We Have A Bishop!!!

Il Santo Padre Benedetto XVI ha nominato Vescovo di Sioux Falls (U.S.A.) il Rev.do Mons. Paul Joseph Swain, finora Vicario Generale di Madison.

Mons. Swain è nato il 12 settembre 1943, da una famiglia di confessione Metodista. Dopo aver seguito le scuole elementari e medie, ha continuato la sua educazione superiore prima nella Ohio Northern University, dove nel 1965 è diventato Bachelor of Arts in History; poi, all’University of Wisconsin-Madison, dove nel 1967 ha conseguito il Master of Arts in Political Science; e successivamente, presso l’University of Wisconsin Law School, dove ha conseguito il titolo di Juris Doctor, nel 1974. Nel frattempo ha partecipato alla Guerra in Vietnam (1967-1971), come Air Intelligence Officer. Per i suoi meriti ha ottenuto l’onorificenza di Vietnam Veteran Bronze Star. Laureatosi in Diritto Civile, ha seguito la pratica giuridica: prima come Assistant Legal Counsel, League of Wisconsin Municipalities (1975-1976); poi come Avvocato (1976-1979); e successivamente come Legal Counsel del Governatore dello Stato di Wisconsin, Sig. Lee Sherman Dryfus (1979-1983).
Dopo la sua conversione, è stato ricevuto nella Chiesa Cattolica nel 1982. Nel 1983 ha iniziato la sua formazione per il sacerdozio, presso il Pope John XXIII National Seminary a Weston, Massachusetts. Ha concluso nel 1988 conseguendo il titolo di Master of Divinity.È stato ordinato sacerdote il 27 maggio 1988 dal Vescovo Cletus F. O’Donnell. Ha poi ricoperto i seguenti incarichi: 1988-1993: Vicario cooperatore di Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary a Sun Prairie. 1993: Segretario di S.E. Bullock, Moderatore della Curia e Vice-Cancelliere. 1994-1997: Parroco di St. Mary of Pine Bluff. 1997-1999: Rettore della Cattedrale di St. Raphael di Madison. 1997-2000: Vicario Generale. 2002: Parroco di St. Bernard a Middleton. È Prelato d’Onore di sua Santità dal 14 giugno 1997 e membro dell’Ordine Equestre del Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme. Attualmente è Vicario Generale della diocesi di Madison e Rettore della Cattedrale di San Raffaele.

Yeah, I know it's in Italian, but it's not up in English yet.  Here is the Press Release:

Pope Benedict XVI Names Reverend Monsignor Paul J. Swain Eighth Bishop of Diocese of Sioux Falls

Today at noon in Rome (5 a.m. CDT), the Holy See announced that Pope Benedict XVI has named Madison priest Reverend Monsignor Paul J. Swain as the Eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

"I am honored and humbled to be named by Pope Benedict who has set forth such an uplifting yet challenging call in his first encyclical, homilies, and meditations to live the vocation of love in its deepest sense," said Bishop Swain, 62.  

He will be introduced to the people of the Diocese of Sioux Falls at a press conference today at 10 a.m. at the Catholic Pastoral Center, 523 N. Duluth Ave.  

The Diocese of Sioux Falls has been vacant for twenty months, since Bishop Robert Carlson was announced on December 29, 2004 as the bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan.  

Bishop Swain will be consecrated and installed as Bishop of Sioux Falls within the next several months, but a specific date has not been determined.

“Today the Church of Sioux Falls rejoices and our hearts are filled with gratitude to God,” said Bishop Samuel Aquila, the bishop of Fargo who has been serving as apostolic administrator for the Sioux Falls diocese.  “I am certain that he will provide the care of Jesus Christ for the faithful of Sioux Falls and will follow in the footsteps of the apostles who have gone before him throughout the centuries.”

The Diocese of Sioux Falls is comprised of the counties in South Dakota east of the Missouri River, some 35,000 square miles.  There are just fewer than 130,000 Catholics in the Diocese, roughly 20% of the total population.  The people are served by about 150 parishes.

"This is a tremendous honor for our Diocese," said Bishop Robert C. Morlino, bishop of Madison.  "The Holy Father has personally chosen Bishop Swain and I couldn't be happier for him and for the whole church.  His appointment brings great honor upon our fine priests and our wonderful, faithful people in the Diocese of Madison.  His departure will leave a great void here, both in the chancery and in the downtown parishes, but I am confident that the Holy Spirit will provide for us.  I will, in a deeply personal way, miss his close and faithful collaboration as my Vicar General."  

