Questions of Faith : October 2013

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Benedictine Values

Saturday, October 12, 2013

What? Pope Francis and an atheist?

Just yesterday Pope Francis added yet another startling act to his list of seemingly astonishing motions as pope. This time he met up with Martin Schulz, a European Parliament President and atheist. Their meeting lasted about 30 minutes and Schulz even invited the pope to address the Parliament later.

This meeting is important because it shows how "universal" Pope Francis is. His message is really not just for the whole church, but all of humanity. This is seen in this incredible witness he gives by approaching this man in a friendly gesture.

The two men, Pope Francis and atheist Schulz, discussed some of the social problems facing Europe, poverty and unemployment being several.

But what is perhaps most surprising is the amiable mood of the whole affair. An article from the National Catholic Register sums this up quite well:

"But what is most interesting about this visit - though it is hard to gauge without a Vatican communique - is the change of mood, and the fact that an atheist head of the European Parliament was so willing to visit the Pope. One informed source speaking on condition of anonymity told the Register there has so far been "absolutely no backlash" against Schulz for the meeting."

"Absolutely no backlash" means that no one has spoken out criticizing Schulz for meeting up with the Pope. This happened before to previous presidents after meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.

At the end of the article, which can be read fully here, the author commented on how Schulz respects the pope:

"But on a personal level, Schulz clearly respects Pope Francis and, as an additional sign of his openness to dialogue with the Church, he brought his local parish priest with him as part of his delegation."

So let us today be thankful for having such an outgoing, peace loving and welcoming shepherd of the Catholic Church!

Friday, October 11, 2013

Why Believe in the Assumption of Mary?

With Pope Francis’ upcoming consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary this Sunday, October 13^th, the topic of the Mother of God is more relevant than ever. Catholics and non-Catholics alike have many questions about Mary, one being her assumption into heaven. How is this possible that someone could be assumed body and soul into heaven?

First, it is important to clarify that Mary was assumed, not ascended, into heaven. Jesus ascended by His own power, while Mary was taken into heaven by God. In scripture, only Elijah and Enoch are mentioned being carried off into heaven, but Mary’s Assumption is never mentioned. Some claim that if the Bible does not say it happened, then it never happened. Yes, the Bible is silent when it comes to the deaths of many holy people, such as the Apostles and St. Paul. Yet oral tradition tells how St. Peter was crucified upside down, and how St. Paul was beheaded. We know where the bones of Peter and Paul are because early Christians took care of them. Oral tradition also teaches that Mary was taken up into heaven, body and soul so it would seem logical that the early Christians would have also kept the bones of the Mother of God. However, we have no record of them anywhere in history.

It says in the Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church,

“Mary is the Mother of God. She was united with Jesus on earth as no other human being was or could be- in an intimacy that does not cease in heaven. Mary is the Queen of Heaven, and in her motherhood she is quite close to us.”

Mary committed herself, body and soul, to a divine and dangerous task when she said yes to becoming the mother of God. Because of this, she was taken up body and soul into heaven. The Church teaches that anyone who lives and believes as Mary did will get to heaven. But how do we know Mary is in heaven? If the woman God chose to be the mother of His Son and bring Him into the world is not in heaven, then the rest of us have absolutely no chance of getting to heaven. The Papal encyclical Lumen Gentium (68) explains that Mary’s assumption and heavenly presence preceed and foreshadow our own future glory. (1 Corinthians 15)

Mary is the Mother of God as well as our own mother. Through her, we can grow in a much deeper relationship with her Son than we ever could on our own. As Romoano Guardini wrote regarding the Assumption of Mary,

“This mystery is given to us so that…a divine light might be shed on our death.”

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Is the U.S. Military Targeting Christians?

In the wake of the recent government shutdown, many areas of civilian life have been affected. People are unable to visit national parks, receive survivor benefits for fallen military family members, and they also could have trouble getting their passports. Now, there are problems within the military as well.
The U.S. Military has furloughed as many as 50 Catholic chaplains due to the shutdown (Click here to read the full article on FoxNews.com). Currently, the government does not allow priests to perform Masses, even as volunteers, on base. "They risk being arrested if they attempt to do so," said John Schlageter, general counsel for the Archdiocese for the Military Services. Cybercast News Service (CNS) has confirmed this ban.

Questions abound as to why certain government services are considered necessary and others are not. The military's football teams played this weekend, but their church services were not performed. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League said, "It's a sad contrast when we can let a football game go on but we won't let a priest go on base and celebrate Mass."

The shutdown has delayed many of the regular services that the chaplains provide. "There is no doubt that furloughing of personnel hired or contracted to perform the duties of military chaplains is having an effect," Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) said. "Just in this region, church services, baptisms, weddings have been curtailed."

Chaplains are part of the 800,000 federal employees staying home because of the shutdown. Under the law, federal employees cannot work while the government is not operational. This law is intended to protect employed persons from being forced to work for no pay.

Republicans offered a proposal on Thursday afternoon for raising the debt ceiling but President Obama "didn't say yes, didn't say no," said Representative Paul Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin and chairman of the House Budget Committee. "We agreed to continue talking and continue negotiating." Republicans are "back to the drawing board," but even if Congress does end up raising the debt ceiling, the 17 percent of government that is shut down will still not be open. There is no end in sight for the partial government shutdown which raises questions about what will be done to let the chaplains carry out their duties.

A glimmer of hope though, came on Saturday, October 5, with a House resolution (H.R.3223) which should allow chaplains to give prayer services on a volunteer basis.

Click here for Thursday's White House Press Briefing: