April 2013 by St. Anthony Messenger

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Bring Back the Sabbath Rising from Suicide’s Grief My School Is a Zoo!

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CONTENTS

ST. ANTHONY Messenger

❘ APRIL 2013 ❘ VOLUME 120/NUMBER 11

ON THE COVER

COVER STORY

After nearly eight years leading the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI became the first pope to step down in almost 600 years.

28 Pope Benedict XVI: Legacy of a Gracious Pope For almost eight years, Pope Benedict XVI surprised his initial critics and admirers. He resigned when his ministry required more strength than he had. By Pat McCloskey, OFM

CNS/Alessia Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo

F E AT U R E S

D E PA R T M E N T S

16 A Modern-Day Eden

2 Dear Reader

Biblical gardens allow for the Bible to come to life right before our eyes. By Maureen Pratt

3 From Our Readers 6 Followers of St. Francis Colette Gerry, OSF

24 Bring Back the Sabbath The Third Commandment calls us to put God’s time before our own. By Mary Elizabeth Sperry

8 Reel Time Safe Haven

Hook, Line & Dinner

36 Dogs and Turtles and Parrots, Oh, My!

12 Church in the News

Students at these three Long Island schools are learning about care for creation up close and personal. Photos by Gregory A. Shemitz

23 Year of Faith Living Faith

42 Living Simply 49 Editorial

44 Rising from the Grief of Suicide For those left behind, there are ways of coping. By Tom Smith

10 Channel Surfing

The White Smoke Has Cleared

50 Ask a Franciscan Why Was Cain’s Sacrifice Rejected?

52 Book Corner Nourishing the Spirit

54 A Catholic Mom Speaks Beginnings and Endings

56 Backstory

ST. ANTHONY M

DEAR READER

essenger

Daily Choices Matter Fearing that he might not resist the temptations commonly experienced by lawyers, Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1578–1622) became a Capuchin priest, a noted preacher, and a martyr. Each of us will die eventually. “What kind of conscience will I bring to that moment?” should be our main concern. “By faith, the martyrs gave their lives, bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel that had transformed them and made them capable of attaining to the greatest gift of love: the forgiveness of their persecutors,” writes Pope Benedict XVI in Door of Faith, his apostolic letter about the current Year of Faith. Fidelis preached in Feldkirch, Germany, nursed soldiers felled by an epidemic, and in 1622 was named by the Holy See’s new Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith to lead a group of preachers in Switzerland. Because he had some success there, Calvinists in Seewis killed Fidelis while he was preaching. He is a patron of lawyers and that congregation’s first missionary martyr. As he was about to die, Fidelis did not regret his choice to join the Franciscan family as a Capuchin. Our daily choices matter because they reaffirm what St. Paul described as our “old self” or a “new self” (Col 3:9–11). May our choices reflect our Baptism into Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection!

Publisher/CEO

Daniel Kroger, OFM

Chief Operating Officer

Thomas A. Shumate, CPA

Director of Content Creation and Services Jennifer Scroggins

Editor in Chief John Feister

Art Director

Jeanne Kortekamp

Franciscan Editor

Pat McCloskey, OFM

Senior Editor

Jack Wintz, OFM

Managing Editor

Susan Hines-Brigger

Assistant Editors

Christopher Heffron Rachel Zawila

Editorial Assistant Sharon Lape

Director of Marketing, Sales, and Internet Barbara K. Baker

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Kingery Printing Co. - Effingham, IL ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER (ISSN #0036276X) (U.S.P.S. PUBLICATION #007956 CANADA PUBLICATION #PM40036350) Volume 120, Number 11, 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. U.S. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: St. Anthony Messenger, P.O. Box 189, Congers, NY 10920-0189. CANADA RETURN ADDRESS: c/o AIM, 7289 Torbram Rd., Mississauga, ON, Canada L4T 1G8. To subscribe, write to the above address or call (866) 543-6870. Yearly subscription price: $39.00 in the United States; $69.00 in Canada and other foreign countries. Single copy price: $3.95. For change of address, four weeks’ notice is necessary. Writer’s guidelines can be found at Franciscan Media.org. The publishers are not responsible for manuscripts or photos lost or damaged in transit. Names in fiction do not refer to living or dead persons. Member of the Catholic Press Association Published with ecclesiastical approval Copyright ©2013. All rights reserved.

St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg

FROM OUR READERS

February Issue Hits Home

Feeling the Burn

A Good Read

What’s on Your Mind? Letters that are published do not necessarily represent the views of the Franciscan friars or the editors. We do not publish slander or libel. Please include your name and postal address. Letters may be edited for clarity and space. Mail Letters, St. Anthony Messenger 28 W. Liberty St. Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498 Fax 513-241-0399

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Anthony Messenger for at least 50 years, and I always look forward to each issue with your inspiring articles. Margaret Robideaux San Leandro, California

definitely do not place aside. Thank you very much! Edward Jalowski Toms River, New Jersey

CNS PHOTO/ALAN MARKFIELD, COURTESY WARNER BROS.

I read the February issue of St. Anthony Messenger, including Susan Hines-Brigger’s cover story, “Between the Lines with Nicholas Sparks.” It was very enjoyable and interesting. I’ve seen The Notebook several times over the years—a truly heartwarming story of love between a husband and wife with an ending that brings tears to my eyes. John Feister’s article, “Jesus’ Command: ‘Give Them Some Food,’” about the faith-filled work by Catholic Relief Services in Africa, struck a similar chord in me because of the outpouring of help given to those who suffered from Hurricane Sandy that hit the Jersey Shore— where I live. I personally rated all the other articles in the February issue as very good. This is one magazine that I

What a cover! I have read Nicholas Sparks’ books two or three times. At 82, this is sometimes necessary! I am so pleased to read more bits and pieces of his life and his family’s activities. Their faithful lives are reflected in his stories of the depth and heights of humanity. Thank you—and him—for so much goodness and life. Shirley Knuth Rapid City, South Dakota

Sparks of Faith What a surprise it was to see my favorite author on the cover of the February issue of St. Anthony Messenger. I have read all of Nicholas Sparks’ books and found them very inspiring. He has a way of showing how people can relate to one another with good faith. His characters stay true to form and show good judgment. Thank you for recognizing his talent. I have been a subscriber to St.

The references that Theresa DoyleNelson makes in the February article “Getting to Know Joel” regarding Judah’s woes seem to be lighter than what America is plagued with today. Is she unaware of our significant, widespread drought? What about Hurricanes Katrina and Irene? Tsunamis? Earthquakes? A warming climate? Melting polar ice caps? Also, her rather casual comment that America’s poor at least have some available help with food and are not starving are reflective of one who knows little about our own poor. And I was rather disturbed when reading John Feister’s February editorial, “Why Go to Confession?” The first reason was to “avoid burning in hell.” Burning? Are you serious? Is this insane concept still taught? Robert R. Farley Stockport, New York

I Confess! Thanks very much for John Feister’s editorial, “Why Go to Confession?,” in the February issue. It’s nice to read an orthodox presentation on the solid reasons for seeking out the Sacrament of Penance. I attend Mass at more than one parish and the pattern is the same. A horde of worshippers usually receives the holy Eucharist, while not too many go to Confession. It would be interesting to know if this pattern began with the publication of Humanae Vitae. Donal Mahoney St. Louis, Missouri A p r il 2 0 1 3 ❘ 3

A Cultural Shift In the editorial “Why Go to Confession?” we read that three-quarters of Catholics never partake in the Sacrament of Reconciliation at a time when many Catholics willfully miss weekend Mass (which is a serious sin). Yet, of those who do attend, 95 percent of Catholics present themselves for Communion. Have we become a spotless, holy people, or have we bought into a diluted Catholicism? Not long ago, Confession was inextricably connected to the Eucharist—at least in the Catholic mind. Are we listening to the magisterium, or are we following a quasipagan culture? Gene Muzio Allendale, New Jersey

What Our Subscribers Read Our top-read articles from the February issue were:

76%

Between the Lines with Nicholas Sparks

75%

Getting to Know Joel

74%

Mind Your ‘P’s

give feedback are secular progressives who place social-justice issues in primacy over the mandate from Jesus to love God first. They deny the First Commandment—to love God—in actively promoting the Second Commandment—to love your neighbor.

Any article or opinion piece in St. Anthony Messenger that seeks to define or promote orthodox Catholic teaching gets response from these people. The HHS mandate is an example. Clearly a portion of St. Anthony Messenger’s readership is not seeking and does not value catechetical information about Catholicism, but, instead, is seeking confirmation of his or her own opinion. The HHS mandate is simply evil, and all Catholics should be vigorously opposed to it. Love of our neighbors’ actions and activities is utterly meaningless unless driven by an obsessive love of God first. EJ Brennan Wilmington, Delaware

The Power of Doubt

Secular Agenda?

A New Digital Edition!

FREE to

This month’s digital extras include author Mary Elizabeth Sperry speaking on the importance of keeping the Sab-

St. Anthony Messenger subscribers!

bath, a look back on Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy, and Jon M. Sweeney talking about his book The Pope Who Quit.

I find several of your subscribers’ letters to be disheartening. Some who 4 ❘ Apr il 2013

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

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I must respectfully disagree with Father Pat McCloskey’s answer to the question about why so many Catholics don’t believe in the Real Presence in February’s “Ask a Franciscan.” If you had been a priest for 60 years, you would understand what happened to the belief in the Real Presence after the Eucharist was contaminated by nonconsecrated hands. Examine the percentage of Catholics who voted for President Barack Obama—and don’t try to convince me that a single apostate believes in this definitive flagship of our faith. I entered the Church in 1949 with Bishop Fulton J. Sheen as my chosen mentor. You could easily tell from the attire and spiritual reverence that every practicing Catholic knew Jesus was there beyond a doubt. I believe that massive doubt is a cause and effect of the Second Vatican Council. At 85, I doubt that we will ever recover the lost precouncilior spirituality. Bob Rowland Irving, Texas

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F O L L O W E R S O F S T. F R A N C I S

Mission to Evangelize

elcoming, active, involved—these are the key components to Sister Colette Gerry, OSF’s, evangelization efforts at Saints John and Elizabeth Church in Grayson, Kentucky. A Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia since 1960 and a Glenmary Home Missioner coworker since 1999, Sister Colette seeks to serve the spiritual and material needs of people living in mission counties throughout Appalachia and the South. The Grayson mission is located in rural eastern Kentucky, where less than 1 percent of the population is Catholic. As parish life director, Sister Colette has added new members to the parish each of the five years she has served there. “Each one has a story of how God has called them to the Church, which was churning in them for many years,” she says. Striving to create a welcoming environment for all who are interested in learning more, Sister Colette enables residents to heed that call. “I believe parishioners are drawn here because they are welcomed and valued,” she reflects. “They are involved in the parish on many levels, and because we are small, they

Sister Colette Gerry, OSF

know their gifts and talents are needed.” The Grayson mission community is composed of about 45 English-speaking and 10 Spanish-speaking families. Sister Colette oversees the mission’s religious education and sacramental preparation programs and encourages parishioners also to become involved. It is this feeling of inclusion, she believes, that keeps her evangelization effective. “Each Sunday, I welcome each person to our church, and when we have visitors, I make a special effort to welcome them also,” she says. “One parishioner who is new to our church was telling me how important the interaction among members of the parish is to her. She feels very much a part of our small parish. At the sign of peace, she feels the gift of peace given from the other person.” Glenmary Home Missioners are currently serving in more than 40 missions in the South and Appalachia. Although nearly 1.5 million people live within these territories, only about 11,000—or 0.7 percent—are Catholic. Fearing the area could be lost to the Church unless a specific Catholic

STORIES FROM OUR READERS Dig Deeper

PURSE © ELNUR/FOTOLIA; ROSARY © ARSGERA/FOTOLIA

Learn more about St. Anthony and share your story of how he helped you at AmericanCatholic.org/ Features/Anthony.

6 ❘ Apr il 2013

I bought a used car and delayed getting it licensed for a couple of weeks. I misplaced the title, bill of sale, etc. I looked in all my hiding holes. After praying for assistance to St. Anthony, I found them. As I dug through my purse to get my rosary one morning, the papers were at the bottom. I thought it was a pretty clever way to find my important papers. —Connie Bokay, Saint Joseph, Missouri

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

ST. ANTHONY

Studying Scripture As an Augustinian canon, Anthony was well educated about Scripture. When the depth of his knowledge was discovered, he was appointed to teach Scripture to the friars in Bologna. Francis of Assisi encouraged this, reminding all the friars that study should support but never compete with their life of prayer. Although Anthony was soon called to preach in southern France, he continued to teach the friars there about Scripture. Zeal to preach about Jesus does not excuse neglect of continuing to learn about the Bible. —P.M.

