Reconciliation 101: The Basics

Why do you Catholic go to Confession anyways? 

Reconciliation, Penance, or Confession is the Catholic sacrament of forgiveness and absolution of sins. It is an experience of God's mercy, that frees us from our sins and also encourages us to forgive and free others for their transgressions against us. Josh's understanding of Reconciliation pre-me was that Catholic could do whatever they wanted, tell the priest, and it was all fine and dandy, we were"forgiven". I think those misconceptions are key to understanding that actual basics of this sacrament.

Firstly, we cannot do whatever we want. Just like any Child of God, we have a duty and an obligation to try and do better. The end of the sacrament concludes with "Go, and sin no more," just as Jesus spoke with those He saved, like the adulterous woman or the blind man. Essentially, you have been forgiven, and do your best to not need to be forgiven again.

Secondly, we don't just go tell a priest. The sacrament of confession is one part therapy and two parts grace. The priest listens, and if he wants, can reach out and counsel the confessor. The priest can encourage them to recognize a pattern in their sins-maybe all of their sins are selfish or maybe all of their sins center around a particular person or environment-trying to help the confessor to do better next time. Oftentimes, our sins are habits, like gossip or lying, that we need practice and help overcoming. And that is the whole purpose of the priest. He is God's representative in that moment, trying to help guide and teach us to do better.

Finally, we are not automatically forgiven. The priest's absolution means nothing without a contrite heart. This is because it is not the priest doing the forgiving, but God. Even if the priest says the words, they aren't magic, they aren't automatic; only a contrite confession will heal the break between God and God's children. You have to be truly sorry for your signs, and you have to really mean your intention to try and do better. The acknowledgement that you screwed up isn't enough, God wants and demands a sincere apology. Remember the Jewish tradition of Sacrifice? They knew that God demanded repentance and they displayed this through sacrifice. Luckily, we don't have to sacrifice anything, just admit what we have done wrong and truly be sorry. Besides, it isn't like we do nothing to show our sorrow and contriteness, we are given a penance by the priest. Anywhere from prayers to baking your mother a pie, in an effort to make amends.


Tota tua,

P.S. Don't remember about the Jewish sacrifice tradition- check this out: http://catholiccompass.blogspot.com/2016/04/but-why-sacrifice.html

Breaking News: A New Bishop

Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese, let's give a warm, prayerful welcome to our bishop-designate Edward Rice from the archdiocese of St. Louis! 

How do they choose our bishops anyways?

The hierarchy of the Catholic Church can be pretty confusing at times. The hierarchy of the church is relatively straight-forward, pope at the top, with different leadership roles in the Church from there on down. When choosing a bishop, the pope could technically choose any man he wanted. However, the pope tends to follow a procedure including recommendations and the pope sending a representative, the apostolic nuncio to the diocese to better understand what that particular diocese needs. Through this, the pope will make his final decision about who will be in charge. 

Back up, what is an "apostolic nuncio" exactly?

He literally the pope's representative in proceedings to choose a bishop, kind of like the VP to a the Pope's P, and is a sort of gatekeeper. His role is very serious, and treated with a lot of respect. He gathers facts and information about the suggested candidates as well as interprets the information. He will then draft a list of the three best candidates in alphabetical order. This list is called the terna and it is presented to the Congregation of Bishops in-

Wait! What's the Congregation of Bishops? 

It is a department of the Roman Curia (those who help the pope in Rome) which is led by cardinal with the title of "prefect". Presently, Cardinal Mark Ouellet is the prefect. The Curia assists diocesan bishops, oversees doctrine on canon law, and plans conferences and meetings between Rome and priests all over the world. 

So the apostolic nuncio gives the terna to the Congregation of Bishops and...?

And if the prefect approves the terna, they move forward. If they have settled on a bishop being moved or an auxiliary bishop being promoted, they don't need to involve the entire congregation. If not, the entire congregation gathers to hear the report and vote. They can vote in accordance with the apostolic nuncio, they can choose another individual from the terna, or they can call for another one to be prepared, dissatisfied with the options. The individual that they eventually choose is their suggested candidate to the pope, but again, the pope doesn't have to agree and follow their suggestions. 

