I am blessed to live in residence at North American Martyrs Parish, where Father Brian Connor is the pastor. At the end of the day several weeks ago, while talking with Father Connor, I received a call on my cell phone.
“Hello, Father! My name is Horace McSchmershmach. Do you know Francine McFindlandski?” The names have been changed to maintain anonymity. Francine is a woman we helped escape homelessness several years ago. I have known her for more than 10 years. She hates receiving assistance from us and only calls when absolutely necessary. We gave her a car last year which allows her to drive to her two part-time jobs. Like Francine, Horace too had been homeless in the past and now lives in a small apartment.
After exchanging the usual pleasantries, he informed me he needed help with his February rent and utilities. I asked what happened in January that he is now in a bind. As it turns out, he makes ends meet by participating on a regular basis in experimental studies, supplemented by part time work at a temp agency. As an unfortunate turn of events, during the peak of the cold and flu season he was ‘knocked flat’ and was unable to work.
‘What a way to make ends meet,’ I thought to myself. Even though age discrimination is against the law, he is an older gentleman which complicates finding regular full-time employment. It was Francine who said to him, “Call Father Kubat at Catholic Social Services! They were the ones who helped me!”
After checking his story further, I told him to expect a call from someone on our staff. We were able to help him only because of the grace of God and the generosity of our donors. Before hanging up, I asked him what his religion was. He explained he was a believer but nothing else. Apparently, going to church on Sundays and praying to God on a regular basis were never a part of his early life. Time after time when hearing such stories, I am more and more grateful for my faithful parents who taught my sisters and me the faith by their words and actions.
After planting a few seeds, we said good-bye. I wanted to talk about the importance of having a relationship with God because saving ones soul is more important than anything else. Isn’t prayer speaking to God, the One we should love with all of our heart, soul and mind (Mt 22:37)?
I would like to first thank Almighty God for His grace that Catholic Social Services exists in the Diocese of Lincoln. It is the vehicle of charity of the faithful of southern Nebraska or in other words, we are your arms and legs of charity. I would secondly thank all of our donors scattered across the 24,000 square miles of our diocese and the handful that live outside the diocese, for charity knows no boundaries.
Finally, please remember and be reminded that we at Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska routinely and regularly remember all of our supporters, their families and intentions in our prayers and Masses offered our chapels!
“Flora & Ulysses” by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by K.G. Campbell.
Candlewick Press, Somerville, Mass., 2013, 233 pages, Grades 4-6.
Growing up has never been easy, and it continues to be difficult today. Many issues account for this.
First, the constant change in society can leave people unsettled. Second, economic issues cause stress in many lives. And finally, the multiple issues involved with divorce have caused great trauma in children’s lives. How do children address these problems? What damage has been done to their sense of security? How do they continue to make positive choices in these situations?
The answers are sometimes found in painful and difficult decisions. Kate DiCamillo has written a poignant novel addressing these sensitive subjects in her 2014 Newbery Award winning book, “Flora & Ulysses.”
Flora Buckman is a complicated girl. She sees beyond the usual understanding of the world and has a magnanimous heart. Her mother is a self-absorbed romance writer with little time for anyone other than herself. This has led to her divorce from her kind-hearted, accountant husband. Flora tries to make sense of her new situation by reading escapist cartoons about superheroes. These superheroes are often disguised as humble people but can turn into powerful personas to rescue the downtrodden.
While sitting alone in her room, Flora hears the peculiar family vacuum cleaner roaring across the floor and devouring some small animal. When Flora goes downstairs, she pulls a squirrel out of the vacuum cleaner. He is truly the oddest-looking squirrel she has ever seen, since half of his hair has been sheared by the vacuum cleaner. The squirrel, whom she names Ulysses, reminds Flora of the superheroes she is constantly reading about in comic books.
In short order, Flora learns that Ulysses can do magical things just like the superheroes. The first episode of this is when he flies. But Flora’s mother hates the squirrel and is determined to kill it.
Flora’s dad drives by and picks her up for the weekend and is also given a shovel and a sack, and orders to kill the squirrel. When they go back to his apartment, Flora’s timid father is attacked by a house cat named Mr. Klaus. On seeing the attack, Ulysses turns into a superhero and picks up the cat and hurls him down the hall. Flora is amazed. Does this mean that a person showing courage and determination can change their situation? Could caring for others improve people’s lives?
Mr. Buckman’s neighbor, Dr. Meescham, begins telling Flora about the importance of loving and accepting others. Dr. Meescham shows Flora how the love her husband gave her made her heart come alive. This is what is really important in life. As all these thoughts are spinning through the young girl’s mind, her father takes her back home.
On again seeing the squirrel, Mrs. Buckman goes into a robotic trance and begins chain smoking. That night she kidnaps the squirrel and heads out to the woods with a shovel. Flora wakes up and follows, trying to save Ulysses. As Mrs. Buckman gets ready to strike Ulysses, he transforms himself into an unconquerable superhero.
What happens? What can superheroes teach children about loving themselves? What does Flora’s mother finally figure out about loving her child? Why is courage able to conquer fear and doubt? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this fine novel.
This book uses some surreal imagery that may put off some children. I can only tell them to keep reading, as the plot thickens and the climax is beautiful. The imagery begins to be covered by reality in the last quarter of the book and then everything makes sense.
Kate DiCamillo writes with great sensitivity and gently touches and helps heal the hurts in children’s hearts. So don’t give up on this book if the first 50 pages don’t make a great deal of sense. When you get to the conclusion, it will all make sense. This is a lovely book. Enjoy!
In these winter months, as we eagerly await April showers that bring May flowers, many are looking for something both fun and edifying to do. Well, look no more because “Trumpet Fest” is scheduled on Sunday, Feb. 8, and “Celebration of Caring” on Sunday, Feb.15.
At our 11th annual Trumpet Fest, we will honor the late Mac McCune, who appeared in all the previous events. I was always impressed at his effort being with us because he made the trip from Branson, Mo. There will be many talented trumpeters preforming, including Darryl White, Mac’s son Brian McCune, Bob Krueger, Barb Schmit, Taylor Cobb, Kevin Murray, Maria Pytlik and the UNL Trumpet Studio. There is no admission and a hat will be passed during intermission for a free-will offering. All proceeds will be used to assist poor and needy families. It will be held at 3 p.m. at Pius X High School located at 6000 A St., Lincoln.
Our 28th annual Celebration of Caring banquet and dinner will be held at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. The social time begins at 4:30 p.m. with the dinner / program at 6 p.m. We will be honoring Marlene Benes and her late husband, Leonard. They have both done many charitable things for CSS and the Diocese of Lincoln. The banquet gives us a chance to outline what we have accomplished by the grace of God and through the generosity of our donors this past year with a glimpse at what is new – a peek into the future, God willing.
Not only are we grateful to all of our donors, so are our clients. In the words of one of the ladies at St. Gianna’s, a home where women escape abortion and domestic violence, “I have not felt this blessed and secure in many years.”
Please never forget that we at Catholic Social Services pray for all of our donors, their families and intentions. I hope to see many of you at Trumpet Fest and at Celebration of Caring! For those who are unable to attend, please pray for the success of both.
Remember also that just around the corner are the April showers that bring May flowers!
This week, on Jan. 22, we memorialized the 42nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion rulings in Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton. In these companion cases, the Court effectively legalized abortion during all nine months of pregnancy for virtually any reason. The result? More than 58 million unborn human lives ended, countless mothers and fathers, grandparents and siblings wounded, human life at every stage cheapened, and the conscience of our nation dulled.
Blessed Mother Teresa said “Roe vs. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father’s role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts—a child—as a competitor, an intrusion and an inconvenience.”
The pitting of “mothers against their children and women against men” is evident in the modern feminist movement as defined by Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, and Sarah Weddington, the attorney who argued for legalizing abortion before the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade.
Serrin Foster, president of Feminists for Life, points out that “Weddington saw the discrimination and other injustices faced by pregnant women. But she did not demand that these injustices be remedied. Instead, she demanded for women the ‘right’ to submit to these injustices by destroying their pregnancies.”
“Weddington repeatedly said that women need ‘relief’ from pregnancy,” Foster added, “instead of arguing that women need relief from these injustices. What if Weddington had used her legal acumen to challenge the system to address women’s needs?”
Clearly, this notion—that the unborn child is the problem that must be eliminated in order for women to advance in society—has pitted mothers against their children. And it has degraded all human life by enshrining in our nation’s laws the grotesque view that some human beings are undeserving of recognition and protection under our laws.
One effect of this degradation is the continual effort of some groups to legalize physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in states throughout our country. This effort got a major boost as the pro-euthanasia group “Compassion and Choices” has been exploiting the Brittany Maynard suicide to push for legalization of assisted suicide in numerous states this year.
Another sign of how abortion has pitted mothers against their children are the heart-wrenching testimonies of women who regret their abortions. Here is one example: “My personal journey of healing began after six long years of the most deafeningly silent pain… I remember during those dark years, I would wake up each morning, and for a few brief seconds, all was well. Then I would remember what I had done. The grief was all-consuming. But, like so many other women, I kept it locked inside. I had accepted my fate. I was unforgiveable.
“The enormity of what I had done actually made my steps heavier… I cried alone almost daily… I convinced myself that I had committed an unforgiveable act. I felt utterly alone. I desperately needed to connect with other women who were suffering as I was, and I longed to be the woman I used to be.”
The Catholic Church and the broader pro-life movement offer a polar opposite response from the culture of death’s response to those suffering from various forms of injustice in our society. Our response seeks to remedy the injustices that force mothers to choose between continuing or advancing in a job or in school and destroying their offspring.
Likewise, our response seeks to eliminate the various forms of suffering that can drive a person to seek assisted suicide, rather than eliminating the suffering person.
Thanks be to God, there are encouraging signs in some areas of our pro-life efforts. For example, public opinion on abortion has shifted in recent years toward the pro-life position; the number of abortion centers has dropped from the high of 2,176 in 1991 to 759 in 2011 while the number of pro-life pregnancy resource centers has skyrocketed.
And most encouraging for the pro-life cause is the fact that this year’s March for Life, like all in recent years, will bring together hundreds of thousands of people to stand up for the dignity of human life…and the vast majority of marchers will be young people.
“The Super Bowl: All about Pro Football’s Biggest Event”
by Hans Hetrick.
Capstone Press, Mankato, Minn., 2013,32 pages, Grades 3-5.
At the end of the pro football season, a series of playoff games are played. The final two winners of their conferences then play each other in the final title game, the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl has grown from being an interesting championship game to becoming a cultural phenomenon. It is routinely the most widely watched television event each year in the United States. The commercials are eagerly anticipated by the audience and cost millions of dollars.
So what are the reasons this football championship come about? Hans Hetrick tells us the fascinating history of the Super Bowl in a well written and photographed book entitled “The Super Bowl: All about Pro Football’s Biggest Event.”
The National Football League (NFL) had franchises in a number of cities in the 1960s. The American Football League (AFL) was founded in the 1960s and expanded professional football to many other cities in the USA. After several years, both leagues decided to play a title game between their respective champions. Following the 1966 season, on January 15, 1967, the NFL Green Bay Packers played the AFL Kansas City Chiefs. Millions of television viewers watched the game with the Packers winning 35-10. The Super Bowl had made its mark on the American psyche and began to be widely anticipated each year.
Hetrick fills the book with all kinds of interesting stories and facts. The NFL and AFL finally decided to merge into one league in 1970 and the interest in the Super Bowl continued to soar. In the 1970s the Pittsburgh Steelers became the dominant team in professional football. The author describes Coach Chuck Noll building the juggernaut with its black and yellow uniforms. He includes an exciting photograph of the Pittsburgh great running back, Franco Harris, leaving defenders in his wake. Next, Hetrick describes the powerful San Francisco 49ers. Throughout the 1980s the 49ers won four Super Bowls. He discusses the great quarterback of the 49ers, Joe Montana. As well, Coach Joe Walsh and his innovative passing game is discussed.
The next decade of the 1990s belongs to the Dallas Cowboys. Their famous quarterback, Troy Aikman, is shown holding up the championship Lombardi Trophy. In the first decade of the 2000s, the powerful New England Patriots are described.
All sorts of fun facts are included in the book as well. Which quarterback made the famous “guaranteed win” statement? What tackle on the 1-foot line saved a team from defeat? Who ran down a lumbering tackle and caused the most famous fumble in Super Bowl history? To find out the answers to these and many other questions, go to the library and check out “The Super Bowl: All about Pro Football’s Biggest Event” by Hans Hetrick.
The Super Bowl has become a national event in the United States. People plan Super Bowl parties and eagerly watch the game and the commercials. The Budweiser Clydesdale Horse Teams are particularly popular with viewers. Hetrick catches the excitement of the Super Bowl in this book. It could be effectively shared in classroom settings or the home. The writing is succinct and the photographs are exciting.
I hope you get a chance to encourage the youngsters in your family to read this book. Of course, you could be that ‘youngster’ yourself and read the book. In any event, have fun!
Ninety-five years ago, Robert Meyer, a teacher at Zion Lutheran Church School near Hampton, was arrested, charged in Hamilton County Court with violating the state’s Siman Act and fined $25. The Act, passed by the Nebraska Legislature a year earlier, in 1919, prohibited all schools, private as well as public, from teaching any subject to any student not yet finished with eighth grade in a language other than English. Meyer was “caught” teaching 10-year-old Raymond Parpart bible stories in German.
This was a time of considerable anti-German sentiment as a result of World War I. Nebraska’s law was like that of 22 other states.
Also in 1920, the Legislature expanded the prohibition to encompass all grades; it was the Reed-Norval Act, the text of which also surfaced as part of a proposed English-only amendment to the State Constitution. Voters approved the amendment by a margin of more than five-to-one at the General Election in 1920. It became Article I, section 27, as follows:
“The English language is hereby declared to be the official language of this state. All official proceedings, records and publications shall be in such language, and the common school branches shall be taught in such language in public, private, denominational and parochial schools.”
Robert Meyer appealed his conviction to the Nebraska Supreme Court, which upheld it. He then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1923, the nation’s highest tribunal issued a 7-2 ruling that reversed the Nebraska courts and overturned the conviction, for the reason that the prohibitive policy of the Siman Act violated parents’ constitutional rights to direct their children’s education.
The ruling in Meyer v. Nebraska became famous and significant.
The ruling made Art. I, sec. 27 of the Nebraska Constitution unenforceable and obsolete as applied to private, parochial and denominational schools.
For a long time, the messiness was ignored; but years later, cleaning it up, by striking the “unconstitutional remnant,” became a recommendation of a state constitutional revision commission, which met between 1995 and 1997.
The commission’s recommendation caused State Senator Elaine Stuhr, from nearby Bradshaw, who not only was familiar with Zion Lutheran Church, but had come to know Raymond Parpart, to introduce Legislative Resolution 20CA in 1999. It proposed to eliminate the English-language requirement; not entirely, but insofar as it applied to private, denominational and parochial schools and had been invalidated by Meyer v. Nebraska.
LR 20CA was passed by the Legislature on a 48-0 vote. It became Amendment 1; the only proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot for the Primary Election of May 9, 2000.
The amendment was decisively rejected by the voters. It lost in all 93 counties. The margin statewide was nearly four-to-one.
Senator Stuhr took up the clean-up cause again two years later. Her LR 1CA, which the Legislature passed 45-1, placed a slightly revised proposal on the ballot for the General Election in November 2002. The electorate said “no” again, although the margin was tighter.
No further attempt to eliminate the obsolete provision has been undertaken. The void wording is the same today as it was placed into the Constitution in 1920.
But there is another part to this story; one a bit more personal for your soon-to-retire columnist.
Two days after the proposed constitutional amendment was rejected the first time, in May 2000, a member of that constitutional revision commission, Dick Herman, wrote an on-line editorial in which he intimated a totally gratuitous suggestion that some who sponsor and operate parochial schools might have had something to do with the outcome. He ascribed a motive of schools wanting to stay firmly perceived as no different than public schools, in order to better argue for governmental aid.
Herman also was a former editorialist with Lincoln’s daily newspaper. He was known in our circles as thriving on portraying Catholic leaders as suspect actors, with sinister motives on most public-policy issues, especially those relating to education and parents’ rights.
In any event, your columnist deemed it necessary—rightly or wrongly, wisely or not—to assure Senator Stuhr that Herman’s subtle suggestion was ludicrous. I wrote this to her:
“It has come to my attention that Dick Herman has written a commentary that suggests that the Catholic Church may have organized action to defeat proposed Amendment 1, in order to (somehow) bolster efforts to obtain public assistance for our schoolchildren. That gratuitous charge is absolute nonsense. I can assure you that Catholic leaders, including Catholic-school administrators, organized nothing, said nothing and did nothing with respect to Amendment 1.
“It should be clear that most Nebraska voters did not fully understand the background and purpose of the proposition, no doubt due in part to the inadequacy of the Statement of Explanation presented on the ballot. (It used the word ‘exempt’ in describing the effect on other-than-public schools.) That explanation, in my opinion, gave the impression that private and parochial schools would be given a new advantage or an opportunity that public schools would not have. Indeed, this very well could have been a vote against special treatment for parochial schools, but not on the basis of Dick Herman’s ludicrous conspiracy theory.”
“We do not want there to be any misunderstanding based on something Dick Herman writes. Thank you.”
Ah, history.
The Holy Spirit says, “Today, when you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Heb 3:7-8).
This passage is related to another passage which says, “Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine spilled, and the skins destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved” (Mt 9:17).
It is dangerous living a life under the influence of the ‘except for’ and ‘but’ factors. They are related to each other and lead to a hardened heart incapable of holding the ‘new wine,’ which is sanctifying grace or God’s divine life in the soul.
The ‘except for’ factor is as follows: “I will be faithful to you O Lord, except for something I do not agree with.” This happens because of inherent pride in which someone makes themselves their own pope.
The ‘but’ factor is a bit different. “I will be faithful to you O Lord, but I am unwilling to give up something sinful because of my attachment to it.”
Both of these are a result of a hardened heart which is incapable of holding the new wine of God’s grace.
For those affected, with true humility, a soul akin to an old wineskin can be transformed into a new wine skin capable of holding God’s saving grace. Not only that, because the soul becomes pliable, it is able to grow and hold more grace, meaning a person is able to advance in holiness.
Since starting my assignment at Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska the summer of 2003, I have noticed that our benefactors are, as a general rule, docile to the Holy Spirit and exhibit faith in action as described in the second chapter of James: “What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has no works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works is dead” (Jas 2:14-17).
Each year as I reflect on the generosity of our donors during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, I am grateful that the majority of them know that the poor will always be with us (Mk 14:7) and are generous through the entire year. Because of our gratitude, we not only pray for you as an agency on a daily basis, but Masses are offered for you and your intentions. There is nothing on this side of eternity as powerful as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection, which happened once and cannot be repeated, is made present (1 Cor 11:26).
If you are still looking for a great 2015 resolution, for those who attend Mass once a week, please consider, schedule permitting, to attend Mass during the week as well. Because of the extra graces, you will find that the wineskin of your soul will dramatically expand this New Year. Thank you and happy New Year!
“The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art & Science of Snowflakes,” by Kenneth Libbrecht
Voyageur Press, 2009, 48 pages, Grades 3-5.
St. Thomas Aquinas states in the Summa Theologicae Part 1, Question 2, Article 3 that there are five proofs for the existence of God. The Fifth Proof is that of the design and governance of the world.
There are perfect designs in nature, such as snowflakes and these beautifully-formed creations point to the existence of a First Designer. St. Thomas states that this Perfect Being is called God. When we see these lovely, six-sided (hexagon) wonders falling to the earth, we are reminded of God’s perfection.
Of course, since this is earth and not heaven, snowflakes sometimes gently fall and at other times seem to be hurled to the earth. Regardless, they come in innumerable sizes and shapes. Why is this so? Why are all snowflakes different, and why, when we look at snowflakes under a microscope is the exquisite guiding hand of God so evident? Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, a professor of physics at Caltech, answers these questions in his beautifully photographed book: “The Secret Life of a Snowflake.”
Dr. Libbrecht begins the book by asking us to carefully look at snowflakes. Each one has an intricate pattern that is breathtaking. Each snowflake has its own shape and no two snowflakes look exactly alike.
As water rises from rivers, lakes and oceans, clouds are formed. Within the clouds, water droplets are created. Libbrecht tells us that a cloud droplet is 100 times smaller than a raindrop. As the weather gets colder, the droplets start to freeze in the clouds and become larger. Amazingly enough, it takes 100,000 droplets to make one snowflake. Because of the way water molecules freeze, they always form hexagons and are always symmetrical. However, if they collide with other snowflakes on their descent, some of the six branches may be damaged, resulting in an irregular shape.
The author meticulously photographs dozens of snowflakes under a microscope throughout the book. The shapes are surprising and fascinating. Some snowflakes look like flower petals and others look like nearly-solid hexagons.
Since snowflakes are made from pure ice, they have no color. They look white because light bounces off their crystal surfaces. Libbrecht gives an example of clear objects looking white in an experiment he gives in the book of small piles of salt, clear glass and snow. They all appear white because they have reflected light instead of absorbing it.
At the end of the book Libbrecht even shows other types of snowflakes that look like spools of thread. But to find out the answers to the many other facets of snowflakes, please go to the library and check out this beautifully written and photographed book.
This book is sure to be popular with middle school students. The text is accurate and easy to follow. The pictures are simply awe-inspiring. Libbrecht photographs and describes so many different kinds of snowflakes that it is mindboggling. This book can be read by itself or shared in a group. Your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews will enjoy spending time with you as you pore over the many lovely photographs in the book. I hope you get a chance to check out this enjoyable book. You will just love it. Enjoy!
On Tuesday night, January 6, we honored many of our volunteers with a dinner, music and for the first time, our new game show called ‘Wheel of a Fish Fry Fortune.’ There have been other volunteer appreciation events elsewhere in the diocese.
Upon arriving, each person received a ticket with a number. After thanking them for their selfless love and dedication I started calling numbers. After picking a wrapped present they spun the wheel. The pointer on the wheel landed on slots with creative instructions on what they needed to do with their gifts. All had a great time. One volunteer mentioned she always wanted to play the game as seen on TV but “not after tonight!”
Our dinner menu included an Italian pasta salad, an Italian roast beef hoagie sandwich and our own homemade forest berry gelato. We have been experimenting as we get set to open a coffee and gelato shop in our main office later this year. The proceeds will be used to help needy individuals and families that come to us in crisis.
The music was provided by ‘Ashley and I (And the Other Guy).’ This talented trio is made up by Ashley Anderson, Drew Miller and Greg Florence. Many songs were played and sung including a touching one written by Drew about his grandparents he never met with the hope that only God gives in seeing them in the next life followed by everyone singing ‘Silent Night.’
I cannot thank our many volunteers from Imperial, Hastings, Lincoln and Auburn enough for all they do for Jesus who lives in the poor and needy. I know the only reason they volunteer at CSS is because of their love of God and His presence in their neighbor. If anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer at CSS, please contact us via our website, cssisus.org. Have a blessed 2015!
On Wednesday, Jan. 7, the Nebraska Legislature began its 104th Legislature, 1st Session. There will be hundreds of bills introduced within the first ten days of the session, which is the time limit for the introduction of bills. All of these bills, to one degree or another, will propose to impact the activities of men and women in our state.
Year after year, legislation is proposed and enacted in all 50 states and also by our federal government. But how often does a discussion about the nature of man (men and women) precede these various attempts to impact man’s actions?
In his book Society and Sanity, Frank Sheed urges this discussion. “Our treatment of anything must depend,” Sheed says, “on what we think it is: for instance, we treat people one way and cats another, because our idea of what a man is and what a cat is.
“All our institutions—family, school, trade union, government, laws, customs… grew out of what those who made them thought a man was. If you want to understand them profoundly, you must get at the idea of man that they express.”
For example, Sheed points out that “[p]eople making engines study steel, people making statues study marble, people making social systems should study man, for man is as much the raw material of social systems as steel is of engines, or marble of statues. And whereas we are not all making engines or statues, we are all involved in the making of social systems, from small ones like the family, up to the largest, the State to which we belong.”
The Nebraska Catholic Conference, which represents the collective voice of the three bishops in Nebraska, will bring the reality of human nature to our analysis and advocacy on a wide range of legislation from pro-life, to education, to anti-poverty, to immigration and healthcare.
Sheed provides us with the following summary of human nature, a nature that he said “our ancestors… arrived at… not by looking at man, but by listening to God:”
“Man is a creature of God, living in a universe created by God. But he differs from every other being in the world because God made him in His own image.
“This special likeness to God is not in man’s body, by which he is akin to the animals, but in his soul, which is spiritual, immortal, and meant for eternal union with God.
“By setting his will against God’s, man had damaged himself and lost oneness with God. God became man and died to save all men from this derelict condition.”
Sheed points out that “[i]n these three ideas—image of God, immortal spirit, redeemed by Christ—you have the dominating elements in that concept of man which went into the building of our civilization.”
In addition to considering human nature in our advocacy, Catholics bring to the public policy discussion a very long and rich tradition of moral and social teaching and the experience of Catholic institutions that put that teaching into practice in the areas of social services, education, and healthcare.
Fundamental to Catholic tradition and teaching is the inherent and sacred dignity of human life—the clearest reflection of God among us. For this reason, policy matters related to life, family and human dignity will receive priority attention as the Nebraska Catholic Conference sorts through the hundreds of bills that will be introduced this session.
The Conference, and the bishops it represents, cannot do this work alone. We rely upon the grassroots advocacy and prayers of Catholics around the state. To this end, individual Catholics can be of greatest assistance by signing up for the Catholic Advocacy Network of Nebraska (CANN) and offering your voice and prayers to the work of the Conference. Signing up for CANN is quick and easy on our website, www.necatholic.org.
“Angel Island: Gateway to Gold Mountain”
by Russell Freedman
Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, 2013, 79 pages, Grades 4-6.
Shortly after the birth of Our Lord, the Holy Family was forced to flee into Egypt. Upon hearing from the Magi that there was a newborn king of the Jews, King Herod plotted the massacre of all the male babies, two and under that have been born in the area of Bethlehem. St. Joseph was awakened in a dream and told to take the Blessed Mother and the Infant Jesus and flee Herod’s assassins. So, Our Blessed Savior, having forsaken heaven to redeem us, now was forced to become a refugee. The Holy Family must have endured many of the hardships and sufferings of refugees. In American history, refugees and immigrants coming to the United States have always endured problems. There have been language problems, dietary issues and racial and ethnic resentment. On the East Coast, the most famous immigrant processing center was Ellis Island in New York harbor. On the West Coast there was an equally important but less known processing center. Named Angel Island and situated on an island in San Francisco Bay, this immigration center was the arrival point for most people coming to the United States from Asia. Russell Freedman tells the important story of this center in his powerful book, Angel Island: Gateway to Gold Mountain.
Freedman begins the story by describing the physical beauty of Angel Island. Picturesquely situated in San Francisco harbor, the island must have looked like a place of salvation for many desperate immigrants. And so it was for the time period for building the Transcontinental Railroad. Workers were needed and thousands of industrious Chinese flocked to build the railroad. Since most of the Chinese immigrants were young men, it was only natural for them to either send for their wives or buy a “mail order bride” through a marriage service. Since arranged marriages were common in China, this did not seem odd to the Chinese. But the rising Chinese population soon clashed with the racial prejudices of white Californians. The whites claimed that the Chinese were working for starvation wages and this would ruin the economy. As a result, the Chinese Exclusion Laws were passed in 1882 severely limiting Chinese immigration. Those coming in would now go through a desperate immigration process on Angel Island.
This process could last for months and frequently filled the frightened immigrants with depression and despair. They had to live in severely cramped spaces in the processing buildings and had to pass complicated tests to receive a visa. During these trying months, the immigrants wrote poems of pain on the walls of the processing buildings. They could see California, or Gold Mountain as the state was euphemistically called across the bay, but they had no idea if they would receive a visa or be deported to their home country. The entire process was grueling and brutal leading many to despair. But after months of difficulty, most will get to go to Gold Mountain.
Freedman tells the story of Angel Island with historical accuracy. He lets the history speak for itself which is the sign of a great biographer. Throughout the whole tortured process of American immigration, he allows the reader to experience both the racial prejudices encountered by the immigrants as well as the more uplifting parts of the American character. It is a marvelous book. As Congress attempts to reform the immigration process in 2015, we are well advised to understand what happened on Angel Island. I hope you get a chance to encourage the fourth through sixth graders in your family to read this important book. Russell Freedman is a great writer.
During our big toy giveaway before Christmas, I noticed a woman in line who appeared visibly disturbed and tearful. After greeting her, I asked how she was doing. She replied, “Do you have anything for adults? I would like something for my husband.”
I had a hunch there was more under the surface. Not wanting to get into a personal discussion in front of everyone else, I thought I would wait until she was in the St. Nicholas Toy Shoppe.
Once inside, I asked what was going on in her life. As the tears began again she said, “I think I have cancer and my husband is not working! Is there any way I can get a gift for him?”
I was amazed she was thinking of him and not of herself. I told her to wait a minute and went to my desk where I kept a stash of gift cards generous people gave me and returned to give several to her. It was then she really started crying.
She left our office with toys for her children and the ability to buy something for her husband and herself with joy in her heart. This is just one of the many stories I could relate.
As for our Christmas programs across the diocese, we were able to help almost 1,000 individuals with food (including turkeys and hams) and almost 800 families and more than 2,500 children with Christmas gifts. There are many other stories like the one related above that I could share.
I am most grateful to all of our donors for without you, none of this would have ever happened. It is our prayer that you all have a blessed and holy 2015!
You have heard it said, “The way one lives will be the way they die.”
This is true of a woman named Marge Engles. She and her husband Frank were wonderful friends of Catholic Social Services. It is because of their generosity we have our St. Francis Center in Auburn.
They were the generous couple who donated our original St. Francis Gift and Thrift Store building in Auburn. After the donation of the adjacent old Orscheln Farm and Home building, we now have a larger thrift store, emergency services and counseling offices, a food pantry, and a beautiful chapel dedicated to St. Francis.
Shortly before her death, Marge called her son Bob near to inform him of her wish to help the poor one more time before she passed away, for she knew her time was near. A few days later, we received a major donation. It was her dying wish as she passed into eternity soon afterward. I can imagine Jesus saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servant…”
On Tuesday, Dec. 16, I concelebrated Marge’s funeral Mass in Auburn. At Mass I remember praying for her and asking her for her prayers to help keep me always a holy priest.
One might be tempted to ask themselves, “What difference will my donation make?” Later that day, I attended the Christmas program put on by the children at St. Gianna’s. During the program I thought of Marge, for if it was not for supporters like her, we would not be having a Christmas program at St. Gianna’s, nor would we have any of the programs at Catholic Social Services. I also reflected on the countless families we are helping at this most holy time of year.
It will be this Christmas season and New Year that I will thank God for the greatest gift God the Father ever gave us - the gift of his Only Begotten Son, who was born in utter poverty at that first Christmas. I will also thank God for the gift of Marge and Frank Engles and for all of our countless donors who make it possible to help the countless individuals and families who come to us in crisis.
As always, please be assured of our prayers for you, your family and intentions.
“At the dawn of salvation, it is the birth of a child which is proclaimed as joyful news: ‘I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord’ (Lk.2:10-11). The source of this ‘great joy’ is the birth of the Savior; but Christmas also reveals the full meaning of every human birth and the joy which accompanies the birth of the Messiah is thus seen to be the foundation and fulfillment of joy at every child born into the world (cf.Jn. 16:21).”
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord, this introduction to Blessed John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae provides a rich source of reflection on the God we serve and human life which He created in His image and likeness.
It is truly extraordinary to contemplate the fact that we worship a God who has experienced every stage and aspect of the human condition (except sin of course). His Son was conceived in the Virgin Mary and took the form of a human being, beginning His life like every human being—as a single cell embryo called a zygote.
According to Scripture, after the Incarnation of our Lord, Mary went in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was six months pregnant with John the Baptist. Experts say it would have taken two to three days for Mary to reach Elizabeth. Therefore, Jesus likely had not yet implanted in Mary’s womb (implantation usually occurs five to seven days after conception) when His presence caused John to stir in Elizabeth’s womb: “The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby in my womb leapt for joy” (Luke 1:44).
Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life offers these questions to ponder about the extraordinary reality of our Lord’s gestation in Mary’s womb:
“How long is it possible for believers, who meditate on the unborn child who was God, not to see that unborn children are made in God’s image? Is it likely that those who ponder that our Almighty Protector was a baby in the womb will fail to see that babies in the womb merit protection? Would it happen that Christians, who acknowledge that their Lord and Brother was an embryo and a fetus, will fail to see that every embryo and fetus is a brother and sister in the Lord?”
Another extraordinary source of reflection on human dignity comes from C.S. Lewis’s The Weight of Glory: “The dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship. … There are no ordinary people. ... Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses.”
Another way to celebrate Christmas is to recognize and support the amazing work being done by the more than 30 pregnancy-help centers and maternity homes in Nebraska. I never cease to be in awe and edified by the extraordinary work of these centers, which I believe represent the heart of the pro-life movement.
