/Fr Mariusz Świder – Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome /

«The statement is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer
(bishop), he desires a noble task. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the
husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to
teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children
submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how
will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become
puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he
must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a
snare of the devil» – writes saint Paul1 to his friend and disciple, bishop Timothy,
speaking about qualification of leaders of the local Church. Just from these
describing qualifications the person of bishop is seen as a responsible father of the
local Church, real pater familias of the community of believers.
In the view of the New Testament, a bishop is describing as a person who is a
teaching leader among a local group of Christians. The Greek term episkopos has
also been translated as «episcopal», «elder», «overseer», or «pastor». All refer to the
same office and are therefore synonyms.
11 Timothy 3, 1-7. About very similar qualification writes saint Paul in the Letter to Titus (1, 5-9):
«For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in
every city as I directed you, namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having
children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion. For the overseer must be above
reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not
pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout,
self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he
will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict».
Almost identical view presents the Code of Canon Law from 1983 in which in
the section about the Particular Churches and Their Groupings dedicates whole
chapter to bishop’s role in the Authority of the Church speaking about the bishops in
general, the diocesan bishops and about the coadjutor and auxiliary bishops2.
According the Code, «by divine institution, Bishops succeed the Apostles through
the Holy Spirit who is given to them. They are constituted Pastors in the Church, to
be the teachers of doctrine, the priests of sacred worship and the ministers of
governance» (can. 375). I would like to suggest that exactly on these three levels
is realized the role of the bishop as a father of community.
But, a few years earlier, before the promulgation of the Code of Canon Law in
1983, the Fathers the Second Vatican Council, which took place in years 1962-65,
dedicated a lot of place to the bishop’s role in the modern world. It was the twentyfirst
ecumenical council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St.
Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The council, through the Holy See, formally opened
under the pontificate of Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962. But John XXIII did
not live to see the Vatican Council to completion. He died on 3 June 1963. When the
next pope – Paul VI was elected on 21 June 1963, and on 22 June he announced that
Vatican II would continue. The second session began on September 29. When he
opened that session, Paul said that «the First Vatican Council had defined the role of
the pope. Now it was time to define the role of bishops and others among the People
of God».
Indeed, in all sixteen conciliar documents the term «bishops» occurs almost
300 times (regarding the diocesan, auxiliary and coadjutor bishops)3. The role of the
bishops was brought into renewed prominence, especially when seen collectively, as
a college that has succeeded to that of the apostles in teaching and governing the
Church.
The main theological discussion on the nature of the episcopacy takes place in
chapter three of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, which is
considered the Council’s most important document since most of the others
proceeded from it. The document says that bishops do not act as vicars or
2 Cf. CCL, can. 375-411.
3 111 times in Christus Dominus – Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church;
66 times in Lumen Gentium – Dogmatic Constitution On the Church; 37 times in Presbyterorum
Ordinis – Decree On the Ministry and Life of Priests; 23 times in Sacrosanctum concilium –
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy and 57 times in other documents.
representatives of the pope, but as representatives of Christ in their dioceses. Lumen
Gentium in its 27 article says that «bishops, as vicars and ambassadors of Christ,
govern the particular churches entrusted to them by their counsel, exhortations,
example, and even by their authority and sacred power». However, they act
collegially only when they do so together with the successor of Peter, the pope, which
means that collegiality does not diminish the primacy of the pope: «Bishops,
therefore, with their helpers, the priests and deacons, have taken up the service of the
community, presiding in place of God over the flock, whose shepherds they are, as
teachers for doctrine, priests for sacred worship, and ministers for governing. And
just as the office granted individually to Peter, the first among the apostles, is
permanent and is to be transmitted to his successors, so also the apostles’ office of
nurturing the Church is permanent, and is to be exercised without interruption by the
sacred order of bishops. Therefore, the Sacred Council teaches that bishops by divine
institution have succeeded to the place of the apostles, as shepherds of the Church,
and he who hears them, hears Christ, and he who rejects them, rejects Christ and Him
who sent Christ» (LG 20).
The sixth document issued by the Second Vatican Council – the first coming
out of its 1965 sessions4 – was the Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops
in the Church Christus Dominus promulgated on October 28th. Since the most
highly-developed section of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church dealt with the
episcopate, Christus Dominus is based on the same dogmatic principles, enabling us
to move directly into its primarily pastoral purpose. This decree spelled out the roles
of bishops in the universal Church, in their own dioceses and in their cooperation
with one another. The Decree Concerning the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the
Church is a document intended to take that earlier constitution and draw out practical
implications for how bishops carry out their ministry. In opinion of several scholars,
many articles of Christus Dominus, as was just mentioned, were incorporated into
the 1983 Code of Canon Law. In fact, probably no Vatican II document was
incorporated into the new Code to the same extent as was Christus Dominus.
The decree Christus Dominus is divided into three chapters. The first is on the
role of bishops in the universal Church; the second on the role of bishops in their
own dioceses; the third on cooperation among bishops for the good of a number of
4 The fourth and final session of Vatican II ran from 14 September to 8 December 1965. Altogether,
the council promulgated 16 documents and the fourth session promulgated 11 of them.
churches. The first part of the decree’s second chapter could be seen as providing a
sketch of the ideal bishop means a father for his local community of the Church.
The core of this “doctrine concerning bishops” is this: «By episcopal
consecration the fullness of the sacramental Orders is conferred, that fullness of
power, namely, which both in the Church’s liturgical practice and in the language of
the Fathers of the Church is called the high priesthood, the supreme power of the
sacred ministry. But episcopal consecration, together with the office of sanctifying,
also confers the office of teaching and governing, which however, of its very nature
can be exercised only in hierarchical communion with the head and the members of
