psm: a collection of spiritual reflections

7/30/2019 PSM: A collection of spiritual reflections

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4 | A Collection o Spiritual Reections

An Act o Love

My mom and dad loved their vocation as parents.Tey were good at it - taking advantage o op-portunities to show us we were loved and guidingus to be people o aith. Tey obviously enjoyedbeing a part o our lives, and there was a lot olaughter in our home.

Yet, I know that there were plenty o things in-volved in raising nine children that they didntlove doing: working multiple jobs, helping withcountless homework assignments, cleaning in-nite loads o laundry, driving us to practices andactivities, teaching us to do chores, and so on. Iam sure they didnt love doing those things. Butthey didnt begrudge us the extra responsibilitiesthat we imposed on their lives. How they did it

was an expression o why they did it. Tey did itwith love, because they loved us.

So it is with social ministry - how we do it shouldbe an expression o why we do it. While there maybe many motivations or doing social ministry, orthe Christian, there is one that underpins all oth-ers love. God loves us so deeply, and in accept-ing that love, we are called to love one another.

As in the rst letter o John, the evangelist writes,We have come to know and to believe in the loveGod has or us and i God has so reely loved us,

we also must love one another. (1 John 4: 11, 16)Tat love draws us to action or and with others

in the joys and sorrows o their lives. Ultimately,social ministry is an act o love.

Te challenge o social ministry is that it drawspeople where they would rather not go. It takesthe aithul into places o brokenness and contro-versy. Tey are called to stand with people andcommunities who are hurting, ostracized, on theoutskirts o our society. Tey are called to name

the systems that advantage some at the expense oothers. But not only does it call the aithul to goto these places, it asks them to be there with love.For, just as it would have cheapened all that myparents did or us i they would have begrudgedall it took, doing social ministry out o obligation,guilt, or resentment cheapens the git that it is toour neighbor and our God, who identies Him-sel in the hungry, sick, and imprisoned.

What we are talking about is nothing less than lov-ing the addict who belligerently is seeking services

in our centers. It is nothing less than loving thosewho are just as strongly convinced o an oppositesolution to addressing problems at the heart o ourlies work. It is nothing less than loving the people

who live and work together with us. Doing this isto carry out social ministry as an act o love.


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A Collection o Spiritual Reections | 5

Having our ministry be an act o love is the arto spirituality. Growing in our ability to love andto act out o that love is an art that gets better

with practice. Te practice o spirituality is as im-portant to social ministry as the practice o relie,individual development, community organizing,

and advocacy.

In the pages that ollow are reections rom parishsocial ministers about how they practice spiritual-ity or their ministry. Teir stories speak o com-ing to understand how much God loves them,saying yes to that love, and being a conduit othat love to the world.

It is our hope that in their honest simplicity, thesereections may resonate with your experience ospiritual practice, and that they will help to unite

us as a community o believers to support one an-other on our spiritual journey and in our ministry.

RACHEL LUSTIG

Director o Parish Social MinistryCatholic Charities USA


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Tis reection was generated rom my participation

in JustFaith Ministries Engaging Spirituality pro-

gram. I share my ever evolving aith journey with

you as a reection upon my path to involvement with

parish social ministry. Hopeully some o this reec-tion resonates with you.

My parents provided me with a oundation inthe ormal Roman Catholic tradition that in-cluded Catholic grade school training ollowedby eight years o seminary training in high schooland college, studying or the priesthood. Uponleaving the seminary, getting married, startinga career and amily, I reected upon the trans-ormational events o the late 1960s and 1970s,

with Vatican II opening wide the doors o the

church. It is at that point I began to grapple withmy spiritual path.

I was always attracted to meditation. My seniorcollege thesis was on tracing the history o medita-tion. It led me to embrace ranscendental Medita-tion in the early 70s. Ater a decade o somewhatbeing both lost and ambivalent, I was introducedto Tomas Merton, the rappist monk, in the1990s. His writings and reections on solitudeand the inner journey captured my Spirit. Mer-tons exploration o eastern spirituality and con-

necting this tradition to the Christian traditioncurrently provides a direction that guides myspiritual path.

I have struggled with the concept o God as I havejourneyed on this spiritual-seeking path. How doI dene God? How do I sort out all the humanattributes we give God. Is God an intervener, a

zapping God who helps people win, do well ontests, cures cancer. Is God mainly an elsewhereGod, up there, in heaven or is God an every whereGod, truly present in all persons and things. Doeshe/she plan, does God have a plan or each o us.Does God have a will, its Gods will. How do Ibalance this with the pervasive thought that Godis incomprehensible, beyond denition, and anunathomable mystery.

I believe God is a mystery and cannot be totallyunderstood at this point. Now, I center my ocus

on the incarnation o God: the presence o the Di-vine in each every one o us.

Tis Source becomes a blur through the layers olie. As we unravel lie and all its distractions, weawaken to the Divine in each and every one ous. Te experience cannot be planned, achieved,or constructed o our own will, as we access thisCenter. We just need to BE there and experiencethe Divine and be receptive to its revealing.

Te struggle then is how to BE there. How can I

be awake to the Divine not only in me but in ev-eryone that I encounter? How do I become awaketo be in the present? o be aware that Im aware?o know I am seeing.?

Journey Into Spirituality

My Struggle


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I have a sense the best way to access this Source isthrough silence. Trough the practice o silenceand practicing awareness, we create space to listen,to be open to the Divine.

Ten, rom this well spring o awareness and con-nectedness to the Divine, we begin to treat every-one as the Divine. We begin to develop equanim-ity, which is, giving everyone space - knowing weare all on this earth to try to make sense o ourlives and lead our lives the best we can. We beginto discern the truth and not condemn through

judgment o others who hold dierent views.

I am challenged to handle the illusions o myego. Te ego is the source o all unhappiness, who

judges, is hurt, is angry, who generates alse im-pressions and identication based on wealth, sta-tus and material possessions. How do I becomeawake and courageous enough to acknowledgethese eelings, process them, not bury them andthen let them go. Not run away, close down, cuto, ignore and sulk. How do I become awareo the middle path o balance- to have the cour-age to live a lie o integrity, o compassion and oorgiveness?

I struggle with wondering i I walk enough with

the poor? Do I do as I preach? Do I acknowledgemy biases and prejudices? How do I deal withthe inequities o the world, the suering, thestaggering gaps between wealth and severe pov-erty and inhumanity without becoming hardenedand hopeless? How do I live simply? How do Idevelop community?

Tese are my struggles.

My Practice

I believe the answers to these struggles are parto the journey. Te journey is the destination!

Te core o my practice is meditation. I attempt

to sit on the cushion 45 minutes each morningas I rise. Tis sitting practice sets the tone or theday and links me through out the day to be pres-ent and aware. I consider this sacred time whereI place mysel in a position to be open to the Di-vine. It also gives me an opportunity to practiceawareness as I ocus on the breath as a groundingmethod to come back to as I become aware o my

wondering mind. Exercising this awareness mus-cle enables me to be present and aware throughoutthe day.

Tis practice is nurtured through participating ina yearly 10 day silent retreat. It is a meditationboot camp where meditation is practiced rom5:30 am to 9:30 pm. Only periods o teachingsbreak the silence.

My practice is urther nourished by reading, par-ticularly Tomas Merton, Tich Nhat Hanh,eastern spirituality journals, Jack Jezreel, and Jim

Wallis.

Connecting with my wie and sharing our spiri-

tual path, balance, support, and, at time, clarity aswe grow our relationship and aith.


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Being intentional in my prison ministry helpsme to be grounded by nd God in the cruciedpoor.

As I grow in being in the present and aware othe Divine, I nd mysel turning o sources o

conict like the evening local news, reality shows,and talk shows. I have a sense these are noisy static.

An important part o my practice includes dailyexercise alternating between running, biking,swimming, weights and yoga. Tis attention tomy physical wellbeing is a source o strength inmy lie. Many times I am able to be mindul othe Divine and ocus on the present as I partici-pate in these activities.

My ChallengeMy challenge to all o us is to live a lie o compas-sion. I believe this is the central theme o the Jesusstory. How can we live the Jesus story in our ownlives through compassion. I believe compassion isdeveloped through understanding. Te best wayto create understanding is to walk with those whoare dierent than we arethose who are materi-ally poor and marginalized; or this is where Godis most prooundly.

I challenge us to create space to listen to the Di-vine and each other, to be awake to Gods pres-ence and open to change and transormation. Indoing so, we plant seeds or basic social justice. Ibelieve this is best achieved through community;as when we are in community, amendments are

made and we can hold each other accountableand grow.

I challenge us to live a lie o gratitude- to beopen and aware o the awesomeness o Godand the miracles o lie in all levels o existence.

Tank you or the opportunity to share a parto my soul with you.

BOB SCHUELKE

Director Social Justice Ministries, Tree HolyWomen ParishArchdiocese o Milwaukee


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For those o us involved in parish social ministry,our ability to understand and appreciate spiri-tuality in our everyday lie is an added bonus toour work. I remember hearing discussions at theCatholic Charites USA Annual Gatherings rommembers o the Parish Social Ministry Proession-

al Interest Section (PSM Section), many o whomdevote all their working hours to social ministryand justice or the most impoverished people inour society. I see their joy in their work, I see thelove o God and through Him the love or ourneighbors as Jesus commanded, even when acedby seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

I was able to interview a ew members o our Sec-tion recently and one in particular inspired me.He is a deacon doing parish social ministry in theMidwest to provide spiritual and material help to

the people he serves. His weekly activities are two-old and take him all over the state. He drives over3000 miles per month and his weekly scheduleis grueling. He stretches out his resources as hestretches out his hands in service every day. His

work is a wonderul example o the embodimento our call rom Christ. It was easy or him to an-swer my questions because it is both his lies workand his lies devotion. I I were asked to namesomeone who embodies both the Corporal andSpiritual Works o Mercy into his everyday lie, he

would be a great example.

What struck me the most in speaking to him onthe telephone rom many hundreds o miles away

was his calm demeanor and his obvious peace omind. I am sure that this peace in him is a di-rect result o the work he does, and his attitudebeams out in every direction he goes. Does he

have problems? Does he get tired? Does he needhelp? Te answer to all o these questions are yesand it would be easy or him to be overwhelmedby the weight o it all. Tat is where his aith andhis spirituality assist him and through his eorts,others are aected.

