Disposing of Excess Goods AWS
ASK A FRANCISCAN
❘ BY FATHER PAT McCLOSKEY, OFM
© BARSIK/FOTOSEARCH
Disposing of Excess Goods
In the sermon several weeks ago, the priest talked about the fact that if you have two coats, you have taken one from a poor person. There was no elaboration about that, other than it is difficult to give up a coat, particularly if you wear it. That statement has bothered me. I have more than one coat. Additionally, I do have some coats that belonged to my husband, who passed away several years ago. I have slowly donated some of his clothing, but I have found it very difficult to let all of his clothes go. I feel very guilty about having these coats. Do I need to donate them immediately? Is it a sin that I have not donated them already? Your priest may have been quoting or paraphrasing St. Basil the Great (329-379), who said in a sermon: “When someone steals another’s clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and 5 0 ❘ Jun e 2016
does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.” I cannot imagine that you have committed a sin by not donating all of your husband’s clothes yet. People grieve in different ways and according to different timetables. Don’t feel guilty about not having donated those clothes yet. It might help to ask yourself if you are honoring your deceased husband more by keeping his clothes or by donating them to someone who can use them—before they eventually become unusable by anyone. Each of us can ask God’s help to be more realistic about what we need and what we can give away to someone who genuinely lacks what we have in excess. St. Basil was quoting John the Baptist (Lk 3:11). Mainstream Christianity has always taught that property ownership is a relative right, not an absolute one. The goods of the earth have not been provided by God so that some people will have a great excess and others will lack the basic necessities of life. Thus, for example, I do not have a God-given right to hoard food while people nearby are starving. The fact that you were bothered by that priest’s homily may be a very good thing. The movement of God’s grace in a person’s life is rarely serene. Perhaps that priest’s homily and my response here are part of how God’s grace is moving in your life. Some people who heard St. Basil the Great preach on this subject almost certainly were bothered also. Mark Twain once observed that
nothing is as much fun as examining another person’s conscience. I don’t mean to examine yours—only to help you do that.
What Does the Term Confessor Mean? I am confused about why some saints are designated as confessors. I don’t think it means that the man was a priest and a “good confessor” (like Sts. John Vianney or Padre Pio). Is this term used to mean confessing one’s faith in Christ? Was this designation ever used for women saints? We tend to think of confess as meaning “admit to” or “seek forgiveness for”—as in confessing our sins. The Catholic Church also uses the term confess to mean “affirm”—as in “I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come” (Nicene Creed). The term confessor was once used only for men who were not apostles, martyrs, or pastors; it was never used for women saints. The term no longer appears in the General Roman Calendar to describe various saints. The term virgin was originally applied only to women, but the current Roman Missal has a Preface for “Holy Virgins and Religious” that is used for the feasts of Sts. Benedict, Francis of Assisi, Clare of Assisi, and Maria Goretti, for example. There are now two “Prefaces for Saints,” which would be appropriate, for example, for the feast of Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Classifications can change over time. The Roman Missal once had a Preface for “Virgin Martyrs” and St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
“Holy Men and Women” (presumably married people or persons single but not in religious life).
‘For Us Men’ When the powers that be changed some of the words and responses to the Mass several years ago, why did the words in the Nicene Creed “For us men and for our salvation” become exclusively male again— excluding probably 2/3 of the practicing Catholics? Lord, save us from poor liturgical translations! The Latin word homo is generic (human person); the word vir means “male person.” The current translation renders propter nos homines as “for us men” whereas it should be “for people” (or some other inclusive term). If the Creed had meant to say “for male persons,” it would not have used homines. The original language of the Nicene Creed is Greek; that text uses anthropos (generic term for a human being) and not aner (definitely a male person). What we have is a poor translation now defended and sanctified as being “more faithful to the original.” People who insist on this translation may have some explaining to do when they meet St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. Perhaps they will get extra time in purgatory to see their mistake and thus avoid arguing over this at the heavenly banquet. In some places, individuals and groups now simply say, “For us and for our salvation.”
believing that God is going to appear someday and help us to overcome our situation, after years and years of abuse and injustice, and after doing what we are supposed to do as Christians? God is God, and no one else is. Has God assigned to anyone a certain amount of pain, desolation, isolation, abuse, misery, or injustice? No. Aren’t these things the result of people abusing their God-given human freedom? Our prayers do not supply information or a sense or urgency that God lacks. Our prayers open us up more widely to God’s grace and its action within human lives. Human suffering afflicts people who believe in Jesus Christ and those who do not. The fact that some people suffer greatly does not prove that God is indifferent to suffering but only that humans all too often refuse to do what they can to alleviate that suffering. A
tal Digi as Extr For more of Father Pat’s insights on Catholic topics, log in to your digital edition at StAnthonyMessenger.org.
