Called To Be Servants

Speak, for your servant is listening.  (1 Samuel 3:10b)

On this second Sunday in Ordinary Time in the Roman liturgy for this year, we hear in our Scripture readings about those who are called by God for a special ministry.  In the first Book of Samuel, we hear about the call of the young Samuel who, at first, does not realize that God is calling him to be his spokesman until Eli tells him to listen for the Lord's call.  In the Gospel reading from John, we hear about some of the first disciples who have Jesus pointed out to them by John the Baptist and then go to follow Jesus.

All of us have received a call from God.  The call is not just for Christians but for people of good will in all faith traditions - Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc.  All of us are called to work toward a  more peaceful world in which we can all live together in harmony.  We begin this work in our own homes, within our own families and in our own communities.

In our Christian tradition, we have calls to particular states in life and these are invitations by God to serve him and our sisters and brothers in those states of life.  One of my favorite titles that is given to the Roman Pontiff is Servus Servorum Dei - Servant of the Servants of God.  This title is a reminder to all of us involved in ministry - whether pope, bishop, priest, deacon, vowed religious or lay minister - that our call is to service.  When those of us in ministry become more concerned with our titles and the special recognition that we believe should be ours then we are in trouble.  We begin to lose sight of the fact that we were called to serve others and that should be our most important concern. 

Our model for service is none other than Jesus himself.  All we have to do is to read through the Gospel narratives to see that Jesus' mission was one of wholehearted service to others - the poor, the lame, the blind, the deaf - all those who were in need of hope and healing.  As he himself said:  For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.  (Mark 10:45)  One of my favorite images of Jesus the Servant was that of his getting to his knees to wash the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper.  A task usually carried out by a slave or servant became that of Jesus the Servant.  He instructed his disciples that they, too, (and this includes all of us) should go out and wash each others' feet.  Only then do we really serve our sisters and brothers.  In order to be able to serve effectively, we need to be people of prayer who call upon the Master to give us the strength we need to be good and worthy servants.  When some of his disciples could not bring about certain healings after they had been dispatched by Jesus, they asked him why they could not.  He told them that the kind of healing that was needed could only come "through prayer" (Mark 9:29).

In the Gospel reading for this second Sunday of Ordinary Time, as I noted before, we see the first disciples seeking out Jesus after having him pointed out to them by John.  They asked him where he was staying and he replied by asking them to "come and see."  Jesus is asking us to come and see where he dwells today: in the homeless seeking shelter, in the unemployed looking for work, in women and children who are abused, in the aged and those with terminal illnesses.  We can find Jesus wherever we look to serve - we need to just look.

Dear Jesus, look upon us, your disciples of today, and bless our efforts as we minister to your people.  Help us always be mindful that we are called to serve others and not to be served ourselves.  Give us the strength to carry out your work in a world so much in need of your love and grace.  Help us to see where you live today so that we may spend our time with you until that day when we are with you in the joy of eternal life.  Amen.

Rules from God for 2012

The title I have chosen for this post comes from an insert that was in this week's bulletin at my parish church (St. Michael the Archangel in North Greenbush, New York, USA).  I'm not sure of the source but I thank our wonderful parish leader, Sister Katherine Arseneau, for placing it.  I would like to share it with you as my wish for 2012.  The words in italics are my comments on the "rules."

1.   WAKE UP!!  Decide to have a good day.  "Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."  (Psalm 118:24)

If you're like me, there are some days when you'd just prefer to stay in bed as you contemplate what may await you in the day ahead.  But each day is given to us as a great gift from our God and we should rejoice that we are able to "wake up" and take part in the work of the Lord in whatever way we are called to.  May each day in this new year be a blessed one for you and let it be an opportunity to again serve the Lord as we are called to do.

2.   DRESS UP!!  The best way to dress up is to put on a smile.  A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.  "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  (1 Samuel 16:7)

Did you know that it takes more muscles to frown than to smile?  Keeping this in mind, would it not be better to have a smile to greet our neighbors with (even when our day may look bleak ahead)?  I believe there was a song once that went something like this:  Smile and the world smiles with you; cry and you cry alone.  So my wish for you is that you keep smiling during this new year.

3.   SHUT UP!!  Say nice things and learn to listen.  God gave us two ears and one mouth, so he must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.  "He who guards his lips guards his soul."  (Proverbs 13:3)

We were always told as children that we should never tell anyone to "shut up" as this was impolite.  I believe I once said this to my mother and was disciplined by my father for the outburst.  But maybe we need to say this to ourselves; maybe we need to listen to others with real interest and not just be ready with our own verbiage (as important as we think that is).  May the new year find you listening, especially listening for what God is saying to you.