the college. For…it is clear that, by means of the imposition of hands and the words
of consecration, the grace of the Holy Spirit is so conferred, and the sacred character
so impressed, that bishops in an eminent and visible way sustain the roles of Christ
Himself as Teacher, Shepherd and High Priest, and that they act in His person» (CD
21). In other words, bishops have the fullness of orders by which they, like the Pope,
have the office of teaching, ruling and sanctifying in the Church. Bishops are, indeed,
vicars of Christ in their own dioceses, as the Pope is in the universal Church. But
unlike the Roman Pontiff, who «has full, supreme and universal power over the
Church…and is always free to exercise this power» (CD 22). Within this context, the
bishops, like the apostles and like Peter, have the power to bind and loose.
Having established the immense dignity and authority of the bishop, which
depends at one and the same time upon his possession of the fullness of sacred orders
and his unity with the entire college including its head, the Council goes on to stress
the threefold office of the bishop. In each of this activities he should play the role as
a pater familias – a responasable father of the community of the local Church
1 The prophetic (teaching) office: munus orandi
2 The priestly (sanctifying) office: munus sacrificandi
3 The kingly (governing) office: munus regendi
1. BISHOP’S MUNUS ORANDI IN HIS ROLE AS A FATHER
Every bishop carries on the mission of the Apostles by being the primary
witnesses of the risen Christ in their diocese as a father for his children. In that way
they fulfill the biblical mandate to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to all
creation” (Mark 16,15). Within the Catholic Church the bishops have a very clear
and defined role as the authentic teachers of the faith. Indeed, it is the specific
competence and responsibility of bishops to teach the faith in its entirety. The Second
Vatican Council, in its Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the Church
Christus Dominus emphasizes the importance of preaching the Gospel for the
ministry of bishops: «In exercising their duty of teaching-which is conspicuous
among the principal duties of bishops. They should announce the Gospel of Christ to
men, calling them to a faith in the power of the Spirit or confirming them in a living
faith. They should expound the whole mystery of Christ to them, namely, those truths
the ignorance of which is ignorance of Christ. (…) They should show, moreover, that
earthly goods and human institutions according to the plan of God the Creator are
also disposed for man’s salvation and therefore can contribute much to the building
up of the body of Christ. Therefore, they should teach, according to the doctrine of
the Church, the great value of these things: the human person with his freedom and
bodily life, the family and its unity and stability, the procreation and education of
children, civil society with its laws and professions, labor and leisure, the arts and
technical inventions, poverty and affluence. Finally, they should set forth the ways
by which are to be answered the most serious questions concerning the ownership,
increase, and just distribution of material goods, peace and war, and brotherly
relations among all countries. (CD 12). In that way they responsibly play an
educative role as a pater familias.
Lumen Gentium repeats this obvious bishop’s task: «Among the principal
duties of bishops the preaching of the Gospel occupies an eminent place.(39*) For
bishops are preachers of the faith, who lead new disciples to Christ, and they are
authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed with the authority of Christ, who preach
to the people committed to them the faith they must believe and put into practice,
and by the light of the Holy Spirit illustrate that faith» (LG 25).
2. BISHOP’S MUNUS SACRIFICANDI IN HIS ROLE AS A FATHER
By the proclamation of the truth of Jesus Christ the Bishop is leading the
community as its father towards the thankful and loving worship of God. «A bishop,
marked with the fullness of the sacrament of Orders is ‘the steward of the grace of
the supreme priesthood’, especially in the Eucharist, which he offers or causes to be
offered, and by which the Church continually lives and grows» (LG 26). In that way
he is one ho gives life (eternal) for his flock.
Any bishop is a minister of grace and by celebrating the sacraments in the
community he fulfills the office of sanctification, making us one with God. This is
done primarily in the offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the Mass, where we enter
into true communion through, with and in Christ our Lord. Because of this one of the
tasks of the Bishop is to make sure that the Mass is celebrated, properly and regularly,
throughout the diocese. Through the Eucharist the Church becomes what we
consume, the Body of Christ. Bishop’s are our primary sacramental ministers.
Through the faithful celebration of this and all other sacraments the Bishop is
assuring that all in the diocese have a transforming encounter with Christ that will
strengthen us for the many responsibilities at hand. This path of sanctification, first
lived then shared by each bishop, leads the community of faith to greater love and
service in Christ. And lastly, by the example of his way of life he must be an influence
for good to those over whom they preside, refraining from all evil and, as far as they
are able with God’s help, exchanging evil for good, so that together with the flock
committed to their care they may arrive at eternal life (cfr. LG 26).
3. BISHOP’S MUNUS REGENDI IN HIS ROLE AS A FATHER
«Bishops, as vicars and ambassadors of Christ, govern the particular churches
entrusted to them by their counsel, exhortations, example, and even by their authority
and sacred power, which indeed they use only for the edification of their flock in
truth and holiness, remembering that he who is greater should become as the lesser
and he who is the chief become as the servant» – in this way Lumen Gentium speaks
about the governing office of the bishop (LG 27). Bishops, specifically the ones
which are in charge of a diocese, are given authority which is to be utilized for the
edification or building up of the local Church. Authority is given to them not for the
purpose destruction but for construction of the community of faith. Authority and the
power that comes with it is not meant to go to their heads but to be a tool that will
guide them to greater and more humble and loving service. In the governing of their
diocese they are to become a reflection of pater familias especially of Christ the
servant.
CONCLUSION
The figure of bishop as a father for his community means the ideal bishop
would be one who devotes himself, not only to those who already follow Christ, but
also «wholeheartedly to those who have strayed in any way from the path of truth or
who have no knowledge of the Gospel of Christ and of his saving mercy (CD 11).
According the teaching of the Second Vatican Council the bishop must strive
to show everyone that worldly things are ordered to the plan of the Creator for the
salvation of humanity. He must also be an advocate for the human person, human
freedom and human life. He should be a witness to the value the Church puts on the
family – its stability, procreation and the education of children. He ought to advocate
for social justice and world peace. The bishop must present Christ’s teaching in a
manner suited to the needs of the times, especially evangelizing the poor and the
weak. He must initiate and promote dialogue with human society in a spirit of
humility and love. The ideal bishop should be one with his people, knowing their
concerns and promoting their holiness. He must be «an example of sanctity in
charity, humility and simplicity of life» (CD 15), exactly as a father for his children.

