Viewpoints

ViewPoints 18 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

catholicnewsherald.com | October 23, 2020

Dr. Tod Worner

On going through hell

Recently, during the summer of rage, my eighth-grade daughter stood gazing at the television news with furrowed brow and a shaking head. When she realized that I had been looking at her, she blushed and confessed, “With everything going wrong in the world, it’s hard not to get down.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

There is a clever (but depressing) cartoon showing the spines of books neatly ordered on a shelf. Each volume had a date (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) indicating that between each book’s covers is the story of that year. When one arrives at 2020, however, there are well over a dozen books grappling with all that 2020 has been. Just think about it: a paralyzing pandemic; a tumultuous economy; riotous racial strife; vulgar, sophomoric behavior from our elected leaders (from both parties); dislocation from family and friends. It is a time of fear and anxiety, uncertainty, and depression.

And yet while each constellation of trials always has its own character, the human grappling with trial is nothing new.

Think about all who have preceded us in suffering and darkness:

Flannery O’Connor, wracked with lupus in her 30s, wrote to her friend, “I have never been anywhere but sick. In a sense sickness is a place, more instructive than a long trip to Europe, and it’s always a place where there’s no company, where nobody can follow.”

Mother Teresa, corresponding with her spiritual director from the intolerable gutters of Kolkata, ached, “In my soul I feel just that terrible pain of loss – of God not wanting me – of God not being God – of God not really existing.”

St. Paul, describing a cryptic affliction, lamented that “a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’” (1 Cor 12:7-9)

And Jesus Christ, God Himself, agonized in the garden while pleading, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” (Mt 26:39) And in one of His final utterances from the cross, the Son of God calls out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46) It is a scene of such hellish blackness that G.K. Chesterton quietly wondered if the God on the cross, for an instant, became an atheist.

But how is this comforting?

While there may be some solace in the notion that “misery loves company,” I don’t want to be miserable. None of us do. But in this hobbled world of broken men and women, our suffering is not something that is completely up to us. We will suffer. Some of us in great ways and some of us in small but, rest assured, we will all suffer.

What is heartening, in fact, about the sufferings of Flannery and Teresa, Paul and God Himself is not simply that they suffered as well, but that they transcended their suffering. Flannery found meaning in her pains and recognized how they humbled her and made her a better writer. St. Teresa discovered a strength to persevere even though the devil tempted her to quit. Paul lived with his affliction and evangelized the world. And Christ, well, He saved you and He saved me. In a puckish proverb loosely attributed to Winston Churchill during the dark days of the Blitz of London, we get the point: “If you are going through hell, keep going.”

It is easy to “get down,” as my daughter says. It is easy to flirt with despair and wonder if things will ever turn aright. But here is what I told my daughter that day.

First, God, in the end, wins. He created us with dignity, loves us through our fallibility, and goes to the ends of the earth to gather us in His embrace. Life is difficult. There will be suffering. But heaven is forever and God reigns supreme.

Next, the world is brimming with saints and heroes. So as the statues fall and the people rage, find those saints and admire those heroes that you know exist. Learn from them. Emulate them. And become one of them.

Finally, God gave you great gifts. Love your corner of the world beginning with your faith, family and friends, and then hear the call of how you are to bring your unique gifts to bear on a world desperate for healing.

French Catholic writer (and no stranger to immense suffering) Georges Bernanos said it well: “Christians are not supermen. Nor are saints, even less so, because they are the most human of human beings. Saints are not sublime, they don’t need the sublime. They are not the heroes in the manner of Plutarch’s heroes. ... (But) Christ wished to open to His martyrs the glorious way to a fearless death, but He also wished to precede each one of us in the darkness of anguish unto death. The steady, fearless hand can at the last moment lean on His shoulder, but the hand that trembles is sure to meet His hand.”

To be sure, the world has darkness and we will always have our share of suffering. But we are called to hope. With God’s help, we were made to transcend it. If you are going through hell, keep going.

DR. TOD WORNER is a husband, father, Catholic convert and practicing internal medicine physician. His blog, “Catholic Thinking,” is found at Aleteia.org. He also writes for Patheos (“A Catholic Thinker”) and the National Catholic Register. Follow him on Twitter @ thinkercatholic.