4.  STAND UP!!  for what you believe in.  Stand for something or you will fall for anything.  "Let us not be weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good...."  (Galatians 6:9-10)

This is perhaps one of the hardest of these "rules from God"  because we are often afraid to speak up for what we believe in.  We are either afraid of being criticized for being "old fashioned and out of touch" or are fearful of offending someone with whom we disagree.  We can speak up in a way that lets the world know what we believe and why but we can do that without criticizing or condemning those who have opinions other than our own.  May we all be ready this year to speak up for what is good and what the world needs to hear - that God loves each of us with an abiding love and wants all of his earthly creatures to live in harmony.

5.  LOOK UP!!  to the Lord.  "I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me."  (Philippians 4:13)

The world sometimes drags us down to the point that we seem to always be looking downward and trying to avoid the pitfalls that may lay ahead.  While we need to be careful of those, we also need to seek our strength from the One who give us strength by his constant love and support.  May the new year find you receiving the strength you need to meet the obstacles that you may find in your path.

6.  REACH UP!!  for something higher.  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways, acknowledge the Lord and he will direct your path."  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Sometimes it's hard for us to trust.  We see so many examples in our world of those who betray the trust of others that it gives us pause.  Yet we know that there are people in our lives with whom we can place our trust, the most trustworthy, of course, being the Lord.  May you always find that trusting in the Lord will bring you to a place of peace so that in turn you may offer trust to others.

7.  LIFT UP!!  your prayers.  "Do now worry about anything, instead pray about everything."  (Philippians 4:6)

May this year of 2012 be for all of you a time of hope, peace and love.  My prayer is that all who read this blog may be held in the heart of God and I would only ask that you send a prayer or two heavenward for me so that I may continue the ministry of his word.  May you have a blessed 2012!

The Night God Turned the World Upside Down

As I write here I think about the night that the world was turned upside down by our God.  We seem to have a problem with the Christmas message because it doesn't resonate with how we would have planned the coming of the Savior into the world.  How would we have planned it?

First of all, what place would we choose to have the birth of the Savior?  My guess is that we would want to provide a very comfortable, almost lush, place where Mary could deliver her child - with all of the best medical attention the world could give.  It would be a pleasant place with bright light, soft chairs, and a spacious room where visitors could come.  Maybe not a palace but close.

And what about how we would announce the birth.  In our day we would certainly use Facebook and Twitter and all the other possibilities through the Internet to alert the world to this great event.  And who would we want to be the visitors to the birthplace?  Probably the heads of state of the governments of the world who would come to see the newborn Prince of Peace. 

But this is where the message of Christmas puts another light on the subject.  God chose not a spacious room or palace to see his Son born - he saw the child come into the world in a stable and being placed in a feeding trough for animals.  Is this because we know that this child would eventually give us his own Body and Blood for our nourishment?  The first visitors to the birthplace were not the high and the mighty but the lowliest citizens of the place in the eyes of others - the shepherds: dirty, unkempt and probably smelling of the animals they cared for.  Is this because Jesus was to become the shepherd of us all?

It may be hard for some to comprehend that God could leave behind all the trappings of divinity and come to reside in the vulnerable body of a tiny child.  We have a God of surprises and at the birth of Christ the world was turned upside down by our God.  We may try to control the feast by our songs and our decorations but what we are witnessing is the weakness of God - a weakness of great and unbounded love for his creation and the human race that he created.

A certain man had difficulty understanding this message of Christmas.  He could not comprehend that God would become human to help the likes of us.  Each year his wife would ask him to come with her to the Christmas worship service in their church but he stayed home.  On one particular Christmas night while his wife was away at church, he heard a loud noise in his barnyard.  Investigating, he found a gaggle of geese who seemed to be trying to find a warm place to rest.  He thought if he could open the barn door they would go in and get warm.  But no matter how hard he tried to coax them into the barn they remained outside somewhat fearful of this human being.  He thought: if only I could become a goose for a while I could entice them to enter the barn.  Then it hit him: this is exactly what our God did on that first Christmas night.  Our God became one of us to entice us to enter into a relationship with him and be freed from our sins and bask in the warmth of his love.

We love the story of the baby Jesus because babies are soft and cuddly and seem to bring out the best in us.  But as Jesus grew up, we, too, must grow up in our faith experience.  There is a wonderful picture portrayed by different artists of Jesus as a man knocking at a door.  The door has no outer handle with which to open it.  It is a reminder that Jesus is knocking on the door of our souls but it is up to us to open the door and let him in.  Are we ready to let him into our lives?

Many come to church at Christmas time to seek God but the story of Christmas is that God is seeking us.  He is reaching out to us; he is knocking at our doors.  May this Christmas be the time we answer wholeheartedly to his summons.  As we go forward from this Christmas, maybe we can hear something in the words once written by the writer and theologian Howard Thurman:

When the song of the angels is stilled; when the star in the sky is gone; when the kings and princes are home; when the shepherds are back with their flocks, then the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoners, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among brothers and sisters, to make music in the heart.

May the peace which Jesus brought at his birth reign in your hearts and homes this Christmas season and may we begin the work of Christmas in our world.

What's Been Happening?

It's been a few weeks since I have had the time to come up with a new post for the blog.  Much of the reason lies with the fact that I am now working as a parish administrator in an urban parish while the pastor is on extended medical leave.  Fortunately, he is coming along well after a procedure to deal with his cancer and the parish continues to pray for his full recovery and return to his pastoral duties.  Perhaps you can send up a few prayers for this dedicated priest that he may return to full health.

I have been busy with the parish as well as other duties that I have in the Diocese of Albany, New York.  All of this work is very rewarding.  I have a dedicated staff at the parish and the diocesan work brings me into contact with wonderful people who give of their time and talent to spread the message of Jesus Christ throughout our area of New York State.  In the United States, we recently celebrated our annual Thanksgiving Day and I am continually giving thanks for all the great people I have in my life including a wonderful and supportive family and friends.

I'd like to highlight three events that have taken place in the past several weeks which made an impression on me.  First was a remarkable concert that took place at the mother church of our diocese - the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (the feast we are celebrating today as I write this post).  The cathedral is blessed with a very talented music director (and very good friend of mine), Thomas F. Savoy.  Over several months he, together with a dedicated assistant, worked on restoring music that had been discovered in the cathedral archives some of which dated back to one of the cathedral's former directors who served in the early part of the twentieth century.  The concert featured a number of that composer's works as well as others and was performed by a choral group and orchestra.  It was a wonderful night of music and it is hoped that more such events will take place in the future.  I was also very pleased that my son who is a trained singer was part of the ensemble with a featured solo.

The second event to take place was one in which I had been involved over several months.  On the first Sunday of Advent in the English speaking world, the third edition of the Roman Missal was introduced.  I had been involved in presenting a number of workshops throughout the diocese in the preceding months to help the faithful be prepared for the new translation and the changes in some of the wording of the faithful's responses in the liturgy.  What I have heard from friends around the diocese is that while there is still some hesitation and stumbling over the new translation, it has gone quite well.  I believe the new translation (which is more faithful to the original Latin text) is more elevated and poetic and helps us to pause and realize that we are speaking to our God and should give God the best we can.

The final event took place a week ago.  As I have mentioned in a number of my former posts, my younger daughter is disabled with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (or CMT) which is a neurological disorder that affects the nerves and muscles in the hands, arms and legs.  She has worn braces for a number of years and is limited in a number of her activities.  There is a group of volunteers in the Albany area where we live that have been having art shows exhibiting the work of local artists in order to raise funds for a particular disease or condition.  Last week such a show (called Art de Cure) was held to raise funds for research into CMT in the hopes of finding a cure or finding ways to alleviate the symptoms.  My daugther's undergraduate college degree was in fine arts and she prepared a few paintings to be exhibited (which by the way were sold).  The event featured the art work plus a silent auction where people could bid on various craft items as well as the art.  It was well attended and was a success.  My daughter has since prepared some additional paintings (one of which I show here entitled "Elements") to be on display and has been asked to serve on the ongoing committee to plan future arts shows in the region.

While it has been a busy time for me, it has been rewarding.  I enjoy my work and I was pleased to have been able to help in the introduction of the new Missal for our Catholic faithful.  I am also a proud father who is puffed up with pride for the accomplishments of all my children - my older daughter who is a teacher of the deaf working with young children, my musical son, and my artistic younger daughter.  So the time has been busy but also has been a happy time.  May you all have a prayerful Advent season.

The Heart of Christ

I have had the privilege of attending two events recently that had an impression on me that I wished to share with my readers.  One was the annual Fall Gathering - an event held each year for the parishes in my diocese where people can come to hear a keynote speech and attend various workshops dealing with the variety of ministries in which people are involved in our parishes.  The second was another annual gathering - that of deacons and their wives from all the dioceses in New England and the Diocese of Albany in New York (where I serve).  The main thrust of both events was that of evangelization - the primary mission of our Church.