Spirituality in Every Day Lie


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I was also able to witness how spirituality worksin our everyday lives during a weekend-long race,Relay or Lie, or the American Cancer Society.Cancer survivors joined together with amily andriends o cancer victims, caregivers, and com-munity organizations to raise money, raise con-

sciousness, and call more people to get involved.I was able to hear rsthand how spirituality helpsall the people aected directly and indirectly bythis terrible disease. Te hope and aith o peopleeven in the ace o devastating losses and suer-ing was a true testament to how our spiritualityhelps us in our everyday lives. Te money that

was raised is important and is very gratiying, butit was small in comparison to the sharing o aithand compassion or those in need. Tese unsel-ish acts o kindness shows the strength gainedrom the sharing o aith.

I really believe that the actions we take in our ev-eryday lives, whether or not these actions are largeor small, combine together to orm our Spirituallives. Te aith and hope gained each day adds up. Itmultiplies our useulness and gives us peace in theknowledge that we are trying our best to be a bea-con o light or those most vulnerable in our society.

LARRY FULTON

Chair, Social Outreach Commission

St. Mary Magdalene ChurchDiocese o San Diego


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God created us as social beings. Even while wemay require time in solitude, we are drawn to aconnection with others or a variety o reasons.Community may be dened as a group o peoplewith shared interests and a common identity, andthere are many dierent communities with which

we may be aliated, as they related to dierentcircumstances and experiences. Each o us comesrom a amily, we live in neighborhoods, and webelong to networks related to our needs or inter-ests such as sports, politics, the arts, work, sup-port groups and church. Some evolve naturally,

while others are intentional. Our relationshipswith the members in these dierent groups de-pend on many variables.

In reecting back on my own experience o com-munity, I realize that I probably gave little thought

to this concept prior to my middle-adult years. Asa child and teenager, I naturally needed to belongand eel accepted. As a young parent, I gravitatedtoward other mothers who had children o similarages. We supported and learned rom one another.

When I was in my mid-thirties, I decided to goback to college. I decided that an independent-study program would suit me just ne. It wouldallow the exibility I needed with a busy house-hold. Ater all, I was a responsible, hard-workingadult, committed to earning my degree. Within

about our months, however, I realized that some-thing very important was missing. I needed tobe with other students in the learning process. Ineeded to be in a learning community. Years later,

when I discovered that my teenage son had a drugproblem, I turned to a local program that worked

with adolescents with chemical dependency is-sues. I was initially resistant to the near-mandatedamily support component o the program. I nowbelieve that my active participation in the amily

association was signicant to my sons successuland ongoing recovery. Family members o indi-viduals with addictions need the support o others

who share that same anguish. In both o theseexamples, I initially did not eel the need or acommunity, yet with the grace o God, I was ableto open mysel to the value and support o com-munity. Likewise, my aith has drawn me to otherexperiences o community.

Growing up, my amily did not claim a particularreligious tradition. I reer to our aith connection

as generic Christian. Attendance at worship ser-vices and Sunday school were minimal, howeverI always had a sense o God in my lie and eltdrawn to an elementary spirituality. When mytwo daughters were toddlers, I began to eel thatI wanted them to have an experience o churchthat I had not had growing up. In the late 1970s,

while living in San Antonio, exas, I convincedmy non-practicing Catholic husband to start at-tending Mass regularly or the children. Aterabout a year o sitting in the back o the churchbecause I was not really one o themI began

to realize that I was isolating mysel rom the com-munity, while they were opening their hearts tome in welcome. I observed a community o peo-ple who not only proessed their aith; they also

Community


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lived it through worship and song, prayer, witnessand service. I didnt really understand what I wasobserving, but I recognized that I wanted to enterinto the experience. I admitted to mysel that myresistance to membership in this community wasa cop-out, so I made an appointment to meet with

the pastor. Te parish did not have a ormal RCIAprogram, so I spent a year in weekly ormationclasses with the pastor. It was a small, tightly-knitparish, and so I considered the whole parish tobe my sponsor in aith ormation. And I begana deeper encounter with Jesus than the SundaySchool Jesus o my immature spirituality. I wasreceived into the Catholic Church in December,1978. My son was born ve months later.

I was now a Catholic but I soon learned thatmembership meant more than showing up. I was

invited to teach CCD. Tey needed a catechist or8th grade. I balked, claiming I was not ready andI did not know enough. I was assured o trainingand support. I trusted and jumped in with botheet. In preparation and to support my lessonplans, I participated in workshops, attended cate-chist meetings and joined prayer groups and Biblestudies. I was hungry to learn as much as I could.

In 1981, my amily moved to ulsa, Oklaho-ma. I grieved leaving my new parish amily and

was convinced I would never nd another aith

community like my rst parish. And I was right.Tere will never be another parish like my rst,and yet, I know that God led me to the place Ineeded to be. In ulsa, my new parish sponsoredand ormed me in new ways. I met some amaz-

ing women o aith who stretched and challengedme in ways I could never have imagined. I prayed

with and learned rom them. I began to under-stand and know Jesus better. I continued reading,taking classes and teaching CCD and ministering

with youth, but I elt that these areas o ministry

were not the best t or me. And then in 1987,we moved again, this time to New York. I grievedleaving my second parish amily, and yet I elt thatGod had more plans or me. o say that this wasa comorting thought would not be totally honest.It was unsettling to consider the path to which Iwas being called.

In my third parish on Long Island, I was intro-duced to parish social ministry; I ound what Ididnt know I was looking or. Parish Social Min-istry gave expression to my aith. Jesus claimed my

heart, and the Gospel came alive in the aces othe poor and the humbling experience o walking

with them. God and the people who have spon-sored and challenged me in aith throughout mylie are still orming me, and I pray that I am asource o encouragement to those I meet.

I used to call mysel a convert, however I now eelthat identiying mysel as a member o the Catho-lic aith tradition does not describe conversion.Conversion is an ongoing process. It evolves anddeepens with time, prayer, wisdom, service and

the support o individuals and community. Teseeds o conversion were planted at my concep-tion, and Gods grace and the people in my liehave nurtured these seeds. Just as our amilies andclosest riends love us or who we are, they also


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keep us honest about our complacency or mo-tivation. When we make a commitment to anycommunity, we both oer and receive support,and the community challenges us to explore newpossibilities, as well as conronting us with our in-consistencies.

When we come together in worship and prayer tohear Gods word proclaimed and to receive the Eu-charist, we are joined with our sisters and brothersin Christ. When we call to mind our own broken-ness, we are united with the common experienceo the human amily. In the book, Compassion:

A Reection on the Christian Lie, authors Nou-wen, McNeill and Morrison describe communitythis way: [A]s a Christian community we arepeople who together are called out o our amiliarplaces to unknown territories, out o our ordinary

and proper places to the places where people hurtand where we can experience with them our com-mon human brokenness and our common needor healing (pp. 154).

St. Augustine said, Be what you see, and receivewhat you arethe Body o Christ. I I am parto the Body o Christ, then even as I care ormysel, I must move beyond my own needs andrecognize the needs o the whole Body o Christ.

What is my responsibility as a member o thisbody? What does my commitment to the Body

o Christ mean?

What is my response to the brokenness o theworld? When I eel God tugging at my heartwith questions related to my aith and my re-sponse, or lack o response, and especially whenI recognize my resistance to Gods tugging, I amdrawn back to my relationship with Jesus as I try

to understand.

In parish social ministry, it is crucial to connectour acts o charity and justice to our aith. I be-lieve that we must build this ministry on the oun-dation o prayer, scripture and the rich traditiono Catholic social teaching. We must recognizethe presence o Jesus among us and be the Bodyo Christ. We must continually ask ourselvesquestions, such as: Why am I doing what I amdoing? Am I reecting the love o Jesus throughthis ministry? Tere is great value in personal re-

ection, and it is equally as important to exploretough questions with other people o aith.

I am ortunate to belong to a variety o aith com-munities. Te community o parish social minis-try coordinators in the parishes on Long Islandand the sta o the Parish Social Ministry Depart-ment at Catholic Charities are true blessings to me.Teir aith, passion or justice and commitment tothe ministry are inspiring. Not only do we workhard together, we also pray and celebrate regularly.

We share our joys and sorrows; we support and

challenge one another with love and respect. Likethe experience o most o the rest o the country,


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the past several months have been extremely di-cult or our diocese as the overall economy andnancial realities have challenged parishes as neverbeore. In large and small groups we have sharedour sorrow and ears about potential losses, whilebeing open to new possibilities. And as always, we

prayed or one another, or our common ministryand or our Church. Budget decits remain anduture nancial security is still a great concern, but

we have ound strength within our communityand hope or the continued vision o parish socialministry as an integral ministry o our Church onLong Island.

I am now in my ourth parish community atermoving to a new area o Long Island eight yearsago. I miss all o my ormer parish amilies. And

while distance may prevent my being with them,

they are each part o the scrap book o my aithjourney. Each o those communities served asa building block in my ormation and ongoingspiritual lie. My current parish community alsonourishes my aith with their presence as wegather around the Eucharistic table. And I havelearned that when I make a true commitment inservice and participation within my parish com-munity, my own conversion deepens.

Te busy-ness o raising a amily is long past. Icherish the quiet o my current home lie whereI enjoy more time or reading, prayer and reec-tion. I cherish each o the communities to whichI belong. It is within these groups that I can sharethe insights rom my private reection, which

are received, respected and sometimes challenged.Tey keep me honest.

JAN JAMROZ

Director, Parish Social MinistryCatholic CharitiesDiocese o Rockville Centre


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Over Beers

I am struck most by how our call to ollow Jesusso oten comes at the invitation o another. Andat times and places that we least expect.

I can never recall wanting to be anything otherthan a priest, yet I cant tell you exactly how it

all came about. Underneath it all, it was a wayto serve and minister, I know that now. Beyondthat, maybe there was the act that my momsbrother was a priesta Vincentian who workedin Caliornia and came home during the sum-mers. He was always really kindcalled us boysdouble rufe petuniaswhy I am not sure.He also loved raw hamburger on Saltines andhe could say a Latin Mass in about 25 minutes.Maybe it was that my Dad had a brother who

was a priest, but we never met him. Mom andDad always went to Sunday Mass and there were

days or Conession and First Friday devo-tions. So, I started out on this journey o minealways wanting to be a priest. Ater high school,I entered the seminary spending two years inSpringeld, Ill and then two years ending witha Philosophy degree rom Quincy University. Itraveled rom my Decatur, Illinois home to St.Louis were I attended Teology School. Youdthink with all that seminary training and altarboy serving that I would remember a lot moreLatin that I currently do!

At the end o my second year o Teology, Idecided to take a year o to make sure this wasreally where I wanted to go with my lie. In theend, while I still wanted to serve in the ministry

as a priest, my discernment led me on a dierentjourneythat o marriage and children. And thisnew path has led me in ways I never expected.Not long ater Bev and I were married in 1973,I came across Bread or the Worldmaking adierence through public policy, through the

legislative arena. I became involved with thiseort to address poverty and hunger and realizedthis was a signicant way to change the world as

well. It was only a short time later that a phonecall came, rom an acquaintance whom I believeI rst met at a Bread or the World meeting,inviting me to run or public oce and becomea state representative. Ater telling him no, thatour rst born was due in just three months orless, we decided to take a chance and le or o-ce. And what journey this has been!

My career path o serving God in the priesthoodevolved into a 22 year career as a State Represen-tative and almost 6 years as a State Senator romthe City o St. Louis. It was during this time thatI was able to serve by trying to change publicpolicies- the structures and systemsor the sick,the poor and those at the margins. I cant say thatI oten thought o this as service or ministry. Icannot say that there was always prayer aroundthe policies I ought or nor can I say that Ialways saw it as service back then. But now Isee more clearly that this was work on behal o

vulnerable and it was seeing the ace o Christ inothers. Te journey is indeed, never ending.


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I now am working or Catholic Charities in St.Louis as the Senior Director o Advocacy. WhileI could not say that I saw this coming as a pathin my lie, I am not surprised that it is in some

way connected back to my journey toward thePriesthoodmaking a dierence. And it comes

by way o another invitation.

My studies and ormation in seminaries, myworking a couple years in a parish, several yearsworking or state amily services as a caseworkerand then twenty eight years as a state representa-tive and senator and now I work at CatholicCharities, all were invitations. Let me try andconnect the dots.

As I think about where I am now, I am struck bythe invitations I receivedinvitations to ollow

Jesus, although I may not have thought it was acall to ollow Jesus at the time. Ater I was termlimited out o the legislature, I learned over luncho an opening at Catholic Charities and where Inow work.

Tis invitation came rom a priest riend who Iwent Seminary withsomeone whom I met 37years beore. I eel this calling was re-connectingme to a path that I started on when I was ayounger person.

More dots. It was shortly ater beginning atCatholic Charities that an invitation came toattend a national gathering ocused on Justice.Now that I think o it, it was here that anotherinvitation presented itsel. One a night were wehad some ree time, a luxury I must tell you, two

new riends and I were out or dinner and drinks.We stopped at a neighborhood restaurant or abeer. Here we were sitting in a bar drinking beerand my new riends were talking openly abouttheir aith lie, prayer and work at the church.

I mean, in a bar! Really. I sat there listening andtrying to take this all inmen and women shar-ing about their aith in ront o me, in a bar. Ididnt exactly know what to make o all this then.Now, I see it as a call or me to delve deeper into

what my aith journey was all about. I was notjust at meeting or the great programs; I was be-ing called, invited, by the expressions o aith othose around me.

Tis journey has led rom beers night to astruggle to nd out how to include others on

this walk o min; in other words, how can I nda community o ellow travelers? Mass and Eu-charist make up part o this aith journey, but orme, there needs to be more. Tere is this constantdesire to be with some others on my journey.

As I read, particularly the reections and call-ings inside the works o Megan McKenna, I amstruck by her words as she sees the call to walk

with Jesus demands community o some kind,that the demand is to somehow walk with andto BE with the poor and marginalized and that it

is in trying to understand what was going on inthe lie and times o Jesus that we can come to abetter understanding o what our call is and howthis Jesus is or us today.


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In her book, Parables-Te Arrows o God, Me-gan McKenna writes:Our religion is the seeds thathave been planted in us, that have been nurtured

by many other people. Hopeully others will reap the

benefts o what we begin and pass on. I we dont

pass it on, it dies with us. Te dream dies. A pieceo the Kingdom dies. Tere is no possibility i we

dont plant. God relies on us to bring the kingdom.

I it doesnt come on earth, it is because most o us

cant be bothered. We want it but not enough. Its

too hard.

It is true we do very little alone; the kingdom comes

in community. Leon Bloy says that he will know

when he gets to the kingdom o heaven because the

frst thing God is going to say to him while he looks

around is, Where are all the others

Our journey with others gives us hope. I recallthat I have been most impacted by those who

journey with me and who share their aith story---this is where I eel God oten speaks to me;

where he extends another invitation. What ajoy and proound dierence i we have our owncompanion on the journey. It is in the sharingnot only o lies struggles and joys o the every-day part o lie, it is really the sharing o the aith

journey-- how we are to respond to His call to usto grow, to serve and to weather the tough timesin our personal lie and now especially the tough

times we are experiencing in our own Church. Itis the community o another and o others as

well that is helping me to grow and to honestlystruggle and to experience what it means to takethis aith journey seriously.

Tis call or invitation to have a community osome type grows stronger and yet is still elu-sive. Oten the sharing o one with another, acompanion, is a sharing with one who may behundreds i not thousands o miles away. Te

desire to have a local community where onecan journey and be ed and be called or invitedto lie a lie o aith and giving is strong. It is inthis yet unrealized call to community that Godcalling me to be more than I am, to ollow Him.Understanding what this being with, thiscommunity o believers is still vague and yet tobe ullled.

I know that this yet to be realized communitywill be a signicant part o my spiritual growthand yet only a part.

And community can begin with our hearts say-ing OUR Father who are.

PATRICK DOUGHERTY

Senior Director o AdvocacyCatholic CharitiesDiocese o St. Louis


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Tat would have been hard to predict. Seemingly, in-

congruous. It just doesnt seem to make sense. How

the heck did this come about? Or, its never been like

this beore.

Pick a phrase and you dont need to go very ar

or think very hard to nd an application. Recordoods are not hard to imagine here in Minnesota,but in September? At a time we should be reapingthe harvest, we are planting sand bags and closingroads and bridges. Tis would have been hard topredict.

As I write this my still green grass needed mow-ing, yet again and we have a stretch o sunny 70+degree days as ar as the orecast can see, yet thecalendar proclaims OCOBER in a seeminglyincongruous way.

I the airwaves are not reporting about weather,than the topic is likely politics. In this land o theree and home o the brave, with women and mendying on battleelds in Iraq and Aghanistan, wehave people o many dierent political persua-sions engaged in name-calling, mud-slinging andbelittling the patriotism o their opponents witha heightened hate not seen beore. It just doesntseem to make sense.

Pick a body o believers o virtually any aith these

days and we will nd a house divided. We are nottalking about simple dierences o opinion here.Te extreme positions articulated rom all pointso the compass reach a renzy o questioningsalvation or its equivalent with a screeching sel-righteousness that results only in harm, violenceor even death. How the heck did this come about?

In this state o ertile arm elds and grocery storeshelves piled high with mega-packages o ood,Second Harvest Heartland, the largest hungerrelie organization in Minnesota has determined

we are missing 125 million meals or our hungrysisters and brothers, many o them children. Te

census gures released at the end o Septembershow that nearly 45 million people are now liv-ing under the ederal poverty level ($22,000 or aamily o our), including an additional one mil-lion children.

And what about our own hearts and minds?How have we violated values and principles inways great or small, and what shade o clarity dowe apply to our own need or redemption? Hasit ever been like this beore?

From the silly -- to the supercial -- to the seri-ous, contradictory and disparate pieces orm aragmented puzzle, and like the Emperor with noclothes, we can convince ourselves we are lookinggood and doing just ne. Tis outlook as a way olie is not sustainable and, i act becomes moreburdensome with time, it can be the death o us.

Tis weekend, like every weekend, we hear thegospel call that makes a claim on us as ollowerso Jesus Christ. Depending on the moment in lie

we nd ourselves, sometimes with ear and some-

times with condence, we are called to step intothe mystery that is daily lie as we know it. Tepresence o Christ in our lives brings the presenceo Christ to the world around us and it has thepower to transorm the ragmented puzzle o our

Honoring Our Sacramental andLiturgical Lie


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weary and worn world. Faith becomes the essen-tial corrective lens to bring clarity to the ministriesand mission or all o us to carryout.

We saw it on display at the recent Ministry Fairwith hundreds o ministries here at Pax Christi

working to proclaim the aith o hundreds andhundreds o volunteers, countering the images osel-centered people neglecting or not even seeingothers in need. Because o aith it is easy to pre-dict people would respond in this manner.

We see it each time we make the sign o the cross.Te cross as an instrument o violence and deathbecomes an instrument o peace and resurrection.Te mystery o aith takes the seemingly incon-gruous and transorms it or the world.

We see it when we celebrate baptism, and indeedall o our sacraments, as we proclaim a deeperrelationship with Jesus Christ and are joined tohis suering and death, only to also be joined tohis eternal lie. It might not make any sense with-out aith, but with aith the transorming graceo God enriches and inspires us to go orward tolove and serve the Lord.

We see it most centrally when we gather to cel-ebrate the Eucharist at Mass on Sunday. Withoutthe git o aith, Mass could be viewed as a series

o steps and actions designed to create a ragment-ed puzzle. A body o people broken, sinul and inneed o healing assembled to share a small piece obread and a drink rom a common cup?

We are precisely the people Christ called to histable. Just as his broken body on the cross wasmade whole, so too is the Body o Christ on earthmade whole through aith. His blood poured out

was or the orgiveness o sins, our sins. Te graceo his touch brings us healing no matter how we

got there in the rst place.

So how the heck did this come about?

God calls each one o us by name, even beorewe are born, to enter into a relationship o loveand to share this git o love with those aroundus. Our response in aith helps make evident thetransormation o the contradictory into the real-ity o love. Te hungry are ed, the poor are litedup, the broken are healed and the dead are raisedto new lie.

Living in this manner is sustainable to the pointo eternal lie. Drawing on the grace o God andthe support o our aith community, the burdenso a contradictory, incongruous world are lited.Putting things in sync with God and one anotherstrengthens the mystery we celebrate as ollowerso Jesus Christ.

MICHAEL GRIFFIN

Director, Faith Formation & Social Justice

Pax Christi Catholic ChurchArchdiocese o St Paul-Minneapolis


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Several years ago, I read a book entitled JesusBeore Christianity by Albert Nolan. I did notrealize that this book would be responsible or aconversion in my lie. For me, the book openedmy eyes in a new way to the amazing love o Godlived through the lie o Jesus. Te comparison

between the image o God portrayed in the Oldestament and the New estament helped me torealize more clearly the desire God has or us tolive in union with Him and receive the uncondi-tional love He has to oer each and every personcreated by God ~ EVERYONE! Te dierencebetween those that live in an intimate relationship

with Him and those that do not is basically thechoice each person makes to either be open to Hisinvitation or choose not to accept it.

Te Old estament oers many stories o the

wrath o God, warnings that when a person sins,this person and many generations to ollow willbe punished. It seemed that once a person went

wrong, there was no way o erasing this errorand being exonerated.

God becomes esh in the person o Jesus Christ.From the very beginning, His Lie shows us thelove o God. Jesus embraces those that societyrejects lepers, tax collectors, prostitutes, those

with physical deormities and handicaps, the poor.He sits at table and breaks bread with those who

others would not look at or talk to, let alone so-cialize with. o sit at table with another clearlycommunicated acceptance o the person and thata close relationship existed in this society.

In His relationship with the Father, Jesus modeledor us the relationship we are all welcome to enterinto. By His compassion and love or the lowly,He demonstrated that God does not measure theworth o a person in the same manner humansoten measure it. By the mere act that we are cre-

ated by God, we are sacred beings. So many donot believe themselves to be good enough or

worthy o an intimate relationship with God.

In Scripture, all we need to do is really read thestories and be conscious o how simple people,sinners, those that would be unlikely candidatesare called by God and by His grace, transormedinto new lie in Him. Conversion!

I you have never had the opportunity to enterinto Scripture with all ve senses, you may be sur-

prised at how your heart may hear in a way yourears have been missing! ake some quiet time

with a group o people and ask one person to pro-claim a story in the Gospel. Beore it is read aloudor the group, take some time to read it a coupleo times. All in the group should begin by takinga moment to be still and recognize that they are inthe presence o God. One person is chosen to bethe reader and may prepare the group by point-ing out some notable things in the story. For ex-ample, i you choose the story o Jesus appearingto the disciples ater His Resurrection at the shore,

you may ask - what do you:

Stories o Conversion


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See the ocean (how does the water appear), Pe-ter and the disciples in the boat (what do theylook like), the beach (the sand, the re), Jesuson the shore looking out to the boat (do you seeHim, what is He wearing, what is the expressionon His ace)

Listen the sound o the ocean, the disciples talk-ing as they try to catch some sh, the voice o Je-sus as he calls out to them, the crackling o the re

Smell the sh as it cooks, the smoke comingrom the re, the ocean

aste salt air, sh, ocean water

Feel the mist in the air rom the ocean, thebreeze, sand beneath your eet, the shing poles

in your hands, the presence o the Lord

Tese are just some suggestions or how to prepareto enter into the story with all o your senses. Asthe story is slowly proclaimed, put yoursel intothe story and notice who you may identiy withand how you may come to understand this storyin a new way.

Jesus knows us well. Te stories in Scripture oerus opportunities to come to know Him. Tis isdierent than knowing about Him. Conversion

happens when your heart is touched and it is notpossible or you to not be changed in some wayby this git rom God. Tere are many events andmany people in Scripture that can speak to ourown circumstances, ears, insecurities and doubts.Oten, you may be able to identiy the momentwhen your heart was touched by grace and aithbecame alive or you.

Te story o St. Paul is the most dramatic conver-sion story. He is passionate about his mission topersecute Christians and is literally knocked ohis horse by a streak o light which blinds himand he then hears the voice o the Lord. Jesussummons Ananias and asks him to embrace Saul.

Ananias is aithul to the Lord and greets Saul byaddressing him Saul, my brother. Saul experi-ences scales alling rom his eyes and now, withnew sight, uses his passion or the Lord. We allknow the story o his journey ater his conversionand the eect it had on the Church.

Conversion is an ongoing process that deepenson our journey o aith. Te rst spark creates agreater hunger or deeper intimacy with God andhelps raise consciousness when opportunities orgrowth in wisdom, knowledge and understanding

are beore us. You may have a conversion storyo your own to share. It may be about particularpeople in your lie, a story that you heard romScripture that seemed to come to lie in a new

way, a book that you have read, an event that youattended. Most o the time, these little surpris-es happen when, where and through people wemay least expect. Conversion is a process, a jour-ney that continues throughout our lives. It is ourchoice to accept Gods git and trust that He willsatisy our desire or deeper intimacy with Him.

MARIA HUNTER

Director, Oce o Social Concerns & VolunteersDiocese o Metuchen, New Jersey


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Lie is equivalent to growth. Without growth westagnate and die. Te same with our spiritual lie;

we were given our spiritual lie as a git rom God,through Jesus Christ. He intended or that lie togrow; or us to grow in Christ. Growth can leadto maturity. How do we know we are achieving

or growing towards spiritual maturity?

