes is meaningless and random.

This is why Catholicism and Catholic culture is the seedbed from which the scientific revolution sprang. If we lived in an unpredictable universe, then I could mix two chemicals today and get a result, and tomorrow mix the same two chemicals and get something different. That’s a magical universe. That’s the universe of primitive religion, where there aren’t any laws of nature, only the whims of the gods. The universe I deal with is not magical. The universe I deal with is orderly and predictable and functions according to rules. This is the universe that Catholic philosophers described long before the “age of modern science.”

It is this Catholic conception of God that is important. The chemicals mix in knowable ratios to produce the same products every time because God has created a universe that runs according to laws. For this reason the universe is knowable. If you believe in magic and tricky pagan gods, you won’t expect there to be any order or laws to the universe, and so you won’t do science and look for them. This is where humanity was for a long time. If, on the other hand, you are an atheist, then you have to ask “Where did these laws come from?

Why these laws and not others? Why do these laws seem to be perfectly constituted so as to bring about life and the kind of intelligent beings that can do science?”

After a while, you realize that science sort of had to come from Catholicism. If you can’t trust God, either because you don’t believe He is trustworthy or because you don’t believe in Him, at all then I think you have a hard time having faith in truth itself.

Famous Catholic Scientists

Father Gregor Mendel

Augustinian Friar, founder of the science of genetics. Gregor Mendel conducted experiments in plant heredity pointing to the existence of genes that controlled the traits of living things. His 8-year study of over 30,000 pea plants allowed him to formulate the laws of genetic inheritance. Published in 1866, his work is the foundation of all modern genetic knowledge. He also studied meteorology, became the Abbot of his monastery, studied astronomy, and was an expert bee-keeper.

Famous Catholic Scientists

Stephen M. Barr, PhD. Professor of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware. Stephen Barr works in particle physics and cosmology attempting to define a Grand Unified Theory of physics. He is the author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith, and is a frequent lecturer and speaker on the unity of faith and reason.

He was awarded the Benemerenti medal in 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI for service to the Catholic faith.

Deacon Black: Among my students and in the world today, I see not only a contempt for faith, but a contempt also for reason, and for truth itself. This is dangerous to both science and religion. When people lose faith in God, and disbelieve in Him, they may think they are becoming more “scientific,” but ultimately they find there is no reason to believe in anything, even the power of the human mind to use science to find truth.

Saint John Paul II wrote a beautiful encyclical letter in 1998 called Fides et Ratio (Faith and Reason), and while he did talk some about defending faith in the modern world, he talked even more about defending reason. What he saw as Pope was that people aren’t just doubting the Bible or doubting the teachings of the Church, they are doubting the existence of truth and the ability of humans to find it. “This is why many people stumble through life to the very edge of the abyss without knowing where they are going.” – John Paul II, Fides et Ratio.

Faith and reason come together in a life that truly follows God. We can use our reason to find truth, and that search points us to faith in God. We can know by reason that any other use of the human heart brings ruin. We can observe that people who seek their fulfillment in idolatries of various sorts - money, power, sex, drugs or what have you - they are never happy, never satisfied. The fruit of a life without God is bitter indeed.

On the contrary, those who give up everything to follow God, they are always happy. They form a proof of God’s action in and on the human heart. It’s consistent. It’s observable. That’s what scientific reasoning starts with: observation of consistent cause and effect.

My family is in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles where I grew up, so I was in contact with non-believers from a young age. I was always able to see the effects of a purely earthly lifestyle and belief. I was never attracted to it, and in my life it has always been confirmed to me that mankind is made for only one thing - for God. No matter how long you observe the world and all the various 27

Famous Catholic Scientists

Edmund Taylor Whittaker Mathematician and Royal Astronomer of Ireland.

Whittaker was a professor of mathematics and physics first at Trinity College Dublin and then at the University of Edinburgh. In 1930, Whittaker converted to Roman Catholicism and became a member of the Pontifical Academy of Science.

He did pioneering work in the mathematics of gravitation and received Britain’s highest scientific awards.

expressions of human life you find, you will never see this contradicted.

As I grew up, I began to realize that I had been immeasurably gifted to be baptized in the Church and brought up in the faith to know from a young age what so many people never discover or discover so late and after so many regrets. This knowledge of God’s gifts to us should create in us compassion for people searching the world for happiness and fulfillment and never finding it. They are treading water in a vast ocean, surrounded by sharks. They need help. I try to live my life by throwing life preservers to people, and this is part of my call to the diaconate.

What would you say to someone who is considering leaving the Catholic faith and becoming an atheist because of “science”?

Doctor Smee: Well, I’m an actual scientist, and I think that’s silly. I would say that if a person wants to know what science can do, and what it can’t, they should study it. Science is a set of tools, very good ones, that work well when applied to the right things. Applied to the wrong things, they don’t work well, or at all. For instance, I am a chem-

ist, and I am also a Catholic who believes in transubstantiation, the change of the Eucharist into the body and blood of Christ. I know that this is not a chemical change. I know that none of my scientific tools could establish the truth or falsehood of that, because it is a sacramental reality, not a chemical one. It would be really silly of me to do an analysis of the material in the chalice if the Church has already assured me the change is not chemical.

Science can tell us about matter, but science can’t tell us anything about the supernatural. If you see anyone trying to use science in that way, they’re doing it wrong.

Deacon Black: All of us want to be happy. My message would be to seek real happiness that comes from wisdom. I love science because it is the search for truth. It’s a great human adventure, and to find truth we need to be wise. The Bible actually lays this out for scientists and for all of us, in the Wisdom books: Happy the man who meditates on wisdom and reasons intelligently, who reflects in his heart on her ways and ponders her secrets. He pursues her like a hunter and lies in wait on her paths. He peers through her windows and listens at her doors. (Sirach 14:20-27) The Bible and the Church have always taught us the ways of using our human minds most effectively. This pursuit of the truth is not some bombastic argument like we hear from atheist spokesmen.

To pursue the truth like a hunter, one must reason intelligently, and that requires humility.

I would encourage anyone considering these questions to read the great encyclical letter by Saint John Paul II, Fides et Ratio. It doesn’t take long, but it could change your perspective on how a human being finds the truth.

For me, personally, I like the image of the servant. Both parts of my life involve service. As a deacon, I’m a servant at the altar and of the people, and so of Christ. In my career as a scientist, I am a servant of the truth, and we know that Jesus called Himself the truth. Ultimately, to serve Christ will bring us into all truth, and that’s wonderful.

Life in fact can never be grounded upon doubt, uncertainty or deceit; such an existence would be threatened constantly by fear and anxiety. One may define the human being, therefore, as the one who seeks the truth. – Fides et Ratio, Saint John Paul II.q

Famous Catholic Scientists

So many more...

Louis Pasteur, the father of microbiology.

Henri Becquerel, Nobel Laureate who discovered radioactivity.

George de Hevesy, radiochemist and Nobel laureate.

Prices starting at $2,499 ~ with Airfare Included in this price

Hippolyte Fizeau, first measured the speed of light.

Several trips to different destinations: the Holy Land; Italy; France, Portugal, & Spain; Poland; Medjugorje, Lourdes, & Fatima; Ireland & Scotland; England; Austria, Germany, & Switzerland; Greece & Turkey; Viking Cruises; Caribbean Cruises; Budapest; Prague; Our Lady of Guadalupe; Colombia; Brazil; Argentina; Domestic Destinations; etc...

Father Eugenio Barsanti, invented the internal combustion engine.

from anywhere in the USA

We also specialize in custom trips for Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.

www.proximotravel.com Hablamos Español anthony@proximotravel.com

28

Call us 24/7

508-340-9370 | 855-842-8001 Carmela Manago Executive Director

And hundreds of others...

Pillars of the Community Feliciano Financial Group Proudly Supports

Adam N. Todd

ministries

Upcoming talk

Adam and his wife Jodi coordinate the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception’s Marriage Preparation Program which involves meeting with engaged couples on topics including Finances, Communication, Families of Origin and the Sacrament of Marriage.

THRIVE Catholic Young Adult Conference (Dallas Diocese) – A “Plan” for All Seasons: Catholic Financial Planning

Recently asked to be a member of the Board of the St. John Paul the Great Catholic Campus Ministry which serves the students of UT Tyler and TJC.

previoUs engagements • Covenant of Love Date Night Having A “Rich” Marriage: Catholic Perspective on Marriage & Money adam n. todd Vice President of Financial Services Investment Advisor Representative Feliciano Financial Group (O) 903.533.8585 Adam@FelicianoFinancial.com

• Theology On Tap – Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread: A Catholic Perspective On Financial Planning • Tyler Area Senior Citizens Association – Strategies for Charitable Giving

Financial Planning ◆ Tax Planning ◆ ReTiRemenT Planning HealTH insuRance ◆ lTc/cRisis managemenT ◆ liFe insuRance ◆ Risk managmenT 1828 ESE Loop 323, Suite 200 Tyler, TX 75701

Securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through a representative of Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, and Registered Investment Advisor. Fixed and traditional insurance offered through Feliciano Financial Group, which is not affiliated with Woodbury Financial Services, Inc. Feliciano Financial Group and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc. are not affiliated entities. Feliciano Financial Group, 1828 ESE Loop 323, Suite 200 Tyler, TX 75701 (903)533-8585. Jose Feliciano is not a government employee, Feliciano Financial Group is not a government entity, nor are they affiliated with any government entity.

29

I was A

PAGAN Professor Stephen Graves reasoned his way into Norse Paganism, and then reasoned his way back out.

In a unique story of conversion, he explains how the problem of an uncaused first cause led him to primitive religion, and finally into the Catholic Church.

