Easter reality

"Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,

radiant in the brightness of your King!

Christ has conquered! 

Glory fills you!

Darkness vanishes for ever!"

(from the Exsultet chanted at the Easter Vigil)

Thoughts in the "afterglow" of Easter Sunday... 

What we have just experienced (at least, we who are Catholic and have participated in the liturgies of Holy Week, culminating in the Triduum - i.e., Holy Thursday/Good Friday/Holy Saturday/Easter Sunday)... is life in a completely different reality. The reality of sacrifice, suffering, and ultimately, the glory of God. Gift and mystery. It's a reality that is indeed completely different, and even opposed to, the reality most of us live in every day. That beautiful cocoon of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, leading into Easter Sunday... is an incredible place to just be. 

The comparison that comes to mind is that of the apostles at the Transfiguration, on the mountain and not wanting to leave... starting on Holy Thursday, following the Lord from the Last Supper to the Mount of Olives... into the suffering and darkness of Good Friday... to the sacred light of the new Easter fire - Easter-Vigil-in-the-Holy-Night, Holy Saturday. 

These holy days we have celebrated, grieved, kept watch, and now rejoiced - are important. They are not like any other days of the year - they are set apart for the specific remembrance of Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. After all, Christ's command to "do this in remembrance of me" came at the Last Supper, the institution of the Holy Eucharist - the first Mass - on Holy Thursday. 

And yes, we can (and should) recall and meditate on these events at any time. But... the setting apart of these days, the specific remembrance - not only gives greater glory to God (important in a world that wants to throw God away), but also reminds us of the reality of Christ's suffering and death - without which there would be no resurrection. 

After all, it's easy for us to be happy with the image of the risen Jesus in our heads - but the image of a suffering, crucified Jesus is a lot harder for us to be comfortable with. We need to participate in the whole of the story, the entire experience, because the truth is:

There is no resurrection without crucifixion. 

There is no redemption without suffering. 

Easter Sunday cannot exist apart from Good Friday.

Leaving the Easter Vigil, we know: Easter is here. Resurrection is reality. Just as Christ rose, leaving an empty tomb, we have to emerge from that Triduum cocoon... we are tasked with going out to the world, because (as we were reminded at our parish's Easter Vigil last night) the holy night of Christ's resurrection reminds us of who we are, and consequently, what we are to do. 

We are Christ's - and if this is true, we must live as he lived, rejoice as he rejoiced, and of course, suffer as he suffered. It's a sobering to look out at a world that largely does not value Christ's sacrifice, and does not believe that suffering is ever good, is ever redemptive, or ever has value. It's sobering to look at a crucifix and there, to see the example set forth for us.

The cocoon of Easter Triduum may be hard for us to leave behind - but we must carry its reality - God's reality - back into the world with us. Choosing to live in the reality of Easter Sunday is also choosing to live in the reality of Good Friday, and to rejoice in both - knowing fully that it's not easy, and that's okay - our God has gone before us, and will lead us through our own darkness to light and new life.

Christ has been there, and done that. 

"Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,

radiant in the brightness of your King!

Christ has conquered! 

Glory fills you!

Darkness vanishes for ever!"

+Christ is risen, alleluia, thanks be to God, alleluia! 

+Peace and good. 

habemus papam!

"Jesus teaches us another way: Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit..." 
- Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (now Pope Francis)

What a day for the Church!!! A new Holy Father who is... a South American Jesuit!

I admit, I was unfamiliar with Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio until today. The past several hours have been a crash course, learning about the REALLY SUPER FREAKING COOL dude the world now knows as Pope Francis.

A man of great humility, who, after years of eschewing luxury - living in a small apartment and taking public transportation as the cardinal archbishop of Buenos Aires, chose to take the bus back to the cardinals' conclave residence at Doma Santa Marta in Rome instead of being driven there in the papal car. A man who, in 2001, washed and kissed the feet of AIDS patients in Argentinian hospice. A man who has told his flock in Argentina to give their money to the poor rather than travel to Rome to celebrate his election to the papacy.

In short, Pope Francis is exactly what the Church, and the world, need... a man who - I believe - will show all of us exactly what his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, was all about - loving God, taking care of people, caring for the world, in humble service to Christ's Church. And of course, I think it's REALLY SUPER FREAKING COOL that Cardinal Bergoglio, a Jesuit, would choose the name of the founder of the Franciscan order, as his papal name. Because I love St. Francis of Assisi. Because he's the patron saint of the Archdiocese in which I reside. Because St. Francis is just really freaking awesome. (After all, there's a reason I have a photo of a statue of him at the top of this blog!) And because I've never been able to decide if I am more drawn to Jesuit or Franciscan spirituality. Could this be the best of all possible worlds? I mean, really??!?!?

