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THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
December 9, 2004
While I have tried to avoid longer trips during the winter months of December
and January and even February, the second week of Advent proved to be a bit of
an exception. I did schedule Confirmation in the parishes of Holy Redeemer at
LaPine, Holy Trinity at Sunriver and Our Lady of the Snows at Gilchrist with the
expectation that these short trips would be more than manageable in the early
part of December. Unfortunately my desire to provide for a full series of
FaithWorks presentations required a December trip to Klamath Falls. Fortunately
the forecasted snow storm for Saturday night was postponed for a few days making
for a very pleasant, albeit overcast, trip down and back on Sunday afternoon and
evening.
There were only four young people from LaPine to comprise the 2004
Confirmation class which means that the stress and pressure normally distributed
among a larger group was concentrated on only a few. It was obvious and it was
also clearly expressed to me several times that the candidates were extremely
nervous. Hopefully the nervousness largely passed after the opening remarks when
I indicated that the ones who ought to be nervous were the sponsors who, after
all, were responsible for knowing the faith and imparting it to the Confirmation
candidates. None of the candidates flunked and none of them passed out though
there may have been a bit of hyperventilation in anticipation. I suspect that
these young people will remember their Confirmation but it is certainly not my
desire that they remember it because it was so traumatic! I hope they remember
it because it took place during Advent, because it took place in the Year of the
Eucharist and because the central instruction was that they ask for the Gift of
Fortitude to remain especially faithful to the Eucharist during this wonderful
Year of the Eucharist and throughout the whole of their lives.
As I pointed out two weeks ago, I am reminding confirmands and congregations
that the prayer calling down the Holy Spirit upon the candidates asks that they
be filled “with the spirit of wonder and awe in Your presence”. This is a
wonderful theme for us as we prepare for Christmas and as we enter into this
Year of the Eucharist. I have thought this week of the wonder and awe of the
shepherds as they approached that stable outside of Bethlehem and sought out the
one who came to rest in a manger. What a marvelous example of wonder and awe in
the presence of the Lord. We might argue that we do not have choirs of angels
singing Glory to God in the highest to 'set the mood' and yet as we approach
Eucharist with a spirit of wonder and awe we can well remember that this same
choir of angels constantly sings the Lord's praises. Perhaps as we deepen our
own sense of wonder and awe we too might 'hear' this choir and more joyously
exult in the presence of our Savior. I am convinced that the greatly increased
attendance at Mass on Christmas Eve and Day is a sign of an inner longing for
that sense of wonder and awe in Christ's presence. Like the shepherds at that
first Christmas who heard and came, came and saw, saw and believed, believed and
rejoiced so also many who have become distanced from the Church through the year
once again hear and subsequently long to rejoice in the Lord. May the spirit of
wonder and awe of the shepherds permeate every element of our Christmas
preparations, especially our liturgical preparations, so we may truly meet the
Lord this Christmas.
At Klamath Falls we presented the last of the Stewardship series of the
FaithWorks program. Through the course of these five presentations several
hundred parishioners were able to hear and, in part, be challenged by the
message of Stewardship. It is hoped that this initial presentation of the
concepts of Stewardship will be the beginning of a more explicit recognition on
the part of all of the necessity of making Stewardship an integral part of our
Diocesan and Parochial life.
As I have traveled throughout the Diocese this year I have found at almost
every FaithWorks presentation one or two or more persons who have attended a
Parish Evangelization Retreat. At almost every presentation someone will come up
and tell me what a marvelously grace filled impact the Parish Retreat had in
their lives. Klamath Falls was no exception. There I was told that the most
recent retreat was a source of grace, conversion and even tears. This is not the
exception, this is a very common response to the Parish Retreat. Unfortunately
only a relatively small number of Parishes have requested to have the Retreat
brought to them. I do believe that this evangelization effort of the Diocesan
Office is extremely valuable. One of the most wonderful things about it is that
it is largely a lay apostolate. While it cannot happen in a Parish without the
active involvement, invitation and cooperation of the Pastor, in those Parishes
where it has been presented it has been the laity who have encouraged their
pastors to host the retreat. This is a beautiful expression of a specific lay
apostolate but it is also an expression of an appropriate Stewardship. It is
very easy to say, 'Father, you should invite the Diocese to present that retreat
here'. It is better, I suggest, in an appropriate Stewardship model, for one or
two or more parishioners to approach the pastor and suggest that they would be
willing to help host a Parish Evangelization Retreat and that they will take
care of all the publicity, arrangements, contacts, setup, cleanup, costs and
details of hospitality. While the responsibility for the spiritual well being of
the Parish rests largely with the pastor the reality is that everyone has a
vocation to holiness and everyone has a duty to seek ways in which that primary
vocation can be realized. I suggest that the Parish Evangelization Retreat and
the subsequent involvement in small faith communities could be a part of that
advancement in holiness. These retreats and the small faith communities could
also be instruments to help assure that this Year of the Eucharist be one in
which a spirit of wonder and awe is fostered. Perhaps Advent is that Season of
Grace in which we begin to see anew wonderful possibilities. Fill us, Lord, with
a spirit of genuine wonder and awe in Your Presence!
MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
December 2, 2004
The events of the week are both numerous and disconnected. Since I
participated in the FaithWorks presentation at The Dalles on Monday night and
since I was returning from Pendleton on Sunday, I did not get to the office
until Tuesday. It was that day which constituted the only full day that I
spent in the office in almost three weeks. After that one day I was not
necessarily in need of a break but the coming of Thanksgiving and the need to
travel to Jordan Valley for Confirmation gave me an excuse to travel down
there a few days early, join parishioners for Thanksgiving dinner, do a little
bird hunting, catch up on some correspondence, and recover from the effects of
trying to keep up with energetic young-legged hunters. At least it wasn't on
horse back! Sunday was Confirmation for the combined parishes of Saint Bernard
at Jordan Valley and Holy Family at Arock. It is wonderful to have such a
valid excuse for coming again to this Valley. Though I had spent some time
down here this summer I did not see all that there was to see and on this trip
I was treated to a ride down through Leslie Gulch. All I can say is that it
was most spectacular and as I was chaperoned down the Gulch I could not help
but wonder how I could make this remote Gulch a part of a day trip for
visiting friends or relatives. I do know that I will be back to see it again
and that I will make every effort to find a way to bring others here.
Friday after Thanksgiving found significant portions of Eastern Oregon
blanketed or at least dusted with the first real signs of winter. In Jordan
Valley the snow very lightly and gently wafted down throughout the day. It was
one of those gray days; calm, not too cold, peaceful. A good day for a fire
and a book; a good day for a nap. I heard on the radio the tales about people
rushing to be the first in line at great department stores so as to be the
first to lay claim to the announced, deeply discounted bargains. This I do not
understand. It sounds like there are limited amounts of merchandise and once
the inventory is exhausted so is the possibility of acquiring the desired
item. It also sounds like the bargains and sales will only last for one day
before pricing as usual returns. As you can readily see I am not necessarily a
sale shopper. There was a time when I considered free or deeply discounted
merchandise to be a real bargain but it did not take me very long to realize
that even if something is free, if I did not really need it then it was
already too expensive. I suspect that there are millions of dollars worth of
merchandise sold on the traditional Friday after Thanksgiving which when
inventoried consists largely of things no one truly needs and which would,
under other circumstances, never be bought.
On the Catholic scene we are alerted four weeks prior to Christmas to help
assure our proper spiritual preparation. I wish there would be a rush to begin
the spiritual preparation comparable to that seen in the secular world. The
four Sundays of Advent, preparatory as they are for Christmas, hardly ever
produce anything resembling the Friday after Thanksgiving rush of Christmas
preparation. The experience in many parishes is that the spiritual preparation
for this wonderful Solemnity entails a great rush at the end of the Advent
Season with numerous calls to the Parish as late as Christmas Eve itself
inquiring about the times for Masses with an unfortunately low number
inquiring about the possibility of a good Christmas confession. Hearing tales
of avid shoppers waiting in line for several hours before a store is scheduled
to open reminds me that where someone's heart is, there will their treasure be
also. It is a season in which we see very clearly the distinction between the
City of God and the City of Man. This is the season during which each of us
must remember who we are and perhaps recall our Lord's prayer for us and for
His disciples that while we must remain in the world we must strive not to
become engrossed in or be absorbed by the world. There is no need to avoid the
secular trappings of Christmas in their entirety but there is a need to assure
that the secular trappings do not totally obscure or replace the abundant
spiritual graces available during this Season of the Liturgical Year. It is
this obscuring of genuine Christmas possibilities which always puts me in
interior conflict during the Christmas Season. On the one hand I want to
rejoice as actively as anyone in the festiveness of the Season but when that
festiveness losses its connection with the God-Child who gives it meaning then
I am instead genuinely distressed.
Sunday night, following the Confirmation at Jordan Valley and Arock I wended
my way to Vale to participate in the FaithWorks presentation. This, the fourth
of the series, is presented by the Office of Development and so my part is
very nominal. Instead of talking for three hours I talk for about ten minutes
and then turn the podium over to another. While I certainly enjoy making the
presentations I do also appreciate the possibility of simply being an
attendee.
Monday we begin an audited review of our efforts in the area of the protection
of children. The National Office for the Protection of Children has arranged
that every Diocese have its progress or lack thereof audited by impartial
investigators to assure that all that can be done to help assure the safety of
children is, in fact, being done. In my opinion we have been quite diligent in
our efforts to assure that everyone who has contact with children is
appropriately screened, that every priest who comes to serve, even
temporarily, is carefully studied, that everyone who volunteers or is employed
participates in the safe environment program and that all parents are afforded
the opportunity, if they wish, to participate in the same program and even
include their children, that we remain vigilant on behalf of children, that we
remain committed to the prompt reporting of any incident involving children or
young people and that prayer for healing remains a part of our daily regimen.
As I have said before the perfect safety of all children, as desirable as such
a goal might be, is very likely beyond our poor ability to achieve. We can,
however, and must be very vigilant recognizing that we shall never know how
many children may have been protected as a result of our efforts. I pray that
children are in fact much safer as a result of our efforts, or at very least
that we are all a bit more aware of the vigilance which each of us must
exercise on their behalf.
MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
November 24, 2005
This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Pendleton and to confer
the Sacrament of Confirmation on the young people of Saint Mary's at Pendleton
and Saint Helen's at Pilot Rock. In conjunction with this trip we offered the
FaithWorks program on Stewardship and Accountability at Pendleton and at The
Dalles. Since it is the Year of the Eucharist I am taking the opportunity to
teach about the Most Holy Eucharist as the theme of the Confirmation talk. In
the context of that sermon I reflect upon the Eucharist under three different
aspects: The Sacrament of Presence, the Sacrament of Sacrifice and the
Sacrament of Communion. Each time I make this presentation I become more and
more committed to Our Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist. Each presentation
reminds me very strongly of what the Holy Father has asked us to do this year
and why it is so important. In the prayer over the candidates for Confirmation
we find the line: “Give them a spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.” I
have used this line dozens of times as I have confirmed hundreds of young
people across the Diocese but this year these words have taken on a renewed
significance. In some way these words have become for me the theme and the
hope of the Year of the Eucharist.
I wonder when the last time was that any of us paused at the threshold of the
Church and stood shockingly still reflecting on the fact that we were on the
threshold of the house of the living God. When were any of us last filled with
“a spirit of wonder and awe” as we entered into the Tabernacled Presence of
our Eucharistic Lord. When were we last filled with “a spirit of wonder and
awe” as we approached the table of the Lord to receive Him in Holy Communion.
