Crazy Catholic Question #148: The Ribbon

CCQ #148: Where did “The Ribbon” Lesson we heard at Mass today come from?

“All of religious language is metaphor because God is not just beyond our grasp, but beyond our imagining.” – Rohr

As many of you know, since 2014 we have been slowly transitioning from a workbook/classroom model of religious instruction to a more contemplative, hands-on, Montessori-based approach to the Faith Formation of children ages 3 to 12 called Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS). The focus of the program is to deepen the child’s existing relationship with God; to encourage the formation of a personal prayer life; to participate fully in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church; and to develop a deeper understanding of our sacred scriptures. Today everyone at our Masses experienced one of CGS’s “Great Lessons” – La Fettuccia (The Ribbon in Italian) – a timeline of the history of the Kingdom of God…so far. This lesson is rooted in the work of scientist and theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J.

CGS was first researched and developed by Dr. Sofia Cavaletti and Gianna Gobbi. Dr. Sofia Cavalletti was a Hebrew and Scripture scholar and member of the Vatican Commission for Jewish - Christian Relations. She was asked by a neighbor to give her son religious instruction in preparation for Eucharist. At first Sofia refused (not having much to do with children in her academic world) but eventually she consented. This experience with the 7-year-old boy changed her whole life. Dr Cavalletti saw in that child, a way of being in the presence of God that is unique to the child and a great gift for the adult who takes time to share in the child’s joy and discovery.

Gianna Gobbi was a dedicated and seasoned teacher who studied directly under Maria Montessori. These two lay women, in good Montessori fashion, created a prepared space for children called an atrium. In this sacred space children are introduced to hands-on “works” or “materials” rooted in the essential words of Jesus and the beauty of our ancient prayer of the Mass. Each session in the atrium begins with a short lesson and then the children are given free reign to interact with the materials, visit the prayer table, do any number of extension activities that reinforce the lesson, or create artwork in response to what they heard – all done in a prayerful manner so as to “Fall in Love more deeply with God.” Please consider yourself invited to visit our atriums after Mass today to get a fuller picture of this profound place of encounter for our kids.

Maria Montessori was a devout Catholic and the first female medical doctor in Italy. Early in her career, she started working with children in the slums of Rome. Her training as a scientist allowed her to observe children with an eye to recognizing their intrinsic needs. Montessori believed that “joy is the indicator of interior, spiritual growth, just as an increase in weight is the indication of bodily growth.”

Even though our program begins in less than two weeks, we still need many more catechists and assistants to best serve the children in our parish. If you were moved by the lesson you heard today and are willing and able to serve as a catechist in our atriums - or better yet, take the retreat-like training course one Saturday a month to become an “officially” internationally certified CGS Catechist, please be in touch. I can’t recommend the experience enough. One of the most edifying experiences I’ve ever had. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: http://crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.

Crazy Catholic Question #147: Where to now?

Where do we go from here?

My last two bulletin articles have been rather frank in addressing the newly inflamed crisis we find ourselves in as “Church” (aka “The People of God”). Today - in the spirit of “Welcome” to those who are new to Christ the Redeemer and those who are returning to our faith family after the summer break -  I wish to “lighten it up a bit” and offer a small way we can “be here, while getting there.”

Once upon a time there was a small, beautiful, but very troubled plant. The time came for one of the planet’s most powerful tribes to choose new leadership. The wise elders of the community called together all the people and gave them a challenge: “Go out and bring back whatever you find on your journey that you believe will be most needful to our people in the future.”

One person journeyed out into the surrounding plain. Eventually she noticed something glinting in the rock. Scraping at the soil, she discovered seams of gold. Rushing back to the tribal homelands she reported “I have discovered a source of wealth that will keep our people comfortable for many years to come.”

Another journeyed along the river. Eventually his sharp gaze picked up traces of something lying among the rocks. He scraped at the soil and unearthed flintstone. He rushed back home and said, “With this flintstone we can make powerful weapons and defend ourselves against all attack – and keep our people safe.”

Another person, one of the youngest of the tribe, was gone a long, long time. Returning home at last—empty-handed, she said “I have travelled far—over to that distant mountain. As I journeyed I noticed things that might be helpful to us, like gold and flintstone, but something made me keep on walking. When I reached the summit I knew I had found what I was searching for, but it was not something I could pick up and bring back home. When I reached the mountaintop, I saw a vision of possibilities that lie beyond our narrow view here in this valley. I knew that this was where God would want to lead our people. So this is what I bring back—a vision of what could be. You may say that this is just a dream. But is it not the case that our tribe and all its story is built on a dream?”

The wise elders of the community said. “You shall lead us well because you have rightly understood that what our people need more than anything else is vision.” (adapted, from Margaret Silf).

Are you ______________?

• A parent or grandparent seeking clarity on the essentials of our faith AND an effective method of communicating this dream and vision of Jesus to our little ones?
• Thinking of becoming “officially” Catholic and hanging your hat here at Christ the Redeemer?
• A cradle Catholic seeking a way forward, desiring a little theology refresher and a place to discuss our most central beliefs?

If YES, then we are cooking up a little program called the TEN TOPICS with you in mind! You will get a taste of it at our Masses next weekend Sept. 15/16.

Our goal is to offer TEN TOPICS at various times throughout the upcoming year to discuss the most essential and compelling elements of our theology; the insights, beliefs and VISION that we don’t want to lose even if our institutional edifice is crumbling at the moment. Our little CTR effort to enrich the soil in which the seeds for our future will grow.

P.S. We would REALLY like to offer these TEN TOPICS on-line in some fashion. Can you help us? To volunteer or submit your own "Crazy Catholic Question," email Lisa Brown at DRE@ctredeemer.org. Read past columns at: www.crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.

Crazy Catholic Question #146: Leaving

My husband (wife, son, daughter, etc) has decided to leave the church in response to the Pennsylvania report. To be honest, I am thinking about leaving too. Any parting words?

Just this week I’ve had 12 people visit, call or send me a message to this effect. Some were commiserating with my article from last week and others were just venting their frustration and pain – looking for a safe place to let off steam. I’m honored to be that “safe place”and glad you know my door is always open to express yourself without any self-editing. In our tidal wave force culture where ideology rules and dialogue is barely breathing -  passionate and candid conversation is critical to our evolution – even to our survival.

From my perspective, The Church (aka the “People of God”) is having a sound and appropriate response to this crisis. Our leadership (for the most part) is not. And this is not new, which compounds the problem. Even Pope Francis left us lacking with more words. So, I understand why people are hanging up their cleats. I do. If you find nourishment elsewhere, then by all means be nourished!

One sincere request though before you hit the road. Sr. Joan Chittister said it best - “If you are going to leave the Church – please don’t leave quietly and if you are going to stay in the Church – please don’t stay quietly!” So, if you are walking out the door, please, make some noise on your way out, perhaps a phone call or a letter to our Archbishop as to WHY you are leaving.

If you have decided to dig in your heels and make the same phone calls and write the same letters so as not to “stay quietly” then I want to share with you a great source of encouragement for me in this crisis of leadership; the theology of Jesuit scientist Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ.

Teilhard invites us to expand our vision; to think about God, time and space and our place in creation in a much broader way than we usually do; to reignite our romantic imagination. He invites us to recall that even if we could travel the speed of light, it would take us 40,000 years to reach even our nearest star and that distance would not even be a fraction of the distance across our own galaxy. And there are billions and billions of galaxies – quite literally countless. Our God is the creator of a universe that we have yet to find the beginning or the end of – the alpha or the omega. Our God is prodigious beyond our imagination – the creator of babies, the author of love, the energy that draws and enlivens every living thing on earth – THIS is the God Jesus invites us to trust in and call “Abba” or “Daddy” like a child would call out to a loving parent.

Teilhard was once asked “What if we destroy ourselves with nuclear weapons?!?!?” He responded “Well, that would be a 2-billion-year setback.” Ha! His humor rooted in his ENORMOUS vision of who God is, how patient God is, helps me to put things into perspective. I find it comforting to be reminded that life, love and God will go on being boundless regardless of our missteps in this wisp of history.

But Teilhard also reminds us that our little actions are more powerful than we think and WILL eventually add up to change for our troubled institution…even if we move at the speed of a dang glacier…sigh.

Here is a great article by Dr. Ilia Delio on the bigger scope of our current crisis. www.omegacenter.info/death-in-church-new-life-ahead

Send your Crazy Catholic Question to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at www.crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.

Crazy Catholic Question#145: Why am I still a Catholic?

Why am I still a Catholic?

Well, I don’t know about you, but weeks like these leave me hanging on by a pinky finger. The tragic news coming out of Pennsylvania of the thousands of children’s lives forever marked and shaken by an abuse of power - not only of the priests who sexually violated them but also of our own hierarchy’s complicity in concealing this horrible violence – leaves me asking “What am I still doing here?”

C.S. Lewis once wrote “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” The nature and intensity of this pain coupled with the fact that we have not invited—no, DEMANDED—an outside investigation of the magnitude conducted in Pennsylvania in every, single (Arch)diocese that exists indicates there is something very serious and systemically wrong with us, the way we are organized and our whole Catholic, clerical culture. It’s been 16 years since the Boston Globe broke the silence. What is going on? The fact that our own Archbishop appears to view this problem as a lapse of chastity rather than a catastrophic failure in leadership only compounds the problem; amplifies the pain.

Catholic Historian Kathleen Sprows Cummings wrote a great NYT piece this week in which she talks about two different tacks to take in bringing about change in patriarchal institutions. “Some feminists seek a place at the table; others want to reset the table. The former hope to promote gradual progress from within an existing framework of norms and organizational structures; the latter demand nothing less than radical, wholesale reform. When it comes to the Roman Catholic Church, I have always been a “place at the table” kind of feminist…Tuesday’s grand jury report has changed my mind…<and has>  propelled me directly to the center of the “reset the table” camp. We need to rip off the tablecloth, hurl the china against a wall and replace the crystal with something less ostentatious, more resilient and, for the love of God, safer for children!  People will say that there is still holiness in the church, that there are many priests and bishops with good and pure hearts, and they are right. But there are times when the sin is so pervasive and corrosive that it is irresponsible to talk about anything else, and this is one of those times.”

So, why are we still Catholic? Why are we still coming to the table? Because WE, the Body of Christ, the Church, The People of God, are absolutely essential to any kind of substantial reform.  

What we believe, what we hold sacred and how we choose to live our lives and the Gospel values we profess with integrity is what makes us Catholic. I cannot simply stop believing what I believe, nor do I wish to. I bought the dream hook, line & sinker; Jesus’ vision of what could be is still compelling and sometimes the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. It’s the source of my hope. The Bishops don’t own that hope, or the Church, or the People of God. Jesus is the source of that hope and I don’t think He is going anywhere in this debacle. He is right where He always is, in solidarity with the wounded. I say we all follow him there with gusto. I’m not sure what that is supposed to “look like” quite yet, but I think the first step is to listen together.

To that end, the first item on our agenda at our next Chic Chat Women’s Spirituality meeting on Friday, Sept. 21st at 11:30AM in our library is “Discuss how to respond to Pennsylvania report.” If you would like to attend, ALL women and men are very welcome. Personally, I like this creative proposal:  https://dailytheology.org/2018/08/17/statement-of-catholic-theologians-educators-parishioners-and-lay-leaders-on-clergy-sexual-abuse-in-the-united-states/

Send your Crazy Catholic Question to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns via our website at www.ctredeemer.org.

Crazy Catholic Question #144 - Baptism

What is the meaning of our baptism?

Fr. Ron Rolheiser says at the center of our lives there is an innate tension. On the one hand, “something in us wants to be different, wants to stand out; from the minute we’re born, our independence and uniqueness begin to make their protest. We don’t want to be the same as everyone else. And this isn’t just  pride or ego. Nature intended it that way. If no two snowflakes are meant to be the same, how much more so human beings?

But, we also have within us an equally strong desire for unity, community family and intimacy.” As much as we want to be separate and stand out, we also deeply desire to be connected - not out of fear but because we somehow know that our togetherness is an essential part of God’s design and dream for us.

Since the time of early Christianity, Baptism has been our initiation into this togetherness. In Baptism, the “one Spirit” makes us members of the Body of Christ and of “one another” (Our Catechism, 1267).  ‘I am baptized’ says that we are part of something bigger than ourselves; each of us are an indispensable part of the on-going incarnation of God into our world.

