Fine Art 9: Ravenna Encore

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During our Genesis classes in September I threw together a handout to accompany discussion of the Hospitality of Abraham, Abraham’s sacrifice, Cain & Abel, and Melchizedek. Today was the last class of the year, and the last of three on the Mass. Part of the Mass-class fun is having the kids connect all the Bible stuff they learned this year to what happens or is said at Mass.

In past years when we got to this bit-

“Look with favor on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel, the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the bread and wine offered by your priest Melchizedech.”

-I’d just read it out of the Missalette and we’d discuss. But this year I edited the earlier handout to make another handout, like so:

——————————————————————————————————————

“Be pleased to look upon these offerings with a serene and kindly countenance,
and to accept them, as once you were pleased to accept the gifts of your servant Abel the just,the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the offering of your high priest Melchizedek,a holy sacrifice, a spotless victim.”

These two mosaics flank the altar in San Vitale church in Ravenna, Italy

————————————————————————————————–

Class was much better with the handout. The kids remembered the pictures and were able to explain them in Genesis terms. Then we read the quote and they sorted out why Abel, Abraham, and Melchizedek matter at this point in the Mass.  I reminded them that these two mosaics are to the immediate right and left of San Vitale’s altar; wouldn’t it be great to hear that bit of the Mass while being able to see the relevant Bible stories on the walls?

All the kids took the handout home (they can leave them on the desk if they don’t want them). The parents will probably see it, and their children may catechize them a bit. (Equipping the children to teach their parents is a constant motivation in Wednesday Sunday School.)

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Apology in Poetry

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Every now and then, I feel inspired to jot down some poetry. I have heard it said that you should not publish poetry. It is so personal and people won’t read it.

I can understand that. But, what if the poetry has a purpose? What if we could share the faith through poetry? Would that make it worth while? I say yes. But then again, I tend to push the envelope when it comes to spreading the faith. And in this time of attacks from all directions on the faith, we should be bold.

Here is how it works. Atheism seems to get a lot of publicity. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t equipped to meet the challenge. We have not been taught the traditional arguments. If we have, the teaching may have been less then, shall we say, engaging?

Let’s try a new approach. Take for example, the first cause argument for the existence of God. If I were to turn that into a poem, it would go something like this.

Just look around
and you will see
a bird, a squirrel,
a flower, or tree.

Each one can
demonstrate for now
the First Cause argument,
here’s how.

A flower comes
from seed it’s true
and from another
flower it grew.

A seed, a flower
and on it goes.
Back to the first, when?
No one knows.

But of this first
From where’d it come?
Where was the seed,
Where was it’s mum?

This chain was started
don’t you see,
From our Creator,
God, it’s He!

Ok, I admit, it isn’t James Joyce. However, we could start a catechetical revolution. One that appeals to the spiritually playful side in us. Let’s put that God given intellect to good use and face the challenge of transforming today’s culture in an unexpected way.

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Difficult Topics: Teaching About Marriage to World-Weary Students

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In my last post I alluded to the difficult topic of divorce and remarriage in the story of The Woman at the Well.  This week I want to share how I present the Sacrament of Matrimony in my classes — how to teach the truth about Christian marriage without undermining the respect students (rightly) have for their own parents and loved ones.

1. Step one is a heartfelt ditto to Amy Giglio and Dorian Speed:  Make sure you know what the Church teaches.  Don’t settle for sloppy shorthand such as “divorced people can’t receive communion” — that’s often not the case.  Note that if you ordinarily refer to The Youcat, or The Catechism of the Catholic Church, look instead to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, which provides an excellent overview of the sacrament (Chapter 21) and the 6th Commandment (chapter 30).  For a detailed look at technical questions, consult a source such as Fr. James LeBlanc’s pdf document on all things marriage.

If you are not completely clear on Church teaching and practice, you aren’t alone.  Stand in front of the mirror and practice saying, “That’s a difficult one, and I want to make sure I give you the right answer.  Let me look it up and tell you next week.”  Bring a pencil and paper for writing down tough questions that come up during class.

2.  Just teach the basic information.  You might say, “The ‘Sacrament of Matrimony’ just means ‘Christian marriage’.  One man and one woman join together in marriage to form a family.  They promise to be faithful to each other for life, and to be open to any children God might give them.”

3.  If you feel brave, finish by saying, “Any questions?”

4.  So you tried to skip on to Holy Orders real fast before they could open their little mouths?  Ha.  Nice try.   Short of beating open a pinata, you aren’t getting out of the questions.

