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eighthway · 2 years

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How a Friar Becomes a Pastor

I arrived in Salt Lake City on the Solemnity of our Holy Father St. Dominic one week ago. However, on the first of August, by the grace of His Excellency Oscar Solis, I became the new Pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Newman Center here in Salt Lake City. My charge? To serve the Students, Faculty, and Staff of the University of Utah. Yesterday, on the eve of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary I was formally installed as the Pastor of this parish by Bishop Solis. It was a simple, yet dignified Mass offered by His Excellecy for this very purpose.

I couldn't help but be struck by the meaning of the event. There, in the presence of one of the Successors to the Apostles, surrounded by my brother priests, close lay collaborators, and all the faithful people who were there present, there was a very real sense of unity and diversity at the service of building up the Body of Christ in this little portion of the People of God. The ceremony itself calls to mind the fraternity among all of Christ's collaborators for continuining his Mission through time, until the end of time itself, in union with the Deposit of Faith and the Magisterium of Holy Mother Church.

Being the object of these sacred rites were deeply humbling and somewhat terrifying. I kept recalling the feelings that my Godfather had when he was assigned as the Pastor of a parish for the first time. He was terrified. But while at adoration he distinctly heard in his heart Christ reminding him that he was just his priest, his tool, and that the parish itself belonged to Christ and that Christ himself would guide and shepherd it in spite of anything that his priest did poorly. I also knelt in adoration for a time prior to my installation and a similar peace overshadowed me draining me of the fear and trepidation I was feeling due to my own pride. Those same words resonated in my heart. "Have no fear, it's my church, not your church."

But this also got me thinking about the very process that is involved in becoming a Pastor as a Dominican Firar in our province. If you know anything about how this works for Secular Clergy it may interest you to know that things work a little different for us. You see, normally for a Secular Priest the Bishop just appoints his choice in consultation with those he's appointed to help him make these appointments. However, with us our Ordinary, the Provincial, can't just appoint a Pastor to those parishes we serve, even the ones we own. Instead he has to gain permission to propose a frair to the Local Ordinary, the Diocesan Bishop, with a majorty vote of the Provincial Council. Then after a positive vote is given the Provincial proposes the friar to the Bishop who is free to accept or reject the proposal in consultation with those who help him make these decisions. All this is to say that it's quite a process. But to me, the meaning of the process is what's both edifying and humbling. The meaning is that the brothers who we elect to make decisions for us, our peers, literally make a vote of confidence in the ability of the proposed brother to exercise the ministry and office of a pastor. It's overwhelming and touching to receive that confidence. I hope to do justice by it.

#Catholic #St. Catherine's

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eighthway · 3 years

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Why Bethlehem University?

There are many reasons why a person would want to support Bethlehem University. First, it’s the only Christian university in the Holy Land. Second, it provides an excellent education under the leadership of the the Christian Brothers in their LaSallian tradition. Third, it is focused on the education of Palestinians. Fourth, it serves to educate a significant population of female students in a region where the education of women is often minimized or even forbidden. Fifth, the institution often suffers from curfews and closures by the Israeli authorities (the longest closure being 3 years in the late 1980s). Sixth, and most practically, it only costs $4K a year to fund the full tuition of a student.

However, these aren’t the reasons why I trying to fund a four year scholarship for one student to Bethlehem University. Certainly, all of those things, and more, are great reasons to support the University. But, to be honest, I’m not interested in supporting the University so much as I am interested in supporting the students there in the West Bank.

Sometimes the practical reasons are not as important as their meaning. What does it mean for the Christian Brothers to run the only Christian university in the city where Christ was born all while the Christian minority is sharply decreasing? What does it mean for the University to educate women who will likely never have the opportunity to use their education because of both cultural prohibitions or expectations? What does it mean for this University to be a place where people from any religious confession may receive an education in a place where religious divisions are often a cause of violence? What does it mean that in the midst of all these conflicts there resides a University built around a chapel for the perpetuation of the Sacrifice of Peace? To me, the meaning is ineffable, its value being immeasurable.