I recently cleaned my desk and, going through one of the drawers, I discovered something I had written fourteen years ago. Of course it was brilliant but it also was a trip down nostalgia lane. I wrote about what Sunday was like when I was growing up. My dad was an usher at the 11:15 Mass so that was the mass we attended every Sunday. Since no one in our family believed in getting up before you had to we all slept until 10 o’clock. What a great way to start the Lord’s Day with 10 to 12 hours of sleep. The next hour was spent with the usual bedlam of eight people dressing at once with shouts of someone spending too much time in the bathroom, someone not finding their shoe and someone ready and someone complaining that we are going to be late. But we all got there. After Mass, even though it was past noon, we had the Sunday breakfast, the only breakfast of the week featuring eggs and bacon and coffee cake. Of course we were wearing on Sunday clothes. We kept them on if we were going to visit relatives or if company was coming over. Often we did something that seems to have completely gone out of style. We went for a ride in the car. Since my dad used the car for work and nobody had two cars except the real rich, as a kid we either walked or took the bus. Sometimes our ride would end at Kiddieland or an ice cream parlor.

Late Sunday afternoon, we had Sunday dinner. This was the major meal of the week. My mother believed that any juice in meat meant that it was undercooked. So we enjoyed the “burnt offering” or roast beef or leg of lamb each week. The potatoes, usually boiled during the week, were mashed on Sunday. The dessert was often apple pie topped with ice cream. When company was over, the kids ate first and the adults afterwards. We kids had plenty of time to play. Sometimes we went to the movies for a double feature or we stayed home to watch the Ed Sullivan show. But Sunday was never a day to go shopping since the only store opened was the bakery in the morning. Sunday was never a day when you played sports since none of the leagues scheduled games on the Lord’s Day. Sunday was a day to go to Church, to spend time with family and friends and to rest. Anyone under fifty might think that such a day would be both dull and boring. But we looked forward to that special day all week. Without trucks rumbling around and factories belching out smoke, the air was special that day. For all our progress, we have lost a lot.

