St. Anthony Messenger February 2018

Sharing the spirit of St. Francis with the world V O L . 1 2 5 / N O . 9 • FEBRUARY 2018

SPORTING

HIS FAITH AN INTERVIEW WITH ESPN’S TONY REALI

IN THIS ISSUE:

FEBRUARY 2018 • $4.99 StAnthonyMessenger.org

A delicious Lent-friendly recipe PAGE 58

FIVE MINUTES TO MINDFULNESS CHICAGO’S LENTEN KICKOFF A NIGHT WITH THE HOMELESS

INSPIRING TALES OF HOPE, JOY & PEACE

A Difficult Life

◆ CONFESSIONS OF A TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC

Fr. ... Augustine Wetta, O.S.B ith candor, humor, and a unique approach to classical art, Fr. Wetta breaks down St. Benedict’s famous guide to humility into twelve pithy steps for finding true inner peace that can be applied to anyone’s life in today’s over-stressed culture. He explains every step, illustrating each with color reproductions of sacred art he has embellished with comic flourishes. The winsome combination is sure to keep readers from taking themselves too seriously—a first step on the path to humility.

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“An essential read for anyone with a devotion to St. Therese or interest in the science of the saints. It shows that problematic behavior in children can happen in any family, and our imperfections can be a part of our journey to sanctity. A deeply moving book.”

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“For those seeking sanctity amidst life’s struggles, Léonie Martin is a gift that helps us to apply the Little Way when the way we must travel is less than perfect.”

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◆ HUMILITY RULES

◆ LEONIE MARTIN Marie Baudouin-Croix éonie was one of the five daughters of Saints Zélie & Louis Martin, and a sister of Saint Thérèse. She was an emotionally disturbed child who suffered and caused much anguish in her family.Yet despite the difficulties in her life, by the time of her death in 1941 she was regarded as a saint and her convent has been inundated with letters testifying to her posthumous intercessory aid.

This book shows how Leonie practiced the “Little Way” so deeply that the cause for her sainthood was opened by the Church.

St. Benedict’s 12-Step Guide to Genuine Self Esteem

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Matthew Arnold nswers many questions about Catholic Traditionalism in this moving personal account, revealing how a faithful Catholic’s desire for a reverent liturgy led him to tolerate the Holy Mass celebrated validly, but illicitly. His compelling testimony also explores how the licit celebration of the Extraordinary Form — the Traditional Latin Mass — can have a positive impact on the life and the liturgy of the Church. This candid book exposes the spiritual peril at the heart of radical Traditionalism while remaining compassionate toward the legitimate aspirations of Traditional Catholics.

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“This page-turning tale is a much-needed expression of hope for our time — hope with its eyes wide open.”

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“Hail, Queen Wisdom! May the Lord protect You, and your Sister, holy pure Simplicity.”

—St. Francis of Assisi

VOL. 125 NO. 9

FEBRUARY

2018

COVER STORY

36 Sporting His Faith: An Interview with ESPN’s Tony Reali

By Peter Finney Jr.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TONY REALI/ ESPN ARCHIVES (2)

Television host, sports junkie, husband, father—all of these could describe this popular ESPN personality.

His Catholic faith keeps him grounded.

18 Five Minutes to Mindfulness

By Colleen Arnold, MD

Starting with a few simple exercises, we can slow down and savor each moment, opening ourselves to God’s presence and the blessings in our lives.

22 Chicago’s Lenten Kickoff

By John Feister

On Ash Wednesday at St. Peter’s in the Loop in the heart of Chicago, 20,000 people will begin their Lenten journey.

COVER: Tony Reali, host of Around the Horn, proudly wears his faith on his forehead every Ash Wednesday. But it isn't for shock or for show. This sports fanatic is proud to be Catholic.

30 A Night with the Homeless

By Shawn Burns

A sleepless night at a homeless shelter becomes a wake-up call for this volunteer.

44 Fiction: The Nuns at Starbucks

Story by Terry Sanville | Illustration by Christiane Grauert

There’s nothing a little coffee can’t solve.

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 1

Answering the call is the easy part.

The hard part is everything that comes next.

• the

debut book from •

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LOWER LEFT: COURTESY OF MAVIS STAPLES/CHRIS STRONG PHOTOGRAPHY

Casey Cole, ofm

VOL. 125 NO. 9

2018 FEBRUARY

14 SPIRIT OF ST. FRANCIS 14 Ask a Franciscan

Why Did God Change Names?

7

Your Voice

Letters from Readers

16 Franciscan World

12 Editorial

16 St. Anthony Stories

28 At Home on Earth

17 Followers of St. Francis

56 Faith & Family

Order of Friars Minor

St. Josephine Bakhita—A Model of Faith

St. Anthony Found Me

The Heart of Lent

Father Saleem Amir, OFM

LOWER LEFT: COURTESY OF MAVIS STAPLES/CHRIS STRONG PHOTOGRAPHY

28 POINTS OF VIEW

Take This and Eat—Please

53

49

MEDIA MATTERS 50 Reel Time The Post

52 Channel Surfing Winnie

53 Audio File

Mavis Staples: If All I Was Was Black

54 Bookshelf

The Way of Catechesis

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 5 8

Dear Reader

Church in the News

49 Lent and Reconciliation

53 Pete & Repeat 58 In the Kitchen 59 Poetry

60 Reflection

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 3

CONGRATULATES

the St. Anthony Center, our sister ministry, on their opening!

The Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province dedicated and opened a new facility in December, which serves the poor in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Located in the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, the St. Anthony Center is an innovative and collaborative partnership of numerous nonprofit agencies committed to serving those in need.

Reaching out in the spirit of St. Francis, the Franciscan friars offer a new model of hope and help.

The St. Anthony Center is the new home for: Center for respite Care franCisCan Ministries’ HairCuts froM tHe Heart Mary Magdalen House prinCe of peaCe lutHeran CHurCH/WelCoMe HoMe Collaborative st. franCis serapH Ministries sWeet CHeeks diaper bank Collectively, these agencies expect to serve over 100,000 clients within the next year. These organizations rely solely on donations and volunteers to maintain operations. Both are needed and greatly appreciated.

www.saintanthonycentercincinnati.org | (513) 549-0542 1615 Republic Street | Cincinnati, OH 45202

PHOTO CREDIT HERE

triHealtH outreaCH Ministries

ST. ANTHONY

MESSENGER PUBLISHER

Daniel Kroger, OFM PRESIDENT

Kelly McCracken FRANCISCAN EDITOR

Pat McCloskey, OFM ART DIRECTOR

Mary Catherine Kozusko MANAGING EDITOR

Daniel Imwalle

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Susan Hines-Brigger Christopher Heffron

EDITOR AT LARGE

John Feister

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Sharon Lape

dear reader Living the Truth Deeply

O

n February 14, we celebrate Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, a time when we take a deeper look at our lives—individually and communally. We also accompany more closely the women, men, and children who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil or who will be received into full communion with the Catholic Church. We are Jesus’ disciples who still need to grow.

Our article on St. Peter’s in the Loop shows the hustle and bustle of a downtown shrine that draws people from all levels of society and backgrounds to begin their Lenten journey. Although many people think of penance simply as giving something up and not as a journey deeper into the truth of their lives, others are ready to embrace Francis of Assisi’s advice: “You are what you are before God.” On Ash Wednesday, viewers of Tony Reali’s Around the Horn show on ESPN are never in doubt about where he stands regarding Lent. His ashes have been visible on air on this day for 14 years.

Our article about volunteering at a homeless shelter shows faith in action, especially when it challenges “what everyone knows” about homeless people. The article on mindfulness is very Lenten, and our short story speaks to faith’s inner connections.

We hope you find these articles and the regular columns good companions on your Lenten journey.

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Kingery Printing Co. Effingham, IL ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER (ISSN #0036276X) (U.S.P.S. PUBLICATION #007956 CANADA PUBLICATION #PM40036350) Volume 125, Number 9, is published monthly for $39.00 a year by the Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-6498. Phone 513-241-5615. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional entry offices.

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writer Sporting His Faith

Nuns at Starbucks

In the Kitchen

PAGE 36

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PAGE 58

Born in the United States, Christiane grew up in Germany. She earned an MFA in visual studies from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She teaches at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

Amy has been a finalist in many cooking contests, including the Pillsbury Bake-Off. Her award-winning recipe was published in 100 Pillsbury Bake-Off Finalist Recipes. Author of Saints at the Dinner Table, she teaches baking for a jobtraining program.

PETER FINNEY JR.

Editor of the Clarion Herald (Archdiocese of New Orleans), Peter in 2013 received the St. Francis de Sales Award, the Catholic Press Association’s highest honor. He has served on its board of directors and several committees.

writer

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POINTSOFVIEW | YOUR VOICE Questions on Doctrine a Gaping Omission I’m writing in regard to John Feister’s article in the December issue, “To Build a Bridge: An Interview with James Martin, SJ.” In it, Feister only questioned Father Martin on one side of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) issue. We all ought to be able to agree, as Father Martin and the Catechism of the Catholic Church say, that LGBT people should not suffer “unjust discrimination.”

There is nothing sinful about being an LGBT person. Sexual orientation is never a sin.

Feister, however, never questioned Father Martin about his positions that do not support Catholic doctrine. (Quotes below are from a talk Father Martin gave at Villanova University on August 29, 2017, New Oxford Review, November 2017, “Under the Rainbow,” p. 20.) Father Martin doesn’t like the language of the Catechism, which describes homosexual acts as being “intrinsically disordered.” He prefers “differently ordered”—whatever that means. In response to a question from a homosexual graduate student about expressing his feelings for his partner during the kiss of peace at Mass, Father Martin hoped that “in 10 years, you will be able to kiss your partner or soon to be your husband”—a clear contradiction of Catholic doctrine.

I find it hard to believe that Feister did not know of Father Martin’s deviations from Catholic doctrine. If Feister didn’t know, then he certainly didn’t do any serious research prior to the interview. Christ enjoined the apostles to “feed my sheep,” not to mislead them as this one-sided interview did.

Chuck Rivetto Lake Orion, Michigan

Catholic in More Ways Than One I just finished reading the December 2017 issue of St. Anthony Messenger. I loved the articles. I really appreciate that you publish articles by such thought-provoking writers as Joyce Rupp and Thomas Moore, the interview with James Martin, SJ, and, in past issues, Richard Rohr, OFM. Your magazine is truly catholic (as in, “appealing to broad tastes or interests”) in perspective. I hope that you

continue this editorial philosophy of openness and inclusiveness. We need this approach in today’s divided world.

Stephen Flynn Westlake, Ohio

A Christmas Trip Down Memory Lane I have been a subscriber of St. Anthony Messenger magazine for over 30 years.

Christopher Heffron’s article in the December issue, “Tinsel in Tinseltown,” was a wonderful nostalgia piece. The 1951 adaptation of A Christmas Carol brings back many memories for me. When I was a child, my father would always share that movie with us on Christmas Eve. It was a tradition in our family.

I would also like to add that I read many Catholic magazines, and I find St. Anthony Messenger to be the one I find most interesting and easy to read. Your articles are worthwhile, and I have been to many of the places that you include in your magazine. I also loved “Reforming Santa Claus,” by Maryann Gogniat Eidemiller.

Eileen M. Frank Bridgeport, West Virginia

Fiction Stories Energize Faith I am a longtime subscriber to St. Anthony Messenger. I enjoy the articles as well as Father Pat McCloskey’s “Ask a Franciscan” column. I have learned a lot about my Catholic faith and look forward to reading the magazine each month. Your publication provides many different avenues of teaching about the Catholic faith.

However, one of those avenues has been missing recently: the short fiction stories.

While the stories are entertaining, I also find them to be a unique and practical way to teach about the faith. I liken the method of teaching to that of Jesus teaching with parables. In both instances, stories are used to get across a Christian point. I find the stories to be a “shot in the arm” of my faith. The stories generally have a Christian point and leave the reader in a place of reflection and soulsearching.

Richard G. Carey Trenton, Michigan

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StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 7

church IN THE NEWS

people | events | trends

By Susan Hines-Br ig ger

FUNERAL HELD AT VATICAN FOR FORMER BOSTON CARDINAL released a statement saying, “I recognize that Cardinal Law’s passing brings forth a wide range of emotions on the part of many people. I am particularly cognizant of all who experienced the trauma of sexual abuse by clergy, whose lives were so seriously impacted by those crimes, and their families and loved ones. To those men and women, I offer my sincere apologies for the harm they suffered, my continued prayers, and my promise that the archdiocese will support them in their effort to achieve healing.

“As the Church must always do, we seek forgiveness for the sins of the past and for all the things that were done or not done that have contributed to the suffering of so many,” he said, adding that, for all those who suffered abuse, the “hurt is still there, the healing is still necessary.”

The organization SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) issued a statement saying they “are sure that many people will have mixed feelings about the death of Cardinal Bernard Law. Survivors of child

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said that the pageantry of Cardinal Bernard Law’s funeral, given his role in the clergy sex-abuse crisis, sent the wrong message to survivors.

8 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

sexual assault in Boston, who were first betrayed by Law’s cover-up of sex crimes and then doubly betrayed by his subsequent promotion to Rome, were those most hurt. No words can convey the pain these survivors and their loved ones suffered.”

The organization also expressed concerns about plans for Cardinal Law’s funeral.

“We highly doubt there is a single victim of abuse who will ever receive the same attention, pomp, and circumstance by Pope Francis. Every single Catholic should ask Pope Francis and the Vatican why. Why Law’s life was so celebrated when Boston’s clergy sex-abuse survivors suffered so greatly?

Why was Law promoted when Boston’s Catholic children were sexually abused, ignored, and pushed aside time and time again?”

After resigning as the head of Boston’s archdiocese, Cardinal Law, who was buried in Rome, was appointed by St. John Paul II to serve as archpriest at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major from 2004 to 2011.

Cardinal Bernard Law speaks at the 2002 meeting of the US bishops, as the sex-abuse crisis was unfolding.

