From the Desk of Deacon Brian July – Dec. 2020

“The supreme adventure is being born. There we do walk suddenly into a splendid and startling trap. There we do see something of which we have not dreamed before. Our father and mother do lie in wait for us and leap out on us, like brigands from a bush. Our uncle is a surprise. Our aunt is, in the beautiful common expression, a bolt from the blue. When we step into the family, by the act of being born, we do step into a world which is incalculable, into a world which has its own strange laws, into a world which could do without us, into a world that we have not made. In other words, when we step into the family we step into a fairy-tale.”

– G.K. Chesterton

Do I treat my family like an adventurous fairy tale or a depressing tragedy? Do I take what is thrown at me with good-humor and grace, or do I shrink away in bitterness and sarcasm? No one gets along with all of their family members all of the time, but there are definitely ways that we can meet these challenging differences head-on with courage, charity, and patience. Pray for the family members that irk you the most. Offer Mass for them, pray rosaries for them. If you’re dreading seeing them over the holidays, start praying for them now. When you do see them, don’t be afraid to engage them and love them…love them…love them! Consider it an adventure!

I suddenly realized that I had 4 hard copy Advent meditation booklets and 5 online Advent meditation sources (videos, podcasts, readings) being sent to me each day. All of them good, some spoke to my heart more than others. But I found myself getting lost. Getting overloaded. Missing the point. Getting off track from feeling a need for a Savior.

The following is my “go-to” clear-the-clutter Advent centering reading. These lines appear in the other stanzas of the hymn O Come O Come Emmanuel. It works best for me when I read it slowly, clearly, softly, out loud at the end of my morning prayer in the winter darkness by a lit candle…sometimes, I pause, take the lines in, and repeat them over and over until the words fill my soul…

O Wisdom,

Lord and Ruler,

Root of Jesse,

Key of David,

Rising Sun,

King of the Nations,

Come Lord Jesus!

What?? Yeah…maybe…DON’T GIVE…the way you always have…

THANK YOU for your sustained weekly offertory giving during our comeback time. And a special thanks to those who have been sending in your offerings even while you are not back in person with us yet! (We miss you and pray for you daily!)

Please consider this: GIVE ONLINE. Online giving makes even more sense with pandemic to thwart virus spread. Here are the other benefits to online giving:

1. Easier to budget your contribution,
2. Pay the same way you pay your other online bills,
3. Don’t miss a contribution (helps parish) when you are away,
4. Helps parish counters and office tremendously, and
5. It’s incredibly easy!

Here’s how you do it…Go to the SFA website and click the “Online Giving” tab at top, sign in / register, and click “Give Now”, then “My Donation”. That’s it!

 

 

Kathy is ready to help you anytime at bookkeeper@stfrancisyulee.org or 904.849.7554!

The Solemnity of Christ the King was instituted by our Church to counter those seeking to eliminate Christian influence from political life. We see this anti-religion / anti-clericalism today, when protests are made that belief in Catholic teachings makes a person unfit for a judicial appointment. Our nation is beset by civic unrest, racial tension, and a pandemic…we do well to turn to Our Lord, who reigns over every people and nation. Let this fact sink into your heart.

Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, the Incarnate Lord. He is King because of the ineffable hypostatic union…the awesome fact that He is God and man. That’s why Christ is to be adored by angels and men…that also to Him as man, angels and men are subject and must recognize his empire.

Jesus is fully God and fully man. He is both the divine Lord and the man who suffered and died on the Cross. In him, one person of the Trinity unites Himself to human nature through the Incarnation and reigns over all creation as the Incarnate Son of God.

Jesus shares a law of charity to show the way to communion with God.

Not only do the gospels tell us that he made laws, but they present Him to us in the act of making them. Those who keep them show their love for their Divine Master, and He promises that they shall remain in his love.

By being close to sisters and brothers who are suffering, we draw close to Jesus. We Catholics, as individuals and as parishes, are called to look for opportunities to minister to the needs of people who are hurting and, by doing this, we acknowledge the kingship of Christ.

The Church acknowledges the reign of Christ, not only privately, but publicly.

Thus by sermons preached at meetings and in churches, by public adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed and by solemn processions, men unite in paying homage to Christ, whom God has given them for their King.

Today, religious freedom for many people means that, yeah…you can believe whatever you want privately, but when you enter the public square or the marketplace, you must conform to secularist (pagan) orthodoxy. For Christians, when our faith is repeatedly marginalized, boxed-in, and suppressed in public life, we can fall into the habit of compartmentalizing our lives. More and more of us love Jesus in our private lives, but we shrink from acknowledging His Kingship in our social life.

Have today’s Solemnity of Christ the King be a turning point for you. From this point forward: Keep at the top of your mind and declare to the world (start with the next person you meet), that Jesus is the Lord, not only of the Church, but of the universe!

The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal are a Catholic religious order founded in the South Bronx, NY.  Where? When I grew up only a few miles north but worlds away in Westchester County, “The South Bronx” was synonymous with drug dealing and slums…it was literally a “war zone” as depicted in the movie of the real-life NYPD precinct Fort Apache The Bronx. Enter the Franciscans who made it their #1 prerequisite to establish a friary where they can minister to the neediest every time they open their front door every morning (and late into the evening!)

Three young Renewal friars have launched a weekly podcast that has totally caught my attention and wonder. Here’s how it’s described in their cover materials: Join Fr. Innocent, Fr. Angelus, and Fr. Mark-Mary, members of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, for their weekly podcast. The Poco A Poco Podcast offers “Practical Spirituality.” The friars break open the Gospel in light of their years of prayer, communal life, and work with the poor. The Poco A Poco Podcast is a source of rest, encouragement, refreshment, and renewal for all pilgrims helping them to discern and make the next best step. Poco a Poco, little by little, step by step we’re making our pilgrimage to the Father’s house.