Among the services these centers provide or facilitate are: housing, instructional programs, provision of maternity and baby clothes, furniture and other necessities, adoption through licensed agencies, parenting classes, job training, medical care including pregnancy testing, prenatal and obstetrical care, social services, including counseling, arrangement for transportation, child health care, assistance in applying for financial help before and after the birth, child support, and chastity education.
A complete list of these centers with contact information is available from my office or online. I can’t imagine a more appropriate way to celebrate the birth of our Lord in a humble stable in Bethlehem than to support your local pregnancy-help center or maternity home.
“The Night of Las Posadas” by Tomie DePaola.
G.P. Putnams’s Sons, New York, 1999, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
Christmas is a beautiful holiday. On Dec. 25, Our Lord’s Birth is celebrated throughout the world. Many countries have special celebrations for Christmas. The United States, Canada and many northern European countries set up and decorate Christmas trees. Most countries have special music to welcome the Christ Child into the world. In Spanish speaking countries and the American Southwest, for nine days before Christmas, Las Posadas are enacted. The celebrated author/illustrator, Tomie DePaola has once again written and illustrated a beautiful story about Our Lord’s Life. The name of this lovely book is “The Night of Las Posadas.”
Sister Angie has directed the Las Posadas processions for many years. In fact, she has recently celebrated her Golden Jubilee as a consecrated sister. She tells her niece Lupe along with Lupe’s new husband Roberto what they must do in the processions. They are enacting St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary walking into Bethlehem on a cold night looking for a room. The Virgin is with Child and needs to get somewhere safe and warm in case the Baby Jesus is born. Together, they will walk around the city square and ask for a room at various inns (posadas). Unfortunately, there will be no room at the inns. In fact, two devils actually will answer the door and shout for the Holy Couple to leave. After much rejection, St. Joseph will find one inn that will let them in so that Jesus can be laid in the manger.
Troubles quickly arise however as Roberto’s truck dies on the way to town. In addition, snow begins to fall and there seems to be little hope that Lupe and Roberto are going to make it to town in time for the Las Posadas. While all of these problems are mounting, the local parish priest, Father Vasquez is wondering what has happened to the couple. The white bags with the lighted candles (farolitos) are lining the street. The people are playing the guitars and everyone is ready to sing and start the Las Posadas. But Lupe and Roberto are not there to play their roles of St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother. Suddenly, down the street comes a young couple. They are dressed like Saint Joseph and Mary. The beautiful young Lady is riding on a burro. St. Joseph tells Father Vasquez that his wife is about to have a Baby and that they will play the roles in the Las Posadas. The priest gratefully agrees and the Las Posadas begins. But there is something very unusual about this couple. No one can quite figure it out. The singing and processing start with everyone enjoying the night. But what ever happened to Lupe and Roberto?
Who are the two people dressed up as St. Joseph and Mary? Are they ever allowed to enter one of the inns? Do Lupe and Roberto arrive in town in time for the processions? Have you ever welcomed Our Lord into your life? Why is that such a wonderful thing to do? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this beautiful book, “The Night of Las Posadas,” by Tomie DePaola.
This is simply a well told and beautifully illustrated story of Las Posadas. Many English speaking people are unaware of this wonderful Christmas custom from Spain and Spanish America. Read this book with the younger members of your family and relish the experience. Even better, organize the Las Posadas at your parish. It is a superb way to teach your family about the Nativity. Enjoy!
Please excuse some reminiscing. It’s an effect caused by winding down on almost four decades working for the same employer; in my instance the nine Diocesan Bishops who have served in Nebraska during that time and their association for public-policy purposes, the Nebraska Catholic Conference.
One task I’ve undertaken, and will continue to tackle in earnest for the next six months, is to review countless files and documents that have accumulated over so many years. It’s sort of a stress-expunged saunter down a pre-digital memory lane. Some of the pauses along the way reflect historical significance in a broader context. An example follows.
In February 1983, George E. Wright, a Nebraska taxpayer and resident of Norfolk, filed a lawsuit in a state district court alleging that failure by the Revisor of Statutes to publish and give effect to two sections of a 1973 state law caused the Board of Education of the Norfolk public school district to deny Wright’s request that the school district loan secular-subject textbooks to his son, Matthew, then a sixth grader at Sacred Heart Elementary, a state-approved private school. The law in question stemmed from LB 358 (1973), which was passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Jim Exon, authorizing textbook loans just like that sought by Wright.
This was a “friendly lawsuit,” Wright v. Pepperl, arranged and underwritten by the Catholic Conference in order to determine the status of that 1973 law. Dean Lusienski, Ed. D., a masterful consultant to Catholic schools, first realized the law might still be valid and brought this to the attention of the Diocesan Superintendents. Attorney Robert B. Crosby, who was a former Nebraska Governor, and his partner, Steven Seglin, steered the litigation.
The lawsuit took the form of a petition for a writ of mandamus: to require the Revisor of Statutes to republish volume five of the statutes in a way that would give effect to the textbook-loan-authorization provisions of LB 358 (1973). All the facts came to be stipulated.
The circumstances behind all of this were unique, to say the least. The chronology of events is significant.
In 1971 the Legislature passed and Governor Exon signed LB 659, comprised of several amendments to public-school financing laws. Included was the first established authority for loaning textbooks to private-school students. It applied to grades kindergarten through seven.
That 1971 law was soon challenged, on grounds that it violated Article VII, section 2 of the Nebraska Constitution, prohibiting expenditure of public funds “in aid of” non-government entities. A final outcome in Gaffney v. Department of Education did not occur until 1974. The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that LB 659 was unconstitutional.
But there had been intervening events between enactment and demise. One was the passage of LB 358 in 1973. It amended the law that otherwise reflected LB 659, by extending the textbook-loan authority to include grades eight to 12.
Just as significant, if not more so, was what happened in 1972. At the Primary Election in May of that year, a constitutional amendment was approved that, in part, deleted the wording “in aid of” and substituted the wording “to”.
So, arguably at least, the reason that LB 659 (1971) came to be ruled unconstitutional was eliminated. Arguably at least, the subsequently enacted LB 358 (1973) became presumed constitutional. What’s more, there were Nebraska Supreme Court rulings in 1981 (Lenstrom v. Thone) and 1982 (Bouc v. School District of Lincoln) that upheld publically funded education-benefit programs because the Art. VII, sec. 2 wording had changed.
Nevertheless, the Revisor of Statutes published the two sections in the form in which they existed immediately prior to being amended by LB 659 (1971); that is, with no textbook-loan authorization whatsoever. She took the position that the Supreme Court’s ruling in Gaffney also invalidated LB 358 (1973); she refused to give that legislation effect in publishing the statutes.
Reversing the Revisor’s refusal became a necessary step toward establishing a case in controversy, which eventually could test the constitutionality of textbook loans to private-school students under the “new,” 1972 wording in the constitution. If the Revisor of Statutes had acted correctly, then the Norfolk school board had sufficient reason to deny Matthew Wright’s loan request and there was no controversy; no textbook-loan law would exist to be litigated on its merits. But if the Revisor had acted incorrectly, then the school board’s denial of the textbook-loan request was unsubstantiated and there was indeed a justiciable controversy.
On August 16, 1984, District Judge Dale E. Fahrnbruch ruled for the Wrights, ordering that the Revisor of Statutes publish LB 358 (1973) in the Nebraska statutes. And, the Judge went further, also decreeing the law to be constitutional.
The Attorney General appealed the district court’s ruling to the Nebraska Supreme Court. The oral argument in front of the Court took place on December 4, 1985. On February 26 next following, the Supreme Court, in an opinion written by Chief Justice Norman Krivosha, unanimously affirmed the District Court’s judgment for a writ of mandamus. However, the Supreme Court dismissed the issue of constitutionality as not ripe for adjudication.
Nevertheless, with a textbook-loan law “on the books,” subsequent litigation—Cunningham v. Lutjeharms, NE Supreme Court, 1989—established the law’s constitutionality in all respects. Since then, more than 230,000 textbooks have been purchased with state funds and loaned to private-school students.
Recently, while visiting our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in our St. Joseph Chapel, which contains a beautiful icon of the Holy Family, I overheard a tearful conversation of a woman who was sitting in the pew behind me, talking on a borrowed cell phone. I heard her say she was almost out of gas and did not have any money. She needed to pick up her daughter at school and was afraid she would run out of gas. I could not help but hear what was said in the midst of her crying.
I soon learned she was calling one of our counselors in order to get an appointment. She related how she is so depressed she can hardly get out of bed in the morning. While listening and looking at the tabernacle, I knew we needed to help her. She had no idea who I was, for I had my large overcoat on.
Before she knew it, we were at a local gas station, filling her car full of gas. As she sat in her car, I gave her some gift cards to two local stores as a Christmas present. I encouraged her to keep her appointment with her new counselor and to continue meeting with her spiritual director, one of the priests in the diocese. She drove away with tears of joy.
This is just one of the many stories of the countless families and individuals who come to us in crisis each and every day that we are open for business. As we celebrate the birthday of our Redeemer Jesus Christ, who was born in utter poverty so we could one day be infinitely rich (2 Cor 8:9), let us be reminded that the greatest gift ever given to us by our heavenly Father was the gift of His Son at that first Christmas.
Please know that we are grateful to all of our benefactors who allow us to alleviate some of the sufferings in the Mystical Body of Christ (Mt 25:31-46). Please know we will keep all of you in our special prayers this Christmas and Christmas season. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!
After greeting a smiling first-grader at North American Martyrs School in Lincoln named Shea Sabata-Shreve, I noticed there were some missing front teeth. This brought back many memories when my sisters and I lost our baby teeth back in the day.
“How much did you get from the tooth fairy?” I asked.
“Fifty bucks!” she said.
“Fifty bucks!!!” I replied in a surprised tone of voice… “I used to get 25 cents per tooth when I was your age!” I informed her.
“Father,” she replied in a polite instructional tone, “That was for all six!”
Yes, things have become more expensive over the years. Some families are barely making ends meet. The pain for some families seems more acute especially during the time before and after the celebration of the birthday of our Savior Jesus Christ who came to us in utter poverty at that first Christmas. Who can blame the magi for initially searching for the newborn King in a king’s palace? How utterly amazed they must have been to find the Christ Child in a humble dwelling.
Each and every year I am amazed at the generosity of our donors during this most holy time of year. I have noticed through the years that while our donors exchange gifts to their family and friends, they never forget their brothers and sisters in the Lord who are in need (Mt 25:31-46). This is always something edifying to me personally.
Recently, I was informed of a little girl who was in need of a warm winter coat. Before the end of the day, we were able give her a beautiful coat that someone had donated to us. After putting on her new coat, she too had a beautiful smile. Sometimes it is the little things in life that are most appreciative.
As we get closer to the celebration of the birthday of Jesus Christ, please consider helping us spiritually with your prayers and penances. In addition, whether big or small, like a little girl’s coat, please consider donating any material item around your home or farm not needed. Finally, please prayerfully consider helping us financially with a cash donation according to your means so we can continue to love and serve Jesus Christ who lives in the poor and needy. Please be assured our prayers for you and your intentions.
A new form of advance directive for medical decisions is getting more attention around the country, including here in Nebraska. The document is called POLST which stands for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatments. It is a type of advance directive that consolidates, on a single form, preferences for life-sustaining treatments purportedly at the end of one’s life.
A typical POLST form provides predetermined options for patients to indicate whether they wish to refuse or request the following life-sustaining measures: cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), medical interventions (full or limited treatment versus comfort care only), tube feeding, and antibiotics.
A significant distinction between POLST and other advance medical directives is that it includes a physician’s signature making it an immediately actionable medical order which mandates compliance by healthcare providers, including emergency responders.
Proponents say that POLST is needed because advance directives (AD) are failing to help patients retain control over end-of-life treatment. They cite the following failures:
1. Most people do not complete an AD and when they do they don’t understand the forms and the implications of their decisions.
2. Patients’ goals and preferences for care may change but ADs are rarely revisited. 3. Proxy decision makers often do not understand the patients’ wishes. 4. ADs are frequently unavailable when needed, health care providers may not know about AD or may not think they apply to patient’s situation. 5. AD language is often too vague to provide helpful guidance. [Religion and Cultures of East and West: Perspectives on Bioethics, Spring 2008]
Although I would agree that many of these failures do exist, they could and should be addressed rather than circumvented with a new and morally problematic document.
As the Catholic Bishops of Wisconsin stated very succinctly in their pastoral statement on POLST, “In general, the primary concern about POLST is that it presents options for treatments as if they are morally neutral when they are not neutral. Because we cannot predict the future, it is difficult to determine in advance whether specific medical treatments will be morally required or morally optional.
“These decisions depend upon factors such as the benefits, expected outcomes, and the risks or burdens of the treatment. A POLST oversimplifies these decisions and bears the real risk that an indication may be made on it to withhold a treatment that, in particular circumstances, might be an act of euthanasia. Despite the possible benefits of these documents, this risk is too grave to be acceptable.”
In an essay in the October 2014 issue of Ethics and Medics (a publication of the National Catholic Bioethics Center), Deacon Daniel Gannon, an attorney and ethicist in the Diocese of LaCrosse, WI, points specific concerns at that fact that POLST allows a “point in time… refusal of antibiotics, IV fluids, ventilators, and assisted nutrition and hydration.”
“The morality of refusing any of these treatments,” Deacon Gannon says, “is intrinsically connected to the pathologies and circumstances of the present moment; therefore, allowing their prior refusal is rightly characterized as in principle contrary to Catholic moral teaching.”
No advance directive (including the POLST) can assure that a person’s wishes at end of life are followed with exact precision. However, the advance directive known as the healthcare power of attorney (HCPOA) seems to be the best instrument for ensuring that one’s wishes are fully informed and one’s beliefs—as well as Catholic moral principles—are honored at the end of one’s life.
The HCPOA provides an opportunity to appoint a trusted person to make future health-care decisions in the event one would become incapable of making his or her own decisions. Of course, to maximize the HCPOAs effectiveness, we must thoroughly communicate with our proxy about our wishes and Catholic moral principles. And we must ensure that our entire family, our physician and local hospital(s) have a record of our HCPOA.
Sample HCPOA directives that reflect Catholic teaching and Nebraska law are available from the Nebraska Catholic Conference.
“Silent Night, Holy Night: A Song For The World”
by Werner Thuswaldner, illustrated by Robert Ingpen.
Penguin, Young Readers Group, New York, 2005,32 pages, Grades 2-4.
Music can elevate the hearts and minds of people. To do so, music must speak to eternal values such as love of God, sacrifice and charity. As well, hope must be present in the piece to help people see beyond their own needs. Music of this kind is rare because it is difficult to write a piece of music that will inspire people of different nationalities.
But sometimes we are gifted with such a composition. One such masterpiece was written in Austria during a cold December night. Werner Thuswaldner tells the marvelous story of how the wonderful song “Silent Night” was composed and performed in his book, “Silent Night, Holy Night: A Song For The World.”
The winter of 1818 is bitter for the downtrodden community of Oberndorf in Austria. The Napoleonic Wars have left a ravaged countryside and there is little work for the men in the community. The Salzach River runs through the town and frequently floods, leaving devastation behind. The women in the town huddle together, not knowing how they will feed their families.
Father Joseph Mohr arrives in Oberndorf to become the pastor of the local church. Father Mohr comes from the same peasant stock as those in his parish and understands their suffering and poverty. Father Joseph also knows that Our Lord came to earth to save mankind and chose to be born in a humble stable.
Father Mohr is gifted in music, writing lyrics and playing the guitar. The organist of the church, Mr. Franz Gruber, also composes music and understands the power music has to elevate people in times of difficulty. Working together, the two men want to give the weary people of Oberndorf a beautiful song for Christmas. The priest writes a poem that catches the eye of the organist. They work the poem into a melody and then into a complete song.
As the bitter winter night sets in, their troubles begin to mount. The church organ gives out right before Midnight Mass and the men are left without the primary musical instrument for the piece. Because of this, Father Mohr decides to play his guitar for the accompaniment. Word spreads throughout the town that a special piece of music is going to be sung at Mass that night. The people excitedly hurry to church to hear the piece. The organist then begins singing the song while Father Mohr accompanies on the guitar. The beaten-down people of Oberndorf are then blessed to be the first to hear and sing the beautiful song, “Silent Night, Holy Night.”
“Silent Night, Holy Night” is one of the most beloved songs in history. It is filled with beauty and a proper sense of humility. For after all, it is primarily a song of love to the Child Jesus. So powerful is its influence in history that German soldiers in World War I sing the German version during the 1914 Christmas Truce and the French and British soldiers respond by singing the hymn in French and English.
I hope you get the chance to go to the library and check out this beautiful book detailing the writing and the first performance of “Silent Night, Holy Night” in Oberndorf, Austria. Even better, teach the younger members of your family on Christmas Eve the meaning of this marvelous, grace-filled song. Then, honor Our Lord’s birth by singing it with them. May you all have a Blessed Advent and Merry Christmas!
A few years ago, while on retreat, I heard that when some people are asked to pray, not only do they not know what prayer is they are not sure how to go about it. This should not surprise us for even the disciples of Jesus asked Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Sadly, prayer for so many of us is solely that of petition – namely, asking God for something, which as essential as it is, should only be a small part of prayer.
My favorite definition of prayer comes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church quoting St. John Damascene, “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God (CCC 2559).” Notice that raising one’s mind and heart to God comes before the asking.
St. Therese of Lisieux offers her own description of prayer, saying, “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”
For me, prayer is spending time with the one you love, namely God. In prayer, we should first tell God we love Him. When was the last time you said, Lord God, I love you? Then comes acts of adoration, praise, and worship. Next would be acts of thanksgiving for the abundant graces and gifts in our lives. Doesn’t it make sense to ask God for things only after making acts of love, adoration, praise, worship and thanksgiving?
Recently, after talking to Jesus during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament before Mass at our St. Joseph Chapel, He wanted me to remind all of our donors that we at Catholic Social Services pray for them. Not only are we thankful for your support (without which we would not exist), we pray for you, your families and intentions.
While many around us start celebrating Christmas after Thanksgiving, let us be reminded that Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas, a time for an increase of prayer, penance and almsgiving. Preparing ourselves in this manner for the spiritual coming of Jesus into our hearts is also a good preparation for the final coming of Jesus on the clouds with all of His angels. Please know that part of my own preparation for Christmas during this Advent season will be holding all of you in my heart in my Masses, prayers (especially in front of the Blessed Sacrament) and penances.
“Mousetronaut”
by Mark Kelly, illustrated by C.F. Payne.
Simon & Shuster Books for Young Readers, New York, 2012,32 pages, Grades K-2.
Wordless or nearly-wordless picture books are often used with early readers. The reasons for this are many. First, students have not developed their cognitive skills to manage text. Simply put, this means that they are just learning to read. Second, the illustrations and pictures help young students make sense of the story. The illustrations can carry the meaning of the narration. Third, wordless and nearly-wordless picture books can be great fun to read. They are particularly suited to oral reading. In these enjoyable encounters, parents and teachers share the book with youngsters. Usually, the adults will have as much fun as the students.
Mark Kelly has written a delightful book in this genre about space travel. Mr. Kelly knows firsthand about space travel, having been an astronaut on the Space Shuttle. The name of this enjoyable book is “Mousetronaut.”
The story begins with a small mouse looking longingly into the heavens. A meteor shoots across the sky and the tiny mouse is gripped with interest. Where did it come from and where is it going?
At Cape Canaveral the NASA Space Shuttle is being readied for a launch. Dozens of engineers are checking and re-checking the instruments and computers manning the flight. The astronauts are also double checking their many assignments before the launch. In a nearby room, a group of mice are also part of the mission.
The small mouse, Meteor, particularly wants to be selected for the adventure. He trains hard to be in top physical condition. While the other mice lazily wait to be chosen, Meteor constantly runs on a hamster wheel and does repeated chin-ups on a bar. He is determined to be ready. The lethargic mice are much larger than Meteor and look down on his small frame with disdain.
The Shuttle Commander walks down to the cage and begins to select the mice for the space flight. He names Meteor to be the sixth and final mouse for the journey.
All the mice are placed in a new cage called the Mouse Hotel. The five large mice are quickly frightened and awed by the coming space launch. But Meteor is excited and ready to go. He has trained and worked out. When the Shuttle is finally launched, the five big mice huddle in the corner of the Mouse Hotel.
But Meteor begins having the time of his life. He spins around in weightlessness and the Shuttle Commander announces: “Hey little guy. You’re a natural. A real live mousetronaut.”
Suddenly, the control board gets jammed and the astronauts cannot get it fixed. Who can solve this problem? Someone small and athletic is needed, as the astronauts are too big. The Commander spies Meteor. Maybe the small mouse could wiggle his way through this problem and save the mission. All the astronauts hold their breath as Meteor plunges into the control panel.
Does Meteor save the mission? What qualities does a hero have? Have you ever done anything courageous? Why is Meteor so admirable? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this delightful story: “Mousetronaut,” by Mark Kelly.
“Mousetronaut” is on this year’s K-3 Golden Sower List. Nebraska school children vote for their most popular book from this list. I have to believe that this title has a good chance of winning. The pictures in this book are endearing. I hope you get a chance to read it with a younger member in your family. You will be laughing before you finish. Enjoy!
Father William Grant directed our annual Day of Recollection before the beginning of Advent Nov. 14. This was a great way for us to prepare for the spiritual coming of the baby Jesus into our hearts, which is a good preparation for the second coming of Jesus on the last day.
Included in our day of recollection was Eucharistic Adoration, confessions and Mass. Under the direction of Father Grant, who explained the method of Lectio Divina, we were each given a chapter in the book of Proverbs to read and meditate on before breaking up in small groups to discuss.
I came a few minutes late because I celebrated the 8 a.m. Mass at North American Martyrs School for the students, so I did not initially receive an assigned chapter. I randomly chose the 21st chapter and verse two struck a chord in my heart. It states, “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all.”
The message for me was clear. Throughout our brief earthly lives we will encounter our neighbor. We need to daily remind ourselves that they too were created in God’s image and likeness (Gen 1:26-27). In addition, some neighbors will be better off than we are and some will be worse off than we are.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I pray you have a free moment like our staff did to quietly meditate on the great love God has for His children. Let us thank God the Father for the greatest gift ever given – His only Begotten Son who came to us a helpless baby born in utter poverty. He went from a cave fit only for animals to die naked on a cross for the salvation of us all.
In addition to this, I will personally give thanks for our donors who help us spiritually, materially and financially for they know well that, “The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the maker of them all.” Happy Thanksgiving!
The ACLU of Nebraska (American Civil Liberties Union) has filed another federal lawsuit against Nebraska’s Constitutional prohibition on same-sex “marriage.” The Constitutional Amendment was approved by an overwhelming majority of Nebraska voters in 2000.
The ACLU’s first attempt to get the Amendment invalidated came in 2003. A federal district judge in Omaha agreed with the ACLU and struck down the Amendment in 2005. That judge’s ruling was subsequently overturned by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals which upheld the Amendment.
Over the last few years, state prohibitions of same-sex “marriage” (SSM) have been overturned at a breathtaking pace. Currently, 33 states recognize SSM. Twenty-two of these states were forced to do so by Courts; eight states have legalized it by legislative votes and three by popular vote.
Many people (especially proponents of SSM) say it is inevitable that every state ban on SSM will fall, either by lower courts or by the U.S. Supreme Court. And those who oppose such efforts are impugned with accusations of bigotry and hate-mongering which, sadly, intimidates most into silence.
To be certain, the institution of marriage started down a path of decline long before SSM posed another serious threat to its meaning and dignity. Articles on marriage in recent Respect Life Programs produced by the U.S. Bishops lay out the sobering reality:
“Increasingly frequent… are stories or studies purporting to show the ‘death of marriage’ on the grounds that a sexually-active single life or cohabitation are essentially superior, or that women would do better to enjoy their newly elevated incomes alone, or that fidelity is well nigh impossible (and maybe not even desirable)” (Helen Alvare).
“Today more than 50 percent of births to women under 30 occur outside marriage. According to sociologists, the increased numbers of children in poverty, in fatherless homes, and who experience abuse and neglect all relate to changing attitudes about marriage. The phenomenon of the breakdown of marriage has spread rapidly into the segment known as Middle America and is now touching nearly every extended family” (William B. May).
The breathtaking pace at which our society and its laws are embracing SSM is yet another critical reason for the Church to embark on an unprecedented campaign to explain the meaning and sacred dignity of marriage. To start with, here is a glimpse of what our Catholic faith teaches (from the Catechism of the Catholic Church):
“‘The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws. . . . God himself is the author of marriage.’ The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator.
“Although the dignity of this institution is not transparent everywhere with the same clarity, some sense of the greatness of the matrimonial union exists in all cultures. ‘The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life.’” (CCC #1603)
“Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were created for one another: ‘It is not good that the man should be alone.’ The woman, ‘flesh of his flesh,’ his equal, his nearest in all things, is given to him by God as a ‘helpmate’; she thus represents God from whom comes our help. ‘Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.’ The Lord himself shows that this signifies an unbreakable union of their two lives by recalling what the plan of the Creator had been ‘in the beginning’: ‘So they are no longer two, but one flesh.’” (CCC #1605)
Is our nation facing another Roe v. Wade type moment, this time with the Supreme Court purporting to “settle” the conflict over same-sex “marriage”? Whether this is the case or not, we cannot wait another moment to begin a great campaign to proclaim and promote the true meaning and sacred dignity of marriage. God is clearly knocking on our door. Will we answer it?
“The Cricket in Times Square”
by George Selden illustrated by Garth Williams.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1960,151 pages, Grades 4-6.
Fifty years ago, adults felt that childhood should be a period of comfort and protection. To be sure, most of the problems children face today were present in those years, but children’s literature tended to reflect this idea that childhood should be a time of parental guardianship.
This innocent understanding of childhood began to end in the 1960s during the time that “problem novels” began to be published. In these novels, the protagonists often face brutal situations in which parents act irresponsibly. Of course some parents did display these awful traits before the 1960s. Unfortunately, problem novels sometimes painted the world so bleakly that it is hard to see the virtue of hope in the writing. It is still a matter of debate about how much “reality” fourth-graders need to read about.
George Selden has written a beautiful, comforting story during the late 1950s, before this new type of children’s literature appeared. The name of this lovely book is “The Cricket in Times Square.”
Young Mario Bellini works at his parents’ newspaper stand in Times Square. Nearby, Tucker Mouse carefully studies the newsstand with his friend, Harry Cat. Living next to the newspaper stand in a drain pipe, Tucker always knows what is happening in Times Square.
Mario and Tucker both hear a strange sound coming from the subway turnstile on 42nd Street. The boy listens carefully and then reaches down and picks up a cricket that has just arrived by accident on a train from Connecticut. Picking up the cricket, Mario brings him back to the newsstand and places the small insect inside a matchbox. When Mrs. Bellini comes to work, she wants the cricket thrown out. But, little by little, her son and husband get her to accept the insect. They then close up the shop and go home.
As soon as they are gone, Tucker and Harry scamper into the newsstand to greet the cricket. In a high, musical voice, the insect tells them his name is Chester Cricket and his home is in Connecticut. All three quickly become friends.
Mario is excited to have a pet cricket and teaches Chester to do tricks. There is a radio in the newsstand and for the first time, Chester begins listening to music. Mario and the animals love to hear Chester rubbing his wings together and discover that Chester has perfect musical pitch. In fact, when he hears a song on the radio, he can play it perfectly on his wings.
Mama Bellini puts two and two together and realizes that there is money to be made since no one in New York has a singing cricket. Within days, Chester begins playing arias, operas, popular songs and hymns with his wings. The Bellinis start selling all the newspapers and magazines at the stand and the money starts to roll in.
But as the cash register fills, Chester begins to get lonely for the fields and pastures of Connecticut. He is becoming the most famous musician in New York, but wants to give up his lucrative career for his beloved woods and fields in Connecticut. He makes a momentous decision and shares it with the disconsolate Harry and Tucker.
After his most beautiful concert in front of hundreds of people in Times Square, Chester acts. He jumps down on the street and leaves the newsstand. Where does he go and what is he thinking?
I hope you take the chance to encourage the middle-school readers in your family to check out this delightful book. The characters are inviting and interesting. Selden always takes the high road in encouraging honesty and charity.
I loved this title and think you will as well. Enjoy!
Many of you are aware of the life of St. Martin of Tours. He was born in the Roman province of Pannonia, which is now part of Hungary, just a few years after Emperor Constantine granted religious freedom to Christians. Before this time, Christians were routinely arrested, tortured and put to death for no other reason than for being followers of Jesus Christ.
While still a young boy, Martin became attracted to the Christian faith, to the disdain of his parents. This led him to secretly study the Catholic faith with the help of his local parish priest. Because of a law that required sons of veterans to serve in the military, he entered the army as a soldier at age 15. Three years later as an officer, he had an encounter with a half-naked beggar that changed his life forever.
While on horseback, he encountered this man on a bitterly cold and windy day. Moved with compassion, he sliced off half his expansive mantle and wrapped the poor, ill-clad man in it, to the jeers of many who were in his retinue. Later that night he saw Jesus in a dream, clothed with the garment cut from his own who said, “See this mantle that Martin, yet a catechumen gave me!”
Moved with emotion at the comment of Jesus that he was not yet baptized, he received this essential sacrament a short time afterward. He later studied for the priesthood and was ordained a priest and later a bishop.
A few days ago, the Lord Jesus inspired me to give a warm winter coat that had been hanging in my closet to a poor man. It had been hanging there for years in ‘proverbial mothballs.’ Since God seemed to want me to give it away personally, I hung it in my office and waited for God to send me someone. It did not take long.
Only a few days later, just before our first major cold snap and show of ice, I spied a raggedly-dressed man sitting against the side of our office. After introducing myself, it was evident he had mental disease and had been drinking. He owned nothing but the tattered clothes on his back. He immediately put the coat on after I gave it to him. I made sure it had a sandwich, protein bar and bottle of water in its deep pockets. Because of his mental disease, he left before I could do anything further. I knew that it was Jesus who walked away with the hood pulled up (Mt 25:31-46).
I know I am not as holy as St. Martin of Tours, but I want to be, with God’s grace. I could not help thinking what went through his mind on that cold and windy day.
Please look around your home and see if there is any warm clothing that has been hanging in your closets or laying in your drawers, that Jesus who lives in the poor might need.
In closing, please allow me to thank all of our many donors who allow us to love and serve Jesus who lives in the poor and needy (Mt 25:31-46). St. Martin of Tours, pray for us!
It’s a good time and opportunity to share some lingering observations and nagging thoughts about the recent General Election, which provides another chapter in Nebraska history.
As with each election, this one had unique and significant aspects. For Nebraskans, it featured well-contested races for Governor and a seat in the United States Senate. One of the races for the U.S. House of Representatives produced not only a politically significant result, but one sparked with intrigue; (recall the short-lived, third-rail candidacy of Chip Maxwell?) And, voters in various parts of the state decided successors for 17 term-limited state legislators.
Here’s an interesting tidbit about two of those legislative races: in districts 34 and 38, only one candidate sought the open seat—Curt Friesen and John Kuehn respectively. Now that’s how to get elected: don’t challenge an incumbent and don’t have an opponent.
Congratulations are in order for all victorious candidates. Their efforts were rewarded. They sought the public’s trust; now they face the tasks and challenges of fulfilling it.
More generally, gratitude is due from the collective body of citizens to all those who presented themselves as candidates for public office. Their willingness to express their ideas and share their visions is what makes the highly-valued political system work.
All of the important and positive elements notwithstanding, the election process also has some negative aspects, obviously. Setting aside the evident, alarming aspect of how absurdly expensive they can be (especially for the more elite offices), there are instances as well in which bogus assertions, personal attacks and downright nastiness take negativity to an embarrassing level. Many would-be voters become weary of it.
It would be hard to believe that any of the other 20 contested races for the state Legislature became nastier than that between Matt Hansen and Brent Smoyer in the 26th district. I render that opinion as a (long-time) constituent of that district.
The primary source of my chagrin is constituted of the numerous campaign flyers that were either mailed or hand-delivered to the house during the fortnight leading up to the election.
The election for Nebraska’s legislature is officially non-partisan, but this race became highly partisan. (Undoubtedly, there were other legislative races similarly infected.)
The Nebraska Republican Party put money behind a repeated charge that Hansen fits among those who are “forcing Obama’s immigration laws on Nebraskans.” The “Obama liberals of Nebraska believe illegal immigrants deserve the same rights and benefits as hard working Nebraskans.” The “Hansen plan” included “a pathway to citizenship, amnesty.”
That’s bogus and ludicrous, if for no other reason than that a pathway and amnesty are inapposite concepts: amnesty doesn’t need a pathway, it’s granted; and a pathway doesn’t conform to the immediacy of a declaration of amnesty. As as a matter of political tactics, though, it was crucial to get that word “amnesty” printed on an attack piece.
The Smoyer campaign also pushed the exaggerated, fear-mongering rhetoric that the candidate would fight to stop “the flood of illegal aliens pouring into our state” and that illegal immigration is “a threat to the safety of our families and communities.”
