We love you, Joseph

Listen to it!, Saints 8 Responses »
Mar 182010

March 19 is Father’s Day in Italy. Why March 19? Because it’s universally the feast of St. Joseph, patron of fathers. So, wish your beloved, your pastor ( a spiritual father) and men who are godfathers, mentor or work with youth (spiritual fathers) a happy father’s day, and send them this link to a previous entry on St. Joseph (includes a talk I’ve given).

(Note: It’s a solemnity in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, so you can ease off your Lenten fast a little March 19!)

Other links:

Remember to pray for fathers (spiritual and biological), people with Joseph as their namesake (Joseph, Josephines, & other Joseph-related names), workers, and especially for the underemployed (my husband and me!) and unemployed, seminarians, and also these, of which St. Joseph is also the patron:

Against doubt; against hesitation; Americas; Austria; Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; California; Belgium; Bohemia; bursars; cabinetmakers; Canada; Carinthia; carpenters; China; confectioners; craftsmen; Croatian people (in 1687 by decree of the Croatian parliament) dying people; emigrants; engineers; expectant mothers; families; Florence, Italy; happy death; holy death; house hunters; immigrants; interior souls; Korea; laborers; Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin; Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky; Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire; Mexico; Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee; New France; New World; Oblates of Saint Joseph; people in doubt; people who fight Communism; Peru; pioneers; protection of the Church; Diocese of San Jose, California; diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; social justice; Styria, Austria; travelers; Turin Italy; Tyrol Austria; unborn children Universal Church; Vatican II; Vietnam; Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston West Virginia; wheelwrights; workers.

Posted by Jess at 9:36 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,

The Presentation & Encountering St. Joseph

Articles, Listen to it!, Read It!, Vocations 3 Responses »
Feb 022010

Melchior Broederlam (1381-1409) Presentation in the Temple & Flight to Egypt Tempera on wood, 1393-1399

I feel sorry for Simeon, Anna, the Holy Family and the turtledoves. They get overlooked for a groundhog. In their humility, they might rejoice at the humor of this, but I for one think it’s a shame.

Today is the feast of the Presentation, called The Encounter in the east. It’s an amazing feast day in the Catholic/ Orthodox Churches (both east and west tend to celebrate it on the same day), but way underrated and under celebrated. It is also the foundation feast day of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England, founded on vespers of the Presentation by Fr. John Henry Newman (later to become Cardinal, and whose Beatification will be May 2, 2010).

The mystery of the Presentation can be meditated upon without exhausting it. This drama in the temple has much to teach us about waiting for the Lord, God’s will in our life, prophecy, death, vocation, sacrifice,  family, poverty, consecrated life , the Cross and much more.

For me, it is a fusion of meditation on the two main vocations of the Church: that of married life, and that of consecrated life or priesthood. Here we see the relationship between the two, the image of a holy marriage which gives rise to the earliest of vocational dedication. Not only is Christ, the Anointed, dedicated in the temple, but we see very prominently the consecrated and prophetic Simeon & Anna. (See my blog entry on holy families & holy vocations here.)

It is also one of the handful of times that we see (but never hear) St. Joseph. His actions are worth much more than a thousand words, and for this reason  and many others I’ve come to love St. Joseph dearly. He found me first, and I’ve come to love my spiritual father greatly. This is why when invited to speak on NFP to a men’s group, I didn’t choose Humanae Vitae or Casti Conuubi, but rather St. Joseph.

In October 2008, I gave a talk to the Knights of Divine Mercy, a men’s fraternal group and apostolate in the Madison Diocese, called “Surge, accipe puerum: reflections on St. Joseph.” It’s not strictly about NFP, but its message is related. I used a number of sources, from books to encyclicals, but it was a friend’s apostolic motto and article on St. Joseph that sparked the Josephine theme. In the end, it became a meditation on Fatherhood (spiritual and biological), and discernment about God’s will for your family, vocation and apostolate. Where is the Lord leading you?

Fast forward to the second track for the reflection on the Presentation.

Related links/ articles:

Posted by Jess at 2:08 pm Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Infertility Sermon: Vague, Pastoral or both?

Infertility, Listen to it!, Morality & Ethics 2 Responses »
Jan 102010

No prego

I found a sermon on infertility on an NFP forum, and decided to take a listen, though I knew it might not be as thorough in the morality department as I prefer. I really enjoyed it, with a big exception. My comments from the forum (no replies yet…huh): The pastor who gave the sermon is certainly a lover of the Lord, in the Sacred Scriptures, and has been touched deeply by his family struggle with infertility. I was really touched by his sharing of his story and sufferings, and found his sermon gave a lot of food for thought and meditation. I especially appreciated his admonition against the “prosperity gospel” which might lead some IF sufferers to think they’ve done something wrong to deserve it.

