THE GOSPELS ACCORDING TO ST. FRANCIS
ST. ANTHONY OCTOBER 2014 • $3.95 • FRANCISCANMEDIA.ORG
SPECIAL
REPORT
Synod on the
Family
A New Look at Catholic Families Catholic Traditions at Home Bishops, Listen Up! ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Mary’s Meals
Messenger
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CONTENTS
ST. ANTHONY Messenger
❘ OCTOBER 2014 ❘ VOLUME 122/NUMBER 5
ON THE COVER
SPECIAL REPORT S Y N O D O N T H E FA M I LY
Time and again, Pope Francis has called for a renewed effort to support families and their role in the life of the Church.
30 A New Look at Catholic Families The pastoral care of families will be front and center during this month’s meeting in Rome of bishops from around the world. Sensitive topics are bound to come up. By Pat McCloskey, OFM
Photo by Lisa Johnston
34 Nurturing Catholic Traditions at Home Here are nine ways for families to grow together in faith. By Jeanne Hunt
D E PA R T M E N T S 2 Dear Reader 3 From Our Readers
40 We’d Like to Say: Bishops, Listen Up!
4 Followers of St. Francis Rhett Engelking, OFS
What should the world’s bishops be talking about during this month’s synod? Two family experts advise a broad approach. By Jim and Susan Vogt
6 Reel Time Dolphin Tale 2
30
8 Channel Surfing Cousins Undercover
F E AT U R E S
10 Church in the News
14 The Gospels according to St. Francis
20 Live Well Volunteer!
How do we put God at the center of our lives? The poor man of Assisi can help us along the way. By Hilarion Kistner, OFM
22 Mary’s Meals One boy’s wish for food inspired this worldwide ministry. By Donis Tracy
28 The Spirit of Francis A Loving Kiss
46 Editorial Family, Redefined
14
54 Ask a Franciscan Eucharist Not Mentioned in Creed
56 Book Corner
48 Fiction: The Truth about Goulash
The Rosary Collector’s Guide
She delivered more than a meal. By Mary Kay Lane
58 A Catholic Mom Speaks In Search of Health
60 At Home on Earth Following Francis
22
61 Backstory
ST. ANTHONY M
DEAR READER
essenger
Emmaus: Recognizing Jesus Although the story of Jesus walking to Emmaus on Easter Sunday with two disciples is found only in the Gospel of Luke (24:13-32), in a sense, it is every disciple’s story. Two disciples who thought they understood the Scriptures had their hearts opened more widely to Jesus as he spoke with them along the way. They recognized Jesus for certain in the breaking of the bread (v. 30), the New Testament’s oldest term for the Eucharist. “Were not our hearts burning [within us] when he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” they asked one another. They immediately returned to Jerusalem to inform the apostles. There was a Byzantine-era and Crusader-era church to Click the button on the left to commemorate this event— hear Father Pat talk about the but at a greater distance shrine at Emmaus. from Jerusalem than Luke indicates. The present site dates to the 14th century; the Friars Minor arrived in 1355. The Custody of the Holy Land acquired the property in the 19th century. The present church dates to 1902 and is built over the reputed house of Cleopas, the only disciple named in Luke’s account. May each of us be as willing to grow in our faith as were the two disciples whom Jesus met on the road to Emmaus!
Publisher/CEO Daniel Kroger, OFM Chief Operating Officer Thomas A. Shumate, CPA Editor in Chief John Feister Art Director Jeanne Kortekamp Franciscan Editor Pat McCloskey, OFM Managing Editor Susan Hines-Brigger Associate Editor Christopher Heffron Assistant Editor Daniel Imwalle Editorial Assistant Sharon Lape Advertising Fred Limke
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ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER (ISSN #0036276X) (U.S.P.S. PUBLICATION #007956 CANADA PUBLICATION #PM40036350) Volume 122, Number 5, 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 109200189. 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 countries. Single copy price: $3.95. For change of address, four weeks’ notice is necessary. See St AnthonyMessenger.org for information on your digital edition. Writer’s guidelines can be found at StAnthony Messenger.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.
2 ❘ O ctober 2014
St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
FROM OUR READERS
Prayers for the Middle East I would like to commend St. Anthony Messenger for your August issue. Indeed, I always find something of value for myself, and then share my magazine with others in my church. Susan Hines-Brigger’s “Church in the News” column was so relevant for me. Ever since I lived in Turkey in the 1960s, I’ve worried about the Middle East: about Catholics, other Christian denominations, and the people of Islam—who are not radicalized or so wedded to a sect that they would threaten and commit acts of violence against others. It’s wonderful that Pope Francis went to Israel and to the people of Gaza, yet I was struck when I read that he did not get to spread his message widely enough to the two most critical parties: Netanyahu and
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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Hamas. He spoke to those who believe in peace. If only that were enough. The problems of today have lasting consequences. At 70, I expect to be praying for the Middle East up to my last breath. Perhaps it is fitting that on this, the feast day of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, I pen this note to let you know how much I have enjoyed St. Anthony Messenger, especially the quality and timeliness of this issue. Thank you for helping me grow in spirituality. Mary Gillespie Bloomingdale, New Jersey
A Stunning Embrace for Unity As a proponent for Church unity, I found the cover of the August issue of your magazine to be absolutely stunning. An embrace between Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis on the cover is another gift of the Holy Spirit among us. The complex issues between Churches East and West seldom get the publicity they should. I’m a supporter of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement—originally an Episcopalian religious order that was received into Catholicism in 1909—and their work has always been for reconciliation. Jesus prayed that we be one. I have prayed with the order every January during Church Unity Week for just that cause. I never thought those prayers would be answered in my lifetime. But your magazine shows that prayers are answered on God’s time. Vivat Jesus! Robert T. Hendry Chicopee, Massachusetts
Constitutional Clarity Pat McCloskey, OFM’s August editorial, “Racism: It’s Far From Over,” showed an exceedingly poor understanding of American constitutional
history. The editorial says the original US Constitution “banned for 20 years any interference in the international slave trade.” That is not true. At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a compromise was reached that the importation of African slaves, then unlimited, would be prohibited in 20 years. The Constitution said nothing about “interfering in the international slave trade.” In fact, in 1794, a bill was passed to outlaw the building of slave ships in the United States. Nor did Father Pat correctly describe the Three-Fifths Compromise, whereby slaves were counted as three-fifths of a white person for apportionment purposes in the House of Representatives. Southern slave states actually wanted to fully count their slaves because it would give them more members of Congress; the North did not want them counted at all. “Three-fifths” was a compromise for apportioning seats in the House of Representatives; it had nothing to do with the question of slavery itself. Tony Quinn Sacramento, California
Truly Touching Fiction I wanted to share how much I enjoyed the August fiction, “Bobby, Torrington Bulldog,” by Patrick Seamus O’Hara. Truly, it was one of the most sensitive and inspirational human/dog interactions I’d ever read. The compassion, patience, and understanding of the character, John, in relating to Bobby paid off for both in the end. This story touched my soul. I hope the author writes more animal/human relationship stories. Thanks for printing it! Rebecca Chiaramonte Richland, Washington O c to b e r 2 0 1 4 ❘ 3
F O L L O W E R S O F S T. F R A N C I S
Doing Justice to the ‘Canticle’
I
n St. Francis’ “Canticle of the Sun,” the saint proclaims, “Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth/Who feeds us and rules us. . .” How might St. Francis view the current state of the environment and people’s relationship with nature? For Rhett Engelking, a secular Franciscan (OFS), “The first thing that St. Francis would see is just how disconnected humans have become from the environment: we are living an unsustainable lifestyle.” Engelking, program manager for Franciscan Earth Corps, sees the brokenness of our environment and seeks to make a difference through a grassroots, spiritually grounded approach. Instead of tackling our nation’s environmental challenges as one large group, the Corps operates through local chapters, which are able to take on the unique challenges of each community. There are currently 11 chapters across the Northeast, South, and Midwest, with more chapters in the process of forming. Some of the various projects that the Corps takes on include planting community gardens, taking nature walks to get more in
Rhett Engelking, OFS
touch with the environment they are trying to protect, and hosting retreats to reflect upon and reinforce the importance of their mission. From facilitating a Catholic-Muslim dialogue about faith-rooted ecospirituality in New York City to engaging in a panel discussion regarding the dangers of hydraulic fracking in Syracuse, the Corps looks at environmental concerns through a broad lens. Inspired by Franciscan spirituality and its focus on the interconnectedness of life, the Franciscan Earth Corps (franciscanaction.org/earthcorps) links environmental with social justice. In fact, for Engelking, these issues are inseparable: “The wisdom of mystics like St. Francis tells us that poverty, unhealthiness, and environmental degradation can be experienced simultaneously as the same broken relationship.” He says the solutions to the problems of this brokenness are just as intertwined. The fruits and vegetables grown in community gardens, especially in urban settings, help provide food pantries with fresh and healthy sustenance for the communities they serve. So-called “food deserts,” places where access
STORIES FROM OUR READERS Learn more about St. Anthony and share your story of how he helped you at AmericanCatholic.org/ Features/Anthony.
© AVAVA/FOTOLIA
Lost No Longer
4 ❘ O ctober 2014
Years ago, my 12-year-old niece was assigned to write about the holiest person she knew. She picked me! When I asked her why, she said it was because I was the only person she knew who prayed to St. Anthony when something was lost, and totally knew he would help me find it. I guess I would call it blind faith. Now, many years later, St. Anthony has brought me to St. Francis: I’ve been a secular Franciscan for 10 years and I don’t feel lost anymore. —Mary-Frances Reavey, OFS Somerset, New Jersey
St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
Accepting Christ’s Cross Francis was no stranger to suffering. He spent time as a prisoner of war in nearby Perugia. One early account of his life notes that Francis cheered up a grumpy man shunned by his fellow prisoners. Francis endured rejection from his father and many of his former friends. He and his followers endured suspicions that they might be heretics. He eventually suffered the loss of his eyesight, despite very painful treatments to prevent it. In all things, Francis rejoiced in Christ Jesus. –P.M.
PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON
to nutritious food seems next to impossible, can find oases through the Franciscan Earth Corps’ multifaceted efforts. The Corps’ work resonates with Pope Francis’ concern about our treatment of the environment. Pope Francis said, “This is our sin, exploiting the Earth and not allowing her to give us what she has within her.” Through their actions, the Franciscan Earth Corps is taking the pope’s call to action to heart, and living out Franciscan spirituality through their service and creation stewardship. Where one person might see an abandoned and neglected plot of urban blight, the Franciscan Earth Corps sees an opportunity to plant tulips, daisies, and mums, beautifying an otherwise decrepit area. Engelking encourages Catholics interested in getting involved in ecojustice to start small and just be present. He says, “When I appreciated each little opportunity to help as a way to enter into a deeper relationship with God, I was present to the small ways that helped out. You will not experience joy or enthusiasm in what you do if you are not present to the activity.” —Daniel Imwalle
To learn more about Franciscan saints, visit AmericanCatholic.org/Features/Saintofday.
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O c to b e r 2 0 1 4 ❘ 5
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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
Dolphin Tale 2
© 2014 ALCON ENTERTAINMENT/WILSON WEBB
SISTER ROSE’S
Favorite
Animal Movies Blackfish (2013) Dolphin Tale (2011) Old Yeller (1957) Beethoven (1992) Babe (1995)
6 ❘ October 2014
Nathan Gamble and Cozi Zuehlsdorff enjoy some playtime with their finned friend in Dolphin Tale 2. It’s been a few years since Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble) rescued Winter, a bottlenose dolphin. Winter was caught in a trap off the coast of Florida and had part of her tail amputated. Sawyer, Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.), his daughter, Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff), and the crew of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium are now faced with another challenge. The dolphin that had been Winter’s companion, Panama, has died, which sends Winter into a depression. She hides and refuses to wear her artificial tail that Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman) made for her. He tries to make a new one, but she is not interested. What is even more serious is that federal law states that bottlenose dolphins cannot be alone in captivity. They must have another dolphin with them since they are such social animals. The USDA inspector threatens to move Winter to a facility far away if another female companion cannot be found. This is unacceptable to Sawyer,
Hazel, and Dr. Clay. They need a miracle. Dolphin Tale 2 is a solid sequel to the original, which was released in 2011. The story is a bit contrived, but the moral question of putting profit over the “rescue-rehabilitaterelease” program of aquariums and parks that capture animals for entertainment is front and center. There was not a dry eye at the screening I attended. To see how handicapped children, adults, and veterans who lost limbs in wars respond and interact with Winter will warm any heart. Not yet rated, PG ■ Some mild peril.
The Good Lie Catholic moral theology teaches that it is never acceptable to lie. It also teaches that there is no such thing as a “good lie,” so the title of the film is unfortunate. But it is in literary reference to Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer, as the film demonstrates. During the Second Sudanese Civil War St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
© 2014 BLACK LABEL MEDIA/BOB MAHONEY
Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon and Sudanese actor Ger Duany build a friendship in the critically acclaimed The Good Lie.
The Hundred-Foot Journey When the Kadam family’s restaurant in Mumbai, India, is burned to the ground in a Fr anciscanMedia.org
CNS PHOTO/DISNEY
(1983–2005), thousands of boys and girls were orphaned when their parents were killed. Some of them were recruited to be child soldiers; others marched hundreds of miles to a refugee camp in Kenya. Roughly 4,000 of these children were allowed to resettle in the United States. This is the story of four of them: Mamere (Arnold Oceng), Jeremiah (Ger Duany), Paul (Emmanuel Jal), and Mamere’s sister, Abital (Nyakuoth Wiel). The boys, now young men, are sent to Kansas City, sponsored by a church group, but Abital must go with the other girls to Boston. Carrie (Reese Witherspoon) is assigned to find jobs for the boys, but she is thoughtless and has no sense of the culture shock they are going through—at first. Paul, especially, has a hard time adjusting. When news comes that their home village’s chief, whom they thought was dead, has shown up at the camp in Kenya, everything changes— especially for Mamere. He became the chief of their tribe at that time and must make things right. The advertising of The Good Lie puts Witherspoon in the forefront, but the film is really about these brave young people from Sudan. It is not a great movie, but it is a story of bravery told with humor and humanity. Not yet rated, PG-13 ■ War violence, alcohol, smoking.
riot, and Mama (Juhi Chawla) is killed, Papa (Om Puri) takes the family first to London and then to mainland Europe to build a restaurant. After their car breaks down on the border between France and Switzerland, Papa takes it as a sign to open a restaurant in the village. Unfortunately, he chooses to rehabilitate an old restaurant across the street from a very classy—and classic—French restaurant owned by Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren). Papa’s eldest son, Hassan (Manish Dayal), learned how to cook wonderful Indian food from his mother, and remembers how she taught him that “food is memory.” Of course, culinary and cultural conflicts ensue, and both camps must learn to accept each other. Director Lasse Hallström brings some of the sensory flavor of his 2000 film Chocolat with him to create this warm, satisfying, gentle comedy. This film is based on the 2010 book by Richard C. Morais. A-3, PG ■ Mature themes, rioting, and a racial attack.
Om Puri, Manish Dayal, and Helen Mirren star in the culinary comedy-drama The Hundred-Foot Journey.
Catholic Cl assifications A-1 A-2 A-3 L O
General patronage Adults and adolescents Adults Limited adult audience Morally offensive
■
The Catholic News Service Media Review Office gives these ratings. See usccb.org/movies.
■
Find reviews by Sister Rose and others at CatholicMovieReviews.org.
October 2014 ❘ 7
CHANNEL SURFING
WITH CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON
UP CLOSE
Wednesdays, 8 p.m., HGTV I’ve lost whole Saturdays to HGTV—I’m not proud to say. Home and yard transformations are astounding to me because I’ll never be able to do any of it. But a common complaint from viewers about HGTV’s programming is that too often its subjects—often demanding and prickly—want exactly the same thing: picture-perfect yards, openconcept kitchens, and tall ceilings. Yawn. Cousins Undercover, thankfully, is a show on a deeper mission. Contractors and cousins Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri find a deserving family or an individual in a chosen neighborhood and, while they’re away for a weekend, completely rethink the interior of their homes. The power of this series is threefold. First, many people selected for the upgrades are those in need: struggling parents, veterans who have fallen on hard times, and people with disabilities are just a few of those who have been helped. Second, the rallying communities are inspiring to watch. And, lastly, the cousins themselves are worth your time. They tease and tear into each other like brothers, but their mission to improve the lives and homes of these people is no joke. Cousins Undercover reminds us—in a very polished way—that we truly are our brother’s keeper. Sometimes removing fences can make good neighbors.
The Kitchen Saturdays, 11 a.m., Food Network If you threw every single item from your pantry into a Crock-Pot and simmered for an hour, you’d have the culinary equivalent of The Kitchen, a bland hodgepodge of television chaos. With hosts Sunny Anderson, Katie Lee, Jeff Mauro, Marcela Valladolid, and Geoffrey Zakarian each clamoring for laughs, The Kitchen tries to be a food-themed variety show. But all viewers are left with is noise. While the energetic pace of the show can be fun and breezy, The Kitchen inevitably strays from the food in favor of the five hosts—and that’s not a good recipe. Channel surfers who want to deepen their knowledge of cooking or entertaining should look elsewhere.
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
© 2014 HGTV/SCRIPPS NETWORKS
Mondays, 8 p.m., The CW It isn’t often that you come across a show that is deeply funny and suitable for the entire family. Whose Line Is It Anyway? has a simple formula: four seasoned performers on a stage are given scenarios to perform, characters to inhabit, or songs to create on the spot. What follows is usually delightful anarchy. Moderated by Aisha Taylor—whose inability to keep a straight face is a show in itself—Whose Line Is It Anyway? works because of the manic creativity of the performers. Sometimes channel surfers just need 30 minutes of belly laughs. This show provides them.
John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino seek to help homeowners in need on HGTV’s inspiring Cousins Undercover. 8 ❘ October 2014
St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
© 2014 TELEVISION FOOD NETWORK
Cousins Undercover
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CHURCH IN THE NEWS
❘ BY DANIEL IMWALLE
Pope Makes Historic Trip to South Korea
CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING
faith, to water down the radical demands of the Gospel and to conform to the spirit of this age.” Mirroring his arrival, Pope Francis flew over China on his return to Rome, the first time a pope has ever done so, reported Religion News Service (RNS). During his flight, the pope sent a telegram to Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which he stated, “I wish to renew to Your Excellency and your fellow citizens the assurance of my best wishes, as I invoke divine blessings upon your land.”
Pope Francis Addresses Violence in Iraq Pope Francis walks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye as he arrives in Seoul, South Korea, August 14. The pope beatified Korean martyrs and participated in the sixth Asian Youth Day during his five-day visit to South Korea.
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pope, in his homily, said, “So often we today can find our faith challenged by the world, and in countless ways we are asked to compromise our
CNS PHOTO/ RODI SAID, REUTERS
Pope Francis visited South Korea August 14-18, a trip marked by milestones and a message of peace for the Korean people. According to Catholic News Service (CNS), the pope’s first visit to Asia was an opportunity to meet with South Korean President Park Geun-hye and address the contentious divide between North and South Korea. In Seoul, the pope directed his first speech in English to an audience that included President Park and about 200 diplomats from across Asia. The pope said, “Peace is not simply the absence of war, but the work of justice.” An invitation to send a group of Catholic representatives was declined by North Korea, that has been divided from South Korea at the 38th parallel since 1953. The third day of Pope Francis’ visit was accented by the beatification of 124 Korean martyrs, an event witnessed by over 800,000 people. The
On the flight back to Rome from South Korea, Pope Francis commented on the increasingly desperate situation in northern Iraq, where religious minorities are being targeted by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), reported The Huffington Post. A United Nations-recognized terrorist organization, ISIS is driving
A displaced woman and child flee violence from forces loyal to the Islamic State in Sinjar, Iraq, August 10. Islamic State militants have killed at least 500 Yezidi ethnic minorities, an Iraqi human-rights minister said. 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
Cardinal George Pell, one of the Vatican’s top officials, angered sex-abuse survivors recently when he compared the Church to a trucking company that should not be held accountable for hiring a driver who proceeded to molest women, reported RNS. Elaborating, Pell said, “It is, I think, not appropriate for legal culpability to be foisted on the authority figure.” Nicky Davis, of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, responded, “He shows that he really has absolutely no conception of what is appropriate or inappropriate behavior and what are appropriate or inappropriate things to say to survivors.”
Fr ancisca n Media .org
Controversial French Canadian priest Father Raymond Gravel died at 61 of lung cancer on August 11, reported CNS. Gravel was outspoken for his call for the Church to take a closer look at issues such as abortion, women’s roles, and homosexuality. Father Pierre Gervais Majeau gave the homily at Gravel’s funeral at St. Charles Borromeo Cathedral in Joliette, Quebec. Father Majeau also wrote on the late priest’s website, regarding his friend’s “capacity of indignation, a characteristic of prophets and those who bother people’s consciences.” Father Gravel was also politically involved as a proponent for Quebec’s independence from Canada and as a member of the House of Commons from 2006 to 2008. For more Catholic news, visit AmericanCatholic.org.
Pope Francis: Romero’s Path to Sainthood ‘Unblocked’ Pope Francis recently reversed a ruling by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and “unblocked” the sainthood cause of the late Archbishop Oscar Romero, reported The Huffington Post. The congregation had deemed that Romero’s case was “blocked out of prudence.” Assassinated in El Salvador in 1980 while celebrating Mass, Romero was an advocate for social justice and took a stand against the repressive Salvadoran government. He has been recognized as a Servant of God, but, due to the Church crackdown on liberation theology and fears about
Marxist leanings, Romero’s path to sainthood stagnated. Liberation theology puts forward the idea that the
CNS PHOTO/OCTAVIO DURAN
religious minorities out of their homes, including Christian communities that have been settled in the region for the last two millennia. Regarding recent US airstrikes against the militants in northern Iraq, Pope Francis said, “In these cases, where there is unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor. I underscore the verb stop. I’m not saying ‘bomb’ or ‘make war,’ just ‘stop.’ And the means that can be used to stop them must be evaluated.” The pope continued by referring to the importance of the United Nations in discussing how to curb violence in the world. “One nation alone cannot judge how you stop this, how you stop an unjust aggressor,” said Pope Francis.
Retired Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on August 24 with “spiritual freshness and joy” and spent time with a group of former doctoral students at the Vatican, reported CNS. The group, called the Ratzinger Student Circle, meets every year to engage in theological discussions. Pope Benedict selects the theme each year; this year’s topic was the theology of the cross.
CNS/CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, REUTERS
CNS/ROBERT DUNCAN
Pope Francis phoned the parents of American journalist James Foley, who was killed by ISIS militants on August 19. On NBC’s Today, John and Diane Foley talked about their conversation with the pope on August 21. Diane Foley said, “Pope Francis was so dear because he is grieving himself, having just lost three members of his family and [with] his nephew critically ill. Here in the midst of his tremendous grief, he took the time to call. Our whole family was there . . . my brother-in-law spoke in Spanish to him. He was just so kind.”
Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero is shown here in a 1979 photo in San Salvador. O c to b e r 2 0 1 4 ❘ 1 1
Pope Francis Mourns Deaths of Family Members A tragic car accident on August 19 killed three of the pope’s relatives The caskets containing the bodies of the wife and and critically injured children of Emanuel Bergoglio, a nephew of Pope another, reported CNS. Francis, are loaded on a plane August 19 in Pope Francis’ nephew, Cordoba, Argentina, to be flown to Buenos Aires. Emmanuel Horacio Borgoglio, survived the crash, while his wife and two young children were killed. The following day, during his weekly general audience at the Vatican, the pope addressed the crowd of 7,000, thanking them for their prayers. Pope Francis said, “The pope has a family, too. We were five siblings, and I have 16 nieces and nephews. One of these nephews was in an accident. His wife died along with his two small children—one who was 2 years old and the other several months.” The pope went on to inform the audience his nephew was in critical condition and then expressed his gratitude for their prayers, saying, “I thank you, I thank you very much, for your condolences and prayers.”
LCWR Gives Top Award to Nun as Controversy Continues
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no one, not myself or the theological community, the media or the general public knows what doctrinal issue is at stake.” The LCWR has been under doctrinal investigation by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith since 2009. In 2012, the LCWR was accused of embracing “radical feminism” and ordered to make revisions to its statutes. Responding to the Church’s investigation, Johnson used the platform of her acceptance speech to defend the LCWR, saying, “When the moral authority of the hierarchy is hemorrhaging due to financial scandals and many bishops who . . . cover up sexual abuse of children, . . . the waste of time on this investigation is unconscionable.” Despite all the controversy, the Nashville conference was also an opportunity for participants to openly explore spirituality and doctrinal The US bishops’ Committee on Doctrine has concluded that a concerns, as well as to 2007 book written by Fordham University theology professor examine Church political issues in closed-door Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson “contains misrepresentations, meetings. A ambiguities, and errors” related to the Catholic faith.
CNS PHOTO/COURTESY FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
Theologian and author Sister Elizabeth A. Johnson, CSJ, received the Outstanding Leadership award on August 15 from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) at their annual four-day conference in Nashville. While the event and the award were causes for a celebration of faith, controversy loomed, due to a continued back-and-forth dispute between Johnson (and the LCWR) and Catholic hierarchy. Both Johnson and the LCWR have received criticism from US bishops and the Vatican’s group of officials on Church orthodoxy, respectively, reported RNS. Johnson’s book Quest for the Living God was heavily criticized by the US bishops’ Committee on Doctrine in 2011 for including doctrinal “misrepresentations, ambiguities, and errors.” In response, during her award acceptance speech, Johnson commented, “To this day,
CNS PHOTO/IRMA MONTIEL, EPA
Gospels are populated by teachings that call Catholics to fight against socioeconomic injustices. At question is what motivated the assassination of Romero: politically based reasons or a hatred of the Catholic faith. Calling on theologians to look more closely at the issue, Pope Francis said, “What I would like is that they clarify when there’s a martyrdom for the hatred of the faith—for confessing the faith— as well as for doing the work for the other that Jesus commands.” If Romero is officially recognized as a martyr based on “hatred of the faith,” his path to beatification would be accelerated, since martyrs can be beatified without an attributed miracle. To be canonized, on the other hand, a miracle is required. The pope said that though “it is important to do it quickly,” the proper channels and Church processes concerning beatification must be acknowledged and followed.
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The according to
St.Francis How do we put God at the center of our lives? The poor man of Assisi can help us along the way. BY HILARION KISTNER, OFM
14 ❘ October 2014
to be perfect in that same way. Of course, that is an awfully tall order! It’s easy to be generous when a nice person comes along. Look at Blessed Mother Teresa. People were exceedingly generous to her; people did many things for her because she was easily lovable. But look at the people she took care of. She picked them up out of the gutter every day, dirty and smelling and diseased and practically dead, and she loved them and took care of them without question. For most of us, it’s a lot easier to love Mother Teresa but not as easy to love the people whom she cared for.
Answering Our Call But we’re not called to go to India and do that kind of thing; maybe we’re not even called to do that kind of work in our own corner of the world. Maybe we are called to be perfect simply by helping the people around us. Maybe we are called to forgive, to let bygones be bygones. Do we care only about people who are nice to us, or do we care about the people who are not nice to us at all? Being perfect doesn’t necessarily mean we have to treat everybody well, be nice to everybody. That’s not what God is. God isn’t just nice to everybody; God gives himself to everybody. In this same way, every person who comes into my life is saying to me, “Get out of yourself; don’t hang on to your own selfish concerns. Don’t put your own concerns so far above everybody else’s that you don’t care about anybody else.” Let people into your life; that’s one way you can start trying to be perfect. But in Matthew 19:21, Jesus does indicate further ramifications of being perfect. If you really want to be like your heavenly Father, if St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
PHOTO BY RAMA/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS OF PAINTING OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI FROM THE WORKSHOP OF RUBENS
R
ECALL THE THREE TEXTS that Francis read when he went to the Church of St. Nicholas with Brother Bernard, and opened the Bible three times. The order in which the texts appeared is Matthew 19:21, then Luke 9:3, and then Matthew 16:24. If you look at them in that order, you see that the first text says to get rid of everything. The second one says not to take anything along for the journey. And the third one says simply, “Follow me.” It’s a rather nice progression as given in Bonaventure’s account of Francis’ life. Let’s go back to the first text they found: “If you will be perfect, go, sell all that you have and give to the poor”; that’s what is quoted in Bonaventure, just those words. That doesn’t mean they ignored the other words in the passage from Matthew, but those are the words that are singled out. If we try to approach this in a literal and realistic way, we see that Jesus is talking about the possibility of being perfect: this is the way we can be perfect. But now let’s take it a step further to see what more Jesus might mean by that. Maybe the best insight into these words is a phrase from the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus tells his disciples, “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). This means that, as God sends his gifts on both the good and bad, so we are called to do the same. We don’t hold back anything from someone in need. We don’t question first whether they are worthy or not, but rather, accept that they are human beings who are our brothers and sisters under God. Therefore, just as God is perfect in giving what is needed to his children, so we are called
In his life, St. Francis exemplified—both physically and spiritually—the message of giving our lives over to Christ.
you really want to go all out for him and be like him, go sell your possessions and give to the poor.
Some Insight from St. Francis Now here’s where Francis gives us a good insight in this text. He and Bernard and the brothers and sisters who will eventually follow Francis do indeed take this text literally and realistically. Franciscans go back home, get all their possessions together, sell them, give the money to the poor, and then come to follow him. How does this help Secular Franciscans, or those who don’t specifically follow a Franciscan lifestyle? Francis was faced with that problem as well. People came to him and said, “We want to follow you; we want to be like you.” Some of them wanted to leave their wives and their families; there were even wives who wanted to leave their husbands and their families. Francis was realistic enough to know that leaving everything behind was not the right way for everybody. Here we might recall the story about Franz Jägerstätter [the German pacifist and martyr, who in faith, against the wishes of his family, gave up his life rather than serve as a Nazi soldier]. He could not put the love of his wife and his children ahead of his love for God; that’s the way it came to him. This is a good way of understanding Matthew’s text for people who don’t enter a religious community. October 2014 ❘ 15
CNS PHOTO/MIKE CRUPI, CATHOLIC COURIER
Not everyone is called to renounce their possessions, as St. Francis did. So then what does poverty mean to a layperson? It can mean many things, such as the simple act of helping others.
People who are living with their families or as a single person or in some other situation can still leave everything behind in the sense that they will never put material possessions— even one’s family or relationships with others— above their fidelity to God. If that is the way they live, they are exemplifying the kingdom of God. They are, as the rest of the text says, storing up treasure in heaven. Remember, heaven stands for God. A person who puts God first has treasure with God, is with God. Possess God and you will be possessed by God. Surely, then, they are following Christ. So to apply this text in a very practical and realistic way is to say, “Put possessions in their right place. Don’t hang on to anything; get rid of stuff as much as you can.” Material possessions are unimportant as far as the kingdom of God is concerned. Of course, there are things that we need to live, to do our work, to help us relax, and to be better people. But when possessions get in the way of our relationship with God, that’s when we need to consider what needs to go.
