Shailene Woodley and George Clooney in "The Descendants." (CNS/Fox)
A lesson in selfless love
Love takes work — even in paradise. In “The Descendants” (Fox), George Clooney plays Matt King — a wealthy lawyer and landowner, a descendant of Christian missionaries and Hawaiian native royalty. His wife, Elizabeth, is in a coma as a result of a boating accident.
Their marriage and family were in trouble even before the accident. Matt is upset to learn that Elizabeth had been having an affair — and subsequently tries to find his wife’s lover. He is angry, but still cares for his wife and recognizes the role he may have played in her affair.
Shailene Woodley, who plays Alex, Matt’s troubled 17-year-old daughter, provides the most moving moments. She’s angry with her parents for neglecting her. The youngest daughter, the pre-teen Scottie, played by Amara Miller, begins to act out. Their parents’ selfishness is leading to the destruction of the entire family.
It is clear that, as Pope John Paul II warned, the idols of pleasure in the lives of the King family had closed their hearts off to one another. Yet through tragedy, family members look beyond their own needs and learn to love one another.
This culminates when Matt says goodbye to his wife, who is unable to respond in her comatose state. He emotionally tells her, “Goodbye my love, goodbye my friend. My pain. My joy. Goodbye.”
The King family comes to understand that while choosing love is not easy — it is ultimately more fulfilling.
In the film’s other storyline — involving Matt’s decision on selling a large inherited land trust — he chooses what will benefit his descendants. The decision is both selfless and loving — not to mention unpopular with the rest of his extended family.
The King family is back on track and caring for one another, even though it’s not always easy. Love is complicated. It requires forgiveness. But when sought, love fulfills where selfish pursuits cannot.
Media critic Rebecca Bostic is a regular contributor to The Catholic Sun. Send e-mail to letters@catholicsun.org.
St. Augustine recounts in his autobiography “Confessions” an experience he had during the singing of the Mass:
“How I wept, deeply moved by your hymns, songs, and the voices that echoed through your Church! What emotion I experienced in them! Those sounds flowed into my ears, distilling the truth in my heart. A feeling of devotion surged within me, and tears streamed down my face — tears that did me good.”
How can we explain this overwhelming and transforming experience that led one of our greatest saints to the Church? Clearly, this was much more than a man simply being moved by a well-performed song. His entire being was penetrated and transformed through music. How can this be?
The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted is the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix. He was installed as the fourth bishop of Phoenix on Dec. 20, 2003, and is the spiritual leader of the diocese’s 1.1 million Catholics.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1157) makes a direct reference to St. Augustine’s experience when it teaches that the music and song of the liturgy “participate in the purpose of the liturgical words and actions: the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful.”
The Mass itself is a song; it is meant to be sung. Recall that the Gospels only tell us of one time when Jesus sings: when he institutes the Holy Eucharist (Cf. Mt 26:30; Mk 14:26). We should not be surprised, then, that Christ sings when he institutes the sacramentum caritatis (the Sacrament of love), and that for the vast majority of the past 2,000 years, the various parts of the Mass have been sung by priests and lay faithful. In the 1960s, the Second Vatican Council strongly encouraged a rediscovery of the ancient concept of singing the Mass: “[The musical tradition of the universal Church] forms a necessary or integral part of solemn liturgy” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112). The Mass is most itself when it is sung.
This recent rediscovery of “singing the Mass” did not begin with the Second Vatican Council. Following a movement that stretches back at least to Pope Saint Pius X in 1903, Pope Pius XII wrote in 1955, “The dignity and lofty purpose of sacred music consists in the fact that its lovely melodies and splendor beautify and embellish the voices of the priest who offers Mass and of the Christian people who praise the Sovereign God” (Musicae Sacrae, #31).
In the years immediately following the Council, there arose the need to highlight and clarify the Council’s teaching regarding the importance of liturgical prayer in its native sung form. In 1967, The Sacred Congregation for Rites wrote:
“Indeed, through this form [sung liturgical prayer], prayer is expressed in a more attractive way, the mystery of the Liturgy, with its hierarchical and community nature, is more openly shown, the unity of hearts is more profoundly achieved by the union of voices, minds are more easily raised to heavenly things by the beauty of the sacred rites, and the whole celebration more clearly prefigures that heavenly Liturgy which is enacted in the holy city of Jerusalem” (Musicam Sacram, #5).
In other words, sung liturgical prayer more effectively reveals the mystery of the Liturgy as well as more easily accomplishes its heavenly purposes. In this way, sung liturgy is a revelation of Christ as well as a vehicle for profound participation in His saving work.
What is Sacred Music?
Sacred music is, in the narrowest sense, that music created to support, elevate, and better express the words and actions of the sacred liturgy. The Council praises it as music “closely connected … with the liturgical action” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112), for example, the Order of Mass (dialogues between ministers and people, the unchanging framework of the Mass), the Ordinary of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, The Creed, Sanctus and Agnus Dei), and the Proper of the Mass (the priest’s sung prayers, the Responsorial Psalm, Alleluia and Verses, the antiphons and psalms prescribed for the processions).
Sacred music is distinct from the broader category of what we may call “religious” music, that which aids and supports Christian faith but is not primarily a part of the sacred liturgy. “Religious” music includes various devotional music, such as much popular hymnody, “praise and worship” music, as well as a host of other musical forms.
The Council’s enthusiastic rediscovery and promotion of sacred music was not meant to discourage “religious” music but rather to encourage it — assuming the clear distinction and proper relationship between them. Just a few years before the Council, Pope Pius XII wrote:
“We must also hold in honor that music which is not primarily a part of the sacred liturgy, but which by its power and purpose greatly aids religion. This music is therefore rightly called religious music … As experience shows, it can exercise great and salutary force and power on the souls of the faithful, both when it is used in churches during non-liturgical services and ceremonies, or when it is used outside churches at various solemnities and celebrations” (Musicae Sacrae, #36).
Participating in the Mystery of Christ
What are the concrete attributes of sacred music? The Catechism (CCC 1157) teaches that sacred music fulfills its task according to three criteria: 1) the beauty expressive of prayer 2) the unanimous participation of the assembly at the designated moments, and 3) the solemn character of the celebration. All three criteria link sacred music intimately to the work of Christ in the liturgy and in our hearts.
The beauty expressive of prayer. As we have seen, sacred music is the Church’s liturgical prayer in sung form. When we hear sacred music, we hear prayer. We hear the liturgy itself. In the Mass, we hear that most beautiful of prayers: Christ’s prayer of self-offering to the Father. Music can express any number of things; but sacred music expresses something utterly unique: the saving and sacrificial prayer of Christ and the Church in the liturgy.
Unanimous participation. As I addressed in previous articles on the new English translation of the Mass, liturgical participation is primarily participation with and in Christ Himself, rooted by the deep interior participation of each person. Sacred music powerfully aids us in this union of the heart and mind with whatever liturgical action is taking place exteriorly. “Unanimous” means “of one mind/soul”; thus sacred music aims to unite us all to the soul of Christ in perfect love for the Father at every step of the Mass.
Solemn character. In the sacred liturgy, Christ our Lord performs the work of our redemption through sacramental signs. The liturgy then is a solemn experience, and therefore sacred music bears this character. Far from meaning cold, unfeeling, or aloof, the solemn character of sacred music refers to its earnest, intense, and festive focus on the great Mystery which it serves: Christ’s redemptive and transformative love for His Church.
In the next part of this series on singing the Mass, I will explore the rich history of sacred music in order to illuminate what the Second Vatican Council meant when it calls us to preserve and foster “the inestimable treasure” of sacred music.
San Agustín recuenta en su autobiografía “Las Confesiones” una experiencia que vivió durante el canto de la Misa:
“¡Como lloré, profundamente conmovido por sus himnos y cánticos y las voces que resonaron por su Iglesia! ¡Que emoción sentí en ellos! Esos sonidos entraron en mis oídos, destilando la verdad en mi corazón. Un sentimiento de devoción creció dentro de mí, y lágrimas por mi cara — lágrimas que me hicieron bien”.
¿Cómo podemos explicar esta experiencia abrumadora y transformadora que guió a uno de nuestros más grandes santos a la Iglesia? Claramente, esto era mucho más que un hombre simplemente movido por una canción bien realizada. Todo su ser estaba penetrado y transformado a través de la música. ¿Cómo puede ser esto?
En la Misa, Cristo canta al Padre
El Reverendísimo Thomas J. Olmsted es le obispo de la Diócesis de Phoenix. Fue instalado como el cuatro obispo de Phoenix el 20 de diciembre de 2003, y es el líder espiritual de los 1,1 millones católicos en la diócesis.
El Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica (#1157) hace una referencia directa a la experiencia de San Agustín cuando enseña que la música y el canto de la liturgia “participan en el propósito de las palabras y acciones litúrgicas: la gloria de Dios y la santificación de los fieles”.
La misma misa es una canción; esto se supone para ser cantada. Recuerde que los Evangelios sólo nos hablan de un tiempo cuando Jesús canta: cuando instituye la Santa Eucaristía (Mateo 26:30; Marcos 14:26). No nos debe sorprender, entonces, que Cristo canta cuando instituye el sacramentum caritatis (el sacramento del amor), y que por la gran mayoría de los últimos 2,000 años, las varias partes de la Misa han sido cantadas por los sacerdotes y fieles. En el decenio de 1960, el Segundo Concilio Vaticano favoreció un redescubrimiento del antiguo concepto de cantar la Misa: “[la tradición musical de la Iglesia universal] forma un parte necesaria o esencial de liturgia solemne” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112). La Misa es más si misma cuando es cantada.
Este redescubrimiento reciente de “cantar la Misa” no empezó con el Segundo Concilio Vaticano. Después de un movimiento que se remonta al menos al Papa San Pío X en 1903, el Papa Pío XII escribió en 1955, “La dignidad y propósito alto de la música sagrada consiste en el hecho que sus melodías y el esplendor encantadores embellecen las voz del sacerdote que ofrece la Misa y de las personas cristianas que alaban al Dios soberano” (Musicae Sacrae, #31).
En los años inmediatamente después del Concilio, surgió la necesidad de destacar y aclarar la enseñanza del Concilio sobre a la importancia de la oración litúrgica en su forma nativa cantada. En 1967, La Sagrada Congregación de Ritos escribió:
“De hecho, por esta forma [oración litúrgica cantada], la oración se expresa en una forma más atractiva, el misterio de la Liturgia, con su naturaleza jerárquica y de comunidad, es más mostrada abiertamente, la unidad de corazones es más profundamente lograda por la unión de voces, las mentes son más fácilmente levantadas a cosas celestiales por la belleza de los ritos sagrados, y toda la celebración más claramente prefigura claramente la liturgia celestial que es promulgada en la ciudad santa de Jerusalén” (Musicam Sacram, #5).
