Sunday, January 31, 2010

Education and Formation


(Note: this was my "pastor's reflection" in the Good Shepherd Parish Bulletin, January 31, 2010.)


It would be very difficult to come to church this weekend without being aware that this is Catholic Schools Week. Please permit me some reflections on the purpose, value and meaning of Catholic Education.

A very real first question has to be, "Why?" Why have Catholic schools in the first place? Especially when we in our society have excellent alternatives readily available, both public and private.

Without a strong Catholic identity at the core, Catholic education is a meaningless contradiction, wasting resources that are needed for engaging in the mission of Christ and his Church. If the core is firmly Catholic, the Catholic school is an integral and essential component of the mission of the Church.

A solid core of Catholic identity provides an important tool to integrate all facets of knowledge -- science, the humanities and arts, social studies, history and culture, as well as life-skills -- into a unified whole. So much secular education is fragmented, concentrating only on what's needed to fulfill personal, limited, and worldly goals, such as maintaining a lifestyle or making money. On the other hand, a lot of sectarian religious education propagates a narrow view of reality that rejects legitimate science and reason in favor of a fundamentalist blind faith. Witness the silly arguments of both creationists and atheists who "believe" that everything is fundamentally chance and devoid of any ultimate meaning beyond itself.

The only valid real purpose of education has to be formation. Those two words might seem synonymous, but there's a literally a world of difference between them. "Education" come from a Latin word meaning "to lead forth." It really speaks more of an external process of acquiring learning, going from "not knowing" to "knowing" something. "Formation," however, is an internal process of, literally, becoming something new. Formation will result in transformation, the bringing forth of something new.

Education tends to focus on getting something to achieve a goal. Not a bad thing in itself, just incomplete and inadequate. Formation brings about transformation, of the individual person, of the relationships that constitute community and society, and ultimately, of the world itself. We can't merely dismiss that ideal and settle for mere education without abandoning our reason for being.

Today is also the beginning of the annual Archdiocesan appeal for Together in Mission. We as Catholics have to realize that an essential part of our faith is the difficult love of those who are disadvantaged, a love that has to manifest itself in action. Together in Mission is our opportunity to help support Catholic schools where this "formation" and "transformation" are most important. As we consider Together in Mission over the coming weeks, I ask that you pay attention to Jesus pointing to our own neighboring parishes and schools where it is also our responsibility to serve the "least" of his brothers and sisters.

Finally, this idea of formation has been my primary motivating for putting so much effort into preparing for and leading my Early Christian World Pilgrimage to Turkey, which is coming up in just two months, April 6-28.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

A bishop goes to Mass!

I have often felt that the one thing that would most improve the celebration of our liturgies would be for priests to go to Mass once in a while. I mean join their fellow baptized members of the Body of Christ in the pews, and actually experience what they routinely subject their flock to. I try to do that from time to time, even in my own parish, though not as often as I should.

I was delighted to discover that a bishop does that too! And even has the courage to write about it. God bless Bishop Tobin, and I'd like to suggest to my fellow priests that we all might benefit from a serious and consistent imitation of his practice. I know our people would.

During vacation this summer I followed my normal practice of attending Sunday Mass as a “private citizen,” that is, in secular attire, with the congregation, in the pews. Even though I truly cherish the privilege of leading the liturgy as I do almost every Sunday, it’s also refreshing once in awhile to be on the other side of the altar.

Doing so allows me to avoid the public spotlight, eliminates the pressure of having to prepare a homily, and helps me to return to the ministry relaxed and ready to go.Whenever I join the rank-and-file, it’s amazing how quickly I assume the characteristics of what might be considered the “typical Catholic.” ... Read the rest.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Connected by Bonds of Understanding

(Note: the first part of this message is my "Pastor's Message" in the Good Shepherd Sunday Bulletin for January 24. But I didn't have space to continue it, which I am doing here.)

Last Tuesday I had the honor of signing and personally putting in the mail a check from the parish to Catholic Relief Services for Haiti Relief totaling $7,600. In your generosity, you contributed $6,560 last weekend, specifically designated for Haiti. We added, as promised, 10% of the regular Sunday collection, which you generously give weekly for the support of our church: $1,040. By the time you read this, CRS is putting this money to use. Contributions keep coming in, and so we will continue to forward these donations to them. You can find our more about CRS and donate directly online at http://crs.org.

I am grateful to you, the People of God who are the Catholic Community of the Good Shepherd, and proud of you, for your wonderful generosity to those in need as well as for your ongoing support of the life and mission of our parish.

Next week, we will begin the annual Los Angeles Archdiocesan appeal, Together in Mission, in which we are asked to help the very real local need of keeping Catholic churches and schools alive in our own distressed neighborhoods. I have been amazed at the level of support you gave this in the past, and look forward to a successful outcome in this, my first year with you.

When I turned my computer on today to begin writing this message to you, one item the "news corner" of my homepage was headlin
ed, "Christian-Muslim Mayhem in Nigeria Kills Dozens." Why, when there is such need for cooperation in relieving the suffering in our world, are so many intent on creating more suffering?

