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INTERVIEW: All In: Why Belonging to the Catholic Church Matters

I’m all in.

As a revert to the Faith whose utterly broken heart and crumbling life were restored, renewed, and completely transformed–through the healing love of Jesus Christ, the mysterious and life-bestowing sacramental life of the Catholic Church, the tender maternal intercession of Our Lady, and newfound friendships with inspiring saints–the Faith means everything to me.

That’s why I was thrilled to get my copy of catechist and retreat leader Pat Gohn’s new book, “All In: Why Belonging to the Catholic Church Matters,” and what sparkles in its pages does not disappoint.

I asked Pat a few questions, so you could meet the author yourself, before you rush out to buy copies for your own nourishment and for everyone in your life–especially those you love who are separated from the Church. –Lisa Mladinich

Pat Gohn

Interview with Pat Gohn about her new book, All In: Why Belonging to the Catholic Church Matters which becomes available today, March 3!

Why did you write this book and whom did you write it for?

It’s a book I wrote for all Catholics. But I especially had those in mind who have felt discouragement or disappointment in the Church. I live in the Archdiocese of Boston, where many have left the Church, or have a kind of weakened or wobbly association with it, in the years after the church sex abuse scandals. I don’t deny such pains and heartaches exist. I have felt them deeply. In this book I offer where I can put my trust, and how I can be a confident Catholic, despite the negativity and the grievous sins, if you will, of the Church. And how going deeper with Christ and the Church keeps me there.

What are some typical barriers to understanding the beauty and power of Catholicism?

We do not have a proper understanding that we are the beloved of God. I spend much of the opening portion of the book trying to connect readers with what it means to know The Beloved (who is Jesus) and what it means to be beloved.

The rest of the book contains chapters that show where I place my trust, thanks to the Beloved… because each of these things we discover in the Church flow from his love.

The book discusses the miracle of the Incarnation and how it relates to Church. It also touches on the Fatherhood of God and the beauty of our baptism. It also discusses the motherhood of the Church and the meaning behind St Cyprian’s famous quote: “No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother” (CCC, 181).

There’s also a lot of food for thought on some of the teachings of the Church, such as loving our enemies, which seems impossible, and the implications of our social teaching on the dignity of the human person. Yet, these are confidence boosters that shine light on just why belonging to the Church matters.

While I’d rather talk about confidence builders than barriers… there are three things that come to mind, which we need to work on… and I think this book helps people think about some of these things.

Icon, Public Domain

The first is our own lack of faith, the second is sin, and the third is learning to understand Jesus’ opinion of the Church, in the face of all the naysayers. But as I mentioned, coming to a place of belovedness goes a long way to help open the door of one’s heart to the Church. Through this understanding, our faith comes alive!

Why is that true? When we have faith, it becomes a light for us to see things in a new way – with the mind and heart of the Holy Spirit. Faith is new eyes to see. So that’s why the new evangelization is so key to our work as catechists… we need to reintroduce the faith and re-ignite the passion we have for Christ and the Church before we can share it with others.

Where faith is lacking, so is trust in Christ, and also trust in the Church. I try to share my own stories of faith and struggle in this book and try to lead the reader to understand that Jesus Christ is faithful, reliable, and lovable. We can take him at his word. What he says and does has credibility. For when we come to love what Jesus loves, we will come to love the Church and her teachings.

The second barrier is sin. Sin dulls our minds and lulls us into thinking that nothing can be done for us. When exactly the opposite is true! Sin deforms… but grace transforms!

Grace gives us confidence to change! Graces let us begin again! That’s the motto of the saints – they know they are loved sinners, and they don’t quit! They stayed opened to grace! Because grace helps them to live more in tune with Christ and the Church. What’s more, the lives of saints show us that we need to stay connected to the Church. Saints didn’t leave the Church even when there was trouble in the Church. Instead, many of them helped to bring about reform and renewal.

Finally, I’d like my default position to be the same as the one Jesus has. Jesus loves the Church. His opinion matters most to me. Other people’s negative opinions are no match for the love Jesus has for us, his Church. More about this in the book!

What are some cultural/societal messages that can derail the faith of young Catholics?

The primary negative message that derails young people is not having parents who are active, faith-filled Catholics.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart, University of Notre Dame, by Matthew Rice

The long-term study at Notre Dame on Youth and Religion says that young people need parents who are believers, as well as other faith-filled adults in their life, for their faith to stick. Read the findings here. That’s not a subject in my book, but I throw it in at no charge, as it’s something we catechists need to be aware of. More than ever, we must evangelize and catechize families.

I’m hoping some parents will be reading my book, so they better understand the Church and the beauty of her teaching–so they can pass that on to their children. I’m a firm believer that parents will naturally share the good things in life with their children. If parents discover their own belovedness as children of God, and begin to live it, their homes and families will be transformed.

What are some steps that disillusioned Catholics can take to reengage and reexamine their connection to the Church?

Nothing really helps until we begin to strengthen our connection with Jesus. I give tips on how to pray in the book. And I encourage readers to ask for the grace to make a new start.

Each chapter in my book offers three challenges for readers to better appropriate the content: Pray. Learn. Engage.

Under “Pray” you’ll find ways to pray over the subject matter, using Scripture and other suggestions. Under “Learn” you’ll find more reading material from magisterial documents and related texts to help the reader go deeper with the content. It might be reading something from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Compendium of Social Teaching, or the lives of the saints or similar. Under “Engage” you’ll find activities and exercises to help readers make an act of faith, or an exercise to experience some aspect of Church life or Christian service.