En otras palabras, la oración litúrgica cantada más revela efectivamente el misterio de la liturgia así como más logra fácilmente sus propósitos celestiales. De esta manera, la liturgia cantada es una revelación de Cristo así como un vehículo para la participación profunda en su acción salvífica.
¿Qué es la música sagrada?
La música sagrada es, en el sentido más estrecho, aquella música creada para apoyar, elevar, y expresar mejor las palabras y las acciones de la liturgia sagrada. El Concilio la exalta como música “estrechamente relacionada … con la acción litúrgica” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112), por ejemplo, el Orden de la Misa (diálogos entre ministros y la congregación, el marco incambiable de la Misa), el Ordinario de la Misa (Kyrie, Gloria, El Credo, Sanctus y Agnus Dei), y el Propio de la Misa (las oraciones cantadas del sacerdote, el Salmo Responsorio, Aleluya y los Versos, las antífonas y los salmos prescritos para las procesiones).
La música sagrada es distinta de la categoría más amplia de lo que podemos llamar música “religiosa”, lo que ayuda y apoya la fe cristiana pero no es principalmente una parte de la liturgia sagrada. La música “religiosa” incluye diversas prácticas de música devota, tales como el canto popular, música de “alabanza y adoración”, así como una multitud de otras formas musicales.
El redescubrimiento entusiástico del Concilio y su promoción de música sagrada no estaba destinado para desalentar música “religiosa” sino para favorecerla — asumiendo la distinción clara y la relación apropiada entre ellos. Sólo unos años antes del Concilio, Papa Pío XII escribió:
“Nosotros también debemos celebrar en honor esa música que no es principalmente una parte de la liturgia sagrada, pero que por su poder y propósito ayuda mucho a la religión. Esta música es por lo tanto correctamente llamada bien música religiosa. Como lo muestra la experiencia, que puede ejercer una gran y saludable fuerza y poder en las almas de los fieles, tanto cuando se usa en iglesias durante las ceremonias y servicios no-litúrgicos, o cuando se usa fuera de las iglesias en varias solemnidades y celebraciones” (Musicae Sacrae, #36).
Participando en el Misterio de Cristo
¿Cuales son las características concretas de la música sagrada? El Catecismo (CCC 1157) nos enseña que la música sagrada cumple su tarea según tres criterios: 1) la belleza expresiva de la oración 2) la participación unánime de la asamblea en los momentos designados, y 3) el carácter solemne de la celebración. Los tres criterios vinculan la música sagrada íntimamente al trabajo de Cristo en la liturgia y en los corazones.
La belleza expresiva de oración. Como hemos visto, música sagrada es la oración litúrgica de la Iglesia en la forma cantada. Cuando escuchamos a la música sagrada, escuchamos oración. Escuchamos la misma liturgia. En la Misa, escuchamos la más hermosa de oraciones: la oración de Cristo de oblación al Padre. La música puede expresar cualquier número de cosas; pero la música sagrada expresa algo totalmente único: la oración salvífica y expiatoria de Cristo y la Iglesia en la liturgia.
Participación unánime. Como ya comenté en artículos anteriores en la nueva traducción al inglés de la Misa, la participación litúrgica es principalmente la participación con y en el mismo Cristo, arraigado por la participación interior profunda de cada persona. La música sagrada poderosamente nos ayuda en esta unión del corazón y la mente con cualquier acción litúrgica que está tomando lugar exteriormente. “Unánime” significa “de una mente/alma”; así la música sagrada apunta a unirnos todos al alma de Cristo en el amor perfecto para el Padre en cada paso de la Misa
Carácter solemne. En la sagrada liturgia, Cristo nuestro Señor realiza el trabajo de nuestra redención por signos sacramentales. La liturgia es, entonces, una experiencia solemne, y por lo tanto la música sagrada tiene este carácter. Lejos de significar el frío, insensible, o distante, el carácter solemne de música sagrada se refiere a su enfoque ferviente, intenso, y festivo en el gran Misterio que sirve: Cristo redentor y el amor redentor y transformador de Cristo para su Iglesia.
En la próxima parte de esta serie sobre cantar la Misa, yo examinaré la historia rica de música sagrada a fin de iluminar lo que el Segundo Concilio Vaticano significó cuando nos llama a preservar y fomentar “el tesoro inestimable” de la música sagrada.
Every year I try to write at least one article about how things are getting better. And for the last three years one of those things has been the crime rate. It just keeps dropping in America. Across the board, no matter how you slice it, America is safer today than it has been in quite awhile.
Nobody can explain exactly why. But maybe it is that Americans are actually remembering our greatest asset is our fundamental respect for others.
The facts show that violent crime in the United States dropped significantly last year to the lowest rate it has seen in almost 40 years. That followed similar drops in the rate since 2008. This all happened while the country’s unemployment rate skyrocketed, while personal incomes shrunk, and during one of the worst recessions the nation has experienced since the Great Depression.