This is a spirit for which each of us is asked to pray during this special
Year of the Eucharist-a spirit of wonder and awe in His Presence.
Years ago I had the opportunity to visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome. I
actually visited it twice under two very different circumstances. The first
time I saw this Chapel was in the ordinary course of the day in conjunction
with hundreds of other milling tourists and sightseers. The Chapel is usually
seen at the end of a lengthy visit to the Vatican Museum and is often
automatically included in the visit to the Vatican Museum. Thus I arrived at
the Chapel after it was already crowded with people who were excited,
relatively noisy, and quite taken by the magnificence of the art for which the
Chapel is known. I too was very taken by the scene of the creation of Adam,
the Last Judgment, the magnificent presentations of the Prophets, the whole
splendid display of art. Scattered throughout the Chapel were ushers who
repeatedly shushed the crowd by calling out: “Silencio!!” Despite the best
efforts of these ushers the noise would only subside for a moment or two and
then begin to rise again until it became a deafening roar.
The second time I visited the Chapel was entirely different. Having learned
from the Roman Seminarians that the experience of the Chapel could be quite
different under different circumstances I accompanied one of them on another
visit. This time we arrived very early so that we could be in the front of the
ticket line and immediately upon entering the museum we literally ran through
the museum to arrive at the Chapel about an hour before anyone else began to
intrude upon our visit. The Chapel was literally, for me, an entirely
different space. It was, in many ways, one of the most prayerful experiences
of my life. In that moment I recognized why the Church has chosen this space
as the place in which to elect the Pope. In that moment I felt the grandeur of
the centuries of Popes elected there. The art, ceased to be art and became a
faith experience. Adding silence to that Chapel transformed it from an
extension of an art museum to a place of prayer. This is an experience of the
Sistine Chapel which most tourists never have because very few have the
opportunity, despite the efforts of the ushers, to experience it in silence.
It is a place where one can readily be filled with a “spirit of wonder and awe
in His Presence.” If we do not regularly experience our Lord with a spirit of
wonder and awe it may be, in part, because we have not run ahead of the crowd
to create the possibility of a quiet interlude with the Lord. I am sure that
most tourists have no idea what they have missed about the Sistine Chapel.
They perhaps even wonder why the Chapel is considered to be so wonderful. It
is not only the Chapel but the Chapel experienced in silence which manifests
its real beauty and its real power.
I propose a bit of a scientific experiment. I have speculated about this for
years and I believe my theory has merit. Put on a set of headphones, turn of
the volume relatively loud, close your eyes and have someone feed you
different foods; perhaps peaches, apples, watermelon, onion. In my experience
the sense of taste seriously diminishes as the noise level increases. I
suspect our sense of God diminishes as well. If we are to reestablish in our
lives a spirit of wonder and awe in God's Presence, silence will be required.
The General Instruction on the Roman Missal points out that there are times
for silence in the context of the Sacred Liturgy and that these are valuable
and even essential for properly meeting the Lord in Liturgy. The Year of the
Eucharist affords us a wonderful opportunity to experiment with larger blocks
of silence in the context of the Sacred Liturgy. I wonder what the typical
congregation would do with a full five minutes of reverent and awe full
silence before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Unfortunately there are some
who would find it awful instead of awe full!!
I believe that our Churches must be places of wonder and awe. They are places
of wonder and awe just as the Sistine Chapel is truly a place of wonder and
awe but they can only be experienced as such when silence is included and when
our own expectations are properly raised. Our Churches can be experienced as
two different places depending on whether we experience them with silence or
in its absence. May each of us be filled with a spirit of wonder and awe in
God's presence especially during this Year of the Eucharist.
MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
November 18, 2002
This last week was split between Nebraska and Washington, D.C. The D.C. trip
was a part of the annual duty of the bishops of the United States to gather as
an Episcopal Conference to discuss, discern and decide a number of matters
which concern in a particular way the Catholic Church in the United States.
The trip to Nebraska was mostly designed to spend some time at my home of
origin and to see relatives and friends and in particular my mother. It was a
good visit, gratefully uneventful, a bit short, inadequate in time to see all
whom I would have liked to have seen, restful, peaceful, a good visit. The
D.C. portion is just now beginning and so there is not much to report but I
would like to reflect, at least a little, on the experience of the Conference
itself. By Conference I do not mean the meeting as such but rather the
collection of bishops from across the United States who come together to
discuss the business of the Conference.
There may be some who look at the Conference as an agency to which individual
bishops report or which exercises some supervisory responsibilities over
individual bishops. Neither of these understandings are entirely correct. The
Conference does often serve as a liaison between the Holy See and the bishops
of the United States but it does not, in and of itself, exercise supervisory
or governance authority over individual bishops. That is the function of the
Holy See itself and the various Offices connected with the Holy See. For this
reason the trip to Rome last June and the visits to the various Congregations
provided a much stronger impression of being in contact with the Universal
Church than this much more local gathering. In many ways one of the most
inspiring moments of the conference is the address given to the bishops by the
Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo. He is the Holy Father's personal
representative to the Catholic Church in the United States-his presence
affirms the relationship between the Conference as a whole and the Holy
Father. He provides for us that contact with the 'greater Church', reinforces
for us the Holy Father's particular affection for us and assures us of our
essential connection with the Church at Rome, the One, Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic Church. His presence reaffirms for us that we are not the American
Catholic Church, as some would like to have us identified, but rather the
Roman Catholic Church in America. Make no mistake about it, the verbal
engineering employed in this regard is very deliberate and is intended to
foster the impression of a very definitive distinction between the Roman
Catholic Church and the American Catholic Church. The Conference is in no way,
shape or fashion the 'Holy See' of the American Catholic Church, though there
are some who seem to desire this to be the case.
It is certainly very good and rewarding to have the opportunity to gather with
other bishops of the country, to share our experiences, to offer and receive
mutual support and encouragement and to explore and discuss future pastoral
initiatives. It is also very good to meet members of the Conference staff who
do much of the 'behind the scenes' work of the Conference and to engage them
in discussion. This happens, in particular, at the various committee meetings
which are scheduled around the conference. As with other conferences, much of
the good that happens is that which happens outside of the scope of the
planned agenda. It is also an opportunity to meet with the leaders of various
lay organizations who come to be present with and offer input to the bishops
while they are all together in a single location. It may not be the best time
for introductions but there is certainly ample opportunity at least to make
some initial contact.
Believe it or not the meeting also offers the opportunity for much catching up
on the latest episcopal speculation. Rumors of who could go where and when an
announcement of a particular diocesan bishop can be expected are circulated.
Of course, no one really knows and it is all idle speculation but it is
interesting and only partially informative to hear the latest. It reminds me
of various rumors which have been intentionally circulated around the Diocese
of Baker in recent years. They have no foundation in fact but those are the
hardest rumors to contradict because any protest is met with the rejoinder,
“Thou dost protest too much!” When I hear wild rumors and speculation I am
reminded of the passage, “Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and
fury, signifying nothing.” How much this describes with great accuracy the
life which rumors take on as their own. Rumors could perhaps be described as
tales, told and retold by the informationally challenged, often full of sound
and vehemence, signifying nothing. I do believe that we, as bishops, recognize
this in the friendly banter which exchanges bwtween us and that we do not take
either ourselves or our rumors too seriously. Unfortunately we are all prone
to be affected to some extent by such rumoring and this is not good or healthy
for those who hear or those who propagate the rumors.
The Conference plays a very important role in the life of the Church in the
United States and offers some excellent information and even direction to
individual bishops. The Conference, however, does not direct individual
bishops in what they may or may not do within their own dioceses except in
very rare and limited circumstances. Binding directions from the Conference,
if they are to achieve the force of particular law for the bishops of the
United States, must first receive what is known as a 'Recognitio' or
confirmation from the Holy See. Thus the ecclesiology, which assigns a great
deal of autonomy to an individual bishop in his own diocese, is preserved.
This allows for a tremendous amount of legitimate diversity from one diocese
to another and hopefully, for the most part, contributes to the universality
of the Catholic Church without infringing upon its mark of unity or Oneness.
It is, for all of its diversity, even in the United States, still, One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church.
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
November 4, 2004
This week my schedule involved a bit more travel than average but fortunately
the trip was broken by intervals and stops at parishes. The weekend was spent
mostly in Harney County with Holy Family Parish in Burns as a base of
operations. Saturday took me across the Time Zone into Mountain time for Mass
and Confirmation at Saint Charles Parish in Juntura. This was preceded by a
brief stop and a very substantial 2:00 (Pacific Time) lunch at Holy Family in
Burns. Unbeknown to me there was also a very substantial dinner following the
4:00 PM (Mountain Time) Confirmation at Juntura. At Saint Charles there were
seven young people confirmed and the claim was made that this was the first
confirmation in that Parish since the 1930's. I have not verified this but it
was the claim made by one of the students who had just been confirmed and far
be it from me to question such a source. As is my routine I did question the
confirmands at least a little and found them to be bright energetic and even
animated at times. It was a delightful event. The unexpected dinner made lunch
look like a snack and while I could not eat much because of the late lunch I
did manage to make off with several canisters of various dishes which will
tide me over for a long time to come.
The Confirmation at Juntura was followed immediately by Mass and Confirmation
at 6:00 PM (Pacific Time) in Our Lady of Loretto Parish at Drewsey. There four
youngsters were confirmed and once again a reception followed. This reception
involved only cake and coffee but coming as it did on the heels of a potluck
that had concluded less than two hours earlier I consented to only a moderate
sized piece of cake. Here too the youngsters were very well catechized, bright
and attentive.
The next morning, having returned to Holy Family for the night, Mass and
Confirmation was held at Burns where thirty-one young ladies and gentlemen
were the recipients of the Gift of the Holy Spirit. This event was followed by
a breakfast hosted by the Knights of Columbus partially as a reception for the
Youth but, as I understand it, a part of the regular activities of the Knights
there. From the looks of the ease with which sausages were baked and pancakes
grilled this was not a rare occasion for the Knights. They looked very much at
home in the kitchen. As I celebrated Mass I was very impressed by the number
of vibrant young families in the Parish and by the strength of the
Catechetical Program. The fine group of High School Youth who sang with the
choir were inspirational. I could not help but think, 'There are vocations to
priesthood and religious life in this group.' I am convinced this is true. I
saw similar quality and depth of Faith at each of the Missions; at Juntura, at
Drewsey and at Crane, the next stop on the tour.
Crane, Saint Thomas Parish boasts of being the most recently established
Parish of the Diocese and while the parish is small in numbers of parishioners
it is not lacking in dedication. Here two students were confirmed which means
all of the questions were directed at them. They did very well. I must admit,
though, I could feel their catechists cringing as I asked questions which
received either blank stares, questioning looks or tentative answers. There
was nothing tentative, however, about the potluck dinner which followed this
Mass and Confirmation. Once again the plates piled high and a delightful meal
followed. What looked to be a superabundance of food was dwindled to a few
remaining morsels, enough for a sandwich or two for the next day's lunch.
The days and visits to the Parishes were moments of grace for me and hopefully
for all who attended over the weekend. I have taken as my theme for this
year's sermon the Holy Father's announced Year of the Eucharist. This theme
affords each of us an opportunity to reflect a bit more intensely throughout
this year on the wonderful Gift and Mystery which wonderfully describes the
Most Holy Eucharist. I have taken three elements of the Eucharist and briefly
comment upon each. I teach about the Eucharist as the Sacrament of Presence,
the Sacrament of Sacrifice and the Sacrament of Communion. Wise Catechists who
read this column and are preparing children for Confirmation could spare their
charges and themselves some anxious Confirmation moments by reviewing these
Eucharistic concepts. As a part of the prayer over the candidates for
confirmation the Bishop asks that the gifts of the Holy Spirit be showered
down upon them. The bishop asks for wisdom and understanding for them. He asks
for right judgment and courage and knowledge and reverence. Then the prayer
concludes: “Fill them with the Spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.”
This Spirit of wonder and awe in the Presence of the Lord is something which
we need to recapture in our Americanized Liturgy and devotional practices.
In this regards I must again cite the Holy Father's beautiful letter, Mane
Nobiscum Domine: “There is a particular need to cultivate a lively awareness
of Christ's real presence, both in the celebration of Mass and in the worship
of the Eucharist outside of Mass. Care should be taken to show that awareness
through tone of voice, gestures, posture and bearing. In this regard,
liturgical law recalls - and I myself have recently reaffirmed - the
importance of moments of silence both in the celebration of Mass and in
Eucharistic adoration. The way that the ministers and the faithful treat the
Eucharist should be marked by profound respect. The presence of Jesus in the
tabernacle must be a kind of magnetic pole attracting an ever greater number
of souls enamored of him, ready to wait patiently to hear his voice and, as it
were to sense the beating of his heart.”(18) Fill us all with a spirit of
wonder and awe in your presence!
After the All Saints' Day Mass at Holy Family I was treated again to a
breakfast meal, a bit more sparse than what the weekend had proffered, but
delightful nonetheless. The selection of possible cereals was not quite what I
had seen some years ago on a seminarian table but it was close. Then, I saw
Captain Crunch, Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs, hardly the breakfast of
champions. This round included several flavors of Honeycombs, Sugar Pops and
Frosted Flakes. It was a weekend of prayerful reverence, fellowship, food and
fun - all centered on the Lord. How delightful!!
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
September 23, 2004
There is an old axiom that it is not prudent to attempt to discuss either
politics or religion. The Bishops of the United States have been accused of
dabbling in both and of trying to inject religion into politics. This
accusation is one to which we can and must plead guilty. The thought of
keeping religion out of politics, while at first blush a prudent plan, fails
the test of common sense. Who, for instance, now stands beside Pius XII and
opines that he and the Church should have stayed even further from the
'politics' of the Third Reich. If I am not mistaken the current attacks on
Pius XII are based precisely on the accusation that he did not do enough to
deter the destructive political path of Germany. There is one case where more
religion was needed in politics.
This past weekend the Diocese of Baker sponsored its third Annual Pro-Life
Conference. It was a refreshing and invigorating event. Nationally known
speakers including Dr. John Willke and Miss Janet Folger as well as local
youth from Hood River and Klamath Falls were a part of the presenting team.
The entire presentation will be available through the Chancery at Bend on DVD,
audio and perhaps even VHS for slightly above the cost of materials. I would
recommend that every parish pro-life committee take advantage of these
presentations to further educate the people of the parish. There is a great
danger that we, even dedicated Catholics, grow complacent and become a bit
desensitized to the rampant destruction of innocent human life which goes on
around us every day. There are no glaring headlines announcing how many babies
have been killed in the past day. There are no news flashes when twins or
triplets are aborted. This wholesale murder of innocent babies goes largely
unreported and unnoticed. Conferences, such as the one held in Bend this
weekend, are essential lest we all grow complacent and begin to think that
these innocent human lives do not matter. There are many who would like us to
believe that these lives have nothing to do with the current political
processes but the political and religious reality is that human lives must
always matter.
In conjunction with the Conference I was given a copy of Dr. Willke's book,
“Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: Past and Present”. In reading it I learned a
lot. One of the most shocking things I learned was that physicians and
psychiatrists in Germany had killed more than 275,000 non-Jewish German
citizens, not because they had been ordered to do so by German authorities
(Hitler) but solely because they were given the power to do so. Drawing from
the war crimes trials we find that the disregard for human life in Germany did
not start with Hitler. He certainly took advantage of that disregard when it
came to the Jews but: “From the very beginning-that is, before the outbreak of
war and before any written expression by Hitler-it was officially known to
leading professors of psychiatry and directors of mental hospitals that under
the designation of “euthanasia” a program was about to be carried through by
them and with their help to kill mental patients in the whole of Germany. The
object was “the destruction of life devoid of value.” That definition was
flexible enough for a summary proceeding of extermination of patients.”
Politics (or medicine) separated from religion produces a chilling result.
One might hope that such a program was carried out with great reluctance and
chagrin but according to the records of the trial: “The individual psychiatric
hospitals were not so squeamish about the number of patients put to death
while the program lasted. For example, in 1941, the psychiatric institution
Hadamar celebrated the cremation of the ten thousandth mental patient in a
special ceremony. Psychiatrists, nurses, attendants, and secretaries all
participated. Everybody received a bottle of beer for the occasion.” Politics
and medicine devoid of religion, devoid of morality, produces disastrous
results.
Pro-abortion politicians would have us believe that it is possible and even
necessary to leave all religion and all morality outside of the political and
medical arenas. This cannot be done. It has already been tried and the world
will ever regret the horrible consequences of that dismally destructive social
experiment. The unfortunate label of the “assisted suicide state” has already
been applied to Oregon. Dr. Leo Alexander, a medical expert at the Nuremberg
medical trials, noted: “Whatever proportions these crimes finally assumed, it
became evident to all who investigated them that they had started from small
beginnings. The beginnings at first were merely a subtle shift in emphasis in
the basis attitude of the physicians. It started with the acceptance of the
attitude, basic in the euthanasia movement, that there is such a thing as a
life not worthy to be lived.” Oregon law now officially recognizes that there
is such a thing “as a life not worthy to be lived.”
Two other rather sobering comments are found from the trials: Justice Robert
Jackson, chief counsel for the United States at Nuremberg wrote: “A
freedom-loving people will find in the records of the war crimes trials
instruction as to the roads which lead to such a regime and the subtle first
steps that must be avoided.” Even more striking is the “judgment of a
Frankfurt court about a psychiatrist who not only killed many patients-adults
and children-personally, but also watched their death agonies through the peep
window of the gas chambers. “We deal,” said the court “with a certain human
weakness which does not as yet deserve moral condemnation.””
At what point will we in the United States recognize that practically this
same statement could be used to refer to our, even Catholic, legislators and
political leaders who show a consistent and determined disregard for the
sanctity of innocent human life, refuse to stand up for those pre-born lives
and publicly proclaim that they will do all in their power to see to it that
this wanton destruction of human life continues. Do we too believe that in
this “We deal with a certain human weakness which does not as yet deserve
moral condemnation”?
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
September 16, 2004
The week's travels took me to Chicago, Portland, Pendleton, Elgin, Vale and
back to Bend. This grand round was necessitated by an Extension Society
meeting in Chicago, an Oregon Catholic Conference meeting in Portland, a
stopover stay at Pendleton on the way to Elgin for a portion of a Parish
Evangelization Retreat and a Sunday afternoon trip to Vale for the second of
five presentations on Life Issues.
I probably need to begin with last week because that week ended at Pendleton
with a FaithWorks presentation on Life Issues. FaithWorks is the diocesan
adult education program I have embarked upon and this quarter's topic is Life
Issues. I have found that one of the best global presentations of Life Issues
is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the presentation of three
hours is drawn almost exclusively from that source. In the course of the
presentation, already given at Pendleton and Vale, we touch on the issues of
murder, health, embryonic stem cell research, capital punishment, self
defense, just war theory, risk taking, organ donation, contraception and, of
course, abortion. One theme that has arisen in the presentation is that of the
politician's responsibility to foster and promote the common good. This
promotion of the common good is the reason for laws. In fact, a definition of
law is, “An ordinance of reason, promulgated by one with proper authority for
the promotion of the common good”. Thus, the very reason why lawmaking
authority is entrusted to legislators is so that the common good may be
promoted.
Obviously the question that needs to be answered concerns the nature of this
“common good”. To whose “good” does this term apply? The “common good” cannot
be that which is individually good and beneficial for me without any reference
at all to other potential beneficiaries of that “good”. The modifier “common”
is very significant. It does not mean ordinary or routine as one would talk
about a very “common” piece of furniture. It comes rather from the word
“communio” or community and refers to that body of persons who reside in a
particular community. Thus the “common” or community good is that which
promises to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of
people without jeopardizing fundamental rights to life, liberty or pursuit of
happiness. The ”common good” is that which is good for the community as a
whole.
Furthermore these goods are arranged in a necessary hierarchy. Life precedes
liberty, liberty precedes pursuit of happiness. The genuine promotion of the
“common good” cannot exist without a clear and consistent recognition that the
right to life is the preeminent good which is to be sought, promoted and
preserved. It is this good upon which the others rest. Since politicians are
'hired' for the express purpose of promoting this “common good” they fail
severely if they do not actively promote that good of life for all of the
citizens entrusted to them. Since we recognize, in accord with the Catechism,
that life begins at conception, every politician, especially those who profess
the Catholic faith, are bound to pursue this good of life for these
unrecognized, pre-born citizens as well as for every other citizen of this
country. This the Catechism clearly teaches: “From the first moment of his
existence (conception), a human being must be recognized as having the rights
of a person-among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to
life”. At very least, every Catholic politician must recognize this life and
determine to work in the political arena for the promotion of the “community
good”; a community with includes pre-born persons and a good which includes
life. A politician who disavows any responsibility to work for the recognition
of the genuine and incontrovertible rights of any significant portion of this
community, born or pre-born, is very difficult to support.
Later in the week we encountered another political 'hot potato” at the Oregon
Catholic Conference. Measure 36, which seeks an Oregon Constitutional
Amendment to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman, was
discussed. There is no hesitancy on the part of the advisors or the Bishops to
affirm that this definition is to be supported. The fuller discussion of this
topic will be provided in a number of venues and I cannot treat it extensively
here. There are clear moral and public policy ramifications of our support. I
will only state here that marriage is a very specific institution and while
other relationships may imitate it or vaguely resemble it or claim to be its
equivalent or seek the rights and privileges connected with it, the reality is
that those relationships are all different from marriage in essential ways and
ought not to be legislatively or judicially declared identical to marriage or,
indeed, to be marriage itself. Things which are different should not be
declared to be the same.
Besides Portland I also spent a couple of days in Chicago where there was a
meeting of the Catholic Extension Society. This Society has been extremely
supportive of 'mission' Dioceses in the United States, of which we are one.
There are many Churches in our Diocese which have been built with the
assistance of, or even exclusively by, contributions from the Catholic
Extension Society. This organization, now celebrating one hundred years of
service, continues to be very important for the Diocese of Baker. We rely very
heavily upon their ongoing contributions and I would be remiss if I did not
remind the people of the Diocese to pray with great gratitude for the many
benefactors throughout our country who have helped and continue to help us in
this truly mission land. In some ways our gratitude is expressed in our
prayers but we also express gratitude by looking at our own resources and
seeking to find ways to 'match' the generosity of those outside our Diocese
with our own. There are many needs to which others have contributed over the
years and we too have likewise contributed to these. We continue to ask them
for increased generosity to us through Catholic Extension and thus we must
also look to our own parishioners, to ourselves, for the resources needed to
continue to work in this mission land. The Bishop's Annual Appeal is scheduled
for October and I might suggest this as an opportunity to show a generosity to
others similar to the generosity shown to your Parish by others.
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
September 9, 2004
The travel schedule for the week was a bit more aggressive than those of the
previous summer weeks but the trips were each very interesting and oddly
connected. I suspect you will understand what I mean as I go through the week.
I made a couple of short trips to a piece of property outside of Bend which is
of interest to me because of its possible use as a future Catholic
Spirituality Center. It is a bit of a distant dream but every dream must begin
somewhere and in this case it begins with looking at a piece of land and
trying to envision what could be developed there, how it would suit the needs
of the Diocese and how to proceed with the stages of planning. There are
certainly no immediate building plans but I do hope to keep looking and
discussing the needs and possibilities.
I also traveled to La Pine to visit the Saint Vincent de Paul Society store
which has been operative there for more than twenty years. The Society
provides a very well run thrift store and food distribution center and I
wanted to meet, greet and commend the many volunteers and employees who work
so hard to provide services for the needy of the area. The zeal and dedication
of these hard working folks is truly edifying and humbling. They are doing the
Lord's work and they do it well. It is not an easy job and there too it was
very obvious that the needs out-span the resources. There is need for
additional space which may require additional land and both additional land
and space require additional resources and the beauty of this organization is
that they have no resources because a very large portion of what they earn at
the store they give away to the poor. If they would simply keep what they
earned at the store they would have money to build a bigger building and even
purchase more land. Unfortunately, if they did that, then they would be
failing in their mission to serve the poor. A generous grant would be
welcomed. They, like the Diocese have hopes and dreams but lack the needed
resources.
On this trip I decided not to drive and took advantage of the old saw: Let
George do it. So George drove. We encountered a hitchhiker and since there
were two of us and we were going to visit a place that serves the poor we
could hardly drive past and not offer a ride. The man was fascinating. He was
from Australia and he made Crocodile Dundee sound like a midwesterner.
Everyone was 'mate' and on the brief trip he regaled us of stories of the
Australian outback across which he drives a truck train. He said, “Aye, mate,
I'm not talkin' about these little tonka trucks you call semis. I'm talkin' a
real truck!” The 'train' according to his description is comprised of a forty
foot tractor followed by seven forty-seven foot trailers. The outback highway
is a straight dirt road over which they travel, in a caravan of seven trains,
at a rate of a hundred miles per hour. The story may be suitable for another
episode of Ripley's. He was here on vacation and claims to have been robbed at
a train station and was just now traveling to Los Angeles to the Embassy to
get a new passport and exit papers and head back home. He found America quite
unfriendly and was quite vocal about his love for the outback.
Later that same day I went to a brief presentation in support of a nationwide
prayer initiative called, 'America Needs Fatima'. A gentleman, Nicholas,
travels with a beautiful Fatima statue and briefly tells the Fatima story and
recounts the messages of Mary. Essentially the message is to persevere in
fasting, prayer and penance for the conversion of sinners and especially to
pray the rosary. Those familiar with the rosary will be familiar with the
Fatima addition: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of
hell. Lead all souls to heaven especially those most in need of Thy mercy. In
spite of the fact that he has dedicated sixteen years of his life as an
unpaid, but meagerly supported, volunteer he too was robbed the night before
having some personal items and a portion of his sound equipment stolen. Two
travelers, two thefts. He too was inspiring for his dedication to Mary and to
the apostolate of prayer.
I took a day to travel to Crane to spend a part of a day on a horse in the
hills chasing cattle. It was a great day and mercifully shorter than my last
equestrian outing. I bring up Crane because of a new sign and an odd
connection. The sign reads: Welcome to Crane the gateway of the Oregon
outback. I thought of my Aussie traveler and thought of his possible reaction:
'Mate, this may be the outback to you but its more like a back yard to me.'
I needed to be at Saint Andrew's in Pendleton on Sunday morning and so I drove
from Crane to Pendleton and on the way met another traveler of the road and so
gave him a lift from Long Creek to Pendleton. He too, or so he said, had been
robbed. I think he may have been telling the truth because he said he had been
robbed at a bar and it was quite obvious that he had been at a bar. Since I
had just been on a horse I was incognito and so I did get an unreserved earful
about the evils of the Catholic Church and a variety of other societal wrongs.
He was one in need of assistance and what he needed more than anything else
was AA. I mostly listened and when we got to Pendleton, I gave him some
cookies, a little money, a sleeping bag and a little advice. I told him I was
a Catholic priest that God still loved him, that his church would welcome him
if he came back with a desire for sobriety and that he had a chance to make
his life better. I pray he remembers a little bit of kindness and may
eventually find his way to peace.
At Saint Andrew's, after the Confirmation of two young men, I took a more
thorough tour of the parish gronds. I was struck by the beauty of the setting.
It was as if I had never really looked at it before. I have always been aware
of the needs of the facilities and the challenges posed to the pastor but I
never really considered the possibilities which those facilities offer. I
became convinced that this place could and possibly should be very extensively
used by the Diocese. It may even be an ideal setting for our Diocesan youth
retreats and camps. Many of the same thoughts I had while looking at a piece
of property outside of Bend came to mind. I tried to envision what could be
developed there, how it would suit the needs of the Diocese and how to proceed
with the stages of planning. There are certainly no immediate renovation plans
but I do hope to explore the needs and possibilities.
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
September 3, 2004
These latter days of August have been wonderful days. There have been a few
sunsets which have rivaled in beauty the most splendid I can remember. There
has come upon the grasslands a subtle change of hue and color which makes even
very poor land look rich. The mountains which had lost their snow covered
beauty have begun to be once again 'robed in majesty'. In parts of Eastern and
Central Oregon there are still various harvests underway and so there is an
occasional golden wheat field on its way to golden stubble. That one more and
possibly last cutting of alfalfa promises hay for yet another winter. Soon
flights of waterfowl will be seen overhead and those inclined to hunt will be
scoping out game trails and haunts for the best place to establish a stand. At
Enterprise in the Wallowa Mountains there was some talk of the upcoming deer
and elk season but it appears that these will be safe from any attempts on my
part to add to my freezer. In one, almost certainly exaggerated, report there
was a herd of 300 deer feeding in a rancher's alfalfa field just a little way
from town. Where is Ripley when you need him?
Enterprise, in the valley of the Wallowa River, sits at the foot of the
Wallowa Mountains which form a marvelous backdrop to each of the little towns
in the valley. The Lostine River joins the Wallowa near the town of Lostine
and both Prairie Creek and Hurricane Creek likewise feed into the Wallowa. The
prized feature of the area, however, in the beautiful glacial lake of the same
name as its out-flowing river. I did not have the opportunity to drive to the
lake this trip but I did resolve to do so on one of my future trips to the
area. As I drove up to Enterprise, where some members of the Diocesan staff
and lay recruits were presenting a Parish Evangelization Retreat, I listened
to the autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux on tape. I was familiar with
most of it but I had never taken the time to read or listen to her story from
beginning to end. There were and are many wonderful spiritual lessons to be
learned from this Little Flower of Jesus. What particularly struck me as I
approached the Wallowa Mountains was Therese's reflection on the grandeur of
the Swiss Alps which she observed on her pilgrimage to Rome when she was just
about to turn fifteen years of age. She was going to Rome, ostensibly on a
pilgrimage, but her hidden desire was to ask the Pope directly to give her
permission to enter a Carmelite Monastery at the age of fifteen. Observing the
beauty and grandeur of the Alps she reflected on how, if her wish was granted,
she would never again look upon such beauty for as long as she lived. She
further reflected that this view of God's grandeur could well serve to remind
her, at least in an imitative way, of the future glory of heaven when the
walls of Carmel began to confine and restrict her. She rejoiced in the beauty
of the Alps but her rejoicing was much more centered on the God who made them
and whose beauty they reflected than on the mountains themselves.
I am certain that the residents of Wallowa County take great pride in their
mountain. I am sure you recall they also boast that there is not a single stop
light in the entire County. In fact, while giving one of the talks I mentioned
that they were most fortunate to live in such a grand area with its splendid
view of the mountains. They simply answered, “We know.” I pray that all the
residents likewise know the God who made these marvels, the God who speaks
gently to them in these marvels and the God who summons them to Himself as
they feel summoned to the hills themselves.
This is the second Retreat we have offered at Saint Katherine Parish in
Enterprise and I am certain that it will not be the last. Those who have
attended the Retreat have found in its presentation and spirituality a
beautifully clear and refreshing pool. They have been refreshed and renewed by
this weekend with the Lord. Furthermore the local promoters have taken it upon
themselves to spread this 'good news'. They are not afraid to proclaim the
beauty and refreshing nature of their Wallowa Mountains and Wallowa Lake and
they have not been shy about proclaiming the beauty and refreshing nature of
the Parish Evangelization Retreat. This is one of the very few places in the
Diocese that has actively pursued the Chancery staff to come back to the
Parish and offer a second Retreat. In fact, the promoters in Wallowa and
Enterprise first attended the Retreat at Saint Mary in Pendleton and
immediately, even before the Retreat was ended, were petitioning to have the
Retreat presented at Enterprise. I can only conclude that, living at the base
of the Wallowas, these folks know a good thing when they see it.
In some ways the residents are a bit reticent about the Wallowa Mountains and
its adjoining glacial lake. It almost seems that they prefer to keep it just a
bit of a secret for fear that it will be overrun with tourists who could well
disturb the tranquility of the area which is as delightful as the mountains
themselves. Gosh, they may even have to put up a stop light. The Catholics
there, however, are not reticent about their commitment to the Parish
Evangelization Retreat. Several of them even had to make the commitment to
actually give a talk at the Retreat and they did a superb job. The Retreat is
ultimately intended to be an event that can be sponsored by parishioners,
promoted by parishioners, presented by properly prepared parishioners and
which can lead to the renewal, indeed, to the creation, of a genuine
evangelizing sprit in the parishes of the Diocese.
I have no doubt that God can be found on the trails and in the vistas as one
works his way up Hurricane Creek. I am convinced, however, that the message of
love and salvation needs to be very clearly expressed and experienced. The
message of God's existence and presence is beautifully proclaimed by the
Mountains of Wallowa and the message of love and salvation is wonderfully and
touchingly proclaimed in the Parish Evangelization Retreats. The Wallowa
Mountains, Wallowa Lake and the Evangelization Retreat are a bit remote and
take some time and energy to discover but those who try are richly rewarded.
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
August 12, 2004
Whether the time spent in and near Jordan Valley would qualify as a vacation
or as a retreat or as a segment of 'Survivor' would certainly be debatable. It
was, however, very good. I did not get to see all of the sights I had hoped
and intended to visit but then when do we ever accomplish all that we
initially intend and hope to accomplish. Besides I am now convinced that I
have left enough unseen to justify another venture back to the southeast of
Oregon. During my time there I was only able to make about four day long
outings while resting on intervening days or doing some maintenance at the
local parish. I found that combination of recreation, rest and work to be most
refreshing.
The territory is rugged. If you look in the dictionary under 'rugged' you find
a picture of the Owyhee River Canyons. Forebodingly rugged. Beautiful for its
ruggedness. It is also, as you could readily guess, quite remote. One day I
drove down (actually up river) but south to Three Forks Recreation area. The
thirty five miles of slightly twisted, highly dusty, narrow dirt and sometimes
graveled road culminated in an even narrower, more rugged, more twisted two
mile stretch from the canyon rim to the river below. Absolutely desolate with
a river through it. At this point there are several forks of the Owyhee River
which come together, hence the name. Brief hikes down the river canyon or up
one of the forks is enough to convince a prudent man that he needs to be
better prepared before wandering too far in either direction. Definitely worth
another longer look, a more serious block of time and better preparations.