Christ Comes First Another question is, “What does poverty mean for a layperson? What is the practical implication of this kind of vow in someone’s life?” It means they become detached from things. They come to use material goods for their own needs, for the needs of their family, and for other legitimate purposes. There are differences of opinion about how you really carry this out. 16 ❘ October 2014
Essentially, however, to take a vow of poverty—or to ascribe to that way of life without actually taking a vow—means we cannot cling to anything. When we cling to our possessions, for all practical purposes we renounce Christ. If we must make a choice between renouncing Christ or renouncing goods, we have to renounce goods. Christ must be first, foremost, and everything in our lives. Sometimes the choice between possessions and Christ can be a dramatic thing; more often it occurs in the daily choices of our lives. For example, how do we deal with consumerism? How much do we need to hang on to? How important is it for us to keep getting new things, getting the best things, getting ahead of everybody else? Surely we are called to use our possessions well and become good stewards of whatever we have. That especially includes taking care of the poor. Each situation in life challenges us to consider the words of Scripture in a practical, realistic, and personal way; that’s why we never want to stop reading Scripture and hearing its words proclaimed to us at Mass. Each time we encounter Scripture, it offers an opportunity to consider the choices we have before us as followers of Christ. Each Scripture text is a call to try to understand that text as it stands, consider what it is saying to you, and then remain open to the possibilities suggested by the text. Luke 9:3 says, “Take nothing for the journey.” Take neither walking staff nor traveling bag, no bread, no money; no one is to have two St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
coats. This again is a good illustration of the virtue of poverty.
How Are You Following Christ? The third text in Bonaventure’s account, Matthew 16:24, tells us, “If you have a mind to come my way, renounce yourself, and take up your cross and follow me.” In this text, the really important words are the last ones: “Follow me.” If we understand that and can make it real in our lives, the rest of these things may follow. But how are we to follow in the footsteps of Christ? What does this mean practically and realistically? What does it mean personally? How literally do we take those words? And if we don’t take them literally, what do those words mean to say? Following in the footsteps of Christ doesn’t mean that we should all go over to the Holy Land, try to find the footsteps of Jesus, and walk in them. It means, rather, that our lives must become identified with the life of Christ. We should approach life the way he approached life. If it means carrying the cross—whatever that implies in our modern age and in our own personal circumstances—that is what we must do. We might well ask ourselves, why was Jesus put to death? He was put to death because he was faithful to his Father. He did what was asked of him by God the Father; nobody wanted to hear about that, especially the people in power, both civil and religious. None of them wanted to hear what Jesus had to say. Today we’re tempted to do the same; we don’t want to hear about what my Father wants us to do because we’re afraid of the consequences. What might it do to us? How would we have to change? But Jesus decided, “I will do what God wants, no matter what.” In challenging the people of his day, the civil and the religious authorities, he gradually came to realize he would even lose his life because of fidelity to his Father.
things. For most of us, it’s just some rather small things that demand fidelity; still, we give up on it. For example, look at the times when we’ll get in a little bit of trouble unless we tell a lie. This lie probably isn’t serious, and we should have a few faults anyway, so we tell a lie and that solves a lot of problems for us. Yet, maybe that’s exactly when we’re called to be faithful. We won’t end up being put on a cross or sent to the guillotine or something drastic like that, but telling the truth will cause us some trouble—and we’d rather avoid trouble. Christ says, “If you want to come after me,
Celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday 2015 in Poland and visit The Shroud of Turin also Prague, Italy and Medjugorje
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really follow in my footsteps, be faithful as I was faithful to the Father.” That means all those little compromises that are so easy for us to make must go: a lie here, a little cheating there, a little bit of backbiting over there. All these things can make life easier for us, but Christ is calling us to be faithful in all of these things, to really follow in his footsteps and be faithful to his Father.
Get over Ourselves Click the button above to hear an excerpt from the book read by Father Hilarion.
tal Digi as Extr
Whether it’s big things or small things, Jesus makes a very strong statement here: if anyone wishes to follow after him, that person needs to deny his very self. Does that mean we shouldn’t be selfish; is that what it literally means? Surely, it means at least that: to get over that selfishClick here for more ness that wants to keep proon St. Francis. tecting the self, to stop making compromises, to stop allowing ourselves to be indifferent. But it means even more than that, because Jesus doesn’t say, “Deny your selfishness”; he says to deny yourself. Now, we know that God made us and that we are a treasured part of creation; God doesn’t want us to destroy ourselves. But what is it that’s being
asked of us when we are told to deny ourselves? Does this mean we should see that God has to be most important in our lives, that we must be secondary to God? Maybe that’s a bad way of putting it, too. God is all important; God is everything. And whenever we compromise, even in the smallest way, by putting ourselves before God and before others, those are the times when we do not deny ourselves. And so, while we must give up our attachment to possessions and give to the poor, we must also give up our very selves and realize that God is first; Jesus is first. We are called to deny ourselves, to take up whatever cross there is in our lives, whatever kind of pain comes into our lives, and really begin to follow in Christ’s footsteps. Francis sums this up well in his simple little prayer: “My God and my all.” A This is excerpted, with permission, from The Gospels According to St. Francis, by Hilarion Kistner, OFM (Franciscan Media, 2014). Father Hilarion Kistner, OFM, has a doctorate in theology from the Catholic University of America. He is the editor of Sunday Homily Helps.
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LIVE WELL
❘ BY COLLEEN MONTGOMERY AND JIM BRENNAN
Volunteer!
Volunteers serve free dinners provided by the Emergency Assistance Department of Chicago Catholic Charities.
CNS PHOTO/JIM YOUNG, REUTERS
O As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace. —1 Peter 4:10
ne evening a year ago, Colleen and I drove back from Beach Haven, New Jersey, after spending the day cleaning houses damaged by Hurricane Sandy. We were up early, labored all day, and went home late. But we bantered enthusiastically, invigorated by a day of helping people we didn’t know. Then I took stock: I’ve coached Little League and Special Olympics. These days I run with Back on My Feet, an inner-city program for the homeless. I wondered whether I volunteer to serve others or to fulfill a need of my own. I think it must be both. Scripture tells us that those who give of themselves also receive. Volunteering benefits those who are served, but it also fulfills us as human beings. Studies cite the physical, mental, and social benefits of volunteering—three ingredients to overall wellness.
For the Body Volunteering our time can translate to significant physical benefits simply by getting us off 2 0 ❘ O ctober 2014
the sofa, out of the house, and moving our bodies. Volunteering steers us away from disease by lowering blood pressure, and reduces bodily pain by improving our functional ability. High blood pressure is linked to heart disease, stroke, and premature death. Shifting focus to something outside of oneself eases one’s stress level, which, in turn, helps reduce the risk of disease. Several studies have found that those suffering from chronic pain experience a decline in pain intensity— and decreased levels of disability and depression—when they serve others. Additionally, those with coronary artery disease who volunteer after a heart attack reported less depression and despair—two factors linked to mortality rates in such patients.
For the Mind Volunteering has a positive effect on one’s sense of purpose and achievement. Studies show that volunteering helps people feel more socially connected, thus warding off loneliness and depression. As a result, volunSt A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
teers benefit from improved self-esteem, selfefficacy, happiness, empathy, and an increase in one’s sense of control of his or her life.
For the Spirit Volunteering cultivates relationships and presents the opportunity for people of various backgrounds and religions to work together to solve problems or achieve a common goal. In return for sharing of oneself, we can improve social skills, enhance trust in others, learn new cultures, and grow our social network.
Children Volunteers Parents can lead through example by volunteering with their children. Reports show that children who volunteer are likely to grow up to be adults who volunteer. Sociologists link volunteering to positive effects on grades and attitudes toward education, as well as reduced drug use and a decline in dropout rates and teen pregnancies. As family members learn more about social issues, community needs, and government programs and resources, they can work together to better serve their community.
Ask Yourself These Questions
1 2 3
How many hours am I able to put in? One or two hours per week? One or two days per month?
4
What is important to you? Social issues, crime, hunger, homelessness?
Whom do I want to help? Shut-ins? Those with physical or mental disabilities? The homeless?
tal Digi as Extr To hear more on the benefits of volunteerism, click the button below.
What skills can I offer? Accounting, mathematics, or writing? Perhaps woodworking, gardening, reading, or simply visiting someone who is lonely is a better fit for you.
Senior Volunteers
CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ
Volunteering gives seniors a sense of purpose in their changing roles in society by being physically and socially active. It helps them maintain a sense of independence. One study indicated that married adults who provide service to others maintain stronger, healthier relationships.
How to Get Involved Many parish bulletins, community bulletin boards, and local papers list opportunities for volunteers. Christian-operated thrift stores, the Salvation Army, and Habitat for Humanity are just a few organizations that are usually open to volunteers. If you have a particular skill you’d like to share or interest you’d like to explore, contact your parish or community center and offer to donate an hour or two per week. Fr ancisca n Media .org
Volunteerism is rooted in Scripture and fulfills a basic human need. Serving others feeds one’s body, mind, and soul, which contributes to overall wellness. Jim Brennan writes about health and fitness from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Colleen Montgomery is a registered clinical exercise physiologist and certified wellness coach. They collaborate on this column.
Students from Corpus Christi School in New York give sweet potatoes to a woman at a Catholic Charities’ center in New York’s Harlem community.
O c to b e r 2 0 1 4 ❘ 2 1
Mary’s Meals One boy’s wish for food inspired this worldwide ministry.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARY’S MEALS
BY DONIS TRACY
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of Mary’s Meals, has a powerful vision: “that every child in the world receives a meal every day in their place of education.”
22 ❘ October 2014
I
N A SMALL VILLAGE in Malawi, a woman lay on the dirt floor of her hut dying of AIDS. Surrounded by her six children, she uttered her biggest fear: after her death, her children would starve. Her oldest child, Edward, 14, was asked about his hopes and dreams for the future. “I would like to have enough food to eat and to go to school one day,” he said. That was in 2002, and the experience propelled Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow to found Mary’s Meals (MarysMeals.org), an international relief agency that provides lunch to schoolchildren in poverty-stricken parts of the world. “I was taken to this family by a local priest who wanted me to meet them. Their father had died one year previously, St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
Starting in Malawi, Mary’s Meals has expanded its reach to serve children in other African nations, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and South America. Not only fighting hunger, Mary’s Meals also brings the light of education into children’s lives.
demic performance. “The reason is obvious—even those who were in school were often very hungry and not able to concentrate. It’s hard for children in that situation to learn,” MacFarlane-Barrow says. In 2002, Mary’s Meals began by feeding 200 schoolchildren in Edward’s village in Malawi. Today, more than 894,000 children are fed every school day in 13 countries around the world. “Africa is by far our biggest focus,” notes MacFarlaneBarrow. “Of the close to 900,000 children we feed every day, nearly 700,000 are in Malawi.” Mary’s Meals feeds 20 percent of the primary-school population there.
Pilgrimage Sparks Lifetime of Service
and the mother had but weeks to live,” recalls MacFarlaneBarrow. “To hear that the extent of [Edward’s] hopes and dreams at 14 years of age was that he eat enough food not to starve—that had a huge impact on me.” The idea behind Mary’s Meals is simple: provide one nutritious meal every day at school for poverty-stricken children in developing nations. The results are staggering. “We have seen a huge increase in enrollment in school,” says MacFarlane-Barrow, noting that Liberia alone has seen a 40 percent rise. “Parents enroll their children because they know that their children will get a meal, which they may not otherwise have.” In addition, he has seen a dramatic improvement in acaFr anciscanMedia.org
MacFarlane-Barrow began helping those less fortunate long before that pivotal day in Malawi. “I guess my story really starts in 1983 when I was 14 years of age,” recounts the 46-year-old. Sitting across his breakfast table in the tiny village of Dalmally Argyll, Scotland, where his family ran a small guesthouse, his oldest sister, Ruth, “read a small paragraph in our national newspaper that some teens in Yugoslavia had apparitions,” he begins. Having returned from a family trip to Fatima the summer before, MacFarlane-Barrow and his five siblings begged their parents to go to Medjugorje. “To our amazement, they said, ‘We are too busy running our guesthouse. You can go and find out if you want.’ So we set off on this adventure.” He continues, “I came home with a renewed sense of God and a desire really to put him in the center of my life.” He and his siblings were so enthusiastic that, within a few months, his parents made the trip as well. When they returned, the couple decided to convert their guesthouse into a retreat house—a place where pilgrims still journey to today. His sister Ruth wrote a short reflection in their local newspaper—one of the first accounts of Medjugorje published. October 2014 ❘ 23
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARY’S MEALS
Total number of children receiving a daily meal in school
894,288 Average global cost of Mary’s Meals per child, per year
$19.50 Worldwide average cost per meal
10¢ Number of chronically hungry children in the world
300 million Around 57 million of these children are out of school. Number of children receiving a daily meal in their place of education Benin Bosnia Burma Ecuador Haiti India Kenya Liberia Malawi South Sudan Thailand Uganda
1,453 25 397 278 26,201 12,635 26,829 115,634 686,451 11,263 530 12,592
Global Total 894,288 24 ❘ October 2014
Thousands of letters poured in asking for more information. Little did they know that one letter in particular—written by a female pilot in Malawi named Gay Russell—would later play an integral role in MacFarlane-Barrow’s life. After returning from Medjugorje, MacFarlane-Barrow continued on as any Scottish young man would—he finished high school and began college, which he admits was not his cup of tea. He left college after his first year, bought a small house in his hometown, and became a salmon farmer. In 1992, as the war in Bosnia was at its worst, he and his brother, Fergus, were sitting in a local pub enjoying a pint of beer when they decided to help the people affected by the war. They asked their friends and neighbors for donations, and once their Jeep was filled, they headed off to Bosnia. “We thought it was a one-off thing. I took one week off of work, and we drove there. I came back thinking I had done my good deed, and now was going back to work. God had a very different idea,” he says, laughing. “By the time I came home, I discovered this big avalanche of aid. “I prayed about it and decided to give up my job, sell my little house, and keep doing it,” he continues. “I told God, ‘I’ll keep doing this as long as there’s a need and as long as people keep giving.’ “Honestly, I thought I’d do it a few months, maybe I’ll even do it for a year,” he recalls. “So here we are 20something years later and it’s still happening.” Because of the overwhelming amount of donations, MacFarlaneBarrow in late 1992 created a charitable organization called Scottish International Relief. One year later, he received a phone call from a Scottish nurse named Julie. Julie had heard of MacFarlane-Barrow’s work and was interested in bringing medical relief to the people of Bosnia. “She began being my co-driver,” he recalls with a smile. For the next 10 years, the two worked side by side, bringing Scottish International Relief to
orphanages in Romania, health centers in West Africa, and many other projects. “We had no particular theme, just did good works,” MacFarlane-Barrow recalls. Among their charitable projects, love bloomed. The couple wed and settled in his hometown. Today, they are proud parents of seven children, ages 3 to 16.