So now the pope gets to decide?

Exactly, the prefect will go to the pope and present the recommendation of the congregation. The pope will take a few days to make a final decision, The pope will tell the nuncio who he has chosen, and the nuncio will reach out to the selected individual, giving him an opportunity to say yes or no. If he says yes, the Vatican is notified and a date is set for ordination or installation, depending on if he is a new bishop or being moved/promoted. 

Our new bishop was promoted, right?

Right, he was an auxiliary bishop is an additional bishop assigned to help to a diocese because the bishop needs help. His title is still bishop. 

So when does he start? 

June 1st at 2:00 pm, he will be installed at St. Agnes Cathedral. It's a really cool ceremony-you should go and welcome our new bishop!

Be sure to keep him in your prayers as he gets ready for the move and change in life. 

Tota tua. 

Want to know more about our new bishop? According to press reports, he intends to make the youth of the diocese one of his main focuses (yay! camp!) and he's been described as a pastor first, who carries the joy of Christ with him through daily ministry. And he described himself as humbled by this opportunity to serve as our bishop. 

Eucharistic Prayer in Pieces

We've talked about the Eucharist, sacrifice, and all the whys, but what about what we actually say during the Eucharistic Celebration?

There are different variations and parts to the entire Eucharistic celebration, but I thought we could break down the one we say every time, right before actually receiving Christ. Not too long ago, many pieces of the Eucharistic Rite changed, but one in particular has resonated with me, and I think, most of us. 

"Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." 

This prayer comes from the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 8, when a centurion begs Jesus to heal one of his servants. He tells Jesus that He doesn't need to enter his home, only speak and heal the servant. The centurion admits a deep understanding of authority, not just his own, but also Christ's authority over the servant and himself. This acknowledgement of authority is similar to the woman who believed she need to only touch Jesus's cloak or the mother of James and John, who trusted that Jesus could give the best to her sons in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The centurion is admitting that Christ is the True Authority, and that faith is all that is needed for Christ to heal his servant, but what are we saying when we repeat his words?

Firstly, we are addressing Jesus in the Eucharist when we state "Lord", claiming faith in the True Presence each time before receiving Him. The second phrase is a little less literal. What is our roof? The centurion is talking about his actual home, but when say roof, we mean our physical shells, our human bodies. We are not worthy for Jesus to actually, physically enter us when we receive communion in a few moments. But that's okay, because the second half of that prayer is, again, similar to the centurion's.

We trust that Christ needs to only say the word, and healing will take place. Our trust in Christ as we say this prayer helps us to prepare ourselves for Him, and cleanse our soul. God abhors sin, thus we before we receive God in the form of Christ, we ask for the chance to be made ready, and that were the last little bit comes in. Healed. Just by faith, by trusting in God, our soul is healed and ready to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, cleansing ourselves of any venial sins and prepared for the next week and walk of faith before we return to the altar for our next chance to become better and closer to God.

Tota tua.

But why Sacrifice?

In an effort to better understand the need for the Final Sacrifice of the Perfect Lamb, we need to understand the call for sacrifices prior. And while God no longer calls for a physical offering, there is something to be considered about the worship centered on offering to the Lord. 

Have you ever attempted to read Leviticus for your own personal spiritual journey? It can be one of the most dry, tedious reads-a bunch of rules, to-dos, not-to-dos, handed down to the Israelite people that we don't even follow anymore, so why is it important to have in our Bible? Leviticus teaches us plenty about our God. Firstly, it is a reminder that this God that we worship is not just our God or our Bible. This it truly the God of Jacob, Isaac, and of today's Jewish descendants. Leviticus taught the young nation of Israel how their God wanted to be worshiped and solidified God's desire for sacrifices as atonement and promises to do better.

Sacrifice is not new to Leviticus. Even Cain and Abel prepared offerings to the Lord as the children of Adam and Eve. Jacob was prepared to offer Isaac. Leviticus provided specific instruction as to what could or should be sacrificed to God.