So you’ve just been asked: Why can’t two women get married, like my Aunt Sarah did?  My mom’s been married three times, is that okay? Why do people get divorced?  What if you marry a bank robber but you didn’t know he was a bank robber, and then you find all this money in your room one day, can you keep it?  Can you marry a non-Catholic?  What if you murder your spouse, can you get married again after that?* Can I get a drink of water? My dad was married in a hot-air balloon.

Some of these are hypothetical, others are personal, and yes this is a great time to go get a drink of water, because Marriage Q&A takes a while.  As you work through the questions, these are the four principles I try to keep in mind:

1. Always give parents the benefit of the doubt.  The first four marriages may have been legitimately annulled.  The couple may have received a dispensation for their scuba-themed ceremony on the coral reef.  You don’t know.  Now is not the time to guess.

2. Discourage speculation, encourage discretion.  Children often want to know, “Why did _______ get divorced?”  Observe that divorce is always a sign that something has gone wrong, but that we can rarely know what exactly was the problem.  One or both spouses may choose not to discuss the real reasons for the divorce because they don’t want to gossip, and do want to respect the privacy of the other spouse.

3. Do provide age-appropriate explanations of annulment, convalidation, and the like, if a student’s question can only be answered by delving into these details.  If you aren’t confident of your answer, use the “Let me look it up” escape.  Make sure your answers are 100% g-rated — your pastor or DRE may be able to help you with your wording.

4.  Show respectful sympathy for people who struggle with Church teachings.  We all do things we shouldn’t.  Some people have a very hard time understanding or following the Church’s teachings on marriage.   We should be patient and loving, and remember that Jesus cares about them very much, and there is no sin that cannot be forgiven.

 

*Yes, a student really asked that question one year.  I had to e-mail my pastor to confirm the answer: No.

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Unlikely Missionaries

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This Lent, Christina Weigand at Palace of Twelve Pillars is hosting a devotional series that is running at several sites around the Catholic blogosphere.  This week was my turn to write.  I thought I’d share it here, because this is how I feel about being a catechist: Um, Lord, surely you can do better than me?

 

 

Many Samaritans of that town had believed in him on the strength of the woman’s testimony when she said, ‘He told me all I have ever done’, so, when the Samaritans came up to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed for two days, and when He spoke to them many more came to believe; and they said to the woman, ‘Now we no longer believe because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves and we know that he really is the savior of the world.’ John 4:39-42.

 

Jesus arrives at the well in the Samaritan town — tired, thirsty, and in search of a missionary. Take a look at her qualifications:

 1. She is surprised Jesus would even speak to her. (Jn 4:10)

2. Jesus proposes eternal life, and she thinks, “Indoor plumbing. Hallelujah!” (Jn 4:15)

3. She’d been married five times – likely a history of repeated divorce and remarriage. (Jn 4:18)

4. She is currently shacked up with a boyfriend. (Jn 4:18)

She’s not exactly walking off the page of that vocations poster tacked up on your parish bulletin board. But Jesus meets her where she is – spiritually out of sorts, physically work-weary herself. Through a gradual back-and-forth, He draws out of her the makings of a missionary:

 1. She’s waiting for a coming Messiah, and expresses a firm belief that he will certainly come. (Jn 4:25)

2. Realizing she may indeed be meeting the Christ, she drops everything and calls her neighbors to come see. (Jn 4:28-29)

3. Her testimony brings others to faith in Christ. (Jn 4:39)

4. Her neighbors then not only come to see Jesus, they beg Him to stay, learn from Him for two days, and end by acknowledging He is indeed Savior of the world. (Jn 4:40-42).

An entire village of Samaritans – people the Jews didn’t even speak with – were converted to Christ thanks to the missionary work of the woman at the well.

In his two days with the Samaritans, no doubt Jesus broached the same thorny topics that came up among the Jews – divorce and remarriage included. Jesus meets us where we are not to leave us in our sins, but to deliver us from them. Heaven is not full of wretched sinners God has agreed to tolerate for eternity – it is full of former sinners, now made holy, pure, complete.

In the meantime, it’s a little embarrassing. Someone’s got to volunteer for the parish committees, teach the catechism class, pick this week’s hymns, write the message in the bulletin. And who does Jesus have to call on? Just us. Dopey, clueless, sinful us.

May the Lord find us in the pews even half as ready as the Samaritan woman was that day at the well. Waiting on the Messiah, ready to be shown our errors, ready to do His bidding and bring others to Him.