The Nebraska Democratic Party put money behind attacks on Smoyer that were just as offensive, if not more so. Labeling him an “extremist,” the obvious tactic was to manipulate the legitimate policy debate over governmentally coercing employers and other taxpayers to pay for sterilizations and contraceptives—including drugs that can induce early abortions—to encompass other health issues.
The obvious strategy was to make District-26 voters believe that “Smoyer’s backers oppose making affordable mammograms and other lifesaving preventive care available to women at risk for cancer” and “will allow insurance companies to continue to deny health coverage for those who have pre-existing conditions, even children, making it impossible for many of them to access the care they need.”
Anyone moved to look into such accusations was advised to check with the state’s Accountability and Disclosure Commission about Nebraskans United for Life, which endorsed Smoyer.
Bogus and ludicrous hardly begin to describe such a tactic. District 26 residents apparently were supposed to accept as truth a presupposition that Nebraskans United for Life not only opposes coerced payments for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilizations and contraceptives, but also for affordable mammograms, cancer-preventive care and coverage for the pre-existing conditions of children. And Smoyer, by virtue of the endorsement, holds the same views.
Just manipulative, reprehensible tactics.
Earlier, some organization that identified itself as Citizens for a Better Tomorrow sent a flyer that called Smoyer a “serial liar” and falsely accused him of going for “three government paychecks,” as if concurrently.
By the way, Hansen won the election, comfortably. Nonetheless, shame on both campaigns.
And finally… along a much different vein, here’s a final election observation: U.S. Senator-Elect Ben Sasse’s victory speech, i.e., the one televised from the celebration site, was, well, rather odd. It struck me as more a philosophical admonition, with a political bent, than a yay-team, we-did-it, now-let’s-celebrate-and-then-proceed-to-make-a-difference message.
“Time for Bed” by Mem Fox, illustrated by Jane Dyer
Gulliver Books, Harcourt Brace & Company, New York, 1993, 32 pages, Preschool.
Early childhood should be a time of innocence. For preschool children these years should be one of protection and affection. It is during these all important times that children develop their personalities, and begin understanding the world. Hopefully, these will be happy experiences that will strengthen children’s sense of confidence and security. One of the pleasant ways to build this positive world for youngsters is to read to them before they fall asleep. In addition to feeling comfort from their parents or older family members’ presence, children inadvertently learn how to hold books and discover the importance of reading. All of these skills are needed to be successful in the early grades and nighttime reading is one of the most pleasant ways to achieve this. Mem Fox has written a delightful book for this nighttime reading entitled “Time For Bed.”
The book begins with a mother mouse singing to her baby mouse. The next scene has a goose putting her wing around her chick. The baby goose is stretching his wings and is so tired that he nearly falls over. Then a cat cradles a kitten and tells it to snuggle tight. The mother cat licks the fur of the baby as it falls asleep wrapped in the mother cat’s love. Now, Mem Fox cleverly begins to plant questions in the text that older family readers can ask the nodding off youngsters. A darling picture follows of a young calf looking up with tired eyes at her mother. “What happened today that made you laugh?” This is followed by a knock kneed colt trying to stand up at the end of the day. The older horse asks the colt: “It’s time for bed, little foal, little foal, I’ll whisper a secret, but don’t tell a soul?” A little fish is now told to go to bed and the large fish tells it “to hold its breath and make a wish.”
Next we see a baby lamb kneeling down in a pasture with the mother sheep telling him it is time for bed because “The whole wide world is going to sleep.” The author then continues the cycle of parent animals gently calling their young to go to bed.
This is simply a darling picture book. The pictures are very comforting and the colors are those that will quiet children down. In most of the pictures we see stars coming out and the animals begin to stretch and lay down. The mother and father animals then protect their babies and ensure that they are safe. The poetry and perceptive questions that the adult animals ask their babies are enjoyable to read. I hope that you get the chance to go to the library and check out this fine picture book, “Time For Bed” by Mem Fox.
Mem Fox (1946-Present) is a highly acclaimed author from Australia. She taught at Flinders University in Australia for many years. After she retired, Mrs. Fox has traveled to many countries to encourage reading and literacy. Her books are delightful, funny and her characters show a variety of emotions. One of her most famous books, “Koala Lou,” is a very good example of her writing. I hope that you get a chance to share “Time For Bed” with the younger children you love in your family. Just don’t nod off yourself! Enjoy!
On October 20, 2014, the Most Reverend Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia delivered the 27th Erasmus Lecture entitled, Strangers in a Strange Land, which can be seen by going to First Things. It was masterful and I encourage all to read it.
The idea that we Christians are strangers in a strange land is not something new. Jesus Himself said it moments before He was arrested and condemned to death. Speaking to God the Father, He said, “I have given them your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (Jn 17:14).
One might ask, if we are in the world but not of the world, how are we supposed to act? Jesus answered this question by saying, “You are the light of the world …. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 5:14-16).
According to Archbishop Chaput, we are to remember three things: first, “We’re a people of worship first, and action second.”
Second, “There are no unhappy saints. Pope Francis says that ‘a Christian without joy is not a Christian.’”
And third, “We’re in the world but not of the world. We forget that at our peril. Henri de Lubac wrote many years ago that “when the world worms its way into the life of the Church, the Church becomes not just a caricature of the world, but even worse than the world in her mediocrity and ugliness.”
As for our duties in the world, Archbishop Chaput states, “As I’ve said many times before, we have serious obligations as believers to care for the poor, the immigrant, the elderly and persons with disabilities. Those duties belong personally to you and me, not just to the government -- though government clearly has an important role. If we ignore the poor, we will go to hell. If we blind ourselves to their suffering, we will go to hell. If we do nothing to ease their burdens; then we will go to hell. Ignoring the needs of the poor among us is the surest way to dig a chasm of heartlessness between ourselves and God, and ourselves and our neighbors.” Tough words, these. I can only imagine he was thinking of Jesus’ words outlined in Mt. 25:31-46 concerning the general judgment, and in Lk. 16: 19-31 concerning the rich man and Lazarus as he wrote these comments.
When I read his lecture, I thought of our many donors who selflessly support us spiritually with their prayers and penances, materially with items not needed around their homes and farms and financially. I am confident they do so, not for motivations of fear but of love. Our donors use Catholic Social Services as a vehicle to help needy individuals and families because they love Jesus and His presence in our neighbors. Finally, the archbishop of Philadelphia states, “Religion only works its influence on democracy if people really believe what it teaches.”
I am grateful that our benefactors believe what Jesus teaches and for this I am proud of all of you.
I mentioned in a previous column that too many Catholics are disengaged from participation in the political life of our society. Some are disengaged because of pure neglect, others because of cynicism about “politics.” Regardless of the reason, disengaged Catholics fail to understand and live our mission as disciples of Christ.
Our Catholic faith teaches that “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation. This obligation is rooted in our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian witness in all we do.
“As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, ‘It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good. This obligation is inherent in the dignity of the human person. . . . As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life (nos. 1913-1915).’” [Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship #13]
The clergy and laity have different but complementary roles in public life. Our faith teaches that the role of the clergy is to sanctify the laity and the role of the laity is to sanctify the temporal order (i.e. the world).
In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship the bishops teach that the clergy’s role is “to teach fundamental moral principles that help Catholics form their consciences correctly, to provide guidance on the moral dimensions of public decisions, and to encourage the faithful to carry out their responsibilities in political life.”
In his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict taught that “The direct duty to work for a just ordering of society is proper to the lay faithful.”
“This duty,” the U.S. bishops state, “is more critical than ever in today’s political environment, where Catholics may feel politically disenfranchised, sensing that no party and too few candidates fully share the Church’s comprehensive commitment to the life and dignity of every human being from conception to natural death.
“Yet this is not a time for retreat or discouragement; rather, it is a time for renewed engagement. Forming their consciences in accord with Catholic teaching, Catholic lay women and men can become actively involved: running for office; working within political parties; communicating their concerns and positions to elected officials; and joining diocesan social mission or advocacy networks, state Catholic conference initiatives, community organizations, and other efforts to apply authentic moral teaching in the public square.” [Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship #16]
The “Introductory Note” to Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship mentions that we are called to a “dual heritage as both faithful Catholics and American citizens. We are members of a community of faith with a long tradition of teaching and action on human life, and dignity, marriage and family, justice and peace, care for creation, and the common good.
“As Americans, we are also blessed with religious liberty which safeguards our right to bring our principles and moral convictions into the public arena. These Constitutional freedoms need to be both exercised and protected, as some seek to mute the voices or limit the freedoms of religious believers and religious institutions.”
Whether as individual Catholics or as an organization representing the Catholic Church (e.g. the Nebraska Catholic Conference), we have a Constitutional right and a Christian duty to participate in the public life of our society. And we should be bold and unapologetic in our participation in the public square because, as Catholics, we bring “important assets to the political dialogue about our nation’s future. We bring a consistent moral framework—drawn from basic human reason that is illuminated by Scripture and the teaching of the Church—for assessing issues, political platforms, and campaigns.
“We also bring broad experience in serving those in need—educating the young, caring for the sick, sheltering the homeless, helping women who face difficult pregnancies, feeding the hungry, welcoming immigrants and refugees, reaching out in global solidarity, and pursuing peace.” [Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship #12]
“Reflections” by Ann Jonas
William Morrow & Company, New York, 1987, 32 pages, Grades 2-3.
Children’s literature is an extremely creative world in which text, art and ingenuity intersect. Unlike adult books in which the story is carried by text, children’s books often use a variety of media to achieve this task.
One of the first children’s books to establish this mode was the 1963 picture book, “Where the Wild Things Are,” by Maurice Sendak. This book was revolutionary in that the pictures in the book start large, taking up the entire page and then began progressively shrinking as the story reaches the climax. During the falling action of the book, Sendak then ingeniously enlarges the characters until the pages are completely filled again at the conclusion of the story.
Ann Jonas is one of the first author/illustrators to paint inverted images. By this process, readers can read the story from start to finish holding the book in the normal position. Then, readers can turn the book over and read the book backward. All the pictures become new images. It is really very clever and shows extraordinary talent to be able to paint pictures that can be viewed right-side-up or upside down. “Reflections” is the name of this famous book.
The story begins with a child lying in bed. The family home is near an ocean and they get up early to see the sunrise. As they go to the ocean, the fishermen are all hard at work. The sea gulls fly by the fishing boat as the pinks of sunrise give way to the beautiful blue sky of the morning. The family goes to a boatyard but don’t see anyone in the area because they are all having a picnic on the beach. It is so crowded that the child decides to go for a walk past an old mill. There is a carnival train next to the mill, so the youngster begins to wonder what is about to happen.
The child then walks through an orchard filled with ripe fruit and spies a deer hiding in a nearby stand of trees. The deer is so cleverly camouflaged that it blends into the forest background. Eventually, the youth nearly gets lost in the deep forest. One can only see the sky by looking straight up through the trees. So the child turns around and begins to walk out of the forest.
Of course, now you have to turn the book upside down and read the story a second time to see how the child and the family return to the beginning.
What happens on the trip back? Is there an airplane involved? What happens when all the pictures are turned upside down? How is it possible for Ann Jonas to create such amazing pictures? To find out, go to the library and check out “Reflections.”
Ann Jonas opened a new and exciting vista in children’s literature with this book. When you read the story and then turn it upside down and look at the inverted picture, you will be amazed.
Children love reading this book together because they are charmed and entertained by the artwork. The paintings are very colorful and bright and you will want to keep turning the pages to find out what is coming next.
I hope you take the chance to check out this title and read it with the younger members of your family. It is simply great fun. Enjoy!
On Saturday, Nov.15, St. Gianna’s Women’s Homes will be celebrating “Charity in Bloom 2014,” a floral design and wine event for the benefit of St. Gianna.
This event is scheduled every other year in an alternating fashion with our cake-decorating celebration. The event will be held at Pius X High School, 6000 “A” St., Lincoln, from 5 to 7 p.m.
There will be professional and celebrity divisions. The arrangements will be auctioned off for those who wish to take them home, and I will once again attempt to make another floral arrangement. In case anyone is wondering, no, I will not be in the professional division. However, I plan on two surprises guaranteed to satisfy at least three of the senses….
Back by popular demand will be our ‘wine pull.’ Corks will be available for purchase with a number. These numbers will correspond to a bottle of wine. Some of the wines are valued between 50 to 100 dollars, so everyone will have a chance to leave with a great bottle of wine for that special dinner. Remember what St. Paul said to Timothy, “Stop drinking only water, but have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Tim 5:23).
There are, once again, opportunities for corporate sponsorships. Tickets are available for $50.
All of the proceeds will be used to assist the many women who come to us escaping abortion and domestic violence. By the grace of God and the generosity of our donors, we have saved almost 30 babies from abortion. The stories are all tear-provoking.
In one case, a young mother was ‘urged’ strongly to abort her unborn baby by her father, the grandfather of the unborn baby. He told her she would have to leave home if she refused. In the end, she scheduled the abortion, but aided by the prayers and penances of many on our prayer chain, changed her mind at the last moment at the abortion mill. She was at St. Gianna’s throughout her pregnancy and for months afterward. When she graduated, she informed us that her father, the child’s grandfather, had fallen in love with the baby and had a change of heart. This is one of the many success stories at St. Gianna’s.
I would like to thank our board members, volunteers and benefactors for their help. Please visit cssisus.org for more information about this event.
If you are unable to attend this year’s event, please pray for its success, and remember, we will keep you, your family and intentions in our prayers. St. Gianna, pray for us!
Next Tuesday, Nov. 4, is General Election Day. Although an increasing number of voters are casting early ballots, the majority still vote on Election Day. If you have not yet voted, please spend some time over this weekend reviewing the Nebraska Catholic Conference’s Candidate Survey and other election information online at necatholic.org.
The NCC survey was sent to all candidates for Governor and for State Legislature. Unfortunately, nearly half of the candidates did not respond to the survey, despite being mailed three reminder notices. Nonetheless, I urge Catholics to go to the website and if a candidate you seek to assess did not respond to the survey, call or email the candidate and question him/her directly. The NCC questions can be seen by clicking on any link where a candidate did respond to the survey.
It should be made clear that neither the Nebraska Catholic Conference nor the Archdiocese of Omaha, the Diocese of Lincoln, or the Diocese of Grand Island, endorses or opposes any candidate for public office. The NCC survey merely provides voters with the positions and views of the candidates for Governor and State Legislature on a variety of important issues.
This survey is the last component to the Nebraska Catholic Conference’s Voter Education Project that began weeks ago. The project’s objective has been to provide Catholics with information helpful in forming consciences according to Catholic moral principles and applying these principles to our evaluation and selection of candidates for public office.
As the U.S. Bishops acknowledge in the document “Faithful Citizenship,” Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote because few candidates fully embody the Church’s social doctrine. “This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods,” the bishops advise.
In another document, Living the Gospel of Life (#22, #33), the U.S. Bishops provide important guidance on the “proper relationship among moral goods.” I pray that this guidance resonates in the minds and hearts of voters as they exercise the very serious civic and moral responsibility of voting.
“Adopting a consistent ethic of life, the Catholic Church promotes a broad spectrum of issues ‘seeking to protect human life and promote human dignity from the inception of life to its final moment.’ Opposition to abortion and euthanasia does not excuse indifference to those who suffer from poverty, violence and injustice… Therefore, Catholics should eagerly involve themselves as advocates for the weak and marginalized in all these areas.
“Catholic public officials are obliged to address each of these issues as they seek to build consistent policies which promote respect for the human person at all stages of life. But being ‘right’ in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life. Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the ‘rightness’ of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community.
“If we understand the human person as the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’—the living house of God—then these latter issues fall logically into place as the crossbeams and walls of that house. All direct attacks on innocent human life, such as abortion and euthanasia, strike at the house’s foundation. These directly and immediately violate the human person’s most fundamental right—the right to life. Neglect of these issues is the equivalent of building our house on sand. Such attacks cannot help but lull the social conscience in ways ultimately destructive of other human rights.”
“We encourage all citizens, particularly Catholics, to embrace their citizenship not merely as a duty and privilege, but as an opportunity meaningfully to participate in building the culture of life. Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power.
We must exercise that power in ways that defend human life, especially those of God’s children who are unborn, disabled or otherwise vulnerable. We get the public officials we deserve. Their virtue—or lack thereof—is a judgment not only on them, but on us. Because of this, we urge our fellow citizens to see beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rhetoric critically, and to choose their political leaders according to principle, not party affiliation or mere self-interest.”
“Vote: Eyewitness Book” by Philip Steele.
DK Publishing, New York, 2008, 72 pages, Grades 4-8.
The leadership in a democratic society depends upon the will of the governed. Wars have been fought over this concept and many have risked their lives to secure this great gift.
In some countries, people still face coercion and extremism during elections. Voting is the foundational block of the American political system. Unfortunately, Americans all too often take this privilege for granted: in the 2010 national elections, only 45.5% of those capable of voting actually went to the polls and voted. (U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, “Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2010.”)
While sometimes people are unable to get to the polls, these numbers indicate that large numbers of voters are apathetic about the democratic process. Philip Steele has written an excellent book on why we should care about this critical and honored process. The title is, “Vote.”
Steele points out the word “democracy” comes from two Greek words. The first is “demos,” (people) and the second is “kratia," (rule). One of the first early democracies is established in Greece about 450 B.C. The reason that democracies can be effective is because they reflect the will of the people. But this is only possible if the people will participate in voting for its leaders.
In early Greece, the assemblies of the Greek city-states were comprised of citizens throughout the society. They established the principle that law must be founded on popular will. The author points out that this idea continues throughout history and finds itself enshrined in the great English document, “The Magna Carta.” For the first time in English history, the king’s power is limited. This means that the king must rule with the consent of the governed.
Unfortunately, democracies can go awry. During the French Revolution, we see the popular will being viciously used against certain groups in France. Among these were the nobles, the Catholic patriots in the Vendée, and many Royalists. The French Revolution shows that democracies can devolve into “mob rule,” one of the worst forms of tyranny. However, democracies can enable nations to live in freedom. One of the recurring themes of the American Revolution is “no taxation without representation.” The colonists were willing to go into rebellion to secure this basic freedom from Great Britain.
Steele concludes the book with numerous modern day examples of elections throughout the world. In many of these countries, people have even risked their lives to vote in the political process. I would encourage you to go to the library and check out this outstanding book on the formation of democracies and the voting process.
The only way to direct a government in a democracy is to actually participate in the election process. “Vote” will be particularly useful to teachers of social science in Grades 4-8. Similar to other Eyewitness books, this title has wonderful pictures and sidebars depicting elections in the United States and in other countries.
As Philip Steele shows in this fine book, democracy demands that the citizenry engage in governmental elections. I hope you share this fine book with the younger members of your family. This will teach them why voting is so important and why you yourself will go to the polls and vote in the upcoming elections.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, the Catholic Church will be celebrating the solemnity of All Saints Day. It is a wonderful opportunity to remember the many saints in heaven whose names are unknown to most of us. It is the perfect day to ask for their prayers and intercession as they enjoy the beatific vision of Almighty God along with the angels and canonized saints whose names we do know. For members of the former group, there is St. Mary Lou, my little sister who died after her baptism (which was done by the obstetrical nurse) shortly after her birth on July 9, 1961. She entered eternal life shortly afterwards.
The day after, we will be celebrating the memorial of All Souls Day, in which we commemorate the faithfully departed in Purgatory, who died with sanctifying grace in their souls but are in need of temporal punishment after death and further purification of any defects needed before achieving the vision of God face to face (Mt 12:32; 1 Cor 3:11-15; Heb 12:14; Rev 21:27). This is a day in which we priests, thanks to Pope Benedict XV in his 1915 Apostolic Constitution, Incruentum altaris sacrificium, have the privilege of offering three Masses, one for the faithfully departed in Purgatory, one for the intentions of the Pope, and one for a particular intention. In my family, these two days were always very important.
While at Mass not only during these two days, but at every Mass we assist at, let us remember that God pushes aside the veils that separate time and eternity and not only is the Lord’s Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection made present (not repeated) but we are together with the angels and saints in heaven and the souls of the faithful departed (1 Cor 11:26; Mal 1:11; CCC 1330; 1363; 1366; 1367; 1368; 1370). Want to be with a departed friend or loved one? Assist at Mass! It is there we are all present together in a unique and privileged way as the Mystical Body of Christ.
In reading the lives of the saints we know about, namely those who have been canonized, one will find they consistently shared two things in common while on earth, an intense love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and the poor. This makes perfect sense since we know that God is love, and the evidence of our love of God is our love of neighbor and the evidence of our love of neighbor is our acts of charity to them (see the first letter of John). I have seen these characteristics in our donors ever since I started at Catholic Social Services – which is no surprise. For this, I am most grateful. This is why we at Catholic Social Services promise our prayers for you, your families and intentions. Holy Saints of God, pray for us! And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace! Amen.
On September 1, I officially began my new role as executive director of the Nebraska Catholic Conference. Until next summer, I’m also maintaining my role as the pro-life director for the bishops of Nebraska.
As pro-life director for the last 23-plus years, I represented the Nebraska bishops on issues pertaining to the Bishops’ Pastoral Plan for Pro Life Activities (e.g. abortion, euthanasia/assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell and cloning research). As executive director, I represent the bishops on public policy matters ranging from pro-life issues to Catholic education, healthcare, death penalty, housing, public assistance and even state budget and tax policy.
One of my first objectives as executive director is to re-introduce and promote the Nebraska Catholic Conference (NCC) to Catholics across this state. Even though the Conference has existed since 1969, I’m fairly certain that most Catholics in Nebraska have no idea what we do and why we do it.
Simply put, NCC is the collective voice of Nebraska’s three Catholic Bishops on public policy matters. The NCC staff communicates and interacts with all three branches of state government as follows:
Legislative Branch: NCC monitors the activities of the Nebraska Legislature and advocates for or against legislation in accord with the Church’s social doctrine and other interests of the Church as a large, multi-dimensional institution.
Executive Branch: NCC monitors the administrative activities of the Governor’s office and state agencies, giving special attention to rules and regulations that may impact areas of interest to the Conference.
Judicial Branch: NCC monitors court rulings and other legal advisories such as Attorney General opinions. The Conference occasionally facilitates intervention in court cases or files legal briefs on behalf of positions or constituencies it represents.
In addition to its advocacy in Nebraska’s public policy arena, another critical role of NCC is to educate Catholics about the legislative process, about Church teaching on a range of moral issues, and about every Catholic’s moral obligation to participate in the political life of our society.
Many Catholics question why the Church would get involved in the political or public policy arena. Sadly, too many Catholics have accepted the patently false assertion that our Constitution requires “separation of Church and State.” Although the Church cannot and should not get involved in partisan politics (supporting or opposing candidates for office), She has a right and an obligation to bring her voice to the public discussion about public policy.
In its document “Faithful Citizenship,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) point out that “the Church’s obligation to participate in shaping the moral character of society is a requirement of our faith, a part of the mission given to us by Jesus Christ… As people of both faith and reason, Catholics are called to bring truth to political life and to practice Christ’s commandment to ‘love one another’.”
In its document “Living the Gospel of Life,” the USCCB says: “Every Catholic, without exception, should remember that he or she is called by our Lord to proclaim His message. Some proclaim it by word, some by action and all by example. But every believer shares responsibility for the Gospel.
“Every Catholic is a missionary of the Good News of human dignity redeemed through the cross. While our personal vocation may determine the form and style of our witness, Jesus calls each of us to be a leaven in society, and we will be judged by our actions. No one, least of all someone who exercises leadership in society, can rightfully claim to share fully and practically the Catholic faith and yet act publicly in a way contrary to that faith.”
You may have noticed a new title for this column. It came from our Catholic responsibility to be “faithful citizens” and from the admonition chiseled above the front entrance to our State Capitol: “The Salvation of the State is watchfulness in the citizen.”
At the last two “Celebration of Caring” banquets, we auctioned off dinners prepared by Lane Rosenberry, who is the corporate chef for Sysco, with Bishop James Conley, at his home. I am grateful to Scott and Jane Felber, Jim and Anne Larsen, Steve and Libby Jaros, and Ruby (Lane’s wife), for not only making this happen but for serving and cleaning up. Finally, I am grateful to Bishop Conley for gracing us with his presence and opening his home to us.
Because of a twinge of guilt for just showing up and eating the great food at these dinners, I offered to prepare a fancy meal for the entire crew (including Bishop Conley), which happened just days ago on a sunny Sunday afternoon at our St. Joseph Center located near downtown Lincoln.
Thanks to my assistant, Pat Walbrecht, my only job was preparing the main course, paella, which is considered by some the national dish of Spain.
In the midst of it all, a homeless man walked in on our ‘celebration.’ As we live in a fallen world and are all affected by the effects of Original Sin, the thought immediately came to mind in a split second was, ‘I need to get rid of this man,’ followed by, ‘No, I have to be nice to him, because Bishop Conley is watching!’
Thanks be to God, after dispelling those thoughts as quickly as they came, I greeted him. He immediately asked if we had any showers to clean up. I learned he was sleeping on the streets because of a drinking problem. I asked him to wait in our chapel while I looked for a sleeping bag. As it always happens, I returned to see his moist eyes filled with tears of joy as Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament had soothed his aching heart.
I pointed to the tabernacle and said, “Ultimately only Jesus, can help you overcome.”
Minutes later, I served him hors d’oeuvres, salad and a dish full of piping hot paella. He related his gratitude for the sleeping bag and said he couldn’t believe he was eating such a delicious meal. As he left, I informed him he was always welcome to spend time with Jesus in our St. Joseph Chapel.
It was Jesus present in the homeless man that visited us that sunny Sunday afternoon. It is for Him present in the poor that Catholic Social Services exists (Mt 25:31-46). Thanks to all of you for your spiritual and material support!
Social media has been abuzz about the video of 29-year old Brittany Maynard who has terminal brain cancer and has announced that she intends to commit suicide Nov. 1. Mrs. Maynard and her husband moved from California to Oregon where physician-assisted suicide is legal.
I viewed her video and, as one would expect, it is heart-wrenching. Facing a terminal illness would be scary for anyone, perhaps especially for someone so young, and a newlywed to boot.
As hard as it is to see someone facing their mortality at such a young age, it is even more heart-wrenching to see her surrender to a culture of death that proclaims our lives as a possession over which we have total control. This view that we own our lives is a fundamental principle of organizations seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Derek Humphrey, founder of the Hemlock Society, now euphemistically called “Compassion and Choices” wrote the following at the beginning of his suicide how-to manual: “If you consider God the master of your fate, then read no further.” The Final Exit Network (www.finalexitnetwork.org) has proclaimed this simple message: “My Life, My Death, My Choice.”
These pro-euthanasia groups are exploiting Brittany Maynard’s story to increase public acceptance of assisted suicide and euthanasia and, eventually, to legalize it throughout the country. Currently, physician-assisted suicide is legal in Oregon, Washington and Vermont.
In addition, Courts in Montana and New Mexico have ruled against those states’ laws against assisted suicide. A handful of other states have recently considered legalizing assisted suicide (through legislation or ballot measures) and, for now, have rejected such measures. But, as is evident in the Maynard case, pro-assisted suicide groups will keep pushing for public and legal acceptance of their agenda.
Our Catholic faith teaches that every human life has sacred dignity as a precious gift of a loving God. In response to God’s precious and sacred gift of human life we are called to be responsible stewards of our own lives and for the lives in our care.
In the Vatican Declaration on Euthanasia, the Church reminds us that “Human life is the basis of all goods, and is the necessary source and condition of every human activity and of all society. Most people regard life as something sacred and hold that no one may dispose of it at will, but believers see in life something greater, namely, a gift of God’s love, which they are called upon to preserve and make fruitful.”
Being responsible stewards of God’s gift of life, the Declaration continues, “gives rise to the following consequences:
“1. No one can make an attempt on the life of an innocent person without opposing God’s love for that person, without violating a fundamental right, and therefore without committing a crime of the utmost gravity.[4]F-20
“2. Everyone has the duty to lead his or her life in accordance with God’s plan. That life is entrusted to the individual as a good that must bear fruit already here on earth, but that finds its full perfection only in eternal life.
“3. Intentionally causing one’s own death, or suicide, is therefore equally as wrong as murder; such an action on the part of a person is to be considered as a rejection of God’s sovereignty and loving plan. Furthermore, suicide is also often a refusal of love for self, the denial of a natural instinct to live, a flight from the duties of justice and charity owed to one’s neighbor, to various communities or to the whole of society - although, as is generally recognized, at times there are psychological factors present that can diminish responsibility or even completely remove it…”
Let us pray for Brittany Maynard that she (and others like her) will experience the love of Christ, change her mind, and choose to join her suffering to the One who suffered and died to redeem us.
“The Little Engine That Could”
by Watty Piper illustrated by George and Doris Hauman.
Platt & Munk, New York, 1930, 32 pages, Grades Preschool-2.
Perseverance is one of the greatest qualities people can develop. Usually, this trait grows through difficult life experiences in which failure is quite possible. While it is easy to simply give up when faced with challenging problems, maturity only comes to people taking responsibility for their own lives and addressing these issues. Since this type of change comes through a series of demanding events, perseverance is the virtue needed to be successful. Watty Piper wrote one of the all-time favorite books in children’s literature on this subject. It features a small train trying to accomplish a large feat. Beloved for over 80 years, Piper’s tale is named “The Little Engine That Could.”
A red train is loaded with toys, fruit, stuffed animals and other presents for the children living on the other side of the mountain. All of the animals and toys are excited to be given to the eager children the next morning. As they are cheerfully chugging along the railroad tracks the train comes to an abrupt halt. The toy clown and other stuffed animals jump down and quickly see that the train is broken down. They don’t know what to do. The clown thinks quickly and decides to ask another train to pull them over the mountain. The first train they see is a powerful, massive passenger train. They explain their plight to the passenger train only to be laughed at. The passenger train scornfully tells the stuffed animal that he is much too important to concern himself with such an insignificant train as theirs. With that he pridefully chugs away, leaving them abandoned. But another train soon appears on the horizon and the toys and dolls begin to hope that they will be helped. This train is a large, shiny black locomotive. Clearly, it would have no trouble pulling the red train over the mountains. The clown and dolls plead with the black locomotive to help them. The black train looks at the stuffed animals, fruit and presents and dismisses their request. He states that he is a freight train that has just crossed the mountain carrying important things like paper and printing presses. Looking at all the pleading faces, the freight train tells them that they are not important enough for him to waste his time pulling them over the mountain.
Another train comes by, but this train is tired and defeated. When the clown and dolls ask for help, the old train regretfully states that it cannot pull the train over the mountain. With this he leaves sadly saying “I cannot, I cannot.” The toys and dolls are almost crying when they look up and see a small blue train appear on the horizon. They stop the train and ask for help. The blue train says that she is just a small train but will do what she can. It hooks up to the red train and slowly tries pulling the larger train with its many cars. All the time she says: “I think I can, I think I can.” It begins to gain speed.
What happens? Does the little blue train cross the mountain with the toys and presents for the children on the other side? How does the little train’s attitude make all the difference in the world? How is the train’s perseverance rewarded? To find out, go to the library and checkout this delightful title, “The Little Engine That Could,” by Watty Piper.
The powerful message of this book continues to endure through the generations. Since the little blue train told herself that she could, she did. The pictures are enjoyable and the story is refreshing. I encourage you to read this to any child having struggles. The book is simply lovely. Enjoy!
The U.S. Supreme Court took the odd and alarming step last week of quickly denying all seven petitions it had to review appellate-court rulings that had struck down state prohibitions on recognition and/or re-definition of marriage as other than a man and a woman.
The denials directly impact policies of not allowing or recognizing same-sex marriages in Virginia, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Utah. Those states are in the Fourth (Virginia), Seventh (Indiana, Wisconsin) and Tenth (Oklahoma, Utah) federal court circuits. Since these are circuit-court rulings that are being allowed to stand, most likely same-sex marriage will soon become constitutionally required in the otherwise prohibiting states also located in these circuits; that would be North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia in the Fourth Circuit and Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming in the Tenth Circuit.
Adding the 11 aforementioned states to the list of those that already allow for same-sex marriage raises the total to 30. What’s more, a day after the Supreme Court’s announcement, a panel of Ninth-Circuit judges ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in cases that had originated in Idaho and Nevada. Those rulings aren’t final, but are likely to also affect Alaska, Arizona and Montana, which could push the total to 35 (plus the District of Columbia).
Nebraska, which is in the relatively quiet Eighth Circuit, is not one of those. Nonetheless, it’s a good time to review the situation here, both historically and policy-wise.
In 1997, the Unicameral considered LB 280, which proposed creation of a state statute to clearly define marriage as the union exclusively of one man and one woman—that traditional definition had been presumed as a matter of law by virtue of statutory inferences and implications—and to prohibit any governmental recognition of any other definition of marriage.
LB 280 was filibustered by Senator Ernie Chambers. Even though the bill had 33 co-sponsors, when a first-round vote to invoke cloture was taken—right before a lunch break—it fell one vote short. That ended consideration of LB 280. A similar bill was introduced in 1999, LB 513, but the threat of another filibuster was enough to keep it bottled up in committee.
The Legislature’s failure to act, as well as rapidly growing concern about what was happening in other states both judicially and legislatively, motivated a coalition of Nebraskans to take this serious policy issue directly to the people. Spearheaded by the Nebraska Family Council, with significant participation by Evangelical churches and individual Mormons and Catholics, Nebraskans for Marriage quickly formed and launched a citizens’ initiative petition.