 “Now this is what you shall offer upon the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer in the evening..." Exodus 29:38-42. 

Lambs, goats, birds, and even grain was all acceptable to God as a sacrifice in atonement of sin or celebration of the Lord.  But why sacrifice? What did it mean or provide to God and God's people?

God did not "need" the blood of His own creations nor did God need the grain of His people. But sacrifice is more than just what is being offered, the sacrifice offered a strong symbolism of dying for his or her own sins through the animal, recognizing that their sins deserved death. Sacrifice also acknowledged the sovereignty of God over all creation and made a gift of the people's very selves. By giving up the perfect lamb of their flock or the first fruits of their cultivated earth, it was an ultimate labor of love that was being given to the Lord.

The sacrifices that were given to God then help us to better understand what to offer to God now. The
Final Sacrifice, the last blood that God has asked for from us was given by God's own Son, a perfect and living sacrifice. And while that does eliminate a need for sacrifice to atone for our sins and humanity, that does not completely eliminate the need for sacrifice in our worship. We recall the ultimate sacrifice with praise and thanksgiving each Sunday in the Eucharist (translated to Greek to Hebrew, meaning thanksgiving), thus sacrifice remains an integral part of our worship of God.

While God doesn't still ask for a lamb from us or the first part of our harvest, God still wishes for us to make sacrifices, to recognize that our sin is detestable, to see God as sovereign, and to give God our very selves. This is where the idea of Lenten abstention shows up most often, but Lent is not the only season we can make sacrifices for our faith. Try to reflect on your life and ask God what you can give to help better feel God's love and sovereign nature over us.

Tota tua.

The Eucharist 102: Miracles

   

I mentioned in yesterday's blog post that transubstantiation can be difficult to wrap our heads around, and that the entire concept is one of the great mysteries of the Church. And it is, the spiritual transformation of something is a little hard to wrap our very human minds around, and that's okay. The whole point of the Eucharist was to give us outward signs of an inner workings; physically receiving Jesus helps us better understand how He nourishes us each week.

But God has provided us other outward signs about this incredible gift. These miracles often happened when someone, usually the priest, struggled with believing in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. For over 250 years in Italy, consecrated hosts have been perfectly preserved. Scientists have studied them and have yet to understand why the consecrated hosts have not rotted yet. In Bolsena-Orvieta, Italy, a priest doubting the true presence was convinced when real blood began to seep out of the bread immediately after consecrating. Pope Urban IV commissioned the feast day of Corpus Christi in honor of this miracle. Other Eucharistic miracles include saints or blessed indiciduals who survived on the Eucharist alone, including St. Catherine of Genoa, St. Catherine of Sienna, and most famously, Blessed Alexandra da Costa of Egypt, who died in 1955.

Miracles are not uncommon in the Church, but they are severely scrutinized before they are declared miracles in the first place. The Church has its own process and group of people responsible for investigating and understanding any and all other explanations before they reach the conclusion, that this was indeed a miracle.

Most importantly, what can be drawn from this is that Eucharist (and other sacraments) are physical representations of God's love and mercy on earth, outward signs of God's grace to help us better understand and believe in God, His Son, the Spirit, and the Church.

Tota tua.

The Eucharist 101

The Church is in one of my favorite liturgical seasons right now. As season of hope and new, of celebration, and on our cute kiddos. It's First Communion season, a unique practice to only us and few other denominations. I can't think of better time to explain the Eucharist then now, as we get to see it through young, excited eyes.

Starting with the basics, the Mass is divided into two parts: the Liturgy of the Word, when we read the Bible and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which begins with the priest prepared the altar for the bread and wine before the gifts are brought to him. The Eucharist is most commonly recognized as a remembrance of Christ's sacrifice of Himself for us. This is why prayers throughout this part of the Mass are familiar, you've heard them before from the Gospels! Most faiths stop here with their Eucharistic celebrations; they "do this memory of me" and break bread together, but the Catholic Church believes more is going on than an act of remembrance. 