Here’s my take: When St. Francis founded his order in Assisi, it was well known you knew the friars were approaching…because their laughter could be heard throughout the countryside as they walked closer! Well, get ready for honest, laughter, wit, and humor from three dedicated young priests in their 20’s/30’s on this podcast. Check out the picture. Ordained priests, vow of poverty, living where most avoid, smiling, fist-bumping, loving life by loving God in action. They bring their high-energy loving opening banter down eventually to share incredible insight into Holy Scripture and the gift of our Catholic faith.

Like the Abiding Together ladies I have spoken to you about in the past, the Poco gentlemen deliver truth, beauty, and goodness to the listener in a genuine pureness that is only amplified by their good cheer. Many young men listen to Poco A Poco…they’re actually required listening for those discerning a vocation in some diocese. Parents: Give it a listen…you will want your middle schoolers and high schoolers to do the same. Let them hear the joy of men not too much older than them living a robust life in Christ. But just like the Abiding Together podcast also having a lot of guys tuning in to hear Heather, Sr. Miriam, and Michelle, many women young and older listen to Fr. Innocent, Fr. Angelus, and Fr. Mark-Mary each week. I highly recommend you give it a try! CLICK HERE

The Pope’s Prayer Intention this month is aimed at responsible use of artificial intelligence (“AI”). No coincidence that the latest Netflix film, “The Social Dilemma,” examines how social media is becoming more addictive and how a good invention has unexpectedly caused many adverse effects. Watch it. Here are 5 quick takeaways:

1. Big-tech companies sneakily cash in on your information. If you’re not paying for the product, then you (your mind) are the product. While it might seem like Facebook is just a website for connecting with family and Snapchat is another way to see pictures of your friends, the goal of these apps is to keep you engaged and watching more ads so that they can make a profit.

2. Social media apps and websites are designed to be addictive. Social media websites use “positive intermittent reinforcement” to keep you refreshing your individual newsfeed in hopes of seeing a new comment or update from a friend. The Facebook “like” button was originally created to bring joy to the lives of others. The feature is now a symbol of popularity and encourages young adults to Photoshop their bodies to get more likes than their peers. The addictive quality of receiving likes is like that of taking a drug, which releases dopamine in the brain. Users will do whatever it takes to get more.

3. Internet usage is being tracked and recorded to deliver engaging ads. Why does the item you Googled one time consistently show up as an ad on other websites you visit? Every single action you take online is carefully monitored and recorded…exactly what image you stop and look at and for how long you look at it. The AI employed by social media apps takes note of what a user likes and dislikes to algorithmically keep individuals involved in their feeds…

4. Be a more informed internet user / know that there is hope for the future. In “Social Dilemmas, former Google, Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter tell how social media has spiraled out of the control of its creators. The employees that still work at these companies know the dangerous effects social media has on younger generations but choose to ignore it and continue to make their platforms more addicting. Fortunately, the experts that took part in the film are calling for ethical standards to be put in place to stop these corporations from selling personal data. And it’s getting attention. Thank God.

5. Limit screen time, turn off notifications, find hobbies outside of technology. Promising to put your phone away is much easier said than done. Even the experts behind the film admit to compulsively checking emails or mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest. Instead of quitting social media completely, it might be easier to take small steps toward freeing yourself from technology. Set screen time limits, silence notifications, and delete wasteful apps is be a good start!

On a few rare occasions in my life, I have been in a place, in my mind, where I am being asked so many questions that I come very close to overload.  The resulting reaction sometimes goes one of two ways.  I can get very “snarky” and come up with flip responses or….and I think this has come from maturity….I simply shut down.  I don’t want to talk to anyone about anything.  I just crave the solitude that shuts it all out.  I know this is sometimes very hard for those closest to me.  But it’s my coping mechanism.  These last few weeks have sort of been leading up to one of those times.

My typical “go-to” when I have a lot on my mind, a decision to be made, is to talk it out with my bride or a close friend or two.  Our wonderful adult children can be a good sounding board as well.  But yesterday I didn’t want to really talk with anyone.  The couple of conversations I did have showed that I was just venting…..and there is nothing constructive in that.  So I went to that quiet place in my head mid-day and stayed there.  When I got up I felt refreshed and I was ready to start another day until I began my prayer time and that same sense of questioning came into my mind.  I sat and looked around my “sanctuary” (the man cave).  The walls are covered with images of Jesus and Mary and Joseph.  There are more than fifty crucifixes on one wall and an image of Saint Francis rests on an easel.  Oh, there are lots of family pictures also and friends.  But my eyes kept going back to the many faces of Jesus.

And then in a moment a sense of peace and calm washed over me.  I took a deep breath.  And then I just let it all go.  I realized that getting upset or feeling overwhelmed wasn’t accomplishing a thing, other than making me a miserable person to be around.  I laughed thinking about sitting down and sharing with you all.  I am great at giving advice……I needed to take some of my own.  I am in charge of nothing, or at least let me say that I have no real control over much of anything…..and in a flash today I realized just how OK I am with that.  I cannot control when people do things that make no sense.  I cannot control when some people seem to think they are entitled to special treatment and exceptions in any given situation.  I cannot control anything or anyone….other than myself and how I choose to react to whatever is happening around me.  And the source of that peace comes from one place.  It comes from a surrender, giving over all control to God.  Sure I, and each of us, can be instruments of his work, in his plan.  But we don’t create the plan nor do we control it or anyone else involved.  Our role is to listen, to hear God’s plan, to accept God’s plan, and then to follow God’s plan in the way HE wants us to act.  To surrender to God’s plan is the sweetest gift we can give ourselves.