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Amazing Catechists Among Women

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Making a connection. Telling a story. Being a witness. That’s what amazing catechists do. As translators of the truth they seek to give away what they possess because it was so freely passed onto them. Doing that through a podcast is a very low-cost, effective way of evangelizing and catechizing in the digital age.

Over the last two years, several members of the Amazing Catechists’ team have been guests on my weekly podcast, Among Women. Created in Lent 2009, Among Women grew out of my years of ministry in local churches, and my special regard for women’s ministries.

The Among Women podcast and blog celebrates the beauty and grace of a Catholic woman’s faith and life. It’s faith sharing, teaching, and some good old-fashioned girl talk rolled into one. Each podcast has two segments: “Blessed are They” looks back on inspirational women who are either saints, mystics, blesseds, or women from the Bible. The “Among Women” segment focuses on conversations with contemporary women on themes that are important to women.

Get to know the women behind the bylines here at Amazing Catechists by listening to these Among Women podcasts, including the most recent episode, featuring Mary Lou Rosien discussing her new book, Catholic Family Boot Camp:

AW 125: “Spiritual Boot Camp” with Mary Lou Rosien

AW 122: “Star of the New Evangelization” with Robyn Lee

AW 121 : “Each Life is a Masterpiece” with Leticia Velazquez

AW 116: “The Advent of Advent” with Sarah Reinhard

AW 89:  “The Sacred Heart” with Ellen Gable Hrkach

AW 81: “Choosing Faith Amid Suffering, Part 2” with Peggy Clores

AW 80: “Choosing Faith Amid Suffering, Part 1” with Peggy Clores

AW 78: “Be An Amazing Catechist” with Lisa Mladinich

AW 43: “Lisa’s Reversion Story” with Lisa Mladinich

AW 30: “Cause of Our Joy” with Leticia Velasquez

AW 11: “The Snoring Scholar and Great Books” with Sarah Reinhard

Among Women has over 125 episodes on a variety of topics.  Its growth and success comes from social media contacts, church bulletin announcements, and, of course, word of mouth. Why not share Among Women as a resource for the women in your life and parish?

 

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Here Comes MAC! Baltimore’s Brave New Conference

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If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. (John Quincy Adams)

I am psyched. I’m heading to Baltimore in March for a major new Catholic conference that seeks to bring hope to the Church by developing leaders in all areas of Catholic life and ministry.

The MidAtlantic Congress for Pastoral Leadership launches its first annual event March 8-10 at the new Baltimore Hilton (only a few blocks from the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary), with the bracing theme, “Witness Hope!”

A joint effort of the Association of Catholic Publishers and the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the “MAC,” as its visionaries call it, seeks to:

  • Bring the best of Catholic pastoral ministry, religious education/catechesis, and theology to parish leadership
  • Provide an opportunity for parish and school leaders to network with each other and meet in peer groups for support and enrichment with possibility of these meetings continuing through informal groups and emerging social media following the conference
  • Provide an opportunity for parish and school leaders to dialogue with the publishing community to discuss ministry resources and develop best practices
  • Provide an opportunity for skills development
  • Celebrate our faith through prayer and worship
  • Finally, for ACP members, it is hoped that this congress will provide a tangible benefit to its catechetical, liturgical, trade and music publishing members and support for the ACP. (Courtesy of Paul Henderson, MAC co-chair, and Director of Operations and Project Management, USCCB Communications)

Recalling the now-defunct East Coast Conference for Religious Education, ACP’s Executive Director, Therese Brown, who is also MAC’s General Coordinator, explains that in recent years the types of leaders in dioceses, parishes, and Catholic schools has noticeably shifted. “For decades, most ministry leaders were full-time staff, often religious, with master’s degrees.” But in recent years lay ministers are more likely to be part-time staff. Many are volunteers. “They have different needs,” she says.

“Without the ECC,” explains conference co-chair, and Baltimore’s Executive Director of the Department of Evangelization, Fr. John Hurley, CSP, “there was no catechetical conference on the east coast to provide for those needs.” So when the ACP approached the Archdiocese of Baltimore about creating something unique, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien gave his full support.

The location made good sense for several reasons, says Fr. Hurley. “When the ACP came to us, they needed a location that would be accessible to large numbers of people. At that time, many dioceses had begun to restrict travel,” he says, so it was unlikely that east coast parishes would be sending their staffs to events in Los Angeles or Dallas.