It was very interesting visiting with the long term residents. There are folks
who are now in the high 80's and mid 90's who were born in Jordan Valley. The
territory is now quite tame and civilized by comparison to the land of their
youth. Sheep ranching and mining were the driving economic forces in those
earlier years and now both of those are gone. These have been replaced by
cattle ranching and haying which are now the major industries of the area. In
this rugged and dry area these are labor intensive occupations.
I spent one full day, about ten hours, on a horse tagging along as a rancher
rounded up some stray 'weaners', that is, calves which either were or should
have been weaned from their mothers and separated for further feeding and
marketing. I was not entirely clear about the exact purpose or nature of our
outing because there was a lot that was presumed. It was presumed for instance
that I understood the geographical relationship between one pasture and
another with one intervening. It was also presumed that I had some sense of
what direction we headed off into and what direction constituted 'going home'.
It was presumed that I had some idea of which markings on the cows related to
the herd we were interested in and which belonged to the neighbors. I can tell
you in all honesty and humility that I only figured out a very small portion
of what we were supposed to be doing out there on the range. Besides being
quite confused, which I tried to hide, I was also rather saddle battered which
I could not hide. I have had about 12 previous hours on a horse a couple of
years ago and significant parts of my anatomy are not well accustomed to the
saddle. My greenhorn status was difficult to hide. There is a mystery involved
in riding horses. As I watched others ride and even trot and gallop it
appeared to me that horse and rider both went up or down at approximately the
same time. This produced a ride which was neither teeth rattling nor bone
jarring. My horse and I were not that well synchronized. As I explained to the
rancher, It seems that when I am going up, the horse is going down and then
when I am on the way down here comes the horse to greet me with increasingly
painful results. Fortunately the horse mostly walked and that is quite
comfortable and manageable. I think I could really get to like horse back
riding particularly in the rugged territory of southeast Oregon. The prospect
of ever actually doing enough riding to become even moderately proficient does
not seem, however, too likely.
There were little adventures and challenges connected with the vacation but as
I reflect on the time I realize anew that the one journey we are all involved
in, the most interesting and in some ways difficult and challenging journey,
is the inner one. Jordan Valley provides a great place for that journey but it
is not necessarily about a journey to Three Forks or to Jordan Craters or
Coffee Pot or Teakettle or South Mountain or Leslie Gulch or the Honeycombs;
the work to be done is internal. The solitude and the quiet are essential
components which facilitate the asking of difficult questions about the self
but they do not replace those questions. The desolation of the area removes
many distractions and clears away many non-essentials but the mind can still
be cluttered with lots of 'stuff' and concerns about non-essentials. There is
a clarity about a day in the desolate landscape. I had my walking stick,
sufficient water and a can of beans. I was set for the day. It was all I
needed. It was a good day.
Perhaps, back in the 'real' world, there are a few more concerns and anxieties
and needs and wants. It is easy to get caught up in those. Out in the
desolate, it was clear that no one but me was responsible for the choices I
made and the consequences of those choices. If I wondered off the trail and
got lost and ran out of water I could blame all kinds of folks. I could blame
the person who wrote the fuzzily marked guide book, the ranger responsible for
marking the trail, the previous hiker who had left confusing markings, the
plastic company which made inferior plastic resulting in a leaky bottle, the
faulty compass, the weatherman who said it was supposed to be cooler, and the
list goes on. Out there, none of that matters, you are responsible. Inside the
same is very true. My discontent, anger, bitterness, hurt, jealousy,
disillusionment, sin, self centeredness, pride, ego, lack of faith, lack of
joy can find many people and things outside of myself to blame but in the
final analysis, I am responsible. A day of recollection each month is
recommended for the active worker. A more regular day in the desolate sounds
very attractive right now. It is probably necessary. It is a good way to
discover who is responsible and to rediscover what we really need.
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
July 15, 2004
The topic of the visit with the Holy Father has aroused some interest
particularly since I did opine about what I might say to the Holy Father. This
gives rise to the question of what I actually did say or more importantly what
he said. There were two opportunities for the Bishops of the Northwest to meet
with the Holy Father. One was individual and private the other was a meeting
of all the Bishops as a group with the Holy Father.
The first, the individual and private meeting, is designed as an opportunity
to make a very brief oral report on the State of the Diocese. Since a longer
written report had been prepared and sent six months earlier this meeting is,
in the ideal order, intended to allow an opportunity for the Holy Father to
ask questions and to seek clarifications. He did have in his hand a one page
summary of what I presumed to be Diocesan statistics; size of the Diocese,
number of parishioners, number of priests, number of religious, number of
seminarians. We were instructed about the proper protocol for entering the
Holy Father's presence, kneeling to kiss his ring, proper address and the
like. While the ancient custom of kissing the Holy Father's ring may seem a
bit antiquated it is amazing how natural and 'right' the gesture feels. One is
almost automatically drawn to that response upon coming to pay a visit to the
Successor of Saint Peter. After kissing his ring and presenting him a gift of
a pearl rosary from an Oregon family I mentioned to him how much the people of
America, especially the young people, respected, admired and loved him. I
expressed my personal gratitude to him for being the Pope of my priesthood and
for the many marvelous Pastoral Letters and Encyclicals he has authored.
Unfortunately it is obvious that it takes a tremendous amount of energy on the
part of the Holy Father to engage in even very simple conversations. I talked
a little about Eastern Oregon, its rural nature, its expansive territory and
its few Catholics. One cannot mention Oregon to the Holy Father without
acknowledging that it is the assisted suicide State. His one word question
which followed as simply: Vocations? I explained how we have very few priests,
a number of priests from other countries, the missionary nature of the
Diocese, and a small number of seminarians. I expressed our need for more
seminarians particularly from the Hispanic community but especially from our
own parishes and families of Eastern Oregon. He simply nodded and paused and
then asked another brief question: Family life, is good? I explained that the
rural and agricultural nature of the Diocese served as a very healthy
background for strong family life but that the secular influences of our
society have very definite negative effects. In this regard I especially noted
that the greatest needs I saw were for evangelization and catechesis, not only
among the un-churched but first and almost more importantly among those who
are already Catholic. His next question was simply: Mass attendance, is good?
Here I had to admit that I did not have accurate figures but my sense was that
Mass attendance while sincere was also sometimes sporadic. I pointed out that
those who attended regularly were very dedicated to the Mass and very involved
in the Parish. In this sense Mass attendance is very strong. On the other
hand, I noted that there seems to be a kind of ambivalence about the
seriousness of the obligation and need to attend Mass every Sunday. He
concluded by simply saying: Thank you for your report.
Once more I knelt to kiss his ring, expressed again my affection for him,
thanked him for the opportunity to meet with him and asked for his blessing.
He gave me his blessing and the visit was concluded.
The General Meeting with all the Bishops of the Northwest involved primarily
an address by one of the Bishops of the Northwest and a brief address by the
Holy Father. The theme chosen by the Holy Father was the need for Catholics
and Catholic Institutions to uphold and clearly teach authentic Catholic
Doctrine. He insisted, as he has done on other occasions, “that the Church's
institutions be genuinely Catholic; Catholic in their self understanding and
Catholic in their identity.” These Institutions, whether they be Catholic
grade schools, high schools, colleges or universities are the point of contact
between the Church and our culture. In some ways this is especially true of
Catholic Hospitals. It is through them that we, as Catholics, exercise the
primary mission of the Church, that of evangelizing the culture. This
evangelization takes place not only through these institutions but through the
Catholicity of the lives of each member of the Church. The Holy Father said:
“In addition to the personal testimony of faith and holiness for which
individual believers are responsible by virtue of their baptism, the Church is
also called to give an important institutional testimony before the world.”
Individuals and institutions need to give testimony to the truth.
The Holy Father continued: “For this reason, the Risen Lord's command to make
disciples of all nations and to teach them “to carry out everything I have
commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20) must be the indispensable reference point for
every activity of the Church.”
He addressed the Church's educational institutions in particular, noting: they
“will be able to contribute effectively to the new evangelization only if they
clearly preserve and foster their Catholic identity. This means that the
content of the education they impart should make constant reference to Jesus
Christ and his message as the Church presents it in her dogmatic and moral
teaching.” Schools need to give testimony to the truth.
The Holy Father singled out specific issues about which we need to be boldly
Catholic. While he did specifically reference these relative to institutions
the inference can be made that those individuals associated with these
institutions likewise need to think and act fully in accordance with the
Gospel. “This will demand constantly re-examining their priorities in the
light of their mission and offering convincing witness, within a pluralistic
society, to the Church's teaching, particularly on respect for human life,
marriage and family, and the right ordering of public life.”
MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
July 9, 2004
Those who know me well will attest that it is most rare for me to
reveal my personal plans in any kind of open fashion. This week will serve as
a departure from that general tendency for the simple reason that my brain is
tired and I am really focused on some genuine pure and simple vacation time. I
feel a little like the trail horse that knows well where the barn is, how
close it is and cannot help but run those last meters despite the valiant
attempts of the novice rider to rein in the steed. In other words, I am
genuinely looking forward to a couple of weeks without definitive schedules,
deadlines, duties, responsibilities, commitments and hopefully contentions.
The next logical question, which people seem constitutionally unable to
refrain from asking, is, “Where are you going and what are you going to do?”
Generally, my need for privacy inclines me to respond, “That is not any of
your concern.” All right, those who know me well also know that the true
response is, “That’s none of your business.”
Well, despite the fact that it really is none of your business, and
maybe even that you really do not care, I am going to tell you. Before I get
to true vacation, I travel this weekend to The Dalles for confirmation and
first Communion for the children of Hispanic migrant workers, who are in the
area working on the cherry harvest. Each year a priest and a team of young
catechists come to us from Kansas and spend a couple of weeks working with the
young people who travel with their families as they follow the various
harvests.
The two weeks of more intensive preparation is not a substitute for
ongoing formation and catechesis, but it does make the sacraments of Christian
initiation available for these itinerant workers. It also provides me with an
opportunity to visit the worker camps, welcome them to the diocese and
participate at least minimally in the catechetical formation. At very least I
have the opportunity to address one sermon to them and the privilege of
confirming them. I have come to look forward with joy to this occasion.
Immediately following the confirmation, I will travel to Hells Canyon on
the Snake River, where the bishops of the Northwest will celebrate, as is our
custom, the Fourth of July. This year the festivities include, or rather are
centered on, a powerboat trip up and down the Snake River. It is a bit of
adventure that I am eagerly anticipating. While floating on the rolling ocean
tends to cause me considerable gustatory distress, trips such as this, as far
as I can recall, cause me no such difficulties. The topological map of Oregon
indicates that Hells Canyon is the deepest vertical canyon in the United
States with an average depth of 6,600 feet. The Grand Canyon boasts of being a
mile wide and a mile deep, but Hells Canyon is deeper. I look forward to
seeing it from the bottom up.
Someone commented that it is a bit incongruous for the bishops of the
Northwest to spend vacation time in Hells Canyon, and with this I must agree.
It was very interesting in Rome, where we visited various Papal Offices
(Congregations), that the cardinals were intrigued by the notion that the
bishops would be going on a “raft trip,” to Hells Canyon no less. For the most
part, it was not the kind of thing they would tend to do. The standard reply
was that we were bishops of the Northwest. That seemed to be sufficient
explanation.
That, however, is not my vacation. It perhaps is not even the prelude to
my vacation. My plan and desire is to go to the parish in Jordan Valley and
live there for three weekends, just over two weeks. Beyond daily Mass and
prayer, I hope to take daily hikes and perhaps a series of day trips to lava
flows, canyons, mountains, ranches and rivers. Solitude vacation retreats such
as this are extremely valuable for me. I have not yet decided which spiritual
books will accompany me, but I do have a couple in mind. I may do a little
fishing if the opportunity presents itself, but then again I may not. That is
the real beauty of a solitude vacation; it is devoid of any and all pressure
to do or accomplish or see or complete anything. While I know myself well
enough to understand that there will be some “projects” I will find to be done
in the parish, my vacation will certainly not be dominated or consumed by
these. Perhaps it will be as the old cowboys say: “I eats when I’ze hungry and
I sleeps when I’ze tired.”
You may wonder what is so attractive about the Jordan Valley area that I
would choose to spend two weeks’ vacation time there. The answer is a bit
confusing even to me. I wanted it to be a place where it may be hard for me to
live. It is its very remoteness and its “hardness” that draw me there. For me,
vacation is always intimately tied to prayer and spiritual rejuvenation. For
this reason, I do not really consider vacation so much in terms of recreation
as retreat. Whether I walk toward the lava beds or the river or the mountains,
what I really am seeking is solitude and a deeper appreciation of solitude.
Like most, I do find myself gravitating toward distractions such as TV, radio,
popular books, extended phone calls and perhaps worst of all for me, simply
work. For this reason, I choose a very remote post of the diocese where there
are fewer ready distractions.
My hope is that by spending this vacation time there with much time for
prayer, silence and solitude, I will truly receive wonderful things from God;
refreshment in body, mind and spirit. Perhaps the same could be achieved at a
condominium on the coast, but that prospect does not draw me. I have wanted to
spend time in Jordan Valley since I first arrived here, and now I am going to
indulge this wish.
I have friends who want to come and visit, and I have proposed that they
join me in Jordan Valley for at least a few days, but after a bit of hemming
and hawing they have indicated a stronger preference for some other venue. So
to accommodate them, I will try to spend a few days at the coast, hopefully
catch my two-day limit of salmon and complete my vacation with a bit of pure
recreation. I am looking forward to the days. I am looking forward to Jordan
Valley and the weekends with the fine folks there; I am looking forward to the
coast; I am looking forward to what God has in store for me. I believe with my
whole heart that it is more than I can imagine. Isn’t that a great vacation to
look forward to? Ah, perhaps our tastes differ.
MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
June 25, 2004
The week just completed was spent in Denver at the annual June meeting of
Bishops where, among many other things, the Bishops prepared a statement
concerning Catholics in public life. More specifically the Bishops attempted
to give an answer to the question of whether it is appropriate for Catholic
politicians who consistently support and endorse pro-choice or pro-abortion
positions to continue to receive Holy Communion. Very specifically the
question was asked whether the denial of Holy Communion is ”necessary because
of their public support for abortion on demand.” The view ultimately accepted
by the body of Bishops was that such a denial was not necessarily “necessary”
but such a denial was certainly possible and permissible, if, in the judgment
of the local ordinary, it was deemed “the most prudent course of pastoral
action.” The Conference found itself in a delicate situation. On one hand
there was an obvious desire to support those Bishops who have made the
pastoral judgment that further dialogue with certain pro-abortion and
pro-choice politicians was ineffective and that their continued reception of
Holy Communion was incompatible with the teachings of the Church as well as
scandalous to the faithful. On the other hand there was a desire and a
necessity of respecting the episcopal authority and responsibility of the
local Bishop who prudentially determines that such a denial would be
counterproductive in his particular case.
Those Bishops who have acted to restrict access to Holy Communion have been
publicly criticized. Those Bishops who have chosen not to pursue this path
have been publicly criticized. Neither criticism, nor lack of it, is
ultimately the motive for the actions of individual Bishops. I am convinced we
all want to do the right thing, we all want an end to abortion on demand in
our country. There is great divergence, however, between Bishops and even
between members of diverse actively pro-life organizations as to the 'best'
methodology for achieving this desired goal. The Bishops recognize the need to
continue to teach clearly and unceasingly of the need for legal protections
for the pre-born. We recognize the grave responsibility we have to strive to
persuade, especially Catholic and Christian politicians, of the centrality of
the pre-born human life issues. We recognize the need to carry on these two
activities ever more effectively with our Catholic people who are called to
engage the culture and bring Catholic and Christian values to the public
arena. Denying Holy Communion to a pro-abortion Catholic politician may seem
like effective action, I wish it were an effective method of achieving
conversion and change of heart, but unless there is a change of heart that
politician continues to act in a way which supports and cooperates with the
evil of abortion. Thus while denial of Holy Communion, and the preceding
dialogue, is an action I would prefer, I must recognize that there are other,
perhaps even more effective, ways of achieving a suitable protection of
pre-born human life in our country.
It seems to me that the most effective way to end abortion is to vote for
Pro-Life candidates. This is not a function of the Bishops, we have only one
vote each, but rather a function of the laity who must be convinced of the
power of their own vote and of their ability through the ballot box to effect
a good or to perpetuate an evil. Unfortunately that vote has always been split
between a multiplicity of 'goods', and with good reason, there are many
'goods' for our society which need to be politically pursued. We see such
things as care for the poor, adequate housing, healthcare, education, economic
prosperity, foreign policy and we hear the various political promises of how
effectively these things are going to be managed by the members of one party
or the other. These are tremendously significant human rights and human
dignity issues about which we must certainly be conscientious. It would be
evil and wrong to omit or to significantly neglect them. The persons who are
the recipients of this assistance, however, already have that right upon which
the other inalienable rights, liberty and pursuit of happiness, are based.
They already have life. The quality of that life certainly needs to be
upgraded and improved and as Christians we have a responsibility to work for
those improvements. It seems there are many in our society, religious and
non-religious alike, Democrat and Republican, who work and act on behalf of
these persons. To some extent, however limited, these persons are even able to
vote and speak and seek assistance for themselves. This is not true of the
pre-born. They have no voice but yours and mine, they have no vote but yours
and mine. If we do not vote for those who will act on their behalf, they have
no other recourse. The Courts routinely recognize those who suffer but the
Courts have refused to even recognize the existence of these most vulnerable
of the neglected in our society. We need legislators who will propose and
confirm justices who recognize with us the inviolable dignity of the pre-born
human person. These have no voice but ours, they have no vote but ours. I, for
one, will speak on behalf of all the needy and especially the pre-born for I
have access to many words, but I will always vote for those who pledge to
defend pre-born human life because I have only one vote and I need to cast it
for those who have no vote but mine.
When my father was diagnosed with cancer he also needed open heart surgery.
The question arose, which do we treat, the heart or the cancer. The doctors
assured him that the cancer was slow growing and that he would die of lots of
other things before he died of cancer. Thus the heart surgery was done and he
was allowed a goodly number of years of extended life, all the while living
with cancer. He could have chosen to treat the cancer but then he would have
died many years earlier. He would have died cancer free but he would have died
much earlier. Hardly a consolation for him or the family. He chose an
immediate life saving operation and recognized that the cancer would still be
there to be treated later.
In our society we have both a heart problem and a cancer problem. The heart
problem continues to allow innocent human persons to be killed at will. The
cancer problem continues to put the poor and needy at risk. I think we need,
as in my father's case, to focus on the heart problem for it concerns life
itself and not only the quality of that life. You have one vote. Use it for
the greatest good.
MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
This column is being written from Rome where I have traveled with the other
Bishops of Region XII, which is comprised of the States of Alaska, Montana,
Washington, Idaho and Oregon, for the purpose of greeting the Holy Father.
This visit, which every Bishop is asked to make every five years, is known as
the “ad limina” visit, a visit 'to the threshold', a visit to the heart of the
Catholic Church of the Roman Rite. Besides the highlight, which is a personal
visit of less then ten minutes with the Holy Father, we have the opportunity
to visit a number of the other Congregations or “Offices” of the Holy See.
Yesterday we visited the Congregation for Catholic Education which deals with
all matters related to Vocations, Universities, Seminaries and Catholic
Schools. This morning we spent an hour with the Congregation for Bishops and
more than an hour with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline
of the Sacraments. Tomorrow, which is Wednesday, we will visit the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Thursday we are slated for the
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Saturday we complete our
meetings with our visit to the Congregation for Clergy.
In addition to these informative and instructive meetings the Bishops gather
to celebrate Mass in at least two of the Major Basilicas of Rome and possibly
more. First thing Monday morning we were fortunate to begin our series of
meetings, which is really a pilgrimage in many ways, with Mass at the tomb of
Saint Peter located directly under the area of the main altar in Saint Peter's
Basilica. As we stood around the altar our view was past the altar to a small
coffin like box which contains the bones of Saint Peter. The Mass we
celebrated, which is the one always celebrated at the tomb of Peter, is the
Mass of Saints Peter and Paul. Standing there I could not help but think of
Saint Peter's arduous journey to Rome and his ultimate crucifixion, upside
down, there. I also felt as if Peter himself were standing around the altar
with us remembering the same sacred events which we recall in our Mass. For us
they are bread and wine which become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of
Jesus but for him they are real events. For him they are the last supper, the
agony in the garden, the betrayal, the passion, the cross, the crucifixion,
the death, the burial, the Resurrection, the Ascension and the coming of the
Holy Spirit. There at Saint Peter's tomb these all became much more real, I
could 'remember' them better because of an awareness of who was there. It is
the person who is the primary witness to all these things upon whom Jesus
chose to build His Church. It is this witness to whom Jesus entrusted the
power of the keys. It is the chief witness to all these things who is
personally represented by our present Holy Father. Pope John Paul II, while of
a different age and a different ethnic background, is still Peter, the one
upon whom Christ has chosen to build His Church.
We come to this threshold. The threshold of the tomb of Saint Peter, the
threshold of the residence of the present Holy Father, the threshold of our
Faith, the threshold of our Church. The visits to the Congregations are
interesting and informative but the event around which the whole visit centers
is a bit of individual, personal time with the Holy Father. This is scheduled
for this afternoon in about three hours. It is the highlight of my days here.
I can hardly wait!
On the plane coming over I sat next to a Methodist woman and her young
daughter. In our conversation I mentioned that I was coming to see the Pope.
She immediately wanted to know what I was going to say to the Pope. I have
been wondering that myself ever since. I will spend a good portion of the next
three hours considering precisely that. It was very interesting to see the
reaction of this woman and her daughter. The girl, a youngster of 14, was
traveling with a group of young people and she immediately went to them in
another portion of the plane to report that she was sitting with a Bishop who
was going to see the Pope. The question of the young people, “What are you
going to say to the Pope?” We changed planes in Frankfurt and this group of
non-Catholic youth wanted their pictures taken with the Bishop who was going
to see the Pope. So there I was in the Frankfurt airport posing for various
pictures with young people. It was as if we were at a Confirmation reception.
It was great! It is easy to believe that the Holy Father is Peter, he is the
One upon whom Christ has chosen to build His Church. In some ways the whole
world knows this to be true, especially young people.