What are some insights that helped you find God in suffering?

That Jesus suffered for me, and is with me in mine. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share an excerpt from ALL IN to talk about how I had long ignored the price of Jesus’ blood that was shed for me on the Cross. It also taught me about the power of grace. But it was something that did not make much sense to me as a young person, because I did not truly experience suffering until I was older.

[Excerpt]

Sin deforms. Grace transforms.

How can we be so confident in this potent power of grace?

Where does this grace come from?

From the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross.

Jesus died for our sins.

Jesus died to release us from the chokehold of sin—the blockade to receiving all the gifts he wants to lavish on us.

On the cross, Jesus smashed to bits every sin, fault, failing, and vice that arrests us, taunts us, or defeats us. We no longer have to suffer being chained by invisible shackles. His sacrifice releases the graces we need to be freed from sin and death and shame.

There is power in his blood.

Again, the beloved disciple captures this truth: “the blood of Jesus . . . cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7). By the merits of Jesus’ cross, we are redeemed.

A large part of my early years with Jesus was spent reveling in the Divine Friend. I was remiss in not fully appreciating how important Jesus’ death was for me personally. Of course Jesus wanted to give me his love, and I wanted to give him mine in return. But I didn’t want the cross. It was too hard, too terrible.

When I went on a retreat as a teenager and got to know Jesus, I was all about his friendship and love. It filled a void in me that only Jesus could. The benefits of my healed heart, coupled with the friendship of Jesus, and the friends I had in the local church made me feel rich indeed. Yet I had not fully considered the depths to which Jesus descended to bring me that love.

I needed maturing . . . I took Jesus’ love for granted and did not realize that by ignoring the role of his suffering and death for me, I behaved like Easter Sunday happened without the pains of Good Friday. I might as well have been Peter denying Jesus to his face, not realizing the necessity of his cross for my redemption.

For years, I missed the full impact and truth of what Jesus had done for me. It also affected my reception of Holy Communion. I saw it as holy food that Jesus gave me as sustenance—and it is that and more. It is also a sacrifice provided by his suffering and dying for me.

Crucifixion by Murillo Bartolome Esteban

Suffering in my own life changed all of that. I didn’t know real suffering until I got older . . . physical suffering, emotional suffering, and spiritual suffering. The list of my own pains was long; the lists of sorrows that family and friends suffered were even longer.

For me there was a traumatic birth and a tough initiation into motherhood, a move out-of-state that affected me deeply, and several friends lost to cancer. There was the demise of a strong church community that fell apart over the sex abuse scandals. There was the break-up of good friends’ marriages. Who could have predicted the traumas of 9/11, and the wars that followed? So much pain and loss.

One little phrase from the Church’s Evening Prayer begs Jesus that we believers might “see in your passion our suffering.” By uniting my suffering to Christ’s passion I would survive. By the merits and graces of his cross I would thrive.

By grace I have been saved.

Once again, the Incarnation plays an indispensable role in our salvation.

The Incarnation unites the God of heaven to humanity, to earthly people of dust.

We are made of dust, the Bible says (see Gn 3:19). Yet the Father God loves the very dust we are.

As a father has compassion for his children,

so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

For he knows how we were made;

he remembers that we are dust. (Ps 103:13–14)

The Father sends the Son, and Jesus sanctifies our dust and makes it holy. The dust we are, thanks to God’s compassion for us, is made for more. I think of Pigpen, the character from the Peanuts comic strips. Pigpen could not avoid dust and dirt, yet he also made peace with being dusty. Sometimes we’ve grown a bit too accustomed to the mess we are. We become complacent, settled in our own dust.

Pope Benedict taught that we are made for more.

“Man was created for greatness—for God himself; he was created to be filled by God. But his heart is too small for the greatness to which it is destined. It must be stretched. . . . This requires hard work . . . but in this way alone do we become suited to that for which we are destined.”[i]

We are made for transformation.

Enter Jesus, the dust-loving God-man whose power redeems us, and quite literally, dusts us off and breathes new life—the destiny of eternal life—into our dust.

This is God’s plan of sheer goodness! This is not merited, nor earned by us. This truth and goodness I’ve come to know, at last, is that my glorious Lord lowered himself to enter my dusty, musty, rusty, crusty existence so that he might raise me up. What dignity I have found in this love, this mercy, this grace.

Sheer grace.

[End of excerpt]

Public Domain via Wikipedia Commons

What has been a source of wisdom for you, in times of questioning?

There’s a little phrase that Jesus uses after he teaches about marriage… that “what God has joined, we must not separate.” (See Mark 10:8-9.)

I believe in those words not only when it comes to marriage, but to the many other things that God has joined together as well. For example, God has joined himself to the Church in a supernatural marriage… he is bridegroom, and we the Church are the Bride. What God has joined, we must not separate.

God has also joined himself to the sacraments, and to the living Word of Scripture. We must not separate him from these things. Not that we truly could, but when we do so in our minds, we treat these things as empty and no longer appreciate their power. Sometimes we separate ourselves from the Church… the Church of our baptism, where God joined us to the family of God. Again, in doing so, we’re taking matters into our own hands… we’re separating what God has joined together. We’re disrupting the relationships that God has designed and ordained for us. And we miss so much when we do.

I believe that Jesus’ strong, unbreakable connection to us in the Church is something we need to vividly see. And when we do see it, I think we might think twice about separating ourselves from the Church.

NOTE: To receive a free, printable .pdf of this interview, please email me directly: lisa@mladinich.com and put “All IN” in the subject line.

