2008 November archive at Being Frank

Archive for November, 2008

Nov

Liturgy

By eyeWitness 25 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Today seems to have been quite a sad week. Friends of the Being Frank community have had a still born baby, and a friends mother died suddenly. She had a beautiful faith and wasn’t very old. It makes you think how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken from you. It also makes you think how seriously you should take the offering you make to God and your worship of Him in the mass.

I’m not an expert on the mass or liturgy by any means, but today I went to a mass that I wasn’t quite sure about. I think it was nice that there a big focus on the children, but such things also need to be balanced with reverence, as I’m sure people have talked about before.. Do we really think of the priest as if he were the person of Christ?

Do we think about it in terms of our offering to God, or in terms of how much we enjoy it or get out of it? Not to say you shouldn’t get something out of it of course. It’s hard in a world of computer graphics, lasers, flashing lights and sound systems to make the mass seem appealing to young people perhaps if you always think of it in terms of how much you get out of it though. Silence, reverence and prayerfulness can be a challenge… I find this piece by the then Cardinal Ratzinger interesting to reflect on to remind myself about what Sunday mass is about and you might too:

“Certainly, the liturgy is, first of all, prayer; its specificity consists in the fact that its primary object is not ourselves (as in private prayer and in popular religiosity), but God himself. The liturgy is actio divina: God acts and we respond to this divine action. Speaking about God and speaking with God must always go together… This is why the liturgy (the sacraments) are not a secondary theme next to the preaching about the living God, but the realization of our relationship with God.

While on this subject, may I be allowed to make a general observation on the liturgical question… The liturgy too often becomes a teaching whose criteria is: making ourselves understood. Often the consequence of this is making the mystery a banality, the prevalence of our words, the repetition of phrases that might seem to us more accessible and more pleasant for the people.

Yet this is not only a theological error but also a psychological and pastoral one. The wave of esoterism, the spreading of Asian techniques of relaxation and self-emptying, demonstrate that something is lacking in our liturgies. It is in our world of today that we are in need of silence, of the super-individual mystery, of beauty. The liturgy is not an invention of the celebrating priest or of a group of specialists; the liturgy (the “rite”) came about via an organic process over the centuries, it bears with it the fruit of the experience of faith of all the generations.

Even if the participants do not perhaps understand every single word, they perceive the profound meaning, the presence of the mystery, which transcends all words. The celebrant is not the center of liturgical action; the celebrant is not in front of the people in his own name â€” he does not speak by himself or for himself, but “in persona Christi.” The personal abilities of the celebrant do not count, only his faith counts, by which Christ becomes transparent. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).”

Nov

How Are You ‘Suffering’ Today?

By On the Road 1 Comment

Categories: Being Frank...

Randy Pausch died on July 25th, 2008. The last year of his life was highly published after giving the ‘Last Lecture’ to his students at Carnegie-Mellon University on September 18, 2007. For those of you who may not have heard of Randy Pausch, he was a a computer science professor at this prestigious university who was given months to live after he was diagnosed with terminal tumors in his liver. He wrote a book on his lecture, which chronicles his life’s achievements to date. I have read the book and watched the lecture. Very inspiring. Highly recommended.

I came across this article today on Mercatornet. It made an interesting point of how suffering is the last taboo of our times. Randy’s Last Lecture and his book, a good portion of his time spent before his death, does not glimpse into the pain that he was going through. Suffering does not pervade his outlook whatsoever. From this standpoint, I agree. Suffering has yet to be accepted by society. Society has yet to embrace the reality of suffering in this life and the value it brings to living life to the fullest.

Suffering does have great meaning. With our Savior’s death and resurrection, suffering ‘acquires a new meaning, it becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus’ (Catechism, 1522). St Josemaria notes, ‘I want you to be happy on earth. But you wont be if you don’t get rid of that fear of suffering. For as long as we are ‘wayfarers’, it is precisely in suffering that our happiness lies’ (The Way; 217).

But, that begs a further question: How would you suppose Randy, or therefore anyone who is suffering or facing death, to bring forth their suffering? My father stared death in the face after being diagnosed with skin cancer, yet he did not pay homage to his suffering in a way that had any impact on me. He lived like he had never lived before- fighting with every last ounce of fight he had- and he won. Randy does not deny his suffering- he just completely avoids the topic. Would his message be the same if were to pay homage to his suffering? Better, worse?

Society does not want to hear about suffering. We want to put to death those that are, to humanely relieve them of their suffering. We kill millions to avoid suffering the inconvenience of children. We look for every cure for every ailment to avoid all possibility of suffering. If someone asks you, ‘How are you doing?’, they are not looking for how any suffering is affecting you. It becomes uncomfortable if you are to say anything other than how wonderful you are.

With messages of the horrible state of suffering all around us, how are we to embrace our suffering? Should it affect our Christian joy, our joy of the prospect of eternal life in heaven? How are others to see our suffering? Is it wrong to ignore our suffering, or to hide it from others, as Randy Pausch did?

I see Randy’s message as one of hope and full of life. He has been an inspiration to millions of people. You read his book or watch his lecture, and you come away with a renewed feeling of the preciousness of life and the great rewards for following your dreams. I see this as a message of suffering, but showing the world that it provides new life and serves as an example of how to grow through it.

God Bless.

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Nov

“Well, hot dog! We have a weiner!”

By Methuselah's Beard 2 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

I enjoy looking at the other posts on this blog. Sometimes when i’m really feeling up for it, I even read some of these posts. It never ceases to amaze me how many good ideas these other bloggers come up with. How do they do it? I often struggle for ideas (like today for example) but it times like this, it helps to remember what a blog is for. A place for nerds to say things they can’t voice in real life for fear of retaliation.

Oh I know a blog is far more than that. It’s also a great place to complain about things. It’s like an online ‘letters to the editor’. Speaking of letters’ to the editor, I was flicking through the NZ Catholic recently (ok it was last night as I was struggling for ideas) and I came across something in the aforementioned letters to the editor section where the reader was complaining about the lack of men.

Expecting something provocative, I read on. But no the writer was talking about the lack of well formed men who were excited about their faith, contrasting the situation in NZ with a recent experience the writer had in Medjugorje. The writer then went on to ask why this was. Is it that we in NZ are so distracted by worldly objects that we just look past anything spiritual?

As a reply, I would suggest listening to either 91FM or 94.2FM in the evenings. If the DJs and what they and their callers talk about are a represenation of the majority of teenagers and young adults out there, then NZ is in trouble. Oh I know the DJs are just doing their job at mindless pandering and fuelling of said activities, but gee it makes listening to them painful.

Fortunately I’m sure the vapid mindless chatter about cheating in exams, parties, and what stupid things you did when you were drunk represents but a tiny slice of teenage life these days…

Nov

The New Springtime

By Filia Day 4 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Wow, I just looked back over my last few posts and it seems as though I really haven’t stop talking about politics. Last comment for now, but I am reasonably disappointed with elections, America and our own. I am thinking that National will curb the anti-family policies propagated by labour over the last 9 years but I have a feeling that we as a nation have done nothing long-term to stop the break down of NZ society.

BUT, this is not the topic of my post today. In fact, I want to contrast my political pessimism with a more general optimism I have about life, and in fact about the Church and society – supernatural hope, if you like. We hear a lot on this blog about the bad things that are happening in the Church, and consequently sometime it can get a bit heated in the blogosphere we like to call beingfrank. However, this should lead us all to pray and offer reparation for these offences against Our Lord and His Holy Church not to spiral into a state of despair (not that I think any of you do that or anything).

At the same time, I think it is good to revel in the way that God’s Grace working actively on a daily basis. I have been privileged enough to witness such Grace working on many occasions, particularly in my own conversion. I am sure many of you can relate.
What motivates this post is a very moving experience this morning. I can’t recall the exact situation due to confidentiality with the person involved but neither the less, I was moved to tears after talking to this person. It was not so much the event at hand that had the effect, rather it was what it symbolised and what it embodied that moved me. (Although, I could have got emotional because I have given up smoking (again lol) apparently it makes you overly emotional. Please pray for me. )

I remember distinctively the letter that John Paul II wrote in 2000 on the new millennium, on casting out into the deep and doing a far reaching apostolate with each and every person, to the ends of the earth. JPII spoke of a new springtime in the Church. What I have been lucky enough to witness, this morning was a very special fruit of WYD, I believe. One person, who most of you don’t know, will probably never know – but one soul who decided to take the Christian vocation more seriously. This made me think about all those conversions we never see, we never hear about; all those little miracles that go unnoticed and often unrecognised as a great gift from God.

How can one not have a supernatural optimism? The spring time is coming, if not already here.

Nov

Charisms & a charismatic Church

By Tuppence 10 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

I heard the fantastic Archbishop Mark Coleridge speak yesterday and if you missed it, email editor@nzcatholic.org.nz to order a copy of the talk! Only $15…ok, plug over.

I want to discuss a bit further one particular part of his talk…his discussion of the Church in the future. He was describing how WYD provides a small glimpse to the future of the Church. One element that he identified was that the Church in the future would be more charismatic.

Hmm, seems like a reasonable thing to say. However, his explanation really took it deeper than the Joe Bloggs understanding of charismatic – happy clappies and tears all round.

Sometimes as a Church, we can function a lot according to â€˜the jobs to be done’ – right from a parish level to the universal Church. On a parish level, this might mean efficiently dishing out the tasks of parish life: arranging the flowers, greeting parishioners at Mass, playing the music, reading the Word in the liturgy etc. Sometimes the desire to be all inclusive and make sure that everyone has a job to do and that everything gets done can lead to some rather strange matches of talent to task.

However, in +Mark’s â€˜crystal ball’ vision as he called it, of a more charismatic Church, we would look to find the charisms of particular people, particular families, communities, parishes, schools, dioceses, cultures, countries indeed…charisms and talents gifted by the Holy Spirit…and nourish those to allow them to blossom.

The great catch of it all is this…every single person (and thus every community of persons also) has particular charisms to offer. No one has â€˜missed out’ on God’s â€˜santa sack’ as it were of the gifts and talents he wishes to lavish upon us. Further still, there is an divine logic to the collection of charisms around our community…handpicked and hand combined by Him. So, it makes sense to work with those!

In addition to +Mark’s discussion on charism, I had been listening to a good friend earlier that day speak about the way we sometimes unfairly put more value on certain charisms than others (just like the old sense that religious vocations were for â€˜holy’ people and everyone else just got married).

Devotional charisms, evangelical charisms, academic charisms, missionary charisms…we all know these are beautiful charisms (aren’t all charisms beautiful!). When we think of charism, we often think of gifts like those.

However, I think we fail sometimes within the Church to truly affirm those charisms that don’t explicitly seem to involve as much â€˜holiness’ and in fact are just as much the source of holiness when lived and done for God’s glory. I’m thinking of the charims like accounting, organization, hospitality, construction, public speaking, communications, using technology, cleaning…and any other thing that might seem just everyday and secular. This is what my friend was so beautifully adamant about – these are all great channels for holiness – and for the people with such charisms, that is where they find the most joy in serving the Lord.

I think we need to look ever more closely at what charism really means, the fact that we’ve all got them, and just what holiness really means too – that number-crunching accountant in the backroom is doing their bit for the Kingdom of God just as much as the one who faithfully leads the Devotional Group (the â€˜boiler room’ of the Church one might say) every Tuesday night.

It’s all about letting the Spirit show us our niche, not trying to fit any old round peg into any old square hole! And a more charismatic Church in the future will be a church that really embraces that!

Nov

Lead kindly Light

By The Dumb Ox 6 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

I was going to write something different this week, but on Sunday some close friends of ours – who are also well known to many other people in the Being Frank community – experienced a devastating family tragedy.

Ever since I heard the news of their tragic loss on Sunday I have been contemplating the great mystery of human suffering – which also happens to be one of the most important paradoxes of our Catholic faith.

I have been profoundly touched by the personal strength that has been shown by our friends during what can only be described as a terribly difficult time for them, and I am confident that it is their Catholic faith in Christ that underpins their powerful witness of courageous and hope-filled love.

Where our culture would see nothing more than pointless despair, our friends have seen eternal hope, and it is only in Christ that such a paradigm is possible.

Our friends are not superhuman, and they are not in denial – the pain they feel is very real, but the hope they have is equally real, as is the Savior in whom they find refuge at this difficult time.

What is also very real is the fact that the God we worship became man and endured the most terrible suffering – and this makes Him a God who is more accessible to us, and whom we can rely on all the more at times like these, because we know that he has lived the human experience, and more importantly He has shared in our human suffering.

To paraphrase Saint Therese…

I was not able to find, any other living creature
who loved me in this way, and who would never die
because I need a God, who makes himself like me
Whom I can call a brother, and who can suffer too

At times like these it can be easy to become consumed by fear, doubt and despair, but as Catholics we know that there is always hope, no matter how black the darkness around us may get.

Because of this firm hope we have, we know that we do not need to rationalize away our suffering, or try and downplay it or even deny that it really exists, instead our faith teaches us to live our suffering, and to even embrace it and unite it with the sufferings of Christ on the Cross.

As Saint Paul tells us in Philippians 3:10-11…

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

And then again in Romans 8:17…

“Now if we are children, then we are heirsâ€”heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Like I said earlier – this is one of the important paradoxes of our faith.

It is also one of the most confronting aspects of our faith when we realize that Jesus never promises us an easy ride, or a get out of jail free card when it comes to human suffering – instead he calls us to take up our cross and to follow him.

Yes, this is difficult, and suffering often hurts like hell – to quote one of my favorite lines from the movie We Are Marshall…

“Those were not welcome days… Clocks ticked but time did not pass. The sun rose and the sun set, but the shadows remained. When once there was sound, now there was silence. What once was whole, now was shattered.”

Grief is difficult, it is messy and it is painful, but despite all this Christ is there by our side for all of it, and his love is all the more real for us because He knows, and has lived, the ultimate in human suffering.

To our good friends I say; we love you, we are praying for you, and although we cannot ever truly know your pain at this difficult time, we suffer with you.

I would like to finish with the words from one of my favorite hymns, written by Cardinal John Henry Newman in 1833. I hope that it brings you as much solace as it has to me over the last couple of days, and during other previous moments of suffering in my life…

Lead kindly Light

Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, lead Thou me on
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Nov

Lads and ladettes

By James the Least 3 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

I was reading the “paper” this weekend – I use quotes due to the fact that it was on my laptop screen at the time. ;)

At any rate, I was quite disturbed to read some of the stats in the NZ Herald’s article on ladettes. This term has been adopted by a particular but increasing slice of troubled young women who figure they can take gender equality to the next level by “doing it like the boys” – i.e. binge drinking, casual sex, taking drugs, picking fights etc.

This culture (as in bacterial) is an international thing. There’s a story about UK women acting the same way, and I remember watching a 60 Minutes episode that covered the Australian version: “yobettes”. Classy.

There’s even a “Ladette to Lady” reality show!

I really am disheartened by this. I know I’m old fashioned for my age; I’ve been called many variations on a theme of “traditional” in my time. ;) But there’s something just…disturbing about this whole trend.

First of all, girls are supposed to be made of sugar and spice and all things nice, not drunken and easy like all things sleazy! Why is it that so many young women are now thinking that this is the right way to behave? That getting legless at the weekend is the best way to spend your time? That sleeping around with heaps of men is going to make you feel…what, good? There was an article in the Herald a couple of weeks ago talking about this culture and the relationship with an increasing number of women seeking help for their addiction to sex. How far have we fallen?

But you know what really gets me going in this? How easy it is for us to be “shocked” that some girls are acting “like the boys”, and yet we do nothing as men to admonish those who are setting the bar: i.e. the boys!

I feel that the there is a distinct lack of male role models out there telling the teenagers coming through in the generation behind us that actually it’s not cool to get wasted every weekend, drift from girl to girl, aimlessly squandering the gifts God has given us as men! It’s time for some serious “hardening up” talk I think. :)

We need a serious culture change, in my opinion, lest we totally lose the plot! But how do we break through what our culture says “is just kids being kids”? A culture that turns a blind eye to the fact that this rampant materialistic abusive attitude is at the root of so many of society’s other ills – including abortion (more on this next week).

I’m open to all ideas. (Just let me brace myself…) ;)