February 2014 by St. Anthony Messenger

‘WHERE THERE IS DESPAIR, HOPE’

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Messenger

Joyce Rupp on Self-compassion Plane Faith Tips for Raising Kids with Faith

Mary Fishman and Her

Band of Sisters

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CONTENTS

ST. ANTHONY

❘ FEBRUARY 2014 ❘ VOLUME 121/NUMBER 9

Messenger ON THE COVER

COVER STORY

Mary Fishman’s documentary celebrates Catholic sisters and their contributions to the Church. But what she discovered during filming is that these brave women have changed the tapestry of our country as well.

28 Mary Fishman and Her Band of Sisters This first-time filmmaker took her love and admiration for Catholic sisters and turned it into a documentary that changed her faith and her life. By Tracy Rusch

Photo by Karen Callaway

F E AT U R E S

D E PA R T M E N T S

16 Give Yourself a Break

2 Dear Reader

We often have more compassion for others than for ourselves. By Joyce Rupp, OSM

3 From Our Readers 6 Followers of St. Francis Janet Ryan, OSF

22 ‘Where There Is Despair, Hope’ The Ignatian Spirituality Project helps homeless people connect with God to reinvent their lives. By Jerri Donohue

8 Reel Time

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

10 Channel Surfing Bizarre Foods America

34 Plane Faith

12 Church in the News

For one couple, a harrowing flight was a reminder to trust in God at all times. By Donita Glinski

20 Live Well Eat Nutritionally

38 Raising Kids with Faith

27 At Home on Earth

Nine tips to help children grow into faith-filled adults By Tom Rinkoski

44 Fiction: Don’t Go

Freeze and Thaw

33 Editorial

‘Mercy Freely Given’

50 Ask a Franciscan

New life is waiting in places we never imagined. By Mary Kay Lane

Sacrificed for Our Salvation

52 Book Corner Notes from the Underground

54 A Catholic Mom Speaks Happy Valentine’s Day to Me?

56 Backstory

ST. ANTHONY M

DEAR READER

essenger

Franciscans in the Holy Land

Publisher/CEO Daniel Kroger, OFM

In 1217, St. Francis of Assisi sent friars to the Holy Land, ministering in areas controlled by the Crusaders. They built churches in Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, usually on the remains of earlier Christian shrines. As the Crusaders lost territory, the friar presence decreased until Acre, the last Crusader stronghold in modern-day Israel, was surrendered in 1291. In early 1220, Francis of Assisi had visited Sultan Malik al-Kamil near Damietta, Egypt. We are not sure whether Francis visited the Holy Land itself, but we know that he received a safe-conduct letter from the sultan. In Francis’ Rule of 1223, he described the friars’ possible direct ministry to Saracens (an alternative term for Muslims). In his Rule of 1221, which was never submitted for papal approval, Francis had outlined two ways of evangelizing non-Christians: direct preaching or living humbly and quietly, trusting that their good example would draw people to Jesus. When they lived under Muslim governments, the friars were sometimes persecuted and at other times tolerated. Indirect preaching by their lives was more acceptable than direct preaching. Most shrines where the friars serve have websites accessible through the “Sanctuaries” link at custodia.org. May all of us witness to Jesus as he directs us!

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

Managing Editor Susan Hines-Brigger

Associate Editor Christopher Heffron

Editorial Assistant Sharon Lape

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

Advertising Fred Limke

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ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER (ISSN #0036276X) (U.S.P.S. PUBLICATION #007956 CANADA PUBLICATION #PM40036350) Volume 121, Number 9, is published monthly for $39.00 a year by the Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-6498. Phone (513) 241-5615. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional entry offices. 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 ©2014. All rights reserved.

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FROM OUR READERS

A Feast for the Spirit

Joseph Deserves Better

I have always loved St. Anthony Messenger, and I read each issue cover to cover. But I was especially charmed by the December issue. The cover illustration by Shelly Hehenberger was really beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. The rest of the articles didn’t disappoint. Carol Ann Morrow’s article, “St. Nicholas: Fact or Fiction?” was a true education for me. I can’t say I was ever interested in St. Nicholas, but I found the article to be fascinating. Morrow brought the man to life in a way I didn’t expect. Christopher M. Bellitto’s article, “A Jesuit Pope with a Franciscan Heart,” was interesting because our pope is like an onion: if you peel back a layer, you have something wonderful to learn about him. Our pope has been in the news a lot

lately, yet the world still cannot get enough of him. What a breath of fresh air! Theresa Doyle-Nelson’s “Discover Your Church” made me look a lot closer at what’s in my own parish. This article was a good reminder to stop and smell the roses. I also enjoy Father Pat McCloskey’s “Ask a Franciscan” each month, as well as Sister Rose Pacatte’s “Reel Time” and Christopher Heffron’s “Channel Surfing.” I find both review sections refreshing. Thanks to the people who put this magazine together every month. In this secular culture, it feels good to be fed by something real. Sebastian Foley Chicago, Illinois

I was greatly saddened and disappointed with December’s “A Catholic Mom Speaks” by Susan Hines-Brigger about St. Joseph. I love St. Joseph and daily ask his intercession. But promoting the superstitious and almost idolatrous idea that we can force St. Joseph to do what we want by burying his statue upside down in the yard until he delivers what we demand is sick. It offers ammunition to the Protestant missionaries who accuse us of idolatry. The prayer in the column is one of the ugliest prayers I have ever seen. It reads, “St. Joseph, I am going to place you in a difficult position with your head in darkness, and you will suffer as Our Lord suffered, until this house is sold.” Do we really believe that St. Joseph, in the glory of heaven, will suffer because we have buried a plastic statue of him upside down? Should we as followers of Jesus want to make anyone suffer until they give us what we want? I think the editors—who usually do a great job—really goofed on this one. The column should have been sent back to the author for major revisions. I hope the editors will print a substantial correction that explains what genuine Catholic devotion to St. Joseph should be. Father Pat Sullivan, OFM Cap Okinawa, Japan

You’re Welcome!

No Laughing Matter

After many years as a reader of St. Anthony Messenger, I’m compelled to send kudos for the magazine’s consistent variety and quality of content, for the coverage of Pope Francis in the December issue, and for the beautiful poem “At Midnight Mass” by Jean Gier (who, seemingly, is left-handed). Dan Vernier Casselberry, Florida

In reading December’s “Church in the News,” I ran across the item about comedian Stephen Colbert and Cardinal Timothy Dolan. First of all, I have never heard of Mr. Colbert, but I hope he has a day job and does not make his living as a comedian. The bottom line is he is not funny and is very disrespectful. His comments directed at Cardinal Dolan are typical of the anti-

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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Christian left, which seems to have come into vogue. Many of them oppose faithful Christianity and its faithful practitioners who preach personal liberty and the value of each human being. I cannot understand why your magazine would give attention to such a sad person. I have been praying on this and will continue to pray about your judgment as a responsible magazine and your showcasing of those who attack the representatives of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Art Garcia Albuquerque, New Mexico

by circumstances. Perhaps the times we are in have been sent to us so that we will lean more on God. But, as the column accurately points out, often these are the very times when prayer is hardest or impossible.

A Brief History Lesson

“Perhaps the times we are in have been sent to us so that we will lean more on God. Often these are the very times when prayer is hardest or impossible.”

Church Law 101 One suggestion is to ask others to pray for us. Another is to reduce prayer to one phrase such as “My God, why have you forsaken me?” Or say the serenity prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the

Regarding Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP’s review of Aftermath in November’s “Reel Time,” those interested in learning about people who helped save Jews during World War II can hardly find a better read than The Righteous by Martin Gilbert. Virtually every country in Europe is included. It was a comparatively safe activity in Scandinavia where one had to worry only about the German occupiers, not one’s fellow citizens. It was most risky in places where anti-Semitism was common. Aiding Jews was a criminal offense. Still, many ordinary people did so. Charles Eckroth St. Cloud, Minnesota

Digital Edition

Prayer Is Powerful Nowhere in the New Testament does it say that we will be given more than we can handle. Susan HinesBrigger’s “A Catholic Mom Speaks” from November refers to this notion, but St. Paul’s epistle says that God will not send us a temptation that can’t be overcome with grace. At times, we will be overwhelmed 4 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4

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Two letter writers from November’s “From Our Readers” show that they need help understanding what our Church can change and what it cannot. The Catholic Church is the body of Christ, but Jesus is the head. Jesus gave us the means of our salvation: the Catholic Church. By his wisdom, love, and divine laws, we have the commandments. Church laws can be changed, but divine law cannot. Another divine law is that only men may be priests and deacons. We may not change this. Jesus offers his body and his blood to God by changing the bread and wine. He did not permit even his blessed mother to be a priest. We women have the exalted position of being the mothers of God’s children—bearing them and raising them for eternity in heaven. In the Our Father, we say, “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Do we mean it? Kathleen Jaynes Warren, Pennsylvania

things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Sheila M. Cronin Chicago, Illinois

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

The Joys of Community

anet Ryan, OSF, is a member of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa, and she wants people to know about L’Arche. L’Arche (French for “the ark”) is an international organization founded by Jean Vanier in France in 1964, after he became aware of the struggle of thousands of people with intellectual disabilities who were institutionalized in France. “The secret of L’Arche,” said Vanier, “is relationship: meeting people, not through the filters of certitudes, ideologies, idealism, or judgments, but heart to heart; listening to people with their pain, their joy, their hope, their history, listening to their heartbeats.” There are currently 145 L’Arche communities worldwide in 37 countries. Ryan became aware of L’Arche when she moved to the Midwest to pursue her vocation. She began attending L’Arche events while living in Chicago, and eventually became an assistant, living in community at The Arch in Clinton. In 2011, she moved to St. Louis to become the founding community leader of L’Arche St. Louis. The goal of the L’Arche community, says Ryan, is to join those with intellec-

Sister Janet Ryan, OSF

tual disabilities and those without disabilities to share life and build communities of faith. The “Charter of the Communities of L’Arche” says that the organization works “to offer not a solution, but a sign, a sign that a society, to be truly human, must be founded on welcome and respect for the weak and downtrodden.” As the community leader/executive director of L’Arche St. Louis, Ryan is responsible for the oversight of the organization. She makes sure that the community is living its mission authentically, is in good standing with the state, and is following all the state regulations. She says what she loves about L’Arche (larcheusa.org) is “that it’s a faith community, an intentional faith community where people commit to being in relationship through the good times and through the hard times. I love that it’s so authentic.” And while Ryan says part of the organization’s mission is to make known the gifts of people with intellectual disabilities, she believes it expands beyond that. “When you live in community, and you

STORIES FROM OUR READERS Thanks for the Ride

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

At the railroad station, I met two people who were going to the same religious retreat as I was. All the cabs had left, so we were standing there waiting. One person remarked that in the past there had always been a cab available. I decided to say my usual prayer to St. Anthony, for I know he intervenes in these situations. A few minutes later, a cab arrived, and not just any cab. On the side of the cab were the words: St. Anthony’s Cab. —Judith Cox, Riverdale, New York

6 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4

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

Click here for more on L’arche St. Louis and other L’arche communities.

ST. CLARE OF ASSISI

Healing the Sick Besides offering food, clothing, and other necessities for Assisi’s poor, Clare was sometimes asked to care for the physical and mental illnesses of people brought to her. She once helped a sick friar sent to her by Francis. Sitting at Clare’s place in choir restored that friar’s mental health. The testimonies given by Clare’s contemporaries before her canonization mention several cures. Often she made the sign of the cross over the sick, speaking in a very soft voice. She once removed a pebble from a little boy’s nose. –P.M.

THE YORCK PROJECT/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

commit to being in a relationship with one another, you reveal each other’s gifts. You also reveal each other’s shadow side and struggles. But by committing to be in relationship, I think we help one another to accept and embrace all of ourselves and to be transformed in that,” says Ryan. Her draw to the Franciscans, she says, was twofold. First, she had a great-aunt who was a Clinton Franciscan. Second, Francis’ love of animals and nature also resonated with Ryan. “It seemed like a natural fit,” she says. Asked what her favorite writing of Francis is, she quickly responds: “His story of true joy/pure joy. It’s my absolute favorite, and it’s what I aspire to live. I think I love that because it’s how we respond to the difficulties in life. That’s what matters. “It’s how we respond and it reminds me of the corporal works of mercy, two in particular: bear wrongs patiently and forgive all injuries. That’s what Jesus was all about. That’s what he taught us to do and invites us to do.” And that, Ryan says, is what she is striving for in her work with L’Arche. —Susan Hines-Brigger

tal Digi as Extr

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

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

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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

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

SISTER ROSE’S

Favorite Films about CNS PHOTO/WEINSTEIN

Families Big Fish (2003) Soul Food (1997) My Family (1995) The Joy Luck Club (1993) Cheaper by the Dozen (1950)

8 ❘ February 2014

In Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, actor Idris Elba plays the beloved African leader who died in 2013. On July 18, 1918, a boy is born in the village of Mvezo, which was then part of South Africa’s Cape Province. The boy grows up in his mother’s village of Qunu where he spends time tending cattle and playing with other boys. At school, a teacher gives him the name Nelson, and, at 16, he and his friends go through the circumcision ritual marking their entry to manhood. Nelson (Idris Elba) continues his schooling and excels in sports, especially boxing. When he and a friend learn that marriages have been arranged for them during a home visit in 1941, they flee to Johannesburg. Until this time, Nelson had little interest in politics, but he accepts a job through the African National Congress, working against the systematic oppression of black people and the existing colonial racial laws. After becoming a lawyer with the intention of working in politics, Nelson and his companions are often arrested for antiapartheid activities. He is tried and sen-

tenced to prison for his political activities. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is a beautiful historical drama, told in linear fashion, about the much-loved African leader who died on December 5, 2013. The cinematography creates a feeling of authenticity. Idris Elba has the stature and gravitas to play Mandela. Director Justin Chadwick frames Mandela’s choice of reconciliation over retribution upon his release from prison with the dramatic strength that only hope and nonviolence can bring. A-3, PG-13 ■ Violence, peril, some sexuality and language.

August: Osage County Mr. Beverly Weston (Sam Shepard) is telling a young woman, Johnna (Misty Upham), a prospective caretaker for his drug-addicted wife, Violet (Meryl Streep), about how she needs to be monitored with her medicaSt A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, August: Osage County tells the story of a broken family in need of healing.

Philomena At a party in London, Martin (Steve Coogan), a washed-up journalist and political advisor, meets Jane (Anna Maxwell Martin), whose mother, Philomena (Judi Dench), has an interesting story to tell. As a teen in 1950s Ireland, she became pregnant. Her father placed her at a convent where she worked in the laundry to pay off her room and board after her son, Anthony, was born. When he was 3 years old, an American couple adopted him and a little girl Fr anciscanMedia.org

CNS PHOTO/WEINSTEIN

tions. Looking for pills, Violet stumbles into the room and argues with her husband. Johnna becomes the silent witness to a magnificent mess of a family. Beverly then disappears, and the family gathers to support Violet. Then more people arrive for the funeral once his remains are found after a suspected suicide. Her adult daughters assemble: Ivy (Julianne Nicholson) lives at home. Barbara (Julia Roberts) shows up with her 14-year-old daughter and her estranged husband. Karen (Juliette Lewis) and her fiancé fly in from Florida. John Wells directs this tight interpretation of a family suffocating spiritually in the heat of an Oklahoma summer. Screenwriter Tracy Letts won the 2013 Tony Award for his performance in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? To tell you the truth, August: Osage County, despite a terrific cast, is Virginia Woolf amplified. It’s billed as a dark comedy, but I found it to be an intense and loud film about family dysfunction that is devoid of hope and joy. Not yet rated, R ■ Language, sexuality, drug use, domestic violence.

from the convent. Philomena has been looking for Anthony and wants to find him. Philomena and Martin visit the convent in Ireland. There, the nuns tell Philomena, once again, that their records were lost in a fire and that the older nuns don’t remember anything. So Philomena and Martin set out on a journey of discovery to America. As secrets and lies are revealed, Philomena’s deep, loving faith is rewarded just as Martin’s weak faith is tested. It is soon evident that the story is a judgment against the nuns and clergy who ran the Magdalene asylums—or laundries—that took in unmarried pregnant girls. In this case, the nuns could have given relief to Philomena, but chose not to. Judi Dench and Steve Coogan are brilliant in the film. Both give performances that are human, honest, and tinged with humor and hope. Except for one scene at the very end, the film avoids stereotyping nuns. Philomena is one of my top films of 2013. L, PG-13 ■ Language and mature themes.