30

I was raised without any Christianity, really. My family were non-practicing Methodists. I was baptized. I knew about the Christmas story, and that was it. I had no other knowledge of Christianity, and never practiced it in any way.

In college, I realized a simple but profound truth - God exists. I found it obvious that God exists. There’s not one particular thing that you can point to and say “Here, here is the evidence of God!” The universe isn’t made that way. No, rather it’s a matter of how you interpret the existence and majesty and order of the universe. I became convinced that nature doesn’t explain its own existence and required something (or someone) outside of nature to explain it. Everything that exists needs something to cause it. I later became aware that this idea has been talked about since the time of the ancient Greeks and is proposed by St. Thomas Aquinas as a proof of the existence of God. So, without any knowledge of religion, I set out to find this God who had started the universe. I’ve always liked fantasy, and my family comes from a Northern European background, so I found Odin.

Odin is the most powerful god in the Norse pagan pantheon of gods. I think I was attracted by the heroism and honor of these warrior gods. In modern paganism, because it’s not a cultural religion, it’s all a personal choice; you can pick and choose what you want to do. It’s fun, too. You get to run around in the woods and have bonfires and cook meat and for a while it seems pretty great. Later, inevitably, people get involved in dark things, and that also happened in my experience of paganism.

Demonology was a part of the particular brand of paganism I was involved in, and that leads people into evil.

I knew people who were attempting to do magic, casting spells and summoning dark spirits. I was skeptical about it.

They would tell me that they had done some magic spell and caused some definite effect and I would challenge them to show me, and of course they never, ever could.

I did, however, see real effects of these

practices on the people who were involved in them. In every case, they were affected and became different people. The Bible, in many places, talks about the bad effects of evil religious practices on people, and I could see that this definitely happens. If you consort with demons, even if you don’t see or hear anything extraordinary, you are doing what you claim to be doing – inviting the enemies of God into your life. There’s no way to dabble in the occult without hurting yourself.

I find the Catholic view of the various religions in the world to match my experiences perfectly: There are some people in the world who are worshipping evil, and don’t know it; there are some people in the world who are worshipping God, and don’t know how to do it right.

I was becoming disenchanted with paganism. I learned about some different kinds of paganism, African gods and other cultural religions, but I began to see the one, primary problem with it all.

These kinds of paganism are polytheistic, meaning they believe in many gods, who all live in a society of gods. If I was convinced there was one original first cause of everything, why was I acting like there was more than one first cause?

In polytheistic paganism, there is no theology, only myth. The myths of the gods describe their lives and acts, as they fight and marry and learn and are deceived and interact with each other and with humanity. It doesn’t really matter which flavor of polytheism you are studying, you will find this same distinction between myth and theology. You can’t do theology about a god who is flawed, ignorant

31

of certain things, and whose will can be thwarted by another god.

What I began to see is that no god of paganism could ever be the uncaused first cause of everything. This being I was searching for had to be different in kind from the pagan deities. He had to be the source of all power, whereas I knew the pagan deities squabbled for power among themselves. He had to be omniscient, whereas the pagan gods fooled and were fooled by each other. I began to recognize that the difference between polytheism and monotheism (the belief in only one God) is not about numbers. It’s about the nature of God. Monotheism, the belief of Judaism and Christianity, teaches us that God is all-powerful and the source of everything, and has no peers. His will cannot be thwarted by anything. He creates the universe from nothing, and He is perfect and un-changing. This is a God who can be the uncaused first cause. I resolved to become a monotheist.

I was living with a Catholic roommate, but not going to Mass with him, when I met my future wife. I did start going to Mass with her. I went to Mass every Sunday and I listened intently, and I learned. I started talking to my roommate about Catholic doctrine, and I saw that Catholicism is the answer to the questions I had been asking. Catholicism welcomed the journey of reason I had been on.

Like anyone, I had objections and confusions during my investigation of Catholicism. I was able in each case to reason that I accepted the identity and authority of the Church, so I could accept, say, the moral teachings of the Church while knowing I had to learn more to understand them.

I became Catholic in 2005. Shortly after this, my new sister-inlaw, who had spent a lot of time discerning with the Sisters of Life in

T

his is the number patients call to conveniently schedule an appointment with one of over 335 distinguished Trinity Clinic providers throughout the region – twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Welcome to a new day in access to care. Welcome to Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics.

15-2778

tmfhc.org

New York, was able to spend time teaching me the details of these difficult teachings.

In every single case, she could show me the source and logic of the teaching in the Bible or the writings of the Early Church Fathers.

At this point, I can always be confident that if there’s an aspect to Catholicism I don’t understand, the answer is out there and it will make sense once I discover it.

My wife and I both have PhDs in mathematics and teach together at the University of Texas at Tyler. As a mathematician, my fundamental search is for truth. I have decided to spend my life looking for the truth, often obscure and difficult truth. I think the fundamental truth which human beings can know is that God is.

Mathematicians are pretty dry reasoners. We tend to be very skeptical, as a group.

Most of my colleagues are atheists, and I have many students who are atheists. They think you can’t both believe in God and in mathematics, which is logic and reason. They think faith is somehow contrary to reason. I say to them that the end result of reason and logic is knowing that God exists.

I always encourage all of them, everyone, to ask “Why?” That’s what brought me to Catholicism, questioning why the universe is the way it is, where it came from, and what sort of being stands behind it all. q Dr. Stephen Graves and his wife, Dr. Christy Graves, are associate professors of mathematics at the University of Texas at Tyler. They are parishoners at St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Flint. They have six children: Olivia (8yrs), Andrew (7 yrs), Juliet (5 yrs), Margaret (3.5 yrs), Katherine (2 yrs), and Henry (3 mo.).

www.thepines.org

summer camp grades 2-12

register today!

33

Nothing new und Or, how to argue like a

Catholic

It seems as if atheism is everywhere today…television pundits embrace it and atheist books sell millions of copies. About 25% of Americans born after 1980 practice no religion at all, and some pollsters claim atheism is the fastest growing religious group in the USA. There are thousands of articles, blogs, sites, books, and videos dedicated to “the New Atheism.” So, it’s the new, coming thing, right?

Well…no. There isn’t really anything new about atheism. Mankind has been debating the same arguments for and against the existence of God for thousands of years.

They go back to the ancient Greeks (at least) and have been re-examined many, many times. Ultimately, we as Catholics know that God doesn’t force Himself into anyone’s life, and so it’s no surprise to us that many people throughout history have rejected God’s very existence. God allows humanity this freedom.

We could say that arguments don’t convince anyone of anything. We could say that it does no good to try to convince anyone that God exists. If we said that, however, we would be turning our back on a long and rich Catholic tradition of arguing in favor of God’s existence. Three saints most famously argued for God’s existence at different points in Catholic history: Augustine, Anselm, and Thomas Aquinas. People have been having their minds opened to the possibility of God by the writings of these men for centuries.

That, then, is one thing that argument for God can do – it can open someone’s mind, if perhaps just a little.

So, what can we, as Catholics in the world, learn about arguing for God? Quite a lot as it turns out. The new book Answering Atheism by Trent Horn wants to teach you all about it.

Horn holds a master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University and is employed by Catholic Answers, the powerhouse Catholic publishing and broadcasting organization. He has written a wide-ranging book that attempts to deal with every single possible objection to and argument for God. You can find discussion within about everything from the expansion of the universe to morality to quantum physics. It’s really im-

34

pressive how much Horn has pulled together for this book. If it concerns an argument for or against God, it’s probably in there.

It’s an impressively accessible and readable volume, as well. Although there are a tremendous number of details (there are 66 pages of just endnotes, and they are all fascinating!) the thread of the arguments is carried out in easy question-and-answer format.

Also, and I think this is supremely important, the book is polite and compassionate.

At no point does the author ever convey any disrespect whatsoever for any of the atheist spokesmen he is arguing against.

In short, I can recommend Answering Atheism to any Catholic. The arguments and issues discussed within are new versions of old objections, but the answers given are solidly Catholic. The author does a remarkable job of making a tremendously big and complex subject readable by nearly anyone. It’s rather amazing that one can buy something like this for about $15.

If you like Answering Atheism, what’s next? Well, for a mere $5-10 you can get a

paperback copy of C.S. Lewis’ classic Mere Christianity. This is another book answering objections from atheism, but it goes on further to make the case for the Christian dogmas. Lewis, the very popular author of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was not Catholic, although as a High-Church Anglican he shared many Catholic sensibilities.

Many of his books, especially Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce are favorites of Catholics. He bases much of his writing on the work of Saints Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, and so his work has a very distinct Catholic flavor.

Mere Christianity was published in 1943, and so it doesn’t have the up-to-date discussions of scientific topics like Answering Atheism, but it is a perfect way to start reading and thinking about the basic topics of God and religion. Lewis was writing for Great Britain during the Second World War, at a time when misery and violence had convinced many people that God did not exist.

Although different forces are driving people to consider atheism today, Lewis’ arguments

der the sun

by Father Matthew Stehling

remain valid, just as they have been since ancient times.

If you’re not certain whether reading about the existence of God is your cup of tea, allow me to make a recommendation.

There is a wonderful YouTube video channel called “CS Lewis Doodle”. I have no idea who is behind it, but it’s a fascinating and creative way to illustrate Christian principles as expounded by CS Lewis. Watching these animations is a good introduction.

If you read Mere Christianity and Answering Atheism, what’s next? Well, since both of those books are based largely on the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, why not go straight to this saint and Doctor of the Church? Reading St. Thomas in his original volumes can be pretty dry, but thankfully several authors have attempted to make him more readable. An excellent example is Practical Theology: Spiritual Direction from St. Thomas Aquinas by Peter Kreeft. This is a good introduction to the writing of St. Thomas. This may seem like a big job, but you can do it. Kreeft is a professor of phi-

losophy who is good at presenting difficult concepts to the non-philosopher.

