Surprised? Our Faith is Extremely Reasonable!

I don’t know if you’ve signed up to read the entire Catechism in a year (a daily dose delivered by email), but I am woefully behind. I should be setting time aside daily, but it hasn’t really happened, so I often find myself catching up and reading four or five sections at a time. This morning, in one of these catch-up sessions, I read a section on faith (articles 153-159), which perfectly corresponded to a conversation I was engaged in over the weekend.

In a nutshell, I was discussing with a friend whether any faith traditions were valid; if they all were; or if they were all fake. From her (agnostic) perspective, religions are merely methods people used to make themselves happy on earth, but aren’t actually based in reality. I argued that my faith was real (not just an excuse to give structure to my life), and that reason could show that the universe was created. What she said that I couldn’t prove with reason alone – and she was right – is that God (a Catholic God) was real and present in my life.

I can’t prove God’s presence to her by reason alone because it is faith that allows me to know, love and serve God. Yet somehow to unbelievers, to say “I believe” is not enough. Sadly, too many people think that faith is neither credible nor reasonable.

The Catechism section I read this morning, however, reminded me of several very helpful things about how faith is real, how it builds on reason and how it is, in fact, reasonable. It says:

 

1. Faith is a Gift: I cannot just argue someone into believing in God. The Catechism says, “Faith is a gift of God, a supernatural virtue infused by him.”
2. Trusting in God is a free, human act: People who have faith have not given up their freedom. Rather, they have chosen to accept this gift from God and believe in Christ. The Catechism says, “Trusting in God and cleaving to the truths he has revealed is contrary neither to human freedom nor to human reason”
3. While one cannot reach Faith by reason alone, we have proofs that Faith is reasonable: Revelation that we have seen in our own lives and throughout Church history allows us to even more reasonably claim our faith. The Catechism says, “The miracles of Christ and the saints, prophecies, the Church’s growth and holiness, and her fruitfulness and stability ‘are the most certain signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all’; they are ‘motives of credibility’ (motiva credibilitatis), which show that the assent of faith is ‘by no means a blind impulse of the mind’.”
4. Faith is a certainty: There can be no doubt in the tenets of faith once we have faith because, as the Catechism says, God cannot lie.
5. Faith seeks understanding: Faith implies a love of God. When we love someone, we naturally seek to know him or her more. The Catechism explains that this is a cycle of growth: out of faith, we seek to know more about God, and as we learn more about Him, we grow even more in our faith.
6. Faith and Science will never contradict each other: God created the world and therefore created science. True scientific discoveries will not contradict the faith, and faith will not contradict science. The Catechism says that science “can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God.”

 

Too often, I am swayed by our agnostic culture into somehow forgetting that faith is the most reasonable position we can possibly hold: believing in God Who created me, Who sent His Son to save me and Who demonstrates His love for me time and time again.

 

During this Year of Faith: Lord, increase my faith.

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Reorienting your day through Prayer

By: Caitlin Bootsma

With the academic year beginning once again and Fall around the corner, schedules are inevitably filling up rapidly. For most of us, especially living in a busy place like Northern Virginia, our hours and minutes are exhausted with work, classes, chores, errands and volunteer work.

If you are like me, it can be a struggle to stay faithful to a commitment to pray every day. Sometimes I get overly ambitious with prayer commitments, only to give up entirely several days later.

Yet, with a life that can often be chaotic, I know that I need to remind myself daily about what is truly important to me – living my life with God. One of the wonderful things about our Faith is the richness of prayer traditions. If you are looking for a way to focus on prayer each day (even if it’s only for a few minutes) here are a few ideas:

(Please add to the list in the comment section!):