When we are confronted with a lot, many decisions to be made, whether they are big or small, we should Run to Jesus, rest with him, confide in him, consult with him.  We don’t have to have all the answers, because Jesus does!  Oh sure, we need to use the gifts he has given us in order to convey the message.  But He will give us the Grace to accomplish whatever is asked of us…..provided it is part of His Plan.

The above is a daily reflection from my friend, mentor, and brother Deacon Dennis Dorner, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. His simple penetrating daily reflections were meant to comfort us during the first days of the pandemic lock down, but due to high demand, they have continued each day now for over six months…

A 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006 moved a step closer to possible sainthood last week with his beatification in the town of Assisi, where he is buried. Carlo Acutis is the youngest contemporary person to be beatified. At the beatification ceremony in the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, a portrait of Carlo was slowly unveiled, revealing a smiling teen in a red polo shirt, his curly dark hair illuminated by a halo of light. Already being touted as the “patron saint of the internet,” he created a website to catalog miracles and took care of websites for some local Catholic organizations. While still in elementary school, Carlo taught himself to write code using a university computer science textbook and then learned how to edit videos and create animation. Carlo used the internet in service of the Gospel…he viewed it as a place to use with responsibility, without becoming enslaved to it.

Carlo was born in London in 1991, to Italian parents, and moved to Milan as a child. Already as a small child, he showed a strong religious devotion that surprised his non-practicing parents. His mother said that from age 3 he would ask to visit churches they passed in Milan, and by age 7 had asked to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion, receiving an exception to the local customary minimum age requirement. “There was in him a natural predisposition for the sacred,” his mother said. His curiosity prompted her to study theology in order to answer his questions, renewing her own faith. “Carlo saved me. I was an illiterate of faith. I came back thanks to him and caring priests, otherwise, I would have felt discredited in my parental authority. It is a path that continues for me. I hope to at least wind up in purgatory,” she told news reporters.

Carlos died of acute leukemia in 2006. He was put on the road to sainthood after Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to Carlos: The healing of a 7-year-old Brazilian boy from a rare pancreatic disorder after coming into contact with a relic of Carlo, a piece of one of his T-shirts. “I was sure he was already a saint while alive. He healed a woman from cancer, praying to the Madonna of Pompeii” his mother said. Another verified miracle is necessary for sainthood. Carlos is buried in Assisi at his request, having become an admirer of St. Francis of Assisi for his dedication to the poor.

Saints are among us if we look for them. Carlo was a tangible example of holiness among us…in his track suit…playing soccer with his friends…writing computer code…loving God with all his heart, mind, and soul.

We pray for it in our Prayers of The Faithful. It is the core of our Catholic faith: Life. From conception through natural death. Our efforts to stop abortion is the core of the core. The culture of death and the increase of secular pagan attitudes make many Respect Life issues pervasive in our society. Included in the following list are related and other assaults on Life that our Shepherds (US Conference of Catholic Bishops) urge us to act upon as faithful Christians

• Assisted Suicide – Voluntary killing of self, not even sickness-related; Thou Shall Not Kill
• Capital Punishment – a/k/a The Death Penalty; Thou Shall Not Kill
• Human Cloning – No conception involved.
• Contraception – Anything that artificially blocks natural conception. Natural Family Planning works!
• Embryo / Fetal Research – A repugnant use of aborted babies.
• End of Life Issues / Euthanasia – a/k/a Mercy Killing; Thou Shall Not Kill.
• Health Care – Proper caring for all God’s people
• IVF / Reproductive Technology – Conception without sex; Procreative but NOT unitive of the couple
• Morning After Pill – Thou Shall Not Kill
• Partial-Birth Abortion – Ghastly.
• Pornography – Exploits and demeans women; scourges men and women of every age.
• Post–Abortion Healing – Being aware of many in our pews suffering and in need of mercy, love, and healing.
• Pregnant Mothers in Need – Pre / Post birth counseling, services, and resources.
• Sex Trafficking – Intricate organized network exploiting, enslaving, many times under-aged women for sexual exploitation and sale
• Special Needs Persons – Everyone is God’s beautiful creation
• Stem Cell Research – Stem cells can be a rich source for effective research; cells harvested from umbilical cords after birth are acceptable; cells from aborted babies are never acceptable, no matter how important the research.
• Unjust Wars

In the movie Unplanned, Abby Johnson was not won over by the blare of bullhorns or the well-meaning shouts of damning Scripture in front of her Planned Parenthood clinic. She was won over time by loving, caring, compassionate, soft-spoken believers in Christ and the message of abundant Life that oppose the atrocities of everyday killing. Above, we see how pervasive sin can be in our everyday life and how our awareness, education, and action in these many specific areas also answers the call to Respect Life.

Before the days of WD-40, 3 in 1 Oil was the go-to solution for creaking hinges, bike chains, and I think the Wizard of Oz used it on the Tin Man’s jaw to help him talk…not sure. We have a 3 in 1 opportunity as Christians sitting in our parking lot once a quarter: Giving blood. It’s

1) Stewardship of the resources of our bodies

2) Outreach to others

3) a sacrificial Offering…All In One.

Some of us can’t give blood for various reasons. Some of us really really don’t like to give blood. Some of us don’t like to give because it’s not especially pleasant and it’s inconvenient. I fall into this last category and I am wondering if you do too. The hassle has been minimized with a beautiful mobile facility for our convenience before or after Mass on Sunday. The unpleasantness is totally eliminated by being greeted by the ebullient Angie Eggleston and a professional and pleasant staff. They told me they vie for the St. Francis duty because they love the people at our church!

