"Worry, why do I let myself worry?"

Lyle sums it up in his intro.- Willie wrote it, the late, great Patsy Cline made it famous, and Καθολικός διάκονος favorite Emmylou Harris sings, plus offers a little commentary. This, dearly beloved, is our Friday traditio.

"Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you" because for me to truly love someone requires the love of Another, the recognition that I am loved, which is why Amor ergo sum necessarily precedes Amo ergo sum. Only God can say of God- Amo ergo sum, which still falls well short of the Mystery. Otherwise, at least in my experience, it gets a little crazy.

All holy men and women, pray for us

Waiting in Joyful Hope

A Pastoral Letter to the Church of Salt Lake City on the season of Advent

My dear brother priests and deacons, my dear religious, and my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Few would disagree that we live in a busy and rushed society. We rush from one thing to the next; in the end, many of us are restless and tired, yearning for stability and peace in our community and family. You may have noticed that in our hurried society many stores have already decorated for Christmas, radio stations are sneaking in a Christmas song here and there, and even some of our own parishes have begun preparing for Christmas parties for early December. In the midst of all this hurry, the Church teaches us to slow down, to be patient, and to wait.

What is the rush? Are we really so eager to get to all the decorations up, celebrate the event, and quickly dismantle all the decorations so we can move on to the next event? If we truly believe the Church is the sacrament of Christ in the world1, then we must authentically celebrate the story of salvation as it unfolds in the liturgical year so that we can witness God's profound love and mercy to the world. In these final days of Ordinary Time, I want to take an opportunity to write to you about our celebration of the seasons of Advent and Christmas.

The Church's year begins with the season of Advent. Advent is a season of preparation, although it has come to be neglected in many places. Too often, the season of Advent is overshadowed by the "holiday season" as we move too quickly into celebrating Christmas. By the time that the actual solemnity of Christmas arrives, many of us are burned out. We are already tired of all the "Christmas hype." Christmas has become anticlimactic.

The word advent comes from the Latin for" coming" or "arrival". What arrival are we waiting for? The General Norms for the Liturgical Year helps us understand the season a little bit better by explaining:

The season of Advent has a twofold character: It is a time of preparation for Christmas when the first coming of God's Son ... is recalled. It is also a season when minds are directed by this memorial to Christ's second coming at the end of time. It is thus a season of joyful and spiritual expectation2.

You will notice that this is not a penitential season. It is a season of joyful hope, a time of preparation and waiting. "Thus the Sundays of Advent, while commemorating [Christ's] birth and anticipating his return, celebrate in word and sacrament his coming now in the midst of this world."3 This season is not just about preparing for the birth of Christ at Christmas, but for the Christ who is continually being born in our midst and transforming the Church evermore into his body in the world.

In the late autumn of the year, as the world darkens, the Church is called to gather and quietly wait in hope for the coming of Christ, her bridegroom, the Light of the World. I am reminded of a song by Marty Haugen: "For you, 0 Lord, my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you."4 Is our hope really in Christ? Have we really allowed ourselves to wait in silence and ponder the great mystery of salvation? Have we been changed by our reflection on this mystery so that we live differently as our relationship with the risen Christ deepens? In the darkness, we watch for the coming Lord. We must not let our busyness distract us from that, lest we be caught unawares like the foolish virgins in Matthew's Gospel5, The season calls us to be attentive to our preparations for the final day and attentive to the quality of our life in union with Christ.

The liturgies for the Sundays of Advent are intended to focus our attention on these realities and to guide our preparation for Christ's coming. The theme for the first Sunday of Advent /I speaks of the Lord's return and urges watchfulness."6 On the second Sunday of Advent, we hear John the Baptist's call to repentance and preparation. The Baptizer is calling us to be prepared and vigilant as we invite Christ into our hearts, but also as we await that final judgment. The third Sunday, or Gaudete Sunday, introduces Jesus as the one who will fulfill the covenant and bring forth the kingdom. On the final Sunday, we hear the gospel stories that immediately precede Christ's birth. During these four weeks, we prepare for the Light, which comes into the world, both in Christ's birth, and as we await his final return in glory. "In Advent, then, the church is called to be more vigilant in discovering the role of the Spirit in humanity in general and in the life of the church in particular."7

As we renew our sense of the liturgical celebration of time, I encourage you to remain faithful to the celebration of the four weeks of Advent. As I mentioned earlier, it is so easy to be consumed by the hype of the "holiday season": to decorate our churches and houses for Christmas, to spend more time shopping than in prayer, and to host Christmas parties before the season has arrived. I know it is an enormous challenge to remain faithful to the Advent season when we are surrounded by a society which, while claiming to be Christian, does not take the time to reflect and prepare as the church calls us to do.