So, here are three good books of Catholic philosophy. If we want to be “always ready to give an answer” for our belief, as St. Peter advises us to be, reading these books will go a long way to preparing us for that.

I’d like to note especially that if you have young relatives and friends in high school or college, these books make excellent gifts for them. For the cost of one dinner out you can give a young Catholic books that will be useful to them in both their own journey of faith, and to help them talk to their friends who may be struggling with belief.

So, let’s learn to argue for God, like Catholics. That means that we understand the truth, we know how to explain it, and we do so with compassion. That’s basically the plan for evangelizing the world.q Father Matthew Stehling, STB, is the administrator of St. Leo the Great Parish in Centerville. He studied at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome and was ordained in 2014.

35

I went to seminary

By Father Justin Braun

to learn to THINK

by Father Justin Braun, Vocations Director

When I sauntered into St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, in the fall of 2001, I began the journey of seminary that would ultimately take 11 years and have me spend more time north of the Mason-Dixon Line than I would have ever expected.

With what little I knew about the Church, and with the support of great parents and parishioners, I was ready to take on the world and be the priest that every person wants: funny, but not too funny; joyful, but not fake; smart, but humble; kind, but firm, and so on. So imagine my surprise when I walked into my first philosophy course and the professor said to us: everything you believe is a lie! I remember that it hurt, at a deep level, because this man was saying that my formation heretofore was a joke. Yet his point was much more basic: how, he wanted us to wonder, do we know what is true?

phi·los·o·phy

noun the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence.

In the coming weeks, he would challenge us to learn the basics of logic and the art of rhetoric from the ancient Greco-Roman heritage that would include my best friends in the coming years: Plato, Aristotle, Dionysius, the Stoics, and so many others whose classical prose and dialogue showed me the way to understanding and discovering truth. These ancient authors, philosophers in the true sense of the word, had an insatiable thirst to understand what I now see as 36

two very primary points of seminary philosophical formation: one, they wanted to understand the meaning of life, and this was to be discovered through the use of reason, as opposed to relying on passions and trends; two, this search for truth ultimately led these men to acknowledge something beyond themselves that gives purpose and meaning to the life man experiences.

A crucial stage of intellectual formation is the study of philosophy, which leads to a deeper understanding and interpretation of the person, and of the person’s freedom and relationships with the world and with God. -Pastores Dabo Vobis (I will give them Shepherds) Saint John Paul II, 1992 We then went on to the modern philosophers, and learned their ideas. These are the men who have lured thousands of people away from the faith over the last 3 centuries, men like Nietzsche and Sartre. We became intimately familiar with the thought of atheists and agnostics, deists and skeptics. Now you may be thinking, did this make you an atheist, Father? No! By this point I was well equipped.

I had learned how to think at the feet of the ancients. Philosophical formation teaches every seminarian to think, and forces him to think about the fundamental questions of life, existence, and God. While the endeavor of seminary formation is not to make a man an

Philosophy is not only important when you study theology, but essential. Today’s society looks at faith and reason and says that there can be nothing further apart from each other. Not only do I disagree with that, but the Church does as well. Our catechism beautifully expresses the indivisibility of faith and reason: “It is intrinsic to faith that a believer desire to know better the One in whom he has put his faith, and to understand better what He has revealed.”

Faith and reason cannot be separated. Our desire to seek the truth of the One in Whose image we are made is fundamental to our faith. Many people in our world have taken truth and skewed it to fit their own worldly desires. In our philosophical formation, we have studied numerous early and modern philosophers who were trying to understand truth, but unfortunately made grave errors in their thinking. Their understanding has helped shape modern society’s twisted morals and self-centeredness.

This is why the study of philosophy is critical in seminary formation. As future priests, we are not called to go with the swift current of modernism, but to be counter-cultural. We are not called to adhere to the relativistic truth of today, but to focus our minds on the eternal truth which is God Himself.

Michael Ledesma Seminarian at Holy Trinity Seminary for the Diocese of Tyler

atheist, it is safe to say that the seminarian is pressed to the limits of reason by the great thinkers, from antiquity to modern times, and to assess from this formation the fundamental truths that the Church constantly proposes to the world.

One must not underestimate the importance of philosophy as a guarantee of that “certainty of truth” which is the only firm basis for a total giving of oneself to Jesus and to the Church.

-Pastores Dabo Vobis What a candidate for the priesthood takes away from this is two-fold. First, he takes away a faith which has been tested in fire. By the time he completes formation, he has heard it all from all of the great philosophers of human history. He has been forced to form an answer to all of the objections the world raises against belief. Second, he understands how his neighbors, formed in one or another of these flawed systems, see the world. He can talk to people who come to the Church from any background, and any school of thought. In formation, the candidate learns how to articulate the Church’s message to people who have no thought of God, or are angry at God, or who disbelieve in God. He can truly say “I understand.”

What our beloved Holy Father recognizes is something that will always remain necessary for us involved in forming our new priests: if the man does not know that which is real, he’ll never be able to convey the tremendous beauty of this beautiful faith that is

ever ancient, ever new.

A proper philosophical training is vital, not only because of the links between the great philosophical questions and the mysteries of salvation which are studied in theology under the guidance of the higher light of faith, but also vis - a - vis an extremely widespread cultural situation which emphasizes subjectivism as a criterion and measure of truth.

-Pastores Dabo Vobis Seminary is a wonderful time in the priestly candidate’s life, and along with many blessings come numerous challenges, including the testing of his intellectual abilities to reason through the big questions in life. The end result of this is something altogether practical: the man you call Father is not just going to answer your questions with his own opinions, but with the wealth of 3,000 years of intellectual reasoning, his unique human experience of God’s love, and the wisdom of the Church. When you engage your priest in a conversation next time, whether it is about the leaking faucet in the bathroom or the Church’s teaching on Transubstantiation, remember you are talking with a man whose intellectual life took him to the ends of human reason, and he returned back to the one place where his faith and reason could actually be at peace: the Catholic Church. q 37

In an increasingly complex world, as technology gallops forward and both brings people closer together and further isolates them, the human understanding of and commitment to the sanctity of life seem to grow ever more tenuous.

In an effort to strengthen that understanding and deepen that commitment, Bishop Joseph E. Strickland has reorganized the former diocesan Respect Life Office into the new Sanctity of Life Office, with Father Gavin Vaverek, pastor of St. Patrick Church in Lufkin and diocesan Promoter of Justice, as director. Bishop Strickland wants to bring together various ministries and apostolates in the diocese into “a mosaic” in which all the pieces work together to witness to the sanctity of life.

RE-

Organization

For Life

Father Gavin Vaverek Father vaverek is the 2016 recipient of the “outstanding pro-life person of the year” award presented by right to life of east texas.

38

by susan de matteo “We’re pulling together many ministries and apostolates that classically seem to be different types of things under the umbrella of sanctity of life, so that we begin to see that prison ministry or St. Vincent de Paul aren’t unique ministries that flow entirely on their own, but are part of the seamless garment, as the late Cardinal ( Joseph) Bernardin used to say,” Father Vaverek explained. “We have many apostolates and ministries that directly flow from the recognition of the sanctity of life, but they haven’t historically been connected closely with that reality, so there’s been a little disconnect in those efforts.”

The bishop’s intention isn’t for all the separate ministries to be joined together administratively in a “super-bureaucracy” and lose their individual focuses, Father Vaverek said. “The intention is collaboration between and support for the ministries, all of which share at their hearts a common vision.”

And that vision is the sanctity of human life, from conception until natural death, and through every point in between.

“It’s a broad spectrum,” Father Vaverek said. “Once you think about it, a lot of what the Church does is taking care of people who are at points where their sacred dignity is not respected or is threatened in a very grave way. Certainly, the traditional respect life areas of abortion and euthanasia are hallmarks, because there is no greater threat to the human person than death. That’s the most fundamental violation of the right to life. The Church has always been and will always be adamant that abortion and euthanasia are intrinsic evils, that life must be protected at its most vulnerable, at its beginning and at its end. The Church is clear in her teaching that the taking of life is wrong.

“But then that begins to bleed into capital punishment, which then leads into the whole prison system,” he said. “Even in prison, people have a sacred dignity which must be respected and promoted.

We’ve had some good success with prison ministry in this diocese in helping people who are incarcerated come to conversion, so that they can live lives that give glory to God, even given their constraints.”

The Sanctity of Life Office will support each of these ministries, but also help to cultivate an awareness of how interconnected they are.

“Almost all of these issues touch upon others,” Father Vaverek said. “They flow into each other. If we talk about prison ministry, then we have to talk about support for and ministry to the families of inmates, which can also lead us into issues of poverty, drugs and alcohol, and even domestic abuse. If we’re going to say abortion is wrong and no child should be killed for expedience or economic issues, then we’re going to have to talk about supporting women who choose life, because raising a child is expensive. If we’re going to talk about immigration, then we have to talk about ministry to and support for families, because deportation breaks up families. And these families live in our communities here in East Texas. And if we talk about immigration, then we’re going to have to talk about the economic forces that induce, that invite, people to come here illegally and then exploit them as cheap labor.

“And,” he said, “we have to talk about sex trafficking, which law enforcement right here in East Texas recognizes as a huge problem.

Just as we’re on the drug trafficking corridor, we’re on the human trafficking corridor. It’s not something we like to think about here, but it is a reality. And it is a growing threat to the sanctity of life. It is a violation of that sanctity, of the dignity of the human person.”

