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Art for the 5th Sunday of Easter

Saint Peter consecrating the Seven Deacons, fresco in the Niccoline Chapel, Fra Angelico, ca 1447

Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole multitude, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Proch’orus, and Nica’nor, and Ti’mon, and Par’menas, and Nicola’us, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands upon them. And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem – Acts 6:3-7

Homilies,

Solemnity of the Humble Shepherds

First reading: Jeremiah 31:10-14
Psalm: Ps 97:1,6,11,12
Epistle: Titus 3:4-7
Gospel: Luke 2:15-20

Because of His mercy

The reality

The world was turned upside down. The shepherds knew of Caesar’s order, a census of the whole world. They saw the clogged roads, people traveling back to their place of birth. People burdened with worry, my job, my business, my sick child, my pregnant wife; and, here we are on the road. It was crazy and scary. Armed robbers lurked in the roads, everyone was competing for a place to stay. The little cow shed, unkept, the owner had no time to clean up or care for the animals, people traveling and looking for a place to stay needed care, there was money to be made. No time to slop out the stalls, bring in fresh hay. The tension, the stress, duties, worries, and cares. All this getting in the way of life.

Into this time of turmoil, God sent His only Son, our Lord Jesus, to provide salvation by mercy alone, without cost, without condition.

To see

Let us take a moment to wonder, to wonder at what the humble shepherds hoped to see in this time of turmoil. They had just seen a vision of heaven, angels streaming down to tell some wonderful news. We know angles, right, all white and glowing, beautiful, dazzling. All the glory and power of the heavenly host. The shepherds said, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this event which the Lord has made known to us.”

Know farming?

How many here have experience with farming? How many were raised on, or worked on a farm. Did you have animals on the farm, donkeys, cattle, sheep, oxen, chicken…? How many have at least visited a farm, or the fair, or a circus?

The picture

You get the picture then. When these humble shepherds arrived after seeing the glory of God, what did they see? What did they smell? Think about the reality of what was going on in that cow shed. Yes, the shepherds got the humble reality of this miracle. When the gospel tells us, “All who heard it were astonished at the report given them by the shepherds,” we can certainly believe that.

I can hear it, Shmuel, Moishe, get this, angels and cows, and the smell of dirty hay and dung with a little baby king, oj vey! What were you shepherds drinking?

To see

Yes, the shepherds were poor and humble people. But, back home their families had a home, a place to lay their heads. They had a table, and even goat’s milk, cheese, and meat. It was these poor shepherds who first saw, who first witnessed the full on reality of God’s humility. The dirty, terrible smelling shed, the rags that bound the baby. A new mother frazzled with worry. Joseph frantic for food, a doctor, a decent place.

What did the shepherds hope to see in the middle of this mess? What did they hope to learn? What could it possibly mean to them?

What they saw was a humility so vast, so great, so filled with the worst the human condition could offer, that it stuck them. They got it, the full representation of the emptying out of God. There wasn’t even a hint of heaven in that place. It was only God, poured out and come to them, a gift without cost or condition.

If

If God had come in a palace, in some regal way, the humble shepherds wouldn’t have been invited. If God came on the clouds of heaven, these humble shepherds would have trembled in fear. If it were only a Gospel short, a little nativity play, the stuff some of the big churches do with people dressed up and real animals, a story, the shepherds could have chosen not to believe. In any of these ways there would have been a cost, a condition. A ticket to get into the palace, the price of fear, the admission to the play.

But

But God came, emptied out and open to them, of lower estate then they, of the lowest place among men. Not a story, not power, nothing quaint, nothing attractive, no glowing virgin mother, no saintly old Joseph, no!

Just the sudden reality of God whose mercy is so vast, so powerful, so available and open to us that He would save us, out of love alone, out of a heart so rich that it asked nothing for itself — a heart that can only give.

What they saw, we have, God poured out and come to us. We have our representation, this manger scene. We have a picture in our heads, and we have our priests among us, who live humbly, bringing us closer to Jesus (and we need more of them because the world desires this message).

God’s humility reaches us, touches us wherever we are. We need not be rich to feel, know, experience, and accept God. We need not have beauty for His beauty to fill us. We can be like those people along the road, scared, humble, poor, worried, sick, sad, a people from every place, from every experience. And, here is Jesus, in a world still turned upside down, come to meet us, offering His mercy, without cost, without condition.

He offered Himself to the humble shepherds. He offered Himself for all of us, emptied out so that we might become rich. All without cost to us and without condition. Come, let us see and know this event which the Lord has made known to us. Amen.

Christian Witness, PNCC, ,

PNCC Jubilarians — God bless you and many years!