As Catholics, we must celebrate Advent differently. Our reckoning of time is itself a sacramental witness to the fullness of the paschal mystery. If we were to skip the Advent season or any other season, we would impoverish that witness. We are very lucky to have a Church who has provided us with seasons to bear witness to the great mysteries of our faith. As Christians, these celebrations and our observance of time help us witness the truth and beauty of the risen Christ.

This Advent, I call on every Catholic in the diocese of Salt Lake City to strive to enter into the spirit of the season. As we move forward, I strongly encourage our schools, parishes, and each individual household to celebrate the four weeks of Advent with rich prayer. We must practice and model what we preach in order to instill the rich traditions of our faith in young and old alike.

Here are some particular examples of what this will entail. Schools should not decorate for Christmas, but can decorate with simple wreaths and greenery. They might celebrate "Gaudete parties" before departing for Christmas break. I encourage each home to display and bless an Advent wreath where the family can gather for prayer either in the morning, at dinner, or some other practical time. I urge you to hold-off on displaying a decorated Christmas tree until the season of Christmas begins. You may want to incorporate a Jesse Tree  in your family's observance of the seasons.8 As the season draws to its close, I also invite you to discover the beauty of the 0 Antiphons, which are sung as part of evening prayer from December 17th to 23rd, and are most familiar to most of us in the hymn 0 Come, 0 Come, Emmanuel.

Once Christmas comes, the season stretches far beyond the 25th of December. It continues until the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord on January 9, 2011. We should leave the decorations which are testimonies to our joy up for the entire season. There is plenty of time for us to celebrate our joy at Christ's birth and we should make the most of it. You might consider having a Christmas gathering in the parish, or at home with family and friends during this time.

First, though, before we celebrate, comes a necessary time of waiting and of preparation. The season of Advent refocuses us and reminds us that Christ has changed the world. Darkness has covered this hemisphere, and the world itself is quiet. Because we know that Christ reigns over all of creation, we strain in the darkness to see the light of Christ, our coming King. May our observance of this season renew us and be an example of patience, silence, and joy to our hurried and anxious society.

With profound gratitude for your service in this local Church and with my promise of prayer as we enter into this holy season of Advent, I remain,
                                                                                                      Yours in Christ Jesus,

+The Most Reverend John C. Wester
Bishop of Salt Lake City

Given on November 24, 2010

Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, Martyr, and His Companions, Martyrs

1 Lumen Gentium, sections I, 9, and 48.
2 General Norms for the Liturgical Year, 39.
3 Normand Bonneau, The Sunday Lectionary: Ritual Word, Paschal Shape, (Collegeville: Liturgical Press,
1998), 13l.
4 Mary Haugen, ~My Soul in Stillness Waits," © 1982, CIA Publications, Inc. The line is a translation of
Psalm 62:2
5 Mt 25:1-13.
6 Adolf Adam, The Liturgical Year, (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1990), 134.
7 Martin Connell/Eternity Today On the Liturgical Year, vol. I, (New York: Continuum, 2006), 75.
8 More information on Jesse Trees can be found at: http://www.catholicculture.org/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?1d=545 or http://www.loyolapress.com/our-jesse-tree-advent-activity.htm

A quick note:

I personally received a copy of this letter today and posted it only after seeing that it had been posted on the website of the Diocese of Salt Lake City and insuring that it had already been officially disseminated. It is a wonderful gift from our bishop to us on the importance of observing Advent. It is even made better by the many practical directions and helpful suggestions he hands on to us. Indeed, we worry about keeping Christ in Christmas. Well, observing Advent constiutes an important part of doing this, which means entering fully into this lovely season, which begins a week from Sunday. This implies waiting until Christmas to celebrate Christmas, but then celebrating that season fully, too!

