Archives for March 2012

Here, Fr. Bob Weighner introduces the fourth and final leg of the Catechism of the Catholic Church — How We Pray, which is actually titled, “Christian Prayer” in the CCC.  Starting with section 2558 “Great is the mystery of the faith!” The Church professes this mystery in the Apostles’ Creed (Part One) and celebrates it in the sacramental liturgy (Part Two), so that the life of the faithful may be conformed to Christ in the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father (Part Three). This mystery, then, requires that the faithful believe in it, that they celebrate it, and that they live from it in a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. This relationship is prayer.”

There are so many ways to approach the topic of prayer.  At its essence, prayer is communication with God, speaking to him from the foundation of our experience; listening for his Word and opening our hearts to his Spirit.  Depending on the circumstances of our lives, prayer can take on many forms, such as petition, praise, thanksgiving, intercession for others, adoration (CCC 2626-2643).  We pray for light, to know the path God desires for us, and we pray for the strength to walk that path with perseverance and faithfulness.

The fourth part of the Catechism is a wonderful summary of prayer.  This section is largely influenced by Eastern Rite Catholicism, with its emphasis on the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, Mary, and the perfect prayer of Christ, the Our Father.  It speaks of the battle of prayer and the fight to overcome obstacles such as distraction or dryness.  It speaks of the example of the saints, who have all persevered in prayer and give us an example for our lives.As we progress in prayer, we become familiar with its various expressions: vocal prayer, prayer of meditation, and contemplative prayer (CCC 2700-2719). 

We are all familiar with vocal prayer – the prayers we ‘say’ or ‘speak’.  When we meditate, we make use of some passage of Scripture or some holy work to enter into the presence of God, and into conversation with him.  We discourse with him, open ourselves to the Holy Spirit, to come to a greater knowledge of God and his ways, and the path for our lives. 

Contemplative prayer is the experience of God praying within us (CCC 2709).  There is a union with God which makes prayer almost effortless, and which bears great fruit in the practice of virtue. Faith is the virtue that opens the possibility for prayer.  I must believe that God created me out of love and desires life for me.  When I allow the desire for God and life to grow in my heart, prayer results.  I seek God, and reach out to him with the gifts he has given me – my mind and my heart.  If I am to be a man or woman of prayer, then I must set time aside to be alone with God.  I must be confident that he hears every word, even though I be distracted, and I have to be willing to fight the good fight of prayer, and not give up until I have allowed God to enter fully into my life.

Another work I would recommend is Pope John Paul II’s Rosarium Virginis Mariae, which describes prayer, through the rosary, in the depth of all its expressions – vocal, meditative, contemplative.  It describes Mary as the woman of prayer par excellence, since from the moment that she gazed upon the face of Christ, she never let that image go from her heart.  She was totally captivated by the face of Christ, which is another beautiful description of what our prayer can be.

In the CCC, the Church invites the faithful to regular prayer: daily prayers, the Liturgy of the Hours, Sunday Eucharist, the feasts of the liturgical year.  At St. Anne, we have an abundance of prayer opportunities, i.e., daily Mass, monthly Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, the book of prayers, Mass intentions, to name a few. As we near the end of our Lenten season, I invite you to find time each day with our Lord in silent prayer — to talk with Him and to listen to what He may impart in your hearts. 

God Bless You!

Last week, Fr. Bob Weighner wrote about the third leg of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), “How We Live.”  In this blog posting, Margie Mandli, parishioner of St. Anne and contributor to this series offers a perspective on “how to live” through the Cardinal Virtues, which are discussed in-depth in the CCC, section 1804. Margie, an independent marketing communications consultant, along with her husband, Mark and their three children, reside in Kenosha. You’re invited to attend the St. Anne Lenten Mission, “How to Live Your Faith in a Challenging World,” on the evenings of Wednesday, March 21 through Friday, March 23.

How am I going to live today?  Do you ever wake up and ask yourself this question?  Honestly, I can’t say that I do. For me, I go from task to task.

5:30 a.m. Get ready…say my morning prayers  (often too quickly)

6:30 a.m. Pick out kids’ clothes (yes, I still take pride in doing this for my kiddos)

6:45 a.m. Make lunches for the family

7:10 a.m. Get on the road – the rush begins

8:00 a.m. Start my  to-do list at work or home

Imagine if I started my day, and I asked God these questions:

• To whom do I need to be merciful?
• How can I be more patient?
• Whom do you want me to comfort?
• Who needs Your light today, and how can I help spread it?

