The Devout Life

The kids are back!

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 05:32:00 +0000

My children have been out of town for two weeks and I FINALLY got to pick them up (along with my husband, who had flown down to retrieve them) from the airport yesterday!

I have been enjoying all the updates from their grandparents and auntie and family members who have been able to spend time with them. A couple of highlights:

My two boys received real and actual bear hats from Russia that my Grandpa brought back from his travels many years ago. My parents have little use for them in sunny California, but up here in Alaska, they will fit right in. They are most excellently rugged.

Four of the five monkeys

My five year old daughter got a manicure and pedicure. You cannot talk the nine year old daughter into something like this for anything, but my five year old was convinced that her big sister really would love it due to the candy involved.

My husband and kids got to attend the Divine Liturgy at our home parish with Fr. Alexei :-)

When the kids got in the car, my daughter said, "I'm so glad Mr. Ed won't sit on me for awhile!" Mr. Ed is the big giant dog at my in-laws’ house. The kids used to sleep on top of HIM. Apparently, he has flipped that around now and uses THEM for his pillow. Plus, he ate a whole giant bag of chips when they were there and they found that very funny.

The kids played in the waves of the Pacific Ocean for hours; they all have dark tans and I'm thrilled they were able to get comfortable jumping over the breaking waves and getting chased by them. I still pinch myself that I get to live in Alaska, because my husband grew up surfing and has always loved it, and he hasn’t done it at all since moving north. My mother-in-law said that he was in the water the longest of anyone.

When my 11 year old son got home, he triumphantly showed me a package. "Look! You will NEVER guess what this is!" My mother-in-law is a Realtor and receives a great many client giveaways, and so she had given him a special coffee mug from Chicago Title. The coffee mug has a small saucer that can serve as either a plate or a lid, and the handle has two holes, into which fit a small spoon. As he unwrapped it, he admired the many layers of packaging, lovingly proffered by my father-in-law. "I'm glad he used the comic section from the newspaper!" Then, he was able to show me the cup. "Guess what, Mom. I drank a cup of decaf coffee every day!"

So sweet, so excited by something small. I delighted in his joy.

There was, unfortunately, a small tragedy this week. I accidentally killed the hamster. I had to treat the carpet with Nature's Miracle in the room over a somewhat large area, and I didn't think to ventilate the room afterward. When I went in yesterday, the chemical smell in the room nearly knocked me out, and the poor little hamster was dead.

We have had two hamsters thus far; the first was Wedgie Matilda, who lived to a ripe old age of two and was a very sweet male. The second, dearly departed, was Matilda Wedgie, who only lasted about 4 or 5 months before I caused her demise. When I told the children, they were briefly sad, but my daughter perked up and determined to obtain another hamster, this time, a male, who will be named...wait for it...Wedgie Matilda II.

Blogger Leticia Adams commiserated with me over the hamster.

We have a married priest now.

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 22:18:00 +0000

I have always been appreciative of the celibate Roman Catholic clergy. There is clear Scriptural support for the way that this vocation stands in between this world and the next as a sign of the world to come, in which we shall not be marrying but shall be “like the angels.” It is not my opinion that it should be changed in the west, or that changing it would somehow fix all our problems.

Furthermore, I have been blessed with so many excellent priests, all of whom seem to “do celibacy well.” As a woman, I feel I can speak for most when I say that certain people exude more of a sexual energy than others. It is a blessing to have the spiritual fatherhood of a man who does not emanate that. I am sure it is not automatic but stems from discipline and the grace given to them by God to fulfill their chosen vocation. As I write this, I realize this is important for all priests, married or not; but, like most, I am conditioned to think that this must be harder for a man who is committed to a life without marriage and sexual intimacy. Do we not all have to wage this battle, married or not? Chastity is for all.

Since our former priest left, we have the still somewhat unique situation here in America of a married Byzantine Catholic priest, with a wife and two daughters. He is not the first married Catholic priest in our area. There is a former Methodist pastor who was ordained a Roman Catholic priest and received the permission of Bl. John Paul II to be ordained. As an Eastern Catholic, having a married priest shouldn’t be a novelty, so to speak, since it is a long-standing reality that married men get ordained in the East, but for a long time, the presence of married Eastern Catholic priests in America has been suppressed by Roman Catholic Bishops. The ones who were here were brought in from other countries, rather than ordained in America.

Our new priest is from Ukraine. The courage of him and his family to be here without knowing a lot of English and to live in Alaska of all places moves me to the core. Before I knew we were getting a new priest, I had the blessing to meet his wife down at a women’s retreat in Arizona a few months ago, so it was wonderful to learn that she and the rest of the family would be joining our community. I also had the chance to get to know their two lovely daughters, who are incredibly sweet and, of course, the best of friends with every other young girl in the parish by now.

To see the two daughters bounce into Liturgy during the week and take their spots in the front row, knowing that their dad is the priest and is celebrating the Liturgy and will soon feed them Holy Communion, really touches my soul. I am not finding it weird at all that he has a family that God has created through their union. It makes me sad that some people in the Roman Church think that a married priest somehow brings less grace than a celibate one. I remember having a certain attitude, as in, “A married priest can’t give his ALL to a parish.” Well, cope with it. He is a human being. And if he has a family, why on earth shouldn’t we appreciate the beauty of that and give him the space and time that he needs to do it well?

I probably manage to turn everything into some sort of issue with cosmic significance, but to witness the power and beauty of both mysteries of holy matrimony and holy orders in one human being is very profound.

As usual, I do not think this needs to be an "either/or" thing; to have both traditions alive and well is not only possible, but a reality.

"I have no one to put me into the pool!" Dying of thirst near the river of life

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Fri, 30 Aug 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Pools of Bethesda

When I was in college, I spent most of the time in a fog of insecurity. My time at the small Catholic college I attended for a year was not entirely bereft of wonder. I look back, on one hand, with a sense of appreciation for the awe and reverence that the environment inspired.

Unfortunately, the beauty of the Church and the Presence therein was lost on me in a conscious way. I can't believe I did not spend more time seeking the catholicity, so to speak, of the campus. I know that it was a motivating factor in my choice to attend, but only in an unconscious way. I had no interest in attending a large, competitive college but intentionally sought a small school that wooed me with its quietude and beauty.

I wish I had gone to Mass and adoration. The closest I got to the Church was to study one on one with one of the brothers there. We studied Latin and Greek to attempt to get me caught up to the rest of the class when I switched majors to study the Great Books.

I also studied Latin with the most delightful professor in a classroom setting who wore Birkenstocks and recited T.S. Eliot poetry from memory, such as from "Ash Wednesday."

Beyond that, the enchantment of the times rests in certain memories such as the Hale-Bopp comet perched in the sky; the “Bold as Love” album by Jimi Hendrix; the young man I befriended who claimed to channel aliens and who looked like an alien; the delicious food in the Bay Area (especially Mediterranean) and the freedom of traveling on the BART and buses; poetry readings, hair wraps, writing from my well of need. (I don't know that the poetry will ever be the same now that the Lord has saved my soul, but life is much, much better that way.)

There I was, seeking beauty and wisdom, yet experiencing no peace. The selfish, self-indulgent lifestyle in which I engaged held very little meaning, even though I sought meaning, or made it up.

Pleasure was not my end pursuit, even though I sinned constantly in my body. Rather, I longed to be taken over by something larger than myself. I had no direction or morals that really mattered to me, and I loved studying in college but did not know what I wanted to do or be.

Writing a poem and being taken over by it was one of the most exultant moments of my life, and my sorrow and need made for some great poetry.

I stole a poster off the BART train that had some stanzas from a Robert Hass poem. In my mind, the poster with its corner sticking out of the case had been placed there just for me.

Also, I can remember vividly the hike in which I trampled through the woods near the school and stumbled upon a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Holy! Holy! Holy! I wanted to fall on my face, not out of worship but in awe of her beauty. I visited frequently, I did things like leave candles. I had no idea what I was doing. I just knew that she was beautiful.

People want to give themselves to something, to Someone, bigger than themselves. We are created to seek God and His beauty and truth. But sometimes, we truly don’t know how to do this. I know I didn’t. My whole life was oriented toward myself.

I sincerely believe that, if I had been invited inside the Church and shown how to kneel, prostrate myself, pray, worship, and understand, in my feeble and self-centered way, the mysteries of the Church, I would have found the nourishment my soul was seeking.

Instead, a priest brought me downstairs to a secret room and initiated me into Reiki. I entered the Church exactly once for a talent show, and I have no idea if Mass was happening. Of course it was, but when? Who knows.

I am home now. I am Catholic. I belong to Jesus. I love His Church more than anything. I do not hold bitterness for the shortcomings of the priests there at the school or the failings of the people around me to evangelize.

But never underestimate the desire and need that those around you have for the nourishment that only Christ and His Church can give. Sometimes I think, “There’s no way the people around me have not heard of Jesus.” Yet, just the other day, I realized my own brother has no idea about who He is. His wife does not know. They need Him.

Invite someone to Mass or the Divine Liturgy this week!

What the Byzantine Liturgy teaches about the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 08:15:00 +0000

Today is a significant solemnity for both East and West as we celebrate the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John (called "The Passion of St. John the Baptist" in the Roman Church). After denouncing Herod for marrying his brother's wife unlawfully, Herod had St. John arrested. Herod, pleased by his stepdaughter's dancing at his birthday party, foolishly agreed to give her anything she wanted. She consulted with her mother and then asked for John's head on a platter, and the order to behead John the Baptist was issued--reluctantly, as Herod liked to listen to him, even though he found him "puzzling."

As a result, the tradition as we have been taught is to never use plates on today's feast day. It is also a strict fast day.

I often ponder the fact that, for most of Church history, Christian believers did not have the benefit of the printing press and were mostly illiterate. It is a remarkable thing to imagine this, since our current Christian culture, especially outside of the liturgical churches, relies so heavily on reading the Bible or reading commentary about the Bible.

Yet for most of Church history, the way that Christians received their understanding of doctrine and Scripture was through the sacred liturgy and the holy icons. Everything physical in the Church was also catechetical--teaching and conveying the faith. It should still be so today, yet so many churches, particularly in the West, have become incredibly dull and bereft of all the symbolism and meaning which marked them for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Just as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass contains sections that change depending on which feast is being celebrated, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, celebrated in the Eastern Catholic Churches, also has parts such as Troparions and Kontakions that change everyday.

Today, just as in the past, Christian believers receive not only the benefit of the Word of God being proclaimed during the Liturgy; we also hear these changing parts, the Troparions and Kontakions, which have so much to teach about the feasts and why an event or saint is significant.

These parts are catechetical--they teach us about the faith and the holy saints, and give us tangible clues to understanding.

Today's Kontakion for the Beheading of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John is as follows:

The glorious beheading of the Forerunner was part of God's saving plan that the coming of the Savior might be announced even to those in Hades. Let Herodias mourn for she sought a lawless murder because she loved neither the Law of God nor eternal life, but only this false and fleeting life.

There are, of course, many possible interpretations of the story of today's feast, but reading the mind of the Church on this subject, so succinctly expressed in the Kontakion of the Divine Liturgy, brings us into an awareness of the original meaning of this feast.

"My hope and advice for married couples: Become great monks."

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 01:06:00 +0000

A recently ordained Carmelite Monk of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Wyoming (commonly known as the Mystic Monks) offers Communion to his parents after his ordination. What a beautiful picture! Now, please go support them with a coffee purchase. :-)

Fr. Thomas Loya writes in the August 2013 issue of "Theosis,"

My hope and advice for married couples and for those preparing for marriage is that they will ultimately become great monks...Monasticism is a mindfulness that we belong ultimately to God and we cannot love humanely unless we love God first and above all. This is the secret to a happy marriage--to live first as "virginal spouses" and then as spouses married to each other. This profound reality is simply and beautifully summed up in the Song of Songs 4:8, 12, "You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride." Even married couples are first and always brother and sister in the Lord, even before they are spouse.

It's hard to improve upon this quote. I can only say that my spouse is very, very different from me in so many ways but I consider our marriage, by the grace of God, to be very strong. As I study this quote and the remainder of the article, which is very good and which I wish I could quote in its entirety, it occurs to me that attempting to live the evangelical counsels in our family~~chastity, poverty, and obedience~~has given our marriage the strongest chance to flourish.

Having spent the first 5 years of our marriage without Christ, my husband and I brought very different backgrounds to our marriage. We had the blessing of some shared ideals, which bordered on "obnoxious" and "irritating." For instance, we both embraced veganism for various reasons, giving my Catholic mother-in-law occasional tracts with titles such as, "Would Jesus Eat Meat?"; we both smoked all-natural cigarettes. Those type of things. Sand, really--not evils in and of themselves, but not the most rigorous foundation. I have a child from a prior relationship and we struggled to find our way with that situation. We never had money, and to this day, I consider ourselves a poor fit for capitalism, in spite of our best efforts.

As we now travel through our 13th year of marriage, our differences have only become more pronounced. Our children have been out of town for a week and a half and, within a couple days, my husband was pining for them to be back in the home; he loves having a busy, noisy house filled with the bustle of activity and lots to do. He also has a servant's heart and loves serving their needs and encouraging them in all the ways they need to grow.

I, on the other hand, only started missing them in earnest sometime around yesterday. My family has been posting some pictures on Facebook periodically and my heart more and more yearns to wrap my arms around the little sweethearts and squeeze them tight. But it took awhile! It's not, of course, that I don't love them and want them to be here. It's just that I LOVE the quiet...ahhh, all this peace! Freedom! That kind of thing. (Another big motivating factor for me is this stupid Miley Cyrus story going around. All I could think after a glance at my newsfeed this morning was: "Please, God. Do not let my children inadvertently see any of this garbage as a news snippet," etc. It's not that I don't trust my family to guard their eyes from such things; it's that I'm a control freak and want to lock them away in my house without cable TV where I KNOW it won't happen.)

So, you can see we are different in certain fundamental ways, but Jesus is our love. In fact, I know my husband loves Jesus more than he loves me, and I am so glad. I know he prays that I will love Jesus more than I love him! It says in the Bible that "a married man is concerned about the affairs of the world--how he can please his wife--and his interests are divided...A married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband." (1 Cor. 7:33,34 NIV) Obviously, part of this is inevitable, but I am so thankful that my husband encourages me to pray and go to Mass or the Divine Liturgy and to do so even when there are other "practical" things to be doing. We really, as husbands and wives, need to step back and make sure we are not being jealous for the time of our spouses when there are worthier activities happening.

So to return to this motif of monasticism, the evangelical counsels, in case you don't know, are the vows taken by monks, nuns, and consecrated religious to lives of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Some orders add a fourth vow, such as "obedience to the Pope" or "stability," etc. As I ponder this quote by Fr. Loya, I consider that these three commitments, when avidly practiced by both parties of a marriage, will inevitably guide spouses in the right direction: that of eternal life, the ultimate goal of sacramental matrimony. Notice, I say "both parties." Frankly, there are some marriages in which one spouse is not doing his or her part, or engaging in evil, and I do not intend to make divorced or separated spouses feel stepped on or claim that every marriage is salvageable.

The Counsel of Poverty

Jesus enjoins his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone, and bids them 'renounce all that [they have]' for his sake and that of the Gospel. Shortly before his passion he gave them the example of the poor widow of Jerusalem who, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on. The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) paragraph 2544, emphasis mine

If we are to love one another well and love Jesus above all, detachment from riches and material pleasures matters a great deal. If we are using all our time and attention to collect material goods, or placing materials in front of our eyes such as cell phones and TV screens when we could be engaged in more worthwhile pursuits, our marriage and faith will suffer. Our souls will suffer. Isn't the homily about the rich young man always something along the lines of, "It's not BAD to be rich, it's what you do with it"? Am I the only one who wonders whether that's just letting us all off the hook too easy?

The Counsel of Chastity

The chaste person maintains the integrity of the powers of life and love placed in him...Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy. "Man's dignity therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what is good and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the means suited to this end."

CCC 2338-2339, emphasis mine

The Catholic Church, in case you haven't noticed, teaches that how we have sex as married people matters. Are we objectifying the other and using them solely for pleasure? Are we preventing the transmission of human life? Are we lusting and using? Are we engaging in pornography and characterizing our marital bed with films or acts that are depraved and objectify the human person? Are we mast*rb*ting (sorry, trying not to attract TOO many search engine hits) in our spare time and using our spouse (or someone who isn't our spouse) as an object of mental and physical stimulus? etc. Frankly, chastity isn't solely about sex; it is about everything that we desire. Eating may become a serious pastime for married people; it is an enjoyable, engaging way to spend time together. But chastity teaches that we must not be slaves to our passions, and I would include food in that equation. Fasting and abstaining as a married couple and family for periods of time is important if we wish to grow in that self-restraint. Food, sex, all of it. Take breaks. Pray more.

The Counsel of Obedience

The evangelical counsel of obedience, undertaken in a spirit of faith and love in the following of Christ who was obedient even unto death requires a submission of the will to legitimate superiors, who stand in the place of God when they command according to the proper constitutions.

Code of Canon Law, Canon 601, emphasis mine

In the case of marriage, this Counsel works somewhat differently than in religious community, where its members have a superior to whom they give obedience as though to God Himself. They trust that God will work through and speak through their superior. In a marriage, a husband and wife are not in community with a superior other than our Lord and His Bride the Church Herself, and St. Paul's exhortation, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord...Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her..." (Ephesians 5:21-25, NIV)

The point is, how often are we seeking to have our own way rather than submitting our own will and humbly permitting our spouse to have that portion? Frankly, it's not usually about big things. Sometimes, it's the smallest things that can be so hard for us to submit to. As a good example in my own life, I used to take it very personally whenever I'd load the dishwasher and my husband would come in behind me and "fix" everything. I'd get very angry every time and take it very personally, like he was making a big statement about how I do things. Eventually, I realized that this was something important to him; he cares about how it gets done. I really don't, as long as the dishes manage to get mostly clean. Nor do I possess his excellent spatial awareness. The guy can fit it all. This was a small thing that God was asking me to submit to, so I try now to ask for his involvement because of his meticulous concern for such things, and to try to do it more like how he likes it. I know this sounds goofy but this sort of thing can ruin your marriage if you let it.

Thanks for reading all these thoughts on the subject. I certainly can't claim to be an expert or particularly holier than the next person, but when things seem to be suffering in my marriage, I'm going to take a look at these evangelical counsels and make sure I'm living my marriage like a good monk.

The Fast is Not the Desert

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 18:36:00 +0000

Russian icon of the calendar of the saints.In the very center is the Resurrection of Christ surrounded by scenes from Holy Week and the feasts of the Paschal cycle. Around them are twelve groupings of saints: one for each month of the calendar year. In the border are icons of the Theotokos (Mother of God), each of which has a feast day during the liturgical year.

***

The Byzantine Churches prepare for the feast of the Dormition of the Holy Theotokos with a two-week fast and time of increased prayer. What I have been taught is to pray the Paraclisis everyday during that time, a long prayer of supplication to the Mother of God for "consolation of the living." The fast is timed well; we are between Great Lent and Nativity Fast; for those of us using the Gregorian Calendar, we had a formidably long Apostles Fast this year too. The Dormition Fast we take seriously in our family as the two-week opportunity that it is to increase our prayer and fasting, supplicate for our needs and those of our loved ones, and orient our lives anew in the direction of God and how He is glorified in His saints. Blessed in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His faithful, as we sing during the Divine Liturgy.

Now that we are outside a more intense fasting period, I find myself somewhat antsy because of the intensity of the prayer that occurred during the Dormition Fast. I have to keep reminding myself that it is done; it is normal for that time period to be more intense spiritually; and now we must get back to the daily rule, the more "ordinary" prayer life, in western speak, that happens when we are not in the midst of one of the four fasts. These can be the much more challenging times than the more intense fasting periods, since they require more endurance and have less built-in "momentum," so to speak. I liken it to my current dismay that, as much as I view it as a necessary step to nix Candy Crush Saga from my life, I had been reading a chapter of the Gospel prior to every game and made rapid progress through the Sacred Scriptures; now, the game is gone, and so is my reading habit. I'm trying to convince myself that it will be just as effective if I read before having time on Facebook, but I'm a little less motivated now. Every part of me seems to resist building these good habits; I have to trick myself by incorporating the good habit into the bad. But eventually I must grow up and just choose to do it, simply because it's good. It's important. It cultivates my relationship with the Lord. There is no reason not to, other than my own fallen flesh and its sloth. Ahh, help, Lord.

Do you have a prayer rule? It is a structure and commitment to a schedule of prayer everyday. I almost always pray the Rosary when I am driving into work (otherwise, it is at home in front of the holy icons). At one time, I disliked praying while driving; it is not the most reverent environment, and obviously one is necessarily preoccupied with driving on some level (hopefully). Yet, compared to letting my thoughts wander all over the road, it is an excellent use of time. Many times I am grateful for the habit that has been formed at this point to simply get out my Rosary while on the street leading from my house to the main road. I made this solid commitment once after spending the entire drive to work yelling and fuming about a stress that had ensued in my family. My anger consumed me, and I expressed it physically--I'm sure if anyone were to see me, the impression would have alternated between scary and comical. My tantrum came replete with hitting the steering wheel and yelling lots of profanity.

Then, wouldn't you know--because God is awesome this way--a coworker DID see me. I practically died of embarrassment to learn that a coworker had, at one point, been driving side by side with me. He mentioned that I looked like I was in a pretty bad mood. I praise God for this because it reminds me of the Holy Mystery of Penance, or the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation (depending on your terminology). Confession. To be convinced of one's sins is fairly easy much of the time when done in private. But to have them out in the open, owning them out loud, with another human being, brings the healing grace of God and the conquers Satan. In this case, I felt very convicted that my behavior was inexcusable. It had only been okay when I thought I was getting away with it "alone" (although God is always watching). When I learned I had been observed, I felt ashamed, not because I didn't have some justifiable anger, but because I had sinned in my expression of it, and I had not in any way witnessed to Christ as I always pray to do with my coworkers. How much damage gets done to the Christian cause when we are busy acting like jerks and maniacs?

At this point, I determined that never again would I spend a car ride like that. I pull out my Rosary even when I don't want to, because I have learned that, after a few moments of beginning the prayers, my desire shifts into what is truly good for me, and I no longer want to get out of it. Who knows when I'm going to turn into a wild maniac again? Frankly, I'd rather not.

On another note, I used to have reticence about praying the Rosary with my family. The kids were often next to impossible to wrangle into one section of the house, let alone pray with through all the mysteries--at least, with any semblance of contemplation. I went to this one woman I knew, a powerful example to me of faith and prayer, and asked her if we might be justified in shortening our Rosary to one decade when things were really challenging with the kids.

I wholly expected her to say "yes." I wanted her to say yes. But she looked at me in a matter-of-fact way and said, "No. Pray the whole thing. Even when it's hard." I wonder if she knows how much that one simple response, which may have been tough to say (we all want to say the more comfortable thing), managed to change my whole perspective and alter our family's prayer life so dramatically and permanently? I think about what she said all the time.

Grace happens when we ramp up the effort and raise the bar higher, because that normalizes the behavior we wish to have. Maybe that's part of the genius behind Great Lent and the other fasts. Let us pray for God to bless our efforts. God, fasten us to You! Increase our hunger and desire for You. Teach us to pray.

Paraclisis during the Dormition Fast

Fr. Shields teaches about holiness: Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 09:15:00 +0000

Fr. Michael Shields, Alaskan-born priest who has pastored the Church of the Nativity in Magadan, Russia for the past 19 years, came to Anchorage last month to preach and share about the good work that is happening over there. He delivered a talk on holiness to an audience with Catholics United for the Faith. As I slowly make my way through the transcribing process, I thought I'd share a few excerpts with you. Unfortunately, my recording is terrible; I had hoped to put it on the blog in its entirety, with Father's permission.

Fr. Shields speaks at Catholics United for Faith event at Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage, AK August 1, 2013 Photo by Catholic Anchor, used with permission

"Holiness is so attractive. It’s one of the most attractive realities. Holiness and humility are the most powerful and attractive attributes. So many of the saints were so attractive because they were holy.

"I have met four very holy people in my life. I’ll share with you those encounters and then go into a small lecture of sharing. Blessed John Paul II was in Anchorage in 1981. I pushed my way to the end of the pew, leaving all the diocesan priests behind, because I knew Pope John Paul was coming down the aisle. Now, if you are ever in the presence of someone who is holy, you know that energy is the Holy Spirit, and you can feel it. You could feel it as he came down the aisle. And I thought to myself, what can I say? Well, let’s see. 'Welcome Holy Father, to the missionary diocese of AK,' and then I’d have about ten minutes of loving introduction. So the Holy Father came down the aisle shaking hands. Then he passed me, turned around, and came back and put out his hand. And I said, with the deepest sense of profound spirituality,

'Wow.'

"And so, he obviously used that in his reflections. Back in Alaska there was this one priest, so deep and spiritually reflective that he said, 'Wow.'

"'Wow' is probably what we would say--an expression of how the encounter with holiness overwhelms us..."

~Fr. Shields

___

A coworker and I were discussing this subject yesterday. I shared with him about Fr. Shields' presentation and how he had listed Bl. Theresa of Calcutta as the second holy person he had met. My coworker told me that one of his regrets in life is that he never once had the chance to see Mother Theresa in person. He looked visibly moved as he recalled the simple sister among the poor who had become so renowned yet remained so humble.

Personally, this subject immediately brings to mind a priest who served in our archdiocese for several years and now serves as a missionary priest in Mexicali, Fr. Dominic DeMaio, OP. A fluent Spanish speaker, he gave himself utterly and selflessly to the Hispanic community, ministering to their needs. I was always profoundly impacted by how much he visibly loved them and they loved him. I also remember the way he would sit with street people on the steps of the Cathedral and listen to them and pray with them. I remember the way he only seemed to speak when doing so intentionally, and then, only the words that needed to be said.

But what really brings him to mind is what Fr. Shields mentioned about how "you can feel it." You can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit...I remember several times praying at the Cathedral with my head bowed down, and feeling a wave of energy moving past. Not like the wind as someone displaces the air, but a heavy, beautiful, holy energy. Inevitably, upon looking up, it would be Fr. Dominic.

Who comes to mind for you?

It's official...

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 06:30:00 +0000

After writing about it here and here, and praying and hoping for this to happen for many, many months, I had the opportunity to travel out of state last weekend and entreat in person the priest who could "make it official" and transfer my membership from the Roman Catholic Church to the Russian Greek Byzantine Catholic Church.

And he did!

Remarkably, this all happened on St. Clare's feast day, the same day three of our children were baptized, I was confirmed and received my first Holy Communion, and my husband and I received the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. St. Clare bestowed another gift on her feast.

I know, some people might wonder why this even matters; I know that, being married to a Byzantine, I was already "unofficially" Byzantine...but my husband and I are one flesh; I longed for unity in the faith with him and the children, who were of a different ritual church than I; I very much hoped to be able to dedicate myself more completely to the Byzantine spirituality; and I stand in awe at the spiritual heritage of my family. No man is an island. Our ancestors' encounters with Jesus and His Church have come to profoundly impact and edify us as we learn more about His movement in just our own family tree.

So, thank you for your prayers. I'm sure they helped.

Baptismal font where my husband was baptized many years ago

An Edifying Meditation for the Dormition Fast

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Sat, 10 Aug 2013 21:44:00 +0000

7 Quick Takes: Goodbye, Candy Crush edition

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 17:01:00 +0000

~~1~~

In spite of the unexpected popularity surrounding my recent post about Candy Crush Saga, I finally decided to do this:

My chains are gone, I've been set free. ;-)

The better reading habits are sticking so it has left a good habit in its wake.

As always, I'm ever reminded that I don't do limits with these things well...