‘We Gave It to Our Lady’ In 2002, a terrible famine swept through Malawi. MacFarlane-Barrow and his family were in their retreat house, trying to think of a way to contact a person in Malawi to send supplies. That is when Gay Russell’s name came up. “As children we always had a romantic notion of Gay Russell, kind of like an Out of Africa type of thing, so we never forgot her,” MacFarlane-Barrow says with a laugh. “But then, the strangest thing happened. An Englishman who was on retreat at the house spoke up. ‘Gay Russell? I know Gay Russell!’” The Englishman, Tony Smith, explained that he was an architect and that he and Russell were building a replica church of Medjugorje in Malawi. A few weeks later, MacFarlaneBarrow and his sister Ruth were sitting in Russell’s kitchen, thinking of ways to help the people of Malawi. Tony Smith was also there, and played another key role in the creation of Mary’s Meals. “Tony told me . . . he had once heard a speech made by Senator George McGovern that if America decided to give one meal every day for every child in the developing world in school, it would lift the world out of poverty,” recalls MacFarlane-Barrow. “Tony was inspired that if someone took that concept, called it ‘Mary’s Meals,’ and gave it to Our Lady, that it would work.” “Right then, I know God had been preparing me for this work for the 10 years prior,” he says. He consulted his wife and “immediately we decided that this is what we should do. “So we started Mary’s Meals, gave it to Our Lady, and asked her to show us St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
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(Above) Chivumbe stirs a pot designed to reduce the quantity of wood used for cooking, an efficient and cost-saving strategy. (Left) Tending to a community garden, these girls embrace shared responsibility, a core tenet of Mary’s Meals’ philosophy.
how to do this work in a way that would honor her,” he adds. “Julie is as passionate about the mission of Mary’s Meals as I am and is incredibly supportive, which is a huge blessing in my life,” says MacFarlaneBarrow. “I absolutely couldn’t do this— wouldn’t do this—if I didn't have a wife who supports me.” To keep overhead low, the family has had to make sacrifices over the years. The family lives simply in their small village; they have forgone vacations and expensive cars; Magnus’ office is a small tin shack in the yard of his parents’ retreat house. MacFarlane-Barrow seldom travels, and when he does, he spends as little company money as possible. He opts to stay in the homes of supporters rather than pay for hotel rooms. Fr anciscanMedia.org
7:30, 9:00, 10:45 am, 12:30, 6:00 pm Saturday 8:30 am, 4:30 pm, 6:30 pm Weekday 6:30, 8:30 am Holy Day 6:30, 8:30 am, 12:00 noon, 7:00 pm Sacrament of Reconciliation Daily After 6:30 am Mass; Saturday 3-4 pm and 5:30-6 pm
She danced at George Washington’s 65th Birthday Ball.
Currently, 93 cents of every dollar donated to Mary’s Meals goes straight into feeding children. “I wish it were 94,” he says, shaking his head. “But there are some positions that we really do have to staff with paid professionals.”
How Does Mary’s Meals Work? The first step in beginning a new Mary’s Meals site is to meet with community leaders, says MacFarlaneBarrow. “This isn’t about us charging in from the outside and taking responsibility away from people,” he says emphatically. “And particularly in the African culture, there is an incredible sense of shared responsibility for all the children in the village, so generally speaking everyone wants to help.
“An amazing true story about a woman who beat all the odds. I plan to read it again and again.” — Carol Burnett Available wherever books are sold.
www.joanbarthel.com October 2014 ❘ 25
Putting a Human Face on the Mission
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARY’S MEALS
Grassroots Films, a small New York-based independent film company, strives to create “entertainment that inspires.” So, in 2012, when Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow called to ask if the company would consider making a film about Mary’s Meals, it seemed like an ideal match. “We wanted to jump on board as soon as possible,” recalls Joe Campo, cofounder and chief operating officer of Grassroots Films. “We believed very much in Magnus’ mission.” MacFarlane-Barrow had received a generous donation to create a film that would bring more attention to Mary’s Meals, he says. Making a film that spanned so many countries and cultures certainly was challenging. “There were a lot of barriers we have had to cross, but when it’s God’s work we are trying to accomplish, things have a way of falling into place,” Campo says. The result? A 32-minute film entitled Child 31. The film focuses on all aspects of Mary’s Meals—from MacFarlaneBarrow, to several children in Malawi and India, to a 12-yearold donor in England named Charlie Doherty who singlehandedly raised thousands of dollars for the organization. “Magnus gave us complete artistic freedom,” says Campo. The production team decided to name the film Child 31 once they realized how many children die of starvation every day. “18,000 children die of hunger-related diseases every day,” flashes on the screen after the film’s two-minute introduction. “30 have died since you started watching.” “It’s incredible to think that from the time you begin the film to the end, there are hundreds of children who have died from lack of food,” says Campo. “Our hope is that this film brings awareness of Magnus’ mission so that others in all parts of the world can help.”
Amplifying Mary’s Meals’ message through the medium of documentary, Grassroots Films produced Child 31. The filmmakers traveled the world, witnessing the program’s mission in action. 26 ❘ October 2014
“We are not interested in doing this unless [the villagers] take local responsibility, specifically the organizing of volunteers to make, serve, and clean up after these meals every day,” he says. Once a community has created the volunteer staff to run Mary’s Meals, the organization constructs a simple building that acts as a kitchen and a storeroom. They stock the kitchen with specially created pots that are both enormous and efficient, to cut down on the amount of wood needed to cook. They provide each child with a colorful mug or plate. “The start-up is as simple as that,” says MacFarlane-Barrow. “After the setup it’s really about providing food on an ongoing basis.” MacFarlane-Barrow contracts with local farmers who deliver their goods straight to the schools. “This is very much a local program,” he says. Because of the high percentage of volunteers, as well as the sourcing of locally produced foods, it costs Mary’s Meals $19.50 to feed one child for an entire school year. “And yet 18,000 kids died of hunger-related disease today,” he says, shaking his head.
Serving Malawi and Beyond Mary’s Meals exists in places such as Malawi, Liberia, Haiti, India, and Kenya. The model is almost always the same, with one notable exception: India. MacFarlane-Barrow explains that because of the caste system in India, children of the lowest caste never go to school. They spend their days working in garbage dumps. “I remember I asked one mother once why she didn’t bring her children to school,” he recalls. “She answered simply, ‘Because we are poor.’ It didn’t even occur to her that her children were worthy of attending school.” To minister to the children in India, Mary’s Meals had to hire two people— a full-time teacher and a cook. Children are encouraged to leave their work for three hours, sit under a nearby tree in groups of 50 or so, and receive basic education and a meal. “It really is beautiful to see these St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
Click here for more on Mary’s Meals.
Personally invited to meet Pope Francis in 2013, MacFarlane-Barrow and his wife, Julie, relish the moment. Serving the poor is what brought him this far: “I have learned from them. I have been evangelized by them.”
children sitting under a tree, beginning to learn,” MacFarlane-Barrow says. “We can’t just leave these kids behind because our ideal model doesn’t quite work there.” In 2010, MacFarlane-Barrow was named a CNN Person of the Year. His popularity soared, as did donations to Mary’s Meals. In 2013, Pope Francis personally invited MacFarlane-Barrow and his wife to Rome. “That was incredible,” he smiles.
Fr anciscanMedia.org
However, he really lights up when he speaks of his encounters with the children his organization has helped over the years. “I feel privileged in so many ways that I have had the opportunity to spend time with the very poorest of the poor,” he says. “People who have nothing often have the purest faith. I have learned from them. I have been evangelized by them. “There’s a prevalent myth out there
tal Digi as Extr
that people are hungry because there are too many people in the world. That’s nonsense. We produce more food than we need. People are hungry because poverty exists,” he says. “Our vision—and it’s one that burns ever more brightly as doable—is that every child in the world receives a meal every day in their place of education,” he says. “The more I see [Mary’s Meals] grow every day, the more I can’t think of one good reason why that’s not happening. There’s nothing I’ve seen that makes that an insurmountable problem.” A Donis Tracy is a Catholic freelance writer who lives and works in the Boston area. She is a frequent contributor to The Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston.
October 2014 ❘ 27
THE SPIRIT OF FRANCIS
❘ BY GINA LOEHR
CNS PHOTO/CLAUDIO PERI, EPA
A Loving Kiss
V
2 8 ❘ October 2014
Gina Loehr has written with Al Giambrone Saint Francis, Pope Francis: A Common Vision (Servant Books). It is also available as an audiobook.
Pope Francis embraces Vinicio Riva, 53, during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican November 6, 2013. Riva, who is afflicted with neurofibromatosis, said receiving the pope’s embrace was like being in paradise.
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For more on Pope Francis and St. Francis of Assisi, click here.
Bitter into Sweet In his Testament, St. Francis wrote: “The Lord gave me, Brother Francis, thus to begin doing penance in this way: for when I was in sin, it seemed too bitter for me to see lepers. And the Lord himself led me among them and I showed mercy to them. And when I left them, what had seemed bitter to me was turned into sweetness of soul and body.”—P.M.
St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
ILLUSTRATION BY JULIE LONNEMAN
inicio Riva is used to rejection. The large tumors and discolored spots covering his body make his appearance a fearful one. “Go away! Don’t sit next to me!” a man once blurted out when Vinicio boarded a bus. Even Vinicio’s father won’t touch him. Such responses are all too common. But Pope Francis is not a common man. When he encountered Vinicio at a public audience, his response was entirely different. Without hesitation, the Holy Father warmly embraced the disfigured man, kissed his head, and blessed him. As Vinicio later pointed out, although his neurofibromatosis isn’t contagious, Pope Francis didn’t know that. Moved by compassion, the pope made this kiss at his own risk. Fear or repulsion didn’t stop the Holy Father from offering this gesture of wholehearted acceptance, a gesture that touched the suffering man profoundly. “I felt only love,” Vinicio reported.
Love trumped fear in this beautiful moment. Like his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis allowed love to triumph when he encountered Vinicio. Though some may treat this man like a modernday leper, Pope Francis reached out as if to say, “I accept you and I love you.” As one mother of a son with neurofibromatosis noted, “The pope, by his action, is embracing all the families of all those suffering with this condition.” Both St. Francis and Pope Francis have brought joy to others through their courageous love. But such acts of Christ-like compassion also affect the person doing them. “Just think of what happened to St. Francis when he embraced the leper,” Pope Francis said in a homily months before meeting Vinicio. “His life changed.” Perhaps our lives will also change if we, like both men named Francis, reach out to others with heartfelt acceptance and love. A
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❘ S Y N O D O N T H E FA M I LY
A New Look at
Catholic Families The pastoral care of families will be front and center during this month’s meeting in Rome of bishops from around the world. Sensitive topics are bound to come up. B Y PAT M C C L O S K E Y, OFM PHOTO BY LISA JOHNSTON; FAMILY SILHOUETTE © CHRISTIN GASNER/ISTOCKPHOTO
30 ❘ October 2014
St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
Click here for more information on synod-related issues.
T
Preparing for the 2014 Synod On the return flight from Rio de Janeiro last July 28, Pope Francis held an 80-minute press conference with journalists. Regarding the issue of holy Communion for divorced Catholics who have entered a second marriage that the Church does not recognize, he said, “I believe that we need to look at this within the larger context of the entire pastoral care of marriage.” He mentioned the more generous practice of the Orthodox Churches in these situations. Pope Francis went on to say that he had recently spoken with the synod office head about the theme of its next meeting. “It was an Fr anciscanMedia.org
anthropological theme,” Pope Francis explained, “but talking it over, going back and forth, we saw this anthropological theme: how does the faith help with one’s personal lifeproject, but in the family, and so pointing towards the pastoral care of marriage?” The pope said a few moments later that ecclesiastical tribunals are not sufficient for handling the full pastoral care of marriages. A 15-member synod commission has met twice a year since the last synod (October 2012) to make recommendations for a papal exhortation (“The Joy of the Gospel”) and to prepare for the next synod. Twelve members were elected for continental groupings, and three members were appointed by the pope. Last October, the 2014 theme was formally announced and a preliminary questionnaire
Catholic population 1970
653.6 million 2014
1.229 billion Marriage between Two Catholics 1970
3.725 million 2014
2.486 million © 2014 CENTER FOR APPLIED RESEARCH IN THE APOSTOLATE
CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING
HIS MONTH’S world Synod of Bishops on “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization” (Vatican, October 5-19) is already historic because it will: 1) focus on the most sensitive issue in Church and society, 2) include a married couple as assistants to the synod’s special secretary and at least seven married couples as observers, encouraged to address the entire assembly, 3) prepare for a larger and longer synod in 2015 on the same topic, and 4) use an expedited process for comments on the meeting’s working document. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of the Archdiocese of Louisville will participate in this synod as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). He will be joined by other conference presidents, leaders of Eastern Catholic Churches, and Vatican officials. Professors Fran-cesco Miano and Pina De Simone, a married couple from Naples, will help summarize the discussions and prepare recommendations for the 2015 synod. Pope Francis has also appointed observers and experts (laypeople and clerics), participating in all sessions, as well as informal discussions during coffee breaks. Fraternal delegates from other Christian denominations will likewise attend.
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(lineamenta) on the synod topic was sent to bishops’ conferences. Some conferences and dioceses posted on their websites the questionnaire and local responses to it. By March, approximately 80 percent of them had responded, as well as 700 Catholic groups and individuals. Those responses were the basis for the working document (instrumentum laboris) published June 26; individual synod members will make public comments about particular sections during the synod’s first few days. On June 20, the International Theological Commission (working under the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) published its document “Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church.” The full term sensus fidei fidelium indicates the ability of baptized Catholics to recognize
Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, raises both hands to make a point during a June 26 press conference in Rome to present the synod’s working document. From left are Archbishop Bruno Forte, Cardinals Andre VingtTrois, Peter Erdo, and Lorenzo Baldisseri, and a married couple (Pina DeSimone and Francesco Miano).
October 2014 ❘ 31
their faith—their instinct for the truth of the Gospel. That certainly touches on this synod’s theme.
Unprecedented Open Discussion No sooner had Pope Francis given the interview last July than others welcomed a more open discussion of issues related to marriage and family life, including contraception. That topic was specifically excluded from the bishops’ open discussion at Vatican II because Pope Paul VI had appointed a special commission to advise him on this subject. His 1968 encyclical, Humanae Vitae, did not reflect the commission majority’s recommendation about moral means for married couples to regulate the birth of children. In the intervening years, many other family-related issues have also become urgent. Approximately 150 cardinals attended a two-day meeting last February to discuss the pastoral care of couples and families. Cardinal Walter Kasper made a major presentation, reflecting several themes from his recent book, Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, head of the Con-
gregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had earlier warned against false hopes that the Catholic Church would change its teachings or practices about marriage. Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez (Tegucigalpa, Honduras), who heads the commission of nine cardinals working on curial reform, responded, “Pastoral challenges require timely answers. They can’t any longer come from authoritarianism and moralism.” In letters to the editors of Catholic newspapers and periodicals, many lay Catholics have expressed both hope and fear about changes in the Church’s pastoral care of married couples. Archbishop Kurtz, who headed the USCCB Committee on Marriage and Family between 2005 and 2008, has undoubtedly heard the concerns of US bishops and laypeople regarding the 2014 synod’s working document. The topic to be treated in the 2014 and 2015 synods will clearly touch the lives of Catholics more directly than the themes of all previous synods. A
The 2015 Synod Ordinary synods have approximately 250 voting members, most of whom will have attended the 2014 session. At least four US bishops will participate in the October 4-25, 2015, synod, which will have as its theme “Jesus Christ reveals the mystery and vocation of the family.”
Pat McCloskey, OFM, the Franciscan editor of this publication, has compiled Peace and Good, a day-by-day book of Franciscan readings and reflections. It will be published by Franciscan Media next month.