His role as Promoter of Justice and coordinator of the diocesan Ethics and Integrity program, being the first responder to any allega-

tion of abuse by church personnel, also is rooted in concern for the sanctity of life.

“Here in the Diocese of Tyler,” he said, “our Ethics and Integrity program isn’t just about preventing sexual abuse of children by clergy. It is about preventing any kind of abuse to any person by any person. It’s about treating every person, any person, as if they were Jesus. Children and vulnerable adults are our first concern, but not our only concern.”

That concern, Father Vaverek said, springs from the heart of the Church and from 2,000 years of Church teaching.

“This isn’t something we just dreamed up recently,” he said.

“Pope Francis speaks about issues of poverty, about the evils of abortion, about the levels of violence we’re seeing across the world. But he’s only echoing what St. Francis of Assisi said, and he was only teaching what Christ taught. Popes throughout history have spoken on these same issues in every era.

“But it all comes directly from Christ himself – ‘Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.’ This is nothing new. If we are followers of Jesus Christ, then we must proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that Gospel is that we are all created by God and endowed by God with the right to life. Our human dignity is rooted in God. “Long before LBJ talked about his Great Society, the Catholic Church was taking care of the poor,” Father Vaverek said. “There’s a reason the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is named for that saint.

39

“we have to talk about sex trafficking, which law enforcement right here in East Texas recognizes as a huge problem. Just as we’re on the drug trafficking corridor, we’re on the human trafficking corridor. It’s not something we like to think about here, but it is a reality. And it is a growing threat to the sanctity of life. It is a violation of that sanctity, of the dignity of the human person.” -Father Gavin Vaverek When people today talk about justice for immigrants and migrant workers, they are following in the footsteps of St. Martin de Porres and St. Peter Claver. Pope Leo XIII was warning about the dangers of an industrialized society that disregarded the rights and dignity of workers in Rerum Novarum before the labor movement in this country got started.”

The Diocese of Tyler also has a number of ministries and apostolates that have been working to uphold and protect the sanctity of life for a good while, and which will now become pieces of Bishop Strickland’s “mosaic.”

“There are a number of groups that we will be pulling into this,” Father Vaverek said. “There are the deacons, many of whom are active in prison ministry, in respect life efforts, in ministry to the sick and the elderly and the poor. The diaconate, in its founding, was charged with charity, with tending to widows and orphans.

“We also have the Knights of Columbus, who do a huge amount of charity work in this country, and who also are very active in prolife ministry. And, like the deacons, they were founded upon the idea of taking care of widows and orphans.

“We will be calling on St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Charities, who do so much work with the poor and with immigrants.

“And,” he said, “we’ll be calling on the Council of Catholic Women, who have done so much in this diocese in a number of ar-

40

eas. They’ve been the force behind the Gabriel Project, behind raising funds for the CRS Water for Life Program, and so many other issues.

Nationally, and to some extent locally, the council is very involved in the issues of domestic violence, in raising awareness that it’s not just an occasional problem. And now they’re focusing on the issues of sex trafficking and the exploitation of women through sex trafficking.

“Catholic women, in whatever the Church does, are the lifeblood of it,” he said. “The Church would have very few ministries or apostolates going if it weren’t for Catholic women, in one form or another, doing the work. They’re the hands and feet most often reaching out.”

None of this is new, Father Vaverek said. None of this is radical or revolutionary. It is, simply, what the Church is and what the church has always done.

“It was said of the early Christians, ‘See how they love one another.’ But they didn’t only love each other. They loved and cared for strangers, for the outcasts, for the people no one else would or could touch. We’ve all seen photos and video of Mother Teresa of Calcutta tending the dying in the streets. The only radical thing about what she did was that it was televised. The Church has been going out into the streets since the beginning.

“It’s who we are,” he said. “It’s who Jesus Christ himself told us we have to be.” 

General $60 VIP

41

MERCY

SERVANTS OF

SEMINARIANS OF THE DIOCESE OF TYLER 2016

Deacon Jonathon Frels St. John XXIII Seminary

Juan Pedro Gonzales Seminario Hispano

Nicholas Nappier

Hector Arvizu

Holy Trinity Seminary

Notre Dame Seminary

John Simmons

Nicholas McGuire

Notre Dame Seminary

Holy Trinity Seminary

Michael Ledesma Holy Trinity Seminary

David Bailey

Notre Dame Seminary

Steven Chabarria Holy Trinity Seminary

Roselio Fuentes

Notre Dame Seminary

Mario Torres

Seminario Hispano

Andrew Lusk

Holy Trinity Seminary

BECOME A PRIEST OF THE DIOCESE OF TYLER Director of Vocations: Father Justin Braun w www.Tylervocations.com

Strickland Al reflexionar sobre el tema para la edición de la revista Catholic East Texas, me acordé de los días que pasé en el Seminario de la Santísima Trinidad y en la Universidad de Dallas donde estudié filosofía. La forma en como la fe y la razón interactúan es algo con lo que filósofos y teólogos han estado batallando durante siglos. Veamos rápidamente el desarrollo de la historia humana, la cual puede llevarnos a la conclusión de que la humanidad primitiva, sin desarrollarse, confiaba y creía en un ser divino simplemente porque los seres humanos aún no habían descubierto la ciencia. Pienso que aún no entendemos nuestro mundo, por tanto, hemos utilizado el mito y la mística para explicar lo inexplicable. Esta descripción precipitada va de la edad oscura a la iluminación y la humanidad entra en la era de la ciencia y la tecnología en la que ahora vivimos y concluye que finalmente hemos alcanzado la mayoría de edad y por lo tanto se puede abandonar la fe.

En los últimos años San Juan Pablo II y Benedicto XVI han hablado extensamente sobre el tema y nos han instado a reconocer que dicha cuestión se encuentra en un punto crítico en muchos sectores de la sociedad de hoy. Incluso dentro de la Iglesia, la cuestión no está exenta de controversias entre los que tienden a inclinarse hacia uno u otro extremo. Estos dos últimos pontífices nos han animado a permanecer enraizados con el enfoque básico que se ha desarrollado en la Iglesia Católica. Este enfoque afirma que la fe y la razón no se encuentra de ninguna manera en conflicto; por el contrario se complementan entre sí. Recuerdo que cuando era estudiante de filosofía mi primer pensamiento fue que todo era obvio pero que mentes más grandes que la mía batallaron mucho con el tema.

Tenemos que reconocer que vivimos en un momento de la historia en que la tecnología, la ciencia y la supremacía de la razón aparentemente dominan el discurso humano en muchos niveles. El método científico que busca la evidencia empírica como la respuesta a todas las preguntas, ha convencido a muchos líderes en el mundo de hoy de que la fe debe ser relegada al mundo de la fantasía y el mito. Momentos

de la historia como la postura de la Iglesia contra Galileo son, a menudo, citados como ejemplos de la ignorancia que engendra la fe y se nos insta a desencadenarnos, nosotros mismos, de las ilusiones de la creencia.

Me gustaría que todos nosotros, reflexionemos sobre estas cuestiones importantes y que podamos tener una visión más amplia de lo que ha ocurrido a través de la historia, sobre todo en lo que he mencionado anteriormente. Ha sido mi experiencia como hombre de fe, que tiene también un gran aprecio por la ciencia y la tecnología, y que este ver más allá pudiéramos decir esta es el “Punto de Vista de Dios”, comienza a dirigirnos a una reconciliación profunda de cualquier conflicto aparente entre la fe y la razón. Incluso los científicos ateos deben reconocer que la persona humana es

V I S I Ó N H I S PA N A

Monseñor

única en el universo, y que al comenzar a reflexionar en esta amplia perspectiva de las verdades de la fe sobre el significado de la persona humana, las verdades de la ciencia comiencen a unirse.

Tengo que sonreír cuando concluyo estas reflexiones. Me puedo imaginar que usted puede estar pensando. “¡no sabía que el obispo fuera un nerdo en filosofía!”

Podemos estar tentados a preguntarnos qué significa todo esto, ¿hace alguna diferencia?

Creo que algunos de los escritos de los Papas recientes nos recuerdan que estas cuestiones son fundamentales para la Iglesia y la sociedad de hoy. Muchos jóvenes están luchando profundamente con estas ideas y están siendo fuertemente influenciados por un rechazo de la fe que nos deja vacíos y disminuye nuestra humanidad. Creemos que Dios nos ha revelado una verdad profunda en cuanto a su naturaleza y el significado de la existencia. La palabra de Dios nos promete que “la verdad nos hará libres”.

Que nunca rehuyamos la búsqueda de la verdad en todos los elementos de la existencia. Que al encontrarnos con la verdad, veamos que la música del universo ha sido escrita por el dedo de Dios.q

43

V I S I Ó N H I S PA N A

Si “Primereamos”

Evangelizamos

Por: Hna. Angelica Orozco “La Iglesia en salida es la comunidad de discípulos misioneros que primerean, que se involucran, que acompañan, que fructifican y festejan. La comunidad evangelizadora experimenta que el Señor tomó la iniciativa, la ha primereado en el amor (cf. 1 Jn 4,10)”, son las palabras con las que el Papa Francisco anima a todo bautizado a ser instrumento, a dejarse utilizar para llevar la Buena Nueva a todos los rincones de la tierra.

Tomando como base estas palabras del Papa Francisco, el P. Ariel Cortés, intenta primerear y llevar la Buena Nueva a aquéllos que, por estar “tras las rejas”, no pueden participar en las diferentes actividades de las comunidades parroquiales.