Jesuit Father John Michalowski

‘He emptied Himself, … coming in human likeness’

Every year we read the incredible passage from the second chapter of Philippians that speaks of how the Son of God emptied Himself to enter into humanity by becoming one with us. Every month priests, deacons, religious and many lay persons read and pray that passage in the Liturgy of the Hours. Because it is so familiar, we seldom take to heart how incredible it really is.

Consider fairy tales for a moment. It is not uncommon in fairy tales for a prince or a princess, who falls in love with a commoner, to disguise him or herself as an ordinary person in order to win the heart and the hand of the one whom he or she loves. They don’t want the poor man or woman to be overwhelmed by them or to say “yes” to them because he or she is dazzled by their riches and prestige. No, they want to be loved for themselves. Only then do they reveal who they are.

Jesus went infinitely further. Not only is He God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, but, as Philippians tell us: “He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness, and found human in appearance, He humbled Himself…” (2:6-8).

Think about that for a moment. Let it sink in: the God of the universe, Creator of all that is, decides to enter into the history of a small planet that rotates around an average star in the Milky Way galaxy. God so humbles Himself that God not only enters into human life, but God depends on a human being to become one with us. What an amazing young woman He chooses to ask: “Mary, will you become the Mother of the Messiah?” And the angel Gabriel tells her that “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” (Lk 1:31). In Hebrew the name is “Yeshua,” a name that means “Yahweh saves,” for He will save His people from their sins.

The Son of God empties Himself because He is love, and He finds love in the womb of Mary, and then, once born, in the care of Mary and Joseph. But Jesus’ love was not completed by becoming human and showing us what humanity is called to be. No, Jesus loved us to the end, embracing even death, “death upon the cross.” From conception to death, He embraced humanity to the full, and then bestowed an infinite gift upon us, the gift that only divinity can give – He resurrected to give us the loving gift of eternal life.

It is only right that we return love for love. But Jesus tells us that we cannot love the God whom we do not see, unless we love the brothers and sisters whom we do see: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me” (Mt 25:40).

St. Paul urges us to respond generously with love. “If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important

than yourselves, each looking not for his own interests, but also those of others. Have the same attitude among yourselves that is also yours in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:1-5).

Will we empty ourselves for others? Will we even embrace the cross, if that is our calling? Will we embrace life and death, trusting all to the Father’s love, as Jesus did? Or will we turn away?

We cannot do it on our own. That is why Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit. In Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13)

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, send us your Spirit that we might embrace your attitude of love and service. Help us to empty ourselves of selfishness and greed, of anger and untruth, of timidity and fear. Help us to live in you. We ask this of the Father in Jesus’ Name and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Susan Piening

Belief in dignity, worth of every person part of who we are as Catholics

Life experiences shape who we are and who we are to become. Early in my midwifery career I believed abortion was a woman’s “choice.” I knew I could never have an abortion, but felt I had no right to tell someone they had to have a baby.

As a nurse-midwife I occasionally counseled women who ‘Our dignity sought an abortion. I saw their fear, does not come anguish and hopelessness and my heart from another broke for them. Some were women I knew person, but for years and I knew how difficult a choice from God it was for them. I knew they were good, loving alone.’ women who were terrified. They believed it was either their life or the baby’s life. I held their hand during the procedure. I knew exactly what was happening when the suction machine was turned on. A part of me died each time as I witnessed the end of an innocent human life and saw the anguish and regret on the mother’s face.

Over the years several experiences caused me to rethink my belief in “a woman’s choice.” The experience I remember most vividly was when I was examining a teenager who was five months pregnant and the baby kicked my hand. I asked, “Did you feel that? That’s the baby moving.” She and her boyfriend looked at me and said, “They said I could still get rid of it!” My heart broke and I thought, “What have we taught our children?”

I thought a great deal about that question. I had two small children at the time and thought about what I wanted to teach them and what the world taught them. I came to realize that abortion teaches our children that their very existence depends on someone thinking they are valuable and wanted. They have no intrinsic value unless someone more powerful gives them value. For that is what abortion does: it gives the power of life or death to another person, not to God. That is not the lesson I wanted to teach my children.