I desire to support the University because it is doing more for the cause of peace in the Holy Land than most other institutions. Why? Well, because they form students in a way that gives us hope that peace is possible by modeling that peace. When I see the students I see hope.

Help me fund a 4-year scholarship at Bethlehem University

#Bethlehem University #EOHSJ

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eighthway · 3 years

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One, Two, or Many?

As I try to ease back into writing on this platform I want to continue to stay away from the high-tone of the academy, but also provide something of substance. The problem with striking this middle ground is that sometimes the topics that need discussion are terribly complicated and really require further and in-depth treatment.

Regardless of the difficulty, I choose to enter into the fray once again hoping that the brevity of my treatment of a topic will not be the end of something, but rather, the beginning of the readers interest in a topic. Therefore, might we consider something of grave importance to the life of the Church today. Yes, I mean that most difficult pill that is the new Motu proprio, Traditionis custodes (afterwards; TC). Instead of doing a treament of the entire document I'd like to point out a particular problem with this document, and to be fair, a problem equally present in Summorum Pontificum, the document TC replaces.

Article I of TC declares that the revised Missal promulgated by Pope St. Paul VI following the Second Vatican Council constitutes the 'only' lex orandi of the Roman Rite. Summorum Pontificum was more generous on the point. It claimed that both the form of the Roman liturgy prior to and following after the reforms done under the auspices of the Second Vatican Council are both expressions of the lex orandi of the Latin Church. Problem, the first!

In the Latin Church there is not merely one Rite with which we worship. In addition to the Roman Rite there are the various rites of particular Sees, such as the Mozarabic Rite or the Ambrosian Rite. In addition to this ancient rites there are also the rites of certain Religious Orders such as the Dominicans, Norbertines, Carthusians, and Carmelites. Therefore, there are far more than two expressions of the lex orandi than the two uses of the Roman Rite. In fact, there are as many expressions of the lex orandi as there are rites in the Latin Church. This may seem pedantic. However, as they say, the devil is in the details.

The point here should be clear, or at least the question. Do these other Rites that exist in the Latin Church, including those that have their own versions that are reformed according to the directives of the Second Vatican Council, not expressions of the lex orandi? If not, why, and more seriously, how? This would seem to be of serious importance since the law of prayer is the law of belief. So it would seem that if these rites do not share in the lex orandi then they also don't share in the lex credendi. If this is true, then we have a major problem in the Latin Church, namely, we have liturgical forms that have existed for centuries that do not credibly communicate the faith of the Church. This seems to be an untenable position to hold regardless of what one thinks about any of the particular rites themselves. What would it mean for the central act of Christian life to not be an authentic expression of the faith of the Church for nearly 1000 years?

In some ways, TC is more modest. While it makes the claim that the Missal revised and implemented after the Second Vatican Council is the only expression of lex orandi it only makes that claim for the Roman Rite and not the whole Latin Church. There are two things that we might be able to say about this.

First, it is true that the document is working to end the use of Roman Missal that was promulgated prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. The accompanying letter from the Holy Father to the Bishops of the world is very clear about that. But, if we read precisely, this would only be applied to the Roman Rite and not all of the rites within the Latin Church.

Second, the claim that the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is the only expression of the lex orandi remains problematic in so far as it continues to exist. Since the claim is that the Ordinary Form is the only expression that would mean that the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite would not be an expression of the lex orandi. However, this is clearly not the case, nor can it be the case.

It seems to me that a much larger conversation about what lex orandi means is in order.