Murder was down 4.4 percent, rape fell 4.2 percent, aggravated assault was down 3.6 percent and property crimes fell 2.8 percent. The biggest surprise of all: robberies plummeted 9.5 percent, at a time when people need money more than ever.
The odds of being murdered or robbed nowadays are less than half of what they were in the early 1990s, also a time of economic recession and hardship but during which violent crime skyrocketed in the United States.
So the question is, what differentiates now from then?
Some crime experts have surmised that we are getting better at protecting ourselves with all the latest security locks and procedures, and a greater awareness that crime exists and that we need to be on the lookout for suspicious characters and behaviors.
But as long as I have been alive, people have been doing all that; it’s not like we were leaving our doors open back in the 1990s when the crime rate skyrocketed after a recession. So to claim that suddenly over the last four years people started safeguarding seems a little far-fetched.
So what could it be?
Maybe it’s morality? Contrary to popular belief, America might really be getting more moral, or at least more respectful of others.
I don’t have a great deal of proof for this except for maybe a little historical analysis.
Back in the ’90s when we had our last big surge in crime following a period of economic difficulty, President Clinton ran for office and won with one battle cry: the economy. The idea was that all our problems could be solved by the resurgence of economic prosperity. But they weren’t.
Economic prosperity did return in the mid ’90s with the dot-com explosion, the stock market surge and a whole lot of other economic indicators on the rise. But the crime rate didn’t go down.
Maybe it’s because it wasn’t accompanied by any moral component. Almost all of that growth was irresponsible. Dot-coms were starting in every corner of America and promoting themselves as the next big thing so they could raise their valuation, go public, make a gazillion dollars and then reveal they had no real product to sell or service to deliver. When the bubble burst so did the economy.
Then this whole irresponsible bubble economy was repeated with the housing rush a few years ago.
The bottom line was back then we missed the point — prosperity and capitalism cannot and should not be built on selfishness.
And maybe, just maybe, that will lead to a trend — not just of less crime, but of a higher calling in all of us.
Michael Thio (middle), the international president general of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, chats with Steve Zabilski (right), executive director, speak with an employee May 11 at the downtown location. (J.D. Long-Garcia/CATHOLIC SUN).
Charitable, education tax credits due Dec. 31
As the holiday shopping season draws to a close, shoppers might want to keep a couple more things in mind. Don’t worry; they won’t cost a thing.
The Charitable Tax Credit and Private Education Tax Credit give state taxpayers a chance to direct monies directly to local charitable organizations and local Catholic education.
Donors who itemize their deductions and send money directly to a charitable agency — like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Foundation for Senior Living or Catholic Charities Community Services — will get that same amount back on their tax return. There’s a maximum of $400 for married couples and $200 for single filers.
Taxpayers can also get back as much as $500 for single or $1,000 for married couples if they direct their money to Catholic Education Arizona.
The deadline is Dec. 31.
Catholic Charities
“We help vulnerable individuals and families access resources that many of us take for granted,” said Laura Toussaint-Newkirk of Catholic Charities Community Services.
The agency touched the lives of more than 94,000 people throughout central and northern Arizona last year. Its array of programs help clients who are living in or vulnerable to poverty access housing, education, livable wages, health benefits and positive role models.
That includes a small business owner in Cottonwood who took a finance and development class through Catholic Charities. She was able to work with the utility company to catch up on bills, repair her credit and plan for the future.
“She needed tools to cope with her financial struggles, many of which were new to her since the economy turned sour,” Toussaint-Newkirk said.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
The charitable tax credit helps St. Vincent de Paul’s array of clients — whether it’s through the medical or dental clinic, dining rooms or thrift stores.
Cindy Sanchez is in the jobs program. Mock interviews and computer access helped her secure a caregiver position and Sanchez hopes to start nursing classes to better support her two children and niece. The program also helped her secure work attire and gas cards while staff members tend to her morale.
“They were always encouraging, like my cheerleaders every time I’m down,” Sanchez said. It was a message of “God has a vision for everyone. When the time is right, it will happen.”
She doesn’t overlook other goodwill gestures either, noting laundry detergent she receives from St. Vincent de Paul. She also touted the ministry to the homeless. They can take showers, get clothes and meals — 1.2 million were served throughout the Valley last year — all without judgment, she said.
Michael, a former St. Vincent de Paul client, couldn’t agree more. He said staff and volunteers treated him like a human being and knew him by name. A staff member, after nearly a year, asked when he would stop living under a bridge and quit drugs.
With that simple motivation and a network of resources, Michael is now employed full-time, reconciled with his mother after 25 years and in school to become a science teacher.
Carmen Grado Hernandez is also well on her way to success. St. Vincent de Paul’s conferences of charity at the parish level gave some $9.5 million in direct financial aid for rent, utilities, medical care and other necessities this year. For once, her family was not on that list.
“You’re so glad when you can do it on your own,” Hernandez said. She didn’t need one of the 370,000 food boxes that volunteer Vincentians delivered either.
“I think I’d be in a world of hurt if they hadn’t stepped in,” she said.
The volunteer-based agency couldn’t step in for everyone though. Steve Zabilski, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul, said while virtually all of its ministries have seen increased demand, the local conferences felt it the most.
“Some are so overwhelmed with the numbers of individuals and families who are seeking assistance, that it is simply impossible for our volunteer Vincentians to respond to all the requests they receive,” Zabilski said. “We do our very best, but the need has never been greater than it is right now.”
