A Summer of Surprises, Part Three

 Welcome, God and All...

In my previous post I brought up something very important: It seems we should all be on our knees repenting, asking God to intervene that calm and order might be restored in our land; but it seems a majority of the American public doesn't believe in that anymore.

Indeed, studies have indicated - long before the COVID lockdowns - that more and more Americans find that religious observance and freedom have little or no relevance in their lives. I read a homily given by a Catholic priest (who is conservative leaning, but not far right as some others); he states that some of this is unintentional, blaming it on how things like the cost of living can make it very difficult to find even 15 minutes to pray, let alone attend Mass (or the worship service of their choice) for an hour once a week. The reality is that such reasons - good, bad or indifferent - coupled with the pandemic lockdowns have greatly reduced the size of many congregations. Costs to operate church facilities, like everything else, have increased dramatically; and revenues have fallen, also dramatically to the point that Church officials have had to consider what would have been inconceivable sixty years ago.

During the great migration of the 19th and early 20th centuries, churches seemed to spring up not unlike a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Many were formed along ethnic lines, especially in big cities like Chicago - the Italians had their parishes, the Germans, theirs, and the Irish, their own as well. And their location was often based on donations of land, and not necessarily strategically located by geographic area. In my own region there are still two Catholic parishes within walking distance of each other. That one of them hasn't been closed yet is only due to the fact that one of them ministers to a large Hispanic population, and the other, to the non-Hispanic. One thing for certain, though - the era of the neighborhood church serving not only as the center for worship but also the center of a neighborhood or community has all but vanished. This leaves Church leaders having to consider what is called (in my area) structured or targeted reorganization. And for the first time in my life, I'm serving in one such parish that, along with nineteen others, are on edge waiting to learn their fate. As an example, another geographic cluster in the same diocese went through this process a year ago. Sixteen parishes were reduced to seven, and five building campuses were closed permanently. Ultimately those five buildings will be de-consecrated and sold.

I learned that this was happening in one of the several parishes where I serve late in May. And almost immediately the speculation started. There are about as many reasons to keep us open as there are to shut us down. On the plus side, our buildings and grounds are in good physical condition and there is no outstanding debt. On the minus side, our current pastor is not a diocesan priest, but one from a Carmelite order. He is from India, speaks with a heavy accent and it's often hard to understand what he's saying.

To keep us focused on something positive while the diocesan advisory committee gathers data, performs analysis, considers a few "what-if" scenarios, and ultimately makes their recommendations to the bishop, I am thankful for four things. And that's good, because even under the best outcome, I don't see how or if I fit in it. As a result, through prayer and discernment, I am focusing on where I might land closer to home.

God has not disappointed me, but the path has many twists and turns. For openers, the local parishes (in a separate diocese than the one undergoing targeted restructuring) have newly reassigned pastors and the whole process of working with them has to start from scratch, can be painful and is time consuming. There is also my status as an inactive deacon. I've interpreted this to mean that I cannot function in the liturgical ministry of the diaconate but have not been laicized. For the longest time that was covered by my abilities and availability as a pastoral musician, one of the four things for which I'm thankful.

The second thing has been my involvement in the "That Man Is You" program. Now in its tenth program year, the program is designed to attract men to redevelop their sense of spirituality and leadership as Catholic Christian husbands, fathers, and community members. The program has grown from the seed of one person giving 26 talks (complete with statistics, charts and graphs) to several men, most well known in Catholic circles, giving those same 26 talks. It's a virtual parish mission of sorts. I have genuinely benefitted from the program - and we managed to continue it virtually during the COVID lockdown. Now, I have been tapped to lead the program, as the current leader has purchased a condo in Florida (I have heard that many retired folks do that) and would not be able to devote time to it as he would be away a good chunk of the time. When he asked me, he said I was his first - and only - choice. Lord, I am not worthy... I believe I am up to the task, but how this fits in with two new pastors as yet I have no clue.

The third thing I'm thankful for is the appearance of the acclaimed dramatic series on the life of Jesus and the character study of his disciples, The Chosen. Yes, you can call me a fan. Yes, you can tell me that a lot of the teleplay is not found in the Bible. Yes, it leaves out some important parts and suggests possibilities that aren't likely the 'gospel truth'; but it's doing exactly what its creators want it to do - spark discussion, get people to open their Bibles, and become aware that there is a loving God out there - and for some this awareness is for the first time in their lives. The parish which is being considered for restructuring decided to hold a viewing and discussion group this summer. I wanted in on it as I had led a similar group in my home parish for the first two seasons and I would not have any reservations about it now. It will keep us occupied and focused while we await our corporate fate.

The fourth thing for which I'm grateful is seeing opportunities to enrich my own love for the Church, her sacraments, and her ministries. I have appreciated my growing circle of family (including my developmentally challenged son), friends and colleagues who help lift me up when I need them, and vice-versa. This has led to an even greater desire to seek out and focus upon the path of holiness. The recent National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis was very beneficial to me. Even though I could not attend, I was able to watch the liturgies and the key talks either live on television or streamed through the internet afterward. The initial Holy Hour on the first night held me tightly.