"we have been delivered from the law"

In chapter seven of his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul summarizes succinctly the freedom Christians have from the law through Jesus Christ: "For when you were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused through the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death" (v. 5). This is a way of saying that obeying God in a negative, rule-bound, way arouses human rebellion, which goes back to our being weak-willed as a result of the Fall. The law with its 613 prescriptions and proscriptions, according to Paul, does show us what it means to be righteous. But to be truly righteous, that is, holy, goes deeper than merely keeping the rules. After all, there is the what as well as the how and the why of what we do or don't do. Everything must be grounded in the positivity of loving God with our whole being and loving our neighbor as ourselves, with the caveat that everyone I encounter, especially the one in need, is my neighbor. It bears noting that in this verse the word "flesh" is a translation of the Greek word sarki, which is derived from the root word sarx, which refers, not to the physical body in particular, as does the Greek word soma, but, in Paul's writings, "to the whole unredeemed [person] under the power of sin and death" (Orthodox Study Bible, footnote to Romans 7:5).

Paul goes on to point out that "we have been delivered from the law" by Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the law in His own person, thus doing what Israel, to whom the law was given, was unable to do (v. 6). In and through Christ we have "died to what we were held by," namely sin and death, in order to "serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter" (v. 6). What is important about this is not that what we do no longer matters, though it change significantly, but how we go about doing it and why we do it totally changes. The relationship between faith and works, to put it another way, is reversed, with faith gaining the upper hand. We are only able to do it because the Holy Spirit, who is the mode of Christ's resurrection presence in us and among us, to use an Eastern Christian term, energizes us with God's power, which is power unto (to sound a bit archaic) eternal life.

As Christ himself taught us, we cannot serve two masters. Echoing this teaching in chapter six of Romans, St. Paul points out that you either serve sin or serve God and that only by serving God do you experience true freedom. This certainly has a lot of bearing on fasting in its various forms. After all practicing the spiritual disciplines "is not bondage. It is a rejection of bondage, a pursuit of holiness while gaining freedom from legalism and sinful passions. The freedom of grace is known through the discipline of being bound to God the Father, to Christ, and to the Holy Spirit. Christ fulfilled the law with its demands that we might be free in Him, justified by faith, to live fruitful and righteous lives, obeying the truth." (Orthodox Study Bible Introduction to The Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians).

All holy men and women, pray for us

"the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"

To say that St. Paul's Letter to the Romans is dense is only to state the obvious and perhaps to have the effect of steering people away from reading it. The density of this text certainly arises from its complexity, but the complexity can be resolved by just reading the letter in an attentive way. Of course, it certainly helps to read from a well done study edition of Scripture, but, at least for me, it needs to be one in which the explanatory notes only serve to elucidate the text, making it clearer, and not add complexity on top of complexity. Today, I am still reading chapter six in which Paul is writing about the effects of holy baptism, what God does in and through the waters of baptism.

One of the things Paul was criticized for by others was that by proclaiming the Gospel of grace so boldly, he encouraged people to sin. So, he asks, as he does in more than one place- "Shall we sin because we are not under the law but grace?" He answers the rhetorical question emphatically: "Certainly not!" Picking up on what I read about yesterday earlier in this chapter, the apostle goes on to point out, mining a vein of the Lord's teaching (Matt. 6:24 and Luke 16:13), that we are the "slaves" of what we obey, to that to which we adhere (v. 16). So, we are either "slaves" (doulos) "of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness" (v. 16).

Paul thanks God that though the Christians in Rome "were slaves of sin" they "obeyed from the heart" the Gospel they were taught, humbly submitting themselves to God by observing the apostolic teaching they received (v. 17). As a result of their submission they were "set free from sin" and "became slaves of righteousness" (v. 18). As I am focusing on the need we have to bring our bodies into conformity with Christ, what Paul writes next is of crucial importance: "just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so you now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness" (v. 19).

Like the ancient Christians of Rome, "when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness" (v. 20). What does this mean? Well, it means something like we are all free in the sense we can choose how we live, how to face whatever circumstances in which we find ourselves. Freedom is certainly one of the inviolable aspects of the human person. The Gospel does not ever seek to rob us of our freedom, but to complete it, to bring us to the full realization of what it means to be free. So, if in our freedom we choose sin, we become enslaved to sin and, as a result, alienated from righteousness. Being slaves to sin, as Paul goes to great pains to demonstrate, not just by his words, but with his whole life, which was so fraught with trials for the sake of the Gospel, is no freedom at all. It is not even slavery. It is death. Authentic freedom, as John Paul II taught tirelessly over the 26 years of his pontificate, is tethered to truth and realized in virtue. Virtue, in turn, is acquired through our free cooperation with God's grace, which in Latin, we call habitus, or, closer to home, habit.