Father Pat welcomes your questions! Send them to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or [email protected]. All questions sent by mail need to include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. This column’s answers can be searched back to April 1996 at StAnthonyMessenger.org.
Tiimes change. Needs don n’t .
Is God Missing in Action? What do you think about the absence of God in times of crisis? I do not understand why God chooses to kill his creatures with pain, desolation, isolation, and all kinds of abuse, misery, and injustice instead of changing the circumstances. Why doesn’t God Almighty answer those prayers? Why are there more martyrs? How can we continue Fr ancisca n Media .org
Priests, brother brotherss and d lay ay co coworkers workers estab est ablishing the Cattholic Church in the U U.S. .S. missions fo or o over ver 76 year years. s.
Your Y Yo our o generosity generosity ty to t oda o ay od ay will help lp our minist ministrry r y tom t om morrow. morr o w. P.O. P .O. Box 465618, Cincinnatii, OH 45246 s 800.935.0975 s ww www ww.glenmary.org .glenmar y.org
Ju n e 2 0 1 6 ❘ 5 1
ASK A FRANCISCAN
❘ BY FATH ER PAT McC LOS KEY, O FM
‘Consumed with Guilt and Sorrow’
© HPW/FOTOSEARCH
or police car. I am, however, consumed with guilt and sorrow. It’s not like hitting a light pole; it was a person! Please help me ease my conscience. Do I need to go to confession?
I am feeling very guilty. I was driving my car and accidentally hit a man with my side mirror. I never saw him, and I don’t know if he stepped in front of me or not. The only reason I know he was hit was my side mirror flipped in, and I heard the snap. I immediately pulled over and asked the man if he was OK. He was standing there, rubbing his shoulder. The impact did not knock him to the ground. He silently nodded his head, and I gave my apologies and went on my way to catch a train to work. After sitting at the train station for a few minutes, I became increasingly upset. Had I done enough? The man was Hispanic. Perhaps he did not speak English. Was he in the country illegally and did not want any attention brought to him? I decided to miss my train and go back to where this happened. He was gone. There was no sign of any further upset, such as an ambulance 50 ❘ July 201 6
Thanks for writing. Your conscience is certainly alive and well! I don’t know that you have sin to confess. After reading my response below, you may want to continue this email conversation. I am fairly certain that, even though your actions do not constitute a sin, this incident may continue to trouble you until you take a next step. That “step” is something that most probably will not aid this particular man directly, but will instead address this situation’s larger context. What might that “something” be? Perhaps a contribution of time or another resource to the Red Cross, Catholic Social Services, a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, or some other group trying to meet the needs of very marginalized people. Your intuition that this man may not speak English could be very accurate. Another “something” might be to resolve to speak up the next time you hear someone making a negative, sweeping generalization about illegal immigrants. Of course, this man may be in this country legally, but it is never a waste of time or energy to speak up when an entire group of people is written off as “the enemy” or “the problem.” I think your conscience is asking you to take a “next step,” but it has not indicated a specific next step. That’s part of how conscience works. Any one of the things that I have suggested, or something else that you identify, may be that next step.
Your sending me a letter was one next step—but probably not the last one needed to return you to greater peace about this event. It’s good that you went back. Even so, according to your state’s law, what you did might be considered leaving the scene of an accident. Please pray for this man and then thank God that you have a conscience that does not allow you to shrug your shoulders and callously say, “That’s life.” This experience could still have a long-term, positive influence on your life if you take an effective next step.
Mortal? Venial? The Catholic Church speaks about mortal and venial sins. Protestant Churches have only sin, from the Bible. Where did Catholics come up with the concept of venial sin? The terms mortal sin and venial sin are not in the Bible, but the basis for that distinction is there. According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, “There are sins that exclude from the kingdom (Eph 5:5; Gal 5:19-21) and sins that do not exclude from it (Jas 3:2; 1 Jn 1:8; Eccl 7:21).” Mortal sins kill the life of grace in a person’s soul; venial sins wound that life of grace. Any sin can be forgiven, but clearly there is a significant moral difference between murdering someone and stealing $1 from that person. This distinction existed already at the time of Lateran Council IV (1215); it directed Catholics to confess all mortal sins of which they were conscious at least once a year, during the Easter season. The Catechism of the Catholic St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
Church teaches: “Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man [sic] by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him. Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it” (1855). “It’s only a venial sin” is neither good theology nor moral practice. Every sin means accepting something inferior instead of God and God’s ways.
