The Eucharistic Presence

Blog followers, my bulletin article for my parishes this week is on the real presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.  I thought that it might be interesting for those beyond my parishes.  Enjoy!

Dearest Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

     This weekend, in two of our parishes, we celebrate that most wonderful moment in our children’s lives when they are invited to approach the Altar of God for their first reception of the Body & Blood, Soul & Divinity of Christ.  We will celebrate this in our third parish next Sunday morning.  With this in mind I’d like to spend a couple of weeks discussing the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist and our worthy reception of that most august gift of grace.

     It is an amazing statistic (the last time I heard a report on this) that 7 in 10 adults identifying themselves as “Catholic” do not believe what the Church teaches about the Eucharist.  Now, considering that only 24-33% of Catholics go to Church on any given Sunday (depends on where you live for exact statistics), I can certainly see where 3 of those 10 would have difficulty with understanding what the Church teaches in this regard since they are rarely if ever at Mass to hear the Good (that is – life saving) News about the Lord’s love for us as shown in this marvelous gift.  The other 3 or 4 folks could well be those who come a little bit more than occasionally, but even then it’s not out of a sense of being fully convicted regarding the Truth of God’s loving plan for salvation.  I have often wondered if a better recognition of this great gift would keep so many from straying?  In any case, there might even be some, from among those who attend regularly, who are not 100% sure about how this can be true.  It is critical for our worship “in spirit and in truth” that we understand thoroughly and accept this wonderful teaching – that is, it is critical for our salvation.

     First, we need to recognize from where this teaching comes.  A couple of weeks past this was, in fact, the gospel readings for the weekday Masses.  The bible’s most complete explanation of this is to be found in the Gospel according to St. John, the sixth chapter.  Here, Jesus makes it clear that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood we have no life in us. (Jn 6:53)  This is one of the unique times in the gospels that Jesus does not then turn to his apostles and teach further so that they would understand what He meant by what He taught.  In fact, He challenges them as to whether they will also leave his company as had many of those following Him up until that moment. (Jn 6:67)  Peter takes the lead here and says: “Lord, where would we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  But did they know what Jesus really meant by what He had taught?  Probably not.  Not, that is, until the night of the Last Supper.  Here, Jesus would take bread, bless it, break it, and give it to his disciples saying: “Take this and eat.  This is my body.” (Matt. 26:26)  “Then, after the meal, He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them saying: ‘Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matt. 26:27-28)  In his letter to the Church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:23-32), St. Paul testifies that if we receive the bread and drink from the cup without perceiving the Body and Blood of Christ we eat and drink judgement upon ourselves.  Pretty strong language!  But certainly a strong indicator that this is and has been the understanding of the Church with regards to the Eucharist from the beginning.

     In the centuries and millennia since, God has made His point with regards to the truth of this awesome mystery through Eucharistic Miracles.  In fact, I have two books full of stories giving witness to God’s acting in time to fortify our understanding and belief in the Truth of our Eucharistic theology.

     I pray that as our young people approach the altar for their first time their child-like acceptance of God’s gift of Truth and Love will never be diminished.  If our trust and love of God would be as pure as theirs, it need never be!

See you at Sunday Mass!

A Congressman: Day 3

Didn't know that this was going to keep on going.  But, it seems that I'm not the only admirer of Congressman Ryan.  George Weigel has done a write up about his speech a Georgetown and has added his own, typically incisive and clarifying observations to the congressman's tussle with the Georgetown faculty.  Read on at The National Review...  Enjoy! :)

There's also an article by Robert Costa which is very informative with regards to Ryan's thought.

A Congressman: Day 2

Just thought I'd share a link to this story about Congressman Ryan's speech at Georgetown.  Such excellent points about his sincere attempts to apply Catholic social teaching to the problems he has been charged with addressing in Congress.  I especially like his point regarding the need for charity in dialogue.  Share your thoughts!

A Congressman I Can Admire

     There are so few politicians I feel that I can admire.  Sad to say, chief amongst those that I have difficulty admiring are those claiming to be Catholic.  There are so few Catholic politicians who seem to truly understand Catholic teaching, particularly where the bishops teach us that something is non-negotiable.  John F. Kennedy, Mario Cuomo, Ted Kennedy, Joseph Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Andrew Cuomo, Jim Doyle, Patrick Quinn, Tom Barrett, and on, and on, and on...  So many with so many opportunities to do the good, the holy, the right thing.  Alas, they capitulate to the schrill voices of the abortion lobby.  So much good that could be done - down the drain because they must defend the so-called "right" to kill unborn children.

