An Illinois bishop's mention of Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin in an April 14 homily calling Catholics to "heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism" in the face of current threats to religious liberty in the United States has stirred widespread controversy. After listing several governments throughout history that "have tried to force Christians to huddle and hide only within the confines of their churches," Peoria Bishop Daniel R. Jenky said President Barack Obama "now seems intent on following a similar path." He warned that Catholic schools, hospitals and Newman Centers "could easily be shut down" rather than comply with the government's mandate that most health plans cover the cost of contraception, sterilization and some drugs that can induce abortion. In the ensuing days, many have strongly objected to Bishop Jenky's linking of Obama's political actions to those of figures with genocidal policies such as Hitler and Stalin. By April 23, more than 90 faculty members at the University of Notre Dame had signed a letter calling for Bishop Jenky to "renounce loudly and publicly this destructive analogy" or resign from the university's board of fellows. Bishop Jenky served at Notre Dame for more than two decades before becoming a bishop. How ironic that the institution (Notre Dame) that chose to award an honorary doctorate to a man (Obama) who chose to open his administration by directing tax dollars to provide abortions in foreign countries is not lost on those who remain true to the Catholic Church. Institutions like Notre Dame have clearly lost their way and are in no position to claim moral outrage at anything. Statements the Diocese of Peoria has issued since the homily was delivered said Bishop Jenky's comments were being "taken out of context." "Bishop Jenky expressed concern that our country is starting down a dangerous path that we have seen before in history," Patricia Gibson, diocesan chancellor, said in an April 19 statement. "Bishop Jenky gave several examples of times in history in which religious groups were persecuted because of what they believed. We certainly have not reached the same level of persecution. However, history teaches us to be cautious once we start down the path of limiting religious liberty." Bishop Jenky's homily was addressed to more than 500 Catholic men who had marched through the city's downtown in a steady rain April 14 as part of the annual event "A Call to Catholic Men of Faith." Focusing mainly on the power of Jesus' resurrection to embolden today's believers as it had the early disciples, Bishop Jenky used the occasion to call Catholics to more strongly defend their faith as well as religious liberty. "As Christians, we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, but as Christians we must also stand up for what we believe and always be ready to fight for the faith," he said. "The days in which we live now require heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism. We can no longer be Catholics by accident, but instead be Catholics by conviction." After joining the men on a silent, mile-long walk from the Peoria riverfront to St. Mary's Cathedral, Bishop Jenky used some of the strongest language yet by a church official in protesting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' contraceptive mandate. Many of the church's public ministries, he said, could be shut down by the fall of 2013 "because no Catholic institution, under any circumstance, can ever cooperate with the intrinsic evil of killing innocent human life in the womb." The Obama administration's contraceptive mandate includes a religious exemption, but leaders of various Catholic and other faith-based organizations say it is too narrow and they will still be forced to provide coverage they oppose. The administration has defended the mandate as "preventative care," but religious groups that oppose it say it infringes on their religious liberty. A new federal proposal issued March 21 suggested third-party administrators pay the costs of contraceptives for religious employers who object, but the U.S. bishops said even with that, the mandate remained flawed. "Hitler and Stalin, at their better moments, would just barely tolerate some churches remaining open, but would not tolerate any competition with the state in education, social services, and health care," said Bishop Jenky. "In clear violation of our First Amendment rights, Barack Obama -- with his radical pro-abortion and extreme secularist agenda -- now seems intent on following a similar path." To sustained applause, Bishop Jenky said no matter what happens in "this passing moment," "Christ wins" and the church will survive current threats, including "the hatred of Hollywood, the malice of the media, and the mendacious wickedness of the abortion industry." "The church will survive the entrenched corruption and sheer incompetence of our Illinois state government," he continued, "and even the calculated disdain of the president of the United States, his appointed bureaucrats in HHS, and of current majority in the federal Senate." Last year, legislation on civil unions and subsequent court rulings forced Catholic Charities agencies throughout Illinois out of adoption and foster care. Bishop Jenky said "this is not a war where any believing Catholic may remain neutral." "No Catholic ministry -- and yes, Mr. President, for Catholics our schools and hospitals are ministries -- can remain faithful to the lordship of the risen Christ and to his glorious Gospel of Life if they are forced to pay for abortions," said Bishop Jenky. He said every practicing Catholic "must vote, and must vote their Catholic consciences" in the fall elections.

Heeding the call to evangelize issued by our priest on Easter Sunday has proved to be invigorating and frustrating. Many people are definitely looking for help. Many of them have simply forgotten that Jesus is waiting for them with open arms. They have become so lost and misguided that they have even forgot how to pray. So I would suggest that you simply offer to pray with and for someone if you are at a loss for how to begin to evangelize for the Church. The frustrating part comes from folks who want to personalize the Church. By that I mean they want the Church to reflect their personal views on everything. I recently read a terrific op-ed piece by Samuel Gregg on this very topic. His broader topic was on the effective work of Pope Benedict but here is part of what he had to say about folks who long to have the Church become more like them. "A similar method is at work in Benedict’s approach to internal Church issues. Take, for instance, Benedict’s recent polite but pointed critique of a group of 300 Austrian priests who issued a call for disobedience concerning the now drearily-familiar shopping-list of subjects that irk dissenting Catholics. Simply by posing questions, the pope demonstrated the obvious. Do they, he asked, seek authentic renewal? Or do we 'merely sense a desperate push to do something to change the Church in accordance with one’s own preferences and ideas?' Beyond the specifics of the Austrian case, Benedict was making a point that all Catholics, not simply dissenters, sometimes forget. The Church is not in fact 'ours.' Rather, it is Christ’s Church. It is not therefore just another human institution to be changed according to human whim. That in turn reminds us that Christianity is not actually about me, myself, and I. Rather, it is centered on Christ and our need to grow closer to Him. Certainly the Church always needs reform – but reform in the direction of holiness, not mere accommodation to secularism’s bar-lowering expectations." Amen brother.