[i] Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, 33.

http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi.html

Reparation Power: Good Comes From the Threat of a Satanic Mass

By Lisa Mladinich

On August 15th of this year, on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, the Oklahoma City Civic Center is hosting its second public black mass, in spite of the outrage it caused the first time, in 2014.

In addition to profaning a consecrated Host in the most vile way possible, the registered sex offender who will officiate the ritual will also desecrate a statue of Our Lady, on her feast day.

Still, “be not afraid.” The Church provides a super-powered way to respond to these dark acts. I’ll explain about prayers of reparation, in a few paragraphs. First, a little context.

TFP.org is circulating an online petition to be sent to the Mayor of Oklahoma City, as well as the Governor of Oklahoma, demanding that this hateful, anti-Catholic ritual be stopped. This is no mere matter of free exercise of religion, and here’s why.

Attacking Jesus Christ, the Blessed Mother, and the Catholic Church are the purpose of the sexualized desecrations that constitute a black mass, yet the group now seeks acceptance as a mainstream “religion.” They essentially have nothing of their own–unless you count perversion and hate.

Holy_Virgin_Gospa_from_Tihajlin_next_to_Međugorje

Wikipedia Commons/public domain

Lord, have mercy on us and on all who participate in, support, or accept this sacrilege. +

After signing TFP’s petition and sharing it around, it occurred to me that just getting angry wasn’t going to cut it; I thought, in addition to speaking out (which we should all do), I should make reparation for the offenses against Our Lord and Our Lady. I’d never really thought much about it, before, but suddenly it really mattered.

So, what is reparation? To make reparation means to make amends for harm that is done to another. Reparations in society are usually made in terms of assigned labor (community service) or the monetary payment of damages, as in civil suits.

In Catholic tradition, reparation means to make acts of prayerful, sacrificial love in order to accomplish several objectives:

Give honor to the person wrongly offended
Make amends for our own wrongs or in place of those who committed the offense
Save souls–including and perhaps especially those who desecrate what is holy

This is powerful stuff, and I trust that the prayers and sacrifices inspired by Oklahoma City’s latest affront will far outweigh the evil acts being proposed.

Here are some simple ways to join in:

Attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and receiving Jesus in the Eucharist with tender reverence. Nothing is more powerful.
Confessing our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation with sincere penitence and cultivating the virtues we lack. This is an offering very pleasing to God.
Praying the names of Jesus and Mary with affection, reverence, and love is a very simple way to make amends for the ways their holy names–and the Blessed Sacrament–are offended, daily–and it can be incredibly moving. When I started praying with more intentional love and affection, and cultivating more gratitude in prayer, my soul caught fire in a new way.
The Sacred Heart Novena, popularized by St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), can be prayed daily. (For more on the Sacred Heart, this is a good article from Word on Fire Ministries.)
Fasting, offering up ordinary tasks, any sacrifices done cheerfully
Cultivating beauty in your life and sharing it with others through hospitality and friendship
Our Lady of Fatima requested the First Saturday devotions in order to make reparations for the five offenses against her Immaculate Heart. (To learn lots more about that, Father Andrew Apostoli has a new book called “Fatima For Today” and a superb, hour-long talk, which you can watch for FREE on YouTube, here.)

The five offenses against Mary’s Immaculate Heart are as follows:

blasphemies against her Immaculate Conception
blasphemies against her perpetual virginity
blasphemies against the divine and spiritual maternity of Mary
blasphemies involving the rejection and dishonoring of her images, and
the neglect of implanting in the hearts of children a knowledge and love of this Immaculate Mother.

With the intention of making reparations on the first five Saturdays (of five consecutive months), Our Lady asked us to do the following:

go to confession (within a month before or after the first Saturday–it used to be 8 days, but not everyone has access to confession on a regular basis, so the Church allows a longer grace period, now)
receive Holy Communion in a state of grace (which means that if you have committed a serious sin, you need to get to confession BEFORE receiving Holy Communion)
pray the Rosary (preferably in presence of the Blessed Sacrament, but it can be anywhere)
meditate for an additional 15 minutes on one or more mysteries of the Rosary (ditto, great to do in church)

Our Lady also told the seers of Fatima–Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco–that she was grieving because souls were “falling like snowflakes into hell.”

Wikipedia Commons/public domain

She asked them to pray the Rosary every day.

Through angelic, divine, and Marian apparitions, the following prayers were also given to the shepherd children at Fatima, and they are available to help us all make loving reparation and save souls.

Prayers of Reparation from Fatima

My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee.

Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit- I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.

Oh my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of Thy mercy.

In discovering the simplicity and beauty of reparation, I feel my heart is being expanded to hold more love–not my own paltry love, but the gracious love of God that is poured into any willing heart as pure gift. One thing leads to another, and now I’ve got plans to start the Five First Saturday devotion on August 6th. I’m really excited about it.

So you see? Much good can come out of very bad situations.

Be hopeful, my friends! To hope is to praise the goodness of our God.

And praising our merciful Lord makes amends in countless beautiful ways.

Enjoy this beautiful hymn, “It Is Well,” sung by Audrey Assad:

You Are Beautiful: God Says So! Enter our #GiveAway for one of 5 copies of #TrueRadiance @ServantBooks

By Lisa Mladinich

With the children and teens we teach getting badly misled by images of beauty that are degraded, as well as superficial and unattainable, it’s more important than ever to talk about beauty, body image, and some of the many ways God speaks to us through beauty. Maureen Smith has been talking about some of these critical issues, here at AmazingCatechists.com.