How This Synod Will Work as a group. In July, the synod office announced that voting members have been asked to submit by September 20 their short comments about a section of the working document. These will be organized thematically and summarized by Cardinal Erdo in his pre-discussion report. The amount of time for oral presentations on this material has been reduced. CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING
Observers and fraternal delegates will also have an opportunity to make oral presentations. (Before the synod starts, the full list of participants will be posted at the synod’s section on vatican.va). To prepare for the language-group portion
Pope Francis meets with the world’s cardinals in the synod hall at the Vatican February 20 to discuss the Church’s pastoral approach to families.
P
ope Francis will preside over it, assisted
of the synod, Cardinal Erdo will summarize the
by delegate presidents: the cardinal arch-
oral presentations. Language groups will work
bishops of Paris, Aparecida, and Manila.
theme by theme on amending Cardinal Erdo’s
Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest will
Synod members might issue a short “Mes-
Forte of Chieti-Vasto will serve as this synod’s
sage to the People of God.” They will definitely
special secretary.
make recommendations to the 2015 synod on
All synod members will meet for several days 32 ❘ October 2014
second report.
be the main presenter, and Archbishop Bruno
this year’s synod topic. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
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and fast moving. —SARAH SARAH REINHARD, REINHARD, author and blogger
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SPECIAL REPORT
❘ S Y N O D O N T H E FA M I LY
Nurturing
Catholic Traditions at Home Here are nine ways for families to grow together in faith. BY JEANNE HUNT
© ANITASSTUDIO/DREAMSTIME
J
34 ❘ October 2014
UST LIKE a good Jewish family keeps kosher, Catholic families need to be mindful of how to “keep” Catholicism. The Catholic lifestyle, in which many of us grew up, has given way to a much more secular way of living. Ask your grandparents to describe growing up as Catholics. They will likely tell you that they were immersed in Catholic practice, traditions, and prayer life. There were Sunday Mass, vespers, benediction, novenas, and many other ritual events and activities. Then there was the social life of the Catholic parish. Families lived a completely committed life of faith and fellowship within these boundaries. The grace of this Catholic way of living was that families were growing in knowledge of the faith and were fostered in the fertile ground of that faith. Move forward to today. Our Catholic parishes are no longer the center of life and activity for most families. The secular setting of education and society has replaced our spiritual focus. Some families attend Sunday Mass and the parish school. Yet the influence of a secular culture has drawn so many away from living their lives with a Catholic identity. The underpinnings of belief have been removed. Families struggle to reclaim their Catholic identity in a world that is in conflict with Catholic beliefs and practices. The result
is that those of us who wish to pass on our Catholic traditions and lifestyle are finding it to be a radical, countercultural choice. The way of living that our Catholic ancestors took for granted is considered strange and outdated by those outside the Catholic community.
Keeping Traditions Alive So how do we reinforce the practice of faith in our homes and protect our families from the secularism and hedonism that surround us? We need to embrace a proactive mentality. As we look at the way we live as a family, we rethink our attitudes and practices to begin again to keep Catholicism. This is bound to be difficult because what we are choosing to do is against the grain of the common secular way of living. Yet being mindful of what we do and why we are doing it will be worth it. Deep in our hearts, we realize that we want our children to have what we have. The only way we can create Catholic families is to live that faith in our homes. Here is a start in that direction.
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Have suppertime.
At the end of the day, we are tempted to get supper done and get back to work and responsibilities. What we are forgetting is that supper is not just about food—it is about being together. Everyone should look St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
CNS PHOTO/NANCY WIECHEC
forward to being home again and spending time with family. The daily ritual of table time is an essential building block for good relationships and giving our children a sense of stability and unity. Suppertime is an opportunity not only to teach manners, but to teach faith as well. As the potatoes are passed, we can connect with the activities and decisions of the day. These conversations can teach children to be charitable, to avoid gossip, and to reinforce Catholic values. Family suppertime should be regarded as sacred. Soccer practice, meetings, work, and homework are secondary to that one hour together at supper. It goes without saying that the meal begins and ends with prayer. A traditional table grace can be said—or spontaneous prayer works as well. The important thing is that the family comes together to share heart, mind, and soul at the table. The family supper can strengthen and uphold the family structure. It is the time of listening, praying, sharing, forgiving, and humor. Fr anciscanMedia.org
This precious hour is a balm that gives perspective to the often shallow, secular culture with warmth and meaning.
❷
Redesign your home.
Look to the past once more and remember the homes of your Catholic relatives. You knew you were in the home of a Catholic family. There was a crucifix on the wall; perhaps a picture of Christ or the Virgin Mary. It would not have been out of the ordinary to find statues or religious calendars. It was clear that the people who lived there had a spiritual dimension. Homes of today are decorated well, but with little if any reference to the Catholic faith. In fact, one could be accused of being a bit of a zealot to hang one’s religion on the walls. However, it is precisely in this sacred space that we want reminders that Christ is the unseen guest in our homes. We learn visually through sign and symbol. A cross, an Advent wreath, a crèche, or a Lenten purple tablecloth reminds us that the
One of the best ways to maintain or strengthen familial bonds is to commit to sharing at least one meal a day together. The dinner table is a place to share the events of the day and check in.
October 2014 ❘ 35
Snapshot of Marriage Among the Catholic Adult Population
53%
presently married
25%
never been married
13%
divorced or separated
5%
widowed © 2014 FOR YOUR MARRIAGE / UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS
Parents must be aware of the kinds of media their children are exposed to every day. Much of what can be found online—from television to music—does little to lift the human spirit.
Church is a part of everyday life. Take some time to add sacred touches. Children learn very easily through the things they see. A Mary altar during the month of May, a blessing of the animals on the refrigerator near the feast of St. Francis, and an open Bible in the family room are a few ways that we can enrich and flavor our homes with our faith.
❸
Guard the doors.
Catholic families must be on guard against the subtle influence of the world outside their homes. Just as the doors of a fortress are watched and protected, so should we guard the doors to our families. The secular culture wants to gain a footing in our beliefs and lifestyle. While many things on television and in the media are worthwhile and enriching, much of it is corrosive to our faith. Some people are just as toxic to growing in faith. These doors can be real ones, while others are figurative. We think of the actual doors to our homes as the way we encounter friends and family. But we must be mindful of who we allow to enter. It is good to encourage relationships with friends and family who share our Catholic belief and want to participate with us in parish life and conversations about faith. When it comes to guarding the doors of our children’s friendships, we need to be very vigilant. Parents must be familiar with the friends their children choose. Preventing friendships that encourage immoral or negative values is of primary importance. Another door is imaginary but no less a portal: the door of the media. The media in a Catholic family needs to be chosen with an
intent to enrich and edify. This challenge will require vigilance, especially as parents keep watch on the Internet, cell phones, television, movies, and music. These outside influences can bend the soul in ways that lead us to values that are not compatible with Catholic teaching. Even in areas where we are not concerned about forming faith, we need to protect our spirits from such toxic practices as violence, impurity, and greed. Rather than spend all our time avoiding bad influences, perhaps we need to be advocates for good. Catholic families can make choices that reinforce values—choices that inspire and edify. We should all make an effort to connect with quality media in all its forms. Seek out websites, magazines, and books that support the best in the creative arts and information. When a Catholic family is mindful about these choices, it is not a matter of denying ourselves. It is more a matter of inspiring and edifying as we are entertained.
© MONKEY BUSINESS/FOTOLIA
❹
Attend Mass as a family.
Our Catholic identity is based on a relationship with Christ as we experience him in the Eucharist. Therefore, it makes perfect sense for families to make Sunday Mass a priority. Our children will no doubt ask, “Why do I
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and look at the way we spent our time in the last week. If we give less than 10 percent of our week to family, there is trouble ahead. Children and spouses need nurturing. When we nurture our lives away from home more than our home life, the hearth will grow cold and the fires of family love and devotion will die.
PHOTO BY BILL WITTMAN
have to go to Mass?” My advice to parents is that you must know why. It cannot be, “Because I say so.” We must understand and then teach the amazing power of this sacrament. Perhaps each of us need to spend some time thinking about why we go to Sunday Mass and what it means to us. While visiting the pews each Sunday is a basic commitment of every Catholic family, sports, work, and social events must never come before Mass. In addition, we need to honor Sunday as a day of rest. Families need to enjoy the Sabbath as a time to play together and to put aside work. Our family Sundays are times of restoration and renewal—times to be with God and one another.
❺
Make a deposit.
We need to take back some of our time from work, sports, shopping, and computers and deposit those hours in providing time for family. But taking back that time can be very difficult. In today’s professional world, many of us are expected to bring work home and work 50 or more hours a week. Those hours are being deducted from our personal time with our spouses and children. Our schedules are robbing us of the time we need to grow in our relationships. Take a few moments Fr anciscanMedia.org
❻
Practice what you preach.
❼
Tell stories of faith.
The best way to pass on the faith to our family is to witness it. Real faith is passed on by example. For most of us, it was the daily actions of our parents and our family that convinced us to continue to live the Catholic faith. We literally saw the Gospel being practiced. Conversely, when we don’t live out the morality and values of faith, we are teaching others to do the same. We must make a conscious effort to do the right thing. It takes mindfulness to evaluate our actions in light of the fact that our children are watching our examples. So many of us vote as our parents voted, buy the same kind of car as Dad bought, or make Mom’s potato salad. It is the same way with our Catholic faith. If we want to pass on the faith to the next generation, we must diligently practice what we preach.
“Because I say so” is not a suitable answer for children who ask why they must go to Mass. Parents should remind their children that Mass is a way to touch base with God and with their community.
Just as we need to live the faith, we need to share the stories of our family faith. These examples of how our lives were changed and inspired by faith are important tools of evangelization. Jesus knew that. He told stories to make his point. We have a marvelous treasure of modern parables to tap into. Important moments of God’s presence, birth and death stories, and many more need to be passed on. When a father shares a story with his son about God’s
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Praying together is perhaps the best way to keep a family focused on the most important guest in the home: God. While school, work, and errands can make a family feel disconnected, prayer can unify.
presence in his life at a difficult time, that story will never leave the son’s spirit. It will continue to inspire and renew him years afterward. When we prepare our children for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, and Confirmation, the lessons are not complete without a story about our own first experience of these sacraments. Click here for more Stories of faith take the dry on Catholic families and pages of a textbook and give traditions. them life. What is even more important is that these stories are not generic. They are precious, personal stories of people whom we love. That makes them priceless treasures.
Click the button above to hear an interview with John Feister and Jeanne Hunt.
tal Digi as Extr
Snapshot of Marriage Just over
70% of Catholics are married to a Catholic spouse, with an average of
2 children per marriage © 2014 FOR YOUR MARRIAGE / UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS
38 ❘ October 2014
❽
Be of service to others.
Being Catholic means living as a servant. We learn from the Gospel that loving others is necessary to living as Christ. The impact on family life is significant. If we never reach out to care for another, we are not embracing what Jesus had in mind. The call of discipleship requires serving others. In fact, the message of the Gospel cannot be understood without rolling up our sleeves and doing what we talk about. Families that find a way to serve the poor always benefit. In an age where so many are concerned only about what’s in it for them, teaching our children to give of themselves with no personal reward is an absolute good. The result is that we begin to be givers instead of takers. Raising our children to see that doing chores is an act of service for the rest of the family is a great place to start. As they grow up, we can add service events at school, church, and in the
community. These occasions expose children to the poor and the needy. This exposure encourages all of us to see everyone as a member of God’s family—not just those who are like us.
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Take a knee.
By far the most important element is prayer—the hallmark of any Catholic family life. Talking with God as a family acknowledges God’s presence in our homes. At family prayer time, parents teach their children what our attitudes should be toward God. Prayers of intercession, thanksgiving, praise, and sorrow are integral to the relationship all of us have with God. Finding time to pray formal prayers—such as the rosary or a meal prayer—is a good beginning. Learning to pray those heartfelt, spontaneous prayers works wonders in building up the bonds of love for each other and God. Praying as a family is essential.
Holy Homes These suggestions are just the start to keeping Catholicism in our homes and hearts. As our family faith grows, the Holy Spirit will guide us to new ways to express and embrace our faith within the walls of our homes. These homes will become a haven from godless places and a fertile ground of grace. Seeds planted in these sacred domestic churches prosper. The seeds of faith are easy to grow, especially when God is the unseen guest. A Jeanne Hunt is a national speaker on the topics of family life, spirituality, catechesis, and evangelization. She is the author of Raising a Moral Child from Paulist Press. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
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❘ S Y N O D O N T H E FA M I LY
We’d Like to Say
Bishops, Listen Up! © EDUARDO JOSE BERNARDINO/ISTOCKPHOTO
What should the world’s bishops be talking about during this month’s synod? Two family experts advise a broad approach. BY JIM AND SUSAN VOGT
PHOTO BY BILL WITTMAN
CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ, LONG ISLAND CATHOLIC
40 ❘ October 2014
St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
W
HAT SHOULD the world’s bishops be talking about when they meet this month? Sure, they will talk about sex. That’s wholly relevant and appropriate since families involve parents, children, and procreation. The bishops are right to want to safeguard the sacredness of this holy act of creating new human beings. But let’s not stop there: there are other issues crucial to families today. The bishops would do well to start by listening. It is good that the bishops care about families and want to be helpful. Too often, however, leaders start with the law or historical precedent and then deduce what they think are the logical ways to implement the law. Although historically there have been married Roman Catholic bishops, no current bishops are married or raising children. This puts them at a disadvantage. Even the most perceptive person loses credibility on matters of sexuality by not being married or a parent. After all, it’s not only important to know another’s issues, but that the other believes that you understand him or her. This means inviting people who are married couples, parents, divorced, widowed, homosexual, remarried, young and old, as advisors. More important, it means inviting people who may not automatically agree with the standard ecclesial line. If we talk only with people who already agree with us, we shortcircuit the discernment process. Bishops: listen to the lived experience of families.
How Do We Listen?
Fr anciscanMedia.org
Relationships “Evangelizers thus take on the ‘smell of the sheep’ and the sheep are willing to hear their voice” —Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), 24. Family is about relationships. Whether it be a biological, adoptive, or foster family, we have parents and often siblings and children. Add to this the legal connections of marriage, extended and blended families, in-laws, and those who are “like family” to us, and there are a whole bunch of relationships. Many of these are close and loving—most of the time. All of them are strained or hurtful at some times. It’s how we manage the conflictual times that is the challenge. The bishops can talk about the need to nurture communication and peacemaking skills in the family. Sometimes it’s harder to see clearly when arguing with someone with whom we are emotionally tied. It may seem easier just to walk away. One way or another, we are connected for life—for better or for worse. Sometimes the worse seems unbearable or destructive, and couples or children become estranged. Wouldn’t it be better to prevent the problems up front by promoting enrichment programs for couples, parents, and families? Parish or diocesan leaders might say, “Sure, but we already offer programs and they don’t come.” That’s a marketing problem. Quality programs do indeed exist, but we need more creative ways to get our people to tune in to what the Church has to offer, to get beyond feeling as if the Church is a one-way street. The bishops could take a step by taking to heart the experience of people in the pews. They might not always agree
The percentage of children who experience parental divorce by the age of 12 is estimated to be about
24% © 2014 WHY MARRIAGE MATTERS, 44/ UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS
© TATYANAGL/ISTOCKPHOTO
To the Vatican’s credit, in October 2013, bishops were asked to elicit the thinking of families on pastoral issues through a questionnaire. Unfortunately, the poll was not well worded and had very limited distribution, especially in the United States. The time for listening is by no means finished. Here are some suggestions that would serve our Church well: ■ Do a true sampling of Catholics, including those who disagree with them. ■ Invite comments from former Catholics. ■ Suspend judgment and focus first on the validity of the experience of faithful Catholics. Even if you disagree, you should not presume that the views of the people in the pews are misguided or a result of inadequate catechesis. ■ Approach the other as fellow ministers rather than as teachers. As teachers, bishops have something to share with us, often an
important moral or ethical position. As ministers, you would serve well to focus on being attuned to the needs and questions of the other. ■ Be open to evaluating your understanding by hearing the faithful; don’t simply default to defending and rearticulating precedents. What if bishops entered into authentic dialogue with faithful Catholics in a variety of family situations in order to inform a pastoral response? For example:
Through good times and bad, our family relationships need nurturing. The Church should take on a more proactive role in both preventing and healing family strife.