Our Lord said that man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was made for man. Every seventh day, we need to take a day off from the usual rigmarole. The ancient Hebrews discovered that they actually accomplished more by resting one day a week. Their pagan neighbors wearily toiled everyday. But without the refreshment of a day of rest, they did not get as much done. Unfortunately we tend to emulate the practices of the pagans more than the wisdom of the Hebrews. With all the stores opened, many folks have to work. All the playing fields in summer and all the gyms in winter are opened and games scheduled from early morning to late in the day. The Sunday dinner has fallen into memories as we grab a bite between activities. Being so busy, we don’t have the time to see our relatives and friends as much as people used to. Most seriously, many of the children in school tell me that they can’t get to Sunday Mass because they are so busy. If folks would stop to think about it, it is quite obvious that we have our priorities deeply out of whack. God should come first everyday but most compellingly on His day. But because we have filled our days with so many activities, we just do not have the time to stop and think.

With a bit of braggadocio, many retired people complain that they are busier now than when they were working. This always puzzles me. The golden years should offer more time for both rest and reflection. However, reflection may be the thing people are most afraid of and they fill their time with things to do to keep them from confronting themselves. We do this at a great risk. I once saw an old Sampler hanging on a wall which said “The hurrier we go the behinder we get”. That wisdom is true. We Catholics used to do daring things like having whole days of reflection or go on retreats that lasted a couple of days. In silence we reviewed our lives and checked to see whether the way we were living our lives agreed with the values we cherished. We dared to spend a whole chunk of time with our Lord. I wonder if the decline in Mass attendance comes from a fear of confronting our Lord and confronting ourselves. We were made by God and God made the Sabbath for us because He knew what we really needed. The world has changed so much from the Sundays of years ago and we can not change the world back. Yet, we can change ourselves. We do not have to shop on Sundays. We do not have to compete in sports on Sundays. We do not have to clean the house, wash the clothes nor do the yard work on Sundays. People used to confess doing servile work on Sundays. I have not heard that in confession in years. Our consciences may not be disturbed but our hearts should be when we consider all that we are missing.
Sunday Mass and Sunday dinner were the two pillars which supported our Sabbath day. Much has been lost as we give up the Lord’s Day for a lot of lesser things. We go to Sunday Mass to offer ourselves to God the Father. We dedicate the coming week to the service of our God. We join with God the Son in this offering and hope to join with Him in the way we live out lives. We remember through the grace of the Holy Spirit what life is all about and what is the eternal destiny that awaits us. Those graces also spurn us to remember what are the things which have true value during our time on this earth. The people we share a Sunday dinner with, family and friends, mean much more to us that a victory at Little League or a bargain at Target. The grace of God brings the refreshment that we seek and the strength to pursue our coming week with vigor. Meaning fills our days as we recall what life is all about. Joy fills our days as we remember the riches we possess in the people we love and the people who love us in return. Peace fills us as we surrender to the love of God for each one of His children. Life is great when you have your head on right. The Sabbath, rightly done, helps make all this happen.

God bless and keep you.

Fr. Lawrence Malcolm, Pastor of St. Gerald Parish, Oak Lawn, Illinois

A common expression by people who say they don’t agree with “everything” the Church says goes something like this: “The church doesn’t belong in the bedroom.” But the bedroom is one of the most wonderful places that men who love women spend their time. So let’s talk turkey here. What this saying is saying, is: “The church is ok when it’s raising money for the poor or when it’s building community amidst diverse peoples or even when it is providing beautiful music to touch our hearts. But the church need not teach, preach or make reference to anything that has to do with this most intimate and blessed part of life.” It’s a very tempting conclusion to make because that time for kisses and hugs is all about being time for just the “two of us”. Having the Pope or an invisible God in the bedroom brings new meaning to the saying: “Three’s a crowd”.