Alone, we are not the Messiah, we are not perfect; we, as individuals, are not “the whole enchilada” so to speak, but, we are also not powerless or expendable. Each of us are unique and important pieces of God’s creation, equipped and called to make a special contribution to the on-going revelation and redeeming action of Christ in our world. Odd though it may be (and sometimes hard to see), we are the vehicle of choice for God’s grace.

On the day Jesus began his public ministry, he stood in the temple and read from Isaiah “God has anointed me…sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to prisoners.” Then he closed the scroll and said “today this scripture is being fulfilled.” By God’s design, through our baptism, we have been swooped up into the Trinity through the person of Jesus and in some mysterious way - WE play a part in this fulfillment! WE are both the message and the messenger of this grace, we ARE the Body of Christ bringing God’s saving love to the world - right now, this very minute! WE are the anointed, called to heal one another by virtue of our faith in the power of the Body to which we belong.

So what’s taking so long? What is holding us back from living out our baptismal call to spread the good news of God’s love for us? Maybe it’s that we still haven’t heard the news ourselves. The image of God as a somewhat vindictive judge who meticulously records of our every infraction still looms large in our Catholic imagination. We still don’t believe that we are loved beyond measure and that there is nothing we have done to earn this love and absolutely nothing we can do to lose it. Baptism is sign and symbol designed to open us up, plunge us into this boundless love of God so that we can give what we have received and act as compassionate agents for transformation in our world. 

One of the most profound truths I learned as a child was that each time we dip our fingers into the baptismal font and cross ourselves that we can with confidence hear the words that God spoke to Jesus on his day of baptism - “This is my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased.” This acceptance is the very heart of the good news that is, indeed, almost too good to be true! Nonetheless, we are bid to believe it and to live in the freedom that this lavish love affords. The very heart of our calling as baptized Christians is to muster the courage to accept this acceptance and to share extravagantly, to the point of scandal, what we have received.

Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: www.crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.

Crazy Catholic Question #143: Serendipity

Do you believe in divine serendipity? Yes, 100%. I believe coincidence is God’s way of working miracles anonymously. A serendipitous story from this past week….

During my morning prayer, church pal Dave Zande texted me two pages from a book by Fr. William Barry, SJ that advised that we be direct in our petitions to God; clear in exactly what we desire. So, I prayed “I wish to experience God’s presence and for confirmation that we are on the right path in continuing to expand our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) style of faith formation.” I’ll be honest, this desire was born out of a weariness felt from the extensive preparation that this program demands and my concern that our dedicated staff was feeling a bit stretched like me…and then off to another 12-hour work day I went.

This particular morning we were holding a meeting for our summer catechists. I was slated to lead the opening meditation and then Karen & Michele, our Elementary coordinators, were to take over from there. One of our catechists, Maria, arrived with her three children, but unawares to me, our childcare provider couldn’t make it.

After I led the opening meditation, I received an urgent phone call (serendipitously timed), so I stepped out into the hall and I noticed Maria’s three children excitedly tearing up Atrium One - not unusual behavior for children experiencing our atrium for the first time – they are so curious they want to pull everything out and explore!

After my phone call, I walked into the atrium and asked Nicole (age 4) Sergio (age 7) and Madison (age 9) if they had ever been in this room before? They all answered “No.” I asked “Would you like to learn how this room works?” They all responded “Yes.” I invited them to “restore the room” (aka, Montessori language for cleaning up) so that all the materials we needed could be found in their proper place. Then I asked each child what they were most curious about...

Sergio was all about the maps, Madison chose the Good Shepherd (THE central parable of the whole program – the oldest immediately recognized the essentials!) and sweet little Nicole wanted to hear about the Precious Pearl (a personal favorite). I had no trouble locating these lessons because this kind of serendipity is EXACTLY what our CGS training prepares us for; responding in the moment to the child’s deepest spiritual question and curiosity.