Foundation for Senior Living
Guy Mikkelsen, executive director of the Foundation for Senior Living, agreed. This marks his 44th year in social work and, by far, the toughest.
It’s the perfect storm of factors, including social trends, budget reductions at the state level and impasses at the federal level. The Foundation for Senior Living eliminated 15 positions last year and continued a salary freeze to help make ends meet.
The foundation’s work in real estate development and other diverse revenue sources sustained the organization, which builds affordable senior housing and is heavily involved in home weatherization.
It also renovates multi-family apartment facilities, including one in Prescott that serves families at or below 50 percent of local income. Seniors remain the agency’s focus though.
Roughly half of seniors need help with daily activities, like eating dressing or bathing. The foundation served 29,000 people last year, a population slightly smaller than the town of Queen Creek.
Its services span much of the state, whether it’s home health care, affordable housing, adult day heath services — including a new program in Scottsdale — home improvement or caregiver training.
Catholic Education Arizona
Thanks to the 13,000 individual donors and 32 corporations who took advantage of the private education tax credit last year, 5,000 students across the diocese received a total of $12.5 million in tuition assistance from Catholic Education Arizona.
That included Carmen Grado Hernandez’s children, who transferred to the Catholic school system because they tested above grade average and needed a greater academic challenge. Her son graduated from St. Matthew last year and her daughter, with some scholarship help from Catholic Education Arizona, is in the sixth grade.
Hernandez clearly sees a difference in their education and demeanor. She doesn’t have to push them to do homework like she did with her older children. They’re self-motivated, more respectful and have developed their morals.
“They’re the ones that teach me to understand the Bible,” Hernandez said.
Catholic school graduates are more likely to carry on the faith in their families and in local ministries, according to Paul Mulligan, executive director of Catholic Education Arizona.
“By redirecting tax dollars to help students attend our Catholic schools, donors are paving the way for a child to not just thrive academically, or develop athletically, but to grow spiritually — ultimately, to serve society and transform culture,” Mulligan said. “Catholic schools are uniquely able to develop the whole person.”
They also save the state up to $50 million in public education costs.
The private education tax credit is capped at $1,000 for married couples and $500 for single filers. When combined with the charitable tax credit, that’s a possible total gift — which comes back in full to the donor — of $700 for single filers and $1,400 for married couples.
The agencies cherish smaller amounts just the same. Like what Sanchez said when she got laundry detergent from St. Vincent de Paul, “that little bit helps a lot.”
The first-ever national awareness campaign inviting Catholics to return to the faith launches Dec. 16 in 10,000 cities across the United States. The prime-time, network television campaign hopes to inspire 1 million Catholics to rejoin their parishes.
The 30-second spot produced by Virtue Media, Inc. was filmed largely in the Diocese of Phoenix but also includes scenes from Rome and around the world. Tom Peterson, president and founder of Virtue Media and Catholics Come Home, Inc., said he and his team, along with thousands of donors, have been praying for a nationwide campaign to take place for years.
“There’s great joy in bringing this message to all 200 dioceses, all the many thousands of parishes and 250 million viewers who will soon see the good news about the history, beauty, spirituality and accomplishments of the Catholic Church that Jesus Himself founded 2,000 years ago,” Peterson said.
Ryan Hanning, coordinator of adult evangelization for the Diocese of Phoenix, first began working with Peterson in 2007 and helped develop the catechetical content of the program. He also worked with parishes in their outreach to fallen-away Catholics.
The 2008 Catholics Come Home Campaign was a “huge success,” Hanning said. Since then, the campaign has run in 30 other dioceses across the country, encouraging 300,000 Catholics to return to the Church. Mass attendance increases 10 percent in areas where the spots have run.
Hanning pointed to statistics from the Pew Forum for Religious and Public Life, 2008, that indicate most people who leave the Catholic Church simply drift away.
“It’s very important to note that 90 percent of Catholics who have left the faith — that’s 29 million inactive Catholics in the United States — have left for non-doctrinal reasons,” Hanning said. “Most of them aren’t angry with the faith. They haven’t left over any particular teaching of the faith — they simply don’t know the faith and haven’t had an opportunity to fall back in love with Christ or experience Christ’s love in the Church.”
Those who have fallen away, Hanning said, “are just waiting to be invited back, yet most active Catholics are afraid of sharing the faith because they have the impression most people have left for good reasons.
“But that’s just simply not the case,” Hanning said. “The vast majority of them have left the faith because they’ve been caught up in a culture that doesn’t respect the role of religion.” The Catholics Come Home campaign not only invites people to return to the Church, it also motivates active Catholics to share the faith.
The Catholics Come Home spots, which will air more than 400 times during a three-week period, will be shown on a broad range of stations during popular programming such as 60 Minutes, Jay Leno, The O’Reilly Factor, major sports and highly rated sitcoms.
“Paul VI said the Church exists to evangelize,” Hanning said. “This commercial campaign is just one way in which we’re able to do that very effectively.”
Viewers from the Diocese of Phoenix may recognize local scenes in the commercial such as Immaculate Heart Parish, St. Mary’s Basilica, St. Francis Xavier Parish, the All Saints Catholic Newman Center, Papago Park and the Phoenix Zoo. Fr. Fred Adamson, vicar general and moderator of the Curia, along with local deacons and members of a youth group, are also featured.
