Deacon Dan Wright

Will the New Translation Signal the End for Liturgy Wars?

NCR's John Allen, Jr. shares his thouhts:

The mid-June vote of the U.S. bishops in favor of a new translation of the Order of Mass may one day be remembered, to borrow a phrase from George Bush, as the “end of major combat operations” in the liturgy wars that have rocked English-speaking Catholicism since the mid-1990s.

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New Book Available on Teaching Social Skills to Children with Autism

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is a successful educational method for developing social and communication skills in children with autism...and this book explains how and why.

Get information here,

And here too.

On the Punishment concept of Disease and Disability

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”  Mt. 8:1-2

Would that everyone might come to the Lord with such faith as to say, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” With certainty, God will free us from our heaviest burden, from our true disability that separates us from him.

About 15 years ago, while I was in graduate school doing interdisciplinary work, which included studies in the psychology of human sexuality, I first began to read about the prevalence of the punishment concept of disease. I was interested especially in how the punishment concept had remained in effect and to what degree it was still accepted. As an example I needed only to look at the AIDS pandemic, which in the minds of many people continues to have an association with sexual sin.

Of course in modern times our acceptance of disease as being related to sin has diminished greatly, yet it still prevails. Knowledge of the actual causes of disease, along with the advances of medical science, has mostly rendered the punishment concept obsolete. Where there are still those who hold to it, the view has the association of ignorance.

However, in the time of Jesus disease and disability were understood as the result of sin. Rather than being the ignorant view, it was the enlightened position. Nevertheless, Jesus was daring enough to declare to the religious minds of his time that sin was not the cause of disease and disability, as John 9:1-3 illustrates where Jesus tells his disciples that neither the blind man nor his parents had sinned. Yet, let there be no doubt, it is sin that Jesus removes.

Although the punishment concept is no longer respected, and rightly so, it still remains in effect in an implicit manner. Where we see it evident is in the way that disease and disability have become determining factors in how society values its typical individuals over those who differ significantly. As a societal phenomenon we tend to banish individuals with disability and disease in such a way that they become the metaphorical equivalent to the sin-stricken outcasts of ancient times.

A far greater problem for us in our times is that we fail to see the more insidious disease of alienation from God through our attitudes that force separation and lead us to devalue those whom we deem to be unlike ourselves. When the leper comes to Jesus proclaiming, “Lord, you can make me clean,” it is not being cleansed from the leprosy that is his greatest need. With much deeper implications he desires a restored relationship with the community, having been stripped of almost all human relationship outside his small confines.

The true disabling factor in our times, the sin that Jesus removes, is not the so-called disabilities and diseases of our age. The works of God are most visible in the ones that we value less in comparison to our self-appraised ability. The true sin is our proclivity to separate ourselves from others, especially those who are unlike us in our estimation of ability and wellness.

Can Philanthropy Spell Trouble for Prolife Causes?

Some feel that it may:

Investment guru Warren Buffett says he will donate the bulk of his fortune to the pro-abortion foundation set up by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife. That the world's second richest man would leave about 80 percent of his estate to the Gates' foundation is a huge concern for pro-life advocates because of the groups it supports.

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Let me hear what you think!  Click the comments link.

The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul: The Gift of Authority

When I came to the time in my life that I decided to convert, in my initial inquirers' meeting, the RCIA director asked me why I wanted to be Catholic. I don’t recall that I had specifically considered one reason in particular over any other.

There were many reasons, but above all else I was coming to the Church because of a spiritual longing that I had experienced for a long period of time, which at the moment was difficult to verbalize. However, one thing in particular stood out clearly – the image of a rock. Just briefly, I also recalled an earlier experience where a different kind of rock inspired my spiritual search.

Several years prior to my conversion, while as a teenager attending Oneness Pentecostal services, I had a close friendship with the preacher, Brother Noel, a man whom I admired much and looked to for guidance. One Sunday before the evening service I arrived early to find Brother Noel gathering rocks from the church driveway, picking through them, saving some and discarding others. He told me that I would be getting something special that night.

