by Paul Morisi

Lent is a unique time in the Church year, one that is solemn and reflective. However, it is also a time when we see a resurgence of what some call “inactive” young adult Catholics. Those who are usually not churchgoers are all of a sudden in the pew next to you, and that is a good thing.

You do not have to overwhelm these newcomers with a variety of flyers of upcoming events. The likelihood of one of these young adults signing up to be drafter for a lifetime of Catholic activities is slim. A well-designed, eye-catching welcome card (it could be a post card or business card) with the important information on where to find out what is going on in the parish or who to contact for young adults would be important. Having a good website or a Facebook page is an excellent way to do this. Have your up-to-date events available on these sites.

Having exciting and engaging events for Catholic young adults may seem intimidating. Here are some simple ideas:

Small Lenten Groups: Lent is a relatively short time in the life of the Church calendar. Utilize its brevity. Arrange for short five-week programs (i.e. Bible study, men’s and women’s prayer groups, anything that gathers people to share their faith). People might not be willing to sign up to attend 52 Sundays a year, but perhaps they might meet for five weeks.

Online Retreats: Young adults are busy, especially in the hustle and bustle of the Brooklyn and Queens lifestyle. Inform those young adults to try a virtual retreat or reflection. These can be found on www.loyolapress.com and www.bustedhalo.com. This would allow them to connect to the Church at their leisure, hopefully engaging them in a way that will bring them to weekly worship.

Movie Night: Everyone loves movies. Be supplied with plenty of snacks, good movies and discussion topics. Similar to the small Lenten groups, preparing faith-centered discussions for five movies (showing one movie a week) can allow young adults a time to share in fellowship and their faith. You’ll be surprised at what lessons can be extracted from movies like Juno, Pay it Forward or Spiderman.

Put the Ball in their Court: Encourage, rather, challenge them to bring someone down with them to a future function. Chances are these young adults have friends who are also young adults. See if they can bring along one of their friends. Not only will it increase the attendance at your event, but it will also strengthen the connection that the Church is more than just a building: It’s a community of people.

These are just a few ideas to get the ball rolling. Think of what makes your parish special, or what special gifts the members of your parish or young adult group have that can be put to use. Remember, this is all about community building, building the community of Christ and leading us to the Kingdom of God.

Paul Morisi is the coordinator of adolescent and young adult faith formation in the diocese’s Office of Faith Formation.

by Father Robert Lauder

I am starting to write this column shortly after engaging in centering prayer. Part of centering prayer is being silent with God, giving God time to speak to you. I notice that more and more in homilies I urge members of the congregation to set aside time to listen to God. This column is being written because I now feel compelled to try to say what I mean by urging people to listen to God. Often centering prayer ends with the person just enjoying God’s presence. While the person praying may be silent, God may be speaking. I believe that God is.

In recent years I have become very aware of people not listening. I am surprised how often people interrupt one another. Just a few days ago I gave a lecture and I said something that apparently disturbed someone in the audience. When the person publicly disagreed with what she thought I had said, I tried to explain what I meant. Each time I tried, the person interrupted. She seemed unable to listen to me. She thought she knew what my statement meant and though I tried to explain to her that it did not mean what she thought it meant, my effort was in vain. This is not an isolated incident in my experience. Often I find that in a private conversation I am interrupted in the middle of some statement that I am trying to make. Whether others have the same experience of being interrupted in conversations I don’t really know but I wonder if one of the reasons that people might have for not listening is that all of us are under various pressures and many of us live at a very hectic pace.

