Pope Francis on Palm Sunday: "A Christian Can Never be Sad"

In his homily for Palm Sunday today, Pope Francis reminded us:

"Do not be men and women of sadness. A Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus."

This is a message much needed in a world where, for many people, happiness is measured by how many possessions they have - or do not have. That message, promoted constantly by the media, has become so much a part of the culture that some people who do not have much struggle to fill their lives with "stuff" instead of what they really need. It is a symptom of the pervasive consumerism that has taken over our culture, telling us that happiness is rooted in how much we have. Pope Francis, who has captured the world with his obvious joy and commitment to the way of the Gospel, while spurning the trappings and material perks of the papacy, is certainly a man who understands that true happiness comes from something deeper - walking with Jesus Christ and imitating his example by being counter-cultural.

His message certainly hits home for many of us - and today, as we accompany Jesus to the Cross, we might do well to reflect on the connection between submitting to God's will and our own priorities, especially if those priorities include the accumulation of  inanimate objects. 

A dear friend of mine used to remind me when I said that I loved something that you should "like" things, not "love" them. Love, he insisted, should be a feeling reserved for other people - and God - but never things. Pope Francis would say that in that lies happiness - in understanding that when we encounter Christ, we are in relationship with the one who suffered and laid down his life at the will of the Father to show us that evil can be overcome. The great evil of the Cross was transformed, at the Resurrection, into the joy of everlasting life.

That is what Pope Francis means when he says "A Christian can never be sad." Today, as you reflect on what Jesus did for us on the Cross, consider trading your sorrows - for the joy of the Lord.

Living the Gospel: Pope Francis Blesses a Disabled Man in the Crowd

I cried when I saw this today:

On his way to the Inaugural Mass, Pope Francis was directed by his entourage to the edge of the crowd, where a disabled man was being held up by his friends in hopes of receiving a papal blessing.

Just like the friends in Mark 2:1-12, who lowered the disabled man through the roof of the house in which Jesus was speaking, these people carried their friend through the crowd of thousands,  in hopes of this very encounter.  In the midst of the papal pomp, a beautiful encounter of faith and love.

May Pope Francis continue to find opportunities for the love, responsibility and service he preached today in his homily: "We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!"  This encounter, above all, was one of great tenderness.

Pope Francis: What's in a Name? 3 Priorities for the Church

In this touching video, Pope Francis explains to journalists the reasons he chose the name "Francis" for his papacy.  It is clear to me this was a Spirit-led moment in which he responded to what he felt were several of the most-pressing needs in our modern world.  Expressing his longing that the Church become poor and for the poor, he described the charism of Francis:  "the man of peace, the man of the poor, the man who loves and guards creation."

What happened in those few minutes he describes as the final conclave votes were counted was that the Pope's heart was moved by the suggestion of a friend to choose a name that represents exactly what the world needs most right now: peace, solidarity with the poor, and care for the environment.

This is not some retro-hippie flower-child leftist vision, but, in the end, is the agenda of Catholic social teaching. It represents not only the spirituality of Saint Francis, but the very teachings of God himself.

The vision of the reign of God from Old Testament times forward has included peace. Isaiah prophesies: "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)  Jesus reinforced this when he came not as a mighty warrior to defeat the Romans, but instead called for peace, not a sword - and reminded us in the Beatitudes that "the peacemakers" are blessed. Pope Francis mentions that his thought-process included thinking about war (as something very present in the world, no doubt.)  For more on Catholic social teaching about peace and non-violence, see this excellent summary from the Archdiocese of Chicago or the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2302-2317 on "Safeguarding Peace"

 From the Old Testament on, Scripture calls for attention to the poor, with numerous references in the Law as to how they are to be treated (Exodus 22-23, Leviticus and Deuteronomy) and Jesus preferred to associate himself with them rather than with men of wealth. Catholic social teaching has always emphasized standing with the poor. (See the USCCB document on solidarity with the poor  and the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2443-2449 on "Love for the Poor" for more background.) This becomes even more important in a consumer society where some are left out, as our new Pope has already demonstrated by his own actions and frequent mention of the poor.

And, of course, in the beginning, God created the earth and said it was "good", then gave humankind the earth as a gift - with responsibilities attached. The "land" is frequently referred to in scripture as our "inheritance" - a gift we hold in stewardship for future generations. The Catechism of the Catholic Church connects this imperative to the very theology of creation:

Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection. For each one of the works of the "six days" it is said: "And God saw that it was good." By the very nature of creation, material being is endowed with its own stability, truth and excellence, its own order and laws. Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and goodness. Man must therefore respect the particular goodness of every creature, to avoid any disordered use of things which would be in contempt of the Creator and would bring disastrous consequences for human beings and their environment. (339)

and even more pointedly, this:

The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity. (2415)

Pope Francis will not be the first to preach the message of peace and respect for creation.  Pope John Paul II's 1990 World Day of Peace statement, "Peace with God the Creator, Peace with All of Creation" noted that the ecological crisis is a moral crisis.

These then, are the apparent priorities of the man who has just stepped into the papal office at the call of the Holy Spirit to serve the Church in this time.  He has discerned the world and heard its pain. He dedicates himself with a father's love to help people of faith work together to do what they can to transform that pain into promise. Long may he serve!