The amendment proposed for the Nebraska Constitution was formulated as follows: “Only marriage between a man and a woman shall be valid or recognized in Nebraska. The uniting of two persons of the same-sex in a civil union, domestic partnership, or other similar same-sex relationship shall not be valid or recognized in Nebraska.” It was considered a strong formulation: the first sentence reaffirming what marriage is; the second sentence establishing what it is not, including any equivalent of or substitute for marriage using another title.
Between May 24 and July 7 of 2000, volunteers collected more than 155,000 signatures of Nebraska-registered voters, comfortably exceeding the threshold to qualify the proposed constitutional amendment for the General Election. It was certified as Initiative Measure 416.
A spirited campaign took place that fall. In addition to the organizations and individuals involved in the petition drive, the Nebraska affiliate of Focus on the Family, the LDS Church (Mormon) and the Catholic Diocesan Bishops formed the Nebraska Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, which advocated for IM-416. There also was organized, formidable, vigorous opposition; and a lot of media coverage.
The final tally from the General Election Nov. 7, 2000, was 477,571 votes in favor of IM 416 and 203,667 votes against—a margin of 70 percent to 30 percent. IM-416 became Article I, Section 29 of the Nebraska Constitution.
In 2003, a federal lawsuit, Citizens for Equal Protection v. Bruning, was filed against I-29, alleging that it violated the U.S. Constitution on several grounds, including denying equal protection. On May 13, 2004, with a poorly reasoned, sloppily written opinion of nearly 40 pages, a judge of the federal district court in Omaha struck down I-29.
Attorney General Bruning appealed that ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. On July 14, 2006, a three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit unanimously reversed the district-court judge’s ruling and reinstated I-29 in full. No further appeals were undertaken.
The constitutional amendment stands today as Nebraska law prohibiting any state or local government recognition of same-sex marriage or marriage-equivalent same-sex relationships.
In the current aftermath of all this history, it is at least arguable that some tax-supported governmental entities in the state, most notably the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, but also including at least two counties and probably some school districts as well, are thumbing their noses at I-29 and Nebraska law by means of their employment-benefits policies. More on that sticky wicket another time.
Just days ago, Molly Cummings, my 8-year-old grand-niece wrote—unsolicited—the following poem:
Love is in the air
The Church bells are ringing
A woman in white
A man in black and a tie
A priest in the middle
And yes is the answer in the church
And the people are crying
We Americans will be going to the polls to exercise our right and privilege to vote Nov. 4. This is something we must not take lightly or for granted. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we have a moral obligation in exercising this right (CCC 2240).
For those who have not seen it, I encourage you to check out the booklet by Catholic Answers entitled, Voters Guide for Serious Catholics. It reminds us that “our voting cannot be arbitrary.” The guide further re-iterates something the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith has said, “A well-informed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program of an individual law that contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals.” And the same goes for voting for a politician who supports actions which are inherently evil.
The mistake many uninformed voters make is the assumption that all issues are equally important. This could not be farther from the truth. This document lists five non-negotiables. They are: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning and homosexual ‘marriage.’ Although I cannot support any particular candidate, I am able to say it is grave matter to vote for a candidate who supports one for these non-negotiables when there is an alternative.
Another mistake often made is assuming all issues carry equal weight. Let us be clear —ANY other issue is a distant second to the sanctity of human life (abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem-cell research). I’ve heard someone ask this rhetorical question a number of times, “Whose fault is it that abortion is legal in the United States?” The answer, of course, is, ‘voters.’ And we voters will have to answer to Almighty God for every vote we cast, whether we voted to promote the common good or not.
Even an 8-year-old girl knows that marriage is between one man and one woman, and that life is a gift from God and is precious in His eyes. Let us be determined to put our faith into action in the voting booths this Nov. 4.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
It is hard to believe our fantastic, fabulous, flavorful, fancy, fun, First Friday Fish Fry (outside of Lent) to benefit St. Gianna Women’s Homes has started its sixth year! Can I say ‘fabtastic’? Since the ladies who are escaping abortion and domestic violence come to us without the resources to support themselves, the proceeds from this program are a help.
Our menu has slightly changed over the years, as the cheesy potatoes have edged out my potato pancakes. I will get over it someday. Our latest menu includes, baked cod, fried pollack, shrimp, tuna noodle casserole (from scratch), baked or cheesy potatoes (from scratch), coleslaw (from scratch) with tartar and cocktail sauces (from scratch) with a complementary dessert. Because of popular demand, we have available frozen tuna casserole and cheesy potatoes for two which can be cooked in your oven at home at your convenience.
As many know, we have one rule which we enforce strictly, no one may leave without first having consumed dessert. This rule is easy to enforce because we have installed a high tech ‘dessert-o-scanner’ at the exit. Fortunately, no one (to my knowledge) has ever left without having exercised their sweet tooth. The only challenge is making a decision on what dessert item to choose, since the choices are legion.
During our last fish fry, one of our volunteers took a break in our back parking lot and was met by man on a bicycle who was interested in talking. After a few minutes, our volunteer learned it was a man who had previously been unemployed and was fortunate enough to have found a job. His bike was his way of getting around town. He did not ask for money but rather for any food we could give him. He explained he would not be paid for a week. Little did he know we were in the midst of our monthly fish fry. He was given a premium meal in a ‘to-go’ box. Since he was on a bike, he ate it on the spot and rode away happy.
Did not our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ say, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40)?
Please keep the continued success of this fun fish fry in your prayers as we keep you in ours. St. Gianna, pray for us!
I received a call recently from a Catholic friend who expressed a particular concern about the upcoming General Election Nov. 4. He had talked to several people from his parish who told him “it doesn’t make any difference, Republicans and Democrats are all the same... they are all crooks, nothing gets done... it’s a waste of my time to vote.”
My friend pleaded with me to get the word out that our vote does make a difference and that we have a responsibility as Christians to vote and to be engaged in the political process. I agree completely with his concern. And, if fact, this is the main purpose of the Nebraska Catholic Conference’s Voter Education Project.
This frustration and cynicism toward politicians is understandable. Even a casual observer of the political process can be “turned off” by the negative campaign ads, demonization and personal attacks and the hyper-partisanship that dominates and impedes the legislative process.
This negative view toward politicians and politics in general is undoubtedly a major reason for the shamefully low voter turnout for most elections. According to the Nebraska Secretary of State, about 30 percent of eligible voters are not even registered to vote. For the May 2012 primary election, only 29 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. In the upcoming general election, the estimate is that about 40 percent of registered voters will vote. These numbers are irresponsible and shameful, period.
It is absolutely imperative that we resist the temptation to let our frustration and cynicism cause us to disengage from the political process. Disengagement is dangerous because the void it creates will be filled by someone—perhaps someone who cares little for the sacredness of human life or the common good. Disengagement is also dangerous to our souls because it is a dereliction of our duty as Christians, and something for which we will account before God.
The U.S. Bishops, in their statement on political responsibility entitled “Faithful Citizenship,” said: “In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.”
Pope Francis, in a homily he gave in Rome one year ago said, “Citizens cannot be indifferent to politics: None of us can say ‘I have nothing to do with this, they govern.’ No, no, I am responsible for their governance. I have to do the best so that they govern well; I have to do my best by participating in politics according to my ability. I cannot wash my hands…We all have to give something!”
The U.S. Bishops, in Faithful Citizenship, acknowledge that “This duty is more critical than ever in today’s political environment, where Catholics may feel politically disenfranchised, sensing that no party and too few candidates fully share the Church’s comprehensive commitment to the life and dignity of every human being from conception to natural death. Yet this is not a time for retreat or discouragement; rather, it is a time for renewed engagement. Forming their consciences in accord with Catholic teaching, Catholic lay women and men can become actively involved: running for office; working within political parties; communicating their concerns and positions to elected officials…”
In their statement Living the Gospel of Life, the U. S. Bishops said, “We encourage all citizens, particularly Catholics, to embrace their citizenship not merely as a duty and privilege, but as an opportunity meaningfully to participate in building the culture of life,” the Bishops continue. “Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power.
“We must exercise that power in ways that defend human life, especially those of God’s children who are unborn, disabled or otherwise vulnerable. We get the public officials we deserve. Their virtue—or lack thereof—is a judgment not only on them, but on us. Because of this, we urge our fellow citizens to see beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rhetoric critically, and to choose their political leaders according to principle, not party affiliation or mere self-interest.”
If you are not registered to vote, GET REGISTERED! Registration forms and information are available online at www.sos.ne.gov or at your county election office. Then prepare yourself to vote with a Catholic conscience through, at least, the means provided by NCC’s Voter Education Project, which has appeared in the Register. Watch for more articles in this newspaper and check out other useful resources at www.nebcathcon.org.
“Madeline” Story and pictures by Ludwig Bemelmans.
The Viking Press, New York, 1939, 32 pages, Grades K-2.
Sometimes, an author creates an unforgettable character. The reason for this is that this character possesses such attractive qualities that generations of readers keep being drawn to her. Usually books bridging generations do not play to current fads but rather look at enduring values, and 75 years ago, such a character was created.
Ludwig Bemelmans graced the world with his charming and mischievous character, Madeline. Children since then have clapped their hands to the cadence of the story and enjoyed Madeline’s fearlessness.
The story begins with one of the most famous sentences in children’s literature: “In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.” What else do these little girls do?
Their teacher is Miss Clavel and she takes the 12 little girls all over Paris to visit the many fascinating sights in the city. On their adventures they see all the life events that are happening in Paris.
First they go in stormy weather past the Eiffel Tower. Second, they smile cheerfully as they walk to the Opera House. But they all frown when they see a policeman chasing a thief. And on their way home they are all sad when they see a wounded soldier on crutches.
But of all the girls, the bravest and most daring is Madeline. When the little girls see some mice, all except Madeline run back to Miss Clavel. But Madeline crawls under the table to touch the small creatures.
On one of their journeys, Miss Clavel takes the girls to the zoo. There, a ferocious tiger growls at the children and all but one run to the safety of their teacher. Madeline stares down the tiger and fearlessly stands in front of the cage.
Needless to say, everyone is impressed with the little firebrand. But late one night, a serious problem develops in the girls’ dormitory. Madeline lies moaning in her bed. Miss Clavel hurries up to the room and tries to figure out what is going on. She quickly understands that Madeline is very ill. Quickly she calls Dr. Cohn and he rushes to the scene. He calls his nurse and wraps up Madeline and takes her to the hospital. Late that night, she goes into surgery.
What happens to Madeline? How do the rest of the little girls handle the situation? Does Madeline quickly recover from the operation? What happens when the girls visit her in the hospital? Have you ever acted with courage and daring? Why do you think Madeline has these characteristics? To find out, go to the library and check out this children’s literature classic, “Madeline” by Ludwig Bemelmans.
This is one of the great picture books to read out loud with children. There is a fascinating cadence to the story that is endearing to children. The pictures are simple but very enjoyable. You root for Madeline and applaud her plucky personality. The ending of this story is absolutely delightful.
Bemelmans published a total of seven Madeline books and each title has its own charm. Bemelmans was twice awarded the Caldecott Medal by the American Library Association for the outstanding contribution of art in a children’s book. This book, “Madeline,” won the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1940, and the second in the series, “Madeline’s Rescue,” won the Caldecott Gold Medal in 1954. Make sure you read one of these books to the young children in your family. They simply can’t be beat. Enjoy!
A few weeks ago, I stopped at a local grocery store and struck up a conversation with the cashier while checking out.
She asked, “What are you doing today?” I replied, “We have a furniture and appliance drive!” She then proceeded to briefly tell me her story.
Her husband and children recently moved here from a state in the western part of the United States because of the lower cost of living. They were in desperate need of furniture but didn’t have the means to purchase what was needed.
“Is your husband working?” I inquired. I was told he is working at a local fast-food restaurant, earning a minimal wage. I asked for her contact information and said we would give her what she and her family needed. She was elated beyond description.
We ended up having a successful drive, but it will not take long before what we have collected will be used to help needy individuals and families who are living on the edge. We are constantly in need of furniture, appliances, kitchen items and literally everything that helps make a house a home.
There is man I know who is getting released from prison in a few weeks. He has lost everything, including his wife, children and job. He is literally starting from scratch. I assured him that we would help him start over by furnishing his new apartment as he starts to put his life back together.
I am reassured that his first priority is not a job, an apartment, or even the furniture, but his relationship with God. I pray that his faith will always remain number one in his life.
I like to remind our donors that many of the graduates of St. Gianna’s are also in need of furniture when they graduate.
Responding in this fashion is one of the major efforts at Catholic Social Services, as we are constantly assisting those who need help with material items. Please consider donating any material items that you are not in need of including warm winter clothing, furniture and working appliances, kitchen items, vehicles, food and literally anything you are not using or plan to use.
When someone donates something to CSS, the items are either given to someone or some family in need or sold in one of our four thrift stores and the proceeds used to directly help individuals and families with emergency services or grants for counseling for those who are un-insured or under-insured. Please be assured of our prayers for you, your family and your intentions!
A Voter Education Project by the Nebraska Catholic Conference
Voting is vitally important as an exercise in Faithful Citizenship and political responsibility. This privilege and responsibility should not be wasted or taken lightly. Registration is required in order to be eligible to vote in Nebraska but it is a very easy process.
What are the requirements for registering to vote?
The conditions for registering to vote are quite basic. You must be a United States citizen, a Nebraska resident and at least 18 years of age on or before the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. You must not have been convicted of a felony, or if convicted, at least two years must have passed since completion of the sentence. You must not have been found to be mentally incompetent pursuant to an official process.
The information required to register is also quite basic: name, address, date of birth and either the applicant’s driver’s license number and/or the last four digits of his/her Social Security number. In addition, at the top of the application form there are two questions required by Federal law: are you a U.S. citizen and are you of the age to register? There is space for optional information, including your e-mail address, phone number, previous name and/or previous address. At the bottom of each application is an oath to be signed, that the information provided by the applicant is true and correct. (Election falsification is a Class V felony in Nebraska.)
There is no minimum term of residency in order to register to vote in Nebraska; the first day of residency can be the day for voter registration. For purposes of registration, your residence is that place at which you have established a home, where you are habitually present, and to which, when you depart, you intend to return. Leaving for temporary purposes, such as military service, school attendance, hospital stays or missionary work need not result in a change-of-residence for voting purposes.
Do I have to designate a party affiliation when I register to vote?
Voter registration does not require designation of a political-party affiliation. Nevertheless, registrants may choose from one of the three statewide parties currently recognized in Nebraska: Republican, Democratic and Libertarian, or may choose to not affiliate with any party (by checking the “non-partisan” box on the application). Registering without a political-party affiliation can cause an effect in a Primary Election, but not in a General Election (e.g., upcoming Nov. 4).
Where can I register to vote?
There are varied and numerous opportunities for registering to vote. [Editor's note: Online Voter Registration is available at nebraska.gov.] Applications can be obtained from any county election office, state public-assistance offices and at local offices of the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles. In some areas, the county election official facilitates voter registration at schools, libraries or other public venues. In some locations, there are trained, deputized registrars, who operate pursuant to rules set forth in Nebraska law. In some instances, interested individuals distribute voter-registration applications. This method is not regulated and should be approached cautiously; some ask for information that is not required by law and then use it for purposes other than voter registration.
Registration can be accomplished by submitting a completed, signed application in person at the local County Clerk/Election Commissioner’s office or by submitting such an application via mail. Using mail for a first-time registration additionally requires inclusion of a copy of a current and valid photo ID, or a copy of government document (issued within the immediately preceding 60 days).
What are the deadlines for registering to vote in the Nov. 4 election?
Pursuant to Nebraska law, mailed-in voter registrations must be postmarked by the third Friday preceding an election. That day is Oct. 17 for the General Election upcoming Nov. 4. That same date, Oct. 17, is also the deadline for registering at any of the offices operated by the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles and other state agencies. The last-available deadline applies to in-person registration at a county election office; that deadline is 6 p.m. the second Friday preceding an election. Therefore, for the General Election upcoming Nov. 4, registration can be accomplished at a county election office up until 6 p.m. Oct. 24.
Important Dates
Oct. 4—First day for in-person Early Voting at a County Election Office (CEO)
Oct. 17—Postmark deadline for mailed-in Voter Registration
Oct. 17—Last day for Voter Registration at agencies/offices other than a CEO
Oct. 24—Deadline for in-person Voter Registration at a CEO, 6 p.m.
Oct. 29—Deadline to apply for an Early-Voting Ballot to be mailed out, 4 p.m.
Nov. 3—Last day for Early Voting in person at a CEO, 5 p.m.
Nov. 4—Election Day!
Nov. 4—Deadline for receipt of all Early-Voting Ballots, 8 p.m. CT; 7 p.m. MT
Are there circumstances that would require me to re-register to vote?
Once registration is accomplished for the first time, there is no need to re-register, except in some limited circumstances.
Re-registration becomes necessary only when you change your name or your permanent residence/address, or if you wish to change your political-party affiliation. Failure to vote in a previous election does not trigger a requirement to re-register.
What are my options for voting prior to election day?
Nebraska law allows any registered voter to vote prior to Election Day regardless of the reason for doing so. Formerly, this was known as absentee voting, which typically required disclosure of a reason.
You can apply for an early-voting ballot in person at the county election office (County Clerk or Election Commissioner), by personal agent, by mail or by fax. For mail and fax, an on-line application form is available from the Secretary of State’s website: www.sos.ne.gov/elec/ele_forms.html.
If you want an early-voting ballot mailed to you, you must make such a request by 4 p.m. on the Wednesday preceding an election. So, for the General Election upcoming Nov. 4, that deadline is 4 p.m. Oct. 29. The day before the election, November 3, is the deadline for obtaining an early-voting ballot in person, or by personal agent, at a county election office.
There also is a special process to assist military and overseas citizens in obtaining Early Voting ballots. Nebraska participates in the Federal Voting Assistance Program for these purposes.
The deadline for all early-voting ballots to be returned to the respective county election office is the hour set for the polls to close on Election Day; that’s 8 p.m. Central Time and 7 p.m. Mountain Time.
Where can I find voting and election information for Nebraska or my county?
The Secretary of State serves as Nebraska’s chief election officer. The Elections Division in his office works with election officials in the state’s 93 counties and oversees the conduct of elections, tabulation equipment and the state voter-registration system. County election office contact information is available at www.sos.ne.gov/elec/clerks.html or by calling 888-727-0007 (toll free) or 402-471-2555.
In addition to voter forms, the Secretary of State’s website (www.sos.ne.gov/elec/2014/elections.html) provides detailed information regarding the voting process, addresses and phone numbers for county election officials and a look-up tool that allows would-be voters to verify their registration status.
As the Secretary of State says, “Voting in Nebraska is a very user-friendly process.”
“Sailing With the Wind” by Thomas Locker
Dial Books, New York, 1986, 32 pages, Grades K-3.
Fortunate children have a favorite uncle or aunt. Usually, this person shares exciting adventures with the children. Not having the responsibilities of parenthood, this relative can often do the “fun” things of childhood with the children. Since they can leave the disciplining of the children to the parents, these family mentors are very popular. And of course, they should be since they bring joy into the children’s lives. Thomas Locker has written a delightful story of such a relationship entitled “Sailing Into The Wind.”
Elizabeth is a young girl living in a warm family. She loves her Uncle Jack, a sailor. Uncle Jack’s adventures stir the child’s imagination. The places he has travelled to, such as China, seem too exotic to be believed. She knows Uncle Jack is about to return from a voyage and climbs up a hill overlooking a nearby river to glimpse his boat coming ashore.
Suddenly, she catches a glimpse of a white sail and runs down to meet her uncle. Coming home with her, Jack and Elizabeth’s parents have a pleasant visit. Finally, Jack asks a question Elizabeth has long waited for: “Don’t you think Elizabeth’s old enough now to sail to the ocean with me?” (p.10)
Elizabeth’s father is unsure since the trip down the river is quite far and not without its own dangers. But the girl’s mother reassures him and plans are made for the next day. Elizabeth can’t believe her good luck and eagerly goes to bed after setting the alarm clock for 5:30 a.m.
Early the next morning, when the mists are still rising from the river, Elizabeth and Uncle Jack launch the boat. The child is jubilant since she is going on an adventure with her favorite uncle. At first there is no wind so Jack rows the boat, aided by the current. After several hours they land on a small island and eat breakfast. Elizabeth pours her uncle some coffee but is eager to get started again. After all, how exciting must it be to sail a boat from the mouth of the river into the ocean?
Finally, several hours later, they glide from the river into a bay that leads out to the spectacular blue ocean. It is more thrilling than she could have ever imagined. But suddenly, a storm sweeps across the water and Uncle Jack turns the boat around and heads back across the bay to the safety of the river. But the wind picks up and the storm seems to be chasing them. Elizabeth tightens her life jacket and prepares for the danger. The boat and the storm race each other.
What happens to Elizabeth and Uncle Jack? Do they outrun the storm? Have they prepared well? Have you ever had an adventure change suddenly? What did you do? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out “Sailing Into The Wind” by Thomas Locker.
Thomas Locker writes interesting children’s books and paints sumptuous landscapes and personal portraits. His drawings are some of the most beautiful paintings you will see in picture books. His painting of Elizabeth and Uncle Jack entering the ocean is a lovely example of this. I hope you get a chance to read this book with the younger members of your family. The artwork is sometimes poignant and endearing and at other times stunning and spectacular. I hope you get a chance to read this book or any of his other fine titles. Enjoy!
It’s hard to believe but on Saturday, Oct. 11, Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska will be holding our seventh annual Bishop Glennon Flavin Memorial Sporting Clays Tourney at the Oak Creek Sporting Club near Brainard.
There is still room for teams to sign up. If you do not have a team, we will place you with others to form a team!
For those who do not know what sporting clays are, I like to describe it as ‘golf with a shotgun.’ When walking from station to station, the clay targets fly in from multiple directions which makes it all the more fun.
Registration, shooting and games start at 9 a.m. with lunch at 1 p.m. The last team will begin at 3 p.m. This means teams will begin shooting at different times from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In other words, each team will receive a ‘tee time.’ Teams will start at 10-minute intervals. Shooters are asked to arrive 30 minutes before their ‘tee time.’
The individual registration fee is $125. This includes a buffet meal, 100 sporting clays, shotgun shells and one free ticket to be used for one of the shooting games, or for use in one of the raffles. Shooters are asked to wear glasses and ear plugs. All the proceeds will be used to help needy individuals and families.
To find the registration form and for more information as well as for sponsorship opportunities, please visit our website, www.cssisus.org.
I am happy to announce that we will be auctioning off ‘Patches,’ who is half Brittany Spaniel and English setter, via a silent auction. It looks as though this may be a new breed. She is 10 weeks old and is already pointing. She will come with her shots and whoever is the lucky winner may want to give her a different name. We named her ‘Patches’ because of the black patch of hair over her left eye. She’s a real cutie!
In addition to praying for the success of this year’s event, please pray for the happy repose of the late Bishop Glennon Flavin who was an outdoor enthusiast.
For those who are planning to participate, I not only promise that you will have a great time, you will have a ‘blast!’ May the soul of our late beloved Bishop Flavin rest in peace, Amen! Bishop Flavin, pray for us!
“Paddle to the Sea” by Holling Clancy Holling
Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1941, 64 pages, Grades 4-5.
Five great bodies of water comprise the Great Lakes. Bordering both the United States and Canada, the Great Lakes are both aesthetically beautiful and commercially valuable. From lumbering to shipping, to vacationing and fishing, these marvelous lakes have long held people’s fascination.
While Lake Superior, with its wolf head shape is the largest lake and carrot shaped Lake Ontario is the smallest, all of the Great Lakes have their special attraction. Holling Clancy Holling has written a classic in children’s literature about the Great Lakes. In this beautifully written and illustrated story, a Native Canadian child carves a canoe with a tribal voyageur. He takes the foot-long canoe with its fearless paddler and places them on a snowy hill above a frozen river. On the bottom of the craft he writes: “I Am Paddle to the Sea, Please Put Me Back in Water.” He tells them to go through the five Great Lakes to the sea. The spring melt soon happens and the pair are launched on their adventure.
Crashing down into the river the little canoe bobs along as it is swept downstream. Hundreds of logs are floating nearby and they all come to a massive log jam. The tiny boat is wedged in a log that is lifted onto a belt at a lumber mill. The log is guided to a massive saw which almost cuts the canoe in half. At the last moment, a sawmill worker sees the canoe and rescues it from the saw. Looking on the bottom, he sees the writing and puts the boat back into the stream.
Paddle to the Sea floats down the river and is soon riding the massive, foamy waves of Lake Superior. Birds and fish wonder if they should eat the canoe and paddler but quickly realize they are made of wood. Saved from bird and fish attacks, the boat is carried by the currents around the hundreds of miles of Lake Superior’s shores. Paddle to the Sea is picked up by a sailor at the giant water locks at Sault Ste. Marie and placed on a freighter heading down Lake Michigan to the steel mills in Gary, Indiana. The canoe is accidentally dropped overboard and must slowly drift up the western coast of Michigan. Over and over again, people pick-up the tiny canoe and marvel at its beauty and the character of the paddler. Each time they return the boat to the water. There are three more Great Lakes and then the immense St. Lawrence River. The years begin to pass and many dangers continue to rise. What happens on the rest of this arduous journey?
Does Paddle to the Sea ever arrive at the Atlantic Ocean? Is it possible to survive the huge distance and massive waves of the Great Lakes? How does the little canoe withstand the ice and snow of the winter? Have you ever done something difficult? What gave you the strength to finish the task? What do we learn about the canoe and its fearless paddler? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this fascinating story, “Paddle to the Sea” by Holling Clancy Holling.
Classic books have compelling storylines. To continue to be admired generation after generation, these books have to grip readers and speak to important values in their lives. This is such a book. Besides just being a very interesting read, “Paddle to the Sea” is an outstanding book for the classroom. Only a rare book such as this title can beautifully combine the instruction in geography with the excitement of a novel. You simply can’t miss with this title. I hope you encourage the younger members of your family to savor this book and that you take the time to read it as well. Enjoy!
On September 4, a special investigative committee of the Nebraska Legislature conducted an hours-long hearing on the mind-boggling debacle of erroneous sentence-length calculations by the Department of Correctional Services. The entire proceeding at the State Capitol was live-streamed via Nebraska Educational Television. It was worthwhile viewing.
The subject matter was the mess that came to light when newspaper reporters discovered that DCS for years had been using an incorrect formula. This was happening because bureaucrats failed to follow interpretive guidance set forth (twice) by the Nebraska Supreme Court. The consequences were errors involving hundreds of prisoners, including some 300 premature releases (15 or so of whom were re-incarcerated) and the addition of more than 2,000 years aggregate to the otherwise anticipated sentences of more than 750 prisoners.
To describe the nearly 12 hours of questioning and testifying as “riveting” would be a bit much, perhaps. To describe it as “entertaining” would be insensitive and underserving. To describe it as interesting and compelling seems adequate and fair. It was theatre at the Capitol: tragedy, comedy (of errors) and drama wrapped together.
The Legislature’s special committee draws its origin and authority from Legislative Resolution 424, which was passed without dissent on March 7. It stemmed from the involvement of DCS with notorious criminal Nikko Jenkins. In addition to specific authorization to study those circumstances, the seven-member committee also was authorized to address more generally: good-time laws; administrative segregation of inmates; rehabilitation programs; mental-health care; and transition from incarceration to community.
So, some irony is at play in this scenario; irony with some strangely positive implications. The Legislature already had a special investigative committee established for corrections issues when the release-date-calculation fiasco was brought to light in mid-June. It landed in the committee’s lap. The agenda expanded. The recent hearing came onto the schedule.
Two current DCS employees and three recently retired employees were subpoenaed to testify and given limited immunity from prosecution. A retired attorney who served as a consultant to DCS for the state Attorney General’s office also testified.
Much of this testimony was uncomfortable, to say the least. Responses to both basic and sharply pointed questions from committee members constituted the interesting theatre.
The only witness who seemed to enjoy testifying was a former records administrator who retired in 2008. He had little reluctance or hesitancy to expound upon his answers (or to cite his own experience and expertise). His recollections helped to make a record.
Each person “on the hot seat” revealed that, to some extent, he or she had relied on someone else. There was “buck-passing” and not much of that concept termed “plausible deniability.” Each one, especially the lawyers, pointed out a large and distracting workload.
No one directly admitted as much, but the specter of pressure stemming from overcrowded facilities hovered over the testimony. The legislators obviously were thinking about that as a possible factor. That possibility is likely to have attention in the report the committee will issue.
Rather clearly, calculating sentence release dates got messed up in the bureaucratic structure. The best example of this: the head lawyer, who testified that he did not even read the Supreme Court’s 2013 opinion when it was released, unconvincingly explained that he did what he thought he was expected to do by asking and relying upon the records administrator.
As one editorialist aptly observed in commenting on the debacle: “We can’t use ‘bureaucracy’—even with its obvious challenges—as an excuse for ineffective government.”
And finally… on another important front:
Irrespective of the merits, or lack thereof, associated with expanded gambling and whether or not machines that allow players to bet on the outcomes of already-run horse races—a bemusing concept—are akin to slot machines, the Nebraska Supreme Court re-taught a good lesson in ruling unanimously that the gambling amendment proposed by 30 legislators, doesn’t qualify for the General Election ballot. That lesson: legislators, honor the Constitution.
Article XVI, Section 1 of the Nebraska Constitution provides that if the two or more amendments are submitted at the same election, they must be so submitted as to enable the electors to vote on each amendment separately. In other words, a proposed amendment cannot have more than one subject. (A similar provision in the Constitution governs legislative bills.) With LR 41CA (Amendment 1), supportive legislators proposed not only the subject of authorizing a new form of gambling, i.e., “historic horseraces” on instant terminals, but also the subject of distributing the state’s proceeds from horse-racing, i.e., property-tax relief and K-12 education.
The latter subject was motivated by the desire to attract votes for the former.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Amendment 1 ended up with two subjects and was, therefore, invalid. The Court issued a mandamus order, that the Secretary of State keep it off the ballot.
Recently while standing in our parking lot, I noticed a man who appeared to be in his 30s holding open the door for an elderly man who came for bread. ‘What a charitable thing to do,’ I thought.
Seconds later, the man informed me that he just arrived from a neighboring state.
“What brings you to Lincoln?” I asked. He replied in a humorous tone, “That’s what I have been asking myself!” He had the appearance of someone who has been sleeping outside.
“Are you staying at the homeless shelter?” I inquired.
“Father, to be honest, I am an alcoholic.” As many of you know, drinking is one of the no-no’s at any homeless shelter.
“Where are you sleeping at night?” I asked. He then pointed to a nearby bridge. I invited him inside and asked him to wait for me in our St. Joseph Chapel. I informed him Jesus was in the room. It was a day when we have exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
After returning with a nice sleeping bag with a water-proof storage bag, I noticed he had moist eyes and was visibly moved by Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I told him he was welcome to visit our chapel anytime. It was then I noticed the bottle of whiskey hanging out of his pocket. After giving him his ‘new’ sleeping bag, he gave it a bear hug while kissing it. Giving a sleeping bag away may seem like a small gesture, but for someone on the street it’s a new home.
I informed him where in town he could find a meal, including our sack lunch program which runs Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. I told him to see us when the weather turns colder so we can give him a heavier winter coat, gloves, boots, hat and gloves. My prayer is that he grows closer to Jesus Christ, and gives up the bottle by His grace. Perhaps he will be open to counseling as well.
Please consider going through your closets for winter apparel, for it is not too early. It will only be a matter of weeks before freezing weather is upon us. Then, people like the man mentioned above, and families in need with children will come to us for winter apparel. Please say a prayer for this young man and all the other countless individuals and families that come to us on a daily basis in crisis. Please be assured of our prayers for you, your family and loved ones.
The State of Nebraska requires by law that those who perform abortions report certain data to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) within 15 days from the end of the month in which the abortions are performed. Every spring, DHHS compiles this data and issues a statewide report of abortions.
The 2013 Nebraska Statistical Report on Abortions reveals that 2,177 abortions were reportedly performed in Nebraska last year. When we contemplate that each abortion represents the killing of a human being and the wounding of his/her mother, father, family and society, this death toll is staggering.
If there is a bright spot, it’s that this is the lowest annual number of abortions on record in Nebraska—and a 5.5 percent decline from 2012. In 1974, the first full year after Roe v Wade legalized abortion, there were 3,094 abortions reported in Nebraska. That number steadily increased to its high point of 6,346 in 1990. The 2013 total of abortions is 66 percent lower than the 1990 total. That is a very encouraging trend.
Here are the most relevant statistics from the report:
Age Distribution. By far, the most abortions occurred in the 20-29 age group. Nearly 60 percent of all abortions were done on women in this age group. Women aged 30 years and older comprised 28 percent of the abortions.
The most positive trend in the age distribution is among teens. In 1974, almost 41 percent of abortions were had by teens. In 2013, the percentage of abortions by teens was down to 12.2 percent.
