Confession in the 21st Century

Even if you don’t know what one is, you’ve probably heard the commercials that promise, “There’s an app for that.” An app is application software that runs on a computer, a mobile device, or other platform like an iPhone, iPad, or Facebook. There are apps for word processing, downloading music, and tracking your expenses.

Why are we talking about apps at church? Because of the technology explosion in recent years, developers are now creating apps aimed at one of the largest demographics in the world – Roman Catholics. There are rosary apps, Liturgy of the Word apps, and now, there is an iPhone app being advertised as a Confession app with Vatican approval.

According to news reports, the Pope himself had given permission for confession to be done via cell phone using this new app, with the only restriction being that the penitent had to actually go to a priest for absolution. The Catholic world was excited at the prospect of not having to confess sins aloud, but simply type them into a password-protected program on a phone!

This excitement was short-lived. The Vatican qualified its support for the app a day after the program’s developer announced it was the first app to have official Church sanction. A Vatican spokesman said, “It is essential to understand well the sacrament of penitence requires the personal dialogue between the penitent and the confessor and the absolution by the confessor. This cannot in any way be substituted by a technology application.”

A spokesman from the company that designed it said, "Our desire is to invite Catholics to engage in their faith through digital technology." He goes on to quote Pope Benedict XVI's message from last year’s World Communications Address, in which the pope encouraged Christians to interact with the digital world in service of the faith.

So how can this app be used by faithful, technologically-savvy Catholics?

For those who have not celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation recently – perhaps not since their first time – this app features three parts: an Examination of Conscience “to help you figure out what your real sins are;” step-by-step instructions for what to do inside the confessional; and a space to record any absolution or penance from the priest.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation has changed over the years. The priest hearing your confession is less likely to ask you “how many times” and more likely to help you understand your failings and give your some spiritual guidance to go with the grace you receive from the sacrament. But all of that still needs to be done in person!

Grateful Giving

When a church starts talking about giving, there is a tendency to tune out because, first of all, you expect the talk to be about giving more money, and secondly, your wallet is empty! It’s an unhappy reality that many parishes have to beg their parishioners for the funds needed to keep a parish afloat, and that, in addition, we are asked to financially support the Archdiocese and other worthy causes as well. But the truth is that “treasure” is only one-third of the concept of stewardship, and Risen Savior is embarking on a mission emphasizing the grateful giving of your time and talent.

We can’t really talk about time and talent without talking about the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. These are actions and practices expected of faithful Catholics. Though the list of the works was formalized later – at least by the time of St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century – the importance of performing these duties was emphasized from the earliest days of the Church. They do, in fact, stem from living according to Christ’s declaration of the two highest commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind… (and) You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Fulfilling both the spiritual and corporal works of mercy fits hand in hand with loving God and your neighbor.

What are these Works of Mercy? There are fourteen of them, beginning with the seven corporal works, which relate to the needs of the body: Feed the Hungry; Give Drink to the Thirsty; Clothe the Naked; Visit the Imprisoned; Shelter the Homeless; Visit the Sick; and Bury the Dead. There are also seven spiritual works, those actions that feed the soul: Counsel the Doubtful; Instruct the Ignorant; Admonish Sinners; Comfort the Afflicted; Forgive Offenses; Bear Wrongs Patiently; and Pray for the Living and the Dead.

As Lent approaches, instead of “giving up” something, we are being asked, in a spirit of grateful giving, to DO something, something that conforms to one of those works of mercy. For example, instead of giving up chocolate, you could pray daily for those who are suffering with cancer, or visit the lonely in nursing homes. Instead of giving up television, you could take some time to figure out what your gifts are and then find a church ministry that would appreciate your time and talent.

Grateful giving is not just about being a good steward of our money. It is about being a good steward of everything God has given us, including time and talent, and giving back to Him in gratitude.

True Christian Love

As we approach Valentine’s Day, our thoughts and hearts turn to love. People often use the word love casually in everyday conversation: "I love this weather.” “I love football.” “I love chocolate." Love can be defined in many different ways. As Christians, we have a somewhat unusual definition of love based on the example of supreme love we find in Jesus.

The Bible indicates that love is from God. In the 1st letter of John, we are told that “Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:8) If God is love, and we are made in the image and likeness of God, then we are capable of loving in a Christian way.

Greek, the language of the New Testament, uses different words to describe and define love. The most commonly used Greek word translated love in the New Testament is agape. This is the kind of love God has for us: it is a non-partial, sacrificial love, best described in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” The gift of God's Son as a sacrifice for sin was for all humans, regardless of who we are, that we might live with Him for eternity.

The term agape is rarely used in ancient manuscripts, but was used by the early Christians to refer to God’s love for humanity, which they were committed to reciprocating and practicing toward God and within their community.

Love in the secular world is usually conditional and based on how other people behave toward us. Agape love, on the other hand, goes deeper: It requires a relationship with God through Jesus Christ; it gives and sacrifices, expecting nothing back in return.

Perhaps the best-known biblical chapter on love is 1 Corinthians 13: “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…”

This is a description of agape love. The description perfectly fits God's love toward us, and should be the way we love each other and God.

Blood and the Greatest Commandment

Did you know that blood is mentioned over 400 times in the Bible? And that, in the days of the Old Testament, to simply touch something that a bleeding person had touched made you ritually unclean? The topic of blood rarely comes up in normal conversation these days, except perhaps in discussions about the recent release of a vampire book, or movie! Vampires aside, many world religions share the belief that the spirit of an animal or person resides in its blood. Because of that belief, in late twentieth-century Zaire, people objected to blood transfusions because it meant “putting your spirit into another spirit.” This was turned around in other cultures, which held that if blood contained the life force, then drinking it or mixing it with one’s own blood might convey the special qualities of that being, like the strength of a lion or the compassion of a respected person.

This is not unlike the Eucharist we share. As Catholics, we understand that Jesus instructed us, over and over again, to eat His Body and drink His Blood in order to have His life in us. He also directed us to love God, and to love our neighbor as ourselves, which is why Risen Savior sponsors a Blood Drive every year. This annual event is our Love Your Neighbor initiative for February. It is in memory of one of our priests, Father Edward Rivera, who, as he was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, required blood transfusions, prompting the Risen Savior Community to give blood. The Blood Drive is on Sunday, February 20th in the Youth Center, and you can sign up for your appointment on Risen Savior’s web site.

One blood donation by one donor can save the lives of up to three patients. In today’s world, physicians and medical personnel have determined that nine out of ten people who live to age 70 will require a blood transfusion at some point – that person could be you or a loved one.

The act of donating blood is similar to that of tithing. Because donors can give only 10% of their blood, it is a ‘Good Samaritan’ act of “tithing our blood.” Giving blood is a simple Christian act of caring for others that doesn’t cost us anything more than a little time to give others a lifetime. We see it from a Christian point of view: Jesus gave His lifeblood for me and, out of gratitude, I share mine with others.

Authentic Wedding Traditions

Last week, the 3-Minute Catechesis touched on the Church’s view of marriage as a sacrament. The Church looks beyond the wedding day and works to build and strengthen the foundation a couple needs to live out their marriage vows. Even so, there is a lot of attention placed on the wedding day itself.

On old English wedding rhyme suggests that, on that special day, the bride wear “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.” Most weddings these days are a combination of old traditions and new ideas, and couples struggle to find a balance of these elements in their wedding.

Much of what is considered “traditional” at weddings includes social customs from a bygone age, customs which no longer correspond to our current understanding of marriage. For example, at one time, people believed that it was “bad luck” for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony. This is little more than unfounded superstition, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church denounces as a “deviation of religious feeling and of the practices this feeling imposes (paragraph 2111).” Another custom has the bride’s father “giving her away” to the groom, which reflects a time when marriage was arranged between the groom and the bride’s father. This comes from a practice long ago, when the woman was seen as property to be given and received. Outdated practices like these, while still permitted and practiced, no longer reflect contemporary reality or faith.

That is not to say that all traditional practices no longer have meaning. The English rhyme serves as a reminder that a marriage is a blending of man and woman, old and new. “Something blue” has been connected to weddings for centuries: in ancient Rome, brides wore blue to symbolize love, modesty, and fidelity. Christianity has long dressed the Virgin Mary in blue, so purity was associated with the color.

But it is important for the bride and groom and their families to understand that, traditions aside, Church and society emphasize marriage as a mutual decision by equal partners with free will.