Deeply linked with these topics is the cultural fear of aging and the ways our fears can chain us to the past and become obstacles in our relationship with God. These issues hit many catechists hard, since we are aging in a culture that denigrates us, even as we are laboring to bring the light of God’s love to the young. We need to know our own worth in the eyes of God so we can lift each other up and be radiant witnesses to faith!

I’ll be giving away five copies of my new book, True Radiance: Finding Grace in the Second Half of Life, on my birthday, November 11th!

To be entered to win, follow the instructions, below-any time between now and the drawing, on the 11th, and sign up for our newsletter, if you’re not already subscribed (see home page sidebar form and provide your name and email address–we will never share your information with anyone).

But first, here’s what people are saying about the book you are entering to win!

What People Are Saying About “True Radiance”

Lisa Mladinich helps mature women see themselves as God sees them: His beautiful and beloved daughters, increasing in authentic feminine beauty through all the stages and ages of their lives.” – Susan Tassone, Author of Day by Day for the Holy Souls in Purgatory: 365 Reflections

Age may be “just a number” but for women living in the Youth-Idolizing-and-Madison-Avenue-Compliant West, any age above about 45 becomes a “negative number.” With this splendid gift of a book, Lisa Mladinich invites us to find the “God codes” that sacramentalize our aging into a kind of “new math” — where all of our advancing numbers are positive and the very real minor (and often major) adjustments they require become a sum-total of real grace, and real sanity. True Radiance is a wise book, written by a woman whose wisdom shines bright. – Elizabeth Scalia, Author of Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols of Everyday Life

“We think about beauty more than we realize,” says author Lisa Mladinich who underscores women’s “hard wire” to recognize beauty. Through True Radiance women are invited in out of the cold of our youth obsessed culture to “steal” back our true God-given feminine beauty and encouraged to walk in love, through grace. Expressive anecdotes, caring sentiments and the author’s insightful guidance are guaranteed to lift your spirits and even change your life! – Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, Award winning author of twenty books, including: The Kiss of Jesus

You don’t have to be sporting gray hair or walking with a cane to appreciate the beauty and poetry of Lisa Mladinich’s view of women and aging. In fact, each of us need this holy and hopeful perspective, and I plan to share this book with all of my women friends, whatever age they are. This book is a gem that I will enjoy more than once! – Sarah Reinhard, Author of Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary

Many of us approach our more “senior” years in life with dread and grief, as though aging robs us of our dignity and joy. With her new book True Radiance: Finding Grace in the Second Half of Life, author Lisa Mladinich reminds us why this time in our lives is filled with unique and precious abundance and overflowing with vast potential. Lisa equips us with the tools to shine in a world greatly in need of our gifts and the inspiration to see God’s blessings every step of the way. This book combines the wisdom of strong women with the profound truths of Church teachings to offer a primer for not just surviving–but also thriving–into our mature years and towards our ultimate destiny. – Lisa M. Hendey, Founder of CatholicMom.com and author of The Grace of Yes

Lisa Mladinich digs deep into the meaning of true feminine beauty, especially its spiritual aspects, which only shine brighter with age. A luminously personal take on the theology of the aging body.” – Karee Santos, Author of The Four Keys to Everlasting Love: How Your Catholic Marriage Can Bring You Joy for a Lifetime

Women over 45! Do you want to enter “Act II” of your lives with faith, confidence, and joy? Then read True Radiance. Author Lisa Mladinich helps us confront the things that get us down: body image craziness, regrets over past sin, empty nests, and temptations to endlessly compare ourselves with others. Her recipe for joy is a pleasing combination of the wisdom of Catholicism, the example of the saints, and the testimony of everyday Catholic women who have “been there, done that.” – Daria Sockey, Author of Everyday Catholic’s Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

Lisa Mladinich quickly establishes connection with the reader through the frank sharing of her personal experiences with aging. After only reading a few pages, it was clear Lisa understood women, their bodies, and the role of faith in the process. Her stories and insights communicated to this reader, that whatever Lisa had to share in the rest of True Radiance, it was trustworthy information. – Allison Gingras, host, A Seeking Heart on www.RealLifeRadio.com

GOOD LUCK!

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Gay Marriage, Love, and Lessons from Canada

By Lisa Mladinich

As a result of the Supreme Court’s new ruling, the American legal system now upholds a right to gay marriage, and Christians are bracing for widespread persecution and a whole new slippery-slope regarding human relationships. There is certainly enough recent data coming out of Canada to support these fears, so I’m not quibbling, believe me. But we Catholics and others who support traditional marriage have an important choice to make, right now.

We can indulge our fears of persecution and become angry, histrionic people, or we can be smart about this; we can seek instead to grow in holiness and live lives of radiant virtue. We can respond with wisdom, by living the way we are meant to live: with strong, Christ-centered marriages, families, and parishes; with the emphasis on virtue and sacrifice; with love and compassion for those who–for their own reasons–choose to describe us as enemies of equality and human dignity. Or, we can waste precious time and energy hyper-focusing on a crumbling culture that can offer us no solutions, while we become bitter people with nothing positive and uplifting to offer the world.

I don’t mean that we shouldn’t speak up; we absolutely should. And we will suffer for doing so. But God honors our acceptance of the cross and will bless our efforts, so this is not necessarily bad news. Instead of getting down about this new challenge to our values, let’s emphasize our common human dignity, rather than the issues that divide us. Our culture needs our example and our love of Jesus Christ, and I believe that many souls will eventually be persuaded, one way or another, by our witness, more than our arguments.