The importance of listening to God has become more central in my own understanding of the Christian life. Reading a number of contemporary theologians has also convinced me that one of the problems that makes religion irrelevant to many people today is that people cannot be still, cannot reflect on what is most important in life. Though I can try to help students at St. John’s University to be more reflective through the study of philosophy, and though I can try in homilies and columns to call people to personal reflection, I keep hoping for some magical solution that will impress upon some of my contemporaries the importance of living an examined life, the importance of personal reflection upon how they are living and why they are living as they are. Of course I also have to remind myself to be more reflective.
When I say that at times when we are praying we should be silent and listen to God I do not mean that we are going to hear a voice. That has never happened to me. What I mean when I say that God will speak to us is that in our silence God will communicate with us. In centering prayer we are not present to God to make petitions nor are we present to God to tell God our problems. In centering prayer we try to be present to God Who is always present to us in a way similar to how two friends might be present to one another.

One of the problems that I have had in praying is that I have tended to think of God as statically present to me, almost like an observer. I tend to think of God as an onlooker. Of course this is a false view of God. In our lives God is actively present. When we pray God is not just a listener. In fact we could not even pray except that God calls us, touches us, invites us. God gives us the grace that enables us to turn to God. So God is active even before we become active, even before we raise our minds and hearts toward God.

I imagine that God wants all of us to enter more deeply into the love relationship that God has initiated with us. Perhaps if we are silent in the presence of God, we will be able to hear how this God is calling us into this deeper relationship. It might be through some insight we receive into ourselves when we are silent before God, it might be through some insight we receive into the mystery of God when we are silent in God’s presence. Of course I cannot predict how God will communicate with any of us, not even with me.

Though I cannot predict how God will communicate with any of us in our silence, I believe we should be very confident that God will communicate.

Our warmest congratulations and heartfelt sentiments of esteem go out to Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. This tremendous honor, added to the dignity of his important office, is both fitting and well-merited. But Cardinal Dolan, with his familiar serio-comic humor, was quick to put his elevation in perspective, saying that he would sooner be a saint than a cardinal. And why not all of us, as he, aim for the heights of heaven?

Archbishop Dolan’s inspirited earthiness suggests to us that aspirations to sainthood do not require us to abandon our love for life and all created things. If we might be so bold as to indulge a thread of chit-chat that started before Ash Wednesday, rumor has it that the new cardinal’s first two decrees would be to ban the consumption of instant mashed potatoes and lite beer among his “subjects.” It is Lent now and we will postpone immediate indulgence. The cardinal himself promises to set the example by rationing his own pasta helpings, so that his new ring will fit less snugly.

As one who understands the almost sacramental value in the camaraderie of a good meal, he is, in effect, inviting us to enjoy the connection between the “liturgies” of everyday life and the eternal Liturgy of Heaven made present at every Mass. Taking the time to enjoy our friendships around a table and getting to know new friends is at least as important as the work we do. Or perhaps it is the work that we do best as Christians. A Trinitarian God, after all, is all about relationships: three Persons revolving totally around each other for all eternity in ecstatic communion.

In Lent, our focus on Jesus and His sacrifice intensifies as no other time during the liturgical year. Of course, our lives as Christians are always centered around Christ, but most especially now on the sacrificial nature of His mission as the Son of Man. The heart of Gospel conversion is that we will live no longer for ourselves, but for Him. That is why the Church, semper reformanda, understands its mission to extend beyond itself. In fact, its own reform depends upon its resistance to the temptations of triumphalism and its readiness to sacrifice its comfort by emptying itself, like our Lord, for the salvation of souls.

No one knows what sacrifices will be demanded of us as Catholics in America during the months and years ahead. We cannot be seduced by the delusion that “keeping up with the times” will enhance the relevance of the Gospel to the world in which we live. Two things that Christ did consistently throughout His public ministry was to put people’s lives back together by giving them the healing they asked for but also, by preaching and dying, revealing to them a deeper need that they did not know or ask for: forgiveness from sin.

To fulfill the mission that our Lord has given us as His Church, it is our role to continue both aspects of His saving ministry. Thus we cannot and will not be confined to our churches alone, but will reach out into the highways and byways as He did and as we have always done through our hospitals, schools, soup kitchens, orphanages, halfway houses, immigration services and many other agencies and apostolates. At the same time, we will proclaim the kerygma of the Gospel of life that, as we were reminded on Ash Wednesday, calls us to turn away from sin — to repent and believe the Good News! Thus the instruments of death that lead us into addiction or slavery of any form will always be opposed by the Church, even if means the witness of refusing to comply with unjust laws or ways of living that may be commonplace among our contemporaries.

