A Pagan Walks into a Catholic Mass…..

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Susan Kehoe

and stays.

Why I’m Catholic (H/T Deacon Greg) has posted a powerful conversion      story. Christie Martin was a practicing Neopagan until she made the mistake of walking into a Catholic Mass.

 My conversion to the Catholic Church took about three seconds. I was an arrogant fool sitting in on my very first Mass and watching it like I’d watch a National Geographic nature film. I was analyzing away, “Those pews are so phallic, who are they kidding that this isn’t all about a patriarchy?” when I heard something Jewish. A cantor sang the Psalm. It caught my attention and stopped the haughty drift of my thoughts. I began to be interested. What else might they have stolen from the Jews?

This led to other discoveries, like the parading of the Gospels. “Well, if Jesus does claim to be the Jewish Messiah, I guess there should be Jewish elements in the worship,” I thought dismissively until it occurred to me I’d never seen Jewish elements in the Protestant churches I’d attended as a girl. Why not? I puzzled that one out for awhile. I’m not the kind of dog to drop a bone, so I puzzled awhile.

About the time for the consecration (I had no idea what it was called at the time), I had come all the way around to the skeptical thought, actually accompanied by a quiet sarcasm-laden snort, “What if all this were true?”

Then I was hit repeatedly in the head with a 2 x 4. That process took all of three seconds.

I say that comically, but the wave upon wave of revelation breaking over my stunned mind was actually very painful. And beautiful and exquisite and utterly horrifying. I saw things, felt things, all in quick succession with the complete clarity of the words, “It is all true,” ringing me like a bell.

Then an actual bell rang signaling the consecration. Jesus himself was upon that altar, and I was done for. I had a choice to make and it was my very last chance. It was true. I could never again deny the truth of it, but I could still deny Him. A yes would cost me every friend I had, the community I’d built, my reputation. Everything. Was I willing to give it all up?

Oh, God, yes.  Continue Reading…

I love conversion stories!  It is amazing that she was ready, so quickly, to give up so much for the pearl of great price.

Oh and sorry for being an absent blogger for the past couple of weeks. There is a lot going on–some good–some not so good. But I am coming out of my cave now and I intend to post most days.

 

Posted in Catholic Church, Converts | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

No Exeptions With Contraception-Thank God!

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Susan Kehoe

Jennifer Fulwiler, answers a reader who thinks that the Church should allow contraception for married couples in difficult situations.

Excerpt:

I had my own crisis along these lines when I found out while I was expecting my second child that I have a serious blood clotting disorder that, among other things, requires that I take an FDA Category X drug for extended periods after each baby is born. It is of critical importance that you not conceive while on this drug; it’s so prone to causing grave birth defects that many women choose to get sterilized before taking it. Many people I knew were appalled when they heard that the Church’s doctrines had no exceptions on contraception use for situations like mine.

For a while, I was troubled by this. At first it did strike me as unsympathetic and unfair. Like the women who wrote in about HIV-positive children and avoiding pregnancy after severe PPD, I wondered: Why doesn’t the Church make exceptions for those cases where pregnancy or STD prevention is critically important?

Then a wise Catholic friend offered me an explanation that was startling in its simplicity: No contraceptive method is 100% effective. If it’s really super-duper extra triple important that you not conceive a child (or contract an STD), then why would you even want to sign yourself up for a situation where there was a risk of it happening?

The effectiveness rates for contraception based on actual use are not impressive. Commonly accepted one-year failure rates are: 2.4% for the Pill, 4.6% for the intrauterine device, 9.6% for condoms, 17.9% for spermicides, and 18.6% for diaphragms. In the case of HIV prevention specifically, the Journal of the American Medical Association says: “Condoms have a substantial failure rate for AIDS transmission. The risk of fatal infection is quantifiably significant. Among heterosexual couples studied using condoms in which one partner was infected, 30 percent became infected within the year.”

When you consider these statistics, it’s clear that contraception is not the panacea it seems to be. In fact, especially in the cases where it’s of the highest importance that pregnancy or STD transmission not occur, contraception should not even be an option on the table, regardless of your religious views.

Read the whole post here.

Posted in Catholic Moral Teaching, Difficult questions | Tagged | Leave a comment

Fr. Z ‘s Annual Rant About Ascension Thursday Sunday

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Susan Kehoe

My favorite deacon rants every year about the moving of the once holy day of obligation, Ascension Thursday, to Sunday.  But he deeply dislikes the change for more personal reasons. As anyone who has gone through RCIA with us knows, Deacon Larry thinks that the only Gospel is the Gospel of John. He loves this video where Stephen Colbert calls the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke rough drafts. Heh.

Well when the seventh Sunday of Easter is bumped off the calendar for the Ascension, my deacon misses  his only chance to proclaim his favorite chapter in his favorite Gospel: John 17. The last discourse of Jesus and his high priestly prayer is omitted from the Liturgy.

