Suffered, Died and Rose from the Dead

A young man from a small village named Nazareth suffered and died for our sins and rose again from the dead.  This man was, also, God incarnate.  All of these are mysteries which are hard to fathom and to comprehend.

We have faith in it and are very grateful to this Jesus who opened the way for our salvation and who opened the door to heaven for us.

The gospel readings of Palm Sunday tell us the story of His suffering and death.  The gospel readings of Easter tell us of his resurrection from his death.  The story is retold many times but what is very important is its real meaning for each of us and for all of us.  We ought to pray and reflect upon this great gift and mystery of salvaton.

The Messiah or the Christ later told the doubting Apostle Thomas blessed are those who believe but did not see His wounds and the resurrected Christ.  We believers some 2,000 years later fall into this category and are grateful for the grace of Christ in believing in this miracle of salvation. 

Every Holy Week and every Good Friday, we remember the events of our Lord’s days just before his suffering, crucifixion and death.  We Catholics, also, revel in His gift to us of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday.  This is so profound to us in our spiritual life that it is beyond real comprehension but not of our appreciation.  It is so wonderful to think that this lamb of God gave His body and blood to us during a most meaningful and holy time of the Passover and He instructed us to do it in memory of Him.  We believe at each Mass that the consecrated bread and wine become His real presence. We are invited and allowed to consume it as the Jews consumed the unblemished lamb at the seder meal as instructed by God through Moses and Aaron for their physical salvation on the night of terror when the first born sons in Egypt were killed by the angel of death.  Contemplate that - Jesus, the Christ, as the real paschal lamb. 

On Easter Sunday, as we remember and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, let us do so with great reverence and joy not only that He has returned from the death but for our salvation.  Celebrate Easter with great happiness and enthusiasm for He is risen and all that means!  Remember what He  was called at birth - Emmanuel - God is with us.  After His resurrection God is still with us.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Fickleness of Fame

This Sunday is Palm Sunday and, in contemplating what happened on that day and in the week that followed, I was thinking about the fickleness of fame.  Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem as a hero and was lauded and honored on His entry to the extent that the people wanted to cover the streets over which He traveled with palm fronds.  Then, in a matter of less that a week, the crowds turned on Him and would rather have Him punished than the criminal Barabbas not because He was the Son of God but because of the fickleness of crowds.

Over what seem innumerable times in history, crowds or mobs have turned on people because of misbeliefs and have resulted in persecutions, torture, and executions. They have done so against rulers, kings and emperors and have persecuted groups of people of all sorts of ethnic, racial and religious beliefs.  These persecutions against Christians occur even today in China and in some middle-eastern countries.  What is it about human nature that causes this?  I don’t know the answer but raise it for your thoughtful consideration.

Let me share some thoughts for you to consider.  In ancient Rome which was a democracy, when a person finished his year term in high office which was represented by a laurel wreath on his head, the wreath was taken from his head and burned.  The Romans would say sic transit gloria mundi - thus, goes the glory of the world.  They wanted to bring the former office holders down from any self-inflated egoism to normality and equality with all the other Romans and to remind them that they was not better than any other Roman.

In more recent history, President Lyndon Johnson won a huge election victory in 1968 riding of the sentiment over the assassination of his predecessor.  But, he became so unpopular because of his handling of the Vietnam war that he felt that he could not run for reelection 4 years later.  Then, his successor, President Richard Nixon won a huge reelection mandate in 1972, only to be removed by scandal over his lying to cover up the Watergate scandal and he resigned instead of being removed by impeachment in 1975.  So, the turn of public opinion doesn’t always have to be violent to have consequences.  In these two cases, there were logical reasons for the step-downs.

Jesus, on the other hand, was falsely accused, sentenced to death, tortured and then He killed in the cruelest of ways - crucifixion.  This happened as a result of the fickleness of fame - how a crowd or mob can turn against a prominent figure over lies and rumors. And that change can occur in a very short period of time.

We learn on the news that some prominent figure is accused of criminal or immoral allegations and it makes all the prime-time coverage.  But, we don’t hear that those charges or allegations turn out to be wrong.  That only makes a footnote weeks later after that person’s life has been irreparably and negatively impacted.  So, many of these thoughts in this blog occurred as a result of thinking about Palm Sunday and of reading the local news about the ongoing stories of local prominent people who are accused over what might be or might not be illegal.  Many have been prominent and have positively contributed to our community.  They have been accused.  But, if they are found not guilty, they will have been punished regardless.  So, the story of Palm Sunday and Holy Week should be a lesson to us all to withhold our opinions and not make judgments until we learn all the facts.   