Msgr. Swain has served numerous pastoral and administrative positions in the Diocese of Madison.  At the time of his appointment, he was serving as pastor of the downtown Madison parishes (Saint Raphael Cathedral, Saint Patrick Parish, and Holy Redeemer Parish) and as Vicar General for the Diocese.  He is known and loved by parishioners, fellow-priests, and co-workers for his prayerfulness, humility, even temper, and quiet humor.

Retired Madison Bishop William Bullock said “Msgr. Swain comes highly qualified to take on the duties of the office of bishop.  He is spiritually sound, well experienced and is a man of learning, integrity, and deep prayer.” 
 

Background Information:
Bishop Swain might be considered a 'non-traditional' choice as a bishop since he became a priest later in life only a few years after becoming Catholic.  After performing military service as an Air Force Intelligence Officer in Vietnam (1967-72), he received a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and practiced law in Madison.  He was Legal Counsel and Director of Policy for Governor Lee Dreyfus from 1979-83.  Towards the end of his time in government, he began to feel spiritual awakenings which led to a deep and life-change conversion.

He was received into the Catholic Church at Holy Redeemer Parish (Madison) on Holy Thursday, 1983 and was ordained five years later by Bishop Cletus O'Donnell at Saint Raphael Cathedral.  Bishop Swain credits Bishop O'Donnell with 'taking a chance' on him and notes that the date of his announcement as bishop falls on the fourteenth anniversary of O'Donnell's death.

The process of choosing a Bishop is not public and is reserved to the Pope himself, in consultation with the Congregation for Bishops in Rome and others whom he deems appropriate.  The prospective candidate rarely, if ever, knows he is under consideration, and in the case of Bishop Swain, he received a phone call two days into a rare vacation, telling him the unexpected news.  The details are coordinated through the office of the Apostolic Nuncio, the Pope's personal representative to the United States (Archbishop Pietro Sambi).

The Catholic Faith teaches that bishops serve as successors to the Twelve Apostles who were called and ordained to this ministry by Jesus Christ himself at the Last Supper.  The serve as shepherds of the flock, and - like the Apostles - they have a special call to teach, govern, and sanctify (make holy through prayer and sacrifice).  The Bishop is the pastor of his diocese and maintains unity with the Holy Father, thus playing the indispensable role of unifying the various churches in the one Universal Church.

For more information:
For a backgrounder on "Appointing Bishops" visit the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Office of Communications at http://www.usccb.org/comm/.  Click on the link for Backgrounders.

Execution Delayed

Ten minutes before Elijah Page was to eat his last meal, Gov. Mike Rounds announced a stay of execution, citing a discrepancy between state law and the way Page was about to be killed.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday, Rounds postponed the execution until some time after July 1, 2007, so that the South Dakota state legislature would have time to amend the law to match the method the state Department of Corrections had planned to use.

South Dakota law calls for a two-drug method for executions, an unspecified "ultra-short-acting barbiturate" and a paralytic drug.

But Page was about to be executed at the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls using a three-drug combination, a method used in several other states.

"That's not what is directed within our statute," Rounds said.

Capital Punishment in South Dakota

For the first time in nearly sixty years someone will be executed in South Dakota.  I encourage everyone to pray that the Governor will have the moral courage to live his Catholic faith and stop the execution.  It is scheduled for 10pm tonight.

There are only two people that have the ability to stop this execution:  Governor Mike Rounds, who has stated that he is reviewing the case, but doesn’t plan to intervene; and Elijah Page, who has voluntarily relinquished his right to appeal his death sentence.  All Mr. Page has to do to halt his execution is to request that the appeals process be restarted.

If you would like to contact Governor Rounds to encourage him you can call him at 605-773-3212 or e-mail him here.

Prayer services at Catholic Churches will be held in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen and Yankton Tuesday evening before and during the scheduled execution of Elijah Page.  In addition, the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls will participate in an ecumenical prayer service in Sioux Falls.

In Sioux Falls the service will be at 9:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Cathedral.  In Aberdeen the service will be at the same time at Sacred Heart Church.  In Yankton, a vigil at Sacred Heart Church will begin following the 5:15 p.m. Mass and continue on through the time of the execution.

Also in Sioux Falls, Vicar General Father Charles Cimpl will represent the diocese at an ecumenical service planned at East Side Lutheran Church at 9:30 p.m.

Other parishes across the diocese may also be holding services or vigils inluding mine.  Parishioner who wold like to pray at the penitentary will be gathering in the parking lot at 9pm.

George Weigel Hits A Liturgical Home Run

A dear priest friend of mine sent me the link to this article about heretical liturgical music.  I am so glad someone of the literary magnitude of George Weigel is saying something.  Here are a few highlights from the article, but please, read the whole thing:

Thus, with tongue only half in cheek, I propose the Index Canticorum Prohibitorum, the "Index of Forbidden Hymns." Herewith, some examples.

The first hymns to go should be hymns that teach heresy. If hymns are more than liturgical filler, hymns that teach ideas contrary to Christian truth have no business in the liturgy. "Ashes" is the prime example here: "We rise again from ashes to create ourselves anew." No, we don't. Christ creates us anew. (Unless Augustine was wrong and Pelagius right). Then there's "For the Healing of the Nations," which, addressing God, deplores "Dogmas that obscure your plan." Say what? Dogma illuminates God's plan and liberates us in doing so. That, at least, is what the Catholic Church teaches. What's a text that flatly contradicts that teaching doing in hymnals published with official approval?

Next to go should be those "We are Jesus" hymns in which the congregation (for the first time in two millennia of Christian hymnology) pretends that it's Christ. "Love one another as I have loved you/Care for each other, I have cared for you/Bear each other's burdens, bind each other's wounds/and so you will know my return." Who's praying to whom here? And is the Lord's "return" to be confined to our doing of his will? St. John didn't think so. "Be Not Afraid" and "You Are Mine" fit this category, as does the ubiquitous "I Am the Bread of Life," to which I was recently subjected on, of all days, Corpus Christi — the one day in the Church year completely devoted to the fact that we are not a self-feeding community giving each other "the bread of life" but a Eucharistic people nourished by the Lord's free gift of himself. "I am the bread of life" inverts that entire imagery, indeed falsifies it.

Read the whole thing here.

Now This Is A Good Question

Dawn Eden asks "So, riddle me this: Why do oral contraceptives still require a prescription, seeing as they're so safe that you can take 40 times the prescribed amount anytime you want?"

Good question...seems as though the culture of death is a little inconsistent.

Me-Church:  One of the Funniest Things I've Seen in Awhile

Click here to watch it.

Homily:  20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

One day while walking down the street a highly successful person was tragically hit by a bus and she died. Her soul arrived up in heaven where she was met at the Gates of Heaven by St. Peter himself.

“Welcome to Heaven,” said St. Peter. “Before you get settled in though, it seems we have a problem. You see, strangely enough, we’ve never once had someone like you make it this far and we’re not really sure what to do with you.”

“No problem, just let me in” said the woman. “Well, I’d like to, but I have higher orders. What we’re going to do is let you have a day in Hell and a day in Heaven and then you can choose whichever one you want to spend an eternity in.”

“Actually, I think I’ve made up my mind, I prefer to stay in Heaven”, said the woman. “Sorry, we have rules...” And with that St. Peter put the executive in an elevator and down it went, straight to hell.

When the doors opened she found herself stepping out onto the putting green of a beautiful golf course. In the distance was a clubhouse and standing in front of her were all her friends - fellow executives that she had worked with and they were all dressed in evening gowns and cheering for her. They ran up and kissed her on both cheeks and they talked about old times. They played an excellent round of golf and at night went to the clubhouse where she enjoyed an excellent steak and lobster dinner. She met the Devil who was actually a really nice guy (kinda cute even) and she had a great time telling jokes and dancing. She was having such a good time that before she knew it, it was time to leave. Everybody shook her hand and waved good- bye as she got on the elevator. Up and up the elevator went and opened back up at the Gates of Heaven where good old St. Peter waiting for her.

“Now it’s time to spend a day in heaven,” he said. So she spent the next 24 hours lounging around on clouds and playing the harp and singing. She had a great time and before she knew it her 24 hours were up and St. Peter came and got her. “So, you’ve spent a day in hell and you’ve spent a day in heaven. Now you must choose your eternity,” he said.

The woman paused for a second and then replied, “Well, I never thought I’d say this, I mean, Heaven has been really great and all, but I think I had a better time in Hell.” So St. Peter escorted her to the elevator and again down she went, straight back to Hell. When the doors of the elevator opened she found herself standing in a desolate wasteland covered in garbage and filth. She saw her friends were dressed in rags and were picking up the garbage and putting it in sacks.  The Devil came up to her and put his arm around her.

“I don’t understand,” stammered the woman, “yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a clubhouse and we ate lobster and we danced and had a great time. Now all there is a wasteland of garbage and all my friends look miserable.”

The Devil looked at her and smiled.  “Yesterday we were recruiting you, today.....you’re staff.

This story, entertaining as it is, presents to us a basic fact about how the devil works in our lives.  Sin is always presented to us as something that seems good.  It many times makes us “feel good” or makes us feel wanted and even welcomed into a particular group of people, but that soon wears off and the reality of sin sets in.

          I think we can all relate to that in some way.  In a moment of temptation it might “feel good” to gossip, or to skip Mass to go to the lake, or to get drunk,  but then afterwards we lose that “good feeling” and sink into sadness because we know within ourselves that we have sinned.  Sin, in the end, never makes us happy.

          Since God wants us to be reasonably happy in this life and perfectly happy in the next he invites us, as our first reading says, to “forsake foolishness that you may live.”  God invites us to abandon our foolish sinfulness, to “watch carefully how we live” which is a necessary pre-requisite for being open enough to be filled with Gods love.  Only when we make an effort to live good, moral, and upright lives will we be truly able to taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

          Let’s also remember that in addition to personal sin, there is also something called social sin.  Social sins are those which come about because of human-made structures that offend human dignity and usually social sin comes about as the result of many personal sins committed my many members of a group which then leads the group accept sin as the norm.  When we die, we will be judged immediately regarding our own personal sins, but at the general judgment at the end of time we will stand before God, not as individuals, but as members of society and we will be judged on whether or not we as a group, as society, are guilty of sins; sins such as the execution of criminals when they clearly could be imprisoned for life and thus pose no real threat to society.  We, because of how we vote or by not voting at all have allowed this sin and many other sins to go unchallenged.  We, as a group will one day be judged for these sins, which is why it is so necessary for us to speak out on these issues and take part in the political process to make a change for the good.  My friends, God calls us to abandon our personal sins, but also social sin.

          The gospel speaks to us today about how the Eucharist is indeed the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ.  In it, Jesus points out that if we want eternal life…if we want true and lasting happiness, then we must eat his flesh and drink his blood; we must in a very real way, taste and see the goodness of the Lord.  But my friends, along with the  great privilege of being able to receive the body and blood of Christ into our very bodies comes a great responsibility.  Namely, the responsibility of receiving him worthily.

          Granted, none of us could be truly worthy to receive this great gift but we should strive to be as worthy as we possibly can be, given our fallen human nature.   We should strive to make sure our conscience is not troubled by any serious sin, and if it is, then we should make a good confession. 

Another way to more worthily receive the gift of the Eucharist is to make sure that we have prepared for the Holy Sacrifice with some time spent in quite prayer and reflection before Mass.  This means that if we really want to be prepared to worthily receive our Lord we might arrive early and silently prepare our hearts to hear the Word of God and receive the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist.  In order to prepare ourselves we should not be talking in the Church before Mass, or at anytime for that matter, but rather a spirit of attentive silence should pervade this place; a silence that speaks of the holiness of this sacred space. 

I am currently using a book on how to better prepare for Mass as part of my morning meditation.   In it the author makes a point about silence before Mass by saying:

“The minutes before Mass are best [for entering into silence]; but in order to have them for genuine preparation we must arrive early.  They are not a time for gazing or day-dreaming or for unnecessary thumbing of pages, but for inwardly collecting and calming ourselves.”^[1]

My brothers and sisters, this feast that we come to share is so holy, so profound that it demands proper preparation.  We must prepare ourselves for Mass at all times by abandoning the foolishness of sin.  And as immediate preparation for Mass we must cultivate interior and exterior silence in this space.  If we do these things then we will come to appreciate more and more the glory and mystery of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and be able to truly taste and see the goodness of the Lord in Holy Communion.

Let’s also not forget the value of making a good thanksgiving to God after Mass.  It is always encouraging to me to see people kneeling in silence after Mass to thank Jesus, who at that very moment physically dwells within them, for the gift of being able to receive him.  So silence is not only valuable before Mass, but after Mass as well.

Today, as we once again gather to worship in faith, let us ask our Eucharistic Lord to help us to better prepare for this feast by abandoning sin and entering into the mysterious silence where God speaks to our hearts.

Bishop Doran Rips Into The Party of Death

Here is what he had to say in his latest column: "Many of the issues that confront us are serious, and we know by now that the political parties in our country are at loggerheads as to how to solve them. We know, for instance, that adherents of one political party would place us squarely on the road to suicide as a people.

The seven “sacraments” of their secular culture are abortion, buggery, contraception, divorce, euthanasia, feminism of the radical type, and genetic experimentation and mutilation. These things they unabashedly espouse, profess and promote. Their continuance in public office is a clear and present danger to our survival as a nation.

Since the mid-1940s we have been accustomed to look askance at Germans. They were protagonists of the Second World War and so responsible for fifty million deaths. We say, “How awful,” and yet in our country we have, for the most part, allowed the party of death and the court system it has produced to eliminate, since 1973, upwards of forty million of our fellow citizens without allowing them to see the light of day. They have done their best to make ours a true culture of death. No doubt, we shall soon outstrip the Nazis in doing human beings to death."

No doubt this will cause quite a stir.

Back in The Saddle

I have been back in the office for a few days now but have been busy trying to catch up on what I missed and doing what needs to be done.  I am working on an number of projects for the parish and the diocese so I am quite busy this week and thus posts will come very slowly.  I also will give a report on my trip to the Left Coast, but you may have to remind me about that.

Oh, How Very, Very Sad...

Click here and find out what I'm talking about.

I Made It

Well, I made it to LA and have already been to the beach in Santa Monica (it was beautiful) and seen the Cathedral (more about that later).  Today looks like we might visit Universal Studios and some other Hollywood type stuff. 

So far I love the retreat center here.  The sisters are wonderfully, holy, and generous.  God will surely reward them.

Obviously I won't be posting a whole lot during this trip, but if you are lucky you might get a post or two along the way.

My Absence

For the next week or so I will be vacationing and doing a little ministerial work in Los Angeles.  The plan is to spend some time with a priest friend  touring around the LA area (including the infamous Cathedral) and then helping him hear confessions etc... for a retreat he is giving at the Retreat House of the Carmelite Sisters of The Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles

Please pray for safe travel and for the people who will be retreating.

Homily:  Transfiguration of the Lord - Part III of Shepherding Series

Click here for Part I of the Shepherding Series

Click here for Part II of the Shepherding Series

Click here for the Scripture readings for this homily.

A shepherd was tending his flock in a remote pasture when suddenly a dust cloud approached at high speed, out of which emerged a shiny white BMW. The driver, a young man in an Armani suit, Ferragamo shoes, the latest Polarized sunglasses and a tightly knotted power tie, poked his head out the window and asked the shepherd, "Hey! If I can tell you how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?"

The shepherd looked at the man, then glanced at his peacefully grazing flock and answered, "Sure."

The driver parked his car, plugged his microscopic cell phone into a laptop and briskly surfed to a GPS satellite navigation system on the Internet and initiated a remote body-heat scan of the area. While the computer was occupied, he sent some e-mail via his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, nodded solemnly at the responses. Finally, he printed a 150 page report on the little laser printer in his glove compartment, turned to the shepherd, waving the sheaves of paper, and pronounced “You have exactly 1,586 sheep."

"Impressive. One of my sheep is yours." said the shepherd.

He watched the young man look around the flock and finally select an animal and bundle it into his car. Then the shepherd said: "If I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my sheep?"

Pleased to meet a fellow sportsman, the young man replied “You’re on.”

"You are a consultant." said the shepherd without hesitation.

"That's correct," said the young man, impressed. "How ever did you guess?"

"It wasn’t a guess," replied the shepherd. "You drive into my field uninvited. You ask me to pay you for information I already know, answer questions I haven’t asked, and you know nothing about my business.

Now give me my back my dog."

For the past two weeks we have been reflecting on the role of the shepherd in the Church and in the family.  I repeated many times in those two homilies how hard it is to be a good shepherd, and I say it again.  It is hard, and the demands of being a good shepherd can weigh heavily on the shepherds, both the priest-shepherd and the parent-shepherd.  Some of us might even have went away from Mass feeling a little overwhelmed or discouraged asking ourselves “how can I ever live up to the challenges of being a good and faithful shepherd?”  It’s true…none of us, not even the most seasoned and experienced shepherd could ever do a perfect job in shepherding their flock.  There is only one shepherd who is perfect – and I hate to burst your bubble – but it’s not us.  The only perfect shepherd is Jesus, and it is our job to do the best we can to imitate Him in our own task of shepherding, after all it was the Good Shepherd who said “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

You know, the greatest shepherds in the Church, whether priest-shepherds or parent-shepherds have one thing in common, and that is that they know Jesus.  They have a personal, real, ongoing relationship with Jesus.  All throughout their lives they climb the spiritual mountain so at to experience the glorious Lord transfigured before them.  We learn from them that it is there, in the midst of a prayerful encounter with the Lord of Glory, that we are given the strength we need to imitate Him in shepherding our flock.  Jesus took three shepherds in training, Peter, James and John up Mt. Tabor to witness His transfiguration so that in the future, when they saw Him persecuted, beaten and crucified they might remember that they had seen His glory, and be able to carry on.  The same is true of us who are shepherds.  We need to encounter the glory of Christ in prayer so that when the hard task of shepherding our sheep lies before us and we think that we cannot do it we will be encouraged and be able to continue doing God’s will.  So, if we are say to ourselves “It’s impossible to be a shepherd after the heart of Christ,” then we are being called to prayer.  Every time that one of our sheep turns away from the flock and our cross becomes heavy, we must pray.  We must put on our spiritual boots and climb the mountain of God in prayer and there encounter the Lord of Glory.   We must see in the Glorified Savior that the cross is no the end, the struggle is not the end, but the glories of heaven are the end and those glories will be ours if we persevere in following the Good Shepherd and following the path marked out by Him.  And yes, we will fail.  Many of us will make grievous mistakes and fail in our task, but no fear!  Our God is a forgiving God!  All we have to do is to return to Him in the confessional with a repentant heart and he will once again spiritually revive our sin sick souls through the grace of the sacrament of penance.

By brothers and sisters it boils down to this: if we want to be a good shepherd we must frequently, even daily, unite ourselves in prayer with Christ.  Unless we daily continue our journey up the mountain of prayer, we will slide right down the side of that mountain into the muck and mud of sin.

What does it mean to pray?  How do we pray?  There are as many answers that question as there are people in this Church.  To pray is to talk to God in whatever way we can.  For some it might be through memorized prayers, for others it might be by slowly and thoughtfully reading Sacred Scripture, for others it is an interior conversation with God the Father, for still others it might be a silent interior gaze upon God.  Whenever we unite ourselves to God and give of ourselves whether it be through words or with the silent yearnings of our heart we are praying.  So today, if we want to be a good shepherds, and I know you do or wouldn’t be here, resolve to pray well every day.  Resolve to set aside some time during the day to devote only to our Lord.  Resolve to set aside some time during the week to come here and pray before Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament.

When we personally know Jesus through prayer, then, and only then, will we have sincerely begun our trek up the mountain of God.  Then, and only then, will we have begun to be a shepherd after the heart of Jesus, the true Good Shepherd.  Amen.

Homily:  17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Part II of Shepherding Series

For Part I of the Shepherding Series click here.

For the Scripture readings for this homily click here.

Today we have installment number two of our three homily series on Shepherding.  We began last week by learning just a little bit about how all of us, whether we are a priest, parent, grandparent or even single people are called to be shepherds.  I especially focused on the role of parents as shepherds of the “Domestic Church” or the family.  Just as priests shepherd the flock entrusted to them, so parents are in a very special way called to shepherd the flock entrusted to them – their children.

            Today we are going to explore just a little bit more what it means to be a good shepherd by focusing on how both the priest-shepherd and the parent-shepherd are called to feed the sheep in such a way that the sheep will grow stronger so that they can resist the enemy.

            Just as last week, today’s first reading and gospel provide examples of shepherds feeding their sheep.  In the first reading it is the prophet Elisha feeding the people, which foreshadows the Gospel in which Jesus, the perfect shepherd, miraculously feeds the multitude.

Then there is today’s responsorial psalm which, in the refrain proclaims very directly that the hand of the Lord feeds us.  And in the verses it says that he gives food to those who look hopefully to Him, He opens his hand to satisfy the desire of every living thing.  Surely, without a doubt, every shepherd – especially the good shepherd - feeds the sheep, and feeds them well. 

We who seek to be imitators and followers of the Good Shepherd also are called to feed the sheep entrusted to our care.  Shepherds who do not feed their sheep well end up with weak and helpless sheep that cannot stand up to the enemy and thus run the risk of losing their life.  In the spiritual realm the same is true.  Unless we, as shepherds, spiritually feed our flock with good, nourishing, and solid spiritual food our sheep, our children, will be spiritually weak and they will succumb to the evil one and may lose eternal life.  As you can see, this is a serious matter.  The souls of our children are at stake.  It is quite literally a life and death issue, eternal life and eternal death, heaven or hell.

This is why Fr. Morgan and I take our role as shepherds so serious.  The Church is very clear that priests are responsible for their sheep.  If one of our sheep ends in hell because we did not feed them with good spiritual food, then we are responsible and run the risk of losing our own soul.  I think the same applies to the shepherds of the domestic church – the family.  I know this may sound harsh, but parents, if your children end up in spiritual trouble because you failed to feed them spiritually, then you, like Fr. Morgan and I, run the risk of being in hot water.  Now granted, sometimes we do everything in our power to feed our sheep well but they refuse to eat.  As they say, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” But at the very least, we need to make a good effort to set the food before them.  If we make our best effort the Lord will look kindly on us, and we need not fear, for we will have tried our best.

So what is this nourishing food that we need to feed the sheep?  It can be a lot of things, but for the purposes of this homily I will give three examples starting with the most perfect spiritual food that any of us can eat, and that is the Holy Eucharist.  In our responsorial psalm we hear that the hand of the lord feeds us, and in the Gospel we see Him doing just that.  He “took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them,” which is very close to what He said when He instituted the Eucharist and which we hear each and every time we come to worship at Mass “He took bread, gave you thanks and praise, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples.”

This food from heaven, this bread of angels, is THE food that brings strength to our souls.  It is THE food that makes us one with the most powerful force in the world: Jesus Himself.  If there is any food which strengthens the sheep it is the Holy Eucharist.  So we should strive to make this spiritual food available to the sheep we are charged with feeding.

For priest-shepherds, we do this my celebrating the Holy Sacrifice and quite literally feeding our flock with the bread of life.  For parent-shepherds it is a little different.  Clearly you cannot celebrate Mass like priest-shepherds, but you can make sure that the sheep of your flock are present at Mass so that they can be fed with the spiritual food par excellence.  You can make sure that your children, your flock, form the habit of attending Mass each and every Sunday.  You can make sure that they know that Sunday Mass attendance is priority number one – so much so that if we miss a Sunday Mass then we come to confession before receiving Holy Communion again.

The second way that we can feed the sheep is through feeding their minds with good religious education, which, as the Church teaches us in numerous documents begins at home.  Parents, according to the church, are the first and primary teachers of their children in the ways of faith, not Religious Education teachers.  They merely reinforce what the children should already have learned at home.  Sadly, this is not always the case, but if we seek to be good shepherds we might re-examine how we pass on the faith to the sheep entrusted to our care.  

In passing on the faith we must also be careful that we are passing on the true and full faith of the Catholic Church.  It is easy to ignore the hard teachings of Christ and His Church which usually are also the teachings rejected by many in our society, but if we want to feed the sheep well, we will teach the truth even if it means we are mocked by friends and coworkers for being “behind the times” or “old fashioned.”  The truth of Catholicism applies to all times and all people and if we accept it with open hearts and minds it will nourish both us and our sheep.  It will strengthen them against the evil one’s temptations.

The third way that we can feed the sheep entrusted to our care is by making sure they do not eat anything dangerous.  Just as when we feed our children on a natural level we don’t let them eat out of the dumpster, so we must not let them eat from the spiritual dumpsters that seem to be everywhere these days.  These dumpsters can take on many different forms; they can be immoral television shows, websites, music, friends, educational curricula or any other person, place or thing which teaches them attitudes or actions contrary to the truth of the Faith.  Good shepherds keep the sheep from these things because they can weaken their strength lead them right into the snares of the evil one.

Now parents, I know it’s hard to deny your children things that their friends may be able to have or watch or listen to, but good shepherds sometimes have to go against the grain.  And young people listen to you parents.  When they tell you no it’s because they love and don’t want to see you in trouble.  I know it’s tough to be obedient.  It wasn’t that long ago that I was being told no by my own parents, but I know now that it wasn’t because they hated me and wanted to make my life miserable, but because they loved me.

Shepherding is a tough job, but God trusts us; he believes in us or he would never have given us the task.  At the same time that he entrusts a flock to our care he gives us the grace and strength we need to carry out the task of leading them to the Kingdom.  Today as we gather to encounter the true shepherd in the Holy Sacrifice let us open our hearts to that grace and strength so that we may truly be good and faithful shepherds of the flock entrusted to our care, that we might feed them well so that they will withstand the attack of the enemy.  Amen.

Homily:  16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Part I of Shepherding Series

The Scripture readings for this Homily can be found here.

     You know, three out of the four readings for today speak of shepherds.  On a number of occasions you have heard me or Fr. Morgan preach about how priests are called to shepherd the people entrusted to their care– that’s what the first reading deals with specifically.  It challenges the Old Testament priests, and thus also the New Testament priests – in other words…me - to lead the flock toward heaven and not the other direction.

     But you know what, I think that same challenge applies not only to me and Fr. Morgan, but also to the priests of what the Church calls the “domestic church.”  What is the domestic Church?  Well the documents of the Second Vatican Council tell us that it’s the family, and it too has shepherds… it too has people who are called to lead the flock entrusted to their care – we call these shepherds parents.  They, like Jesus, the good shepherd, are called to lead their flock to heaven, and if they don’t they too will hear the words “Woe to the shepherds.”  Something I don’t think any of the parents gathered here would want to hear on judgment day.

     So, the readings for today challenge me as a ministerial shepherd and you who are shepherds of the family.  We are both to make sure that the flock entrusted to our care makes it to heaven…we are to do all within our power to see to it that the flock which God has entrusted to us is not driven from the church of Christ and scattered. 

     That’s a tough task, especially in the world in which we live, but it is a task we as priests, parents, grandparents and even those of us who are single need to seriously commit ourselves to.  You know honestly, it would take a whole series of homilies to fully explore what it means to be a good shepherd, for to be a good and faithful shepherd is a hard task, one that takes courage and strength – and the enemy is strong and seductive.  So count this as installment number one – If it were a class we would Shepherding 101…next week we will take up part two: on how the shepherd must feed the sheep with food which will nurture their souls so that they will be strong enough to resist the enemy.  So onward we go, working together as fellow shepherds as we lead or little flocks to eternity.

Part II of the Shepherding Series can be found by clicking here.

The Culture of Death Marches On

Wesley Smith of Secondhand Smoke (via Amy Welborn) reports on this sad and disgusting situation:

The instrumentalization of human life continues to spread like a wild fire. Apparently, a San Antonio fertility clinic is now going to make embryos from donated egg and sperm, not to help the biological parents get pregnant but for sale to infertile couples. The Abraham Center of Life claims to have begun the first "human embryo bank," which will apparently sell fresh, custom made embryos for implantation (rather than use frozen embryos). Better chance to get pregnant, the press release crows. And no chance the biological parents will be emotionally invested in the embryos thereby requiring the would-be birth parents having to "sell themselves" as suitable. They may see pictures of the gamete donors, including what they looked like as babies, but will never have to actually talk with them.

There is also a strong whiff of eugenics here. The embryos are "medically graded so that the recipient family knows the quality of the embryos that they will be implanting." The egg donors will have had at least some college, while all sperm donors are required to have graduated college, with most having doctorate degrees, Abraham boasts.

The Sacred Elixir

Via Michael Novak at First Things:

Blessing of Beer

Bene+dic, Domine, creaturam istam cerevisae, quam ex adipe frumenti producere dignatus es: ut sit remedium salutare humano generi: et praesta per invocationem nominis tui sancti, ut, quicumque ex ea biberint, sanitatem corporis, et animae tutelam percipiant. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen

Bless, O Lord, this creature beer, that Thou hast been pleased to bring forth from the sweetness of the grain: that it might be a salutary remedy for the human race: and grant by the invocation of Thy holy name, that, whosoever drinks of it may obtain health of body and a sure safeguard for the soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let's Do Something About This

Fellow South Dakotans and everyone else who feels strongly on this please take the time to do what you can to help stop the culture of death from moving forward in South Dakota.  Here is an action alert from the Catholic Advocate Network on the very first execution to be scheduled in South Dakota since 1947:

Ms. Magazine's Latest Ploy to Destroy Life

(CNSNews.com) - Ms. Magazine's latest pro-abortion message invites women and girls who have undergone the procedure to submit their names for inclusion in the magazine and sign an online petition stating that "I have had an abortion."

The petition targets the recent South Dakota abortion ban, which has been stayed until voters in the state decide on the November ballot whether they want to overturn the ban.

"Whatever happens in South Dakota, 17 states now have trigger laws or pre-Roe bans that will ban abortion if the Supreme Court were to reverse Roe v. Wade," Ms. Magazine warns.

The South Dakota case is the likeliest avenue for Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973, to eventually be challenged in the nation's highest court.

The Ms. Magazine petition asks females to "publicly join the millions of women in the United States who have had an abortion in demanding a repeal of laws that restrict women's reproductive freedom." Then the magazine asks for money.

Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, told Cybercast News Service that the pitch from Ms. Magazine takes "absurdity to a new level with a campaign bragging about their past abortions."

"These women are celebrating an act of violence that has proven traumatic for millions of mothers and deadly for their innocent pre-born children," Brown stated. "We know from all the research that's been done that most woman who have aborted their children are number one, not proud of what they did, and number two, are not going to come out and publicly say that they are," she said.

Brown cited post-abortion research conducted by the Springfield, Ill., based Elliot Institute. The Institute reported in 1997 on its survey of women eight weeks after they had undergone an abortion. Forty-four percent complained of nervous disorders, 36 percent said they experienced sleep disturbances, 31 percent said they regretted their decision and 11 percent admitted that they had been prescribed psychotropic drugs by their family doctor.

The biggest reason why they are doing this is because they are petrified," said Brown. "The pro life movement has made tremendous advances in Congress, in the state legislatures and it continues to move forward. And I think that some of this is to frighten the complacent woman who has had an abortion into thinking that if they don't do something they will lose their 'right to abortion.'"

I think this is absolutely dispicable.  Whenever someone celebrates the fact t