May God bless the hard working priests, senior priests, and bishops of the PNCC, and in particular the Rt. Rev. Anthony Rysz, Very Rev. Fryderyk Banas, and Rev. John P. Kowalczyk, Jr. who celebrated anniversaries of their ordination to the Holy Priesthood over the past few months. Szczęść Boże i Sto Lat!

Rt. Rev. Anthony M. Rysz

Bishop Anthony Rysz, born in Old Forge, Pennsylvania is the son of the late Aniela (Szmyd) Rysz and the late Joseph Rysz. He was educated in local schools and attended the University of Scranton. During the Second World War he served with the Fifth Amphibious Force of the Pacific Theater with the United States Navy.

Long involved in the activities of the Polish National Catholic Church, his calling prompted him to enter the Savonarola Theological Seminary of the P.N.C.C. During his seminary days he taught Polish language to the students at the Cathedral schools located in a number of locations in the vicinity of Scranton. He was ordained to the priesthood on October 19, 1950 by the Rt. Rev. John Misiaszek in St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Cathedral. He served as the assistant pastor of the Cathedral and secretary to Prime Bishop Francis Hodur.

In February 1954 he was assigned to the pastorate of Holy Mother of Sorrows Parish in Dupont, PA. During his time in Dupont, Father Rysz served as chaplain to the United Y.M.S. of R. and United Girls Sodalities. On November 11, 1964 he was elevated to the rank of Senior Priest by Prime Bishop Leon Grochowski, and he served as the Administrative Senior of the Scranton Seniorate. At the 12th General Synod held in Manchester, NH in October 1967, Fr. Sr. Anthony Rysz was elected to the office of bishop. In February 1968, he assumed the pastorate of St. Stanislaus Cathedral Parish and was raised to the episcopate on June 26, 1968 and appointed Coadjutor Bishop of the Central Diocese. He held this position until assuming the responsibilities of Bishop Ordinary upon the death of Prime Bishop Leon Grochowski in July of 1969.

He has served on various commissions of the Church, including the United Polish School Societies, the National Commission for the School of Christian Living, the Bishop Hodur History and Archives Commission and the Board of Trustees of Savonarola Theological Seminary. He also lectured on Church History in Savonarola Theological Seminary. He oversaw St. Stanislaus Elementary School as well as fulfilling the pastoral obligations of the largest parish in the P.N.C.C. He was the personal secretary to the First Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church, Bishop Francis Hodur, as well as his successor, Prime Bishop Leon Grochowski. He was secretary to the General Synods held in 1954, 1958, 1963, 1967 and 1971.

As an ardent supporter of God’s Field, the official organ of the Church, Bishop Rysz served as editor from 1969 to 1999 and was a frequent writer.

Bishop Rysz made many trips to Poland. From 1959 to 1966, he spent many months as the consignee for Aid to Poland, under the American-Polish National Relief Program. Later, he worked in building the Bishop Hodur Memorial Church in Zarki, Poland. Bishop Rysz attended the Congresses of the Old Catholic Church in Europe and was a frequent participant in the lnternational Bishop Conferences of the Union of Utrecht. Until his retirement he was active as co-chairman of the Polish National Catholic – Roman Catholic Dialogue.

Bishop Rysz retired from the pastorate of St. Stanislaus Cathedral and as Bishop Ordinary of the Central Diocese in 1999 to Old Forge, PA. At the present time Bishop Rysz serves as pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Nanticoke, PA.

Bishop Anthony Rysz is married to the former Marie V. Bednash.

Very Rev. Fryderyk S. Banas

Father Senior Fryderyk S. Banas son of the late Stanislaw Banas and the late Waleria (Szczepanek) Banas was born in Chicopee, Massachusetts and attended Holy Mother of the Rosary Parish there. After his education in local schools he took up his calling and enrolled in Savonarola Theological Seminary in Scranton, PA. He was ordained to the priesthood on October 19, 1950 by Rt. Rev. John Misiaszek, Bishop Ordinary of the Central Diocese.

After ordination, Fr. Banas was assigned as assistant pastor of Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral in Buffalo, NY and the administrator of Holy Trinity Parish in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

In August 1953 he was assigned as interim pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Hazleton, PA and administrator of SS. Peter and Paul Parish in McAdoo, PA. He was transferred to St. Adalbert’s Parish in Dickson City, PA in September 1953. From January 1957 he also served as administrator of Holy Trinity Parish in Throop, PA. While in Dickson City he was elevated to the rank of Senior Priest on August 5, 1964 by Prime Bishop Leon Grochowski. During the time of his pastorate in Dickson City, St. Adalbert’s Parish was renovated with many improvements and cemetery lands were purchased. Holy Trinity Parish in Throop, PA was also remodeled following a fire in 1959.

Fr. Sr. Banas served as chaplain to the Central Diocese United Choirs, recording secretary of the Central Diocesan Clergy Conference, a member of the Central Committee of the United Polish National Schools Societies and a director on the board for the Home for the Aged and Disabled (the Manor at Waymart). He was and still is active in the life of the Polish National Union. Fr. Sr. Banas also lectured in Moral Theology at Savonarola Theological Seminary.

Fr. Sr. Banas journeyed to Poland in 1959 as the first delegate for the American-Polish National Relief for Poland to sign agreements between this humanitarian organization and the Polish government. He also accompanied Prime Bishop Leon Grochowski on his last missionary trip to Poland in 1969.

On May 1, 1977 Fr. Sr. Banas was assigned as pastor of Holy Mother of the Rosary Cathedral in Buffalo, NY and served as Administrator of the Buffalo-Pittsburgh Diocese.

In February of 1979 Fr. Sr. Banas transferred to the Eastern Diocese where he served as pastor of Blessed Virgin Mary Parish to May 1989. He presently serves as pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Ware, MA.

Fr. Sr. Banas has been and continues to be an avid supporter of God’s Field having written articles for the official organ of the Church for many years.

Rev. John P. Kowalczyk, Jr.

Rev. Kowalczyk is the pastor of St. Michael The Archangel National Catholic Church commemorated his 25th Anniversary of Ordination to the Holy Priesthood of the Polish National Catholic Church on December 4, 2010.

A Holy Mass of Thanksgiving was offered at the interim worship location for St. Michael The Archangel Parish in the Great Oaks Banquet Center, lower level, located at 13109 Wicker Avenue, Cedar Lake, Indiana. Following Mass, a banquet honoring Rev. Kowalczyk was held at the same location, upstairs in the banquet hall.

Joining with Rev. Kowalczyk at Holy Mass was the Most Rev. John F. Swantek, Prime Bishop Emeritus of the Polish National Catholic Church, as well as the Rt. Reverend Anthony D. Kopka, Bishop Ordinary of the Western Diocese of the Polish National Catholic Church, as well as other Clergy and Ecumenical Guests.

Rev. Kowalczyk was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on December 11, 1985 at St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr Cathedral of the Polish National Catholic Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Father Kowalczyk had served in parishes in New York prior to his transfer to St. Michael’s Cedar Lake, formerly East Chicago, in June 2000. In December of 2003, under the leadership of Fr. Kowalczyk, the members of St. Michael The Archangel voted and approved the relocation of their parish to Cedar Lake, Indiana. Currently, construction of the new St. Michael church is underway with a completion estimate of Spring 2011. Father Kowalczyk currently serves as the Chaplain of the Cedar Lake Fire Department, as well as the Chaplain for Cedar Lake and East Chicago Police Departments.

Homilies,

Second Sunday of Advent


First reading: Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm: Ps 72:1-2,7-8,12-13,17
Epistle: Romans 15:4-9
Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

May the God of endurance and encouragement
grant you to think in harmony with one another

Harmony by Law:

In 1992 the government of Singapore enacted the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act. This Act gives the government the right to decide when a religionist is speaking in a way that is contrary to religious harmony; and the power to censor or censure such persons.  That religionist, so censured, has no recourse to the court. The Act says:

(1) The Minister may make a restraining order against any priest, monk, pastor, imam, elder, office-bearer or any other person who is in a position of authority in any religious group or institution or any member thereof for the purposes specified in subsection (2) where the Minister is satisfied that that person has committed or is attempting to commit any of the following acts:

(a) causing feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different religious groups;
(b) carrying out activities to promote a political cause, or a cause of any political party while, or under the guise of, propagating or practicing any religious belief;
(c) carrying out subversive activities under the guise of propagating or practicing any religious belief; or
(d) exciting disaffection against the President or the Government while, or under the guise of, propagating or practicing any religious belief.

Our first reaction as citizens of the United States is to say this is wrong, it denies freedom of speech and religion. We view such laws as intimidating. Here are some of the penalties for violating the Act:

(1) Any person who contravenes any provision of an order made under this Part shall be guilty of an offense and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both and, in the case of a second or subsequent offense, to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both.

Hearing this we fear that religious people, priests, ministers, rabbis, and imams will be silenced. We fear that we will not be able to speak out as we feel we should.

Perhaps this law is right in promoting harmony, more right than some Christians may be. We might take this opportunity to consider whether this law is teaching us an important lesson we have somehow missed.

The Church in Rome:

In Romans 14-15 Paul is writing to the Church, discussing the necessity of harmony and peace within the community. The Church in Rome was made up of Gentiles and Jewish converts. They all had their take on how things should be run. Paul exhorts them to live in peace with each other, refraining from judgment, and living their faith. He is telling them and us that we must live in peace with our co-religionists; that we must build each other up and encourage a strong and unified faith in Christ amidst disagreement and differences in practice. Listen again to what he says:

May the God of endurance and encouragement
grant you to think in harmony with one another, 
that with one accord you may with one voice 
glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you, 
for the glory of God.

That sounds exactly like an exhortation to harmony within the Christian community. Be in harmony, of accord and one voice in glorifying God, and welcome each other.

Paul tells us that Christians are not exactly alike. We are not a worldly army, were everyone looks and acts the same, but the army of God which is an army of harmony. We proclaim Christ, even among some diversity. Christians are not exactly alike, but we are required to be Christian in our witness to the world.

Even the Prophets:

When we look at the prophets we often think of strong, forceful messages that foretell the doom of Israel for its disobedience. Today Isaiah proclaims a message of harmony.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra’s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain


Isaiah’s vision, particularly in Isaiah 11, is one in which the coming Messiah will reign in a kingdom of perfect peace — in harmony. Man and nature will live in harmony. Nations will be brought together in harmony. God will be praised in harmonious voice.

What are we asked?

When we look at Jesus’ teachings we recognize His call to holiness and a right way of life. He did not shy away from calling people on hypocrisy and wrongdoing. We can point to countless examples where Jesus spoke to the sinner about their sin. He didn’t speak to the rest of the world about their sin. Recall that when the prostitute who was to be stoned was brought to Him He did not stand there enumerating her sins and how she had broken the law. He kept is simple, and private:

…only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Yes, leave your life of sin, do right not wrong. I do not condemn you, I free you from your sinful life. Jesus did not seek confrontation. We know that confrontation came to Him, chiefly from the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes. They got in His face, but He consistently answered them in a way that would have caused them to reflect inwardly; to reflect on their life and whether they held God, or their power, more sacred.

We are asked to proclaim the truth in the same way. Sacred Scripture and the Fathers teach us to practice witness that is both effective and non-offensive.  The Bible teaches non-offensive witness because it is effective. This is the better and more powerful way given to us, to witness to Christ and His Holy Church from a community in harmony, without condemnation, but with the message of the freedom and harmony found in Jesus Christ. Our world so needs that message, particularly in this season.

Examples of harmony and truth:

How should we speak in harmony and without conflict? Saint Paul gives us from his engagement with other religions and the Roman imperial administration. He used words that conveyed absolute truth without being offensive.

When Paul went to Athens he stood up in the Areopagus (Acts 17:22-31) and told the people, who had built idols and altars of every sort:

I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

In saying that the Athenians were extremely religious Paul used the Greek term for “God fearing.” He indicated his respect for their accomplishment, knowledge, and religious attitude, and particularly that they were “God fearing.” He did not curse their gods or their altars. He didn’t say that they were stupid or ignorant, or foolish, or going to hell. He took what was positive and directed it toward their finding the one true God.

When Paul was called before the court of King Agrippa and Bernice (Acts 26:23-29) as part of his trial before Festus the Roman official he only focused on one thing.

Now a fact, Bernice was not Agrippa’s wife, but she was his queen. She was his sister and they lived in every way as a married couple. Prior to taking up with her brother, Bernice lived with General Titus who later became emperor of Rome.

Was Paul’s one focus on condemning Agrippa and Bernice, on cursing Rome, Generals, armies, or bad morality? No, this is what happened:

Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”   And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am…”

Paul’s one focus was on bringing Agrippa and all in his court to Christ. He brought the good news of forgiveness of sin to people high and low.  Paul saw all people as in need of the redemption provided in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Paul was not awed by Agrippa as king and was not repulsed by Agrippa and Bernice as perverts.

These are just a few examples of the way Paul gave effective and non-offensive witness for Christ and His Church. These are examples we can use and apply; which depend on harmony.

Our Advent Path:

The great Forerunner, Saint John the Baptist, reminds us of what we are called to do. He reminds us that this is a time of repentance. Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repentance calls us to have a change of heart and to make a new start. Today’s gospel reminds us that Saint John gave it to the Pharisees and Sadducees who showed up for baptism with out having a change of heart. John wasn’t known for his sense of harmony I expect, but pause to think of all who came with repentant hearts, who he baptized without criticism or condemnation…as they acknowledged their sins.

Next week we will come here to acknowledge our sins, to repent, make a new start, and face the coming of Christ with changed hearts. In doing that let us regain the harmony we need as Christians so that we may make effective and non-offensive witness for Christ.

Our choice:

Paul strove to be effective in proclaiming the Gospel to all. He did not give offense to other religions; and limited his interaction with political leaders to the most important task at hand, that they would enjoy the redemption found in Christ.  Because of that, Paul’s ministry and witness was effective and inoffensive.

We sin when we take pride in efforts that show how right we are with Christ and how wrong everyone else may be, when we want conversion by force of will, and sometimes even by the sword.

We can go to politicians offices and recount every wrong vote, every bad act, every appearance of impropriety, But wouldn’t it be better if we simply went and told them how Jesus wiped our sin away, how He gave us eternal life, and how their call to public service is the real way in which Christ is already active in their lives?

We can go to war over wrongs, country against country, family against family, neighbor against neighbor. We can write Facebook posts about how wrong the next person is, but wouldn’t it be better if we simply went and told them how Jesus wiped our sin away, how He gave us eternal life, how that particular thing they do in their lives is the real way in which Christ is already active in them?

We will never bring people to Jesus by court conflicts and protests, by enumerating the sins of others, or by war, but through harmonious lives committed to teaching in a ways that are effective and inoffensive, that are focused on our objective.

If we cannot do what we are called to do, if we cannot live as Christians, if we cannot live in harmony, holding true witness without being offensive, then we may end up with civil laws focused on some social norm of conflict avoidance, and the disdain of the world. We should rightly fear the power of government to have absolute say over religion and moreover fear for lost souls.

As Christians we must refocus on calling the world’s attention to the birth of Christ. Like the early Christians, our objective is to share the good news; and to do so in a way that is harmonious – effective and inoffensive.

Let us do whatever is necessary to bring harmony among God’s people and to bring knowledge of God’s forgiveness of sin: His promise of everlasting life to all. Amen.

A special thanks to Peter Eng from Grace For The Day and his post: Does Religious Harmony Affect Our Witness? which, with the Scripture of the day, inspired this homily.

Christian Witness, Homilies, PNCC, ,

Recognizing God in His Homilies

From Ben Myers at Faith and Theology: On failing to be a good preacher

I had a good discussion with some students today about preaching. If you’re preparing for ministry, you’ll need to develop some basic homiletical skills and techniques, and you’ll need the kind of critical feedback that can help you to become a better preacher. But you don’t really ever want to become a “good” preacher —“ the kind of trained professional who can deliver flawless, carefully calculated and perfectly executed homilies. To preach is to accept responsibility for the Word of God in the world. It is to put ourselves in an impossible position: we should speak God’s word, but we can’t make this happen. No amount of exegetical mastery or homiletical savviness can ensure that God will speak to the congregation. As Karl Barth famously put it: —As ministers, we ought to speak of God. We are human, however, so we cannot speak of God. We ought therefore to recognise both our obligation and our inability, and by that very recognition give God the glory.—

For me, the paradigmatic experience of preaching is not the good sermon, but the failed sermon: when you’re trying to speak God’s Word, but you’re looking out at a sea of bored, distracted, yawning faces, people furtively glancing at their watches —“ when you yourself, the preacher, are glancing at your watch and wondering when it will all be over. Anyone who has to preach regularly will know this experience. It is an exemplary experience, because it’s here that you encounter the real nature of preaching: the fact that it arises not from the preacher’s fullness, but from an unbearable emptiness; the fact that it is always bound to fail —“ it has to fail —“ unless some miracle occurs, unless God speaks…

Particularly incumbent on us to recognize God’s intervention as ministers of God’s Sacrament of the Word.

Christian Witness, PNCC

On preaching like Jesus

By Rick Warren from Pastors.com: Learning to Preach Like Jesus

Jesus’ preaching attracted enormous crowds, and the Bible often records the positive reactions of those crowds to his teaching. Matthew 7:28 tells us, “…the crowds were amazed at his teaching.” Matthew 22:33 says, “…the crowds were profoundly impressed.— Mark 11:18 says, “…the people were so enthusiastic about Jesus’ teaching.— Mark 12:37 says, “The great crowd enjoyed listening to Him.—

These crowds had never heard anyone speak to them the way Jesus did. They were spellbound by his delivery.

To capture the attention of unbelievers like Jesus did, we must communicate spiritual truth the way he did. I believe that Jesus – not anyone else – must be our model for preaching. Unfortunately, some homiletics classes pay more attention to Aristotle and Greek rhetoric than to how Jesus taught.

In John 12:49 Jesus admitted, “The Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.— Notice that both the content AND the delivery style were directed by the Father. This is extremely important to note. We often overlook the manner in which Jesus preached.

There’s so much we can learn from Jesus’ style of communication, not just his content. But for now I want to briefly identify three attributes of Jesus’ preaching.

1. Jesus began with people’s needs, hurts, and interests.

Jesus usually taught in response to a question or a pressing problem from someone in the Crowd. He scratched where people itched. His preaching had immediacy about it. He was always relevant and always on target for that moment.