First we need to know what the end goal is oreaching that maturity level. Te goal o spiritualmaturity, as is evident in the gospels, is to be likeChrist. It is our responsibility, as a Christian anda Catholic, to be like Christ. Ephesians 4:15 says

Instead o speaking the truth in love, we will in allthings grow up into Him who is the Head, thatis Christ.

Secondly, how does this growth occur? One

needs nourishment in order to grow. Just likeour bodies need ood, air and water to grow, our souland spirit needs to be nourished through Christ.He is essential to our spiritual growth, so our rsttask is to ask ourselves i we are being spiritually ed.

Are we reading the Word o God? Are we taking in Gods Word, His ruth

& reecting on it, acting on it? Do we meet daily with God; making

time to quiet ourselves and spend someprivate time with Him in prayer and

contemplation? Do we eed ourselves with His Body and

Blood by way o the Eucharist on aregular basis?

Do we spend time in communion andworship with other Catholics / Christians?

We also need to nd out where we are along thepath o this spiritual journey and in our relation-ship with God. So the next phase o our spiritualgrowth discernment is how is our relationship

with God the Father? We learn a great deal abouthow to be more Christ-like when we look at Jesus

relationship with God:

When praying to God, do we sense Histotal orgiveness, and do we accept it?

Do we eel encouraged or discouragedduring our private prayer time with Him?

Do we tend to worry too much, or dowe trust in God; that He is ultimatelyin control?

Do we truly know, believe and accept thedepth o Gods love or us?

Do we praise Him or the good in our

lives?

Finally, i the reward o reaching spiritual matu-rity is being like Christ, then how Christ-likeare we? Tese are some o the signs o spiritualmaturity.

We orgive one another our transgressions. We oten have a kind word or smile or

others. Our decisions are not always ruled by our

desires, but rather whats right in Gods eyes.

We do not react to those who disagreewith us. We rerain rom looking at others through

eyes scaled over by judgment; We look atthem through the accepting and loving eyeso Christ.

20 Questions and Signs DiscerningSpiritual Growth


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We obey Gods commands, especially whatJesus taught us that the greatest command-ment is to love one another as He loved us.

We do not look to ulll our own will, butrather Gods will or us.

We do things or Gods glory, not our own. Our lies mantra is Matthew 25, caring or

the least o these in our midst. We are serving our brothers and sisters in

love, as Paul teaches us in Galatians 5:13.

Growth towards spiritual maturity can be thoughto as a sanctication process, or the process o be-ing made holy. During this process, we are mov-ing away and separating ourselves rom sin moreand more, as well as growing closer in our rela-tionship to God. Te Bible characterizes growthin spirituality in various ways throughout Scrip-

ture. One o the most prominent scriptures be-ing Romans 12:2 but be transormed by therenewing o your mind As you grow towardsspiritual maturity, becoming more like Christ,you will see a total transormation o your mind,heart and soul Become like unto me, says ourLord Jesus Christ. Be Holy as I am Holy.

LOURDES O. TAGLIALATELA

Director, Parish Social MinistrySt. Francis de Sales, PatchogueDiocese o Rockville Centre


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Our Prayer or You

rue encounter with Christ liberates something

within us,

a power we did not know we had, a capacity to

grow and change.

-Tomas Merton

God our Creator, Christ our Redeemerand the Holy Spirit as our Sustainer,knowing that we all have the same gitso Spirit waiting to be revealed.Open our hearts with compassion;ll it with understandingand acceptance o others.Guide us, teach us, and strengthen us,ll us with your Spirit,so that as we transorm the lives o others

we too will be transormed.

Grant us the git o caritas.Come Holy Spirit!Guide us to respect the dignity and potentialo each human person through our ministry.Lead us to collaborate with the wider communityto serve those in need.Enliven us with the power o loveas we seek unity in diversity.Empower us to struggle together or social justicethrough advocacy and empowerment!

Sisters and Brothers:It is a blessing to understandthe seasons o our lives and our purpose.Let us us embrace one another,hold hands, and pray with one another.Tis is the day o the Lord, our God,

and we should celebrate and give thanksin praise.

Peace Be with You,

NICHOLAS ALBARES

Parish Social Ministry CoordinatorCatholic Charities New Orleans

Archdiocese o New Orleans

CHRISTINA BALDERA

raining Manager, Parish Social MinistryCatholic Charities USA

CYNTHIA MORRIS-COLBERT

Convening/Education CoordinatorJustice, Peace and Human DevelopmentUnited States Conerence o Catholic Bishops


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Cover Artwork:

Everytime I Feel the Spirit (Sr. Tea) by Michael ONeill Mc Grath, OSFS,

Copyright Bee Still Studio, www.beestill.com

el: 410.398.3057

All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Back Cover Artwork:

Te Gospel Feast by Michael ONeill Mc Grath, OSFS,

Copyright Bee Still Studio, www.beestill.com

el: 410.398.3057

All rights reserved. Used with permission.


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Catholic Charities USA Sixty-Six Canal Center Plaza Suite 600 Alexandria VA 22314

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require o you?o act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

- Micah 6:8

psm: a collection of spiritual reflections

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