Cada semana, el P. Cortés visita dos prisiones en el condado Angelina. Durante sus visitas a las prisiones, celebra la Eucaristía, el sacramento de la Reconciliación, y ofrece dirección espiritual. “Primerear es un elemento clave para quien es verdaderamente discípulo de Cristo y no teme las vicisitudes que esto puede acarrear”, comentó el padre Cortés.

En palabras del padre Cortes: “Considero que mis visitas a las prisiones son indispensables y necesarias, porque muchos encarcelados viven inconformes con el sistema, la sociedad, con ellos mismos, y esto conlleva una agresividad interna y externa. Esta agresividad, en algunos de ellos, es un mecanismo de defensa 44

o un arma para atacar o atemorizar a los más débiles. Descubro en los rostros, de quienes asisten a Misa cada semana, que en medio de su coraje, también tienen deseos de vivir y experimentar la paz y la misericordia de Dios.

Algunos de ellos expresan que es en la cárcel donde han descubierto por primera vez la belleza de la Iglesia Católica.

Esto me ha hecho comprender que la cárcel es un lugar privilegiado para hablar del perdón y amor incondicional de Dios.

En este momento estamos intentando establecer el RICA, en una de las prisiones, porque la celebración adecuada de los sacramentos es cada vez más querida por aquellos que por una razón u otra no están vinculados “plenamente” a la Iglesia Católica.

Considero que si la cárcel es un lugar privilegiado para evangelizar, también es en la cárcel donde se pueden encontrar buenos evangelizadores, presos que una vez evangelizados se convierten, ellos mismos en evangelizadores de sus compañeros. Para que los internos se conviertan en evangelizadores es importante, antes que todo, que conozcan sus derechos como privados de libertad, saber pedir los permisos necesarios para adquirir rosarios, biblias o literatura que les ayude a crecer en su fe. También es importante que se acerquen a las actividades religiosas ofrecidas en donde están, y busquen a sus

compañeros católicos, se unan y trabajen para mantener su identidad.

El ministerio de la prisión es “envolvente”, porque en la medida que celebro la fe con ellos, descubro sus muchas necesidades espirituales, y no tengo más opción que ayudarles.

Desde mi experiencia personal, puedo afirmar que este ministerio me ha abierto una puerta nueva dándome la oportunidad, como dice el Papa Francisco, de “primerar”, y proclamar que Jesús es el Señor en medio de los reclusos, animándolos a regresar a la vida de la Gracia, que aunque privados de libertad, pueden experimentar en toda su plenitud si se abren a ella.

La celebración de la Eucarística ha causado, en la mayoría de los asistentes, cambios extraordinarios. Ha aumentado el número de participantes en la Santa Misa, más reclusos buscan celebrar el Sacramento de la Reconciliación o piden dirección espiritual. Esto significa que ellos están buscando estar en paz con Dios y corregir sus vidas, para que cuando puedan regresar al mundo libre, si es el caso, puedan hacerlo dignamente”.

Dios se manifiesta aun en los lugares que menos pensamos. Comparto con ustedes el testimonio de uno de los reos que me asiste en una de las prisiones. Su jornada de fe es alentadora.

“Mi nombre Roger y tengo 77 años de edad. He sido cristiano desde los 13 años; asistía a las iglesias protestantes que proveían algún servicio litúrgico dirigido por personas que habían sido preparadas para ser ‘pastores’.

Fui encarcelado a los 60 años de edad. Una vez en la cárcel comencé a asistir a los servicios protestantes que se ofrecían en la prisión. ¡Que sorpresa me llevé cuando descubrí el formato de estos servicios! La primera hora era para cantar, durante la segunda hora un predicador local ofrecía una charla. Cada domingo era un predicador diferente y algunos de ellos sin preparación previa.

En estos servicios me sentía extremadamente frustrado. No sentía que alababa a Dios de verdad. Finalmente un compañero me invitó a asistir a la Santa Misa; me sorprendió esta invitación porque yo nunca había considerado semejante posibilidad. Durante 60 años, nunca había conocido personalmente a alguien que fuera católico o asistido a una iglesia católica. Lo poco que conocía de esta fe, era incorrecto. Le dije a mi compañero que yo no podía asistir a una iglesia que adoraba a María y que no usara la Biblia. Mi amigo me respondió que estaba equivocado y me retó a que lo acompañara a estudiar un material doctrinal que ofrece Lugouri Publications del Padre Lukefar.

Me leí los 12 libros, y a este punto, muy a la fuerza acepté ir con mi compañero a los servicios católicos. Durante la primera misa que asistí, como a la mitad de la celebración, me encontraba con los ojos llenos de lágrimas, era Increíble lo que estaba experimentando. Estas lágrimas eran lágrimas de alegría. En muchos aspectos esta vivencia me recordaba las experiencias de fe de mis primeros años.

Después de esta “primera misa” asistía regularmente a ellas, junto con mi amigo y unos años después me inscribí en las clases del RICA, que se ofrecían en ese tiempo en la prisión. Después de un año más o menos de formación, durante la Vigilia Pascual del 2005 celebré mi primera Reconciliación, Comunión y Con-

firmación.

En Julio del 2009 fui transferido a la Prisión localizada en Diboll, TX. Cuando fui a la Misa me causó una gran impresión ver que sólo éramos 12 reos, participando en Misa, cuando en la prisión previa asistíamos un promedio de 100 personas.

Hablé con el capellán de esta prisión y le conté que hay presos que se han declarado católicos pero no asisten a Misa. Para apoyar la participación en la celebración Eucarística le pedí al capellán 30 minutos antes de Misa para la enseñanza de la Doctrina Católica.

El capellán me concedió este premiso. Por algunos años enseñé una clase de apologética, ahora comparto algunos comentarios sobre la vida de los Santos, los días de obligación, y reflexiones sobre las lecturas dominicales.

Durante los seis años que he estado en esta prisión la asistencia a Misa ha crecido significativamente, tenemos entre 40-50 reos participando, tenemos quien toque la guitarra y cante durante la Misa. El sacerdote comparte unas homilías dinámicas e inspiradoras y nos reta a ser cada día mejores cristianos.

Convertirme al catolicismo ha sido para mí una verdadera bendición. Si Dios lo permite, cuando recupere mi libertad, mi sueño es integrarme a una comunidad parroquial y participar plenamente en la vida de la Iglesia Católica junto con otros hermanos y hermanas en la fe.

Doy gracias a Dios por nuestra Diócesis, porque nos provee sacerdotes, diáconos, y laicos comprometidos a servir a los más olvidados ofreciendo retiros, entrenamientos, formación y servicios litúrgicos. Estoy convencido de que el Espíritu Santo inspiró en mí la conversión al catolicismo, y es El quien guía mi ministerio en esta prisión”.

El P. Cortes, concluye diciendo: “la tarea evangelizadora de la Iglesia no conoce fronteras ni obstáculos. Todo ambiente es un lugar apropiado para llevar la Buena Nueva, todo tiempo es oportuno para proclamar que Dios nos ama y que nos amará hasta el fin de los tiempos”.q

“Considero que si la cárcel es un lugar privilegiado para evangelizar, también es en la cárcel donde se pueden encontrar buenos evangelizadores, presos que una vez evangelizados se convierten, ellos mismos en evangelizadores de sus compañeros”. - P. Ariel Cortés

45

Por: P. Juan Carlos Sardinas

Año Jubilar:

Momento Preciso para Evangelizar

El Año Jubilar nos presenta una buena oportunidad para evangelizar y nos anima a ser discípulos auténticos del Señor. El discípulo de Jesús habla de El con autoridad, convicción y conocimiento.

Les presento a continuación una breve catequesis que servirá como herramienta para llevar la Buena Nueva a todos los ambientes en los que nos movemos; veamos:

Uno

El Jubileo o Año Santo tiene sus orígenes en el Antiguo Testamento en Isaías 61:1-2 y que luego el mismísimo Jesús asumió en el Nuevo Testamento: “Le entregaron (a Jesús) el volumen del profeta Isaías y desenrollando el volumen, halló el pasaje donde estaba escrito: «El Espíritu del Señor esta sobre mí, porque me ha ungido para anunciar a los pobres la Buena Nueva, me ha enviado a proclamar la liberación a los cautivos y la vista a los ciegos, para dar la libertad a 46

los oprimidos y proclamar un año de gracia del Señor». Enrollando el volumen lo devolvió al ministro, y se sentó. En la sinagoga los ojos de todos estaban fijos en él. Comenzó, pues, a decirles: «Esta Escritura, que acabáis de oír, se ha cumplido hoy» (Lucas 4:17-21).

El Jubileo es una celebración que conmemora un año significativo por alguna razón y un tiempo en que se conceden gracias espirituales singulares (sobre todo indulgencias) a los fieles que cumplen determinadas condiciones.

Los Jubileos Ordinarios se celebran cada 50 años y también hubo un período largo en que se celebraron cada 25. Los Jubileos Extraordinarios son los que se celebran fuera de los 50 y 25 años. Por diferentes razones muchas veces hubo que cancelar jubileos por enfermedades, guerras etc., o agregar otros por razones verdaderamente importantes. Estos son los años de los jubileos que hemos tenido hasta ahora , 1300, 1350, 1390, 1423, 1450, 1475, 1500, 1525, 1550, 1575, 1600, 1625. 1650. 1675, 1700, 1725, 1750, 1775, 1825, 1875, 1900, 1925, 1950, 2000, 2015, 2025 (Anunciado ya por San Juan Pablo II al finalizar el jubileo del año 2000.

Un Jubileo siempre es la expresión de un acontecimiento que ya sucedió en el mundo o en la Iglesia, o es la proclamación de algo a lo que estamos llamados a hacer y siempre con la gracia de Dios.