In a time where we are limited in our efforts of Corporal Acts of Mercy, giving blood can help us to carry out our mission to care for God’s people. Blood is…life-giving and we certainly want it there when we need it. Consider giving blood on Sunday October 18, 2020 8:00AM – 1:00PM here at St. Francis.

Stewardship…Outreach…Offering…Three in One.

I was waiting to see my doctor for my final post-natal appointment. And, because my doctor is kind of a big deal obstetrical rock-star, I was waiting a long time. A woman and her mother sat down across from me. The mother began to chat with her daughter about a news story she had read about a woman in China who had been issued a warning for breastfeeding while riding a scooter. The daughter laughed. The mother remarked that the worst part of the whole story was that the baby was 18 months old. This, she assured her daughter, was disgusting. Breastfeeding a one and a half-year-old was the objectionable part of that story…not, you know, racing along on a scooter steering with one hand while holding an infant who was not properly secured.

At the risk of causing my readers to blush, I hereby proclaim that breasts are AWESOME. They have the ability to make food with profound nutritional and medicinal properties. They give comfort. They are beautiful. They are powerful mediators of nourishment and solace and loveliness. But breasts, according to every magazine in the grocery store checkout lane and every third television commercial during an NFL game, are meant to be bound, surgically enhanced, and packaged. We are not told that breasts are beautiful parts of a woman’s body because they give life and love. We are told they are objects used to sell things, used to determine a woman’s worth, used to…well, just plain used.

In some ways, breastfeeding is a radical and holy affront to this objectification of breasts in particular and women in general. It is sweet and almost mystical and doesn’t make anyone a dime. It is both a natural, God-given gift and an art passed down from one generation of women to the next. When someone gives me a look of disapproval for having the unmitigated temerity to bring (in a respectful way) a hungry babe to my breast in public, I think of Our Lady.

One of my favorite images of the Blessed Mother is a drawing of Mary entitled Nuestra Señora de la Leche where Mary is cradling the infant Jesus in her arms as he nurses happily at her exposed breast. The image illustrates Christ’s humanity. The image shows Mary’s tender love for her Son…a love to which all believers are called to aspire. The image affirms the dignity of women’s bodies…in all of their beauty and messiness and possibility. When I think of Our Lady, I am filled with a reminder that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. That the tenderness I feel stir inside me for a nursing baby is a wise spiritual teacher. That holiness is in our small moments of self-gift.

Next Sunday, October 11th, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of La Leche. So, the next time you see a mother nursing her child, smile. Think of Our Lady. Think of her beauty and wisdom and humility and strength. Think of the radical and holy inherent in breastfeeding.

The above is an adaptation of a busted halo blog post by Caitlin Kennell Kim, Masters of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry and Theology, Union Theological Seminary New York, NY

It makes so much sense and is so obvious, yet it never occurred to most of us…except Fr. Slawek. Give the not-being-used-due-to-the-pandemic Breaking Bread 2020 Missals out to our St. Francis parishioners so they can use them at home, bring them to church, and then back home again! A fresh pair of eyes and solution-oriented mind…just one of the many good things our new pastor is bringing us.

Now that you have the Missals in your home: Be…Preprayered. Yes, preprayered. This was one of the strong suggestions I received during my diaconate formation…to read aloud, by myself ahead of time, the Rite or prayers I would need to say later in congregation. So, now that you have the power of The Word in your hands, maybe you should: Read the readings before Mass, out loud, in your home. Listen to the spoken (not just mental) words. Slowly. Let them sink in. Try to see how the readings fit (or don’t fit) together. How does the Responsorial Psalm tie in. Practice the Response. Go ahead, belt it out while you stir the spaghetti sauce. Get ready for the big event: The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. Parents with kids, ask them to read the readings out loud at dinner the day before. Talk about it. Form questions that you can look up and answer after dinner (no cell phones at the table!)

Here’s another suggestion: Just before you go to bed before Saturday or Sunday Mass, fast from any device screens. Let your brain rest. Then, the very last thing before you close your eyes, read the reading for Mass tomorrow that most caught your attention. Then, go to sleep. It will percolate in your heart. When you awaken in the morning, try to remember the reading…what are your first thoughts? Has The Holy Spirit been placed His Gifts or Fruits with you while you slept?

Thank God for His precious Word to you.

The Third Order (tertiaries) is by far the largest of the Franciscan orders. It was created by St. Francis in 1221 because many married men and women, and diocesan clergy, were asking to embrace his style of life and could not enter either the first (Order of Friars Minor or O.F.M, priests and brothers), or second-order (the Poor Clares, cloistered nuns). Within the Third Order of St. Francis, it is necessary to distinguish between the Third Order Regular and the Third Order Secular.

Third Order Regular (TOR) – Eventually some of these tertiaries started living in communities. These later developed into a religious order professing vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and now referred to as Third Order Regular. Members of these communities can be male or female but they live in community according to their gender. This branch of the Franciscan Family was officially founded in 1447 by a papal decree uniting several groups. Today there are hundreds of Third Order Regular communities around the world.

Third Order Secular/ Secular Franciscans (OFS) – The Third Order Secular (Ordo Franciscanus Saecularis), known as the Secular Franciscans, includes devout persons, both men, and women. Members do not live in community but live their everyday lives in the world. However, members do gather together in community on a regular basis. They profess vows and commit themselves to living the Gospel according to the example of Francis. The process of becoming a Secular Franciscan involves a commitment of 18 to 36 months of formation. There are nearly 13,000 Secular Franciscans in the United States today. Interested?