After the lengthy opening ritual of mostly unstructured singing, praise, and the usual gyrations, we settled in to hear the preacher’s message, ready to respond with plentiful affirmations of “amen.” The sermon was on Revelation 2:17. During his sermon Brother Noel took out a paper grocery bag, which contained several small rocks that he had collected earlier from the driveway. He gave each member of the congregation his or her own rock. Having been careful to pick out only white stones, he explained that the rocks stood to remind us of the scripture that we had been fed upon and of our having been given a white stone spiritually , which he said signified our having been given the Lord’s name in baptism.

The image of the white stone stayed in my mind for a long time to follow. Perhaps it was the peculiarity of the scripture passage that caused me not to forget it easily. I pondered its meaning, which I came to view as a sign of steadfast adherence to the faith and the reward of the resurrection, but the preacher’s interpretation was always near. As I grew away from the Pentecostal Church my memory of the white stone eventually slipped into the past, that is until the time came for my conversion to Catholicism.

When the RCIA director asked me what I saw in the Church that was strong enough to make me want to become Catholic, I replied that the Catholic Church represented a rock of stability that had stood the test of time. In the back of my mind I remembered the white stone that my preacher friend had given me several years prior. It stood to remind me, just for that moment, of the faith of my youth. I was at a turning point, a time of decision. Becoming Catholic meant letting go of what I had been deeply indoctrinated to believe about salvation. It meant letting go of the religion of my youth.

As I made my final decision I thought of the rock of stability that the Catholic Church represented, and I thought of Jesus’ proclamation to Peter that he would build his Church upon the rock. At the same time I thought of the white stone and what it had come to represent to me, and what I was leaving behind, but in front of me was the Eucharist that I longed for. It made my decision an easy one.

In my experience as a Catholic, I believe that I have received the true white stone of the faith. As I look at various commentaries on Revelation 2:17 the meaning of the passage is still hard to get at – there is plentiful disagreement. However, being a Catholic, I have come to appreciate the gift of authority invested in the apostles and their successors. Furthermore, I have come to understand the power of Jesus’ name to be the power of authority. Perhaps the white stone does in fact symbolize our having been given the Lord’s name – the gift of his authority.

I wonder if Brother Noel considered the impression that his sermon prop would make.

The Memorial of St. Irenaeus: Participation in God

By their fruits you will know them…every good tree bears good fruit.
Mt.7:16-17

To know God, or as St. Irenaeus says, “to see God,” is to live the blessing of participating in God. Seemingly, the desire to gaze upon the source of life, to participate in divine being, is increasingly uncommon in our times. Yet there are those who seek such intimacy, those who have chosen to walk the uncommon path, and to look upon the object of their longing.

However, in the desire and search to see God, or the desire to participate in the divine life, it is important to exercise caution and to be discerning. As it was in the past, so it is now that false prophets arise; with subtlety and cunning they attempt to mislead us and to misdirect us from the essential component of the life in Christ.

Our Lord tells us to beware of false prophets and to know them by their fruits. Certainly St. Irenaeus was familiar with the false prophets and false teachers of his time. It was he who first wrote, in the context of a larger work concerning Gnosticism, against the Gospel of Judas, which was recently rediscovered and made popular through the media. However, in my reflection today, rather than considering Gnosticism or its modern revival, I wish to address a more subtle falsehood, which stands against charity and thus is for our times a greater threat than merely imaginative fables. Moreover, I wish to elaborate upon the means to a greater participation in God.

Since my earliest memories I can recall my fascination with holy things. I remember the contemplations and prayers of my childhood. I cannot forget that I have long desired to see God, that in my youthful prayers I asked to gaze upon the most heavenly things. I sought to apprehend things that are too glorious to be told by the human tongue or ever actually seen as they are.

Consequently, the blessing that I have received, and the answer to my prayers, has been a vision of charity -- a call to love resolutely. In my youth I would never have dreamed that my prayers to look upon the beauty of God would have brought me to the consideration of love. Yet God is love. As Psalm 103 proclaims in the Office of Readings today, “The Lord is compassion and love.”