“With the economy faltering, attendance numbers at all such conferences are down,” he says, “and hotel prices north of Philadelphia are too high for an event like this to be feasible.” So giving the MAC a permanent home in the more reasonably-priced and centrally-located city of Baltimore made good sense for attendees.

And it’s good for Catholic publishing, too. Fr. Hurley explains. “Conferences like this help publishers get their resources out to their markets, but it also helps them to find new authors. We wanted to do this conference in a new way. We didn’t want to have the same people keynoting, just recycled from other events. We have a mix of headliners and new authors and theologians.”

As inspiration for the new congress, Brown cites the USCCB’s Lay Ecclesial Ministry Project (2005) and its signature document.

“Coworkers in the Vineyard of the Lord”  is the bishops’ pastoral statement on lay ecclesial ministry. It was the outgrowth of a longer process of observation and reflection on the part of the bishops that started many years ago, on the reality of the leadership of the laity in the parish. The MAC builds on the call of the bishops to form lay leaders for their roles in the life of the Church. All of our presentations will come from a leadership perspective,” she says. “Hopefully, one of the outcomes is that attendees will feel more strongly and passionately about their call to ministry.”

The event has an impressive schedule. Building in a dynamic diversity of people, languages, and topics, the 90+ presenters will give 39 master classes and 4 rounds of break-out sessions (75 breakouts total) that will cover such widely varied topics as catechesis for kids and whole communities, RCIA, youth ministry, liturgy, music, multi-cultural issues, social justice, Catholic schools, media, evangelization, and much more. ASL interpretation is available at all major events, and many Spanish-language presentations are offered.

One of the highlights of the congress will prayerfully embrace the season of Lent. A very special Way of the Cross will take place on Friday evening, March 9th, written and directed by Michael Ruzicki, Coordinator of Adult and Sacramental Formation for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. With beautiful banners created by Liturgical Press, this focal point for the congress is hoped to be a memorable and uplifting experience for attendees.

Fr. Hurley says, “We wanted to acknowledge that it was a Friday in Lent, but go beyond lamenting and recognize that the Pascal mystery gained us something! We need to celebrate that faith and enrich it.”

The congress will close on Saturday with something called “Parishioner Day,” which provides special attention to catechists, other parish volunteers, and those who serve on their parish boards.

“We need to be messengers of hope,” says Fr. Hurley. “All of us in leadership positions have challenges. These are the signs of the times. But our ‘young’ Church is full of energy and hopefulness. We have to meet it head on, meet them where they’re at with social communications. They need engagement. People don’t just want to be members, they want to be welcomed, to become a part of the mission.”

Plans are well on their way for the next MAC congress, says Fr. Hurley. “2013 will incorporate the 50th Anniversary of Vatican II, the 20th Anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the Year of Faith. We’ll focus more on young leaders next time, school boards, and more tracks in English and Spanish.”

The organizers are offering a special group registration deal for staff members or teams attending together from dioceses, parishes, and schools. “For every four people who register they get one admission free. So, five for the price of four!” says Fr. Hurley.

I hope to see many of you there. I’ll be tweeting (@lisamladinich #macongress) and blogging all three days, live, from the conference, at Patheos via the “Summa This, Summa That” blog.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be interviewing some of the MAC presenters, so stay tuned, and spread the word!

God bless you!

I led them with cords of human kindness, with leading strings of love, and I became for them as one who eases the yoke upon their neck and stoops down to feed them. (Hosea11:4)

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Something for Everyone

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Many years ago, I took my first step into the world of adult catechesis. I thought I had a great idea that was sure to be a hit. Little did I know the challenges that awaited me.

In keeping with the use of media for evangelization and with the large amount of video available from great Catholic speakers, I obtained permission to show a series on our Catholic Faith.  All I had to do was put a notice in the bulletin and arrive on the designated night to push the VCR button. The tape would do the rest.  The parishioners would flock to see this series.  Each attendee would love it as much as I did and leave with a renewed knowledge and inspiration to go and make disciples. Simple, right?

The evening arrived and only a handful or so appeared.  It was a nice evening, though.  We watched the video and had a wonderful discussion.  The next week, a similar sized group attended.

So what went wrong?  Certainly it was quality material.  Was it the advertising?  Would pulpit announcements have helped?  Actually, nothing went wrong.  It was helpful to those in attendance.

As the years went by, I analyzed each event.  I tried a variety of approaches with varying results.  Until it dawned on me.  The parish does not need just one program.  It does not necessarily need large gatherings to inspire us. In fact, it is not about numbers at all. A parish needs a wide variety of activities.