Still a Leper? In Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:39, we read that Jesus was eating at the home of “Simon the leper” when Jesus was anointed with costly perfumed oil. Did Jesus heal Simon of his leprosy? If not, was Simon still a leper at the time of this incident? If so, how could he be hosting a dinner? For us, leprosy is a very specific bacteriological condition (Hansen’s disease) that can be treated but not reversed. In biblical times, leprosy meant a wide variety of skin disorders, some of which could be cured. For this reason, priests were designated as the people to declare someone now free of leprosy and thus able to rejoin the normal functions of society. Chapters 13 and 14 of Leviticus describe how anyone suffering from a leprous disease was to be treated. When Jesus cured 10 lepers (Lk 17:11-19), he told them to show themselves to the priests. “Simon the leper” may be a nickname that persisted even if that skin condition ceased. It is not clear that Jesus cured him of this disease.
Why in Greek? In the Latin Mass with which I grew up, the Kyrie was said in Greek. To the best of my knowledge that is the only time Greek was used. Why? In his classic The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development, Fr an ci s canM e di a. o rg
Father Josef Jungmann, SJ, devotes 13 pages to explaining the development of the Kyrie eleison (“Lord, have mercy”). Before the Mass was revised in 1969, this petition was prayed three times, then followed by a threefold Christe eleison (“Christ, have mercy”), and finally Kyrie eleison three more times. In fact, Christians in Rome used Greek in their liturgies until the middle of the third century. The Kyrie eleison petition began in the East and was not part of the liturgy in Rome until the fifth century. The Gallic pilgrim Etheria records its use in Jerusalem at the end of the fourth century. Although now an option in the penitential rite, the Kyrie eleison was once a response to what we now call the general intercessions. The Western Church retained the Kyrie after the Catholic/Orthodox split in AD 1054. At a few papal Masses, the Gospel is still read first in Latin and then in Greek. A
tal Digi as Extr For more of Father Pat’s insights on Catholic topics, log in to your digital edition at StAnthonyMessenger.org.
Father Pat welcomes your questions! Send them to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or [email protected]. All questions sent by mail need to include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. This column’s answers can be searched back to April 1996 at StAnthonyMessenger.org.
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St. Anthony Messenger is only $39.00 for 12 monthly issues. This price includes our digital edition: StAnthonyMessenger.org/DigitalEdition __ YES! Please begin my subscription. Ship to: Name ________________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________ City/State/Zip ___________________________________________ Payment Options (Choose one) ___ Please bill me $39.00 for 12 monthly issues. ___ Enclosed is my check or money order. ___ Charge my: __ Visa __ Mastercard Card #: __________________________ Expiration Date ______ Signature __________________________________________ Phone _____________________________ ________________ Mail to: St. Anthony Messenger, P.O. Box 189, Congers, NY 10920-0189 For fastest service, call toll-free: 866-543-6870, M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern) To order a subscription online: StAnthonyMessenger.org/subscribe July 201 6 ❘ 5 1
ASK A FRANCISCAN
❘ BY FATH ER PAT McC LOS KEY, O FM
PHOTO BY AARON BURDEN/ UNSPLASH
Is God Listening to My Prayers?
Why is God not communicating with me, hearing and answering my prayer requests? I know God answers in God’s time, not our time, but I have been praying for many years without an answer. I pray frequently, usually twice a day at least. I send donations to charities. My prayers to saints have not lifted the profound loneliness that I have felt for many years. I have been told that I have a chronic depression, anxiety, and panic disorder. Although my spirit is broken, I continue to pray. Please advise what I should do. Thanks for writing. Perhaps God is communicating with you more than you realize. Are your prayers motivated by a desire to compel God to yield on a certain matter? I suspect not. You probably think that God would agree with you that what you ask in prayer is only one way to resolve a certain situation. Perhaps God was answering some of your prayers unexpectedly when someone told you that you have a chronic depression, anxiety, and panic disorder. Are you under a doctor’s care for this? If so, are you taking the medication prescribed? I 46 ❘ De ce mbe r 201 6
would be responding recklessly if I failed to raise these questions. When I was in grade school, I used to pray for my Uncle Greg, who was no longer a practicing Catholic. I feared that he would go to hell if he did not return to the Catholic faith before he died. I eventually turned this situation over to God—not because I was indifferent to Uncle Greg’s salvation, but because I realized that only God can completely know the intricacies of an individual’s heart. Did Uncle Greg witness something that snuffed out his faith while serving as a soldier in France and Germany during World War I? I don’t know. Was there some other explanation for his apparent loss of faith? Again, I don’t know. Honest prayer opens up our hearts, as in the case of the tax collector praying at the back of the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem (Lk 18:1314). Dishonest prayer, however, can lead us deeper into illusion, as it did for the Pharisee praying in the front of the same temple (Lk 18:11-12). That Pharisee may have been telling the truth about what he did, but his prayer was a train wreck as soon as he said, “I thank you, Lord, that I am not like other people.” The Pharisee was—even if his most typical sins were different. I encourage you to accept all the human and divine help available to you. The “human” help is not possible without God’s prior assistance— even if your doctor or counselor is an atheist. You are never beyond God’s loving
and merciful reach. Prayer should remind you of that regularly.