When Jesus preached his first sermon at Nazareth, he read from Isaiah to announce what the preaching agenda of his ministry would be: “The Lord has put his Spirit in me, because he appointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to tell the captives they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again. God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairly and to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness.” (Luke 4:18-19)

Notice his entire emphasis on meeting needs and healing hurts. Jesus had Good News to share, and people wanted to hear it. He had a message that offered practical benefits for their lives. His truth would “set people free— and bring all sorts of blessings to their lives.

Our basic message to the lost must be good news. If it isn’t good news, it isn’t the gospel. We must learn to share the gospel in ways that show it is both “good— and —news.— The gospel is about what God has done for us and what we can become in Christ. A personal relationship with Christ is the answer to all of man’s deepest needs. The good news offers lost people what they are frantically searching for: forgiveness, freedom, security, purpose, love, acceptance, and strength. It settles our past, assures our future, and gives meaning to today. We have the best news in the world…

A great read for we in the PNCC who so value the Word and its sacramental value.

Current Events, Perspective, , , , ,

Worldwide Press office has major fail, and … will I be put on trial?

Yesterday, the Vatican announced a series of new or modified legal measures focused on sins against the sacraments and other serious issues. That’s not what anyone heard. They heard U.S. News & World Report say: Catholic Church Equates Sex Abuse With Female Ordination. I am not faulting the Press. They got it right, because that is exactly what they heard, with ears that have no training in such matters.

The Young Fogey and Damian Thompson of the Telegraph get what went wrong — horribly wrong — with the way the new rules were offered to the world. They were offered on a silver platter that held the head of the Vatican Press Office’s director along with the heads of a goodly number of high ranking clergy and the Bishop of Rome — none of whom get it. They let the fiasco happen. The focus was on process and legalities, and the underpinnings were never discussed.

Some things not commonly understood, actually not even understood by most Roman Catholics:

Much of this was about legal processes. The Roman Church has them in spades. If people joke about the voluminousness of the Byzantine Code, they would be equally amused by all the legalisms and processes that live in the Roman Church. Have a problem — there a rule for that. Have a conflict — there’s a tribunal for that. Didn’t do your job — a requisite penalty in Chapter X. The following sins were heard in confession — look to the book of appropriate penances.

Yesterday was about announcing heady legal stuff about cases, the practice of law, rights, obligations, defenses, witnesses, trials, attorneys, and more. Certain Roman clergy and a few lay members of the Roman Church spend years pursuing a doctorate in Canon Law. They proudly carry the initials J.C.D. after their name (The Latin abbreviation for: Juris Canonici Doctor). They need it to understand stuff like this:

Art. 18

With full respect for the right of defense, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith may sanate acts in cases lawfully presented to it if merely procedural laws have been violated by lower Tribunals acting by mandate of the same Congregation or according to art. 16.

Art. 19

With due regard for the right of the Ordinary to impose from the outset of the preliminary investigation those measures which are established in can. 1722 of the Code of Canon Law, or in can. 1473 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, the respective presiding judge may, at the request of the Promotor of Justice, exercise the same power under the same conditions determined in the canons themselves.

Art. 20

The Supreme Tribunal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith judges in second instance:

1° cases adjudicated in first instance by lower tribunals;
2° cases decided by this same Supreme Apostolic Tribunal in first instance.

If you have ever looked at the U.S. tax law you would know what I mean. Laws have a nasty habit of growing and increasing, defining and redefining, adjusting, and correcting. Beyond written law, you have case law, the precedent decisions of judges on cases which set the parameters for future decisions and interpretations. One block being built upon another until you have a Tower of Babel. After a while you have the tax code, or the laws of the Roman Church. Somewhere in all of that the mission, the purpose, and the point of it all gets lost — but at least lawyers and accountants have jobs.

The Roman Church attempted to backtrack a little today, trying to fix the PR mis-step. In doing that they further inserted foot into mouth. See the NY Times: Women Priests And Sex Abuse Not Equal Crimes: Vatican for instance.

Why the problem with the attempt at correction? Because of the complexity of these laws, and their basis in protecting all the sacraments, and the Catholic understanding of what sacraments are, the crimes the laws address are equally serious. Is it serious matter to sexually abuse a child? — Yes. Is it serious matter to defile the Eucharist or tell a confession? — Equally, yes.

The sacraments are a physical conveyance of God’s grace by the means entrusted to the Church to bring this about. When the priest consecrates the bread and wine — it is no longer bread and wine. When sins are forgiven, they are actually wiped away and forgotten, God has stepped in to forgive. When a priest is ordained, the Holy Spirit has changed him so that the particular man can do a share of the Bishop’s ministry. When the sick are anointed, God brings about true healing. It is not magic or voodoo, it is not a commemoration alone, but a direct promise from God that when offered in the way Jesus offered these same gifts, they are offered to us anew by God, and He is present.

The Church is saying that they have a tremendously precious gift, more precious than any treasure found on earth, and they are making certain laws to protect those gifts. As we attempt to protect ourselves, our borders against terrorists, the Roman Church is making its own “Patriot Act,” and is attempting to protect what is most precious — the eternal life and the good of its members.

So yes, attempting to turn a cheese tray and a Bud into the body and Blood of Jesus is grave, as is attempting to confect orders on a person who cannot by nature receive that gift, as is blabbing someone’s confession on YouTube, as is a man using the power and place he has been given so as to abuse children. All very serious because they trifle with the things of God, holy things.

The public perception cannot be overcome. I am not sure there would have been a way to fix this even if all this had been laid out in briefing books. The Press will do as they will. What may have worked, however, is to express the seriousness accorded to what the Church teaches – Scripture, Tradition, and adherence to the Christian way of life. It wasn’t the fact that they laid down more legalities and procedures, the things they did focus upon. It was rather that they should have talked about the central message in a maximum of two phrases: They were calling themselves back to who they should be, and were taking it seriously. Actually, the Patriot Act analogy would have been a great talking point.

I am not sure that making laws will accomplish any of this in the end, but perhaps it helps in R.C. culture. Better that they find and focus on the central message, and give a few examples of lives lived in accord with Christ as the means to convey that message.

Oh, and the whole schism thing — basically meaning I no longer accept that the Bishop of Rome has special powers beyond those accorded to every bishop, that I reject his claim to such, along with a few other more nuanced “doctrines.” Since I engaged in schism as an adult (schism according to Roman Catholic laws — which, since I don’t believe in them means they hold no power over me), do I get a free trip to Rome to stand trial before the appropriate congregation (on their dime of course)? I hereby demand that Bishop Howard Hubbard take action in accord with the Norms prescribed in Art. 2, § 2 and provide me with a formalization of my “latae sententiae excommunication and likewise … undertake a judicial trial in the first instance or issue an extrajudicial decree, with due regard for [my] right of appeal or of recourse…”

Are they going to do this for every former Roman Catholic that has publicly declared themselves apart from the Roman Church? I did serve my last R.C. Pastor with proper notice in accord with R.C. Church law. He never bothered to follow-through I guess. Que Sera, Sera, another one bits the dust… Then again, when my wife and I first visited that parish and signed the book, specifically there for the purpose of noting we wished to speak to the pastor about membership, all we received was a set of “envelopes” in the mail. That, 6 months later. No call, and the worst possible follow-through. You do have my mailing address, don’t you? I still receive your mailings and envelopes…

Christian Witness, Poland - Polish - Polonia, , , ,

From the pulpit: crucify him

From Interia: Podpadł księdzu, bo ogrodził działkę

Mieszkaniec Rakszawy (woj. podkarpackie) ogrodził swoją działkę, przez którą niektórzy parafianie chodzili na skróty do kościoła. Nie spodobało się to proboszczowi parafii w Trzebosi, który skrytykował go za to z ambony. Sprawę nagłośniły nowiny24.pl.
Chociaż podczas kazania nie padło żadne nazwisko, na efekt słów proboszcza nie trzeba było długo czekać – jeszcze tej samej nocy ktoś pomalował panu Sławomirowi Prucnalowi sprejem elewację domu i budynku gospodarczego. Pojawiły się tam napisy “złodziej” i “zrób bramę”.

“Od tamtej pory odczuwam wrogość ze strony niektórych mieszkańców” – powiedział nowinom24.pl pan Sławomir. “To jest moja własność. Nie zrobiłem nic złego, na wszystko mam dokumenty i wymagane pozwolenia. Zresztą do kaplicy prowadzi droga publiczna, z której każdy może korzystać, a nie jak do tej pory chodzić przez moje podwórze” – dodaje.

Prucnal mieszka w Rakszawie jednak należy do parafii w Trzebosi. Jak zaznacza, jest osobą wierzącą, praktykującą i zaangażowaną w sprawy parafii – przed tegoroczną Wielkanocą ufundował np. witraż do kościoła wart 4 tys. zł, za co otrzymał podziękowania od proboszcza. Niestety, jak się okazuje, dobra opinia na nic się zdała. Proboszcz Józef Fila twierdzi, że ogradzając swoją działkę pan Sławomir zrobił krzywdę parafianom, bo utrudnił im dojście do kościoła i gotowy jest spotkać się z Prucnalem w sądzie.

Pan Sławomir zażądał, za pośrednictwem adwokata, by proboszcz podczas jednego z kazań, publicznie go przeprosił. Do tej pory jednak się nie doczekał i wszystko wskazuje na to, że przeprosin nie będzie. “Nie pozostaje mi nic innego jak pozwanie do sądu proboszcza o zniesławienie” – stwierdził pan Sławomir.

