We're back from our 2nd Annual Men of St. Joseph Retreat, held August 28-29, 2010, at the historic Visitation Monastery in Mobile, Alabama. Below are some photos from the retreat. Also, we've posted to this blog, some personal reflections on the retreat theme. Jeff Galle writes It is Time for Men to be Men, and Bill Harkins posts Retreat – No Way, We are Moving Forward!.
Photos by Paul Burkholder, Jr., and Mike McAleer.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Retreat – No Way, We are Moving Forward!
By Bill Harkins
The weekend of 28 and 29 August, a group of 100 men from all over the Gulf Coast met in prayer, reflection, instruction and discussion. Under the guidance of Fr. Bry Shields, with inspiration from the Holy Spirit, direction from our Savior Jesus and loving nudges from our Blessed Mother Mary and her spouse, our Patron Saint Joseph, we tapped into an understanding of our role as men in modern day America. Not just ordinary men, but strong Catholic Christian men, preparing for our mission as Men of St. Joseph.
What does this mean? What do we do now? We stand up for our principles with strong moral courage. You know, the kind of courage that Saint Paul tapped into when he set the world afire with the Word. Life was not easy for him in the first century and it is not easy for us now. Paul overcame several obstacles, including his horrible past as a persecutor of the same Jesus he was preaching as Messiah. He suffered torture, imprisonment and even death for his beliefs and actions, but look at the results. His efforts led to several “forward bases” of Christian communities that flourished over the years. This was the beginning of a movement that will exist until the end of time, the Church. We are challenged to take up our mission to ensure the continued spread of the Good News, with action and prayer. Just as Paul had a team of brothers in his work, we have our brothers, our fellow Men of St. Joseph to team up with on this task.
How do we get started? It begins at home. Talk to your wife, children, parents, brothers and sisters about your experience at the retreat. Let them know that even when society laughs at and antagonizes us for our moral principles, we must stand firm. Beyond that, we must meet such hate with love, and teach our family to do so. This can be very difficult for us. After all, we are men of action. Reacting with love does not mean you have to be quiet. On the contrary, reacting with love means you reply in a way that clearly articulates our Catholic convictions. Do this without the retaliation mentality that often appears in such situations. Let the attacker know that you disagree, why you disagree and that you’ll gladly continue the conversation if they would like to do so rationally. Make it clear that you will not participate in an emotional debate. This may mean that you end up walking away with a smile and a prayer on your lips as the attacker spews further hate, but we must handle such situations as Christ would want us to. If you act this way, you will have a lasting impact on your adversary, as well as those observing the discussion. Imagine the example you will set for your children when they see you overcome a potentially volatile situation this way.
Another way to positively impact your family and our culture is to pray. Pray with your family in a meaningful way. Lead prayers of thanks and petition to our Lord. Just as we ask our fellow Men of St. Joseph to pray for us, ask the saints for help. Ask St. Albert the Great to intercede for your child who has a difficult math test, after all, he taught St. Thomas Aquinas. Ask St. Ignatius and St. Sebastian to plead to our Savior for the protection of a family member in the military, they were soldiers and know the fear and loneliness of battle. Ask St. Catherine of Sienna to pray for your daughter who needs support in not giving in to peer pressure. This Doctor of the Church held to her convictions so strongly she became an advisor to the Pope during the middle ages when women were to be seen and not heard. During these times of prayer, be an example of love and ask the Holy Spirit to touch those who have offended you in some way. Ask Jesus to provide the wisdom of Solomon and the courage of St. Joan of Arc to our political leaders. Who knows what your family’s prayers can lead to? Is there any better legacy to leave your children when you are gone?
This retreat reminded us of our obligation to stay engaged in what goes on around us. We are called to shine the light of Truth on evil. Just as St. Paul confronted the authorities of his day with the Truth of Jesus Christ, we must let our politicians know that we will not stand for a government that infringes upon our God given rights. Our Declaration of Independence tells the world that all men “…are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…” Being pro-life is not just a “Catholic thing”; it is as American as our founding documents and as Christian as the Bible. There are plenty of other issues that we can become involved in, but the pro-life cause is critical and in desperate need of the support of strong Catholic Christian men. This a complicated set of issues that range from the unborn to the proper care for the dying. It also includes contraception. We are obliged to understand Catholic teaching on these subjects and defend the Church’s stance.
Many of us, through ignorance or apathy have committed grave sins against life. God will forgive you and give you the grace to forgive yourself. If you have committed sins in these areas, find a Priest, make a good confession and become engaged in the fight. God makes good out of evil. He wants us all to support life from conception to natural death.