PHOTO BY FRANK JASPER, OFM

presence was rooted there, Father William Howard Bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore founded Glenmary in 1939 to provide that presence. After serving as a teacher and principal for 39 years, Sister Colette first took on the role of pastoral associate at Glenmary’s Morgantown, Kentucky, mission in 1999, before she accepted the position at Grayson in 2007. No matter where she serves, Sister Colette says she strives to follow the lead of St. Francis in her evangelization work. “Francis knew that everything about him helped to spread the Gospel. He once sent the brothers to go out and preach in the town. He said to them that if it was needed they were to use words. It is my experience that the way we respond to others and interact with them speaks volumes about our commitment to the Gospel. Likewise, others bring the Gospel to us through their actions and words. I believe that wherever we go, with whomever we meet, we evangelize or not.” —Rachel Zawila

To learn more about Franciscan saints, visit AmericanCatholic.org/Features/Saintofday.

Visit glenmary.org for more information.

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Send all postal communication to: St. Anthony Bread 1615 Vine St. Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498

A p r il 2 0 1 3 ❘ 7

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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. To post your petition online, please visit stanthony.org, where you can also request to have a candle lit or a Mass offered; or you may make a donation to the Franciscans or sign up to receive a novena booklet.

REEL TIME

W I T H S I S T E R R O S E PA C AT T E , F S P

Safe Haven

SISTER ROSE’S

Favorite

Romance Classics

1. Pride and Prejudice (any adaptation) 2. City Lights (1931) 3. Casablanca (1942) 4. An Affair to Remember (1957) 5. Love Story (1970) 6. Ghost (1990)

8 ❘ April 2013

Julianne Hough is a woman on the run who falls for a store owner, played by Josh Duhamel, in Safe Haven. In a plot reminiscent of the 1991 thriller Sleeping with the Enemy, Nicholas Sparks’ latest book adaptation tells the story of Katie (Julianne Hough), a young woman on the run from a crime in Boston who’s ready to begin a new life. She lands in a coastal North Carolina town where Alex (Josh Duhamel), a widower and father of a young boy and girl, runs a convenience store. Katie finds a job in a seafood restaurant and is able to rent a small cabin in the woods where she makes friends with a nosy neighbor, Jo (Cobie Smulders). As Independence Day celebrations draw near, Katie’s past catches up with her. Until Safe Haven, the film versions of Sparks’ novels run through a predictable formula of emotions and beautiful people, which usually draws tears from the romantics among us. But in Safe Haven, I was almost bored: the story took too long to develop and then it became another movie that I had seen before.

I thought it remarkable that the only person of color in the film was a detective with a small role because, according to the film, there is no racial diversity in the fictitious town of Southport, North Carolina. And for the first time in one of Sparks’ stories, the only reference to God is on a sign someone carries in a parade on the Fourth of July. Despite Lasse Hallström’s direction and the lovely cinematography, the story is stilted, and Sparks has moved from “religious” to “spiritual” in Safe Haven. (To learn more about Nicholas Sparks, check out our February issue at StAnthonyMessenger. org.) L, PG-13 ■ Domestic violence and peril.

Identity Thief When Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), a married father in Denver, leaves his job to join a start-up firm with colleagues, he learns from local police that someone in St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

CNS PHOTO/UNIVERSAL

Jason Bateman plays a hapless businessman who’s conned by Melissa McCarthy in the road-trip comedy Identity Thief.

PHOTO BY TOMÁS DITTBURN, COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Florida has stolen his identity. Her name, or one of them, is Diana (Melissa McCarthy). Sandy—named for the major league ball player Sandy Koufax—is determined to find her and bring her back to clear his name and credit rating. Diana has her own machine to duplicate credit cards and driver’s licenses. She is determined to outrun Sandy, but eventually he catches her and they begin a road trip because they both cannot get on the plane with the exact same information on their identification. In reality, identity theft is no joke. Sometimes it takes victims years—if ever—to retrieve their true identities and credit scores. But the story and script, by Craig Mazin and Jerry Eeten, give Diana a backstory that elicits some sympathy, and there are consequences to her anti-social choices. She has a good heart, however corrupted. The movie reminded me of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987), except that I liked that story and John Candy’s character much more. McCarthy is funny enough, but her character is crude. Bateman’s character is decent, naive, and good-hearted. L, R ■ Language and sexual content.

create a 28-day campaign for “No.” The ads are to be 15 minutes in length and will run in the middle of the night along with ads for the government-backed “Yes” campaign, headed by Lucho Guzmán (Alfredo Castro), René’s boss. No is a film for history and marketing students, but also especially for anyone interested in media literacy education because it reveals the dynamics of media, politics, and economics that drive contemporary society. Besides the strong ideologies promoting the totalitarian regime—and those in the opposition who suffered so much—the decisionmakers on both sides must learn that the ads are not about truth, nor are they to make the executives feel good. Advertising is all about persuading the audience. This is director Pablo Larraín’s third film about the violence and oppression of recent Chilean history, and his gritty style gives the film a historic feel. No was nominated for an Oscar and is a film worth watching. In Spanish with English subtitles. Not Yet Rated, R ■ Language.

Gael García Bernal portrays an advertising executive during a time of political unrest in the Oscar-nominated foreign film No.

Catholic Cl assifications A-1 A-2 A-3 L O

No Based on true events, No tells the story of René Saavedra (Gael García Bernal), a young ad executive in Chile in 1988 when General Augusto Pinochet, the country’s dictator, is forced by the international community to call for a referendum to keep him as president or not. The ballot reads a simple “Yes” or “No.” René is hired by the consortium of recently-approved opposition parties to Fr anciscanMedia.org

General patronage Adults and adolescents Adults Limited adult audience Morally offensive

■

The Catholic News Service Media Review Office gives these ratings. See usccb.org/movies.

■

Find reviews by Sister Rose and others at CatholicMovieReviews.org.

April 2013 ❘ 9

CHANNEL SURFING

WITH CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON

UP CLOSE

Thursdays, 8 p.m., Cooking Channel I have to confess: my kind of fishing involves looking over a seafood menu in search of grilled shrimp scampi. I don’t own a rod, and I couldn’t bait a hook to save my life. Suffice to say, I was skeptical when I first discovered Cooking Channel’s Hook, Line & Dinner. Three episodes in, this channel surfer can safely say: novices are welcomed. What makes this cook-what-you-catch program so worthwhile is twofold: first, it reminds us that fishing—any pastime, really—provides a much-needed escape from the noises and stresses of our daily lives. Second, its host, Ben Sargent, a seafood enthusiast, artist, and chef, has an innate sincerity that draws viewers in. Often clumsy and unsure of himself, the funny Sargent, with his life-sized smile and genuine curiosity, fully immerses himself in the culture of whatever coastal town he’s visiting. The locals—some of whom have been fishing for generations—add color to this fun and informative program. In an Iron Chef era, too often cooking shows have become less about food and more about the entertainment quotient. Sargent shows that the art of catching dinner, and the efforts required in preparing it, not only feed the ones we love—it also can feed our souls.

Betty White’s Off Their Rockers Tuesdays, 8 p.m., NBC As a culture, we seem to have little use for people when they reach a certain age. Think about it: How many network shows feature anybody over the age of 65? Betty White, the 91-year-old television legend with the Midas touch, is seeking to change that. As host of Off Their Rockers, White is the well-coifed mastermind behind this hilarious prank show where elderly participants play practical jokes on younger, unsuspecting pawns. At first glance, Off Their Rockers is harmless fun, but a closer look yields something our youthobsessed culture has long-forgotten: our older citizens are important, colorful threads in our cultural and societal tapestries. They’re also down for a good laugh.

Doomsday Preppers

Tuesdays, 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel It turns out the Mayans were wrong all along—but that hasn’t stopped the subjects of this documentary series from constructing elaborate bunkers, stockpiling weapons, and hoarding a year’s worth of nonperishable food items in preparation for domestic conflict, a nuclear holocaust, or genetic warfare. With Doomsday Preppers, viewers can expect an odd mixture of marvel and pity: sure, these preppers’ preparedness is excellent—in some cases even inspired. But living in a constant state of fear and dread of mass destruction and societal ruin is to live in a prison that’s entirely self-imposed. Lighten up, folks!

Chef and fishing enthusiast Ben Sargent hosts Cooking Channel’s Hook, Line & Dinner. 10 ❘ April 2013

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

PHOTO BY TRAE PATTON/NBC

Hook, Line & Dinner

ST. FRANCIS, Our Brother RESOURCE MATERIALS for

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CHURCH IN THE NEWS

❘ BY RACHEL ZAWILA

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

The Path to a Pope’s Resignation

Pope Benedict XVI greets a crowd gathered for his arrival in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, February 28. It was his final public appearance before he drew to a close his papacy. When Pope Benedict XVI was elected in 2005 at age 78, he was said to have told his fellow cardinals that his would not be a long papacy like that of his predecessor, Blessed John Paul II, who held the office for more than 26 years. Rather, as he told German author and journalist Peter Seewald, “one can resign at a peaceful moment or when one simply cannot go on.” That moment came on February 11, when Benedict announced he would resign at the end of the month, saying he was certain “that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.” Following his announcement, a period of transition was set into motion, with the world’s cardinals 1 2 ❘ A p r il 2013

traveling to Rome to prepare for the conclave to elect the Church’s next pope. Although much of their focus was set on the future, the cardinals did not fail to look back on Benedict’s papacy with admiration. “He had an incredible ability to make the most profound and intense aspects of our faith clear and accessible not only to Catholics but to all people,” said Bishop David M. O’Connell of Trenton, New Jersey. “This passing of the papal crosier speaks volumes about Pope Benedict XVI’s humility and desire that the Church be led effectively and well.” Many questions of detail were raised in light of Benedict’s announcement, including how to refer to the former pope following his resignation. On February 26, the Vatican answered that question,

announcing Benedict will be known as “pope emeritus” in his retirement. It was apparent in the weeks following Benedict’s announcement that his decision came after a period of deep reflection and self-examination. According to Seewald, the former pope was “exhausted and disheartened” six months prior to his resignation. When Seewald asked Benedict what could still be expected of his pontificate in the summer of 2012, the pope answered, “From me—not much now. I’m an old man, and I’ve lost my strength. I think I’ve done enough.” Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi confirmed this, saying the pope had pondered his resignation for several months, and the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, reported that Benedict first considered the move in March 2012 after his trip to Mexico and Cuba. The day after his 2005 installation, Benedict told a group of German pilgrims that he equated the growing consensus among cardinals to elect him pope as “an axe” getting ready to fall on his head. He had been looking forward to a life of peaceful retirement and said he felt “inadequate” for a job that demanded great “dynamism” and strength. Now enjoying that peace, the pope emeritus resides in a small former monastery within the Vatican walls, “hidden from the world,” just as he said he wanted to be. In his farewell address, however, on February 27, the eve of his resignation, Benedict assured the large crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square that he would remain in their service. “I am not abandoning the cross, but remain in a new way beside the crucified Lord,” he said. “I no longer carry the power of office St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

N E W S B R I E F S N AT I O N A L A N D I N T E R N AT I O N A L The Archdiocese of New York announced it will be closing in June two high schools and 22 of the 26 elementary schools that were previously determined “at risk.” The decision follows several months of review of enrollment figures, finances, and local demographics. There are 4,341 elementary-school students and 424 secondaryschool students affected by the decision.

CNS PHOTO/WOLFGANG RATTAY, REUTERS

German bishops announced February 21 their decision to allow Catholic hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape victims, so long as the pills only prevent the fertilization of an egg and do not stop the implantation of a fertilized egg. A quarter of all hospitals in Germany are run by the Catholic Church.

starting in the 1980s. Cardinal O’Brien, archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh and the most senior Catholic churchman in Great Britain, has denied the allegations. Deacon Bill Steltemeier, founding president of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), died February 15. He was 83. A lawyer and lay committed Catholic, he assisted prisoners in their civil and spiritual rehabilitation for more than three decades in his hometown of Nashville. In 1975, he was ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Nashville and soon after was appointed Catholic chaplain to the Tennessee State Prison for Men. When EWTN was formed in 1980, Deacon Steltemeier became its first president and a founding board member. Although he retired as CEO in 2009, he continued to serve as chairman of the board of governors until his death.

The New Jersey Death with Dignity Act, a bill that would allow assisted suicide in New Jersey, was approved by a legislative committee February 7. At press time, it had moved on to the state assembly for review. If passed by both legislative chambers and signed by Governor Chris Christie, provisions in the bill call for it to be placed before voters to make the final decision. Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Scotland resigned February 18 after allegations were made that he made “inappropriate” sexual advances to three priests and a former priest,

for the government of the Church, but in the service of prayer I remain, so to speak, within St. Peter’s precincts.”

