Nun wars: For Pete’s sake, quote the Vatican

Indeed! It would be refreshing to read a story from a reporter that either read the CDF report or did not claim to know what they actually meant. In any case, this is good:

Nun wars: For Pete’s sake, quote the Vatican

Jumping the Vocations Boarder

As a new member of the vocations community within the Church, I have had much to think about and contemplate as the job of a vocation director lays before me. Well, I am an assistant at this time, but the job is the same regardless of the title: help people discern a vocation, preferably to our community!

I think the reality of living in a consumer society has affected, and will continue to affect the promoters of religious life and the priesthood. Just look at any of the  vocation material from various order's and community's and you will see that many in church ministry understand the importance of advertising and branding. This can be good and bad. Advertising who you are and what you are about is realistic. "This is who we are and this is what we do." Clear enough. If I am interested, I will give you a call and we can talk further.  

But over the years I have been dismayed at the number of vocations that are what I call, "border jumpers". Border jumpers join a diocese or a specific community/province based on the ideology of the bishop, diocese, or community, and not based on location or charism. My vocation story has a little bit of this in that several people recommended that I go to another province of Dominicans because there you will find the "Orthodox" province and the one I was joining was too liberal. I shrugged off these suggestions because I am from the Midwest and I know these folks and I want to minister to them, regardless of ideological leanings. While I like to consider myself an example and proponent of  in medio stat virtus, I am as far from "liberal" as you can get, in my personal opinion of myself. Being a vocation director requires the ability to speak to all sectors of the Church with competency, but where there is a deviation from the dogmas and doctrines of the Church, I will point it out. In truth, the call to religious life is a call to enter into the journey to God with and for others from within the heart of the Church that Jesus Christ founded. When ideological or political affiliations hinder that journey, there is no small problem. 

I was struck silent recently when I was introduced to a sister from a congregation from out east. She asked me which province I was from, and when I told her, I immediately received her approval. Why? Because there is an historical trail of the "approved" ideology within my province. She liked me because I was affiliated with the liberal/progressive province. I was offended beyond words. Good manners and proper upbringing prevented me from embarrassing her or just being rude and asking her why she was not in habit. But this encounter really got me thinking about what is important to people in the Church. Is it the proper ideological affiliation, or is it unity with the Risen Christ? 

I truly believe that this is all part and parcel of our consumerist Church. Too often vocations seekers are encouraged to go where the ideology is, not where you have been called to serve. Our province, like most others, has a pretty evenly split number of  vocations on either side of the ideological/political spectrum. I think this is the norm throughout the Church. It should be. But that real or perceived split should not enter into the equation. I am in the Order of Preachers. Our mission is to preach the Word of God at every opportunity that arises. Very often that requires us to preach the truth to those who might not want to hear it, or might be hostile to the message. Even from within our own ranks!

Jumping the border is not the best solution in discerning a religious vocation. Going where there is need and where one can do the most good for God's people and at the same time walk the path of holiness is what should matter. Certainly sometimes one will discern to enter a diocese and community far from their home for a number of different reasons, but I hold to the argument that basing that decision solely on ideological grounds may prevent the Word from being preached where it is most needed. 

(The idea for this article came from reading "Overcoming the influence of consumerism on vocation" by Edward P. Hahnenberg in the Winter 2012 edition of Horizon, which is published by the National Religious Vocations Conference.)

Scripture in the hands of non-believers...

...creates much irony...

Confession!

A Weekend of Dialogue

I will be at the Catholic Common Ground Initiative Conference this weekend. The topic is: Ecclesial Communion is Light of Generational Diversity. This should prove to be lively and informative. Updates later.

The Chicken or the Egg

Which came first, feeding the poor or proclaiming the Gospel? I often wonder about this in our Church today. Many are very committed to the caring of the poor, yet find the doctrines and dogmas of the Church annoying at times or, in some cases, repulsive. I certainly believe that the teachings of the Church are exactly what leads the individual believer to go deeper and to care for the poor. It's a command of our Lord to care for the widow and orphan as well as all in need of a helping hand.

But this does not come about fully without understanding that Jesus Christ did not come to make sure we are feeding the poor. He came to save us from our sins. No amount of charitable works can earn this salvation, and so since it cannot be earned, it must be accepted as the primary mission of Jesus Christ.

Good works are what we do when we have had an intimate and life-changing encounter with the Triune God. The good we do should point the way for others to know God in the way that we have come to know Him. It's a beautiful cycle: belief to works to example for others to belief...

But none of it happens without Christ's proclamation of salvation for the sinner in the Blood of the Risen Lord. Salvation comes first, and this is a message that needs to be preached today more than ever.

The New Anti-Catholicism: Occupy the Vatican

I really like this article. The author is also in the comments section with this little gem: "If the Catholic can't take the secularist's property taxes to pay for his child's Catholic school education, the secularist can't take the Catholic's liquid assets to pay for his box of condoms."

The New Anti-Catholicism: Occupy the Vatican: Francis J. Beckwith on anti-Catholicism, old and new; the new coming from Washington, D.C.