Judi Dench and Steve Coogan are earning critical acclaim for their performances in the drama Philomena.

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

General patronage Adults and adolescents Adults Limited adult audience Morally offensive

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

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

February 2014 ❘ 9

CHANNEL SURFING

WITH CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON

UP CLOSE

Mondays, 9 p.m., Travel Channel I enjoy celebrity chef and travel junkie Anthony Bourdain, but even I tire of his caustic nature and foul mouth. For armchair tourists who want a gentler, profanity-free travel guide, meet Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods America. A close cousin to his popular Bizarre Foods, which featured the chef and writer in locations from Toronto to Timbuktu, this stateside spin-off follows a similar recipe: Zimmern visits an assortment of American hubs and absorbs their local culture and flavor. There’s much to love about the series because it proudly showcases how diverse the American palate is. In one episode, Zimmern highlights a Pakistani bistro in Queens, New York. In another, he delights in a Birmingham, Alabama, eatery that specializes in a noodle bowl made with frog legs and pig skin. The United States has countless culinary gems just waiting to be discovered, and like the Indiana Jones of gastronomy, Zimmern wants to find them all. While some viewers might recoil at the menu items—as well as Zimmern’s determination to eat them—channel surfers should look closer. Bizarre Foods America and its inquisitive host remind us that food and travel make a holy marriage. It’s up to us to stretch our legs, dust off the old map, and discover.

Shark Tank Fridays, 9 p.m., ABC My favorite character in the ’80s classic The Goonies was the character Data, a pint-sized inventor whose devices never seemed to work. I think about him every time I watch Shark Tank, the ABC reality series that features entrepreneurs/inventors who try to sell their products to a panel of seasoned investors. The premise is simple: the idea is pitched in a 10-minute segment, and the industrialists endure an often intense cross-examination from the panel of “sharks” that includes Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, and Kevin O’Leary. When the ideas sink, so do viewers’ hearts, but when an idea catches fire, the joy spreads to everybody. This is a rare form of reality television—one that celebrates imagination and ingenuity while it entertains.

The Incredible Dr. Pol

Saturdays, 9 p.m., Nat Geo Wild Fans of James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small will find much to love with The Incredible Dr. Pol, about a veterinarian who has devoted his life to the care of animals, especially the barnyard variety. Whether the good doctor is trying to quiet the nerves of an antsy dairy cow or assisting in the birth of a stubborn colt, this series works because it celebrates the importance of our four-legged friends. And the tireless Dr. Pol—whose work is his vocation—is a voice for a menagerie of patients who have none. St. Francis knew that God’s love reaches all of creation. Dr. Pol would agree.

Andrew Zimmern is a writer and chef who travels the country for delicious dishes in Bizarre Foods America. 10 ❘ February 2014

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Bizarre Foods America

Chicago Doctor Invents

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ÂŠ 2013

CHURCH IN THE NEWS

❘ BY SUSAN HINES-BRIGGER

Pope Francis Is Time’s Person of the Year person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” were “some of the most encouraging words a pontiff has ever spoken about gay and lesbian people.”

CNS PHOTO/TIME INC., HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

Pope, Archbishop Praise Mandela

Pope Francis is the third pontiff to be Time’s Person of the Year. Popes John XXIII and John Paul II also received the honor.

1 2 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4

Philadelphia Priest’s Conviction Reversed On December 26, a Pennsylvania Superior Court reversed a priest’s conviction in relation to a clergy sexabuse case, and ordered him to be released from prison, reported CNS.

CNS PHOTO/KAI PFAFFENBACH, REUTERS

Last December, Time magazine named Pope Francis Person of the Year for 2013. In addition, the pope also graced the covers of The Advocate, The New Yorker, Esquire, and Italy’s Vanity Fair; GQ named him “Cold-Caller of the Year 2013,” and MTV named him Man of the Year. In explaining its choice, Time wrote, “What makes this pope so important is the speed with which he has captured the imaginations of millions who had given up on hoping for the church at all. People weary of the endless parsing of sexual ethics, the buck-passing infighting over lines of authority when all the while (to borrow from Milton), ‘the hungry Sheep look up, and are not fed.’” And in a surprising recognition, The Advocate, the oldest gay-rights magazine in the United States, named Pope Francis its Person of the Year. The magazine said the pope’s remarks last July, when he said, “If a

Following the death of Nelson Mandela on December 5, Pope Francis sent a message of condolence to the Mandela family, members of government, and all South Africans, reported Catholic News Service (CNS). The message praised “the steadfast commitment shown by Nelson Mandela in promoting the human dignity of all the nation’s citizens and in forging a new South Africa built on the firm foundations of nonviolence, reconciliation, and truth. “I pray,” it went on to say, “that the late president’s example will inspire generations of South Africans to put justice and the common good

at the forefront of their political aspirations.” In the United States, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, also issued a statement following news of Mandela’s death, saying, “In his struggle against apartheid rule, Nelson Mandela was a light for peace and equality in his country and for the whole world. His years of imprisonment exemplified the suffering experienced by so many who seek justice. As president of South Africa, Mandela sought to undo the structures that marginalized and impoverished people—work Pope Francis is now challenging the entire world to imitate.”

A young man kneels on the street shortly after the hearse carrying the coffin of former South African president Nelson Mandela passed by, December 11, in Pretoria. 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

CNS PHOTO/COURTESY OF JESUIT GENERAL CURIA

Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul-Minneapolis voluntarily stepped away from public ministry as St. Paul police investigate an allegation that he inappropriately touched a male minor on the buttocks in 2009 during a group photography session following a Confirmation ceremony. Archbishop Nienstedt denies the allegation, calling it “absolutely and entirely false.” The allegation was brought to the police by a mandated reporter within the Church. Upon learning of the allegation, the archdiocese instructed the mandated reporter to make the matter known to the police. Blessed Peter Faber, who with St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Francis Xavier was a founding member of the Society of Jesus, was declared a saint by decree on December 15 by Pope Francis. The decree is what the Vatican terms an “equivalent canonization,” in which the pope inserts the name of the new saint in the universal calendar of saints without verifying a miracle performed through his or her intercession and without holding a formal canonization ceremony. The same day, the pope recognized a miracle attributed to Sister Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, a member of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, New Jersey, clearing the way for her beatification.

Since 2012, Msgr. William Lynn, former secretary for clergy in the Philadelphia Archdiocese, had served 18 months of a three- to six-year sentence. He was found guilty of endangering the welfare of a child, which is a felony. Msgr. Lynn’s conviction was based on the case of former priest Edward Fr ancisca n Media .org

CNS PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS

As far as birthday celebrations are concerned, Pope Francis’ 77th birthday was pretty low-key. He began his day with his normal morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence where he lives. But according to a Vatican statement, the pope requested that the Mass be attended by the residence staff “in order to create a particularly family atmosphere for the celebration.” The pope then shared breakfast with three homeless men who live on the streets near the Vatican. They were also joined by one of the men’s dog. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis shared lunch together on December 27 at Domus Sanctae Marthae, where Pope Francis lives. Three days earlier, Pope Francis paid a visit to the retired pope at his home. During the visit, the two prayed briefly together and then spoke privately for about half an hour. Latin-rite Patriarch Faoud Twal of Jerusalem announced on December 19 that Pope Francis will visit the Holy Land in May. The patriarch did not give exact dates for the trip. Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi told reporters it would be up to Pope Francis to decide when to announce the trip’s dates, although Lombardi confirmed a Vatican advance team had already visited. Pope Francis told reporters last July that he hoped to travel to Jerusalem to fulfill a plan proposed by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The Orthodox patriarch suggested they meet in Jerusalem in 2014 to mark the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s meeting with Patriarch Athenagoras, a meeting that set the stage for Catholic-Orthodox reconciliation and dialogue. In an address to cardinals and officials of the Roman Curia, the Church’s central administration at the Vatican, Pope Francis urged them to exercise their right of “conscientious objection to gossip.” Gossip, he said, is “harmful to people, harmful to our work, and our surroundings.” He also told the officials that they should serve the universal Church with professionalism and holiness. For more news, visit AmericanCatholic.org.

Avery, who admitted he had sexually assaulted a 10-year-old altar boy at his northeast Philadelphia parish in 1999. The former priest, laicized in 2006, is currently serving a sentence of two-and-a-half to five years in prison. In its 43-page decision, the judges said Msgr. Lynn’s conviction under

the state’s original child endangerment law of 1972 was “fundamentally flawed.” It noted that the original meaning of the statute, revised in 2007, required a person who was not a parent or guardian of the endangered child to “at least be engaged in the supervision, or be responsible for the supervision” of Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 1 3

Pope Welcomes All in Christmas Message

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

the child. The court said the “evidence was insufficient” to demonstrate that Msgr. Lynn “acted with the intent of promoting or facilitating” child endangerment. The Archdiocese of Philadephia released a statement saying the ruling “does not and will not alter the Church’s commitment to assist and support the survivors of sexual abuse on their journey toward healing or our dedicated efforts to ensure that all young people in our care are safe.” Prosecutors could appeal the Superior Court panel’s decision or ask the full Superior Court to rehear the case.

Clergy Drop in Poll on Ethics According to a Gallup poll on honesty and ethics of people in various professions, this year fewer than half of those polled said clergy have “high” or “very high” moral standards, reported Religion News Service. Gallup has been conducting the poll since 1977. Clergy have historically ranked near the top among professions in the poll, with an all-time high rating of 67 percent in 1985. At the top of the current list for professions having the highest ethical standards are nurses, pharmacists, and grade-school teachers. At the bottom are lobbyists, members of Congress, and car salespeople. The report says, “If views of a certain profession have changed, it usually has been a function of scandal surrounding it. The Catholic priest abuse stories from the early 2000s helped lead to a sharp drop in Americans’ ratings of clergy, a decline from which the profession has yet to fully recover.”

Pope Francis Addresses Issue of Sex Abuse Last December, Pope Francis accepted a proposal from his newly formed advisory Council of Cardinals to set up a special commission on the sexual abuse of children, which will advise him on ways to 1 4 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4

In his first Christmas celebration since being elected to the papacy, Pope Francis told an estimated 70,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, “My hope is that everyone will feel God’s closeness, live in his presence, love him, and adore him.” After his remarks, he delivered his urbi et orbi (“to the city and the world”) message. In that message, he told followers: “God is peace: let us ask him to help us to be peacemakers each day, in our life, in our families, in our cities and nations, in the whole world. Let us allow ourselves to be moved by God’s goodness.” The previous night, the pope celebrated Christmas Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. At the beginning of Mass, Pope Francis carried a statue of the baby Jesus to a golden manger in front of the altar. After the liturgy ended, he walked behind children from Italy, the Philippines, Argentina, Congo, and Lebanon as he carried the statue to a Nativity scene. In his homily, the pope reflected on the first line of the night’s reading from Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” He said, “If we love God and our brothers and sisters, we walk in the light; but if our heart is closed, if we are dominated by pride, deceit, self-seeking, then darkness falls within us and around us.”

prevent abuse and provide pastoral care for victims and their families, reported CNS. Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley of Boston, a member of the council, said the new commission would continue the work of Pope EmeritusBenedict XVI against clerical sex abuse, and that among its tasks would be to “study the present programs in place for the protection of children, and to come up with suggestions for new initiatives” by the

Vatican, in collaboration with national bishops’ conferences and religious orders around the world. According to Cardinal O’Malley, the commission will “be of international composition, consisting perhaps of 12 members, including laypeople, members of religious orders, and priests. The members will be persons with ‘competence in the safety of children, relations with victims, mental health, law enforcement’ and other relevant subjects.” A St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

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Give Yourself a Break We often have more compassion for others than for ourselves. B Y J O Y C E R U P P, O S M

HEN JESUS was asked “which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Mt 22:36), he answered by quoting the two great commandments. Most people pay close attention to the first one about loving God with all our mind, heart, and soul. Not so many give equal notice to the second: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:34-40). It’s the “as yourself” part that tends to be forgotten or dismissed. This hesitancy about loving ourselves as much as we love others is understandable. Most of us were taught that paying attention to our self promotes pride and selfishness. Thus, there is a built-in fear of becoming selfcentered or narcissistic. True self-compassion does not lead to self-absorption or egocentricity. Rather, it enables us to develop greater love. The more genuinely kind we are to ourselves, the more understanding and compassionate we will be to others. Self-compassion means that we approach ourselves in the way Jesus approached those who suffered. This self-regard focuses on being sympathetic, comforting, and considerate. Instead of disregarding our difficulties or downplaying distress, we recognize what hurts and offer ourselves attentive care, just as we would to someone else in our situation. Self-compassion is also about the attitude we have toward ourselves, the judgments we make, and the stance we take toward our limitations and failures. When I was young, I often judged myself harshly for my wrongdoings and inability to be the person I could be. I responded the same way about others who manifested shortcomings. It took a long time for me to realize and accept that we are all imperfect creatures on our way to spiritual transformation, and that love, not harshness, is the fruitful motivation for changing our ways. Some people fear that being self-compassionate might keep them from growing and changing. Paul Gilbert acknowledges this concern in The Compassionate Mind: “If I’m not selfcritical, I might become lazy; I might not achieve. I might become arrogant and not see my faults; I might become unlikeable.” I thought about this at a recent retreat when a young man spoke to me. He expressed disgust as he described a new awareness of how his ego rules his mind, saying with a voice of repulsion, “It’s always about me.” Harsh inner Fr anciscanMedia.org

criticism absorbed him. He believed this would move him to change. I gently reminded him that self-loathing is not advantageous for spiritual growth. This negativity only saps our energy and moves us away from our growth by focusing even more on our self. I then encouraged him to remember the deeper layer of goodness within him and to turn toward the transforming grace of God, whose power working through us can “accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20-21). This self-compassionate approach brings strength and hope of entering into the desired change—instead of beating © OLGALIS/ISTOCKPHOTO

ourselves up mentally for not being the person we long to be. No matter what age, profession, or state of life we are in, everyone needs to deliberately extend compassion toward him- or herself. Numerous areas of life require this, especially the following: external events and experiences resulting in sorrow and grief, illnesses that sap our vitality, the push and strain of daily work, unending caregiving, inner turmoil and struggle known only to us, past experiences that lay siege to our mind and emotions, difficulties with relationships, issues of self-worth, physical or mental limitations, and the reality of having a less-than-perfect personality. When we do not take care of self, others suffer because of this neglect. In The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, Christopher Germer tells of his wife returning home from the hospital after hip surgery. Being an especially independent person, she really wanted to be able

Most of us tend to think of compassion as an outward act rather than an inward one. In reality, though, the kinder we are to ourselves, the kinder we will be to others.

February 2014 ❘ 17

to manage her recovery on her own. But both she and Germer realized she would need help on the first morning. He was not an early riser but he made sure he got up to assist her. Even though he suffers from hypoglycemia, Germer did not take time to eat or drink anything. Consequently, his hypoglycemic crankiness affected his wife’s disposition. Germer writes, “As I arranged my wife’s rehabilitation—gripper, pressure-

What Keeps Us from Being Compassionate toward Our Self? There are many reasons why a person may lack self-compassion. The following areas identify some of these.