En esta ocasión el Jubileo de la Misericordia es un jubileo extraordinario que comenzó el 8 de diciembre de 2015 y concluirá el 20 de noviembre de 2016 para celebrar el 50 aniversario de la clausura del Concilio Vaticano II, profundizar en su implantación y situar en un lugar central la Divina Misericordia, con el fortalecimiento de la confesión.

Dos

Los sacramentos son canales por los que Dios nos da su gracia de una manera especial y segura para lo que se está celebrando.

Los sacramentales, sin llegar a ser Sacramentos, son maneras seguras también en que Dios nos da su gracia, por ejemplo el rosario, vía crucis, los tiempos litúrgicos y también el Año Jubilar. La Iglesia, en su capacidad de madre y maestra, vela por el bien de sus hijos y los protege en obediencia a las palabras de Jesús: “Tu eres Pedro y sobre esta piedra edificare…”, “Yo estaré con ustedes todos los días…”, “lo que ates en la tierra quedara atado en el cielo…”, … y la Iglesia ha proclamado un Año de Gracia.

Lo que tienen en común los Jubileos es que siempre nos llaman a la reflexión y a la conversión con su respectiva indulgencia.

gación, pero sí es un buen momento para retomar y fortalecernos en lo que siempre debemos hacer todos como cristianos. t Y también sucede que a veces estamos tan ocupados en hacer el bien que nos olvidamos de nuestra buena relación con Dios. Dios es bueno y nos ama, y el año de la misericordia nos invita a sentir y renovar el amor de Dios. También Dios es para nosotros y nos invita a disfrutarlo y a re-sentir que somos sus colaboradores con sus más predilectos. t La gente se ha apartado tanto de Dios por los caminos de la autosuficiencia que a veces hemos pensado que el mundo no necesita de la intervención de Dios. El Año Jubilar nos invita a doblar las rodillas y a ser humildes reconociendo que necesitamos de Dios.

La vida de todo discípulo es tocada por la gracia de Dios cuando este así lo permite. Este ano nos ofrece la oportunidad de derribar barreras, correr a hacer el bien y procurar el Reinado del Corazón misericordioso de Jesus aquí en este momento y en este tiempo de la historia. ¡A evangelizar, que el mundo necesita de Dios! q

Invitación

a interiorizar:

t Dios nos puede perdonar pero la palabra “perdón” no es tan profunda como la palabra “misericordia”. Se supone que si yo le pido perdón a Dios es porque estoy arrepentido y por lo tanto convertido, pero no es más que una suposición. La palabra “misericordia” tiene una connotación muy fuerte, NO supone que yo me convertí sino que exige la conversión, es decir, yo quiero la misericordia de Dios pero… ¿qué ofrezco yo? Dios no tiene por qué hacer lo que puedo hacer yo, yo ofrezco mi verdadero arrepentimiento y firme propósito y Dios completa la obra en mí por su inmensa misericordia su gracia. t La Iglesia procura tener un jubileo como mínimo cada 25 años porque la Iglesia considera que 25 años son suficientes para que las personas de una época sean diferentes a la de otra.

Este es un buen momento para que las generaciones mayores reflexionen sobre cómo estamos trasmitiendo la fe y las costumbres sin estar aferrados a lo que fue bueno en una época, sin rechazar a nuestros jóvenes, y también momento para que las nuevas generaciones estén abiertas a lo que realmente contribuye al desarrollo del ser humano como persona y como creyente. Es un buen momento para que las generaciones se reconcilien. t Las obras de misericordia, como nos las enseña el Catecismo de la Iglesia, son un deber nuestro permanente, no tiene que haber un año de misericordia para cumplir con nuestra obli-

4 47

V I S I Ó N H I S PA N A 48

Evangelizando acompañados de

María Por: Teresa Ramirez

¿Cómo puedo evangelizar? Esta pregunta surge como consecuencia de la necesidad que existe de una nueva y buena Evangelización. El querer hacer “grandes” cosas y reunir mucha gente para evangelizarla es una tentación que todos experimentamos, pero como diría la Madre Teresa de Calcuta, “no podemos hacer grandes cosas, pero si cosas pequeñas con un gran amor.” Para convencernos de esta gran verdad les invito a reflexionar sobre la vida de una persona que no necesitó de palabras para transformar vidas, sino solo un corazón abierto para abrazar la voluntad de Dios. Esta persona es la Santísima Virgen María. Ella, con humildad y sencillez dijo SI a la petición de Dios, sin cuestionar. Se despojó de sí misma y asumió su posición de esclava frente a Dios.

María es ejemplo de dadiva total, se entregó por completo a Dios y por obra del Espíritu Santo concibió a su Hijo unigénito. Ella; con mucha ternura y sin ruido de palabras educó a su Hijo, nuestro Salvador, antes de su vida pública.

Desde que dijo SI nos alegramos con su presencia materna y siempre activa entre nosotros. Ella fue la primera evangelizada y la primera evangelizadora; es ella quien reúne y refleja las verdades de la fe, ya que acogió al verbo de Dios en su alma y en su cuerpo. El SI de María es ejemplo para todos los cristianos, porque al aceptar la voluntad del Padre, su obediencia se convierte, para nosotros, en camino y medio de santificación.

María, con su vida sencilla y humilde, muestra al mundo un camino seguro para la evangelización porque en silencio meditaba y guardaba “todo” en su corazón. Y, pensándolo bien, ¿Cuántos ojos la observarían? ¿Cuántos querrían ser como ella? ¿Cuántos la escucharían narrar las historias de la vida de su hijo? ¿Cuántos aprenderían de ella a hablar con Dios? Gran misterio. La invitación es que así como Ella, busquemos el silencio, meditemos y guardemos “todo” en nuestro corazón. Ella

nos modela como ser evangelizadores no con palabras sino con hechos concretos; a través de la propia vida.

Al comenzar la jornada evangelizadora, encomendémonos día a día a la Virgen María. Ella, la llena de Gracia nos mostrará el camino al éxito, el camino a la evangelización autentica porque en ella descubrimos a una mujer que es madre, esclava, compañera y discípula.

María es madre porque acogió con fe el anuncio del Ángel y por obra del Espíritu Santo concibió y dio a luz al Hijo de Dios; a quien cuidó, alimentó y educó. Así nosotros procuremos acoger la palabra de Dios y dejemos obrar al Espíritu Santo en nuestras vidas. De tal manera que, imitando a María en su maternidad, cuidemos, alimentemos y compartamos los dones y carismas que nos han sido dados. Guardando y meditando la Palabra de Dios seamos heraldos del Reino.

María es esclava porque obedeció con humildad la voluntad de Dios y se entregó totalmente a su Hijo. Ahora nosotros, por su ejemplo, seamos esclavos y abracemos con humildad el llamado a la Nueva Evangelización abandonándonos por completo a la voluntad del Padre.

También, dejemos atrás las ataduras del odio, venganza, celos, envidias, vicios, etc., y seamos, como Ella, esclavos del amor de Cristo y compartámoslo con los demás.

María es compañera porque acompañó a nuestro Señor Jesucristo en sus momentos de alegría y de lucha. Ahora, a ejemplo de Ella, seamos fieles compañeros de Cristo. Compartamos, con fe, un poco del amor que ha sido derramado en nuestros corazones. Que nuestra caridad se transforme en actos prácticos y concretos de caridad: un abrazo, un plato de comida, una cobija, una sonrisa. Recordemos que todo lo que hacemos por los más pequeños lo hacemos por el Señor.

María es discípula porque acogió con fidelidad las palabras de su Hijo. Lo sirvió desde su pequeñez asumiendo su papel

de madre y esclava. El discípulo sirve e imita al Maestro y María, desde su vida escondida, cuidaba del ministerio de su Hijo y los servía como nadie; con alegría y profunda humildad. La invitación para nosotros es que en nuestras acciones se noten más que nuestras palabras recordando lo que decía San Francisco, “predica el Evangelio en todo momento, y cuando sea necesario, utiliza palabras.”

Si, es posible que pienses que la Evangelización es una tarea difícil, y si lo es. Pero si fijamos la mirada en la vida de la Virgen María, nos encomendamos a ella e intentamos hacer lo que Jesús nos diga, lo lograremos. Fijemos, pues, nuestra mirada en ella para que nos ayude a llevar el mensaje de salvación a todos los que nos rodean. Pidámosle que nos cubra con su manto, nos ayude y nos anime a ser verdaderos testigos del amor de Cristo. q

La Iglesia no Excluye

Por: P. Anthony Stoeppel

Hace una generación casi nadie conocía a una persona con inclinaciones homosexuales. Hoy, aunque el número de los que se identifican con inclinaciones homosexuales es pequeño, casi todos nosotros conocemos a alguien con estas. Los grupos que favorecen los “derechos” de los homosexuales han circulado su propaganda a cada rincón del mundo a través de la media, en particular el Internet. Ahora, no es raro que las escuelas públicas, en los Estados Unidos, animen a sus estudiantes a intentar este modo de vivir.

Ya que la homosexualidad es mucho más común en la sociedad es necesario entender, con claridad, la moralidad de la homosexualidad y la razón por la que algunas personas se identifican con este término. También es de igual importancia comprender cuál debe ser el comportamiento apropiado de una persona con inclinaciones homosexuales. ¿Por qué hay personas así?

No hay una respuesta concreta a esta pregunta. Lo que podemos decir con certeza es que, por el Pecado Original, cada uno de nosotros tenemos inclinaciones desordenadas. Algunos tienen inclinaciones desordenadas a tomar drogas o alcohol en exceso, ver televisión sin medida, o comer mucho. Hay personas que tienen inclinaciones desordenadas a ver pornografía o tener sexo fuera del matrimonio. De igual modo también hay personas que tienen inclinaciones homosexuales.

En algunos casos cuando los padres, “cabezas del hogar”, se aíslan emocionalmente afectan la vida emocional de sus hijos. Este aislamiento puede contribuir para que el niño desarrolle inclinaciones homosexuales. Durante la etapa de la infancia, la presencia del padre es muy necesaria ya que sin ella el niño pude buscarla desordenadamente.

El abuso sexual es otro factor que puede contribuir al desarrollo de inclinaciones homosexuales en un niño. En particular cuando un grupo de hombres o miembros de la familia usan a un niño como objeto sexual, y luego lo castigan y lo juzgan como una persona sucia, el impacto psicológico y moral que este niño

sufre lo lleva a un estado supremo de inferioridad. Este abuso interrumpe el desarrollo psicológico del niño y genera una vergüenza extremada su ser. Esto es la base de las inclinaciones homosexuales.

Muchas de estas personas sufren por esta parte de su vida interior, sufren por no ser “normales” y cuestionan a Dios, gritándole: “¿Por qué me creaste así?” “¿Por qué no me hiciste como los demás?” Eventualmente, a causa de esto, la persona puede caer en un estado profundo de depresión y desánimo. Puede, además, dudar sobre su salvación eterna. Es más dañino aun cuando la familia o la comunidad hablan abiertamente sobre si esta persona, que tiene inclinaciones homosexuales, podrá salvarse. Pero, no hay razón por la que las personas que tienen inclinaciones homosexuales duden de su salvación porque Dios las ama. ¿Ellos están condenados? ¿Irán al infierno?

Para entender porque la salvación es posible para los que tienen inclinaciones homosexuales, hay que clarificar dos cosas: 1) la diferencia entre inclinaciones que pueden ser ordenadas al bien o al mal y las inclinaciones que son siempre ordenadas al mal 2) la distinción entre tener inclinaciones y actuar de acuerdo a esas inclinaciones.

Todos tenemos inclinaciones. Cuando tenemos hambre, tenemos la inclinación de comer. Si esta inclinación se desarrolla y llegamos a comer demasiado, esta inclinación se convierte en mala. Sin embargo, la inclinación es buena cuando la utilizamos solamente para satisfacer el hambre. La inclinación a tener relaciones pre-matrimoniales es mala. La inclinación que tiene un hombre y una mujer, casados por la Iglesia, a tener relaciones matrimoniales es buena. Entonces podemos, a veces, dirigir las inclinaciones a un fin bueno o pervertirlas a un fin malo. La inclinación homosexual, sin embargo, no puede ser ordenada a un bien, porque las relaciones homosexuales siempre son malas.

No obstante, no es pecado tener inclinaciones desordenadas. De hecho, todos las tenemos. Tampoco es un pecado

ser tentados por el mundo, satanás, o nosotros mismos. Podemos tener inclinación a caer en la lujuria y en un momento de debilidad, satanás nos tienta con imagines de pornografía, pero si luchamos contra la tentación y no sedemos a ese deseo, no pecamos y permanecemos en la gracia de Dios.

Con respecto a la sexualidad, entonces, la ética y la moralidad para una persona con inclinaciones homosexuales es igual que para una persona soltera que no tiene inclinaciones homosexuales. Es decir, vivir la castidad. Todos nosotros somos tentados a cometer pecados sexuales – la pornografía, la masturbación, y el sexo fuera del matrimonio – pero los que no caen en esos pecados y viven la castidad tienen la esperanza de la salvación eterna en el cielo. ¿Cómo podemos ayudar una persona con inclinaciones homosexuales?

Recordemos que recibimos la fuerza divina que necesitamos, para luchar contra esas tentaciones, en el sacramento de la confesión, el sacramento de la Eucaristía, y la oración diaria. A Dios no le importa el número de nuestros pecados. Jesús nos perdona siempre. Por eso es recomendable celebrar el sacramento de la confesión cada 4-6 semanas.

También, cuando comulgamos, recibimos el cuerpo, sangre, alma, y divinidad de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo. Jesús, Él que luchó contra satanás en el desierto y venció, Él que nos mostró como vivir una vida virtuosa, Él que tuvo la fuerza para morir en la cruz por nuestros pecados, se nos da sí mismo en la Eucaristía. Jesús se nos da a sí mismo con el fin de que tengamos lo que necesitamos para imitar su ejemplo de castidad aquí en la tierra.

Y, ya que satanás es como un león rugiente que anda al acecho, buscando a quien devorar, es necesario rezar diariamente. Cuando rezamos, nos acercamos más a Jesucristo. El desarrollar una relación de intimidad con Jesucristo nos hace más fuertes y poderosos para superar las tentaciones y vivir la castidad.

Jesús, puro y humilde de corazón, haz mi corazón semejante tuyo. q 49

Llamadas y Enviadas para

Por: Hna. Angelica Orozco

la Evangelización En el año del Señor 2005, el Obispo local de ese tiempo, apoyo la fundación del Instituto Religioso de las Hermanas Misioneras Guadalupanas de Santa Ana. Este Instituto Religioso tiene como objetivo y misión la Evangelización y catequesis de todos los pueblos y culturas. Al estilo de Santa María De Guadalupe modelo de Evangelización perfectamente inculturada y bajo su protección y el de Santa Ana. Siendo que esta diócesis es un campo fértil para plantar la semilla de la fe, estas hermanas laboran arduamente para que esta semilla, una vez plantada, fructifique para la Gloria de Dios.

He aquí el resultado de una entrevista realizada durante el mes de enero del 2016 a estas hermanas.

¿Cuánto tiempo tienen desarrollando su ministerio en esta Diócesis de Tyler y que les atrae de esta?

R= Ante todo, debemos decir que por la gracia de Dios llegamos a esta diócesis providencialmente en el 2005. El Espíritu Santo es el que nos ha guiado hasta esta tierra de Misión, Él es quien nos ha iluminado e impulsado a lo largo de nuestra vida Misionera. «Id al mundo entero y predicad el Evangelio a toda criatura» (Mc. 16, 15).

Jesucristo nos enseña a ir al encuentro de “todo hombre y mujer” para trasmitirles la Buen Nueva. Desde nuestra llegada nos hemos involucrado en este mandato Misionero. Lo que nos ha atraído de esta diócesis es el dinamismo con el que se intenta permanecer fiel a la fe de los apóstoles y la fuerza con la que las personas practican esta fe.

Profética, Litúrgica y Social, consideramos que la Profética es la que necesita más atención. Recordemos que “ No hay Evangelizacion verdadera mientras no se anuncie el nombre, la doctrina, la vida, las promesas, el reino, el misterio de Jesús de Nazaret, Hijo de Dios” Del conocimiento vivo de esta verdad dependerá el vigor de la fe y el valor de su adhesión a la Iglesia y de su presencia activa de cristianos en el mundo. Esta dimensión, tiene la consigna misionera de buscar que cada persona no solo conozca, sino que experimente el amor misericordioso de Dios. Es atendiendo el llamado de nuestro Obispo, que nos hace atreves de la oficina de formación religiosa y de otros organismos diocesanos, para formarnos como verdaderos agentes de Evangelización que podremos ir, todos los bautizados, a evangelizar a todos los pueblos.

¿Creen que esta Diócesis es campo para la Evangelización?

R=La “Evangelizacion es la acción de Evangelizar o anunciar el Evangelio” por lo tanto es la esencia de la identidad de la Iglesia. Y cualquier momento o circunstancia es propicio para evangelizar. Y en nuestra diócesis “En Misión” debe de florecer la semilla del Evangelio. Campo fértil para la Evangelizacion.

Analizando la pastoral de la Diócesis, ¿cuáles son algunas semillas que desde su punto de vista están fructificando en el presente?

R= El amor a Cristo nos lleva a ir en busca de los demás para hablarles de Él, para compartir con ellos nuestra fe y el amor de Dios que hemos experimentado en lo más íntimo de nuestro corazón. Y en la catequesis es una de las áreas donde se ven los frutos ya que las personas, niños, jóvenes y adultos, muestran un interés especial por formarse en su fe, crecer e involucrarse en la vida Misionera de la parroquia y de la Diócesis. El proceso de la Iniciación Cristiana es una de las áreas más sobresalientes porque cada año, se ve el incremento de catecúmenos y candidatos que buscan la integración plena en la vida sacramental. Las parroquias que tienen este proceso incorporado a su pastoral, se nota que florecen. ¿Creen ustedes que hay alguna necesidad, en cuanto a la pastoral, que necesite más atención? ¿Quiénes son los indicados para aliviar esta necesidad?

R= Teniendo en cuenta las tres dimensiones de la pastoral:

50

¿Por qué creen ustedes que algunos “católicos” optan por adherirse a otra fe?

R= Porque no se puede creer y dudar a la vez. Hay quienes piensan que, en materia religiosa, la fe es compatible con la duda. Es una postura absurda, porque viola el principio de no contradicción.

El que cree en una afirmación religiosa asiente a ella, mientras que el que duda de esa misma afirmación no asiente a ella, ni tampoco a la

afirmación contraria; y simplemente no es posible asentir y no asentir al mismo tiempo y en el mismo sentido a la misma afirmación. Más aún, el Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica nos enseña que la duda es un pecado contra la fe.