Bishops Respond to New Contraception Proposals After evaluating the new proposed rules regarding insurance coverage of Fr ancisca n Media .org

CNS PHOTO/KAREN CALLAWAY, CATHOLIC NEW WORLD

Leaders from the Catholic Church and four Protestant denominations in the Reformed tradition signed an agreement January 29 to recognize each other’s Sacrament of Baptism. The four Protestant bodies are the Presbyterian Church, the Christian Reformed Church in North America, the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ. The key provision in the agreement is that only baptisms performed “with flowing water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” will be considered valid. Religious who professed vows in 2012 were more likely than other US Catholics to have attended a Catholic high school and much more likely to have attended a Catholic college, a new report commissioned by the US bishops’ Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations has found. The survey, “New Sisters and Brothers Professing Perpetual Vows in Religious Life,” also reported the average age of the 2012 profession class is 39, with half of the men and women age 37 or younger. For more news, visit AmericanCatholic.org.

contraceptives issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) February 1, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said though they show movement in the right direction, they still fall short of addressing the bishops’ concerns, reported Catholic News Service (CNS). Cardinal Dolan, president of the

US Conference of Catholic Bishops, released his statement almost a week after the HHS announced the new set of proposed rules that attempt to accommodate objections raised by Catholic institutions. Exemptions from the requirement to provide contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act were expanded to include more types of religious A p r il 2 0 1 3 ❘ 1 3

CNS PHOTO/JONATHAN ERNST, REUTERS

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a February 7 statement that the government’s new set of proposed rules on insurance coverage of contraceptives falls short in meeting the concerns of the Church. institutions, including higher-education bodies, health-care providers, and charitable agencies. The new rules do not exempt, however, “for-profit, secular employers,” such as craft retailer Hobby Lobby, whose Christian owners object to being required to provide insurance that covers abortifacient drugs. The company sued over the requirement, but its request for an injunction to protect it from providing coverage while the case goes through the courts was denied December 26. An appeal of that decision is now with the US Court of Appeals. Eleven Republican members of Congress filed a friend-of-thecourt brief February 21, invoking the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in supporting the craft-store chain in its bid for an exemption from the mandate. Although Cardinal Dolan credited the Obama administration for proposing to expand its definition of who qualifies to opt out of the requirement, he said the new rules continue to maintain an “inaccurate distinction among religious ministries,” noting that the HHS “offers what it calls an ‘accommodation,’ rather than accepting the fact that 1 4 ❘ Apr il 2013

these ministries are integral to our Church and worthy of the same exemption as our Catholic churches.” A 60-day period for public comment began the same day the proposed rules were released. Cardinal Dolan noted in his statement that the bishops take seriously the invitation to submit concerns and that they will “do so in the hope that an acceptable solution can be found that respects the consciences of all.” The rules are expected to be finalized this summer, with institutions required to provide the coverage by August. In related news: ■ More than 30 lawsuits challenging the previous set of rules have been filed by nonprofit groups, including Catholic dioceses and universities. Another 15 lawsuits have been filed by for-profit companies.

Cardinal Dolan Deposed in Abuse Lawsuit Sitting for a deposition with lawyers for victims of sexual abuse by priests in Wisconsin on February 20, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan welcomed a “long-awaited opportu-

nity” to discuss decisions he made on clergy sex-abuse cases while he was Milwaukee’s archbishop, his spokesman said. Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York, said the three-hour closed session gave the cardinal a chance “to talk about his decision nine years ago in Milwaukee to publicize the names of priests who had abused children and how he responded to the tragedy of past clergy sexual abuse of minors,” CNS reported. Nearly 600 victims have filed claims in federal bankruptcy court against the Milwaukee archdiocese. According to National Catholic Reporter, the archdiocese has challenged more than 400 of these claims, calling for their dismissal, and in February warned it would run out of money to fully fund its operations by this month. Lawyers for the victims, however, said they believe the Church is hiding millions of dollars from the court. Cardinal Dolan was archbishop of Milwaukee from 2002 to 2009. During this time, he approved the transfer of $55 million into a fund to oversee the maintenance of eight cemeteries the archdiocese owns. Another $74 million was moved into a fund for individual parishes. Although bankruptcy court judge Susan Kelley said “arguably there was something ‘fishy’ about the transfer” to the parish fund, she ruled the claimants could not sue to recover the money. At the time of press, the judge had yet to rule on the question of whether the transfer to the cemetery fund was proper. If the archdiocese is found to have broken the law, the victims could be eligible to receive a share of the cemetery trust fund. The Chapter 11 proceedings had already led to the discovery that in 2003, then-Archbishop Dolan approved payments of $20,000 to get abusive priests to leave the Church. The Milwaukee archdiocese confirmed the payments, calling them the “most expedient and costeffective” solution. A St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

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A Modern-Day

EDEN Biblical gardens allow for the Bible to come to life right before our eyes. B Y M A U R E E N P R AT T

PHOTOS BY TIM RUE

DEN. UZZA. GETHSEMANE. Gardens play pivotal roles in the Bible, providing a setting and substance for the stories of our faith. Their very names evoke powerful events in Scripture: Eden, God’s garden, and the scene of the fall of Adam and Eve; Uzza, the garden burial place of kings in Jerusalem (2 Kings); Gethsemane, the garden where Jesus waited, prayed, and was betrayed. Sadly, we have no pictures of these places. We have no ability to smell the flowers there or hear the brush of wind against tree branches. But today, a growing number of men and women are cultivating special places that contain plants mentioned in the Bible. These biblical gardens can be found in parks, churches, synagogues, and on private lands in a variety of climates. Those who work in them come from many different faiths and life experiences, but each has the desire to create a place where the Bible comes alive.

Walking the Walk A desert-dry breeze tickles wind chimes into soft background music as visitors embark down the sun-splashed, wind16 ❘ April 2013

ing pathway through the biblical garden at St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church in Simi Valley, California. Along either side of the path are carefully labeled herbs, a flowering rock rose, a pomegranate bush, crown daisies, and grapes. Hummingbirds and plump robins flit and fly about tall cypress trees, pause on an olive tree branch, or splash in the small birdbath. At the far end of the pathway is a stone bench, an invitation to pause and reflect upon the Scripture passages that accompany each plant’s label. Planted less than two years ago, the nearly 1,000-square-foot garden is the result of a teenager’s desire to give something to her church community and earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Laura Butler, now a college freshman, was introduced to the idea by Deacon Sarah Kitch, who knew of a biblical garden at another church nearby. The church community gave her permission to use a patch of land, and the Gold Award approved her project. But once she dug in, Butler, who had never gardened before, unearthed significant difficulties. “It was definitely a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Butler tells St. Anthony Messenger. “There was a lot of St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

Laura Butler pushes a cart through St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biblical garden in Simi Valley, California. Butler began the garden as her Girl Scout Gold Award project two years ago.

PHOTOS BY TIM RUE

(Left to right) As a part of her project, Butler created a booklet for visitors to use as they walk through the garden to help them identify some of the plants. The Rev. Steven Dean and Butler stand in the St. Francis of Assisi Biblical Garden. The pair worked together to make Butler’s project a reality. Vince Conway works to revive the Jurupa Mountain Discovery Center Biblical Garden in Southern California. Despite constant obstacles, Conway remains optimistic about the garden’s future.

manual labor. The area was filled with dead leaves and mulch, and the dirt was like cement. One of the parishioners brought in a jackhammer to loosen the soil.” Butler couldn’t find some of the plants she originally wanted to sow, so she had to use others instead. “I was looking for thyme, and we couldn’t find it anywhere,” she says. “So we used dill.” Unfortunately, dill turned out to be a favorite of local wildlife. “Rabbits!” Butler sighs and shakes her head. “We’ve tried a bunch of things like spraying with watered-down habañero sauce, but nothing works.” But as the garden began to settle in, Butler discovered a spiritual benefit beyond the hard work. “It gave me an actual picture [of places and plants in the Bible], instead of just imagining them,” she says.

A Peaceful Place The process of selecting plants and seeing them cultivated touched not only Butler, but also the church community, particularly the Rev. Steven Dean. He tells St. Anthony Messenger, “I never really thought about a pomegranate being mentioned in the Bible. And you read about the olive branch and Noah, but to see it in this context 18 ❘ April 2013

is totally different. The garden takes people to another place and time. It adds a peacefulness here.” Butler earned her Gold Award, but she hopes that the garden will be part of the church community for years to come. She fashioned a booklet, available through the church office, which visitors use as a guide. And her sense of connection to the space has not ended. She enjoys seeing people begin their walk along the garden’s pathway, then settle onto the simple stone bench at the far end. “It’s really cool,” she says. “People will tell me that they use the garden for relaxing. I feel like a part of the church. I feel like I made a difference.”

Work and Wonder Almost 100 miles southeast of Butler’s garden, another gardener is trying to make a difference, too, although his is a task of more than biblical proportions. “The weeds! I pull them, and they just keep on coming up,” says nursery manager Vince Conway, shaking his head as he looks out over the Jurupa Mountain Discovery Center Biblical Garden. For nearly 10 years, he has worked to revive the expanse of what is mostly dirt, but it is slow going. Tucked into the rocky, dry Jurupa St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

Click here for more information on biblical gardens.

tal Digi as Extr

ANSWERS TO PETE AND REPEAT 1. A branch is missing from the tree. 2. The hillside is higher. 3. The sidewalk is longer. 4. The color of Pete’s shirt has changed. 5. Pete has lowered his left arm. 6. The girl’s hair has grown. 7. The numbers 4 and 5 have switched. 8. Pete’s friend is now wearing a V-neck.

So that his work might continue...

Mountains in Southern California, the garden was first planted in the 1960s, but a lack of staffing and funding led to its decline. Now, more obstacles than plants have cropped up, calling upon Conway, a Catholic who is active in his parish’s homeless ministry, to muster abundant patience. “Rabbits eat the bulbs,” he says. “Something came at night and took bunches of grapes right off the vines.” The more Conway enumerates the obstacles, the more impossible reviving the garden seems. That is, until his gaze moves farther afield. Suddenly, Fr anciscanMedia.org

his discouragement gives way to a warm smile. “That is a ‘syc-o-more fig,’ not a ‘syca-more,’ and it’s one of the few survivors from the original garden.” Conway points to a gnarled and weathered tree. “It’s just the sort of tree Zacchaeus would have climbed so he could see Jesus walking through town. He was short, and he could have reached the lower limbs easily.” At first glance, the tree looks almost like a tumbleweed with a trunk. But then, with Luke’s story in mind, another impression forms that makes

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April 2013 ❘ 19

(Left to right) Mark Yeager, executive director of the Jurupa Mountain Discovery Center, speaks to children about the different plants found in the biblical garden. He has helped Conway in bringing the biblical garden back to life.

PHOTO BY TIM RUE

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. JOSEPH PARISH

The statue of Venerable Solanus Casey greets visitors to the biblical garden in the courtyard of St. Joseph Parish in Appleton, Wisconsin. What used to be a barren place is now full of life and a great place for people to pray.

it possible to imagine Zacchaeus scrambling up the trunk’s rough bark and finding a perfect vantage point within the mesh of branches—a beautiful image that no amount of words can convey. “The garden is the Bible come to life,” Conway says. His enthusiasm builds as he points out the garden’s other plants and their scriptural significance: a thriving, red-blossomed pomegranate (Jl 1:12), a bed of emerging hyacinths (Lk 12:27), cypress trees (Hos 14:7), grapevines, and a fig tree (Mt 7:16).

Guided by Faith The arrival of the Jurupa Mountain Discovery Center’s new executive director, Mark Yeager, an ordained Lutheran minister, also gives Conway new hope. He and Conway often talk about plants and possibilities, trading impressions of particular words, plant species, and translations of Scripture passages. “It’s a wonderful idea, and we’re off to a good start, but we’re not finished yet,” Yeager says. Design issues must still be addressed, and more volunteers are needed. They have begun an “Adopta-Tree” program for the garden, but bringing in more plants will bring up a critical maintenance-related issue. “We need irrigation,” says Yeager. 20 ❘ April 2013

“Hoses can’t water the whole garden.” But faith makes even the most stubborn obstacles surmountable. “Each plant has its own story,” Conway says. “Sometimes I get discouraged, but then I’m awed by the diversity. My favorite Bible verse is 1 Corinthians 3:7—‘Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth.’”

An Answer to Prayer What could be done with the barren courtyard at St. Joseph Parish in Appleton, Wisconsin? Almost seven years ago, thenpastor Father Larry Abler, OFM Cap, wanted to transform the courtyard into a prayer garden focused around the history and legacy of Venerable Solanus Casey, a Capuchin priest remembered especially for ministering to the poor in Detroit. Casey, now on the path to canonization, celebrated his first Mass at St. Joseph Church, and the parish was and is a stop for visitors eager to visit Solanus-specific sites. But that courtyard! “Nothing grew very well there because it didn’t get much sun,” Father Larry says. “I thought I’d like to develop a garden with plants from the Bible.”

In Appleton, the average high temperature for January is below freezing. In Jerusalem, it is 53 degrees. Tom Kelly, a parishioner and experienced gardener, wanted to use Bible-based plants, but they had to survive Wisconsin’s winters. Seeking answers, Kelly stumbled upon the lost language of plants. “Back when people were illiterate,” Kelly says, “they would give plants that were like Hallmark greeting cards. Certain plants would say, ‘I love you,’ and others would say, ‘I think you’re lazy,’ or ‘Stay away from me.’ I started looking at the qualities of Father Solanus and what plants could represent those.” Now, biblical plants such as the grape (Vinus vinifera) and mulberry (Morus)—mentioned in Luke 17:5–6— grow alongside iris, signifying promise, and gladiolus, signifying generosity. A bronze statue of Solanus Casey welcomes visitors to the garden. Pops of color from summer roses to winter berries and colored bark give a lively feel year-round and a sense that even during times of challenge, faith and growth can thrive. A brochure explains the plants’ significance, and a small box collects donations for the poor. “People love it,” says Toni Webb, who works in parish maintenance. “It’s St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

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Holy Land Franciscan Pilgrimages One call does it all: very peaceful. Some people sit on the benches and pray; others bring lunch.” For Kelly, developing the garden became more than a horticultural pursuit. “Throughout the process of designing the garden,” he says, “the Scripture verse that stayed with me was, ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you’” (Mt 7:7).

A Tradition of Thanksgiving Just outside the Bruton Parish House in the historic area of Williamsburg, Virginia, lies the Biblical Herb Garden. Completed in 1715, the Bruton Parish Episcopal Church is one of the oldest continuously used houses of worship in the United States. The Biblical Herb Garden was designed in 1995 by the late Donald Parker, who had retired from his work as Colonial Williamsburg’s landscape architect and was a Bruton parishioner. The herbs combine those mentioned in Scripture and those of significance to colonial Americans. Today, the garden not only instructs people on history and faith, but also provides substance for the church’s Advent wreath. “We first made an herb Advent wreath in 1977 as a ‘thank you’ to the church,” longtime parishioner Betty Fr anciscanMedia.org

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Your Own Biblical Garden The authors of the Bible were not botanists. In fact, some plants mentioned in the Old and New Testament do not correlate to what was actually growing in the Holy Land centuries ago. Other plants might not be mentioned specifically in Scripture; however, their presence in the Holy Land is well documented. Many hymns mention biblical plants, fruits, or cereals, for example, “As Grains of Wheat,” “Father, We Thank Thee Who Hast Planted, “For the Fruits of This Creation, and “There Is a Balm in Gilead.” When designing your biblical garden:

g Consider your type of available space, soil, and climate. g Read the Bible and other books to make a plant “wish list.” g Visit one or more websites about biblical gardening, locating others in your area who have experience and knowledge. PHOTOS BY TIM RUE

g Plant, pray, and practice patience! Vince Conway of Jurupa Mountain

PHOTO BY TIM RUE

Discovery Center Biblical Garden says, “I’m still nowhere near St. Francis. The birds won’t land on my shoulders yet, but I’m working on it!”

Many gardeners will say that working the land makes them feel closer to God.

22 ❘ April 2013

Babb says. “We thought it would be just one year, but people asked us to do it again. Now, the group that makes the wreath has been doing it a long, long time. We look forward to it; it’s meaningful to us.” Phyllis Jennings, a parishioner, is one of the volunteers who help tend the Biblical Herb Garden. She tells St. Anthony Messenger, “The garden is maintained weekly by volunteer parishioners. It’s truly a labor of love.” “One time,” says Babb, “I remember they had a group of people who were blind touring the church at Advent. The rector took them up to the wreath, and they could touch it and smell it. It was very special for them.” The wreath is fashioned by covering a water-soaked, foam floral wreath with herbs, including rosemary, rue, lavender, sage, and rose hips. Each cutting carries a faith-based significance: rosemary, for example, signifies remembrance; lavender signifies love, purity, and virtue; and rose hips represent Mary, Queen of Heaven. Throughout Advent, the wreath

stands in the church (refreshed, as needed, with fresh cuttings), and its fragrance graces the air, bringing the biblical garden outside into the heart of holiday worship.

For Anyone, Anytime Many gardeners will say that working the land makes them feel closer to God. Much like faith itself, gardens are always moving through periods of dormancy to periods of abundant growth. As each season passes, these cycles can lead to tremendous fulfillment and grace. For the men and women who cultivate biblical gardens, and for the people who enjoy them each day, Eden is that much closer and faith that much more real, no matter how many weeds or rabbits there might be to remind everyone of the immense variety in God’s marvelous world. A Maureen Pratt writes the syndicated column Living Well for Catholic News Service and is the author of six books, including Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain & Illness. Her website is maureen pratt.com. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

YEAR OF FAITH

❘ BY HILARION KISTNER, OFM

Living Faith “To rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived, and prayed, and to reflect on the act of faith, is a task that every believer must make his own, especially in the course of this Year.” Door of Faith, 9

Fr ancisca n Media .org

Renowned social-justice activist and capital-punishment opponent Sister Helen Prejean began her prison ministry by agreeing to be the spiritual advisor to inmate Patrick Sonnier in 1981. She was present when the state of Louisiana executed him three years later. Sister Helen turned that experience into a book, Dead Man Walking, which was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. Sister Helen’s mission to bring the light of Christ into some of the world’s darkest corners has never stopped. She lives the passage from the Gospel of Matthew: “For I was in prison and you visited me” (25:3bc).

above all and their neighbor as themselves. They pray and teach their children to pray. They love the Eucharist and help their children to appreciate the Eucharist. Many years ago, a book was published entitled Radiating Christ, by Father Raoul Plus, SJ. That title has always stayed with me. Radiating Christ is an excellent phrase for describing what it means to live one’s faith. When we go out into the world, we are called to do that. Those who volunteer in soup kitchens, build homes in neighborhoods ravaged by natural disasters, or tutor children in inner cities aren’t just helping others. They are carrying the spirit of Christ in their hearts. They radiate our Savior. Indeed, there are millions of people throughout the world who radiate Christ. They are sources of hope, grace, and light. A

ILLUSTRATION BY JULIE LONNEMAN

n October 2012, people of faith were thrilled with the canonizations of Kateri Tekakwitha and Marianne Cope. Both lived lives of heroic faith. Kateri faced hostility because of her conversion to Catholicism. Marianne served people suffering from Hansen’s disease (leprosy). However, it is not everyone’s call to endure such hardships. We may not always think of parents living such heroic lives of faith, but many of them do. They are vital to the mission of the Church and to society at large. It was my privilege for a number of years to join married couples in preparing engaged couples for marriage. The married couples told of their lives as spouses and parents, with all of their ups and downs. Their appreciation of the sacramental grace of marriage and their struggles to be faithful to one another and to their children were inspiring. The couples helped one another in many ways, and they continue to support one another through prayer, lending a helping hand, and having fun together. We easily think of priests and religious as having a vocation. Marriage and parenthood are vocations, too. In fact, when we think of it, where do religious vocations come from? Yes, they come from God. But often it is faith-filled parents who are the means God uses to call young men and women to religious vocations. Faith-filled couples live up to the twofold commandment to love God

SISTER HELEN PREJEAN

The Light of the World Loving God, In this dark world Be the light on my path, And the light in my heart. Show me how to use that light for others, To bring hope to the hopeless, To be a comfort to the weary, And a friend to the friendless. Help us to see that, through you, we are one family, Bound by love.

Click here for more on Sts. Kateri and Marianne Cope and Sister Helen Prejean.

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Hilarion Kistner, OFM, is a Scripture expert and the editor of Sunday Homily Helps. April 2013 ❘ 23

Bring Back the

Sabbath The Third Commandment calls us to put God’s time before our own.

BY MARY ELIZABETH SPERRY

ELL INTO THE 20TH CENTURY, following the Third Commandment by keeping the Lord’s day holy was a societal norm. The day began with a family trip to church, everyone well-groomed and dressed in their “Sunday best.” After church, families returned home for Sunday dinner, typically the most lavish meal of the week, attended by extended family and friends. Virtually all businesses were closed, often in accord with local laws, so it was a day for leisure and relaxation shared with those closest to us. People saved their best—clothes, food, time—for God. Over the last 50 years, the societal practice of keeping the Lord’s day has slowly eroded. The laws requiring that nonemergency businesses close on Sunday were restricted or repealed, meaning more people had to work. Youth sports leagues scheduled full slates of games, interrupting family time. Attending church services stopped being the centerpiece of the day. Catholics started choosing the Mass they would attend based on what else was scheduled for the day, not infrequently attending Mass dressed in the clothes they would wear for their later activities, whether soccer practice or power-washing the porch. Sunday

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dinner became a thing of the past (outside of food commercials and lifestyle magazines). Sunday has become just another day—a last chance to run errands before a new workweek begins. The pace of life never seems to abate with no day of rest. Should we care about this change? How does it affect the relationship with God we are trying to foster?

Start at the Beginning Though keeping the Lord’s day holy is the Third Commandment, it has its roots in the Bible’s very first pages. The Book of Genesis tells us that, having labored for six days over the work St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

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of creation, God rested on the seventh day. Scripture scholars often contrast the account in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 with a Babylonian creation myth that arose in the Ancient Near East, not far from the land of Israel. According to the myth, the gods created human beings not out of love or a desire for union, but because they wanted servants. In the Babylonian view, we humans have value only as long as we serve the gods. When we cease being productive, our value fades away. In contrast to this depressing view of humanity, the Book of Genesis tells us that, as human beings are made in the image and likeness of God, we are called to follow his examFr anciscanMedia.org

ple with regular rest from our labors. God’s command that we keep his day holy is a powerful testament to our intrinsic dignity and our value to God. Through our labor, we share in God’s work of creation, but God does not love us only because we are productive. Our value to God derives not from what we do but from who we are—precious creations, children of God, born with dignity. The prophets, particularly Amos, tied observance of the Sabbath to respect for other people, especially the poor. To him, those who chafed at the requirement to keep the Lord’s day holy were likely to do unholy things on the other six days of the week as well:

Regular Sunday Mass attendance followed by a day of leisure helps keep your relationship with God a priority.

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“When will the new moon be over,” you ask, “that we may sell our grain, And the sabbath, that we may display the wheat? We will diminish the ephah, add to the shekel, and fix our scales for cheating! We will buy the lowly man for silver, and the poor man for a pair of sandals; even the refuse of the wheat we will sell!” (8:5–6) It may seem that the Sabbath gets a bit of bad press in the New Testament. Not infrequently, Jesus is at odds with the authorities because he heals on the Sabbath. The religious leaders, following the letter of the law, point out that Jesus has six other days on which he can heal. Jesus responds by affirming the dignity of those he heals, noting that there is no need to leave them to suffer for even one more day, once again tying the Lord’s day to an affirmation of human dignity. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the early Christians began to celebrate the day of the Resurrection, Sunday, as the Lord’s day, a practice that most Christians continue today. This shift is most appropriate. Nothing affirms the intrinsic value of human beings as does the death and resurrection of Jesus. God was willing to die that we might live with him forever.

A Question of Time

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The first three commandments highlight the three interrelated qualities that are essential to any successful relationship: priority, intimacy, and time. Time may be our most precious resource. It is certainly the only resource that is strictly limited. No matter how hard we try, we cannot make more time. What we can do is learn how to spend it well, in accord with our priorities and Click here for more articles in ways that allow us to share on keeping the Lord’s day our true selves. holy and to watch Mary Unfortunately, our contemElizabeth Sperry talk about porary understanding of time is the Ten Commandments. surrounded by myths. The most common myth is that our various gadgets will buy us more time. Certainly, some inventions have proved to be huge time-savers. Using a washing machine requires far less time than pounding clothes against a rock beside a stream or boiling large pots of water and scrubbing clothes against a washboard. Similarly, cooking is far simpler and less time-consuming when it does not require gathering wood and

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tending a fire. The lives of women in many developing nations are changed dramatically when their village gets a well, eliminating long walks to get fresh water. But many gadgets, though they have definite time-saving aspects, actually turn out to be time-wasters. For example, while a cell phone with Internet access makes getting driving directions far easier, it also tempts us to waste time surfing the Net. Making it a habit to harness the value of our gadgets without falling into the trap of wasting time is essential to keeping the focus on our relationships. One of the most destructive myths is that of “quality time.” According to this myth, it doesn’t matter how much time we spend with those we care about; only the quality of that time matters. This myth gives priority to planning special events and downplays the importance of everyday interactions. But it is in the habit of those daily interactions with those we love that the relationship is strengthened. No trips to the theme park or special date nights will ever replace more mundane activities like sharing chores and meals, going for walks, or simply conversing as ways to deepen a relationship. The obvious corollary is that the habit of daily prayer and at least weekly participation in the eucharistic liturgy will do more to strengthen our relationship with God than periodic attendance at Mass on major feast days or rare but intense periods of prayer while on retreat or in times of great need. We are far less likely to share our true selves at occasional “special events” than in the daily interactions that form the fabric of our lives.

Get in the Habit Deciding how we spend our time is one of the most important moral decisions we make in the course of a day. What controls your schedule? What determines which activities fill your days? What time does God get in your daily schedule? It is all too easy to drift from day to day, filling our hours with errands, tasks, and events, with no plan that highlights our priorities. At the end of a day, a week, or a year, we note that time has slipped away, but we can’t say how we spent it. If that description sounds familiar, what are your options for change? First, you can change the way you plan your schedule. A new way of planning your schedule requires that you understand time as a resource and have a clear sense of your priorities. Think of your schedule as a budget for your time. In planning a St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

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walk, read, pray the rosary together, play a game, visit with family or friends. If at all possible, make the day electronics-free. That means no computer, television, texting, or video

budget, you set aside money for savings, to pay your mortgage, to buy groceries, to make your car payment, and the like. The bills that are most important get paid first, with any leftover funds being available for discretionary use. Budgeting your expenses based on what seems most convenient at the moment is a sure recipe for financial trouble as you pay for dinners out but miss car payments. Applying the budgeting example to your daily schedule means that your first step is to set aside time for your priorities. If your relationship with God is a priority, that means setting aside time for daily prayer, spiritual reading, regular participation in the eucharistic liturgy, and regular reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Then, it’s time to add in family time, work responsibilities, community service, and relaxation. Now, the difficulty with this plan comes when allotting time for all these things means either no sleep or the need for more than 24 hours in a day. The former is unhealthy in the long term, and the latter is impossible—at least in the short term. I suppose we can hope someone will invent time travel, allowing us to buy more time, but I don’t think we should count on that. Another option is to carve out a small amount of time on a regular basis. Rather than trying to find large blocks of time, look for five minutes. Can you set aside five minutes each day, perhaps time spent waiting for a meeting to start or for football practice or karate class to end? Do you spend five minutes on mindless channel surfing? Or five minutes playing computer solitaire? If you identify five daily wasted minutes each month, at the end of the year you’ll have found an extra hour each day. You can use that hour (or the increments as they accrue throughout the year) to build your relationship with God by reading the Bible, saying the rosary, or stopping in the church for a brief visit to the Blessed Sacrament. It’s amazing how those minutes accumulate and how much you can do with them. You might also decide to commit to keeping the Lord’s day at least once a month for a period of time (three months, six months, a year). Begin the day by attending Mass and then spend the rest of the day in leisure (shopping, movies, or other activities that require other people to work to entertain you don’t count) or volunteering at a local food bank, homeless shelter, or the like. Prepare a meal and eat together (it’s not rest if one person has to do all the cooking and cleaning up!), go for a

games. Enjoy a day of rest and see if it makes a difference in your week. As discussed earlier, it often seems impossible to find time for everything. In some cases, the time crunch may be temporary, even if it lasts for several weeks or even months. Dealing with a newborn, the illness of a spouse or a parent, or a particularly challenging project at work could make a schedule especially tight. In such cases, knowing your priorities is even more important. If times of great stress become times when you let go of the things you truly value, you will find yourself adrift and heading for the rocks, like a ship without its anchor. In times of great stress, only your top priorities can have your time. Keeping the Lord’s day holy and putting God’s time first will help you stay on course. A

❶ Prepare a meal ❷ Eat together ❸ Go for a walk ❹ Read ❺ Pray the rosary together

❻ Play a game ❼ Visit with family or friends

Excerpted from Mary Elizabeth Sperry’s book Ten: How the Commandments Can Change Your Life (Franciscan Media). Mary Elizabeth Sperry has worked for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops since 1994, in the Secretariat for the Liturgy, USCCB Publishing, and the Department of Communications. Her articles have appeared in numerous publications, and she is frequently interviewed on national television and radio programs. April 2013 ❘ 27

POPE BENEDICT XVI

Legacy of a Gracious Pope For almost eight years, Pope Benedict XVI surprised his initial critics and admirers. He resigned when his ministry required more strength than he had. B Y P A T M C C L O S K E Y, O F M

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CNS PHOTO BY ALESSIA GIULIANI, CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO

With a sweeping gesture, newly elected Pope Benedict XVI warmly greets a crowd of 100,000 gathered in St. Peter’s Square. The 78-year-old German pontiff was elected pope April 19, 2005, on the second day of secret balloting in the Sistine Chapel by the world’s cardinals.

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N FEBRUARY 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world when he concluded a routine meeting of cardinals living in Rome by announcing that he would resign on February 28. The pope said he recognized “my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.” He is the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415. Here’s a quick look at some highlights from his eight-year papacy.

Becoming Pope Benedict XVI In St. Peter’s Square on April 19, 2005, many people immediately recognized the new pope as the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head Fr anciscanMedia.org

of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Catholic Church’s chief spokesperson regarding matters of orthodoxy). Both those who eagerly longed for a doctrinal crackdown and others who feared exactly that were surprised when they discovered that the nickname Panzerkardinal (“God’s rottweiler”) hardly described this brilliant professor, former archbishop of Munich, and one of Pope John Paul II’s closest collaborators. He also was called the “German shepherd,” but he proved to be much more gracious than many Catholics expected. Who was this softspoken pope whom many Catholics and others presumed to know well but who was clearly following a new script for the papacy? April 2013 ❘ 29

(Right) With a touch of charisma, Pope John Paul II offers Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger a supportive embrace, October 22, 1978.

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(Above) At the Nazis’ Birkenau death camp in Oswiecim, Poland, Pope Benedict XVI reflects and meditates, May 28, 2006.

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(Right) Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Benedict XVI cordially exchange greetings during a visit to Holy Spirit Cathedral in Istanbul, Turkey, December 1, 2006.

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When Benedict XVI came to St. John Lateran, Rome’s cathedral, the next month he affirmed, “The one who holds the office of the Petrine ministry must be aware that he is a frail and weak human being—just as his own powers are frail and weak—and is constantly in need of purification and conversion.” Before his first public blessing in St. Peter’s Square as pope, Benedict XVI said, “The fact that the Lord knows how to work and to act even with inadequate instruments comforts me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers.”

Shaped by Turbulent Years Although Adolf Hitler came to power and immediately created political turmoil in 1933 (when Joseph Jr. was 6 years old), the Ratzinger household represented a very different environment. His father was a policeman; his mother, Maria, had cooked in several hotels. His sister and brother, Maria and Georg, were older. The family moved several times within Bavaria before Joseph Sr.’s retirement in 1937. Not a Nazi supporter, he kept a very low profile. The future Pope Benedict was drafted in 1944 into a labor battalion and later into the Nazi army. He deserted in 1945 and for six weeks was a prisoner of war in a US camp. He resumed his seminary studies and was ordained with his brother in 1951. Before his election as pope, few people would have described Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as a very attentive listener. Several cardinals, however, later publicly praised Ratzinger’s leadership in their pre-conclave meetings. He had invited less-talkative cardinals to describe the Catholic Church’s situation in their area. Long recognized as a very gracious man, he speaks English, French, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese—plus his native German.

Benedict XVI by the Numbers 25 countries visited 46 saints canonized in Rome 247 beatified locally after usual process was completed 3 books on Jesus of Nazareth (From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration, 2006; From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, 2011; and The Infancy Narratives, 2012)

3 encyclicals (“God Is Love,” 2006; “Saved in Hope,” 2007; “Charity in Truth,” 2009)

Chronology of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI 1927

Born and baptized in Marktl am Inn, Germany (April 16).

1951

Ordained a priest.

1952–77

Teaches theology at universities in Freising, Bonn, Münster, Tübingen, and Regensburg.

1954

Publishes his first book on fundamental theology; another 85 will follow before he becomes pope.

1959

Joseph Ratzinger Sr. dies. Maria (mother) and Maria (sister) die in 1963 and 1999, respectively.

1962–65 1977

Named archbishop of Munich and Freising (March) and a cardinal (June).

1981–2005

Named prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; heads the special commission for the 1983 Catechism of the Catholic Church.

2005

As dean of the College of Cardinals, he leads their meetings after Pope John Paul II’s death; he presides and preaches at the funeral and at the conclave’s opening Mass; elected pope (April 19); attends World Youth Day in Cologne.

2008

Visits the United States.

2010

Begins Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.

2011

Beatifies Pope John Paul II.

2012

Hosts the Assisi Day of Prayer for Peace; opens Year of Faith.

2013

Announces on February 11 that he will resign on February 28.

Promoting Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations The pope pledged early on to make promoting Christian unity one of his priorities. He visited Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul (2006) and invited him to address the synod of bishops on Scripture (2008). Pope Benedict XVI invited Archbishop Rowan Williams, head of the Anglican Communion, to address the synod of bishops on the New Evangelization (2012). The pope sought to improve relations with the Russian Orthodox Church and other Orthodox churches. The pope visited and spoke in synagogues in Germany, the United States, and Rome, continuing Pope John Paul II’s condemnations of Fr anciscanMedia.org

Serves as a theological expert at Vatican II.

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“If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful, and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide.” —homily during the Mass for his installation as pope

anti-Semitism. The 2008 visit to Israel helped to improve Catholic-Jewish relations. In a 2006 lecture at the University of Regensburg, Pope Benedict XVI quoted but did not distance himself from a Byzantine emperor’s negative description of Islam. Some Muslims protested violently, and many were offended. The pope apologized for any offense given. A few months later in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, he turned toward Mecca and prayed silently. On all his pastoral visits to many nations, the pope met separately with Christian and nonChristian religious leaders, encouraging them in their service.

Confronting Clergy Sexual Abuse

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Many Catholics and others have wondered if Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger had strongly enough opposed clerical sexual abuse when he headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The US bishops’ lay National Review Board was quite positive in 2002 about his work regarding this growing scandal, which was originally the responsibility of another Vatican congregation. In 2006 he approved the decision that Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionnaries of Christ, be suspended from any public ministry. He later initiated a worldwide review of the Legionnaries of Christ’s activities. Starting in the United States, and on other pastoral visits, the pope met with people who had been sexually abused by priests, apologizing for that abuse and the fact that their reports were not initially believed. Certainly with the pope’s approval, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote to bishops’ conferences around the world in 2011. It asked them to send the congregation

(Above) Pope Benedict XVI fondly hugs a group of youngsters during his visit to a Franciscan rehabilitation center in Guaratingueta, Brazil, May 12, 2007.

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(Right) From a White House balcony, Pope Benedict XVI smiles at onlookers as President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush applaud, April 16, 2008.

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Pope Celestine V’s Resignation BY JON M. SWEENEY

in L’Aquila at Santa Maria di Collemaggio. Pope Benedict XVI revisited Celestine V’s tomb during a 2009 visit to the earthquake-ravaged region.] There was no possible spiritual impact a pope could make in 1294 that could come close to comparing to the effect today, when millions of faithful are able to witness the

within 12 months the guidelines they had developed to protect those who had been abused and to prosecute those guilty of abuse.

bear to carry his luggage to Rome, where it was set free. Pope Benedict informed his audience that in reflecting on Psalm 73’s verse, “I was foolish in my thinking, I stood in your presence like a dumb beast,” St. Augustine of Hippo “saw an image of himself as a beast of burden for God, someone burdened by his responsibility [as a bishop].” Pope Benedict continued, “I have

Writing His Last Chapter At Munich’s Marienplatz on September 9, 2006, he recalled that St. Corbinian, a former bishop of Munich, was attacked by a bear that killed his horse. The saint, it is said, ordered the Fr anciscanMedia.org

CNS PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS

LEVEN CARDINALS shocked the world in 1294 by electing a simple hermit named Peter Morrone to the papacy. Their choice ended a twoyear papal vacancy. He was then living in the mountains of Abruzzi (70 miles east of Rome). Known primarily as the founder of a small religious order and as an enigmatic teacher of other hermits and monks, Peter could never have imagined the news his visitors were bringing that summer day. When they announced his election, Peter fled but was later convinced to accept it. He was crowned nearby, having ridden a donkey to the ceremony. Celestine V ruled for 15 disastrous weeks, controlled by the cardinals and having to fight off interference from Charles II, king of Sicily and Naples. Celestine V chose on his own to leave, abdicating before Christmas. With a brief, written statement he gave three reasons for his resignation: old age (85), a desire for asceticism, and a spiritual temperament that seemed to make him a poor pope. When he was done reading this aloud, Celestine stepped down from the papal throne where he had been sitting. He removed his ring, tiara, and mantle, handing them to the men who had elected him. Then he sat down on the floor. Peter Morrone/Celestine V is mostly remembered for his greatest act of courage and humility. Today, I wish that Peter/Celestine V was remembered for more than just his famous abdication. I wish that he were remembered for his courage because it took a lot of strength to walk away from the chair of St. Peter back in 1294. [Confined in Castel Fumone by Pope Boniface VIII (his successor), Peter died two years later. He was canonized in 1313 and is buried

images of mysticism and piety in their Holy Father every day, live, streaming on the Internet, or broadcast on television. Celestine V was shut away, behind closed doors, where popes of his day did their work—in privacy and secrecy. But, after 15 weeks, Celestine would have none of that any longer. He renounced it.

Pope Benedict XVI places his white pallium on the remains of 13th-century St. Celestine V, the last pope to freely resign from the papacy.