CNS PHOTOS, LEFT: GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS; RIGHT: L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO

ardinal Bernard F. Law, who resigned as the head of the Archdiocese of Boston for his actions regarding sexual abuse by priests, passed away in Rome on December 20 at the age of 86, reported Catholic News Service (CNS).

A funeral for Cardinal Law was celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica on December 21 by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals. During his homily, Cardinal Sodano said, “Unfortunately, each one of us can sometimes lack in fidelity to our mission. That is why, at the beginning of every Mass, we say the ‘Confiteor,’ the prayer that begins, ‘I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned.’”

Pope Francis, as is customary for the funerals of cardinals who die in Rome, arrived at the end of Mass to preside over the final commendation and farewell.

Shortly after Cardinal Law’s death, the current head of the Boston Archdiocese, Cardinal Seán O’Malley,

CNS PHOTOS, LEFT: MAX ROSSI/REUTERS RIGHT: BOB ROLLER

C

VATICAN REACTS TO TRUMP’S JERUSALEM DECISION

GINGRICH BEGINS WORK AT VATICAN

J

CNS PHOTOS, LEFT: GORAN TOMASEVIC/REUTERS; RIGHT: L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO

CNS PHOTOS, LEFT: MAX ROSSI/REUTERS RIGHT: BOB ROLLER

ust days after US President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, the Vatican released a statement calling for “wisdom and prudence” to prevail in the wake of the news, reported CNS. The Vatican “reiterates its own conviction that only a negotiated soluClashes broke out after US President Donald Trump announced his tion between Israelis and intentions to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Palestinians can bring a stable and lasting peace and guarantee the peaceful coexistence of two states within internationally recognized borders,” the statement read.

Just hours before Trump announced his decision, Pope Francis had urged respect for “the status quo of the city in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.”

In his appeal, the pope said, “Jerusalem is a unique city, sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims who venerate the holy places of their respective religions, and has a special vocation to peace.”

The Arab League, a regional organization consisting of 22 Arabic-speaking member states, held an emergency meeting in Cairo, Egypt, on December 9 to discuss Trump’s announcement, calling it “dangerous and unacceptable.”

Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital goes “against international law and raises questions over American efforts to support peace,” said Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Arab League’s secretary-general.

Trump had promised in his presidential campaign to make the move. Former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had also made a similar promise during their campaigns. Once in office, they did not make the move, however, citing its potential negative impact on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

SNAP MAKES AN APOLOGY

T

he Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests issued an apology on November 27 to the Archdiocese of St. Louis and two of its priests, Father Joseph Jiang and the late Msgr. Joseph D. Pins. The apology was part of a settlement with SNAP in a defamation lawsuit filed by Father Jiang in 2015, according to the archdiocese.

In its statement, the organization said, “The SNAP defendants never want to see anyone falsely accused of a crime. Admittedly, false reports of clergy sexual abuse do occur. The SNAP defendants have no personal knowledge as to the complaints against Father Joseph Jiang and acknowledge that all matters and claims against Father Jiang have either been dismissed or adjudicated in favor of Father Jiang.”

Calista Gingrich formally began her work as US ambassador to the Holy See after meeting with Pope Francis on December 22.

C

alista Gingrich formally presented her letters of credential to Pope Francis on December 22, marking the official start of her work as US ambassador to the Holy See, reported CNS. After introducing her husband, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and members of her staff to the pope, Calista Gingrich and the pope met privately.

Following the meeting, the Vatican issued a statement saying, “Ambassador Gingrich looks forward to working with the Holy See to defend human rights, advance religious freedom, combat human trafficking, and to seek peaceful solutions to crises around the world.”

Gingrich gave Pope Francis a collection of sacred music recorded by the choir she was a longtime member of at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, the embassy said. She also gave a donation to the charity of his choice.

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 9

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church IN THE NEWS

GOD IS ALWAYS PRESENT

T

he theme of the 2018 March for Life—“Love Saves Lives”—was announced on December 6 by organizers of the event. Pam Tebow, mother of former football player Tim Tebow, will be one of the speakers at the January 19 event. Kelly Rosati, a March for Life board member who has adopted four children previously in foster care, will also speak.

THE ROSARY PRIEST

H

BIRTHDAY WISHES & PIZZA

P

ope Francis celebrated his 81st birthday on December 20 with a group of children receiving assistance from the Vatican’s St. Martha Dispensary, a maternal and pediatric clinic. The pope was serenaded with song and dance before being presented with a 3-foot-long pizza with one lit candle on it.

Afterward, an estimated 25,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus address sang “Happy Birthday” to the pope.

Pope Francis venerates a figurine of the baby Jesus as he celebrates Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican December 24.

I

n his Christmas Mass homily, Pope Francis said everything about the Christmas story is a source of hope and that God is always present, even when it seems he is absent.

Oftentimes, the pope said, that presence is in the “unwelcomed visitor, often unrecognizable, who walks through our cities and our neighborhoods, who travels on our buses and knocks on our doors. Christmas is a time for turning the power of fear into the power of charity.”

He paralleled Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the uncertainty they faced with the situation of so many families throughout the world today.

“We see the footsteps of entire families forced to set out in our own day. We see the footsteps of millions of people who do not choose to go away but, driven from their land, leave behind their dear ones,” he said.

For some people, the departure is filled with hope for the future, he said. “Yet for many others, this departure can only have one name: survival. Surviving the Herods of today who, to impose their power and increase their wealth, see no problem in shedding innocent blood.”

He then prayed that the cry of the baby Jesus will “shake us from our indifference and open our eyes to those who are suffering.”

“May your tenderness awaken our sensitivity and recognize our call to see you in all those who arrive in our cities, in our histories, in our lives,” the pope prayed. “May your revolutionary tenderness persuade us to feel our call to be agents of the hope and tenderness of our people.”

WANT MORE? Visit our newspage:

FranciscanMedia.org/catholic-news

10 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org 101⁄2 103⁄4 1013⁄16 107⁄8

CNS PHOTOS, TOP LEFT: FAMILY THEATER PRODUCTIONS; LOWER LEFT: L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO; RIGHT: PAUL HARING

Father Patrick Peyton

oly Cross Father Patrick Peyton, founder of the Rosary Crusade, moved one step closer to sainthood when, on December 18, Pope Francis approved the decree recognizing Father Peyton’s heroic virtues. Father Peyton, known worldwide as “The Rosary Priest,” was a Catholic media pioneer in the 1940s, who used radio and later television to produce popular programs featuring Hollywood stars and other celebrities to promote family prayer.

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POINTSOFVIEW | EDITORIAL

St. Josephine Bakhita—A Model of Faith er kidnappers gave her the name Bakhita, meaning “fortunate.” Her life in captivity wasn’t quite so. Born in Darfur in 1869, Josephine Bakhita was taken by Arab slave traders when she was 9. Forced to walk 600 miles to southern Sudan, she was bought and sold before arriving in El Obeid.

But of all the indignities Josephine faced as a slave—far too many to mention here—one in particular stands out.

Through a combination of branding and tattooing, Josephine suffered the traditional Sudanese practice where a pattern was cut into her skin with a razor. To ensure scarification, salt was poured into the open wounds.

When it was finished, 140 intricate patterns were carved into her breast, torso, and arm.

She also faced countless beatings and lashings from a revolving door of owners as well as a forced conversion to Islam.

Left by her owner in the custody of the Daughters of Charity in Venice in 1888, Josephine finally found refuge. Baptized in 1890, she took her final vows in 1896, and spent the rest of her life in Vicenza as a doorkeeper and cook. She died in 1947.

Beatified in 1992, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II eight years later.

LESSONS FROM ST. JOSEPHINE

Josephine did not live to see the second half of the 20th century, but many of the social ills she endured outlived her. In a month where we recognize and celebrate not only African Americans in our country, but the feast day of St. Josephine, we as Catholics can learn quite a bit from the Sudanese saint.

Forgiveness. Josephine endured unimaginable hardships in her life, but she showed mercy. “If I were to meet the slave traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me,” she once said, “I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and religious today. The Lord has loved me so much. We must love everyone.” In the face of inhuman trials, she only saw the face of Christ.

Identity. Josephine’s abduction was so singularly traumatic, she later recounted, that she forgot her birthname.

Saddled with the ironic Bakhita, she nonetheless grew into her new moniker, and found spiritual fortune in her true identity as a child of God. Diversity. According to a 2017 study by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, there are 3 million black Catholics in the United States. By 2050, the African 12 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

American population is expected to double—and parishes across the country will surely reflect that diversity. Josephine, a model for Catholics of any color, proved that diverse faith communities are the strongest.

Freedom. In 2016, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children found that one in six endangered runaways has likely been trafficked. Globally, the statistics are worse. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 4.5 million exploited sexually— and those numbers are rising. Taken from her family and trafficked, Josephine found physical freedom in an Italian convent and spiritual freedom in God. Today, she is considered a kindred spirit to those who are trafficked worldwide. Learn more about the Church’s ongoing anti-trafficking efforts at usccb.org.

Faith. In her years as a doorkeeper, Josephine exuded unshakable grace. The people of Vicenza warmed to her quickly, calling her “black mother.” Though she carried the physical and psychological scarring of her years as a Sudanese slave, she never lost her faith. “O Lord,” she once said, “if I could fly to my people and tell them of your goodness at the top of my voice, oh how many souls would be won!” After she died, it was written that her mind was always fixed on God, while her heart was still in Africa. Josephine showed what can be overcome when we hold to our faith.

ONLY ONE MASTER

During Josephine’s years as doorkeeper, Italians were taken by her cheerful demeanor. But the horrors of slavery troubled her the rest of her life. Her final years were marred by sickness. In a fevered state, she once pleaded with a nurse to loosen the chains that bound her wrists. But she never lost her belief in God. When visitors asked how she was feeling, Josephine’s token response to them was, “As the Master desires.”

That total abandonment to God would be Josephine’s legacy—and it is one we can work toward as 21st-century Catholics. In this season of Lent, in this month of recognizing our African American brothers and sisters, these words from Pope John Paul II, who beatified her, ring true: “God used [Josephine] to teach us all the meaning of Jesus’ words: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.’” —Christopher Heffron

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SPIRITOFST.FRANCIS | ASK A FRANCISCAN

By Pat McCloskey, OFM

Why Did God Change Names?

In different parts of the Old Testament, God is called by different names—for example, sometimes El and at other times Yahweh. Why is that? Why did God change names?

Pat McCloskey, OFM

Father Pat welcomes your questions!

ONLINE: StAnthonyMessenger.org

All questions sent by mail need to include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

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WE HAVE A DIGITAL archive of “Ask” Q and As, going back to March 2013.

Just click: • the Ask link and then • the Archive link.

Material is grouped thematically under headings such as forgiveness, Jesus, moral issues, prayer, saints, redemption, sacraments, Scripture—and many more!

Jacob’s Dream, by Cornelis Jacobsz Delff, circa 1605

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od did not change names but is simply too great to be confined to a single name.

In the ancient world and still today, to know someone’s name suggests a certain level of control over that person—in the same way that representing that person with wood, stone, or paint suggests an ability to know that person completely. God cannot be known as completely as we humans can know anyone else. Judaism forbids representing God directly; a burning bush is sometimes used.

The different names you noted—and others—reflect distinct theological traditions, including some of pagan origin. In the Scriptures, however, these variations are always understood within the faith tradition that begins with Abraham and Sarah.

Centuries later, the Israelites (Israel means “let God contend”) finalized what we know as the first 11 chapters of the Book of Genesis.

The term El means “God” and is often connected with an attribute of God (El Shaddai, “all-sufficient one,” Gn 17:1) or some geographical place (El Bethel, Jacob’s dream at Bethel of angels descending from heaven, Gn 28:10–22). The name Bethel means “house of God.” Many names of persons or places end in “el,” signifying a relationship with God.

14 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

In some ways, the first five books of the Bible (Torah) are a single unit, but they reflect four theological traditions: Elohist, Yahwist, Deuteronomic, and Priestly. The last of these four, the Priestly, was finalized only in the sixth century before Christ.

The first account of creation (Gn 1:1— 2:4a) comes from the Priestly tradition and emphasizes a single God’s supremacy and majesty in creation. The second account of creation begins at Gn 2:4b and reflects the Yahwist tradition that features a more intimate God, who walks in the Garden of Eden and converses with Adam and Eve. Although the name Yahweh is used early in the Bible, it was, in fact, not introduced and accepted until the story of Moses’ dialogue with the burning bush (Ex 3:1—4:17). In time and out of respect, the Jews substituted the term Adonai (“Lord”) wherever the word Yahweh appears in the Scriptures.

Within a family, grandchildren who are cousins may sometimes use different names to refer to the same grandparent. A similar dynamic is at work among the various names for God in the Old Testament—all of them recognizing that no single name can totally encompass or describe God.

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Answering Protestant Objections

ST. ANTHONY

Most of my family are members of Scripture-alone groups. They say that praying to Mary is fruitless and that the Eucharist is not really Jesus’ body and blood.

How can I respond?

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Jacob’s Deception

FRANK JASPER, OFM

Christians have honored Mary from the earliest days.

or 800 years before Martin Luther, Christians had clarified that they adore God but venerate saints; that’s a big difference.

Mary is not some alternative to God, possessing any power or authority independent of God. She is a model disciple and thus has directly experienced many of the same things that the person praying has lived through.

Can your relatives explain why Christians prayed for help from the saints for almost 1,500 years before there were any Scripturealone groups such as theirs?

Also, both Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians have seen the Eucharist as very real for those same 1,500 years. How do your relatives understand 1 Corinthians 11:23–32?

Can a person receive the Eucharist unworthily if he or she considers it as not real?

Although Martin Luther rightly criticized many abuses within the Roman Catholicism of his day, he believed that praying to Mary was legitimate and that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist. He explained the latter as consubstantiation rather than transubstantiation, which the Church had accepted 300 years before the Reformation began.

BREAD s The National Shrine of St. Anthony is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Consecrated in 1889, it includes a first-class relic of St. Anthony and serves as a center for daily prayer and contemplation.

