Learning to be Quick to Listen

Mass this weekend focuses on the Holy Family. Although we annually celebrate this feast at this time, it is particularly significant this year because of recent events in the news. The death of eleven year old Sarah Foxwell in Maryland and the announcement that a five year old who was missing had been found in Phoenix mirrors the pain and anguish that Mary and Joseph felt when they discovered their son, Jesus, was missing. In Luke’s Gospel, we learn that “Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of...

The holidays are a joyful time but can also bring apprehension and anxiety. We are excited about visiting with our family but we very often are anticipating discord. Frequently this time of the year involves going “home” to our parent’s house for the Christmas celebration. The anxiety level is often raised on both sides. The parents want everything to be perfect and for all of the existing problems to be put aside, at least for the day. The “children” (who are now adults very often with children of their own) are anticipating the judgment they will have to endure from their parents. A lot of people feel like their parents want to change them so the holiday celebration becomes one of avoidance and allusion instead of a day of enjoyment. St. Paul offers some good advice for times such as these. In Ephesians 6:4, St. Paul tells parents to not irritate or provoke their children to anger but instead to rear them in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord. Paul...

The scripture today comes from Mark 1:12-13, “At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.” It is short and concise. The story is expanded in the other gospels, but the message is important when we look to how we should arm ourselves to deal with the temptation of the devil. We must be prepared to go to war with the devil each day. The temptations we faced are just as real as the ones that Jesus encountered over 2000 years ago. What sort of armor do you have? Are you accessing all of the weapons available to you to deal with Satan? We know from Ephesians 6:11 that the devil employs schemes against us using the forces of darkness. We are urged to take on the full armor of God and to stand firm against this dark force. Jesus was able to employ the help of angels and so are we. Many people have discovered the great aid offered by St. Michael the Archangel. He is...

My wife and I taught religious education (CCD) for many years and enjoyed it immensely. It is an important part of the Catholic Church’s mission as there are many folks who cannot afford Catholic schools. One of the questions that we always got each year from our students and sometimes from parents was “what does catechism mean?” It is an interesting word. On the surface, we probably think of catechism for what it represents. It is school or class and we are taken to catechism by our parents once a week to learn about God and His Church. But the Church defines catechism much more deeply. After all, the definitive source for all things Catholic is the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Last updated in 1992, the Catechism was created by the Church in response to her mission to guard the deposit of faith which the Lord entrusted to His Church. It is the reference text that is a statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the A...

There is controversy today about a poster that is being used to promote the upcoming U.S. Census. You can view it here but it essentially depicts the Holy Family making their way back to Bethlehem for the census. As we all know, when they arrived there was no room at the inn so they were allowed to stay in the barn and Jesus was born there. Some folks are saying that the poster is sacrilegious. I do not think it is and in fact, brings focus to Jesus just when many folks lose sight of what Christmas is all about. Maybe my logic is simplistic but I think that it depicts the truth about the birth of Jesus. It also sends the message that we should try to be more like Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The art work is not derogatory, as is often the case, and in fact is similar to what you would find on a Christmas card. I was alerted to the controversy by an article in a national newspaper. The comments on the poster are mainly about the census itself. It seems that people are very concerned that the...

Did you know that Pope Benedict has had the name Yahweh removed from all things Catholic? I discovered this yesterday, on the third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete (Latin for "rejoice") Sunday. The choir was warming up and I heard the director tell everyone to change the word Yahweh to Lord in the song "I Lift Up My Soul." Of course the director merely offered that the pastor had made the change without an explanation. I went to the Catholic News Service (CNS) and discovered that this change was made last year in deference to the Jewish people. It really is an interesting story. The name of God has been declared unpronounceable in the Jewish tradition and it is related mostly to honoring God. The Jewish people used the four letters YHWH to represent God. I guess over the years that came to be pronounced as Yahweh. At the end of the day, I am fine with this change. What I found to be disturbing is the abruptness of the change. Little did I know that the instruction ...

The pro-life Nelson-Hatch amendment (the Senate version of the Stupak ban on public funding of abortion) has been rejected in the Senate by a 54–45 vote. The opposition of Senator Reid and his colleagues to the Hatch-Nelson amendment illustrates clearly that this bill is not about health-care accessibility or affordability. It is largely a vehicle to sneak in the wolf of federally-funded elective abortion under disguise of health-care-reform clothing. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Chair of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said: “Congress needs to separate facts and truth from political rhetoric on abortion funding. Even our opponents claim they do not support federal funding for elective abortions and they want current restrictions to apply. The way to settle this often misleading debate is simply, clearly and explicitly to apply Hyde restrictions to all the federal funds in the legislation. That is what the House did and what the final bill must do. The Senate should not appr...

The response to the seven question survey has been terrific. I have found inspiration in the responses from the participants and I hope they are helping you on your spiritual journey as well. Today I am adding the thoughts from Monsignor Charles B. King, who serves as Pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Denton, Texas. Founded in 1894, Immaculate Conception is the older of the two Catholic parishes in Denton. They described themselves as a welcoming and friendly parish family; a community that is both multi-cultural and multi-ethnic, with more than twenty-five hundred registered families. I hope you enjoy Monsignor King’s thoughtful reflections. If you would like to respond to the seven questions yourself, please do so and send them to me at fellmananthony@gmail.com. Merry Christmas! 1. What is the biggest challenge to your faith that you have faced so far? The biggest challenge to my faith has been the temptation to put material things and satisfactions ahead of my commitment ...

I just finished a great book by Edward Rowell called Emma's Journal . I found myself crying at the end. Not becasue it was sad but because it was simply a beautiful story. The premise is based on the life of Emma Estes who was in an abusive relationship for most of her life. Once her husband dies and her grown children have left, she makes a life altering decision to turn everything over to God. Her journey is mainly guided by the scripture in Luke 1:80 which describes Jesus' life between His childhood and when He begins His ministry. Emma decides to live a life of purpose and to make a difference in the world around her. This is not a literary masterpiece but a simple book that brings hope. Rowell gives us a nice blueprint for improving our life each day with small steps that get us to change our bad habits into good. It is easy to read and would be appropriate for children as well (ages 10 and up). What this book did for me was two-fold. It was reassuring in the fact that peo...

One of the most beautiful modern Christmas songs that has emerged recently is Mary Did You Know? I have heard a number of folks sing it and the impact is always the same. The song makes you stop and think about Mary and what she experienced when she was asked to carry Jesus. Isn't that what a good song is supposed to do? Not only entertain you but take you to another place. It always makes me think of the time before Jesus' birth when Mary was in Bethlehem. Her relationship with Joseph was already established but we know that this certainly caused him to reconsider the prospects of marriage with this young woman, that is until God sent his angel to intervene. Since I am not a woman and cannot ever experience the miracle of child birth personally, it is almost impossible for me to know on a biological level what Mary felt as this baby grew inside of her. But I can, as a parent, empathize with her feelings of doubt, concern, and wonder. How was this child going to change her lif...

Anticipation and preparation are the keywords for the Advent Season. How are you preparing to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Is the anticipation you are feeling merely the pressure created by shopping, parties, and other commercial hassles? It is very difficult to slow down at this time of the year and really think about the meaning of December 25. But is it incumbent upon you to find the time to focus on the meaning of Christmas as a Christian. Not only are we celebrating the birth of Jesus but anticipating His second coming. The manifestation of Jesus to the world in His human form provides us the perfect opportunity to realize that we are not alone. A good example of the anticipation comes from Mary's cousin Elizabeth and appears in the Gospel of Luke 1:41-45, "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, 'Most blessed are you among women...