Unfortunately in our times finding those who present God as love, or who present the Christian faith as a following of charity, is becoming increasingly rare. Too often wrangling and quarreling over trite and inconsequential matters supersede the greatest commandment. Too often faith is portrayed in such a way that it becomes confused with, and often informed by, various ideologies that only reveal small and unloving attitudes.

When we encounter the polemics of partisan ideologies masquerading as faith, it is then that we face the false prophets of our day. They are revealed by their absence of charity, by their being set against compassion and love, and by their allegiance to the idolatry of their own personal and communal self-interests.

Participating in God demands the fear of God. In the fear of God we experience the overall awe of being in the presence of the revelation of mystery of being. Fear, in this sense, is a humble bowing: it is a respect for the manifestation and outpouring of God. Certainly when we come to know God by his power to transform and heal a broken world, we will abandon what does not testify to the power of his love.

In following God there is a straightforward plainness, an easy and unobstructed truth that reveals a degree of orthodoxy perennially sought after yet seldom obtained. It requires the surrender and the conversion of the soul to love.

To see God is to live a blessing. It is a blessing that I still pray to receive; one that I pray to be able to live out in participation. To be known by our fruits is to be known by our love; to be known by our love is to be known by our compassion for the ones who, by their need alone, cry out to God.

Staying on the Straight and Narrow

Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.

Mt. 7:13-14

I recall in the spiritual immaturity of my youth being concerned about the conditional aspects of the faith: how to think, speak, act, etc. As a young man I was also keenly aware of any failure on my part to meet what I perceived to be the overall expectations of the life in Christ. And so, I wondered, “What exactly is expected of me, now that I am a Christian, and how do I gain victory over the things in life with which I struggle?”

In the Gospel reading for today’s Mass, Jesus teaches us the way to perfection. Although entering through the narrow gate and staying on the straight path seems at first glance to be a daunting task, it is nevertheless the source of great personal peace and blessing.

Furthermore, Psalm 101 from the Morning Prayer sings of the “way of perfection.” The psalmist says that his is a song of kindness and justice. I think that kindness -- mercy and love -- and justice point us in the right direction as far as being able to walk in the way of perfection.

When we occupy our time with thoughts, words, and actions directed toward the service of others, the path of perfection begins to unfold. When our overall concern is mercy and justice the likelihood of failure diminishes. However, the psalmist offers practical instruction: do not look upon whatever is base; avoid the ways of the crooked, the false hearted, the slanderer, and the proud and haughty.

By being directed toward charity and justice we become a means by which Christ is visible to the world. We thus remove the emphasis from ourselves and place it entirely on the works which reveal God to others. When we are occupied in service we walk the way of perfection.

Overall, prayer holds the greatest importance in being prepared to walk in the way of perfection. When we bring our concerns to God, and when we bring our failures to him, God is sure to instruct us; he forgives our failings when we reveal all before him. He restores us through our constant communication with him. Prayer is the source of all strength, the source of peace and perfection. In my youth I learned that not all was lost when I failed. I learned to examine my conscience. I learned to pray in regard to where I failed and to seek guidance rather than taking it all on myself.

Living the faith should not be something that causes anxiety; rather, it should be the source of peace. However, from my experience and communication with others, I know there are many people, especially young adults, who have great anxiety in regard to life, and in regard to how they live the faith. In most cases we need simply to redirect ourselves toward what should be our greatest concern. Rather than being preoccupied with self, we should be oriented objectively toward the service of others, especially those who suffer, whose cries are heard in heaven. By being at the service of mercy and justice we orient ourselves toward God, who bears all perfections.

Autism Movement Seeks Acceptance, Not Cures

Michael John Carley is trying to change your image of autism. He has autism and he's happy just the way he is. He thinks that might surprise you.

Get the story from NPR here.

Also, follow the "listen" link for the story on All Things Considered, which includes several personal profiles of people who "celebrate" their having autism, including the story of Amanda Baggs who writes on her blog about autism.

Seeing Clearly

As I considered the readings from the Mass this morning, especially the words of the gospel, they prompted me to reflect on the way that we perceive the world around us.