The Franciscan friars minister from the shrine. To help them in their work among the poor, you may send a monetary offering called St. Anthony Bread. Make checks or money orders payable to “Franciscans” and mail to the address below.

Every Tuesday, a Mass is offered for benefactors and petitioners at the shrine. To seek St. Anthony’s intercession, mail your petition to the address below. Petitions are taken to the shrine each week. viSit our webSite to:

In Genesis 27:1–40, why did God permit Jacob to trick Esau out of his birthright?

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n a patriarchal society, Jacob, as the younger twin brother, was always expected to defer to Esau. This story is told partly to challenge the idea that God acts exactly like any patriarch. The stories of Cain and Abel, of Leah and Rachel, and of Joseph as being favored over his 10 older brothers all make the same point.

The story of Jacob and Esau stresses their common origin but also the divergent paths of their descendants. The 12 sons of Jacob give rise to the people with whom God makes a covenant at Mt. Sinai. The descendants of Esau eventually become pagans—though still loved by God. Your question suggests that Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Esau were simply actors following a script written by God. That’s an easy assumption because humans necessarily live in past, present, and future. God, however, lives in the eternal now, not bound by time as people created by God are.

The experience of separation within the human family comes first; the explanation for that separation comes later—as the story of how Jacob stole Esau’s birthright demonstrates. Human freedom remains both real and important to God.

StAnthony.org

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mAil poStAl communicAtionS to:

St. Anthony Bread 1615 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498

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StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 15

SPIRITOFST.FRANCIS “I admonish the brothers not to judge those who wear soft and fine clothes . . . but rather, let everyone judge himself.”

—St. Francis of Assisi

FRANCISCAN WORLD

Order of Friars Minor

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AT THE END of the 2016 Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis instituted the World Day of the Poor, first celebrated last November 19.

We prayed then for greater respect for the human dignity of every person.

In a message for that day, Pope Francis recalled centuries of generous and creative Christian service to our poorest brothers and sisters.

He described Francis of Assisi as “the most outstanding example [of such service], followed by many other holy men and women over the centuries.”

—Pat McCloskey, OFM

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WANT MORE? Learn about your saints and blesseds by going to: SaintoftheDay.org

ST. ANTHONY STORIES

St. Anthony Found Me

I

t was 20 years ago. I was agnostic for many years. Someone told me about St. Anthony finding things, and this clicked with me because I used to be able to find things.

I began praying to St. Anthony little by little and ended up converting to the Catholic faith.

I believe St. Anthony “found” me for Jesus and the Catholic Church, and I consider him my patron saint. I have been a daily communicant for almost every day of these past 20 years. Thank you, St. Anthony.

—Sandra

16 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

FATHER FRANK JASPER

Francis was one of the best friends poor people of any religion ever had.

The first friars to come to the New World were mostly Alcantarines (named after St. Peter of Alcantara, who died in 1562). The first friars to arrive in Cincinnati—and who established this magazine in 1893— belonged to the Riformati group and identified themselves as members of “the Order of St. Francis.” The very first friars to come to Chicago and St. Louis were Recollect friars— as were the pioneer friars in Canada.

The OFMs have provinces headquartered in New York City (2), Cincinnati, St. Louis, Albuquerque, Oakland, and Franklin (Wisconsin).

Some religious communities were founded for a special apostolate—not so, the Franciscan friars. They evangelize through diverse ministries but always through the witness of their fraternal life.

TOP: FOTOSEARCH/ANDREUS; BOTTOM: CREATIVE COMMONS/KEVIN DOOLEY

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI

his is the group that I know best because it is the one to which I belong. It and the Order of Friars Minor Conventual go back to the time of St. Francis; they both follow the Rule of Life that he wrote and that Pope Honorius III approved in 1223.

A few years after Francis died in 1226, these friars became known as the Observant whereas the others were called the Conventuals. The same terminology was applied to subgroups within other religious communities.

The expression OFM dates back to 1897, when Pope Leo XIII united four groups of Observant friars worldwide into one.

The Alcantarines, Riformati [Reformed], Recollects, and Observants were under a single minister general and celebrated a common general chapter (meeting) every six years.

By Pat McCloskey, OFM

JUST FOR YOU!

FOLLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS

From Pakistan to Jamaica with Francis A Pakistani friar shows us all the breadth of missionary spirit.

FATHER FRANK JASPER

TOP: FOTOSEARCH/ANDREUS; BOTTOM: CREATIVE COMMONS/KEVIN DOOLEY

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t was a happy coincidence that brought together two St. John the Baptists, one from Karachi, Pakistan, the other from Cincinnati, Ohio. Friars in Pakistan constitute a custody, that is, a group of friars dependent upon the care of another province. The Cincinnati friars are a long-established province. Both are named for St. John the Baptist, a fitting patron for friars proclaiming the presence of Jesus.

Provincials and custodians from the world over were meeting in San Diego at a Franciscan Chapter some 25 years ago. There, leaders from Cincinnati and Karachi got to talking among friars over a dinner on the feast of St. John the Baptist himself. “We’ve got the same name,” they observed. “Why don’t we share?” The result has been a mutual exchange that has included our Cincinnati province’s Jamaica mission since 2001.

Years later, enter Father Saleem Amir, OFM, age 55, a Pakistani theology professor. For the past two years he has been working with Cincinnati Friars Chris Meyer, Jim Bok, and Colin King to serve pastoral needs in one corner of this developing Caribbean country. “We had been helping each other in many ways over the years,” says Father Saleem. “That’s how I ended up here.”

Father Saleem works as a pastor for St. Joseph Church, in coastal Savanna la Mar, and its mission, St. Mark, in Grange Hill, nine miles inland. St. Joseph’s is a small, simple church by US standards. St. Mark’s, on a sugar plantation, is simpler. “We have to pay [for the parishioners’] transport to come to the church and everything. They are very, very poor people,” Father Saleem reports.

Saleem Amir, OFM

Beyond Masses, as pastor, “I go around visiting houses, blessing houses, visiting the sick, and then every Tuesday I go to a nursing home to visit the old people, the sick.” He’s also working with the youth and has even started a self-named Franciscan outreach for them. The “LiFra,” for children, now boasts about 10 members and the “YouFra,” for teens, has about 20. “Both have a Franciscan spirituality, a Franciscan way of doing things,” down-to-earth and joyful, rooted in the Gospel, he says. “In St. Mark Church, I also have 10–15 Secular Franciscans.”

Father Saleem is clearly on a mission.

“You know everything is done with the mind of St. Francis,” he says.

“I want to be recognized as a friar minor of the Lord.” He calls to mind his favorite story from the founder, “Perfect Joy,” where a friar is refused admittance to a friary one night, after repeated rejections: “You’ve got to be patient,” says Father Saleem. “You’ve got to be faithful in what you are asking.” That speaks to his own experience.

“You know, sometimes I also go around meeting people. Sometimes you’re accepted; sometimes you’re not.”

He shares an example of a man who had cursed him out. “I kept smiling at him. I knew that man had his own difficult situation. What could you do?

Even if you are insulted, be calm. Be happy. Be joyful. Do it at times when it is very difficult.” That’s perfect joy.

One of the beauties of Catholic missions is that it’s for everyone. Even parishes in high-poverty regions take up a collection on Mission Sunday. Father Saleem’s presence in Jamaica is proof of that missionary spirit embraced by Franciscans everywhere.

—John Feister

On the American Catholic Blog: • • • •

Messages from Franciscan friars Recommended reading Thoughtful reflections Prayers and inspiration

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StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 17

Five Minutes to Mindfulness Starting with a few simple exercises, we can slow down and savor each moment, opening ourselves to God’s presence and the blessings in our lives.

By Colleen Arnold, MD

Time is going by so quickly!” I hear that comment nearly every day from relatives, friends, patients, and even strangers I chat with at the grocery store. Life seems to be whizzing past at lightning speed. We all say we’d like to slow it down, but, in the midst of our super busy, modern lives, how can we do that?

One way to “slow time” is a simple technique called mindfulness. It is basically the attempt to concentrate on the current moment—not the last one or the next one, only this one. From a medical perspective, mindfulness can reduce stress, increase immunity, and improve sleep and mood.

From a spiritual perspective, it’s a way to increase gratitude and connect more consistently with God. We can begin to experience the spiritual and physical

18 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

benefits of mindfulness through simple five-minute exercises and through our regular routines. We can also incorporate the relatively modern practice of mindfulness into an ancient prayer practice of the Church called the Liturgy of the Hours, deepening our connection to God and others in the process.

THREE SIMPLE EXERCISES

The first exercise can be done indoors or outdoors at any time of the day, such as on a lunch or coffee break. Find a quiet spot where you won’t be sidetracked or disturbed.

Pick a food to enjoy—for example, an apple. Set a timer for five minutes so you won’t be distracted looking at the clock, and hold your apple gently in your hands. Concentrate on it

LEFT: PEXELS; RIGHT: ROCKETCLIPS/FOTOSEARCH

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LEFT: PEXELS; RIGHT: ROCKETCLIPS/FOTOSEARCH

with all your senses, starting with your eyes.

What does your apple look like? Is it perfectly round or oblong, blemished or not, red or green, smooth or irregular? Look for variations and imperfections. Now concentrate on how it smells and feels. Does it have a sweet fragrance or is it sour? Does it smell earthy?

Is it soft and overly ripe or hard, not yet at its peak? Finally, taste it. Listen to the crunch of that first bite. Don’t swallow it until you have savored it. Notice the juice and texture and let that small piece of apple roll around your tongue.

Put the apple down between bites and continue to study it as you savor each taste.

Don’t think about anything other than that apple until it is finally gone. End the practice by thanking God for the gift of food and nourishment, and for the people who work to grow and prepare it. This exercise takes only a few minutes, but you will feel refreshed and renewed afterward.

The next exercise is known as a body scan. It is commonly done first thing in the morning or last thing at night, but can also be practiced at any point in the day when you have a few minutes to yourself. Lying down is best because it gives you the fullest sense of letting go, but it’s OK to do it seated if that’s more comfortable or convenient. I recommend setting a timer, since sometimes people relax so much they fall asleep.

Take a few deep breaths before you get started, and try to chase any wayward thoughts out of your head. Next, begin to notice and relax your entire body, starting with your feet. Are they cold? Sweaty?

Tingling? Concentrate on relaxing them by letting them sink into the surface beneath you. Sometimes wiggling your toes or contracting a muscle makes it easier to consciously relax it. Or try to imagine exhaling into any tightness you find.

Deliberately move your awareness up the front of your body—your knees, your stomach, your chest, your arms and hands, your face. Are your hands tightly closed?

Open them and let your fingers curl naturally. Is your jaw clenched? Loosen it and let your tongue fall away from the roof of your mouth. Is your face tense? Then, starting from the top of your head, move your awareness and relaxation down the back of your body. Feel your body settling more and more heavily into the surface beneath you as you gradually move back down to end at your heels.

Once you have examined and loosened your whole body, take a few more deep breaths. Imagine the Holy Spirit filling you with peaceful energy and, when you are ready, open your eyes. This exercise should take at least five minutes, but you can do it even more slowly if you like.

The last exercise is done at bedtime. Start by recalling the day of the week and the date.

This helps cement the memories in your brain and keeps you aware of the passage of time. Reflect on your day and try to remember three good things that happened or surprised you. Did a friend call out of the blue?

Did a stranger smile or say hello? Did another driver unexpectedly give you the right-ofway? Looking back on your day like this reminds you of blessings and surprises in the midst of your daily routine and helps you notice the Holy Spirit at work in your life.

Consider writing them down so you can go back and remind yourself later.

Then, thank God for these daily gifts and ask him to help you notice them more easily tomorrow. There are several variations on this exercise, including keeping a gratitude journal or praying St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Examen nightly.

Mindfulness takes practice, but its benefits for mind, body, and soul are well worth the effort.

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 19

“Sometimes in our crazy, busy world we get so caught up in the doing that we forget about the being, and we forget about the One who brought us into being.”

Mindfulness can be cultivated, but it takes practice. We have all had the experience of arriving at a destination we visit every day and having no recollection of the drive we took to get there. Anything that distracts us from the sameness of our routine can help. Here are five other simple ideas you can consider incorporating into your daily routine.

Try one for a few weeks and see how it works for you.

1. Do something differently every day. For example, take an alternate route home from work.

This forces your brain to pay attention, and this, in turn, will help keep your focus in the moment. Other ideas include using a different bathroom than usual, or walking your typical route but in the opposite direction.

2. Take a single photograph every day.

Not only does this encourage you to concentrate on your day to find the perfect picture, but it also keeps a concrete record of those days.

3. Smile at everyone. This simple gesture increases happiness hormones in your bloodstream and obliges you to actually look at the people you pass. This can make you feel more compassionate and connected to the world around you.

4. Make something. This can be anything from a sewing or woodworking project to using a coloring book. Turning on the creative side of your brain even for a few minutes helps quiet the noisy chatter of your other thoughts.

5. Stop hurrying. If your day is so packed that you are constantly hurrying from one thing to the next, you will always be looking ahead instead of focusing on now.

AN ANCIENT MINDFULNESS PRAYER

The idea of mindfulness is not a new one, though it is definitely a popular topic right now. The Church has practiced a version of mindfulness since ancient times in the Liturgy of the Hours, which marks the hours of the day and fills them with prayer. For many people, the term conjures up images of monks in religious communities waking

20 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

in the middle of the night to chant in chapel.

In truth, it is the prayer of the whole Church, and the Second Vatican Council encouraged us all to practice it.

In its fullest form, the Liturgy of the Hours includes morning prayer on first awakening; daytime prayer at midmorning, noon, and midafternoon; evening prayer at the end of the workday; night prayer right before going to sleep; and the Office of Readings, which can be done at the most convenient time of day. Each of the hours includes psalms, prayers, and Scripture readings. Readings include texts from the Fathers of the Church.