It was a boost I truly needed, for I would be tested almost immediately, from near and far. The 'near' was a challenge from one of my nieces, who identifies as an evangelical fundamentalist - those who claim that what we are to believe is only in the Bible, and if it's not there, the opposing family can steal and take the money (oops, wrong metaphor).

That discussion began on a passage in the Gospels where Jesus tells his disciples, Do not call anyone on Earth your 'father.' You have but one Father, your Father in Heaven. And it went on a slippery slope from there. I remember reading or hearing somewhere that, unless you're a degreed theologian you should never argue with a fundamentalist. (Same sort of thing as the saying about never teaching a pig to sing.) But wait a minute - isn't there a passage within the Bible that states that no man can add to or take away from Scripture? So what does that say about the removal of chapters, verses, and entire books of the Old Testament during the Protestant Reformation? Lord, have mercy...

Of course, the devil must have his due right after a genuinely uplifting spiritual moment. I'm referring to something I apparently missed in the opening dramatic drivel of the Summer Olympics in Paris only hours ago. In the name of artistic liberty, or freedom of expression, apparently some drag queens lined a section of the River Seine and parodied the da Vinci painting of the Last Supper. Why they didn't fall in the river I don't know. On the other hand, should we now be banning classic clips of Milton Berle who dressed in drag as part of his act? Should we chastise Jamie Farr for cross-dressing all those years on M*A*S*H? But have we reached the point in time where we can no longer ignore it and hope it goes away?

The Church indeed calls us to get on our knees in awe, wonder, and - surprise! humility and reparation; and not only for our own sins, but for the sins of others. I sense we have enough trouble seeking forgiveness for ourselves, let alone others; it was Donald Trump who, when courting the Christian vote eight years ago and, asked if he ever asked God for forgiveness, responded that he had never done anything to be forgiven for. It's the same Donald Trump who just days ago told a gathering of Christians at a campaign rally that if they voted for him this November "they would never have to vote again." He insists he was joking. Like he also stated that on Day One in 2025 he will act as if a dictator. He claimed that was supposed to be a joke, too. And on the other side of the aisle, there's talk of codifying the right to abort an infant in the womb as under Roe v. Wade, as well as supporting the fiasco of gender identity and redefining marriage. Only they're NOT joking.

Is it surprising to anyone that we could use direct divine intervention right about now? We do see it; it's not all that hard to find. We see it in the enthusiasm of the pilgrims who make it to things like the Eucharistic Congress or World Youth Day. We also see it in the life stories of individuals like Francis of Assisi and Carlo Acutis; of Joan of Arc and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, just to name two men and two women. We also have the direct intervention of God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ; yet, like the contemporaries of His time, we are looking for a leader in battle armor, mounted on a white horse, who will single-handedly undo all the emotional, spiritual, and physical damage humanity has inflicted on itself. If there's one thing my encounters with Christ tell me again and again, is that the uniform didn't fit the Messiah - and still doesn't. What He leaves us is His blueprint, His Way, Truth, and Life; His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. His yoke is easy, and his burden, light. His requests are simple: Follow Him and Love one another as I have loved you. And in spite of a world seemingly eager to destroy itself, the most genuine surprise of all is that God is still in control and does great things for those with faith as small as a mustard seed.

Until we meet again, pray for me as I pray for you. May God be with you - and may God have mercy on us all...

+the Phoenix

A Summer of Surprises, Part Two

Welcome, God and All...

In my previous post, I brought up that I believe the pace of things have accelerated - certainly since the COVID lockdowns four years ago. Then, many of us had to curb at least part of our activities; and we weren't happy about it. There was a presidential election on the horizon - and we weren't happy about that, either. 

Another surprise this summer is the continuing erosion of common sense and sensibility in the US of A. (I believe so, anyway.) Why would it be possible for the previous occupant of the seat of government - who left in a huff and something of a disgrace, no matter how you look at it - how is it possible that he's running for that office again? What kind of stranglehold does he have on conservative policies and people that after everything that's been thrown at him, he emerges as the candidate with virtually no opposition?

And given the rollercoaster ride the nation has been on under his successor, why did anyone think he could rest on his record as the incumbent and become the frontrunner for his party - again, unopposed?

There have been remarks from all over America that neither candidate is truly fit for office. President Joe Biden, at age 81, was definitely showing signs indicating a slowing of cognitive ability. And his track record as president is hardly stellar. His opponent, former President Donald Trump, at age 78, is not much better as he has spent most of the last four years in one court room or another, and when he is not, he has been carrying on and on about how the 2020 election was rigged and stolen from him. Then there was the debate just a few weeks ago, in which Biden failed miserably while Trump continued to carry on with many half-truths if not outright lies; it depends on which pundits you listen to.

To top it all off, there was an assassination attempt on Mr. Trump at a rally in rural Pennsylvania only a few days ago. There was a huuuuge breakdown in security at all levels, and the director of the Secret Service has become the scapegoat in all this and was forced to resign.