October 2014 ❘ 41
with what they hear, but demonstrating a sincere listening heart is a start.
Consumerism “The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience” (EG, 2).
Simplifying family life helps us strengthen family bonds and keep the many distractions of consumerism at a healthy distance. Perhaps our bishops can help lead the charge.
“I shop; therefore, I am.” At least that’s often the way it feels in our US culture. Of course, there are countries (and too many families within our own country) that suffer from the opposite of consumerism—material poverty. Both poverty and overconsumption impoverish our spirit. Our bishops need to talk about our desire to fill ourselves up with stuff. This is a family concern. Parents often spend way too much time making money so they can buy things to make themselves and their families happier— some new electronic games, maybe some
trendier clothes, maybe a vacation would fill the void. Maybe the vacation the family needs is time to walk together or sit and tell tall tales together late into the night. But we’re so busy chasing after the income that we don’t have time to be together. Advising us to simplify our lives and our possessions offers a deeply spiritual message for families. It must be given, though, without self-righteous, know-it-all answers. That might be harder for a leader who has not known the frustration of saying no for the 10th time to a preteen who wants a smartphone because, “Everyone else has one—and besides, it will keep me safer.” Speaking to the sin of consumerism, however, is not just about buying less and living simply. Some families don’t even have the basics. The bishops can continue to urge Catholics to become involved in the political processes in their respective countries to lessen the gap between the rich and the poor. The bishops themselves are in a powerful position to speak to governments about the longstanding Catholic principle of preferential option for the poor. It’s often economic policies that exacerbate poverty, and too often the Church has not challenged society by putting our weight behind fair taxation and medical care policies. Of course, again, the bishops must walk the talk by not leading lavish lifestyles themselves, not relying on privilege for status. There are only some bishops who do this admirably.
The Media “And may the world . . . receive the good news not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervor” (EG, 10).
© IMAGEEGAMI/DREAMSTIME
Many ministers love to hate the media. TV is a vast wasteland. The Internet gobbles up productive time with Facebook photos of food and cats. Too many movies show sexual promiscuity as normative. Cell phones distract us from the live person in front of us— and so on. The truth is that the media is both a blessing and a curse. As Pope Francis says, we must use the media in creative ways to speak the joy of the Gospel in language and art forms that are alive and speak the language of today’s people—be it poetry, Twitter, or rap. In worship, some people are attracted to traditional devotions in a solemn setting. God speaks to others through contemporary music, 42 ❘ October 2014
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Our families are flooded by the media. Have a “media filter” in place that works for your family, and create valuable family time by turning off your devices.
© ROB/FOTOLIA
Click the button on the left for an interview with Jim and Susan Vogt.
drums, and horns. Still others hear God’s prompting through nature, and even by those inspirational Facebook posts. The Gospel takes many different forms. We have to be careful not to canonize our preference as the only or best one. Too much noise, though, can clutter our minds, can crowd out our receptiveness to hear and understand God’s word. Families are often the first guardians of the quiet needed to hear. The bishops can challenge families to be proactive about the media that comes into our homes. This needn’t mean living as a hermit—that wouldn’t be very family-like—but being more intentional about media consumption. Play sports; don’t just watch them. Sing songs; don’t just listen to them. Tell stories; don’t just watch them. Make your own entertainment—except, of course, when you just want some downtime to relax without guilt. After all, Pope Francis warned us: “One of the most serious temptations which stifles boldness and zeal is a defeatism which turns us into querulous and disillusioned pessimists, ‘sourpusses’” (EG, 84). Parents, take charge—but do it in a way that your children can hear. This often means using humor and example.
That Three-Letter Word “The bishop . . . will have to encourage pastoral dialogue, out of a desire to listen to everyone and not simply to those who would tell him what he would like to hear” (EG, 31). What follows is the most challenging part of this article, but it’s the arena where it is most important for the bishops to listen to the experience of the laity. These are the topics that grab Fr anciscanMedia.org
headlines, but deserve a more careful dialogue on the part of bishops and laity.
Birth Control For Catholic couples, the horse has long left the barn on whether using artificial contraception is acceptable. According to the 2010 National Survey of Family Growth conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Data shows that 98 percent of sexually experienced women of childbearing age and who identify themselves as Catholic have used a method of contraception other than natural family planning at some point in their lives.” There are single women Some presume or even state in our midst committed that Catholic couples do this to living the Gospel out of selfishness or convenience. Our own experience is in service of the Church— that this is not true for most yet living at home, couples. pursuing their careers? The bishops should ask couples to share their experience of They are members of lovemaking and whether the presumption of selfishness holds true for conscientious and faithful Catholics. It will be (Approved by the Church) important to listen to all sides and not just presume that this issue is closed because of preceIf you are interested dent. and aged 21-50, write or email: We know that the Church joannbear@fuse.net is not a democracy and that decisions are not made by National Caritas Christi polling couples or a majority P.O. Box 9604 vote. Still, it does the Church Cincinnati, Ohio 45209 no good to be ignored by our www.ccinfo.org leaders, and, worse, ridiculed about important life issues such
Did You Know...?
Caritas Christi Secular Institute
October 2014 ❘ 43
as this. Listening with an open spirit to both couples who find natural family planning to be a blessing to their marriage and those who have chosen another way—and trusting the sense of the faithful—is long overdue.
Between 1960 and 2010, the number of cohabiting couples increased
17-fold THE STATE OF OUR UNIONS 2011, 75/ UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS
This is a harder issue. There is a preponderance of evidence from social scientists and from those who care about raising children in a stable family that sex without commitment is not good for the couple or society. That may seem obvious to older Catholics. Our Church has always recognized this value and upholds the sanctity of intercourse as belonging in an exclusive, permanent, unconditional covenant of love, i.e., marriage. Yet premarital sex is becoming normative in many populations. The challenge here is not to change the Church’s teaching, but rather to develop a better pastoral approach in dealing with couples who have sex outside of marriage. We can ask what drives them to seek love this way. Can the Church offer something more fulfilling? Can we do it in a way that doesn’t make us sound like, to use the papal term, sourpusses?
© VPHOTO/FOTOLIA
A happy marriage is indeed a joy to behold. But many Catholic couples have hard questions and issues to deal with, which the bishops need to help answer first by listening.
Premarital Sex
Abortion Abortion is the taking of a human life. Our Church has a lot to say about this and we should. It is wrong. But how do we reach out to those who are considering or who have had abortions? We can learn from Pope Francis’ emphasis on mercy. It doesn’t make abortion right, but the Church’s voice is much stronger when we support women who feel desperate and are considering abortion. Then we need to put our money where our mouth is by supporting these women and their children from birth to whenever. This costs money and human attention for a very long time. We can also use the hard-earned wisdom of women who have had abortions to support those who have difficulty forgiving themselves. Programs like Project Rachel already do this admirably. Ours is not to judge, but to welcome back. Bishops can recommit to pastoral responses like these.
Divorce Few couples go into marriage thinking, “Well, if it doesn’t work out, I can always get a divorce.” Although we have never been divorced ourselves, for a number of years we facilitated a diocesan divorce ministry pro44 ❘ October 2014
gram. We learned from these men and women that divorce is always painful, no matter who is at fault. It leaves scars. The Church’s response needs to be pastoral, not punitive. Yes, we need to emphasize our marriage preparation and marriage enrichment programs, but even with the best of intentions, counseling, and effort, some marriages will fail. We can improve the odds, but we can’t guarantee that vows will never be broken. Our bishops would do well to focus on how they can help women and men heal after the tragedy of a divorce. When used pastorally, the annulment process can be a vehicle for this healing, but too often it becomes a legal hoop to jump through when a person wants to remarry. The Church needs to simplify the annulment process and make it more pastoral. We recommend leaving the issue of whether the first marriage was a “valid marriage” to those who are still counting the number of angels who can dance on the head of a pin.
Homosexuality For sure, the bishops are not going to debate whether the Church ought to change its teaching about same-sex marriage. Nor will the St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o r g
bishops consider changing the prohibition on sexual relationships between gays or lesbians. Hopefully, though, the bishops will deal with the reality that there are many Catholics who are homosexual who disagree with the Church’s position, have quietly formed long-term relationships, but remain faithful members of the Church in every other way. The bishops need to figure out how to deal with these people in pastorally sensitive ways rather than demonizing or excluding them. For example, how will pastors deal with same-sex couples who bring their adopted children for Baptism or to attend a Catholic school? How will Catholic hospitals deal with the samesex partners of their patients who want to have the same rights as heterosexual couples regarding visitation and decisions about their partner’s care?
Bishops in Dialogue The bishops should spend the next year actively listening to the experience of families—all kinds of families. They need to go beyond a poll and especially listen to people who are of good will but who might have different opinions than their own. Bishops can serve families well by sometimes getting out of the way and letting families minister to each other. We call this like-to-like ministry. It is best led by people with enough religious education to be knowledgeable, but steeped in experience and compassion. It wouldn’t hurt to ask young adults who have left the Church—Why? Some of their reasons might be surprising and give direction. After intensive and authentic listening, hopefully our bishops will then be able to partner with family experts. They might fashion pastoral responses that focus more on “thou shall” than “thou shalt not.” A Jim and Susan Vogt have been professional family ministers, including at the diocesan level, for 39 years. Susan (SusanVogt.net) has served as advisor to the US bishops’ Committee on Marriage and Family Life. They are parents of four youngadult children and live in Covington, Kentucky. Fr anciscanMedia.org
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13 Days from $1949* Departs February 4, 2015. Discover remarkable scenery, dreamlike beaches and the “spirit of aloha” on the islands of - Oahu, Hawaii, Maui and Kauai. This tour will be accompanied throughout by one of our friendly Polynesian Tour Directors who add a unique cultural perspective to your experience. Featured highlights: a city tour of Honolulu, world-famous Waikiki Beach, Punchbowl Crater and Pearl Harbor, the Wailua River Boat Cruise, Fern Grotto, The Old Whaling Capital of Lahaina, the Iao Valley, Hilo Orchid Gardens, Black Sand Beaches, Volcanoes National Park, Thurston’s Lava Tube and more. Includes: quality hotels, inter-island flights, baggage handling, tour director, special events and escorted sightseeing on all four islands. Mass will be celebrated some days on tour. Your Chaplain is Monsignor Steffen, from Alton, IL. He is the Pastor of The Historical Saints Peter and Paul Proto-Cathedral. He also serves as a Chaplain for other communities and hospitals. This will be his 6th trip with YMT. *
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Call for Details! 888-817-9538 October 2014 ❘ 45
EDITORIAL
Family, Redefined Members of the synod should consider widening the definition of family. When the editors of this magazine first discussed the kinds of articles that should go into our special section on the family, I wasn’t shy with my suggestion. “I’d like an article about unmarried or divorced Catholics, single parents, childless couples— something like that.” Crickets. Agonizing seconds passed before a colleague chimed in, “Maybe that could be the editorial topic.” So here we are. At first, I wondered why my idea didn’t catch fire (as all my ideas should). But then I remembered that Catholics who fall into the unmarried, divorced, single-parent, or married-but-childless categories sometimes feel forgotten—like we’re on the Island of Misfit Toys. How many singles have fielded the marriage question? How many childless couples have been quizzed about when they’ll be starting a family? Our society, even in this diverse century, rarely knows what to do with us. The Church doesn’t always either. But that could change. Pope Francis and the synod will meet this month to discuss issues that Catholic families face. Perhaps they should start by broadening the definition of family.
Open to Life It’s not difficult to admire married people with children. There is no harder job in this life. But we should also honor single parents who, because of death or divorce, must rear their children alone. And let’s not forget couples who, irrespective of the circumstance, are a family of two. Unmarried folks may not toil with midnight feedings or PTA meetings, but they are active members of urban families. God is in those homes, too. The synod’s official document reads: “In Europe and North America in particular (but also among some countries in South Asia), 4 6 ❘ O ctober 2014
the instances of couples or single persons, who lack a mentality of an openness to life, are increasing . . . .” I would counter that many unmarried or childless couples do not lack an openness to life. The majority simply choose to celebrate other aspects of the life God gave them. Aunts, uncles, and godparents have the luxury of acting as father and mother figures— at least for a short time. And as a bonus, they return to quiet, toy-free homes.
For Your Consideration The synod should spend these 14 days really considering those who are present at Sunday Mass. And then consider those who aren’t. If pews aren’t being warmed by single Catholics, perhaps it’s because, as a demographic, they don’t always feel warmly welcomed by the parish. Of course, the fault could lie in their own lethargy and indifference. Regardless, a diverse parish is one that thrives. That includes nuclear families— yes—but also those who don’t fit neatly into that category. The synod should think laterally. They’d be wise to remember that divorced Catholics have voices worth listening to. Couples who struggle with infertility are every bit as relevant as those with many mouths to feed. And children of “broken homes,” no strangers to conflict resolution, can help fix what’s broken in the Church. We are, after all, one big Church family. And like all families, we have disenfranchised members. But they still have a place at the table. The Church’s doors must close to nobody. Those of us who are childless, divorced, or unmarried are, like everybody else, imperfect children of a perfect God. Our lives may not mirror what is culturally defined as “normal,” but we, too, know struggle. We experience joy and grief, we sin, we are forgiven, we love our Church, and we walk among you. —Christopher Heffron St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
REFLECTION
PHOTO OF BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS, ASSISI, ITALY © IVONNEW/ISTOCKPHOTO
Find new ways to spread the word of God to every corner of the world. —Pope Francis
The Truth about
Goulash She delivered more than a meal. F I C T I O N B Y M A R Y K AY L A N E
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should be doing my homework. I’ve had a full week to write a personal essay for my Comp 101 class at the community college, it’s due tomorrow, and I still have no idea what to write about. Am I worried? A little—but I’m more worried about the pot of homemade goulash simmering on my stove. I’ve learned a lot since I decided to go back to school. But this whole goulash thing is teaching me more than any textbook. I learned that simmering specifically means “almost boiling.” But how do you know if it’s almost boiling or still has a long way to go? That, I haven’t learned, and I don’t have anyone to ask. Before today, I’d never thought about simmering. Now it’s all I can think about. Funny how life makes those kinds of twists and turns. For example, last semester, in a moment of panic, I filled up my tank at the gas station and drove off without paying. And now I’m making goulash. That may seem like an odd chain of events, especially if you consider two things: I don’t steal, and I don’t cook—ever. Unless you count microwave popcorn, which you shouldn’t. But the connection between these
4 8 ❘ O ctober 2014
two incidents won’t seem odd when you hear the whole story.