When Jesus died for our sins, He was the final sacrifice. Before this, the Jewish religious community atoned for their sins through animal sacrifice, offering unblemished lambs, goats, and even turtledoves. The idea was relatively simple, God wanted more from us than physical sacrifices, He wanted us to join Him in heaven, which is where Jesus stepped in. Jesus (God's ONLY son) came to Earth, lived a fully mortal life, which was ended when He died on the Cross, as a completely willing and unblemished sacrifice. As the Son of God, Jesus had never sinned, He lived only to do His Father's will, which made Him the perfect and final sacrifice. 

This perfect and final sacrifice gave us clear instructions at the Last Supper, "This is Body". "This is my Blood", holding bread and wine. This, paired with His commands that we must eat the "Living Bread" to have eternal life shows us that the Bread and Wine we consume is not just bread and wine, but this is actually, spiritually Jesus Himself (JN 6:44-51). When the bread and wine is presented to the priest, it's just that, bread and wine. But at a critical moment in the Mass, when servers traditionally ring the bells, during the Eucharistic prayer when the priest repeats Christ's words that I mentioned earlier. "This is My Body, given up for you"

 ***bells ringing***

That mystical, holy moment is known as "transubstantiation". It literally means the change the bread and wine experience to the spiritual forms of Christ's Body and Blood. This is one of the greatest Mysteries of the Church, and something we choose to believe, although there's all kinds of proof if you look hard enough. It may look like bread and wine, it may taste like bread and wine, but spiritually, those two simple things have become Christ incarnate. 

Which is why we wait until an "age of reason" to receive our first communions. And why there this such a specific cleaning ritual for the chalice and pall, Jesus was literally there. Literally. And I can totally hear you not buying it, I know it sounds bizarre. But let's be clear hear, the God who flooded the entire Earth, and saved only Noah and his family, the God that empowered Moses to split the Red Sea, the God who spoke to Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist, who through His Son, was resurrected on the third day, and you're choosing to find this one a little strange? 

If God can do all that, then why can't His spiritual substance join us in the Mass? Why can't He nourish us with His very Self? 

Tota tua. 

P.S. Want that proof I mentioned? Check back Friday, I'm writing a follow-up with some saintly examples! 

Sharing the Joy

A while back, I mentioned how evangelizing is one of the things that I really am bad at outside of writing this blog. I feel uncomfortable putting my beliefs out there, as if everyone needs to believe what I believe. I get frustrated when others do it to me, when they catch me off-guard in my home or at school wanting to talk. And I need to just get over it, because this is something I have been called to do as a child of God. I am supposed to tell people about wonderful God is, how good God is, and how blessed we all are to have such a loving God.

While providing a reference for someone last evening, I was overcome by the interviewer's very casual conversation about God. Sure, he knew that I ran a church camp, making me fair game for any kind of religious conversation, but his faith and testimony to it was as tangible as seeing him leading worship in a church-setting. This man was evangelizing in a way I wish I could, so naturally that it was just part of our conversations about his potential employee, our camps, and how he is a full-time camp director (jealous!!).

In the book of Acts, we see the joy that can come from evangelizing, as the Apostles are brought before the Sanhedrin despite warnings that they needed to stop teaching about Christ in Jerusalem. And instead of stopping or going elsewhere, the Apostles rejoiced that they were worthy of enough to be suffer in their Lord's name. (Acts 5 27:32) Can you imagine rejoicing because you've been arrested for talking about God? Probably not.

I think the more important thing here is how much they wanted to share about God and God's Son. That this was something they truly wanted to do, and did. Regardless of how people felt about it, or how they felt about it, they were answering God's call to share with their peers, to evangelize despite what they had been told by others in positions of power. And this doesn't have to be aggressive or rude, it can be as simple as a phone conversation mid-interview.

God is good all the time, but how would people know if we don't share that with them? This isn't about being #blessed on Instagram or Facebook. It's about authentic conversations that give God credit when God moves in your life, like finding you a job that allows you to law and camp this summer. Or that as the wedding draws closer, more and more offers to help keep coming up, just in time to save you frustration and struggle. And we should share that in our day-top-day lives.

Tota tua.