That was the last time I facilitated an abortion. It was also the beginning of my conversion to the Catholic faith.

Church teaching has and always will condemn abortion as intrinsically evil. Good can never come from evil. The ends, no matter how much you want to believe they are good, can never justify evil means. Cooperation with evil taints our soul and separates us from God.

I have to live with my choice – my cooperation in evil – but I will no longer remain silent. This election has reminded me how important it is to speak up for our children.

As a convert to the Catholic faith I learned that “God is love.” Jesus Christ came to save us not only by dying for our sins, but by showing us how to love; to show us what sacrificial love really means.

So I ask, where is love in abortion? Where is love in the taking of innocent life? Where is love in a mother willing the death of her child? It sounds harsh and ugly, but sometimes the truth is harsh and we must face the ugliness of our actions.

Abortion breeds confusion, despair and death, and not only for the innocent babies. It lies to women, saying, “It’s like you were never pregnant.” But she knows the truth. Abortion robs the woman the opportunity to love, to understand that true love and sacrifice go hand in hand. It robs the child of the opportunity to grow and become the person God created them to be. Abortion robs family and friends the opportunity to love the woman and child and to grow in compassion. Abortion robs us of our humanity and distorts us so we are no longer the image of God.

We need to remember that our hope is with our children. It is not with you or me, but with the children, who are here now and those yet to be born. This lesson of hope and love is found at MiraVia on the campus of Belmont Abby College, a residence for single women attending college who choose to have their babies – to be countercultural, to choose life. It is a joy and privilege to spend time with these brave, strong young women who choose love and hope instead of despair and fear. They are fully aware of the challenges they face and they do it with grace and dignity every day. Hope is here. Love is here. But not fear.

Hope and love are in the teachings of the Catholic Church. Catholic teaching on the sanctity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death are beautiful. Each of us has dignity and worth because we are created by God in His image and loved by Him. Our dignity does not come from another person, but from God alone. When we lose sight of this truth, we lose what makes us truly human: our ability to love and hope.

As Catholics, as Christians, as human beings, we need to believe in the dignity and worth of every person or we will not only cease to be Catholic, but cease to be fully human.

SUSAN PIENING holds a Masters of Science in Nursing from Columbia University, a master’s degree in theology from Holy Apostles Seminary and College in Cromwell, Conn., and is certified by the National Catholic Bioethics Center. She is a parishioner of St. Michael Church in Gastonia.

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CHILDREN

FROM PAGE 7

wrong but about helping children think more critically about their internet use. It also encourages parents to have conversations about sites their children visit and search terms they use. n Use “safe search” on all web browsers. While these are not foolproof, they can provide another layer of protection. n Many mobile devices today come with built-in parental controls that limit the kind of content and apps children can access on these devices. Make sure to use these.

Another concern parents need to be aware of is online sexual interactions. First is the increasingly widespread problem of “sexting” – sending sexually explicit messages, images or videos through text messaging, e-mail or social media. One study estimated that two-thirds of teens and young adults have received a “sext,” and 40 percent have sent one. Some programs allow a user to send pictures that “fade away” right after they are sent, making it harder for parents to keep tabs on their children’s activity. Children and teens may feel pressured into sending or receiving a “sext” by peers.

The second threat are online sexual predators. While there are many different predation scenarios, most of them boil down to adults (mostly men) preying upon common teenage vulnerabilities. Online predators primarily use social media to identify and groom their victims.

The fact is that there will probably always be both adults and teen peers out there who seek to manipulate and misuse others for sexual pleasure and power. What parents must do is engender wisdom into their children so they aren’t easy targets. First, as emphasized above, speak with your children about the body and its sacredness. Teach them that we should keep certain parts of the body private, not because the body is bad or shameful, but because only your spouse should see you “naked and unashamed,” as Scripture says (Gen 2:25). Privacy affirms and protects the sacredness of the person and his or her body.