     Paul Ryan comes along and wins the right and privilege of representing Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District.  He has risen to become the chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee.  And now he gets slammed by a bunch of professors at "Catholic" Georgetown.  They object to his speaking at Georgetown because he doesn't, in their exalted opinion, truly represent Catholic social teaching.
     Let's see, Mr. Obama, the most rabidly pro-abortion, big-government president in recent times gets to speak at Notre Dame with barely a squawk from the faculty (but NOT the students!  There is hope for the future!!).  Mr. Ryan, a Catholic (in truly good standing) is castigated for his application of Catholic social teaching in an area that is actually up for debate.  Said Pilate to our Lord: "What is Truth?"  And Judas, maybe even with the best of motives according to some scholars, sold out our Lord for 30 pieces of silver and lost his life (and soul?) in the process.
     I've read Mr. Ryan's article in the Wall Street Journal.  If the details of his proposed budget are in some ways questionable to some, at least he is falling short in areas that are debatable.  But, at least, he has a true grasp of the Catholic teaching he is purporting to apply in his policy decisions.  Much better than those listed above who have to wantonly twist Catholic teaching in order to justify their soulless policy positions.
     Finally, a Catholic for whom I would actually vote.  Unfortunately, I'm in the 3rd Congressional District.  Alas, at least I can pray for him, and I hope that you will too!  (Maybe he'll eventually run for the senate, or governor!)  St. Thomas More, ora pro nobis!

Tempus Fugit!

Uff-da!  I realized that I haven't posted anything since January!  Of course, with settling into the new parishes, teaching school, and all such things I could claim that I've just been too busy and tired, however, the truth of the matter is that I just haven't felt ambitious or convicted enough to say much beyond what I've been saying from the pulpit and in my parish bulletin.  I'm starting to get the itch to share again, however, especially since what I can say from the pulpit (where my job is to teach in an authoritative way the Catholic faith) or in the bulletin (which is more purposefully directed to the immediate needs of the parishes) is more limited than what I feel the need to say as a convicted Catholic and as an American.  So...  here I go again.  As always, please be charitable in any comments you might have.  This is my space for thinking out loud, "emoting" and otherwise saying what I really feel.  That being said, I reserve the right to modify or even change the views expressed since they are always subject to further revelation of the truth and of the Truth!  Needless to say (though I'll say it anyway for the sake of any knuckleheads out there who might not get it), the views expressed are NOT necessarily the views of the Diocese of La Crosse or any other official organ of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church!

"I'm spiritual, I just don't believe in religion!"

Here is a really good discussion regarding a fallacy we all bump up against from time to time - the claim that one can be "spiritual" without having to be involved in "religion".  Thank-you "Standing on my head" blog!

St. Nicholas, pray for us!

This from the "Canterbury Tales" blog is TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE!  St. Nicholas, zealous for the honor of Christ and our Blessed Mother, Pray for us!

On "Altar-ing" our Nation and Government

Long live Christ the King! These were the last words of Blessed Fr. Miguel Pro before he was executed by a government firing squad in Mexico on November 23, 1927. This season of preparation for the advent of our King become all the important in our day since it reminds us that we are, in the words of Great Britain’s great martyr, St. Thomas More, “the king’s good ser-vant, but God’s first”. In our country I suppose it would be more proper to say “the constitution's good servant, but God’s first”. In any case, the point is that we are called to loyalty to our country, but we are most loyal to our country when we follow God’s providential plan for His creation, in which our country, and every country, resides.
A little over a week ago we gathered with family and friends to give thanks for many things on our national day of Thanksgiving. As we read about conflict and civil unrest, natural disasters and persecution in so many parts of the world we are reminded of how very fortunate we are to be Americans. We have a constitution that guarantees certain freedoms, particularly the right to free expression, assembly, and religion. We have a culture that allows nearly anyone to achieve nearly anything. We also have, when compared to so many places in the world, a generally safe environment in which to realize our dreams.
These things CAN be swept away very quickly, how-ever, if we are not vigilant. We have seen of late unmistakable attempts to unreasonably limit our freedoms. We have even experienced the complete reversal of some founding principles. These I have written and preached on frequently and so I will not rehash this here except to remind all that the first of these founding prin-ciples is the right to life.
It is proper, of course, that we focus on this founding principle in a particular way since without life none of our other rights have any meaning. And yet, the highest court in our land peered in between the lines of the Constitution and found a right to kill the unborn. This is why the Church in the modern era has seemed to some to be so sin-gularly focused on the defense of life. This is not, as some have supposed, to the exclusion of defending other rights. It is however, in the words of both our Holy Father and our bishop, our necessary focus so that all other rights may be seen in their proper context.
Our Declaration of Independence states that governments rule legitimately when they protect these rights and if they fail we have the right to alter or abolish that government. Two weeks ago we had one chance to alter our government when we were given the opportunity to vote. Next weekend, as we begin the season of Advent and begin again to prepare for the coming of our King, we will be given a chance to altar our government - presenting it in all its brokenness to God in prayer.
Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict, and Bishop Callahan have called on us to enter into a special time of prayer for the protection of nascent life, that is – the unborn. We are asked to imitate Mary in saying “yes” to new life and to commit ourselves to the defense of that life.
I would ask all who can to join the Holy Father, our bishop, and myself as we begin this season of grace by saying “yes” with Mary to God’s invitation to welcome His Son into our hearts and lives, along with all nascent life into our lives and into the world. Long live Christ the King!