Why a Second Judgment? I was taught in a Catholic school that when we die, each of us will stand before God and be judged immediately on all the things we have done in life. Then you go to purgatory, heaven, or hell. If so, why do we need to be judged again on the world’s last day? When and who determined that there will be a second judgment? Catechisms have spoken of the particular judgment when someone dies and the general judgment at the end of the world. They have also indicated that purgatory ceases at the general judgment; whatever purification was needed before entering heaven will have been accomplished. The outcomes of the particular and general judgment are the same. The Councils of Lyons I (1245), Lyons II (1274), and Florence (1439-43) clarified the Roman Catholic teaching about purgatory, to which Church fathers between the second and sixth century had contributed and about which later theologians had written. In a sense, this teaching is prefigured in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18, where St. Paul teaches that those still alive at the general judgment will have no advantage over those who have already died. Because this letter is the oldest New Testament writing to reach the form in which we know it today, this indicates that from the earliest days of Christianity there has been a concern about the final judgment. Except for Jesus and Mary, no one in heaven yet has a glorified body; St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
after the general judgment, everyone there will have one.
Six Precepts of the Church Why are these rarely mentioned now? Are they still expected? Is their interpretation subjective? At the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884, the US bishops established these as the obligation to: 1) participate in Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, receiving the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly; 2) provide a proper religious education for oneself and one’s children; 3) observe the marriage laws of the Church; 4) support the Church, especially one’s parish and the worldwide Church; 5) observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence; and 6) share in the missionary spirit of the local and worldwide Church. These precepts are expected of adult Catholics everywhere. Over time, the worldwide Church has also made changes. For example, as recently as 50 years ago, the Catholic Church did not give permission for a Catholic to be married by a Protestant minister in a Protestant church; today that can be done if the proper dispensation has been requested and granted by the local bishop. The required days of fasting are now only Ash Wednesday and Good Friday; those two, plus the Fridays of Lent, are days of abstinence, but even that requirement is not absolute. Supporting the Church financially is related to one’s resources. The 1983 Code of Canon Law touches on the US precepts in sections 2041-46 and 2048. These precepts are objectively stated but must be practiced according to each person’s possibilities. The six precepts of the Church identify important areas in becoming a more generous follower of Jesus Christ. No law’s observance, however, enables a Catholic—or anyone else—to argue with and prevail over St. Peter at the pearly gates. Fr an ci s canM e di a. o rg
Laws tend to state a minimum; that’s why they are usually stated negatively (avoid doing XYZ, or if you do XYZ, this is the punishment you can expect). Positively stated laws (for example, love your neighbor as yourself) are often not taken very seriously because it is not so clear when someone has completely followed such laws. Growing as a generous disciple of Jesus means cooperating with God’s grace to the best of one’s ability. That ability is not the same when someone is 65 years old as it was when that person was 5 years old. Our possibilities for good and for evil usually change significantly as we age. Disregarding all laws is a recipe for a very selfish life; constantly overemphasizing the letter of the law will lead to a very stingy life mired in a false sense of security. Jesus told several parables to illustrate these dangers. With God’s help we can grow as disciples while generously observing both positive and negative laws. A
tal Digi as Extr For more of Father Pat’s insights, log in to your digital edition at digital. StAnthonyMessenger.org.
Father Pat welcomes your questions! Send them to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or [email protected]. All questions sent by mail need to include a selfaddressed stamped envelope.