Okay, I’ll try it. Maybe, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Meantime, in the last blog, Fr. Bob introduced the third leg in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), “How We Live.”  This part of the CCC addresses how we live
our faith and discusses in depth everything from morality to vocations to a
closer look at the Beatitudes.  Admittedly, I don’t often refer to this book…
in the middle of a disagreement with my child or with my husband or when making
an important life decision. Yet, how often are we faced with critical questions
or decisions in life?

• Is this a good movie for my kid?
• What should be the consequence for this action?
• Should we buy this new “toy” for our family?
• Is that appropriate attire for this occasion?
• For whom should I vote?
• Are we spending too much time [fill in the blank]?
• Is this the right job for me?

In fact, I believe all of these questions are about “how we live” our faith.  I once thought –
perhaps in college – that I could separate my faith (Mass on Sundays) from my life (what I do on the weekends).  The older I’ve become, I realize this notion is simply not possible.  Society, in many ways, would like to separate religion from culture. We see it in the news, in movies and in our culture all the time.  Nowadays, it seems that anything is permissible in the eyes of society.

When faced with questions like the ones above, Mark and I often feel inadequate to answer them. So, sometimes we turn to the Lord for guidance.  According to the CCC,
“Catechesis has to reveal in all clarity the joy and the demands of the way of Christ…for the newness in life in him should be a catechesis of the Holy Spirit, the
interior Master of life according to Christ, a gentle guest and friend who inspires, guides, corrects and strengthens this life.”

Isn’t it true that life can be so demanding and joyful at the same time?  Isn’t it true that often it feels as if we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders with
nowhere to turn?

Recently, I took note of section 1804 of CCC on Virtues.  It stated, “Human
virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and
faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. The virtuous man is he who freely practices the good.”

Incidentally, there are four virtues that are deemed pivotal as a way of life, otherwise known as the four Cardinal Virtues:

• Prudence, that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it
• Justice, moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor.
• Fortitude, the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good.
• Temperance, is the moral virtue that moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods

How awesome is it that these virtues have been so well articulated? That they can be our moral compass in the multitude of decisions we are faced with each day?

Perhaps, I have just identified my new prayer:  to ask God for an increase in these virtues.
Maybe then the weight of the world won’t seem so heavy.

Next in our blog series, Fr. Bob discusses the third leg in  the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC): how we live.  The actual name of the section in the CCC is called “Life in Christ” and covers everything from vocations and morality to social justice and the ten commandments. Up to this point, we’ve heard about what we believe and how we worship. You’ll continue to hear from parishioner contributors on each of these topics.

I remember once hearing the phrase ‘presence is truth’.  I’m not sure who said it, or what the context was, but the words rang true.  They express the simple fact that if I truly care about someone or something, then I will make the effort and take the trouble to be present when they need me.  John Paul II was fond of saying that the modern world does not need more empty words.  Talk is cheap.  What the world truly needs is people who give authentic witness of their faith, people who really LIVE the faith, people who ‘put their money where their mouth is’.

I remember a television commercial from my youth, showing a dad who was mowing the lawn, washing the car, and various household tasks.  He had a 3-year old son who was following him around and imitating his every action.  In the ad, the dad told his son not to smoke, but the ad ended with his boy attentively watching his dad light up a cigarette.  Not hard to figure out how this was going to end.  Actions speak volumes.  Words are cheap.

Our words can paint a pretty picture, but it is our actions which reveal what is in our heart.  If I TRULY believe in God and if I believe the teachings of his Son, who founded our Catholic Church, then my actions will reflect what I believe.  How many times did Jesus answer the question about loving God in this simple way:  “if you love God, you will keep the Commandments…”  So simple and yet so difficult.

Catholic doctrine answers the question: what does a Catholic believe?  Catholic morality answers the question:  how does a believing Catholic behave?  Morality is a demanding yet accurate litmus test of my faith.  If I merely talk a good game, but am lax in understanding and living the richness of Catholic morality, then I have some soul searching to do.  Lent calls us to conversion of heart, and is a most appropriate time for focusing on this aspect of my Catholic faith.

I hope to see you at our upcoming Parish Mission.  Fr. Richard Gill will be here to help us both rejoice in our faith and deepen in our living of the faith in a challenging world.  See you there!

Fr. Bob