Jon M. Sweeney’s book The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death, and Salvation was published by Image Books and is also available as a Franciscan Media audiobook. Click here to watch the trailer.

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Pope Benedict XVI contemplates the dove just released from the window of the pope’s apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

CNS PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS

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found in St. Corbinian’s bear a constant encouragement to carry out my ministry with confidence and joy.” Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation seven years later indicated that he felt God was calling Click here for more articles someone else to carry the burand resources on Pope den of being a successor of St. Benedict XVI and his Peter. papacy. No one who is living now has any experience in dealing with a pope who has resigned. Many questions remain at this writing. For example: ■ Will he have a future role in Church government? ■ If so, what?

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■

Will he be making public statements on Church matters? ■ Will his successor as pope be sufficiently free to follow his own approach to being the successor of St. Peter? It’s best to say only that time will tell. This is new territory both for the modern papacy and for the Church itself. But it’s safe to say that we can expect that this pope’s love for the Church will be the hallmark of his remaining years. A Pat McCloskey, OFM, is Franciscan editor of this publication. Between 1985 and 1992 he worked at the international headquarters of the Order of Friars Minor, primarily as its director of communications. During those years, he heard Cardinal Ratzinger speak or preach several times. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

LIGHTEN UP

“It’s surreal yet real . . . sometimes touches me . . . extends my horizons . . . heightens my awareness . . . draws me in . . . it also matches my drapes . . . I’ll take it.”

“You’ll need to cut your sermon short so we can get in all the church announcements.”

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“I’m too old for baby limas.”

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Dogs and Turtles and Parrots, Oh, My! (Right) Catherine Zihal, a seventhgrade student at Brother Joseph Fox Latin School, located on the campus of Kellenberg Memorial High School, pets a red-eared slider in the school’s zoo. The turtle hatched two days before this photo was taken. (Below) Brother Joseph Fox Latin School sixth grader Riley Gallagher feeds the koi fish at Kellenberg Memorial. The pond is home to almost 200 fish.

Students at these three Long Island schools are learning about care for creation up close and personal. PHOTOS BY GREGORY A. SHEMITZ

HEN YOU WALK down the halls of St. Martin de Porres Marianist School, Kellenberg Memorial High School, or Chaminade High School on Long Island, New York, chances are you might find yourself walking alongside a dog named Stella or a tortoise named Miguel. That’s because these three schools, all run by the Marianist Brothers, incorporate animals into the life of the school. The students help care for the animals by feeding and walking them. The concept is to promote a homelike environment at the schools and mirror the example of St. Martin, who had a remarkable rapport with animals, much like St. Francis. In a Newsday article, Brother Kenneth Hoagland, Kellenberg’s principal, said, “We want the students to feel like this is a second home to them. Part of our philosophy of education is to educate not only the mind, but the heart.” The animals are permitted in the school by state law as long as they are properly cared for. That mostly falls to the brothers, who have had animals in their schools since the early 1970s. A Gregory A. Shemitz is an award-winning independent photojournalist based in Stony Brook, New York. Text for this story was written by Managing Editor Susan Hines-Brigger.

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(Above) Firebird, a blue macaw, looks on as Brother Kenneth Hoagland, principal of Kellenberg Memorial, spends time with some of the dogs that call the school home. In all, there are eight dogs that reside with the Marianist community. (Left) Brother Roger Poletti feeds Cuckoo Cuckoo Bird, a yellow nape parrot, while freshman Brian McCalla looks on. Cuckoo Cuckoo has been known to imitate the sounds surrounding him, often causing confusion among his colleagues.

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(Above) Buster, a 2-year-old puggle (pug and beagle mix) stops by a Scripture class at the all-boys Chaminade High School, where he happily accepts a treat from freshman Christian Carlino. (Right) Who’s running this show? Buster spends most of his time in the office of President Brother Thomas J. Cleary. Buster can often be found either on Brother Thomas’ lap or occupying his office chair when it’s empty— much to the surprise of visitors.

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(Above) Brother Thomas, Buster, and Chaminade students make their way across the school’s football field after attending a prayer service. (Left) Brother Thomas and Buster can often be seen walking around the school grounds, making sure everything is in order—even the school buses.

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Click here for more stories about the roles pets play in our lives, St. Francis and the animals, and more.

(Above) John Holian, headmaster of St. Martin de Porres Marianist School, shows one of the school’s three doves to second grader Ariana Barreiro. Animals at the school range from dogs to tortoises to cockatiels to fish. It’s quite a zoo! (Right) Miguel the tortoise soaks up the sun—and some attention from St. Martin fifth grader Marlon Rivas and second grader Ivia Hickland. Miguel, an 18year-old sulcata tortoise, weighs about 50 pounds.

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(Above) From left to right, first graders Maria Bonilla, Andras Cserenyi Jr., Matthew White, Semia Ciceron, Emilie Grand Pierre, Cole Curtis, Ryan Pinard, and Emmanuel Iregbulem give some love and attention to Headmaster Holianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boxer, Stella. The dog accompanies Holian to school each day. (Left) See slides of more students enjoying the company of animals at their schools.

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LIVING SIMPLY

❘ BY JACK WINTZ, OFM

Contemplating Nature with St. Francis

HE FIRST LINE of one of poet Emily Dickinson’s well-known poems is “Some keep the Sabbath going to church.” To these words, the much-admired poet immediately adds: “I keep it staying at home With a bobolink for a chorister And an orchard for a dome.” Like St. Francis of Assisi and many of us, Dickinson also contemplates God’s presence in nature, but perhaps with a different kind of rhythm than used by St. Francis in his “Canticle to Brother Sun.” Later in her poem, Dickinson adds: “God preaches” and “the sermon is never long.” Behind Dickinson’s words, one senses that a good God is most present in our natural world. Only a contemplative, which Dickinson surely must have been, could put inspired words such as these down on paper. Under normal circumstances, you and I do not have to travel miles away from our homes

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to contemplate nature. In Cincinnati, where I reside, for example, I can take a short, 10minute drive to visit our wonderful Eden Park. The park is something like the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis where humans, animals, and other creatures lived happily and peacefully in God’s presence. Those residing in Cincinnati and visiting Eden Park have lots to enjoy: They can pass by a shallow pond where ducks glide by. Scattered here and there throughout the park, moreover, are multicolored flowers along graceful walks or pathways. At the park’s Krohn Conservatory, one also enjoys flowers, orchids, and other exotic plants, as well as a cool waterfall—and sometimes even imported butterflies. Parks like this abound in the United States and in most of our neighborhoods, even. There are many things each of us can enjoy and ponder in the contemplative spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Get out and enjoy them. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

PHOTOS BY JEANNE KORTEKAMP

taste a liquor never brewed. Inebriate of air am I, And debauchee of dew, Reeling through endless summer days, From inns of molten blue.

—Emily Dickinson

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Rising from the Grief of Suicide For those left behind, there are ways of coping. BY TOM SMITH

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ness, bipolar disorder to be exact. That’s what mental illness can do sometimes. The human body is extremely complex, and the brain is the body’s most complicated organ. Because it houses millions of cells and multiple chemicals, it is no wonder that sometimes some of those components fail to work properly. A mind out of balance leads to unusual thinking and behavior, which we then label a mental illness. And sometimes mental illness is fatal, just as cancer is sometimes fatal.

Unanswered Questions Karla died because of her illness, but that answer isn’t completely satisfying. She had other options: Why didn’t she see them? Could I have prevented it? Could someone else? Why didn’t God intervene? Was some part of her death not due to her bipolar disorder but to a choice? Where do you draw the line between illness and personal responsibility? Her life didn’t seem that desperate; she was only three classes away from completing a degree in English literature from Oklahoma State University, with a 4.0 GPA. She loved college and was planning her master’s program. Why end it all? Not all questions have answers. She is not alone. Each year about one milSt A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

ILLUSTRATION BY MATT MANLEY

N MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2003, around 1 p.m., in a warehouse apartment on the west side of Tulsa, Oklahoma, our 26-year-old daughter, Karla, shot herself and died instantly. Shock, loneliness, anger, guilt, shame, depression, and a consuming, debilitating, pervasive loss took possession of my heart, mind, my whole being. It took time, pain, prayer, spiritual direction, and sustained grief work to assimilate her death into my new life, my life without my only daughter. My wife, Fran, and Karla’s twin brother, Kevin, struggled with their grief in their own way. We still miss Karla greatly, but we now also share the legacy of her life. Why would she kill herself? She and Kevin went to a Catholic grade school and high school; he graduated from St. Louis University. My wife’s career was primarily in Catholic schools, as a teacher and then 10 years as a principal. I worked most of my life in leadership positions in two dioceses; Karla was always deeply spiritual. How did she live in that environment with her adventuresome personality, expansive intellect, overflowing compassion, exceptional beauty, and extraordinary talent—and still die by her own hand? How? In short, because she had a mental ill-

Karla’s Serenity Prayer God, grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. Show me the trace of You in everyone I know. Gently turn my gaze back home, Toward simplicity, grace, and gratitude. Remind me that we are all imperfect, holy, and free. Open me to know and embrace Your peace.

PHOTO COURTESY TOM SMITH

(Reinhold Niebuhr wrote the first part. Karla Smith wrote the second.)

lion people worldwide die by suicide. In the United States, there are almost 37,000 suicides a year, one every 15 minutes. There are many other deaths that might be suicides but are not officially recorded that way. This means that every 15 minutes, there are at least six to 10 new family members and friends who grieve the loss of a loved one to suicide. While the numbers are staggering, each suicide is very personal. The stigma that accompanies mental illness and suicide paralyzes many family members so that they don’t handle the grief very well. The reaction to a suicide is so wrenching that they quickly try to end the grief by walling it off within themselves. They may stuff it in a remote corner of their psyche, believing that they can’t or won’t deal with it anymore. For some men, that is the “manly” thing to do: bury it; get on with life. For other men and women, it’s a matter of time and energy: “I don’t have the time or energy to deal with my suicide grief right now, so I will get by this as quickly as possible and do what I have to do with the other parts of my life.” But suicide grief is unique. Years later, the suicide still haunts survivors periodically, but they still don’t want to, or know how to, cope with it. They continue to neglect their slowburning but ongoing grief. Other people have experienced the suicide of a parent, sibling, or friend when they were 46 ❘ April 2013

children or adolescents, and they were not old enough or mature enough to process their grief sufficiently. As adults, they may need to go back to that suicide, ask different questions—or even the same ones from an older perspective—and revisit the suicide in order to find greater peace in the present.

Trying to Understand In an effort to respond to the “why” question more fully, people often guess about the motive for the suicide. Sometimes circumstances suggest the reasons. Karla, for example, had recently come out of a deep depression and hospitalization before she died. We learned later that the period after coming out of depression is extremely dangerous and that suicides go up over 200 percent the week after a patient is released from a treatment center. Had we known that when she was discharged (against our will), we would have been more watchful. But that answer doesn’t satisfy either because we probe further: Why did she shoot herself that Monday afternoon? There were other choices. So the “why” question remains for all suicide grievers. For many of us, the question includes guilt and shame. What more could we have done to prevent it? The stigma of suicide overflows from the one who died and washes over the grieving family and friends. Why remains St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

Where Is God? Suicide also raises questions from a spiritual perspective. How does suicide affect the relationship with God? Is suicide a mortal sin that condemns the person to hell? Is it a rejection of God? How do grievers process their loss spiritually? The Catechism of the Catholic Church, after it reminds us that “everyone is responsible for his life before God . . .” and that “suicide is contrary to love for the living God” (2280–81), teaches that “grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide” (2282). The Catechism goes on to say: “We should not despair Fr anciscanMedia.org

of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives” (2283). The teaching is one thing; losing a loved one

PHOTO COURTESY TOM SMITH

a haunting, devastating, unavoidable question. We know how pervasive this question is because two years after Karla died we formed the Karla Smith Foundation. It seeks to provide hope for a balanced life to the family and friends of anyone with a mental illness or to assist support groups for suicide grievers. We have met with hundreds of these grievers over the years, and they invariably struggle with the “why” question. So many people grapple with this unique feature of suicide grief that researchers called “suicidologists” specialize in searching for answers to this critical question. While researchers immediately admit that they do not have a definitive answer, they have gained some persuasive insights that can point us in a reasonable and helpful direction. One such researcher is Thomas Joiner, PhD. His father died by suicide when Joiner was a graduate student in Austin, Texas; Joiner later wrote Why People Die by Suicide (Harvard University Press, 2005). At the core of Joiner’s theory, as well as that of other researchers, is the belief that at the time of their death, suicidal people are convinced that the only way to end their psychological pain is to end their life. They don’t really want to kill themselves; they want to kill the pain and see no way to separate the two. Joiner’s theory is much more involved and includes what he calls failed belongingness (“I am alone”) and perceived burdensomeness (“I am a burden”), coupled with an “acquired ability to enact lethal self-injury.” In our common language, we say that people who die by suicide are not in their right mind when they kill themselves, and they have access to a means to take their lives.

to suicide is another. It is consoling, however, Karla (standing on left) to see the teaching reflect our instinctive feel- poses with her family— ings about the spiritual status of our loved Kevin, Fran, and Tom ones. Karla, I believe, is with God. Depression (seated left to right)—and killed her just as cancer killed my sister and friends on a cruise in brother. Our grieving support-group members 2002. echo that belief. Our God is a loving God who understands mental illness much better than we do and who knows the twisted thinking that a brain disorder produces. In other words, I like to think that God doesn’t take Karla’s suicide personally and welcomes her for the loving person she was—and is. It is also comforting to connect the findings of the researchers with this teaching of the Catholic Church. The Church recognizes that “grave psychological disturbances” interfere with personal responsibility, and Joiner identifies some of those key psychological factors: “I am alone,” “I am a burden,” and “I have overcome the innate drive to preserve life.” Click here for more informatal Digi as Karla, in fact, told us three tion and resources on t Ex r weeks before she died that she suicide and mental illness. was a burden, not worth the chemicals that made up her body, that no one could penetrate her isolation as much as she appreciated our trying. She also attempted suicide previously, so she was capable of pulling the trigger that fateful MonApril 2013 ❘ 47

What to Say and Not to Say How do you comfort someone who lost a loved one to suicide, someone who is experiencing many of the emotions I mentioned at the beginning of this article? Here are some things not to say: ■

“It was God’s will.”

