April 16th, 2008 · by Matt · No Comments
Finally, he has arrived and to an unprecedented welcome from President Bush! Check this out from Catholic News Service:
It was the first time in his presidency that Bush had gone to Andrews to welcome any head of state. The air base has hosted more than 300 arrivals or departures by heads of state since 2006.
This is made me wonder if this is as close as we will be able to get to seeing the kind of respect and honor for the Holy Father as was shown during the height of Christendom. A tradition of the Holy Roman Emperors, founded first by Charlemagne, was to enter Rome guiding the Pope’s mule as the Holy Father rode on top.
Not to try to equate President Bush with a Holy Roman Emperor (I can just hear the cries of Theocrats as I write this), but only to point out that nobody else has received this sort of welcome…President Bush isn’t leading anyone else’s mule…
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March 31st, 2008 · by Matt · 5 Comments
Divine Mercy Sunday 2005 I came home to the Catholic Church. Just 24 hours before that Pope John Paul II left this world for his eternal reward. Each year during this celebration I reflect on how the Lord called me home to Mother Church. At the same time I am able to reflect on the life of Pope John Paul II and consider all that he did to serve Jesus. It is a very special occasion each Divine Mercy Sunday because as I reflect it is so clear that without John Paul the Great I would not be Catholic today, and his life stands as a testament that one life lived greatly for God can change the course of history and send shockwaves through time. I submit my journey to the Catholic Church as evidence…
In 1993 Pope John Paul II came to Denver, Colorado (Denver, really? Yea, really!) for World Youth Day. John Paul was host to almost a million people who came from all over the world. One of the men impacted by Him went on to become Fr. Brendan Rolling at St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, Kansas. In the meantime…
Curtis Martin a revert to the Catholic Church and a passionate communicator of the Faith decides to launch FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. He is inspired by the call from John Paul the Great for a “New Evangelization” and he sets out to change the hearts and minds of future leaders on college campuses. In 1998 FOCUS stepped onto its first campus, Benedictine College, in Atchison, Kansas. A school that was struggling to regain its Catholic identity and stay in business. A school that was owned by St. Benedict’s Abbey where Fr. Brendan Rolling was a monk…
As time goes by over the next 6 years abundant grace is poured onto the campus of Benedictine College. With the help of great priests like Fr. Brendan, Fr. Meinrad, Fr. Bruce, Prior James, and many others, professors like Dr. Ted Sri, Dr. White, Dr. Rioux and many others and the FOCUS missionaries that came to serve that campus, Benedictine was brought back to its mission as a Catholic college.
Fall 2002 I step onto the campus of Benedictine College with little knowledge of Christianity, and no knowledge of the Catholic church. I didn’t even know who Pope John Paul II was! And it is at this point that the two tales really come together…
I had been on campus for maybe a month and half when a friend invited me to go to mass with her. We had just left from a large event hosted by FOCUS and she was on her way to the 9:00pm Wednesday night Mass. She asked me to go to Mass with her. I responded, “No, that’s alright, I’m not Catholic and I just don’t think so.” Without hesitation she responded, “Come on, Fr. Brendan is says the Wednesday night Mass, he is really cool, you’ll like it, come on…” And so I went…and I did like it! It was like Fr. Brendan was speaking right to me in his homily. My friend was right, I kept going back on Wednesdays to hear Fr. Brendan’s homilies and the rest was history really…
So to bring this all home, John Paul II inspires two men, in different places at different times to give everything they have, take up their cross and follow our Lord. One becomes a priest the other starts a missionary movement. By God’s grace they come together in Atchison, Kansas (Atchison, really? Yea, really!) and a few years later they come together in my life! That night at a FOCUS event, which wouldn’t have happened if not for JPII, I was invited to Mass by a student who wouldn’t have been there if not for FOCUS and therefore if not for JPII. At Mass I was introduced to Fr. Brendan Rolling who would not have been there if it were not for JPII, and I was set on the path home, to our Holy Mother the Church.
Without him I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am today. It is a great gift the Lord has given me that each year on Divine Mercy Sunday when I celebrate my coming home to the Family of God, the Church, I have the opportunity to remember the life of John Paul the Great, a man of whom the world was not worthy.
