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Peace!
Welcome to Volume 2 Number 6 of The Contemporary Catholic. We trust that what we have to say touches your hearts and helps you on your spiritual journey.
Echoes
of the future, venturing into the unknown and responding to God's call
are all issues in our lives. If we have ears to hear and
eyes to see we will find answers in scripture and the lives of other who have struggled with them in their lives. With faith we learn to hope. With hope we overcome fear. By conquering fear we vanquish hate and take on the love of Christ.
Thank you for joining me in this search. May we each grow in grace and wisdom as we do in age.
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Drawn into the future
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A review of Orthodox Bishop John
Zizioulas book "Difference without Division" featured in the book review section in Commonweal Magazine, April 11,2008, quotes him "The Word comes to us not from the
past but from the future, it is an echo of things to come." Rather
than being goaded from the past we are being drawn to things in the
future. That is probably one of the main themes of the Book of
Revelations, it is not so much what has happened or even what is
happening but what is to come that should draw us like a magnet to the
love which is God. This is the same theme echoed by the late Jesuit Fr Pierre Tielhard de Chardin in his The Phenomenon of Man wherein all creation is moving toward the Omega Point, Christ the logos, who is God from God, light from light, true God from true God, through him all things were made.
About a year ago I received a voice mail
message that started out "This is a voice from your past." A friend
from my high school days had read about my episcopal ordination and
wanted to get together for a visit. A few weeks later we met at a
restaurant and after sharing what happened to each of us in the 40 plus
years since graduation we talked about the future to which we were
being called.
In speaking with young couples about their
decision to marry I also hear of the call in their love for things in
the future. They intend to have children; they plan to be good parents; they want their union to last. So, it isn't a surprise that we are called from the future
by God.
As we get older we seem to lose the sense of looking to the future. This probably comes about as we grow closer to life's end. We fear the future, the unknown, the end of this life. Yet a voice with echoes of things to come beckons to us to not be afraid. We take comfort in the past for its seeming stability but that is often a false illusion. I remember always wishing I could know the future. With some wisdom I realize that if I had known the details I might not have been able to cope and move forward. The message is still the same, come follow me, I am with you always.
Today should be another beginning for us. In joy, rather than in fear, we should look forward to seeing the fulfillment of God's plan for our lives just as was noted in the reflection of Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman in the last issue. Together with those in the past and those in the future we can respond to the call, Here I am Lord!
How can we deal with an uncertain future? The one and only answer is to place our trust in God rooted in the confident hope that God always cares for us. It will sometimes be quite frightening and we will continually look for assurances that we are on the correct path. We can only support one another on our journey and know that we are being inexorably drawn to Christ in whom our hope lies.
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What do you believe? (Part 1)
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As I presided at liturgy recently with the community at Holy Trinity I was reflected on how and what we did in reciting the Creed together. As a group I was struck by the fact that we seemed to "race through it" rather than reflect on what it was we were confessing as our beliefs. Skimming through a pile of back issues of Commonweal magazine I came upon a book review on the subject of belief. Author Antonio Monda, a Catholic who teaches film at NYU, in his book Do you believe?: Conversations on God & Religion, interviewed 18 renowned writers, artists, thinkers and film makers about God and faith. There was a plethora of opinions ranging from skepticism about religion to longing for faith.
Religion is a response to faith, a faith that when we realize it needs to be shared. Faith is not just a personal feeling but something that motivates us to action. Faith is a call like that to Isaiah and Samuel and a response to that call. We don't always know it is the Lord calling us in the night of our loneliness or despair. We can miss his voice too when we are in the sunshine of a life with few problems and personal successes.
The Bible is filled with stories of people struggling with faith issues. Elie Wiesel was asked by Monda if he believed in God after the horrors of the Holocaust. Yes, he said, I believe in God who despite everything is still there for us.
Each Sunday we recite words that come to us out of a period of our faith history in which what the Apostles and early church took for granted had become less clearly understood. The church was split on what individual communities actually believed about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit etc. I was so divided that it threatened the unity of the Empire. To prevent society's collapse into anarchy the Emperor Constantine asked all the bishops to come together in Nicea to spell out what those beliefs were. From these deliberations in 325 of the Christian era came the statement of beliefs built on the consensus of the the whole Christian community. It is repeated to this day to remind us of those beliefs lest we forget what we all believe as members of the Body of Christ.
In the next several
issues I would like to discuss with you something about the belief
statements in the creed. We will explore the words we recite and what they mean to us in our every day
lives. So, until the next issue you may wish to consider the opening words of the creed and what it means to you.