Did I mention he trained as a chemist (and has a master's degree in chemistry!!!) prior to studying for the priesthood as a Jesuit? BOOM!!! As a Catholic chemist/materials scientist, this just adds to the REALLY SUPER FREAKING COOL factor. I am stoked, folks. Jesuit-trained-as-chemist-takes-Franciscan-name-as-Pope. Wicked awesome.

And you thought faith and reason were incompatible. Double BOOM!!!! Of course, if you really thought that, you haven't taken note of all the Catholic scientists throughout history - many of them priests, like Teilhard de Chardin - who was, oh yeah, another Jesuit. BOOM again. ;-)

Only good can come from this day... on oh-so-many levels.

And because every time I falter, our good God reminds me of purpose and goodness - and because today, that reminder came through the election of Pope Francis:

Most high, glorious God,

illumine the darkness of my heart

and give me Lord,

true faith,

certain hope,

perfect charity,

and profound humility.

Grant me, O Lord,

sense and wisdom,

to fulfill your true and holy will.

Amen.

-St. Francis of Assisi

Viva il Papa Francesco!!!!

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam!

And of course, peace and good :)

Because it's relevant: a quick pic from last weekend's most excellent journey to Taos: St. Francis and the Cross, under a blanket of fresh snow, at San Francisco de Asis Church in Ranchos de Taos. 

the Church and the world (part 2)

Yesterday, I offered my perspective on the Pope Benedict XVI's decision to retire from the papacy, and the media ridiculousness that has ensued. If you missed that first part, you can read it here. Today, I'll finish answering some of the questions that have inevitably found their way into the media's coverage of the Church in recent days. So, let's get back to it... 

Will the next Pope allow priests to marry? And what about all those sex abuse scandals?

Well, at this point, only God knows what the next Pope will do. It's not for us to decide. 

However, the entire argument about married priests has been hashed and rehashed more times than most of us can count, and it's more stale than last month's leftovers - another classic example of how the world simply does not understand the Church (and has no desire to seek such understanding). 

The Catholic worldview on the topic of priestly celibacy is pretty simple. There are these things called vocations, you see. They are not careers, as in the sense that I have chosen a career as a scientist. I am also a married woman, and that is my vocation - marriage.  Sure, being a Catholic priest is a full-time job - 24/7/365 - and for men called to the priesthood, you could say that their vocation and career are parallel. But ultimately, vocation transcends career. There are people who have a vocation to marriage (yep, that's most of us) - and there are people who have a vocation to live in the single state, and there are people who have a vocation to priesthood or religious life. The word vocation comes from the Latin verb "vocare," which means "to call." A vocation is a calling - most specifically, a calling from God. 

And those who are called to priesthood or religious life are called to be completely, unreservedly united to the Church. They are not called to marriage, and therefore they aren't married! (With the notable exception of those Anglican priests who have joined the Catholic Church and been allowed to ordination as Catholic priests - which brings its own share of challenges to these men and their families - and I think most of them would agree that married priests would not be a good norm for the Church.) To most Catholics, the idea of married priests is as ridiculous as the idea of married nuns. I mean, seriously?!? Sounds kinda strange, doesn't it??

I think the biggest problem the world at large has with a celibate priesthood is that the world at large cannot disconnect itself from the false and sick notion that men are incapable of sexual self-control. After all, our culture focuses on sex, sex, and more sex - women are objects of sexual pleasure for men who shouldn't have to exercise one iota of discipline! Self-control, what's that?? Not something you'd see a teaser about on the cover of Maxim magazine, that's for damn sure! Oh yeah, that's right - self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, if anyone is keeping track. Check out chapter 5 of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians for the entire reference. Oops. I just referred to the Bible. Which is at least as "behind the times" as the Catholic Church - after all, it was the oh-so-irrelevant Catholic Church who put together the canon of scripture at the Council of Nicaea, way back in 325 AD. But no one cares about the Bible anymore, right? It's just another irrelevant vestige that we have evolved past. 

In all seriousness, though, I do believe the issue the world has with the celibate Catholic priesthood has more to do with the world's skewed view of human sexuality than anything else. I realize there are those who somehow want to believe that allowing priests to marry would solve the sexual abuse scandals the Church has seen in recent years. 

Which brings us to those sex abuse scandals. 

