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Daily Scripture

+ 7th Week of Easter

Much ado about nothing or, is there something to it?

Readings: Acts 19:1-8 Psalm 68:2-7 John 16:29-33

Paul traveled through the interior of the country and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” [Acts 19:1-3]

Depending on one’s sacramental theology and pastoral practice, this text has been variously interpreted. For example, those who work with the RCIA (catecheumenate) hold that the sacrament of Confirmation should be administered with Baptism as it was in the early Church. It is one of the sacraments of initiation—Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The Eastern Rite of the Roman Catholic Church has retained the tradition of administering all three at Baptism. Yes, the infant receives a small piece of the Eucharist bread. And so in the Eastern Rite, there is no formal celebration of First Holy Communion at the age of reason or Confirmation by the bishop at whatever age the local diocese has determined the age of maturity appropriate for Confirmation. All three sacraments are administered shortly after birth.

Others feel that the celebration of First Communion and Confirmation at a later age ensures the participation of youngsters in parish religious education programs – at least until Confirmation. In this case, many Catholics view Confirmation as the completion of or graduation from religious studies.

In recent years I have become convinced that the RCIA folks and the Eastern Rite Catholics have it right. All three sacraments of initiation should be administered together. First Holy Communion and Confirmation have become more social than spiritual. I do not mean to suggest that there is no connection or that there should be no celebration after sacramental ceremonies but for many, the accent is on the wrong syllable.

The path from Baptism to Christian maturity is life-long and the benchmarks for progress are not easily measured by grouping children by age or grade level for a period of preparation that is largely academic.

This is not to suggest that religious education is optional. Faith development is unique to each person within the context first of family and then of parish. Religious education / formation is intended to provide insight into faith development at an age-appropriate level.

Catholicism has become ‘child-centered’ the result of which, we have an adult population whose religious and spiritual development stopped at Confirmation.

The celebration of Eucharist is the primary setting for faith formation. Religious education is a necessary component but detached from Eucharist, it remain just another subject to master.

Of course this all assumes that the parish celebration of the Eucharist is truly inclusive and meaningful rather than just an empty ritual. The parish at worship should be a rendition of a community of faith that strives to live its faith ‘in the town square’ as I mentioned in Sunday’s homily.

Notwithstanding my commitment to religious dialogue, I do believe that effective dialogue is based on the assumption that although both parties are knowledgeable about the topic. Though they may have different perspectives, they are not based on ignorance of the subject.

Feast of the Holy Family 'B'

Sunday December 28, 2008

A Work in Progress

The Scriptures for this feast of the Holy Family are a Judeo-Christian mosaic of the ideal family. They move us to consider the ideal on which a family is invited to dwell in the interim between Christmas and the start of a New Year rather than the reality. Or rather, the readings challenge us to consider the reality with a view toward the ideal. Someone has said somewhere that vision filtered through reality leads to concrete achievable goals.

Preachers, especially celibate preachers, tend to romanticize the qualities that mark the ideal family. The very definition of family has changed over the course of time. There is a need for greater sensitivity toward the exceptional situations that characterize family life in our society. This is not to suggest that there are no longer any working definitions; it is to suggest only that in truth there are no “ideal” families, only families of different shapes, sizes, and characteristics moving toward the ideal, trying to make family work—one day at a time. In other words, family is a work in progress.

Someone has said: “Life is what happens when you are planning something else.” It takes unexpected turns that are not always the result of personal or family choices but of unanticipated circumstances such as personality and gender differences including differences in sexual orientation. And there are unanticipated events and incidents that can derail a family: the loss of a job, an unexpected pregnancy involving a son or daughter, the disclosure of sexual abuse of a child by a trusted relative or friend, the revelation of an affair by a husband or wife, divorce and the list goes on.

So, on this weekend dedicated to family life, I invite you to reflect on the ideal of ‘family life’ through the lens of the unexpected or unanticipated events not necessarily as serious as those mentioned above, that are inevitable in the life of any family. Despite the fact that they were written for people in another time and culture, the Scriptures provide ‘common ground’ on which—no matter the composition of our particular family—we might consider as we move into another year.

Mutual respect — children toward parents and parents toward children—is a basic virtue and a perennial value applicable to any age or culture despite the changes in family structure that have occurred down through the ages. James Baldwin made this very insightful observation: “Children have never been very good at listening to their parents, but they have never failed to imitate them.”

Respect means giving attention to another, looking upon another with reverence. But the application extends far beyond the members of a biological family to the parish, to the neighborhood, to the work environment, to the political arena and even to global relationships.

The early 20th century psychologist, Carl Jung, suggested that a loss of the sense of the spiritual is often the cause of personal and family dysfunction. He was referring to an awareness of God’s presence not just within our own soul but also within the soul of humanity. Oddly enough, despite our belief in the incarnation — the divine word incarnate in the human person of Jesus — it is easier for many of us to express belief in a transcendent God who dwells in the heavens than to believe in the immanent God who dwells in our deepest self. Perhaps we prefer to keep God at a “safe” distance.

Yet, as we become more convinced of the reality of God’s presence within, our attitude toward others changes dramatically. If God is the source of life and the ground of our being how can we not have greater respect for one another despite our differences? The saints came to the conclusion that the greatest act of faith is the reverence of the divine indwelling. The greatest prayer is not that spoken with the lips but that expressed through the labor of our heart and hands toward our neighbor.

Life is not predictable. No matter how hard we try, we fail. No matter how much we study, we are still blind to life’s deepest mysteries. No matter how faithful we are to prayer, we still want our own way. No matter how much we plan, we are unable to chart the course of history or control the destiny of others much less our own.

There is a need for more respectful dialogue within families. There is a need for more respectful dialogue within the Church. There is a need for more respectful dialogue within the workplace and among political entities. There is need for more respectful dialogue among nations.

The challenges that face us as individuals, as a family, as a church and as a nation are formidable. Dialogue can open the door to new insights and a greater understanding of these challenges leading to a new truth that brings us together rather than one that drives us apart.

But dialogue without prayer can lead to confusion and the unwillingness to listen carefully before we speak. Prayer provides the assurance that God will be present in our exchanges whatever our differences. There is room for everyone in God’s dominion and at God’s table.

“Inclusivity is undisputedly becoming a reality that enriches the lives of many, but others continue to live in a nightmare of fear and insecurity. The dream must expand to every member of the family. Therefore, those of us who are free to celebrate the gift of family today are compelled because of our membership in the family of Jesus to work diligently and to speak out boldly until absolutely every member of our human family can share the same joys.” [Pamela Sanchez, Celebration, A Comprehensive Worship Resource, National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company Inc., December 2008]

Yes, we are a work in progress.