~~2~~

A great joy~~Fr. Michael Shields visited us in Anchorage this past month, sharing all that the Lord is doing in a place where evil once reigned. Here is a radio broadcast if you are interested in hearing about his ministry in Magadan, Far East Russia. Click here for photos. These are from a talk he gave for Catholics United for the Faith (CUF) at Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage.

~~3~~

Alaskans have been blessed with a rather amazing, record-breaking summer. We have sweated our way through months of hot sunshine, a phenomenon I have never experienced here. We don't even have the clothes for it~~several mothers, myself included, have realized our children are wearing the same filthy clothes over and over because they only have a couple of pairs of shorts! It has started to feel like autumn, and I am excited. Obviously, one does not move to Alaska for the hot weather. :-) But I shouldn't complain TOO much...the summer's been amazing! Weather-wise, that is. Otherwise, it has honestly been one of the more stressful times I can remember. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

~~4~~

One exciting aspect of this hot summer has been the flourishing gardens and probably misleading success of our first attempt to grow food. Gardening has increased my gratitude for the logistics of placing a cool, clean bag of veggies in my refrigerator. As much as I have loved watching my kids picking peas and popping them into their mouths all summer, I stand in awe at the effort behind a single bag of snap peas from Costco. WOW.

~~5~~

For some weird reason, my cat needed a lot of attention last night. She insisted on sitting right near my head once I got into bed and tried to lick me. Blech! Then, my 5 year old came running into bed with us, saying, "The cat jumped on my chest and started licking my nose!" What are you doing, Lizzie Bear?? Here's our sweetie pie having fun at the pet store recently. :-)

~~6~~

Getting to be that time again...a new homeschool year. We are not the kind of family who "lives the homeschooling life" all year round~~at least, not the way I envision it. Summers are fraught with relaxation, time-wasting, tons of time outdoors but also lots of movies, and so on. Not really the bastion of independent learning that I always hope it will be, with children grabbing their deep literature and heading to the grass outside. In fact, I've quit saying, "We're going to practice math this summer." Other than using measuring spoons while baking and so on, nary a math problem has been accomplished. The homeschooling year, for us, requires a big spontaneous burst of energy at the beginning and the grace of God to maintain momentum long enough to get to summer. Can anyone relate? Or are your kids halfway through Plutarch's Lives come August?

~~7~~

Rev. Br. Peter Hannah, O.P., who spent a terrific year with us here in Anchorage during his student residency, is interviewed in National Catholic Register this week. "A God Greater Than Golf."

Thanks to Jennifer Fulwiler for hosting "7 Quick Takes"!

Kitty Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 19:34:00 +0000

My cat imparted her kitty wisdom to me this morning. (Bear with me...this might be a stretch. :-) I found her in a random place, resting on top of one piece of clothing which had not made it back into the girls’ room. She was choosing to be comfortable in this one opportunity which had arose in her little cat life. Here was a cloth, and she was going to rest on it.

I see this same opportunism when sunshine streams through the windows and forms a rectangle on the floor. A cat can usually be found in it, only moving when necessary, to track the sunshine and remain in its bright warmth.

Likewise, it is necessary to recognize our blessings and opportunities for what they are: gifts from the Lord, Who desires to give us every good thing, and to appreciate them when they are there. And not in a way that is overly attached. If there is anything to be learned from my sweet kitty resting on a piece of cloth, it is that these small sanctuaries may not be there the next day.

We may have too much; we may find it impossible to rest when our souls are burdened with material possessions and all of the pressures of maintaining that lifestyle.

Yet, appreciating what we have received as a gift from God can help us to commend it to His glory.

Right now, I must confess confusion and a great deal of wonder at what God is doing lately. I don’t understand much of what is going on.

I’m sure there is a key I simply don’t have, or I have lost it in a drawer somewhere, and can’t place it in the lock even though I want to.

But I seek the Son. I seek to stay in His Presence, Glory, and Divine Light. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Father,

I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you:

I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.

I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;

I offer it to you

with all the love of my heart,

for I love you, Lord,

and so need to give myself,

to surrender myself into your hands,

without reserve,

and with boundless confidence,

for you are my Father.

Charles de Foucald

Worst memories and other mold

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 20:32:00 +0000

During the last few days, I have been able to bring in all my books out of hiding in the garage and place them on shelves in the house. Anyone who loves books knows the giddy and overwhelming feeling~~giddy because they are filled with beauty and potential gain for one's mind and soul; overwhelming because so many have not been read but should be!

Along with these delicious books comes a folder or two of writings from long ago, and I thought I would share a few items from "My Worst Memories." The paper even smells moldy, because this particular box had water damage.

I am leaving out several of the really bad memories because I'm not in the habit of divulging lots of personal information in my blog, but here are some of the more mild mentionables:

1) Reading the horse-beating scene in Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky

2) Observing two small children playing in the garbage in an alley behind Hollywood Blvd. (which begs the question, what on earth was I doing in an alley behind Hollywood Blvd.?!)

3) Knowing that the play had started when a father asked for directions to the kindergarten class production and that he had missed the first ten minutes.

4) The Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles back in 1994 (Interestingly, I wrote that the worst part for me personally was thinking that I was going to die, as our house was damaged and sounded like it was falling apart, and actually being scared of that. I remember that now~~wanting to respond differently in the face of death.)

and so on.

Then, I found the most appalling yet humorous editorial I had written for my high school newspaper, utterly arrogant in its claim that our school should at least teach Russian so that I could have the chance to read Russian literature in Russian. Such a snob.

So, be it known, apparently I have long wanted to read War and Peace in its original language before I die~~thus spake my 15 year old self. No more closer now than then, but still would love to. :-)

Anyway, thank you for tolerating this trip down memory lane.

Two Stories from Magadan

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 07:21:00 +0000

I had the good blessing to meet Fr. Michael Shields today and hear him preach about his work in Magadan among the repressed, the former victims of the Stalinist labor camps.

He spoke about his first public Mass there after decades of the faith being choked out of Russia and the two things he most remembers.

First, he had brought with him small models of creches~~cribs~~with the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus, being that it was around Christmas time. He said that the children had no idea who the figures represented.

Secondly, he remembers a woman falling to her knees and crying in front of him, asking to have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, as she hadn't had a chance for 40 years.

There were so many more wonderful aspects of his homily...I will share more soon.

Our Family

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 05:58:00 +0000

At midnight, our beloved priest Fr. James will end his time as our pastor. I have only cried two or three times so far. Friends, you really could not find a better priest than this man. We have been beyond blessed to have him as ours. He has truly been a father and shepherd to us. Our new priest Fr. Michael has arrived and his wife and children will be joining him shortly. Welcome, Fr. Michael and family!

Fr. Shields Preaching the Mission Around the World: How You Can Help!

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Sat, 27 Jul 2013 05:00:00 +0000

If you are not familiar with Fr. Michael Shields and his parish in Magadan, Russia, here is a link for you to explore. I have included this particular page because it has his appeal for parishes who may wish to invite him to preach and share how faith survived amid the harsh evil of the gulags (labor camps).

Here is a link to a talk that Fr. Shields gave at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress last year. It is well worth the hour. Please watch it.

And here are all of his articles he has written for the Catholic Anchor. Read them! They're excellent.

Father, I'm so glad you're here with us in Anchorage. I can't wait to hear you preach and be in fellowship with you.

Candy Crush Saga...for the win.

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 06:30:00 +0000

Very personal, sensitive post. Don't judge me. :-P
_________

As I myself have never had good limits with these types of pastimes, I stand in awe at those friends of mine who do not use Facebook or smart phones. From the moment I logged onto Facebook for the first time, it has only been rarely that I will impose a break on myself, usually from frustration as every activity I do becomes accompanied by a preoccupation with a status update that might perfectly capture it, for instance. I steered clear from iPhones until nursing school required I obtain some sort of handheld data device and the archaic system handed down to me from a former medical student did not ever seem to work properly. Exactly as I had predicted, my eyes became enamored with the possibilities of that small device. I used it a little bit for nursing school and a LOT for distractions, website perusal, and so on.

For the longest time I managed to steer clear from games, but eventually "Words With Friends" appeared as an innocent and stimulating opportunity to interact with friends and hone my vocabulary. Of course, anyone with a halfway decent vocabulary and ability to spell learns early on that "Words With Friends" is NOT that. So many weird, made-up words running rampant all over the screen, along with some questionable spellings—still, we scroll on, filing away those misspellings in case they come in handy for one of our own turns someday.

Lent would come and go, the internet and related pastimes always included in possible fasts. This past year, with Lent particularly long, I honestly relished my minimal time on Facebook. I occasionally logged in to publicize blog posts, but otherwise, my mind had the chance to become disengaged from its state of being electronically observed. I had quietude interiorly. I prayed more.

Once Lent ended, I made the free and conscious choice…really…to start playing "Candy Crush Saga."

At first, I opted not to link it to my Facebook page. On one hand, I did not see any reason to interact with my friends during this pleasurable pastime. Then my coworker assured me that the time would come when progress in the game would necessitate Facebook interaction.

Secretly? I didn’t want my friends to know I was playing this game. Their own status updates had shown me the frequent movement through levels they would accomplish day by day, which had initially gotten me interested in seeing what all the fuss was about. But to actually admit that I was susceptible to this type of thing? Might as well maintain the illusion that much longer!

Still, having made it through the first episode, I did, in fact, need to call upon my friends to send me tickets to take the train to Episode 2. And they did! Candy Crush Saga is no longer my dirty little secret. I have rather gotten hooked on the game, which wisely yet sadistically limits the amount of time anyone can freely play on it. 5 turns it is, unless someone sends you more lives, and then you have to wait until new turns accumulate over the course of several hours.

I confessed this ongoing situation to Father James, our priest.

“Father, this is idolatry, plain and simple. I don’t think I’m hurting anyone else, exactly, but it’s taking away from time I could be spending on more meaningful activities. I need limits. Please give me some. Do not make me discern them. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

“How do you feel about 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening?” He pondered aloud.

“Perfect,” I responded hastily. Oh, thank you, Jesus. THIS is just what I need. I knew that, with Father James imposing this upon me, I wouldn’t dare falter.

Then, Father James traveled to Rome for a month. Somehow, with him so far away and not checking in on a regular basis in any personal manner, I managed to totally blow off his priestly imposition of limits and returned to my former habits within a matter of two weeks.

(I’m like a dream disciple…really.)

I finally threw my hands up in the air. Who was I fooling? I love "Candy Crush Saga." Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything that terrible about spending time playing it on a regular basis, and I’ve gotten over the pride issues pertaining to my however many bajillion friends knowing I’m just as hooked as them.

I opted for a new strategy. I darted into a local Baptist church where I knew I could grab a small New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs (another dirty secret—I love the NIV translation). My new “restrictions” are as follows:

One chapter of the New Testament read before any game of Candy Crush Saga.

I’ve made it all the way through the Holy Gospels and am halfway through the book of Acts.

I’m relieved to say that reading the Gospels and epistles is what I’m looking forward to now even more than the game. Sometimes, I’ll read two chapters because the Word of God is alive and active.

I am still having fun with "Candy Crush Saga," but already, the edges of my little book are getting worn. I am always placing the Sacred Scripture on top of the iPhone, and I keep them together now. It is my small way of consecrating my phone usage to Jesus.

I am seriously weak with these modern day accouterments. But hopefully, at least in this way, my usage will not be a detriment from but only an encouragement toward the truly important activities with which I desire, deep down in my soul, to fill my time.

Tee-hee...get it? "King, loading."

On second thought, Orthodoxy IS portable...

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 06:35:00 +0000


	A portable church to be dropped by parachute in the Ryazan region admin March 26, 2013Paratrooper priests in training.In the Ryazan region in Russia, chaplains will make a jump parachute together with military personel. Priests from the landing forces are expected...

The Mass is Portable

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 06:31:00 +0000

My daughter’s scouting troop recently held their annual summer camp which happened to include a Sunday this year for the first time that I can remember (normally, it has been Monday through Friday). While this particular troop meets at a Protestant community, there are many Catholics and Orthodox who belong to the group as well. I felt it was a beautiful gesture that the leadership arranged for a priest to celebrate Mass at the camp.

It never occurred to me that there would also be an attempt to arrange for the Divine Liturgy by an Orthodox priest, which there was. The Divine Liturgy is long and more complex than the Mass. There are many, many details which matter, and the environment plays such a huge role. As one mother put it, “simply” preparing the bread for use in the Liturgy “takes forever.” The traditions are rich, intricate, and of course, very meaningful and edifying, but not the easiest to transport.

Recreating that in a setting other than the Orthodox church would be as challenging as it is for Byzantine Catholics to do it outside of our churches. Not that it can’t happen, but I’ve only ever seen it happen in a Roman Catholic Church, not in a setting outside of the Church itself.

Unfortunately, the Orthodox priest was not able to come at the last minute (as far as I understand) and the Orthodox children celebrated Vespers.

In the meantime, Father Tom Brundage arrived with his Mass kit and set up an altar in the recreation room of the camp. He joked that this was the same kit he used to celebrate Mass in the prison, and for whatever reason, this particular recreation room had bars on the windows.

Father celebrates Mass at the jail downtown once a week. Other places where Mass is celebrated in Anchorage: at the Pioneer Home downtown for the residents there in assisted living, many of whom cannot live independently or leave the building on their own; at Providence Hospital, Covenant House, Brother Francis Shelter, and pro-life prayer vigils, rivers, campsites, and all nature of places.

The Mass is portable. While I belong to the camp that believes in exquisite liturgy whenever possible, it is equally true that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass can occur with simplicity and efficiency on the hood of a truck on the battlefield.

Personally, I felt very sad that Catholics and Orthodox were not able to mutually celebrate the Eucharist at camp last month. The Catholic Church needs in so many ways to be reminded of the heavenly aspects of the Divine Liturgy as celebrated by the Orthodox; but the Orthodox equally need the portability and ease of transport of the Mass.

Thoughts?

"Lord, I Believe."

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 06:30:00 +0000

I found this account while going through some old computer files yesterday. This is from 2009.

________________

Today I met with my Protestant pastor to explain my recent conversion to Catholicism. While I stammered away, he thankfully relieved me of the task, agreeing that certain non-rational actions like that of the Holy Spirit cannot be clearly explained. I cried against my husband's shoulder after we left. What took almost a year to discern is completely in awareness now, and the sense of closure is resolute and almost unexpected. I anticipated more pain, more hesitation. God has moved in us, has pointed us elsewhere. It's like a door has closed which, as much as our beloved former pastors tell us will ever be open, won't open in the same free and easy way again. I am not the same person I was a month ago. How often do we stand so clearly at a crossroads?

“Why pray to the saints?” Pastor Mark had asked. “It's not in Scripture.”

“It's not prayer to the saints, but rather, asking that the saints pray for us,” I had explained, clarifying what had been the same concern of mine when I received the response to my many months of prayer--that the Catholic Church is my new home. “Why do we ask anyone to pray for us? Intercession is scriptural.”

He sat quietly for a moment before affirming, “I'm a Protestant through and through.”

When I became a Christian, a Protestant community was the obvious choice. I grew up with no religious life at all, and whenever the question came up about my religion--the little box in a questionnaire--my mother always said we were Protestant when I asked her. I suppose that's because we are German, the country of the Reformation. My stepfather's family is devoutly Catholic but we were not, and I married a (at the time) former Catholic. I remember entering Catholic churches on a whim when I became old enough to drive myself, immediately sensing the reverence, the hushed qualities--all of those clichés one uses when talking about spiritual subjects. But they were not for me. Becoming a Catholic would take a long time.

But it was the doctrine of transubstantiation which had stayed with me ever since I learned about it. I remember the first services at our Protestant church--my very first as a Christian. “When's communion?” I had whispered to my husband. By that I meant that Jesus had instructed his disciples to break bread and drink wine to remember his death.

Upon asking a pastor, I learned that this occured once a month during their Sunday services. It involves standing in a circle with other believers and eating a piece of bread dipped in juice.

I had paid close attention to this monthly event. I had especially noted the pastors' assertions that “we do not know what goes on here.” In our Protestant community (Evangelical Covenant was the denomination), it seemed to serve as a symbol which somehow imparted to us a tiny understanding of what communion in Jesus Christ means. Yet this had dissatisfied me since that very day. A major doctrinal issue between Catholics and Protestants is this belief in transubstantiation. Transubstantiation means that the consecrated bread and wine during Mass becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in actuality. Click on this link for quotes from the Church Fathers about the Eucharist.

Even the staunchest believers in Jesus may find this a tough pill to swallow. The actual Body and Blood of Christ? Jesus said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:53-58). Followers of Jesus left His side at that point. But I wouldn't be Catholic if I didn't truly believe this doctrine. “You are my portion,” says the Psalter. This is my Lord and my King.

Now, I enter Mass for the first time while saying yes to this faith, by the grace of God. I dip my finger into the holy water next to the door. The words of the Liturgy pour into me as I close my eyes, noting when to stand or sit as the rustle of clothing sounds among the pews. It is a weekday mass, lightly attended, and I have plenty of space around me. Before me is the altar, the very place where Catholics believe Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection is an ongoing, everyday occurrence, an ever-present act of redemption. The priest, ordained as a successor to the Apostles, prays over the host and holds it above his head.

A bell rings, breaking the silence. It is Him! He is here. The Risen Lord is with us. The tabernacle gleams behind the crucifix. I stand there in awe of the moment, watching the faithful bow before the Sacred Host, and eat. It is not yet my time to receive, but how I long to. I fall to my knees as I leave my pew. Then just before dipping my fingers into the holy water on my way out, emotions brim over and I begin to weep. Really weep. Tears fall to the floor, and when I determine that they will not stop for anything, I cross myself, leave the nave, and fall against the robed burliness of the priest, who has since processed out, and who lets me cry there for a few more moments before I head to the Kleenex.

(Note to Anchorage readers: the priest with tear-stained vestments was Fr. Leo Walsh. :-) His response to my sogginess? "Cool.")

7 Posts in 7 Days: Brace yourselves!

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 05:59:00 +0000

I am joining in the fun over at Conversion Diary, and thankfully remembering to post today, now that it is 11 p.m. on night #1. Phew!

Be sure to visit Jen at Conversion Diary to see all the bloggers who are participating and leave a comment.

Thanks for reading this upcoming week!

Transubstantiation: Do We Believe?

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 09:43:00 +0000

Guest Post by Mike Filce

Tabernacle at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Anchorage, AK

From east to west, the uniquely sacramental life of the Catholic Church defines us. The sacraments take us from the symbolic or representational to the actual experience of God present in our lives. To borrow from the trades, it is the difference between surveying a blueprint and walking through the finished home. To borrow from sports and entertainment, it is the difference between studying game film and playing in the championship game; listening to music and playing in a band before a packed house; playing “Wii golf” and teeing off at Edgewood Tahoe; watching Warren Miller’s ski film, Children of Winter, and plunging through three feet of fresh powder; the difference between flipping through Surfer Magazine and paddling out into smooth rolling lefts at Ventura County line.

I published an article a while back in the hopes of generating discussion on a topic I felt compelled to confront personally, and one I felt essential that my fellow Catholics confront as well: the singularly defining doctrine of the Transubstantiation—the premise of the article being that while we claim this belief as the very heart of our faith, vast numbers of the “faithful” do not in fact embrace this doctrine as the Church defines it.

Then this Spring, in an unexpected confluence, Fr. Benedict DeLeon, our Pastor at St. Theresa Church and School in South Lake Tahoe, addressed this very issue with my son’s graduating class at their Confirmation rehearsal: he called them to account for their response to the Eucharist, and specifically to the unique belief of our Faith in the Transubstantiation. Clearly he considered this issue vital to their choice to be confirmed, as well he should, and he earned my appreciation and respect for doing so.

But how often does that happen—that a priest confronts the faithful over whether they truly believe and have FAITH in this central doctrine? How much more often do our clergy simply “turn a blind eye,” knowing in their hearts that a significant portion of their congregation does not truly embrace this central and defining Catholic doctrine?

As mentioned, I published the article and moved on, grateful that Fr. Ben at least addressed the topic with my son, but not otherwise preoccupied with it . . . until another conversation happened.

Recently we were at dinner with friends—a Catholic schoolteacher and her husband. Conversation turned to the verbiage of the “new” mass, and then eventually to the sacrament of the Eucharist. As we tossed around our personal feelings about receiving both species rather than the host only, the teacher’s husband, uttering one of those remarks intended to authoritatively conclude the discussion, exclaimed, “well, it’s all symbolic anyway!” Now, I must admit that this man was not raised Catholic, but converted to share in his wife’s faith; on the other hand, he is the spouse of a Catholic schoolteacher. Rarely have I winced so openly. I was floored . . . and momentarily speechless. But as that moment passed, I realized that I was strangely at the same time not so shocked . . . due in part to that earlier article I wrote.