As Cardinal Dolan suggests by his own higher aspirations, it is more important for us all to become holier than more popular in the eyes of the world. Lent is a particularly good time to ask ourselves whether or not we are living to please others who want us to conform to their expectations of us or to please the Lord in whose true image and likeness alone we were re-fashioned through our Baptism into Him.

Reflecting on the incidents of human brutality during the American Civil War, our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, once spoke with hope that his countrymen would eventually choose to follow their “better angels” instead.

This points to how the human heart may follow either the impulses of those bad spirits or of those good spirits which can lead us to sin or to grace. In this fundamental choice lies the drama of the human life in its relationship with God. The readings for this First Sunday of Lent set the stage for this drama.

The first reading from the Book of Genesis recalls God’s essential love of His creation. In spite of the ancient legacy of sin in the world since the fall of Adam and Eve, God finds hope in their righteous descendent Noah. Through Noah, He establishes a covenant with the human race and all created beings. The waters of the flood which could destroy creation instead cleanse it anew, leaving the rainbow as a sign of the new harmony between heaven and earth. The flood becomes a foreshadowing of the waters of Baptism by which God creates a new covenant with humanity through Christ.

Love and Truth
Today’s psalm response speaks of this reconciliation between human beings and God. The ways of God “are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.” The psalm recalls the benevolence of God for the sinner who realizes that he has gone the wrong way but now seeks to follow God’s way again. God is his savior and restores their relationship.

Traditionally, the Church begins Lent by reflecting on the Gospel story of Jesus’ temptations in the desert. This year, we read from the Gospel of St. Mark. It is the shortest of the Gospel accounts, so much so that we do not have the three specific temptations related by Matthew and Luke. All Mark tells us is that following his Baptism, Jesus is immediately driven by the Spirit into the desert where He spends 40 days and is tempted by Satan. For all we know, He may be tempted more than three times.

                         “… temptation – as difficult as it is – is not itself sin. 

                          It is actually neutral: it can be the invitation 

                         to disobey God’s will … or the opportunity to grow in grace”

 

Extreme Choices
The evangelist’s brevity, though, tells us much. God, now in our humanity, undergoes temptation, which is the fate of all human beings in this world. The presence of wild beasts and angels in the desert reminds us of the extreme choices given to us when we are tempted. We can either give in to the savagery of sin or grow in the divine life of grace. Jesus is like us in all things but sin. The fact that God as man is tempted should encourage us to realize that temptation – as difficult as it is – is not itself sin. It is actually neutral: it can be the invitation to disobey God’s will and sin, or the opportunity to grow in grace by conforming our will to God’s.

We know that the temptation to do what is evil can pursue us like a wild beast. We can resist it, even repeatedly. We may think that it has left us, only for the Tempter to reappear, hounding us again on another occasion. The surrender to temptation by sinning can even seem to bring resolution of the conflict and relief, but with it comes the guilt that we have been unfaithful to God.

By facing temptation in the desert, Jesus shows us that human beings can refuse to sin. We can willfully choose the good and refuse the evil. God, in our tempted flesh, reveals to us that it is the natural destiny of human beings not to sin. This is the original way of life the Creator intended for us before we ever encountered the Tempter. To overcome temptation and be faithful to God is truly human. To sin, therefore, is not to be human.

The author of the First Letter of Peter reminds us that Christ, as the perfectly righteous man, has redeemed all spirits in this world and beyond that were disobedient to the will of God. As Noah navigates the waters of the flood, Christ establishes the waters of baptism to overcome sin and create a new beginning of goodness.

By His example in our human flesh, He shows us that we can be victorious over the Tempter as often as he may assault us.

It is by His overcoming the human temptation to sin that Christ reveals His glory as God. He thereby shows us how to follow our “better angels” in whom Lincoln trusted.

READINGS FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT:
Genesis 9: 8-15
Psalm 25: 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
1 Peter 3: 18-22
Mark 1: 12-15

Father William A. McLaughlin, administrator of St. Fidelis parish, College Point, is an adjunct professor of theology at St. John’s University, Jamaica, and an instructor in the diocesan Pastoral Institute.

Scouts Honored in Howard Beach

Congressman Bob Turner recently helped honor the Cub Scouts of Troop and Pack 139 of Howard Beach who received the Arrow of Light Award — the highest honor a Cub Scout receives — and crossed over into the Boy Scouts. Back row, Lisa Forgione, cubmaster and webelos den leader, and Miguel Hernandez, assistant webelos den leader, watched as Turner, center, presented congressional certificates to seven scouts, front row, from left, Elijah Ramirez, Nicholas Perez, Michael Horton, Alessandro Alesci, Raymond Stehle, Joseph Campisi and Daniel DeMatteis at St. Helen’s School.

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Spring is coming and now is the time to say goodbye to those jeans that are two sizes too small and that dress taking up space in the back of your closet.
Next Saturday, March 3, the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Brendan’s parish, Midwood, will collect your new and gently used clean clothing from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. for the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
These Scouts are no strangers to service but this is their first clothing drive — something they hope to make an annual event. Clean out your closets and support the Scouts. For more details, contact Boy Scout Master Vincent Manguael at 347-374-3037.

But when you’re cleaning those closets, don’t throw away any old yarn or unfinished knitting projects you find! Donate remnants, along with partial or full skeins, wool or acrylic, to the Arts and Crafts Group at Our Lady of Grace, Gravesend, during regular rectory hours. Artists and crafters can create something beautiful out of your unwanted scraps.

Speaking of repurposing and reinventing, how about you?
Reinvent Yourself: Creating a Blueprint for Your Future is the theme of the 16th annual Focus on Women Symposium, which will be hosted by Brooklyn Women’s Services, an affiliate of Maimonides Medical Center, March 10, 9 a.m. at Sirico’s Restaurant, Dyker Heights.
The cost is $10 per person and includes a continental breakfast, take-home writing journal and valet parking. For tickets, call 748-1234 or visit www.bwsnyc.com.

This Lent, focus on your spiritual growth and learn more about the faith. American Martyrs, Bayside, invites you to a Lenten Mission Retreat: Based on the Seven Sacraments, March 11-14, 7 p.m. in church. Presenter: Father Michael Sullivan, O.S.A. For details, call 718-464-4582.

Holy Family parish, Flushing, invites locals to a begin their Lenten journey with a very special presentation: The Shroud of Turin, Feb. 29, 7 p.m. Presenter: Donald H. Nohs, associate general director of the Confraternity of the Passion International, is one of the world’s leading authorities on the Shroud of Turin and Jesus’ Passion. Nohs will share his knowledge of the Passion of Jesus and answer thought provoking questions. All are welcome to attend. For further details, call 718-969-2448.

Last week, we promised details on an upcoming visit to the diocese from Mother Dolores Hart. Here’s the scoop faithful readers: Mother Dolores will be the special guest speaker at a Communion Brunch at Corpus Christi, Woodside, March 18. Arrive for 12:30 p.m. for Mass followed by a full brunch. Tickets are just $15. Reserve your seat by March 12. Call 718-278-8114.

Attention alumni, former faculty and friends of Immaculate Heart of Mary, Windsor Terrace/Kensington, you are invited to Celebrate IHM School, which will close in June. (A new academy will replace IHM and Holy Name schools this fall.) Come back to see the school one more time, reconnect with friends and former teachers, exchange memories, attend Mass and share dinner on June 2. An organizing committee has been formed but volunteers are needed. If you’d like to volunteer, or if you have photos to share, contact the parish at 718-871-1310.