Peterson said the campaign is spreading to other countries such as Australia and Mexico. When the spot first aired in the Archdiocese of Chicago, he said, the impact was felt as far away as Poland.
“Millions of viewers in Poland saw our broadcasts from the Polish channels that were airing in Chicago but that also went worldwide,” Peterson said. “So you can see what started as a prayerful effort of the New Evangelization in the Diocese of Phoenix is going nationwide and has already, to a certain extent, started penetrating the world.”
The spots were also filmed in Spanish and will be aired on Univision. Fr. John Muir, assistant director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Phoenix and assistant director at ASU’s Newman Center, appears in the Spanish version.
“It’s an amazing partnership between Phoenix and Catholics Come Home,” Hanning said. “We’re so honored to have been a part of it and participate in it.”
Editor’s note: This is an ongoing series of articles exploring the new English-language translation of the Roman Missal, which the Church will begin using Nov. 27. This article orginally appeared in the September 2011 edition of Columbia.
When we begin to use the new English translation of the Mass in Advent of this year, we shall notice a few changes in the wording of the prayer that we call the Nicene Creed. These changes are not many but they are significant.
For example, the first word will not be “we” but “I.” “I believe in one God…” And throughout the Creed, wherever previously we have said “we believe” or “we confess” or “we look forward,” we shall say “I…” Why the change? First of all, it is a more accurate translation of the Latin text: the Latin word “credo” which literally means “I believe.” While it is true that, at Mass, we profess the creed together with other believers, and thus the former translation is not heretical, the singular pronoun emphasizes a key aspect of faith, namely that it is a deeply personal decision in response to a wondrous gift from God. No one else can make this decision for us. Each person chooses whether or not he will entrust himself to God. As Josef Pieper says, “Belief can never be half-hearted.” Faith rests on an act of the will. Throughout the Creed, then, the word “I” will be used in place of “we” to express this profoundly personal decision of each one present at Mass.
At the same time, at Mass God mysteriously raises each person’s freely offered “I believe” into the “I” of Jesus Christ. At this moment I discover my own “I” is not alone and forgotten among a scattered and wandering sea of individuals, but rather in union with the living Body of Christ, the Church, which forms the one new “I” of faith in the Body of the Risen Jesus.
Another word that will stand out in the new translation of the Creed is “consubstantial” in place of “one in being.” Both translations point towards the same reality that the Church defended and defined nearly 1700 years ago. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains (#465), “The first ecumenical council of Nicaea in 325 confessed in its Creed that the Son of God is ‘begotten, not made, of the same substance (homoousios in Greek) as the Father’.” The new translation reflects the desire of the Church to point to the precise meaning of her doctrine regarding the Son: that He is a divine person with the exact same divine nature (or substance) as God. It more clearly links us, theologically and linguistically, with the Creed as professed in Latin and Greek for seventeen centuries.
A third change that you will notice is linked to the role of Mary in the life of Christ. Instead of saying that Jesus “was born” of the Virgin Mary, we will now say that He “was incarnate” of her. At first glance, it may seem that the Church is just asking you to use an archaic word in place of a familiar one. But what is at stake here is much more consequential than that. Jesus was not just “born of the Virgin Mary,” He “was born of the Father before all ages.” He is the only Begotten Son of God; and at the moment of Mary’s “Fiat” in response to the Angel Gabriel, He took on human flesh through her free cooperation; that is, he became incarnate, quite independent of the moment He was born. As the Catechism explains (#461), “…the Church calls ‘Incarnation’ the fact that the Son of God assumed a human nature in order to accomplish our salvation in it.” The Catechism goes on to teach (#463), “Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith.”
Another change that you will notice is the replacement of the phrase “suffered, died and was buried,” with “suffered death and was buried.” The change in emphasis here is subtle but important. Recall the words of St. Peter (I Pet 2:21), “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His footsteps.” The greatest suffering for human beings is death. In becoming incarnate, Jesus entered into the depths of all human experience, even death itself. By suffering death on the Cross and rising again in glory, He conquered death and restored life. He also conquered the devil “who has the power of death (Heb 2:14).” In addition, He opened the way for all to eternal life.
Faith in God is a pearl of great price, a precious treasure for which it is worth sacrificing all else to obtain. When we profess our divine faith together, as we do in reciting the Creed, we express what unites us as one. The few but significant changes of the new English translation will help us to do this with greater meaning and gratitude.
Preserving authenticity in celebrations of the Sacred Liturgy has been a prominent concern of Pope Benedict XVI (formerly known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) for more than 25 years. He has observed that some efforts to implement the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy were poorly conceived and produced results contrary to what the Council had proposed. Where these things occurred, the authentic nature of the liturgy was obscured, and the vitality of the Church’s life and mission was weakened. The first threat to liturgical authenticity was posed by overemphasis on human creativity and too little emphasis on the saving activity of God in Jesus Christ.
What Vatican II wanted
In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, the Council called for (#14) “full, conscious and active (actuosa in Latin) participation” by all members of the Church. This was to be facilitated by greater use of the vernacular and by pastoral efforts to teach and to promote the true nature of the Sacred Liturgy. Furthermore, a clear distinction is needed, it said, between unchangeable elements and those which can and should change. Here are the words of the Constitution (#21), “For the liturgy is made up of unchangeable elements divinely instituted, and of elements subject to change. These latter not only may be changed but ought to be changed with the passage of time, if they have suffered from the intrusion of anything out of harmony with the inner nature of the liturgy or have become less suitable.”
To preserve the authenticity of the Liturgy, then, there needs to be both change and continuity, but always in accord with the ‘inner nature of the liturgy.’ The problem that arose after Vatican II was that changes were introduced sometimes by those who did not have the expertise or lacked the authority to make such changes. This is why the Council gave clear instruction on this point (#22), “Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See, and, as laws may determine, on the bishop…Therefore no other person, not even a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.”
The heart of authenticity
The authenticity that the Church desires in the Sacred Liturgy reaches deeper than the liturgical texts themselves. It is rooted in the very mystery of the Lord Jesus. In fact, Christian worship finds its beginning in the death and Resurrection of Christ. We cannot begin to understand it without reference to our Redeemer.
Cardinal Ratzinger wrote in Spirit of the Liturgy (p. 43) that “the question of what true worship of God is” can only be answered by “knowing who Jesus is.” The zeal of Jesus for authentic liturgy is manifested in the zeal that He showed in cleansing the Temple. That action was more than a stern stand against abuses in sacred places; it was a prophetic act. As Ratzinger wrote (Idem, p. 44), “This is a prophecy of the Cross: He shows that the destruction of his earthly body will be at the same time the end of the Temple. With His Resurrection the new Temple will begin: the living body of Jesus Christ, which will now stand in the sight of God and be the place of all worship.”
The real worship that is fully pleasing to God is the worship that Jesus offered to the Father at the Last Supper and on the Cross. This worship continues today; and we are caught up in this authentic liturgy every time that we celebrate the eucharistic Sacrifice.
The fruits of authentic liturgy
We can easily understand why the Church takes such great care to foster, to reform and to protect the Sacred Liturgy. The first sentence of the Instruction Liturgiam Authenticam states: “The Second Vatican Council strongly desired to preserve with care the authentic Liturgy, which flows forth from the Church’s living and most ancient spiritual tradition, and to adapt it with pastoral wisdom to the genius of the various peoples so that the faithful might find in their full, conscious, and active participation in the sacred actions — especially the celebration of the Sacraments — an abundant source of graces and a means for their own continual formation in the Christian mystery.”
When the Sacred Liturgy is authentically fostered and celebrated, then the fruits are evident. What fruits did the Second Vatican Council foresee in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy? Three stand out:
First, we, the clergy and lay faithful, encounter God in the most profound way possible on earth. We become one with Christ in His zeal for offering fitting worship to the Father through the Holy Spirit. As the Council taught (#7), “Christ, indeed, always associates the Church with Himself in this great work in which God is perfectly glorified and men are sanctified. The Church is His beloved Bride who calls to her Lord, and through Him offers worship to the eternal Father.”
Second, we enter ever more deeply into the redeeming action of Christ. “For it is the Liturgy through which, especially the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, the work of our Redemption is accomplished… The liturgy daily builds up those who are in the Church, making of them a holy temple of the Lord, a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.” (Ibid, #2)”
Third, we are equipped and inspired to evangelize, that is, to bear witness in love and truth to Christ and His Gospel. An ancient Latin saying captures this succinctly: Lex orandi, les credendi, lex vivendi — the way we pray deeply forms what we believe and how we live. If we want to live authentically our vocation and mission in Christ, then we need to have authentic liturgy.
The sexual abuse of children and young people constitutes an unthinkable crime. This gravely sinful action destroys lives and injures families and communities. It violates the most precious members of our Church while instilling fear, insecurity and distrust. For this to have occurred within the Catholic Church represents an unparalleled evil.
In response to the crisis of sexual abuse of minors by clergy, dioceses throughout the United States adopted what is known as the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” Established in June 2002, this historic document mandates accountability, transparency, prevention, education and healing. It requires that Church personnel report all instances of wrongdoing against a minor to the civil authorities, and demands a zero-tolerance policy for any cleric with a credible accusation of sexual abuse of a minor.
Since the early 1990s, much good work has been accomplished in the Diocese of Phoenix to eradicate this crime against our children and youth. Phoenix was one of the first dioceses in the country to implement a sexual abuse policy that provided a system of prevention and education, and it was written largely by lay people. It was revised in 1995, 1998 and 2003, and is scheduled for annual review in order to ensure continued effectiveness.
At their annual summer meeting in Seattle this week, the U.S. bishops will discuss revisions that further strengthen the 2002 charter.
According to Catholic News Service, the changes to the charter involve bringing it into line with recent Vatican documents, which specify that child pornography violates Church law and “holding that abuse of someone who habitually lacks reason, for example, someone with [intellectual disabilities], is equivalent to child abuse.”
The Diocese of Phoenix is committed to the charter and its pledge to heal and to protect. Since the implementation of the charter nine years ago, the Church has made remarkable strides in providing safe environments for our young people. In this diocese more than 52,000 adults have received Safe Environment Training since mid-2006. In addition, more than 34,000 adults and nearly 37,000 minors continue to receive this annual training in all our parishes, schools and institutions. All clergy, religious, seminarians, diocesan employees and volunteers are required to be trained in the diocese’s “Policy and Procedures for the Protection of Minors.”