How to Subscribe to
ST.ANTHONY M essenger
St. Anthony Messenger is only $39.00 for 12 monthly issues. This price includes our digital edition: digital.StAnthonyMessenger.org. __ YES! Please begin my subscription. Ship to: Name ________________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________ City/State/Zip ___________________________________________ Payment Options (Choose one) ___ Please bill me $39.00 for 12 monthly issues. ___ Enclosed is my check or money order. ___ Charge my: __ Visa __ Mastercard Card #: __________________________ Expiration Date ______ Signature __________________________________________ Phone _____________________________ ________________ Mail to: St. Anthony Messenger, P.O. Box 189, Congers, NY 10920-0189 For fastest service, call toll-free: 866-543-6870, M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern) To order a subscription online: FranciscanMedia.org/subscribe De ce mbe r 201 6 ❘ 4 7
❘ BY FATHER PAT McCLOSKEY, OFM
© BARSIK/FOTOSEARCH
Disposing of Excess Goods
In the sermon several weeks ago, the priest talked about the fact that if you have two coats, you have taken one from a poor person. There was no elaboration about that, other than it is difficult to give up a coat, particularly if you wear it. That statement has bothered me. I have more than one coat. Additionally, I do have some coats that belonged to my husband, who passed away several years ago. I have slowly donated some of his clothing, but I have found it very difficult to let all of his clothes go. I feel very guilty about having these coats. Do I need to donate them immediately? Is it a sin that I have not donated them already? Your priest may have been quoting or paraphrasing St. Basil the Great (329-379), who said in a sermon: “When someone steals another’s clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and 5 0 ❘ Jun e 2016
does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.” I cannot imagine that you have committed a sin by not donating all of your husband’s clothes yet. People grieve in different ways and according to different timetables. Don’t feel guilty about not having donated those clothes yet. It might help to ask yourself if you are honoring your deceased husband more by keeping his clothes or by donating them to someone who can use them—before they eventually become unusable by anyone. Each of us can ask God’s help to be more realistic about what we need and what we can give away to someone who genuinely lacks what we have in excess. St. Basil was quoting John the Baptist (Lk 3:11). Mainstream Christianity has always taught that property ownership is a relative right, not an absolute one. The goods of the earth have not been provided by God so that some people will have a great excess and others will lack the basic necessities of life. Thus, for example, I do not have a God-given right to hoard food while people nearby are starving. The fact that you were bothered by that priest’s homily may be a very good thing. The movement of God’s grace in a person’s life is rarely serene. Perhaps that priest’s homily and my response here are part of how God’s grace is moving in your life. Some people who heard St. Basil the Great preach on this subject almost certainly were bothered also. Mark Twain once observed that
nothing is as much fun as examining another person’s conscience. I don’t mean to examine yours—only to help you do that.
What Does the Term Confessor Mean? I am confused about why some saints are designated as confessors. I don’t think it means that the man was a priest and a “good confessor” (like Sts. John Vianney or Padre Pio). Is this term used to mean confessing one’s faith in Christ? Was this designation ever used for women saints? We tend to think of confess as meaning “admit to” or “seek forgiveness for”—as in confessing our sins. The Catholic Church also uses the term confess to mean “affirm”—as in “I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come” (Nicene Creed). The term confessor was once used only for men who were not apostles, martyrs, or pastors; it was never used for women saints. The term no longer appears in the General Roman Calendar to describe various saints. The term virgin was originally applied only to women, but the current Roman Missal has a Preface for “Holy Virgins and Religious” that is used for the feasts of Sts. Benedict, Francis of Assisi, Clare of Assisi, and Maria Goretti, for example. There are now two “Prefaces for Saints,” which would be appropriate, for example, for the feast of Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Classifications can change over time. The Roman Missal once had a Preface for “Virgin Martyrs” and St A n t h o n y M e s s e n g e r . o rg
“Holy Men and Women” (presumably married people or persons single but not in religious life).
‘For Us Men’ When the powers that be changed some of the words and responses to the Mass several years ago, why did the words in the Nicene Creed “For us men and for our salvation” become exclusively male again— excluding probably 2/3 of the practicing Catholics? Lord, save us from poor liturgical translations! The Latin word homo is generic (human person); the word vir means “male person.” The current translation renders propter nos homines as “for us men” whereas it should be “for people” (or some other inclusive term). If the Creed had meant to say “for male persons,” it would not have used homines. The original language of the Nicene Creed is Greek; that text uses anthropos (generic term for a human being) and not aner (definitely a male person). What we have is a poor translation now defended and sanctified as being “more faithful to the original.” People who insist on this translation may have some explaining to do when they meet St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. Perhaps they will get extra time in purgatory to see their mistake and thus avoid arguing over this at the heavenly banquet. In some places, individuals and groups now simply say, “For us and for our salvation.”
believing that God is going to appear someday and help us to overcome our situation, after years and years of abuse and injustice, and after doing what we are supposed to do as Christians? God is God, and no one else is. Has God assigned to anyone a certain amount of pain, desolation, isolation, abuse, misery, or injustice? No. Aren’t these things the result of people abusing their God-given human freedom? Our prayers do not supply information or a sense or urgency that God lacks. Our prayers open us up more widely to God’s grace and its action within human lives. Human suffering afflicts people who believe in Jesus Christ and those who do not. The fact that some people suffer greatly does not prove that God is indifferent to suffering but only that humans all too often refuse to do what they can to alleviate that suffering. A
tal Digi as Extr For more of Father Pat’s insights on Catholic topics, log in to your digital edition at StAnthonyMessenger.org.
Father Pat welcomes your questions! Send them to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or [email protected]. All questions sent by mail need to include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. This column’s answers can be searched back to April 1996 at StAnthonyMessenger.org.
Tiimes change. Needs don n’t .
Is God Missing in Action? What do you think about the absence of God in times of crisis? I do not understand why God chooses to kill his creatures with pain, desolation, isolation, and all kinds of abuse, misery, and injustice instead of changing the circumstances. Why doesn’t God Almighty answer those prayers? Why are there more martyrs? How can we continue Fr ancisca n Media .org
Priests, brother brotherss and d lay ay co coworkers workers estab est ablishing the Cattholic Church in the U U.S. .S. missions fo or o over ver 76 year years. s.
Your Y Yo our o generosity generosity ty to t oda o ay od ay will help lp our minist ministrry r y tom t om morrow. morr o w. P.O. P .O. Box 465618, Cincinnatii, OH 45246 s 800.935.0975 s ww www ww.glenmary.org .glenmar y.org
Ju n e 2 0 1 6 ❘ 5 1
ASK A FRANCISCAN
❘ BY FATH ER PAT McC LOS KEY, O FM
‘Consumed with Guilt and Sorrow’
© HPW/FOTOSEARCH
or police car. I am, however, consumed with guilt and sorrow. It’s not like hitting a light pole; it was a person! Please help me ease my conscience. Do I need to go to confession?
I am feeling very guilty. I was driving my car and accidentally hit a man with my side mirror. I never saw him, and I don’t know if he stepped in front of me or not. The only reason I know he was hit was my side mirror flipped in, and I heard the snap. I immediately pulled over and asked the man if he was OK. He was standing there, rubbing his shoulder. The impact did not knock him to the ground. He silently nodded his head, and I gave my apologies and went on my way to catch a train to work. After sitting at the train station for a few minutes, I became increasingly upset. Had I done enough? The man was Hispanic. Perhaps he did not speak English. Was he in the country illegally and did not want any attention brought to him? I decided to miss my train and go back to where this happened. He was gone. There was no sign of any further upset, such as an ambulance 50 ❘ July 201 6
Thanks for writing. Your conscience is certainly alive and well! I don’t know that you have sin to confess. After reading my response below, you may want to continue this email conversation. I am fairly certain that, even though your actions do not constitute a sin, this incident may continue to trouble you until you take a next step. That “step” is something that most probably will not aid this particular man directly, but will instead address this situation’s larger context. What might that “something” be? Perhaps a contribution of time or another resource to the Red Cross, Catholic Social Services, a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, or some other group trying to meet the needs of very marginalized people. Your intuition that this man may not speak English could be very accurate. Another “something” might be to resolve to speak up the next time you hear someone making a negative, sweeping generalization about illegal immigrants. Of course, this man may be in this country legally, but it is never a waste of time or energy to speak up when an entire group of people is written off as “the enemy” or “the problem.” I think your conscience is asking you to take a “next step,” but it has not indicated a specific next step. That’s part of how conscience works. Any one of the things that I have suggested, or something else that you identify, may be that next step.
Your sending me a letter was one next step—but probably not the last one needed to return you to greater peace about this event. It’s good that you went back. Even so, according to your state’s law, what you did might be considered leaving the scene of an accident. Please pray for this man and then thank God that you have a conscience that does not allow you to shrug your shoulders and callously say, “That’s life.” This experience could still have a long-term, positive influence on your life if you take an effective next step.