Lord have mercy.

Anyway Father Z has a different reason for ranting on what he calls Ascension Thursday Sunday.

Excerpt:

However, by the same logical that dislocated Epiphany from its proper place twelve days after Christmas (“Twelfth Night”), some years ago the Holy See allowed conferences of bishops to transfer the celebration of Ascension Thursday to the following Sunday.

I call this liturgical quirk “Ascension Thursday Sunday”.

Those who are participating at Holy Mass with the 1962MR avoid this folderol.

I know the argument. The bishops hope to expose more people to the mystery of the Ascension of the Lord. Because it is too hard to go to Mass also on Thursday, they moved the feast to Sunday. Well… in most places they moved it to Sunday. What is even more confusing is that it isn’t transferred in some dioceses.

In the 1983 Code of Canon Law c. 1246, Ascension Thursday is indicated as one of the few Holy Days of Obligation. Again, I know the “laudable” reason for moving the feast.

However, perhaps it is the influence of reading so much St. Augustine over the years, but my present view of human nature suggests to me that when Holy Mother Church’s pastors lower expectations regarding the liturgy, people get the hint: it just isn’t that important. Maybe none of it is important.

I think the option to dislocate such an important and ancient feast is an arrogant novelty.

It is rather long but interesting rant. Read it all here.

If you are wondering why the Ascension matters read Fr. Barron’s post over at Real Clear Religion.

Posted in Catholic Church, Liturgy | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Sometimes Being a Christian Sucks

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Susan Kehoe

In the RCIA I have continually taught, with great conviction, that being a real Christian is not easy.  It requires agape love. That is, Christian love is self sacrificing love. To agape love is to always wish the well being of the other before myself.

Truth be told my favorite deacon and I haven’t stayed married for almost 38 years without getting that. But daily life usually doesn’t demand grand gestures.  Sacrifice is usually in the small things.

Me: I am not going to complain that he leaves his shoes and socks everywhere. I will pick them up and say nothing.

He: I am going to cough and not say anything, but man why does she drone on and on when I can’t fix her problem.

But sometimes the sacrifice requires something much larger.

The idea of sacrificing for the other became much more than an intellectual concept for me recently. It became very real when our oldest grandson was approaching his first communion.

There was just no way that we could afford to fly to Ireland to be there when Dylan received his first Eucharist. We were resigned to the fact.

Until Mothers day.  My daughter, Cathleen, said that Dylan wanted to speak with me. Dylan in his very best, and very grown up, Christopher Robin voice said, Granny why aren’t you and Grandpa coming. It is important and Grandpa is a priest or something and I want him to give me communion.

He and I had a long conversation where he made his case. I think he has the makings of a prosecutor.  We ended the conversation by me saying, Okay Dylan grandpa and I are going to pray that we find the money to be there. Dylan: I will pray and wish. Me: Pray. Wishing doesn’t work.  Okay, Granny I will really pray.

My favorite deacon and I did pray. Lo and behold the money appeared out of nowhere for exactly one ticket.  We haven’t been able to see our children and grandchildren for two years. Gosh, Jesus you couldn’t spring for one more ticket?

After much persuading, my favorite deacon realized that he was the anointed one; the one who should go. Dylan wanted grandpa to give him communion.

Once the decision was made, I was feeling very triumphant. Look what a good and holy girl am I!  Hey I am walking the talk. Doing the hard stuff.

I was far from humble. Why my newly acquired halo illuminated the entire neighborhood.

This, look how holy I am attitude lasted through many discussions and doing the laundry for the trip.

Then, I helped my favorite deacon pack. Oh dear is that a lump in my throat?  The glow of my halo is not so bright.

Wednesday, he puts his luggage into the car. He kisses me goodbye. He backs out of the garage. I will call you on the road and let you know when I get to Chicago.

Lump in throat is getting bigger, and the halo is getting dimmer.

But I am still okay until he gets to Ireland on Thursday. I hear his tale of surprising Dylan and his brother Cillian when he picks them up at school. Oh and little Ella is beautiful, and she is her mother’s daughter.

Lump in the throat is so large that I can barely swallow. Okay now the halo is almost dark.  This is not what I meant by the Theology of Staying.

Sometimes being a serious Christian just sucks.

On Friday, after talking to my favorite deacon, my halo is shorting out.  This is way too hard. I can’t sleep. It is one in the morning. Even a dram of the creature doesn’t help.

Then the dam bursts.  Now I am not one to cry, but when I do it is a frightful thing. It can go on for hours and hours.

So I call on our Mother. I begged her to please ask her Son to enable me to find peace and joy. And you know what? That is exactly what happened. I felt Mary hugging me. I felt peace and a quiet joy.