If you don't believe that the devil is working overtime to harm the Church, take a look at this recent article. About 20,000 atheists gathered within shouting distance of the Washington Monument recently for a Reason Rally hell-bent on damning religion and mocking beliefs. A full pantheon of demigods of unbelief -- British scientist and full-time atheism rabble-rouser Richard Dawkins was the headliner -- kept a crowd of all ages on their feet for more than six hours. Dawkins called on the crowd not only to challenge religious people but to "ridicule and show contempt" for their doctrines and sacraments, including the Eucharist, which Catholics believe becomes the body of Christ during Mass. That was a step further than Craig Lowery, a Dawkins fan, said he's willing to go. Lowery, of Washington, D.C., applauded but admitted he's not a confrontational atheist, saying: "I might make fun of them in my head but I wouldn't say it. Most people, religious or otherwise, are good people." Outrage was the parlance of the day, however, for many speakers, including David Silverman, Reason Rally organizer and American Atheists president. He reveled in the group's reputation as the marines of atheism, as the people who storm the faith barricades and bring "unpopular but necessary" lawsuits. Silverman may have gone a bit further in his rhetoric than he intended. In a thundering call for "zero tolerance" for anyone who disagrees with or insults atheism, Silverman proclaimed, "Stand your ground!" Several of the featured names were famous folks who sent in videos: Penn Jillette, Bill Maher and U.S. Rep. Pete Stark. Others, popular in the Internet niche of skeptics, free-thinkers and atheists, came to the microphone to address the soggy crowds in person. Adam Savage, co-host of Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel, said there really is someone who loves and protects him and watches over his actions -- "It's me!" Many were surprised to learn that Fred Phelps, head of Westboro Baptist Church -- famous for its anti-gay signs at the funerals of innocent people -- has an atheist son, Nate. Nate drew big applause for denouncing the fundamentalist faith of his family. Meanwhile, 12 men with big signs warning Jesus demands repentance ignored the official holding pen fenced off for counterdemonstrators. Instead, they stood on the grass about 100 yards from the podium, each surrounded by a knot of eager-to-argue unbelievers. Michelle and Joshua Gajewski brought Mark, 2, and Amity, 7, with them from Richmond, Va., to "be with people who share our views," Michelle said. Joshua said they're the only out atheists in their families. Organized by a coalition of godless groups led by the American Atheists, along with secularists, humanists and niche groups (students, blacks, Jews, etc. ), the American Atheists hold an annual convention in the Washington suburb of Bethesda. The theme: "Come out, come out, wherever you are! That's not easy, said Rebecca Cunningham of Fredericksburg, Va. When she changed her status on Facebook to atheist, she lost 34 "friends."

Plenty of well-known recording artists have been the subject of tribute albums recorded by all-star casts of performers doing cover versions of their songs. The tribute subjects have ranged from Bruce Springsteen to the Eagles to Sonny Bono to Woody Guthrie. Now, a new tribute subject has been unveiled: the Medical Mission Sisters. Those who came of age after the Second Vatican Council are probably familiar with the sisters' first album, "Joy Is Like the Rain," released in 1966. It was certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies -- unheard-of at the time for Catholic religious music, and possibly the only gold record for the genre until the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo do Silos' 1994 CD "Chant" went triple platinum for sales of 3 million. The sisters were prolific, recording 15 albums in the studio -- more than Madonna, the Eagles, and scores of other pop, rock and soul stars -- before their songwriter, Sister Miriam Therese Winter, switched her writing to theological topics. Dan Paulos, director of the Shrine of St. Bernadette in Albuquerque, N.M., and head of the St. Bernadette Institute of Sacred Art, has an ambitious tribute plan. Of the estimated 250-300 songs the Medical Mission Sisters recorded, he plans on rerecording 100 of them, including 12 songs Sister Miriam Therese wrote but never recorded. The first CD, "Loving You," contains 21 songs, including three of the new tunes. Paulos told Catholic News Service that Sister Miriam Therese even returned to the recording studio. "The first recording was 46 years ago, and four of the originals (sisters) went back and recorded more songs," he said.

"In the earthly liturgy we take part in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the holy city of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, a minister of the holies and of the true tabernacle; we sing a hymn to the Lord's glory with all the warriors of the heavenly army; venerating the memory of the saints, we hope for some part and fellowship with them; we eagerly await the Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ, until He, our life, shall appear and we too will appear with Him in glory." This is a passage from the Second Vatican document Sacrosanctum Concilium which was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1963. As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II, it is a good time to revisit the documents as so much of what they say has been distorted over the years. I found this passage to be so beautiful and inspiring. It is also aspirational. It makes you want to see each Eucharistic celebration in the way that this passage describes. Can you imagine the ultimate Mass with Jesus sitting at God's right hand? The imagery in this brief passage is just the beginning. Start your Holy Week celebration by revisiting our Church's guiding documents. As we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, now is a good time to focus on the beauty of Mass and commit ourselves to attending the Easter Triduum.