We are blessed to have Secular Franciscans in the pews with us here at St. Francis! If you are:

1) an OFS interested in gathering regularly in community at SFA, or

2) interested in finding out more about becoming a Secular Franciscan, contact:

KATHY STRAUB

kathmahostraub@gmaiil.com

904.430.5069

Pax et Bonum (“Peace and the Good”, the Franciscan motto).

Altar turned around to face the people. No more Latin. English. No more kneeling at the altar rail for Communion. Guitar music. That was Vatican II, right? Not exactly… Our Vatican II Q and A continues…

Did Vatican II define any new Catholic dogmas or condemn any heresies?

No. Unlike many other councils, Vatican II did not in an extraordinary way define any new dogmas of the Church or condemn any heresies.

Are Vatican II’s teachings infallible and binding, or fallible and optional?

This is a very false understanding. Vatican II does affirm the infallible dogmas of the faith. The teachings are guarded against doctrinal error and are binding on all Catholics; they are not optional. Some think this archaic and stifling. Not so, this is an ever-renewing and freeing quality of our beautiful faith.

Is Vatican II in continuity with tradition, or is it a rupture?

Some think this because of an address by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. In that speech, he contrasts two “hermeneutics,” or ways of interpreting, Vatican II. On the one hand is “the hermeneutic of discontinuity or rupture,” the idea that Vatican II is a split or break with Catholic tradition. On the other hand is “the hermeneutic of reform,” or continuity, the idea that Vatican II is consistent with Catholic tradition. Both those on the extreme “left” and the extreme “right” have interpreted Vatican II as a rupture—a good rupture and a bad rupture, respectively. But Pope Benedict XVI championed the hermeneutic of continuity, saying: “The Church, both before and after Vatican II, was and is the same Church, one, holy, catholic and apostolic, journeying on through time.” Vatican II was not a break or rupture; it is in continuity with the tradition that came before.

Did Vatican II forbid Latin, Gregorian Chant, pipe organs in worship in the Mass?

No. One of the main four documents, Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, did not forbid any of these things. On the contrary, it preserved Latin as the official language of the Latin rite, and stated: “Steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.” Regarding Gregorian Chant, it said: “The Church acknowledges Gregorian chant as specially suited to the Roman liturgy: therefore, it should be given pride of place in liturgical services.” Yay, Fr Slawek! Regarding pipe organs, it said: “In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man’s mind to God and to higher things.”

Does supporting the Traditional Latin Mass mean you have to reject Vatican II—or vice versa?

No. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI clarified things by authorizing a much broader celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (ad orientum, the priest faces away with back to the congregation), or “Extraordinary Form of the Mass.” To be a Catholic who reveres the Church’s tradition, which is a living tradition, is to accept both forms of Mass celebration. Thank you Lord for our beautiful Catholic liturgy!

Vatican II intended to clarify the Church’s understanding of herself through better explaining doctrine and creating a platform for renewed evangelical vigor.

This great vision remains largely unrealized because it was dumbed down. In the long run, people fell away and that’s where we are today. Why? In the decades following the Council, the teachings of Vatican II were distorted or simply ignored. Its robust documents, produced by the cream of the Catholic intellectual crop, gave way to a debilitating anti-intellectualism; its definition of the Eucharist as “the source and summit of the Christian life” was met with a dramatic decrease in Mass attendance and a decrease in the belief of the Real Presence; its goal of awakening our biblical consciousness was restrained by a widespread ignorance of Scripture, and its call to read “the signs of the times” was taken up as the motto of a “beige Catholicism”. None of these effects were due to Vatican II texts themselves, which actually promoted clarity and direction.

The answer going forward is not in either distorting or disparaging Vatican II—both of which see it as a “rupture” with the past, and both of which have been disastrous for evangelization. The answer is in reclaiming it. This column in the next few weeks will be an attempt to help you start to do that through a series of questions and answers…

What is Vatican II?

Vatican II, or the Second Vatican Council, was the twenty-first (and most recent) ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Ecumenical councils, which go back to the Council of Nicaea in 325, are gatherings of bishops from around the world, under the leadership of the pope, to authoritatively discuss and define Church doctrine and discipline. An ecumenical council is an extremely rare occurrence, a “solemn” exercise of episcopal power (CCC 884). It is the highest-ranked and most important of seven types of general councils possible in the life of the Catholic Church. Vatican II was opened under Pope St. John XXIII on October 11, 1962, and closed under Pope St. Paul VI on December 8, 1965. The Council culminated in sixteen documents promulgated by Pope St. Paul VI, including four central “constitutions”:

• Dei Verbum (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation)
• Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church)
• Sacrosanctum Concilium (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy)
• Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World)

These documents—not a nebulous “spirit of Vatican II” that misrepresents or misapplies them, or a narrow “traditionalism” that reacts by rejecting them—are the soul of Vatican II. We will explore each of these documents in the coming weeks and answer other key questions!

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

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Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was an influential American Catholic author. His autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain is a classic. I highly recommend it.

After a rambunctious youth and adolescence, Merton converted to Roman Catholicism while at Columbia University. In 1941 he arrived at the Abbey of Gethsemani, a community of monks belonging to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists), the most ascetic Roman Catholic monastic order. His 27 years there were a time of continual conversion.

The above is a prayer he wrote that I never seem to “outgrow”…

It has been a sacrifice for those who desire to receive communion on the tongue to receive Our Lord in the hand during this pandemic time. For these of the faithful, their return to their preferred form of reception will be sweet after their “time in the desert” with Jesus and may be an unexpected time of spiritual growth.