An example of a man who lived a life engaging real world issues from a Catholic perspective is Blessed Alberto Marvelli. He lived in Italy during and after World War II. Alberto was politically active, but never compromised his deep Catholic Faith. He was very devoted to the Eucharist and care for the poor, often at the risk of his own life. Even his political opponents respected his integrity and “…profound dedication to the well-being of the community.”
Blessed Alberto had a tremendous impact on his town, even though he died at 28 years old. He followed God’s will by maximizing the use of his talents as an engineer, teacher, athlete and compassionate leader. Your challenge is to allow God to apply your talents where they are best utilized. Are you up to this challenge? As an individual, maybe not, but with the support of your brothers’ of the Men of St. Joseph, definitely so. Blessed Albert, protector of the poor and Saint Joseph, terror of demons, pray for us.
The weekend of 28 and 29 August, a group of 100 men from all over the Gulf Coast met in prayer, reflection, instruction and discussion. Under the guidance of Fr. Bry Shields, with inspiration from the Holy Spirit, direction from our Savior Jesus and loving nudges from our Blessed Mother Mary and her spouse, our Patron Saint Joseph, we tapped into an understanding of our role as men in modern day America. Not just ordinary men, but strong Catholic Christian men, preparing for our mission as Men of St. Joseph.
What does this mean? What do we do now? We stand up for our principles with strong moral courage. You know, the kind of courage that Saint Paul tapped into when he set the world afire with the Word. Life was not easy for him in the first century and it is not easy for us now. Paul overcame several obstacles, including his horrible past as a persecutor of the same Jesus he was preaching as Messiah. He suffered torture, imprisonment and even death for his beliefs and actions, but look at the results. His efforts led to several “forward bases” of Christian communities that flourished over the years. This was the beginning of a movement that will exist until the end of time, the Church. We are challenged to take up our mission to ensure the continued spread of the Good News, with action and prayer. Just as Paul had a team of brothers in his work, we have our brothers, our fellow Men of St. Joseph to team up with on this task.
How do we get started? It begins at home. Talk to your wife, children, parents, brothers and sisters about your experience at the retreat. Let them know that even when society laughs at and antagonizes us for our moral principles, we must stand firm. Beyond that, we must meet such hate with love, and teach our family to do so. This can be very difficult for us. After all, we are men of action. Reacting with love does not mean you have to be quiet. On the contrary, reacting with love means you reply in a way that clearly articulates our Catholic convictions. Do this without the retaliation mentality that often appears in such situations. Let the attacker know that you disagree, why you disagree and that you’ll gladly continue the conversation if they would like to do so rationally. Make it clear that you will not participate in an emotional debate. This may mean that you end up walking away with a smile and a prayer on your lips as the attacker spews further hate, but we must handle such situations as Christ would want us to. If you act this way, you will have a lasting impact on your adversary, as well as those observing the discussion. Imagine the example you will set for your children when they see you overcome a potentially volatile situation this way.
Another way to positively impact your family and our culture is to pray. Pray with your family in a meaningful way. Lead prayers of thanks and petition to our Lord. Just as we ask our fellow Men of St. Joseph to pray for us, ask the saints for help. Ask St. Albert the Great to intercede for your child who has a difficult math test, after all, he taught St. Thomas Aquinas. Ask St. Ignatius and St. Sebastian to plead to our Savior for the protection of a family member in the military, they were soldiers and know the fear and loneliness of battle. Ask St. Catherine of Sienna to pray for your daughter who needs support in not giving in to peer pressure. This Doctor of the Church held to her convictions so strongly she became an advisor to the Pope during the middle ages when women were to be seen and not heard. During these times of prayer, be an example of love and ask the Holy Spirit to touch those who have offended you in some way. Ask Jesus to provide the wisdom of Solomon and the courage of St. Joan of Arc to our political leaders. Who knows what your family’s prayers can lead to? Is there any better legacy to leave your children when you are gone?
This retreat reminded us of our obligation to stay engaged in what goes on around us. We are called to shine the light of Truth on evil. Just as St. Paul confronted the authorities of his day with the Truth of Jesus Christ, we must let our politicians know that we will not stand for a government that infringes upon our God given rights. Our Declaration of Independence tells the world that all men “…are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…” Being pro-life is not just a “Catholic thing”; it is as American as our founding documents and as Christian as the Bible. There are plenty of other issues that we can become involved in, but the pro-life cause is critical and in desperate need of the support of strong Catholic Christian men. This a complicated set of issues that range from the unborn to the proper care for the dying. It also includes contraception. We are obliged to understand Catholic teaching on these subjects and defend the Church’s stance.
Many of us, through ignorance or apathy have committed grave sins against life. God will forgive you and give you the grace to forgive yourself. If you have committed sins in these areas, find a Priest, make a good confession and become engaged in the fight. God makes good out of evil. He wants us all to support life from conception to natural death.