#Pope Francis #Motu proprio #Catholic

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eighthway · 4 years

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Failure

One of the greatest challenges in life is changing habits. We are, after all, creatures of habit. So, a present example. I have intended to post an article three times a week. But, today is August the 1st. The last article is dated July the 20th. Even for the non-math(s) majors out there, it will be clear that I have not met my intended goal. There are many reasons for this. However, the primary reason, the real reason, is that new habits are hard to build. This is why a person will go to confession over and over again without experiencing much change in his behavior. He will come in to confess the same sins, growing in frustration, and eventually falling into despair. This is because we want a shortcut to habits. When I go to confession I want to come out a new man with new habits of virtue rather than the old habits of vice. Alas, grace doesn't destroy nature. Rather, grace aids and perfects nature. So, just like riding a bike or remaining faithful to a productivity method, those natural virtues have to be regularly exercised to develop new habits. This process will start to break up the old habits that we no longer want in our lives so that we can build the new ones that we do want. Becoming “the new me” takes time, a lot of time. So, with that being said, I'm sorry for not posting more regularly since I've restarted the site. I'm working on rebuilding that habit. But, hopefully my lapse into vice will serve to help you grow in virtue.

#habits #virtue #confession

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eighthway · 4 years

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Have we been doing this all wrong?

I’ve been reading a lot of the writings of the Church Fathers recently. This is all thanks to a new version, edited by a parishioner of mine, of the seminal work of Armand-Jean de le Bouthillier Rancé. Rancé is the little known (and apparently little appreciated) founder of the Trappists. This new two volume work titled Back to Asceticism has really got me thinking about the fundamental disconnect between the way we see the faith today and the way the Fathers saw the faith in their day. It’s got me thinking that we’ve approached Christian formation in a way that lacks continuity with the Patristic Era.

Bear in mind that my thoughts are not yet complete on this topic. In some ways, my articles on this topic will be about working out the thoughts that have been growing in my mind. And indeed they are growing. As I read Rancé’s work I’m convicted. I’m not sure what the end product will be. However, I do know that something is happening. Something is changing. I’m not too surprised at this. After all, the life and writings of this holy abbot inspired the creation of many holy monks.

At root, the problem, as I currently see it, is that we have been focusing our energies on forming people to be good, intelligent, intentional, and motivated members of the Body of Christ. One might immediately ask why this would be a problem. The problem is that the virtues that we have imparted are those virtues that make us into good citizens of the Church and good citizens in the world. However, the Fathers do not see this as the purpose of Christian formation. Rather, it seems that the Fathers envision Christian formation as something that prepares a person for martyrdom even if that martyrdom never actually comes.

This is a completely different orientation to formation than what I’ve seen, experienced, and participated in. Preparing someone to be ready to die for the faith seems radically different than preparing someone to simply live the faith. I’ll provide one consideration for how these orientations are fundamentally different from one another.

If one is preparing for martyrdom then the urgency to practice mortifications becomes understandable. Both the body and the soul have to be disciplined in such a way that they are neither tender nor soft. This is so that both the mind and body are able to persevere in the trials of being made a martyr. If one is simply training to live the faith with only the vague sense that there are those who die for the faith, then the practice of mortifications might seem no different than a type of masochism. I would agree. Physical mortification has no place is civil, bourgeois, middle-class, Christian society. After all, the middle-class technocratic dream of the last 70 years has been fueled by a strong combination of and yearning for an ever greater amount of efficiency and comfort. The ascetical life, in many ways, seems to be oriented against this vibe.

What does this mean concretely? I don’t know. This is why I would like to explore the topic more. As I keep reading I’m sure that my thoughts about this will develop. However, already five years ago I had identified the need for the restoration of a penitential spirit in, at least, Catholic male spirituality. Various vanity versions of this have shown up recently. However, I’m wondering if it is time to return to some deeper roots and see what the Hermandad (a.k.a. the Penitentes) from my home state can teach us about the centrality of mortifications in the Christian life.