Could that be why the Bishops developed the National Plan for Evangelization of the United States entitled Go and Make Disciples the way they did?  They included over 150 strategies for evangelization.  Each one can be expanded into multiple approaches.  There is truly, something for everyone in this plan.

Perhaps they lived through what I had and that is why they provided this cornucopia of choices for evangelizing a parish and community.  Could they have been “inspired”?

That is one of the reasons I think the Bishop’s plan is a formula for success.  Yes, they talk about using media.  Yes, that is one of the methods I continue to use.  However, after I began introducing others to the Bishop’s plan, I discovered that everyone can see something new and different. New ideas spring forth like a blossom in the Spring. I think that is what the Bishops had in mind.

We have refined our approach with media.  We now recognize the importance of promoting the events that we have.  We want large crowds. But if we do not get those large crowds, we will just look down the list and pick out another activity that the Holy Spirit inspires us to do.  If everyone on earth were the same, we would only need one approach.

If you are looking for a way to approach evangelization in your community, I encourage you to take a look at the USCCB plan entitled Go and Make Disciples.  If you would like tips, please email me.  I would be happy to share how we have implemented this wonderful roadmap. Happy Evangelizing!

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Spirituality for 2012 – part 2

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Talk about famous last words…I concluded my last post on Amazing Catechists – “Spirituality for 2012” – with the statement, “I will be publishing a follow-up to this article in a few days.”  Ummmm….that was over a month ago.  Yikes!  Obviously, I need to invest in a new watch or a new planner.  Or maybe I should learn how to use the ones I have!

I suppose I could have moved on and written about something else; I haven’t seen any indications that the masses are sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for the conclusion to my ideas about spirituality in 2012.  However, the ideas that I started kicking around in my head over a month ago are still floating around up there (which I’m interpreting as a good sign) and so I really felt like I needed to get out what I’ve been thinking.

I would certainly encourage you to familiarize yourself with my first posting prior to jumping ahead into this one.  The overarching theme for that first post can be expressed in the following statement from the former Master General of the Dominican Order, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP, who once said the Christian life is one that is “moral, reflective, prayerful, and imaginative.”

The big news story in the United States, as far as the Catholic Church goes, is the recent decision by the Obama administration to demand that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in virtually all health plans, including ones provided by employers who have a moral objection to such procedures and prescriptions (e.g. Catholic Church).  In addition to the news cycle, there is a constant stream of commentary on what the Church should do in response to it.  Admittedly, I have contributed to that stream on my own blog.

But as I keep tabs on that developing story line in the news, I come back to this post on spirituality and on looking forward in 2012 and I see a connection that I didn’t see 5 1/2 weeks ago when I wrote the first installment.  So instead of being distracted maybe it was the Holy Spirit that lead me to wait so long to write part two.  :-)

In the ongoing remarks on the USCCB and HHS, I’ve seen a lot of commentators offer potential responses the Church should take.  The two most common are: 1) the Church should just retreat in to itself and 2) the Church should just get with the times.  I would like to label these two ideas as the “Catholic Ghetto” and “assimilation,” respectively.  Additionally, I would add that both of them are dead-ends.

The idea or label, “Catholic Ghetto,” does not belong to me.  I think a good definition of it is provided here:

It is common for certain sociologist and theologians to refer to the Catholic situation of the 1940’s and 50’s as a time when the Church in America lived in a Catholic ghetto.  What this is getting at is that the Catholic population in the U.S. lived as a minority population that held together strongly by means of clearly defining itself over and against the rest of American culture.

As parishes in the United States became less nationalistic and more inclusive of a variety of ethnicities, the Catholic Ghetto largely broke apart.  For the most part, the break up of Catholic Ghettos is a good thing because in addition to the ones listed above, another of its characteristics was that Catholics “did not see themselves as called to influence the culture around them,” a view that is contrary to both scripture and the Church’s teaching.

You can still see some signs of the Catholic Ghetto mentality.  For example Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino’s Pizza, has tried to create a “Catholic” town in Ave Maria, Florida.  In this town, with Monaghan’s Catholic College in the center, Catholic families will live together, their children will grow up with other Catholics, marry other Catholics, and live in Ave Maria.  Monaghan’s vision is founded on the premise that Christianity, along with many academic disciplines, was kept alive in the Dark Ages in monasteries; they were small pockets of truth in an otherwise corrupt world.  At first brush this idea seems solid but as I’ll point out later, it is not without significant flaws.