Konfliktem na linii proboszcz-parafianin zainteresowała się komenda policji w Rakszawie, która – pod nadzorem prokuratury w Łańcucie – prowadzi śledztwo w tej sprawie.

In short, the parish priest in Trzeboś, Poland, took his neighbor from Rakszawa to task from the pulpit because his neighbor closed off a portion of his land, which he uses as a garden. Parishioners visiting the chapel next to the parishioner’s land had been using the garden as a thoroughfare to get to the chapel. The chapel is easily accessed from the road, and there was really no need for the shortcut.

After denouncing the neighbor from the pulpit, his home was vandalized.

Interestingly, the neighbor, a good Catholic and member of the Trzeboś parish, is a huge supporter of that parish, recently paying several thousands of złoty for the installation of a new stained glass window at Easter. His good efforts, of course, have been forgotten. The pastor has stated that he will take the neighbor to court for “wronging his parishioners.”

Hearing this is chilling. These towns are small, and one negative word from a local pastor can ruin a person’s life (as well as his property). It gives great power to priests who see everything as belonging to them. Of course, these little chapels and sanctuaries are huge money makers for the local pastor. It is an undertaking, engaged in by some pastors in Poland; the promotion of special shrines and chapels for the sole purpose of financial gain. Of course the people tend not to see that, but rather operate on faith, giving glory to God by their hard work and donations.

It is interesting that this happened in Rakszawa. I’ve been there. One of the churches in the area was built during communist times, at night, by the labor of people who worked the entire day before. All material were donated. The story is similar to the one concerning the building of the Arka, the only Catholic church in Nowa Huta. One apocryphal story I heard noted that when the communist authorities showed up to put a stop to the work in Rakszawa, they inquired as to who was in charge. They were consistently pointed to an elderly grandmother who sat at her kitchen table all night. She, of course, let the communists know exactly what she thought of them – she sat silently refusing to answer their questions.

Bishop Hodur spoke strongly against priests who criticized and derided their followers from the pulpit. The pulpit is the place from which the sacrament of God’s Word goes forth. It is sad that it continues to be profaned in such a way.

The priest involved is the Rev. Józef Fila of Divine Providence Parish in Trzeboś, Poland. The chapel in Rakszawa: B.V.M. of Częstochowa. Sad…

Homilies, PNCC, , ,

On the Sacrament of the Word

As you may know, the PNCC considers the hearing the the Word of God, and the preaching on it, to be a sacrament. Samuel Giere, Professor of Homiletics at the Wartburg Seminary writes on Preaching as Sacrament of the Word at WorkingPreacher, a project of the Luther Seminary.

Certainly there are a number of important vantages from which to view this question —“ biblical, theological, ecclesial, historical, liturgical, etc. What follows is a swipe at the question from the theological perspective with implications that can inform other perspectives on the whole. In addition, it may impact how we as preachers envisage what we do and what it is that happens Sunday after Sunday, sermon after sermon.

To help crack open the nut of this question, let us explore a few insights from Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1948). In his lectures on preaching, given at the Confessing Church seminary at Finkenwalde (1935-1937), Bonhoeffer rooted his homiletic in the incarnation of the Word. Furthermore, he emphasized the real presence of that same Word in the ordinary words of the preacher. In his own words:

The proclaimed word is the incarnate Christ himself. As little as the incarnation is the outward shape of God, just so little does the proclaimed word present the outward form of a reality; rather, it is the thing itself. The preached Christ is both the Historical One and the Present One… Therefore the proclaimed word is not a medium of expression for something else, something which lies behind it, but rather it is the Christ himself walking through his congregation as the Word…

The question, of course, remains: What is preaching? While not wrapped up neatly with a pretty bow, we can say with respect and confidence “that Christ enters the congregation through those words which [the preacher] proclaims from Scripture.”

A very good source of reference which supports the PNCC’s declaration on the sacramentality of the Word. It would also seem that the PNCC had this down before Bonhoeffer considered the question.

Also see Theology of Preaching by John McClure, Charles G. Finney Professor of Homiletics at the Vanderbilt Divinity School for some insights.

Theologies of preaching ask questions such as: What is God doing during the sermon? What is the nature of the Word of God in preaching? It is important for preachers to consider how to understand preaching as God’s Word.

Recently, the homiletic conversation about the theology of preaching has revolved around the type of theological imagination developed by the preacher. Mary Catherine Hilkert speaks of two basic forms of theological imagination in preaching: a dialectical imagination which locates God’s redemptive work more narrowly in the redemptive actions of God in and through Jesus Christ, and a sacramental imagination which locates God’s Word more widely within the whole of God’s creation…

WorkingPreacher has a lot of great resources on homiletics and some wonderful insights on the art of preaching.

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