Mortal? Venial? The Catholic Church speaks about mortal and venial sins. Protestant Churches have only sin, from the Bible. Where did Catholics come up with the concept of venial sin? The terms mortal sin and venial sin are not in the Bible, but the basis for that distinction is there. According to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, “There are sins that exclude from the kingdom (Eph 5:5; Gal 5:19-21) and sins that do not exclude from it (Jas 3:2; 1 Jn 1:8; Eccl 7:21).” Mortal sins kill the life of grace in a person’s soul; venial sins wound that life of grace. Any sin can be forgiven, but clearly there is a significant moral difference between murdering someone and stealing $1 from that person. This distinction existed already at the time of Lateran Council IV (1215); it directed Catholics to confess all mortal sins of which they were conscious at least once a year, during the Easter season. The Catechism of the Catholic St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
Church teaches: “Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man [sic] by a grave violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him. Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it” (1855). “It’s only a venial sin” is neither good theology nor moral practice. Every sin means accepting something inferior instead of God and God’s ways.
Still a Leper? In Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:39, we read that Jesus was eating at the home of “Simon the leper” when Jesus was anointed with costly perfumed oil. Did Jesus heal Simon of his leprosy? If not, was Simon still a leper at the time of this incident? If so, how could he be hosting a dinner? For us, leprosy is a very specific bacteriological condition (Hansen’s disease) that can be treated but not reversed. In biblical times, leprosy meant a wide variety of skin disorders, some of which could be cured. For this reason, priests were designated as the people to declare someone now free of leprosy and thus able to rejoin the normal functions of society. Chapters 13 and 14 of Leviticus describe how anyone suffering from a leprous disease was to be treated. When Jesus cured 10 lepers (Lk 17:11-19), he told them to show themselves to the priests. “Simon the leper” may be a nickname that persisted even if that skin condition ceased. It is not clear that Jesus cured him of this disease.
Why in Greek? In the Latin Mass with which I grew up, the Kyrie was said in Greek. To the best of my knowledge that is the only time Greek was used. Why? In his classic The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development, Fr an ci s canM e di a. o rg
Father Josef Jungmann, SJ, devotes 13 pages to explaining the development of the Kyrie eleison (“Lord, have mercy”). Before the Mass was revised in 1969, this petition was prayed three times, then followed by a threefold Christe eleison (“Christ, have mercy”), and finally Kyrie eleison three more times. In fact, Christians in Rome used Greek in their liturgies until the middle of the third century. The Kyrie eleison petition began in the East and was not part of the liturgy in Rome until the fifth century. The Gallic pilgrim Etheria records its use in Jerusalem at the end of the fourth century. Although now an option in the penitential rite, the Kyrie eleison was once a response to what we now call the general intercessions. The Western Church retained the Kyrie after the Catholic/Orthodox split in AD 1054. At a few papal Masses, the Gospel is still read first in Latin and then in Greek. A
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Father Pat welcomes your questions! Send them to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or [email protected]. All questions sent by mail need to include a selfaddressed stamped envelope. This column’s answers can be searched back to April 1996 at StAnthonyMessenger.org.
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Is God Listening to My Prayers?
Why is God not communicating with me, hearing and answering my prayer requests? I know God answers in God’s time, not our time, but I have been praying for many years without an answer. I pray frequently, usually twice a day at least. I send donations to charities. My prayers to saints have not lifted the profound loneliness that I have felt for many years. I have been told that I have a chronic depression, anxiety, and panic disorder. Although my spirit is broken, I continue to pray. Please advise what I should do. Thanks for writing. Perhaps God is communicating with you more than you realize. Are your prayers motivated by a desire to compel God to yield on a certain matter? I suspect not. You probably think that God would agree with you that what you ask in prayer is only one way to resolve a certain situation. Perhaps God was answering some of your prayers unexpectedly when someone told you that you have a chronic depression, anxiety, and panic disorder. Are you under a doctor’s care for this? If so, are you taking the medication prescribed? I 46 ❘ De ce mbe r 201 6
would be responding recklessly if I failed to raise these questions. When I was in grade school, I used to pray for my Uncle Greg, who was no longer a practicing Catholic. I feared that he would go to hell if he did not return to the Catholic faith before he died. I eventually turned this situation over to God—not because I was indifferent to Uncle Greg’s salvation, but because I realized that only God can completely know the intricacies of an individual’s heart. Did Uncle Greg witness something that snuffed out his faith while serving as a soldier in France and Germany during World War I? I don’t know. Was there some other explanation for his apparent loss of faith? Again, I don’t know. Honest prayer opens up our hearts, as in the case of the tax collector praying at the back of the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem (Lk 18:1314). Dishonest prayer, however, can lead us deeper into illusion, as it did for the Pharisee praying in the front of the same temple (Lk 18:11-12). That Pharisee may have been telling the truth about what he did, but his prayer was a train wreck as soon as he said, “I thank you, Lord, that I am not like other people.” The Pharisee was—even if his most typical sins were different. I encourage you to accept all the human and divine help available to you. The “human” help is not possible without God’s prior assistance— even if your doctor or counselor is an atheist. You are never beyond God’s loving
and merciful reach. Prayer should remind you of that regularly.
