Jim Mahoney's Blog - Sacred to Etc.

Can we have integrity and accuracy in the surveys we use - in religion and politics? June 25, 2021

Reminder: This is a personal blog - and does not represent anyone's thoughts other than my own. Sometimes, I'm working through my own thinking. Sometimes, I'm trying to figure things out. Sometimes, I'm just plain having fun. Sometimes, I'm just being impish. Sometimes, I'm really ticked. Sometimes, I'm on a soapbox. Sometimes I'm really frustrated. This blog could have little pieces of each of these things. I realized that I had left out a very important point - so I just added it below.

(I am not weighing in on the present contretemps between the Vatican and the US Bishops' conference regarding politicians and receiving Communion other than to make this little point: WIthout much thought or effort at all, suddenly this issue became a political issue fueled by the bishops' conference rather than a national time of greater appreciation for the Eucharist.)

This is an unsettling time in the Church. The national bishops' conference is certainly not playing well with the Vatican. The majority of the bishops in the conference see no need to follow the guidance of the Vatican and the pope. Some surveys being used by certain groups in these matters seem, in my thoughtful judgment, to have been designed by the rather happy amateur sociologist in the above photo - just my hunch.

I am keenly interested in high quality sociological analysis. Political campaigns use and distort findings to prove their points. Some politicians manipulate data to correspond with their own thinking. Some of those who present results of surveys save themselves the time and just print what they want. The same thing can happen when church people use research. Some of the surveys that have been released recently about attitudes and issues on the Eucharist violate some basics of good sociology. Shame on them. It's a strange world. I really don't know why the fellow in the photo is so happy. Maybe he just got paid for his latest survey. Hopefully he did not receive more salary than a bunch of bananas.

Do you get the feeling that this blog is a little scatter-shot? I am careening from topic to topic - but with one overriding point: our Church will benefit when good valid research is used. Our society and political campaigns will benefit when good valid research is used. Until that point, decisions will continue to be made with misleading data.

When I came across this photo earlier today, it made me laugh, but also started me thinking. Why can't we insist that Church people present clear results of surveys with carefully written questions? Why do we tolerate political leaders who just make up things and present them as data? 

Until that time, these people may be given more and more bananas for their "work." This does not seem right.

Is there a spiritual point to this blog?  Actually, yes.  I believe that each of us is placed here on this earth by God to do and to be the very best we can be. Just look at the lines above dealing with religion and surveys. The religious point is not that some things put out in the name of Church leaders are really not that good. Mediocrity about things dealing with our service to God's people really tick me off. If what we do is about God  - if what we do is meant to give people a reason to belong to the Church - and, yes, a reason to come back - to keep coming back - then don't we owe our people more than mediocre misleading surveys? That is insulting to our people and nor worthy of our respect before God. 

I work very hard on my homilies. Once in a while, I coast - and don't put everything I have in them - and I don't feel good about it. The people deserve better than this. God deserves better than this. I have to see Church people get away with giving their people a "work product" that is much less than our best. We don't need to be intellectual pygmies. We need to work like heck to do out best and give our best to our people. If we don't, then get in another line of work.

When I was in grade school in Illinois, we had a priest in one of the parishes who used to go berserk about some priests whom he called "intellectual pygmies." Never knew what he was talking about until I had been a priest for a few years. Simply put, he was impatient with priests who did not give their ministry (God) everything they had. I don't think this is arrogance, but I really have little use for priests who don't give their very best to their preaching and to their care of their parish - priests who are not relentless in coming up with best possible ways to serve their people - to preach their homilies.

Having said all this and stood on several soapboxes just in this blog, may I add something more important than everything I wrote above? We have some priests who may not work as hard as they can at the tasks of ministry, but they do work hard at being kind. I get the most upset at priests who are not relentlessly kind. That counts more than everything else. I have encountered some priests who people think are incredibly talented, but deep down they are not kind.  I'll take kindness any day of the work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The World Is Still Here after the US and Russia talked together - June 16, 2021

Are you old enough to remember fallout shelters? Drills conducted in all schools in case of a nuclear attack?  And a whole host of other ways in which we tried to prepare for an atomic attack on our nation. I was thinking about this a lot during the past few days as I was glued to the TV with the various meetings of world wide leaders in Europe which culminated in the conversation between the U.S. President and the Russian President. I remember being told a certain way to sit so that the school desks could protect us from the atomic blast (waste of time, in hindsight, but it was the thought that counted!). All schools and other buildings had to have certain airtight supplies of food - and sometimes supplies of water, etc. My hunch is that none of the supplies have water and food that is proper to drink or eat today. It is a different world, right now - thank goodness.But these were real concerns during the 1960's, serious concerns. 

Since the conversations ended a little while ago, I was glad to see that most of the politicians made low-key statements. A few ignored the axiom that any criticism of a president should stop be our country's border - a wise guide for behavior, it seems to me.

In the midst of these meetings of world leaders, it coincided with an apparent fact that we seem to be getting a little back to normal. I hope so. For many reasons, this has been a very wearying 14 or so months. Our country had over 600,000 people die from COVID - and probably a smaller number will still perish before things get really back to normal.

Why go through this brief recital of headlines? Just a reminder, first to myself, then to all the readers - to not stop praying for peace. We have been through so much. Who thought that we would end up at this point of greater normalcy. It seemed like things would never move towards normal. All you and I can probably do is two things: first, keep things as normal and as simple as possible and as kind as possible with each other; Second, pray hard for unity, especially with those we disagree - and refuse to demonize those who think differently than we do.  These are small things - but hopefully enough people will find this a good way to live.