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week ago, I thought goulash was just a fancy word for mixing all your leftovers together in one pot. When I was a little girl, my friend Danielle’s mom did that, and she called it goulash. She let us help by crushing stale potato chips to sprinkle around the edges. My dad never cooked real meals, so I thought this was the highest of culinary arts. But the goulash I’m making is the real thing—Hungarian goulash from a recipe written by a real Hungarian, in her own handwriting. Mr. Kovacs’ mother wrote it out. He’s one of the people I deliver meals to on Mondays. The delivering meals thing was the judge’s idea after the gasoline incident. I told her everything. On my way to my algebra final, I ran out of gas, barely coasting into the gas station. I had no cash on me, no credit cards, nothing. I was trying so hard to be a good student that I forgot about trying to be a good person, so I filled up and drove off. I’d never been in trouble before, and I suppose she could see I was trying to better myself by going back to college, so she let me off easy with a fine and
a year of community service. Scraping together the money for the fine was tough, but community service is no punishment. Because frankly, delivering meals is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.
L
ast week, I was bringing Mr. Kovacs some spaghetti and meatballs when he met me at the door. “Come in, Madeline,” he said. He smelled like shaving cream. His house is quiet and neat. The ticking of a clock was all the noise I could hear. Mr. Kovacs is thin and stooped, but I could see that he had once been stocky and strong. He has a ruddy complexion, bushy eyebrows, and blue eyes behind thick glasses. “‘Madeline’ . . . is that French?” “Could be,” I said. I carried the sack St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA PÉREZ/ANNA GOODSON MANAGEMENT
into the kitchen as he shuffled behind me. “Your mother. Is she French?” I shrugged. I didn’t know anything about my mother. Family heritage was not a hot topic with my dad. I changed the subject. “How was the goulash yesterday, Mr. Kovacs?” “Very good, very good.” “You can be honest,” I said. “I don’t cook the meals. I just deliver them.” I’d been delivering meals for only a month, but I already knew when Mr. Kovacs was being honest or just nice. The more times he repeated something, the less I believed him. “It was very good. Substantial.” “OK. If you say so.” I’d had my share of “substantial” meals. Candy bars and large sodas from Fr ancisca n Media .org
the convenience store were substantial. It didn’t mean they were any good. “However,” he said, “on the menu it says ‘Hungarian goulash.’ I’m sure it wasn’t. But it doesn’t matter. I’m not a picky eater.” I pulled a white plate out of the cupboard and set his packaged meal on it. I poured his little carton of milk into a glass. It’s more than we were supposed to do, but I found I liked doing things for him. “What makes it Hungarian?” I asked. “Lots of sweet Hungarian paprika. And csipetke.” “What’s that?” “A little noodle, like a dumpling.” “You sound like an expert,” I said. “I was. A long time ago, when I was a gulya.” “A what?”
“In Hungarian, gulya means herdsman. My family tended cattle in Hungary.” “Gulya sounds like goulash,” I said, setting a knife and fork next to his plate. “It’s the same word. In the old days, the herdsmen would prepare a big potful of beef and vegetables in a rich broth. It would simmer all day over a fire. The families would all pitch in and gather together to eat. After a while, the word gulyas also became known as the dish itself. My grandmother’s gulyas was legendary.” “I had no idea.” I told him about the goulash at Danielle’s house. “Potato chips?” he asked, his eyebrows breaching the frame of his glasses. “No paprika?” “Does ketchup count?” O c to b e r 2 0 1 4 ❘ 4 9
“Ketchup?” I laughed. “It was probably awful, but I didn’t care. I loved being at Danielle’s house. There were so many people and pets and noise and laughing and barking. But the food? I don’t even remember how it tasted.” “Oh, if you were to try my grandmother’s gulyas, you would never forget,” Mr. Kovacs said. “She taught my mother, who wrote down the recipe and sent it to Elaine when we got married. It had never been written down before. In the letter, she wrote, ‘You
take good care of my Gyorgy. Make this for him every week and he will always be faithful. It is like love potion.’” “Did it work?” I asked. “Bah,” Mr. Kovacs said. “I do not believe in love potions. But she did what my mother said, so who knows?” Then he waved his hand in front of his face as though to wipe away the memories. “But that is in the past. We must keep looking forward, musn’t we?” I shrugged. “Looking back is OK, if
P
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5 0 ❘ O ctober 2014
you’ve got something good to look back on.” “Well, let me find the recipe for you.” He began rummaging through a drawer. “You will make it. Then you will understand Hungarian goulash.” “That’s very kind. But really, I can’t cook.” “Did your mother not teach you?” “No. I didn’t really know her.” “How can that be?” “She left when I was a baby. My dad raised me—sort of. He worked a lot.” “You have missed out on a great gift,” he said. “But here is one for you.” He turned and handed me an envelope. Inside was a piece of paper, creased and as thin as a piece of wrapping paper. I held it gingerly. The handwriting was scrawling, wavery like water, and fading. “Is this the original?” I asked. “In your mother’s handwriting?” “It is. I hope you can still read it.” I squinted at the slanted, faded letters. “I can, but I don’t think I should take this. This is like a family heirloom.” “Which is meant to be passed down.” “To family,” I said. “To someone who cares,” he said. “I see,” I said. “Well, I’ll take good care of it. Now, you should eat. It’s all ready.” “You can’t join me? There’s always enough for two.” “There’s not supposed to be,” I said, gently scolding him. “Ah,” he said. “You sound like my Elaine. Thank you.”
I
could not get the recipe out of my mind all week. I kept putting my homework on the back burner, which is where the goulash is simmering right now. So, instead of writing, I went to the grocery store. I hadn’t been past the popcorn aisle in years, but I needed to venture further. I’m not shy about asking questions, so I learned a lot during my many trips up and down the aisles, such as: parsnips look like bleached carrots; the big ball of garlic is called a bulb, which separates into cloves; litSt A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
tle black cloves in jars have nothing to do with garlic; bay leaves are not really poisonous; and the produce manager’s name is Bob.
O
nce I collected all the ingredients, I went to the resale shop and bought a big pot, a knife, and a cutting board. I didn’t bother with measuring spoons and cups because Mr. Kovacs’ mother didn’t either. “A pinch,” she wrote. And “a generous handful,” and “to taste.” This is another reason I’m fretting over the goulash. Maybe my hands are not generous. Maybe I have no taste. My small apartment has never smelled so good. Savory and cozy and full of the promise of good things to come. My neighbors must think I moved out. The recipe says, “Allow the flavors to mature for many hours over an open fire” (I hope an electric stove will do), so I started cooking before dawn. I should be writing my essay, but I keep peeking under the lid, trying to catch a bubble rising to the top. I stir, adding another pinch of paprika; I poke parsnips; I worry if the broth is thick enough.
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t 11:00, I carefully wrap the pot in several towels to keep it warm. I carry it to the car and set it on the passenger seat. I buckle it in like I’ve seen parents do with their kids. I pick up the meals at the senior center. My plan is to give the goulash to Mr. Kovacs and leave quickly, telling him I need to get to the next house, the Branards’, who live down the street. I can’t stay to see his reaction to the goulash. He might say something like, “It’s very good. . . very good . . . substantial.” But, as it turns out, he is my last stop. Mr. and Mrs. Branard cancelled because their daughter and her family are visiting. I approach his door with the brown paper bag from the senior center in hand. I’ve left the goulash in the car in case I change my mind. Again, he meets me. “Hello, Madeline. Come in.” “Hi, Mr. Kovacs. How are you?”
Fr ancisca n Media .org
“Can’t complain,” he says. “And you?” “Good, good, really good,” I say, walking into the kitchen to deposit the bag on his kitchen table. “Good.” “Chicken today?” he asks. “Yes, but . . . ” I take a deep breath. “I have a surprise for you in the car. Wait right here.” I turn around and make a beeline for the front door. As I approach the car, I have an impulse to get in and drive away, just like I did at the gas station. But I realize that would be even worse than
stealing gas. Maybe I wouldn’t be breaking the law, but I’d be turning my back on Mr. Kovacs, his wife, his mother, and his whole heritage. For the first time in my life, I feel accountable to somebody besides myself. I’ve let myself down plenty of times, but I can’t let down the Kovacs family. I unbuckle the warm, towel-wrapped bundle and carry it to the house. “What in the world?” he says, a smile on his face. He knows. “I made it. I went shopping and everything. I doubt it’s any good.”
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O c to b e r 2 0 1 4 ❘ 5 1
ANSWERS TO PETE AND REPEAT 1. Sis has her eyes open. 2. The jack-o’-lantern is missing an eye. 3. Pete is missing a piece of hair. 4. The stem of the pumpkin is shorter. 5. There is a flower on Sis’ headband. 6. The sleeves on Sis’ shirt are shorter. 7. The pumpkin’s nose is upside down. 8. The tree is missing a branch.
“Set it down, for goodness’ sake. It looks heavy.” I set the pot on the stove. “OK. Well, I have to go.” “Nonsense,” he says, unwrapping the towels layer by layer. “You must stay.” “I’m not hungry. And I’m in a hurry, and—” But Mr. Kovacs isn’t listening. He lifts the lid of the pot and breathes in deeply. It’s still hot enough to make his glasses steam up. “It smells like . . . like . . .”
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“Like what?” I ask. “Like home,” he says. “Like I remember. Please stay.” Again, I remember my responsibility. “Forks or spoons?” I ask. “Both.”
I
gather the dishes and scoop up two bowls of goulash. I hold my breath as Mr. Kovacs dips his spoon into the thick, rich broth. He closes his eyes and sips. His eyes pop wide open. “My,” he says, “that is a lot of paprika.” “Too much?” “Not too much. It is like my grandmother’s. Elaine had a lighter touch.” “But other than that, how is it? Really?” He takes another spoonful, this time with some tender beef and parsnips. He closes his eyes again. “Like I said, like home, like family. But,” and here, to my dismay, he pushes his bowl away, “something is not right.” “What’s wrong?” I’m fighting to keep tears at bay. “Is it overcooked? Were my pinches too big?” “No,” Mr. Kovacs says. “It tastes fine.” “Then what is it?” He frowns. Everything is too quiet. The ticking of the clock fills the room. “I don’t know, Madeline. I just can’t put my finger on it. Elaine would know, or my mother, or . . .” “Wait!” I say. Suddenly, I know what’s wrong. “Don’t eat another bite until I get back.” I push away from the table. “Where are you going?” “I forgot something important!” I run out the front door as Mr. Kovacs calls, “But there’s plenty of paprika!” I run a couple of houses down to the Branards’ house. Mrs. Branard answers the door. A little girl peeks from around Mrs. Branard’s stout legs. “Madeline,” Mrs. Branard says. “It’s nice to see you, but we cancelled the delivery today.” “I’m not here to deliver a meal,” I say after I catch my breath. “I’m here to deliver you to a meal.” “Pardon?” “Please, come to lunch with me and St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
Mr. Kovacs. I know it’s short notice, but it’s very important.� “My daughter just made tuna salad.� “I made a big pot of Hungarian goulash. His favorite. He can’t possibly eat the whole thing by himself. In fact, he can’t eat any of it by himself. Please come. You and Mr. Branard, and your whole family.� “Well, let me check with the others.� Mrs. Branard leaves me standing in the hall with the blonde-haired little girl. “What’s goulash?� she asks me. “It’s like soup. From Hungary.� “I like soup,� she says. “I don’t like tuna.� When Mrs. Branard returns, the rest of the family is with her. “I’m Margaret,� the girl’s mother says. “This is my husband, Brian. We’d love to join you and Mr. Kovacs. But can I bring dessert? Katie and I just baked cookies, didn’t we, Katie?� “I want to go eat soup!� she says.
B
ack at Mr. Kovacs’, I knock on the door. When he answers, his eyes grow wide at the sight of the crowd on his porch. “Mr. Kovacs,� I say. “I remembered what was so special about eating at my friend’s house. And I remembered what you said about how in Hungary all the families ate together. Here,� I gesture to the people around us, “is the missing ingredient.� Mr. Kovacs opens the door wide and we gather around his table. I set out five more bowls and we all eat together. Over the hum of conversation, the clatter of spoons against bowls, the clink of glassware, and little Katie’s crystal laughter, Mr. Kovacs sits quietly, watching. “Is everything OK?� I ask. “Perfect. This,� he says, smiling at his guests, “is the gulyas I remember.� I stay too late at Mr. Kovacs’ house. But when I finally get home and sit down to write my essay, it practically writes itself. I start with the title: “The Truth about Goulash.� A
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O c to b e r 2 0 1 4 â?˜ 5 3
ASK A FRANCISCAN
❘ BY FATHER PAT McCLOSKEY, OFM
Eucharist Not Mentioned in Creed In the Nicene Creed that we pray on Sunday, why is there no reference to the real presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist? The same is true of the Apostles’ Creed. What we commonly call the Nicene Creed was adopted at the Council of Nicaea (325) and expanded at the First Council of Constantinople (381). This creed was adapted from
an existing prayer recited by an adult about to be baptized. The Nicene Creed responded to a pressing question at that time: Was Jesus truly divine? The bishops decided to add the phrase “consubstantial with the Father” (possessing the same substance as the Father) in the middle of the creed. The text adopted at Nicaea begins “We believe,” but the Church has reverted
Can We Sing the Our Father?
CNS PHOTO/BOB ROLLER
Why can’t we sing the Our Father at Mass? When I asked our parish organist, the response was that our parish was told not to do this. There is no general prohibition about this. I have participated in several Masses in St. Peter’s Basilica or in its square when the Our Father was sung in Latin. I have also participated in Masses where it was sung in English or in other languages. Some musical settings of this text, however, are more appropriate for solo singing than for congregational singing. The “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” (3rd rev. ed.) explains: “Since in these times the faithful from different countries come together more frequently, it is desirable that these faithful know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the profession of faith and the Lord’s Prayer, set to simpler melodies” (41). This is true even if these prayers are sung in other languages. Unfortunately, people sometimes make liturgical or other rules based on their personal preferences and not on what the Church permits or requires.
5 4 ❘ O ctober 2014
to the “I believe” wording from the original baptismal context. The expansion in the year 381 gave a more full statement of the Church’s belief in the Holy Spirit. The expression real presence entered the Church’s vocabulary in the Middle Ages in response to the heretical teaching of Berengarius of Tours (d. 1088). The term transubstantiation was initially viewed with suspicion but was formally approved at Lateran Council IV (1215). A formal profession of faith is required before a deacon is ordained a priest, a parish priest is installed, a bishop is ordained, and on other occasions. That text contains further expansions on the Nicene Creed, including belief in Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist.
Disposing of Blessed Objects I have several old prayer books, Bibles falling apart, tarnished crucifixes and medals, and broken rosaries. What is the proper way to dispose of them? People whom I have consulted don’t seem to know. You can always bury them. Burning anything combustible is also considered a reverent way of disposing of blessed objects, prayer books, or Bibles.
Why Burn a Candle? Why do Catholics light candles in front of statues of saints? Is this custom connected to burnt offerings in the Hebrew Scriptures? The custom is probably more connected to Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer be incense before you; and St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
my uplifted hands an evening sacrifice.” The reference is to burning incense. In the Temple in Jerusalem, incense was burned both in the morning and in the evening. Zechariah was doing this when an angel announced the coming birth of John the Baptist. A burning candle represents a continuing prayer of thanksgiving or of petition. It does not, of course, force God to respond exactly as the person praying may desire. A candle can be lit in front of a statue of Jesus or of any saint.
No General Absolution? I have received general absolution twice, the second time before the start of the 1991 Gulf War. Now, however, a priest has told me, “There is no such thing as general absolution.” Is that correct? He is mistaken. He should have said that the rite of Penance in Form III provides for this only in exceptional circumstances (such as a soldier going into battle). The Holy See has encouraged bishops to interpret the conditions strictly so that general absolution is given only in emergency situations and after suitable explanation. The Rite’s “Instruction” notes that penitents “are to confess individually at the proper time each of the serious sins that cannot now be confessed” (60). Those organizing penance services are encouraged to have enough confessors to hear confessions in a reasonable time. Bishops commonly require priests to report times and circumstances that have made general absolution necessary.