The daily format is the same, but the readings change every day and are shared by the entire Church. The readings are available in print as both full and abbreviated versions, at sites like DivineOffice.org and even on apps. In general, morning prayer focuses on praise and evening prayer on thanksgiving.

Even if you can’t pray the entire Liturgy of the Hours, why not mark the times of the day by setting your cell phone alarm? When it goes off, stop for a minute and say a brief prayer praising God for all he is doing in your life or thanking him for the blessings of the day.

There are lots of other ways to use prayer to mark the times of the day. Grace before meals is a good opportunity to pause before digging in to whatever is on your plate. Many schools and churches ring bells at noontime and pray the Angelus, a prayer to Mary. Some people say a Divine Mercy prayer or the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 p.m. Whichever way you choose, praying throughout the day connects you with God and brings your consciousness into the moment.

Sometimes in our crazy, busy world, we get so caught up in the doing that we forget about the being, and we forget about the One who brought us into being. Mindfulness means consciously stopping throughout the day instead of allowing ourselves to be swept along by our to-do lists. Time still passes, but as we pay closer attention, it feels slower and calmer, and we are aware of its passage instead of being surprised by it. Living this way opens us up to God’s presence in our lives and cultivates gratitude for all our blessings.

Colleen Arnold, MD, a physician and writer residing in Lexington, Virginia, also holds a master’s degree in pastoral ministry. Her website is ColleenArnold.org.

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WAYS TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT

Looking for a quiet moment in your busy day?

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Minute Meditations is a free daily resource to feed your spirit.

Go to: Blog.FranciscanMedia.org/Minute-Meditations to sign up.

22 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

ABOVE: KAREN CALLAWAY; LEFT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

CHICA Lenten K

CAGO’S n Kickoff On Ash Wednesday at St. Peter’s in the Loop in the heart of Chicago, 20,000 people will begin their Lenten journey.

By John Feister

ABOVE: KAREN CALLAWAY; LEFT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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n Ash Wednesday, Catholics show their stuff. It’s not the fancy jewelry you might see in a night on the town. It’s the ash of penitence, typically received at church, smudged onto our foreheads, faith on display as we walk about. In few places will you see a greater outpouring of public witness than at the Franciscans’ St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Chicago, known to the locals as “St. Peter’s in the Loop.”

Think we’re exaggerating? “We estimate that somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 people come through the doors,” says Kurt Hartrich, OFM, the pastor. The “we” he refers to are 17 friars who staff the church every day, hearing confessions and leading liturgies. “On Ash Wednesday,” says Father Kurt, “the lobby is absolutely chaotic.” At any given moment, four to six friars are distributing ashes in the downstairs auditorium, while 12 Masses (short ones!) are being celebrated throughout the day, and, he adds, “We hear confessions all day.” Ushers staff the doors, pointing people up or down the Minnesotamarble stairs.

The Loop is so much a part of Chicago’s identity that even the 26-ton marble crucifix

towering over the church entrance is titled “Christ of the Loop.” For the unfamiliar, the Loop is the city’s core. An elevated commuter train track (the “L”) has encircled the downtown business district since the 1890s. Today it transports an estimated 74,000 commuters into, out of, and around the Loop each business day. Decades back, when the friars were looking to move Old St. Peter’s from an abandoned neighborhood to a place in the heart of the city, they chose the site of a former movie theatre. The site, it turns out, is only a few blocks from the original St. Peter’s, founded in 1863, which had been literally rolled across town to serve the South Loop neighborhood and thrived there till the neighborhood declined.

“Technically, it’s not a parish,” says Father Kurt, unlike St. Peter’s previous location. It’s a service church, he says. One thinks of much smaller service churches, such as airport chapels and the like. St. Peter’s looks every bit the large downtown parish. Yet, “we have no official registered parishioners. We have no parish directory, and we don’t send out envelopes. The whole mission of this place was to serve the people who do not live downtown,

LEFT: Christ’s head on the crucifix sculpture at St. Peter’s leans left, toward Chicago’s downtown (most lean to the right).

ABOVE: Now-Cardinal Blase Cupich leads Mass at this Franciscan parish, which is only a short walk from the Blue Line of the “L train.”

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 23

“I think it’s a way of trying to reflect on the whole idea that we are not immortal, so it really does touch the heart of who we are.”

—Father Kurt

but who did come into downtown all the time to work and shop.”

There are some regulars, though, more so as new, traditionally suburban populations move into the Loop. But those are the only visitors the friars come to know. Most of the traffic are people on the move downtown.

Maybe that’s why it’s such a popular location on Ash Wednesday. It’s everyone’s church.

The faithful begin to line the sidewalk outside of St. Peter’s before 6 a.m. on Ash Wednesday and keep coming all day long, until 7 p.m. It’s an outpouring of faith and a desire to live in God’s love.

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TOP TO BOTTOM: PXHERE; JACKF/FOTOSEARCH; CREATIVE COMMONS/WILL DE FREITAS

“Repent, and believe the Gospel,” implores Father Kurt to about half of the thousands who come to him for ashes. The others hear, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

“In some ways it’s like any other parish, except bigger,” explains Father Kurt, speaking of Ash Wednesday. And even with the multitude of priest and brother friars, some of the distributors are laypeople. “We don’t do it during Masses because there isn’t enough time,” he says, explaining the Masses are at 6, 6:45, and so on. Downstairs, ash distribution starts at 6 a.m. and goes for the next 13 hours, to accommodate everyone’s workday.

“Some people don’t go to Mass; they just go directly downstairs to get their ashes.” And some head for confession first. “So we have people in the lobby,” says Father Kurt, “three or four people throughout the whole day, to direct people according to what they really want. It’s like a soup market, a department store, or Target. You come in and want to get something, but you don’t know exactly where it is. You have greeters, you know,” he says, chuckling at the comparison.

Something about Ash Wednesday, about wearing a deep reminder of our own mortality, brings people in from everywhere. “Even though we don’t have time to ask people, like, ‘What is your background?’ I am sure many non-Catholics come.” And that’s fine with the Catholic Church. The ashes are a sacramental, a practice of the faithful that can happen anywhere, even in the home.

Some Churches, noticeably in the Protestant community, take ashes out into the community, at L stops and the like. But that doesn’t appeal to Father Kurt, who thinks

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ASH WEDNESDAY RUSH

like the pastor of any busy church: “Number one, we don’t have time.” His second reason has more to do with the way a community interacts at church. “It’s just like, you know, the Catholic Church basically says if you are going to get married, you are supposed to get married in a church, not on a beach type of thing.” Speaking as perhaps most pastors would, he sees the same on Ash Wednesday.

His desire is that people come to the heart of the church to receive the sacramental ashes.

“Sacramentals deserve a sacred space,” he says.

“We wouldn’t do the L stop.”

With that in mind, St. Peter’s decorates the downstairs auditorium to give it a Lenten feel. “We also have music,” he says. “It could get to be rather raucous—well, not raucous, that’s too strong. But you get all kinds of people there, and they are waiting. They could be talking to other people. We ask people to please, when you come and are waiting for your ashes, to please be silent and reflective.

It’s really quiet and respectful and sacred.”

TOP TO BOTTOM: PXHERE; JACKF/FOTOSEARCH; CREATIVE COMMONS/WILL DE FREITAS

TOP: KAREN CALLAWAY; BOTTOM: CAROLYN JAROSZ

ASH WEDNESDAY EVERYWHERE

What’s the fascination with ashes? “I think it’s a way of trying to reflect on the whole idea that we are not immortal,” says Father Kurt.

“We are mortal. We are people who are at some point going to die and meet our maker.

So it really does touch the heart of who we are.”

Then there’s the identity, or even the evangelization part. “Somebody might see the ashes and think, Oh, yeah, I’ve got to do that too,” observes Father Kurt. Catholics really aren’t as comfortable as some Christians about announcing their faith to strangers. Ash Wednesday cuts through that hesitancy: “It’s symbolic but it’s still very, very real that I am a Christian, I am not going to say Catholic, but I am a Christian, and this is the beginning of a period of penance. I want other people to know that I take this seriously. Once people get their ashes, they are more willing to have others notice it and they make a statement, so to speak.”

Standing and distributing ashes, hearing confessions, and celebrating Eucharist are real work. “It’s a very tiring day, oh boy,” Father Kurt admits. “I have to say, when the day is done, you do wonder what is the real effect,” he says, in a reflective moment. “You never know.” Will the penitents really focus for all of Lent and make the season one of renewal?

Ashes around the World In most countries, ashes are commonly the burnt remains of last year’s palms from Palm Sunday processions.

In some parishes, you’ll see distributors pouring a small amount of ashes on the penitent’s head. But more frequently you’ll see the distributor dip his or her thumb in a dish of ashes and inscribe a cross on the forehead.

Did you know there are other customs worldwide? Some are for Ash Wednesday, others for the day before (Shrove Tuesday). In Iceland, for example, traditionally children pin small bags of ashes on the back of some unsuspecting person. Nowadays it’s more common for children to dress in costumes and sing for treats, much like our Halloween. Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Tuesday or Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), marks a time when restricted food is finished off before the Lenten fast begins. In places that celebrate carnival, ending at midnight Tuesday, some penitents might show up the next day a bit hungover.

In Ashford, Derbyshire, England, there is the two-day, no-holds-barred Royal Shrovetide football (soccer) game among a large crowd on Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, the goal of which is to get the ball to one goal or the other at either end of the three-mile-wide town. In southern Germany, members of the moneylaundering guild wash their money and wallets in a fountain at the conclusion of Shrove Tuesday, a sign of Lenten readiness. Filipinos gather on Ash Wednesday, after receiving ashes, to have their medals blessed by clergy.

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 25

Why do people leave ashes on? They want others to know that they take this seriously, says Father Kurt. He hopes that “they’ve been reminded of the importance that in the midst of secular life we are also to work out our salvation.”

26 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

John Feister is editor at large for this publication. He holds master’s degrees in humanities and theology from Xavier University, Cincinnati.

KAREN CALLAWAY (2)

Out they come, and in they go. St. Peter’s is not a parish; it’s a church at the service of downtown.

Will people really follow the directive of Lent to pray and seek repentance for their sins?

“Probably the answer is, if you could ask, some will and some won’t.” That’s the pastoral reality of anyone sharing the good news of our faith.

“I will say this,” Father Kurt offers. “It really is a humbling experience to just be part of this, to see so many people. You see some families and some very elderly people who have made their way downtown for whatever the reason, and come through. They are having a hard time walking even, but, by gosh, they are here.

“My hope is that by what they have done, no matter what their motivation might be, that somehow or another having come to get ashes, having come to St. Peter’s, they’ve been reminded of the importance that in the midst of a secular life we are also to work out our salvation. This is one way we do that.” He also hopes that the day is about more than ashes; it will be about persevering in a renewed participation in the life of the Church throughout all of Lent.

That’s the point of the newer formula for the distribution of ashes, “Repent and believe in the Gospel,” though even the older formula, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” is a reminder to wake up and pay attention.

Ministers distributing ashes have the option to use either one, explains Father Kurt.

“A lot of the people will use both of them.

They have hour-long shifts.” They switch formulas to make sure things don’t get too routine, he explains.

Every once in a while, he says, “If you’re using the one of ‘return to the Gospel,’ [a penitent] will say, ‘No, no. I want the one about dust.’ Then you do it.”

It’s all in a long day’s work.

ELENATHEWISE/FOTOSEARCH

Father Kurt hopes the day is about more than ashes; it will be about persevering in a renewed participation in the life of the Church throughout all of Lent.

Rules of Fasting and Abstinence

Companions for your Lenten journey from the Center for Action and Contemplation Lent is intended to lead us into an always hidden future and an always greater opportunity . . . but still unknown to us. We enter with a new and open horizon, ready to both expect and work for God’s ever new springtime.

—Richard Rohr, God For Us

LEUNGCHOPAN/FOTOSEARCH

From the US Conference of Catholic Bishops: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59.

When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onward.

Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church.

An aside from the bishops: “Indulging in the lavish buffet at your favorite seafood place sort of misses the point.”

ELENATHEWISE/FOTOSEARCH

KAREN CALLAWAY (2)

And another: “CRS Rice Bowl is one way Catholics can enhance their Lenten fasting practice by giving up meals and donating the cost of those meals to Catholic Relief Services, in order to help those who do not have enough to eat.”

Daily prayers, as well as questions and answers about Lent, can be found at FranciscanMedia.org.

Visit store.cac.org to order these and other titles by Richard Rohr.

Sharing the spirit of St. Francis with the world

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POINTSOFVIEW | AT HOME ON EARTH

By Kyle Kramer

The Heart of Lent

Kyle is the executive director of the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center, which offers interfaith educational programming in meditation, ecology, and social compassion.

He serves as a Catholic climate ambassador for the US Conference of Catholic Bishopssponsored Catholic Climate Covenant and is the author of A Time to Plant: Life Lessons in Work, Prayer, and Dirt (Ave Maria Press, 2010).

He speaks across the country on issues of ecology and spirituality.

He and his family spent 15 years as organic farmers and homesteaders in Spencer County, Indiana.

EarthandSpiritCenter.org

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WANT MORE? Visit our website: StAnthonyMessenger.org

I

’m always tempted to treat Lent as a season of penance and willpower, an opportunity to goad myself into better behavior—and to wrap that ego-driven project in the mantle of piety. At least on my better days, I know how misguided that approach is. God isn’t an angry judge we can appease; God already loves us as we are. And no person has perfect reason or infinite willpower to change. If that were the case, then a lot more diets would be successful, people would save responsibly for retirement, and we’d never rack up credit card debt.

Most important, though, is that Lent isn’t simply about me and my spiritual accomplishments (or failures). We’re all part of the body of Christ, and the most important elements of our spiritual journey are the things we do that connect us compassionately to other believers, to the wider human community, and to all of creation. To become truly and fully alive as a human being—and isn’t that the point of spirituality, after all?—is to live in such a way that strengthens our connectedness, rather than placing us at the (lonely) top of a spiritual achievement tower.

This points to a common thread between Lent and environmental issues. We probably won’t solve our social and environmental challenges simply with specific technocratic solutions or government regulations. These are crucial and urgent, but they are secondary.

Like the Lenten season, what is most neces-

28 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

HELPFUL

TIPS1 2

As you reflect on how you’d like to approach Lent this year, read Isaiah 58:6—11.

Food is one of the best ways to bring people together. This Lent, try to bring a special guest to a fish fry—maybe someone who needs company or someone with whom you want to reconcile.

3

As part of your Lenten journey, can you take an early-spring hike to connect with the world outside—even if it’s colder and less pretty than other times of the year?

LEFT: PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLE KRAMER; MIDDLE: SERGEEVA/ISTOCK; RIGHT: PIX2GO/FOTOSEARCH

Kyle Kramer

sary is a conversion of our hearts and minds, in which we recognize our true belonging to God, with each other, and in creation.

There is great news, then—you might even call it good news—at the core of both Lent and our environmental challenges. We’ll be saved not by bootstrapping our way to holiness or environmental responsibility, but by allowing our hearts and minds to be changed through practices that are much simpler and more fun, such as relearning the lost personal and civic arts of kinship and delight.

Whatever else I may take on or give up this Lent, I’m definitely going to lean into the simple, enjoyable practices that strengthen community—like family dinners, meeting with my small prayer group, and helping with a monthly community potluck. And I’ll trust that eating, praying, talking, and laughing together are a delightful path not only to Easter, but also to the kind of world we hope to give our children.

Light a candle

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30 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

LEFT: LEROYS/FOTOSEARCH; TOP: CNS PHOTO/CHAZ MUTH

A NIGHT WITH THE

HOMELESS

By Shawn Burns

1:45 a.m.

I enjoy playing guitar, reading about Catholic saints, and bicycling, but that night my world was stretched tremendously.

LEFT: LEROYS/FOTOSEARCH; TOP: CNS PHOTO/CHAZ MUTH

A sleepless night at a homeless shelter becomes a wake-up call for this volunteer.

I

1:25 a.m.

am getting out of the shower, but I feel so tired I want to go back to bed.

Why did I volunteer for this?

I think of how Jesus came back from the garden at Gethsemane and found the three apostles asleep: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt 26:41).

1:39 a.m.

The sky is so clear. There seem to be more stars than usual. You have to get up at a very strange time to see this kind of beauty.

1:40 a.m.

I’m in my car for the 10-minute drive to the church, thinking about what I am going to do this night.

I think about the corporal works of mercy. Which one is this? Oh, yeah: “Shelter the homeless.”

I walk into the activities center. Cleo and Chris are there. My teammate, Nancy, and I will replace them at 2 a.m. A man named Gerald sits with them at a table.

He must have insomnia.

They are talking. Well, he is doing most of the talking, and they are listening. His two sons are in classroom 4, sleeping. I catch bits and pieces of the discussion: He walks with the help of a cane; he has a bullet lodged in his back near his spine; he was a security officer, but something had gone wrong one night; now he produces rap and other types of music for a church group. I think that it must be very difficult to raise two boys when you have no home to go to and they have to sleep in a different place each night. How do they get to school? Do they even go to school?

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 31

2:00 a.m.

3:00 a.m.

I talk with Nancy for a while; there’s nothing else to do. We go through the usual: kids, jobs, spouses, religion.

While we talk, we hear the occasional cough from one of the rooms down the hall.

Not everyone is having a restful sleep.

We discuss a feeling we share because of the circumstances of this night. We live in one of the richest countries in the world. Yet right outside our door the homeless and poor are sleeping.

We feel thankful to God for our life situation. His grace alone has kept us from being in the same spot as the ones we care for tonight.

We feel guilty, however, for the same reason. There was absolutely nothing we did to deserve it. We are no more special to God than those sleeping on the floor in the classrooms. Why did he choose us to be the lucky ones? I remember the beatitudes from Mass a few weeks ago. Wait a minute, I think.

They are the lucky ones!

Blessed are the poor (in spirit) and the meek—they shall inherit the earth. I am not sure I would like to be as lucky as they are. I ponder that God’s ways are not our ways, and God’s values are not our values. I pray that I can think more like God and value more of the things he values. I still have a lot to learn.

Nancy brought some paperwork from home. She is working on it when we hear a commotion down the hall. I go to investigate. One classroom door is open. The card on the wall says there are two women inside. All is quiet there. I notice a dull light by the electrical outlet below the chalkboard where a cell phone is charging. As I walk back to our room, I hear the faint noise of music coming from another room: Someone is listening to

tunes. I wonder how well I would sleep each night if I had to live like this. Probably not well—not well at all.

4:00 a.m.

I go to the kitchen and eat some cherry pie they left for us. It’s cold, but I don’t think to put it in the microwave. I find my wife’s name, Peggy, on the sign-in sheet.

She baked five meat loaves earlier today for their supper. She makes great meat loaf, so they ate well today. I think to myself, The homeless were very lucky at dinner.

4:20 a.m.

More coughing comes from one of the rooms. A man comes down the hall and goes out the door. He smokes a cigarette. That is the second time for him since I got here.

4:45 a.m.

I make the rounds again.

No trouble. I go outside to look at the stars a second time.

KLEMENTIEV/FOTOSEARCH

Looks can be deceiving: A homeless person might serve us our next cup of coffee or pass our groceries through the scanner at the checkout counter. Our task is to notice them and find ways to help.

32 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

In 2016, 22 percent of people experiencing homelessness were children.

—Department of Housing and Urban Development

5:00 a.m.

I make my first wake-up call to two men in classroom 10. It’s still dark outside.

They both have jobs. I always thought the homeless did not have jobs. If they had a job, why would they be homeless? I guess having a job does not mean you can afford a roof over your head.

Tonight that seems like an injustice to me. People with jobs deserve a place they can call their own to sleep at night. I have one; why shouldn’t they?

Is that why some people are trying to raise the minimum wage? I always supported the free-market capitalist economy: Let the efficient labor market decide how much people get paid.

Is that right? Is that just? I’m not so sure now, spending this night with the homeless.

e p.

YACOBCHUK/FOTOSEARCH

5:30 a.m.

We are waking up more people now—a family with three little children. Are they going to school today? How will they get there? After school they won’t go home to a snack. I tear up at the thought. Why can’t I fix this?

That is what I do at work: I fix problems. Here I don’t know how to do it.

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 33

5:45 a.m.

34 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

VADIMKEY/FOTOSEARCH

F s

YARRUTA/FOTOSEARCH

A small boy is crying in the hall. He can’t be more than 3 or 4. Daniel, who got up earlier, is a tall, older man with a noticeable limp.

He says, “Hi, little one!” and holds the boy’s hand as they walk off. I am struck by the stark contrast between the two. Daniel: so tall, old, so wise. The boy: so small, young, reaching up so high to clasp the old man’s extended hand.

A woman stands outside the door to the building entrance. She wears a business suit. She must have a good job, so why is she here? Later we see her in the kitchen reading a business book. One of the two volunteers asks her if she is a teacher. She blushes a bit. I chime in that she looks like a businesswoman. She is going to an interview for a marketing job. She tells us the book is from an online course she is taking to earn her degree.

I pray in my heart to the Father that she gets the job.

Who would think she was homeless? She looks as if she could walk into my office and run one of my meetings.

This group acts like a family—like my family. They know each other.

They are concerned for one another. The family: I think it is part of the natural law.

It’s planted in our hearts by God. We don’t have to learn what a family is; it just forms naturally. It just is. I see the proof right here. I feel good thinking that here is a family—though it is different in many ways than mine.

I learned something tonight. As I make my way around town, buy my gro-

FREE to

ceries, go to the restaurant or the coffee shop, I am likely coming in contact with people just like these: people who have no home, but are trying to make a better life for themselves. They are a family, just like mine. They are part of my family, and I bear a responsibility for taking care of them. Jesus said that love is acts, that you have to do something when you love. I need to make more acts of love for my extended family—the poor, the weak, the sick. I can do this.

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On the go?

6:05 a.m.

Less than an hour to go. I feel as if I am in the way as they go about their business, washing in the sinks, getting their coffee and breakfast. Lunch bags are on a table at the exit for them to take as they leave. Volunteers will drive some to work.

Others will simply walk away for the day. I have a car—maybe I can take someone somewhere when I leave. I’d like to help.

St. Anthony Messenger has a digital edition that is available to all print subscribers.

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Want more inspiration?

Visit the website FranciscanMedia.org for:

Families who are homeless face additional challenges, such as finding ways to get their children to school.

• Saint of the Day • Minute Meditations • Family resources

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6:30 a.m.

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I’ve finished my wake-up calls, so I get to go home early. I’ll sleep for a couple of hours, then go in to work. As I turn into my subdivision, I see a full moon nearing the western horizon; the sun is soon to rise in the east. The moon is so big and bright, it reminds me of God’s love, so big and so bright. He will make all things right in the end. That thought brings me much peace.

A resident of Troy, Michigan, Shawn Burns is a married father of four children and an engineering executive at General Motors Corporation.

• Information on the seven sacraments

FranciscanMedia.org StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 35

36 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

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38 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

F

ive days a week on ESPN, Tony Reali after becoming the host of Around the hosts Around the Horn, a 30-minute Horn, Reali’s ashes became far more television show viewed by a half milnoticeable. Reali says his bosses at lion sports lovers (see review on page ESPN had no reservations.

52). This popular program accentu“I never asked if I could do it; I ates his quirky talents as puppeteer and expected that I could do it,” Reali says. lion tamer, someone with an almost “That, eventually, comes from a place supernatural ability to mute any of the of privilege, but it also comes from a sportswriters or sportscasters on the place of acceptance. I knew Tony and four screens in front of him with the Mike and my producers would accept push of a button. me. But I never wanted to be ‘the story’ “I can talk for hours about giving either.” voice to people, and, oddly, my job is to The story moved to center stage in silence people with a mute button,” says March 2017 when Reali wrote a guest Reali, 39, laughing. “But I trust they column for the Washington Post to know it’s done with a wink.” explain why he wears ashes on TV on Anthony Joseph Paul “Tony” Ash Wednesday. As someone with a Reali—as he keen sense of often introthe power of Tony Reali says some of duces himself social media the interesting responses on Around to build up the Horn, as a and tear down, he has received over the tribute to the Reali knew years of his ash wearing times growing he was makon television have been up when his ing himself a from people who have no parents wanted target to those idea what the practice means him to “get disturbed by and are simply inquisitive. over here” right public maninow—can get festations of serious when religion. it comes to communicating who he is Reali felt the time was right to and what is important in his life. explain his public expression of reliFor the past 16 years, Reali has gious devotion. His wife, Samiya, who worn ashes on his forehead on Ash grew up the daughter of a Muslim Wednesday while on the air at ESPN. mother and a Southern Baptist father, It wasn’t noticeable at first, when Reali was not immune to the growing was the 60-second, end-of-show “factthreats to religious freedom across the checker” and “stat boy” on ESPN’s world. At the time of President Donald Pardon the Interruption, which features Trump’s first efforts to ban travel to sportswriters Tony Kornheiser and the United States from several Muslim Michael Wilbon bantering about the countries, Samiya was away on business day’s sports topics—and sometimes in Africa. making errors.

“Although she’s not a practicing Muslim and she is a US citizen, on QUIET SHOW OF FAITH her passport it says, ‘Country of Birth: As a Staten Island-born sports junkie Morocco,’” Reali says. “All this was who grew up in Marlboro, New Jersey, echoing in my head as I was doing and attended Fordham University in something publicly like wearing ashes, the Bronx, hoping one day to follow in and I was, for the most part, being the footsteps of Fordham broadcastpraised.” ing alums Vin Scully, Mike Breen, Bob Reali was used to receiving the Papa, and Michael Kay, Reali reveled occasional anonymous rants on Twitter in lightheartedly correcting his more from fans who were upset that he took famous superiors. the “wrong” side in a sports debate.

Because of his increased air time “I was already up to speed with fans StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 39

Reali started out as the fact-checker on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption, with Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, but his affable personality and laser-sharp wit warranted his own show.

who might be upset when you say something about their team,” Reali says. “That, of course, is usually innocuous.”

His Washington Post column (titled “I’ve Worn Ash on My Head on ESPN for 16 Years.

This Year Was Different.”) garnered more than 700 comments, skewed slightly in praise of his decision. As with any story on a secular outlet involving religion, the anti-Church trolls came out in force.

Marlowe53 wrote: “I don’t mind you wearing ashes. I do mind you promoting an organization that denigrates women at every level. How dare they? How dare you?”

1Ronald penned: “Hey, Tony. Most people have enough self-esteem, enough self-resolve, that they don’t trek across town to be defiled in the name of religion.”

IIIntgrty added: “Get off your preachy, cringy, victim soapbox!”

Others analyzed the issue in the light of their own experiences with the Catholic Church.

Jacki Cepe Lake wrote: “I remember my Catholic school days and feeling the temptation to wipe off my ashes after I walked away

40 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

from campus. I didn’t want to feel any more ‘different’ than I already did during those awkward years. On Wednesday, seeing you on TV, the word brave came to mind.”

Commentator Ted David, who described himself as a “nonpracticing Jew,” wrote: “I have no personal use for religion, but respect those who do. And I have great respect for Catholics like you who wear their ashes proudly.”

Reali says some of the interesting responses he has received over the years of his ash wearing have been from people who have no idea what the practice means and are simply inquisitive. He has had discussions with priests about his decision to wear ashes on TV, and one piece of advice about potential criticism has stuck with him: “The idea we landed on was that anybody who thought I was being overly pious was trying to pick a fight. The ashes, to me, are an acknowledgment of our sins. They are an acknowledgment of our place in the world: ‘From ashes you have come and will go again.’ I’m still working it out in my head.”

There is no sugarcoating the facts, Reali says, that the Church, through its history, has sinned. The sexual abuse of minors has been a vile side of its history that must be owned.