We also plan to celebrate Mass at the other great shrine of Rome, the Church
of Saint Paul. It is referred to as Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls because it is
built outside of the walls of the ancient City of Rome. Thus we visit and
celebrate Mass at the tombs of the two great Apostles, Peter and Paul. Besides
this we also visit and pray at the tombs of many great Church leaders. These
include Saint Pius X, Pius XII, Blessed John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I just
to name a few. The depth of the history and tradition at Rome, at Saint
Peter's Basilica, at Saint Paul's, at the tombs of the Saints, at the Papal
Palace is very reassuring. Here we discover anew that this is the Church which
Jesus founded. Here we know with greater clarity that “thou art Peter and upon
this Rock I will build My Church”. Here we discover anew that “I am with you
always until the end of the world”. Here we understand a bit more of the
promise of the Lord that “the gates of hell shall not prevail”.
The Holy Father has written and spoken often of the need to be men and women
of hope, men and women who do not fear. Coming to this threshold of hope, to
this threshold of faith, to this threshold of charity is both challenging and
renewing. It calls me to be a man of greater hopefulness and joy. It calls me
to be a man of deeper faith, a faith founded on the Apostles, founded on the
Saints especially Peter and Paul. This time challenges me to live a much more
self sacrificing and charitable life, a life of service to others, a life more
clearly imitative of our Lord, who “came not to be served but to serve and
give His life as a ransom for many”, a life more imitative of him whom I have
the privilege of visiting this afternoon. What would you say to Him who
represents so much, who exemplifies so much, who means so much? I think I will
start with, “Thank you!”.
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
June 17, 2004
What is truth? We recognize this simple three word question as the one Pontius
Pilate asked Jesus just before handing Him over to be crucified. Jesus had
just testified that He had come to bear witness to the truth and Pilate
retorted, 'What is truth?' In many ways every age, every generation seeks to
arrive at a grasp and understanding of the truth. Jesus referred to Himself as
the Truth and told His disciples, you shall know the truth and the truth shall
set you free. Jesus did come to bear witness to the truth, the truth about
God, the truth about man, the truth about good and evil, the truth about the
world, the truth about heaven, purgatory and hell, the truth about the
commandments, the truth about life, the truth about fallen human nature, the
truth about redemption, the truth about salvation, the truth.
It is difficult to know the whole truth in one, even very intense, glance. At
first glance science perceived the atom as the smallest particle of creation.
Then they perceived the proton, neutron and electron as constitutive parts of
the atom. Now they have found even smaller particles and I believe there is
talk of a primordial substance named the gluon. Is this the arrival at the
final, ultimate truth about the origin of the universe and the smallest of
particles? Most likely not. Scientists will continue to investigate, they want
to know with greater and greater certainty, they want to know the truth. Jesus
did not give us any information to assist in the pursuit of these scientific
truths. Some scientists perhaps hope to find a truth which would preclude the
need for an Almighty, Creative, Loving, Forgiving God. They wrongly perceive
that finding this truth would really 'set them free'. The truth is that the
continued exploration of this inner space, just as the continued exploration
of outer space, ultimately cries out for an explanation which science cannot
provide. Where did it all come from in the first place? What is the nature and
purpose of man? How is man different from all the other animals? What is
truth?
Gaudium et Spes, the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World
makes reference to this continued march of science and notes: “In wonder at
their own discoveries and their own might men are today troubled and perplexed
by questions about current trends in the world, about their place and their
role in the universe, about the meaning of individual and collective endeavor,
and finally about the destiny of nature and of men.” (3) About these things
there are certainly many possible theories and possibilities but in the midst
of those theories and possibilities there is a truth to be discovered. Gaudium
et Spes continues: “In our time his attempts to search out the secrets of the
material universe and to bring it under his control have been extremely
successful. Yet he has always looked for, and found, truths of a higher order.
For his intellect is not confined to the range of what can be observed by the
senses. It can, with genuine certainty, reach to realities known only to the
mind, even though, as a result of sin, its vision has been clouded and its
powers weakened. The intellectual nature of man finds at last its perfection,
as it should, in wisdom, which gently draws the human mind to look for and to
love what is true and good.” (15)
Some erroneously believe that this 'true and good' is determined by the
individual conscience as opposed to being discovered by it. Thus the Document
continues: “Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not
laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love
and to do what is good and to avoid evil, tells him inwardly at the right
moment: do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. …
Through loyalty to conscience Christians are joined to other men in the search
for truth and for the right solution to so many moral problems which arise
both in the life of individuals and from social relationships. Hence, the more
a correct conscience prevails, the more do persons and groups turn aside from
blind choice and try to be guided by the objective standards of moral conduct.
Yet it often happens that conscience goes astray through ignorance which it is
unable to avoid, without thereby losing its dignity. This cannot be said of
the man who takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when
conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin.”
(16) The terms related to truth are clear: discovers a law, search for truth,
correct conscience, objective standards, what is true and good.
The Holy Father expands on this discussion in his beautiful Encyclical,
“Veritatis Splendor” - The Splendor of the Truth. He writes: “Certain currents
of modern thought have gone so far as to exalt freedom to such an extent that
it becomes an absolute, which would then be the source of values. This is the
direction taken by doctrines which have lost the sense of the transcendent or
which are explicitly atheistic. The individual conscience is accorded the
status of a supreme tribunal of moral judgment which hands down categorical
and infallible decisions about good and evil. To the affirmation that one has
a duty to follow one's conscience is unduly added the affirmation that one's
moral judgment is true merely by the fact that it has its origin in the
conscience. But in this way the inescapable claims of truth disappear,
yielding their place to a criterion of sincerity, authenticity and “being at
peace with oneself”, so much so that some have come to adopt a radically
subjectivistic conception of moral judgment.” (32)
We know from science that something is not true simply because someone
'believes' it to be true. The truth needs to be 'discovered' not 'created'.
Moral truth likewise does exist and needs to be discovered. That discovery
process rests more with seeking what is of God than simply seeking to justify
that which my weakened, fallen human nature may prefer. As the Holy Father
says: “conscience expresses itself in acts of “judgment” which reflect the
truth about the good, and not in arbitrary “decisions”. The maturity and
responsibility of these judgments-and, when all is said and done, of the
individual who is their subject-are not measured by the liberation of the
individual conscience from objective truth, in favor of an alleged autonomy in
personal decisions, but, on the contrary, by an insistent search for truth and
by allowing oneself to be guided by that truth in one's actions.” (61)
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
June 11, 2004
In each place to which I travel there are usually two or three people who
comment that they read my articles religiously. I do not know if this is to
ensure honorable mention of their Parish in the next week's missive or to
curry some kind of favor with the Bishop but I must admit I do like to hear
it. I have found over the years that those who disagree are much more likely
to voice their disagreement than those who agree. It could be argued that
there are more letters expressing discontent, in general, precisely because
there are more Catholics who do not see things the same way. The question then
to be asked is whether the number of letters coming in favoring or opposing a
particular stand or position is any indicator at all of the actual number of
persons in the pews holding to those views. Some might propose taking a poll.
This would be an interesting exercise but it would not necessarily be an
indicator of what, in the Church, should be done or not done, affirmed or not
affirmed. While Bishops are certainly interested in knowing what the faithful
think and feel this cannot always be the criterion for their determination of
what should be said or done. There is, after all, that sometimes inconvenient
thing known as truth to which Bishops, as well as all the faithful, must
ultimately be accountable. The desire to take a poll, while a good means to
determine popularity, is a very poor indicator of what is true. Popularity is
not required for something to be true. No one of us is immune from the desire
to be appreciated, loved and accepted but the desire for these things cannot
offset the greater desire to stand up for and uphold the truth.
The little places visited this weekend included Chiloquin and Bly. The drive
was not too notable in part because I was recovering from the deleterious
effects of air travel the day before and simply focused on keeping the car on
the road. The drive from Bend to Chiloquin is an isle largely lined with trees
and those who are frequent readers know that this is not my favorite terrain.
The Sprague River, however, which the meandering road between Chiloquin and
Bly largely accompanies, provides some wonderfully attractive sights and
views. When I traveled from Lakeview several weeks ago I took the opportunity
to stop briefly at a roadside picnic ground to walk along the river and view
the scenery. The river, at the point of the picnic grounds, was quite shallow
and not all that wide. There is something, however, about running water which
automatically calls one to relaxation and refreshment. The sight and the sound
of the water, the fresh smell, the life it speaks of and supports, its
refreshing coolness, its tantalizing promise of adventure just a little
further up or down stream are all there. At the picnic ground there was a site
where eons ago someone inscribed simple figures on the rock outcropping
overlooking the river. Not only modern day travelers but those of ancient
times as well recognized here a place of particular beauty and significance.
Those petroglyphs have recently become literally the target of some vandals
and it is very sad to see the bullet pock marks disfiguring the work of some
long dead artist. There is a truth here and regardless of whether a majority
of people believe that these petroglyphs have anything to offer modern man or
not, I believe they should be preserved.
There were five young people confirmed at Bly. They were a little shy and a
little intimidated by the Bishop but genuinely wholesome young people. I
mentioned to the people that they are among the more than twenty parishes or
missions staffed or served by priests from other Dioceses and nations. This
certainly points out the need for vocations to the priesthood from our own
families, parishes and Diocese. While we are very grateful for the service
which our often international priests provide we cannot take for granted that
such priests will always be available for us. We must work toward, pray for
and encourage a response to God's call to religious vocations to priesthood
and religious life which He is undoubtedly giving to our own young men and
women. The voice of the world is so loud that the quiet still voice of God
calling to ever deeper commitment to holiness and self sacrificing service is
often drowned out. Perhaps if we spent more time in quiet reflection before
our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and listened intently to what He was telling
us instead of being inundated by worldly 'noise' there would be ample hearers
of the call. At the wayside picnic area I found myself quiet and reflective
before a very simple petroglyph. There I needed no conversation, no radio, no
television, no DVD or CD player. There I had all I needed for that moment -
peaceful quiet and something to reflect upon. Before our Lord in the Blessed
Sacrament we certainly have something infinitely greater.
Mass at Chiloquin provided an opportunity to briefly greet the people and to
engage in a bit of lively debate. The parish is small but the spirit is alive
and this is true in many of the very tiny and relatively remote parishes and
missions across the Diocese. It almost seems that, despite their smallness,
and indeed perhaps all the more importantly because of the relatively small
size of these parishes, there is a need to maintain a close contact with the
Diocesan Church and with the Universal Church. The loss of this essential
connection, while it may sometimes be preferred and even popular in certain
communities, could be compared to losing ancient petroglyphs. Not everyone
appreciates what they mean but those with true wisdom know they need to be
preserved. Not everyone appreciates what it means to be bonded to a larger,
universal Church but those with true wisdom know this bond needs to be
preserved. I am certain that Game and Parks personnel would not look kindly on
those who chose to deface the rocks overlooking Sprague River. This zeal for
ancient petroglyphs is not some part of a personal agenda on the part of State
employees but a recognition of the objective significance, beauty and
connection with past ages. I cannot imagine anyone suggesting that the rule
about not defacing these ancient signs was a personal rule composed by an over
zealous Park Ranger.
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
June 3, 2004
The number of letters to the editor in recent weeks regarding the legitimacy of
pro-choice and pro-abortion public officials receiving Holy Communion is both
interesting and distressing. Interesting because of the vehemence of opinions on
both sides of the issue. Distressing because of the number who see no
contradiction between acting in a fashion totally opposed to the tenets and
beliefs of the Catholic Church and receiving Holy Communion in that same Church.
I have never received communion in an other-than-Catholic church. It would be a
lie for me to do so. We certainly recognize the immense difference between the
Eucharistic faith professed in the Catholic Church and that of
other-than-Catholic churches but we are similar in that receiving communion is
also a 'sign' of philosophical / theological 'communion'. The reception of
communion would be a proclamation that I am of one mind and heart with the
official teachings and beliefs of that other-than-Catholic church. There are
certainly a great number of points of convergence between what I believe and
what some other-than-Catholics believe. I do not condemn other-than-Catholics
but I am not in complete 'communion' with them and it would be a lie for me to
claim full communion with them and then to ratify that lie by also receiving
that full sign of communion with them.