My wife and I chimed in response, “No—it’s actually not,” which probably did little to affect him, but I did concede that many, if not most Catholics, probably think as he does, even while practicing the sacrament and attending mass year in and year out. And I stand by my opinion: “most” means the majority, and I believe that includes a significant number who even convince themselves that they believe in the actual, present Body and Blood of Christ—those who are confident that they share the doctrinal view—but in reality do not. Let’s face it: we are not a culture concerned with detail and nuance any longer, and the line between transubstantiation and what amounts to consubstantiation for many Catholics blurs into a meaningless distinction. Even the fact that most perceive this difference as one of “nuance,” when it is in fact the difference between being Catholic and NOT being Catholic, serves to illustrate the dire condition of the faithful.

I would bet that if you passed out copies of the Daily Missal to a group of Catholics and asked them to locate the moment at which the transubstantiation occurs, even prompting with “the consecration,” you would find something less like informed consistency and more like hesitant guessing and uncertainty.

Now, I’m not suggesting we go around trying to trip our Catholic friends up as if they’re game show contestants, but it does invite another series of questions: why do we no longer call attention to the moment as in the past with the ringing of the bells? Why not make it clearer in the missal for that matter—so we Catholics can see for ourselves, so we can show our children, and so we can show those not of our faith exactly what we believe and where it occurs with confidence? Why not label the moment “The Consecration” at least? Too literal? Too crass? — Is ignorance preferable?

Jump to the pragmatic and practical concerns of the Church today: times are tough in every sense of the phrase. The Church has found itself in the position of not wanting to risk further alienating Catholics and non-Catholics alike, while maintaining the strength and authority of its guidance here and throughout the world. Understandably, challenging believers’ devotion to a doctrine—even such a central and defining one—is hardly atop the Catholic Church’s “to do” list; but at the same time, can the Church—can we its Body—afford not to challenge one another and ourselves over this tenet? Can our Faith survive if it is based on a flawed premise? For that matter, can the Church itself survive if it indulges its faithful in a comfortable and convenient illusion? To do so is to invite a climate of relativism, and at a time we can least afford it: in short, one either believes that the Body and Blood ARE Christ present, or that they merely REPRESENT or SYMBOLIZE Christ present.

The difference that defines such relativism is akin to a photo of a wave rolling meekly ashore versus an actual wave one finds himself paddling into on a surfboard—scratching desperately after its unrelenting momentum, feeling its inexorable pull, popping up to one’s feet just as the board noses down and into the suction of the wave face, joining its force, entering its consuming and cresting arch where symbiosis and fluidity unite; and even after that initial soaring, when the close-out comes—tumbling helplessly but with full commitment into the powerful wash and thunderous roll toward the shore, rendering surfer utterly dependent on the force of the wave (after all, it didn’t come those thousands of miles for nothing) before breaking at last into that gasping for air and light, granted only as the wave is spent . . . but now both are one and are changed by the experience.

Perhaps today, at such a moment in the history of our Catholic Church, such allowances and indulgences of Sacramental interpretation may seem small—as minute amounts of moisture to a concrete foundation . . . but in the end, that moisture freezes—contracting and expanding, inviting mildew, and eventually erosion, crumbling and disintegrating under the weight of the structure it supports, which topples to the ground, rots and decays, disappears into the eternity of soil.

Mike Filce lives in South Lake Tahoe, attends St. Theresa Church and teaches English at South Tahoe High School. He and his wife Anne are parents to two teenagers, a son and daughter.

Icon-kissing workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:20:00 +0000

Tuesday brought the happiness of several hours with our goddaughter Shannon, who is perfection itself, and one of her big brothers. Our eldest daughter Zoya took it upon herself to ensure Shannon learns icon-kissing. (Shannon's mother ensures us she is well-versed in such things, but for your edification, witness this most excellent child with the icon of the Inexhaustible Cup. Such sweetness!)

Prayers requested for our parish

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:27:00 +0000

If only we could keep Father James AND get our new priest too...but I guess that doesn't work well in the long run for all you other Catholics. :-P Here is Father blessing our icons at Pascha last year. We will miss you tremendously, Father.

Please pray for our parish. Our priest Fr. James has been called to serve at a new parish down in California, and we will be blessed with a Ukrainian priest Fr. Michael, who is married with two children. They are rather new to America and it will take some time to adjust to Alaska and become fully acclimated and “plugged in” to the everyday life here.

Sadly, in the midst of it all, our deacon has been afflicted with a health crisis. While he has certainly been blessed with a good outcome of what could have been far more debilitating, he is taking a leave of absence for several months from his deaconal duties while he recovers more fully.

Remarkably, because God can arrange these kinds of things with ease, another Eastern Catholic (Melkite) deacon and his family have moved to our neck of the woods in Alaska and joined our parish this past month. (What were the chances??) While he was open to serving if needed, they attend as parishioners primarily (he is not serving under our Bishop).

Yet, with Father Deacon’s health and what would have been substantial duties for him otherwise, here we have an unexpected deacon, ready and willing to fill in as needed and who will be homilizing and contributing to the pastoral care of the parish while this transition occurs. Amazing.

It shouldn’t surprise me but I hope it never stops surprising me. God has taken care of it…if there is something He does not seem to be addressing, we should trust that we are seeing all we need to see at the moment. He knows what is happening. He’s got this.

In the meantime, please do pray for our parish, for the health of our deacon, for our departing priest and our new priest and his family, and for all the parishioners.

Little Ways to Show Jesus You Love Him

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 09:50:00 +0000

Here is a small list of ways to show Jesus you love Him.

Cross yourself when you walk or drive past the Blessed Sacrament. Remember, the Orthodox Churches also have the Blessed Sacrament. When we drive past a Church, if my kids are not paying attention, I will say, “Greet the Lord, children,” and they will acknowledge that we are near the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Himself. If you walk past a Church with the Blessed Sacrament, go inside.

Kiss the Holy Icons when you enter the room.

Ask the Lord’s pardon if you hear someone take His name in vain.

Brush your teeth before receiving Holy Communion.

Wash Jesus’ feet. I have a small font with a statue of the Holy Family, and whenever I fill the font with holy water, I pour it over Jesus’ feet. But any statue will do.

Feel free to add your own in the comments...and don't make fun of me too much regarding the tooth-brushing.

The Holy Parents of St. Therese of Lisieux

noreply@blogger.com (Mindy Goorchenko) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:05:00 +0000

God gave me a father and a mother more worthy of heaven than of earth; they asked the Lord to give them many children and to take them for Himself.

From the archived letters of St. Therese of Lisieux

You were always there to kiss me awake, and I said my prayers kneeling beside you. Then you used to give me a reading lesson. The first word I could read by myself, I remember, was "Heaven." When this was over, I used to go upstairs to the belvedere, where Father spent most of his time, wonderfully happy if I could tell him I had had good marks.

He used to take me for a little walk every afternoon to pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament in the various churches in turn.

Story of a Soul

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Blessed Marie-Azelie and Blessed Louis Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux. Have you read Story of a Soul by St. Therese? Last year, she captured my heart and I couldn’t put it down. The description of her devout parents, Bl. Zelie and Bl. Louis, led me into a devotion to them. The depiction of them in the book should edify any parents seeking to raise their children in the faith.

Bl. Louis and Blessed Zelie, pray for us.