The Diocese of Albany is embarking on the second year of a three year program concerning evangelization known as "Amazing God."  This second year is devoted to the heart of Christ.  At the Fall Gathering we were honored with a wonderful presentation by Father Richard Fragomeni, a priest of our diocese who currently teaches at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.  He led us through the Litany of the Sacred Heart pausing to have us reflect on various aspects of that litany.

The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus began with the revelations to a seventeenth century French nun, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.  In a sense of irony, perhaps, my own ministerial life has been surrounded by the image of the Sacred Heart.  For twenty years I served as the organist and music director of Sacred Heart Church in Troy, New York.  After my ordination to the diaconate, my first parish assignment was to the parish of St. Margaret Mary in Albany, New York.  Recently I returned to Sacred Heart Church in Troy as temporary administrator.  I have known in my own life the great love that is poured forth from the heart of Christ and my prayer is that everyone could experience this in their lives.  While I cannot reconstruct the beautiful images presented to us by Father Fragomeni, I would just like to add a few reflections of my own to the invocations of the Litany of the Sacred Heart.

Heart of Jesus, glowing furnace of charity.  What a wonderful image!  A furnace - that which burns to give us warmth.  We all know what it is like to be near a roaring fire especially when the world around us is cold.  Think of the furnace of charity that burns within the heart of Jesus for us.  We live in a world today that is often cold: cold with discrimination toward others; cold with indifference to the value of human life; cold with regard to how we use the gifts God has given us to keep our earth a safe and habitable place.  The heart of Christ burns with great love like a fiery furnace.  We need to bask in that warmth and love and in turn give it to others.

Heart of Jesus, patient and rich in mercy.  The love which pours forth from the heart of Christ with the fire like a furnace is a love that is patient.  It is a love which reaches out in compassion to all regardless of how much we have failed at times to earn that love.  How many times in the Gospels did Jesus show his divine mercy to those who had fallen in some way.  He did not strike out at them with the vengeance of the righteous but rather extended the hand of mercy and forgiveness (cf. John 8:1-11).  We are called to do the same to those who have hurt us.  We are challenged to forgive and be patient.

Heart of Jesus, victim for our sin.  We are all sinners and need the forgiveness of God and others.  Jesus went to the cross as a victim for the sins we have committed.  How grateful we should be that this great act of love on the part of Jesus has brought us redemption and the promise of heaven and eternal life.  May the final prayer of this litany be ours:  Almighty and everlasting God, graciously regard the heart of your well-beloved Son and the acts of praise and satisfaction which he renders you on behalf of us sinners; and through their merit, grant pardon to us who implore your mercy.

The second event I was privileged to attend recently was the annual assembly of deacons and wives from our region in the country.  Our keynote speaker at this event was the Most Rev. Octvavio Cisneros, the auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn, New York.  He spoke about the deacon (and the deacon's wife) as evangelizer.  The main point he made is that the evangelization carried out by the deacon is not done so much in what the deacon does as in what the deacon is.  The deacon by his life must show what it is to be motivated by the heart of Christ.  He must live his ministry and not just do it.  In this way, he can be more effective in bringing others to Christ.  As a deacon, I know how easy it is to be caught up in all the "things" we do as deacons: serving at liturgy, proclaiming the Word, and offering a ministry of charity through a variety of ways.  We can become so busy with the actions that we might lose sight of why we are doing what we do.  We need to step back and take stock and to ask ourselves if we are doing these things because "that's our job" or are we doing them with the fire, the compassion and the love shown by the heart of Christ.

All of us as baptized Christians, whether ordained or not, need to live our lives with the image of the heart of Christ being our model of life.  May I offer this prayer from a collection of prayers written by my friend, the Servant of God Terence Cardinal Cooke:

Lord Jesus, I unite myself to your perpetual, unceasing, universal sacrifice.  I offer myself to you every day of my life and every moment of every day, according to your most holy and adorable will.  You have been the victim of my salvation; I wish to be the victim of your love.  Accept my desire, take my offering, graciously hear my prayer.  Let me live for love of you; let me die for love of you; let my last heartbeat be an act of perfect love.  Amen.