The other dead-end is “assimilation,” where Catholicism just becomes like everything else and Catholics look like everyone else.  Through assimilation, Jesus can henceforth be referred to as a “good man” and Christianity can be seen by society as “good thing” but neither should be spoken too loudly.  In this way, Catholics and the faith they profess becomes invisible.  In 1994, Jonathan Sacks wrote a book called, “Will we have Jewish Grandchildren?“  In it, he reflects on how to keep the faith of Jewish antiquity alive and flourishing in future generations.  This idea is something we also need to reflect on within the Catholic community.

I think of an oak tree with its roots running deep into the ground where it draws life giving nutrients and water, the things necessary for its survival.  The trunk of the tree, its base, provides the foundation for continued growth.  But ask yourself: where do we see the greatest signs of life on a tree?  Do we see it when we look at its trunk?  No.  It is when we look at its tips, where new leaves sprout each spring.  We see the greatest signs of life, growth, and vitality at its extreme ends.  But all parts, from the massive trunk to the smallest buds sprouting at the tips of the highest branch, are 100% oak tree.

The tree is a familiar metaphor for the Body of Christ, the Church.  The ground represents God where the tree trunk (i.e. the Church) is firmly planted.  It is the ground (God) that feeds the oak tree (Church) all it needs to survive.  From the trunk, branches (individual Catholics) grow, reaching out in an endless amount of directions, always springing forth with new signs of life and vitality.  This metaphor shows us God’s plan.

God has promised to provide everything we need, but we can’t get it when we are not connected to the tree trunk; we can’t just be a branch suspended in the air (cf. Jn 15:5).  Nor can we be a branch just laying on the ground, cut away from the tree.  When that happens, the tree is weakened and the direction that particular branch was growing out towards will not be reached.  The fallen away branch just lays on the ground and eventually dies.  It is possible, indeed it is necessary, for the tree branches (Catholics) to be 100% Catholic and reaching out to a world that is not the same as itself.

The unity within Catholicism of God, the Church, and its people, is an earthly example of the the most perfect unity, that of The Blessed Trinity.  The doctrine of the Trinity is what Christianity has that no other religion does and we can demonstrate it by living our lives, firmly grounded in the Church.  In fact, I would submit the doctrine of the Trinity may be the most important aspect of a spirituality for 2012 and beyond.

During the Enlightenment, man developed a deep seated resentment towards doctrine, especially Catholic doctrine.  Nicholas Lash wrote in his book, Believing Three Ways in One God:

The Enlightenment left us with what we might call a crisis of docility. Unless we have the courage to work things out for ourselves, to take as true only that which we have personally attained or, perhaps, invented, then meanings and values, descriptions and instructions, imposed by other people, feeding other people’s power, will inhibit and enslave us, bind us into fables and falsehoods from the past. Even God’s truth, perhaps especially God’s truth, is no exception to this rule. Only slaves and children should be teachable, or docile.

But the ancient doctrine of the Trinity, regardless of what those enlightened individuals might believe, may be the most exciting thing we have to offer as Catholics.  However, it will only be exciting if it is in contact with something outside of itself.  Keeping it locked up, like in a Catholic Ghetto, will strip the doctrine of all its power and vitality.

The doctrine of the Trinity is often held up as something remote and obscure.  I would submit that it only becomes remote and obscure in its presentation, not in its actuality.  The best way Catholics can communicate the truths encapsulated in the doctrine of the Trinity is to communicate their faith in the doctrine through conversation.  It is the personal aspect of taking time to talk with people that will resonate with others.

This should make perfect sense to us!  After all, what is the Trinity but the eternal, equal, living conversation between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?  Additionally, we see the Trinity made real for us in the person of Jesus, who, among many other things, is a man of conversation.  Take a look at him through the eyes of John.

  • Jesus’ conversations when calling his disciples (Jn 1:29-51)
  • The conversation with Nicodemus who came to talk to Jesus at night (Jn 3)
  • The conversation with the Samaritan Woman at the well (Jn 4:4-42)
  • The Bread of Life Discourse (Jn 6:22-71)
  • The conversation with the woman caught in adultery (Jn 8:1-11)
  • The conversation with the man born blind (Jn 9)
  • Last Supper discourses (Jn 14)
  • Jesus’ conversation with Pilate (Jn 18:28-40)
  • Jesus’ conversation with Thomas (Jn 20:24-29)

There are a couple of keys to understanding these passages and to ultimately discerning our own response to challenges in our time.  Jesus was constantly in conversation with people and not just his disciples, but he was reaching out to people that were outside his “comfort zone” or outside convention (e.g. conversation with the Samaritan woman).  We continually see Jesus in contact with “the other” and offering them the love and peace of his father.  This is what the Catholic Ghetto can not do.  It betrays the openness to the other that is so obvious in the Gospel.