Thanksgiving & Eucharist

     As we close this “Thanksgiving Day” Weekend I think that it is worth our while to reflect on “thanksgiving”, particularly as it relates to our Christian vocation.  This is an exercise in which I engage myself every year because one of the things I’ve come to realize is that the virtue of gratitude, which is at the root of thanksgiving (and Thanksgiving) is more than simply meeting a social expectation.

     I begin by recalling that the word for “thanksgiving” in the ancient Greek is eucaristia.  Yes!  It is the same root from which we get the Eucharist.  And why is the most important and powerful prayer that we offer a “thanksgiving” prayer?  That would be worth another whole reflection!  But suffice it to point out that from the preface dialogue (The Lord be with you – and with your spirit; Lift up your hearts – we lift them up to the Lord; Let us give thanks to the Lord our God – it is right and just) to the great Amen is one big prayer of thanksgiving for the salvation offered to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  In the new translation of the Mass this will be brought out somewhat more clearly – even from the opening dialogue quoted above.  We recognize from beginning to end that it is not only right but also just that we should give thanks to Him from whom we receive all that is good.  Even before that, in the offertory prayers we will recognize even more clearly that the very gifts offer in thanksgiving are themselves gifts to us from God.  This is only right since in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass Whom is it that we offer to God but Jesus Christ crucified?  Thus, we begin to recognize more and more clearly that the motive for our participation in the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass is precisely the virtue of gratitude.

     Reflecting back on the story I told in my homily of two weeks ago, it becomes ever more a conviction in my heart that we are called to recognize all that we have, including our very lives, as a gift which has been given to us as a sacred trust by our very loving God and Father.  When we come to this realization and really live it I am convinced that we will find in ourselves the same courage that motivated the saints.  Their ability to always do what was necessary, regardless of how difficult or humbling, clearly comes from a recognition that our lives are not ours to do with as we will, but rather are given to us so that we might be perfected in the virtues, gratitude in particular, which lead us to the greatest virtue of all – LOVE.  This past week, Thursday, we celebrated the Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.  She was a princess and yet she established hospitals in her own castles and fed the sick and the needy by her own hand.  When asked about it by one of his friends, her beloved husband, Blessed Louise, answered that he wished he had more castles to give her that she might turn them into hospitals as well.  Wow!

     It is true that we have a right to enjoy the fruits of our labor, our hard work, and I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.  Maybe even a good number of you have already been successful in getting a deer!  I pray that even as we have celebrated, relaxed, recreated, and just generally enjoyed the fruits of our labor that we have at once recognized that as hard as we have worked, they are still a wondrous gift from a God who loves us and they are all to be used to build up His kingdom of Love.

     Finally, I would reflect on the fact that while Thanksgiving Day has come and gone for another year, in a very real way EVERY DAY is a day of thanksgiving in the Catholic Church.  That is why the Mass is offered everyday on altars around the world and within our three parishes.  As Advent begins, maybe you could look over our weekly Mass schedule and see if you might not be able to join us, even just once during the work week, as we give thanks to God who has given us all that is good.