I am saddened when this question is discussed, that so many resort to blaming the other and justifying their own righteousness. Is that helpful? Does that produce any good beyond fleeting self-satisfaction, which often leads to isolation, further alienation, retribution, more suffering, and, ultimately, self-destruction?

If we believe God's revelation in Jesus, love is the answer. But love is the ultimate weasel word. Everybody uses it to mean what they want it to mean, to the extent that it can even become a mask for indifference and hatred. Genuine love is tested by forgiveness. In fact, the second most often repeated command of Jesus in the Gospels is to "love your enemies."

The command takes various forms, including "forgive seventy times seven times," "turn the other cheek," and so on -- most all of them easily dismissed as "impractical." "Surely you couldn't have meant that, could you, Jesus?" Picture yourself asking him that face to face. What do you think his answer would be?

I repeat: the second most repeated command of Jesus is "Love your enemies," in a form that includes forgiveness as it's central component. Well, what's the first lcommand? Over and over again, Jesus is quoted as saying "Do not fear."

Could it be that fear is the true enemy of love? The kind of love that Jesus expects of us? The love that crosses and overcomes barriers? The love that does not hold back?

I would like to propose that it is understanding that directly addresses the sources of our fear, and puts them in the kind of perspective that enables us to rise beyond fear in order to forgive and to love.

I'd further like to propose that we tend to get the concept of "understanding" backward. Think about it. Isn't the question we usually ask, "what do I want to understand about you?" Picture somebody else asking that question about you, and then basing their understanding of you on what they want or think they need rather than on who or what you actually are? And the phrase "about you" makes you feel like an object rather than a person. Do you think that's fair? And yet, that's what we do a lot, especially when it comes to groups of people whom we believe, for whatever reason, are alien or threatening.

How can we look at it the other way around? What if our basic question was "What do you need me to understand about you?"

Suppose, before the earthquake, we had approached the people of Haiti with the question "What would you want us to understand about you?" Not "do for you" but "understand about you." Let's face it, what I do is always based on how I see things. Would that have begun to make a difference that might have changed how things unfolded after the earthquake? I don't know, of course. But if that had been the basic question people (and nations, religions, and cultures) asked one another over the past two hundred years, or two thousand years, can we imagine how different things would be today?

Over the past few years, one of the benefits of the Early Christian World Pilgrimage for me as the leader has been to reflect deeply on what is needed for mutual understanding among people. And I have come to the conclusion that all understanding has to be based on approaching people on their terms, not mine. Easier said, or pretended, than done, under the best of circumstances. Exponentially more difficult when conditions seem dangerous or threatening.

Yet, maybe it's true that "practice makes perfect." St. Thomas Aquinas made a big deal out of defining "virtue" as a "habit," a facility for doing good acquired by repeatedly doing it. Jesus said something kind of similar, "As you were faithful in small matters, I will put you in charge of greater."

Perhaps every time we talk with anyone else, it would be good to keep the other-centered question in the back of our minds. Not "What are you trying to tell me?" but "What do you need me to understand about you?"

I have often thought the basis for interfaith dialogue has to be asking the other dialogue partner to express what they want us to know. For example, between Christians and Muslims, the mutual questions need to be phrased carefully and asked sincerely: "What do you as a Muslim want me as a Christian to understand about Islam?" and "What do you as a Christian want me as a Muslim to understand about Christianity?"

This is why I am so committed to the Early Christian World Pilgrimage experience. We don't just visit "holy places." We immerse ourselves in the interactions among God and people, and people with one another, and discover a quality of undersanding that, I believe, is truly graced.

There are still openings for anyone who might want to and be able to come on this unique journey of faith and exploration this coming April. All the information you need is at http://ecwpilgrimage.org.

Pilgrimage to the "Other" Holy Land

(Note: this was my "Pastor's Message" for the Good Shepherd Parish Bulletin, January 10, 2010.)

What is a pilgrimage? It has been described as a journey to a far place in order to live more fully in one's own near place. The "far place" is called holy or sacred, usually because of a person or event of the past in which the action of God is perceived in a special way. The Irish speak of "thin places" where the boundaries between the divine and the human become more transparent, and one experiences the nearness of God in an extraordinary way.

Except for a few tours, usually labeled "Footsteps of St. Paul," Turkey, a modern secular democratic republic that is 99% Muslim, is rarely thought of as a Christian pilgrimage destination. Yet even a quick look at the map and at history will reveal a greater concentration of places and events that have formed and shaped our Christian faith than any other country in the world, including Italy and Israel. Since 2006 I have led an annual "Early Christian World" Pilgrimage, which gives participants the opportunity to experience why Turkey earns the title, "the Other Holy Land."

The itinerary crosses paths with St. Paul in significant places, such as Tarsus, Ephesus, Antioch, and Galatia. It also touches something of the world of St. John and other Apostles, and includes a visit to Mary's house. It's fascinating to explore the archaeological remains of the early Christian communities here, since the New Testament gives so few details about their daily lives.

This land, even more than Rome, is where our Catholic faith grew and matured over the first eight centuries. Martyrs shed their blood here, communities of the faithful met for Eucharist in homes and later built churches. The early ecumenical councils, which served to define how we can understand the content of our Biblical faith in Jesus, and formulated the Nicene Creed which we profess every Sunday at Mass, took place in and around Constantinople (now Istanbul), Ephesus, and Nicea (present-day Iznik). Cappadocia, a fantastic volcanic landscape with weird rock formations, churches and dwellings carved into hillsides, and extensive and elaborate ancient underground cities, was home to some of the greatest monks and theologians of the early church.

Standing in many of these places, the ruins of which have been carefully excavated and exquisitely preserved or restored, one feels a part of the great panorama of history behind them, a history that speaks eloquently and clearly of the Spirit-led interaction between God and his people that is our heritage as Christians today. Understanding our past is essential to understanding and living our present.

Celebrating Mass together in many of these holy places, as well as daily prayer, is of course at the heart of our reasons for making this journey.

I often compare this Early Christian World experience to a child exploring his grandparents' attic, discovering treasures long hidden and filled with meaning, and coming out with a new appreciation of his own family life and origins. About seventy people have already made this Pilgrimage over the past few years, and many have found it truly life-changing.

This year's Early Christian World Pilgrimage to Turkey will be a three-week journey, April 7-28. There are still opportunities to join us. The cost is quite reasonable for what you get, $2,950 per person, double occupancy, not including airfare to Istanbul. (I've found that many people prefer to make their own flight arrangements.) Round-trip airfare will be around $1,000 to $1,200, and, including incidental expenses, you can safely budget around $5,000 for the whole cost. If you are interested, please contact me without delay. Email me at thomas.welbers@gmail.com. There are many other dimensions and facets of this unique pilgrimage experience. You can explore them at http://ecwpilgrimage.org.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Haiti--Information and Help

In addition to the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) I noted in my previous post, I'd suggest visiting the Haiti Mission page of Holy Family church in south Pasadena. It appears that any assistance given through them will go very directly and very specifically to their targeted relief efforts.

InterAction has a very extensive list of faith-based organizations that are providing disaster relief aid for Haiti. Everyone should find one (or several) that most matches his or her interests and desires for being of service.


There are several places to get news about Haiti and the aftermath of its devastating earthquake that you might not find in the usual media outlets.

Since the country is more than 80% Catholic, obviously the Catholic sources will give us an important perspective, and have on-the-scene connections that many others don't.

Catholic News Service

Catholic News Agency

National Catholic Reporter

Other sites I've run across:

The Wikipedia 2010 Haiti Earthquake page is being constantly updated, and contributors draw from many sources.

HaitiXchange also has instructions for getting Google Earth satellite images of the devastation in Port-au-Prince


Below are three pictures of the Cathedral in P0rt-au-Prince (Our Lady of the Assumption -- Cathédrale Notre-Dame de L'Assomption).

First, from the ground, before and after.

Google Earth satellite picture of the Cathedral before:


...and after:


Haiti--Understand and Respond

Here's what I've written for our parish bulletin on Sunday:

So much suffering has been inflicted on the people of Haiti, one of the very poorest nations in the world!

In praying for them, we need to realize that God does not "magically" answer prayers, but rather uses human instruments that are willing to extend themselves to relieve the sufferings of his "little ones." Let us pray that the hearts of all those in the world, nations and individuals alike, who "have enough" will be opened to embrace those who "have nothing," as Jesus himself and his Apostles have warned us we must do.

God can bring good out of evil. The old proverb, "God writes straight with crooked lines," remains true, but we must let God use us as his writing instruments. Perhaps, with the right kind of attentive help from the world community, the tragedy of this week can transform the ruling leadership of Haiti to become more a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people," as must be the ideal-become-reality for all nations.

While prayer does not work magic, it can work wonders by transforming our own hearts to imitate the compassion and generosity of our loving God's heart.

We all have an immediate opportunity to contribute very directly to aid for the suffering people of Haiti following the devastating earthquake. As pastor of Good Shepherd, I believe that our parish community has a special responsibility to imitate Jesus the Good Shepherd in our care for his flock. This weekend I have directed that we will "tithe" 10% of our regular parish collection to disaster relief in Haiti. And if you wish to make a special donation, you may join me in adding to the regular collection a generous donation in the special envelopes in the pews. (We do not take up a separate "special collection" after Communion, so please put it in the regular collection basket.)

Our contributions for Haiti earthquake relief, in addition to the 10% of our regular collection amount, will be sent this week to Catholic Relief Services, which is nationally recognized as one of the most efficient and effective relief organizations in the world. If you would like to contribute directly to Catholic Relief Services, here's their address:

Catholic Relief Services
228 W. Lexington St.
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-3413
888-277-7575

They also welcome online contributions at www.crs.org.

If we commit ourselves wholeheartedly to letting God work through us, we can be assured that our prayer will be answered, because our lives will be the answer to his prayer to us. Think about the truth of that statement.