• Praying before leaving the house each morning: I’m always surprised what a difference it can make to stop to pray before rushing out the door. Whether it’s a commitment you make by yourself or with your family, even the action of prioritizing prayer over anything else for a minute or two sets the day on the right track.
• Daily Mass readings: Even if you do not have the opportunity to attend Daily Mass, the daily readings are available every day on the USCCB website and are a great way to re-familiarize yourself with Scripture.
• Saint of the day: Perhaps you are someone who is most inspired by real-life examples of heroic virtue. It is easy to bookmark sites that tell us briefly about men and women who overcame great struggles to live lives of virtue. See one site here.
• Keeping a prayer or reminder near your work space: It can be easy to get distracted at work or to act uncharitably in emails, on phone calls to co-workers etc. Several friends have told me that keeping a prayer card, a quote or a crucifix near their workspace reminds them in a physical way to give their work the attention it deserves and to act with charity to those around them.
• Praying for intentions at dinner: Many of us say grace before meals, but consider making this the time to pray either silently or as a family for your intentions. Offering  difficulties to God as a prayer often seems to lend perspective to challenges in my life.
• Examining your conscience each night: I’ve had several priests recommend a daily examination of conscience. Consider thinking over your day each night before you go to sleep, asking God for the grace to do better tomorrow.
• Stop in and visit Our Lord in the Eucharist: While we attend Mass every Sunday, it’s a great idea to pop into an open church, even if for just 15 minutes once a week, to say “hello” to Our Lord. We often, unplanned, stop to chat briefly with our neighbors, people in the grocery store and our coworkers. In fact, sometimes those brief conversations can lead to insights, laughter or a sense of love. The same will happen with Christ in the Eucharist!

There are many more ways of forming daily prayer habits, please consider sharing some that you have found to be most helpful in your life.

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Community and Faith

Since Northern Virginia is a transient area with many young adults moving to the area in pursuit of career opportunities, we asked some of them to talk about the importance of community. Below is one reflection we received:

By: Daniela Zurita

About two years ago, I came back to the Faith after eight years, or perhaps even more. One of the first things my spiritual director suggested I do was to contact the Young Adult Ministry office. And I did. At first, it was strange because I am not that social. I thought that it might not help me at all.

A recent session of Theology on Tap (photo credit: Bryan McKinney)

The first young adult event I attended was Theology on Tap. That day, there was a talk about forgiveness by Father Dan Leary (listen to his talk here). It was just what I needed to hear at that moment. It was a great talk and I felt that he was speaking directly to me. I was looking for forgiveness and I understood that I had to forgive to move forward with my life. It was one of the days I will never forget because it’s when I stepped out of fear and followed Christ.

Then I attended two different events for young adults at different parishes. I found many good friends who share the Faith and who were there to support me in my struggles. It wasn’t easy at first, but everyone at each event I attended was really friendly and had an interest in knowing me as a person. I made great friendships at different young adult events.

One of the things that struck me was that I could see – in many young adults – love for our Faith and, most importantly, love for God. They are great examples of love, which was something I didn’t think existed. I have to thank the Young Adult Ministry because today I am in love with God and with our Catholic Faith. It truly changed my life. Not only did I learn about my Faith, but I also learned what true love was and what a true friendship was. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be part of the young adults in the Diocese of Arlington. Some of the greatest people I know are part of this diocese.

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How can we strive to be truly pious?

By: Caitlin Forst

The Holy Father recently released his message for World Communications Day, which takes place in June. In this message he encourages us to witness to the Gospel both in person and online, but to make certain that our witness is authentic. Pope Benedict XVI states,

“The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive, which stimulates the heart and moves the conscience; one which reflects the example of the risen Jesus when he joined the disciples on the way to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35). By his approach to them, his dialogue with them, his way of gently drawing forth what was in their heart, they were led gradually to an understanding of the mystery.”

In his latest column, Bishop Loverde addresses another angle of this call to authentic witness: piety. He challenges us to understand the true meaning of piety and to avoid empty actions, whether in Mass, in our friendships or online.

 

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

“This false sense of piety can also extend to our perception of Church and public affairs. In an age where it is easy to hit ‘send’ on an e-mail or to post a thought immediately on Facebook, we may neglect to examine our reasons for communicating. As Catholics, we have a responsibility to defend the truth and our faith to our nation, to our neighbors and sometimes even within the Body of Christ. However, in all instances, we must ask, ‘why am I participating in this debate?’ Are we speaking out of love for the person to whom we are writing, as well as for the Lord? Or, because something has angered us, are we writing in a way reminiscent of the Pharisee who only wanted to point out his own righteousness instead of truly pointing to the Truth with love?”