An example of a man who lived a life engaging real world issues from a Catholic perspective is Blessed Alberto Marvelli. He lived in Italy during and after World War II. Alberto was politically active, but never compromised his deep Catholic Faith. He was very devoted to the Eucharist and care for the poor, often at the risk of his own life. Even his political opponents respected his integrity and “…profound dedication to the well-being of the community.”
Blessed Alberto had a tremendous impact on his town, even though he died at 28 years old. He followed God’s will by maximizing the use of his talents as an engineer, teacher, athlete and compassionate leader. Your challenge is to allow God to apply your talents where they are best utilized. Are you up to this challenge? As an individual, maybe not, but with the support of your brothers’ of the Men of St. Joseph, definitely so. Blessed Albert, protector of the poor and Saint Joseph, terror of demons, pray for us.
It is Time for Men, to be Men
Reflections on the 2010 Men of St. Joseph Retreat, Mobile, Alabama, Fr. Bry Shields, Retreat Master.
By Jeff Galle, Executive Director, Men of St. Joseph
It was apparent at the retreat: we men are ready to be men. We who laid latent are ready to step up, and not in pride, nor in hate, nor passion. We are ready to seek the command of our leader, Jesus Christ, taking up his banner, moving forward with courage, reckoning not the cost. The question is: how? Simple steps are the answer.
We let Christ into our whole lifestyle. Our family. Our workplace. Our leisure. At night and in the morning we pray with our children and wives. We are honest in our work. We take a prayer card to the hunting stand on Saturday. We’re in Church on Sunday. If we can, we’re in Church everyday. If we can’t, we pray everyday.
We do not shy away from our Mother, the Church. We allow her to propose her wisdom and principles, and we follow them, kindly asking why they are what they are, so we can fully explain them to others. Some teachings are hard to follow. We follow them anyway. We assert them. They are Her principles, and it is our job not to slink away from them, but to stand up for them. To be Christ to the world.
We love our wife. Not in lust, but as Christ loves the Church. Everyday we die for our wife. We sacrifice, we give up. We love her. We love her. We love her. We show her that she must love, that the Church calls her to affection, to service, and to virtue. She must too focus on virtuous works, on prayer, on sacrifice. We gently but firmly propose this lifestyle to her, just as Christ proposed to the Church. Put down Cosmo. Pick up a life of a saint. Turn off sitcoms and gossip channels. Pray for the children.
We read. We understand what is going on in the world, and we check the sources our kids are reading. We make sure they are being taught properly. We call people out when they lead our children astray. When they try to shush us, we do not get quiet. We affirm our kids and teachers when they are virtuous. We have children. We have children according to the Church. We know that the greatest gift a child can receive is a brother/sister or cousin. That this companionship is even more important than college and wealth. A relative can go to heaven. A BMW can’t.
We watch. Television, films, phones, and gadgets are gifts, not evil. They are being used for evil. No more. When they are not used right, we demand they are. We make sure our children are not poisoned. We do not feed ourselves poison. No late nights without the wife. The conjugal act (sexual intercourse) is worship. You probably haven’t heard that before, I’ll write it again. The conjugal act is worship. It is a good, so good in fact it is a sacrament, a holy oath meant for great pleasure and procreation. Would you throw the Eucharist on the ground and stamp on it? No. Don’t do that to consummation. Don’t misuse it. Gently and firmly don’t allow your wife to misuse it. No more late night poison on the computer or television.
We get our priorities straight. Football games are great, but Church is the greatest. Mardi Gras is a Catholic holiday, meant to celebrate the coming of Christ’s great sacrifice in the desert and resurrection, not for sin. We get rid of secret habits. You know yours. We go to mass as much as we can. We get involved in civil life. Make sure the right people are in office. Make sure that our businesses are honest. Make sure our donations are generous and wise.
These practices are a first step to happiness, to a new life. They are a beginning, a lit match to dried brush. It is not easy, and when we fail, we are there for each other. We lift each other up. If someone is repentant, no condemnation. Failure is necessary for learning, and the possibility of failure is what makes the challenge meaningful. God has given the most thrilling and difficult challenge: not to be a beast, but to be like Him. To be His Son, to be His Brother. He has given us, us of all creation, the ability to rise up and enjoy him eternally. Through humility, through courageously and unabashedly choosing Him, we know heaven. We know brotherhood. We know happiness.
No more permissiveness. No more apathy. No more sloth.