So, while Michele & Karen finished up the meeting, I led the children through these 3 lessons and they were nothing short of luminous with joy, sad when it was time to leave and asked with great eagerness when they could return. Maria Montessori said “joy is the indicator of interior spiritual growth, just as an increase in weight and physical strength is the indication of bodily growth.” (visit https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2018/06/29/montessori-schools-are-exceptionally-successful-so-why-arent-there-more).

Now, I swear to you, I am still a skeptic! I am still blown over with wonder and amazement every time I witness this level of enthusiasm for our program - especially from my own children. Frankly, my family can get a little “Jesused-out” sometimes with all the time we spend at church with my work – but my 8-year-old jumps out of bed for our summer program AND my 13-year-old wants to take the 90 HOURS of Level One CGS certification training! I can’t help but find this downright WEIRD!

So yes, I do believe in divine serendipity, because what I heard God say to me that morning IN THE CHILDREN’S JOY was “Is that enough presence and confirmation for you?!?!?” My response was "Yes Lord. Thank you for answering my prayer. You may now cancel the sky-writer!" Hee hee

To achieve our vision for our Faith Formation program for all 500 of our CTR kiddos, we need approximately 40-50 trained catechists. We now have 7. Are you being called? I wish with everything I am that I would have discovered CGS when my oldest was 3 years old. Consider it. Some scholarships available. One Saturday a month beginning Sept. 8. Visit www.ctrdeemer.org to register.

Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: www.crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.

Crazy Catholic Question #142: Montessori

Crazy Catholic Question #142: Who is God? Where was I in the very beginning (before I was born)? How did I get here? Who was God with in the beginning of creation? Was God by Himself? Where is my grandmother who has died? What is life? Do you like life?

We hear these and many other questions from our children. When we consider our answers, we can remember Maria Montessori who said “joy is the indicator of interior growth, just as an increase in weight is the indication of bodily growth.” Just as the mother knows that the food she gives her child is good because her child grows, so also the joy the child manifests when encountering certain religious themes indicates that these themes correspond to deep, vital needs.

As we begin our Summer Faith Formation with our CTR children this Monday, we ask for your prayers and thank you for your continued support and care of our staff and catechists as we work to plant seeds that will be nurtured by this community in the years to come among our little ones. In the spirit of our shared work of providing good, nourishing spiritual food for our children, I’d like to share this short excerpt from Dr. Sofia Cavalletti, the originator of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd method of Religious Instruction from her book “The Religious Potential of the Child” volume two.

“We first focus on the mystery of the Kingdom of God, as communicated through several short parables: the mustard seed, the yeast, the seed of grain, the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure all found in chapter 13 of Matthew’s gospel. We believe that because the parables present essential themes about the nature of reality, they help one become oriented to reality…The mystery of the reign of God is the mystery of life itself: the mystery of a marvelous energy at work that causes growth and transformation, a movement from the “lesser” to the “more.” And this mystery carries within it all that is most beautiful and precious. As the child awakens to life, he or she needs to be oriented to it. In observing very young children, we cannot help but notice how compelled they are to reach out and touch the things around them. But this need for physical knowledge of his or her surroundings is not the only need of the child; there also lies, deep within, an all-engaging, through unexpressed question: What is life? To hear this question, we need not wait until the child can formulate it in words. Rather, we must “hear the question” in the intensity of the child’s response to the answer being offered. Clearly the question does not arise from mere intellectual curiosity; the very way the child receives the answer indicates to us its importance.

The gospel tells us that the life force that compels the universe and ourselves always toward the “more” is the kingdom of God. The giver of this life force is God. Our God is a God who gives. We can say that the gospel meets the vital need of the child, or illuminates the need, with the presence of a person and love. The gospel transforms a fundamental experience of being alive into a personal relationship.

The silent question of the child, What is life? Leads us to several parables that answer in a form and a language suited to the child. The form of the parable is allusive in nature and offers an answer which is substantive but, at the same time, open-ended. The form of the parable invites ongoing reflection. The child’s response of deep satisfaction and joy occurs when the hunger to know the reality in which he or she lives is fed with the gospel message.”

Send your "Crazy Catholic Questions" to dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns at: www.crazycatholicquestions.blogspot.com.

For more on Montessori's legacy: https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2018/06/29/montessori-schools-are-exceptionally-successful-so-why-arent-there-more