It’s always a good time to review how we properly receive Communion in the hand. Here are some reminders:

1. Fast for One Hour – Get your body ready to receive His Body. (Gum counts, so dispose of it ahead of time…if you have a cough, a cough drop is a medicine which can be consumed at any time).
2. Be Free from Mortal Sin – Grab an Examination of Conscience off the rack or go online to review the list of mortal sins. You want to confess these before receiving, because “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself”. The Eucharist is healing and transformative! Be ready for it! We are so blessed that Father Slawek has resumed confessions Saturdays at 3:30 pm in the Chapel. Praise God! If you are not in a state of grace to receive, please come up and receive a blessing.
3. Approach the Altar Reverently – Not a time to wave to your bud or even a quick interchange with the usher. Keep your 6 feet spacing. OK to sing the Hymn (I do a lot of times!) Think of what’s about to happen…
4. Extend Your Hands – Place your left hand out with your right below (if your lefty, right on top, left below) forming an “X Cross” or “throne” for The King of Kings to be received. You may wish to extend your arms more to maintain distance if you wish.
5. Look at the Minister or the Host – and listen to those powerful words “The Body of Christ”. This is a joyful time so it’s OK to have a joyful look if you wish!
6. Say “Amen” Audibly – You gotta says this. It’s your way of saying “I believe it is Him and everything we just recited in The Creed”. “Thank you”, “Yes”, or a head nod is not enough for this sacred interchange. Amen!
7. Let the Minister Place Jesus “On the Throne” – Don’t grab or use your “pinchers” to short-circuit Jesus’ journey to the throne you’ve created. Letting the host be placed in your palm also greatly reduces the risk of touching hands and spreading germs/virus.
8. Return Reverently to Your Seat – Avoid unnecessary eye contact or communication with others. While we are joyfully in the community receiving communion together, we do it quietly as we contemplate the Mysteries and speak to Jesus in our hearts.
9. Savor Jesus – When you are back at your seat, you make wish to savor Jesus slowly and when done, join in the hymn.

What you do before, during, and after receiving Communion can amplify His incredible Gift to you. What you do with your life between receiving Communion and the next time, can transform your life. Everything…everything starts with prayer.

Do you and your spouse/fiancé like to compete? Maybe you show no mercy during Scrabble or have an ongoing rivalry between your alma maters’ sports teams. Either way, it’s all in good fun. But what happens when we carry this desire to win into our relationship conflicts?

It feels good to be right about something, doesn’t it? Imagine you’re talking to your spouse/fiancé about a movie you saw recently, it has that one guy from that one show – what’s his name? You think it’s one person, but your spouse/fiancé is very sure it’s someone else. So you look it up… and ha! You were right! You feel that sense of satisfaction and share a laugh together. If only issues in relationships were this easy to sort out. You could simply look up the answer and declare who is “right.” Your arguments would be solved. Hold up. It isn’t that simple – and it shouldn’t be. Here are two things to focus on when you get caught up in winning the argument.

We’re on the same team. Maintaining the “same team” mentality can seem hard sometimes. It might feel like you’re coming at each other from opposite corners. You’ve tried to understand the spouse’s perspective and just can’t wrap your head around it. You’re so sure you’re right! But it’s during times like these that the mantra of “we’re on the same team” is most important. Teammates lift each other up for the good of the team, or in this case, your relationship. One person “winning” means the relationship loses, or at the most is stagnant. Instead, think about how you can be a good teammate to your partner. This might mean letting go of your pride, which is easier said than done when the urge to prove your point is strong. If you can make it over that hill, it will pay off in the long run.

What outcome best serves our relationship? Focusing on whether you’re right means you’re probably not putting much effort into understanding your spouse/fiancé better or thinking about how you can compromise. Being right can become an addiction. And that means you might be missing out on a really great opportunity to connect and actually grow together – but it takes the ability to let go of defensiveness and be vulnerable with each other. Are there worries or insecurities that are tied to your desire to be “right”? Share them with each other. Growing closer in conflict instead of becoming more divided is an invaluable skill that will pay dividends throughout your relationship.

We are instilled with the idea that being right is satisfying and winning is a worthy goal. But when it comes to our relationships, this isn’t necessarily the case – in fact, it may actually be detrimental. If you’re able to remember that you’re not competing with your loved one and instead focus on growing together in conflict, you set yourself up creating a strong, resilient relationship in the image of Christ.

The above is an excerpt from Prepare & Enrichment Marriage Preparation article 08.06.20.

Not sure if you noticed that SFA has been receiving daily blessings lately. Bryan Roberts is a seminarian in the Archdiocese of Atlanta who recently moved to…Yulee. Yup! He is starting pre-theology at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach FL soon. He has been an absolute gift to have at our mission church during the past months. His mom Jane and dad Jeff recently relocated here so be sure to give them a big St. Francis welcome! We look forward to Bryan being with us on his breaks when he can. Above all, please pray for Bryan and all young men called to the holy priesthood. Here’s more about Bryan…

Tell us a little bit about yourself. “I am originally from the South Florida area having lived in Boca Raton and Jupiter, Florida. My family moved to Alpharetta, Georgia when I was in 8th grade. We attended St. Brigid Catholic Church in Johns Creek. (Deacon Brian and Mary Pat’s former parish!) I graduated from Georgia College and State University two years ago with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. At GC, I walked on the basketball team and played for one year. Upon graduation, I accepted a job with The Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). I was assigned to The University of Memphis, where I have been living the past two years serving college students in their faith journey. I have not had a lot of bbq from different cities, but in case you are wondering, Memphis BBQ is very good”!