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February 6th, 2008 · by Kelly · 1 Comment
This day, Ash Wednesday, creates one of the greatest and most absurd social phenomenons of our age. On this random Wednesday, people who are obsessed with cleanliness, efficiency, and ambiguous moral identification on every other day of the week suddenly e-mail, call, and accost the missionaries on campus to find out how they can “get some ashes.” They wouldn’t identify themselves as Christians in a class, in their friendships, or in the general way they comport themselves. But on this rare day, they get an incredible urge to get burnt palm fronds smudged into their foreheads. Is this another proof that Christianity promotes insanity? I propose that it is not.
Americans, and especially our young people, have an unquenched thirst for symbol and ritual. They know that there is a meaning behind these ancient rites and a mystery. Our culture today is largely plastic, bold, pre-packaged, and shallow. What happened to dusty old volumes full of ancient wisdom, wines with a subtle bouquet developed over hundreds of years of family tradition, and rituals too old to trace the roots? These are examples (if inadequate) of “layered things,” objects that have a seemingly endless path back into history with stories and truths at every turn on the long time line back. I think people miss a world full of these “layered things,” and I think they yearn to have “layered lives.” I’m not speaking of complication, but of depth.
Catholic culture and religion is full of “layered things.” However, the Sacraments and the sacramentals of the Church are
“layered” in a different way, because the supernatural touches the natural and creates layers that are unseen but contain much power. For instance, look at the tradition of ashes. The history of ashes (or dust) as a sign of penance extends back into the pages of Jewish history. Early Christians adopted this Jewish ritual and imagery in their own expression of repentance. Subsequently, the practice of distributing ashes to all the faithful can be traced as far back as the Middle Ages. And the Catholic Church and several of the more formal Protestant communities have continued the tradition to this day. Yet, this custom is not merely a penitential act or an identifying mark. The outward sign indicates and helps to effect the inward reality. The recipient is humble enough to receive the ashes, and often, his humility is reinforced by the exterior sign remaining with him throughout the day, as a reminder that this man views Lent as a period of penance and preparation. Thus, the sign of humility helps provide an opportunity for humility. In addition, as the priest says, “Remember man you are dust and to dust you shall return,” we are reminded of our humble origins and our place as creatures, indebted to a loving Creator who bestowed the gift of life on us. That’s some powerful dirt!
I challenge you, during this Lenten season, to discover the “layers” behind the rituals and traditions of the Church. I think you will begin to see how participating in these rich and grace-filled sacraments will begin to enrich and deepen your own life. Allow the supernatural to penetrate the natural, daily routine of your existence, and then you will truly begin to live.
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February 1st, 2008 · by NKStanley · No Comments
We are right around the corner from the most attended Mass day of the Church year. That is right; Ash Wednesday is the most attended day of the year in the Catholic Church. And as a Catholic outreach organization, we in FOCUS should try to capitalize upon this upcoming season of grace.
I don’t have all the answers, but here is what we are doing at UW-Madison:
· Mardi Gras – During everyone’s feasting at lunch, our students and the missionaries will be going up to tables in the student union inviting them to Ash Wednesday Mass. We will be wearing “homemade†shirts that say, “Got Ashes?†on the front and on the back, it will list all the Mass times. Also, we will be handing them info on all the Mass times when we approach them.
· Ash Wednesday Mass – Our pastor is dedicating his homily to what people can get involved in during Lent. The idea being that people can do more for Lent than give up chocolate or caffeine. Why not take on a Bible study? Why not take on a Theology class? Do something that last. We will be signing up people for Bible studies after all five of the Masses that day.
· Follow up – By the next Monday, we hope that one of the missionaries or a student leader has followed up personally with those that were interested in attending a Bible study during Lent and inviting them to his or her Bible study.
Like I said, I don’t have all the answers. What are other ideas? How else can we use this season of grace and repentance to bring more people home to the Catholic Church?
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January 28th, 2008 · by NKStanley · No Comments
I have been tagged by my friend Leon to take part in the Meme.
Book Meme Rules
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.
I was not able to grab the closest book to me, due to the fact that most of the books near me were Catholic prayer books or books not over 123 pages long. I went to my shelf and took the book that “called” out to me. This is from I Believe in Love, by Father Jean C.J. d’Elbee.
I assure you that it will help you more than anything else when you are forsaken, wrongly judged, calumniated, or rejected to think of His humiliations. When you are suffering under the blow of a humiliation, think of those He endured. He was not obliged to suffer them, but He knew how hard it would be for us to be humiliated, so He Himself willed to be the first to show us the way, in order to be able to say to us, “Where I have passed you can pass, too.”
Wow! Great reflection before Lent starts!
Okay, I will tag Fr. Jim, Nick, Alex, Fr. Phillip, OP, and Katie
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January 24th, 2008 · by Kelly · 2 Comments
The other day, I attended a lecture on campus about atheists and the myths that surround this “victimized minority.” The man who spoke spent about an hour talking about why atheism was a probable belief and bemoaning how victimized he felt by Christians (while misinterpreting various Biblical verses to show how we were oppressive to those of other beliefs). In answer to one of his questions (”Can you give an example of an irrational belief?”), one of his faithful followers piped up, “Kneeling by your bed at night and thinking someone is listening.” Wow. And I thought we were just fighting relativism!
This mentality is just a small taste of what has been labeled the “new atheism.” This is not the mild atheism of, “Whatever truth is good for you is fine.” Rather, the new atheists define their views as the “intolerance of ignorance, myth and superstition; disregard for the tolerance of religion,” and the “indoctrination of logic, reason and the advancement of a naturalistic worldview.” Militant atheism, under the banners of Dawkins, Harris, Dennett, Hitchens, and others, has certainly implanted its roots in philosophy, science, and some religious studies programs within American universities. Sadly, few people know how to defend this “sola-ratio” [reason alone] approach to a belief in God.
C. S. Lewis, in his space trilogy, notes that at some point, developing societies sort out their ideological complexities and two focused and opposing points emerge. The battle between good and evil ceases to merely hide in the shadows and clashes out in the open. In Lewis’ book, That Hideous Strength, he presents a glimpse into this society, divided into two camps, and contrasts the warm and insightful theists with the scientific men who idolize human reason and the ego and end in worshiping demons. Perusing those pages filled with stunning imagery and cutting truths, the plot strikes me as an icon and warning for our society today.
In a sense, I’m glad that the battle is becoming more public. It seems to me that the devil is getting desperate to keep his hold on our culture. Gradually, many of Satan’s followers are becoming dissatisfied with the empty succession of pleasures with which he seduces them. However, the publicity of this battle also means that we, as Christians and Catholics, must be armed to fight a cultural and ideological war and must heed the warning of Peter to, “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled….Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” (1 Peter 3:14-15)
Fortunately, we have 2000 years of amazing philosophers and theologians and humans living out the Universal Call to Holiness to back us up! Use them to prepare yourself. If you are of a philosophical turn of mind, look up Thomas Aquinas’ 5 proofs for God’s existence. If you like to read, check out C. S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity [easier] or G. K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy [a bit denser.] If you are tempted to get discouraged, read the lives of the great saints who stood up for the Faith in their own times. Everyone should read Section 1, Chapter 1 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It speaks eloquently of the innate desire within man to know His Creator and to be in relationship with Him. Lastly, but certainly not least of all, pray to Him yourself. Develop your friendship with the One who knows you intimately, created you, and wrote a plan for you beyond your most fantastic dreams. Your lived witness and joy is the greatest proof that can be offered to the new atheists. A life of cold rationality can never compete with the warmth and vivacity of the life of grace. Ask St. Paul (especially on the feast of his conversion tomorrow) to intercede for you and to grant you a portion of his zeal for the Lord and for the truth. Live within your own life the “both/and” of the Catholic Church–both REASON and FAITH equal a fully human life, headed towards true fulfillment and perfection. Go get ‘um tiger!
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January 23rd, 2008 · by Dave Hazen · No Comments
A dear friend of mine entered the blogosphere a couple of months ago–peruse his very worthwhile musings here. The ‘flatlander’, as he calls himself, spent several years as a FOCUS missionary and is now immersed in preparation for the priesthood.
I found the flatlander’s reflections on our recent National Conference especially poignant. I give you the final sentence, in hopes you’ll read the whole post:
What more is there to hope for than a long life filled with companions fueled by the love of Christ, perhaps some of them ignited by one’s own flame, remembered and offered as one breathes the last “Amen�
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January 17th, 2008 · by Dave Hazen · 1 Comment
It’s been over a month since our last post… ouch.
