Volume 5 • Number 6 March 2014FaithAndAle.com

4

GOSPEL FORUM“When Once a Month Just Isn’t Enough”

“Faith does not just mean accepting a certain number of abstract truths about the mysteries of God, of man, of life and death, of future realities. Faith consists in an intimate relationship with Christ, a relationship based on love of him who loved us first (cf. 1 John 4:11), even to the total offering of himself.”

-Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Homily in Warsaw’s Pilsudski Square, May 26, 2006

Gospel forum provides men an opportunity to grow in their faith and deepen their relationship with Christ. We do this by reflecting on the Gospels together and relating to each other as men and brothers in Christ. We also laugh a lot and have a good time together. If you have ever felt that you did not receive enough faith formation, here is your chance to begin changing that reality. You do not need to be a theologian or scripture scholar to participate. Just come as you are.

ALL MEN ARE WELCOME

Mondays (7:00-8:00 am) Blessed Pope John XXIII Parish 13060 Palomino Lane, Fort Myers Mike Lancellot. Phone: 239-940-7580

Wednesdays (10:15-11:15 am) St. Therese Parish North Fort Myers Joe Lancellot. Phone: 239-839-9668

Thursdays (7:30-8:30 am) Our Lady of Light Parish 19680 Cypress View Dr, Fort Myers Walt McDonald. Phone: 239-839-7841

Fridays (7:00-8:00 am) St. Raphael Parish 2514 Lee Blvd, Lehigh Acres Joe Allison. Phone: 239-369-1831

Looking for more?GOSPEL FORUM

Page 4

Beverages donated by

2996 Hanson StreetFort Myers, FL 33916

239.334.3520

Newsletter printing donated by

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS

Rend your hearts? What the heck does that mean?

By Patrick Novecosky

I don’t know about you, but I never really understood why people in the Bible tore their clothes when they got upset. I mean, clothes are expensive. Clothes were made by hand 3,000 years ago, so dollar-for-denarius, they must have been even more expensive.

It’s true that Ezra, Job and others showed their extreme sorrow by tearing their shirts. Today we wear black and show grief pretty openly. Red eyes are a dead giveaway. Others in the Bible tore their clothing after becoming incredibly angry. In modern times, we might yell, grit our teeth or give meaningful hand gestures to indicate our displeasure. Incredible Hulk imitations are rather uncommon.

So why does God ask us in Ash Wednesday’s first reading to “rend our hearts” (Joel 2:13)? A torn heart sounds rather painful! God is not asking us to harm ourselves here, but in our brokenness to abandon ourselves completely to him. In the context of the reading — in which the Lord says “return to me with your whole heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning” — it’s clear that he is calling us to himself like a dad who wants to embrace his brokenhearted child.

Before I looked closely at salvation history — from Genesis to Revelation — I used to think that the God of the Old Testament was the stern old man in the sky who threw thunderbolts at

his people when they went astray. Then after he sent his son, God changed into a kind-hearted father. But upon closer examination, it wasn’t God who changed at all. It was his people who had matured over the course of time. The Lord has always been “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment” (Joel 2:13).

We’ve had 2,000 years to examine and ponder the mysteries of God’s infinite love and mercy through Jesus Christ and his ultimate sacrifice

for us. The Church provides us with rich teaching about the necessity of developing an intimate relationship with Jesus as the first step in knowing our faith. After all, our faith is not about books and knowledge. Our faith is about a person — Jesus.

Ash Wednesday’s second reading speaks directly to Legatus members: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). Paul is urging us to rend our hearts, to abandon ourselves completely to Jesus, to give him all that we have and all that we are. Ultimately, that’s what the season of Lent is all about.

PATRICK NOVECOSKY is the editor of this newsletter. This article appeared in the March issue of Legatus magazine. Reprinted with permission.

UPCOMING EVENTS2013-2014 Faith & Ale Season

03/20/14 Patrick CoffinIs Mary Really Contrary?Harborside Event Center

04/24/14 Jack ConroyNew Ideas From A New PopeSt. Francis Xavier Parish

2 3

MISSION STATEMENTFaith & Ale strives to encourage, exhort, and equip men to be spiritual leaders in their homes, workplaces, and parishes.

All men are invited — the saints, the sinners and everyone in between — anyone interested in the implications of faith and morality on our daily lives, our families and our society.

We begin with social time enjoying food, drink and camaraderie, followed by an inspirational speaker and ample time for questions and answers.

FAITH & ALE FORT MYERS Mike Lancellot President Mike Navarro VP Al Natella Treasurer Bruce Essen Secretary Jim Dwyer III Director Brian O’Connell Director Denis Grealish Director Gary Dube Director Bob Carter Director Jack Quinlan Email Fr. Bob Tabbert Chaplain

CONTACT US Mike Lancellot, President faithandaleftmyers@gmail.com

F E A T U R E D S P E A K E R S P R E V I E W

THIS MONTH NEXT MONTHPATRICK COFFIN March 20

Patrick Coffin is a Nova Scotia-born writer and

host of the No. 1-rated Catholic radio show in America: Catholic Answers Live. He holds a master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, a graduate diploma from McGill University, and a bachelor’s degree from Mount Saint Vincent University.