An Overemphasis on Self-sacrifice

The cross of Jesus is always before us, revealing a powerful message of unconditional love (“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”—Jn 15:13). This princi-

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” —Mt 11:28

sock sleeve, special shoes—I noticed I was feeling tense and grumpy.” As he struggled to get her sock on, she became sad and started to feel bad about her dependency. The situation worsened and then Germer began to blame his wife for having to get up early. Eventually, he realized what was happening and went to drink some orange juice to ease his touchiness. When his irritability subsided, he returned to the work of getting shoes on his wife’s swollen feet. They both relaxed, and the procedure went much better. That’s how it is when we do not tend to our own needs and focus completely on someone else’s. We can easily slip into anger or impatience, which leads to making harsh judgments of self and others. If we are overly stressed, we might harbor resentment toward those in our care, or fall into the well of selfpity and take on the role of a martyr. These inner disturbances of ours influence those around us, who then become recipients of our lack of selfcompassion. 18 ❘ February 2014

ple permeates Christian spirituality. The cross of Jesus generates a desire to love as deeply, strongly, and fully as he did. Generous giving of self is much needed in a world of suffering. However, this kind of giving also prompts weary caregivers, exhausted parents, grieving widows, stressed workers, and those encumbered with aching afflictions to waver in providing for their own welfare: “If I take care of myself, I am selfish. Shouldn’t I just give and give, even when I’m exhausted? Isn’t that what I am supposed to do—carry my own cross?” Yes and no. Balance is the key in offering compassion to self and others. Gail Straub, author of The Rhythm of Compassion, encourages her readers to be aware of the in-and-out pattern of their breath. Straub compares this natural rhythm of the physical body to caring for self and others. Breathing in is like “caring for self.” Breathing out is like “caring for the world.” Both are essential and must be kept in balance for life to occur in a physically and spiritually healthy manner.

Jesus taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35a). At the same time, he recognized the consequences of being a generous giver and reminded his followers of the need to pause and care for self: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). He did not want people to suffer if their spiritual malady or physical infirmity could be alleviated. When those who were ill and distraught came to Jesus, he did not tell them to “offer it up” or “just live with it.” Rather, he brought them back to health. Jesus wanted them to be well. If we delve into the Gospels with the intent of discovering how Jesus lived self-compassionately, we will find numerous times when he took care of his body, mind, and spirit. Amid an intensely active ministry, he went apart for quiet prayer and reflection (Lk 4:42). He gave himself the gift of bodily rest, sitting down when he was tired from his journey, and sleeping in the boat amid the storm (Jn 4:6; Mk 4:35-40). When pressed by the crowds, Jesus found psychological and physical space by leaving the land and teaching from a boat (Lk 5:1-3). He took social time to nurture his relationships, visiting his friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. After Lazarus died, Jesus did not deny his grief but allowed himself to weep and mourn (Jn 12:1-2; Jn 11:112). When he faced excruciating agony in the last hours before his death, Jesus asked for support from his disciples so he would not have to go through his pain alone (Mk 14:32-38).

Influence of Family of Origin

I grew up in a predominately rural area. As a youth, I heard my father of Germanic descent say such things as, “Don’t cry. It doesn’t hurt that much. You’ll get over it. Just tough it out.” When my younger brother drowned, few tears were shed and not much was spoken about this significant loss in my family because we were taught to be strong and hide our pain. The consequence of this was living among parents and siblings whose concealed grief affected our relationships for years. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

The good news is that we can grow through and beyond past experiences and attitudes that hinder self-compassion. Through my volunteer work with hospice, I observed how strong, autonomous people allowed themselves to be receptive to those offering care and comfort in their dying process. This awareness helped me to shed many of the old attitudes that kept me from being kind to myself. I’ve found this ability to outgrow messages from one’s family of origin to be true for others, as well. A participant at a Boundless Compassion conference sent me a message shortly after arriving home. She told me of her gratitude for learning about self-compassion. Then she told me why. After her phone fell into the toilet that morning, she was able “to not listen to my old mother-messages about being irresponsible.” This simple but deliberate turn toward self-compassion prevented her from an extended time of haranguing and berating herself for that accidental mishap.

Society’s Expectations

“Go as fast as you can. Do as much as possible in the shortest amount of time.” How many of us in our Western culture struggle with the reality of being regularly stressed and overwhelmed, unable to complete what is required or planned for each day? We expect a lot of ourselves and do not give our body, mind, and spirit the attention each deserves.

Even if we feel physically miserable, we drag ourselves to work. We push on to attend a social gathering when going for a swim or taking time for some quiet reflection would restore our depleted energy. If we feel deep sadness, we shove it aside, saying, “I shouldn’t hurt this much,” or “I ought to be over this by now,” or “I don’t have time for this.” We omit prayer and meditation in order to hurry on to what presses us forward. When we are physically ill, we do not say to our hurting self, “I’m sorry you’re feeling this way. I’ll take good care of you.” Mostly we just suffer through things like a bad case of the flu or a nasty cold. We would be much better parents, friends, spouses, and colleagues if we took to heart the words of Brené Brown in her book, The Gifts of Imperfection: “Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, ‘No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough.’ It’s going to bed at night thinking, ‘Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.’”

An Inability to Receive Graciously

Whether we have grown into our independent spirit from family upbringing or from our American culture, this gift can also be our downfall when it

comes to being self-compassionate. I recall visiting a friend who extended her time and energy generously to others. She could always be counted on to be there when they were ill or in need of some form of help. Then she became seriously ill, unable to do much for herself. At first, this independent and formerly strong woman resisted offers of assistance, feeling she ought not receive from others because they were “so busy.” Underneath this resistance was the true reason for her hesitation: she had been in control of her life when she helped others, and now it was difficult for her to be the one who was in need. Gradually, she came to realize that life involves both giving and receiving. As she became receptive to others helping her, she relaxed and healed much more quickly than if she had pushed on in an effort to mend by herself. Each of us is capable of changing. Each of us is worthy of self-compassion. “By changing the way we relate to ourselves and our lives, we can find the emotional stability needed to be truly happy,” writes Kristen Neff, a pioneer in the study of self-compassion. The more this approach becomes central to our life, the easier it will be to find a balance between caring for others and caring for self. As we develop this beneficial rhythm, peace and joy will flow from us into the lives of others. Each gesture of self-compassion will benefit our personal well-being and contribute to the well-being of our world. A

Joyce Rupp is well known as a “spiritual midwife,” international retreat leader, and conference speaker. She is a member of the Servants of Mary community, author of numerous best-selling books, and codirector of the Institute of Compassionate Presence. You can visit her online at joycerupp.com.

Click here for resources on ways to be more self-compassionate.

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In order to be able to care for others, we first must take care of ourselves. Sometimes that means taking a break to exercise and replenish our energy. Fr anciscanMedia.org

February 2014 ❘ 19

LIVE WELL

❘ BY COLLEEN MONTGOMERY AND JIM BRENNAN

Eat Nutritionally

—3 Jn 1:2

2 0 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.”

hen Colleen began her college search, she said, “I don’t know what I want to be, Dad, but I know it will have something to do with physical fitness.” She must have had a crystal ball hidden in her bedroom closet, because today, as a clinical exercise physiologist, she explains to me the science behind all the marathons that I run. But neither of us ever dreamed we would one day collaborate on a holistic living series. Beginning with “Eat Nutritionally,” each column in our series will focus on one aspect of improving the whole self: mind, body, and spirit. The Franciscan spirit is about being present to God and everything around us—including our own bodies.

Stick to the Fundamentals You have to eat to live. It’s just that simple. Food plays an important role in our lives— sustenance, family get-togethers, and celebrations—but when it comes down to it, your body needs vitamins and minerals to function and stay healthy. Eat a variety of foods and focus on nutrientdense foods, those that offer a range and adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. Sweet potatoes, for instance, are great sources of vitamin A, but not of vitamin D. However, oily fish is a great source of vitamin D, but does not offer much in the way of vitamin A. Natural foods are wholesome and possess vibrant color and an array of beautiful and exciting hues, shapes, textures, and flavors. Spinach, blueberries, and strawberries, for example, are a good barometer of robustness. Natural foods give maximum bang for their nutritional buck. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

Click the button on the left for an interview with Jim Brennan.

Sensible Eating Natural Eat foods in their natural state, meaning all ingredients are created in nature—just as God intended.

Organic Avoid pesticides and herbicides used in growing foods, and antibiotics and hormones used in raising livestock for meat and dairy.

Deliberate Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are full. Eat purposefully and enjoy a variety of flavors and textures.

Source and Preparation Cook your own food.

Preparing and cooking natural foods retains nutrients. The more processed the foods, the more nutrients they lose. Even chopped produce can be less nutritious than foods in their whole form.

Eat locally grown food. Grow your own food or visit a local farmers’ market. Supporting local farmers reduces secondary pollution from production and distribution, and cuts down on farm-to-table time. Food loses its nutritional value over time due to a process called oxidation. Eat food as close as possible to the time it is harvested.

How to Get Started Make gradual, realistic changes. Add chopped veggies to an omelet in the morning or to your favorite sandwich. Throw some berries into your cereal or yogurt.

5 Ways to Increase Your Fruit and Veggie Intake

1 2 3 4 5

Blend together a shake of your favorite fruits with yogurt and ice.

Sprinkle chopped veggies with oil and spices, then roast in the oven. Add a small side salad to your dinner each night. Freeze grapes or raspberries for a refreshing treat. Snack on a banana with some organic peanut or almond butter.

Try new things.

Substitute. Swap ground beef with a grass-fed, natural option. Fr ancisca n Media .org

Be adventurous! Pick out a food you’ve never tried when grocery shopping.

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 2 1

‘Where There is Despair,

’ Hope The Ignatian Spirituality Project helps homeless people connect with God to reinvent their lives. BY JERRI DONOHUE

The Ignatian Spirituality Project

The intersection of Wayne Richard and a retreat program originally introduced in the 1500s by St. Ignatius of Loyola was no chance intervention. It was, instead, a pairing created in 1998 by Father Bill Creed, SJ, in modifying the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius to match the spiritual needs of today’s homeless. Through prayer and reflection on the Gospel, the exercises stress surrender to God’s unconditional love and guidance in daily life. Father Creed capitalized on the Ignatian model and tailored it to Chicago’s homeless. Working with Ed Shurna, director of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, he began retreats for the city’s marginalized citizens. His provincial dubbed the initiative the “Ignatian Spirituality Project,” and it quickly became known as ISP. Father Bill’s background dovetailed perfectly with the endeavor. Since ordination in 1971, Fr anciscanMedia.org

he had devoted years facilitating retreats and training spiritual directors. He founded the Spiritual Life Center of Northwest Indiana at the request of the bishop of Gary, and he helped launch two other retreat centers. Father Bill was working at one of those “start-ups” when an unpleasant encounter with a home-

PHOTO COURTESY OF ISP

EARS OF DRUG ADDICTION had defeated Wayne Richard. Unemployed and homeless, he felt beaten by the loneliness and physical misery of living on the streets. His future looked hopeless. So hopeless, in fact, that one day in 1999, while seated beneath a highway bridge in Chicago, Richard put a pistol barrel in his mouth, intending to end that misery. Just then, although he was completely alone, he heard a voice. “Get up,” it ordered. “Leave here. There’s something else I want you to do.” Richard’s resolve to kill himself died that day. “Twenty seconds later, I just felt life was going to turn around,” Richard recalls. “I had no idea how that was going to happen, [but I felt] that I would have peace, that I would have a place where I could be of use.” “I still didn’t have much of what makes a quality of life,” Richard acknowledges later. But he did have hope. Determined to improve his circumstances, Richard reported to a shelter. There he joined a 12-step program to fight his addiction. Within months, he discovered how to “be of use” when he met Father Bill Creed on a retreat for the homeless. Over the next 15 years, the two men would grow a retreat service for the homeless that would spread to 20 cities.

less man prodded him along his own spiritual path. The priest remembers that the unkempt visitor arrived unexpectedly. “His body odor kept me several feet away from him,” Father Bill confessed to his fellow Jesuits in a presentation in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2012. What’s more, “he demanded free housing, a free workshop, and a special diet.” Annoyed by the man’s smell, afraid and infuriated by his demands, Father Bill gave the stranger a meal and ushered him on his way. That act of unkindness later provoked a confrontation with a colleague and, in Father Bill, an examination of his attitude toward the homeless. He learned from the incident. “It was the event which began to lead me to listen inwardly to my own brokenness, my vulnerability, to what was below my anger and fear,” Father Bill observes in hindsight. He remembered the episode years later, when his provincial asked him to bring the Spiritual Exercises to the poorest of the poor.

(Above) Father Bill Creed, SJ, speaks to a spiritual companionship group at a men’s shelter in Chicago. (Opposite) The Ignatian Spirituality Project forms teams with men and women who are homeless, to conduct Ignatian retreats, offer witness, and provide spiritual companionship.

Designing the Retreat Because they recognized the frequent connection between homelessness and alcoholism or drug addiction, Father Bill and Ed Shurna February 2014 ❘ 23

designed a retreat that blended the first week of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises with the first few steps of AA’s 12-step program. Both approaches emphasize honesty—with oneself and others. To that end, the Spiritual Exercises encourage individuals to surrender to God to free themselves of “inordinate attachments,” whether addictions or personal failings—such as deceitfulness, self-righteousness or pride—that distance them from God and their neighbor. Twelve-step programs simi-

The Ignatian Volunteer Corps As the Chicago Women’s Retreat Coordinator, Jan O’Halloran devotes at least 16 hours a week to ISP. Her unpaid job illustrates an intersection of two Jesuit initiatives—the Ignatian Spirituality Project and the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC). The former teacher organizes ISP women’s retreats, monthly meetings for previous retreatants, and weekly spiritual reflection sessions at shelters. As an Ignatian Volunteer Corps participant, O’Halloran journals about her experiences working with the homeless, and meets each month with a “spiritual reflector” (a person trained in Ignatian spirituality) to discuss them. She joins other IVC members for monthly days of reflection, and she will attend an IVC retreat this spring. O’Halloran is one of 389 men and women expected to volunteer through IVC in 2013. Founded in 1995 by Father James Conroy, SJ, and the late Father Charles Costello, SJ, the program serves 22 dioceses, matching individuals’ skills and interests with the needs of organizations that help the poor. Volunteers aged 50 or older interview for positions that range from tutoring inner-city students to reducing utility bills of impoverished citizens. Each participant works two days a week for a 10-month period. “It is,” observes O’Halloran, “a beautiful melding of spirituality and volunteerism.”

Chicago Women’s Retreat Coordinator Jan O’Halloran volunteers at least 16 hours a week with the Ignatian Spirituality Project.

24 ❘ February 2014

larly require adherents to acknowledge that they can’t control their addictions by themselves. Both ISP and 12-step programs focus on the individual’s complete dependence on God, and the need to surrender to God’s will. So Father Bill used activities that invite retreatants to consider God’s presence in their lives, such as reflecting on Gospel passages, sharing their histories in an emotionally safe setting, and writing a personal letter to an equally personal God. From Saturday morning to Sunday afternoon, the priest removed the men from their distracting urban environment and immersed them in peaceful surroundings that encouraged them to connect with God through nature. Father Bill recruited other retreat facilitators, Jesuits and laymen with respectful, nonjudgmental attitudes toward homeless or addicted persons. He asked men in recovery to witness to God’s help in their lives. Finally, he reached out to prospective retreatants in shelters and transitional housing. Caseworkers in those facilities identified candidates for ISP who, though struggling to free themselves from their addiction, had been clean and sober for several weeks. Father Bill invited these men to give the program a chance.