How did you discern priesthood and entering seminary? “Good question. The first thought of priesthood came to me in when I was 19 working at Life Teen Camp in Dahlonega, GA for two summers. It was there I met priests that humanized the priesthood for me. I became friends with some, and their witness of faith and joy caught my attention. I began to discern seriously my junior and senior year at Georgia College. I started to pray and learn more about the vocation, spending more time in prayer, frequenting the sacraments more and attending retreats, while simultaneously growing as a leader in the Catholic community and serving my peers in bible studies, retreats, etc. Leading up to graduation, I was considering applying to the seminary but the lovely FOCUS missionaries at GC invited me (gotta love those “invitations”) to apply and attend an interview weekend with FOCUS. After applying and going to the interview, it was pretty clear God was calling me to be a missionary. Through my experience with FOCUS both as a student and as a full-time missionary on campus, I was able to diligently and actively discern the vocation of priesthood. It was pretty clear after a year-long dating fast, fervent prayer, and while living out the mission of the Catholic Church, that God was inviting me to say ‘yes’ now”!

Praying for, tracking, and welcoming back a seminarian on breaks is an incredible blessing to a parish. And we have it here at SFA…

OK…there’s a lot less excuse for you not to join our Men’s Bible Study Tuesday mornings at 7:30 am. Many of you in the past couldn’t make it because you either traveled during the week or commuted into Jacksonville. Well, a lot of you are doing neither with COVID restrictions now. You’re working from home full or part of the time. The Holy Spirit is working in your life and Bible Study is a GREAT excuse to get out of the house! Get out and come get The Word brothers! If you work locally, we finish at 8:30 am on the dot…you’ll be at work by 9:00 am.

In the past, whenever we have started a study on a new book in the Bible, we have run a “soft sell” invitation to you in the bulletin, something like “Please join us…” or “Consider coming…” This has a limited effect on you men. So, let me be a little more direct: “Are you ignorant?” The only reason I ask is that “Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ” (St. Jerome. You may (somewhat) hear the Sunday readings…but are you listening with deeper understanding? If you are like most guys, probably not. That’s why the nine or so of us guys come to Bible Study. That, and to hang out with other Christian men seeking to know Jesus better. When you break open Scripture with other men, you become a better friend, a better husband, and a better father.

We are not complex. He doesn’t do homework. There is no workbook. We use the Ignatian Study Guide booklets. We read a paragraph or two. We read a footnote or two. Observe. Discuss, share. Move on. Not rocket science. We follow The Story and it is transformative.

We just started The Gospel of Matthew. A lot of the Sunday Gospels this year will be from Matthew so you will learn from the backstory and the front story before hearing the Gospel on Sundays. You’ll learn how Matthew’s Gospel is different from Mark’s, Luke’s, and John’s. You’ll learn what made St. Matthew who is and why he writes in the style he writes. Shoot me an email at deaconbrian@stfrancisyulee.org. Or just show up Tuesday at 7:30 am under the Pavilion and open The Word in the open air with us.

Tiny but mighty. The Little Way. Simple. Not actually sugary like many think, she was a warrior. She was feminine but fierce. St. Thérèse of Lisieux can lay out the path to holiness in our everyday lives. I love the God of grand gestures: parts the seas, multiplies loaves and fishes…but really where God works most is in the mundane. Miracles and mysteries happen in the mundane…in The Liturgy of the Ordinary that God is working in and around us. Jesus brought us three years of world-changing public ministry, but what about the 30 years before? His Nazareth time. That’s where all the roots went deep. That’s where cultivation happened and where the human Jesus became who He was…who He was supposed to be. That’s where He relied on the Holy Spirit. That’s where He did family. That’s where He did community.

In our social media, instant gratification world, we want to see the big highlight reels, the red zone scores, big stages, moving platforms to release dopamine in our brains. We are groomed to be stimulated. Amped up. But the truly amazing things in the spiritual life, the road to Heaven happens behind the scenes. In the ordinary. These are the Nazareth Moments that St. Thérèse of Lisieux knew and dwelled in. That is where our holiness is found. That is where we grow. This is where we encounter the Lord, not with a quick shot cameo appearance, but with intimate embrace. Where we see His face, feel His touch. Where we gaze upon Him gazing upon us. It’s when we are up with a little kid in the middle of the night. It’s when we are a college student struggling to figure out which way to go. If you are blessed to have a small group of true friends, they know you so well, they ask what’s going on just by looking at your face.

Don’t get me wrong. God does grand gestures and He is Almighty. He wants it all: Our everyday Nazareth Moments and our Parting The Red Sea Moments. St. Thérèse embraced “all of the above” and trusted God that He would always come through and didn’t doubt Him…didn’t doubt His goodness…didn’t doubt His character. Didn’t doubt that He is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. St Teresa did the ordinary with extraordinary love. Nothing is insignificant in the Kingdom of God when it is offered as a gift. This is called heroic virtue and it is doable for all of us.

It always goes back to the beginning…it always goes back to: What do I really (really) believe about God? This question is in the heart of all of us. Where are the places that I am hanging onto and not giving to God? In what areas am I unwilling to submit to Him…to be Lord…because I don’t trust Him? It goes back to the Garden for all of us…the lie of the Garden. This is all our story…yours, mine…not just Eve’s story…not just Adam’s story. It is Our Story. When the Enemy in the Garden started to speak to them, Satan started subtly suggesting that God was not who God said He was. That God was somehow holding out on them. There is a generational attachment we all have to Adam and Eve and to this lie. Is He holding out…does He really have the best intention for me? Is He good to just other people or is He going to be good to me? Does He just heal other people or does He desire to heal me?