In 2005, the Canadian government approved gay marriage and soon afterward began an aggressive persecution of dissenters that continues to this day, including suppression of free speech on this issue. Having lived the persecutions that are undoubtedly heading our way, our neighbors to the north deserve a hearing. A Canadian website called, “Pursuit of Truth,” offers some simple strategies for an effective Catholic response to the new Constitutional amendment and humbly urges us to avoid hostility.

…we can respond to this in a way that will either bolster our Catholic community or work to annihilate it.

To Annihilate:
Hold angry marches and angry political-activism protests, and respond as though the world is coming to an end…If you respond in this way, many of your children (many of whom are already brainwashed in the ways of the world) will want nothing to do with the faith. In fact, this may solidify their opposition to the faith…(read more)

The article wisely calls for a shift of focus, away from divisive rhetoric and toward the cultivation of personal virtue and proactive strategies within the family. The writer warns Americans of some of the hardships that inevitably follow this particular legal shift and offers some parenting tips:

It will be soon illegal to speak in terms of morality, and/or that which might be “right” or “wrong”…Most importantly, be sure to raise your kids with the knowledge that their hearts and minds are being actively pursued by mainstream media. They will not be able to protect themselves from the propaganda unless they are aware that they are being targeted. Help them to understand that their identity is first and foremost within their faith, and model for them rites of passage into adulthood that are anchored in growing in the faith…Above all, this needs to be anchored in virtue, for it is the growth in virtue that diminishes the power of evil.

Here’s the good news:

Virtue in Canada
In Canada, I can attest to you – where the critical mass of the Catholic population has come alive in it’s love for virtue, the movement towards gay marriage (and the brainwashing of our youth) loses all of it’s momentum. Today in Canada, in these areas where virtue is celebrated and desired, we have kids who experience same-sex attractions who are wanting to be servants of Jesus Christ in the way they are called in this time and age, even with the knowledge of the forthcoming suffering, and who are finding their identity within the Catholic faith…

Read the rest here.

Like most Catholics, I dearly love people in my life who self-identify as “gay” or “lesbian,” and I feel no hostility toward them or their partners, at all. It’s important to note that most Catholics, even those who (like me) support traditional marriage, take a live-and-let-live attitude toward same-sex couples. We’re not out to get them, we don’t want to rob them of whatever happiness they have found in each other, and we’re not trying to torment them with guilt feelings. With the exception of a few fringe religious groups whose attitude is more militant and less accepting, most of us are pretty willing to be kind and compassionate toward other good people, in the face of a huge range of individual value systems and preferences.

My kind, caring nephew asked me what I did want for “gay” people, and I said approximately this:

“I want them to be drawn by their hearts to a profound love for God, so that they are willing to do anything or sacrifice anything to be close to him and in right relationship with him. If that happens, they will be truly happy.”

I know this is true, because several of my friends have experienced this call to be filled up with the love of God and have left the gay lifestyle, after many years of living it to the full. They are deeply joyful men and testify to a happiness they didn’t think was possible. Project COURAGE has been a haven of friendship and support for them, as well as their loved ones. Please pray for these men and women, whose sacrificial love for God is one of the greatest testaments to hope I have ever witnessed.

I’d like to be crystal clear that I believe that living in peace with those who differ with our values does not mean that we should be forced to agree with them and support everything they do, especially when it conflicts with our religious beliefs. With this SCOTUS decision comes open season on our right to disagree, and it concerns me, especially as a mother whose child will face a very different world, extremely hostile to her faith. So we have to ask ourselves the big question:

Will we have the courage to love, no matter what?

(This article is cross-posted from my blog, Water into Wine, at Patheos.com)

see also: When You Wake Up in The Morning, God Will Still Be in Control, by Kathy Schiffer

Introduction to Natural Theology: FREE and still OPEN for enrollment!

By Lisa Mladinich

Learn how to defend your faith, FREE online, in a popular live course still accepting enrollment and taught by the wonderful Joseph Wetterling! See Joe’s invitation, below:

By natural reason man can know God with certainty, on the basis of his works. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 50)

More and more, young Catholics are being challenged to defend their faith. They hear from TV and movies, music, and peers that truth is subjective and no one can prove that God exists. Are you ready to equip your students (and yourself) to defend their faith from a secular culture?

What is a “proof”?
What is “objective truth”?
What is “relativism”?
Why should we believe in a God at all?
Can you defend belief to people who don’t accept the Bible?

We’ll answer these questions and more in a FREE four-week class, hosted by Holy Apostles College & Seminary. Introduction to Natural Theology started on June 21 but is STILL OPEN for enrollment! Attendees can learn at their own pace, at the time that’s convenient for them. No experience necessary!

View the syllabus at: http://www.holyapostles.edu/wp-content/uploads/NT_MOOC_Syllabus_Summer_2015.pdf

See: https://www.youtube.com/embed/C8rVXYg2_k8

Joe Wetterling is a professional educator, writer, and speaker. He’s appeared at national and international conferences, both secular and religious, holds a Catechetical Diploma (an ecclesiastical teaching certificate) and is a member of the Militia Immaculata. Joe is a contributor at New Evangelizers and the Catholic Writers Guild. Learn more about him at JoeWetterling.com.

Love Never Fails

By Maureen Smith

It is true that saints and devotions chose us. For someone who hates pink, Valentines Day, and all things frilly and girly, the Sacred Heart is an unlikely devotion for me to be called to embrace. That is how I know it is the work of God. He often reveals His Love through this devotion, most of the time when I am convincing myself that all things are lost.

This particular story reminds me of the line from Saint Paul that “Love never fails,” and I would agree except I would add to this … “even when it seems like it already has.”