Satisfying a Spiritual Hunger A veteran of hundreds of retreats, Father Bill found the first one he conducted for the homeless to be a new and astounding experience. “The honesty and vulnerability of these homeless men moved me like no other retreat,” he says. It was “different, deeper.” Father Bill shared his reaction with another member of the retreat team, a drug counselor who had himself been homeless. That colleague pointed out that it was precisely because the retreatants had lost their homes, jobs, and families that they’d turned to God, their last hope. “Their faith and trust . . . humbled me, evangelized me,” he realized. For them God was “palpably present.” Current ISP executive director Tom Drexler acknowledges the “spiritual hunger” described by AA founder Bill Wilson as a prerequisite for recovery. “That hunger needs to be satiated if one is going to lead a healthy, sober life,” says Drexler. “The men and women who come on our retreats” have “that drive.” That’s why he believes retreatants of all faiths respond so positively to the Spiritual Exercises. Rekindling their spirituality ultimately helps the homeless improve their material lives too, St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

according to Drexler. The ISP, he points out, wants people “to leave the shelters. We want them to get on with their lives.”

Formerly Homeless Offer Hope

Fr anciscanMedia.org

Tom Drexler, executive director of the Ignatian Spirituality Project, speaks at the organization’s national gathering.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ISP

From the outset, Father Bill realized how the inspiring stories of others in recovery offered retreatants hope. “Every retreat has a former retreatant working . . . a tangible witness, a tangible sign of hope . . . who [says], ‘If I can do it, you can do it,’” Tom Drexler explains—people like Wayne Richard. Father Bill first met Wayne Richard, who had moved from a shelter to transitional housing, at an early ISP retreat. The two became better acquainted when the priest drove Richard back to a halfway house at the end of the weekend. A couple of months later, Father Bill returned to Richard’s halfway house to invite other residents to the next retreat. Richard asked to attend again. The priest agreed but asked in return if Richard would be willing to help out. A strong, physically imposing man, Richard mistakenly expected he’d be moving furniture. He laughs at that assumption today, because Father Bill had other plans. “He asked me, ‘Would you share some of your experience, some of the things that made you want a closer walk with God?’” Richard thought of his interrupted suicide attempt that day beneath the bridge. “I went back . . . to that moment when I heard God’s voice . . . saying, ‘There is something more I want you to do,’ [and] I began to say, ‘Maybe this is the more I am supposed to do.’” During that and subsequent retreats, Richard shared his gripping spiritual call. He also shared other details from his life—that he’d never known his mother (she died when he was an infant), that his father was absent from his life, and that his maternal grandmother had raised him until her death when he was in the eighth grade. Three days after her death, his grandfather (divorced from his grandmother for years) had sent him packing. Rejected and abandoned, he turned to drugs soon after high school graduation. Eventually he married, divorced, found himself stuck in dead-end jobs—and an addict. He’d wandered far from his Catholic schooling, and far from God. By then Richard had decided “that God was present and all-powerful . . . for other people, not necessarily for [him].” In recovery, he discovered his mistake.

After his first ISP retreat, Richard’s life progressed in other ways. The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless hired him to work with the poor. He rented his own apartment, he helped train new ISP teams, and he encouraged the homeless men he met to attend the retreats. By that time, Richard concludes, “It was a calling.”

ISP Expands At first, ISP conducted retreats only in the Chicago area, but its success fueled expansion. “I was . . . running things out of my hip pocket,” Father Bill says of the early years. “And then we got a large grant to form a national organization.” That windfall came in 2005. As he continued to launch project teams across the country, Father Bill began a search for an executive director suffiClick here for more on the ciently skilled to oversee the Ignatian Spirituality Project. growing network. He found Tom Drexler. Father Bill now serves as chairman of its board of directors. ISP has spread to 20 cities, including Boston, Milwaukee, Washington, DC, and Atlanta. It has also added retreats for homeless women. Father Bill vividly recalls the first ISP retreat in California because it illustrates the varied backgrounds of the homeless who benefit from

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ISP

Wayne Richard (left) greets a man making an ISP retreat. Richard, once unemployed and homeless, had felt hopeless until he met Father Bill Creed.

the project. It included three persons with graduate degrees (one PhD, two master’s degrees), two dropouts from elementary school, and one retreatant who, because he couldn’t read or write, dictated his letter to God to the Jesuit. No matter their diverse personal histories, however, the homeless in each ISP city share an appreciation of the Ignatian Spirituality Project. “People are grateful,” says Father Bill, “for this connection . . . to God.”

A Touching Testament to Success Wayne Richard knows that ISP transformed his life, and he recently received tangible proof of its impact on others. On the job for ISP in another Illinois city, the former retreatant and longtime team member was approached by a stranger who noticed Richard broke away from coworkers to speak with him. “You don’t remember me,” the man said, “but a couple of years ago I was on a retreat with you. And it changed my ANSWERS TO PETE AND REPEAT life,” Richard recalls. “I just wanted to thank you, said the 1. The oven light is on. man, and he shook my hand 2. There are knobs on the oven door. and he gave me a hug.” 3. The countertop is different. That encounter serves as a 4. A cookie is missing from the tray. touching, unforgettable affir5. The door handle on the oven is different. mation of the effect that the 6. Scruffy has joined Pete. Ignatian Spirituality Project has 7. The cabinet hinge is now a handle. had on so many since its incep8. The cooktop no longer has burners. tion by Father Bill Creed in 1998. It has changed the future 26 ❘ February 2014

by helping homeless people rediscover the divine and sobering hope to reinvent their lives. In 2011, “we touched over 1,000 lives,” says Drexler. “Since inception, we’ve touched well over 5,000 men and women.” Each city conducts two overnight retreats for women, two overnight retreats for men, and a follow-up day of reflection after every retreat. “We have over 250 volunteers facilitating the retreats in one way or another,” Drexler says. ISP is funded largely by donations from individuals, as well as small foundations and parishes in the cities it serves. Communities of religious women frequently provide retreat facilities at low cost or no charge. ISP recently completed a two-year study of retreatants in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, St. Louis, and Washington, DC. Retreat coordinators became certified to administer surveys, and ISP worked with Loyola University’s institutional control board to develop a sound protocol. After a pilot study, ISP conducted pre-retreat surveys of attendees, followed by post-retreat surveys six months and one year later. When compared to a control group, more former retreatants reported a decrease in loneliness, and fewer remained homeless a year after their retreat. A Jerri Donohue is a freelance writer from Brecksville, Ohio. He is a longtime and frequent contributor to the Catholic Universe Bulletin, the diocesan newspaper of the Diocese of Cleveland. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

AT HOME ON EARTH

❘ BY KYLE KRAMER

Freeze and Thaw

n southern Indiana, where I live and farm with my family, February is the month where we can generally count on daytime temperatures to climb above freezing but our nights still to be cold and frosty. These temperature swings are a lot like the crests and troughs of my spiritual life. Maybe they’re like yours, too? Sometimes, I feel as if my prayers are frozen, uninspired, distracted, and futile. Then things thaw, and I’m given a clear sense that, along with all of creation, I am tightly and wonderfully held in God’s gracious mercy and love. And then, this blessed insight fades away, and my prayers go cold and dark again. For much too long, I imagined that the spiritual journey was like climbing a ladder, progressing up and up to heaven. My own journey has never measured up to this image, though, and I’ve finally given it up as an unrealistic ideal and a harsh spiritual taskmaster. The more I’ve read about the Church’s spiritual traditions, the more I’ve

come to realize that the cycles of desert and oasis, of freeze and thaw, are a much more common experience of spiritual seekers. I’m beginning to learn not just to tolerate the seesaw of inspiration, but also to trust that it may actually serve some important purpose in becoming spiritually mature. I’m learning this not only from a good spiritual director, but also from our farm itself. In what appears to be the dead of winter, two imporNatural Rhythm tant things happen on our farm in February, beyond our Hibernate. Listen to your salivating over garden seed body’s circadian rhythms. catalogs. February is when I Let yourself get more sleep “frost seed,” broadcasting in the shorter days of winter. clover and other seed into our hayfields. The constant Eat local. When the time cycle of freezing and thawing comes, enjoy foods that are works the seed into the soil in season in your region. as if by magic—no plows, harrows, seed drills, or other Look up! Learn about the equipment is required. Februlunar cycles. Notice how ary is also the time for us to they affect your mood or try, one of these years, to tap energy level. our maple trees; the swing of temperature gets the sap moving. These February phenomena point to all of the wonderful things that nature does for us, but they also reveal an important spiritual truth. In the roller coaster that is the spiritual journey, we may sow seeds of contemplation and seek out the sweetness of spiritual consolation, but finally, it’s God who does the real work. God’s grace, working in nature and in our own hearts, makes the seeds grow and the sap flow. A

Kyle Kramer, an organic farmer, is author of A Time to Plant: Life Lessons in Work, Prayer, and Dirt (Sorin Books).

Sometimes our prayers can feel frozen, unispired, distracted, and futile before they begin to thaw. Fr ancisca n Media .org

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Click here for more ways to connect with nature. Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 2 7

Mary Fishman

ER DREAM was to become a feature filmmaker, but that seemed out of reach when she was a teenager in Illinois. “That was something that I’d had in my head since high school, but it just didn’t seem possible,” Mary Fishman tells St. Anthony Messenger in her Chicago home last September. “But I hadn’t thought about documentary filmmaking.” The 54-year-old’s dream came to life in September 2012 when her 88-minute documentary, Band of Sisters, premiered at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. It’s been shown around the country since then, and is being released on DVD this month. Here’s the essence of the film: Fishman tells the story of Catholic sisters in the United States of today—not as stern, older women in habits, but as beautiful, compassionate women with a sense of humor who are still doing good and contributing to society, especially in areas of social justice. “It’s such an exciting and important story in terms of American history, women’s history, and the history of Catholicism. I wanted to get it while the people who lived through it are still vital and still able to tell it firsthand.” True, Fishman was educated by sisters at St. Walter Parish School and at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, but it took her career in architecture and her mother’s declining health before she was ready to hear the idea of making a film about sisters. It became an eightyear odyssey that not only made her dream of

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filmmaking come true, but also rebuilt her faith along the way. Fishman, who earned undergraduate degrees in architecture and French from the University of Notre Dame, worked as an architect in Chicago for a year after graduation. Then she worked for several firms in California, where she earned a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles, followed by a two-year stint in France working periodically as an architect. But homesickness and the country’s bad economy pushed the second youngest of seven children back home to Chicago where she volunteered at a historic preservation nonprofit. Once a position opened in the city’s planning department, Fishman got a job in historic preservation and then in zoning. She spent eight years shaping the city of Chicago, but her passion was still in filmmaking. Fishman’s mother, Rita, whose health was waning, gave her the push she needed. Fishman gave up her career to care for Rita, who suffered complications from radiation she received for colon cancer in 1993. Fishman says she was angry at God and that her faith was tested as she watched her mother suffer. She died in 2008. It was through her spiritual director (a Sister of Mercy) that Fishman began to grow her faith in light of her mother’s suffering and death. “I think that’s helped me really to become more of an adult in my faith,” she says. She lost a preoccupation with rules. “It really St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

PHOTO BY KAREN CALLAWAY

and Her

This first-time filmmaker took her love and admiration for Catholic sisters and turned it into a documentary that changed her faith and her life. BY TRACY RUSCH

Behind the Scenes Band of Sisters is a documentary about how Catholic sisters embraced Vatican II’s challenge for religious communities to rediscover their founders’ charism and to reengage in the world. For many, that meant entering the struggle for social justice. In the film, producer Mary Fishman tells the stories of sisters who have devoted their lives to working with the poor, challenging injustice, and rediscovering the greatness of God’s creation. Sisters of Mercy Pat Murphy and JoAnn Persch, for example, worked to get a bill passed through the Illinois legislature to allow pastoral care for immigrant detainees. Halfway across the country, is Genesis Farm in New Jersey, cofounded by Dominican Sister Miriam Therese MacGillis in 1980. It is a model for 50 ecological farms, earth learning, and retreat centers founded by women’s congregations in the United States and Canada. The film shows sisters across the board, witnessing to their faith not only as organic farmers as justice advocates, but also as environmental attorneys, peace activists, holistic healthcare practitioners, and podcasters. “In the face of obstacles and threats cast by government agencies, the military, and the hierarchy of their own Church,” it reads on Fishman’s website, “the forward-thinking US nuns are on a mission of love, and it appears that nothing can stop them.” Go to bandofsistersmovie.com for upcoming screenings, trailers, and more about the DVD.

is more about how I find God in the everyday and in other people. That’s an ongoing thing, of course, but I just feel more enriched. It’s kind of like a well that I keep tapping into and I feel connected to the Church in that way,” says Fishman. To care for her mother, she had quit her job. “I started taking night classes at Columbia College and also at Chicago Filmmakers,” she recalls. And there she saw her opportunity. She had been grooming herself all along, through a film-studies course at Notre Dame and watching and analyzing movies. But did she, an architect, dare to make her own film? When Fishman’s older sister, Patty, suggested she make a film about the history of Catholic nuns in the United States, this architect dared to try. Her perception of Catholic sisters as older women who taught her in school was about to change. “Patty gave me this book called Aging with Grace,” about the famous Alzheimer’s study with the School Sisters of Notre Dame. “It was a really good book that made the sisters come alive as people for me,” Fishman says. David Snowdon’s book showed the sisters living lives outside of school, with stories and accomplishments that amazed Fishman. “I saw that they had senses of humor. I saw how compassionate and really beautiful women they were and how they were still trying to do good,” Fishman says. “Even when they got really old, they still wanted to contribute.” Little did Fishman know that her documentary filmmaking journey also would be a journey of faith.

PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN MOLIDOR, RSM

Catholic Roots

Band of Sisters filmmaker Mary Fishman (left) enjoys an on-set laugh with JoAnn Persch, RSM, and Pat Murphy, RSM.

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Although she was raised in a Catholic home by her Irish Catholic mother and Russian Jewish father, Fishman drifted away from the Church as a young adult. “My faith is really different now than what it was taught in grammar school,” Fishman says, admitting that her Catholic roots are too deep and ingrained to say she’s anything but Catholic. “I feel connected, especially with the Irish background. I see a Church that stands for poor people—stands up for people who are oppressed.” But some of the rules she learned didn’t make sense. Fishman became disillusioned by the inequality of women in the Church and its teachings on homosexuality. At the same time, St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

“That’s probably why I ended up filming a lot of it myself. It was so convenient and I figured, well, if it doesn’t turn out, at least I can try again,” Fishman explains. A friend also told her about new projects done by his aunt’s order—Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary—in Monroe, Michigan: a green renovation of the motherhouse that made it sustainable. “I thought, Well, that would be a nice place for me to start.” Fishman mentioned to a Monroe IHM that she had narrowed the film’s focus down to social justice. After that, the floodgates opened. She was introduced to Sister Nancy Sylvester, IHM, who became a principal focus of the documentary.

PHOTO BY BILL GLADER

she saw compassion override rules when her father died of a massive heart attack at a Catholic hospital. Fishman was a 22-year-old college student then. She’ll be forever grateful to the chaplain who told the family to tell their pastor that their father was baptized so he could be buried in the Church. Their pastor may not have allowed it if they hadn’t, recalls Fishman. Instead, they had a church full of their father’s and mother’s friends and relatives. “It’s really compassion that’s important,” Fishman says. But it wasn’t until she returned to Chicago that she got involved in the local churches, including her home parish, St. Walter. It began with a reunion in 2005—she was working on the film at the same time. It was then that her faith began to evolve. “I started to come back into the parish life. And I started getting in touch with nuns. Here was a place in the Church that was inclusive and where I felt it was welcoming of women, of their talent and their ability, and of gay and lesbian people,” Fishman says. “It was allowing you to have questions and to talk about things and not expect to have answers. That, to me, was liberating.” She started to research and expand her Catholic understanding. She was especially influenced by reading the works of theologians Sister Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Loretto Sister Elaine Prevallet, Passionist Thomas Berry, Trappist Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and sisters who later became a part of the film (see box on p. 30). “That’s the kind of faith that excites me— where you’re thinking about deep questions and you’re entering into a deeper relationship with God, but also with other people. You’re able to find God in the everyday life and in your encounters with people, but I’m sure my Catholic upbringing gave me the roots,” she says.