What does the Church see as necessary in a wedding? Since the couple has made the choice to be married in the Church, the assumption is that God will be part of this wedding and this marriage. So the wedding ceremony, which may take place during a Mass, will be a joyful occasion of prayer. Preparation for the wedding will include choosing appropriate Scripture readings and prayers. For those couples who choose to have a nuptial Mass, their first meal is the Eucharistic feast, a sharing in the Body and Blood of Christ. This is a wonderful tradition and definitely the right way to begin a marriage!

Weddings and Marriage

The Christmas season, with its feeling of wonder and awe, is now over, but for some, the fun is just beginning. Because the holidays are a time to show those you love just how much you care, many couples get engaged at Christmas.

For Catholics, marriage is a vocation, a calling, and one which should begin in the Church. For that reason, most Catholic Churches request that before you book the reception hall and call the caterer, you should make arrangements to meet with the priest or deacon. Why is that?

The engaged couple needs to understand that when a wedding is celebrated in the Church, there is another level of relationship, one that involves God and the Church community. A Catholic wedding is an act of worship that takes place in the midst of a Christian community. In living out their vows, husband and wife share in Christ’s paschal mystery by dying to their own desires so as to live for each other and their children. Their marriage reflects Christ’s relationship with the Church.

A church wedding touches the couple, their families, and friends in an especially intimate way, but it also affects the local parish and the larger Church. This is what the bishops at the Second Vatican Council meant when they said, “Liturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations of the Church which is ‘the sacrament of unity.’” Catholic weddings are parish liturgies and though one may need an invitation to attend the reception, the wedding liturgy is a celebration open to all.

When you call Risen Savior to talk about your upcoming wedding, you and your fiancé will be asked to set up a meeting with the deacon or pastoral minister to talk about the Catholic understanding of the sacrament of Matrimony, including the sanctity of marriage and the expectation that children will be welcomed.

While many couples and their families are focused on the wedding day, the Church is looking ahead to the marriage and how to best prepare the couple for their lifetime together. After the initial meeting, the engaged couple is expected to attend marriage preparation classes and meet with a sponsor couple. This necessary period of marriage education, which focuses on practical issues like finances, communication, and family dynamics, is why couples should contact the parish at least six months prior to the wedding date they prefer.

A wedding is a holy celebration, the beginning of a vocation to marriage, and the Church offers vital support to couples who are answering the call to married life.

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity

For Catholics, the word ecumenism refers to all of the efforts of the Church to promote mutual understanding and, ultimately, unity among all Christians. Ecumenism is based on the unity and universality of the Church, which possesses all that is necessary for salvation, and on the Church’s proper relationship with non-Catholic Christian churches, which share with us many of those necessities, including baptism.

The shortest route to understanding ecumenism from a Catholic point-of-view is to read Vatican II’s Decree on Ecumenism, which is a relatively brief and clear document. The principles on which the decree is based are rooted in Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, and ideas set forth in the 20th century by such popes as Leo XIII and Pius XII.

The basic principle is that Jesus wanted unity among His believers, and the continued division among Christians is nothing short of scandalous. How can we attract followers for Christ when we ourselves are unable or unwilling to pray and work with our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters?

Modern popes have repeatedly insisted on the importance of ecumenism. After thirty years of experience with the mandate of Vatican II, Pope John Paul II in 1995 issued a longer in-depth document on the subject called Ut Unum Sint - That They May Be One. Recent popes, including Benedict XVI, have devoted many addresses, homilies, and weekly audiences to ecumenism.

Early in the 20th century, to promote Christian unity, Father Paul Wattson developed the Church Unity Octave at the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute in New York. The Octave was first observed in 1908, and in 1966, offices of the World Council of Churches and the Vatican began collaborating on a common text for use worldwide. Since 1968, these international texts have been developed, adapted, and published for use in the United States.

And so it continues. The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity, which begins this Tuesday, January 18th, invites the whole Christian community throughout the world to pray in communion with the prayer of Jesus: “that they all may be one” (John 17:21). The theme for this year’s celebration is “One in the Apostles’ Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread, and Prayer.” It comes from Acts Chapter 2 verse 42. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to participate in the opportunities offered to promote understanding. As we pray with our fellow Christians, we renew our commitment to work for the unity Christ expects from his disciples.