One perspective on the suffering element is that we are allowed to suffer to enter into the suffering of the Lord, and that we can be allowed to suffer for many reasons, including to purify us from sin and attachments, grow closer to our Lord (the only road to the Resurrection is the Cross), and suffer as a way of prayer/ intercession in action on behalf of some intention or person. Catholics call this “Redemptive Suffering.” More on this here.

Also, there’s a beautiful letter on the meaning of suffering here

Anyway, my big issue with this sermon is that he really skips over the morality bit, without even a cursory explanation of what is correct and what isn’t. I do love that he does mention that not all fertility treatments are licit, but he really leaves the congregation hanging. Is it because he doesn’t have enough time in the sermon, or perhaps he doesn’t wish to discuss it in mixed company, or is it because he lacks a certain courage to condemn certain practices (IVF, “selective reduction”,therapeutic cloning, etc.)? It’s not clear to me, and I wish it was addressed even in a general way.

Non-Catholic Christians, what are your thoughts on this? Have you had an guidance in the morality department, especially from spiritual leaders? What’s the response? Have you struggled with this? What’s been the most helpful to you.

Posted by Jess at 12:13 am Tagged with: , , , ,

Belated Holy Family Day

Listen to it! 6 Responses »
Dec 282009

I was resting from blogging Sunday, but wanted to share a great homily on the feast of the Holy Family, December 27 this year by Fr. Robert Barron (h/t to Fr. Jason Cargo for the link).

I also went to Mass tonight at the Denver Cathedral, and Archbishop Chaput gave one of the most rockin’ homilies on family life that I’ve heard–covering the gift of fertility, the suffering of infertility, the ills of contraception and IVF, encouraging vocations in the family, and a word to families touched by divorced (and much more). When that gets posted online, I’ll give you the link.

UPDATE: Archbishop’s Homily from Holy Family is now posted here!

Posted by Jess at 12:24 am Tagged with: , , ,

CD Review: Why Contraception Matters

Humanae Vitae, Listen to it!, Morality & Ethics No Responses »
May 222009

Why Contraception MattersI just re-listened to a CD that One More Soul included in an order as a freebie a while back, and wanted to share some thoughts.

About the CD:
Title: “Why Contraception Matters”
Speaker: Stephen Patton, M.A., J.D., with introduction by Bishop Victor Galeone
Sponsored by: Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida
Running Time: 60 minutes

Synopsis:Practically speaking, widespread use of contraception has led directly to massive increases of divorce and abortion. Personal union and yearning for fertility are written physically into the structure of sexual relations, and shutting down one of these aspects hurts the whole relationship. Stephen Patton gives an introduction to the pastoral situation of many–perhaps most–clergy, calling this prototypical priest, “Father Friendly,” giving a humorous but all too true insight into clergy’s general faithfulness but rampant lukewarmness. He likewise gives an introduction to the average Catholic parishioner couple, “Mr. & Mrs. Friendly,” a witty and all-too-accurate description of good intentions and Humanae Vitae ignorance out there. He shows us two things. First, why contraception really is a big deal, and how it is intrinsically linked to the evil of abortion. Second, he asks us all to take an honest look at the contraception crisis in the Church and wider culture today, and invites us to consider what we can do about it. There are practical, workable steps we can take to regain the overflowing life that God desires for us.

Strengths: Mr. Patton is a knowledgeable, educated and very well spoken man, and Director of the Family Life and Respect Life Office for the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida. He is introduced by his Bishop, showing a great sign of respect, faithfulness and approval (although a degree from Franciscan University of Steubenville  bodes well also). The introduction is very witty, and a spot-on criticism of the rampant lukewarmness, indifference and ignorance of pastors and parishioners of Catholic (and I think this parallels to some extent non-Catholic Christian parishes as well) serves as a prelude to a deeper pastoral examination of conscience on how well Catholics (clergy and laypeople alike) know and promote the Church’s teachings, and the beauty of NFP.

Weaknesses: This is not necessarily the CD you want to give to someone who’s skeptical about NFP or the Church’s teaching. While this definitely could be useful and thought-provoking to someone with an open heart or a honest seeker, it may come off as preachy or critical to someone who’s first hearing about the teaching. Also, his style is not very animated (I had the sense he was reading his talk), and a bit droll. His message is very powerful, nevertheless, but it may not engage a young adult who’s not educated on this subject. Also, there’s a couple phrases that made me giggle/ cringe, like the marvelous “fertility dance” analogy that certainly is very true but seemed a little over the top and hyperbolic considering the tone and context.

Warning: This could be negative or positive depending on your viewpoint, but Patton, after some introduction, goes into a little detail about the nature of the nuptial union and orgasm. Screen this before giving to a young person or sensitive adult.

Recommendation:He makes some very poignant observations and some very challenging statements that’s worth a listen by every clergyman, DRE, youth director, NFP teacher and NFP apostle. Get it for free with your One More Soul order.

Posted by Jess at 12:27 pm Tagged with: , , , , ,
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