As Catholics we believe, as our Church teaches, that Holy Communion is the Body,
Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. We know from our Catechism that Communion
nourishes us spiritually in the same way that physical food nourishes the body.
We have a very deep and profound reverence and respect for this great
Eucharistic Mystery. The reception of Holy Communion, however, is not only
spiritual nourishment it is also a sign and an expression of oneness, of unity.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has asked that the following
statement be included in worship aids as an ongoing instruction for those coming
to the Catholic Church. First, Catholics are reminded that they need to be
properly disposed and “participants should not be conscious of grave sin and
normally should have fasted for one hour.” For those other-than-Catholics the
following is added: “Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the
Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship,
members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily
not admitted to Holy Communion.”
It is certainly proper to recognize that those “with whom we are not yet fully
united” refers to members of other-than-Catholic churches but its meaning can
very well extend beyond this very strict interpretation. This 'full communion'
with the Catholic Church is well defined: “Those baptized are fully in the
communion of the Catholic Church on this earth who are joined with Christ in its
visible structure by the bonds of the profession of faith, the sacraments, and
ecclesiastical governance.” (Canon 205) Simply being a baptized Catholic does
not in and of itself guarantee 'full communion'. This is quite strongly
indicated in a subsequent Canon: “The Christian Faithful, even in their own
manner of acting, are always obliged to maintain communion with the Church.”
(Canon 209)
The question then is whether is it is possible, in accord with Catholic Church
teaching, to say: “What I believe personally as an article of faith is an
article of faith … [But it is not] appropriate in the United States for a
legislator to legislate personal religious beliefs for the rest of the country.”
I wonder what Saint Thomas More would have to say about that! In other words,
the manner of acting (for public officials) has no bearing whatsoever on
'communion with the Church'. Clearly the manner of acting, and perhaps more the
manner of acting than seemingly empty words, is a declaration of what one
believes.
The public official who says, “I maintain full communion with the Catholic
Church and I continue to receive communion in that Church and I will vote for
every and any law which continues to provide and even expand access to abortion”
is hardly maintaining union with the Church in his 'manner of acting'. I try to
imagine myself believing something very fervently and wholeheartedly and then
making a choice, without duress, to act in a way contrary to that belief. I am
not here talking about weakness and lapses into occasional sinfulness but clear
bold and categorical public affirmations. I wonder if it is really possible to
say, “I believe one thing very strongly but I commit myself to act consistently
in the opposite way.” No, I do not wonder about this at all. I believe it is
categorically impossible for a person of integrity to hold to such an obtuse,
bifurcated notion of the human person. We cannot claim to truly believe one way
and pledge to act in an other. This is especially applicable to life. Actions
speak louder than words. Even actions which are politically based speak more
loudly about what a person really believes than what he claims to really, really
believe.
If a person believes, as the Church teaches, and as science confirms, that human
life begins at conception, it is not possible, at the same time, to seek to
maintain laws which deny human rights to this pre-born child, much less actively
militate for the 'rights' of others to pursue the death of this human person.
“The Christian Faithful, even in their own manner of acting, are always obliged
to maintain communion with the Church.” (Canon 209)
Those who seek Eucharistic Communion in the Catholic Church do have an
obligation, as a condition for that reception, to maintain a real and genuine
oneness of faith, life and worship with the Catholic Church. Unfortunately there
are some Catholic politicians whose statements, positions, voting records and
stances, particularly on life issues are so far from 'communion with the Church'
that it is impossible to see how they can qualify for the 'full communion'
required for admission to full Eucharistic Communion. What they do screams so
loudly about what they believe that it drowns out the tininess of the voice with
which they affirm what they claim to believe. Their manner of acting excludes
them. Where their manner of acting is so clearly in opposition to 'full
communion' then that lack of communion needs to be first privately and then, if
necessary, publicly declared.
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
May 28, 2004
The highlight of the week was the ordination to the transitional diaconate of a
seminarian for the Diocese of Baker. This seminarian hales from Nigeria by way
of Italy and has been studying for our Diocese for the past five years. God
willing he will be ordained as a priest around this same time in 2005. Pray for
vocations. What made this ordination a highlight was not only the fact that we
now have an additional deacon serving in the Diocese who will ultimately be
ordained a priest but the international connections manifested at the
ordination.
The priests attending the ordination who are serving in our Diocese come to us
from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Poland, and Sri Lanka. In addition we
have priests from Columbia, Malta, Mexico, California and Nebraska. The
Franciscans are represented as well as the Jesuits. Present also at the
ordination was a relatively large contingent from the Nigerian community in
Portland who came dressed in traditional Nigerian attire and whose lively,
exuberant and joyful demeanor greatly enhanced our celebration. We rely a great
deal on these 'missionaries' from Africa and other continents and perhaps we
tend to view them merely as temporary necessities. The celebration on Friday
reminded me that we are greatly blessed by the richness of the cultures which
they bring to mix with ours. It is sometimes difficult for parishioners to
understand what our foreign brothers are saying because of the vast differences
in accent and even pronunciation but I have been told recently that it was not
all that different when the first Irish priests came to serve here. They could
not be well understood either. I recognize that greater clarity of language is
desirable and I do encourage the priests to continue to work on accent
reduction, pronunciation, clearer enunciation and conscientiousness about
linguistic differences. At the same time I continue to remind parishioners that
we rely on these priests to provide us with basic essential services such as
access to the Sacraments and Sunday Mass and we have an obligation to be
grateful. It is not easy to suffer the linguistic challenges and I can assure
you it is not easy for the priests either. Unless and until more young men from
the Diocese itself step forward and offer their lives for the sake of the
Kingdom of God in Eastern Oregon we will continue to rely on the generosity of
other families from other nations to supply our priesthood needs. While there is
certainly need to break down communication barriers and this must be worked at,
there is also room for improvement in our own work of actively promoting
vocations to the priesthood from our own Diocesan family.
The ordination took me to Baker City, the location of our Cathedral, the Mother
Church of the Diocese. It is fitting and proper and even recommended that
celebrations such as ordinations take place in this Diocesan Church because a
man is ordained for the whole Diocese and not for any particular parish. The
Cathedral becomes the symbol for the unity of the whole Diocese. We may view the
Cathedral as just another parish Church, and it is the parish church of Baker
City, but it is more than that, it is the Diocesan Church. Thus I have committed
myself, as much as possible, to host Diocesan celebrations there. I am always
very grateful to the staff and especially the choir at Saint Francis de Sales
Cathedral because they always accommodate me so well, work so cooperatively with
me on these celebrations and always ensure that they are celebrations of beauty,
dignity and respect. I look forward to celebrations there. I hope that everyone
in the Diocese recognizes the centrality of this Diocesan Church and the
celebrations which occur there and make genuine efforts to attend if at all
possible.
Following the ordination I needed to get to Lakeview for Mass and Confirmation.
On the way down Highway 395 I realized that I had never had occasion to travel
from Burns to Lakeview and so it was a new scenic byway. I was very surprised by
Lake Abert which is certainly beautiful but not all that useful. It covers about
60 square miles and, if I read the legend properly, has an average depth of 6
feet. The high concentration of sodium carbonates and other salts make it
largely uninhabitable but it is lovely to look at. I was also very surprised
when pulling into Lakeview from the north to see just off to the right the steam
plume of the Lakeview geyser. At first I thought this had to be a local
invention but then remembering the highly sulfuric odors near Lake Abert and the
steam heat utilized at Klamath Falls I realized it was probably a real natural
phenomenon. It blasted water into the air twice in the brief span of time it
took me to drive past the entrance to Geyser Lane. While not as impressive as
Old Faithful the geothermics involved seem to be the same.
The Confirmation at Lakeview involved thirteen fine young men and women who were
well prepared and who, despite a bit of nervousness, answered questions and
survived quite readily. When I see young people such as these I cannot help but
wonder if the Lord is not planting the seeds of religious vocations in their
minds and hearts. They are certainly devoted to God and the things of God, they
come from families committed to the Church, they are not imbued with the errors
of the secular world, they are bright, articulate, hard working, unassuming and
respectful. I believe God is calling them. I believe God's grace is not lacking.
I believe that if parents and grandparents and god parents and parishioners
would begin to mention to such fine young people the possibility of religious
vocation then that grace of God could be activated and could then be clearly
heard by these young people. I do believe that God is calling forth vocations to
the priesthood and religious life from the midst of our own families; from the
midst of your families. If not from your family, then from whom should we expect
or anticipate priests? Many have asked me over the years: Bishop, can't we have
a priest from our own Diocese whom we can clearly understand? I in turn ask you:
My dear people can we not have priests from our own Diocese who could then be
assigned to serve you? If not from your family, then from whence shall they
come?
THE MIND AND HEART OF BISHOP VASA
May 21, 2004
Even though the week just past seemed to be no more or less productive or
unproductive than a typical week in the Diocese of Baker I must admit that it
feels a bit dissipated. This sense of feeling scattered as opposed to being
properly focused is probably a sign that I need to take a day off or maybe
even a bit of vacation. Maybe the coming non-observed Holy Day of Ascension
Thursday will provide just a moment of respite. Despite the fact that the
celebration and the 'obligation' of this day, in various regions of the
country, is transferred to Sunday we would all do well to try to find some way
to 'observe' the traditional day of celebration of the Ascension.
The week does not seem to have been any more scattered, in terms of
activities, than any other week but there were a few differences. One was my
lawn. I mowed parts of it once last week and then decided that maybe it needed
to be power raked. How would I know? I bought the little attachments and the
special mower blade and raked a section of the lawn. After collecting most of
the debris the lawn looked no better than it did before. Later I raked it
again after buying replacement attachments because the originals were worn to
nubs. The second collection of debris was greater than the first. I do not
know if this is progress or not. I do not know if I did any good but I did
feel good about doing something. It may end up being a mistake but I was once
told that the only person who is assured of not making a mistake is the person
who is careful to do nothing and even then doing nothing may prove to be a
mistake. I do not know how the lawn will fare but the rhubarb seems to be
prospering. Maybe that is largely because I do tend to leave the rhubarb
alone. Come to think of it the peonies are gearing up for what promises to be
a record number of blooms and I tend to leave them alone as well. Perhaps
there are some who would suggest that I do the same with the lawn. Perhaps
there are some who think I should do the same with the liturgy and with the
practices which have become a part of the standard operating procedures in the
Diocese. On the power rake package the instructions indicate that one should
not panic if it looks like the entire lawn has been destroyed. It did look a
little like that. I am confident that the lawn will be healthier in the long
run. Seeing the pruned cherry and apple trees along the gorge and then seeing
them now heavily laden with fruit gives hope to the belief that the lawn will
be healthier. Without that pruning, which looks very severe and harsh, apples
and cherries would never bear rich fruit.
The highpoints of my week were Conferences, Councils and a Convention. The
Conferences I refer to are not meetings but rather local operational bodies of
the Saint Vincent de Paul Society. I had the opportunity to visit the 'shops'
in Redmond and Prineville on Thursday and am truly amazed at the level of
dedication and commitment of the Vincentian volunteers. In Redmond we stopped
and shopped at the thrift store. Clothes in abundance are available there at
rock bottom prices. I occasionally shop at such places and sometimes feel a
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