Secondly, true conversation, the type that has the potential to be life-changing, is open, mutually respectful, and loving.  We don’t see Jesus talking down to people nor do we witness him talking about people; rather, he spoke to them.  The story of the man born blind really illustrates that point.

Third, everyone that hears the conversation is converted.  Converted to what and to what degree can not necessarily be determine and in the grand scheme of things, it is not that important that we know.  A good conversation will take you to unfamiliar ground and lead you in unexpected directions.  Through them, all will grow in grace.  We are not in charge of that grace; at best, we can only hope to be channels of it.

We never know who may be touched by our conversations.  It may be the person we are most directly involved in speaking with is the least moved, but the person who merely overheard it is changed for ever.  Jesus held many conversations in crowds, big and small, and we read in the scriptures how people would “murmur” among themselves while Jesus spoke.  They were being touched by what Jesus had to say and they weren’t even in the conversation.

Our thinking is mostly dualistic: white/black, up/down, left/right, Republican/Democrat, Catholic/Protestant, etc.  It is these oppositions that help give us our identity.  But this dualism, does not allow for openness or for love.  Instead we should allow ourselves to be swept up in a Trinitarian love that opens up possibilities for going places beyond these simplistic, either/or distinctions.  We can be immersed in the love between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  This love is not introverted; it can not be kept in a ghetto.  Indeed, it is the Holy Spirit that pushes us to be in contact with people and situations that are beyond ourselves.  It is so alive, so bursting forth with vitality that it can not be made to look like everything else (i.e. assimilated).

The doctrine of the Trinity is the most exciting thing we have to offer others.  It is what should guide our spirituality in 2012 and beyond.  It is the doctrine behind the words of the God who says: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5)

 

I am indebted to Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP who has helped me see these things in a new, fresh way.

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A Catholic Alternative to “Trashy” Novels

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I have always been an avid reader. Even now, I usually read two to three novels per week. Years ago, before my re-version, I devoured trashy romance novels like they were candy.

Like anyone, I love a good story, but I especially enjoy a compelling romance or suspense novel. As I grew in my faith, I no longer wanted to read fiction with explicit sex scenes. So I began seeking out Christian fiction. However, I yearned to read good, compelling fiction with Catholic themes.

Partly in response to this desire, I began writing my first novel, Emily’s Hope, in 2001. I’m a certified NFP teacher and I’ve debated the “contraception” issue with non-Catholics, liberal Catholics, ex-Catholics and non-practicing Catholics. So when I sat down to write my first novel, I knew that not only did I want to write a compelling story, I also wanted to include information on the Theology of the Body and NFP. I figured that if I was going to write a novel, I wanted to write one that had the potential of evangelizing.

Emily’s Hope is the story of “Emily” (loosely based on myself) and “Katharine,” my great-grandmother. In the seven years since it’s been published, I’ve received many letters from “fans.” One teenager approached me at a Catholic conference and said, “You know, Mrs. Hrkach, your book helped me to understand the Theology of the Body better than any textbook I’ve read.”

With my second novel, In Name Only, I wanted to write a Catholic historical romance that would be hard to put down, a romance that didn’t shy away from Catholic teachings on sex and marriage.

Amazingly, In Name Only won the Gold Medal for Religious Fiction in the 2010 IPPY Awards (the first Catholic novel to do so). It was in the top 100 of Religious Fiction and Christian Romance for six months and continues to sell extremely well on the Kindle. One reviewer on Amazon.com writes, “When I read In Name Only, I was floored. It was so good! I could not stop reading it! I read it in a weekend staying up until 2am on Sunday night/Monday morning to finish it even though I had work the next day… what really gripped me was how Ellen Gable took Theology of the Body (TOB) and turned it into a novel. TOB is near and dear to my heart. I loved how she incorporated the teachings of the Church and weaved them into such a complicated storyline…”

My third novel, Stealing Jenny, is a suspense thriller about the kidnapping of a pregnant woman. The husband and wife protagonists are open to life, NFP-using, devout (yet imperfect) Catholics. One of the main characters is not religious. Another character is a born again Christian. I purposefully created Stealing Jenny so that the teaching was more subtle. And, of course, I wanted to write a book that was hard to put down. Therese Heckenkamp of Traditional Catholic Novels, said “When I had to put this book down, I literally could not wait to pick it up again…Stealing Jenny is a smoothly written, chilling tale of gripping suspense. There are terrifying moments and heart-wrenching moments. Catholic faith and hope are tested. Above all, the sacredness and privilege of precious new life is made indisputably evident.”