The next day, I listened to my favorite deacon as he described the first Communion of our eldest grandchild. There was no lump in my throat.

What peace! What Joy! That peace and joy is a total gift from God. There is no way that I could have such love for my family without grace.

Posted in Discipleship, Holiness, Theology of Staying | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Saint of the Day: St. Philip Neri

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Susan Kehoe

(H/T The Anchoress)Pat Gohn, over at Pathos, has a column on the joyful Saint. She begins with a riddle that got my favorite deacon in hot water with a class of 2nd graders.  Heh. He scandalized them by saying the word hell.

In honor of St. Philip Neri’s feast day here’s a quick riddle:

Question: How do you get holy water?

Answer: Boil the hell out of it!

Okay, tell me that didn’t bring a little smile to your face? (Or, if not, humor me. Some days you’ve just got to find joy wherever you can!)

Today the Catholic Church honors St. Philip Neri who lived in Rome during the 16th century. Known as a humorist and a jokester, St. Philip’s unbounded cheerfulness was legendary.

I know I need a good dose of joy on any given day. Having a fairly serious temperament as a first-born, my seventh grade homeroom teacher was fond of calling me out by saying: “You’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, Missy.” Even back then, I was pretty sure the Good Lord gave me my two younger sisters, and later, my own three children so I could learn to lighten up and be of good cheer. Their childlike antics and charm often got me smiling.

St. Philip Neri’s wisdom was rooted in the delight he took in being a Child of God. Such a life was worthy of celebration and joy! Philip’s witness reminds me that a sad saint really is a sad saint. In other words, if God loves you and you know it, kindly inform your face!

St. Philip knew that, over time, the Christian needs to cultivate an attitude that was worthy of the long road to heaven:

Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life. Therefore, the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits.

Did you ever meet someone whose laughter and love was contagious? This was St. Philip. Continue reading….

Christian inform your face. Well I have written before on joyless Catholics here.

It is a timely reminder that we are called to joy as we celebrate the season of endless Alleluias.

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Catholic Bishops Blessed and Blasted

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Susan Kehoe

Archbishop Timothy Dolan reminds us that bishops are pastors and not    politicians. Consequently, when they speak in the public square those who are political instead of Catholic will find fault. H/T New Advent

Excerpt:

When we bishops propose moral principles — most often allied, by the way, with the basic philosophy of our beloved country, as enshrined in our normative documents like the Declaration of Independence — we get both blessed and cursed.

One side usually blesses us when we preach the virtue of fiscal responsibility, the civil rights of the unborn, the danger of government-tampering with the definition of marriage, and the principle of subsidiarity — that is, that the smaller units in our society, such as family, neighborhood, Church, and volunteer organizations, are usually preferable to big government in solving social ills.

Yet this same side then often cringes when we defend workers, speak on behalf of the rights of the undocumented immigrant, and remind government of the moral imperative to protect the poor.

The other side enjoys quoting us when we extol universal health care, question the death penalty, demand that every budget and program be assessed on whether it will help or hurt those in need, encourage international aid, and promote the principle of solidarity, namely, society’s shared duties to one another, especially the poor and struggling . . .

. . . and then these same folks bristle when we defend the rights of parents in education, those of the baby in the womb and grandma on her death bed, insist that America is at her best when people of faith have a respected voice in the public square, defend traditional marriage, and remind government that it has no right to intrude in Church affairs, but does have the obligation to protect the rights of conscience.

So, we bishops get both blessed and blasted, a friend or foe of bloggers, pundits, and politicians, depending on what the issue is.

But, once again, we’re used to it.  We try our best to be pastors, not politicians, teachers, not tacticians, shepherds, not strategists; we do not need to run for re-election (good thing, since most of us would probably lose!); and the only platform we have is God’s Word, as hardwired into the human heart and handed on by His Church, especially as taught by Jesus, who reminded us that, “As long as you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to me.” Read the entire post here. 

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Saints of the Day: Bede the Vernable, St. Gregory VII, St. Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Susan Kehoe

First, sorry for not blogging. No I did not run a way to a hermitage, although I lived like a hermit for several days (I’ll explain in a later post). I just needed to take a break from the wild wild web.

We celebrate three saints today:

St. Bede was born in England. A Benedictine, he was “the most observant and the happiest of all monks.” His writings were so full of sound doctrine that he was called “Venerable” while still alive. He wrote commentaries on Holy Scripture and treatises on theology and history. He died at Jarrow, England.

St. Gregory VII was a monk of Cluny. Before ascending to the papacy, he fought against the abuse of lay investiture, the source of the evils from which the Church was suffering. His energetic stance as Pope Gregory VII earned for him the enmity of the Emperor Henry IV. He was exiled to Salerno where he died. Scroll down for video.