How do you become more patient? By practicing patience in circumstances that cause you to be impatient, something in which prayer plays an important part. How do you become more chaste? By practicing chastity, etc. This brings me back to the point about the necessity of mortification, of deliberately denying myself even things that in themselves are not bad.

Yesterday, the second day of my annual six week preparation for the Nativity of Our Lord, in the mid-afternoon, a group of people returned to the office from lunch. They had gone to a popular wings and barbecue joint, a place that I frankly love. They plopped down on the desk next to mine a big takeaway box full of wings, still hot and smelling delicious. They invited everyone to dig in. I have no problem admitting that I really wanted one and that this desire was in no way a bad desire. Beyond that, it was a lovely act of generosity on the part of my co-workers. I thought not just about what I am doing, but why I am doing what I am doing. I said consciously to myself, "I can have a wing or two. I am free to do so, but I choose not to, not because it is bad or would be in any way sinful for me eat one or two, but because it would interfere with my effort to open myself more to God's grace through this time-proven method."

Chapter six of Romans concludes with his well-known verse: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (v.23). For me at least, this is the only end worth pursuing. It is the best gift of all.

All holy men and women, pray for us

Why we intentionally live this way

As the second day of the Nativity Fast commences it is important to start again, as we do each day. Starting again during this holy season means thinking about why I am doing what I do. The first thing I need to be reminded of is that to live this way, which can mean nothing other than doing these things, is a free choice. After all, I can choose not to observe this season. Should I choose not to observe it I would not be less of a Christian, or less loved by God. I am not obligated ecclesially to observe this season in the traditional way. This would be true even if I were a Byzantine or Melkite Catholic, which I am not because I am a Roman Catholic.

Fasting is spiritually useless if prayer is not intensified and almsgiving is absent. I see fasting as the connection between prayer and alsmgiving between the interior and exterior. So, I am re-reading St. Paul's magnificent Letter to the Romans. Today I reached chapter six, in which Paul writes about the meaning and effects of baptism. Baptism, the apostle writes, makes us dead to sin "but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (v. 11). "Therefore," he continues, "do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts" (v. 12).

In my experience, nothing is more anti-climactic than the moment immediately following giving into a lust. I will illustrate by sticking with the topic of fasting. As I mentioned, I am free in this regard. To fast not only means to be hungry, but oftentimes to never desire food more than when I am intentionally and freely doing with none, less, and/or eschewing certain foods. If I obligate myself on pain of sin, that is, I fail to see myself as free this regard, it becomes a true temptation, a giving into moralism, which is seeking to keep the rules for the sake of keeping the rules and not for a greater end. So, the most important thing, when I feel like giving up, is to remind myself that I am doing this because I choose to do it, which has a way of bringing me back to why I am doing it, that greater end. However, whenever I give in I am beset by remorse because the fulfillment I seek, even through my body, is certainly not to be found in a Little Debbie's snack cake, or a McDouble cheesburger!

The power of sin over our bodies is not an inevitability. Rather, "it is something we allow by our free will." According to ancient Christian tradition, to which we turn to learn the truth about God, ourselves, and the world, the aspect of human nature most damaged in Fall and "the first thing Christ heals" is our will. Christ's "healing enables us to make right choices, especially against sin." Our mortal bodies demand pleasure, at times our bodies scream for pleasure, pleasure for its own sake. Even these burning desires, if we examine them, are nothing except our desire for what is ultimate, our metaphysical rebellion against the contingency of the world, pointing us to what will truly satisfy.

Spiritual disciplines, like fasting, but only when undertaken freely, allow us to direct our bodies instead of being directed by them. The only power sin has over us is the power we give it. Hence, "[o]nly our own listlessness, dejection, indifference or laziness can defeat us." Christ, in and through the sacraments, beginning with baptism, restores our human nature to what God originally intended us to be (all quotes in the above paragraph are taken from the footnote on Romans 6:11 in the Orthodox Study Bible, pgs. 351 & 353). Belonging to Jesus Christ is what allows us to live this way.

All holy men and women, pray for us

"Where is the world conscience?"

Last Wednesday, 10 November 2010, the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Francis Cardinal George, OMI, archbishop of Chicago, wrote a letter to President Obama urging him to take measures to protect all Iraqis, especially endangered miniorities, like Christians in the wake of recent attacks.