The truth of the matter is that sexual abuse of minors has nothing to do with whether a man is married or not. Pedophilia and ephebophilia are are psychological disorders that lead to criminal action (the sexual abuse of children and adolescents) - they do not have anything to do with whether a man is gay or straight, and they are not solvable by simply allowing priests to marry. 

Anyone who engages in these heinous crimes against the young should be subject to severe criminal penalties. I think we'd all agree that this includes not only Catholic priests who have been guilty of such crimes, but also ministers, teachers, scout leaders, coaches, and counselors - note that celibacy is not required of any of these groups, yet they have rates of sexual abuse of children and adolescents that arguably far exceed those noted in the celibate Catholic priesthood. In 2009, CBS News actually had the guts and forward-thinking to report on a 2002 study of sexual abuse in public schools led by the US Department of Education; a lead researcher in the study concluded that the rates of sexual abuse of children in schools was likely more than 100 times that perpetrated by bad priests.

And the last time I checked, people in those groups were typically not subjected to the careful screening, including psychological fitness examinations, that are now certainly required of men wishing to become a seminarian for the archdiocese in which I reside - and I would suspect are now required in most, if not all, other dioceses, as well (or will be required in the near future).

None of this is meant to take away from the point that the sexual abuse of children and adolescents is a terrible crime. My point is that it is not just a "Catholic problem."

Yes, there have been plenty of instances in which those within the Church have not done enough to stop these crimes, or have even tried to cover it up. That is a grievous and inexcusable failure. The future must be different. As a resident of an archdiocese that has suffered greatly from the evils of sexual abuse in the clergy, I've seen it - but I've also seen the positive steps taken to stop it from happening again. There is plenty of ground left to be covered here. We all wish it could happen overnight, but sadly, it cannot. The Church has to separate the weeds from the wheat (q.v. Matthew ch. 13), and that is a process that requires time.

The ugliness that has been leveled against the Catholic priesthood in recent years is one of those things that I don't laugh about. I have known many good priests over the years, and have counted several of them as friends. These men are committed to their promises of celibacy and the pursuit of holiness in their lives, and they give their lives for the good of the Church on a daily basis. They knew celibacy would be required of them before entering the seminary, and - gasp!! - they were okay with that. They aren't deviants. They are good men who have chosen to follow Christ in a radical way. And regardless of what the media would like all of us to think, these men are the majority of the Catholic priesthood - not the minority. 

And one more... 
Is the Catholic Church in crisis, or in danger of collapsing? 

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!??

I attended Mass yesterday morning in a church packed full of fellow Catholics - yes, our parishes are alive. After the homily, we prayed for our RCIA candidates (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults - for adults who want to become Catholic) - yes, our parishes are growing.

I attended Mass this morning before heading to work - of course, daily Mass is nowhere near as full as Sunday Mass, but there's always a reasonable crowd - yes, our parishes are active and enduring.

If the Catholic Church is in crisis, or in danger of collapsing, or so far behind the times as to be irrelevant, then please tell me: why are our Sunday Masses packed? And why are so many people joining RCIA classes and becoming Catholic every year? Why is it that the archdiocese I live in has more than thirty men studying for the priesthood?

That's not the mark of an institution in crisis, or in danger of collapse. The Church is alive and well, and even thriving. The Church is not irrelevant - in a time when the dignity of human life is threatened from so many angles - by abortion, by poverty, by human trafficking - the Church is more relevant than ever. The simple fact that people want to attack the "relevance" of the Catholic Church should tell us a lot about how relevant an institution the Church is. Yes, there are areas of the Church that suffer brokenness because of fallen, sinful human beings (hey world, sin is real, and it hurts us all, whether you want to believe it or not) - but when something is broken, we don't throw up our hands and run away in despair. We fix it.

So I'm sorry, world, but I just don't see it. I don't see a Church on the verge of oblivion. I don't see a Church that is dying. I see a Church that does more to uphold the dignity of humanity than any other institution in the world. I see a Church that does more to support the poor and suffering of the world than any other institution, and far, far more than any government (and on a budget that is minuscule in comparison).

World, I know it's hard for you to understand, and I know you'll say I'm deluded - and really, I'd expect nothing less from you. But the truth of the matter is that Jesus Christ himself said the gates of hell would never prevail against his Church. That's a lesson you've never learned.

1.2 billion, and growing. Storms - real and imagined - come and go - but the Church is not going anywhere, despite what CNN or Fox or MSNBC or the Democrats or the Republicans or anyone else thinks.

+Peace and good, and prayers for whatever storm you may be facing.