“Initially, I wasn’t really considering that

people would attach me to pedophilia, to the worst things that we have had in our religion,” Reali says. “The crimes, the cover-ups. Those are despicable. There is no mincing of those words. I’m not trying to defend anything in that regard. I am trying to show that a middle-aged person can be proud of his faith.”

A KNIGHT IN SERVICE

Reali was grounded in his Catholic faith by his parents, Joe and Madelyn, who took their four children to Mass each Sunday at St. Gabriel Church in Marlboro, New Jersey. His father, a former tax attorney with MetLife, was coaxed out of retirement by American International Group (AIG) to clean up a historic bailout.

“When it was AIG’s job after the bailout to pay back everything, who was the straightest arrow in the world? Joe Reali’s the straightest arrow in the world,” Reali says. “When you need somebody to get clean, call Joe Reali.”

Although Reali was never an altar server, as a teenager he became chief squire for the New Jersey Columbian Squires (the official youth organization of the Knights of Columbus), “which sounds very impressive,” he says.

“Technically, I guess I am still a knight. Once a knight, always a knight, right? I know I’m still on a list somewhere.”

At Fordham, where he studied broadcast journalism, Reali got busted playing “hall sports” by Sister Rose, the resident assistant, and was coaxed into helping out as a sacristan his last two years at Fordham University Church.

He discovered a few things of interest about the church, which opened its doors in 1845: The six French-made, stained-glass windows of Sts. Peter, Paul, and the four evangelists were originally slated to be installed in Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Mulberry Street in New York, but subsequently were gifted to Fordham because they were the wrong size; also, the church’s bells were the subject of Edgar

Allan Poe’s poem “The Bells.”

“Poe was living in the Bronx, and those were the ‘bells, bells, bells’ he heard when writing the poem,” Reali says. “I know all this useless information about sports and great churches.”

One of Reali’s jobs on muggy days was opening the windows using a 12-foot pole with a hook.

“I was on my tippy-toes, and I recall one year putting the pole right through a corner of a window—and I had to tell Sister Rose,” he says. “We had to have a new piece made. So that was my good service as sacristan.”

TWO DREAMS REALIZED

Reali says the Catholic faith of his youth and young adulthood “always made sense to me.” That faith was tested during the years when he and Samiya struggled to conceive.

Their daughter, Francesca Zahra Reali, was born in 2014.

“The name Francesca just rolls off the tongue,” Reali says with a laugh. “You can hear the music in it. You can taste the lasagna in it.”

Being a dad, he says, “is everything I dreamed of and more, and we’re hopeful to have more children, God willing.

I love being the father of a girl—a little girl’s daddy. She’s the one calling the shots. I wanted to be a dad and I wanted to be a sportscaster, and I’m happy to say I’m both.” (It seems God has been listening to Tony’s prayers since, as of this writing, the Realis are expecting twins this summer!)

As wonderful as her arrival has been, Reali openly admits his “relentlessly optimistic” persona displayed daily at ESPN masks his struggles with anxiety. He has turned to his faith, the counsel of priests, and professional help.

“I’m a high-strung person,” Reali says. “I draw a comparison to being a duck. Above the water, I’m as cool as a cucumber, sitting in the [studio] chair. Underneath the water, I’m paddling very hard. On TV, I was trying to project that every day was the greatest day ever because the viewer is watching the show for entertainment purposes, and my job is to entertain.”

The anxiety attacks became so pronounced when Samiya StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 41

Reali gives his time and energies to organizations that matter to him, such as the Special Olympics and the JoyJ Initiative, which aids New York’s homeless.

A HEART FOR THE HOMELESS

When Reali lived in Washington, DC, while taping Pardon the Interruption, he landed inside St. Augustine Church in northwest DC, the founding church of the city’s African American Catholics. He was struck by the vibrant liturgy, the joyful music, and especially the homilies that spoke to real-life issues.

When Trayvon Martin, 17, was shot and killed in 2012 in Sanford, Florida, by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, Reali recalls the homily in which the priest compared Martin’s hoodie with the “hoodie” worn by Franciscan priests.

“He just drew the analogy out, and I just remember thinking, Really? It was like simpatico,” Reali says. “Our Church is not just about the two weeks of the year when the missionaries come and how can we support the building of a church where a church needs to be built—or food needs to be put on the table. Food needs to be put on the table five blocks outside of this parish right now.”

Since moving to New York, Reali attends the Franciscanstaffed Shrine Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Soho.

While it is known to movie buffs as the backdrop for the San Gennaro feast in The Godfather: Part II, and as the church 42 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

where Cher, in Moonstruck, enters the confessional, Reali says his namesake church resonates with him because of its concern for the poor.

A group called the JoyJ Initiative regularly prepares sandwiches and comfort items for the homeless throughout the city.

“We go to some of the great parks of New York City— Washington Square Park and Tompkins Park—and we go to Penn Station and Grand Central Station,” Reali says. “For me, it’s faith and works, and it’s not just about preparing that bag for the homeless and giving them food and even gloves and hats. The outreach there is those conversations. That’s what we all need. We need to be part of our community. They are us—our homeless.”

OPENING (AND BREAKING) WINDOWS

In a way, just as St. John XXIII opened the windows of the Church during the Second Vatican Council, Reali believes Pope Francis is singing from the same sheet music.

“I believe Pope Francis is remodeling the windows completely,” Reali says. “And they have a great potential to be beautiful windows—with a great view of the world and of all the people in the world. He’s constantly thinking about how we’re treating other people and lifting up other people and listening to other people.”

Just don’t hand Reali a 12-foot pole with a hook inside Fordham University Church and ask him to let the fresh air in.

“When I did,” he says, “I broke a window.”

Peter Finney Jr. is executive editor and general manager of the Clarion Herald, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He is a former sportswriter for the New York Post and the New York Daily News, and rubbed elbows with Tony Reali’s fellow Fordham graduates Michael Kay, Mike Breen, and Bob Papa.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TONY REALI/PATRICIA LAKE PHOTOGRAPHY (2)

was out of the country and Reali was alone with Francesca that his priest suggested he seek professional help.

“It’s been one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Reali says. “That is maybe another instance that could rock somebody’s faith—when you’re experiencing mental strain—but the professional help and my faith got me through all that.

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44 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

fiction

By Terry Sanville | Illustration by Christiane Grauert

The Nuns at Starbucks There’s nothing a little coffee can’t solve.

O

n a brilliant autumn morning, Mrs. Angela Vincenti stared out the window of her second-floor apartment and smiled. Traffic on Santa Barbara’s State Street rumbled past. The corner espresso shop across the street had put out their tables at the back of the sidewalk. Five wrinkled women occupied two of them. They wore plain dresses and sturdy shoes—except for Sister Agnes, who dressed in the old blackand-white habit of their Notre Dame order.

Grunting, Angela pulled up the window and leaned out.

“Hey sisters, whatcha’ doin’?”

“What’s it look like?” a woman with cropped gray hair yelled back.

“I’ll be down in a jiff. Just need to put on some makeup.”

“Better use a trowel,” another called. “You won’t fool anyone with that face.” The nuns chuckled.

“You should talk.”

“We are,” another said. “You’d better get down here before you lose your place.”

Angela ducked inside, banging her head on the frame.

The women howled with laughter. She slammed the window and groped for her cane. Hobbling to the dresser with its round mirror, she applied foundation, followed by a dusting of powder. Rose-colored lipstick barely covered her seamed lips. She blotted them on a tissue and pulled her wool coat with the mink collar over the dress that she’d worn the day before. The tattered change purse in its pocket held a crumpled $5 bill and a few quarters—just enough for a Venti black and maybe a scone. Angela shambled out the door and down the stairs to the street. Damn coffee costs me half my Social Security, she thought.

S

he had discovered the nuns at Starbucks a couple years back. They’d invited her to sit with them—to rest and to tell her story. Why I opened up to those broads, I’ll never know.

Musta’ been feeling sorry for myself or just plain sorry, she thought.

Waiting at the traffic signal to cross State Street, Angela

watched the nuns rearrange themselves. They liked to sit in a particular order when they talked with her. Sister Agnes sat at their center, her eyes almost shut, enjoying the morning sun. The others sipped hot chocolate, tea, or coffee and maintained a rambling commentary about the people who strolled past, the state of the world and the Church, or how they missed teaching, missed the birdsong of young voices echoing in the corridors, the bright faces, the energy of youth.

The signal changed and Angela crossed the street and seated herself in the one empty chair.

“Why don’t you get your coffee first?” Sister Claire asked.

“Nah, not yet. The line’s too damn long and these old pins won’t stand the wait.” She pointed to her legs hidden under thick support hose.

“You can have my scone,” said Sister Emily, a rail-thin woman with thick glasses. She pushed a plate with a cranberry pastry toward Angela.

“Thanks. I haven’t eaten breakfast this morning.”

“Why not?” Sister Emily asked.

“Ah, ya know. It’s just too much of a bother, and I didn’t get to the store yesterday.”

“But you’re the one with the car,” Sister Agnes said, smiling smugly.

“Yeah, if I can scratch together enough for gas.”

Sister Margarita pulled out a man’s wallet and extracted a $20 bill. “Here, that should help pay for the gas you use to run us around.”

Angela pocketed the money. “They should let you gals drive.”

“It’s cheaper just paying you,” Sister Maria said, and the rest of them laughed, sipped their drinks, and watched the morning crowds build in the city’s business district. Angela ate her scone. She brushed the crumbs from her lap and removed a tiny day calendar from her coat.

“So what’s it gonna be this week?” she asked, a pencil stub poised over the lined pages.

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 45

fiction Sister Agnes cleared her throat. “Well, on Tuesday, Sister Margarita needs a ride to the train station at 1:30.”

Sister Margarita’s brown face brightened. “My brother in San Luis Obispo has invited me to stay with his family for Thanksgiving. It’s been years since––” “Yes, yes,” Sister Agnes interrupted. “We’ve got business to take care of.”

The nuns quieted as Sister Agnes continued. “Sister Emily must go to the oncologist after lunch on Friday, and I have to visit the Poor Clares’ convent on Saturday, bright and early at 7:30.”

“Why so damn early? Pardon my French.”

“My dear Angela,” Sister Agnes began, leaning back in her chair, “it was your idea to atone for a lifetime of indiscretions with men and the bottle by ferrying us around town.”

“I know that. But 7:30?”

“We have to pick up a novice from the Poor Clares’ house.

She wants to join our order.”

“Really? Why the heck is she ditching the Poor Clares?”

Sister Agnes clicked her tongue. “She’s young. Evidently a cloistered life of prayer isn’t right for her. We may not be right for her either, but—” “Wow, a young nun living with you gals. That should be special.”

“We have other young members,” Sister Agnes shot back.

“They’re not all like you.”

The group chuckled and resumed their sipping. Angela grinned and joined in the conversation until all the cups had been drained, the pastries eaten, the week’s news explained, debated, and digested. A cold wind blew along the boulevard, scattering maple-like leaves from the London plane trees.

Angela stood and drew her coat around her.

“All right, sisters. Pray for me this week. I’ve been thinkin’ about my ex-husbands, and that always gets me depressed.”

Sister Claire smiled. “At least one of the five must have been a good man.”

“They all seemed good at the starting line. But the men that would have been good for me I didn’t love, and the ones I loved were no good.”

“Don’t worry, Angela,” Sister Agnes said. “All of that’s behind you.”

“Yes, I suppose it is.”

With a nod from Sister Agnes, the nuns rose and ambled north along State Street, heading toward their convent one block over. Angela watched them leave, wondering if a life of prayer and teaching would have been better than being a wife—and now a chauffeur.

T

he winter months flowed by, but with hardly any rain.

Angela met with the nuns each week for coffee and drove them to their appointments. Shortly after Easter, Sister Emily died of pancreatic cancer. They buried her in the Catholic cemetery off Hope Avenue. “God’s will,” Sister Agnes mumbled as they shuffled away, rosaries clasped in their hands.

46 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

After a wet spring, the summer’s heat finally arrived, allowing Angela to leave her apartment window open and air out her musty room. Sister Margarita had helped her sign up for food stamps. But Angela couldn’t use them to buy what she really wanted and spent hours dreaming about inhaling smoke from a sleek cigarette and drinking vodka martinis from slender-stemmed glasses—like the ones her second husband had brought home from his New York City club.

He’d made his money as a bootlegger during the Depression and treated her like a queen, up until the day he traded her in for some floozy half her age. After almost 50 years, she still remembered the feel of the glass in her hand, the cold liquid flowing down her throat, and the pain in her chest.

On a sweltering July day, she met with the nuns to drink iced coffee and express displeasure with the scantily clad women who passed along the sidewalk. Sister Agnes now used a walker, and the rest of the nuns trundled along beside her on their slow treks to and from Starbucks.

They had just finished their scheduling of Angela’s chauffeur duties when the group quieted.

Sister Agnes cleared her throat. “You remember that young Poor Clare novice who transferred to our convent last year?”

“Yes. She seemed like a sweet girl—a bit ignorant about the world, but sweet.”

Sister Agnes nodded. “You’re right about that. Sister Lucinda thinks that she may want to give up being a nun.

And we were thinking that . . .”

“Oh, boy, this doesn’t sound good.” Angela grimaced and stared into the nun’s eyes.

“We were thinking that maybe she could live with you for a while—just until she makes up her mind about what she wants to do.”

“Can’t she move back with her family?”

“She doesn’t have a family, but she may want to start one in the future.”

Angela grinned. “Yeah, I remember that feeling.”

“I’m sure you do,” Sister Agnes snapped.

“But why would somebody so young wanna bunk with me? I live in a single room above a noisy street, buy groceries with food stamps, and wear Goodwill clothes.”

“Yes, we agree that someone younger and more affluent might be better. But you are not without knowledge of the world and could help Lucinda become a part of the community. And it may also be good for you.”

“How’s that?”

“We would agree to pay most of your rent and maybe a little extra for gas while Lucinda lives with you.”

“We have a fund for that sort of thing,” Sister Margarita explained.

Sister Agnes continued. “And she could help you with chores. I know you have a hard time climbing those stairs.