Patrick has appeared on Fox, Comedy Central, and EWTN. As a writer, his work has appeared in Inside the Vatican, National Catholic Register, Toronto Star and others. His first book is Sex Au Naturel: What It Is and Why It’s Good For Your Marriage. He is a part-time professional magician and full-time husband and father.

JACK CONROY April 24

Jack Conroy received his Ph.D. in Theology

from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., where he focused on Hellenistic Judaism and Christian Origins. He has taught scripture at the Blessed Edmund Rice School for Pastoral Ministry in the Diocese of Venice, Fla., since 2007.

Conroy has always maintained an interest both in the history of the papacy and in current trends in Rome. His presentation — “New Ideas from a New Pope” — relies on his collection of actual papal statements rather than on the opinions of Pope Francis found in the media.

Find us online: FaithAndAle.com

Facebook.com/faithandale

Lent: The trouble with fasting By Deacon Greg Kandra

I was doing perfectly fine, sitting at the diner, scanning the menu and steadfastly determined to have a tuna melt for lunch … until someone at the table next to me made a fateful decision.

They ordered a cheeseburger. It was all downhill from there. It arrived at the table, oozing melted cheese, heaped with French fries, the air fragrant with the faint aroma of just-broiled bacon. My salivary glands kicked into overdrive and before I could stop them, my lips were forming the words: “I’ll have the burger deluxe.”

Several minutes later, swabbing the ketchup from the plate with the last French fry, I heaved a deep sigh. I found myself once again back at square one, trying to maintain my Lenten fast.

Year after year, as the winter chill lingers and we wait expectantly for Easter, I am forced, like so many people, to confront my own weaknesses. Lent, I’ve discovered, is a period not only to pray and do penance; it’s also a time to look more deeply at my faults and consider more seriously the temptations that could be as close as the corner deli.

We realize during Lent that we are flesh and blood. The season begins with smears of ash, a foreshadowing of what we will become and a reminder of what we are. We are dust. We are human. We have weaknesses, urges, desires. During the Lenten fast we realize, too, how easily we can succumb — how spoiled we are by a culture that manages to deliver decadence to our door (OK, maybe it’s just a big sausage pizza).

Of course, in 2014, skipping meat on Friday isn’t the hardship it once was. What can really be challenging is giving up entirely a meal or two for a day — or maybe even going without any meal at all. My wife, already in the express lane to sainthood for enduring the man she’s married to, strives to eat only bread and water on Lenten Fridays. I marvel at her discipline and her ability to remain cheerful in a world without donuts. I’m not there yet.

But I have come to understand this much: Lent is about more than doing without. It is also about going within — looking more deeply at who we are, what we need. I think part of our Lenten experience should be not only spending time going hungry, but also confronting, in a stark and honest way, what feeds us — in every sense. What do we feel we can’t do without? What do we crave?

Beyond a Big Mac, do we yearn for something more elusive? Do we want flattery? Ego-stroking? Attention? Try giving that up for Lent. You may feel pangs you never knew before.

Sometimes the most difficult fast can be not giving up food, but giving up power or gratification. Try it sometime.

Do something wonderful for someone else, and don’t claim any credit. Pick up the check of a stranger at the restaurant, or send flowers to a lonely friend, anonymously. Donate to a cause, or give to a shelter, or toss more money into the collection basket

on Sunday — but do it in secret. Your Father, who sees in secret, will know. And that will be more than enough.

I preach this message from the pulpit every year on Ash Wednesday: The first part of “giving up” is “giving.” During Lent we all need to try to fast from taking and make a practice of giving. Give time. Give money. Give attention. Give the gift of your presence to someone who is alone, or anxious, or sick, or frightened. Give kindness to someone you can’t stand. Give patience when you’d rather give

petulance. Give quiet when you’d rather give an argument. Give peace when you’d rather give someone grief. But whatever you do, give.

That doesn’t mean we should skip fasting from food altogether or that living without meat or desserts or your favorite mocha latte will be any easier during these 40 days of Lent. But when we look beyond ourselves and our own hungers, we see more clearly the very real and tangible hungers of others — and what we can do to ease them.

That takes us to the core of our Lenten observance, straight to the heart of Christian love. If we think of fasting that way, the experience of Lent can be transformative.

You may end up giving up more than you expected — and receiving more than you ever anticipated. It can be a source of renewal, a moment of grace. And that will feed you in ways no hamburger ever could.

DEACON GREG KANDRA serves the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. He is the creator of the popular blog “The Deacon’s Bench” at Patheos.com. This article appeared in the March issue of Legatus magazine. Reprinted with permission.

facebook.com/faithandale

Quote of the month“Work is good for us. Through work we not only transform nature, adapting it to our needs, but we also achieve fulfillment as human beings and indeed in a sense become more human.”

— Blessed John Paul II, Monterrey, Calif. September 1987

We Believe What?Work honors the Creator’s gifts and the talents received from him. It can also be redemptive. By enduring the hardship of work in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish. Work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ.

—Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2427