Holy Week and Triduum on The Liturgical Catechist

I have been working hard, and voila! You may now find resources and videos for catechesis on Holy Week and the Easter Triduum on this blog's companion site, The Liturgical Catechist.  Check it out for resources about Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. There is a wealth of great stuff, including videos from noted liturgical experts and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

Please use these to help catechists, students and adults understand the significance and "flow" of these liturgies, which are the pinnacle of the Church Year. I hope you find the site is becoming increasingly useful. Feedback is good, too. Let me know how you use what you find there.

Making Class More Like Mass: Beyond the Catechist's Toolbox

Catechists sometimes wonder why students often seem disinterested, disinclined to participate in class, despite efforts to make class engaging. Joe Paprocki has stepped up to challenge that paradigm with a great new book: Beyond the Catechist's Toolbox: Catechesis That Not Only Informs But Transforms (Loyola Press)

Paprocki hits the nail on the head when he says the problem is not with the message we are delivering in catechesis, nor in ourselves, but "with our method of delivery, which for many learners, feels just like another class period in a long school day."  The problem, he points out, is that too often, we are merely "reading the textbook" - using it as the only (or nearly the only) tool for catechesis. Even when catechists use audiovisual technology, games or other activities, these pretty much echo the same educational approach experienced in the dayschool classroom.

Yet, the aim of catechesis, the General Directory for Catechesis tells us, is "to put people not only in touch, but also in communion and intimacy, with Jesus Christ" (80) It is not supposed to be just another class, but an experience that should open students to the presence of God.

When I was sent out on diocesan Catholic school observations a few years back, how well the teacher-catechist made that distinction between academic subjects and "religion class" was one criterion for evaluation. That should apply to the catechetical session as well. Paprocki's book is a recognition of the reality that if we give students textbooks, pencils and learning activities rooted in secular pedagogy, instead of those rooted in divine pedagogy, we are not forming kids in faith, but simply teaching religion.

Catechesis, Paprocki says, "is about more than information. It is about transformation." In this 90-page book, he outlines some methods to help catechists teach using any textbook as a toolbox but teaching "beyond the book"- in a climate "permeated with prayer," making class "more like Mass." How? by including  "the language of mystery" - sign and symbol, ritual and gesture, silence, song, story and myth.

To do that, he says, we don't ADD blessings, anointings, liturgical symbols, processions and other "Catholic" things to the textbook content, but rather translate the content into that language of mystery. Using the 4-step process from the Loyola Press Finding God series, Paprocki outlines how to create a climate of prayerfulness from the moment students enter the room, using ritual action, sacred music, prayer, and lectionary-based reflection. He explains how to engage students by letting them "enter through their door" but drawing them back to varying prayer experiences, including Ignatian guided reflections, interspersed with reading from the textbook and engaging in learning activities that culminate in some form of assessment, followed by closing prayer, sign of peace, music and a ritual of sending forth, again echoing the elements of the Mass.

Paprocki describes this process as "teaching faith as a second language." I call it giving kids "Catholic bones." By infusing the catechetical session with "smells and bells" and liturgical elements, the catechists lets students experience sacred space and sacred time - and to begin to know what it is that makes the time they spend being formed in faith different from the rest of their learning day.

I recommend that every catechist read this book with a prayerful openness and decide which elements he or she can comfortably begin to introduce into their sessions. That could only improve the experience of learning about faith.

Apologia pro vita mea... or where I have been of late

Apologies for the sparse posting of late on this space. Lest you think I will be 'fessing up to the sin of Sloth at my next confession, let me fill you in on where I have been investing my energy. Possibly this is more information than you wanted, but I feel I owe my "regular" readers a bit of an explanation.

• All summer, I worked on revising and recreating an online course, "Ecumenism in Parish Life" for University of Dayton VLCFF
• August to November is the busy time in our office - lots of training events and gatherings for catechists and parish catechetical leaders. I love it but it pretty much saps my energy.
• October-November I facilitated an online class - which pretty much occupies my evenings after parish meetings and rehearsals.
• Just before Christmas, I researched and wrote an article "Mystagogy on the Mass: If We Teach Them They Will Come", which has just been published in the March/April issue of Pastoral Liturgy magazine (possibly available on their website soon)
• Then there were the holidays...
• Then the flu... 
• For the past 5 weeks, I have been facilitating two rather involved online courses for the VLCFF
• Then there was the time spent revising and expanding my website The Liturgical Catechist.
• Set up and promoted the Facebook presence for my website  
• Most recently, I have been occupied with events leading up to the premature birth of my first grandchild, Emma

OK, enough with the Litany of Excuses, already!   Again, I apologize. Perhaps this guy said it best:

Life. It's what happens between the blog posts.
The busy Liturgical Catechist.

Major Update to My Website

As we approach Lent, I have been inspire to expand this blog's companion site.

The Liturgical Catechist now features resources for liturgical seasons, with a new page for Lent, full of resource links and videos to help catechists of people of all ages.

The video page, too, has been updated, with new categories and separate pages for
General Topics
The Mass
Sacraments
Liturgical Symbols

Take a look!