And you’re losing weight. You should see a doctor.”

“You’re kidding me. I’m stronger than the rest of you.”

The nuns changed their seating arrangement and stared across the street, as if watching some great actress take the stage.

“No, Angela, you’re just like the rest of us, but you can’t see it. So what do you think? You would really be helping us out.”

Angela tried to remain calm and not disclose her excitement over having a roommate. Her last one had been in the dormitory at Temple University, the year before she quit school to marry her first husband.

“Sure, I’ll give it a shot. But if it doesn’t work out, you gals gotta figure out how to handle it.”

Sister Agnes let out a deep sigh and smiled. “It’s a deal. We’ll bring Lucinda and her things with us next week.”

C

hristmas had come and gone, and the world seemed to prepare itself for yet another frantic new year. Sister Agnes sat with her flock at the sidewalk tables and waited for Angela to arrive.

Across the street, a glass-paneled door opened and a young red-haired woman stepped onto the sidewalk. She wore a green sweat suit and running shoes; a terry-cloth headband held her shoulder-length hair away from her face. The woman waved and sprinted across the street, dodging cars, and sat in one of two vacant chairs.

“Shouldn’t you be helping Angela navigate those stairs?” Sister Agnes asked.

Sister Lucinda grinned. “Are you kiddin’ me? That lady would rather crawl here than be seen having somebody help her.”

“Yes, that sounds like Angela,” Sister Margarita said, and the group laughed.

“So, how is the old dear?” Sister Agnes asked.

“She took me to a nightclub last week, and told me that if I wanted to

see how humanity really behaves that I needed to observe and toss back a few.”

“You didn’t, did you?” Sister Maria asked.

“Of course not. I told her it was bad for my fitness regimen.”

“So how’s her health?”

“About the same. Last Wednesday, I took her doctor aside at the clinic. She said that the congestive heart disease is taking its toll. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Does she still believe our story about you leaving the sisterhood?”

Sister Lucinda grinned. “I think so.

Every day, I get an earful about how wonderful her husbands had treated her and how great it was to be married.

She took to marriage like we took to our calling.”

“Do you need anything from us?”

“No. We still have full days, and she attended Mass this past Sunday. She told me it had been 40 years since the last time.”

“You’re doing great, Sister Lucinda.

But I still worry about her.”

“We all do,” Sister Claire said.

“Watch it, here she comes,” Sister Agnes said. “Has somebody bought her favorite scone?”

“It’s right here,” Sister Maria said.

The nuns changed their seating arrangement and stared across the street, as if watching some great actress take the stage. The ground-level door opened and Angela stepped out, wearing her winter coat with its ratty mink collar, her lipstick on crooked, her head scarf fluttering in the breeze. But even at a distance, Sister Agnes could see the sparkle in her friend’s eyes as Angela hobbled to the corner and waited for the light.

Terry Sanville lives in San Luis Obispo, California, with his artist-poet wife (his in-house editor) and their cat. An accomplished jazz and blues guitarist, he writes full-time, producing short stories, essays, poems, and novels. Since 2005, his award-winning short stories have been accepted by more than 250 literary and commercial journals, magazines, and anthologies, including The Potomac Review, Shenandoah and Conclave: A Journal of Character.

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Lent and Reconciliation

d

This sacred season holds the promise of God’s peace and forgiveness.

By Jim Van Vurst, OFM

T

.

n

t

.

e

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©2018

ANDREY KUZMIN

et

he season of Lent begins on February 14. Next to Christmas and Easter, there is no time when churches are more filled. There is something about Ash Wednesday that can touch the hearts and consciences of people who seldom go to church.

Lent is a time of reconciliation: God’s reconciliation with a wounded world. But, if we are honest, it is also a time to be reconciled with God again. It doesn’t mean that we have left the Church or even sinned seriously. But it is a time for us to come to the Lord in a sense of repentance for our failings—great or small. And that is why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It gives us an opportunity to do something externally to reflect what is going on in our hearts.

Jesus gave us this sacrament for that very purpose. There was no one who knew more about the human personality than Jesus. When he said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27), Jesus was speaking to his apostles huddled in the upper room, scared for their lives. They had failed Jesus, running from his side when he faced his passion.

Jesus came to them not with scolding or blame. “Peace” is what he said—and he meant it. They had to have despised themselves when they came face-to-face with their cowardice. That’s not what Jesus wanted them to feel. He wanted them to experience reconciliation with themselves. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:23). Strange, isn’t it, how the weakest of Jesus’ followers were told to carry the forgiveness they have received to the whole world?

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not about beating ourselves up. God is not about blame. God is about forgiveness and new life.

CONFESSION: A SIGN OF MATURITY

Approaching the Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the most mature things we can do as Catholics. We neither make excuses for our behavior, nor hide from it by playing games.

We simply come to the Lord in the sacrament, honestly present our sins, and ask for forgiveness. God, through the ministry of the priest, says: “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Go in peace.”

Let me share something that may surprise you. I’ve been a priest now for more than six decades. I’ve wondered how many confessions I have been privileged to hear in those years. I can say, conservatively, I have heard about 20,000 confessions.

But I can tell you honestly that I don’t remember anything anyone ever told me. It’s true! Why would I want to remember people’s sins? I have my own sins to remember— and that’s enough.

What I do remember, however, is raising my hands in absolution and reminding all that God loved them with an infinite love. Some people, I think, floated out of the confessional with joy and relief in their hearts. Words could not describe that moment.

This Lent, there will be ample opportunities with various parish penance services to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If you approach Jesus this Lent, he will be waiting with open arms to embrace you.

Jim Van Vurst, OFM, has been a Franciscan friar almost 70 years. He is retired at St. Clement Friary in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a longtime contributor to St. Anthony Messenger and FranciscanMedia.org.

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 49

media MATTERS

reel TiMe | channel surfing | audio file | bookshelf

By Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP

THE POST

I Sister Rose’s

OSCAR

HOPEFULS Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri The Darkest Hour Coco Get Out Wonderstruck

n 1971, the New York Times published a series of articles based on top-secret documents about America’s 30-year involvement in the Vietnam War. These came to be known as the Pentagon Papers. In the late ’60s, Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) worked for the RAND Corporation, consulting on the war and, in the face of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood), had leaked the papers to the Times.

Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), the ambitious executive editor of the Washington Post, knows the Times was on to a big story—and he wants in on it. The owner and publisher of the Post, Kay Graham (Meryl Streep), is on the verge of taking the company public to raise its profile and influence.

Just when the Justice Department halts the Times from publishing anything further, a shoebox of leaked documents is dropped

off at the Post. Now Graham, who loves the paper, faces a dilemma. If the Post publishes stories based on the documents, they could face charges of treason. For Bradlee, who cannot abide government officials lying, there is no question about freedom of the press. Suddenly, Graham is inundated by men: Bradlee pushes her, McNamara warns her, and her all-male board and attorneys tell her no. Graham listens, discerns, and makes the decision of a lifetime.

Director Steven Spielberg tells a powerful story based on true events. Although the action takes place mostly in offices, newsrooms, and Graham’s home, the suspense grows as each moment passes.

The Post is Graham’s story. She was a woman in a man’s world and did what she thought was right—for the truth, for the freedom of the press, and for the legacy of her family’s newspaper. Streep gives a compelling, understated performance that is sure to gain awards attention.

A-3, PG-13 • Mature themes.

50 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

PADDINGTON 2: P&CO LTD., SC 2017; HOSTILES: YELLOW HAWK, INC./LOREY SEBASTIAN

Sister Rose is a Daughter of St. Paul and the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies. She has been the award-winning film columnist for St. Anthony Messenger since 2003 and is the author of several books on Scripture and film as well as media literacy education.

LEFT: SISTER NANCY USSELMANN; THE POST: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION AND STORYTELLER DISTRIBUTION CO. LLC./NIKO TAVERNISE

Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP

HOSTILES

I PADDINGTON 2

PADDINGTON 2: P&CO LTD., SC 2017; HOSTILES: YELLOW HAWK, INC./LOREY SEBASTIAN

LEFT: SISTER NANCY USSELMANN; THE POST: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION AND STORYTELLER DISTRIBUTION CO. LLC./NIKO TAVERNISE

S

ome time ago, Paddington (Ben Whishaw), an orphan bear from Peru, sailed to London. Now he is living happily with the Brown family. Popular in his neighborhood, he is known for his marmalade sandwiches and for seeing the good in everyone.

As Paddington ponders what to get Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton), the bear who cared for him in Peru, he discovers a rare pop-up book about London in an antique store. Paddington decides to work extra jobs so he can save up to buy the book for Aunt Lucy. But the greedy and narcissistic Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant), an actor in dog commercials, steals the book and Paddington is blamed for it.

It is a sad day in Windsor Gardens when the innocent Paddington goes to prison. But his good character and optimism win over the hardened criminals who become his friends, led by the cook, Knuckles McGinty (Brendan

Gleeson). They conspire to escape and clear Paddington’s name.

Paddington 2 is the quintessential family film that had me smiling throughout. The cast is a veritable cavalcade of top British actors. Themes of kindness and doing the right thing flow through the live-action/CGI-animated film. It may be a bit long for very young children, but with its diverse cast, humor, and humanity, it is a film for our time.

Not yet rated, PG • Some peril.

n 1892, when most Native Americans are living on reservations out West, renegade Comanches attack a rancher and his family. Only the mother, Rosalie (Rosamund Pike), survives. At a US Army fort nearby, Captain Joseph J. Blocker (Christian Bale) is tasked with escorting the dying Chief Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi) and his family to Montana so he can die at home.

When Blocker and his team come across a shocked Rosalie, they take her with them. The journey is fraught with peril for all, with racial tensions and memories of brutal murders underlying all of their interactions. A transformation of sorts occurs during the journey for the main characters, but that seems insignificant compared to the carnage that awaits them.

Hostiles demands that the audience imagine much of the characters’ backstories. It wants to be profound—to show how people of different ethnicities can learn to get along. But it is told predominantly from the white man’s perspective, leaving it uneven with a patronizing ending.

Not yet rated, R • Pervasive, intense violence, off-screen rape.

Catholic News Service Media Review Office gives these ratings.

A-1 General patronage

A-2 Adults and adolescents

A-3 Adults

L Limited adult audience

O Morally offensive

Source: USCCB.ORG/movies

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StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 51

reel time | channel surfing | audio file | bookshelf

By Christopher Heffron

February 5, Independent Lens on PBS

W

innie Madikizela-Mandela is a prophet to some and a nightmare to others, which only makes her life that much more interesting. Born in 1936 in what is now South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, Winnie was reared by educators, which surely influenced her pursuit of higher education. It was her marriage to Nelson Mandela and her own decades-long struggle against apartheid, however, that put her on the national stage. But to define her by those experiences alone is to shortchange a true feminist and radical. Director Pascale Lamche leaves virtually no stone unturned in her thoughtful look not only at the revolutionary, but also at the revolution that framed her life.

South Africa’s bloody history with apartheid (institutionalized racism and segregation) stretched over 40 years. And perhaps the two most prominent figures in the struggle were Nelson Mandela and his second wife, Winnie. Married in 1958, Nelson was sentenced to prison in 1963, a sentence he’d serve until 1990.

And in that time, Winnie emerged as a leading opponent to apartheid during her husband’s imprisonment—and she suffered mightily for it. Solitary confinement, house arrest, surveillance, and torture marred her struggle, but Winnie remained a thorn in the side of the South African government. Her critics call her incendiary—even criminal. Those who have suffered the sinful system of apartheid christened her “Mother of the Nation.”

Lamche, a documentary filmmaker to reckon with, is faced with the tall task of presenting a misunderstood political figure against the backdrop of an oppressive system, and the film doesn’t take a misstep. Weaving interviews from Mrs. Madikizela-Mandela, her opponents, and South African residents who lived through the anarchy, Lamche presents a visceral history lesson ablaze with righteous indignation.

Some scenes might be too intense for young channel surfers—and subtitles are helpful. But viewers with a thirst for social justice and history would be wise to tune in. Lamche illustrates the limits of evil against the power of the human spirit.

52 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

ESPN, check local listings

A

s a rule, I’d rather play sports than watch a slew of talking heads discussing them on television. And that goes for most of the programming on ESPN, save one: Around the Horn.

What makes this program so effective, so effortlessly entertaining, is that it casts a wide net. Those who love sports have a safe place to spend 30 minutes; those who don’t have a rowdy roundtable with a steady dose of comedy.

It’s never still in that studio—and it’s certainly never dull.

Effectively anchored by Tony Reali (see article on page 36), the goodnatured host is part conductor, part sage, who leads a panel of sportswriters who tackle news, trends, and events in the culture.

On the surface, Around the Horn is a fast-paced discussion show (think The McLaughlin Group for sports lovers with ADD). But viewers should take a closer look. Reali is a deft host with boundless knowledge of his industry.

The lightning-fast interactions between him and the panel are animated, on point, and good-natured. For pure escapist fun, Around the Horn is time well spent.

LEFT: COURTESY CALEXICO/ RED LIGHT MANAGEMENT; RIGHT: COURTESY MAVIS STAPLES; PETE & REPEAT: TOM GREENE

Winnie

Around the Horn

LEFT: JADIL BRADLOW/AFRICA MEDIA ONLINE; RIGHT: PHOTO COURTESY OF TONY REALI/ESPN ARCHIVES

media MATTERS

reel time | channel surfing | auDio file | bookshelf

By Daniel Imwalle

Editor’s Pick

MAVIS STAPLES | IF ALL I WAS WAS BLACK

Retro-spective CALEXICO | FEAST OF WIRE

PETE&REPEAT These scenes may seem alike to you, But there are changes in the two.

So look and see if you can name Eight ways in which they’re not the same.

(Answers below)

ANSWERS to PETE & REPEAT: 1) There is an extra burner on the stove. 2) Scruffy is under the table. 3) A cookie is on the spatula. 4) The stove has another control

LEFT: COURTESY CALEXICO/ RED LIGHT MANAGEMENT; RIGHT: COURTESY MAVIS STAPLES; PETE & REPEAT: TOM GREENE

t’s hard to believe that Calexico’s Feast of Wire was released 15 years ago. The album, with its dusty borderland sound, is still as exciting and relevant today as when it reached listeners’ ears in February 2003. Named after a California border town, this Tucsonbased band has made an innovative blend of country, folk, and northern Mexican musical styles their hallmark.

Their fifth album, Feast of Wire is one of those rare records that delivers instant chills in the opening seconds of the first song, “Sunken Waltz.” The lyrics speak to the band’s embrace of social justice and concern for those on the margins, themes that should resonate with Catholic listeners: “Washed my face in the rivers of empire/Made my bed from a cardboard crate.” Other highlights include “Across the Wire”— which details the harrowing journey of undocumented immigrants across the US-Mexico border—and the softly bittersweet ballad “Woven Birds.”

t 78, R & B and gospel singer Mavis Staples is showing no signs of slowing down. If anything, her new album, If All I Was Was Black, points to an artist still in creative development. This marks her third collaboration with Wilco front man—and fellow Chicagoan—Jeff Tweedy, who produced and played on the album. Staples is no stranger to collaboration: Music legends Ry Cooder and Prince both produced albums for her.

Songs such as “Little Bit” and “Build a Bridge” transcend politics and call for compassion and common ground in a nation so viciously divided along party lines. The title track speaks to Staples’ perspective that racial identity, though important as an ingredient to a society enriched by diversity, is secondary to the oneness of humanity that binds us together. She reminds the listener that simply seeing a person as a member of a specific racial group puts unfair limits on that person: “If all I was was black/ Looking at you, you might look past/All the love I give/I’ve got natural gifts/Got a perspective/Might make your shift.”

Particularly touching is the song “Ain’t No Doubt about It,” a duet with Tweedy that could be as much about being friends with God as it is about their friendship with each other: “[Staples] Sometimes I feel like talking/And then I don’t know what to say/[Tweedy] Sometimes I have the answers/But my questions get taken away/[Staples and Tweedy] That’s when I always call your name.”

The perfect album to chase away the winter blues, pull up a chair and warm your soul by the musical fire of If All I Was Was Black.

knob. 5) Pete’s pants have a stripe down the leg. 6) The cookies have switched colors. 7) The sleeve of Pete’s shirt is shorter. 8) There is a handle on the oven door.

LEFT: JADIL BRADLOW/AFRICA MEDIA ONLINE; RIGHT: PHOTO COURTESY OF TONY REALI/ESPN ARCHIVES

I

A

StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 53

media MATTERS

reel time | channel surfing | audio file | bookshelf

By Carol Ann Morrow

Draw on History to Shape Future “Passion born of faith, embedded with gifts of understanding, can lead us, as it did our forebears, to action on behalf of the Gospel. For catechists, that action may be in teaching, explaining, or exhorting.”

THE WAY OF CATECHESIS

BY GERARD F. BAUMBACH Ave Maria Press

F

or the past seven years, I have served as director of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for my parish, in addition to the other ministries in which I’m engaged. One of the most obvious needs in the

Church today is a renewed sense of the importance of catechesis within a broad range of Church membership. In particular, there is a need to find fresh ways to present the teachings of the Church.

Author Gerard F. Baumbach has given us an excellent work for such a renewal of the catechetical process.

Drawing from his expansive experience as the director of ECHO (a parish catechetical ministry) at the University of Notre Dame and his work as a parish director of religious education (DRE), Baumbach gives us a historical look at catechesis through Scripture and Church history. He also presents new ideas for the reader to consider. It helps

one realize that the mission isn’t new and, in fact, is connected to the very ministry of Jesus himself.

The book encourages the reader to consider the importance of catechesis in drawing those who are away from the Church and those active in the Church to the deeper meaning of what it means to be Catholic. His effective use of reflection questions helps the reader even further. If you are a DRE, pastor, or catechist of any kind, this work should be in your library, helping to shape your approach to a vital ministry.

Reviewed by Deacon Dave Profitt, a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Covington, Kentucky, who is actively involved in catechesis.

Pilgrims on the Path to Meaning “Vocation is deeply personal because it is other-focused. If you think it is all about ‘you’ and your development, you have distorted what Christian calling is about.”

N

o matter how cute we are, none of us gets a pass on the big questions.

Sooner or later, we’ve got to figure out our place in the scheme of things: Why am I here? What am I (supposed to be) doing? The earlier we get this straight, the less time we’ll meander the culs-desac of life. Vocation is a pretty important business to get right.

In fact, Kathleen A. Cahalan, professor of practical theology, says vocation is too critical an issue to leave to the nouns: the showy, meaty part of every sentence. Cahalan invites us to consider

the small, fateful prepositions at the heart of our quest for meaning: “I am called by God, to follow, as I am, from grief, for service, in suffering, through others, within God.” Don’t engage your years like a scavenger hunt toward the right future. Follow the prepositions!

The Stories We Live examines the calls we receive at different ages in shifting circumstances. Not a frozen identity, vocation is a pilgrimage that moves with life’s currents, sometimes obvious, at other times surprising.

Haven’t figured yourself out yet?

54 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

THE STORIES WE LIVE

BY KATHLEEN A. CAHALAN William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Need to do it again? This nifty little guide is a helpful GPS. Reviewed by Alice Camille, M.Div, an author whose titles include For Everything There Is a Season and The Forgiveness Book.

SP

BE TRANSFORMED

STATION TO STATION

31 PROVERBS

BY BOB SCHUCHTS

BY GARY JANSEN

BY LIZ CURTIS HIGGS

Ave Maria Press

Loyola Press

WaterBrook

“The source of our healing and restoration, sacraments define our identity in Christ. They empower and direct our mission.”

“When we use imaginative prayer in our Stations meditation, we are given new insights into an old story.”

“My goal is not to show you how to be good. My goal is to show you how good God is.”

T

T

L

raditionally, many Catholics celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Lent. It’s the only one of the seven sacraments that tends to our soul’s health. Author Bob Schuchts pinpoints the medicinal grace recipients may expect from each sacrament, offering reflections and probing questions, followed by invitations to meditation and prayer.

Parallels between seven deadly wounds and the seven sacraments create a powerful connection to readers’ personal pain and hope for fullness of life. Contemporary examples serve as engaging entry points into understanding. The final chapter concludes with a prayer of renunciation/annunciation that could well become a daily pledge of spiritual engagement.

he Way of the Cross will be traveled in most parishes during Lent. Gary Jansen uses the prayer strategies of St. Ignatius of Loyola to imbue that journey with new, deeper, more personal meaning. Part I teaches the why of using imagination in this spiritual exercise. Part II offers a path through each Station (including a 15th: Resurrection), which includes the scriptural setting, an entry into the mind of Jesus, guidance for an encounter with Jesus, a suggested text for prayer, and, as Ignatius invites, an imaginative one-on-one with Jesus at the site of each Station.

KIDS’

SPOT THE WATCHER

ent has 40 days, this book but 31.

No worries! Some passages warrant more than one day’s attention. Each entry is beautifully designed to cover about six short pages, yet provide an almost microscopic look at the text of the day. The author deserves a round of applause for her editorial choices, since some of 31 Proverbs’ chapters of random verses seem blatantly obvious, while others are quite obtuse. If 31 Proverbs seems like a succession of moral mottoes, Higgs points to deeper insight—not so deep, however, that readers will be tempted to abandon the book by Day 10!

INSPIRING BEST SELLERS FROM THE New York Times

• Braving the Wilderness, Brené Brown

• Same Kind of Different as Me, Ron Hall & Denver Moore • The Wisdom of Sundays, Oprah Winfrey • Wonder (ages 9–12), R.J. Palacio

BY NIKKI GRIMES

P

owerful illustrations by Bryan Collier complement the creative work of Nikki Grimes.

This book should be read aloud to emphasize a poetic commentary on compassion and faith, intertwined with an impossibly creative setting of Psalm 121. Wow!

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StAnthonyMessenger.org | February 2018 • 55

POINTSOFVIEW | FAITH & FAMILY

By Susan Hines-Brigger

Take This and Eat—Please

B

Susan has worked at St. Anthony Messenger for 23 years and is an associate editor. She and her husband, Mark, are the proud parents of four kids—Maddie, Alex, Riley, and Kacey. Aside from her family, her loves are Disney, traveling, and sports.

Susan welcomes your comments and suggestions!

E-MAIL: CatholicFamily@ FranciscanMedia.org MAIL: Faith & Family 28 W. Liberty St. Cincinnati, OH 45202

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LET THE GAMES BEGIN

When Mark and I had our first child, Maddie, daily meals were manageable. If she didn’t like something I prepared, Mark and I would spend what now seems like an insane amount of time creating elaborate schemes and scenarios to get her to eat. Usually, after a lot of time and effort, we could get her to eat a fairly well-balanced and complete meal.

Then came Alex. Alex had his own peculiarities when it came to food—often not in line with Maddie’s. But that was OK. Mark and I could divide and conquer. Again, we were able to cobble together a full meal for both out of what I had prepared.

By the time Riley and Kacey came along, mealtimes were chaos. Alex liked one thing, but Riley didn’t. Maddie’s favorite meal was Kacey’s most disliked meal. And I was coming to dislike every meal I cooked because of the impending whining and complaints.

I know, I thought at one point. We’ll ask the kids to help us plan the meals. It seemed like a good solution—at the time. The result of their meal plan looked something like this: Monday: Tacos Tuesday: Hot dogs and mac ’n’ cheese Wednesday: Tacos Thursday: Grilled cheese Friday: Tacos Saturday: Let’s eat out Sunday: Spaghetti and meatballs And the only rationale for Sunday’s meal being a “little nicer,” as they said, was that my dad comes to our house on that day and he

56 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

might like a fancier meal.

Now, don’t worry, the kids’ meal plan did not go into effect. Seeing the error of Mark’s and my ways, we reverted to our previous plan of I cook it, you eat it.

WELCOME TO THE TABLE

Did the complaining continue once they realized their menu plan was out the door? Of course it did. But that’s OK. I can handle it.

It’s not the first—or last—time I’ve been the bad guy.

But amid the struggle of meal planning, I slowly began to realize something else. The reason we heard our kids’ complaints was because we were there to hear them. We were all sitting around the table—together.

As the kids have grown older, it has become a bit harder to get everyone sitting down to eat at the same time. But we try hard to make it happen. When we are successful at all six of us eating together, magic happens. Suddenly, conversations—even with our normally silent teenagers—start to take place.

Information that normally would have to be pulled out of the kids is freely shared. Bad knock-knock jokes are told by our youngest, Kacey. Current events are discussed.

So, if the payoff of eating tacos every other night is having my family together to eat, talk, and just be a family, you can bet I’ll take it.

Ch

LEFT: MCKOZUSKO/FRANCISCAN MEDIA; RIGHT: KZPHOTO/FOTOSEARCH

Susan Hines-Brigger

efore my husband, Mark, and I had kids, one of the things we agreed on was that we would try to always eat together as a family. We both had great memories of time spent with our siblings and parents around the table. It was cherished time, so we wanted to continue that with our own kids.

Fast-forward to when we actually had kids, and we quickly learned that those idyllic dinners of our childhood and adolescence had a dark underbelly that our parents never warned us about. And that was the hard work that went into pulling off those dinners.

SAM CH1005

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in the kitchen

with Amy Heyd

St. Hildegard’s Fillet of ‘Soul’ with Garlic and Herbs

Lent Friendly

yield: 6 servings • prep time: 5 min. • cook time: 11 min. • preheat oven: 450 degrees

What you will need: 3 lbs.

fresh sole fillets

½ tsp.

kosher salt

½ cup

chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup

dry white wine (such as pinot grigio)

2

cloves minced garlic

2

lemons, sliced into 1/3-inch-thick disks

freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions:

Place the fillets in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish in a single layer.

Evenly distribute minced garlic on top of fillets.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over fillets.

Shower the fillets with chopped parsley.

Place two lemon rounds on top of each fillet.

Pour wine around the sides of the fillets.

Bake for 9–11 minutes until the fish flakes easily and is opaque.

A

woman ahead of her time, St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) was an abbess, artist, author, and mystic.

From a young age, Hildegard experienced visions, but she kept them to herself. Upon receiving a directive from God to share her visions, she started writing them down and shared them with a monk. He recognized their authenticity, showed the writings to his abbot, and, eventually, word of her visions made it to Pope Eugenius III. Her fame quickly spread among Church leaders and heads of state.

Hildegard was also an avid gardener. She knew the smell, taste, and look of each plant in her abbey’s herb garden. She spent time drying, boiling, and steeping various herbs together to find the perfect curative powers to heal the sisters’ ailments.

Pair this recipe with a potato or rice dish, as well as side vegetables and/or fruit, to create a complete and healthy meal for you, your family, and friends.

FIND THIS AND OTHER RECIPES AT: FranciscanMedia.org/Recipes

58 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

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reflection

“You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know.”

February 8: International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking 60 • February 2018 | StAnthonyMessenger.org

PHOTO CREDIT HERE LUCIDWATERS/FOTOSEARCH

—William Wilberforce

You Can Help Spread the Gospel in the Spirit of St. Francis!

Did you know that at Franciscan Media, publishers of St. Anthony Messenger, we are touching the lives of millions with our online and print resources—many of them free to anyone who wants them? Your support helps touch people’s hearts, like Rubina, “Franciscan Media has been helping me find peace and comfort through the word of God, and they help me to pray and meditate on its wisdom. They help me to grow my faith in Christ. Thank you!”

Did you also know that everything Franciscan Media does greatly depends on your generosity?

Your gift brings the friars at Franciscan Media that much closer to their overarching goal—to fill the world with Franciscan spirit.

To join in the mission, send your gift* today to: Franciscan Media, 28 West Liberty Street, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45202-6498 Please mark SAM18 on your check OR go online: donate.FranciscanMedia.org/SAM0118 *Your gift is tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

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