A great many people have no idea what Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” is. But there are more and more people who are getting hooked on these biblical meditations. If you are positive that religion and hence God, should have nothing to say about the details or the generalities of that part of our lives we usually refer to as “romance”, then nothing I can say will get you to study the Theology of the Body. But, if you see romance in life is intimately connected to the concept of love AND if your concept of God has anything to do with true love, I believe you will join that growing crowd of believers who can’t get enough of “T o B”. What follows is a series of short reflections about romance, about God and yes about morality. The genius of the Theology of the Body is that it ties these three things together in a way that makes sense to young and old, to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Now, be honest. The idea of a Pope talking about romance is not the first thing you think about when you realize it’s time to go to church. Right? But when you think about it, if religion is about love and people’s romantic relationships is where they learn about love on a new level, then isn’t it logical that your religion should be able to make the romance of your life a lot better? This is a major theme of “T o B” because Pope John Paul II realized that male female intimacy was from the beginning of time, from the get go, long before any psychologist or song writer spoke a word, God’s first great invention. In fact, you can say it was God’s master idea. There’s a reason the bible in understanding the meaning of life.

Saying this might surprise some people. They might be surprised, not because they haven’t said this to themselves before, but because they haven’t heard a priest, let alone a pope talk this way before. In fact, coming to realize the beauty of the marital bond doesn’t take a great philosopher or theologian. In fact, it only takes a kiss or even a wink. This is why nobody seems to be upset at the Church when the Church becomes an integral part of what those two people call their Wedding day. It’s a no brainer, it’s obvious; the Church needs to be involved in the most romantic day of young lover’s lives. The beautiful dress, family all around and the rushing off to a romantic place for just the two of you…. Of course, God is in the air. God is a part of this romance.

But then why has it become so fashionable to say that God has no place in the bedroom? What happens between the bliss of young love and today’s constant criticism and dissent against Catholic teachings? I’ll tell you what happens, or should I say, I’ll tell you what Pope John Paul II has said happens. First, we ourselves fail to live up to our own vows, our own idealism. The “till death do we part” turns into “until we can’t stand each other anymore.” And what’s more, the spirit of God who we felt to be so present at our Wedding days, turned out to be a false god or the true God, only partially appreciated, only immaturely understood.

Getting to know God in the fullness of His divinity forces upon us a number of do’s and don’ts, in other words moral principles. Getting to know God, especially in His Trinitarian nature, in His roll as master designer AND finally in His roll as “incarnate redeemer” of His fallen children turns the universal experience of youthful romance into one of the human race’s most serious endeavors to make the world a better place.

Before you throw this introductory offer to the side and abandon all thoughts of reading more I ask you one question. If the world is full of hatred and wars, and love is such a wonderful and yet deadly force in people’s lives, doesn’t it make sense that the problems that we need to fix regarding love must be very subtle, and must be flying below the radar screen undetected by the general public? If the problems of love were so obvious wouldn’t most people be able to correct them and thereby increase the love in the world? Ok, that was two questions. But they are intimately linked. The fact that so many people reject the Catholic teachings on marriage today is not a reason to consider the Church wrong. Rather, it makes all the sense in the world that the Church is right and the masses are wrong. Why?

Because love between spouses, love within families and even love between nations is so easily spoiled. And can I add, just because your love life maybe just fine, that doesn’t mean your love is apart of God’s love.

Just as a single teenager can be selfish, so a couple can be selfish.

If you have read this whole sheet, God love you. That means you’re interested in love and what the Catholic faith has to say about it. Now, pray to God to help you read the next one, and the next and the next….

Fr. Lawrence Malcolm (Pastor of St. Gerald Parish, Oak Lawn, Illinois)

               I recently cleaned my desk and, going through one of the drawers, I discovered something I had written fourteen years ago. Of course it was brilliant but it also was a trip down nostalgia lane. I wrote about what Sunday was like when I was growing up. My dad was an usher at the 11:15 Mass so that was the mass we attended every Sunday. Since no one in our family believed in getting up before you had to we all slept until 10 o’clock. What a great way to start the Lord’s Day with 10 to 12 hours of sleep. The next hour was spent with the usual bedlam of eight people dressing at once with shouts of someone spending too much time in the bathroom, someone not finding their shoe and someone ready and someone complaining that we are going to be late. But we all got there. After Mass, even though it was past noon, we had the Sunday breakfast, the only breakfast of the week featuring eggs and bacon and coffee cake. Of course we were wearing on Sunday clothes. We kept them on if we were going to visit relatives or if company was coming over. Often we did something that seems to have completely gone out of style. We went for a ride in the car. Since my dad used the car for work and nobody had two cars except the real rich, as a kid we either walked or took the bus. Sometimes our ride would end at Kiddieland or an ice cream parlor.

