I am encouraged that we had a global Holy Hour of prayer today to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, although I was too tired to join in. We could all do with more prayer, especially for our youth.
In a brief chat this evening with one of my godsons, it is clear that he is less than enchanted with Catholicism. And in a recent conversation with one of the junior lectors in my parish, she questioned why the Church was so unaccepting of homosexuals when the new commandment given to us by Jesus is to love others. (I had to go into my love the sinner, hate the act spiel.)
Where and how do I begin to explain to young people these very questions I asked myself when I was their age? Even as I attempted to respond to their questions, I could only end by inviting them to discover the truths for themselves, as I have done so, and to pray that they will not be satisfied with superficial answers as they each seek for truth in their young lives.
One of the news stories I found alarming last week was the one of a 25 year old father who stuck his six week old daughter into a freezer for an hour so that he could sleep, leaving her to freeze for an hour with a broken arm and leg.
What was frightening was not just the act itself, but that he did not think he did anything wrong at all. She would not stop crying and he was tired. Was it that he could not see anything inherently wrong in that act, or was it just a case of not being able to admit to an enormous mistake?
It is hard for young people who are weaned on the dogma of moral relativism to reconcile the absolutes of Church dogma, especially when it goes head to head with what is perceived as personal freedom in society today with regards to issues like premarital sex, contraception, abortion, divorce homosexuality, same sex marriage and surrogate pregnancy.
All that the Church teaches about these issues goes back to one fundamental truth that teaches respect for the dignity of every human person based on natural law. Unfortunately the truth about the dignity of the human person is often obscured by the pursuit of personal happiness that breeds behaviour that is more self-serving than giving.
Therefore the truth does not seem very appetizing or palatable. In fact, objective truth can be hard and unyielding. But if one persists in trying to understand it, instead of just walking away, its inner beauty and wisdom will be revealed. It takes a consistent commitment to the truth over time, and our own lived experiences to unfold.
But when we choose to subjectify and rationalize truth that it is not difficult to arrive at truths the young father in Tacoma, Washington did: his personal comfort was of utmost importance and therefore justified an act of cruelty.
Perhaps he did not intend to leave his baby in there for an hour, perhaps he only wanted to punish her bad behaviour for a moment, but no matter how you cut it, the objective truth is that one does not treat an infant in such a selfish and thoughtless manner.
In his homily celebrating Corpus Christi, Pope Francis spoke about a solidarity that comes from trusting the Lord with our humble abilities by sharing and giving them to others, for it is only if we go beyond ourselves will we experience the miracle of multiplication of the five loaves and two fish in our lives, "that our lives will be fecund, will bear fruit". He reminded us:
Jesus speaks in silence in the mystery of the Eucharist and each time reminds us that following him means coming out of ourselves and making our life not our own, but a gift to him and to the others...The Eucharist is the sacrament of communion, which brings us out from individualism to live together our journey in His footsteps, our faith in Him.
So when we avail ourselves of this sacrament of communion, we will experience "the “solidarity of God” with man, a solidarity that never runs out, a solidarity that never ceases to amaze us". He added:
The Lord in the Eucharist makes us follow His path, that of service, of sharing, of giving – and what little we have, what little we are, if shared, becomes wealth, because the power of God, which is that of love, descends into our poverty to transform it.
As I celebrate the truth and beauty of God's love, I give thanks for the breaking of Christ's body as bread for me today. May this truth of His self-giving love touch the world and touch the hearts of the young people around me. I can only pray that it does.
Discipleship, communion and sharing. Let us pray that participation in the Eucharist move us always to follow the Lord every day, to be instruments of communion, to share with Him and with our neighbor who we are. Then our lives will be truly fruitful. Amen.
In a brief chat this evening with one of my godsons, it is clear that he is less than enchanted with Catholicism. And in a recent conversation with one of the junior lectors in my parish, she questioned why the Church was so unaccepting of homosexuals when the new commandment given to us by Jesus is to love others. (I had to go into my love the sinner, hate the act spiel.)
Where and how do I begin to explain to young people these very questions I asked myself when I was their age? Even as I attempted to respond to their questions, I could only end by inviting them to discover the truths for themselves, as I have done so, and to pray that they will not be satisfied with superficial answers as they each seek for truth in their young lives.
One of the news stories I found alarming last week was the one of a 25 year old father who stuck his six week old daughter into a freezer for an hour so that he could sleep, leaving her to freeze for an hour with a broken arm and leg.
What was frightening was not just the act itself, but that he did not think he did anything wrong at all. She would not stop crying and he was tired. Was it that he could not see anything inherently wrong in that act, or was it just a case of not being able to admit to an enormous mistake?
It is hard for young people who are weaned on the dogma of moral relativism to reconcile the absolutes of Church dogma, especially when it goes head to head with what is perceived as personal freedom in society today with regards to issues like premarital sex, contraception, abortion, divorce homosexuality, same sex marriage and surrogate pregnancy.
All that the Church teaches about these issues goes back to one fundamental truth that teaches respect for the dignity of every human person based on natural law. Unfortunately the truth about the dignity of the human person is often obscured by the pursuit of personal happiness that breeds behaviour that is more self-serving than giving.
Therefore the truth does not seem very appetizing or palatable. In fact, objective truth can be hard and unyielding. But if one persists in trying to understand it, instead of just walking away, its inner beauty and wisdom will be revealed. It takes a consistent commitment to the truth over time, and our own lived experiences to unfold.
But when we choose to subjectify and rationalize truth that it is not difficult to arrive at truths the young father in Tacoma, Washington did: his personal comfort was of utmost importance and therefore justified an act of cruelty.
Perhaps he did not intend to leave his baby in there for an hour, perhaps he only wanted to punish her bad behaviour for a moment, but no matter how you cut it, the objective truth is that one does not treat an infant in such a selfish and thoughtless manner.
In his homily celebrating Corpus Christi, Pope Francis spoke about a solidarity that comes from trusting the Lord with our humble abilities by sharing and giving them to others, for it is only if we go beyond ourselves will we experience the miracle of multiplication of the five loaves and two fish in our lives, "that our lives will be fecund, will bear fruit". He reminded us:
Jesus speaks in silence in the mystery of the Eucharist and each time reminds us that following him means coming out of ourselves and making our life not our own, but a gift to him and to the others...The Eucharist is the sacrament of communion, which brings us out from individualism to live together our journey in His footsteps, our faith in Him.
So when we avail ourselves of this sacrament of communion, we will experience "the “solidarity of God” with man, a solidarity that never runs out, a solidarity that never ceases to amaze us". He added:
The Lord in the Eucharist makes us follow His path, that of service, of sharing, of giving – and what little we have, what little we are, if shared, becomes wealth, because the power of God, which is that of love, descends into our poverty to transform it.
As I celebrate the truth and beauty of God's love, I give thanks for the breaking of Christ's body as bread for me today. May this truth of His self-giving love touch the world and touch the hearts of the young people around me. I can only pray that it does.
Discipleship, communion and sharing. Let us pray that participation in the Eucharist move us always to follow the Lord every day, to be instruments of communion, to share with Him and with our neighbor who we are. Then our lives will be truly fruitful. Amen.
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