Dear Mr. President:

The October 31 attack on the Syrian Catholic cathedral in Baghdad that killed 58 and wounded 75, together with the recent wave of bombings in Iraq’s capital, are grim evidence of the savage violence and lack of security that has plagued the Iraqi people, especially Christians and other minorities, for over seven years. Some reports even indicate that the October 31 attack may have been more extensive and the failures of security more egregious than originally thought. Enclosed you will find a press release by the Most Reverend Yousif Habash, Bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark for Syrian Catholics.

In the recent Synod of Bishops on the Middle East in Rome, the bishops from Iraq spoke of the terrifying situation facing Christians and other minorities in that country. They recalled murders, kidnappings, bombings, and naked threats that have forced many Christians from their homes and businesses. Ironically, just two weeks before the October 31 attack, Archbishop Athanase Matti Shaba Matoka of the Syrian Catholic Church in Iraq, whose cathedral was the site of the October 31 attack, addressed the Synod: “The invasion of Iraq by America and its allies brought to Iraq in general, and especially to its Christians, destruction and ruin on all levels. … Seven years have passed and Christianity is still bleeding. Where is the world conscience? All the world remains a spectator before what is happening in Iraq, especially with regards to Christians.”

Archbishop Matoka’s strong words remind us of the moral responsibility that the United States bears for working effectively with the Iraqi government to stem the violence. Prior to the war, our Conference of Bishops raised grave moral questions regarding the possibility of U.S. military intervention in Iraq and warned of "unpredictable consequences." The decimation of the Christian community in Iraq and the continuing violence that threatens all Iraqis are among those tragic consequences.

Our troops have served with bravery and distinction, and we welcome the end of U.S.-led combat in Iraq; however, the United States has so far failed in helping Iraqis to develop the political will needed to deploy effective strategies to protect the lives of all citizens, especially Christians and other vulnerable minorities. More must be done to help ensure that refugees and displaced persons are able to return to their homes safely. Having invaded Iraq, our nation has a moral obligation not to abandon those Iraqis who cannot defend themselves.

The murderous attack on innocent Christians gathered for worship witnesses to the need for the United States to redouble its efforts to assist Iraq as our engagement enters a new phase. At a minimum, our country must strengthen its work with Iraqis and the international community to: enable the Iraqi government to function for the common good of all Iraqis; build the capacity of Iraq’s military and police to provide security for all citizens, including minorities; improve the judicial system and rule of law; promote reconciliation and the protection of human rights, especially religious freedom; rebuild Iraq’s shattered economy so that Iraqis can support their families; and assist refugees and internally displaced Iraqis.

To meet its moral obligations to the Iraqi people, it is critically important that the United States take additional steps now to help Iraq protect its citizens, especially Christians and others who are victims of organized attacks. Thank you for your kind consideration of this urgent request.

Sincerely yours,

Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I.
Archbishop of Chicago
President

How many more reasons do yo need to fast, to pray, to give alms and live in solidarity with our brothers and sisters as we prepare again to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord in safety and security? Alms for the Iraqi Church and all the churches of the Middle East are best given through the Catholic Near Eastern Welfare Association, a cause worthy of your support all the time.

The Psalm-prayer for this evening (Monday, Week I of the Psalter), expresses well our concern for our endangered sisters and brothers:

Lord God, you search the hearts of all, both the good and the wicked. May those who are in danger for love of you, find security in you now, and, in the day of judgment, may they rejoice in seeing you face to face. Amen.

All holy men and women, pray for us, especially the recent martyrs of Baghdad

A "dynamic and substantial" relationship with Jesus Christ

"It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26-ESV).

Christ, Pantokrator (Gr. Παντοκράτωρ) is used in the Septugaint to translate both "LORD of hosts"s and "El Shaddai" which title has been attributed to Christ by Christians since the beginning of the Church

"God's righteousness is Christ Himself (1 Cor. 1:30- ESV). To have His righteousness is to have Christ living within us, to be in union with Him, a relationship that is dynamic and substantial," meaning, among other things, not sentimental, which falls more into the realm of longing for something you don't have. The fulfillment of anyone's desire to be in union with Christ hinges on his willingness to be changed. "It is personal, a relationship between Shepherd and sheep, Master and friend, Father and child - not judge and defendant" (footnote to Romans 3:26 Orthodox Study Bible). It is good to be reminded of this as we begin our season of preparing for our celebration of the Lord's Nativity because all our observance is geared towards opening us to God's grace, who is none other than Christ the Lord

All holy men and women, pray for us