               Late Sunday afternoon, we had Sunday dinner. This was the major meal of the week. My mother believed that any juice in meat meant that it was undercooked. So we enjoyed the “burnt offering” or roast beef or leg of lamb each week. The potatoes, usually boiled during the week, were mashed on Sunday. The dessert was often apple pie topped with ice cream. When company was over, the kids ate first and the adults afterwards. We kids had plenty of time to play. Sometimes we went to the movies for a double feature or we stayed home to watch the Ed Sullivan show. But Sunday was never a day to go shopping since the only store opened was the bakery in the morning. Sunday was never a day when you played sports since none of the leagues scheduled games on the Lord’s Day. Sunday was a day to go to Church, to spend time with family and friends and to rest. Anyone under fifty might think that such a day would be both dull and boring. But we looked forward to that special day all week. Without trucks rumbling around and factories belching out smoke, the air was special that day. For all our progress, we have lost a lot.

               Our Lord said that man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was made for man. Every seventh day, we need to take a day off from the usual rigmarole. The ancient Hebrews discovered that they actually accomplished more by resting one day a week. Their pagan neighbors wearily toiled everyday. But without the refreshment of a day of rest, they did not get as much done. Unfortunately we tend to emulate the practices of the pagans more than the wisdom of the Hebrews. With all the stores opened, many folks have to work. All the playing fields in summer and all the gyms in winter are opened and games scheduled from early morning to late in the day. The Sunday dinner has fallen into memories as we grab a bite between activities. Being so busy, we don’t have the time to see our relatives and friends as much as people used to. Most seriously, many of the children in school tell me that they can’t get to Sunday Mass because they are so busy. If folks would stop to think about it, it is quite obvious that we have our priorities deeply out of whack. God should come first everyday but most compellingly on His day. But because we have filled our days with so many activities, we just do not have the time to stop and think.

               With a bit of braggadocio, many retired people complain that they are busier now than when they were working. This always puzzles me. The golden years should offer more time for both rest and reflection. However, reflection may be the thing people are most afraid of and they fill their time with things to do to keep them from confronting themselves. We do this at a great risk. I once saw an old Sampler hanging on a wall which said “The hurrier we go the behinder we get”. That wisdom is true. We Catholics used to do daring things like having whole days of reflection or go on retreats that lasted a couple of days. In silence we reviewed our lives and checked to see whether the way we were living our lives agreed with the values we cherished. We dared to spend a whole chunk of time with our Lord. I wonder if the decline in Mass attendance comes from a fear of confronting our Lord and confronting ourselves. We were made by God and God made the Sabbath for us because He knew what we really needed. The world has changed so much from the Sundays of years ago and we can not change the world back. Yet, we can change ourselves. We do not have to shop on Sundays. We do not have to compete in sports on Sundays. We do not have to clean the house, wash the clothes nor do the yard work on Sundays. People used to confess doing servile work on Sundays. I have not heard that in confession in years. Our consciences may not be disturbed but our hearts should be when we consider all that we are missing.

               Sunday Mass and Sunday dinner were the two pillars which supported our Sabbath day. Much has been lost as we give up the Lord’s Day for a lot of lesser things. We go to Sunday Mass to offer ourselves to God the Father. We dedicate the coming week to the service of our God. We join with God the Son in this offering and hope to join with Him in the way we live out lives. We remember through the grace of the Holy Spirit what life is all about and what is the eternal destiny that awaits us. Those graces also spurn us to remember what are the things which have true value during our time on this earth. The people we share a Sunday dinner with, family and friends, mean much more to us that a victory at Little League or a bargain at Target. The grace of God brings the refreshment that we seek and the strength to pursue our coming week with vigor. Meaning fills our days as we recall what life is all about. Joy fills our days as we remember the riches we possess in the people we love and the people who love us in return. Peace fills us as we surrender to the love of God for each one of His children. Life is great when you have your head on right. The Sabbath, rightly done, helps make all this happen.

God bless and keep you.

Fr. Malcolm

 Fr Thomas Koys, M.A.,S.T.L.

“2 meanings of Solitude”

We must read the narrations of Genesis in a wider context, which will allow us to establish a series of meanings of the ancient text to which Jesus refers to in Matthew 19 (in the beginning it was not so).  Today, we will reflect on the meaning of man’s original solitude.  … It is important to note that when God-Yahweh (in the Yahwist tradition) speaks the words about the first man, ‘adam, in Hebrew, he is defined as “’is” (the Hebrew word for mankind or human nature in general, not as male, the opposite of female.  So God’s words about man’s solitude are in reference to the solitude of “man” as such, or “man” as in all of mankind and not just to that of the male.          (PJPII  Oct 10, 1979)

Allow me to unpack this insight of Pope John Paul II.  The story of creation has two senses of the human experience of solitude.  We are all aware of solitude, but we miss a great insight of the Bible if we equivocate this solitude of ‘adam with our universal feeling of being alone.  We can all feel lonely when we are separated from our friends.  We can feel alone when we are away from our loved ones.  And almost every single person feels a sense of loneliness that yearns for the companionship of a person of the opposite sex. People preparing for marriage rejoice in a newfound friendship that heals this radical sense of loneliness.  It is part of the excitement of thinking about the future and feeling that you have solved one of life’s great problems.  You rejoice because you can look towards your future and feel that you will never be alone again.  If you’re a John Denver fan, it puts the beauty in the lines of that sweet love song,  “Come let me love you, let me give my life to you, let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms.”  What can be more wonderful? What can be more life giving?  Right?  Well, almost right.

The Pope is wisely asking us to take the two meanings of scriptural “solitude” very seriously.  Indeed, when a man falls in love with a woman, he conquers one aspect of his human “being alone”, his solitary existence.  But the Pope points out that ‘adam, as he lived in the Garden of Eden before Eve is created, represents all of us, male and female.  Adam is in paradise with God. Man/woman can be solitary without the romantic anxiety of not having a human lover. Man/woman, in the garden before a spouse is created is alone but not lonely because he has God, his creator to love.  There is therefore a solitude defined, as “man without God” just as real as “man without woman”.  It is a kind of loneliness that is not overcome even by the coming together in marriage.  This is at the heart of the very common problem of feeling lonely even in marriage.  The first step lonely single people take is to overcome their loneliness by finding another human to love.  This is why, everyone who marries, should realize, that there is a loneliness that cannot be “cured” by marriage alone.  There is a loneliness that can ONLY be “cured” by participating in God’s Trinitarian love.

QUESTION:  Do you as an individual have enough love for God to elevate your marriage, from a selfish act of filling your need to be loved, to helping your spouse discover God’s eternal Trinitarian love?

Fr Thomas Koys, M.A.,S.T.L.   

A common expression by people who say they don’t agree with “everything” the Church says goes something like this: “The church doesn’t belong in the bedroom.”  But the bedroom is one of the most wonderful places that men who love women spend their time.  So let’s talk turkey here.  What this saying is saying, is: “The church is ok when it’s raising money for the poor or when it’s building community amidst diverse peoples or even when it is providing beautiful music to touch our hearts.  But the church need not teach, preach or make reference to anything that has to do with this most intimate and blessed part of life.”   It’s a very tempting conclusion to make because that time for kisses and hugs is all about being time for just the “two of us”.  Having the Pope or an invisible God in the bedroom brings new meaning to the saying: “Three’s a crowd”.

A great many people have no idea what Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” is. But there are more and more people who are getting hooked on these biblical meditations.  If you are positive that religion and hence God, should have nothing to say about the details or the generalities of that part of our lives we usually refer to as “romance”, then nothing I can say will get you to study the Theology of the Body.   But, if you see romance in life is intimately connected to the concept of love AND if your concept of God has anything to do with true love, I believe you will join that growing crowd of believers who can’t get enough of “T o B”.   What follows is a series of short reflections about romance, about God and yes about morality.  The genius of the Theology of the Body is that it ties these three things together in a way that makes sense to young and old, to Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Now, be honest.  The idea of a Pope talking about romance is not the first thing you think about when you realize it’s time to go to church.  Right?  But when you think about it, if religion is about love and people’s romantic relationships is where they learn about love on a new level, then isn’t it logical that your religion should be able to make the romance of your life a lot better?  This is a major theme of “T o B” because Pope John Paul II realized that male female intimacy was from the beginning of time, from the get go, long before any psychologist or song writer spoke a word, God’s first great invention.  In fact, you can say it was God’s master idea.  There’s a reason the bible begins with the story of Adam and Eve because this first marriage tells us that marriage as such is fundamental in understanding the meaning of life.

Saying this might surprise some people.  They might be surprised, not because they haven’t said this to themselves before, but because they haven’t heard a priest, let alone a pope talk this way before.  In fact, coming to realize the beauty of the marital bond doesn’t take a great philosopher or theologian.  In fact, it only takes a kiss or even a wink.  This is why nobody seems to be upset at the Church when the Church becomes an integral part of what those two people call their Wedding day.  It’s a no brainer, it’s obvious; the Church needs to be involved in the most romantic day of young lover’s lives.  The beautiful dress, family all around and the rushing off to a romantic place for just the two of you….  Of course,  God is in the air.  God is a part of this romance.