Also teach your children a healthy distrust of others online. This isn’t pessimism or paranoia; it is realism. Your children need to know that if they choose to be vulnerable online, whether emotionally or sexually, that there are people out there who will take advantage of that. They might spread a sexy photo for others to see, blackmail the person with the photos later on, or use them as a means to try to bond with a vulnerable child. Anyone can be flattering online, but real relationships blossom in face-to-face, honest interactions – not through manipulation. 5. Cultivate loving, trusting relationships with your children so they feel comfortable approaching you with questions about sexuality or sexual images they may have inadvertently seen.

Ephesians 6:4 says a father should bring up his children using “training” and “instruction.” These two activities encompass much of what the Bible says to parents about good parenting, namely providing an environment of structure and support. And of course this applies to mothers, too. As parents, when you provide your children with both structure and support, you will not be authoritarian (overly demanding with no warmth) or permissive (very responsive and warm with no expectations), but lovingly authoritative.

Permissive parents (all support, little structure) unwittingly train children to believe that their every whim and desire is good. These parents falsely believe that the best way to nurture a child’s character is through fewer rules and more familial love. While on the surface their approach appears loving and nurturing – especially compared to stricter parents – these indulgent parents raise children who easily wander into the minefield of sexual sin and have little experience with resisting temptation and desires.

On the other end of the spectrum, authoritarian parents (all structure, little support) train children to seek refuge anywhere but at home. These parents create an overly critical home devoid of affirmation and encouragement. Kids in these homes start to believe that their parents don’t care about them, or that they will never measure up to their standards. These legalistic parents unwittingly chase their children into the minefield of sexual sin.

But when parents give both strong structure and loving support to their children, they raise wise children who desire righteousness, and loved children who know they can turn to their parents for help and mercy. God is always ready to bestow mercy on us. Through loving interactions with a parent, children come to experience, and then learn to trust, in His mercy.

RYAN FOLEY is an internet safety consultant and vice president of business development for Covenant Eyes, an internet accountability and filtering service. This article is part of the USCCB’s “Clean Heart” series and is a companion resource to the U.S. bishops’ 2015 pastoral statement “Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography.”

DISTRIBUTION

FROM PAGE 3

families during the crisis. The need for outreach was particularly acute because the coronavirus has disproportionately affected Hispanics, many of whom are classified as essential workers or are unable to work from home, and others who lack access to affordable health care.

Sister Joan noted, “The reality of doing this with outdated tech equipment (older than some of our class participants!) quickly revealed some major problems: We needed up-to-date and multiple-platformsenabled equipment. Some of us needed cameras to attach to old monitors just to Skype.”

“This grant equipment is essential in accomplishing our mission. And the designation of these funds for Hispanic Ministry is a very clear way to communicate support by the diocese to the People of God,” she said.

They hope to begin using the new equipment next month, she said.

“FFHL funds continue to go to the parishes, capital projects and endowments across the diocese,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development. “FFHL has had a significant impact on the work being done in parishes and in ministries across the diocese that provide services to parishioners. This distribution from the Multicultural Ministry Endowment Fund is just one way these distributions will help the Hispanic Ministry staff do a more effective job serving others.”

The FFHL campaign launched in 2013 and has received $53.3 million in pledge payments to date.

Proceeds from the campaign have already been put to work, and all 92 parishes and missions have received funds. Four other main areas of the campaign have received significant funding so far: clergy support, Catholic education, Catholic outreach, and pastoral and temporal needs.

Campaign distributions total $43.1 million to date, including $15.5 million for FFHL’s seven endowments.

Your DSA contributions at work

The diocesan Hispanic Ministry Office is funded in part by contributions to the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and how you can contribute at www. charlottediocese.org/dsa.

GUADALUPANA

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 8

reunión, los fieles pudieran congregarse para la oración. Ya desde agosto iniciaron las Misas presenciales únicamente con una Misa durante los días de semana a las seis de la mañana.

“Sabíamos que si se abrían las Misas con anterioridad iba a ser muy peligroso. La comunidad se iba a volcar a la Iglesia e iba a generarse una situación muy riesgosa para ellos mismos. Teníamos que actuar con responsabilidad”, dijo el vicario.