■

“Aren’t you over that yet?”

■

“You have other children.”

■

“You need to forget about him or her.”

■

“You will get over it soon.”

Here are some things to say or do: ■

Listen without judgment, even if we have to tell the story over and over again. We need to say it out loud often in order to grasp the reality.

■

If you say something, make sure you don’t assign blame, assume feelings, or rationalize what happened.

■

Avoid saying “committed suicide” because “commit” conveys guilt; it is better to say “died by suicide” or “took his/her own life.”

■

Remember holidays and anniversaries of important dates with a visit, a call, or an e-mail.

■

Provide support for a long time—months and years later. Grief about someone’s suicide often lasts much longer than other grief.

■

Ask directly how the person is feeling. Don’t be afraid to mention the suicide because those grieving are thinking about it anyway.

■

You don’t need many words; a handshake, hug, and “I am still with you” or “I’m sorry” works just fine.

day in 2003. Other people in our support group share similar stories.

Responding in Faith Our personal spiritual lives are nourished within a faith community, usually a parish. A parish can be extremely valuable in terms of mental illness and suicide. Since both of these widespread realities are still stigmatized in our society, parishes can be leaders in speaking openly and praying often about mental ill48 ❘ April 2013

ness and suicide. Well-informed homilies can easily tie into the Scriptures. Prayers of intercession can always include mental illness with physical illnesses. Parishes can host education events, sponsor support groups, distribute literature, and simply encourage parishioners to talk about it. We encourage people to talk about mental illness with their families, among their friends, and, if applicable, in a small faith group. People can talk about it at work, in the neighborhood, among their extended families. But when people do talk about it, be compassionate, understanding, and informed. Try to see the world through the eyes of depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. You don’t need to be a psychiatrist to know that these illnesses cloud perceptions, distort reality, confuse thinking, and unhinge emotions. Talking about mental illness and suicide in a more compassionate, Christian manner starts with thinking about it more compassionately. Jesus shows the way. Erase the stigma of mental illness and suicide, just as we erased the stigma we once had toward cancer. Statistically, most parishioners do not deal directly with suicide grief, although, once again statistically, there are many more parishioners who have a family member or friend who died by suicide than most people realize. As those of us who lost a loved one to suicide walk our painful grief journey, it is a relief to know that other people, especially those in our faith community, support us. They cannot know what it is like to experience this grief unless they, too, have experienced it. But they can openly express their love and comfort just as they do when someone dies by cancer or heart disease.

Imitating Jesus’ Compassion There are many people and groups who shy away or run and hide when suicide is mentioned. A faith community can be better than that! Imitating the compassion of Jesus, we can learn to support those among us who struggle with mental illness in the family or who have experienced the suicide of a loved one. Suicide grief is unique. An understanding and supportive network of friends is a great comfort as we walk that grief journey. A parish community is a crucial resource that can offer that network. A Tom Smith and his wife, Fran, live in Shiloh, Illinois. The author of six books on Scripture and on grief, he has also written freelance magazine articles and columns. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

EDITORIAL

The White Smoke Has Cleared As I write this, on a wintry midFebruary day (we magazine folk work weeks ahead), the entire world is in a flurry of news reports, speculations, and betting odds on who the next pope will be. The Catholic Church hasn’t had this many eyes on it—for something not dominated by scandal, that is—in quite a while. By the time you read this, however, a new pope will have been elected to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. Now what? The supreme pontiff certainly has his pick of which challenges to tackle first, be it the ongoing clerical sex-abuse crisis, the shortage of priests and nuns, the attacks on religious freedom, the persisting calls for optional priestly celibacy and women’s ordinations— the list goes on and on. It’s no wonder Benedict grew tired.

A Shifting Landscape We may hold differing opinions about which trials should rank high on the pope’s to-do list. But as faithful Catholics, there is one on which we most likely can all agree should take the top spot: the plummeting Church attendance numbers and the mass exodus of believers. Here in the United States, the Catholic population is losing more members than it is gaining, with one in 10 declaring himself or herself a former Catholic, reports Pew Research Center. In Brazil, the country with the largest number of Catholics, 65 percent now call themselves as such, down from more than 90 percent in 1970, according to the 2010 census. And Europe’s Catholic share of the population has decreased from 44 percent to 35 percent over the past century. The Church is in a state of flux, from the pope to the people. Fr ancisca n Media .org

Feeding the Flame As the pallium was placed on the pope’s shoulders, so, too, was the weight of this problem. But with this new role also comes opportunity. In all of the excitement surrounding Benedict’s resignation and the election of his successor, the interest of current, former, and even nonCatholics was piqued. Ironically, it was in his departure that Benedict reinforced one of his primary goals of his pontificate: bringing people back to God. He summarized this mission in a 2009 letter to the bishops: “In our days, when in vast areas of the world the faith is in danger of dying out like a flame which no longer has fuel, the overriding priority is to make God present in this world and to show men and women the way to God.” By extinguishing his own papal flame, Benedict ignited a spark in many others. The task for this new pope is to keep that fire lit. Of course, the million-dollar question is how? The new pope can start by showing the same courage to buck tradition and embrace openness to change as did Benedict, who set a precedent by resigning, becoming the first pope in some 600 years to do so. However, in contrast to Benedict, the introvert who primarily evangelized through books, sermons, and encyclicals, the new pope needs to be extroverted, turning words into action. He must be relatable. He must recognize the real cultural, political, and economic issues affecting the laity today and be willing to engage in constructive dialogue about them. Conversations—not mandates—about climate change, war and peace, social justice, poverty, and the like will pull the Church

more effectively into the modern world and people’s daily lives.

A Changing Conversation No one is being affected more by these issues than the young, who will continue to feel the effects of our past actions and decisions. If the pope wants to stop the bleeding, he must create an environment that is more inviting—not to just some young people, but to all of them. Benedict showed the way. Recognizing the “widespread climate of instability” the young face today, Benedict called for a renewed faith in the young and to “look to their condition and their cultures as an essential and inescapable reference point for pastoral outreach.” But a few papal tweets won’t cut it. To grab, and keep, the attention of this group, the new pope is going to have to bring the messages of the Church—which, in fact, do deliver exactly what the young are yearning for in terms of stable relationships, sincerity, and personal dignity—down to their level, in simplified, updated, and understandable terms. A joke or two or a pop-culture reference every now and then wouldn’t hurt, either. Do this, and the Church is bound to garner more than just the young’s attention. My Catholic education always taught me it is we, the people, who make up the Church. I was also repeatedly told if I didn’t know something, to ask. The Church hierarchy, from the pope to the priests, could benefit from revisiting these lessons. We, the people, are here, ready to talk—they just have to include us in the conversation. With change comes opportunity. Let’s hope our new pope takes it. —R.Z. A p r il 2 0 1 3 ❘ 4 9

ASK A FRANCISCAN

❘ BY FATHER PAT McCLOSKEY, OFM

Why Was Cain’s Sacrifice Rejected? Cain killed his brother, Abel, out of jealousy because God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, “the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions,” but not Cain’s from “the fruit of the soil” (Gn 4:3–5, New Revised Standard Version). Why? Is livestock a better offering than grains or produce? And what did God mean in saying to Cain, “If you do well, will you not be accepted” (Gn 4:7)? How do Catholic theologians explain this? Are there some philosophical/psychological insights to be garnered from this little passage? This is a compelling story, but it is not necessarily what you would have captured if you had been there with

a camera and tape recorder. In fact, the differing Hebrew names for God in chapter 4 indicate that, like the entire Book of Genesis, this story is a later weaving together by an author/ editor of what were originally separate stories. In The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Father Richard Clifford, SJ, writes: “Most commentators believe Abel’s offering was the choice part and Cain’s was not, but the emphasis falls on Yahweh’s inscrutable acceptance of one and not the other.” Regarding verse 7, Clifford continues: “If you act rightly, acceptance [literally, lifting], but if you do not act rightly, sin is a croucher at the door [that is, in your path]. Its intent is

directed toward you, but you are to master it: As the literal translation shows, Yahweh’s response to the distressed (not “angry”) Cain is extremely difficult to understand and [the text] may be corrupt; all translations are uncertain.” Chapters 1 through 11 of Genesis emphasize four stories about human sin: Adam and Eve’s disobedience, Cain’s murder of Abel, the general depravity that caused the flood that Noah and his family survived, and the building of the Tower of Babel. Each story reaffirms that human sin arises from a misuse of human freedom, not from a mistake on God’s part or from the conflict between a good creator God and an evil creator

Mary and the United States

Who decided that Mary should be considered the patroness of the United States? Under which title? When was this decision made? Do you have any other information about this? Meeting at the sixth provincial council of Baltimore in 1846, the US bishops asked the Holy See to designate Mary as the patroness of the United States, under the title of her Immaculate Conception. Their request was granted the following year. In fact, Blessed Pius IX did not define Mary’s Immaculate Conception as a doctrine of faith until 1854. The US bishops had joined many other bishops in asking for that definition. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (photo above) was begun on the campus of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, in 1920. The first phase of the crypt church was completed six years later. It

5 0 ❘ Apr il 2013

includes many chapels added later, honoring Mary under titles dear to various nationality groups around the world. The upper church was completed and dedicated in 1959. Blessed John Paul II visited it in 1979 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. The shrine is a work in progress, having added mosaics on three interior domes, financed by the Knights of Columbus, who financed the original bell tower. Most of the money to build the shrine was raised by individual Catholics, parishes, religious congregations, Catholic organizations, and dioceses. In fact, the oldest US city founded by Europeans, St. Augustine, Florida (1565), also has the oldest US Marian shrine, Nuestra Señora de La Leche y Buen Parto (Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery). It was the site of the country’s first parish Mass on September 8, 1565. Devotion to Mary under this title originated in Spain.

St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

God, a common explanation of evil among Israel’s pagan neighbors. Perhaps the problem is not with the content of Cain’s sacrifice but with the fact that he is the older brother. Although we easily assume that God makes choices for the same reasons that we do, the Bible gives us plenty of evidence to the contrary: for example, God chooses the younger Jacob instead of Esau, Rachel instead of Leah, and Joseph over his older brothers. A similar pattern occurs frequently elsewhere in the Bible. The Hebrews became the chosen people for God’s own reasons, not because of their wealth or military strength. St. Paul reminds the Christians in Corinth that his preaching to them relied on God’s power and wisdom, not on clever human words. We should try to take away from such stories what the inspired writer wanted us to learn. Catholic and Protestant theologians affirm that even after he killed Abel, Cain was not beyond God’s love and mercy. In heaven we can find out if there were major philosophical or psychological insights that we missed. We cannot see this passage as the literal account of a conversation between God and Cain. The first 11 chapters of the Book of Genesis are much more interested in presenting an interpretation of creation, sin, and human history from God’s point of view than a moment-by-moment description of the events described.

490 or 77? The New American Bible translates Matthew 18:22 as Jesus’ command to Peter to forgive 77 times. Earlier translations rendered that same verse as “70 times 7 times.” Why the difference? In the Bible, seven is considered a complete number, a perfect number. The same is true of its multiples. That may be the reason that in The Collegeville Bible Commentary, Daniel Harrington, SJ, writes about the number 77, “The point is that ChrisFr ancisca n Media .org

tians have no right to place any limit on forgiveness.” Harrington notes that this point is emphasized by the parable that follows immediately: the unforgiving servant (Mt 18:23– 35). God’s forgiveness is complete; ours should be moving in that same direction. The Greek text more likely means “77.”

Moment of Death When does the soul leave the body after death? My sister says it is three days later; I say immediately. If a person is declared brain dead, has the soul already left the body? Or is it when someone has pulled the plug on that person?

In the past, priests called to administer the Sacrament of Extreme Unction might arrive after the person had apparently died. Priests often administered this final anointing on the presumption that the soul might still be animating that person’s body. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “By death the soul is separated from the body, but in the resurrection God will give incorruptible life to our body, transformed by reunion with our soul. Just as Christ is risen and lives for ever, so all of us will rise at the last day” (1016). A

Father Pat welcomes your questions! Send them to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or Ask@FranciscanMedia.org. All questions sent by mail need to include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. This column’s answers can be searched back to April 1996 at StAnthonyMessenger.org.

Medical professionals accept flat brainwaves as an indication of death, whether the person is on a respirator or not. Your sister cannot be correct because a body at room temperature will start to decompose before the end of three days.

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A p r il 2 0 13 ❘ 5 1

BOOK CORNER

❘ BY CAROL ANN MORROW

Nourishing the Spirit The Healing Emotions of Wonder, Joy, Compassion, and Hope

TOP 5 CATHOLIC

Best-sellers 1. My Life with the Saints (Kindle Edition) James Martin, SJ 2. New American Bible, Revised Edition 2011 (Kindle Edition) United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 3. Summa Theologica (Kindle Edition) Thomas Aquinas 4. Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives (Hardcover) Pope Benedict XVI 5. 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-ItYourself Retreat (Paperback) Father Michael E. Gaitley, MIC

—Recent Amazon bestsellers in Catholicism

52 ❘ Ap ri l 201 3

By James D. Whitehead and Evelyn Eaton Whitehead Orbis Books 192 pages • $22 Paperback/eBook Reviewed by SISTER VICKIE GRINER, Poor Clare at the Monastery of St. Clare in Cincinnati, Ohio (poorclarescincinnati.org). THIS REFRESHING BOOK can inspire its readers to broaden an outdated view of psychology as only the study of mental illness and psychological disorders. The authors combine the ingredients of positive psychology, healing emotions, and rich Scripture passages to provide healthy ways to understand emotions and continue to grow spiritually. The authors present this material in an understandable and integrated way. The book is divided into three parts: moral emotions, healing emotions, and religious emotions. Each section contains a balanced mix of psychology, easy-to-understand explanations, and relevant quotes from Scripture. These work together well, allowing the reader many opportunities to pause, reflect, and integrate this positive way of understanding our emotions and our connections to one another, the world, and, most important, our God. The book contains a generous section of additional resources for each chapter, as well

as a section called “The Vocabulary of Healing Emotions” along with a detailed bibliography. In the first section, the reader is introduced to moral emotions, such as wonder, awe, and reverence, which cause us to care about our world. Then, we are taken one step further into “evolved capacities,” such as hope, an emotion that redirects us from the present situation to the future. As the discussion of this emotion continues, the reader is taken into the Gospel passage where Jesus invites his disciples to “set out into the deep” (Lk 5:4), helping us to realize that hope is rooted in faith. The second section of the book discusses healing emotions, such as joy, happiness, love, and self-care. I found the discussion on compassion and self-care helpful. The authors quote the Gospel of Luke: “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (10:27). They tell us that “studies consistently find that the attitudes and behaviors we display toward other people are closely related to the ways we respond to ourselves.” A transitional chapter entitled “Mood Swings in the Life of Faith” helps the reader integrate the first two sections of the book while preparing him or her for the final section on religious emotions. At first, the title of this chapter put a smile on my face for its no-nonsense description. After finishing, I realized the importance of this historical perspective. Learning about the “passionate relationship” with God on one extreme to the “disconnected” view of God at the other (and the many mood swings in between) helps prepare the reader for the ultimate discernment of emotions that is called for in the final section. The last chapters of the book challenge the reader to accept and embrace all of these emotions, accept human weaknesses, and welcome ongoing conversion and spiritual transformation as a person of faith. The reader is brought to a new level of understanding of emotions. Hope flourishes. St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg

BOOK BRIEFS

Parental Guidance Praying for Our Adult Sons and Daughters Placing Them in the Heart of God By John & Therese Boucher The Word Among Us Press 184 pages • $11.95 Paperback/eBook

The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic How Engaging 1% of Catholics Could Change the World By Matthew Kelly Beacon Publishing 222 pages • $25 Hardcover/Paperback/eBook Reviewed by MARK M. WILKINS, veteran religion teacher at St. Xavier High School, a Jesuit institution in Cincinnati, Ohio. FOR MORE THAN 20 years, Matthew Kelly has been writing and speaking about the Catholic faith. This latest book is based on research that takes his message to another level. Kelly starts with the assumption that a parish operates much like a business and follows the law of the vital few, which states that 80 percent of the business comes from 20 percent of the customers. His own research indicates that only about 7 percent of parishioners contribute 80 percent of the volunteer hours, and 7 percent contribute 80 percent of the financial contributions, with an 84 percent overlay between the groups. What, then, are the essential characteristics of the 7 percent who are engaged? His conclusion is that commitment to prayer, continuous learning, a spirit of generosity, and a willingness to pass on their faith insights to others are the four keys. The author offers these points not as a stunning breakthrough but as a simple, accessible way for all Catholics to revitalize their faith, regardless of their current level of commitment. It is simple, straightforward, and accessible. For those open to a deeper faith life, here’s a resource to consider. A free copy (plus shipping and handling) of the book is available at Kelly’s website, dynamiccatholic.com. Fr an ci s canM e di a. o rg

John and Therese Boucher, parents to five adult children, suggest one of the best ways to continue to care for grown sons and daughters is to lift them up in prayer. Personal stories coupled with reflection questions and “prayer skills” at the end of each chapter offer parents new ways of praying for their grown children.

Engaging a New Generation A Vision for Reaching Catholic Teens By Frank Mercadante Our Sunday Visitor 192 pages • $19.95 Paperback Frank Mercadante, a father of six who has been involved in full-time Catholic youth ministry for the past 30 years, profiles the behaviors, attitudes, and needs of today’s teens and offers a model for ministry aimed to keep them committed to the faith.

Raising Financially Confident Kids By Mary Hunt Revell 224 pages • $12.99 Paperback Just as lessons in faith last for a lifetime, so do money-management skills parents teach their children. Personal finance expert Mary Hunt explains how to debt-proof your kids by tearing down the attitudes of entitlement and neutralizing the glamour of easy spending. —R.Z.

Books featured in this column can be ordered from

St. Mary’s Bookstore & Church Supply 1909 West End Avenue • Nashville, TN 37203 800-233-3604 www.stmarysbookstore.com • stmarysbookstore@gmail.com Ap ri l 201 3 ❘ 53

A CATHOLIC MOM SPEAKS

❘ BY SUSAN HINES-BRIGGER

Beginnings and Endings

“Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts the most.” —Hope Floats

his movie quote has always struck a chord with me. And lately I’ve been thinking about it a lot. In fact, a few weeks ago, after a particularly trying and chaotic morning, I posted on Facebook: “Before kids, mornings were so much easier. But they sure weren’t as adventurous or fun.” When you stop to think about it, our lives are one continual cycle of beginnings and endings. We move through the stages of our lives, which are made up of both. Some of 5 4 ❘ Apr il 2013

them are profound—the birth of a child or the loss of a loved one— while other changes are more subtle—the changing of the seasons or milestones in life that at the time don’t seem so big. Right now, I’m smack-dab in the midst of both ends of that cycle.

Life’s Changes Next month my oldest daughter, Maddie, will graduate from grade school. (She was 2 when I started writing this column!) She is excited

about the adventures that lie ahead of her—new school, new friends, new chapter. I, however, am not taking it well. Where did my baby go? How did she grow up so fast? She’s ready; I’m not. All this growing-up stuff has been percolating for some time now, so you would think I would have seen it coming. Throughout the year I’ve mourned her last soccer game, her last volleyball game, her last school play. There have been enough warning signs. I’ve noticed the change in the tone and subjects of our discussions. Suddenly, conversations have gotten much broader. That’s not to say that she’s not still your average teenager. But topics such as who likes St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

Growth in Faith Our faith is part of that whole cycle, too. Each year, the joy of Christmas, where we celebrate the birth of Jesus, eventually leads to Good Friday, when we mourn Christ’s death, only to see him rise again three days later. Once again, beginnings and endings connect our lives. Each of these cycles can help us grow—as individuals, as parents, as children, as Catholics—if we are open to them. This really hit home last month when Maddie made her Confirmation. As I sat in the pew, watching her take the step toward owning her faith, I realized that she was slowly

DON’T FORGET THE MIDDLE While we usually spend a lot of time celebrating and marking life’s beginnings and endings, let’s not forget about the joy of the in-between time. Those times that seem uneventful— family meals, bedtime, family vacations, a late-night or earlymorning conversation—ultimately make up the bulk of our days and can often provide the most cherished memories. Even the Church recognizes the importance of Ordinary Time in our lives. So while it’s important to celebrate beginnings and endings, let’s not forget about all the joy and gifts in the middle.

stepping out from under her father’s and my shelter, taking steps toward her future, her faith. Her faith is now her own. It wasn’t that she hadn’t owned it before, but her dad and I were mostly responsible for leading her through the faith process. We took her to Mass. We prompted her to pray. Now, while we’ll still be there as guides, it’s primarily up to her to grow and nurture her faith. I have to let go and pray that we’ve done a good job of building her faith base. In some ways, though, she hasn’t totally cut the strings between her faith and mine. As a nod to that lasting connection, she decided to choose my middle name—Marie—as her Confirmation name. I hope it was because I’ve shown her the importance of faith in our lives. As

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY KURNICK MAASS

which boy are now interspersed with ones on broader issues and current events. The me is slowly opening to the we. But it’s not just Maddie who is taking me through this cycle. Alex, now a 10-year-old young man, understandably no longer wants to snuggle on the couch. Riley, my third, made her first Communion a few weeks ago. And this spring my youngest daughter, Kacey, climbed out of her crib into a regular twin bed. I knew all of these changes were coming, but they still were met with a twinge of pain. I still cried the whole time I took the crib apart for the last time, even though Mark and I passed it on to another couple, who are ready to welcome an addition to their family. One more round of beginnings and endings, joy and sorrow linked together.

we move forward, I certainly will continue to pray with her and for her. Throughout all these beginnings and endings, she will always remain my baby girl. So while I’m struggling with some of those changes, right now I’m trying to see them for the natural part of life they are. In the meantime, I’ll just try to enjoy all the everyday stuff in the middle, what makes life great while waiting for the cycle to continue. A

Do you have comments or suggestions for topics you’d like to see addressed in this column? Send them to me at “A Catholic Mom Speaks,” 28 W. Liberty St., Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or e-mail them to CatholicMom@FranciscanMedia.org.

PETE AND REPEAT Pete is going to have some fun Outside in the warm, bright sun. He hopes his friends will do the same, And join him for some fun and games. ILLUSTRATION BY TOM GREENE

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 on page 19)

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BACKSTORY

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Editor in Chief

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CNS/LUCAS TURNBLOOM

wo big things happened behind the scenes this month at St. Anthony Messenger. Until February 11, we thought you might be interested to hear how our new digital edition, at StAnthony Messenger.org, came about. Then Pope Benedict XVI floored everyone, announcing his resignation. I was driving to work down the nearby Vine Street hill at about 7 a.m. that Monday when I heard the news. I would skip my pre-work swim that day! As I came into the office to begin what would be a long day, Father Pat McCloskey was already hard at it. Working in Rome years back as communications director for the Friars Minor, he developed a keen ear for Vatican news. And he’s an early bird! There were a bulletin and a news report under my door as I walked in. He came down the hall and we talked—and talked. By 9:45, after our usual brief morning prayer/check-in, we had the staff gathered for a strategy session. It was time to take apart the April and May issues (April already was in early production) and make room for the papal stories. Articles long-planned would have to wait. We put Pope Benedict on this issue’s cover and reserved May for the new pope. Father Pat had been keeping a file on Benedict (journalists always prepare for emergency stories—what if the pope were to die suddenly?) and would quickly write an article. We’d count on Catholic News Service for visuals. We’d update Father Pat’s story until this issue went out the door. That would be weeks before the conclave, the best that a monthly can do—it takes some weeks of printing, assembling, and mailing to get this issue to you on time. We’d count on our AmericanCatholic.org website to provide day-by-day coverage. As we go to press today, all is in order. But that week it wasn’t! You’ll find even more on the pope in our new digital edition at StAnthony Messenger.org, free to all of our subscribers. And, by the way, welcome to “Backstory,” our newest column, where you’ll get a glimpse behind the scenes at St. Anthony Messenger.

REFLECTION

I’m always astonished by a forest. It makes me realize that the fantasy of nature I still have things to learn. —Gunter Grass

is much larger than my own fantasy.

ST. ANTHONY M 28 W. Liberty Street Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498

essenger

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