The Funeral Rites of the Church: An Annual Plea

     This past week my homily centered on our stewardship of the sacred rites (i.e. the Mass).  I made the point that the sacred rites are not ours to do with as we might wish, but are given to us as a sacred trust by the Church for our salvation and the salvation of the whole world.  I made the point, in passing, that even (especially?) weddings and funerals are not OUR weddings and funerals.  While we might be the subject of that particular liturgy, it is still the Church’s liturgy and when we stray from gratefully and reverently receiving what the Church has given us we risk missing out on the graces we are intended to receive through the celebration of those sacred rites.

     In this month of November in which we are particularly attentive to The Last Things it seems particularly appropriate to say something about the Church’s funeral rites.  There have been, of late, quite a lot of strange things creeping into our funeral rites.  This is very unfortunate since our funeral rites are so very beautiful and present to us the depth of the Church’s experience and reflection on our communion with Christ in his passion, death, and resurrection.

     The funeral rites of the Church are a very balanced celebration of our salvation in Christ coupled at once with our hope in our own salvation and eventual resurrection and our recognition that most of us stand in need of prayer (especially the through great graces which come to us through our praying of the Mass) in order to make those final steps through the gates of heaven.

     The funeral Mass is very much for our beloved dead!  This is attested to in the introduction to the Church’s funeral rites which reflect the long established wisdom of the Holy Scriptures and the Father’s of the Church, as well as our long established traditions which come out of these two fonts of wisdom.  This is not to say that the funeral rites are not also for the living, those of us who are left behind - if only temporarily!

     The process of moving from the prayers for the dying (or very recently deceased) – to the first viewing of the body and prayers in its presence – to the wake and accompanying service – to the funeral AND burial is very important and really should not be short-circuited as too often happens now-a-days.

     The wake is so important, even for someone who is very old and wouldn’t have many coming for a “visitation”, because this is the opportunity for the family to begin the formal process of commending their loved one to God and saying “good-bye”.  This is also the venue for focusing on our dear decedent.  This is the time for remembering their virtues and the joys and sorrows we shared with that person.  This is the appropriate time for sharing favorite poems and songs that would be otherwise out of place in the context of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  This is also an important time for sharing memories and eulogizing our beloved dead.  If a family does not think that there would be many in attendance it might be better to shorten the time for the visitation rather than cut it out, and the wake service that accompanies it, completely.

     The funeral Mass is the time for making the connection between the passion of our beloved dead with the passion of Christ in the well-founded hope of sharing also in His resurrection.  We pray with the whole Church for the repose of our loved one’s soul as well as our own closer relationship with God in Jesus Christ through our experience of these sacred rites in this very important moment in our life of faith.

     The burial too is an important expression of our belief in the resurrection of the dead.  It should not be delayed without very serious reason, nor must it be tampered with lest we cover over the important Truths these sacred rites convey to us through our observance and celebration of them.

     There really is much more to say, but there is only so much time right now and with God’s good grace I will have more opportunities in the future to share with you the glorious riches that are to be found in our rites for the dying and for the dead in the years ahead.

Pray Well!

Fr. Klos

Purgatory: A beautiful gift

     As the month of November begins we have celebrated the fulfillment of God’s promise in the glory of the Saints in heaven.  Having celebrated those of our elder brothers and sisters who have had God’s promise fulfilled in them we turn our attention to those have fallen just short and so require the assistance of our prayers as they seek to be rid of those last vestiges of sin keeping them from knowing the fullness of joy.

     Some Catholics object to the idea of purgatory.  There are many reasons for this and we could fill an entire book examining the issues that will tend to be issues (when we really dig) with the fallen condition of the human person.  Let me instead talk to you a little bit about why I find this revealed dogma of the catholic and orthodox faith to be such a comfort and a joy.

     I have known several people who have died and yet they were not quite ready to pass-over.  I’m not judging their hearts (remember: judge not lest ye be judged!), I am aware, however, of the state in which they themselves felt they were in.  I can, as you can too, observe that by their actions they aren’t quite getting it.  I can also observe when a dying person is not going easily.  These are all things which can cause not a little consternation amongst the family and friends of the one who has passed.

     We also know, through the scriptures, that one who is not pure (that is, completely cleansed of sin) cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.  We know too, through the clues left in scripture, that there is the possibility of being cleansed of sin even after the death of the body.  So, why purgatory?  Well, remember that purgatory is merely the subject form of the verb: to purge.  Purgatory is merely the opportunity to be purged, that is – cleansed – of our sins.

     Why is this so important?  Martin Luther makes the point that we cannot be made right.  We are too radically damaged by sin.  Thus, Christ covers us over like the snow and so when we enter heaven God doesn’t see us and our sinfulness, He sees only Christ.  Classical Catholic teaching would turn that inside out.  The light of Christ does burn within us.  Sadly, the stain of our repeated sin keeps the light of Christ from shining forth for the Father and everyone else to see.  Our Catholic faith teaches us that we need to clean away (purge) that sin so that the light of Christ which is in each one of the baptized can shine forth.  Thus, as we enter heaven, the Father sees not Christ covering us over (so that we almost sneak in under the cover so to speak), rather He sees us entering heaven – fully conformed to Christ, that is, the image and likeness of God that was given us shines forth perfectly.

     Why is all this perfection such a big deal?  It is important because without perfect charity, that is – love, heaven would not be heaven.  Can you imagine being in heaven and still being ticked off at the habits of this person or that?  Can you imagine this person or that still clinging to the habits that drive you (and probably others) crazy?  It wouldn’t really be heaven then, would it?  So you see, it is important that when we enter heaven, we enter it leaving behind all of the pettiness and sin that we too often excuse and live with in this world.

     I know that a brief discussion like this isn’t going to convince everyone or even answer all of the questions that remain.  You can read more about it in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraphs 1030-1032).  In the meantime, let us remember to pray for the souls in purgatory.  Remember, once they get to heaven they can pray for you!

Pray Well!

Fr. Klos

Some good stuff!

Here's a link to Archbishop Dolan's blog. He makes some excellent points about the importance and survival of Catholic Education in contemporary America.

On Cardinal Burke and devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Friday I attended the diocesan catechetical conference and had the great pleasure of seeing “Our Cardinal” – Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke. He spoke very beautifully on the devotional life, especially devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. His eminence spoke for about 45 minutes covering the foundations for the devotional life in the Church’s magisterium as well as the mis-steps caused by the “Spirit” of Vatican II crowd and the resulting demise of any meaningful devotional life in much of the Church today. He also discussed how this lack of a devotional life has contributed to the fall of the family as a meaningful foundation for society today.

The good Cardinal then took us on a journey through the magisterium of Blessed Pope John Paul II. In this he outlined Bl. JPII’s program for recovering what had been lost which he had addressed almost from the beginning of his pontificate to the very end.

In the interest of time he skipped over the magisterium of Pope Benedict XVI, though he promised to somehow make his transcript available so that we could read this section. (I’ll try to post it as soon as I can get hold of it). Of course, readers of this blog will have been quite attentive to B16’s pronouncements and are undoubtedly already quite aware with regards to his thoughts on the importance of a strong devotional life, especially within the family.

Parts of the Cardinal’s talk were most touching, nearly moving me to tears on a few occasions (though, those who know me know that I can be a bit of a sap – not on the scale of Speaker Boehner however). This was especially true as he related stories from his own experience of priestly ministry giving witness to the power of a strong devotional life – especially to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. He gave very beautiful and powerful witness to this devotion bringing families back together and even contributing to a very happy and peaceful death. That is not to say that I didn’t pay rapt attention to the entirety of his beautiful talk! But…some parts are very informational and thus somewhat dry, while others are very inspirational precisely because they give witness to the great power of that about which the Cardinal was speaking.

This is why I have always encouraged a strong devotional life in my parishes. In, now, my third pastorate the novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help continues to be a fixture of parish life (Wednesday nights at 8:00pm at St. Mary’s Ridge). I also provide opportunities for adoration, an annual 40 hours devotion, Stations of the Cross, the recitation of the Most Holy Rosary is encouraged before Mass as well as other seasonal devotions attached to those seasons of the year or saints who have particular message that is relevant for the people of my parishes.

Sadly, it’s been years since I have been asked to consecrate a family home to the Sacred Heart, and it seems like pulling teeth to get people to attend 40 hours devotion and other opportunities for adoration. Stations of the Cross are very poorly attended to the extent that even when it is a part of the CCD program parents almost always seem to be out in their cars impatiently waiting for their children to be released from church.

What do we do? I ask this not in exasperation but out of real concern and the knowledge that the devotional life is very strong in some places. What are they (or you) doing that is working? As always in this blog, I seek your input.

Cardinal Burke has echoed Bl.JPII’s and B16’s call for a new evangelization. He has pointed out very clearly how this new evangelization must begin with a renewal of family life. He has also demonstrated very persuasively that this renewal cannot take place without a return to a strong devotional life within the family and within our Church. How will we answer that call?