The thought came to me that we can spend the majority of our lives without truly seeing clearly. What stands in our way? And how can we be sure that we have actually apprehended things as they are?

I especially reflected on how we allow our preconceived notions to blind us to the greater needs of the world around us. It is something common to us all – something in our human nature – that often prevents us from cooperating with the will and purposes of God. Where this habitual blocking out becomes problematic is when it prevents us from seeing the need of our neighbor, and from seeing how placing our own interests first can cause us to be blind to those most in need of mercy.

These are important questions for our lives and the times we live in. Perhaps never before in history has it been as important to be sensitive to the outcry of others. Our times serve as a proving ground for all who call themselves Christian. I believe what qualifies this is that never before has there been as deep a need as now, both spiritually and materially. Never before the modern age have we had as great a means to provide for others, and likewise never before have we had as great a means to destroy. Never before has the call to be at the service of others, and at the defense of the most vulnerable, been as great.

Most often what prevents us from apprehending the need of others, and from acting upon that need, is a habitual attitude of understanding our relation to the world only in terms of how it affects us personally, or perhaps how it affects us as a community, a city, a state, or a nation.

I have noticed among some of the more vocal proponents of self-preservation, both within the context of Catholicism and of political viewpoints, both on the progressive and conservative sides of issues, a self-righteousness surpassing that of the Pharisees of Jesus’ time. It is much too easy to be duped into putting on blinders or into viewing the world through colored glasses. The more insidious variety of blindness is that which encourages itself, that which encourages a closing off from the needs of the world around us in the name of being right.

It is becoming more common to find views that try to tell us there is something good or righteous about closing ourselves off from others. They tell us that somehow we serve the gospel or the truth by refusing to look beyond familiar or comfortable zones. Often they will mock us if we stand up for being open to ideas that challenge where we are now, or suggest that we let go of the idols that prevent us from seeing God in every human being.

Many years ago, a wise professor of mine, now gone to his reward, explained that what we need in order to see is simply to walk in the shoes of the fisherman. By suspending our preconceived notions, if only momentarily, we allow ourselves the opportunity to experience life from the other fellow’s point of view. Ordinarily we tend to have a difficult time with this simple concept. Perhaps it is because seeing from the vantage of someone else most closely resembles removing the plank from our eye.

On the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist: The Voice of the Prophetic

Where does one look to find the voice of the prophetic in our world today? Who are our prophets?

Sometimes finding the voice of the prophetic can be difficult because of competing voices. I do not believe that we can find the voice of the prophetic amid legalistic and polemical rambling. Nor can we find the prophetic voice in the arrogant tones of those who need to be right at any cost. It is difficult to find the voice of the prophetic where political and national ideologies serve as the catechism of faith.

Rather, I listen for the voice of the prophetic where I see the least among us being defended.  However, I fail to find the voice of the prophetic when I hear the rights of the strong and powerful asserted over those whom we must serve in order to fulfill the teaching of Christ.

I find the voice of the prophetic in those who have no real voice of their own. Often I hear it spoken in a language other than my native tongue. I find it in the places of the unwanted where we seldom tread on foot, and there I see it personified on the faces of children and hear it in their cries for acceptance and belonging.

I hear the voice of the prophetic most clearly when it makes me uncomfortable and challenges me, rather than pandering to what I believe already.  The voice of the prophetic always urges us to busy ourselves pouring out mercy and healing wounds rather than clamoring over our fears and insecurities, which only serve to alienate.  The voice of the prophetic calls out for peace – it stands for gentleness and tolerance; it calls for forgiveness and forbearance.  It pauses to listen to the cares and concerns of those who look toward the future of their children. The voice of the prophetic invites us to be a human family beyond nationality, ethnicity, and language. It pleads for us to end war, hunger, disease, unholy poverty, and our attitudes of inequality that make them possible.

Our prophets today are the servants of charity and healing; they take the mission of our Lord with them daily into their homes and jobs. They speak for rights more often than for what is merely right. They offer their hands to do God’s work, their lips to speak God’s words, and their lives to be a fount of God’s mercy.

The voice of our prophets today tells us that what we have was never really ours, but only ours to share.