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

Habemus Papam!

These are the words that announce the election of a new pope and his identity.  In this case, it is Jorge Mario Bergoglio who will be known as Pope Francis.  He is the first Pope to use this name.

Francis is a most appropriate name as St. Francis Xavier was one of the founders of his order of the Society of Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi was an example of humility and showing by actions the evangelization of the Christian faith.

In a long time-honored tradition in the history of the Catholic Church, the eligible Cardinals who are qualified to participate meet in the Sistine Chapel to choose a successor to Peter as the Bishop of Rome and the head of the Catholic Church.  They do so in absolute privacy so they are free of outside influences to affect their deliberations and choice.  Much is made of the fact that this is done in “secrecy” but that is said blithely and ignoring the fact that the absence of undue influence is paramount so that the Cardinals can prayerfully make their selection of the new Pope.

Pope Francis is the first non-European to serve in this capacity since the 8th Century.  He is the first Pope from the Americas and from the Southern Hemisphere.  He is a Jesuit and leads a very humble life in a one room apartment and taking a bus to get to work.  Quite remarkable for a cleric holding the high office of Cardinal.  Now, what remarkable changes he will undergo as he follows in the footsteps of St. Peter as his successor in leadership of this Catholic Church!

Those are the basics about his background.  But, what are his positions on critical theological issues? According to Wikipedia, he vigorously opposes abortion and euthanasia as part of “the culture of death.”  Wikipedia, also, reports, “(h)e has affirmed church teaching on homosexuality, though he teaches the importance of respecting individuals who are homosexual. He strongly opposed legislation introduced in 2010 by the Argentine Government to allow same-sex marriage, calling it a "real and dire anthropological throwback". In a letter to the monasteries of Buenos Aires, he wrote: "Let's not be naive, we're not talking about a simple political battle; it is a destructive pretension against the plan of God. We are not talking about a mere bill, but rather a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God." He has also insisted that adoption by homosexuals is a form of discrimination against children. This position received a rebuke from Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who said the church's tone was reminiscent of ‘medieval times and the Inquisition’.

“In the Aparecida Document, a joint statement of the bishops of Latin America, Pope Francis I, as Cardinal Bergoglio, commented on the worthiness of individuals to receive the Eucharist. The text states in paragraph 436 that, ‘We should commit ourselves to ‘eucharistic coherence’, that is, we should be conscious that people cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act or speak against the commandments, in particular when abortion, euthanasia, and other serious crimes against life and family are facilitated. This responsibility applies particularly to legislators, governors, and health professionals’."

In light of these comments, his beliefs, and background, what will he do in his new, important and awesome position?  Obviously, it is too soon to know and anything stated is mere speculation of no more validity than tea reading.  We can only hope and pray that he will do what is right and provide the theological and practical leadership as Supreme Pontiff to guide the Church during this 21st Century of its existence.  After all, that is one of the first things that he asked of us as Pope.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

70 x 7

 This is a blog about a subject that I have been pondering for a long time.  It is about the subject of forgiveness.  We all easily honor the two great commandments to honor God fully and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  But, we all have a great deal of difficulty in dealing with the corollary to the second commandment regarding our neighbors - and that is forgiving them.

I thought it was time for me to finally attempt to deal with this subject in light of the gospel readings of this past Sunday dealing with reconciliation.  We are taught about God’s Divine Mercy and we  go to confession to reconcile with Him in order to receive that divine mercy but how good are we at our human mercy and forgiveness of others?

One of my favorite saints is Saint Peter because he is so real and human in his mistakes along his own personal journey with Jesus. Yet, Jesus always forgave him and reconciled with him to the extent that He built His Church upon his leadership.  Peter asks Jesus, “‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.’” Matthew 18:21.

Wow, that is a staggering amount of forgiveness - nearly 500 times! Like the vastness of the size of the universe, this is very difficult to comprehend and very difficult to accomplish.  Yet, in perspective, we sin against God by breaking His Commandments and we take for granted His forgiveness, mercy and reconciliation with us so we can enjoy the reward of heaven in our afterlife.  And, He expects no less from us towards each other as He rightly would of the progeny of His creation.