A particularly sad statistic is that 10 girls under the age of 15 had abortions. Three of those girls were 13 years old and seven were 14 years old. Another 256 teens (aged 15 to 19) had abortions.
Reasons for the abortions. As is typically the case, only a tiny fraction of the abortions (1.2%) were done for the so-called “hard cases” of rape, incest and to prevent the death of the mother. Even if you add in those abortions done for the broader reason of a woman’s “health” (2%), the “hard cases” still only comprise about 3.2 percent of all abortions done in 2013.
Another revealing statistic is that slightly more than half (54.5%) indicated that “no contraception was used.” This means, presumably, that slightly less than half (45.5 %) were using contraception when they got pregnant. These percentages comport with national figures.
This statistic raises serious doubts about the claim that contraception will reduce abortions. In fact, even the Alan Guttmacher Institute (research affiliate of Planned Parenthood) acknowledges that women who use contraception are more likely to have abortions.
Guttmacher explains this phenomenon this way: “because women who are using contraception are motivated to prevent an unplanned birth, they are more likely than women who were not using contraceptives to seek an abortion should they accidentally become pregnant.”
Method of abortion. The most notable statistic in this category is that the number of chemical abortions (using RU-486) continues its dramatic climb. The 2013 number of 914 chemical abortions is nearly four times the number in 2009, which was 231.
Repeat abortions. Another very sad statistic is that one third (33%) of the women obtaining abortions last year in Nebraska had one or more previous abortions. The breakdown of this statistic is incomprehensible: one previous abortion: 480; two previous abortions: 167; three previous abortions: 63; four previous abortions: 9; more than four previous abortions: 10.
The complete report of abortions can be seen online at www.dhhs.ne.gov (click on “Statistics and Reports” then “Vital Statistics”). A chart compiling the key data from these annual reports since 1974 can be seen on my website at www.nebcathcon.org (under “Pro Life,” “Printed Resources”).
“Across the Blue Pacific: A World War II Story”
by Robert Andrew Parker, illustrated by Louise Borden.
Houghton Mifflin Books, New York, 2006, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
One hundred years ago in August, the Great War (World War I) erupted in Europe. It was to be one of the most destructive events in human history. Twenty seven years later, Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Waves of bombers and torpedo planes sunk dozens of ships and caused thousands of causalities, starting World War II for the United States. After four brutal years of warfare, Japan, and its ally, Germany were defeated.
Frequently, war seems something that happens in “other” countries and far-away nations. But the effects of war directly impact everyone. Louise Borden has written a perceptive book about how a fourth-grade American girl learns what war does to a typical town and its citizens. The name of this poignant book is “Across the Blue Pacific: A World War II Story.”
Molly Crenshaw begins the fourth grade in September 1944. The United States has been fighting World War II in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The tide has turned in favor of the United States and her allies. But the war is far from over.
Molly’s next-door neighbor is Ted Walker. Recently graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, Ted has been assigned to the submarine U.S.S. Albacore. When visiting his widowed mother before shipping out, Ted builds a snow man with Molly and her brother Sam. After this, Ted shows Molly how to polish her Sunday shoes until they have a perfect, gleaming shine.
Ted is so handsome in his uniform and so personable that all the children on the street want to be Ted Walker. When Ted’s leave is over, on a dark and dreary day, Mrs. Walker drives him to his military post.
Molly and her classmates decide to write to soldiers and sailors deployed overseas. Molly knows who she is going to write to. She is going to write and tell that attractive Navy officer, Ted Walker, everything that is going on in their hometown. At the end of each letter, she draws a picture of Mrs. Walker’s little dog, Buttons. The class proudly follows the victories of the United States from the cozy and safe classroom. The war seems so far away. If they didn’t know soldiers and sailors fighting in the conflict, it seems like it might not be actually happening.
Then one day, things change. When Molly comes home from school, cars are lining Mrs. Walker’s driveway. A terrible dread permeates the air. What has happened?
What do Molly and Sam learn about Ted’s final submarine tour of duty? How does this change the way everyone sees the war? What is the high price of war, and why should it only be entered into when all other options have failed? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this well-written book, “Across the Blue Pacific: A World War II Story,” by Louise Borden.
Recently, wars seem to be exploding throughout the Middle East and Ukraine. Louise Borden raises some important questions that need to be answered before entering a war. Can this war be avoided? Does the cost in human lives justify entering the conflict? What happens when people have to fight a war? And finally, why does war bring out the highest qualities and most sorrowful aspects of human existence? This is simply an outstanding book describing what happens to nations and individuals when they are fighting a war; highly recommended.
In writing Seedlings columns, it’s less challenging writing about stories concerning our social rather than clinical services because it is easier to maintain anonymity when writing about individuals or families receiving emergency services rather than counseling services.
Not long ago someone with tears of joy told me he knows a person who is “willing to do almost anything,” for Catholic Social Services because they are convinced that if it was not for the counseling their child received at Catholic Social Services a number of years ago, their child would not be alive today.
Stories like this are always gripping. I am grateful to Almighty God for the many talented mental health professionals directed by Dr. Aaron Stratman at our Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center in Lincoln at the John XXIII Center with its many satellite sites in Falls City, Auburn, Nebraska City, Beatrice, David City, York, Holdrege, McCook, and the Newman Center and Guadalupe Center in Lincoln. Dr. Stratman also directs our internship program accredited by the American Psychological Association.
Our highly-trained mental health professionals are available to counsel individuals, including children and families, for most psychological disorders and accept most insurance plans including Medicare. We are grateful to Almighty God and to our donors for because of their generosity we are able to provide charity grants to individuals who are un-insured or under-insured and are unable to afford the counseling services on their own. Last year, we provided nearly $150,000 in charity grants.
I am happy to announce that our new two interns this year are Lucy Muturi from the Institute of Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Va., and Christina Villanueva from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla. In addition to working at our main clinic in Lincoln, their outreach assignments will be in York and the Guadalupe Center respectively. We are blessed to have them join our team. I am also pleased to announce our two post-doctorate fellows are Dr. Nick Stevens and Sr. Dr. Mary Patrice, RSM (Religious Sisters of Mercy).
I would like to thank all of our mental health professionals and support staff at our Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center for their dedication and hard work. Please allow me to thank our many benefactors for your prayerful and monetary support and always remember we are only a phone call away. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
“A Boy Called Dickens” by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by John Hendrix.
Schwartz & Wade Books, New York, 2012, 32 pages, Grades 3-5.
A great writer is able to capture the spirits, moods and longings of a country. This is done through character development in novels and plays. The very best characters speak to readers’ aspirations, desires and human needs. We see ourselves in these fictitious figures and help work out our own problems and dreams through them. So even though fiction is created, it becomes “real” to readers because of its ability to heal and inspire.
One of the greatest English writers of fiction was Charles Dickens. During the early 1800s, Dickens wrote a series of outstanding novels such as “Oliver Twist” and “David Copperfield” and his world-famous novelette, “A Christmas Carol.” His impact in the United States was so profound that eager crowds actually waited at American ports for his latest writings. Deborah Hopkinson has written an inspiring biography on this great author entitled “A Boy Called Dickens.”
A poor boy trudges off to work on a bitterly cold London morning. His clothes are tattered and patched and provide little warmth against the swirling winter wind. Groups of other boys skip and laugh as they head to school with their books tucked under their arms. The destitute child looks longingly at these boys and remembers back to the time when he was able to go to school. That seems so long ago.
Finally, he arrives at an ugly building named Warren’s. It makes shoe polish for gentlemen’s boots. Shivering, Charles Dickens puts on his beaten-up apron and sits down on his stool. Before him are sheets of paper, string, a scissors and pots of boot polish. All day long he carefully ties up packages filled with the dark polish.
Some of the other downtrodden boys ask Charles to tell them stories to lighten the misery of their work. One of the boys, named Bob Fagin, tells Dickens that the last story was so funny that his ribs still hurt from laughing so hard. Throughout the long, brutal day Charles tells stories and thinks up new characters that reflect the hard environment in which he lives.
After 10 long hours, the boys leave Warren’s with their miserable wages for that day. Young Charles buys a small loaf of bread, some cheese and a little bit of beef. He walks through the London streets surrounded by pickpockets, lawyers, convicts and owners of small curiosity shops.
That night he falls into his bed in his bleak attic room and dreams of all the characters he has met and dreamed about that day.
But more than anything else, he wants his family released from Debtors Prison, where they are eking out a miserable existence after his father was jailed for not paying his bills. If only they could get out, maybe things would become better. Maybe then he could start writing about all the characters and scenes he has experienced in London. And finally, good fortune shines on the poor lad.
What happens to Charles Dickens? Is his family released from Debtors Prison? Does he get to return to school? What dreams does he have? Does he live those dreams? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and read this fine biography by Deborah Hopkinson, “A Boy Called Dickens.”
Charles Dickens is one of the most famous writers in the English-speaking world. His characters are unforgettable. Hopkinson fills in many of the details on the painful experiences Dickens suffered in life.
As well, she shows his dedication to hope and love. Please encourage the younger members of your family to read this fine biography. I learned a great deal from it and think you will as well.
It’s good to regularly read and meditate on the lives of the saints as we celebrate their feast days. For me, it is an exercise on how a particular person applied and lived the gospel in their age and time. They are our real heroes and role models.
On the feast day of St. Monica I read something that reminded me of my maternal grandmother, Margaret Moore Middleton. Three years before I entered the seminary, I received a phone call from my mother who said, “Your grandmother is dying and asking for you.” Because of the urgency of her voice, I rushed home from Milwaukee to Nebraska to be at her bedside.
After entering her hospital room, my 5’2” Irish grandmother with piercing steel grey eyes extended her right hand toward me and said in a weak voice, “Chris, always remember, it may not always be easy living as a faithful Catholic, but it sure is easy dying one.…” These were her last words to me, words that I often recall.
Many, I am sure, know about the details surrounding the death of St. Monica who prayed for decades for the conversion of her son St. Augustine. While on her deathbed, she stated unequivocally that all she wanted from her son Augustine was to remember her at Mass where all the angels, saints and souls in Purgatory are present. As I have never forgotten what my dying grandmother said to me on her deathbed, I am sure that St. Augustine did not forget what his mother said either, for he wrote about it in his famous book which is still in print, The Confessions of St. Augustine.
Recently a concerned pastor of a small town parish somewhere south of the Platte River called me about a family who was living on the edge because of a medical emergency. They needed help paying their rent. Because of the generosity of our donors we were able to respond. I often think that many of our benefactors are generous with us because of the loving example of their parents and grandparents and the things that they have said through the years, perhaps even on their deathbeds.
In addition to praying for the conversion of sinners, please remember to pray for the souls in Purgatory, for it is because of their love for us and their example we were brought up in the practice of the Catholic faith. Eternal rest grant unto their souls O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace, Amen!
“The Influenza Pandemic of 1918” by Virginia Arneson
Chelsea House Publishers, Philadelphia, 2000, 120 pages, Grades 6-8.
When an outbreak of disease occurs in a local area, it is known as an epidemic. If the disease spreads over a larger area, such as a number of states or countries, it is called a pandemic. The Ebola Pandemic in western Africa is an example of this. Due to its widespread, deadly nature, Ebola is quickly emerging as a killer pandemic.
In western countries such as the United States, we feel comfortable and secure behind our well designed and advanced public health system. Historically, this complaisance can have disastrous consequences for the nation. The reason for this is that a pandemic usually strikes before the afflicted areas are even aware that they have been attacked.
When the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic explodes across the world, the United States Public Health Department is caught off guard. By the time some strategies begin to be developed, hundreds of thousands of people are afflicted with influenza. Virginia Aronson tells the painful and tragic history of this pandemic in her well written and photographed book, “The Influenza Pandemic of 1918.”
Fort Riley is an army base in Kansas, 185 miles south of Lincoln, Nebraska. In March of 1918, soldiers start coming down with the flu. At first, since people frequently get the flu, no one pays any serious attention to illness. But this isn’t just any flu. The young, healthy soldiers rapidly deteriorate and become critically ill. Whereas older people are frequently at risk of dying from the flu, these young men should not be this sick. Much to the doctors’ surprise, a number of these young soldiers die. Then more and more soldiers come down with the illness, and soon the base hospital is overflowing with critically sick soldiers.
But Fort Riley isn’t alone, as military bases across the United States begin reporting a flu pandemic. This isn’t just your five-days-and-get-better flu; often times the victims die, gasping for air and bleeding from their lungs.
As soldiers are shipped to France to fight in WWI, the influenza rapidly spreads across Europe and the rest of the world. Since France, England and the U.S.A. have tight censorship on newspaper reporting, the influenza pandemic is underreported. Spain however does not have this government censorship and publish extensive accounts of the pandemic in their country. Because they unwittingly publish what the influenza is doing in Spain, the rest of the world believe that the pandemic has originated there. Hence, they name the pandemic the Spanish Flu.
As the pandemic begins killing millions worldwide, scientists and laymen begin trying to explain the causes of the Spanish Flu and various treatment programs. Some physicians believed the patients need “good air” and place them in tents outside of cities.
Others believed the poison gas used in WWI had polluted the air causing the pandemic. One particularly zealous report proclaimed the Germans had created the influenza to win the war. Many actually believed this, notwithstanding the numerous German deaths from the Spanish Flu. Fear ruled the day.
What happened to the Spanish Flu and why did it end? Do we know the genetic structure of the Spanish Flu? Do the officials at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta fear another pandemic like the Spanish Flu? To find out the answers to these and other questions about the Spanish Flu, read Virginia Aronson’s fine book: “The Influenza Pandemic of 1918.”
As the Ebola Pandemic spreads in Africa, this book is quite useful in describing the reactions of people in the United States to the great Flu Pandemic of 1918. Forewarned is forearmed. I hope you encourage your middle school students to read this interesting account of the Spanish Flu.
The Bishops’ Pastoral Plan for Pro Life Activities “calls upon all the resources of the Church—its people, services, and institutions—to pursue [pro-life activities] with renewed energy and commitment in four major areas”: Public Information and Education, Pastoral Care, Public Policy, Prayer and Worship.
The Pastoral Plan also provides an organizational structure for implementing this program. This structure includes three levels of activity: the State Coordinating Committee, the Diocesan Pro-Life Committee and the Parish Pro-Life Committee. The parish committee, headed by a pro-life coordinator, is where the rubber really meets the road for the Church’s pro-life program.
In Nebraska, we have 375 parishes and most are served by one or more parish pro-life coordinators. These coordinators serve as the parish liaison with my office (Bishops’ State Pro-life Office) and with their respective diocesan pro-life directors. They provide the leadership in implementing pro-life activities in their parish and many are pro-life leaders in their communities and regions.
My office provides suggested activities, programs, and events for use or promotion in each parish. Activities and programs fall under one of the four major areas mentioned previously and, as much as possible, are connected to liturgical feast days.
For example, around the Annunciation parishes are encouraged to have a special Mass for pregnant mothers and their families or begin the Spiritual Adoption of Unborn Babies project which asks parishioners to spiritual adopt and pray for an unborn baby in danger of abortion. On the Feast of the Visitation, parishes are encouraged to promote the pregnancy help centers in their community or region.
The month of October is Respect Life Month as designated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). For this month, the USCCB Pro Life Office produces a Respect Life Program packet that contains many great educational and liturgical resources to help parishes celebrate the gift of human life. These materials are available online at www.usccb.org/prolife/respect-life-program.
Another key date for pro-life activities is January 22, the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling (which legalized abortion). The Church has also linked this date to the liturgy by designating it in its General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), no. 373, as a particular day of prayer and penance for abortion (in the dioceses of the U.S.), called the “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.”
Since 2011, the Roman Missal also includes a Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life. This Mass was created specifically for the needs of the United States and may be used for occasions to celebrate the dignity of human life.
Occasionally, I ask parish pro-life coordinators to report on what activities they implemented over the past year. One of the coordinators gave me this list:
“Information booth at parish festival, prayer vigil for religious freedom and for the National Night of Prayer for Life, postcard campaign to elected officials, monthly prayer service, leading prayers at the abortion facility, 40 Days for Life, Life Chain, Walk for Life, displaying baby shoes in the Church sanctuary on the Sunday closest to Roe v. Wade anniversary, pro-life webpage for parish website, pro-life section of the parish bulletin, facilitating youth involvement in various pro-life activities, monthly Mass for the end to abortion, hosting pro-life movies (with discussion), asking other parish organizations to pray for the closing of the Bellevue abortion facility.”
This parish response, like many others, describes a variety of pro-life activities that involve a level of dedication and generosity that is edifying. I thank God for the hundreds of parish pro-life coordinators in Nebraska who give so generously of their time and talent to advance the Gospel of Life. Please find out who serves as the pro-life coordinator in your parish and thank them. And offer to help them.
One of the elements that God the Holy Spirit used in my vocational calling to the priesthood is the presence of priests in our home while growing up.
One such priest was Father Christopher Belber, an Augustinian priest from Spain who was a pastor of Holy Ghost Parish in Omaha and later Most Holy Crucifix Parish in New York City (now known as Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz). He was at first friends with my maternal grandparents, and then my parents. I often remember his intense love for the poor, especially for those who lived on the streets of New York.
I distinctly remember the first time he prepared paella (a dish that originated in Valencia, Spain) in our home 40 years ago. I have been making it ever since — sometimes as an auction item.
On Saturday, June 28th Catholic Social Services held its ‘first annual’ St. Francis Summer’s Eve Celebration at the Whiskey Run Creek Winery located in Brownville. This was an event benefitting our St. Francis Center in Auburn, which helps individuals and families that live in the southeastern region of our diocese. One of the silent auction items at this event was a gourmet paella dinner to be prepared at the home of the winning bidder. It was purchased by Gregg and Eva Fujan.
After arriving at their beautiful home on a lake near North Bend, I discovered we would be celebrating their daughter Valerie’s birthday. They were joined by Valerie’s husband, Clinton Whiteley, Connor, Lea and McKenzie Fujan, and Marlene and James Fujan (the grandparents). I have offered this meal before, but never have I prepared it for individuals dressed like native Valencians!
I had a wonderful time preparing the multi-course dinner complete with a Rioja Wine from Spain called Ergo. Remember what St. Paul said to Timothy: “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (1 Tim 5:23). Notice the word ‘little’!” After much storytelling, I thanked them for their generosity and for one of the Spanish hats (given to me as a remembrance our marvelous time together). Who knows, I might wear it the next time I prepare Paella de Valencia!
In its Hobby Lobby ruling, the Supreme Court said that the Obama Administration’s HHS contraception/ sterilization mandate, as applied to “closely held” corporations, violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Under RFRA, the government cannot “substantially burden” religious practice or belief unless it has a “compelling interest” to do so and it uses the “least restrictive means” to accomplish this “interest.”
In the Hobby Lobby case, the Court concluded that the HHS mandate was not the “least restrictive means” to pursue its “compelling interest” to mandate free birth control and sterilization under most health care plans. The Court did not determine (but merely assumed for argument sake) that the government has a “compelling interest” to mandate such things.
Sadly, too many individuals (including many Catholics) and institutions are sympathetic to the assertion that there is a “compelling government interest” to promote and fund contraception. The primary basis for this “compelling interest” is the assumption that contraception improves women’s health by preventing unintended pregnancies and abortions.
While this assumption may have some intuitive appeal, it does not survive a simple test of reasoned scrutiny. Such scrutiny has been effectively presented by Helen Alvare, on behalf of Women Speak for Themselves in a brief to the Supreme Court. The brief, along with other great resources, is available online at www.womenspeakforthemselves.com (“SCOTUS Brief” found under “Our Work”). Ms. Alvare is a professor of law at George Mason University School of Law and founder of Women Speak for Themselves.
Professor Alvare has summarized some of the arguments from the brief in various articles. One of those articles, entitled “Meanwhile, Outside the Panic Room: Contraception, Hobby Lobby, and Women’s Rights,” is featured on The Witherspoon Institute’s website, www.thepublicdiscourse.com, a website I highly recommend.
Professor Alvare points out that “relatively few women are actually affected by the majority opinion in Hobby Lobby. Poor women, and even women at several times the poverty level, already have free or subsidized birth control available from the state.
“Since 1970, they have been served by the National Family Planning Program (“Title X”). In 2010, Title X-funded sites served more than five million patients—69 percent at or below the poverty level and 31 percent above—at 4,389 service sites across all fifty states and the District of Columbia.
“Likewise, both Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Medicaid) and Title XX of the Social Security Act provide federal funds to states for pregnancy prevention services available to both adolescents and adults. The federal Maternal and Child Health Block Grant funds 610 school-based or school-linked health clinics. In 2012, Planned Parenthood Federation of America alone received $540 million of government grants and reimbursements directed largely to providing lower-cost contraception.”
Despite this massive funding of birth control for lower income women, the rate of unintended pregnancy is three times higher among women below the poverty line than for women with incomes higher than 200 percent of poverty.
Alvare continues: “Also, generally speaking, the Centers for Disease Control report that cost does not even make the list of “frequently cited reasons for nonuse” among the 11 percent of sexually active women not using contraception. A [Alan] Guttmacher [Institute] source claimed that only 3.7 percent of the total sample of women seeking abortions listed cost as a barrier to contraceptive usage…”
“Women working in small businesses or those with ‘grandfathered’ health plans were never entitled to free contraception under the mandate. Furthermore, women working for larger businesses nearly always have contraceptive coverage. According to…the Alan Guttmacher Institute, “almost every reversible and permanent contraceptive method available” was covered by 90 percent of health insurance plans before the mandate.”
These facts destroy the suggestion that the government has a “compelling interest” to “substantially burden” the religious practice of a small number of employers who object to providing or facilitating free contraceptives and sterilization in their healthcare plans.
“Timothy Goes to School” by Rosemary Wells
Viking Press, New York, 1981, 32 pages, Grades K-1.
Each fall, millions of children return to school. Many of these children are ready to return and catch up with their friends from the previous year. However, for kindergarten students and their parents this new experience can be filled with anxiety. School represents a large change for many of these children and the parents wonder how their children will fit into the new environment. In fact, sometimes the parents have a harder time with the children entering kindergarten than the youngsters do. When the new students arrive in kindergarten they are excited and anxious. Will the other students like me? Who is my teacher? Can I make friends? All of these are crucial questions for the children. Beloved children’s literature writer, Rosemary Wells, tells a touching account of little Timothy going to kindergarten. She entitles the book, “Timothy Goes to School.”
Timothy and his mother are raccoons. Before going to kindergarten, his mother brushes his unruly hair. Timothy is wearing a new sun suit his mother has just finished sewing. She proudly sends him down the lane to school. His teacher, Mrs. Jenkins greets all the students at the door with a loving welcome. They are all happy and excited as they crowd into the classroom. She places Timothy next to another raccoon named Claude. Timothy tries to talk to Claude but is immediately snubbed. Claude makes fun of his new sun suit and tells Timothy that no one wears a sun suit the first day of school. This mean comment ruins Timothy’s day. Whereas he had been proud of his handsome sun suit, he now feels stupid and out of place. During recess, Claude kicks the soccer ball with great skill and shows off his physical coordination. All of the other children begin to crowd around Claude, which in turn depresses Timothy even more.
Returning home, Timothy tells his mother the sad tale of his first day. She tries to cheer him up by telling him of the beautiful new jacket she has made for him to wear the next day. Once again, Timothy hurries to school proudly wearing his new jacket. This time Claude tells him that no one wears a jacket on the second day of school. Devastated, Timothy struggles through the long day. In the meantime, Claude is quickly becoming the teacher’s pet. He never makes mistakes and everyone likes him. That is, everyone except Timothy. The days continue and Timothy keeps feeling like he is second rate and doesn’t even want to go to school. Finally, a girl rabbit named Violet talks to Timothy and wants to play with him at recess. All of a sudden, the day brightens for Timothy. Here is someone who likes him. In turn, Violet feels fortunate to know Timothy. Life keeps improving.
What happens to Timothy and Violet? Do they make other friends at school? Are they the most popular children at school? Why do they both suddenly like going to school? What do all people need to feel good about themselves? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out “Timothy Goes To School” by Rosemary Wells.
This may become an important book when your children or nieces and nephews go to kindergarten. Timothy’s struggles are very common place in primary school and Rosemary Wells (1943-Present) treats his fears with sensitivity. The mother is portrayed in a very strong, loving manner by the author. Rosemary Wells has written children’s books for many years and is most known for her “Ruby and Max” characters. I hope you get a chance to read this book. It is a sensitive account of the common fears children and parents have about starting kindergarten. Enjoy!
At the recent, annual, summer meeting of state Catholic conference directors—your columnist’s 38th and last—extra time was devoted to discussing the humanitarian crisis involving the surge of unaccompanied or separated, refugee children and youth arriving at the U.S./Mexico border. The well-documented interests of the Holy See and the U.S. Church, reflecting concerns from Catholic social teaching, as well as the public-policy challenges and political controversy at both federal and state levels were aspects of the discussion.
(Admittedly, use of “refugee” as a modifier is open to challenge, but we use it purposely. Here’s why: The horrific conditions and desperate circumstances from which so many of these children are fleeing—conditions of danger from pervasive crime, gang-related coercion and violence, drug and human trafficking, extreme poverty, family disintegration—justify a presumption of refugee status, at least until an immigration court—called for by federal law—determines otherwise on a case-by-case basis. In other words, these are not mere immigrants; generalized evidence of intolerable danger is sufficient to justify a presumption, albeit rebuttable, that they are refugees seeking asylum. A study by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees found that 58 percent of 404 unaccompanied children arriving in the U.S. from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador “were forcibly displaced because they suffered or faced harms that indicated a potential or actual need for international protection.”)
Two of our state-conference colleagues just days earlier had attended the 2014 National Migration Conference co-sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ department for Migration and Refugee Services and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. These directors reported on what they had heard and learned. It was timely and compelling.
For instance, a backgrounder from the national conference describes the phenomenon numerically. Since 2011, the number of unaccompanied, migrating children has risen dramatically, with over 13,000 in Fiscal Year 2012 and 24,000 in Fiscal Year 2013. This year, more than 52,000 have arrived since last October 1, with the number expected to surge to 90,000 by the end of the current fiscal year September 30.
Probably the most significant aspect of our session was the recommendation that we read the report issued by a USCCB/MRS delegation that traveled to southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador last November to collect information and assess the plight of child migrants. The delegation was led by Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso. It included the executive director of CLINIC, the director of the Washington office of the International Catholic Migration Commission, three staffers from USCCB/MRS and Father Daniel Groody, Professor of Theology at Notre Dame and consultant to the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Migration.
The report, which acknowledges that “there are no simple answers” to why so many children are making the dangerous journey north, includes findings and recommendations.
The report’s overview is that a series of interrelated factors have contributed to this dramatic increase in migration and that a “perfect storm” of a number of these root causes has created the phenomenon. “Push factors include the absence of economic opportunity, the lack of quality education and access to education generally, and the resulting inability for individuals to financially support themselves and their families in their home countries/local communities. The desire to reunify with family in the U.S., in part driven by these forces, also has contributed.
“While these factors were omnipresent, the delegation found that one overriding factor has played a decisive and forceful role in recent years: generalized violence at the state and local levels and a corresponding breakdown of the rule of law have threatened citizen security and created a culture of fear and hopelessness….[V]iolence and coercion, including extortion, kidnapping, threats, and coercive and forcible recruitment of children into criminal activity are perpetrated by transnational criminal organizations; gangs have become part of everyday life in all of these countries, exerting control over communities.”
The delegation’s report, entitled Mission to Central America: The Flight of Unaccompanied Children to the United States, is available at this website: www.usccb.org/about/migration-and-refugee-services. Other resources are there as well, including testimony Bishop Seitz presented to the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on June 25.
A few other facts and thoughts on this serious subject:
Over three-fourths of the children are fleeing Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, the countries that have, respectively, the first, fourth and fifth highest homicide rates in the world.
The backlog in the immigration courts is mind-boggling: 375,000 immigration cases pending adjudication; fewer than 250 judges; the average length of time a case is pending is currently 578 days. A fix here is needed badly.
Kudos to Nebraska’s First District U.S. Representative, Jeff Fortenberry, for not adding his name and signature to the politicized, harshly-worded letter Governor Heineman generated, requesting that the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services provide specific, identifying information about the 200-plus refugee children sent to Nebraska (and their location and sponsors), in order to ensure that they can be denied taxpayer-funded assistance.
It is hard to believe, but we just celebrated our fifth anniversary of our fine and fabulous First Friday Fish Fry, which benefits St. Gianna Women’s Home! To mark this milestone, we decided to have five Marian Sisters on the serving line, one for each year - Sister Clare, Sister Cecilia Ann, Sister Bernadette, Sister Karen and Sister Serena.
The many women and their children who come to St. Gianna’s are appreciative of all the love and support they have received from Sister Bernadette, Sister Clare, Sister Karen, and our many women volunteers and supporters since opening.
One of our new efforts is the Endow program which means educating on the nature and dignity of women. The mission of Endow is, “Transforming the hearts and minds of women and girls by inviting them into the joy, freedom, and dignity that come from living out their gift of authentic femininity in Christ.” Since many or most of the ladies who come to us have never been loved and treated with respect as a daughter of God, having been created in the image and likeness of God, those who participate respond in a positive manner. One of the chapters specifically talks about St. Gianna.
When asked, “What has St. Gianna Women’s Home done for you?” here are some of the answers: “This place has saved my life.... If I wasn’t here I would be on the streets and probably not alive.... It has brought me back to the sacraments and to my faith….. This place is a safe haven for me, it has taken care of me and my needs.... I am now able to help others who are struggling. In fact, last night, I talked to someone for an hour who was going through some tough times.... My daughter is now learning about the Church and faith.... I am so grateful for the Sisters and Father for all that they have done for me.… I have been through a lot in my life, violence growing up and then into my adult life.... this place has given me security since my abuser is now out of prison... most of all, this place has helped me learn a lot about myself and for this I am grateful.”
One of the Endow volunteers said, “God is good and His hope is always there for us. Praise Jesus! I feel blessed to be a witness of God’s work. To see the transformation of these ladies is a gift.”
I would like to thank the Marian Sisters, our volunteers and donors for their love and support. Please know you are all in our prayers. Happy Anniversary!
In my last column I mentioned some of the outrageous false reactions to the Hobby Lobby ruling by left-wing groups and individuals. The false claims have continued and gotten so outrageous that they surely qualify as some sort of “post Hobby Lobby derangement syndrome.” Even the Washington Post is calling them out.
In a July 14 article entitled “Democrats on Hobby Lobby: ‘Misspeaks,’ ‘opinions,’ and overheated rhetoric,” Washington Post fact checker Glenn Kessler says that “Democrats have rushed to condemn the court. But in some cases the rhetoric has gotten way ahead of the facts.” Here are some of the outrageous statements called out by the Post:
“Really, we should be afraid of this court. The five guys who start determining what contraceptions are legal. Let’s not even go there.” — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), at her weekly news conference, on July 10.
“You know, what I am objecting to is that these bosses should not be able to tell their employees that they cannot use birth control. Motherhood is not a hobby. That is what I am objecting to.” —Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.), speaking on MSNBC, July 1.
“The U.S. Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision opened the door to unprecedented corporate intrusion into our private lives. Coloradans understand that women should never have to ask their bosses for a permission slip to access common forms of birth control.” — Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), in a news release, July 9.
As the Post’s “fact checker” pointed out in response to these false claims, “the majority opinion flatly states that ‘under our cases, women (and men) have a constitutional right to obtain contraceptives,’ citing the 1965 ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut, which under the right to privacy nullified a law prohibiting the use of contraceptives… No boss under this ruling has the right to tell an employee that they cannot use birth control.”
Sadly, the left wing’s reaction to Hobby Lobby goes beyond irresponsible and false rhetoric. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised “to do something about it” and fast-tracked a bill introduced by Senator Patty Murray (and 46 of her Democratic colleagues). Despite its euphemistic title, the “Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act of 2014” (S. 2578) “potentially attack[s] all federal laws protecting conscience rights” according to a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops letter sent to all U.S. senators and signed by Archbishop William Lori and Cardinal Sean O’Malley.
The passage of S. 2578 “would mark the first time in history that Congress has acted specifically to reduce Americans’ religious freedom”, the letter asserts, pointing out numerous aspects of the bill. For example, S. 2578 would “impose the HHS mandate on religious believers in ways that the Supreme Court says violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).”
Furthermore, the USCCB letter points out that S. 2578 would override other federal conscience protections, not just RFRA; applies to all present and future coverage mandates, not just contraception; applies to all employers, not just closely held for-profits; covers employees, their minor dependents, individuals purchasing coverage on the health exchanges, and other stakeholders, not just employers; and encourages employers to drop coverage through draconian penalties.
Thankfully, S. 2578 was defeated by a vote of 56 to 43 (60 votes were needed to proceed with the bill; Senators Mike Johanns and Deb Fischer voted no). However, it is deeply troubling that 56 members of the United States Senate voted for a bill that attacks religious freedom and conscience rights for women and men.
“In short,” Archbishop Lori and Cardinal O’Malley said in their letter, “the bill does not befit a nation committed to religious liberty. Indeed, if it were to pass, it would call that commitment into question. Nor does it show a genuine commitment to expanded healthcare coverage, as it would pressure many Americans of faith to stop providing or purchasing health coverage altogether.”