Además de las Misas presenciales, aún se transmiten Misas online en su página de facebook los martes a las 7:30; miércoles, jueves y viernes al mediodía; sábado a las 6 de la tarde y domingo a las 8 de la mañana.

Respecto a esta respuesta de ofrecer Misa enline, el sacerdote explicó que se dió “como reacción a una necesidad para la que no estábamos preparados”.

“Supimos responder bien, fue providencial que en esos mismo días contratamos a una persona para que nos ayude con los temas de la tecnología. No sabemos lo que va a pasar. Si la necesidad persiste, la audiencia nos va a dictar el siguiente movimiento. Pero, gracias a esto, nos hemos podido dar cuenta que estamos al servicio de toda la comunidad, no solo de la nuestra, sino que, de otras lejanas, en Estados Unidos, México y el mundo, que nos siguen en nuestras transmisiones. Con generosidad, nos sentimos honrados de brindar nuestro ministerio de comunicaciones a todo el mundo de habla hispana”.

La venta de sus viandas en la cafetería también se ha reanudado. “Los que preparan los alimentos siguen todas las reglas de seguridad. Se puede pasar y recoger, pero también consumir en el lugar pues las bancas se han separado siguiendo las normas de distanciamiento social”, aseguró el P. Medellín.

Más online

En www.facebook.com/ NSGuadalupeCharlotte: Siga las Misas online y entérese del gran número de actividades de esta parroquia

FFHL

VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 8

empujado a todos a adaptar nuestros ministerios siguiendo las pautas de seguridad diocesana y de los CDC con respecto a cómo ministramos a los fieles. Creo que el equipo de coordinadores del Ministerio Hispano diocesano ha sido muy creativo en sus esfuerzos, que comenzamos a emplear a fines de marzo, cuando todavía estábamos en la Fase 1 de la orden de permanencia en casa del gobernador”.

Los miembros del equipo del Ministerio Hispano pudieron adaptarse a los desafíos provocados por la pandemia con una transición bastante rápida y fluida de las actividades centradas en la iglesia a las redes sociales, podcasts, seminarios web y clases de videoconferencia para “mantener la fe” y fortalecer a las familias hispanas durante la crisis. La necesidad de alcanzar a la comunidad fue particularmente sensible porque el coronavirus ha afectado de manera desproporcionada a los hispanos, muchos de los cuales están clasificados como trabajadores esenciales o no pueden trabajar desde casa, y otros carecen de acceso a la atención médica asequible.

La hermana Joan señaló: “Hacer esto con equipos de tecnología obsoletos (más antiguos que algunos de nosotros) reveló rápidamente grandes problemas: Necesitábamos equipos actualizados y habilitados para múltiples plataformas. Algunos de nosotros necesitábamos cámaras para conectarlas a monitores antiguos solo para comunicarnos por Skype”.

“Este equipo es esencial para lograr nuestra misión. Y la designación de estos fondos para el Ministerio Hispano es una forma muy clara de comunicar el apoyo de la diócesis al Pueblo de Dios”, por lo que esperan comenzar a usar el nuevo equipo el próximo mes.

“Los fondos de FFHL continúan dirigiéndose a las parroquias, proyectos de capital y fundaciones en toda la diócesis”, dijo Jim Kelley, director diocesano de desarrollo. “FFHL ha tenido un impacto significativo en el trabajo que realizan las parroquias y ministerios de la diócesis que brindan servicios a los feligreses. Esta distribución del Fondo para Ministerios Multiculturales es solo una de las formas en que estas donaciones ayudarán al personal del Ministerio Hispano a hacer un trabajo más eficaz en su servicio”.

La campaña FFHL, que se lanzó en 2013, ha recaudado $ 53.3 millones en compromisos de colaboración hasta la fecha.

Los fondos de la campaña ya se han puesto en acción y las 92 parroquias y misiones han recibido fondos. Otras cuatro áreas principales de la campaña han recibido financiación significativa hasta ahora: Apoyo al Clero, Educación Católica, Alcance Católico y para necesidades pastorales y temporales.

La distribución de la campaña totaliza $ 43.1 millones hasta la fecha, incluyendo $ 15.5 millones para siete fondos de la FFHL.