So, we hear expressions such as “I will forgive but never forget.”  We get angry and hold grudges against those who have those who have intentionally or unintentionally done something we think is against us.  Or, we take umbrage and hold resentments against others for slighting us or for not giving us our “due” respect and honor.  Or, perhaps, we resent people who just do not like us for no apparent reason.  Or, we get very upset because a the driver of a car cuts us off or we make a driving error and receive an Italian salute.   Any or all of these “transgressions” call for us to forgive the other not just once or even seven times but seventy times seven.  This seems an ominous and impossible task and, also, it seems beyond our human ability to accomplish.  However, Jesus does not think so nor is it a suggestion from Him.  He tells us straightforward that this is what we must do.

What if we refuse or cannot?  Then it will constitute a big block to receiving God’s graces in our life and make it impossible for Him to grant us His divine mercy.  Forgiving perceived transgressors during Lent and beyond is much more important than giving up chocolate, desserts or whatever.  We must do it regularly so it becomes part of who we are as Christians.

Pray for me in my quest to succeed in forgiving and I will pray for your success.

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

Ray Makowski, Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer

A Special Place in Hell.....

One of my first blogs last September began like this:

“Attention to Priests, Clergy, Church Leaders: Incredible Impact!

“This blog is being written as a notice and warning to priests, clergy and church leaders of all kinds.

You have an incalculable impact on the souls of all people - Catholic and non-Catholic alike.  Unfortunately, few of you will read this blog but I put it our there anyway in the hope that it will reach some of you.”

At that time, I was thinking of the small things that priests, clergy and church leaders did and failed to do.  I was not even thinking about the bigger scandalous things like pedophilia, fornication and adultery. That there was a possible major rot at the core of our Church leadership was nowhere in my imagination at that time.  And, now, we learn that there may be a huge scandal of major proportions at the heart of our Church leadership.

Before I address this further, I want to point out that in Dante’s Inferno, as I recall, there was a special place in hell for those of high importance who betrayed the duties of their position.  We, in the Church, give the highest esteem not only to the Pope but, also, to the Cardinals and to the Archbishops, Bishops and Priests, who we follow as our shepherds in the faith and, in return, we expect them to lead by example - to lead exemplary lives as our Christian leaders.  As St. Francis of Assisi said to his disciples let’s go teach the faith and, if necessary, use words!

Over the last 40 years we, the faithful, have had to endure recurring stories of our clergy involved in sexual scandals of all sorts such as pedophilia, homosexuality, fornication and adultery.  Not only was that bad enough in and of itself but we, also, learned of the rampant scandal involving the sometime criminal cover up of these misdeeds and illegal acts by our bishops, archbishops and cardinals.  We kept praying that this would come to an end but it has not.  Now, we are learning that there is a possible widespread scandal of homosexuality in the Vatican among the hierarchy including Cardinals.  We learn about secret reports.  We learn about more cover ups.  We have the recent resignation by the Cardinal for Scotland and England in light of accusations, not by lay people but by 3 priests!  Once again, there is more secrecy at the highest levels.  Why?  Once the light and the law has been shined upon the misdeeds and unlawful activities of the clergy, the end of this has come to a near end.  I understand the need to protect the innocent from false accusations but can accusations made by priests against the hierarchy be ignored? 

If there are many homosexuals among the hierarchy, it causes me to wonder if that is the reason that the Church leadership has not taken a more active role in opposing same sex marriages as the Church admirably does in fighting abortion.

In my very simplistic view, the Church of Jesus doe not consist of the buildings including fine churches as well as the Basilica of St. Peter nor of the hierarchy but of all of us as members of the Body of Christ.  So, if there is a fever or a cancer in this Body, we are all affected and have an interest in learning about it and treating it even if it means treating it even by surgery if necessary, to save it and to nurture its health.

Give us the transparency we are entitled to have.  Secret knowledge as a basis of Christianity in the form of Gnosticism was repudiated in the early Church as a heresy.  So, let us know what is going on in the heart of our Church leadership today.  Maintain the confidentiality of the innocent but don’t continue with the scandalous behavior of covering it up.

I just happen to think that there may very well be a special place in hell for any Church leaders who engage in either this despicable behavior and those who assist in the cover up of it.

As I said in my prior blog, where does it all end?

Now, you know what I think and I would very much like to know what you think about this subject.   

Let the light of our Lord shine upon you!

REM (Ray Makowski) Co-Founder, Director and Secretary-Treasurer