In the midst of a secular society that preaches its doctrines from modern university classrooms and secular media platforms, we need to represent Christianity not as merely a good option, but the very best option for human flourishing and happiness.
The other day I attended an open house at a local Islamic Center in my Midwestern city. The center is a modest building, with a crescent moon ornament adorning its roof, in a middle-to-lower-middle class part of town.
The challenge is to show Muslims the real Jesus, not the version presented by the Qur’an, but Jesus as he is revealed in the Gospels. Most Muslims are convinced that Christians falsified their Scriptures regarding the truth of Jesus. This presents a real problem when it comes to sharing passages of Sacred Scripture with them. Yet I do, and I show where our Scriptures are consistent and where Jesus himself proclaims his divinity. I show them where the Scriptures teach that Jesus was really crucified and died. Muslims are taught that Jesus didn’t really die on the cross.
The name “deacon” means minister or servant. In Scripture, in Acts of the Apostles, we hear of seven good men selected to serve the church community. These seven men needed to be of good reputation, filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom, given to prayer and ministry of the Word. These men are considered to be the first deacons of the Catholic Church. Among them was Saint Stephen, who became the first martyr. Their function was to serve at table for the distribution of food and goods to ensure a fair and equal share was received by all widows and orphans of the community.
Using the Star Wars theme, Dimond (Rebel Alliance) and South (Empire) hockey teams decided to use the game as an opportunity to raise funds and donations for Brother Francis Shelter, the homeless shelter for adults that is run by Catholic Social Services.
Just as when Brother Francis Shelter opened, we are in a perfect storm. We have a faltering economy, homelessness on the rise, increasing numbers of vulnerable citizens without shelter, and safety is an issue. Working in close partnership with government agencies, businesses and committed individuals, Catholic Social Services is striving to achieve short and long-term solutions.
I travel a lot for my mission in Magadan, Russia, always wearing my religious habit or a clerical cassock to identify me as a priest. Exceptional encounters and conversations arise that would not otherwise happen if people didn’t know I was a priest. I jokingly say that I witness many conversions on plane trips as I walk down the aisle looking for my seat. I can see the fear in the eyes of many who are quietly praying, “Please God, don’t let that religious fanatic sit next to me.”
I had just returned from a meeting of Ignatian Associates, a faith-based group centered on prayer and apostolic activity. When I arrived at the meeting, I noticed the table was piled with loaves of bread, oatmeal bread, French bread, baguettes, none of them wrapped. They looked like someone had just dumped them.
But recently at mid-morning someone told me that a young gunman at Umqua College in Roseberg, Oregon, killed 10 students. It is so utterly tragic. And yet, an ounce of sense would have reminded me that bad news never ceases. If it were not bad it wouldn’t qualify for breaking news. Walter Cronkite made that clear years ago when he would end his evening news broadcast with the words: “That’s the way it is, folks.”
The fallout since the attacks is what has been most surprising to my brother bishops and me. Here in America, a land of immigrants, governors from across our nation announced that they would refuse to take in Syrian refugees. Here in Alaska, Governor Walker has not supported this, for which I am grateful.