Not Drinking from the Cup In my parish and in many others, some parishioners receive the consecrated host, but do not receive from the cup. I have a very dear friend who has expressed interest in being an extraordinary minister of holy Fr ancisca n Media .org
Communion, but as a recovering alcoholic she is adamantly opposed to having even a drop of alcohol touch her lips. Even so, she feels that she is missing a portion of the eucharistic feast. I encouraged her to participate, at least symbolically, by raising the cup to her lips without actually drinking the Precious Blood. I said that she would not be faking and that God would certainly understand. If she did that, would she be breaking some Church rule? She would not be breaking any Church rule by doing that, but I would encourage her to believe that she is receiving the whole Christ (“body, blood, soul, and divinity”) by receiving only the host. Perhaps she has not observed this in her parish, but over the years I have seen a considerable number of eucharistic ministers decline to drink from the cup. This is indeed an option, not a requirement. She is exercising her option not to drink
Click the button on the left to hear Father Pat answer a question.
from the cup. Encourage her not to feel self-conscious about her decision. The 2002 “Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America” can be found at usccb.org. These regulations can be supplemented by additional instructions from the local bishop or archbishop. 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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BOOK CORNER
❘ BY CAROL ANN MORROW
The Rosary Collector’s Guide What
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Reclaiming Francis: How the Saint and the Pope Are Renewing the Church Charles M. Murphy Building Better Families: A Practical Guide to Raising Amazing Children Matthew Kelly The Everyday Catholic’s Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours Daria Sockey Among Friends: Stories from the Journey Father Jim Sichko Grounded in God: A Mature Experience of Faith Jim and Ann Cavera
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By Gloria Brady Hoffner and Helen Hoffner Schiffer Publishing 152 pages • $34.99 Hardcover Reviewed by MITCH FINLEY, author of more than 30 books on Catholic topics including The Rosary Handbook: A Guide for Newcomers, OldTimers, and Those In Between (The Word Among Us Press) and It’s Not the Same Without You: Coming Home to the Catholic Church (Wipf & Stock). The primary purpose of a rosary—meaning, typically, a circlet of beads on a chain—is to keep track of where one is in the praying of the Marian devotional prayer called the rosary. So identified with Catholicism is the rosary that to have a rosary in one’s possession is enough for others to conclude that he or she is Catholic. Occasionally, other Christians develop an affection for the rosary, too. If you have a collection of rosaries, perhaps some of which have been handed down from earlier generations of your family, and you’d like to know more about the rosaries in your collection, this is the book for you. It would also make an excellent resource if you would like to begin a rosary collection as a hobby. The titles of the first six chapters of this attractive, large-format coffee-table book tip us off to the wide variety of rosaries in our era and the myriad forms created through the centuries. Following the first chapter,
which deals with the historical development of rosaries, the mother-and-daughter authors describe the many kinds of crosses, crucifixes, center medals, links, chains, and extenders found on rosaries. They then discuss the many kinds of beads found on rosaries. In the final, and longest, chapter of the book, the Hoffners explore the multiple types of rosaries. These include chaplets (smaller versions of a rosary with fewer beads), the basilica rosary, Bavarian rosary, car rosary, Divine Mercy rosary, Irish horn rosary, ladder rosary, and dozens of others. They cover papal image rosaries, passion of Christ rosaries, pilgrim rosaries, seven sacraments rosaries, military rosaries, wall rosaries, and rosaries that tell a story. There are numerous kinds of rosaries the reader may never have heard of. One this reviewer didn’t know about is called the “Last Rosary.” The authors explain that it is “an eighty-eight inch long aluminum, fivedecade rosary with empty spikes to hold roses. It is used by florists as a floral design placed inside open caskets. It is made of wire with aluminum clips that hold fifty-three roses. The crucifix is usually eight inches long.” The authors further describe how, “After the viewing, the florist removes the flowers from the metal spikes and replaces them with large pearl beads. The rosary is then given to the family of the deceased.” Shorter sections in the back of the book include a glossary and responses to 18 “Frequently Asked Questions.” For example, the first question asks, “What is the best way to determine the age of a rosary?” The authors reply that “it is best to begin by examining the center medal. Center medals are rarely replaced and usually are representative of the time period in which the rosary was made. Rosaries made before 1880 do not have a center medal.” The Rosary Collector’s Guide is packed with hundreds of color photos with detailed descriptions of the rosaries or other items shown. This is a volume that will be much appreciated by any rosary devotee, and it will make a fine gift for anyone who loves the rosary. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
BOOK BRIEFS
Sacred Nature and Blessed Dogs Ask the Beasts Darwin and the God of Love By Elizabeth A. Johnson Bloomsbury 352 pages • $32.95 Hardcover/e-book
The Gospel of the Family By Cardinal Walter Kasper Paulist Press 53 pages • $9.95 Softcover
God delights in the natural world, says Elizabeth A. Johnson. She calls us to a similar delight. Johnson proceeds from evolutionary theory to a theology respecting and embracing all creation. Her conclusion: care of the earth is a moral imperative.
Saved By Gracie Reviewed by JUDITH DUNLAP, author of several books for families including the series Bringing Home the Gospel: A Weekly Journal for Catholic Parents, published by Franciscan Media. This small book contains the lecture Cardinal Kasper gave to his fellow cardinals in Rome at the request of Pope Francis. It is meant to provide a theological and pastoral foundation for the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the family. Kasper titles his lecture “The Gospel of the Family” to remind his brother cardinals that all Church teaching is based on the Gospel—a living stream fed by “the faith experience of the people of God from every century.” The first half of the book recognizes the importance of families within Scripture, the Church, and society. It is more theological than practical, but offers some wonderful insights into the value of family life. In the second half, Kasper deals with the Church’s problem of the divorced and remarried. He offers a pastoral approach to this sensitive subject. While recognizing the indissolubility of sacramental marriage, Kasper recommends a broader look at the doctrine, considering the infinite mercy of God. This book would be good reading for pastors, parish staff, and others involved in marriage ministry. As Cardinal Kasper suggests, the book is meant to be an overture to what will hopefully be the symphony presented by the synod: “A consonant chord of all the voices in the Church, including those that presently are somewhat dissonant.” Fr ancisca n Media .org
How a Rough-and-Tumble Rescue Dog Dragged Me Back to Health, Happiness, and God By Jan Dunlap Authentic Publishers 160 pages • $12.99 Paperback Who rescued whom? Jan Dunlap’s book is part memoir and part applied theology. It’s serendipitous that Gracie comes to live with the Dunlaps, because the grace of interacting with animals is key to this narrative. You needn’t have a dog to like this book.
Bless the Dogs By the Monks of New Skete Hachette Book Group 96 pages • $20 Hardcover/e-book Is this column going to the dogs? According to the Orthodox Monks of New Skete, we could do worse! This photo/meditation book, by monks renowned for training puppies, can melt hearts. If you’ve said goodbye to a pet, this might assuage your sorrow.
Books featured in Book Corner and Book Briefs 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 O c to b e r 2 0 1 4 ❘ 5 7
A CATHOLIC MOM SPEAKS
❘ BY SUSAN HINES-BRIGGER
In Search of Health
ILLUSTRATION BY MARY KURNICK MAASS
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few weeks ago, I called my son, Alex, from work and asked him to put noodles that were in the freezer into the slow cooker. He said he would, and I believed him. I shouldn’t have. What I came home to was a block of frozen hash browns resting on top of the other ingredients. Not noodles—hash browns. And thus the impetus for this column.
Click the button to the left to listen to Susan’s “Marriage Moments.”
For months now, I have been promising myself that I am going to be more diligent about my own and my family’s eating habits. I’ve got a long list of reasons why: we’ve been 5 8 ❘ O ctober 2014
eating out too much, we’ve been eating less-than-healthy meals, I owe it to myself, I need to set an example for my kids, and on and on. And I have honestly made a valiant attempt. I have tried to cook healthier meals, but as a working mom of four, I find the prep and cooking time to be an obstacle. (And you can only make so many slow-cooker meals before your family begins to revolt.) For example, as I write this, I am trying to figure out a relatively quick— and healthy—meal for this evening’s dinner that can accommodate two soccer practices, gymnastics, and swim lessons—all taking place at different times and different locations. I tried juicing in order to get more fruits and vegetables into our diets, but by the time I purchased all the fruits and vegetables, made the juice,
and then cleaned up the juicer, it hardly seemed worth it. Not to mention that gulping down some of those shades of green wasn’t the easiest thing to do! I devoted a whole board on my Pinterest page to nutrition and healthy recipes. I have watched documentaries and films on the importance of eating healthy, and how what we eat affects our lives. Time and again, I start strong and then fall back to my old ways.
Faith-Based Reasons I’ve even got my faith compelling me to make a change in my family’s eating habits. Food and care for ourselves play a very prominent role in our Catholic faith lives. Jesus often feasted with his disciples. He fed thousands with the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
HELP! Now that I’ve told you my dilemma, I’m following my own advice and reaching out for help. Do any of you have tips or suggestions for motivation to eat healthier, or recipes that are easy and healthy? If they’re kidfriendly, that would be a bonus. If so, please send them to me at CatholicMom@Franciscan Media.org. You can also hop onto St. Anthony Messenger’s Facebook page and share your wisdom there. Thanks, in advance, for your help!
© MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
The Bible also addresses our need for taking care of ourselves. Passages such as this one from 1 Corinthians—“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body” (6:19-20)—remind us of the holiness of our body and to treat it accordingly. So why don’t we? Take a look at the long list of obstacles I wrote about at the beginning of this column for some clues. But it must be done. Doctors tell us so—but more important, our bodies tell us so.
Time for Action So let’s do this together. Here are some ideas I’ve come up with, but my list, of course, is nowhere near exhaustive. These suggestions are for all of us trying to find a way to strike a balance in our lives and our health. Shift our focus. These days we are all so busy that defaulting to the quick, easy, and oftentimes less-thanhealthy meals seems to be the way we go. But maybe if we decided that our health was the most important thing, we would behave differently. I’m not talking about trying to figure out a way to lose X amount of pounds so you can fit into those jeans you’ve been holding on to. No, I mean focusing on becoming healthier in all aspects of our lives. Devise a plan. Oh, how many times have I come home from work and stared at the freezer, refrigerator,
and pantry trying to figure out what to cook? What I need is to be more diligent about planning healthier meals—and making sure I have the ingredients on hand. Gather together. Much like we gather together each week for spiritual nourishment, how about if we do that with our family meals? I have told my friends we should get together and do a mass cooking party. That way we would all have prepared meals and different recipes as opposed to our old standbys. We could also assist each other in cleaning up some of our eating habits with the meals we create. Call for help. My niece Mary is very health conscious, and a good cook to boot. When Mark and I went out of town last year and she stayed
with our kids, she cooked the way she eats. Amazingly, the kids who fight me on all things remotely healthy got on board and started requesting Mary’s recipes. I’m sure there are many, many more ways to revamp my and my family’s eating habits. And while it may be a challenge, our bodies deserve the care and respect with which they were created. Bon appétit! 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 52)
Fr ancisca n Media .org
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AT HOME ON EARTH
❘ BY KYLE KRAMER
Following Francis
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As I see it, a more powerful reason to honor St. Francis as the patron of ecology is because he took a radical step away from luxury, status, and security— and toward poverty, humility, and radical trust in God’s A New providence. He showed us a Perspective different way to live, and that A great way to honor St. way is at odds with our haveFrancis and the environit-all consumer culture, ment is to take the St. which is busy destroying our Francis Pledge at catholic world in order to provide us climatecovenant.org. the luxuries and comforts we’ve grown used to (if we To simplify your posseshave means), and which we sions, try this: for a specific may even feel we deserve at period of time—maybe a any cost. week or a month—get rid St. Francis didn’t live his of two things you own for life of renunciation with gritevery one nonfood item ted teeth and iron-willed disyou purchase. cipline. He may not have been as happy-go-lucky as Memories last a lifetime and he’s often portrayed, but I take up no room in your don’t think he was dour, house or in a landfill. Spend either. For him, a simple life your money on experiences was a love affair: he fell instead of more stuff. madly in love with Lady Poverty, and this love led him to a life of deep and abiding joy and solidarity with others, even amid hardship and challenge. If we’re ever going to really address the root causes of our world’s environmental problems, we’re going to have to take a long, hard look at our lifestyles. That’s not easy, but St. Francis can show us the way: a way not only of good stewardship, but of abundant blessings, too. A
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Kyle Kramer, an organic farmer, is author of A Time to Plant: Life Lessons in Work, Prayer, and Dirt (Sorin Books).
This year marks the 35th anniversary of St. John Paul II naming St. Francis the patron of ecology. 6 0 ❘ October 2014
Click the button on the left to hear Kyle talk about St. Francis’ influence on his life.
St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
© GORILLA/FOTOLIA
© JONNIE ENGLAND/ISTOCKPHOTO
n October 4, the Church celebrates the feast day of one of its most beloved saints, Francis of Assisi. St. Francis has always been popular among Christians (especially those of us who read St. Anthony Messenger!), but all the more so now since our charismatic pope has not only taken the name Francis but has also, in so many ways, walked in his footsteps. St. Francis is known as the patron of the environment, and statues bearing his likeness perch over the gardens or yards of many parishes and devout families. I care deeply for God’s creation, and I’ve always had a special devotion to St. Francis. I love his beautiful nature poetry, and I’m charmed by stories about how he preached to the birds or tamed the ravenous wolf that terrorized the Italian village of Gubbio. It’s easy to see St. Francis as a happy-golucky, saccharine saint who benignly blesses birds, bees, and believers. If we stop there, though, that version of St. Francis could likely relegate environmental concerns to a fashionable pastime for those who have the leisure and money (or guilt) to trouble themselves.
BACKSTORY
A Time for Family
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erhaps you noticed our special section on family in this issue? Hard to miss, I know! The Church will surely be buzzing during and after this month’s world Synod of Bishops on families. When the synod
topic was first announced, back in 2013, we knew that it would be of high interest to our readers, for obvious reasons. We all need to find new ways to nurture families today. That has been a big topic in the Church for more than a century, when
PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER HEFFRON
the changes of the Industrial Revolution started squeezing the traditional family. This magazine, in fact, was born as a way to strengthen families in 1893, two years after Pope Leo XIII, in his influential encyclical on human labor, wrote about the way the newly emerging economy of factories was tearing families apart. Some 50 years later, the possibility of artificial birth control, and its impact on our understanding of family, became a huge concern of the Church. We all know that Pope Paul VI’s 1968 ban of artificial contraception continues to reverberate today. During those tumultuous 1960s, we even changed the entire format of this magazine to reach families in a new way. In more recent years, the list of stressors has grown: abortion, the ease of marital divorce, growing numbers of couples choosing never to marry at all. Some of us aren’t comfortable talking
CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING
Pope Francis warmly receives the offertory gifts during a special Mass for families in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
about it, but gay lifestyles are “out of the closet” with the growing acceptance of same-sex couples, and many of these couples are raising children. And the global Internet raises family issues, good and bad, of its own. Pope Francis sees these challenges and is devoting not one, but two worldwide synods of bishops to listen, pray, reflect, and offer the Church’s wisdom. Important? Yes—these synods will be deeply important to a Church made of families. Difficult or not, our whole Church needs to engage in the discussion. Your magazine will be a part of it.
Editor in Chief
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ST. ANTHONY M 28 W. Liberty Street Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498
essenger
The Franciscan Friars, Province of St. John the Baptist