Sylvester gathered, by conference call, a focus group including Adrian Dominican Sister Carol Coston, Notre Dame de Namur Sister Mary Daniel Turner, and Amityville Dominican Sister Margaret Galiardi. “They talked about what was important in this overall progression of sisters over the last 50 years: who were the key people, the key events.” Fishman learned something that she would carry with her long after the film was complete: how important contemplation is in a life of activism.

One of the principal subjects of Mary Fishman’s documentary is Sister Nancy Sylvester, IHM, who was once the president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

Practical Steps In her parish, Fishman helped found St. Walter’s Peace and Justice Committee with her sister, Patty, their mother, the pastor, and Sisters of Mercy Pat Murphy and JoAnn Persch, known for their human-rights efforts for immigrant detainees and deportees. The budding filmmaker smelled a story. “Pat and JoAnn had this great story! It was right at the beginning of their journey with immigrant detainees and so that was perfect.” They were willing and close by. Fr anciscanMedia.org

Labor of Love As part of her research, Fishman also attended gatherings of Call To Action, known for advocating changes in much of the way the Church operates. That’s how she met Sister of St. Agnes Madeline Gianforte, cofounder of CORE/El Centro, a natural healing center for low-income persons—many of whom are immigrants—in Milwaukee. “I was at the exhibition booth and I saw materials about the place. I thought, That’s February 2014 ❘ 31

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really something. It’s showing how sisters are still doing health care, but they’re doing it in a new way,” she says. It was those kinds of encounters that opened a pathway to Fishman’s passion. “[The film] gave me the opportunity to meet with some of the most interesting women with unbelievable life experiences, talent, and education in theology, sociology, and psychology,” says Click here to learn more Fishman. “Seeing how they live about the film Band of Sisters out their faith—those are all and for additional resources real, spiritual experiences. I’m on women religious. still absorbing those, too.” Fishman initially thought of editing the film on her own, but soon realized she needed someone with experience. “I decided I really wanted someone to collaborate with, somebody to talk to about the film, somebody who would know it as well as I did or better,” she says. “And so I figured it would cost a lot of money, so I’m going to have to fund-raise even more. But I thought it would be worth it to have a really good editor and make it the best possible film it could be.”

of the film, from the women religious who starred in it to researchers, the composer, sound mixers, fund-raisers, camera people, and her creative and tech adviser, David E. Simpson. After 10 months, from screening the footage to finishing, most of the ideas in Fishman’s original cut ended up in the film. “Her vision was right there from the beginning. All I did was expand upon what she did and tried to find a story arc,” Colish wrote to St. Anthony Messenger. She also noted that, typical for these projects, they encountered challenges, had discussions, and needed to collect extra footage and restructure the film until the very end. “The most challenging part,” Colish continues, “was weaving the history with present-day footage, trying to make connections with the work the sisters are doing today with what they did in the past.” They wrapped up the film in early April 2012, just before the Vatican issued a critical report of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Then screenings of the film began, in over 60 cities in the past year and a half, most recently at the Cinema Village in New York City. Fishman values these public screenings as a way to unite diverse people in a shared experience, and to celebrate sisters in the United States. Besides movie theaters, the film has been shown in art museums, at film festivals, Catholic universities, parishes, convents, and retreat centers all across the country.

PHOTO BY PAT FISHMAN

A Surprise Within

During the filming of Band of Sisters, Mary Fishman sought the help and expertise of film editor Bernadine Colish (right), who was intrigued by the film’s concept and won over by Fishman’s passion for it.

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She had taken note of Bernadine Colish from a documentary on PBS. Fishman decided to call her. Fishman and Colish, a film editor since the early ’90s, held an informal meeting at the “Women & Spirit” exhibit at Ellis Island, New York, in January 2011. Fishman sent Colish everything: her film, film clips, and stills that she had collected from archives around the country. Colish was intrigued with Fishman’s idea for the film. That June, she became one of the more than 100 people involved in the making

Fishman made the film hoping it would meet people along the way in their own faith journeys. She couldn’t have predicted it would have such an effect on her own. She became a Mercy Associate, making a commitment to the Sisters of Mercy through a formal covenant to extend their mission through her independent lifestyle. Band of Sisters, it seems, is Fishman’s way of thanking the sisters for their contributions— past, present, and future—to the world. Ultimately, she hopes the film will keep their story alive. “The whole point is that it’s all about what the sisters have done. What would the world be like without them?” Fishman asks. “They seem to be visionary. They can lead us to something better.” A Tracy Rusch is a staff reporter for The Catholic Herald, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

EDITORIAL

‘Mercy Freely Given’ The pope’s apostolic exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, radiates hope and challenge. How would you complete the sentence “The Church must . . .”? In this apostolic exhortation, Pope Francis completes it this way: “The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven, encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel” (114). That certainly sets the bar high, but no higher than Jesus set it. God wants us to live in the freedom in which we were created— not the false freedom that sin always promises. The pope’s apostolic exhortation responds to the 2012 Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization. Pope Francis very candidly describes the Church’s achievements and how it can obstruct Christ’s good news—its only reason to exist.

A Mixed Record Because this editorial cannot do justice to the full text (available at vatican.va), I will highlight his remarks about the Church’s strengths and weaknesses. He begins: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew” (1). The lives of some Christians, he observes, seem like “Lent without Easter.” We can act as if we could be happy only if 1,000 conditions were met. ”An evangelizer,” he writes, “must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!” Pope Francis clearly has a talent for using punchy, easily understood examples. This text contains many very effective ones.

We All Have a Stake He states that it is not advisable for him to take the place of local bishops in the discernment of every issue which they face. Fr ancisca n Media .org

Many Catholics will welcome his call for a “sound decentralization” of the papal ministry. He also recognizes, “The papacy and the central structures of the universal Church also need to hear the call to pastoral conversion.” Pope Francis warns that preachers sometimes speak “more about law than about grace, more about the Church than about Christ, more about the pope than about God’s word.” After stating, “Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its facilitators,” he continues, “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.” Obstacles to the Church’s carrying out its mission include a globalization of indifference, a The Church is “first and new idolatry of money, a foremost a pilgrim people financial system that advancing on its pilgrim rules rather than serves, an inequality that journey toward God.” spawns violence, spiritual laziness, and a sterile pessimism that can make Catholics “sourpusses.” He also cautions against a “spiritual worldliness” that seeks not God’s glory, but human glory. We must welcome new relationships brought about by Christ. Lengthy training is not needed to go out and proclaim that love. “The Lord,” Pope Francis writes, “wants to make use of us as living, free, and creative beings who let his word enter their own hearts before then passing it on to others.” Reading and praying over The Joy of the Gospel may be our best preparation to do that, to live as Easter people in 2014. Wouldn’t all of us follow Jesus more closely if our statements “The Church must . . .” often become “As a follower of Jesus, I must . . .”? Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, once wrote: “Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” May our joy be rooted in God. —Pat McCloskey, OFM Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 3 3

PLANE

FAITH For one couple, a harrowing flight was a reminder to trust in God at all times. B Y D O N I TA G L I N S K I

SAT IN CHURCH one Sunday morning, listening to Father Dominic relay the story of Peter walking on water in the Sea of Galilee. “During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. . . . At once [Jesus] spoke to them, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Peter said to him in reply, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come’” (Mt 14:25, 27-29). Father Dominic took on the role of Peter and told the story in the first person, explaining that once he took his eyes off Jesus, he realized he was walking on water and started to panic. Although I had heard the story many times before, on this occasion my memory jogged to an alarming experience my husband and I had in October 2003. That autumn day my husband, Frank, and I flew in his Cessna 172 from Statesville, North Carolina, to Medina, Ohio. We recently had moved and were flying back to take care of some issues with our home that was still for sale. I had flown in that little plane on many occasions and always felt secure with Frank. He had been a Lifeline Pilot in Ohio for several years, volunteering his time to fly people in need of medical treatments to neighboring states. Many of those trips were in extremely dangerous weather conditions. Most of my flying experiences in Frank’s plane, however, were short trips for lunch or dinner—peaceful and uneventful outings. We were never in the air for more than two hours. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Frank; I’m just nervous about such a long flight. Besides,” I added, “we may not be able to see the ground.” Seeing the ground gave me a false sense of security. 34 ❘ February 2014

“Donita,” Frank reassured me, “I’ll try to stay under the clouds. Come on, you’ll be fine.” With trepidation, I agreed to make the trip. Frank was true to his word, but we were forced to fly through a few cirrus clouds during our three-and-a-halfhour trip to Ohio. Still, it was a pleasant flight.

Time to Head Home When we prepared to fly home two days later, the weather forecast called for rain. Clouds were unpleasant, but rain was a deal-breaker. Frank, however, gave his usual motivational St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

COMPOSITE PHOTOS: PLANE © ZORAN STOJKOVIC/PHOTOXPRESS; CLOUDS © TOMASZ WOJNAROWICZ/FOTOLIA

speech. It was the speech every member of our family had heard at least once. It was the speech he gave me when I was apprehensive about moving to Michigan because my daughter had just started her senior year of high school. It was the speech he felt compelled to give whenever someone was hesitant about doing something disquieting or worrisome. For Frank, life was a journey and every member of his family needed to be on board. He assured me that, because I already had flown through clouds, a little rain was nothing to worry about. Fr anciscanMedia.org

“It will be an adventure, Donita,” he said. “And besides, the trick-ortreaters will be upset if we aren’t home for Halloween.”

A Terrifying Journey By the time we got to southern Ohio, the adventure quickly had turned into a nightmare. Rain was hitting the plane window so hard I was afraid it would crack. The sky was one black storm cloud after another, and seeing even a few feet was impossible—midnight without a moon. The two-hour flight to Beckley, West Virginia, had taken three hours, due to

a heavy headwind and because airtraffic control diverted us around thunderstorms. One tank of gas usually got us all the way home, but because of the added flight time, we had to refuel in Beckley. My stomach felt the way it had when I was a child at Cedar Point after getting off the Witches’ Wheel, so Frank bought me some crackers and ginger ale. I remember sitting on a curb, nibbling crackers, wishing I didn’t have to get back in the plane. Frank and I talked about staying in Beckley that night and flying over the mountains the next day. Unfortunately, we were told there was no way to get February 2014 ❘ 35

to town. Our fate was sealed. After getting a weather briefing, Frank told me more stormy weather was moving in, and if we left right away we could miss the worst part of the storm. Surely, the weather couldn’t be any worse than what we already had experienced, so we decided to keep going—a decision we would later regret. We were in the air less than 15 minutes when a blustery storm hammered our plane. Rain and sleet slammed the windshield. The sky was black. The stall horn started to go off, and as I looked over at the horizon gauge, I asked Frank, “Why does that instrument show all sky?” “I have to keep the nose of the plane pointed upward to keep from losing altitude,” he said. We were in a severe downdraft. Frank alerted Atlanta Center that he was experiencing brutal turbulence and asked for a deviation from his flight plan. They told him to head east because that was the quickest way out of the storm. In an effort to maintain air speed, Frank put the nose down, but the plane overreacted. As I looked again at the

horizon gauge, it now showed all ground. Even with my novice airplane experience, I knew we were in trouble. If Frank kept the nose up, he would lose power; if he kept the nose down, he would lose altitude even faster. Due to wind shear, the plane was being tossed around like a balloon. I was feeling nauseated. The plane started to lose altitude at an unbelievably fast pace. I could hear Atlanta Center telling Frank to maintain altitude. He was at 6,500 feet and was supposed to be at 8,000. We were descending at a rapid rate no matter where Frank positioned the plane. We were pushed down to 5,500 feet, and Atlanta Center asked Frank to “ident,” or push a button on the transponder, if he could hear them. Air-traffic control no longer could hear Frank or see our plane on their screen. Soon we were at 5,000 feet. Atlanta Center again gave Frank instructions to head east to avoid the storm, but as hard as Frank tried to force the plane to respond, it wouldn’t. From experience, Frank knew the highest mountains in this area were at 4,700 feet

and we were now at 4,500. Frank couldn’t hold altitude or direction, so the plane was in danger of crashing into the side of a mountain. Atlanta Center asked Frank if we had made ground contact because they couldn’t see us on their radar screen. (We didn’t realize until later that they were asking if we had crashed.) The little Cessna was like a soap bubble in an airstream. Yet for as much as the plane was hurled around, and the instruments told me we were heading up and down and probably upside down, my brain never registered those experiences. The plane was forced down through the clouds, nose-first. Finally, we could see outside again, but it was a terrifying sight—the grass beneath us was only 500 feet away. Frank knew that if he continued to fly under the clouds, he eventually would hit a mountainside. He got up air speed and ascended back into the clouds, but after being flipped and hurled for several minutes, we were forced down below the clouds again. Frank refused to give in to the storm and forced the plane back up.

Let Go and Just Trust

When Peter saw how fierce the wind was “he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out,

‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him,

‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” —Mt 14:30-31

ΙΣΧΣΝΙΚΑ-888/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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Just as we had been forced downward by the center of the storm cloud, we were now being propelled upward at an unbelievable speed. Atlanta Center could hear us again, and they asked Frank if he could maintain altitude. This had to be a harrowing experience for Frank because he likes to be in control. It wasn’t until years later that he told me he sensed he was compromising the structural integrity of the plane by constraining it. He put his faith and trust in God and released his grip. Throughout the event, which lasted about 25 minutes, I did what I always do when I feel anxious: I prayed. My conversations with God have always given me a sense of peace. I didn’t feel panic or even concern. I was in God’s hands. I think my sense of calm kept Frank calm. He flew the plane with fortitude. Finally, Frank was able to level off at 8,000 feet, and I remember looking at the gauge again. I saw the altitude go St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

up, up, up to 9,000 feet, then 10,000 feet. Without warning, we were hurled out of the squall. The sky was cerulean. The sun was glowing. The scene was magnificent—like nothing I had ever seen or experienced. I looked over at Frank just as he looked at me. Neither of us said a word for quite a while. At least 15 minutes passed before I asked him, “Do you remember the movie Beetlejuice?” “Yes,” he replied. “Do you think we’re dead and we don’t know it?” “Well,” he answered in his usual lighthearted manner, “if people talk to us at the Statesville airport, we’ll know we’re alive.” Thank goodness, they did.

Faith in God On our drive home from the airport, I asked Frank if he had thought we were going to crash. He didn’t answer at first. Then he looked over at me and in a somber tone answered, “I didn’t think there was any way to get out of it.” Then he added nonchalantly, “But I just knew the kids would be really mad at me if I crashed and left them orphans.” When Frank took his plane in for its annual inspection a month after our escapade, he learned that the weld that held a cross-member in the fuselage was broken and the cross-member was lying on the rudder cables. If he hadn’t stopped struggling with the plane and the storm, its structure would have been compromised and the plane would have split in half. The traumatic experience that autumn day strengthened our faith in God, as well as our devotion to each other. I, for one, will never hear the story of windswept Peter, out on the water, the same way: when Peter saw how fierce the wind was “he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (Mt 14:3031). A Donita Glinski is a writer from Mooresville, North Carolina. She also has written original plays. Fr anciscanMedia.org

POETRY

On Turning 75

Ingenious Love

Every autumn in its life, the cracked-bark birch stands in sadness while red-gold leaves circle its cooling naked trunk.

God’s ingenious Love . . . Eternity in our hearts: The best Valentine!

When winter winds arrive, empty birch branches wave in envy at ageless pines, still full of spring and summer green. So many years have helped form the few future winters of its life, and this birch stands cooling in near nakedness, waiting for the last of leaves to leave. So, waiting now (still hopeful of living yet another winter), the birch waves goodbye to all the sap-filled, full-of-life pines.

—Jeanette Martino Land

Snow Is Snow is from the fields of heaven, white silk to cover the dying, brown earth, winter left alone with me. Snow is silent music in my yard until sparrows come to wash their wings in it.

—Marion Schoeberlein

—George E. Shultz

Snow

Sun Showers

Snow robs us of another day, but its frozen grip has loosened. “You have us today,” our hearts seem to say, “but you cannot have tomorrow.”

Sun showers warm the earth, Coaxing winter seedlings To peek open And let the rays Bathe their hardened coats, Stirring life into the soil.

—Ryan Cory —Eileen M. Sullivan

So that his work might continue... Please remember

FRANCISCAN MEDIA in your estate plans

Our legal title is: Franciscan Media LLC 28 W. Liberty Street ■ Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498 For more information, call: 1-800-488-0488 February 2014 ❘ 37

Nine tips to help children grow into faith-filled adults

38 ❘ February 2014

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

Raising

i s d K with

FAITH B UILDING HEALTHY and faithfilled relationships requires intention and effort. If we want our children to enjoy friendship with Jesus, we need to invest our time, energy, wishes, hopes, and dreams in this effort. Raising children to have faith happens through relationships—within the family, with God, and with the faith community. Here are some keys to grow healthy and holy family relationships.

Use Your Imagination

Our imaginations are sometimes shackled by routines. For example, our kisses and hugs become mechanical as we send family members out the door. Imagination wants to break free of shackles, yet that doesn’t get the chores done! Preserving space for the gift of imagination is like keeping an empty chair at the table for an unexpected guest. Imagination nurtures possibilities. By believFr anciscanMedia.org

BY TOM RINKOSKI

ing in “six impossible things before breakfast,” as the Red Queen in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass insists, we begin to embrace our awesome God with whole hearts, souls, and minds. Develop imagination through storytelling, nature walks, and applauding questions and curiosity. Foster imagination by encouraging family members to share their wishes, hopes, and dreams on a regular basis. Imagination opens children’s minds and hearts to a God who might whisper as well as shout, be a lamb as well as a lion, and enter their world as a baby. Let their imaginations lead you. Then help them make the faith connections.

Rethink Holiness

Dorothy Day spoke of practicing the presence of God wherever two or three are gathered. God is with us, she said, “in our kitchens, at our tables with our visitors, and on our farms.” February 2014 ❘ 39

Holiness can often be demonstrated through everyday interactions such as spending time together as a family. Relationships, such as those with family, God, and the faith community, play a big part in helping kids develop a strong faith life.

Too often we freeze holiness onto holy cards, painting it with chilly colors and stiff words. Holiness grows bit by bit, flowering incrementally like our daughters and sons, reaching into our real and messy lives. Holiness can shine through our everyday interactions. Can we see and respond to God’s presence in store clerks, teachers, and beggars on the street? Can we hear God’s voice in the people who answer phones? Remember, Jesus walks with the feet of soldiers and reaches out with the hands of the homeless. In family life, opportunities to practice virtue and die to self abound in the pains of growing up—fears in the night, being dumped by friends, or losing a job. Holiness isn’t a video game in which we save the day; instead it’s about doing dishes, studying for a test, and fighting and reconciling on the playgrounds of life. Our task is to help each other be fully alive so as to make God’s presence unmistakable. St. Paul says we’re all called to be saints. We need to get over our fear of the title.

Take Back Your Time

School, work, laundry, and those exercises we swore to do squeeze our schedules. Our time doesn’t seem our own. It’s difficult to fit it all in, much less act intentionally.

40 ❘ February 2014

Name some imaginative and fun rituals that stop time for you. These can take as little as five minutes and be as simple as a blessing at bedtime, a glass of wine once the kids are in bed, or a weekly walk in a park. Rituals create meaningful boundaries in our lives. They make it easier to live in the present instead of always reminiscing about the past or longing for a changed future. Family rituals aren’t the same as religious ceremonies. Family rituals change as children grow up. Letting go of the treasured traditions of childhood as the kids outgrow them may bring sadness, but we must trust that something new can develop that will capture the imagination. Be open to the possibilities.

Play and Laugh

Too many folks think of holinessbuilding as dull and boring, so they rope it off as “church” time. Some parishes reinforce this notion by insisting that worship must be serious and solemn in order to be “holy.” This pushes holiness into a dark corner and dampens the natural inquisitiveness of children. I’m grateful for small children who punctuate the Mass by making a “joyful noise unto the Lord!” Joy, after all, is a characteristic of holiness. Play and laughter are the most effective ways to keep relationships healthy and St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

Cultivate Diversity

There’s no single way to God! Jesus was inclusive of people and realities far afield from the usual boundaries of his time and place. The Bible is a storybook of who we were, guessing who we might become. It’s filled with a weird assortment of characters doing some fairly outlandish things. Building Christian community involves honoring the rich diversity of God’s family. Exploring other faiths, cultures, music, and traditions with nonjudgmental openness challenges our assumptions and prejudices and gives us an opportunity to focus on what’s special about our own faith and traditions. By cultivating a diverse worldview, we see that God is awesome and wonderful beyond all understanding and imagining.

Expand Your Vocabulary

Key Attitudes Be flexible Listen to new ideas. Become agile and adaptive. Go with the flow (where the Spirit leads).

Work together Enlist the children in their upbringing; plan, succeed, and fail as a group. Travel the journey of life together as a family—from the moment of conception to death.

Attend to the core Listen with new ears to your family story as retold by you and the kids. Take note of the core dreams and beliefs. Let these set your course—instead of allowing the small stuff to dictate your direction.

Celebrate life Take time to celebrate the things that go right, the people who bless your path, and the joys that enter your story. Focus more on what you do right than on your mistakes and errors.

Tithe your first energies to parenting Let parenting be your primary investment. Don’t relegate parenting to the in-between times when you’re not sleeping or before and after work.

If we want children to be able to talk about the part Jesus plays in their lives, we need to give them the words to use. This effort begins with, but reaches beyond, Bible stories. It’s broader than just learning the names of things at church. It’s an ability to pray, not just with memorized words, but also with open hearts and minds. Many families find mealtimes to be their best moments for practicing prayer. My wife and I listened to our children pray about lima beans (and their wished-for transformation), the pressures of school days, and the pangs of growing up. Even laments can be poetic prayers! Create your own collection of family psalms from the many emotions of life! A child can grow up pronouncing the names of God as a normal part of his or her daily life. Yet many parents find this more difficult to model than talking about sex with their kids. Remember, the language of prayer isn’t so much a matter of mastering a specialized vocabulary. In fact, we want to avoid that since it can limit our relationship with God. The language of prayer is how we use words, the attitude we bring.

resilient. Play refreshes and renews, makes us better at solving problems, increases our optimism, and opens our hearts and minds. Create a litany of thanksgiving from today’s smiles and everyday blessings.

Model Healthy Relationships

If we wish to nurture the growth of friendship with Jesus, our children need to see what healthy, successful, human relationFr anciscanMedia.org

February 2014 ❘ 41

ing, divide the appeals among family members, then “debate” which charity should receive your family’s funds (perhaps saved from a weekly soup night). Lead family members in approaching this task with a prayerful and discerning spirit.

CNS PHOTO/GERRY LEWIN, CATHOLIC SENTINEL

9 Attending Mass as a family is just one of many ways parents can help nurture their children’s faith lives.

ships look like. This doesn’t mean perfect relationships! However, it does mean showing our children our commitment to work at building and sustaining holy relationships. Practicing forgiveness at home with words and gestures is one way to show the power of healthy relationships. Children should also clearly see commitment in their parents’ relationship with each other, with friends, and with organizations and institutions. The Search Institute cites research that indicates every child needs at least three significant relationships with adults other than parents to grow up healthy in the world. Who are the key adults in your child’s life? What role do your child’s godparents play? How present are you to your own godchildren?

Tell and Listen to Stories

God created us as storytellers. Honor language, listening, and storytelling wherever it’s found—the park ranger, showand-tell at school, or library story time. Stories tell us about the important things in life in sometimes puzzling, often entertaining, ways. Once on a family drive, my dad pulled the car to a halt and drove backward to point out a sign that read “Oink Joint Road.” He bellowed that we had to learn the story behind that! Developing sacramental imagination begins at home. On the anniversary of each child’s Baptism, retell the story, occasionally calling in additional color and memories from godparents and others who were present. Share the Bible as a library of stories, introducing children to characters and plot twists long before opening the book. Purchase books without words so that the pictures invite storytelling. Foster early childhood interest in Scripture and its message for today. My wife’s annual family reunions encouraged the sharing of stories. Storytelling was a real way of catching up on relatives’ lives. Turn reading the Bible into another way of “catching up” on our spiritual family story.

It’s Time for You to Start

tal Digi as Extr

Serve Others

By his own example, Jesus made it clear that service must be part of every Christian’s life. Begin introducing this early in your children’s lives by turning family “chores” into “acts of service,” helping them see chores as serving the common good of the family. Service expands to Click her for more resources school, parish, and community on raising kids with faith. as children grow. Thanks to places like Catholic Worker houses, my wife and I introduced our children to people in need so they didn’t carry the fears I had growing up about “those” people. Service also includes caring for the earth by recycling and composting. Gather all those “give money” letters that clutter your mailbox and turn them into mission education. Call a semiannual family meet-

42 ❘ February 2014

No one can give you and your family a foolproof plan for building intimate relationships with Jesus and each other. Don’t get hung up on whether you know enough about your faith to share it. Begin with “Hello!” and take steps to enter into relationships of faith. It may feel awkward at first but will become more natural over time. Take a walk with Jesus and ask him a few questions. Surrender the potential outcomes and listen. Then see where it goes. A Excerpted from the August 2013 issue of Catholic Update, “How to Raise Kids with Faith.” Tom Rinkoski has served parishes and dioceses in religious education and marriage and family ministries. He currently teaches family caregivers. Tom has been married for 36 years and has three adult children and six grandchildren. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g

LIGHTEN UP

“I said, ‘Build me a nest.’ An old hat doesn’t cut it.”

“I hate apples! Make it dark chocolate and you’ve got a deal!”

Fr ancisca n Media .org

“All of us make the Lord our screen saver.”

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 4 3

Don’t Go New life is waiting in places we never imagined. F I C T I O N B Y M A R Y K AY L A N E

AT SAT on the beach, brought her knees to her chest, and wrapped her thin arms around her legs. Resting her chin on her knees, she gazed out at the ocean for the last time. Gold-kissed wave tips blinked and twinkled like stars under the orange evening sky. The pier, with its long, black, spidery legs, looked as if it were trying to crawl after the sun, not believing that it would reappear the next morning, sneaking up from behind. Cat couldn’t believe it either. She wanted to run along the pier, jump into that silky black ocean where she was happier than she had ever been on solid ground, and swim far away from the land behind her that would soon swallow her up. I am a grain of sand, she thought, trying to make herself as small as possible. She’d rather be a grain of sand on the beach, or a drop of water in the ocean, than have to say good-bye forever. The sky faded from orange, to gold, to yellow, as the last sliver of sun sank into the horizon. “Don’t go,” she whispered. “Don’t go.” But she knew that particular prayer usually went unanswered.

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTIANE GRAUERT

hen Cat opened her eyes, she could see nothing. Every night for the last week, she had awakened disoriented and lost. Her room in California had not been this dark or this quiet. There, her bed had been larger, and her room had smelled of saltwater and sand. Here, the tiny room had an earthy, damp smell. She strained to see some familiar shape or color emerge. But there was nothing. She took a deep breath and let the last week come back to her: the farewell to her friends, the setting sun, the beach, the pier, the final packing of boxes and suitcases. And on the way out of town, a final stop for the most difficult farewell of all—to her father, in St. Michael’s Cemetery, high atop the bluff overlooking his favorite ocean cove. Then came the endless drive eastward, through deserts and mountains and boundless fields of wheat and corn. The skies overhead were as vast as the ocean, with clouds for ships and barn swallows for fish. Her mother. Cheerful at first, for Cat’s sake. Then, as the days dragged on, irritable. Unsympathetic. Angry. They did not speak for the last 400 miles. And finally, Iowa. Grandma Eleanor. Her mother’s new job. This house. This room. This new life that felt nothing like new life. Cat closed her eyes and prayed that when she opened them again, she would be back in California where she belonged. She had just begun to slip into that wonderful dream when a voice whispered her name. Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 4 5

“

leanor, time to get up. Rise and shine.” She felt a hand on her foot, shaking it gently. Cat opened one eye. Only one person called her Eleanor, and that person was not in California. That person was her grandmother, her namesake. This was the house in which Cat’s mother had grown up and this was the bed she had slept in. Cat’s mother had told her all about Grandma Eleanor, and about Iowa— stories of a paradise of lush farmland, church suppers, and harvest festivals. Cat’s father, like Cat, had been a native Californian who preferred sunshine and surfboards to cornfields and combines. He had painted a bleaker picture. In his stories, Iowa was a remote outpost of civilization where the sun rarely shone, water was scarce, tornadoes weren’t, and everyone was in a bad mood. In Cat’s newly formed opinion, her father’s stories had been more accurate. “I’ve got a surprise for you,” Grandma Eleanor said. “Shield your eyes; I’m putting on the light.” “What time is it?” Cat asked, a hand over her eyes. “4:30.” “In the morning?” “Yes, in the morning.” Cat groaned and rolled over. “Don’t worry, when we’re done, you can go back to bed. Here, put these on.” Cat felt something heavy land on the bed. She peeked through her fingers to see the ugliest pieces of clothing she had ever seen—a puffy vest covered in pockets, a floppy green hat, and rubber boots that looked like they would go all the way up to her neck. “What is this stuff?” “We’re going fishing. In the river,” said her grandma. “The river?” “The Mississippi. You know—Huck Finn, the raft, steamboats . . .” Cat was silent. “Goodness, Eleanor. You can see it from here. Have you looked out your window?” “No,” Cat said. From her old room she could see the ocean. 4 6 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4

“Well, get moving before the good ones are gone.” “No, thanks,” Cat said. She closed her eyes and waited for her grandmother to leave so she could slip back into her dream. But she heard nothing, no retreating footsteps, no soft click of a closing door. Cat looked at her grandmother, who stood firmly at the side of the bed, her hands on her hips. “What now?” Cat asked. “It’s been a week,” her grandmother said. “You’ve hardly come out of this room and you haven’t said two words to me or your mother. We get the picture. You’re not happy. But that’s not my fault, and that’s not your mother’s fault. Your happiness is your responsibility. You’re not a victim, Eleanor.” “But she dragged me here. I didn’t want to come.” “This move has been hard on her, too. But sometimes we all have to do things we don’t want to—like going fishing.” “No, thanks,” Cat said and attempted to roll over again. Her grandmother stopped her with a surprisingly strong grip. “It’s not a question of yes or no. Sometimes the best way to take charge of your happiness is to do something good for someone else. And that something good is going fishing and that someone else is me. Understand?” Grandma Eleanor stood up and shuffled out of the room.

at fought back angry tears as she dressed in the horrible clothes. She clomped down the stairs and into the kitchen in the enormous rubber boots. “You grab the thermos,” Grandma Eleanor said, nonplussed by Cat’s entrance. “I’ll get the bait. Hope you like your coffee black.” Coffee? Mom did not let her drink coffee. Cat grabbed the thermos and followed her grandmother outside. The air was cool, like jumping into the ocean on a hot day. An eerie glow from the full moon made a dark, slowly moving shadow out of her grandmother, who trudged ahead. After retrieving two fishing poles from

a shed behind the house, Grandma Eleanor led Cat through a clump of trees and onto a muddy embankment. Lapping at the land was a sluggishly moving, brown river, glowing like a toxin in the moonlight. A small boat sat bobbing in the muck. “Hop in,” Grandma said. “Only I need help. I’m not as spry as I used to be.” “Hop in that?” Cat asked, pointing to the boat. “That’s Steady Eddy. Named him after your grandpa, Edgar Wallace, who never let me down in all the years I knew him, ’til the day he died, of course. Never forgave him for that.” “Yeah, but he couldn’t help it,” Cat said. “So they say. But I got my doubts. Look at me; I’m still going strong.” “Maybe you can’t help it either,” Cat said. “You got a bit of sass in you, Eleanor. Just like your mother. But maybe you got a point.” “Can you please call me Cat like everyone else?” “Why? Eleanor is a fine name.” “Well, see, there’s actually another girl named Eleanor in my class so they call me Cat instead, to avoid confusion,” Cat said. Grandma laughed. “Even though you don’t like your name, it’s nice to see you take after me in other ways.” “Like what?” “We’re both terrible liars. Now hop in, Cat.”

s Cat stepped into the boat, the muddy bank sucked at her boots. She set down the thermos, then held her grandmother’s hand as she stepped over the side of the boat and settled on a low seat. It was nothing like a surfboard, but Cat immediately felt comfortable as her balance fine-tuned to the gentle sway of the water. Grandma Eleanor instructed her how to navigate the boat downstream. “Your mother was right; you’re a natural,” Grandma said. “Like you were born on the water. But how are you with worms?” “Not so good,” Cat said. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

“I’ll bait your hook today. Next time, you’re on your own.” Cat watched Grandma Eleanor deftly bait a hook with a fat, wriggling worm. She doubted there would be a next time. She opened the thermos of coffee and poured an inch into the lid. Taking a sip, she grimaced. “Hard to believe you’ve never seen the river,” Grandma said as she cast the line in a splendid arc that seemed to reach halfway across the river. “All you hear is the music of nature: crickets and frogs and the lapping water and the splash of a fish. Just stars and the moon for light. It makes me feel small and yet part of something big at the same time. That probably sounds crazy to a young person like you.”