Peaceful Protests vs. Violence

Over the past few weeks, a movement has been growing both in the United States and in other countries protesting the inequality between rich and poor - between the middle class and the corporate giants who control a great deal of the wealth in the country.  It began as a movement citing the 99% of people who do not have the wealth as contrasted to the one percent that control much of the wealth.

As in any movement such as this there can be divisions of opinion as to whether the numbers are right or whether all those with wealth are not doing enough to aid those less fortunate.  We know that there are those who are wealthy who have given much time, energy and their wealth to aid others (e.g., the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).  But there is evidence that inequality exists and thousands are growing frustrated and taking their message to the streets of our cities and to the corporate headquarters.

I can readily sympathize with the feelings of those who are protesting this inequality.  One professional I know - a teacher by profession - still owes approximately $45,000 in students loans even after twenty or so years out of college.  She told me that would probably be 85 years old (should she live that long) before they are paid off.  This is causing large number of students and former students to call for changes in how the corporate world treats the rest of society.

One of my fears is that when large numbers such as this gather to protest violence may follow.  This can be caused by a number of factors: some overzealous group members who feel that some destruction is needed in order for the corporate world to wake up; some overreacting members of the police who in trying to keep order get carried away with the tensions of the moment; and on and on.  One example of how destructive things can become was the news from Rome that a medieval church was desecrated by some of those who had gathered to protest.  I don't believe the majority of those protesting are prone to violence but one way to quickly lose support for a cause is for that cause to become enmeshed in violent behavior.  Let us hope that those who are sincere will continue their protests by bringing their message to those who need to hear it without anyone being hurt or property destroyed.

There is nothing inherently evil in wealth.  It is how that wealth is used that is important.  Those who are blessed with it need to know that their wealth can benefit others and should be so used without the wealthy person(s) having to become poor themselves.  Perhaps we all need to re-read the 25th chapter of Matthew's Gospel:

"Come, you who are blessed by my Father.  Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; a stranger and you welcomed me; naked and you clothed me; ill and you cared for me; in prison and you visited me."  Then the righteous will answer him and say, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?"  And the King will say to them in reply, "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for me."

We are all called to help those in need without questioning whether they are good or not.  If they are in need they need our help - be it the single mother trying to raise a family on a meager salary; a disabled person whose work output is limited; one of the thousands of unemployed who want work but cannot find it - whatever, we need to be there for them.   Those of us who possess more of this world's goods need to remember the oft quoted saying:  From those who have been given much more will be expected.  May we give with gracious hearts.



When the Church Fails

The Church, we believe, is the Body of Christ.  As such it should always reflect the message of Christ and imitate how he lived.  But the Church is made up of humans who invariably at one time or another fail to do what they should.  When the Church fails through its members - both clerical and lay - to be what it should be, it leaves many questioning their continued involvement with church.  Yet we need God's grace and love which can be brought to us through the ministry of his Church.

This realization of the failures of the Church was brought home to me very well in an article by my bishop, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard of the Diocese of Albany, New York.  This article appeared in the latest edition of the diocesan weekly newspaper The Evangelist.  In this article, Bishop Hubbard speaks about the varied ways in which the Church can fail its people.  I would like to just add a few comments of my own to what is a most provocative and instructional article.  The failings of the Church listed were:

Sexual Abuse by Clergy

We know that our American Church has gone through a very difficult period in this past decade as we witnessed countless occasions in which clergy - priests and deacons - have been accused of sexual abuse particularly of minors.  While the American Church is not alone in suffering these moral lapses, the fact that this abuse has occurred has left a stain on our Church.  It demanded a response by the leaders of the Church which was brought about by the now famous Charter for the Protection of Children adopted by the American bishops.  At times the bishops themselves did not fully appreciate the extent or the seriousness of this problem as they continued to reassign priests who had been abusing our young people.  Some were led to believe that these lapses could be remedied by counseling which did not prove to be the case.  As a result of the Charter, large numbers of priests and deacons have been removed from active ministry.  This certainly has alleviated the problem to some extent but many have left the Church or have removed themselves from it to some degree because of this problem.  The positive thing that must be remembered is that the majority of our priests and deacons are true to their vows and have not fallen prey to this moral failing.  Those men should be supported with our prayers and be reassured that they have our support.  We need also to pray for the victims of this tragedy and for the perpetrators that they will find forgiveness and become reconciled with God and others.