El primer mandamiento “Amarás a Dios sobre todas las cosas” nos pide que alimentemos y guardemos con prudencia y vigilancia nuestra fe y que rechacemos todo lo que se opone a ella. Hay diversas maneras de pecar contra la fe: La duda voluntaria respecto a la fe descuida o rechaza tener por verdadero lo que Dios ha revelado y la Iglesia propone creer. La duda involuntaria designa la vacilación en creer, la dificultad de superar las objeciones con respecto a la fe o también la ansiedad suscitada por la oscuridad de ésta. Si la duda se fomenta deliberadamente, puede conducir a la ceguera del espíritu. (n. 2088).

las comunidades de la Iglesia es tan necesaria que sin ella el mismo apostolado de los pastores muchas veces no puede conseguir plenamente su efecto.”(No. 10).

No olvidemos que estamos llamados a servir a aquellos que no han escuchado el mensaje del Evangelio. Estamos llamados nada menos que a ayudar a construir el reino de Cristo en la tierra; En comunión con el Papa y los Obispos.

¿Qué consejo le darían a una madre que sufre porque uno de sus hijos ha dejado la fe católica?

R= “Que Dios no siempre aprueba lo que hacemos pero nunca deja de Amarnos” a ejemplo de Santa Mónica mujer de profunda fe y convicción, su testimonio es un fuerte aliciente para atraer al hijo que se aleja de la fe. Recordemos que a través de la poderosa intercesión de esta madre, por su hijo, quien nunca se cansó de orar por él, la gracia triunfo en la vida de San Agustín quien se convirtió al catolicismo y abrazó la fe. La oración de una madre por su hijo siempre será escuchada y produce en la persona por la cual se reza un cambio radical. Recordemos que cuando un hijo se aleja de la fe siempre existe la esperanza de que regresará.

Cuál ha sido una de las experiencias más bonitas en su esfuerzo por la “evangelización”?

R= La tarea de la nueva Nueva Evangelización es la tarea del gran amor y compromiso con la misión de la Iglesia Católica en nuestra diócesis de Tyler, dirigida a dar testimonio y enseñar la Buena Nueva de Jesucristo tal como está expresada en las Escrituras y en la doctrina de la Iglesia. Nuestra vocación misionera es un llamado especial de Dios y nos ha elegido para anunciar la Buena Noticia de la Salvación, a todos aquellos que aún no lo conocen. La vocación misionera se manifiesta como una pasión por Jesucristo y por hacerlo conocer a los demás, suscitando en el misionero aquellas palabras de Pedro y Juan: “No podemos callar lo que hemos visto y oído” (He 4,20). Nuestra mayor experiencia es amar y conocer a Jesucristo y hacer que otros también lo conozcan y lo amen; Y al acompañar a nuestros hermanos a crecer en la fe y en el amor de Dios. Nos hace sentir esta diócesis nuestra familia y nuestra casa, sintiéndonos acogidas y bendecidas por nuestro Obispo.

De esta manera hacemos realidad las palabras del Papa Francisco: “La misión es una pasión por Jesús y al mismo tiempo, una pasión por su pueblo”.

Como bautizados, ¿Cómo creen ustedes que debemos apoyar el esfuerzo “evangelizador” del Obispo local Msgr. Josph. E. Strickland?

R= Nuestro Obispo supervisa y fomenta la vida pastoral de nuestra Diócesis y comparte esta responsabilidad con los sacerdotes al nombrarlos pastores de los fieles en nuestras parroquias.

Los fieles también comparten la responsabilidad por la misión pastoral de la Iglesia local en virtud de su bautismo e iniciación plena en la Iglesia. De acuerdo al Decreto Sobre el Apostolado de los Laicos del Concilio Vaticano Segundo, “…Los laicos tienen su papel activo en la vida y en la acción de la Iglesia, como partícipes que son del oficio de Cristo Sacerdote, profeta y rey. Su acción dentro de

Para lograr la “evangelización” de las culturas, ¿creen ustedes que la oración es necesaria?

R= “Y la Palabra se hizo carne, y puso su tienda entre nosotros.” ( Juan: 1: 14) Estas palabras del Evangelio de San Juan nos recuerdan el maravilloso y misterioso evento de la Encarnación, y cómo Dios Todopoderoso se hizo uno de nosotros y habitó entre nosotros. Él eligió estar aquí, “poner su tienda” y estar entre la gente. Él ascendió al cielo pero permanece con nosotros de tan diferentes maneras, a través de la Eucaristía, a través del Espíritu y dentro de cada uno de nosotros como miembro del cuerpo de Cristo. La Eucaristía es el centro y culmen de nuestra vida cristiana. Para ser almas de oración debemos de ser almas eucarísticas. No solo creemos que es necesaria la oración sino indispensable para lograr entrar en comunión íntima con Jesucristo; y Él nos enseñó la oración perfecta de los hijos de Dios “El Padre nuestro”.

Sin la oración, ¿Cómo seguimos buscando a Cristo entre nosotros? ¿Cómo vemos a Cristo en los rostros de las muchas personas que encontramos cada día, sea en la Santa Misa o en nuestras actividades diarias? Cuando él estuvo con nosotros nos mostró cómo servirnos unos a los otros. ¿Podremos decir como católicos a nuestro Señor en el juicio final “Sí” cuando nos cuestione “Porque tuve hambre y ustedes me dieron de comer; tuve sed y ustedes me dieron de beber; fui forastero y ustedes me recibieron en su casa; anduve sin ropas y me vistieron; estuve enfermo y fueron a visitarme”? Estuve en la cárcel y me fueron a ver.” Para hablarles a nuestros hermanos de Jesucristo y ser misericordiosos con ellos; antes debemos hablarle a Jesucristo de nuestros hermanos. Como dice el Papa Francisco: “Cuando oramos, inhalamos al Espíritu Santo y Exhalamos a Jesucristo”.q 51

All Cretans are Liars

Understanding Paul’s Epistle to Titus, with Father Joshua Neu

The Apostle Paul started churches all over the ancient world, and when he departed to move on to the next area, he would install a bishop over the community to govern it. Timothy and Titus were companions of Paul who became bishops over Christian communities, and Paul wrote the pastoral epistles that bear their names, to them.

Titus was bishop over the church on the island of Crete. In the epistle, Paul addresses him with the words, “For this reason I left you in Crete so that you might set right what remains to be done and appoint presbyters in every town…” Paul goes on to give Titus all manner of advice on ruling over the church on Crete and how to live as a good bishop.

Then, Paul does something interesting. He quotes a Cretan philosopher, likely Epimenides. Now, Paul was a well-read man. He was capable of quoting the pagan poets and philosophers and frequently did so when it suited his preaching.

What Paul quotes to Titus from Epimenides is: “Cretans have always been liars, vicious beasts, and lazy gluttons.” (Titus 1:12) He is warning Titus what he’s up against in the nature of the Cretans.

What Paul says here was not controversial. In the Greek vernacular, “to lie” was “to act like a Cretan.” This remains with us in modern language today where “Cretan” is still sometimes used as an insult.

So, why were the ancient Cretans so well-known as liars? It turns out it had to do with their religion.

The ancient Cretans practiced the Greek religion, in a way, but it was twisted. They claimed that Mt. Olympus was a sham, and that the gods were merely great men and women of Crete who had risen to the level of deity. Zeus, the preeminent man-become-god, was believed to have been born on their island. Worship of the gods, especially Zeus, began on Crete, or so they say. Perhaps most importantly, though, is the fact that Zeus himself is frequently portrayed as the great deceiver, the trickster. He most frequently deceives humans, to the acclaim of the people of Crete, by appearing as a man with divine qualities, which he uses in order to seduce women into satisfying his lusts.

52

If there were a Cretan parallel to the Levitical refrain, “Be holy as the LORD your God is holy,” it would have been, “Be a lecherous liar as Zeus your god is a lecherous liar.” By most accounts, the people of Crete were better at following their version of the command than the Israelites were with theirs.

With all this in the background, it is no wonder that Paul begins his letter to Titus by referring to “the hope of eternal life, which the undeceiving God promised before the beginning of time.” Titus, whom Paul has left in Crete to “finish up what is left to be done,” establishing bishops and priests, is supposed to overcome the typical faults and errors of the Cretans, and this undeceiving God is the foundation for his work, against the deceptive, lustful gods of a deceptive, lustful people.

Paul was the Apostle to the gentiles, the nonJewish people of the ancient world. His journeys were the first of many more undertaken by Christian missionaries over the next 2,000 years. Wherever Christian missionaries went, one thing was always the same: they found people whose societies were built, like the Cretan society, upon the framework of a pagan religion. Human errors and sins were often enshrined in the personalities and actions of their pagan deities.

In the Epistle to Titus, Paul gives later missionaries a template for dealing with pagan cultures. Christianity is not just to save the individual, it is destined to save all humanity and each human culture. The pagan deities were gods fashioned in the image of man, and possessed all of men’s flaws as a result. This confirmed people in their errors, and kept them trapped in sin. What Paul and Titus offer is the opposite, the knowledge of God who is perfect, and who fashioned people in His image, and destined them for perfection.

Titus 1:1 “Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith of God’s chosen ones and the recognition of religious truth, in the hope of eternal life that God, who does not lie, promised before time began...”q Father Joshua Neu was ordained for the Diocese of Tyler in 2015.

He is currently a student at the Biblicum in Rome.

CATHOLIC EAST TEXAS 1015 ESE Loop 323 Tyler, Texas 75701-9663

Mass for Families with Special Needs CELEBRATED BY BISHOP JOSEPH E. STRICKLAND SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016 - 10 A.M. CHAPEL OF STS. PETER & PAUL TYLER, TEXAS

RECEPTION FOLLOWING AT THE DIOCESAN CHANCERY

SPONSORED BY THE

Diocese of Tyler OямГce of Faith Formation RSVP (903) 266-2146 dioceseooyler.org