“

ot as crazy as you think,” Cat replied, thinking about her last day on the beach. “Have you ever been to the ocean?” “Nope. In fact, see that clump of trees over there? That’s Illinois and I’ve never been there either.” “Are you kidding? You’ve never crossed the river?” “Never really had a reason to,” said Grandma. “Well, actually, I did cross it once, but that was on ice skates and I got into a heap of trouble when I got home. The whole experience kind of soured me on travel.” “You skated across this? It was frozen?” “Completely. Solid as concrete for 10 feet. Now hush. If we keep jabbering, we’ll scare away the fish.”

hen Cat woke up later, she stumbled from bed and into the kitchen. If it hadn’t been for the pile of fishy-smelling clothes in the corner of her room, she would have thought that she had dreamed everything—the predawn fishing trip, the bitter coffee, the gaping mouths and wide staring eyes of the fish her grandma caught, and then inexplicably threw back. Cat picked up the coffee carafe, but it was empty. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” said Grandma Eleanor, entering the kitchen from the yard. “Look what I have.”

Fr ancisca n Media .org

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14 days from $1299* Departs August 8, 2014. Fly into Las Vegas for one night. Then you will begin to visit landmarks in nine National Parks. Witness the giant Redwoods in Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Parks. Be amazed at the spectacular granite cliffs and waterfalls in Yosemite National Park. Visit Lake Tahoe and Reno, stop in historic Virginia City, Winnemucca and Wendover, Nevada. In Utah, visit the world famous Bonneville Salt Flats plus the Great Salt Lake! Next tour the unique formations at Arches National Park; and Canyonlands, with enchanting vistas carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers. Next visit Capitol Reef and drive through the Dixie National Forest to Bryce Canyon National Park. Then it’s the grandest of all National Parks, the Grand Canyon, for both a day and night. Finally, try your luck in exciting Las Vegas with an included day excursion to Zion National Park. Your Chaplain is Father Frank Wittouck, SCJ, from Houston, Texas. He retired as an Army Chaplain in 2010 yet currently ministers in the Cypress Assistance Ministries. *PPDO plus $159 tax/service/government fees. Alternate departure dates available June-September. Seasonal charges my apply. Add-on airfare available.

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14 days from $2599* Departs September 3, 2014. Start in Munich, Germany for one-night. Then travel to Schwangau for a guided tour of the famous Neuschwanstein (Disneyland) Castle and Rothenburg o.d. Tauber, an enchanting, fully preserved medieval town for an overnight stay. The following day you will leave for the Czech Republic stopping in Nuremberg; followed by Bohemia and Prague, where you will see the Charles Bridge. Then travel to Passau and spend the day sightseeing before you embark on the 4-star TUI Melodia. Your cruise includes the Danube’s highlights including: Melk and Vienna, Austria (the classical city of music); Esztergom and Budapest, Hungary; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Linz, Austria; before returning to Passau. Travel back to Munich with additional sightseeing and included traditional Bavarian dinner, before flying home. Your YMT Chaplain, Fr. Pat McCloskey, O.F.M. was ordained in 1975, he spent most of those years as a high school teacher and writer. He is Franciscan Editor of St. Anthony Messenger. This will be Fr. Pat’s 7th tour as YMT chaplain. *PPDO plus $299 tax/service/government fees. Based on an outside porthole, upgrades available. Add-on airfare available.

Call for Details! 800-736-7300

Tra with ovel Catho ther lics!

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 4 7

She held out a handful of plump blackberries. “Fresh from the garden. Want some?” “No, thanks,” Cat said. “I’m not hungry.” “Suit yourself,” Grandma said. She rinsed the berries under the tap, put them in a bowl and drowned them in a generous puddle of cream. Cat plopped into a chair and listened to the ticking of the clock. It seemed that a lifetime existed between the tick of each passing second. “What’s on your mind?” Grandma asked. “The fish,” Cat said. “Why did you throw them back?” “I guess I’d rather they live out their lives where they belong. I didn’t always feel that way, though. I must be getting soft in my old age.” “Lucky fish,” Cat said. “I wish someone would throw me back.” “The difference is a fish would die outside the water. You won’t die outside of California.” “How would you know?” Cat asked. “You’ve gotten to stay just where you wanted your whole life.” Grandma raised her eyebrows and said, “Yes, I suppose I have no right to lecture on that particular subject.” “I’m sorry,” Cat said. “I didn’t mean. . . .” “I know you didn’t. But maybe you’re right. Maybe I’ve been fooling myself, thinking that all I needed is right here.” “Well, maybe it is, right?” Grandma shrugged. “But how do you know? How does anyone really know?”

“

ime to get up. Rise and shine,” said Grandma. Cat felt a hand on her foot, shaking it gently. She opened one eye and groaned. Not again. Her first, and what she hoped was her last, middleof-the-night fishing trip had been a week ago. But even a month would have been too soon. “I don’t want to go fishing,” Cat said. “We’re not. We’re doing the opposite of fishing.” “What’s that?”

4 8 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4

“I’ve been thinking all week about what you said, and I’m throwing you back. Cover your eyes. I’m putting the light on.” “Throwing me back where?” Cat asked. “California. And I’m going with you. Now be quiet, pack your suitcase, and don’t wake your mother.”

t was still dark out when they pulled their suitcases from the taxi and walked to the departure gate. Cat plopped down into a chair and took another sip of the coffee her grandmother had made, but her head was still spinning. “Why so quiet?” her grandma asked, settling herself next to Cat. “It’s just early,” Cat said. “And it all happened so fast, and I can’t believe you didn’t tell Mom. She’ll have a fit.” “She’ll be fine. I left her a note that said, ‘Gone fishin’.’ That’ll throw her off our scent. She’s working late tonight, so it’ll be tomorrow morning before she figures out what’s afoot. We’ll play it by ear after that.” Cat smiled. “Sounds awfully adventurous for someone who doesn’t travel.” “It is. But remember what I said about making yourself happy by doing something for someone else? Well, I figured if I want you to believe it, I should act like I believe it, too.” “You’d do this for me? Aren’t you scared?” “Frankly, I’m as nervous as a chicken during a full moon.” Just then, the flight attendant announced that their plane was ready to board. “Let’s hit it,” Grandma said. “I hear they let the old and infirm on first.”

eeing the ocean through her grandmother’s eyes was like seeing it for the first time. The setting sun sent vibrant pink rays up through the low clouds, while lacy waves decorated the sand. “I never thought I’d be here again,” Cat said, holding her grandmother’s hand. “Thank you.” “Is it where you belong?” Grandma Eleanor asked.

Cat was silent a moment, then said, “Suddenly I’m not sure where I belong. Or if where matters as much as I thought it did.” The quiet of the dusk was interrupted by the buzz of Cat’s cell phone. She pulled the phone from her purse and looked at the number of the incoming call. “It’s Mom,” she said. “Maybe she knows.” “Doggone,” said Grandma. “I thought we covered all our tracks. Are you going to answer it?” “Hello?” Cat said into the phone. “Cat?” Her mother’s voice sounded distant and thin. “Hi, Mom,” Cat said. “Cat, don’t go.” Don’t go: the words of the unanswered prayer. Cat had said them to the sun; they were the words she prayed when her father was sick. Now her mother was saying them to her. The sun couldn’t have obeyed. She saw, too, that her father could not have answered that prayer, either. But her mother’s prayer? Cat turned to her grandmother. “She said, ‘Don’t go.’” “She’s too late. We’re already gone.” “Yeah, we are,” Cat said. She watched through tear-streaked eyes as the sun melted into the water. “Cat? Are you there? Where are you?” her mother asked. “We’re at the ocean, Mom. Can you hear it?” She held the phone out toward the water. “What are you going to do now?” Cat’s grandma asked. “Something you taught me,” Cat said. “Answer a prayer.” “Mom?” she said into the phone. “We’re coming home—where we belong.” She hung up and her grandmother squeezed her hand. “Are you sure, Cat?” she asked. Cat nodded. “Positive. And you can call me Eleanor if you want. Now let’s go.” Together they turned eastward, toward tomorrow’s sunrise. A Mary Kay Lane is a freelance writer, homemaker, and librarian. She is married, with two grown children. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

Change Our Hearts Daily Meditations for Lent Rory Cooney

Stories of Jesus 40 Days of Prayer and Reflection Joseph Girzone, author of the Joshua series

Prepare your heart for Easter with these daily reflections centered on our baptismal calls to renounce sin, renew our faith in God, and follow the Gospel. For each day from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, this book provides: • the daily lectionary citations • a reflection • a closing prayer or practice Let these reflections stir your desire to live up to the blessed calling we have received, and to use your gifts for building up the reign of God.

Stories of Jesus provides a portrait of Our Lord in a day-by-day reflection format, based on the Gospel accounts of his life and teachings. This book’s forty-day format allows readers to use it for Lent, or at other times of year to provide a “retreat with Jesus.” Paperback, 160 pp.

Item #B36631 | ISBN 978-1-61636-631-5 | $14.99 Audiobook: Item #A36633 | ISBN 978-1-61636-633-9 | $29.99

Paperback, 112 pp.

Item #B36725 | ISBN 978-1-61636-725-1 | $3.99 A DVANCE

PRAISE :

Change Our Hearts delivers what it promises…Do you really want a change of heart? Then this is your book for Lent. —Rev. Paul Turner, pastor, liturgist, and author of What Am I Doing for Lent This Year?

The Last Words of Jesus A Meditation on Love and Suffering Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M. The words Jesus spoke from the cross, sometimes called the seven last words, are a timehonored source of meditation. Fr. Dan Horan brings a fresh perspective to these sayings as he challenges readers to look at their lives through the lens of Jesus’s suffering and death. Paperback, 128 pp.

Item #B36409 | ISBN 978-1-61636-409-0 | $12.99 Audiobook: Item #A36765 | ISBN 978-1-61636-765-7 | $19.99 A DVANCE

PRAISE :

“In this book, Dan Horan makes the sublime simple and beautiful, which is surely the Franciscan way.” —Richard Rohr, O.F.M., founder, Center for Action and Contemplation “This beautiful new book by one of my favorite young spiritual writers offers an invitation to meditate on God’s great love for us, on Christ’s sacrifice and on the human condition. Dan Horan’s insights are for anyone who has ever grieved, lost or sought hope. In other words, it is a book for everyone.” —James Martin, S.J., author, My Life With the Saints

See our online catalog for all our Lenten resources: Catalog.FranciscanMedia.org! Lenten Reflections From A Father Who Keeps His Promises Scott Hahn, Paperback, 136 pp. Item #T36497 | ISBN 978-1-61636-497-7 $13.99 Audiobook: Item #A36558 | ISBN 978-1-61636-558-5 $19.99

Fast, Pray, Give Making the Most of Lent A Six-Week Guide Mary Carol Kendzia, Paperback, 96 pp. Item #B36538 | ISBN 978-1-61636-538-7 $8.99 Also available: 30-minute DVD Item #D36557 | ISBN 978-1-61636-557-8 $9.99

Lent With St. Francis Daily Reflections Diane M. Houdek, Paperback, 112 pp. Item #B36524 | ISBN 978-1-61636-524-0 $3.99

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CONNECT WITH US

ASK A FRANCISCAN

❘ BY FATHER PAT McCLOSKEY, OFM

Sacrificed for Our Salvation I struggle with the idea that God the Father so loved the world that he sacrificed his only son for the salvation of the human race. I just cannot get over the idea that there had to be a loss, a sacrifice, so that we could live. I understand that Jesus is our forerunner, our model, the God/man who went through all the things we experience in life. I also realize that we have to die in many ways in order to be prepared to receive new life. Is there a better way to look at gaining eternal life instead of an

explanation that requires sacrificing someone to get it? This is indeed a very serious question, one shared by many people. Your description suggests that God exists in time the same way that you and I do, that God operates in terms of past, present, and future, what the Greeks called chronos. We could find many biblical passages that would fit perfectly with such a description: the six days of creation and the Sabbath rest (Gn 1:1—2:4a) or Mary’s annun-

Why Only Apparitions of Mary?

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

We hear about apparitions of Mary at Tepeyac, Lourdes, Fatima, and various other places. Why do we not hear about apparitions of Jesus or God the Father more often? I know that St. Paul speaks of the risen Christ as having appeared to him. Didn’t he appear to St. Francis of Assisi? Apparitions are part of what the Catholic Church calls “private revelation” as opposed to public revelation: the Scriptures. No one is obliged to believe in such an apparition, but the Marian sites that you mention have led to liturgical celebrations in the worldwide calendar. A seraph (type of angel) appeared to St. Francis of Assisi shortly before he received in his body the marks of Christ’s wounds. In fact, Jesus apparently appeared several times to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-90) to foster devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, encouraging repentance for sin and correcting an overly strict view of sin that led to infrequent holy Communion. God the Father cannot appear in human form except in the person of Jesus Christ. Neither apparitions nor miracles produce faith; they can only confirm it. The Catholic Church does not approve every report that someone has had a divine or saintly apparition.

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ciation (Lk 1:26-38), for example. In fact, however, past, present, and future are equally present to God. Time unfolds for us, but not for God. Time as past, present, and future is a limitation for us, but God is not limited in that way. God is not, strictly speaking, within human time but is beyond it. During the Easter Vigil, at the blessing of the paschal candle, the Church refers to Christ as “yesterday and today, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. All time belongs to him and all the ages. To him be glory and power through every age and forever. Amen.” All references to Christ’s death as a sacrifice arose after his resurrection. They sought to make sense of his death and resurrection as a single event—though separated by three days. His death and resurrection were seen as fulfilling God’s prediction that a descendant of Eve would crush the serpent’s head (Gn 3:15b). Christians have understood this passage as a reference to Jesus. In fact, the Son of God became a human being in the person of Jesus. St. Paul described him as a “new Adam” sent to reconcile, through his death, the human family to God (Rom 5:1-21). The theology you describe is based on St. Paul’s teaching, especially as developed in the 11th century by St. Anselm of Canterbury’s very influential book Why God Became Human. After Jesus had died and risen, some Christians began to see Isaac, who was almost sacrificed by Abraham (Gn 22:1-18), as prefiguring Jesus’ death—except that Jesus was not spared at the last moment. There is no salvation for anyone apart from Jesus’ death and resurrection. Was there a necessity for Jesus to St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

die exactly as he did? No. Does it powerfully remind most Christians about the depth of his love? Yes. I encourage you to continue wrestling with this mystery.