Closing of Churches

There are a number of reasons why the Church has found it necessary to merge parishes and close some churches.  These include a reduction in the number of priests to serve the needs of the faithful as well as the fact that a large number of people have left the Church or have fallen away from the regular practice of their faith.  In the United States studies have shown that ten percent of all Americans are Catholics who no longer practice their faith - approximately 18 million people in our country.  With less priests to serve and less people attending it has become difficult to maintain many of the church buildings which were a part of our lives.  Closing of these churches has brought pain and heartbreak to many who grew up in a particular parish, were baptized and received their sacraments there and now find they must worship in a different church building.  For some, it is like losing a member of the family but as we do when we lose a loved one, we find the courage and strength to move on.  Hopefully those who find new homes for worship will be able to find anew the welcome and the invitation to holiness the Church offers.  Just a few days ago, I had the privilege of serving as Master of Ceremonies at the dedication of a newly renovated church in one of our cities.  This new building is the result of the closing and merger of six parish communities into one.  The pastor, who delivered the homily, held up a banner that he had created which said: Mission Accomplished!  On the other side of the banner it said:  We've Only Just Begun!  This was a wonderful reminder of how a new beginning was taking place in the newly renovated worship space.  The Church must move on and the Church is, after all, its people and not its buildings.

Anemic Parish Life

With the merging and closing of some parish facilities it may become difficult for people to become acclimated in a new surrounding.  This is why it is so important that every parish community be a welcoming community.  Whether one is a long-time parishioner or a newcomer, everyone must feel welcome when they enter the church to celebrate the Eucharist.  Among priests and deacons there can arise a situation we call clericalism.  It occurs when we clergy think we are above others or require certain perks because of our ordained status.  But clericalism of a different sort can arise among the laity as well.  This occurs when certain groups within a parish begin to see themselves as the principal "movers and shakers" of the community to the exclusion of others.  When new people arrive in a parish, are they welcomed and invited to become active participants or are we just glad to see some empty seats filled and some additional money in the collection basket?  The Church is where we are nourished spiritually; it must be, therefore, a place where everyone is welcomed and where everyone can take an active part in parish life.

Insensitivity

Have you ever felt alienated by the actions of a priest, deacon or other church minister?  Some people carry the bruises they have received from the insensitivity of these ministers and some have even walked away from the practice of their faith because of it.  There are times, of course, when the ministers of the Church must adhere to policies and regulations concerning worship and sacramental issues.  And there are times when some of the requests received to bend these norms are unreasonable.  But even then the minister in question must make every effort to be sensitive to the need for these requests and explain as clearly as possible what can be done.  Pastoral sensitivity must always be the goal.

Poor Preaching and Liturgies

People come to our Catholic Church to be nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.  But they also hunger to hear the word of God and hear it broken open with clarity and with evidence of sound preparation.  When those who preach in our Church resort to "canned" homilies or show evidence of poor preparation (waiting until the day before to begin thinking about the homily) the people are disenfranchised.  They deserve a well prepared and delivered homily that will speak to where they are and what the Gospel means in their lives.  They deserve liturgies that are executed well and not in a haphazard fashion.  They also deserve good liturgical music.  As a liturgical musician, I know that it is sometimes hard to find qualified musicians who are familiar with our liturgy and can provide a good musical program.  Sometimes I think good musicians are as hard to come by as finding priests who can fulfill our spiritual needs.  Parishes need to support their musical program because it is a vital part of our liturgy.

Technology

Fortunately, many churches are coming of age when it comes to technology.  They are using the Internet; they are creating parish blogs; and they use the latest software to assist in ministerial scheduling and other facets of church life.  If your parish does not have a website, offer your services (if you are well versed in the use of computers) to create one.  It can be a wonderful source of information for your parish and for other parishes and communities as well.

The Feeling of Exploitation

Many people are feeling unaccepted or exploited in today's Church climate.  These may include the separated or divorced, the gay or lesbian person, or women in general.  It is up to our Church and its leaders to remedy these feelings of exploitation by welcoming and involving these people in our faith communities.  All of us are God's children and deserve a place at the table.  May we make every effort as disciples of Jesus, who reached out to all, to be that person of welcome to all who come to our doors.

Once again, I applaud Bishop Hubbard for his insights.  I have added nothing of great consequence to this list of failings of the Church but just a few of my own thoughts.  Our Church is made up of saints and sinners and Jesus came to save us all.  May we accept his wonderful gift of salvation.  Let me close, as Bishop Hubbard did in his article, by quoting the words of Father Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.:

We must rejoice in the very existence of people with all their fumbling attempts to live and love, whether they are married, divorced or single; whether they are straight or gay; whether their lives are in accord with the Church or not.  The Church should be a community in which people discover God delights in them.

To this I say:  Amen!