But then why has it become so fashionable to say that God has no place in the bedroom?  What happens between the bliss of young love and today’s constant criticism and dissent against Catholic teachings?  I’ll tell you what happens, or should I say, I’ll tell you what Pope John Paul II has said happens.  First, we ourselves fail to live up to our own vows, our own idealism.  The “till death do we part” turns into “until we can’t stand each other anymore.”   And what’s more, the spirit of God who we felt to be so present at our Wedding days, turned out to be a false god or the true God, only partially appreciated, only immaturely understood.  Getting to know God in the fullness of His divinity forces upon us a number of do’s and don’ts, in other words moral principles.  Getting to know God, especially in His Trinitarian nature, in His roll as master designer AND finally in His roll as “incarnate redeemer” of His fallen children turns the universal experience of youthful romance into one of the human race’s most serious endeavors to make the world a better place.

Before you throw this introductory offer to the side and abandon all thoughts of reading more I ask you one question.  If the world is full of hatred and wars, and love is such a wonderful and yet deadly force in people’s lives, doesn’t it make sense that the problems that we need to fix regarding love must be very subtle, and must be flying below the radar screen undetected by the general public?  If the problems of love were so obvious wouldn’t most people be able to correct them and thereby increase the love in the world?  Ok, that was two questions.  But they are intimately linked.  The fact that so many people reject the Catholic teachings on marriage today is not a reason to consider the Church wrong.  Rather, it makes all the sense in the world that the Church is right and the masses are wrong.  Why? Because love between spouses, love within families and even love between nations is so easily spoiled.  And can I add, just because your love life maybe just fine, that doesn’t mean your love is apart of God’s love.  Just as a single teenager can be selfish, so a couple can be selfish.

If you have read this whole sheet, God love you.  That means you’re interested in love and what the Catholic faith has to say about it.  Now, pray to God to help you read the next one, and the next and the next….

Deacon Larry Chyba (St. Richard Parish, Chicago, Illinois)

Before we kick back in our lawn chairs & fire up our barbecues to celebrate the 4^th of July, let’s listen to the buzz on the streets. Once again our Pope Francis is making headlines with his newest encyclical, “Laudato Si, on the care of our common home.” The secular media is branding it as the Holy Father’s talk on global warming & politicians are divided if he even has the right to discuss any topic.. However, if you really want to learn more about it, you can read the entire letter online by visiting the usccb.org website or the Vatican.va website for more info. Truly, the Pope’s message says that we all need to be good stewards of God’s creation, especially the creation of l human life, our babies.

Maybe because I am older, I think about the money spent on all the illegal fireworks as well as those who may be injured by them. My advice, stay healthy & leave the displays to the professionals. It will still be a great holiday!

For most of us the last time we read the Declaration of Independence document we were in high school, but the importance of it should not be forgotten, that all men were given “inalienable rights of life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness by our Creator, God.” So take time to thank our Almighty God for these wonderful freedoms. Work to protect them, especially our religious freedom.

Join others each year during “Fortnight for Freedom” which starts June 21^st and ends on July 4^th, in praying for the protection of these freedoms. Learn more about it on the webpage of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops: www.usccb.org. It’s a time when our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power—St. Thomas More & St. John Fisher, St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter & Paul, & the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome.

The theme of this year’s “Fortnight for Freedom” focuses on the “Freedom to bear witness” to the truth of the Gospel. Perhaps there is some of us who know people who believe they can be independent of God. Pray for them. It’s very sad when I hear from someone they don’t need to go to church to receive the sacraments because they pray privately at home. I don’t know about you, but when I pray to God, I feel His invitation to pray in community at the Mass with the whole family of God. We all need family, including our family of the Church for life & the pursuit of happiness. What would our relationship be if we never spoke to anyone, never sat down & ate with anyone, never shared with anyone? Sad. The same goes for God, if we His children never seek a relationship with Him.  He loves us unconditionally, so don’t declare your independence from God. Prayers work. You have to trust me on this. Please don’t misunderstand me, if you are homebound or infirmed, that’s why our ministers of care bring Jesus to you. Please make a phone call the rectory or talk to your deacons about anyone who needs the visits of weekly Holy Communion.

Let’s recall the good news of the gospel ( ) which tells the stories of two people dependent on the mercy of God’s healing, the soldier with the dying daughter & the lady who had uncontrolled bleeding. Their faith in Jesus was the deciding issue. Place your own faith in God’s unending love & mercy & perhaps you will receive your own miracle. They happen every day! I believe! Do you?

See you in church ?!