In an ongoing effort to bring about healing and reconciliation, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted meets with victims, to offer pastoral support and prayer. Additionally, each year the diocese’s Office of Child and Youth Protection sponsors a special Mass of Healing and Reconciliation for all victims of abuse, their families and friends, and the community.
Ten years ago, the Church in America was engulfed in a devastating scandal as sins of decades gone by and the mishandling of abuse allegations became national headlines. Today, we’re still feeling that effect — and rightfully so. There remains much healing to be accomplished. We must continue to bolster our efforts in protecting our children. And we must continue to provide education and training for all members of the Church.
As we approach the 10th anniversary of this landmark charter, the Diocese of Phoenix plans to publish a thorough report highlighting its efforts in training, prevention and outreach. While the Church has worked hard to protect and heal, it must remain vigilant in its efforts to create safe environments and to be a shining model for other public and private organizations.
Betty McGinnis and her son, Joaquin, pose for a photo. (J.D. Long-Garcia/CATHOLIC SUN)
His fist came crashing through the door. Ten-year-old Joaquin had just spent forever brushing the dog at the behest of his mother’s boyfriend who was watching him for the day.
After what seemed like hours of brushing, it wasn’t good enough. But Joaquin was through with the charade. He marched into his room, slamming the door behind him. The boyfriend raged.
Joaquin yelled back when the boyfriend yelled through the door. That’s when Joaquin found himself looking up at the fist. Joaquin looked around his room and spotted a baseball bat. He used it.
The incident seven years ago started a domino effect. Child Protective Services showed up at Joaquin’s school and took him away from his mother.
“She would sleep around and drink a whole bottle of vodka everyday,” Joaquin said plainly. He was placed in a foster care home for a couple years.
His mother got herself sorted out for a bit, so he went back to her. Six months later, though, she was drinking again.
Joaquin went back into foster care. He was placed with one family, and then another. But it wasn’t working out.
Then he met Betty McGinnis, a northern Arizona Catholic. McGinnis had signed up to be a foster parent through Catholic Charities, expecting to adopt.
“I told him that when he felt that it was right he should let me know so that we could begin the adoption process,” she said. McGinnis told him that pretty much right from the start.
A month later, Joaquin was ready. Just like that.
“It just felt right,” he said. “I don’t know how to explain it.”
Today, there are around 10,000 foster children in Arizona, thousands of whom are teenagers like Joaquin. More than 800 teens live in group homes.
“We never have enough homes for teens,” said Jennifer Devore, who works with Catholic Charities’ foster care program in Cottonwood. She estimated more than 75 percent of parents interested in adoption want children 0-5 years of age.
“Teens have a bad rap, and some of them deserve it,” Devore said. “You’re going to make dumb choices; it’s a teenage thing.”
Foster teens need a stable adult in their lives. Many come from homes where substance abuse, particularly crystal meth, is prevalent.
“If they have the right person investing in their lives, they can make a change,” Devore said. “It’s not always easy, and they may never say ‘Thank you,’ but they still need that person.”
McGinnis is that person for Joaquin. He tested her love, though, and continues to test her. He’d been placed four times before meeting McGinnis, so he wasn’t quick to settle down and hang his heart on his sleeve.
“He’s been in foster care since he was 10, so he’s gone through seven years of not knowing if [his home] is for real,” McGinnis explained. Having three years of stablility with her doesn’t erase the instability he grew up with, she said.
‘Forever family’
What makes it work for McGinnis and Joaquin is this stability and McGinnis’ undying commitment to her son.
“I’m mostly happy now that I’m with my mom,” Joaquin said. “Even though she can be a pain at times, making me do my school work, which I don’t really care about. She cares because that’s what’s going to get me somewhere in the future.”
The consistency of the relationship led Joaquin to trust McGinnis; that, and her kindness and love.
“Be kind to the kid,” Joaquin advised potential foster parents. “Don’t be abusive. If you get angry, just don’t, like, get overly angry. And if you do, don’t touch the kid.”
He took a moment and thought.
“Always make sure your kid’s homework is done,” Joaquin added.
“Oh I’m going to have fun tonight!” McGinnis chuckled. “That will be in print. That’s in black and white.”
Joaquin has come a long way from hiding in his closet after hitting the boyfriend’s fist with a baseball bat. Recently, when he knew he’d crossed a line in his behavior, he confessed it to McGinnis. Like any good mother, McGinnis put certain disciplines into place to break her son’s bad habit.
She lives with uncertainty. McGinnis wants to be a part of Joaquin’s life forever, but she’s unsure how he’ll act after he turns 18. He’s spent most of his life without her and it can leave her feeling like an outsider.
“You don’t know if those seeds are going to take hold or if what he’s known growing up will be a part of his future,” McGinnis said, referring to substance abuse. “Those unknowns are hard, especially as an adopted parent. You want what’s best for your kid and you’re never really sure.”
Despite the uncertainty of the future, McGinnis proves, time and again, that she will be there for Joaquin no matter what.
“There’s been so much inconsistency in his life and it’s not his fault,” she said. “It’s part of the system. [Foster children] will test it to make sure this is going to be that stable home. Even after three years, [Joaquin] is still testing it.”
McGinnis is from a large family. Joaquin was instantly welcomed into it as the 20th grandchild — a “full indoctrination” into the McGinnis clan. She finds herself — in good and bad situations — telling Joaquin, “This is how a family does things.”