 

You may find the entire column here.

 

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Is the Single Life a Vocation?

By: Therese Bermpohl

The single life:  Is it, or is it not, a vocation?  This question goes to the heart of the struggle confronting Catholic singles striving to do the will of God.  The inner monologue can often sound something like this: “Do I or do I not have a vocation?  Am I not working hard enough to discern God’s will?  Am I not praying hard enough?  Is it my own fault that I don’t have a vocation?  Was the guy I chose to ignore on the metro at 7 a.m., whose cheery morning demeanor made me certain of our incompatibility, my one chance at marital bliss…?”  Does God give us one opportunity to say “yes” to His plan for us and if we miss that one opportunity, He proclaim like the Soup Nazi, “No vocation for you!”

While we know it is possible to ignore a call, it is quite possible that the single life is right where God wants you for today.

The life call comes from the Good Shepherd.  It can be a communal call, “Franciscans, over here.  Carmelites, over there.  Married people, on that side.”  Yet even in this, He calls each individual by name.  He forgets no one.  One of Satan’s great illusions is to convince good holy single people that their lives are in a holding pattern.  There is no such thing!  Every moment is weighed.  Every response matters.  The single life may not have a particular structure or rule of life; it may not have a particular community or spouse through which God beckons a committed response, but the Lord is calling the single person by name to holiness, to love and to Divine usefulness.

It could be called a vocation of readiness and flexibility to the daily response to the voice of the Good Shepherd.  If you are single, maybe one day you will be called to marriage, to priesthood or to religious life, but you can rest assured that God has not forgotten you.  He knows exactly where you are and where He needs you to be as part of His mysterious salvific plan. So, as the Lord tells Jeremiah, let us not lose heart but be joyful in the Lord who has for each of us a plan with a future full of hope.

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Beat the traffic blues with the diocese’s free iTunes downloads

By: Mariann Hughes, Office of Communications

Many times, 8 a.m. sees me, bleary-eyed, clutching a strong, hot cup of coffee as I navigate nerve-shattering traffic en route to my office here at the Diocese of Arlington. 4:30 p.m. sees me, minus the coffee, trying to find my way around post-workday Northern Virginia, often getting lost thanks to my woeful sense of direction, and often arriving 40 minutes late to the event I’m trying to get to. Like many in the D.C. area, I’m boggled by the amount of time I spend behind the wheel.

Diocese of Arlington ITunes

And so, I share a little tip to make your D.C. driving a little less white-knuckled: How about using the time to catch up on the engaging, insightful talks offered by the Diocese of Arlington at Theology on Tap? Or how about listening to Bishop Loverde’s most recent homily?

You can check out our Diocese of Arlington channel on iTunes. Visit here for free downloads to your iTunes and to subscribe to our channel. They are also all available on our website, here.

Here is just a sampling of the podcasts available:

• Love football and the Redskins? Listen to Bill Lazor, a former ’Skins coach and now the offensive coordinator at U.Va., talk about why his faith is important to him while living in the athletic spotlight.
• Listen to Bishop Paul S. Loverde reflect on his time as the shepherd of the Diocese of Arlington during the 36^th Anniversary Mass at St. Thomas More Cathedral.
• Interested in learning more on the charismatic movement? Hear an explanation from Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR, director of post-novitiate formation for the Sacred Heart Province and a former vice president of mission effectiveness at Franciscan University of Steubenville.
• Want some tips on how to improve communication in your relationships with others? Download the engaging, often humorous, two-part series by Art Bennett and Lisa Klewicki – it will be the perfect distraction for the next time you’re stuck in construction traffic! Or a good source of food for thought during your early-morning jogs.

Maybe you are like me. Perhaps you frequent the diocese’s Theology on Tap in Old Town Alexandria, but due to an accident on the Beltway or a lack of coffee in your diet that day, you have to forgo hanging out one Monday night at Pat Troy’s with your friends, Guinness in hand.

Bishop Loverde's Easter Homily

Or, maybe you are one of our parishioners who lives out in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and can’t make it to a Mass with the Bishop in another part of the diocese. Or perhaps you are a busy parent who loves to stay on top of issues and new ideas related to your faith, but, unfortunately, that relationship seminar coincides with band practice or basketball games.

These podcasts are for you!

We encourage you to often visit back for new podcasts, and please contact us with any suggestions or feedback.

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Bishop Loverde: Even the Pope Makes a Retreat

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde 

 

The Pope takes an annual retreat during Lent each year.

 

Were you aware that for a short time each year, the week following Ash Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI suspends all of his meetings so that he can participate in a retreat? Yes, the Pope steps away from daily activity, valuing silence and time for meditative prayer. His time of retreat is not just another vacation, but rather a time to bring his intentions and his vocation before the Lord. Considering that the Pope, as the Vicar of Christ, is the shepherd of the universal Church, it is a great blessing for all of us that he sets aside this time each year to sincerely ask for grace and guidance. 

During my summer vacation, I will also be taking time for prayer and reflection in my own annual retreat: an eight-day, all-silent directed retreat with a group of my brother bishops. I am thankful for this opportunity to follow the example of the Holy Father; saints such as Ignatius Loyola, who spent many hours in prayerful retreat; and Christ Himself, Who spent forty days in the desert before beginning His public ministry. 

Each year in this special way, I bring my intentions, especially those concerning our diocesan Church, before the Lord. Recognizing that the Christ is the source of our joy and of the truth, I look forward to this time of discernment and spiritual rejuvenation. In those days of silent prayer and reflection, I hear the Lord in a way that is unlike the rest of the year. I come away from my retreat with a renewed understanding of my vocation and often with a clearer sense of direction and purpose for the coming year. 

Bishop Loverde blesses San Damiano Spiritual Life Center, which opened this year.

 

The purpose of a retreat is not so much to solve our problems, but rather to submit our joys, our sorrows, our cares and concerns to Our Creator in order to discern His will for us at that time. Spending time with the Lord never fails to bring about spiritual fruit in our lives and the lives of those dear to us. At the conclusion of my retreat each year, I write a brief prayer which I pray every morning through the rest of the year, thus always keeping before myself what the Lord had brought to my attention during the retreat. 

 I encourage you to consider planning a time of retreat, whether for a week, a weekend, or even part of a day. While all of us are busy, time with the Lord is always very beneficial. I know that each of you has responsibilities, concerns and intentions to bring before the Lord. While it is true that our busy schedules will be waiting for us when we return, the grace that comes from time spent in prayer gives us the wisdom and fortitude to live our vocations daily more realistically and faithfully. 

As I pray and reflect, I humbly ask for your prayers both for me and for our diocesan Church. Please know that I pray for all of you throughout the year, but especially during this grace-filled time of retreat. 

Encourage and Teach Note: If you are planning a retreat, don’t forget the newly-opened, first-ever diocesan retreat center, San Damiano. Located in White Post, VA, San Damiano is located on over 100 acres of land has room for over 100 daytime guests or 50 overnight guests. Call 540-868-9220 or email sandamiano@arlingtondiocese.org for more information.  

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Cliffhanger Finale: Virginia Catholics and Pro-Life Policy, Part II

By: Jeff Caruso, Director of the Virginia Catholic Conference

Friday, Jeff Caruso described to us the behind the scenes advocacy work of the Virginia Catholic Conference that occurred in the attempts to pass a Virginia state budget amendment that would cut the majority of state funding for abortion. For Part I in this series, click here.

On the 4th of July, Jeff shares with us the outcome of advocacy in the political process:

The Evening of April 21 – Victory in the Senate

Catholic advocacy impacted the Va Senate decision

Finally, around 9:00 p.m., the Senate took up the matter. Senator Mark Obenshain (R – Harrisonburg) explained the amendment and effectively countered the arguments of the five senators who spoke against the bill. 

 As pro-life advocates watched from the Senate gallery, the contentious floor debate concluded, and senators were asked to record their votes. As the green and red dots were registered next to each senator’s name on the electronic voting board, the green thankfully outnumbered the red … by one. The Senate’s 20-19 vote handed the pro-life cause in Virginia a historic victory!

Looking Ahead at the Impact of this Policy
With the governor’s amendment now part of the budget, many unborn lives can be saved, and state taxpayers who oppose financing life-ending practices have a greater measure of conscience protection. 

Data gathered from the Conference’s network showed an unprecedented level of responses to alerts on this proposal, and Conference staff repeatedly heard that legislators were receiving e-mails from their pro-life constituents. People who responded to the alert, and parishes that promoted it, made the critical difference. 

How can you help?
Those kinds of efforts will surely be needed again as the issue resurfaces in future years, so more network members are needed. Catholics across Virginia are urged to visit the Conference’s website and use the online sign-up feature to enroll.  Together, we can thank God for the hard-fought outcome in 2010, but we must also defend it vigorously and build for even greater gains.

Celebrating Independence Day is an opportunity to remember the perseverance of our nation’s founders. Together, they secured the freedom that we have today to be faithful citizens – freedom which enables us to participate in political decisions like the one I have described. May we exercise this freedom often to promote the common good of our Commonwealth. Happy Fourth of July!

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Commonwealth Cliffhanger: How VA Catholics Made a Crucial Difference in Cutting State Funded Abortions

By Jeff Caruso, Director of the Virginia Catholic Conference     

On July 1, a new Virginia budget policy took effect that dramatically curtails state funding of abortion. Although this landmark provision is but a few lines buried within hundreds of pages of state spending policies, it is the product of many voices and countless hours of “behind the scenes” advocacy over many years.     

A Timeline:     

Since 2005 - The Call for Change
Since its inception in 2005, the Virginia Catholic Conference has pushed for these restrictions, armed with figures showing that Virginia residents have been paying for well over 100 abortions per year with their state tax dollars. Promotion of laws that uphold the sanctity of life are an important part of the pro-life work of Catholic Virginians, which also includes outreach to women in crisis pregnancies and post-abortion healing ministries. Members of the Conference’s e-mail advocacy network consistently weighed in on the budget issue, sending hundreds of e-mails to their delegates and state senators expressing their opposition to paying for abortions.       

The VCC is the Public Policy Arm of the Virginia Dioceses

 

However, in each Virginia General Assembly session, an all-too-familiar sequence of events unfolded: The legislature’s House of Delegates would approve the abortion-funding restrictions, only to see the language rejected by a few Senate leaders during final budget negotiations between the House and Senate (without a recorded vote).     

After enduring the same tired outcome as the legislature adjourned this year on March 14, it seemed to most observers that pro-life advocates would remain stuck in the mud yet again. As spring began, though, a much different outcome was about to blossom.     

April  2010 - Amendment Garners Gubernatorial Backing
Recognizing the governor’s ability to propose line-item amendments to the budget (which the General Assembly would vote on upon returning to Richmond in April for a one-day session), the Conference and its network made their case to newly inaugurated Governor Bob McDonnell. The governor agreed that taxpayers should not be forced to pay for abortions, and decided it was time for a long-overdue up-or-down vote on the matter.      

On April 13, McDonnell proposed an amendment to ban state funding of all abortions except as required by federal law or state statute. The effect of the amendment, if approved, would be to eliminate the vast majority of Virginia’s publicly subsidized abortions (that is, those done under a general health rationale which has never received General Assembly approval).       

Advocacy helps protect the lives of the unborn!

 

Mid-April 2010 – Persuading the Senate
With the General Assembly set to reconvene on April 21, the Conference, its allies, and its grassroots network sprinted toward the finish line with a clear goal — to capture a majority of votes in the Senate, where both supporters and opponents of the amendment expected a razor-thin margin.     

In the days that followed, the Conference sent multiple alerts to its network, communicated with key senators, coordinated with allied pro-life organizations, provided urgent bulletin and pulpit announcements to parishes, and followed up with parish leaders in key districts.     

Two days before the vote, it appeared that a 20-20 tie was attainable in the Senate.      

April 19, 2010 – An Unexpected Twist
Ordinarily, that would be good news — the lieutenant governor breaks ties in the Senate, and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling opposes state abortion funding. Due to a completely bizarre turn of events, however, a tie would not be good enough. Bolling was stranded in Italy (attending an economic development conference) when flights were cancelled across Europe because of volcanic activity in Iceland.      

As news reports confirmed that he would not be able to fly back to Virginia in time for the vote, the Conference and its pro-life partners intensified their efforts.     

As citizens, we are able to be part of the political process.

 

 April 21, 2010 – Canvassing for Votes
When the day of the vote arrived, supporters and opponents of the governor’s proposed restrictions on abortion funding flocked to the Capitol and began visiting Senate offices one-by-one in search of crucial commitments.      

The day was long and full of ups and downs. The Senate Finance Committee heard testimony on the amendment in the morning (including expressions of concern by a University of Virginia hospital representative that were rebutted during the Senate floor debate).    

 In the afternoon, the House approved the amendment by an overwhelming 64-30 margin, as expected. However, the Conference also learned shortly afterward that one of the Senate’s pro-life legislators had to catch a flight before the Senate vote would occur.  Nevertheless, pro-life advocates continually followed up with senators throughout the day in an effort to secure precious votes.      

UPDATE: Read the end of the cliffhanger in Part II.

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Summer: An Opportunity to Grow for Teens

By: Caitlin Forst, Office of Communications 

 

If you have teenagers in your life like I do, you have probably heard a lot about their summer plans. For some, this summer will be their first time working or driving a car. For others, camps, swim teams and tennis lessons will quickly fill the hours no longer occupied by school. Still others will enjoy the summer sun, but perhaps have trouble finding much to do after a few weeks have passed. 

Bishop Loverde will visit both sessions of WorkCamp this year.

 

 Today, Bishop Loverde will celebrate Mass in Winchester for the hundreds of teens serving at the first of two sessions of WorkCamp. As Kevin Bohli, Director of the Office of Youth Ministry, wrote in his blog post, “The goal of these camps is to put young people into relationships with adults while working together on a common service project. The adults share their love of Jesus Christ with the teens and together they witness to that love through serving the less-fortunate.” 

This week as they work on roofs, paint walls and build wheelchair ramps, these teens will learn something that many of us have yet to really understand: that it truly is in giving that we receive. Many of these young men and women are back for their third or fourth year in a row and are sure to implement the values of service they learned when the week ends and they return to their homes. 

Others teens in the diocese will take several days this summer to pray and discern where God is calling them in their lives. The Office of Vocations is not only offering a discernment camp for high school men (Quo Vadis Days), as in previous years, but also a new camp for young women (FIAT Days). 

Bishop at Quo Vadis Days (Quo Vadis is Latin for "Where are You Going?")

 

A couple of years ago, in order to find out more about some of our summer initiatives, I visited Quo Vadis Days and listened to a talk on the meaning of authentic manhood. As I looked at these young men (who only minutes before had been playing rigorous sports outdoors), I thought how fortunate they were to be learning and praying about their vocation at their age. So many people I know did not have that opportunity and, while it is never too late for God’s grace, they certainly would have been grateful to be challenged at a younger age to pray about what God was asking of them as they grew older. 

FIAT signifies the "yes" of Mary to God's call.

 

Please keep the teenagers at both sessions of WorkCamp (due to popularity, a second week was added this year) and Quo Vadis and FIAT days in your prayers.  While there are many wonderful ways that teens can spend their summer, I am convinced that these opportunities will leave lasting impressions on the minds and hearts of those who participate. 

 What summer moments made a lasting impression on you when you were a teen? 

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