Why a Second Judgment? I was taught in a Catholic school that when we die, each of us will stand before God and be judged immediately on all the things we have done in life. Then you go to purgatory, heaven, or hell. If so, why do we need to be judged again on the world’s last day? When and who determined that there will be a second judgment? Catechisms have spoken of the particular judgment when someone dies and the general judgment at the end of the world. They have also indicated that purgatory ceases at the general judgment; whatever purification was needed before entering heaven will have been accomplished. The outcomes of the particular and general judgment are the same. The Councils of Lyons I (1245), Lyons II (1274), and Florence (1439-43) clarified the Roman Catholic teaching about purgatory, to which Church fathers between the second and sixth century had contributed and about which later theologians had written. In a sense, this teaching is prefigured in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18, where St. Paul teaches that those still alive at the general judgment will have no advantage over those who have already died. Because this letter is the oldest New Testament writing to reach the form in which we know it today, this indicates that from the earliest days of Christianity there has been a concern about the final judgment. Except for Jesus and Mary, no one in heaven yet has a glorified body; St An t h o n yM e s s e n g e r . o rg
after the general judgment, everyone there will have one.
Six Precepts of the Church Why are these rarely mentioned now? Are they still expected? Is their interpretation subjective? At the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore in 1884, the US bishops established these as the obligation to: 1) participate in Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, receiving the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly; 2) provide a proper religious education for oneself and one’s children; 3) observe the marriage laws of the Church; 4) support the Church, especially one’s parish and the worldwide Church; 5) observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence; and 6) share in the missionary spirit of the local and worldwide Church. These precepts are expected of adult Catholics everywhere. Over time, the worldwide Church has also made changes. For example, as recently as 50 years ago, the Catholic Church did not give permission for a Catholic to be married by a Protestant minister in a Protestant church; today that can be done if the proper dispensation has been requested and granted by the local bishop. The required days of fasting are now only Ash Wednesday and Good Friday; those two, plus the Fridays of Lent, are days of abstinence, but even that requirement is not absolute. Supporting the Church financially is related to one’s resources. The 1983 Code of Canon Law touches on the US precepts in sections 2041-46 and 2048. These precepts are objectively stated but must be practiced according to each person’s possibilities. The six precepts of the Church identify important areas in becoming a more generous follower of Jesus Christ. No law’s observance, however, enables a Catholic—or anyone else—to argue with and prevail over St. Peter at the pearly gates. Fr an ci s canM e di a. o rg
Laws tend to state a minimum; that’s why they are usually stated negatively (avoid doing XYZ, or if you do XYZ, this is the punishment you can expect). Positively stated laws (for example, love your neighbor as yourself) are often not taken very seriously because it is not so clear when someone has completely followed such laws. Growing as a generous disciple of Jesus means cooperating with God’s grace to the best of one’s ability. That ability is not the same when someone is 65 years old as it was when that person was 5 years old. Our possibilities for good and for evil usually change significantly as we age. Disregarding all laws is a recipe for a very selfish life; constantly overemphasizing the letter of the law will lead to a very stingy life mired in a false sense of security. Jesus told several parables to illustrate these dangers. With God’s help we can grow as disciples while generously observing both positive and negative laws. A
tal Digi as Extr For more of Father Pat’s insights, log in to your digital edition at digital. StAnthonyMessenger.org.
Father Pat welcomes your questions! Send them to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498, or [email protected]. All questions sent by mail need to include a selfaddressed stamped envelope.
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ST.ANTHONY M essenger
St. Anthony Messenger is only $39.00 for 12 monthly issues. This price includes our digital edition: digital.StAnthonyMessenger.org. __ YES! Please begin my subscription. Ship to: Name ________________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________ City/State/Zip ___________________________________________ Payment Options (Choose one) ___ Please bill me $39.00 for 12 monthly issues. ___ Enclosed is my check or money order. ___ Charge my: __ Visa __ Mastercard Card #: __________________________ Expiration Date ______ Signature __________________________________________ Phone _____________________________ ________________ Mail to: St. Anthony Messenger, P.O. Box 189, Congers, NY 10920-0189 For fastest service, call toll-free: 866-543-6870, M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern) To order a subscription online: FranciscanMedia.org/subscribe De ce mbe r 201 6 ❘ 4 7