#Rancé #asceticism

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eighthway · 4 years

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Obedience is still a virtue

With a black bandana tied around my face, I was mildly amused that if I lifted my cowl over my head I’d look a lot like Storm Shadow from the G.I. Joe cartoons of my youth. It was absurd. However, I got to look really cool for about 20 seconds as I traveled from the car in the parking lot to the table in the restaurant. At this point, some would object, “Fr. Gabriel, you already look cool! You don’t need to wear a mask to be cool.” My simple response would have been, “I know; you’re right. But, obedience is cooler.”

The Catholic spiritual tradition has always understood obedience as one of the most important virtues. After all, our blessed Lord said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Additionally, in the Rule of St. Augustine it states, “It is by being more obedient, therefore, that you show mercy not only toward yourselves but also toward the superior whose higher rank among you exposes him all the more to greater peril.” The importance of the virtue lies not simply in the satisfaction of justice. Rather, its high value is how obedience, both the call to obedience and the gift of obedience, is an act of charity for both the one who commands and the one commanded.

I can already hear the preliminary objections. “That’s fine for you Fr. Gabriel. You took a vow of obedience. I didn’t.” True, true. I have taken religious vows of obedience. This means that my obedience, and those to whom I am obedient is additionally governed by those religious vows. However, we should not confuse a vow of obedience with the virtue of obedience. Virtues are not respecters of persons. They apply to all of us because of our common human nature. Through the assiduous practice of the virtues the human person flourishes. Through the neglect of those virtues the human person flounders. Obedience is a difficult virtue to practice. It feels like weakness. After all, obedience is gifting one’s will to another. This is dangerous and scary. We are always on the lookout to revoke our obedience whenever we believe that this most precious gift is going to be misused, abused, trampled, and trod under foot.

Our vigilance may be even more heightened in the current social climate. We are living in a time where we no longer know who to trust. All our civic institutions have betrayed us. The halls of science are no longer hallowed sanctuaries of bias free conclusions (if they ever really were). The news media, and its voice of objectivity, has become almost as untrustworthy as the US Congress. Religious institutions and clergy are not in any way exempt from this mistrust either. This lack of trust in the organs of society serves to reinforce modern notions of radical autonomy as we hoist the Gadsden Flag to firmly fly over our hearts.

St. Thomas Aquinas, however, reminds us that for civil society to function it is imperative that some people are subject to others (ST, II-II q 104, a 5). Granted, he also argues that we are only bound to be obedient to God in all things. However, this doesn’t mean that we get to simply follow our own internal inspirations, or what we might simply perceive to be the will of God if we don't like what we are told to do. Rather, we are to be obedient in all things that do not require us to sin and obedient in all things within the legitimate authority of those imperfect human persons who govern us whether we voted for them or not.

In the Catholic mind, the secular authorities exist to care for the common good. Their first duty is to ensure the health and safety of the populace over whom they have jurisdiction. This being the case, they have the right to regulate the behavior of their subjects so that the common good might be preserved. I may disagree with how they chose to exercise their authority in any particular case. However, unless they act outside of their lawful authority or command us to sin, we are bound, by the virtue of obedience to comply with those directives. So, silly as it was, I wore a mask from the car to the table and back again. I recommend that you do the same if you have been so directed. I don't make this recommendation because you agree with the command or because of science. Rather, I recommend it to you as the same call to obedience that St. Peter himself advises: “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right … Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor" (1 Peter 2:13-14,17).

#obedience

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eighthway · 4 years

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Making a good confession

Introduction

When I was preparing for my First Holy Communion there was very little instruction on how to make a good confession. Well, there was very little preparation for anything except for how to make a religiously themed arts and crafts project. Later, when I went through RCIA to complete my Sacraments of Initiation (insert long story here) the preparation was better but certainly not what I would now consider adequate for an adult with adult problems. The class that I took on hearing confessions when I was in priestly formation was excellent, but even that lacked a few things that I've since discovered as a priest. So, with many hundreds of hours (if not thousands at this point) of hearing confessions under my belt I would like to offer some guidance for people who would like to make a good, integral confession that not only restores one's relationship to God but is also a true experience of emotional and spiritual healing.

Preparing for Confession

Let's begin with the basics. A good confession doesn't begin in the confessional or in the confessional line. A good confession begins with a daily examination of conscience. Traditionally, this is done in the evening before you go to bed. The idea is that as you say your evening prayers you take a moment to reflect on how you could have meet he day's challenges more virtuously and then make a resolution to do better. This should be brief. This practice will also help you identify any mortal sins you may have committed so that you know it's time to get to confession. In addition to the daily examination of conscience it's wise to do a weekly more in-depth examination. There are many good resources for this. I prefer the one written by Fr. John Hardon, SJ, of happy memory. There are also resources on the USCCB website and there are a number of mobile apps that have resources for making a good examination of conscience. If an in-depth weekly examination of conscience is too much for you, because of time, attention, or energy, it's okay. Just make sure that you make a through examination of conscience before you get in the confessional line.

My next bit of advice will be controversial depending on who you speak to. I think it's perfectly acceptable to write down a list of one's sins. Some people have advised against this in the past for fear of engendering scrupulosity. However, if you understand the two forms of scrupulosity (that of the intellect and that of the will) well, then you will quickly realize that this practice will do nothing of the sort. In fact, for some manifestations of scrupulosity it can serve as a remedy. So, keep a journal. This will help you remember what you need to confess. If you are anything like me, then trying to remember things since your last confession can get a little hazy at times.

Now that you've done the pre-game workout, it's time to wait in line. I personally use this time for two purposes. I use the time to pray to the Holy Spirit that I will make a worthy confession and then pray a rosary or chaplet of divine mercy to pass the time in peace. I consider waiting in line part of the penance! This is an opportunity to reflect on the vastness of God's mercy and to pray for your fellow penitents who are there to make their confession. In addition, you could pray for all those who need to come to confession but do not or cannot for some reason or another.

In "The Box"

When you get into the confessional the ritual begins with the sign of the cross and after a brief statement by the priest the customary formula is to say, "Bless/Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It's been 'n' days/weeks/months/years since my last confession, I am (insert state of life here) and these are my sins." This introduction is important for the priest hearing the confession. A good confessor will take that information and tailor his counsel based on these details. In particular, a person's state of life is extremely important. In my experience it significantly modifies the way I hear a confession and give counsel. Following this preamble you simply confesses the sins that you have identified, with the aid of your conscience, since your last confession and also any unconfessed mortal sins from the past that may have been recently remembered. I'll say more about this last detail later.

The Council of Trent decreed that there are three things a person must confess for an integral confession. The formal terms used for these three things are: species, number, and circumstance. These are often misunderstood so let's define terms. The term species that we use here is in contradistinction to genre. In other words, it's not sufficient to confess a generality. Instead one must confess an act. Let me give you an example. On occasion a person will come into the confessional and in the course of the confession he will say he was angry three times. Now, laying aside the question about emotions for a moment, let's focus on the item confessed. Being angry three times doesn't tell me what the person did that has brought him to the confessional. When this happens I will often say to the penitent, "Sins are actions not passions. What did you do as a result of your anger that is bothering your conscience?" Eventually the person will discover the action and then we can move on. Remember this. When you are tempted to be generic that's the most important time to be specific. Name the sin so, by God's grace, you an cast it out. The next part is the number of times you chose that immoral action since your last confession. This should be self-explanatory. The last is circumstance. Please understand that this does not mean the story surrounding the sin. In this case what is meant by circumstance is all those things that might mitigate or exacerbate your culpability, that is, your moral responsibility, for the action. A man forced to commit a crime still commits the crime, but the lion's share of responsibility rests on those who forced him.

The instructions I just provided can be difficult for some people. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes a person may feel that they don't feel sorry for their sins unless they articulate the whole story that led to the sin. Sometimes people feel the need to shift blame in their narrative. Sometimes people just haven't prepared for confession well and have to talk through their life story. All of these inclinations and any other that would cause a person to depart from the simple formula of species, number, and circumstance (if any) should be recognized as a temptation and treated as such. A good confessor can hear the human story behind the sins and will ask prudent questions if necessary. Allow him to ask. Be satisfied if he does not.

At this point you may receive some counsel, a satisfactory penance will be assigned, and you will then be asked to make an Act of Contrition. I recommend the traditional formula. It contains all of the necessary parts that will help you grow in the spiritual life. The trick is not to allow the formula to become something that you just speak with your lips. Rather, meditate on the words and their implications. You can find a lot of wise guidance in the simple prayers we were asked to memorize in our youth. Speak the words with your heart. This will help you develop the right sentiments of contrition. At this point the priest will then offer absolution and pronounce the dismissal. Confession complete!

What not to confess

Everyone has heard stories of priests telling a penitent that something they confessed wasn't a sin. Well, sometimes the priest is right, sometimes he isn't. Priests are human too. But, then again, so are you. Sometimes things feel like they are sins but they really aren't. This confusion can happen because of the way we were raised, the culture we live in, or other causes like mental, spiritual, or emotional disturbances. The contrary is also true. Sometimes we have sinned and don't even know it. Either way, this stems from an imperfectly formed conscience. Allow me to articulate a few things that ought not be confessed. It's not uncommon for people to confess emotions. This is likely because many people are told that certain emotions are acceptable and some are not. However, God created our emotions. They are not a result of Original Sin. What is a result of the effects of Original Sin is the disorder of the passions. Because we struggle with these effects, we can often act disproportionately out of our emotions. It's that disproportionate action that ought to be confessed, not the emotion behind it.

Sometimes pride can be found in subtile places. One place it can be found is in shifting blame for one's own sins on to another, even in part. I believe it was Mother Angelica who jokingly said, "I'd be a saint if it wasn't for all of you." Ha! Well, in the confessional we shouldn't reference the sins of others. Now, to be fair, sometimes this does fit as a valid circumstance. But you should ask yourself, before you justify accosting your sibling by recalling to the priest how she looked at you funny, whether that cross-eyed look she gave you actually compelled you to knock her tooth loose or not. Probably not.

Never confess sins that you have already confessed (with one exception). Sometimes the gravity of our past sins is so great that we carry them with us even after we have confessed them and made satisfaction by way of the assigned penance. Some people will, in a desire to be free of the guilt, anxiety, sorrow, etc., confess already confessed sins over and over again. This is not spiritually healthy. There is only one occasion when confessing already confessed sins is spiritually healthy and that is if you are making a General Confession under the care of a Spiritual Director or regular Confessor who is helping you prepare for a major event like marriage, ordination, or some type of religious or secular consecration. Otherwise, do not confess already confessed sins. What you are likely experiencing is your conscience tugging at your heart to satisfy justice. In other words, the penance assigned for your sins by the priest may not have been enough to satisfy justice. You can address this by merely taking on a simple and fitting penance for that past offense until you feel as if you have made sufficient reparation for it. Don't confuse this with whether you have been forgiven or not. We can be certain of our forgiveness when the priest pronounces the words of absolution. Remember, if you experience this continued or lurking feeling of guilt about sins already confessed, it is not about forgiveness. The feeling is merely about the need to make a fuller restitution than you have already done so far. So, assign yourself a penance!

Now what?

When you have left the confessional it is wise to immediately fulfill your penance if possible. The sooner the better. We are forgetful, busy creatures. It's easy to forget to do our assigned penance. If you cannot do it right away, make sure you make satisfaction as soon as possible. Also, you should consider how best to implement the counsel given by the priest so that you can grow in the spiritual life. After that, say an Act of Thanksgiving so that you can express your gratitude to God for offering you the great gift of his unfailing mercy.

#howto #confession #advice

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