Did You Vote in the primary June 8? Proud of you. Did you not vote? A gentle grrr. June 11, 2021

I have always felt that casting a ballot is of the greatest privileges we have in our democracy. You may correctly deduce that I also grimace when I see various individuals and political groups that seem to be working hard to limit voting of certain groups as much as possible. I just do not understand this in our country, in our democracy. I'll move on since that is not the precise topic of this post.

The issue is voting - voting when you are qualified and certified to do so in a particular election. There have been times since I turned 18 when I simply forgot to vote. It was never intentional. A small confession this past Tuesday, our Primary voting day. I was going through some mental calisthenics on Monday night about voting. I did not make preparations to vote by early ballots through the mails, so it had to be in person. Before I retired from the parish, the place where I voted was about 50 yards from my office - a smidgen convenient - so I was also aware of an election and think that I always voted. Monday night, I was thinking about not voting in this primary. I had some reasons, frankly, none of them significant. It would be only the 2nd time I had voted in the town where I now live in retirement. Went to sleep Monday night with this as an unresolved issue.

Woke up at 5 which seems to be my custom. I went to view the actual ballot on the internet. Read over the names of the candidates  - and only discovered one candidate that I knew something about. That was fine since I had always liked this person's service in the region.  Arrived at the polling place 15 minutes after it opened.  Not many people around. Asked the poll worker if I would receive a sticker for voting. She said Yes - would you like to take it now? I replied, "Yes, please."  (I may be wrong sometimes, but seldom am impolite.)

Went into the voting booth. Pressed the buttons quickly and completed the process.  At the end, I laughed at myself. How could I have thought about not voting for even one second when it means so much to me to cast a ballot.   We are a strange and fickle people! I strode out smiling to my car, complete with my Voted sticker,  and headed home.

As I drove home, my thoughts went back to this recent phenomenon of people trying to block others from voting. I thought about the countries where people line up for miles so that they can cast a vote.  Even in parts of our country where all sorts of obstacles are placed in the way of qualified persons being able to vote, the sacrifices people make and the lessons in civics they show all of us are profoundly moving.  If we don't support our democracy, then did so many people die in vain? I hope not. We must remember the sacrifices so many made for us so that we might vote and fly our flag.

These seem to be troubled times. Sigh.

The late Dr. Billy Graham's thoughts on not voting:

 

 

 

 

Feast of Corpus Christi - The Real Presence is Real - June 4, 2021

(Preface: This is the first of a series of blogs I want to do about the Eucharist - they will be snippets, not major treatises in theology.)

One of the fun things about writing a blog is picking the topic.  You might not think that picking a topic is without risk. But you would be wrong!. Amazing the things that you can overlook which are important.  I had two options for the topic of this blog:  The Feast of Corpus Christi (which is observed this Sunday) OR National Donut Day. I have thrown caution to the wind and decided to ignore National Donut Day. I do thank God that I never developed a strong attachment to Krispy Kreme. I would weigh over 500 pounds. Choosing the Real Presence is but an important acknowledgement that I have celebrated Mass at a parish named after the Eucharist for 48 years.

Now on to the Eucharist and the Real Presence.

My views on speaking about the Eucharist and the way to present it came from a priest professor,my spiritual director, and finally a great friend. In fact, he spoke directly to the then Bishop of Paterson, Bishop Casey, to recommend that he accept me as a priest and why.  He always emphasized the need to speak and write clearly and as simply as possible. To actually do so is a great gift - one which I try to display - and sometimes fail spectacularly! Often, but not always, I will look at the written text for a homily or article - and with dogged determination, I do what my friend suggested. Rip apart my draft to make it simpler and clearer. I confess that I do not do this for every homily or article, even though I should.

Here is the practical problem. The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains this passage in its glossary about Eucharist: "The ritual, sacramental action of thanksgiving to God which constitutes the principal Christian liturgical celebration of and communion in the paschal mystery of Christ. The liturgical action called the Eucharist is also traditionally known as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is one of the seven sacraments of the Church; the Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. The Sunday celebration of the Eucharist is at the heart of the Church's life."

Do you see the problem? Some of the phrases are helpful to the typical reader. Some are not. Imagine if the writing committee had used my friend's principles for clear and easily understood writing.

The theologian Gabriel Moran wrote this sentence which easily sums up the Eucharist:  "The Eucharist is the Church at her best." You can do a lot in developing this thought.

How to present the "Real Presence" which can be more easily said than done? Over the years, a few authors tried it this way which I have found helpful:  Jesus took bread and wine and identified himself completely with them.  Sure, more development is needed to have a fuller understanding - but this does present the core of the teaching on the Real Presence.

To present some of the major truths we believe about the Eucharist: 

This is the Body and Blood of Christ.  The bread and wine, once consecrated at Mass, remains the Body and Blood of Christ. It does not stop being the Body of Christ. This is the reason why the Eucharist is treated with respect, with reverence during Mass and also after the Mass.  

I could just keep typing and render a kind reader into thoughtful sleepiness after a little while. Don't want to do that. What I do want to do is make a major point or two.

When we talk about the Body of Christ, there are many connections with the Real Presence other than the Mass itself. For example, as Catholics, we venerate the presence of God in the word (The Scriptures) as we do in the Mass. This is why we can see at Mass the connections between reading the Word of God and the celebration of the Eucharist itself. Jesus told us that where two or three are gathered together, he is right there in the midst of them. (If that is not a real Presence, then I don't know what is!)

There are many topics about the Eucharist which could be easily written (well,perhaps not easily, but it can be done) This is not the day to do it, but someday, in the future, it might be.

For now, just know - the presence of God in the Eucharist is Real. It exists. It is the heart of our faith. This is what we believe. This is what we celebrate on the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Here is another dimension of the Eucharist - adoration - praying to God in the Eucharist.  Here is what Pope Francis said about the spiritual practice of adoration: