Franciscan at Home

On March 25th, Pope Francis released Christus Vivit, “Christ is alive!” This post-synodal exhortation is addressed both to young people (16 to 30 year-olds) and the entire Church. Rich with inspirational quotes and practical suggestions, the document contains many insights about youth, for youth, and for those who minister to youth, while raising many important questions that need to be addressed.

About Youth
A young person stands on two feet as adults do, but unlike adults, whose feet are parallel, he always has one foot forward, ready to set out, to spring ahead. Always racing onward. (140)

Pope Francis begins the document by highlighting young people in the Bible as well as in Church history, figures such as Joseph (son of Jacob), Ruth, and David to St. Sebastian, St. Francis of Assisi and St.

Thérèse of Liseiux. Young people have always played an important role in salvation history. Particular attention is given to Mary, who as a young woman said “yes” to Gabriel, and to Jesus himself: “It is important to recognize that Jesus was a young person. He gave his life when he was, in today’s terms, a young adult” (23).

“Youth is more than simply a period of time; it is a state of mind” (34). This is why the Church, over two thousand years old, can be considered “young”—and needs the help of young people to keep her that way. Francis compares the shallow and superficial ways culture can manipulate youth to the true happiness that only Christ can offer. “Dear young friends, do not let them exploit your youth to promote a shallow life that confuses beauty with appearances” (183). Young people are in danger of being isolated and exploited which makes relationships with older people a great benefit. The young generation needs older generations, and the older generations need them. “When young and old alike are open to the Holy Spirit, they make a wonderful combination” (192).

“La evangelización es la misión fundamental de la Iglesia. Es también un proceso continuo de encuentro con Cristo, un proceso que los católicos hispanos han hecho muy suyo en su planeación pastoral. Este proceso genera una mística (teología mística) y una espiritualidad que conduce a la conversión, comunión y solidaridad, tocando cada dimensión de la vida cristiana y transformando cada situación humana.”[1] 

“Evangelization is the fundamental mission of the Church. It is also an ongoing process of encountering Christ, a process that Hispanic Catholics have taken to heart in their pastoral planning. This process generates a mística (mystical theology) and a spirituality that lead to conversion, communion, and solidarity, touching every dimension of Christian life and transforming every human situation.”[1]

On the occasion of this important milestone marking the publication of the USCCB’s seminal document on adult faith formation, Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us (hereafter “the document”), issued on the cusp of the new millennium, it is worth reflecting on its impact and influence on Hispanic ministry in this country. Much has taken place since that time, while significant ongoing challenges remain.

Some Pertinent Principles
Although the document does not explicitly address the Hispanic or other specific cultural communities, a number of its organizing principles do speak to some noteworthy realities. These principles will be the touchstones for this reflection. First, persons will always prefer to worship where they feel comfortable and at home. Second, faith as it relates to the family is a critical factor in any religious tradition. And lastly, social customs and popular devotion in harmony with the Gospel are to be respected, affirmed, and celebrated.

First Things First - Welcoming and Hospitality
While data are generally lacking regarding the number of Hispanics who have left the Catholic Church, current information suggests that a significant number of Hispanics who were baptized as Catholics join other Christian denominations and religious traditions every year; including fundamentalist groups and “storefront” churches—many of which maintain Hispanic cultural traditions that might otherwise be considered to be “Catholic,” including quinceañeras (fifteenth birthday blessings) and Epiphany celebrations. New arrivals often find the structure of the parish and the style of worship to be very different from what they experienced in their native country. In this unfamiliar environment, they are frequently targeted for what could be considered aggressive proselytizing by non-Catholic groups, and are offered transportation, many kinds of assistance, skillful scriptural preaching, as well as a friendly community to which to belong.

All this highlights the compelling need for Catholic parishes to provide a welcoming and hospitable atmosphere to newcomers, including Spanish-language and/or bilingual worship, ministries, parish pastoral leaders, and personnel whenever possible. In addition, Catholic parishes must be aware of several factors that can make Hispanics feel unwelcomed in the Catholic Church and make them more open to seeking a home in other faith traditions. Among these factors are: an unspoken attitude from parish staff or parishioners that they are “undesirable”; excessive or overwhelming administrative rules and forms; and being required to produce evidence of contribution envelopes before they can receive the sacraments.[2]

Head buried in her screen, she was more concerned with live-tweeting the event than listening to the speaker. She was so busy scrolling through social media, she didn’t realize she had walked past a friend she hadn’t seen in years.

This is a paid advertisement in the January-March 2019 issue. Advertisements should not be viewed as endorsements from the publisher.

I grew up in a relatively large Catholic family who never missed Sunday Mass. I was sent to Catholic elementary and high schools, where school Masses were celebrated with regularity. I also had what I now believe to be a special grace of faith from the Lord, where I never questioned the existence of God or Church teaching (as I understood it to be at the time)—even though by young adulthood many of those around me were questioning both. I also was a faithful altar-server straight up until college, serving at many Masses during the school year. Considering the trajectory of my life, I had received Communion nearly one thousand times by the time I went away to college.

But in reality, the effects that receiving my Lord in communion had on me were minimal. I went to Mass faithfully, and I even went prayerfully, but I was not coming away changed by the encounter in any visible way. While I had a personal faith in God, I was lacking in a personal understanding of what it meant to give my life to him, to desire to live a new life in Christ, and ultimately, to have this change of life flow from personal repentance and conversion. Sherry Weddell points out that any of these four obstacles “can block the ultimate fruitfulness of valid sacraments,”[1] and I was missing three out of four.

This stymied the flow of sacramental grace in my life. It would do the Lord a disservice to say that I had no spiritual benefit at all: I was going to Mass weekly, doing so in a spirit of faith, and offering sincere prayers during the liturgy. All the same, I can say with certainty that the spiritual effects of Communion for me were minimal. In terms of grace, I was collecting a dime each week at best, but the Lord had been offering me a dollar. And a central reason that I benefited so little was precisely because I had attended Mass in my parish so often.

Counterintuitive as that might sound, it’s true. This was because in my culturally Catholic parish, no one had ever modeled for me in my Catholic schooling or in my parish a discipled life flowing from the Eucharist, complete with active and visible spiritual fruit. Regularly observing and participating in a parish culture of churchgoing Catholics taught me to expect little transformation from receiving communion (either personally or in the community), and so I never did. Participation was the clear focus, not fruitfulness. Therefore, any catechesis on the Real Presence I received in a classroom setting was always obstructed by what my experience was teaching me—namely, that receiving the Lord in Communion was not meant to result in immediate spiritual fruit that could be visibly perceived in the community.

This is a paid advertisment. For more from Ave Maria Press click here or call (800) 282-1865, ext. 1.

This is a paid advertisement. To view more books from Ignatius Press click here, or call (800)651-1531.

¿Qué recuerdas de tu primer día de clases del primer grado de la escuela primaria? ¡Mi recuerdo ha dado a mi vida una finalidad profética y un valor que perdurará toda la vida! Tras pasar lista y asignar sus lugares a sus 120 alumnos (¡no es ningún error tipográfico esto!), la menuda Sr. Santa Rosa nos avisó que nuestra primera lección sería la más importante de nuestra vida. Repartió nuestro primer libro de catecismo y nos indicó que lo abriéramos en la primera lección. Con lápiz en mano, encerramos con un círculo las preguntas número uno, dos, y tres. La Hermana nos instruyó sobre el sentido de las palabras y nos dijo que les pidiéramos a nuestros papás que nos enseñaran cómo decir las palabras con los ojos cerrados.

Mi mamá vigilaba la hora de las tareas. Me asombró cuando, sin mirar el libro, conocía las respuestas a las tres preguntas. Más asombrosa aún fue la plática durante la cena esa noche. Mi mamá dijo, “Pat, dile a tu papá qué aprendiste en la escuela hoy”. Le miré derechito a los ojos de mi papá y declaré con convicción, “Aprendí porqué Dios me creó”. Sin titubear en absoluto, mi papá proclamó, “Pat, Dios te creó para conocerlo, amarlo, y servirlo en este mundo, y para que seas feliz con Él para siempre en el próximo”. La respuesta que me dio mi padre tuvo una influencia exponencial porque, con justa razón, se había ganado el apodo de “Daddy Old Bad Boy” (Papá Viejo Niño Travieso). Su mal comportamiento era legendario y por eso todos los años los Reyes Magos le dejaban carbón en su bota navideña. Entonces, cuando este hombre sabía por qué Dios me había creado, ¡me tragué el anzuelo y abracé totalmente esta creencia! Haciendo eco del sentimiento de Robert Frost, “eso ha hecho toda la diferencia.” [i]

El llegar a conocer a Dios – y crecer en ese conocimiento y la experiencia del mismo a lo largo del tiempo – es nuestro llamado universal, nuestra vocación primaria. El conocimiento de Dios conduce al amor. ¡Una persona que no ama a Dios es una persona que no conoce a Dios! Y nosotros mismos - cuando amamos a una persona, no podemos menos que desbordar en el servicio que le damos por amor.

La oración: tanto acción como actitud
Como “Primeros Mensajeros del Evangelio”[ii] los padres de familia tienen el privilegio y la responsabilidad de presentarles Dios a sus hijos; de sensibilizarles a que reconozcan los caminos de Dios; de aprender a hablar con Dios; y de responderle a Dios de manera apropiada según su edad. La oración es el hilo conductor para todos estos objetivos.

¿Qué es la oración? Las definiciones abundan. Hasta Wikipedia interviene sobre el tema. Mi definición nuclear, y es la que ofrezco a los padres de familia actuales, proviene de ese mismo catecismo de primer grado: “La oración es elevar nuestra mente y nuestro corazón a Dios”. La oración puede ser vocal o mental, formal o informal, privada o colectiva, programada o espontánea. La oración cambia con la edad y las etapas de la vida, así como la calidad y el estilo de comunicación cambia con el tiempo entre personas quienes estén creciendo en su relación.

La oración es comunicación con Aquél que nos conoce mucho mejor que nosotros mismos nos conocemos, y que nos ama más allá de nuestra capacidad para comprender tal amor. Sin tregua y sistemáticamente Dios nos comunica su amor y su voluntad que da vida, aunque a menudo no nos demos cuenta y estemos inatentos. Frecuentemente, el ajetreo de la vida bloquea nuestro reconocimiento de los movimientos de Dios. Los ruidos de nuestro ambiente ahogan los susurros del amor de Dios. Independientemente de nuestra percepción, Dios sigue hablando, tendiéndonos la mano, y ofreciendo su amistad.

La oración es acción y actitud. Toda persona, lugar, estímulo, o evento que eleva nuestra mente y nuestro corazón a Dios puede ser catalizador para la oración. Las prácticas espirituales comprendidas y adoptadas voluntariamente con fidelidad elevan nuestra conciencia espiritual. Los ambientes, costumbres y ritos que tutoran al alma o recuerdan la presencia de Dios pueden incitar un santo deseo y afecto.

What do you remember of your first day of Grade One? My memory gave prophetic purpose and life-long value to my life! After taking roll and assigning seats to her 120 students (not a typographical error!), petite Sister St. Rose announced that our first lesson would be the most important lesson of our lives. She distributed our first catechism book and directed us to lesson one. With pencil in hand, we circled question numbers one, two, and three. Sister instructed us in the meaning of the words and told us to have our parents teach us how to say the words with our eyes closed. My mother proctored homework time. She amazed me when, without looking at the book, she knew the answers to the three questions. More amazing yet was dinner conversation that night. Mom said, “Pat, tell dad what you learned at school today.” I looked my dad straight in the eye and declared with conviction, “I learned why God made me.” Without skipping a beat my father proclaimed, “Pat, God made you to know him, to love him, and to serve him in this world, and to be happy with him forever in the next.” Dad’s reply had an exponential influence because he had justly earned the nickname of “Daddy Old Bad Boy.” Dad’s misbehaviors were legendary and yearly Santa Claus deposited coal in his stocking because of it. So, when this man knew why God made me, I embraced the belief hook, line, and sinker! Echoing the sentiment of Robert Frost1, “that has made all the difference.” Coming to know God—and growing in that knowledge and experience over time—is our universal call, our primary vocation. Knowledge of God and the ways of God leads to love. A person who does not love God does not know God! And whenever any of us love another person we can’t help but overflow into service for them. Prayer: Both Action and Attitude As “First Heralds of the Gospel”2 parents bear the privilege and the responsibility to introduce their children to God; to sensitize them to recognize the ways of God; to learn how to speak to God; to distinguish God’s voice and will from other voices; and to respond to God in age-appropriate ways. Prayer is the common thread for these goals. What is prayer? Definitions abound. Even Wikipedia weighs in on the topic. My core definition, and one that I offer to contemporary parents, comes from that same first grade catechism: “Prayer is the lifting of our minds and hearts to God.” Prayer can be vocal or mental, formal or informal, private or corporate, scheduled or spontaneous. Prayer changes through the ages and stages of one’s life, just as the quality and style of communication changes over time between persons who are growing in relationship. Prayer is communication with the One who knows us better than we know ourselves and Who loves us beyond our ability to comprehend such love. Consistently God communicates God’s love and life-giving will, though we are frequently unaware or inattentive. Often the busyness of life blocks recognition of God’s movements. The noises of our environment drown out the whispers of God’s love. Regardless of our awareness, God continues to speak, to reach out, and to offer friendship. Prayer is both an action and an attitude. Any person, place, stimulus, or event that lifts our minds and hearts to God can be a catalyst of prayer. Spiritual practices that are understood and faithfully embraced raise our spiritual consciousness. Environments, customs, and rituals that tutor the soul or recall God’s presence can stir holy desire and affection.