One of our biggest challenges at Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska is helping individuals and families avoid homelessness, and those who are homeless find housing. Even though the number of those in need exceed our resources, we help as many individuals and families as possible each and every year. Last year, with your help we assisted more than 40,000 people, young and old, a number of different ways. We have come a long way, with the grace of God, in the almost 90 years of our existence.
One of the strengths of Catholic Social Services is something that is easy for people across the diocese to overlook – that we are diocesan-wide. We assist individuals and families all across the 24,000 square miles that is the Diocese of Lincoln. Not only do we help individuals and families in the southeast, east, central and western sectors of the diocese, each center works together in a coordinated fashion when necessary for we are one, which is what the term ‘catholic’ means.
Recently, we received a call from a medium-sized city out west, about a pregnant woman, a few days away from her due date, who became homeless with nowhere to go. Since St. Gianna Women’s Homes were full, we brainstormed and placed her in a program we have for homeless women with children. This meant moving her to another city in the diocese where this program is active.
After arriving we helped her move into a two-bedroom home, furnished it with a bed, crib, sofa, end table, items for the kitchen and other essentials. We are now praying someone donates a reliable car for her.
After moving in, we heard that the client who moved out complained of demons that were a bother while living there. Not taking any chances, I went to the home with one of our case workers and blessed the house with holy water and included a prayer of exorcism. She was most appreciative because she is a Catholic. After blessing her I found a beautiful image of Mary in one of our four thrift stores for her, and will get a crucifix to give her.
Since she is in one of our programs, we have time to help her with counseling, and budgeting and parenting classes. Since she is no longer homeless, she can now call her house ‘home sweet home!’
We are most grateful to Almighty God for His graces and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her most chaste spouse St. Joseph along with our many patron saints. We are also thankful for our many donors who help us spiritually with their prayers and penances, materially with items around their homes and farms (including vehicles not needed), and financially with cash donations, according to their means so we can respond when we get calls like the one mentioned above.
Please know that we at Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska remember you and all of our benefactors in our daily prayers, penances and Masses. Please keep the lady and her child mentioned above in your prayers along with our other countless clients who come to us on a daily basis in crisis.
At last, the Supreme Court has issued its much-anticipated ruling in the Hobby Lobby case. The Court, by the slimmest majority (5-4), ruled that the Obama Administration’s contraception/abortifacient/ sterilization insurance mandate violates the religious freedom of Hobby Lobby and other for-profit family-owned or “closely held corporations.”
Specifically, the Court determined that the mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), a federal law that was enacted in 1993 by a nearly unanimous bi-partisan vote of Congress and was signed into law by then-president Bill Clinton.
The purpose of RFRA was to make it clear that the federal government could not “burden” the exercise of religion unless it had a “compelling interest” and utilized “the least restrictive means of furthering [that] compelling interest.”
In its ruling, the Court first rejected the Obama Administration’s argument that RFRA protections do not apply to for-profit businesses. “Under RFRA,” the Court stated, “when followers of a particular religion choose to enter into commercial activity, the Government does not have a free hand in imposing obligations that substantially burden their exercise of religion.”
Second, the ruling concluded that the mandate “substantially burdens the exercise of religion.” Third, the ruling assumes (but did not conclude) that the mandate furthers a compelling government interest but said that “the Government has failed to show that the contraceptive mandate is the least restrictive means of furthering that interest.”
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty said in a statement:
“We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to recognize that Americans can continue to follow their faith when they run a family business. In this case, justice has prevailed, with the Court respecting the rights of the Green and Hahn families to continue to abide by their faith in how they seek their livelihood, without facing devastating fines. Now is the time to redouble our efforts to build a culture that fully respects religious freedom.”
The response of left-wing groups and individuals has been apoplectic and demonstrably dishonest. They are accusing the Supreme Court of joining in on the phony “war on women” and are spreading lies such as saying this ruling demonstrates that men are taking away women’s rights—again.
Kristine Marsh, staff writer/analyst for the Media Research Center, wrote “[t]he easiest spin on the case was to frame the discussion away from religious rights, and make it a case of women’s rights. Feminists, liberal reporters, and even the White House got on the bandwagon for this one. The hashtag #NotMyBossesBusiness trended with the misleading message that employers were preventing their female employees from accessing birth control.”
This lie is easily dispatched with the facts of the Hobby Lobby case: Hobby Lobby has always provided coverage for contraception in its employee plan but objected (and sued) over the HHS mandate’s requirement that it also cover four emergency contraceptive methods that are more likely to operate as abortifacients.
These facts won’t stop misrepresentation of this ruling by those who want to quarantine religious freedom within the four walls of our nation’s churches. Therefore, as Princeton Professor Robert George warned, “Friends of religious freedom must respond swiftly and strongly to the claims and political machinations of their adversaries.”
“We must wield the sword of truth against the falsehoods and gross exaggerations that will become the currency of the other side’s attacks. Without resorting to their tactics, we must match their intensity and determination. Key elements of our religious freedom hang in the balance.”
In order to effectively “wield the sword of truth,” I urge Catholics to stay informed on this battle by joining my e-mail list (send your request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or by accessing these great websites: www.usccb.org/conscience and www.becketfund.org.
“Each Kindness” by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
Paulsen Books, New York, 2012, 32 pages, Grades K-3.
Frequently, people go through life without thinking a great deal about their actions. Sometimes, this just means that they are too busy or preoccupied with daily affairs to think much about their meaning.
But sometimes, we have events happen to us that change our lives. The point really is the direction these events take us. Do we choose to be charitable to others or do we seek our own satisfaction? How can not choosing to do something affect ourselves and others? Why is it so important to make each event in our lives mean something? Jacqueline Woodson has written a telling story about the consequences of our actions on others. It is entitled, “Each Kindness.”
A young, poorly-dressed girl enters a grade school classroom. The teacher announces to the students that this new student, named Maya, will be joining the class. Maya looks different from the other girls in the classroom. Her clothes are not attractive, and her lunch box is filled with odd-looking food. The teacher, Ms. Albert, places Maya next to Chloe in the classroom. Maya immediately tries to make friends with Chloe, but is rebuffed. Chloe returns Maya’s smiles with indifference and looks away. As the days go on, Maya reaches out again and again to the girl. But Chloe couldn’t care less and continues to stare out the window.
When the girls go out to the playground, Maya tries to join. But the girls have their cliques and want to have no part of Maya. Finally, Maya brings her birthday present of jacks and a red ball and invites the girls to play the game with her. Once again, they ignore her. In spite of her repeated attempts to play with the other girls, she is rejected. Chloe in particular does not want to be seen as Maya’s friend.
Finally, Maya begins to jump rope on the playground without asking any of the girls to join her. Her jumping is quite fantastic and impressive. A few days later, the teacher tells the children that Maya has left the school.
On the day of the announcement telling that Maya won’t be returning, the classroom lesson is about kindness. Ms. Albert brings a bowl of water into the classroom and has each student drop a small stone into the container. She carefully explains that all of our actions are like the ripples the pebbles make in the water. The ripples go out and keep spreading. The students drop a stone into the bowl and tells of one personal act of kindness they have committed. Chloe walks home later and thinks of all of her lost opportunities. What should she do now?
What does Chloe learn about charity? What are the consequences of not reaching out to others? Does it really make any sense to be selfish?
Have you ever not wanted to reach out to someone different from yourself? What is the best way to handle this situation? What hard lesson does Chloe learn? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out “Each Kindness” by Jacqueline Woodson.
This is an important book to teach understanding and acceptance in the primary grades. It is on the Golden Sower List this year for K-3. I would encourage you to read this title with the younger members of your family and discuss the important issues raised by the author. This book could be quite useful in helping younger children understand that their rejection of their classmates hurts everyone.
This is not a fun book to read, but it addresses some very important human situations in the early grades. Because of this, I hope you get a chance to read the book.
Mistakes happen. Perfection is seldom reality. So it is not impossible to understand and accept as fact that officials and bureaucrats at the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) didn’t grasp the law correctly, causing them to miscalculate the release dates on hundreds of prisoners.
But goodness, what a mess has come to light; a mess that indirectly erupts at a time there are already festering problems in the correctional system, most notably the Nikko Jenkins saga and overcrowding, which has all three branches of state government—administrative, legislative and judicial—justifiably concerned and motivated to do something.
The June 15 publication of a “wow” investigative report by the Omaha World Herald has caused a big stir, and rightfully so.
It isn’t often that you see the term “screw-up” used in the lead of a news story, but it was there on this.
A prominent district court judge called the situation “unbelievable.” A police union official described it as “a stunner” and “maddening.” A well-known defense attorney and former prosecutor used a blunt term: “colossal mistake.” An early public response reported from DOCS analogized it thusly: “We’re in a triage mode.” The politically-tinged reaction of one state senator referred to it as, “arguably, one of the most shocking mismanagements that people have ever seen in state government.” (He probably said something similar about the Department of Health and Human Services in the not-too-distant past.)
As best we understand, since as far back as 1995, state correctional management erroneously applied good-time calculations—day reduction for every day served—to mandatory (minimum) sentences, including cases which had 10 mandatory years added for those classified as habitual criminals. The result was miscalculated, incorrect, premature release dates for hundreds of felons, men and women. The Nebraska Supreme Court provided guidance in a 2002 ruling and then again in February 2013; that the correct calculation was to apply the day-for-day, good-time reduction only to the term of the maximum sentence remaining after the mandatory portion. Apparently, DOCS was uninformed about, oblivious to, or somehow still misinterpreted the clarified law. That is, until notified by the World Herald on June 13. Uh-oh.
The numbers, although changing as days pass, are staggering and alarming. As reported by the newspaper, the sentences of 873 inmates were miscalculated. Of those, more than 550 have remained incarcerated awaiting their erroneous, premature release dates. Recalculations are adding more than 2,000 years in aggregate to their sentences, a range of one to 35 years and an average extension of three-and-a-half years.
That leaves about 300 inmates who were released erroneously and prematurely. More than 250 of these have been out of incarceration longer than the recalculated release date and won’t be returned to prison for those crimes. The Governor’s office has reported that 45 of the prematurely released “still owe time.” These represent a variety of circumstances, such that the number for round-up and return dropped to about 15.
The recalculation of sentences causes a recalculation of cost as well. The World Herald has estimated that the added time will cost the state $50 million pre-inflation. The preliminary estimate from the Legislature’s perspective, per the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, is a budget impact of $56 million. That will be on top of new spending on reforms to address an overall (and growing) prison population that is nearly 160 percent of current design capacity.
A “colossal mistake” is never good, but on this one, the timing is horrible.
As to the matter of overcrowding, a Justice Reinvestment Working Group has been formed to develop a long-term strategy; as the governor describes it, “innovative and sensible solutions to our prison challenges.”
This initiative stems from LB 907 of the Unicameral’s 2014 session and has been jointly launched by Chief Justice Mike Heavican (Judicial), Speaker Greg Adams (Legislative) and Governor Dave Heineman (Administrative). Its membership also represents all three branches of state government and local government as well. There are four state legislators, two district court judges, the Holt County sheriff and the Omaha police chief, the Lancaster County attorney and the Hall County public defender, the Supreme Court’s probation administrator, the state court administrator, the Board of Parole’s chairperson, the executive director of the Nebraska Crime Commission, the director of DOCS and Lieutenant Governor Lavon Heidemann.
“On-the-ground” technical assistance is being provided by the Council of State Governments’ Justice Center. Input will be solicited from stakeholders throughout the state.
Chief Justice Heavican has made it clear that this Justice Reinvestment initiative won’t just be looking at what’s going on in the correctional system, but also will examine “alternatives to incarceration and effective community-based programs.
This also will be an opportunity for input regarding the faith-based concept of restorative justice, which is an important and expanding element of Catholic social teaching.
And finally….
A not-quite-bold prediction: journalism prizes of national noteworthiness are on the horizon for the OWH reporters who investigated and reported on the sentencing mess, especially Todd Cooper and Matt Wynn.
Catholic Social Services held its ‘first annual’ “St. Francis Summer’s Eve Celebration” June 28 at the Whiskey Run Creek Winery in Brownville. Since our St. Francis Center in Auburn has grown significantly and has become a hub benefiting the entire southeastern region of the diocese, we thought it was high time to hold an annual banquet to benefit the entire southeast. Instead of a dinner banquet, we decided on wine and hors d’oeuvres.
During the event, I shared some incredible statistics. Since 2006, we have provided cash assistance for transportation, rent/utility bills, medical bills, etc., totaling $238,361 throughout southeast Nebraska. So far this year, the food pantry in Auburn has served 299 families, representing a total of 9,753 meals served. Since 2009, we have provided 515,092 pounds of food with a value of $870,505. Since 2000, we have provided Clinical Charity Grants in Auburn, Nebraska City, Falls City and Beatrice totaling $126,973.
Since opening in 2006, St. Francis Gift & Thrift has provided nearly $52,000 in vouchers to the needy. In addition, St. Francis Gift & Thrift has also generated $336,217 for our emergency services and clinical services. Since beginning to offer services in Auburn and southeastern Nebraska in 2000, we have provided $1,287,681 in assistance throughout the area.
I would like to thank Almighty God for His graces, the Blessed Virgin Mary, for her powerful intercession, St. Francis for his intercession as our patron saint, Ron Heskett for opening the winery to us and to Marge Wenzel and Marie Schmit for providing delicious, mouthwatering, and beautifully presented hors d’oeuvres.
In addition, I would also like to thank our corporate sponsors, our planning committee members, the volunteer staff and anyone who helped in any way the night of the event. And we are grateful to those who donated the items that were on our silent auction.
Lastly, I would like to thank all who attended. St. Francis, pray for us!
We are now halfway through the third annual Fortnight for Freedom, a two-week observance designed by the U.S. Bishops Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty to raise awareness of the serious threats to religious freedom—both domestic and international—and to call Catholics to fourteen days of prayer, education and action.
According to the Ad Hoc Committee, “the success of this year’s Fortnight is vital to establishing and maintaining a new movement for religious freedom, in response to the growing range of religious freedom issues in so many areas of law, such as immigration, adoption, and disaster relief, both here and abroad.”
In the midst of our society’s busy pace of life, it can be very difficult to get people to pay attention to seemingly academic concepts like religious freedom. Or some may just take religious freedom for granted, relying on its deep roots and origins in our nation’s founding. However, neglecting the importance of religious liberty or dismissing its threats has grave implications to human dignity and our democratic way of life.
Dr. Thomas F. Farr, who directs the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center, warned about these grave implications in a talk he gave to the U.S. Bishops at their June 13, 2012 General Assembly. Having spent the last thirteen years of his life “reflecting, writing, and acting on the subject of religious liberty, both here and abroad,” Dr. Farr offered three propositions:
“First, both history and modern scholarship demonstrate that a robust system of religious liberty in both law and culture is indispensible to individual human dignity, and to the social, economic, intellectual, political, and religious flourishing of civil societies and of nations.”
“Second, religious liberty is in global crisis, with enormous consequences for the Church, the United States, the success of democracy, the defeat of religion-based terrorism, and the cause of international justice and peace. Third, propositions one and two are highly contested.”
Dr. Farr cited some empirical evidence from the Pew Research Center as evidence of his claim that religious liberty is in global crisis. Pew Research studied both government restrictions on religion and social hostilities toward religion in every country of the world between 2006 and mid-2009.
In its first report issued in 2009, Pew revealed a profoundly disturbing statistic: 70 percent of the world’s population lives in countries in which religious freedom is either highly or very highly restricted, either by governments or private actors. Its second report, issued in 2011, demonstrated that the problem is getting worse.
According to Dr. Farr, the root cause of religious oppression around the world is “a belief that religious freedom is not only unnecessary for human flourishing or social development, but that it poses a threat to these and other goods.”
While this belief is not unique to modern times, “what is new, and profoundly troubling,” Dr. Farr warns, “is that we are seeing today the rejection of religious freedom not simply by authoritarian regimes… but by democratic majorities… even Western Europe.”
In the authoritarian regimes, religious oppression is being perpetrated by religious majorities. But in Western Europe, Dr. Farr points out, religious oppression is perpetrated by “an aggressive secularist majority that refuses to permit religiously-informed moral arguments into public life.”
“In short,” Dr. Farr states, “religion in Europe is no longer seen as intrinsic to human dignity and social flourishing. It is generally understood as merely an opinion…a dangerous opinion at that. While it is fine to practice your religion in churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples, democracy requires that you keep it there.”
“This malevolent idea…is gaining considerable purchase in our own country,” he said. “It gives reason for profound concern, not only for religious individuals but for the whole concept of democracy grounded in ordered liberty—both here and abroad.”
If you haven’t already, please find some time in the remaining week of the Fortnight to pray for religious freedom and to educate yourself and your family on this first and most cherished freedom. There are great prayer and educational materials on the Fortnight website (www.fortnight4freedom.org).
“Saint Thomas Aquinas: For Children and the Childlike”
by Raissa Maritain, illustrated by Ted Schluenderfritz.
Sophia Institute Press, Manchester, N.H., 1935, republished in 2009, 114 pages, Grades 4-6.
One of the greatest saints in the history of the Catholic Church is St. Thomas Aquinas. There are many reasons for this, but chief among them is the great holiness and humility of St. Thomas.
The Church has declared St. Thomas to be the Angelic Doctor. His great learning, writing and teaching has led many people to know and love Our Lord deeply.
The virtue that marked St. Thomas more than any other was humility. What is even more remarkable about his deep humility is the fact many scholars are filled with intellectual pride. Raissa Maritain tells the magnificent story of this great saint in this well-written children’s biography entitled “Saint Thomas Aquinas: For Children and the Childlike.”
Saint Thomas is born near the city of Naples in 1225. His family is of Italian nobility and is related to many of the most important political leaders of Europe. His family decides Thomas should be consecrated to Christ at a young age. Unfortunately, his family wants this consecration to benefit the family as well. So they take the 5-year-old Thomas to the famous Benedictine Monastery of Monte Cassino and dedicate him to Christ. The family’s understanding is that young Thomas will either eventually become the abbot of the monastery or a bishop. To ensure that this happens, Thomas’s father makes a substantial contribution of gold to the monastery.
So at 5, Thomas begins living the life of a Benedictine monk. He advances quickly in his intellectual and spiritual growth. By 14, Aquinas is well versed in the Bible, as well as some famous Church fathers, such as St. Augustine.
At this time, Monte Cassino is captured during a war and all the monks are forced to leave. The 14-year-old Thomas now leaves as well. The Abbot of Monte Cassino advises his parents to enroll him at the University of Naples. There the 14-year-old astonishes the faculty and students with his vast and profound knowledge of philosophy and theology.
But soon, a troubling set of events occurs effecting the Aquinas family. Thomas becomes acquainted with the Dominican Order, which was started by St. Dominic to teach and preach. Their religious charism causes the Dominicans to become great thinkers and scholars but the Order is completely uninterested in earthly advancements. The whole point of consecrating Thomas to begin with was to ensure that material benefits come to the family. This is not possible if Thomas becomes a Dominican. But Aquinas is drawn to the Order and joins in 1244. His family is aghast and actually kidnaps the young monk for over a year. Finally, they give in and Thomas Aquinas is released to join the Dominicans.
What happens next to this remarkable man? Who is St. Albert the Great? Who is the Dumb Ox, and why will his bellowing be heard throughout the world? How is St. Thomas Aquinas able to write such masterful philosophy and such beautiful music? To find out the answers to these questions, buy this fine biography, “Saint Thomas Aquinas: For Children and the Childlike.”
Raissa Maritain is famous writer and poet from the 20th century. Her husband is the well-known philosopher, Jacques Maritain. Much of the writing of St. Thomas Aquinas can be daunting and this short biography gives a great deal of useful information about the Angelic Doctor. It is a very good introduction to the great saint whose philosophical writings have so enriched the Church.
Though this book is not likely to be available at the public library, it can be purchased through online book vendors or ordered at local bookstores. I hope you and your family members get a chance to read this well written biography. Enjoy!
One of the benefits of having a parish nurse program is having the ability to check blood pressures of parishioners who are so inclined.
This is very important because hypertension is a quiet killer. Untreated, it eventually leads to other more serious things such as congestive heart failure and may on the way lead to a stroke, heart attack, renal failure and other sundry medical ailments, including death.
When it comes to losing a job, or being between jobs, this too, if left untreated, can lead to other serious things such as the inability to pay rent, utilities, medicines, food and ultimately homelessness.
Recently, a single mother who is between jobs came to us in need. I previously met her four years ago when she was a homeless mother on the run from an abusive man who was pressuring her to abort their unborn child.
She now rode to our offices on her daughter’s bicycle. It was a Saturday afternoon. As it turns out, she needed help with multiple things because with time they just ‘piled on,’ as one thing lead to another.
As the story unraveled, I discovered she needed help with her prescription drugs including insulin, needles to inject the insulin, and her anti-hypertension pills for her high blood pressure, as well as food and diapers. She wisely paid her rent first with the funds available, so as to avoid homelessness once again. We were able to help her with the items mentioned above with a promise of a vehicle, preferably a van, when she obtains another driver’s license. She informed me she will be looking for a job. Thankfully, she has an older son who is now working. She rode away happy and content.
One of the courses not offered in the seminary is ‘Fundraising 101.’ It’s not always the easiest thing to do, but I never feel awkward asking for money or material items because I know donations received are for those in need and not for myself.
Every once in a while we receive a donation we are told is a ‘one-time’ gift. As with all gifts, we are grateful for them, but try our best to convince people to make us one of their favorite charities for, “The poor you will always have with you” (Mt 26:11), and “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40).
In other words, the need is always there, and when we help someone, we are helping Christ Jesus.
In addition, we can only help individuals and families to the extent of which we are able, based on the funds and items on hand. That said, I have always loved the adage of Mother Angelica, “Keep us between your gas and electric bill!”
Using this column as a vehicle, please permit me to use it to thank all of our benefactors who donate furniture, appliances, kitchen items, vehicles, other material items, and monetary gifts which enable us to fulfill the gospel mandate to love our neighbor as ourselves. Please know that all of our supporters are in our daily prayers. And please, get your blood pressure checked and if there is someone out there who has been affected by hypertension unawares, please let me know!
Mid-June is the typical time for new assignments of our diocesan clergy to take effect. This writer is among the many priests who are embarking on new challenges in this regard. Consequently, the following reflections will be my last, at least for now.
This column has been a function of my position in the Office for Evangelization to provide information about evangelization events and programs while helping to form a proper understanding of every baptized Christian’s duty to evangelize. Over the years we have explored many facets of evangelization: hospitality, small-group dynamics, parish resources, discipleship, outreach, prayer, devotions, saints, Sacraments and so much more. Hopefully, my reflections have helped readers better to appreciate the abundance of resources at our disposal in the Catholic Church to help us be “fully alive” in our respective vocations.
We oftentimes have used liturgical seasons or celebrations to bring various aspects of our faith into the limelight. For example, the recent celebration of Pentecost reminds us that the Holy Spirit comes to live within us to make us holy and to empower us to accomplish great things for God that are well beyond the scope of our natural human abilities. We need not fear new beginnings when we know they are all a part of the Lord’s plan for our life. We priests know that God’s directives for us are in part revealed through the specific assignments we receive from our bishop. We recognize obedience as a true gift that spares us from wondering whether or not we are where we are supposed to be and doing what we need to be doing.
Most priests are uncomfortable with hearing the line, “Congratulations on your promotion!” That “P” word reflects worldly ambition, which is not what our vocation is about. Our typical response to such ill-fated well-wishing usually goes something like this: “Well, I don’t think of it as a promotion, but I’m excited about the challenges of my new assignment. Please pray for me!”
This expression accurately reflects my sentiment toward the considerable endeavor of writing a doctoral dissertation, which effectively is the equivalent of writing a scholarly book. This is my assignment, but to help me to complete this new task, I will be relying on lots of prayer from family, friends, parishioners (still Brainard) and (former) readers of this column. Can I count on some from you?
For inquiring minds who want to know, my tentative topic for the doctoral paper is a close examination of the Marian spirituality of Pope Saint John Paul II. I hope to outline some practical ways that all of us can tap into this former pope’s way of praying with and through Mary so as to unite ourselves more intimately with Jesus. Admittedly, this goal is ambitious, to say the least. But our world seems to need a more Marian perspective that will open us up to God’s gifts and His guidance. Mary’s total acceptance of both is what makes her so holy.
Please allow me this opportunity to thank you for reading this column, even if only occasionally. I appreciate the kind comments I have received from readers in writing and in person over the years. Let us continue to support one another in prayer. May our gracious God bless you!
Since the state legislature is now in the interim between regular sessions, most of its public-policy process is focused on interim studies. They stem from resolutions introduced and passed rather routinely during the last 15 days or so of the 2014 session, which ended April 17.
In total, just about a hundred interim-study resolutions were introduced. Per general practice, each was assigned by the Legislature’s Executive Board to one of the standing committees, based upon subject-matter jurisdiction of the issues involved.
Between now and early December, the committees will conduct studies as they deem necessary and appropriate. Reports to the Executive Board will ensue.
Each committee has submitted a priority listing of the studies assigned to it. It’s not set in stone, but those given higher priority are likely to have at least one public hearing. Others probably will have some staff work or perhaps little or no attention at all.
The significance of interim studies is that most are either continuations of interest in a public-policy idea that was the subject of previous legislation or precursors of legislation that is likely to be introduced in the next session.
In addition to the interim-study resolutions, this year’s Legislature also adopted four resolutions that authorize studies by special committees. These involve some weighty stuff:
LR 400 has resulted in appointment of a special investigative committee of seven legislators to study the adequacy of staffing and training of state employees working within ACCESSNebraska. It’s a system of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services intended to efficiently determine public-assistance eligibility and provide service-delivery.
LR 422 is continuation of a process started last year with LR 22. The Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee and its Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee are jointly developing policy recommendations for transformation of the health-care system.
LR 424 is probably the most unique of all. Pursuant to it, the Executive Board has appointed seven highly-regarded legislators to a Department of Correctional Services Special Investigative Committee. This committee will study the extensive circumstances of Nikko Jenkins’ incarceration and release. In part, Jenkins was charged with three homicides that occurred after he was released from Department custody pursuant to a “good time” policy.
LR 444 creates a special committee of 10 legislators to develop recommendations for evaluating Nebraska’s business tax incentives.
Of the regular interim studies, here are a few the Catholic Conference will be monitoring:
LR 601 is the number-one priority among 20 resolutions assigned to the Health and Human Services Committee. It calls for in-depth assessment of the impacts of both implementing and not implementing the expansion of Medicaid eligibility as authorized and funded by the federal Affordable Care Act. The assessment will categorically focus on significant contexts: the state as a whole, rural counties, hospitals and the newly eligible, which includes those in a “coverage gap” because their incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid, but too low to qualify for subsidized participation in the ACA marketplace.
LR 553 is the Judiciary Committee’s third priority among 11 interim studies under its jurisdiction. It prescribes a review of state and federal policies related to driver licensing for immigrants who are lawfully present in the U.S. Its foremost purpose is to examine Nebraska’s current, illogical policy of denying drivers’ licenses to age-eligible young people who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals by the Department of Homeland Security.
LR 539 is number six out of 20 for the Health and Human Services Committee. It calls for studying whether the maximum payment rate in the Aid to Dependent Children (ADC) program is adequate to meet the goals of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families public-assistance program. The rate has been static for a long time and is most likely not adequate.
The Business and Labor Committee received only three interim studies. Even though LR 554 is listed third in priority, it is significant and substantive; it pertains to labor trafficking.
And from the consequences-of-bad-ideas category there’s the Judiciary Committee’s second priority, LR 520: “to examine the problems that (Nebraska) law enforcement is encountering since Colorado legalized the sale and recreational use of marijuana.”
Information about all of the interim-study resolutions, including the scheduling of public hearings, is available from the Legislature’s website: www.nebraskalegislature.gov.
And finally…..
Sadness has been felt at the State Capitol. The Omaha World Herald’s Joe Duggan reported it well:
“Severe thunderstorms…broke the hearts of those who followed two peregrine falcon chicks atop the State Capitol.
“A wildlife biologist blamed high winds for sending the 17-day-old birds to their deaths… from a nest outside the capitol’s 18th floor.” One chick was found on a capitol courtyard and the other on a second-story roof.
“The daily development of the young falcons could be viewed on a live webcam, which received about 1,000 on-line ‘visits’ per day.” Also, a video monitor was located near the Capitol’s gift shop and cafeteria. It was a popular stop for personnel and visitors. It’s dark now.
At this year’s National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, keynote speaker Robert P. George, a Princeton law professor and respected Catholic intellectual, asked a sobering question: “Are we ashamed of the Gospel?”
“The days of socially acceptable Christianity are over” he said. “The days of comfortable Catholicism are past. It is no longer easy to be a faithful Christian, a good Catholic, an authentic witness to the truths of the Gospel. A price is demanded and must be paid.
“Of course, one can still safely identify oneself as a ‘Catholic’ and even be seen going to Mass.
“If one in fact does not believe what the Church teaches, or…is prepared to be completely silent about them, one is safe—one can still be a comfortable Catholic. In other words, a tame Catholic, a Catholic who is ashamed of the Gospel—or who is willing to act publicly as if he or she were ashamed—is still socially acceptable.
“But a Catholic who makes it clear that he or she is not ashamed is in for a rough go—he or she must be prepared to take risks and make sacrifices. ‘If,’ Jesus said, ‘anyone wants to be my disciple, let him take up his cross and follow me.’ We American Catholics, having become comfortable, had forgotten, or ignored, that timeless Gospel truth. There will be no ignoring it now.”
So Professor George asks us to ponder these jarring questions: “Am I ashamed of the Gospel?” “Am I prepared to pay the price that will be demanded if I refuse to be ashamed…?” “[A]m I willing… or unwilling, to take up my cross and follow Christ?”
I can just hear some people responding to Professor George’s admonitions by saying “Oh come on, it’s not really that bad is it?” Yes, it really is that bad.
Later this month, the United States Supreme Court will rule (in the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood cases) whether the federal government can force business owners to violate their faith (by including coverage for contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacients in their health plans) or face ruinous fines. The Court will likely decide, soon thereafter, if the federal government can force the same choice on religious entities such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, Catholic Charities, Catholic schools and Catholic hospitals.
Furthermore, there are increasing threats to the religious freedom of those who believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. Here are a few of the many examples:
Bed-and-breakfast owners who declined to host a reception for a same-sex “wedding” had to pay $30,000 and agree never to host wedding receptions again; a Catholic hospital was sued by an employee for not providing health insurance for the employee’s same-sex “spouse”; a high school student was threatened with suspension for writing a school newspaper op-ed opposing adoption by same-sex couples.
“So for us,” Professor George asserts, “there is no avoiding the question: Am I ashamed of the Gospel? Am I unwilling to stand with Christ by proclaiming His truths? Oh, things were easy on Palm Sunday. Standing with Jesus and His truths was the ‘in’ thing to do… But now it’s Friday and the days of acceptable Christianity are over. The days of comfortable Catholicism are past… The Lord is being led to Calvary. Jesus is being nailed to the cross.”
“And where are we?” George asks. “Will we muster the strength, the courage, the faith to be like Mary… and John… and stand faithfully at the foot of the cross? Or will we, like all the other disciples, flee in terror? Fearing to place in jeopardy the wealth we have piled up, the businesses we have built, the professional and social standing we have earned, the security and tranquility we enjoy… will we silently acquiesce to the destruction of innocent human lives or the demolition of marriage?
“Will we seek to ‘fit in,’ to be accepted, to live comfortably in the new Babylon? If so, our silence will speak. Its words will be the words of Peter, warming himself by the fire: ‘Jesus the Nazorean? I tell you, I do not know the man.’”
“A Boy Who Became Pope: The Story of Saint John Paul II” by Fabiola Garza.
Pauline Books & Media, Boston, 2014, 72 pages, Grades 3-5.
At the death of a pope, a conclave is held to elect a new Holy Father. Conclave means “with the key” and is significant because the election is held in the Sistine Chapel and the front door is locked during the election. The cardinals electing the pope prayerfully chose the cleric they feel God desires to govern the Church.
For centuries, Italian cardinals were chosen to lead the Church. But in 1978, a surprising change occurs with the election of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla from Poland. He takes the name of John Paul II. This election of a non-Italian cardinal is surprising and many people wonder about the life story of Cardinal Wojtyla.
Fabiola Farza describes a number of important facts about the life of Pope John Paul II in this well-written children’s biography: “A Boy Who Became Pope: The Story of Saint John Paul II.”
On May 18, 1920, a baby boy is born in Wadowice, Poland. He is named Karol and is the youngest of three children. Tragedy strikes Karol’s family as his older sister has passed away before he is born and his mother dies when he is still a young child. Several years later, his beloved older brother also dies. So as a young man, Karol has already lost a mother, sister and brother. Then, after World War II breaks out, his father dies.
Having faced the end of life so many times, young Karol begins to think about the meaning of life. This leads to his decision to become a priest.
But times are hard with the Nazis ruling Poland with an iron hand. He survives the war through a series of events that seems to have been directed by the Holy Spirit. These include getting an easy job at a rock quarry and in not getting sent to work in Germany for the Third Reich. At the war’s end, he is ordained a priest in 1946.
Soon after this, Father Wojtyla is sent to Rome for further studies. There he enjoys the beauty of Rome and loves the many books he reads in Rome’s fine libraries.
But Poland is changing. Its new situation can be summed up in the old proverb: “Out of the frying pan, into the fire.” Though the Nazis are gone, the Communists have arrived. They are just as cruel and belligerent towards the Catholic Church as the Nazi rulers. It is here that Father Karol begins to develop the magnificent skills he will exhibit for so many years as pope. He challenges the Communist government and organizes a march demanding the construction of a church. He organizes groups of young people to better learn their faith. He trains his mind and heart in prayer and charity. He is soon made a bishop and quickly rises through the ranks of the hierarchy. In 1978, a papal conclave will completely change his life.
How does Cardinal Wojtyla’s great faith and love of God allow him to become an instrument of the Lord? Why does he have so much joy upon being elected pope? How does the pain he suffered when all of his family died allow him to be such a compassionate heart? Why does he have such a magnetic personality that people all over the world will shout out: “John Paul II, we love you!”?
To find out the answers to these questions, go to a local bookstore and order this interesting biography, “A Boy Who Became Pope: The Story of Saint John Paul II” by Fabiola Garza.
Garza tells the story of John Paul II’s early family life quite well. We see him struggling with the loss of his beloved family members. Later, we see him discerning his vocation leading to his ordination. The book shows his courage, holiness and genuine humanity. I hope you get a chance to encourage the younger members of your family to read this read this fine biography. The age group most appropriate for this book would be third- to fifth-graders. Enjoy!
On a recent Sunday, after the 9 a.m. Mass at St. Leo Church in Palmyra, during coffee and rolls, I was able to meet and talk to many of the parishioners including Claretta Royal, Susan Steward, Janet McDonald, Angie Waddle, Maria Waddle, Rachelle Waddle, and Sara Waddle.
During our conversation, I learned that these beautifully-dressed ladies bought their dresses and outfits at St. Louise Gift & Thrift Store. I was even more amazed they actually read this column! I thought it fitting I take their picture and write about it. Besides, I needed something to write about!
Their comments were fit to print. I was told that St. Louise Gift & Thrift Store is a place of beauty, a place they regularly donate to and shop at. They are all impressed at the quality of the clothes and items in the store and know all of the proceeds are used to help poor and needy individuals and families, hence one of the reasons why it is a good place to bring donations to, and shop as well.
In addition, I was informed that they notice all who shop there are treated equally with love and respect. I related that I know men who purchase their suits, sport coats and ties there. Be not fooled though, there are also casual clothes as well as items for the kitchen, and furniture for the rest of the house.
Just yesterday, I gave a tour of St. Louise to a man in his 30s, a man who just moved to Lincoln, and who needs to wear a suit to work daily. Thanks to Mr. Don Stuart, our clothing specialist, he will be shopping for his suits at St. Louise from now on. Don is an amazing man - by just looking at you, he knows your size!
The beauty of St. Louise Gift & Thrift Store is also something that is characteristic of our other thrift stores too; St. Francis in Auburn, St. Joseph in Hastings, and St Isidore the Farmer in Imperial. I would like to thank all of our staff and volunteers for their hard work and for our donors and shoppers.
For those who have never visited any of our four thrift stores, I pray you will be able to someday soon. And please remember, they are great places to bring your donations to and wonderful places to shop. Saints Joseph, Francis, Louise and Isidore the Farmer, pray for us!
Last Easter Vigil, Bryan Dahlberg, a former Protestant pastor, entered the Catholic Church and chose the name Vincent after St. Vincent DePaul. Feeling called to help the poor, he expressed interest in working at Catholic Social Services.
Providentially, we had an opening for a volunteer coordinator for the eastern sector of the diocese. He joins Jill McMahon, who is our volunteer coordinator for the western sector.
Recently, I asked them to share their thoughts concerning this important work. Bryan, pointing out that volunteering is the closest thing one can get to imitating Jesus Christ, said, “We are never more like Christ than when we give ourselves to those in need! That’s what volunteers do – give of themselves.”
Jill’s sentiments echoed those of Bryan by saying, “Volunteering gives one the opportunity to meet with those who need our help while building a relationship. This relationship is love and understanding, which so many of our families yearn for.”
How about comments from some of our volunteers? One young man came to us to volunteer because when his mom was a young single mother in need, Catholic Social Services was there to assist her. Hearing from her what we did enkindled a desire to give back. It’s true – authentic love spreads from person to person and is contagious.
Another volunteer reported her life changed after working in one of our four thrift stores. I cannot tell you how many others, after I thank them, tell me, ‘No, Father; thank you for giving me the privilege of being here, for I get more out of it than I am giving.’
There are many things a volunteer can do here at CSS, from clerical work, thrift store help, making or distributing sandwiches, assisting in a fixed or mobile food pantry, maintenance, cleaning, and many other un-named tasks.
Those interested in volunteering are invited to contact either Bryan Dahlberg in Lincoln at 402-474-1600 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; or Jill McMahon in Hastings at 402-463-2112 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For those who live in the Imperial area, please call Bill Sullivan at 308-883-3005 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Not only would I like to thank our two volunteer coordinators, I would also like to thank all of our volunteers, past and present. Please remember the words of Jesus Christ, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40).
Three years ago, the U.S. Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty issued the statement “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty,” expressing grave concerns about increasing attacks against religious liberty at home and abroad. First among these attacks is the Obama Administration’s HHS contraception/abortifacient/sterilization mandate.
In this statement, the Ad Hoc Committee also announced the first Fortnight for Freedom designed to raise awareness of the serious threats to religious freedom and to call Catholics to 14 days of prayer, education and action for religious freedom in the United States and abroad. The Bishops are calling us to a third Fortnight for Freedom this year from June 21 to July 4.
The theme of this year’s Fortnight is “Freedom to Serve” and, according to the Ad Hoc Committee, will “focus on how religious freedom enables the flourishing of the Church’s robust service to the poor and vulnerable in accord with human dignity and the Church’s teaching.” This freedom to serve is in grave jeopardy by the Obama Administration which thinks that the First Amendment grants freedom to worship (not freedom of religion) as long as it stays within the four walls of our churches.
The timeframe of the Fortnight, June 21 to July 4, was chosen because it corresponds with the liturgical celebrations of the “great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power, including St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, St. John the Baptist, Ss. Peter and Paul, and the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome.”
The Ad Hoc Committee points out that this year’s Fortnight is significant for the following reasons:
First, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule in late June on the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties cases. In these cases, two families, one evangelical and one Mennonite, are challenging the HHS mandate that would require them to include life-terminating drugs and devices in their closely-held companies’ health insurance plans.
Second, we are seeing increasing threats to the religious freedom of those who believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. In the last few months, several federal courts have struck down state marriage amendments, and appeals of these decisions are ongoing.
Third, the success of this Fortnight is vital to establishing and maintaining a new movement for religious freedom, in response to the growing range of religious freedom issues in so many areas of law, such as immigration, adoption, and disaster relief, both here and abroad.
Many excellent prayer and educational materials for celebrating the Fortnight are available (in English and Spanish) online at www.fortnight4freedom.org. The prayer resources include a litany for liberty, a template for a holy hour, prayers of the faithful, and a prayer for the protection of religious liberty (available on three beautiful prayer cards).
The educational materials include several fact sheets explaining various domestic and international threats to religious liberty, and an excellent document providing compelling answers to frequently asked questions about religious liberty.
There are also daily reflections and readings taken from the Vatican II document Declaration on Religious Liberty (Dignitatis Humanae) along with questions that can be used for group discussion or personal reflection. The daily reflections and readings (minus the discussion questions) are available in a more printable format at www.nebcathcon.org.
Fourteen additional suggestions for celebrating the Fortnight in your parish are available on the Fortnight website (under “Prayer Resources”) and include: 1) celebrating a memorial Mass for Ss. Thomas More and John Fisher June 21 (vigil) or June 22 (their feast day) to open the Fortnight for Freedom; 2) sponsoring a movie night showing a relevant movie such as “A Man for All Seasons,” “For Greater Glory,” “First Freedom: The Fight for Religious Liberty,” or “Becket”; and 3) praying the Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty at the end of daily Mass.
Finally, the Bishops urge us to stay up-to-date on current religious freedom issues by signing up for text messages from the USCCB. It’s easy. Just text the word “FREEDOM” to 377377. For those who prefer e-mail alerts, click on the “Take Action” link at www.fortnight4freedom.org.
“Angel in the Waters” by Regina Doman, illustrated by Ben Hatke.
Sophia Institue Press, Manchester, N.H, 2004, 46 pages, all ages.
Science and religion are God’s creation. In both of these we learn about His beauty, goodness and nature.
The physical world gives us countless examples of God’s creation and beauty. Science is man’s attempt to understand our physical world. When science and religion seem to be opposed, the usual reason is that science has not caught up with religion. Mankind learns an idea and thinks it disposes of religious ideas.
It is quite ignorant for mankind to imagine it knows more than God. It is also sinful, prideful and dangerous. For example, for the last 40 years in the United States there has been heated debate about when life begins. Science is starting to catch up with religion again through some magnificent photographs taken in utero. The most touching may have been the infant clinging onto the hand of the physician while still inside the womb. Regina Doman tells us a moving story on this subject in a attractive and touching picture book entitled “Angel in the Waters.”
At the beginning, the tiny baby floats and swims about in his mother’s womb. He is not frightened because his guardian angel is constantly nearby. His angel tells him many important things about being alive and the importance of growing and swimming in the womb.
He hears a constant sound thumping nearby but is unaware of where the sound is coming from. Upon asking his angel, he is told: “Mother.”
The baby soon cannot imagine why the space inside Mother is getting so cramped. He can no longer swim easily and his angel tells him that soon he will leave the waters and go into the big world. This is confusing to the baby because all that he knows is his small, warm world inside Mother. His angel tells him to eat and sleep and get ready to leave the waters. So he rests and continues to grow larger and larger.
Meanwhile, Mother is growing as well. She and his father watch with wonder as time passes. Soon Mother is so big that she is having a hard time walking. Now the angel tells the baby that the time is nearly here for his journey outside of Mother to begin.
The angel assures the little one that he will never be left alone, but that the angel will always be with him until it is time to go into the final spiritual world. The angel tells the baby he will take him there as well. Comforted, the baby is ready to leave Mother. The waters begin to move.
What happens to the baby? Who is “Mother”? Why does she give him so much comfort in this cold, new world? Where does his angel go?
Have you ever held a newborn infant? Did the infant comfort you more than you comforted the baby? What does birth tell about God’s love for the earth? To find out the answers to these questions please obtain a copy of “Angel in the Waters” by Regina Doman.
You may not find this book in public libraries, so I encourage you to buy your own copy. It is a beautifully-drawn book about the gift of life. I hope you get a chance to own this book and share it with members of your own family. Regina Doman tells of God’s great gift of life and love in this lovely book. I hope you get a chance to read it. I loved it.
“Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit,” by Chris Van Dusen
Candlewick Press, Somerville, Mass., 2012, 32 pages, Grades K-3.
The use of statistics and mathematics in sports continues to grow. For example, it is hard to view a major league baseball game without hearing of an infield shift based on “percentages.”
This means that statisticians have analyzed each at-bat that a player has had in a season, to predict where he will hit the ball. Many times players will hit into a shift and make an easy out. But sometimes, the hitter will hit away from the shift and make the other team look foolish. Many fans of baseball will actually use math and statistics in fantasy baseball to choose players and managers. So baseball can be fun to play even if you aren’t very talented at the sport.
Chris Van Dusen’s imaginative combination of mathematics and daydreaming about baseball is the plot of this comical tale, “Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit.”
It is a hot summer day and Randy Riley is at bat. His horn-rimmed glasses slip down his nose as the pitcher winds up. A mathematical formula fills his head as the ball hurtles towards home plate. Randy thinks it is such an interesting math problem. But then he remembers he has two strikes already. Belatedly, he brings the bat off his shoulder to swing at the pitch. By the time he completes his swing, the catcher has already caught the third strike. Randy has failed again.
As he rides his bike home, he feels worthless about baseball. But the planets strike his fancy and he begins calculating the tilt of the celestial bodies.
At home, Randy retreats to his room and plays baseball with his newly built robots. Here, Randy is always a star. That night, as he looks up through his telescope, he sees a massive comet heading toward the earth. He quickly calculates its trajectory and concludes that it will collide with his hometown in 19 days. Hurrying downstairs, he tells his parents of this impending tragedy. They both tell Randy to go to bed because he is needlessly worrying.
Unable to get anyone’s attention, Randy decides he must act to save the planet. He goes to his back yard and begins welding a gigantic robot together. He equips it with massive arms and huge legs. Working frantically, he completes the robot as the meteor enters the earth’s atmosphere. Randy charges the robot with 97 batteries and drives the robot to confront the menacing fireball.
The robot rips a massive smokestack off an abandoned factory and stands like a ferocious hitter facing a dangerous pitcher. The comet screams toward earth and the robot takes a mighty swing.
Does he connect? What happens to the fireball? Can Randy’s great mathematical skills save the city?
Have you known how good it feels to smack a baseball? Can brains overcome brawn? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out “Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit” by Chris Van Dusen.
This is an absolutely delightful book to read with a younger member of your family. The pictures are hysterical and the story entertaining. Everyone in my family couldn’t stop laughing when reading this book. So if you want to have a rollicking good time, check out this fun title. You will be glad you did. Enjoy!
In a recent interview, Florida Senator Marco Rubio made the comment that “Science is settled, it’s not even a consensus, it is a unanimity, that human life begins at conception.” Predictably, many in the secular media took issue with that definitive statement.
The Washington Post, for example, ran a story entitled “Marco Rubio demanded people look at the science on abortion. So we did.” The Post consulted the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) for a response to Rubio’s assertion.
Although ACOG may be viewed by some as a credible source of expertise about when human life begins, its long-term advocacy of abortion makes it anything but an objective source of information about life’s beginning. Here is ACOG’s response to the Post’s inquiry:
“Government agencies and American medical organizations agree that the scientific definition of pregnancy and the legal definition of pregnancy are the same: pregnancy begins upon the implantation of a fertilized egg into the lining of a woman’s uterus. This typically takes place, if at all, between 5 and 9 days after fertilization of the egg—which itself can take place over the course of several days following sexual intercourse.”
ACOG’s response illustrates its ideology. Sen. Rubio said there is “unanimity that human life begins at conception.” Note that ACOG and the Post responded by talking about definitions of when “pregnancy” begins.
On the question of when human life begins, a search of human embryology textbooks demonstrates that Rubio is correct about the scientific consensus that human life begins at conception (i.e. following the process of fertilization).
For example, Langman’s Medical Embryology says: “The development of a human begins with fertilization, a process by which the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote.” [Sadler, T.W. Langman’s Medical Embryology, 7th edition. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins 1995, p. 3]
The Developing Human by Moore and Persaud says: “Human development begins at fertilization when a male… sperm unites with a female [egg] to form a single cell--a zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell marked the beginning of each of us as a unique individual.” Elsewhere, the textbook defines a zygote as “the beginning of a new human being.” [The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. 6th edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 2003, p. 2, 16]
For an honest moral analysis of abortion, the relevant factor is when “human life” begins not when “pregnancy” begins.
Nonetheless, ACOG and the Post “muddy the water” by shifting the discussion to when “pregnancy” begins and claiming that “Consensus exists (if not unanimously), and the consensus is that uterine implantation is the moment at which pregnancy begins.”
Even on this point, however, ACOG and the Post are incorrect. In his paper “Conceiving ‘Pregnancy’” (online at downloads.frc.org/EF/EF09D12.pdf), Christopher Gacek examined the definitions of “pregnancy” and “conception” in the four major medical dictionaries (Dorland, Mosby, Stedman, Taber)—sources that he argues are far less likely to be ideological or political in their work.
Gacek looked not only at how the dictionaries define those terms now, but how they defined them historically throughout each of their editions. What is clear from Gacek’s exposé is that there is no scientific consensus supporting an implantation-based definition of “pregnancy” or “conception.” In fact, the scientific consensus (as indicated by these medical dictionaries) is that “conception” and “pregnancy” are defined as beginning with fertilization.
This verbal deception perpetrated by ACOG and the Washington Post is a stunning example of how verbal engineering always precedes social engineering.
In the Diocese of Lincoln, Memorial Day Weekend is synonymous with Ordinations Weekend. The longstanding tradition of having ordination ceremonies during this holiday weekend is well established. Also included in the weekend’s festivities are the First Solemn Masses of Thanksgiving during which the new priests and deacons exercise the powers of their ministry either at their home parish or another parish of their choosing.
Since most of our clergy were ordained around this time, there are many priests who are presently celebrating anniversaries. This is a good time for us all to be grateful not only for the gift of priesthood itself, but also for the perseverance of those who have been given this unique and holy gift. Prayers for priests are essential in this regard, and they are very much appreciated.
My class has the distinction of being the largest class ordained in one ceremony in diocesan history. There were ten of us who were ordained priests on May 27, 1989, at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ by Bishop Glennon P. Flavin (He served as Bishop of Lincoln for 25 years). Our class now celebrates our Silver Jubilee of Ordination to the Priesthood with three special blessings of note. First of all, contrary to the typical situation of classes from that era, none have died and none have left the active ministry. Secondly, our class actually grew by two members, both of whom were ordained by Pope Saint John Paul II on May 28, 1989, and both of whom were incardinated into our diocese by Bishop Bruskewitz later on. Finally, one from our ranks, Bishop John Folda, received the fullness of the Sacrament of Holy Orders last summer.
Being twelve in number is notably biblical in representation, but more significant is the privilege we have enjoyed as a group to provide the Church with 300 total years worth of sacramental ministry to the People of God. The most common refrain from my class at our Jubilee celebration with fellow clergy and seminarians after the recent Chrism Mass was one of gratitude. We are so thankful to God for the gift of Holy Orders that empowers us to support God’s children in marriage, consecrated life and single life in a multitude of ways. The privilege of continuing the work of Jesus by celebrating Mass and forgiving sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation ranks very high for us who recognize that none of what we do as priests would be possible without the vocational call we received from the Father and the grace and power of the Holy Spirit that strengthens and sustains us.
In a couple of weeks, many of our priests will begin to work in a different part of God’s vineyard because they have received a new assignment from the bishop, “holy orders” of a different sort, one might say. When we made the vow of obedience as we were ordained, we sacrificed some of our individual freedom for the good of the Church saying, in effect, “Thy will be done” as did Mary and Jesus and many saints before us. Much of the joy of priesthood comes from the freedom of not having to figure out how best to serve Jesus, but rather knowing that this can and will always best be accomplished simply by accepting where we are “sent” by the Holy Spirit through the bishop’s regular clergy assignments.
Please join my class in celebrating our gift of priesthood at a special Mass of Thanksgiving to be celebrated at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ in Lincoln Tuesday, May 27, at 5 p.m. All are welcome to join us for Mass and visit with us during a reception after Mass. The Most Reverend John Folda, Bishop of Fargo, will be the Main Celebrant and Fr. James Meysenburg will be the homilist. We hope that many will be able to worship with us as we thank God for the inestimable gift of the priesthood.
As we know, many in southern Nebraska were dealt a blow last Mother’s Day. Multiple tornadoes struck several communities and farmsteads including Sutton, Cordova and Beaver Crossing.
Immediately after the storm, I attempted to call the affected pastors who are ‘on the ground.’ Father William Holoubek, the pastor of St. Mary Parish in Sutton, was one such pastor. I caught him before he went to the fire station in downtown Sutton, which was hit. He noticed many trees and power lines down and the damage the downtown section sustained.
Once there he informed the emergency personnel that Catholic Social Services was there to help. His beautiful new parish hall became the ‘command and control’ center in Sutton.
The morning after the storms, Jill McMahon and Christine Cook were there taking names and helping those in need. During my visit, I noticed a young woman who had lost her house. She woke up Mother’s Day in her home and before the day was over, had lost it all. She appeared to me in what can only be described as a daze.
She was in a state of shock. Another family lost their home and its contents. This included medicines which totaled $1,000. They were told Catholic Social Services was there to help.
Another priest on the ground immediately was Father Thomas Kuffel, pastor of St. Stephen in Exeter, who informed me of the damage in Cordova. Soon Curt Krueger was there with a vanload of generators and offers to help. He also visited Beaver Crossing which was more severely affected.
Catholic Social Services is a part of a multi-agency relief effort that is addressing the immediate and long-term needs with staff in Sutton and Beaver Crossing. We are helping with food, water, blankets, clothing, generators, housing, rent assistance, help with medicines, furniture, appliances, houseware goods and other items.
What other items? Christine Cook overheard a little girl say to her mother, “Mommy, who would do this to us, who would take everything from us?” Some of the other ‘stuff’ includes toys for they were blown away too.
In addition to your prayers for the victims, and for the success of the relief effort, please consider helping us with a cash donation according to your means (because, in addition to the immediate needs there will be many long-term housing and emergency service needs), and materially with items around your house and farms not needed, such as furniture and household goods.
Please know in addition to the many victims of this latest tragedy, we at CSS will keep you and your families in our prayers.
Finally, please also pray for the happy repose of a man who collapsed and died during the clean-up effort. He truly gave his life for the sake of others. May he rest in peace.
Ten years ago, in the heat of the embryonic stem cell research debate, some pretty wild and irresponsible hype was used to justify destroying human embryos to use their stem cells for research. For example, during the 2004 Presidential election Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards said that if (pro-embryo research) John Kerry was elected president, “people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk, get up out of that wheelchair and walk again.”
Actor Michael J. Fox, another longtime champion of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research, in testimony before a Senate subcommittee in 2000, referred to the “miraculous potential” of human embryonic stem cells and claimed that the “consistent and inescapable conclusion is that this research offers a potential to eliminate diseases -- literally save millions of lives.”
Fox also was a vocal supporter of California’s 2004 Proposition 71, which appropriated $3 billion of state funds to be used for hESC research and established the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). In a television ad Fox declared “[Prop] 71 will support research to find cures for diseases that affect millions of people ... including cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Please support the effort to find cures by voting Yes on 71. It could save the life of someone you love.”
What a difference 10 years makes. In a May 2012 interview with Michael J. Fox, Diane Sawyer referred to hESC research as “this is the promise, this is the future.” Fox responded by saying “the other avenues of research have grown and multiplied and have become as much or more promising. So an answer may come from stem cell research but it’s more likely to come from another area.”
As for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the $3 billion of taxpayer money it was appropriated, the trajectory of where the money is being spent says a lot about the future of stem cell research. In 2009, the first year research grants were offered, of the 15 grants awarded, nine were for hESCR and six went to research using non-embryonic stem cells.
One year later, the second round of grants shifted dramatically with 12 grants going to non-embryonic stem cell research and only five projects were funded using hESCs. This trend continued in the third round of grants in 2012, with 15, or just over 70% of the 21 total grants awarded going to non-embryonic stem cell research and only six grants going to hESCR projects.
In the fourth round of grants announced in August 2013, the percentage of grants going to non-embryonic stem cell research increased to 77% (10 out of 13). The number of grants given to hESCR in 2013 fell to just 15% of the total.
Furthermore, in 2012, CIRM changed its mission from giving funding priority to hESCR and cloning for research, to giving priority to stem cell research with the best chance of leading to clinical trials.
Despite this attempt to shift its focus to non-embryonic stem cell research which has much more promise for resulting in cures for some diseases, CIRM has a tough sell to get the taxpayers of California to renew its funding. Even the San Francisco Chronicle–a very enthusiastic cheerleader for Proposition 71, recently editorialized that the public spigot should be turned off.
In “Stem Cell Agency Hasn’t Lived Up to its Hype” the paper said “the institute’s operations over the past decade haven’t inspired the confidence California voters would need to offer the agency more money. The agency will need to rely on private investment if it’s to continue its mission.”
Sadly, the University of Nebraska Medical Center and its acolytes at “Research Nebraska” continue to demagogue the issue of stem cell research. In a recent political mailer, Research Nebraska endorses candidates for the Nebraska Legislature it says “support stem cell research,” by which it really means embryonic stem cell research.
The piece also says “Stem cell research is the key to finding cures.” But it grossly misleads the public by failing to acknowledge that those cures are more likely to come from non-embryonic stem cells than from embryonic stem cells. If you want to help promote ethical research, I urge you to join the Nebraska Coalition for Ethical Research. Contact them online at www.ethicalresearch.net or call 402-690-2299.
Later this month, on May 28, the Nebraska Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on whether the district courts in the state should be allowed to hear and decide any lawsuit that seeks to dissolve a same-sex “marriage” lawfully entered into in another state, e.g., Iowa.
The case the Supreme Court is reviewing on appeal, Nichols v. Nichols, implicates Article I, Section 29 of the Nebraska State Constitution (I-29), which, in relevant part, states as follows: “Only marriage between a man and a woman shall be valid or recognized in Nebraska.”
I-29 is in the Nebraska Constitution as a result of more than enough signatures on Initiative Measure 416 and its subsequent approval by 70 percent of the voters at the General Election in 2000.
Bonnie Nichols and her same-sex partner, Margie Nichols, residents of Nebraska, legally entered into marriage in Iowa November 7, 2009 (By court ruling, same-sex marriage was legalized in Iowa in April 2009). On November 19, 2012, in Lancaster County (NE) District Court, Bonnie Nichols, as plaintiff, filed a Complaint for Dissolution of her Iowa-based marriage to Margie Nichols, the defendant. The response from the defendant was a Motion to Dismiss, citing I-29 and stating this reasoning: “Since Nebraska does not recognize same-sex marriage, the Court lacks jurisdiction to dissolve a same-sex marriage.”
Last August 30, a district judge in Lancaster County sustained the Defendant’s motion.
Her reasoning was sound: “[P]hilosophy and semantics aside…under Nebraska law a divorce cannot be granted absent an express finding that ‘the marriage is irretrievably broken’”; “A finding that the marriage is irretrievably broken—by its nature—cannot be made without recognizing the marriage itself… it stretches logic and common sense to conclude otherwise”; “Granting a dissolution of marriage… necessarily involves recognizing the marriage”; “Nebraska’s Constitution prohibits recognizing same-sex marriages”; “[T]o the extent the… provisions of section 42-117 (requiring courts to recognize valid out-of-state marriages as valid in Nebraska) are in conflict with Nebraska’s more specific Constitutional Amendment…rules of construction dictate that the more specific provision controls.”
On September 27, 2013, the Plaintiff filed a Notice of Appeal. The Supreme Court agreed to directly review the trial court’s decision, bypassing the intermediate Court of Appeals.
As the district court judge observed, this case involves “areas of Nebraska jurisprudence presently unchartered by Nebraska’s appellate courts.”
Make no mistake; the purposes behind this appeal and this case are more complex, extensive and intentional than merely breaking the legal relationship the plaintiff and defendant have under federal law and the law of Iowa. The case also involves an attack on I-29, seeking at least to constrict and weaken it and perhaps to set it up for some lethal punch in the future.
Consider the errors that the Appellant alleges were made by the District Court’s ruling: that the Court erroneously dismissed the Complaint for Dissolution on Section 29 grounds when Section 29 (allegedly) violates Art. IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, requiring full faith and credit; when Section 29 (allegedly) denies the U.S. Constitution’s First-Amendment implicit right to associational freedom; when Section 29 (allegedly) violates the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment insofar as it prohibits states from abridging privileges and immunities, from denying life, liberty or property without due process of law and from denying equal protection of the laws; when Section 29 (allegedly) violates Art. IV, Sec.2, Cl. 1 of the U.S. Constitution, requiring all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states; and that the district court denied equal protection on the basis of gender.
Consider as well that these parties have alternatives they could implement in order to avoid a conflict with the Nebraska Constitution; but doing so would fail the objective. For one, they could obtain a divorce in Iowa, although that probably would include either abiding by a one-year residency requirement or challenging it. Alternatively, these parties presumably could file to have their marriage annulled pursuant to Sections 42-373 and 42-374 of the Nebraska statutes. One basis for annulment is that the marriage is prohibited by law; the marriage was a nullity in Nebraska, never legal or valid in the first place.
Consider as well that both the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska Foundation and Legal Aid of Nebraska have jumped into the case with briefs amicus curiae, employing strong rhetoric to condemn I-29.
The Nebraska Family Alliance and the Nebraska Catholic Conference have received permission from the Supreme Court to jointly file an amicus curiae brief, which will defend Nebraska’s marriage amendment, the public-policy rationale behind it and the vote of the people.
Fortunately, it seems unlikely that the Nebraska Supreme Court would use Nichols v. Nichols to fully strike down Article I, Section 29 as a violation of the U. S. Constitution. If the Court determines that the case is properly before it, then the only question it would have to decide is whether I-29 applies so as to bar dissolution of a same-sex marriage, not a question of constitutionality. Of course, the Appellant and her friendly amici want more than that.
Somewhat oddly, if not suspiciously, it appears that only the Plaintiff/Appellant will present an argument to the Court. The Defendant/Appellee did not file a brief and her legal counsel was allowed to withdraw from the case last October. That being the situation, the Solicitor General from the office of the state Attorney General sought leave as amicus to present an oral argument and the Supreme Court agreed to allow 10 minutes for that.
I recently finished a book entitled, “Jesuit Missionaries to North America.” I figured it was high time I read it since I now am in residence at North American Martyrs Parish in Lincoln.
Contained in the book are stories of various missionaries including, of course, the eight North American martyrs who are patron saints of the above parish. It was a book that I had a hard time to put down.
One of the hallmarks of the martyrs was their willingness to suffer for the Lord Jesus in order to save souls. Telling was the discussion of St. Isaac Jogues who, despite having had numerous opportunities to escape, did not because of his desire to minister to the Catholic Huron captives of the Iroquois - not only materially but most importantly spiritually by administering the sacraments.
After reading this book I moved on to another entitled, “The Miracle of Father Kapaun, Priest, Soldier, and Korean War Hero.” It is a book about Father Emil Kapaun, a WWII and Korean War chaplain from Pilsen, Kan., who was captured by the Chinese during the Korean War and put to death by starvation.
I was amazed that during the battle that raged south of the village of Unsan, and despite warnings from his fellow soldiers, Father Kapaun went from foxhole to foxhole, despite heavy gunfire, to pull wounded men out of harm’s way, in order to administer absolution and the anointing of the sick. He figured if God wanted him to administer the sacraments to the wounded and dying, he would keep the bullets away. He was right; none of the bullets hit their intended targets. They were so close though, he had two pipes shot out of his mouth.
Like St. Isaac Jogues, Father Kapaun turned down multiple opportunities to escape in order to stay with his wounded comrades who were about to be captured by the Chinese. Once captured, he was responsible for the conversion of countless souls. In addition, he helped save the lives of countless more.
Eventually, he was taken away from his men and left to die in a separate building. His heroic love for his neighbor was nothing other than the imitation of the love Christ manifested on the cross for us all.
Can we not connect the dots to many other saints and martyrs from St. Stephen until the present time? Ignoring our own interests for others, which is a prelude for laying down our lives for our brothers and sisters, is what drives our donors to help us: spiritually with their prayers, materially with donated items not needed in their homes, and financially with cash donations according to their means.
I have been told a number of times that one of the rules of fundraising is to thank a donor seven times. Please allow me to use this article as ‘one of the seven’ opportunities God has given me to thank our many self-less donors who ignore their own interests for the sake of others by supporting us as described above.
Please know that we will keep you, your family and intentions in our prayers. Please also remember to pray for the beatification of Father Emil Kapaun.
St. Isaac Jogues, and Father Kapaun, pray for us!
“Starting Life Tree”
by Claire Llewellyn, illustrated by Simon Mendez
Andromeda Children’s Books, London, 2004, 25 pages, Grades 2-3.
All of nature develops through a cycle of life. In the beginning, plants are very small and fragile. At this time, many insects and animals can destroy the tiny seedlings. But within a year, the floras begin to grow and become stronger. This same cycle occurs in the development of trees. As the seeds push through the ground, shoots can be seen which then grow into saplings. With apple trees this happy process results in the development of delicious fruit and fragrant buds. Claire Llewellyn has written a fine account of this process in a book entitled “Starting Life Tree.”
The seed lies under the soil and begins to burst upward in the spring. The roots sink deep into the rich soil to gather nutrients for the tiny green shoot. Two leaves push towards the sunlight and begin to quickly grow during the first year. The small apple tree can grow three feet tall this first year. It is now a sapling and begins to get a thicker, stronger bark to protect it from the elements. Each year it grows taller and taller until after six years, it is about 20 feet tall. Now the buds on the apple tree begins producing fruit. This causes all kinds of animals and insects to cluster around the tree. Rabbits burrow into the ground near the apple tree, birds build their houses in the branches and insects flock about the tree.
Another year passes and the tree puts out sweet smelling blossoms that perfume the air for about two to three weeks. During this time countless bees drink the sweet nectar of the blossoms. They carry the pollen from the buds on their legs to other buds nearby helping the tree germinate. The tree is now full of ripening apples and attracts caterpillars, butterflies, grubs and wasps. This makes for a veritable smorgasbord for nesting birds as food for their hatchlings is readily available. The birds begin eating the insects on the tree while other bugs eat the aphids that suck the sap from the tree’s leaves. All of this is part of the biological cycle and becomes known as a food chain.
As the summer lengthens into August, many changes occur in the tree’s apples. The color of the fruit changes from green into red, yellow or gold. The skin of the apples swells due to the growth in the fruit. At last, it is time to harvest the beautiful apples. What happens during the harvest to the apples, the tree and to the insects and nearby animals?
Do people eat all the apples? How many fall on the ground and are eaten by deer, foxes and birds? Do you have a favorite kind of apple? I like the apple known as “Red Delicious.” What kind of delightful foods come from apples? And finally, what happens to the apple tree during the winter. To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and checkout this well written and illustrated book, “Starting Life Tree” by Claire Llewellyn.
This fine book has an interesting layout. There are tabs for each part of the growing season, which draws readers into the text. It is a clever use of the text and illustrations. The pictures are very inviting and students will learn many important facts about the life cycle of an apple tree. Llewellyn closes the book with a comprehensive glossary and index. This is a fine book for science classes in the lower elementary grades. It would also be enjoyable to read with younger children in your family. I hope you get a chance to check out this pleasant title. Enjoy!
We live in interesting and challenging times. The devil seems to be working overtime to attack and undermine the sacred dignity of human life and human sexuality. Thankfully, as we celebrate in this Easter season, we worship a God who sent His only begotten Son to save us from our sins and to defeat death.
Additionally, as we celebrated on Divine Mercy Sunday, we can be thankful to God for sending Saint John Paul into the world at this time in human history. He was, it seems, God’s antidote to the devil’s poisonous attack on human life and love.
Consider that the first major project of St. John Paul’s extraordinarily consequential papacy was to provide the world with a profoundly beautiful explanation of God’s sacred gift of human sexuality. John Paul delivered this explanation in 129 short Wednesday audience talks between September of 1979 and November of 1984 and gave this project the working title “theology of the body.”
George Weigel, author of "Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II," described Theology of the Body as “one of the boldest reconfigurations of Catholic theology in centuries” – a “theological time-bomb set to go off with dramatic consequences ...perhaps in the twenty-first century.”
Although John Paul’s Theology of the Body is a challenging read for most of us, there are a growing number of writers who are endeavoring to explain this critically important work. Anyone who is interested in a deeper and more fulfilling understanding of the human person and human sexuality should devote some time to studying Theology of the Body.
In 1995, almost ten years after giving Theology of the Body to the world, St. John Paul issued his encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). In 2000, while recalling the many encyclicals he had written during his papacy, John Paul said Evangelium Vitae was “a document that I consider central to the whole of the Magisterium of my pontificate.”
In “The Gospel of Life” John Paul, explains the roots of what he termed “the culture of death.” One root is a distorted notion of freedom characterized by radical individualism (self-centeredness, viewing others as obstacles/burdens not opportunities to give/receive love), relativism (no recognition of moral absolutes or objective truth) and materialism (valuing possessions above people).
The most destructive root (or “heart of the tragedy” as JP II put it), however, is alienation from God. “In seeking the deepest roots of the struggle between the ‘culture of life’ and the ‘culture of death’, we cannot restrict ourselves to the perverse idea of freedom…” John Paul said. “We have to go to the heart of the tragedy being experienced by modern man: the eclipse of the sense of God and of man, typical of a social and cultural climate dominated by secularism.”
St. John Paul is saying that if our relationship with our Creator is weak, then our understanding of the value and meaning of human life created in His image is also weak. Likewise, if we don’t understand and appreciate the value and meaning of human life, we are more likely to violate its dignity. Violating the dignity of human life, like all sin, alienates us further from God and compounds the problem.
Countering these roots of the culture of death, according to John Paul, requires us to “bring the Gospel of life to the heart of every man and woman and to make it penetrate every part of society. This involves above all…the proclamation of a living God who is close to us, who calls us to profound communion with himself and awakens in us the certain hope of eternal life.
“It is the affirmation of the inseparable connection between the person, his life and his bodiliness. It is the presentation of human life as a life of relationship, a gift of God, the fruit and sign of his love. It is the proclamation that Jesus has a unique relationship with every person, which enables us to see in every human face the face of Christ. It is the call for a ‘sincere gift of self’ as the fullest way to realize our personal freedom.”
Thank you, God, for giving us your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you also for bringing St. John Paul into this critical time in human history.
On April 21, I electronically wished Dr. Gianna Emanuela a happy birthday. It was on this day, 52 years ago, that St. Gianna Beretta Molla gave birth to her.
Most of us know the story. Her mother was given a choice, her life or the life of her baby because of a large uterine tumor. It was a week later, on April 28, that St. Gianna died.
In my birthday greetings, I informed Gianna Emanuela that we would be celebrating her mother’s feast day April 28 by a Mass offered by Bishop James Conley, with a reception to follow. During the homily, Bishop Conley spoke of the heroic self-less love St. Gianna exhibited for her baby, which was a reflection of the self-less love Jesus Christ manifested for us on the cross: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).
He then talked about the extraordinary lives of our two new saints - St. John XXIII, who was a contemporary of St. Gianna, and St. John Paul II, who beatified and canonized her.
The chapel was filled to the brim with Sister Cecilia Ann Rezac, the mother superior of the Marian Sisters, Sisters Bernadette, Karen and Clare who work at St. Gianna’s, along with some of the residents, volunteers and board members.
We are most grateful to Almighty God, and for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and her most chaste spouse, St. Joseph, and St. Gianna for the gift of St. Gianna’s, a place of refuge for women who are escaping domestic violence and abortion.
I am happy to inform everyone that we have helped save our 16th baby. There are many grace-filled stories to share. The pressures on the women who come to us to abort their babies seems to come from many sides: the abusive fathers of their unborn babies, parents, siblings, aunts and uncles. Besides the obvious, it is always heartwarming to see the very family members who had been pushing for the said abortion, after falling in love with the newborn baby, become champions of the pro-life cause.
I would like to thank Bishop Conley for celebrating the Mass at St. Gianna’s, and for his love and support for this most important apostolate. Thanks also to our many board members, volunteers and supporters who make this all possible because St. Gianna’s is supported entirely from private funding from the faithful of southern Nebraska and the few who are supporters outside the diocese. St. Gianna, pray for us!
“Flight of the Honey Bee” by Raymond Huber, illustrated by Brian Lovelock.
Candlewick Press, Somerville, Mass., 2013, 32 pages, Grades K-2.
Each spring and summer, visitors to gardens will see honey bees flying from flower to flower in search of nectar. This sweet juice is extracted from the flowers by their long tongues. The bees are very industrious and move constantly over lawns, flower gardens and nearby fields.
Since the beginning of recorded history, mankind has been fascinated with honey bees. Drawings of bees can be found in ancient literature and numerous pleasing statements about honey and bees can be found in the Holy Bible. But actually, people know very little about bees. Raymond Huber has written an excellent account of the actions of a scout bee, and this interesting book is entitled “Flight of the Honey Bee.”
The book begins with a young bee, “Scout,” looking out into a large, scary world outside the beehive. While all bees have different jobs in the hive, her job is to fly throughout the area to find flowers. Rapidly fanning her wings, Scout takes off and zooms upward. But where are the flowers the hive needs? She continues to fly over nearby fields until the marvelous fragrance of a field of flowers envelopes her. Quickly she dives but is attacked by a marauding blackbird. The blackbird is more than happy to eat honey bees.
Barely avoiding disaster, Scout hides from the intruder and waits until the bird leaves. Then she sinks near the delightful center of a flower and drinks deeply from the delicious nectar. It helps, of course, that her tongue is shaped like a tiny spoon.
Since Scout is continually brushing against the leaves of the flowers, the pollen, or fine reproductive flower cells, cling to the hair on her legs. When she flies to the next flower or plant, some of the pollen will fall onto the leaves of the second flower or plant, causing it to be fertilized. Though Scout merely is trying to get nectar to make honey for her hive, she is actually carrying out a vital role in food production. It is very simple. If plants don’t get pollinated by bees, they don’t reproduce. If they don’t reproduce, they don’t produce any food.
But Scout’s work has just begun. She begins flying back to the hive but continues to encounter many challenges and problems. It begins to rain and hail on the intrepid bee. If Scout gets too chilled, her wing muscles can be damaged and she will not be able to fly properly. So she waits out the storm, only to look up and see hail starting to fall everywhere. The hail is as large as she is, but Scout luckily avoids being hit by the white pellets. At long last, she takes off and flies back to her hive. But more trouble awaits. There is a robber wasp trying to get inside the bee hive to steal honey and a battle quickly breaks out. What happens to Scout?
Did you know that bees could have so many natural enemies? How do they cope with all of these dangerous events? Have you ever watched honey bees in your back yard? Why do people use the phrase “busy as a bee?” To find out the answer to these questions, go to the library and check out “Flight of the Honey Bee” by Raymond Huber.
This is a very interesting book with excellent pictures of honey bees. You have to admire the diligence of Scout as she carries out her duties despite the dangers she continually encounters. Young children will enjoy seeing Scout hiding from the hailstorm, drinking nectar from flowers and battling with the wasp. The artwork about the bees’ many activities is quite interesting. I think adults will like the book as well and hope you get a chance to read this fine book. Enjoy!
Many businesses and organizations honor an employee or volunteer of the month. While our country honors mothers on the second Sunday of May each year, our Church honors Mary, the “Mother of the Month” for the entirety of May. What a treat for all who call her “mother”!
One might speculate that Pope Saint John Paul II relished the fact that his birthday fell in the month of May, the same month devoted to Mary who held such a special place in his heart and in his spirituality. Everything we love about May, be it graduations, weddings, spring rains or flowers, should take second place to the Church’s commitment of this month to its most treasured saint and disciple of Jesus—namely, Mary. From May crownings to Marian processions, we love to honor this mother.
At month’s end, we celebrate the famous Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth, her cousin who, like her, was with child. It is one of many events that give credibility to perhaps her most recent new title: Mary, Star of Evangelization. Once Mary had received the unequaled gift of Jesus into her body and soul she was compelled to share that special God-given blessing with others. She began by sharing her divine son with a family member. Now she shares Him with the whole world.
A familiar Scriptural adage is: What you have received as a gift, give as a gift (see Mt.10:8). Mary fulfills this commission of our Lord in a perfect way and acts as a model for all Christians in this regard. Her renowned “fiat” was grounded in the most noteworthy “yes” ever uttered in God’s direction. At the Annunciation, she anticipated the words she would recite many times over in The Lord’s Prayer: “Thy will be done.”
Jesus desires that we imitate His holy mother, His most perfect disciple, in submitting our human will to the will of our Father in heaven. This receptive and loving action of Mary made the incarnation of Jesus possible. A similar welcoming of Jesus into our lives happens whenever we say yes to God’s plan for us. We daily are called to submit to the Father as Jesus did, even when it is neither convenient nor pleasurable to do so.
Mary’s most exalted title, “Mother of God,” mirrors one of the four dogmas associated with her. The early Church grappled with the idea that Jesus truly could be both God and man. The title Mother of God not only helped to solidify the teaching that Jesus is divine, but also added significance to Mary’s relationship to God and to His Church.
Mary has since received many other titles that help define her role in salvation history, but none will ever match her most fundamental identity as mother of our Lord.
As we honor our mothers this year, let us not forget to honor the mother of us all, Mary. In doing so, we imitate her son Jesus whose relationship with her made her “blessed among women.”
As we draw nearer to Jesus as His disciples, we come also into more intimate union with His mother. As her spiritual sons and daughters, it is incumbent upon us to honor Mary in a special way, most especially in our devotional lives.
Happy Mother’s Day to all moms… and to Mary, the greatest mother of all!
“Parrots Over Puerto Rico” by Susan Roth,
Collages by Susan Roth.
Lee & Low Books Inc., New York, 2013, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
Many species of animals, plants and birds have disappeared throughout history. Sometimes this is the natural course of events. For example, wooly mammoths and sabertoothed tigers simply could not adapt to changes in the environment.
But too often, the extinction of a species is caused by the destruction of the natural habitat by people or by overhunting of animals. The passenger pigeon once darkened the sky during pioneer days, but were hunted to extinction by the early 1900s. The beautiful island of Puerto Rico is home to some amazing tropical wildlife. The colorful Puerto Rican Parrot nearly suffered a similar fate.
Susan Roth tells the tragic story of the decline of the Puerto Rican Parrot and the amazing comeback in the species after 1970. The Puerto Rican Parrot has lived for centuries on the island of Puerto Rico. There are hundreds of thousands of parrots at the time of the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores. Throughout the nearly 400 years that Spain controlled the island, the parrots are little effected. But during the 20th century, the population of Puerto Rico expands. Plantations replace forests in the last hundred years and the tranquil environment is transformed.
While crops can now be grown on the land, the felling of trees quickly destroys the ability of the parrots to live and reproduce.
This causes a massive decline in the population of the Puerto Rican Parrot. As cities continue to grow and expand, the parrots are attacked by the Red-Tailed Hawk and the Pearly-Eyed Thrasher. While these two species of birds had always challenged the parrots for food and nesting sites, the clearing of forests leaves the parrots near extinction.
The Puerto Rican Parrot is a beautiful bird. It is nearly a foot tall and is arrayed in a gorgeous combination of green and blue feathers. In flight these parrots look quite magical as their colors blend into the tropical jungle. Their strong beak is outlined by red bordering feathers while large white rings surround their eyes. All these beautiful colors make them extremely attractive. By 1975, only 13 parrots could be found in the rain forest. If decisions weren’t quickly made, the future of the parrot would be grim.
But at the 11th hour, a group of scientists banded together to save this majestic parrot. What might happen if parrot eggs were hatched in captivity and then released into the wild? It is something of a desperate gamble, but time is running out. The scientists quickly move into action.
What happens? Is the program successful? What do the scientists learn about reintroducing birds raised in captivity into a jungle?
Have you ever seen a parrot? Would you like to own one as a pet? What would our world be like without attractive birds like the Puerto Rican Parrot? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this beautiful book, “Parrots Over Puerto Rico” by Susan Roth.
The author tells the important story of the recovery of the Puerto Rican Parrot, and this book won the Robert F. Sibert Medal for Nonfiction in 2014. The collages used by Susan Roth are vibrant, interesting and beautiful. Readers will be drawn into the artwork and should take their time looking at each page. There are so many things to see that there is a certain magic in the collages. This is an excellent book to read with the younger members of your family, or a fine title to be individually read. So I hope you get a chance to read this award winning book, “Parrots Over Puerto Rico” by Susan Roth. Enjoy!
I love music. I grew up in a family that was taught an appreciation for music—both vocal and instrumental. As a member of a chant schola I have been exposed to a treasure of indescribably beautiful sacred music from composers like Mozart, Palestrina, Byrd, Victoria, and Morales.
One need not have any particular training in music to recognize and appreciate the objective beauty of this sacred music. What’s more, sacred music can help us to experience and appreciate the supernatural.
One of Mozart’s concertos (Violin Concerto #3 in G major) has particularly captured my attention of late. As I listen to the exquisite beauty of the violin in this piece, it inevitably prompts me to think of (and thank) God. And I find myself trying to imagine that it is me playing that violin.
As I snap back to reality, I lament that producing music with such mastery is not likely among my gifts. Nonetheless, it occurred to me that while most of us may not be able to produce music like Mozart, every person (regardless of his/her gifts or limitations) is capable of doing something beautiful in the eyes of our Creator.
For example, every time we demonstrate the simplest act of love or forgiveness to another person I believe that in God’s eyes the beauty of our action far surpasses the beauty of Mozart’s most sublime concerto. Likewise, as our Lord explains in the parable of the Prodigal Son, there is nothing more beautiful to God than a repentant sinner.
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta also demonstrated so beautifully in her loving care of the poorest of the poor that every one of us can “do something beautiful for God.
“The dying, the cripple, the mental, the unwanted, the unloved - they are Jesus in disguise...” she said. “Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don’t only give your care, but give your heart as well....
“The poor give us much more than we give them. They’re such strong people, living day to day with no food, and they never curse, never complain. Really we don’t have to give them pity or sympathy. We have so much to learn from them.... Only in heaven will we see how much we owe the poor for helping us to love God better because of them.”
“Love does not measure;” Blessed Teresa said, “it just gives. In the world, love cannot remain by itself but must be put into action through service. Whatever we are like, able or disabled, rich or poor, it is not how much we do but how much love we put into the doing... (so)… Put your love in living action.
“The hunger for love is much more difficult than the hunger for bread. In loving others you are loving God Himself... We cannot do great things. We can only do little things with great love... Keep the joy of loving God in your heart and share this joy with all you meet, especially your family.”
Blessed Teresa said that “[e]very person is Christ for me, and since there is only One, that person is the one person in the world at that time... I see God in every human being. When I wash lepers’ wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?”
Even something as simple as a kind word can be most beautiful in God’s eyes. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak,” Blessed Teresa said, “but their echoes are truly endless. Let no one ever come away without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, and kindness in your smile.”
There it is. Blessed Teresa is telling us that every person can be “Mozart” in the eyes of God with the simplest acts of kindness and love. So let’s get to it and do something beautiful for God.
A few items and thoughts are left over from the 103rd Nebraska Legislature’s second regular session, which adjourned sine die at 5:36 p.m. April 17.
Honoring legislators known not to be returning for the next regular session is a nice, institutional tradition on the last day of a Legislature. This year followed suit.
The tradition has taken on an expanded meaning since terms limits were instituted by the electorate in 2000 and first took effect in 2008. This year, 17 of the 49 legislators are facing the “mandatory retirement” imposed by the policy. They were honored during a two-part process.
First, during the course of fairly routine activity on the floor of the Unicameral—it was “debate” being extended by Senator Ernie Chambers on protecting mountain lions—each term-limited legislator was saluted by one of the legislators not yet subject to the policy. Typically, words of respect and gratitude, humor and sincerity were expressed by a member from a common region of the state or connected to the honoree by committee membership. Neat deal.
Secondly, as part of the last day’s ceremonial activities, each departing legislator delivered personal remarks. Again, there was humor and sincerity and some sadness and regret, and a great deal of gratitude. Each legislator mentioned the work of staff and the sacrifices of family. Again, neat deal.
The Unicameral Update, the Legislature’s official newsletter during the session, presented an excellent follow-up to the final day’s events, including photos of each of the 17 legislators and a pull-out quote from each of their speeches.
For instance, Holdrege Senator Tom Carlson, who served as chairman of both the Agriculture and Natural Resources committees during his eight-year tenure, said, “I respect the unicameral form of government and I really believe, in spite of some shortcomings, it’s the best form of government in the United States.”
Senator Bill Avery from Lincoln: “Soon my name will no longer be on that voting board and I assure you that doesn’t matter. This place will endure; you will do it right.”
Senator Tom Hansen from North Platte combined humor with sincerity: “In my adult life I have a motto: ‘All’s well that ends.’ It has been an honor to serve my district and this body.”
Omaha Senator Scott Lautenbaugh reflected the reality that citizen-legislators have lives of their own: “I have 14-year-old twins who are going into high school now and they need my constant attention… so it’s time to go home.”
Article III, Section 14 of the Nebraska State Constitution, having to do with bills and resolutions considered by the Legislature, includes this sentence: “No bill shall contain more than one subject, and the subject shall be clearly expressed in the title.”
Not a session of the Legislature transpires without some mention of the “one-subject rule.” The mentions—sometimes made more forcefully than at other times, depending upon the subject matter—typically occur in the waning days of a session, when time runs short and adding the provisions of a bill that’s languishing to a bill that’s on track to passing becomes a strategy.
If the subject matter gets by the Legislature’s own germaneness rule, which can be ignored or finessed or even waived with 30 votes, then just about any combination of subjects can end up in one bill. Even if a bill becomes constitutionally suspect, it’s not unconstitutional until a final judicial ruling says so. If the provisions don’t ruffle feathers or spark any problem, chances are a constitutional challenge will never materialize. Such a ruling seldom occurs.
But there are bills that seem to test the limits.
There might be better examples from the 2014 session, but LB 998 strikes us as a good one. Here’s how it is described in a final report in Unicameral Update:
“Senators passed a bill April 3 that reduces penalties for violating ignition interlock device restrictions (when an individual convicted of drunken driving, who is restricted to driving only vehicles with an ignition interlock device, uses a vehicle not so equipped). It was amended to also address human trafficking, ‘up skirting’ and funerals.”
LB 998, introduced by Senator Russ Karpisek, started out as a bill to reduce the penalty for an ignition-interlock violation from a Class IV felony to a Class I misdemeanor, but ended up not only doing that, but also carrying the subject matter of LB 1034, LB 933 and LB 441.
The former prohibits knowingly photographing, filming, recording or broadcasting images of another person’s intimate areas without the person’s consent regardless of whether this occurs in a public or private place. The latter, sought by the funeral industry, clarifies who is authorized to plan a funeral and who is responsible for paying the costs. The subject matter of LB 933 better defines contexts of human trafficking, including debt bondage, threats of deportation, controlling access to alcohol and drugs and exploitation of disabilities.
Are all those ideas, all of which appear to be sound public policy in their own respects, enough alike to constitute a single subject, as required by the State Constitution? The answer is yes; unless and until there is a challenge; and that’s unlikely.
By the way, the blended LB 998 passed on a 49-0 vote.
And finally…
LB 774, passed on a vote of 44-3, authorizes the Governor to appoint 17 members as a planning commission for the 150th anniversary of Nebraska statehood in 2017. It’s the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission.
Those who are blessed with children might wonder if they are listening.
Recently while the lector read the third reading during the Easter vigil, a little boy who lives with his parents somewhere south of the Platte River in the Diocese of Lincoln heard these words, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea, split the sea in two, that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land. But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate that they will go in after them. Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and charioteers. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I receive glory through Pharaoh and his chariots and charioteers.’ ”
We all know what happened next. It was then his dad felt a little elbow and a whisper from his little son, “Dad, I bet those Egyptians go into the water like they did last year!” It was the same little boy who told his father the previous year that when the white cloth on the cross replaces the purple one, he can eat candy.
Yes, our children are watching and listening to the actions and words of their parents. The words and actions are under microscopes. The children are watching closely, oftentimes unknown by their mothers and fathers. If their parents are humble, prayerful, and generous, the children will have a greater chance of being so when they reach adult life.
In other words, children should be imitating their parents who are imitating Jesus Christ who is truly risen.
In a marvelous little book entitled, The Imitation of Christ, in the 56th chapter of the third book it says, “Follow me: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jn 14:6). Without the Way, there is no going; without the Truth, there is no knowing; without the Life, there is no living. I am the Way you must follow; the Truth which you must believe; the Life which you must hope for.
What a horrifying thought. Without Jesus Christ, a person is not going the way they were called to from all eternity, as the truth is either rejected or unknown while not living in communion with Him who died and rose from the dead.
I know that things do not happen out of a vacuum. When children conduct projects to benefit Catholic Social Services and St. Gianna’s, it is because of the example of their parents. And the adults who support us, it is because of the example of their parents or some other person or persons who were influential in their early lives. All have one thing in common - they listened when they were young to the voice of the Holy Spirit which led to imitating Jesus Christ.
I would like to once again thank our many benefactors who assist us spiritually with their prayers and penances, materially with donated items not needed around their homes and farms (including vehicles) and financially with a cash donation according to their means as they follow Jesus Christ our Risen Savior, because He is our Way, our Truth and our Life!
“My daughter, know that My Heart is mercy itself. From this sea of mercy, graces flow out upon the whole world. No soul that has approached Me has ever gone away unconsoled. All misery gets buried in the depths of My mercy, and every saving and sanctifying grace flows from this fountain… Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul.”
These words from the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (#1777) are a beautiful expression of God’s Divine Mercy, which we celebrate this Sunday. For those who suffer from a past abortion, however, God’s mercy can seem incomprehensible.
Personal and intensely emotional stories of women struggling with a past abortion give testament to this sad reality. I’ve received such letters in my office and many others can be seen on post-abortion websites like www.hopeafterabortion.com (Project Rachel). Here is an excerpt from one of those letters:
“My personal journey of healing began after six long years of the most deafeningly silent pain… I remember during those dark years, I would wake up each morning, and for a few brief seconds, all was well. Then I would remember what I had done. The grief was all-consuming. But, like so many other women, I kept it locked inside. I had accepted my fate. I was unforgiveable.
“The enormity of what I had done actually made my steps heavier…I cried alone almost daily. For brief periods I could take my mind off of it. Sometimes I would even forget long enough to try and enjoy a comedy at the movies, but then mid-laughter I’d remember and my laughing would stop because, well, I didn’t deserve to laugh.
“Growing up in a Catholic family that attended Mass every Sunday, I never expected that I, of all people, would be in this situation. I convinced myself that I had committed an unforgiveable act. I felt utterly alone. I desperately needed to connect with other women who were suffering as I was, and I longed to be the woman I used to be.
“And then one fateful Sunday morning during Mass, my husband handed me a church bulletin, pointing out the words on the back: “Project Rachel — a program for post-abortion healing through the archdiocese.” I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“It took me several months to muster up the nerve to call. I had done a fine job of beating myself up for years and I certainly didn’t need the person on the other end of the phone to make me feel any worse. But, when I finally called, it was not like that at all. The voice on the other end was warm and full of hope for me. My journey of healing began on that day that I made that phone call.
“Thanks to Project Rachel, I am me again… The power of forgiveness is life altering. I am happy again, and the people whom I love sense that. I will always regret my decision, and I will continue to carry my quiet secret with me. It has become a part of who I am, but it no longer defines who I am.”
Project Rachel is comprised of specially trained clergy and professional counselors who provide individual, confidential counseling and reconciliation to women and men suffering from a past abortion. In Nebraska, Project Rachel can be accessed by calling 1-888-456-HOPE (4673). Information on Project Rachel and abortion’s emotional and spiritual aftermath is also available online at www.hopeafterabortion.com.
In his 2009 homily on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Benedict XVI cautioned that “without the healing of souls, without the healing of man from within there can be no salvation for humanity. How essential then to the mission of the Church are the pastoral and apostolic activities that draw women and men burdened by the sin of abortion closer to God’s merciful heart. It is no exaggeration to say that the Church’s ministry of healing and reconciliation after abortion is at the heart of the Church’s mission at this time in her history.”
“Ukraine”
by Patricia K. Kummer
Children’s Press, New York, 24-6.001, 136 pages, Grades 4-6.
Few countries in the world are as coveted as Ukraine. Throughout its long history, Ukraine has been conquered by Tartars, Poles, Russians and Germans. There are many reasons for this. Ukraine is a large country, roughly the size of the state of Texas. It is blessed with abundant farmland, forests, rivers and coastlines. Unfortunately, it is also at the crossroads between Asia and Europe.
When conquerors come from the east, Ukraine stands in front of them. The same thing is true for those coming from the west. As well, Russia has desired to expand southward since the time of the Tsars. Once again, this puts Ukraine in the crosshairs.
In this text, entitled “Ukraine,” Patricia Kummer gives multiple explanations for other nations continually breaking the Tenth Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors’ goods,” in this excellently photographed and written book about the country.
She begins with the quest by Ukrainians to reclaim their heritage after the fall of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. Under the Tsars and later the Communist leader, Joseph Stalin, Ukraine became a satellite state for Russia. Since the climate is warmer and the Black Sea seldom freezes, Russia built extensive military fortifications throughout the country.
When the Soviet Union disintegrated in the late 1980s, Ukraine finally gained its freedom. Among the first things Ukrainians do is to reemphasize their native language and their religion. Under Russian rule, the Ukrainian language is denigrated to a second-class language. Ukrainian children are taught Russian throughout the country’s schools and Russia develops a sense that thinking and speaking Ukrainian is backward and ignorant. Since many Russians live in the eastern part of Ukraine, this sudden change of events is very unsettling.
Now the cultural power has swung to the native Ukrainians and street signs, billboards, and signs for national parks are switched from Russian to Ukrainian. Though Kummer doesn’t discuss this in any great detail, it would seem that Russians born in Ukraine, and used to a feeling of cultural superiority would be quite unhappy with this turn of events.
Similarly, since Russian Communism had inflicted so much suffering and misery on religious believers in Ukraine, an outburst of religious fervor occurs in the 1990s. With the governmental atheists gone, the Ukrainian faithful openly begin going to church. The Eastern Rite Catholic Church, situated primarily in western Ukraine, has more than 5 million members. Kummer tells the powerful story of the Catholic Metropolitan (Archbishop) Andrei Sheptytsky resisting the Nazi attack on Jews in Ukraine during the Second World War. The Archbishop directly confronts the Nazi authorities in Ukraine and saves thousands of Jewish lives.
Since this book was written in 2001, the author takes a very optimistic viewpoint on Russia’s relationship with Ukraine. Like many others, she thinks Russia will respect the freedom and independence of this long downtrodden nation. As we are currently seeing, this perspective is both naïve and dangerous.
Having said that, this book is packed with information on Ukraine and is well written with excellent photographs. It is from the Enchantment of the World Series by Children’s Press, which describes dozens of various countries. If your student is writing a paper or creating a class talk on Ukraine, this is the book for the requirement.
As well, adults will benefit from reading this fine description of Ukraine, so much discussed internationally in recent weeks.
So go to the library and check out this fine title. It is well worth the trip to the library. Enjoy!
The most familiar group of people commonly referred to as a “generation” is known as the “baby-boomers.” They consist of those Americans born within a couple decades of the end of World War II. They are a crowd that is formidable in size and is presently filling local cemeteries and nursing homes. They are a vanishing generation.
On the other end of the spectrum are a significant and influential number of folks known as “The John Paul II Generation.” Defined strictly, these “young” people were moving through their most formative years during the 26-year pontificate of Pope Saint John Paul II. This group includes individuals from all around the globe, and it most certainly is not limited simply to Catholics or to those in their 20s, 30s and 40s. It is comprised of multiple generations of people of all faiths.
The influence of a saint is universal in scope, most especially when the figure in question is the most widely travelled and the most encountered person in the history of humanity. Such is the case with John Paul II. As with all the saints, the positive impact of his life on the Church, on cultures and on the world is immeasurable. This fact explains why the Church honors saints as they do.
It takes a person of greatness like John Paul II radically to change the lives of people who either are well beyond their morally formative 20s and 30s or are of a totally different religious mindset. This saint did that and more! His charismatic personality mixed with a genuine and insightful understanding of the human condition touched the hearts of virtually everyone who heard his teachings or witnessed his actions. His writings alone will continue to form and reform modern philosophy and theology.
Even while references to the “John Paul II Generation” target a sampling of humanity that were school-age or young adults when this saint was serving as pope, the scope of influence is so much broader. This man changed for the better the thinking of overlapping generations of people around the globe. He made them more pro-life. He made them more pro-family. He made them more pro-Church. He made them more human. In short, he made them more holy, bringing them closer to their Lord.
Considering the average number of years that it traditionally takes for saintly figures to be officially canonized, it is quite the privilege both to have been directly affected by the life of a saint and to live to see that saint canonized. Many are enjoying that privilege right now—in duplicate!
While Saint Pope John XXIII likely will never have a generation named for his influence on them, we must not forget that his holiness of life will have long-range effects upon the world, as is the case with any saint. He was pope for only a fraction of the time that John Paul was (just 5 years), but his call for renewal in the Church through the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) will have a lasting resonance for generations to come. He effectively invited the Holy Spirit to renew the Church.
While we have heard and seen “the Great” added to John Paul’s name, it behooves us to remember that every saint is truly a “great” example of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and live out that relationship in one’s daily life. Let’s get to know better both of the great saints that the Church is adding to her ranks at this time. We will all be better off for having done so.
Recently Dr. Kathy Lynch came home to visit her mother from sunny southern California, to help her move into a new home.
Not only did we go to school together, Kathy and I, but her dad and my dad went to school together as well. Kathy, her mother Colleen, her sister Estelle, and another friend, Bonnie, gathered for breakfast with me, and my mother Barbara. After picking up Mom, I hoped and prayed something would happen at breakfast because I needed some ‘ammunition’ for another Seedlings column! After sitting down at our table I cautioned and warned them to be careful what they would say because I might write about it and take their picture. They just laughed.
While eating eggs, bacon, pancakes, and so forth, Kathy told us about her flight to Nebraska. She proceeded to describe the big burly biker dude she sat next to, complete with the typical head bandana. Much to her surprise, he told her about his ballroom dancing lessons and experience. Little did she know she was sitting next to someone who could gracefully glide across the dance floor to the accompaniment of the Blue Danube waltz by Johann Strauss II, with a woman in his arms dressed in a big, bell-shaped dress. Who knew? Her comment to me was, “Looks can be deceiving!”
The same can be said about the poor and needy. To be sure, many look the part, but there are many others we would never know are struggling to make ends meet. They are all around us. Sometimes, these are the ones who find it hard to ask for help.
Not long after our breakfast, a woman driving her car recognized me, rolled down her window to tell me she will be donating a CD (certificate of deposit) and her vehicle to Catholic Social Services when she buys her next vehicle. It is this kind of generosity that allows us to help needy individuals and families that come to us in crisis.
I would like to thank Almighty God for his graces and our donors for their generosity so we can help the many needy individuals and families that come to us, no matter what they look like because looks can be deceiving.