It is time men, to be men.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Feast of the Assumption of Mary
This Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary. The Assumption of Mary is one of four Marian Dogmas - a dogma being the highest form of revealed truth of the faith that the Church declares. The four Marian Dogmas are:
- The Divine Motherhood of Mary (aka Theotokos)
- Mary’s Perpetual Virginity
- Mary’s Immaculate Conception
- Mary’s Assumption
In 1950 Pope Pius XII infallibly declared that, “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (Munificentissimus Deus). This truth was unanimously held in the Early Church and by Church Fathers, what we call our Sacred Tradition. But Pope Pius XII also points out the connections in Sacred Scripture.
Pope Pius said that the truth for the Assumption flows naturally from the scriptural foundation of another Marian Dogma, the Immaculate Conception which was defined in 1854. In Genesis 3:15, what is commonly called the protoevangelium (the first gospel), we see God say to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed…” The serpent represents Satan and his seed is sin, evil, and all evil humans and angels. The Woman represents Mary and Jesus her seed. The Church defines this enmity as an absolute and complete opposition to sin and evil. Thus, Mary was granted, as a gift from God, an immaculate (sinless) nature at the moment of her conception – the Immaculate Conception. Naturally flowing from this truth, Mary then would not suffer the effects of original sin, one being death and corruption of the body. Therefore, this absolute and complete opposition prophesized in Gen 3:15 is opposition to sin and the effects of sin, death (Rom 5-8). Also, proceeding from the Assumption is the Coronation, which is Mary being crowned Queen of heaven and of earth. We see this in Rev 12:1, and this presumes Mary being assumed bodily into
heaven.
Because this is a gift granted to Mary by God, and therefore declared that by the Catholic Church in the form of dogma, acceptance of Mary can not be arbitrary nor extraordinary. It is appropriate that we come to Jesus the same way he came to us, and that is through Mary the Mother of God. We as Catholics do not worship Mary, we only worship and adore God. We give Mary the highest honor and veneration over all creatures ever created, because God did first! We see in 1 Kings 2:19 Bathsheba, the gebhirah, or Queen Mother’s, role in the Davidic Kingdom. She enjoyed a position superior to all other woman, was crowned and sat in a throne at the right hand of the king. (see also 1 Kgs 15:13, 2 Chr 15:16, Jer 13:18, 29:2)
Therefore, it is essential that we find a place in our hearts for Mary. We must honor her because God honored her and crowned her Queen of heaven and earth. Because of Mary we have received the Word of God made flesh. On this feast of the Assumption may we truly take Mary into our homes, and into our hearts as Christ, using his last few breaths on the cross, commanded us to do (Jn 19:26-27).
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Peter Kreeft on Dominus Iesus
Peter Kreeft on the 10th Anniversary of Cardinal Ratzinger’s Landmark Document
By Peter Kreeft
Dominus Iesus, published Aug. 6, 2000, by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is one of the most important Church documents of modern times because it concerns what is absolutely central and primary in Christianity, Christ himself, because it defends the most unpopular aspect of the Church’s claim today — its “absolutism” — and because it overcomes the dualism of “liberal” vs. “conservative” by which the media classify and evaluate everything. (I wonder how they will classify the Second Coming when they see it.)
To see these three points, all we have to do is try to classifyDominus Iesus as “liberal” or “conservative.” I put an “L” after all its main “liberal” points and a “C” after all its “conservative” points, and I ended up with 30 Ls and 38 Cs.
But the “kicker” is that it is not half and half, or halfway in between; it is so “liberal” precisely because it is so “conservative.”
To understand this, we should first try to spear those two slippery fish: the “liberal” and the “conservative.” (You can’t fry them if you don’t catch them.)
I see four essential differences, which are the roots of all the others.
First, liberals begin with subjectivity, while conservatives begin with objectivity.
Liberals prioritize personal freedom; conservatives prioritize objective truth. Liberals absolutize persons and see truth as relative to persons. Conservatives absolutize truth and see persons as relative to truth. (Both are right in what they affirm and wrong in what they deny. Both persons and truth are absolute.)
Second, in their anthropology, liberals prioritize the heart, while conservatives prioritize the mind. An attempted mutual heart and brain transplant between a conservative and a liberal failed because no one could find a conservative who would give up his heart to a liberal or a liberal who had any brains to give to a conservative.
Third, liberals emphasize the abstract universal, the cosmopolitan, the global, while conservatives emphasize the concrete particular: individuals, families, neighborhoods and nations. (Thus, the “bad liberalism” of “leftist” communism is international socialism, while the “bad conservatism” of “rightist” Nazism is national socialism.)
Fourth, most obviously, liberals love change and conservatives love permanence; liberals love the new, conservatives the old. That is a matter of temperament rather than ideological content, for anti-Establishment liberals turn into Establishment conservatives when they succeed. And truth is not told by clocks any more than time is told by syllogisms.
These four differences manifest in religion as Modernism vs. Fundamentalism, especially regarding salvation.
Continue reading >>>
Continue reading >>>
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)