St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi was born in Florence and joined the Carmelites when she was nineteen. She practiced great mortification for the salvation of sinners; her constant exclamation was, ‘To suffer, not to die!’ With apostolic zeal, she urged the renewal of the entire ecclesiastical community.

Read more here.

Pope Benedict on St. Bede

Posted in Catholic Church, Saints | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Saint of the Day: St. Bernardine of Sienna

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Susan Kehoe

Taylor Marshall has Ten Easy Points on St. Bernardine: 

Today is the feast day of Saint Bernardine of Sienna (1380–1444), one of the greatest Franciscan priests of all time.

  1. Bernardine was the son of the governor of Sienna, but he was raised by his aunt.
  2. At the age of 20, Bernardine returned the favor and nursed his bedridden aunt until her death.
  3. After his beloved aunt died, Bernardine became a Franciscan at the age 22 in the year 1402.
  4. He was the most famous preacher of his age. Crowds swelled around him wherever he went. Since the church’s could not hold the crowds, he would preach outside.
  5. He is the Apostle of the Holy Name. At the end of ever sermon, he would hold a wooden plaque with the Holy Name of Jesus on it. The faithful would venerate and kiss the plaque in fulfillment of Philippians 2:10, “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.” Continue Reading….
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An Evangelical Pastor Visits a Catholic Seminary

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Susan Kehoe

This could be an add from a diocesan vocations department! H/T New Advent.

My brother is a Roman Catholic seminarian, and I visited him at Mount Saint Marys Seminary the last couple days to see him installed in his second-to-last office (acolyte) before hopefully being ordained a priest (in about two years). I’ve been hoping to visit John for a long time, and finally got the opportunity.

My Evangelical brothers and sisters typically misunderstand and mischaracterize the Catholic Church, its leaders and theology and practices, so I felt compelled to write this to them, an “open letter” if you will.

First off, much of what Evangelicals believe about Catholicism, what they believe and who they are, is flat out incorrect. I will not dedicate any space here to that, except to say that people don’t listen to each other all that well in the 21st century, even though it’s easier than ever, technologically, to do. We should all try harder.

So let me tell you what I found among the more than 150 seminarians I spent a couple days with.

I found men who love Jesus with a passion and wholeness that I find rare among Christians of any stripe in these days.

I found men who struggle with the same kinds of things that we all do, regular guys who are dealing with what we all deal with… with the amazing support of Christ, of their brothers, and of the church.

I found men who can chuck a frisbee way farther than I ever will be able to.

I found a place where worship is very deep, even sublime, and regular and intentional and heartfelt… and amazing, and where prayer is an intentionally regular and essential and practiced part of every day. I found that Jesus was palpably present in every room and hallway.

I ate one of the tastiest meals I’ve had in forever.

I found generosity that is inspiring.

I found a group of guys that, when it’s time to have fun… have some serious fun.

I found real intelligence, insight and wisdom being leveraged for the kingdom of Heaven. Almost any of these guys could probably lead, and lead well, in any secular company and probably make a lot of money.

I found the presence of Christ in community that I was, frankly, a little envious of.

I found a love of Christ’s body on earth that you don’t find very often anywhere.  Continue reading….

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Families Waiting for the End

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Susan Kehoe

Oh my. I failed to consider in my last post, Are you ready for judgment day,  that there are real people who sincerely believe that the world will end tomorrow.

From The New York Times  (H/T  Deacon Greg):

The Haddad children of Middletown, Md., have a lot on their minds: school projects, SATs, weekend parties. And parents who believe the earth will begin to self-destruct on Saturday.

The three teenagers have been struggling to make sense of their shifting world, which started changing nearly two years ago when their mother, Abby Haddad Carson, left her job as a nurse to “sound the trumpet” on mission trips with her husband, Robert, handing out tracts. They stopped working on their house and saving for college.

Last weekend, the family traveled to New York, the parents dragging their reluctant children through a Manhattan street fair in a final effort to spread the word.

“My mom has told me directly that I’m not going to get into heaven,” Grace Haddad, 16, said. “At first it was really upsetting, but it’s what she honestly believes.”

Thousands of people around the country have spent the last few days taking to the streets and saying final goodbyes before Saturday, Judgment Day, when they expect to be absorbed into heaven in a process known as the rapture. Nonbelievers, they hold, will be left behind to perish along with the world over the next five months.

With their doomsday T-shirts, placards and leaflets, followers — often clutching Bibles — are typically viewed as harmless proselytizers from outside mainstream religion. But their convictions have frequently created the most tension within their own families, particularly with relatives whose main concern about the weekend is whether it will rain. Continue reading.

We should include these families in our prayers especially for Grace Haddad. I can’t imagine being told by your mother that you are not going to heaven.

What is going to happen to these people when they find themselves still earth bound on May 22nd?

But then we don’t know the time or the hour, as Jesus will come again like a thief in the night. And of course we all have our own end of time when we die.

 

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