There was a call by both political parties to tone down the campaign rhetoric, stating that "political violence has no place in America." That lasted less than a week. It should be made clear that, while there is no excuse for it, political violence has never been far from the surface in our nation's history. From the Boston Tea Party to the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, to assassination attempts against Presidents Lincoin (1865), Kennedy (1963), and Reagan (1981, which failed); along with many other demonstrations turned to riots, political violence is a thread that has run (unbroken, so it seems) throughout our history.

Coming to a head was the fear that Biden would lose the election in November, he was ultimately coerced by other leaders of his party to end his run for reelection. First, he releases a statement on social media, in part because he tested positive for the latest COVID variant and had to isolate at his beach house in Delaware. Just a couple of days ago he was cleared to return to the White House and gave a nationwide address that, in fifteen minutes, said nothing about why he changed his mind, only that is was for the good and unity of his political party. He might have said at the very beginning that he decided for the good and unity of the country as a whole, but it was clear that he was being pushed out by his political party. And yet, the praise and laud and thanksgiving for Biden's half-century in politics rang out. 

Quickly, with time being a concern and having few options, the vice-president, Kamala Harris, has been given the mantle of candidacy with seemingly overwhelming support. I don't know all the idiosyncrasies of the election process, nor can I claim whether or not this development could be evidence of rigging the upcoming election, but one thing is clear to me - the voice of the people who voted for Joe Biden in the primaries has been denied, and that troubles me. It seems to sidestep the intentions of our founding fathers and sets up a situation where no future election may be fair and free.

All this colors the upcoming convention in Chicago next month. The last one held here was in 1968; at that time there was rioting in the streets over the failed policies of the government at the time, along with our involvement in Vietnam. This time, while attempting to be removed from it, we have failed government policies, and involvement in the wars between Russia and the Ukraine, and Israel vs. Palestine. I had a bad feeling about what could potentially happen at the convention, and it's not relieved at all by the changing of the nominee over the last few days.

It seems we should all be on our knees repenting, asking God to intervene that calm and order might be restored in our land; but it seems a majority of the American public doesn't believe in that anymore...

And there are still more surprises, those that have a very personal, spiritual, and direct impact on me, and these are even larger than life in my mind than what I've chronicled here...how does this counter the implications the news cycle always wants to bring up? How does any of it get me closer to God, and what do I do with it to make my corner of His kingdom on Planet Mother Earth a cut above the fray?

More to come...until then, may God be with you - and may He have mercy on us all...

+the Phoenix

A Summer of Surprises, Part One

Welcome, God and All...

 It has been an interesting time in my corner of the Kingdom of God on Planet Mother Earth. Just when one was beginning to sense that the pace of events was down to a mild roar and thus manageable, other events take place that shift the delicate balance and have me struggling to keep up. I am managing, but it's due to the grace of God and the presence of Jesus in my life.

The first surprise: About mid-May, my family and I started seeing utility markers on our lawns. A week later, with no announcement from the municipality, heavy construction equipment appeared in my neighborhood and proceeded to dig up the street for roughly five blocks. Three days into the project, I received in the mail the notification from the city. (Due to the inefficiencies of the postal system in the US of A, mail sent local for local delivery (same postal code) goes to a sorting center twenty miles away and then comes back for actual delivery.)

The project, which lasts the entire summer, is replacement of the storm and sanitary sewer system in this five-block area. Toward the beginning of the project, the water mains had to be shut off on three different occasions for an entire day each time. Following that, a boil order was issued until sampling indicated that the water was within tolerances and safe for drinking.

There have been a few occasions where equipment blocked access to our driveway. That's problematic because my sister and I both have some mobility issues. Distance, as well as the rougher terrain caused by digging up and barricading our street had us praying that such tasks would be short and manageable, which up to now have been. We've reached the point where over the next month the streets affected will be repaved and the smell of fresh asphalt will fill the hot, humid summer air. 

Initially, so much dust got kicked up and got into our house (through the HVAC unit that, even with the windows closed) that we all came down with sinus and infections. This hit my son especially hard; he was coughing at times so much that I considered the possibility of having to take him to the emergency room at the hospital. Thankfully, that didn't happen - but as I said, we will soon be dealing with fresh asphalt being laid. It's not over yet, but we are managing with prayer and the grace of God.

A recent heat wave spawned about a week's worth of severe weather. You might have read about it, even if you're not from Chicagoland. There were 24 confirmed tornados over a two-night period, and on both nights the warning system was activated here. While the second night was worse overall, the first night was worse for us specifically as a tornado touched down less than five miles from us. With all the loose gravel and construction equipment, we feared we would suffer direct damage or power loss; and properties nearby did suffer damage, but we did not, again due to (I believe) the power of prayer, perseverance, and preparation.

You'd think that would be enough dramatic excitement for one summer, but there's more, and it challenges my sense of sanity. I have to chronicle these separately to keep this from becoming a novel. But as a teaser, as if you haven't guessed, other events, those of a spiritual nature, have surprised me. One encounter has the potential of closing a very important chapter in my pilgrim journey, while another left me asking myself what right I had, if any, to be an ambassador for Christ in any venue whatsoever. A third encounter has affirmed that God is not finished with me...yet, but am I up to the task?

More to come...until then, may God be with you and have mercy on us all...

+the Phoenix