About six years ago when I was studying abroad in Rome I made plans to meet my sister in Capri with her friends, who were visiting on Spring Break. I got up early and went to my favorite Church, the “Gesu,” (where there was a sweet little Sacred Heart Chapel) for early morning Mass before going to the train. I got there with plenty of time and was excited to see my sister after being tied down to school work because of midterms.

There were only a few minutes until the departure but there was still no track number. After inquiring about this I was told that this train was canceled. (Only in Italy!) Devastated, I walked around the train station and wandered into a nearby Church to wait for the next one which would shorten my excursion significantly.

Surprisingly, I felt much peace after praying for a few minutes and wondered which Church this was. I went to find a bulletin and found out it was a minor basilica…of the Sacred Heart. I felt much better, jumped on the next train, and got to where I was supposed to take a ferry to get to the island.

When I got to the ferry I realized that I had just missed the one I was trying to make. Frustrated even more I walked around and found a little Chapel almost hidden in the rocks of the rocky coast. I felt better again after prayer and looked up to see large banners hanging from the ceiling, images of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Mary.

I was being cared for, I wasn’t alone!

Soon after I hopped on the ferry, (which happened to be an express!) I eventually got to Capri and met up with my sister, and as we were taking the ferry back to Rome I realized that it was Friday, and not just any Friday, but First Friday.

Just when I feel everything falling to pieces around me, when I feel like my life itself is a failure, this is the moment when the Love of God touches us. It doesn’t prevent us from missing trains or getting lost but it gives us the assurance that we belong to the Heart of Jesus.

The devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus isn’t always (or isn’t usually) a romantic “feeling” but it is the great privilege of being Sons and Daughters of God, or “co-heirs with Christ.” May the Lord reveal to you His great love this day.

Motivational Catechetics: Equipping and Inspiring Your Volunteers

By Lisa Mladinich

Volunteer catechists are amazing people.

I love them. In fact, I often refer to them affectionately as “my people” because they understand the importance of the challenging work they do, even when it’s hard to see the fruits of their efforts. They’re gutsy, generous people.

When speaking to this particular population, it’s critical for catechetical trainers to communicate–not just thou-shalts and shalt-nots–but a life-changing message they can grasp and envision for themselves in a personal way, a message that impacts not just their teaching but their whole lives.

If it is your happy task to train your parish or dioceses’ catechists, there are five components I consider essential to ensuring that your sessions will be both engaging and motivational.

1. Personal Witness

People like to know a little about you as a person when you stand up in front of them. They tend to open their hearts to you if you are willing to risk it yourself and honor them with some personal testimony. Ask yourself a few questions as you prepare: Why is the Catholic faith the center of my life? Am I a convert? A revert? A contented “cradle Catholic” whose life is proof of the richness of our faith? Has my faith helped me withstand great suffering, given meaning to my life, healed the wounds of my past? Share very briefly about the importance of your faith in making your life holy, happy, and purposeful.

2. Lay a Spiritual and Intellectual Foundation

Emphasize the supernatural partnership that is essential to fruitful catechesis. We need a well-informed, prayerful approach if we want our ministry to bear fruit for eternity. Inspire your listeners to seek a greater knowledge of God and a more intimate relationship with the Blessed Trinity by sharing excerpts from Scripture, the Catechism, and the lives of the saints, challenging your team to work with God the way he works with them: via baby steps. Since God draws us closer to him over time, incrementally calling us to deeper conversion in various areas of our lives, we can manage our commitment to growing in faith and love of God by taking a gentle, gradual approach. Any effort we make to move in God’s direction will produce substantial rewards. A bit of prayer time each morning (especially if it involves the Rosary or Sacred Scripture), prayerful CDs in the car, a short reading each evening from a good Catholic book, and a faithful commitment to Mass on Sunday and monthly confessions will add up over time and bring an abundance of graces.

3. Catechizing Attendees

In small, memorable doses, it’s possible to slip in quite a bit of catechesis while you’re sharing the how-to’s of teaching. For example, if I’m sharing tips or lesson plan ideas around the topic of Reconciliation, what better time to address the power of this intimate encounter with the Divine Physician to refresh and strengthen our souls, as it compliments and completes the healing power of the Holy Eucharist. As examples of great classroom content, stirring stories of the martyrs and video clips about Eucharistic miracles or Marian apparitions can inspire a thirst for more knowledge and elicit stimulating questions and comments. While you are encouraging volunteers to share exciting examples of the transformational power of our Catholic faith, you are immersing them in beautiful and intriguing material that thrills their souls and imaginations, inspiring them to take a bolder approach with their students.

4. Provide Practical Tips and Resources

Catechists get precious little training because of time and financial limitations within the parish and in their own lives, so make sure you pack your workshops with tips on areas of particular interest to your volunteer staff: suggestions for improving classroom discipline, understanding developmental issues and learning styles, ways to use music and movement to vary the lessons and bring joy to the learning process, free resources for downloading beautiful works of religious art or inspiring video lessons (see callout). Ideas for explaining tough concepts like the Trinity or Redemption, activities designed to embody abstract ideas like contrition or absolution, memory games, assessment techniques, and encouraging stories of lives changed through the work of dedicated catechists can all motivate your team to bring more passion to their teaching efforts.

5. Finally…

Make sure you close your time together with a few words of encouragement from scripture. For example, the Second Letter to Timothy is packed with rousing calls to faithful witness.

And when your workshop is finished, place it all in God’s hands. Take joy in your mistakes and omissions; they are reminders that, through our humility, God’s power conquers all.

Callout:

My catechetical booklets and other great reads for catechists and DREs

Free audio resources including Bible studies

Free “open access” images of fine art

(This article was originally published in the November 2014 issue of RTJs Creative Catechist magazine)

Our Cornerstones

By Maureen Smith

If we remember anything from Mass today, it is probably the Gospel, as today is commonly known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” We probably heard homilies on this passage from John where Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd who “lays down his life for his sheep.”

As I sat at Mass this morning, it would have been easy for me to pass over the other readings and focus on the Gospel, but the homily I heard tied in the concept of rejection from the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, which references the Psalm for the day. Jesus is the “stone rejected by the builders” that has become the “cornerstone.” The Passion of our Lord which we recently celebrated was His greatest rejection, and His becoming the “cornerstone” is what we celebrate this whole season of Easter.

How often are we rejected? In each chapter of our lives we face some sort of rejection. We experience rejections among our friends and family, school, work, and in so many places. Many of our fears come from these experiences, whether we are mindful of them or not.

The very fact that Jesus was rejected – and that His exultation came, not just despite but, because of His acceptance and endurance of His rejection – gives us great hope. We come to believe that it is through our experiences of rejection that we learn to belong to God rather than anything else where we might experience rejection.

But often it is not other people that reject us, it is ourselves that do the rejecting. We can find it hard to accept ourselves the way we are, with our wounds, our imperfections, our current circumstances. We fail to let this Good Shepherd lay down His life for us because we are so afraid of rejection. We deny ourselves the possibility of being raised up with Jesus as the cornerstone with those shameful parts of us we are rejecting in ourselves.

The Lord put on my heart today that it is these very places that we reject that He comes to redeem, glorify, and make the cornerstones in our lives. If we have the courage not to reject ourselves, we can then embrace the Love of the Good Shepherd without reservation. He does not say that He has come to lay down His life for His sheep, except those with this problem or that problem. No! He travels every corner of the world to bring each soul to His Heart that loves us too much to reject us as we often reject ourselves.

What are those “stones” that we reject in ourselves? How does God want to redeem them and exalt them as cornerstones?

I pray that all of us reflect on this profound truth, that Christ who has come to save us and bring us into His Flock has a Heart so tender and loving that will never reject those who come to Him.

Campus Retreats Thrive When Martha Takes Time to Be Mary

By Guest Post

As a campus minister, I wear a lot of hats. I cannot begin to count the number of times I’ve been asked by one of my parents or a friend, “So, what DO you do all day?” And I stare blankly, unable to fully articulate that every second of each and every day is so very different.

Some days, I’m in meetings all day with different departments across campus. Some days, I’m in back-to-back interviews for a week-long service immersion experience–or as we call them, “plunges.” Some days, I’m helping a student work on her resume to be a Resident Assistant. Some days, I’m at BJ’s buying three thousand granola bars for a program, while getting the weirdest stares from other customers. Some very late nights, I’m getting a duty call and responding to a life-threatening incident or meeting a student’s family at the hospital. There are only two things for certain: first, that there is a lot of praying, and second, that there is a great deal of coffee involved.

In simplest terms for ministry, the work is categorized into two main parts: a ministry of presence and a ministry of programming. In either scenario, whether I’m planning, organizing, implementing, assessing a program, OR accompanying a student on his faith journey, it is absolutely essential that I am catechizing and evangelizing through every step along the way.

Last semester, I struggled with properly articulating my expectations for a team of retreat leaders. I presented them at the beginning of our process but not right before the retreat. This particular retreat is a real doozey: a three-day /two-night immersion into Ignatian spirituality–and students LOVE it. However, it takes a small village to make it happen: a team of eight student leaders, a graduate assistant, and two full-time campus ministers meet weekly for two hours, for faith sharing and logistical planning. There are five talks to be planned, reconciliation, adoration, an agape meal, “family and friend stalking,” and organizing for palanca collecting, a dance, a banner, a skit, a prayer chain that takes place for the entire duration of the retreat, and about a million other tiny little details. The entire process was seemingly perfect until the retreat began. I had a dream team, and they were ready….or so I thought.

Despite having lead the retreat once before, this group wasn’t prepared for “game time,” and it was hard to explain what that was once the retreat had begun. I will save the details, and despite our thirty-five retreatants having a wonderful and prayerful experience, my retreat leaders were left feeling sad, empty, and discouraged. I remember meeting with a colleague and explaining the weekend, and he so insightfully said, “You mean they wanted to be Martha when it was time to be Mary.” That was it exactly! For those unfamiliar with the story, Martha and Mary are two sisters. Martha runs around like crazy trying to be a gracious host, while Mary stops what she is doing to be present with Jesus. I used to read this passage and think that I just had to be more like Mary, to remember to always put God first, no matter what. And while that is ultimately the core of our faith, it is a bit impractical. We all need to embody the wisdom of both sisters. There is a time and place for everything, and that was the lesson for my retreat leaders.

When I began my recruitment for my next retreat team, I used our Vincentian tradition to my advantage. In speaking to recruits, I compared the event to going on a plunge or a service trip, not like their first experience of attending the retreat. Participating as a retreatant is an incredible, beautiful, and prayerful experience. But as team members, I told them, they would seek to find Christ in their retreatants–through service.