Why the Change? At Mass, fewer and fewer people hold hands during the Our Father or exchange the sign of peace. Why? I found that it brought my family closer together over time. Some people never thought that physical contact was a good idea. Other people say that refraining from those practices helps to stop the spread of germs. I encourage you to continue that contact and refrain from judging harshly those who withdraw from it.

Why the Incarnation? Most followers of Jesus speak of his death on the cross as the sole reason for his Incarnation. But I’ve heard that some Christians say that the Son of God would have become a human even if redemption had not been needed. How could that be? Your question is linked to this column’s first question. St. Paul speaks of Christ as the “firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15) and the “firstborn from the dead” (Col 1:18). In a sense, all creation exists for Christ. The Incarnation-because-ofredemption theology has the advantage of using chronological order. It has the disadvantage of suggesting that Jesus came because the world needed a grocery-store “cleanup in aisle four.” Blessed John Duns Scotus, a Franciscan theologian who died in 1309, described the Incarnation as “God’s greatest work.” Scotus went on to teach that God’s greatest achievement could not have been set in motion by human sin. His opinion has been a minority opinion within Catholic theology, but I think there is much in its favor. On our website, see the December Fr ancisca n Media .org

2012 article “St. Francis and the Incarnation.” The more common explanation of the reason for the Incarnation assumes that God acts in terms of past, present, and future, that human sin caused God to create Plan B: the Incarnation. I think a very strong case can be made that the Incarnation was necessary for God’s complete selfrevelation. Only the Incarnation could give us the courage to recognize God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: one God in three persons, all living together without any hint of jealousy. In a world where the belief in many gods was the norm, the Incarnation is the best answer to the charge that Christians simply believe in three gods, much as the Romans believed in Jupiter, Juno, and Apollo—and many other gods who were perpetually jealous of some other god. God did not have to create anything at all. Once God began to cre-

ate (our term), God could have stopped at stars, land, and water. God, however, decided to go on and create living beings, including humans who can know and love God in a way that flowers and animals cannot. Humans can ask the kind of question that you have asked and grow in their love for God. God created in complete love and freedom. Humans were created to live in the freedom that we have traded away for sin because every sin presents itself as a shortcut to something desirable. In fact, sin always leads to a loss of freedom—not greater freedom. 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.

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Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 5 1

BOOK CORNER

❘ BY CAROL ANN MORROW

Notes from the Underground The Spiritual Journal of a Secular Priest

Recent Releases on

RELIGION A Prayer Journal Flannery O’Connor Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2014 The Irish Jesuits Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair Anne Lamott In the Company of the Poor: Conversations with Dr. Paul Farmer and Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez edited by Michael Griffin and Jennie Weiss Block The Four Doors: A Guide to Joy, Freedom, and a Meaningful Life Richard Paul Evans

—Barnes & Noble’s picks

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By Donald Cozzens Orbis Books 210 pages • $20 Hardcover, Kindle Edition Reviewed by FATHER NORMAN LANGENBRUNNER, ordained in 1970, a former high school teacher, retired parish pastor, contributor to Franciscan Media’s Weekday Homily Helps, and a member of the Association of US Catholic Priests. I LIKE THIS BOOK; it’s the title that bothers me. Underground sounds subversive, antiestablishment, and radical, but in truth the author, diocesan priest Donald Cozzens, is simply pitting Church-as-it-is against Church-as-it-ought-to-be. Cozzens thinks himself underground because he senses that he is “out of step” with Vatican policies, curial pronouncements, and old spirituality. The aboveground Church, he says, is the Church of the hierarchy, and he notes the disconnect between Roman authorities and the people in the pew (priests included). If one thinks of the Church primarily as a hierarchical institution, then Cozzens is writing from the underground. If one thinks of the Church as “the people of God,” then Cozzens’ ecclesiology, spirituality, and vision are closer to mainstream. This book is radical; it takes us back to our roots. For example, Cozzens highlights the difference between belief (acceptance of a set of teachings) and faith (relationship with Jesus

Christ). He laments the hierarchical tendency to make orthodoxy the primary criterion for membership in the Church, pointing to the treatment of Galileo, Joan of Arc, John Courtney Murray, or Elizabeth Johnson as witness that fidelity to teaching too often has trumped fidelity to Christ. Cozzens has been an astute observer and active participant in the life of the Church for decades. In earlier books he analyzed crises facing the Church and the priesthood, and urged laymen and laywomen to embrace their responsibility as adult members. Notes from the Underground continues his assessment of the Church as it is and asks his readers to imagine what the Church could be like if it really responded to “an unfettered Spirit.” The five elements of Church life that Cozzens addresses (faith, communion, prayer, power, and imagination) are reminiscent of the models of Church outlined by Cardinal Avery Dulles, SJ. For example, if the Church (or, more accurately, the hierarchs) focused more on building a sense of community rather than on defining what separates us, perhaps our people and those outside would experience welcome, hospitality, and healing. If the institutional power brokers balanced their responsibility to guard the deposit of faith with the responsibility to evangelize and be pastors, perhaps the faithful and the world would find the Church a more credible witness of the Gospel. Throughout his journal, Cozzens returns again and again to a missing element in the Church’s profile: humility. He recalls the keen observation of Catholic novelist Flannery O’Connor: “Smugness is the great, Catholic sin.” He echoes Thomas Merton’s conclusion: “In humility is perfect freedom.” He repeats the insight of an anonymous priest: “Now that I am a priest, I have the boundless capacity for thwarting good— and for turning wine into water.” Notes from the Underground may be the spiritual journal of a diocesan priest, but the audience for these reflections includes all who have been baptized in the common priesthood of Jesus Christ and who still love the Church. St . A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r

BOOK BRIEFS

Possibilities in Parenting Six Sacred Rules for Families A Spirituality for the Home By Tim and Sue Muldoon Ave Maria Press 160 pages • $14.95 Paperback

Daughter of Jerusalem A Novel By Joan Wolf Worthy Publishing 312 pages • $14.99 Softcover

The most important credential the authors have is their three children. They have applied the spirituality of St. Ignatius to the range of family challenges, from adoption and diaper changes to academics and prayer. Their six rules sound simple, but it’s the authors’ application of all six that makes them seem possible.

Reviewed by BARBARA BECKWITH, retired managing editor/book review editor of this publication.

Recipe for Joy

AUTHOR JOAN WOLF usually writes romances (46 books!). In this novel she focuses on Mary Magdalene and shows why Jesus of Nazareth appealed to women: he took them seriously as fellow God-seekers in the male-dominated ancient world. The novel bunches into one character many Gospel Marys: Mary of Magdala; the sister of Lazarus and Martha; a well-to-do widow; and the woman who washed Jesus’ feet and dried them with her hair. Not biblically accurate, but as a literary device the compression works. The novel never presents Mary Magdalene as a “fallen woman,” but it provides her a backstory: her first love becomes a celibate Essene, she’s forced into marriage with an old merchant, she has an affair with a Roman officer and miscarries their child, and she becomes wealthy when her Jewish husband dies “accidentally.” Then the house she builds in Capernaum is conveniently next door to Simon Peter and his wife. The novel portrays Mary as a beautiful, confident Jewess who has sampled the liberal Roman lifestyle. Wolf has St. John proposing that Mary fill Judas Iscariot’s position among the 12 because “Mary always understood” Jesus and never deserted him. Mary’s role as first witness to Jesus’ resurrection is highlighted. This is a captivating look at first-century Palestine through the eyes of a faithful and charming woman.

By Robin Davis Loyola Press 145 pages • $13.95 Paperback

Fr ancisca n Media .org

A Stepmom’s Story of Finding Faith, Following Love, and Feeding a Family

This author has three children, who became hers when she married a Catholic widower. Her love of food, feasts, and writing about them combine in a very engaging account of her coming to religious belief and becoming part of a family. Her chapters are creatively arranged according to the courses of a meal, and some recipes are included.

Becoming a Great Godparent Everything a Catholic Needs to Know Paraclete Press 83 pages • $16.99 Hardcover A gift book, this slim volume offers history, explanation, Church teaching, prayers, and resources. Assembled by the editors at Paraclete Press, it elevates the role of godparent beyond being an available relative to someone who truly parents a child as a spiritual companion. 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 Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 5 3

A CATHOLIC MOM SPEAKS

❘ BY SUSAN HINES-BRIGGER

Happy Valentine’s Day to Me?

ot long ago, I read a magazine article with one of those quizzes asking how much we care for ourselves. It focused on issues such as health, mental wellness, and diet. Now, I’m not one normally to do such tests. But that day I happened to be a captive audience while waiting for one of my kids at the dentist’s office. So I took the test—and failed miserably. And it was just one month after I had made a resolution to take better care of myself. Oh, I had tons of reasons why I had already failed my promise to myself—too little time, too much stress, etc., etc. A few weeks later, I got an e-mail featuring an article on spiritual staycations and how to care not only for our physical bodies, but also for our souls. I read the article and realized

5 4 ❘ Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4

that not only was I neglecting some of my physical needs, I was also neglecting my spiritual and faith needs. For some reason, that concept never occurred to me whenever the thought of caring for myself came up. In fact, when I made my New Year’s resolutions, they included mostly physical things to do for myself. And while those were all very important for me to do, the whole spiritual aspect of my self-care was absent.

Because God Said So This month people will spend a good deal of money to show those in their lives how much they are loved and cared for. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, the estimated monetary number for how much was spent on Valentine’s Day

last year in the United States was $18.6 billion, with the average amount spent by each person ranging around $130.97. But will we take that idea and turn it toward ourselves? Probably not. Maybe we should, though. No, I’m not talking about how much money we should spend on ourselves. I’m simply advocating that maybe it’s time we celebrate ourselves. We deserve it. Don’t believe me? Check the Bible. After all, there is no shortage of passages that convey to us the message that we are loved by God, and very much worthy of that love. In the first book of the Bible, it is explicitly stated: “God created mankind in his image” (Gn 1:27). So it’s about time we started acting like it. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg

Show Me Some Love

AN ALTERNATIVE VALENTINE’S DAY

A lot of us spend a lot of money on Valentine’s Day. When you look at the numbers, it seems almost ridiculous, given the various needs throughout the world. This year, instead of exchanging presents with loved ones and friends, why not put the money toward a good cause? Express your love by helping others through a donation to an organization of your choice.

Eat this, not that. Try to make a conscious effort to eat more healthfully. Reach for an orange or apple instead of a bag of chips. I’ve found the key is to have healthy food and snacks readily available. Be nice to yourself. Our faith gives us a perfect opportunity to forgive ourselves for any mistakes or sins we may have committed. Taking part in the Sacrament of Reconciliation can offer us another, and maybe the best, way to move past our wrongdoings. Log off. How much time do we all spend on social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat? Maybe we should reclaim

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY KURNICK MAASS

Of course, we’re probably not going to go out and spend $130.97 on ourselves “just because.” But we can show ourselves that we are more than worthy of some love—every day of the year. Here are some suggestions to help remind us to love ourselves. Go to church . . . alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love when our family goes to church together. But sometimes while at Mass, I find myself paying so much attention to making sure the kids are paying attention that I fail to attend to my own spiritual feeding while at Mass. If you can’t attend Mass by yourself, find some time when your parish’s church or chapel is open. Soak in the silence. Pray. Run away. No, I don’t mean that literally. Take some time and step away from the chaos of your life. Go for a walk or run. Head to the library and read there for a while. Go somewhere you find peace. Be quiet. Get up before everyone else in the morning. Take advantage of the quiet to say your daily prayers or meditate. During the day while you’re driving, turn off the radio and your phone. Go to sleep. Most of us are more sleep-deprived than we realize. Try to catch up a bit on your sleep by going to bed at a reasonable time or taking an afternoon nap. If you have trouble shutting off your mind at night, put a notepad by your bed and write things down to get them off your mind.

some of our time and simply pray for those with whom we often interact via social media. I hope you will take advantage of some of these ideas and take a little time to stop, recharge, and honor yourself. Consider it your Valentine’s Day gift to yourself! You deserve it! 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 These scenes may seem alike to you, But there are changes in the two. So look and see if you can name ILLUSTRATION BY TOM GREENE

Eight ways in which they’re not the same. (Answers on page 26)

Fr ancisca n Media .org

Fe b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 ❘ 5 5

BACKSTORY

Multitasking

ver the years, St. Anthony Messenger editors spawned a number of other publications, maintained by those of us whose primary concern is your magazine. It started when friar-editors who had backgrounds

in parish work took to providing resources for in-the-pew Catholics.

The most successful was Catholic Update, which started in the 1970s to help explain changes in the liturgy. People were confused and frustrated at the dizzying pace. The throwaway handouts, though, were not so disposPHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON

able. People kept them, and called, asking for more copies. A team of St. Anthony Messenger editors kept the issues coming. Several parish handouts modeled on Catholic Update were developed over the years. One flopped (Senior Update); one thrived for many years (Youth Update). There was Scripture from Scratch, short-term handouts around the turn of the millennium, as well as the current I Believe. One publication our friars started decades ago, but apparently is needed all the more, is Homily Helps, meant to help priests and deacons preach better homilies. Consider what Pope Francis said in The Joy of the Gospel: “We know that . . . both [the faithful] and their ordained ministers suffer because of homilies: the laity from having to listen to them and the clergy from having to preach them!” We were on to something in 1970. All of this was multiplied with the Internet, which, as we all know, has changed—and is still changing—everything. Our earliest web efforts were led by a group of St. Anthony Messenger editors. In recent years, with Twitter, Facebook, and blogs, our editors are part of a larger team. Christopher Heffron oversees the Facebook and Twitter pages for the magazine; Susan Hines-Brigger, Father Pat McCloskey, Jeanne Kortekamp, and I contribute in various ways, including blogging and producing your digital edition. All of this is to say, each of us here has his or her hands in several projects at any given time. It’s the nature of publishing. And today it’s not only to bring the Good News to you, but also to invite you to join in a great conversation. You can start that at our Facebook page (see p. 3).

Editor in Chief

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

REFLECTION

Where there is , there is .

love life

—Mohandas Gandhi

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

essenger

Saint Francis, Pope Francis: A Common Vision By Gina Loehr with Al Giambrone What does the patronage of St. Francis mean for the newest successor of St. Peter? St. Francis was fully dedicated to being an authentic image of Christ in the world. Our Holy Father’s decision to align himself with St. Francis implies a similar desire to keep himself and his authority rooted in Christ. Item #T36747 | $14.99 (Print Available in March)

Good Pope, Bad Pope: Their Lives, Our Lessons By Mike Aquilina Every pope is by definition a remarkable man. But the popes whose stories you’ll read here were chosen because they reveal how the papacy developed. The great popes advanced our understanding of Christian doctrine. But even more remarkable, the worst popes could do nothing to damage the teaching of the Church. Item #T36628 | $14.99

John XXIII: A Short Biography

John Paul II: A Short Biography

By Kerry Walters

Nothing in the priesthood of Giuseppe Roncalli would suggest that he would one day be pope—let alone guide a Vatican council that would change the Church. Yet Pope John XXIII was one of the most important figures in the Catholic Church in the twentieth century.

Highlights Pope John Paul II’s early years, his lifelong devotion to Mary, his outreach to young people, and his role as intercessor in seeking reconciliation with institutions and peoples alienated from the Church by past actions. This is a book to be enjoyed and treasured as we witness the recognition given John Paul II as a saint for our times.

Item #B36751 | $4.99

to order: Catalog.FranciscanMedia.org

Item #B36749 | $4.99

28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 1-800-488-0488 Fax: 513-241-1197