These can be places of real struggle for many of us: When we doubt the heart of God. If God is good and He says who He says He is, then we wouldn’t hesitate to submit our entire lives to Him. Done. It’s only when we have this distrust of Him and His heart and what He can do that we hold onto pieces of our life because we want to control it. We want to do our own thing because we think we can handle it and engineer our own happiness. We hide, keep secrets, maneuver, and live a hustle rather than a life. Even if it’s apart from Him, even when it leads us to despair time and time again.

St. Teresa of Avila was really big in growing in self-awareness and self-knowledge. We are all called to pause, reflect, and identify. Sometimes with the assistance of a spiritual advisor. Where are the areas I am hanging onto in my own life? Because in the Kingdom and in Scripture, it’s only: When you lose your life that you find it. It’s only when we fully give your life to the Lord that you find it. He is everything we are looking for. The fulfillment of all our desires: Him. Lord. King. His sovereignty over all my life: My moral life, my love life, my family life, my ministerial life, my financial life, all. Even in difficult situations, He can weave together things to bring about good…for those who love Him.

Maybe Crosby Stills Nash and Young were onto something in that muddy Catskills NY field in 1969: We’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden to find our way…

These weeks of social unrest remind me of a story I heard years ago about a group of slaves brought to South Carolina for sale to plantation owners. One of them stood taller than the rest, dignified and uncowed by the abuse of the slave merchants. He resisted every effort to humiliate him or subject him. One of the plantation owners, amazed at his defiance, asked the slave merchant who he was: “He is the son of a king and he will not forget it” was the explanation.

It occurs to me that racism, discrimination, even abortion and euthanasia come from our memory loss that every human being conceived in the womb is a child of a king! We are all children of the King of Heaven and have innate rights that no state or culture can take from us.

The priest tutor of the royal children of 17th century France had the simplest form of discipline in class if they got rowdy. He would simply take his pointer, touch them gently, and say “be loyal to the royal within you.” Remembering who we are and in whom we live and move our being is the key to civil rights and human rights. Pope Benedict said we keep the world awake for God by keeping our gaze on God. The challenge for all of us, spiritually and morally, is the struggle to remember that we live, each of us, under the loving gaze of God.

I confess that I can be in the middle of the consecration of the Mass, its most sacred moment, and find my mind drifting to the thought: “I hope there is some bacon left for breakfast.” It is a struggle to keep our mind on prayer; it is a struggle to see each person, even the most unattractive, as a child of the King. The consequences of forgetting God, the consequences of forgetting His image in others are lethal.

C.S. Lewis reminded us that there are no mere mortals that we live and work with…institutions and nations are mortal, but human beings are immortal. Our treatment of them has the power to shape both them and us into either everlasting splendors or immortal horrors. May God keep our gaze on Him, so we can see one another through His eyes.

This is a recent post by Monsignor Richard Lopez, senior priest in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, known for his practical, humorous, evangelical wisdom. He taught religion to thousands of students at St Pius X Catholic High School.

1. Temptation to Achieve – Jesus’ first temptation in the desert was to be an achiever. To get something done: To turn stones into bread. Many of us lead a life of achieving performance goals, gaining degrees, and promotions. We do things, show things, prove things, build things. It becomes very hard for us to present our unadorned self, to be vulnerable, to be open to receive and give love regardless of our accomplishments. We’ve been programmed this way. In ministry it seems to be the same thing: heal the sick, feed the hungry, and alleviate the suffering of the poor. Jesus was presented with these same tasks, but when he was requested to prove his power by achieving something (turn stones to bread), he didn’t take the bait. Instead, he clung to his mission: To proclaim the Word of God.

What to do? Contemplative Prayer – Live a life not dominated by achievement but instead anchored in the knowledge of God’s first love…the unlimited and unconditional love God has for you. Gained through regular committed contemplative prayer. To be a mystic. A mystic is simply a person deeply rooted in God’s first love. Contemplative prayer keeps us from being pulled from one urgent issue to the next and from being strangers to our own and God’s heart…

2. Temptation to be Spectacular – The second temptation to which Jesus was exposed was to do something spectacular…something that could win him great applause. To throw himself down from the parapet of the temple and let the angels catch him. But Jesus refuses to be a stunt man, a showman. Many times we think we have to put on a show, to go solo…and then it tends to be about us, not the one who called and sent us. We’re tempted to be the hero.

What to do? Confession and Forgiveness – Just as Christian leaders need to be mystics deeply steeped in contemplative prayer, they also need to be persons always willing to confess their own brokenness and ask for forgiveness. Henri Nouwen says, “It is precisely the men and women who are dedicated to spiritual leadership who are subject to a very raw carnality. The reason for this is that they do not know how to live the truth of the Incarnation. They separate themselves from the community, try to deal with their needs by ignoring them or satisfying them in distant or anonymous places, and then experience an increasing split between their most private inner world and the good news they announce.” Wow. Heavy stuff Henri. Leaders are called to be full members of their communities. Leaders are called to minister to all, including their wounded selves…to be continuously reconciled.

3. Temptation to be Powerful – Jesus’ third temptation was power. Satan offers him all the kingdoms of the world. What makes power so irresistible to many and why it was pitched as a temptation to Jesus? Maybe it’s that power offers an easy substitute for the hard task of love. It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life. Much Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead.

What to do? Strenuous Theological Reflection – This allows us to discern critically where we are being led and to lead others. I’m not talking about taking complex graduate courses, I’m talking about thinking with the mind of Christ or “putting on the mind of Christ” as St. Paul puts it. Avoiding psychological or sociological questions forced into scriptural terms. Not to drift to self-help or mindfulness, but to speak and act in the name of Jesus, who came to free humanity from the power of death and open the way to eternal life.