A few weeks ago, Stealing Jenny hit #1 in Drama/Fiction/Religious on Amazon Kindle and has remained in the top ten for the past three weeks.

A warning: my novels, although not explicit, do deal with mature themes and are appropriate for teens and older.

All my books are available on Amazon.com in print or on Kindle.

Like many of the Amazing Catechists columnists, I’m giving away free books: one copy of each of my novels in print and Kindle editions, as well as both editions of my non-fiction book, Come My Beloved (that’s eight books in total). Enter to win by leaving a comment at ANY OF OUR COLUMNS, ANY TIME from NOW until December 15th!

Of course, my novels are not the only Catholic alternatives to secular “trashy” novels. Do you have a favorite contemporary Catholic novel? Please feel free to comment below.

Photo and Text Copyright 2011 Ellen Gable Hrkach

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Catechist Chat: The Case of the Boring Backstory

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Everyone loves a good conversion story.

There’s the setup: I once was lost.

The rising action: the Holy Spirit began working in me (or knocked me off my horse).

The climax: But now I’m found.

A powerful conversion story is a terrific way to “hook” your listeners and get them to start thinking of how Christ could effect similar changes in their own lives.

Then, there are those of us whose conversion stories are more…ongoing. Habitual sins, tepid prayer lives, highs and lows. Nobody is going to be “hooked” by “I used to get really snippy with my husband, and then I prayed for greater patience, so I was more patient, but then I slacked off, and had to start over again, and every time I ask for grace it’s there, but sometimes I make other things a priority, and so it’s just a constant spiritual journey towards a 23% reduction in sarcasm when dealing with the following populations: husband, children, extended family, commenters on online newspaper articles. HEY – pay attention!”

It’s okay. I’ve been there. I am there. Let me tell you what not to do, first off.

Do not dress up your life experiences as something they’re not in hopes of presenting a dramatic conversion narrative.

True, and incriminating story: when in college, I worked as a janitor’s assistant in a factory that made ball bearing retainers. I walked around the factory with a magnetized stick and picked up scrap metal. (My dad got me the job.) It was a summer job and I made better money than I did as a camp counselor.

I used to carry a ball bearing retainer on my keychain and pass it around to my inner-city middle schoolers, telling them all about how my clothes used to smell like motor oil and how I decided to go to college, all because of that job. And they should go to college, too. I thought this would help me “connect.”

I am guessing – just guessing – that they may have seen right through this story of my hardscrabble upbringing, since the truth was that there was no way on earth in which I would have chosen to drop out of college to work at the factory, being the product of a prep school education and a life spent striving to be Teacher’s Pet. Pretty sure I was fooling nobody. I eventually decided that the act was backfiring and I should just be myself.

And so, since my backstory is basically one of persistent, irritating, and embarrassing venial sins, I don’t try to reframe the narrative as something it’s not.

I find that kids can relate to the daily trials that provide us opportunities to grow in our relationship with Christ – I’ve been snapping at my children a lot, and I know it’s getting in the way of my love for them, and so I go to Confession and I have a clean start. My friend calls and asks for my help with something and I’d really rather stay at home and watch my favorite show, but I can offer it up and do the right thing instead of being selfish.

If you believe that God put you in that room for a reason, as a catechist, then you need to trust that He is okay with you just as you are. You don’t need to embellish the details of your relationship with Him in hopes of capturing your students’ attention – be genuine, share what you’re comfortable sharing with them, and give them opportunities to consider what obstacles are blocking their own paths towards a deeper faith.

This also goes – or maybe goes double – for those of us who, for whatever reason, want to keep our conversion stories private. I think sometimes we can feel obligated to tell kids how we got to where we are, but if that story is painful or could cause scandal, there is nothing wrong with holding back.

We have so little time with our students that deploying the personal narrative isn’t something that should take up most of our class time, anyway, right? Besides, even those of us who have had dramatic conversion experiences will still face the mundane realities of “how to live from one minute to the next on a Wednesday afternoon.”

This column originally appeared at Scrutinies.net.

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