As we prepared together, I constantly reminded the team to put prayer first. I reminded them that the weekly formation meetings were our retreat. Then, finally, the night before the retreat, we met to run through the schedule one last time. I brought them each a copy of Luke 10: 38-42. I thought about several ways to go over expectations. The Higher Education Administrator in me wanted to make a worksheet with facilitating questions in perfect Bloom’s Taxonomy order. But due to both prayer and time constraints, I had a “Jesus take the wheel” moment and decided to let the Holy Spirit guide the conversation–and I couldn’t have scripted it better myself. My approach clicked. They realized that, in this case, the retreatants would be Mary, spiritually speaking, and that our team’s efforts, as Martha, in the next few days, would bring the entire community closer to God.

I’m sure it was a combination of elements–the strengths of the team, the diversity of the group and their talents, the fact that this was my fourth time on this particular retreat–that made our efforts successful. However, I can’t help but believe that the fact that we took a moment, “retreated” ourselves, and broke open the Word together lead us to such success.

What an incredible lesson for the team! What an incredible lesson for me! In times of stress or self-doubt, as catechists, let’s look to the Greatest One, Jesus himself.

Loramarie Muratore is a campus minister at St. John’s University, in Jamaica, NY, where she has a dual role, leading the retreat program and living and working with residence population. She has earned an MS in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from Buffalo State College, as well as a BFA in Theatre Performance and a BA in English from the University of Buffalo. She is currently pursuing an MA in Pastoral Theology from SJU. Loramarie hopes to conduct doctoral research exploring the development of student leaders and ministers through drama exercises. Loramarie is also a cantor, enjoys spending time with loved ones, and is thrilled to begin exploring the world of blogging. Contact: Loramarie.muratore@gmail.com

The Father’s Love

By Maureen Smith

This Lent I have found that my prayer has led me to strengthen my relationship with God the Father. The Liturgy and the various traditions of this Holy Season draw me into solitude and I have become mindful of my dependence on Him, who cares for His little daughter.

I do not think it is a coincidence that my (earthly) father’s birthday is today, Friday of the First Week of Lent. As I reflect on the gift that my father is to me, I am reminded of how the Lord is at work in my life during Lent – particularly how God the Father is pursuing a more intimate relationship with me, His daughter. These are just a few ways that I see parallels in the relationships with my two Fathers, with a special Lenten focus.

1. My Father loves to look at me.

There are few things more precious than watching a new parent hold his or her child. It is easy to think that after we grow up our parents stop looking at us this way, since we have exhausted their capacity to look tenderly upon us. But I know for a fact that my Dad still likes to see me. I know that between the hours of 4 pm and 8 pm each Sunday I will receive a voice mail from my him, asking when I will be able to visit again. And ever time I do visit, his last words are, “…So when are you coming back?”

In the same way, as I enter the silence of Lent, I see that my Heavenly Father is overjoyed that I have committed to increase my time of prayer, not so that I can “do” anything for Him, but so that He can just look at me and be with me.

2. My Father watches out for me, even when I’ve done something wrong.

Often times when I fail to meet expectations or am struggling in life, I hesitate to tell my dad. It took me a long time to realize that he doesn’t judge me as I judge myself, and that he cares for me even when I come to him with my failures and brokenness. When I spoke to him recently about my struggles with depression and my eating disorder, and my plans to help others in recovery, I was incredibly nervous. Up until then I would usually pretend I had it all together. After I finally revealed my life the way it truly was, rather than putting up a happy-go-lucky facade, I saw my dad’s face prouder than I’ve ever seen. Even though I was admitting my brokenness, without the illusion of self-sufficiency and autonomy, I felt more than ever that I belonged to my father, and that he would always care for me and support me.

This reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son, who was embraced by his father upon his return, who was waiting for him. He did not punish him for squandering his inheritance, rather, the father meets him with a heart full of mercy and forgiveness, in his poverty and humility – and draws him into the intimate bond of sonship. This reminds me of the words of the Attende Domine, a hymn sung during Lent, “Draw near, O Lord our God, graciously hear us, keep us from sinning before you…”

We who are sons and daughters of God can be confident in the fidelity of the Father’s love. He is always ready to forgive us and capture us in his loving arms despite our fear of disapproval. Lent reminds us of this truth, that we can turn back to Him and that we belong to Him regardless of our past.

3. My Father loves to give me presents.

I remember as a kid, being so excited when my dad would return from his business trips. Aside from the fact that I missed him, he usually used to bring home presents for me and each of my siblings. Even when I entered religious life for two years he would send me gifts, and to this day he still has a great desire to give me things. Last year he gave me his extra car (!) so that I can visit more often. It is not the gift itself but the love that is expressed in the act of giving that I treasure so much.

My Heavenly Father does the same for me. Lent is a time when we “give up” consolations, but the stripping away of those earthly comforts reveals those spiritual gifts we so often neglect to see. Each day He nourishes me with the gift of His Son in the Word and in the Eucharist. In Confession He strengthens, heals, and forgives me. Many of His presents are not so tangible, but with the eyes of faith I can see how His grace surrounds me. Each day brings with it so many little miracles that remind me of God’s love and affection. Many of these go unnoticed, for example, the smile of a stranger, the Scripture verse that struck my heart, the flower that blooms in the middle of winter. These are all reminders of what the love of my dad points to – the eternal, never-failing, inexhaustible, and unquenchable love of Our Father in Heaven.

I realize that there are many who are not blessed with a father like mine, and so this inspires gratitude in my heart to God for this great “present.” It also reminds me that no matter who we are, no matter what our relationship is like with our father, we all have a God in Heaven that we can call Father. I pray that each of us this Lent will be strengthened in the relationships with our father and father figures, and most importantly with Our Heavenly Father, Who looks upon us with great love, Who protects and forgives us, and Who gave us the best gift of all – salvation by the Death and Resurrection of His Son which we commemorate during this Holy Season.