In honor of Black History Month, this week’s Tip of the Tablet TALK Top Hat goes to the black Catholic clergy, seminarians and laity who minister and serve in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens.

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Scout Sunday in Maspeth

The Boy Scouts of America observes the anniversary of its founding on Feb. 8 and annually designates the entire month of February to celebrating Scouting. Scouts and leaders of Cub Scout Pack 312, sponsored by St. Stanislaus Kostka Holy Name Society in Maspeth, were recognized for their contributions to the parish and larger community at a Scout Sunday Mass on Feb. 5. Father Paul Wood, pastor, above, celebrated the special Mass at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, and posed for pictures with scouts and their leaders.

by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio,

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

Lent is again upon us. We take inspiration from our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and his annual Lenten message, with the theme, “Let us be concerned for one another to stir a response in love and good works.” (Heb 10:24) Concern for one another truly can become a byword for the observance of Lent. It entails taking responsibility for our brothers and sisters, as the Holy Father tells us in his Lenten message. Concern means to scrutinize, to be attentive, to observe carefully and take stock of something. This is the kind of concern that we are called to have for those around us. It is a special Lenten concern because during this time we are asked to undertake works of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. All of these can show concern for others if we understand them properly.

The Holy Father tells us that concern for others, “entails desiring what is good for them from every point of view: physical, moral and spiritual.” To desire to do good for others, in a holistic way, is truly a challenge. Our human nature causes us to be concerned first for ourselves. To break out of our shells and to be concerned for others takes effort and sacrifice. The Holy Father, in quoting the parables of Jesus, reminds us of how Jesus saw concern for others. The first is the Good Samaritan, where the priest and Levite pass the man left by robbers to die. (Lk 10:30-32) And the second is the parable of Dives and Lazarus, in which the rich man is heedless of the poverty of Lazarus who was starving to death at his very door. (Lk 16:19)  These parables, the Holy Father tells us, show examples of being the opposite of being concerned, which is forgetting to look upon others with love and compassion.

Lent is a time when we can refocus our attention on our concern for others. There is an interesting note in Pope Benedict XVI’s message which reminds us that being concerned for others entails being also concerned for their spiritual well-being. One thing that is often forgotten is our responsibility for fraternal correction of others for their eternal good and salvation. It is never easy to overcome our pride and reticence in trying to correct others. We tend to let others make their own mistakes, and we are very loath to point out their errors to them, lest they, in turn, point out ours. In the sayings of the Desert Fathers, we find an interesting story of Abba Sisoes, the Theban, who said to his disciples, “Tell me what you see in me and then I will tell you what I see in you.” His disciple said to him, “You are a good man, but a little hard.” The old man said to him, “You are good, too, but you are not tough enough.”  Lent, however, may be a time when we can truly help another person by pointing out to them their faults, while at the same time being ready to accept our own faults in humility.

The Holy Father reminds us that being concerned for each other entails the gift of reciprocity. We must be ready to receive as well as to give. Because, as the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi reminds us, “In giving, we receive.” Many times, we receive more than we give, especially when we give with an open heart. A gift to others rebounds to us many times over.

The Lenten theme of Pope Benedict XVI reminds us then “‘To stir a response in love and good works.’ These words from the Letter to the Hebrews (10:24) urges us to reflect on the universal call to holiness, the continuing journey of the spiritual life as we aspire to the greater spiritual gifts and to an ever more sublime and fruitful charity.” (cf. 1Cor 12:31-12:13) These words make us recognize that we cannot just go halfway, but rather that we are called to a total commitment of self in doing good for others.

Our Lenten observance may take many forms. This year, perhaps, we can follow our Holy Father’s advice and be concerned for one another so that it may stir a response in love and good works. Yes, we must also fast and pray because these practices enable us to love all the more.

Each Lent, we put out into the deep recesses of our souls. We try to find ways to make ourselves more attentive to the love of God that is placed in our hearts. Let us pray for each other during Lent, that we will arrive at Easter renewed in faith that is full of many good works.