We believe in God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth
(To be Continued) |
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Burning Bright
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The pastor of a rural parish noticed that
one of his parishioners, a farmer, had not been coming to church for a
while. Others told him the fellow was physically well and didn't know
why he wasn't coming. While making his rounds in the countryside the
pastor came upon the farmer's cottage. The man was sitting quietly
before his fireplace staring at the flames. The pastor quietly sat
down next to the man and said nothing. After a while the pastor took
the tongs and removing one of the embers placed it on the hearth where
it quickly lost its red color and went dead. The farmer turned to the
pastor and said "I get the message. I'll be there next Sunday."
The fire represents the past, present and future. The others who came before us
are like the coals and ash lying beneath the blaze, sharing the heat of
the blaze but no longer a part of the main. Those yet to come are like the coals in the bin next to
the fireplace. Of course, Christ is the one to tend the fire.
We are all part of that large fire. We cannot burn brightly without the
others. As followers of Christ we are working to move closer to the
blue, hot area, to be tempered by God's love through our service and
love of others. In light of this, it is easy to see why pain and
suffering is a difficult subject. In loving God, we feel the
commitment to learn to love more deeply, more freely. We sense our
work is not finished: we want to keep living to keep loving. Eternal
happiness in a world filled with pain and suffering is not to ignore
pain and suffering but to accept it as it is, tempering us in the heat
of God's love.
God calls us to be one people, combining our faith and actions so they burn brightly. While we can and do come to faith individually we do not have what it takes to individually sustain our faith. Oh, we burn brightly for a while but soon we fall into our old habits becoming self centered and think we know all the answers; everyone else is hypocritical. A faith community, as fallible as it can be, is still the place where we can be nurtured in our faith.
If you are not already a part of a faith community today may be a good time to find one.
If you do belong to one and it is less than what you think it should be, step up to the plate and take some action or find another faith community in which you can grow your faith.
If you know someone else who could use this message, simply send them a copy and invite them to join you some Sunday.
Let our prayer be: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in us the fire of your Love. Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth. Amen!
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A Recipe for Everyday
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Several years ago I had the great joy of officiating at my daughters' wedding. In an old Polish tradition my wife asked family and friends to share their favorite recipes which we spiral bound and gave to the happy couple as well as everyone who contributed. The following was the recipe I shared with my children. Perhaps you will find it worth while too.
When times were lean during the Great Depression, people took to saving every little scrap not wanting to waste a thing. The value of the smallest item became important to survival and from this came a simple recipe I wish to share with you so that you will remember to value everything you receive no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential. These are given to you for a purpose perhaps one which you might not immediately discern. Remember to be grateful to the Lord for them all, from your rising in the morning to your descent into slumber at night.
Depression Era Pancakes
From those things left about take the dried ends of bread. With a hand grater, make them into bread crumbs, mixing them together with those of other loaves, whether wheat or rye.
Mix the bread crumbs with a bit of milk, some eggs, a small spoon of sugar and a touch of salt.
Because there was no waste, they used bacon renderings to cook the pancakes and give them a taste of meat when meat was not available.
Heat up the skillet until the bacon renderings met and begin to sizzle. Use a tablespoon to add some of the batter into the pan and cook until lightly crisp on both sides. Top with a bit of sugar to sweeten it all.
This recipe will make enough for you to get by in the lean times and those of plenty. Don't forget to save those egg shells, place them among the coffee grounds when making the next pot. They will serve to make the brew a little less harsh.
A blessing on you this and every day
May you never know want and always be prepared to help those in need.
Treasure each day as the best of days and savor each as the last of days.
Remember to focus on what is important in your marriage, each other, and you will find that everything else will fall into place.
Know that you are loved and remain in that love and you will live long.
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God's message...
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| The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you.
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Let us pray...
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Let us remember all who died this week, those who are suffering and who are in special need. I invite you to pray with me as together we say Our Father...
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| We look forward to serving you and encourage you to share this e-zine with others who may also be searching for a loving, Catholic experience. We also welcome your feedback to help us make this e-zine more helpful so please feel free to drop us an email.
Sincerely,
Most Rev James Balija
White Robed Monks of St Benedict
Apostolic Vicar, Midwest and East Coast
Editor
The Contemporary Catholic
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| Peace! |
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Hi! I'm Fr Jim Balija, editor of The Contemporary Catholic. Our goal is to help you live a richer life. I invite you to take the time to read this e-zine, send us your comments and questions and hopefully share this with your family and friends.
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