Where have we been?
Well, there was the end-of-semester hullabaloo for those of us who work on campus mentoring students, leading Bible studies, etc. On top of that was added a significant amount of promotion and planning for our 10th anniversary National Conference. You can find more info about the event (the single largest in FOCUS’ history) at www.focusconference.org including pictures, like this one of our founder, Curtis Martin, with the band Third Day:
By all accounts, it was a uniquely powerful experience for the thousands of young adults in attendance.
I’d like to take this opportunity to invite my fellow bloggers and any of our readers who joined us in Texas to share their stories in the combox. Also, be sure to let us know if you’d like us to further explore any of the themes or questions raised at the Conference.
All of us here at FOCUS HQ are praying for all of our students and staff as they begin another semester on campus. May you continue to shape the world through love!
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December 12th, 2007 · by Kelly · No Comments
Today in prayer, I was reflecting on Our Lady of Guadalupe as a great model of communicating the gospel to a specific people in a particular time, place, and culture, without changing the essence of herself or her message. Archbishop Claudio Celli of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications emphasized this same aspect of Our Lady’s ministry in his message today.So often I hear of youth ministers trying to be “cool” or “young” or “with it” in order to witness to high school and college-age students. In doing so, they often are more concerned with fitting in than with focusing on their call to elevate the culture. At the same time, FOCUS missionaries and other ministers to today’s world cannot be so disconnected from the modern culture that we fail to communicate to teens and young adults in their own language.
Our Lady of Guadalupe appropriately strikes this balance. In the image on her tilma, she wears the colors of royalty and the waistband of a pregnant woman, and she stands on and in front of symbols of the old Aztec idols. Using the cultural symbols of the day, she communicated her message partly through her appearance alone. In her beautiful words to Juan Diego, spoken in his native tongue, she poignantly addressed the concerns and tribulations that burdened many of the Indians in the early 16th century. She also delivered a message of hope and truth to those thirsting souls. Our Lady was authentically herself, but she was also specifically offering herself as the adopted mother of the broken Aztec nation.
How may we learn from her? I propose that we too can use the symbols and modes of communicating in our culture to spread the truth. Our modest clothing tells others that we respect ourselves and value our dignity. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, not Victoria’s Secret mannequins. Wearing a cross or keeping a rosary on our person identifies us as a Christian and Catholic. People will look at our words and actions to see if we wear these symbols as a fashion accessory or as a reminder of the One we love. Also, in our words we do not always need to know the latest phrases or to employ the word ‘like’ 50 times in each paragraph in order to talk to young Americans. We do, however, need to know them–to know where they are hurting, what they worry about, what they love, what they hate, and why they do what they do. If we speak to their heart, if we speak to the heart of their generation, and encourage them with a true message of hope, THEN we will be living “in” this generation “but not of” this world. Rather, we will live with one foot in the world to come and steal some of the pearls from the gates of heaven to hand to the children of our age.
Dear Lady of Guadalupe, please help us, like you, to minister effectively to the people to whom Christ has commissioned us to carry the Good News. Reveal to us the needs of our time so that we may seek to serve those we encounter, and in that service to lead them to Your Son.
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December 9th, 2007 · by P.T. O'Brien · 2 Comments
Kelly M. raised an excellent point in a comment on my last post,
Could you or someone else offer some thoughts on how to balance the fact that we are supposed to be “in this world†and ambassadors for Christ in the modern culture, while maintaining the perspective of being “not of the world.â€
There is a darkness in the hearts and minds of the people of this country - my own included - that comes from the pursuit of the American Dream. It says that suffering is an evil to be eliminated by the attainment of material goods and prosperity. It says that we can work hard enough, long enough, and well enough to attain enough things to make us truly happy. It asks us to give up our strength, intellect, and time in pursuit of the things of this world. It says nothing about God and His infinite goodness and generosity who doesn’t measure our productivity, only our love.
“Well, I like my nice things! My parents worked really hard to give them to me, and I’m not going to have 20 kids and lose all that.”
Former co-worker - angry at me for suggesting that having nice things is pointless
Here’s the answer to Kelly’s question:
[Read more →]
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