August 26, 2013, Volume VII, Number 34

FEAST OF BLESSED MARY OF JESUS CRUCIFIED Monday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary TimeFeast of Saint Monica – Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Feast of Saint Augustine – Wednesday, August 28, 2013Passion of Saint John the Baptist – Thursday, August 29, 2013YEAR OF FAITH - Oct. 11, 2012, through Nov. 24, 2013

http://www.annusfidei.va/content/novaevangelizatio/en.html

Question of the WeekFor Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 1, 2013“…invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.” How do you understand blessing? Do you perceive blessing to be a reminder that you are loved and all that you have is a gift? Do you understand blessing as a way for you to share what’s been given to you out of Love and not because you “earned it”? When you invite/serve/share with those “poor, crippled, lame, blind” do you puff up with pride or do you think you can do this because you worked so hard for it? Might blessing be always recognized when you act out of love, a love that was present in your creation and a love for the One who loved you before you were in your mother’s womb?

NCCL News

Catechetical Sunday – September 15, 2013 – Only Three Weeks Away

This year, the Church will celebrate Catechetical Sunday on September 15, 2013, and will focus on the theme Open the Door of Faith. Those whom the community has designated to serve as catechists will be called forth to be commissioned for their ministry. Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. Catechetical Sunday

is an opportunity for all to rededicate themselves to this mission as a community of faith.

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As in past years, NCCL will sell printed copies of prayer cards, family commitment cards, posters, and certificates in English and Spanish. Check the NCCL website www.NCCL.org for more information on ordering your Catechetical Sunday materials. ORDER NOW TO BE SURE YOU RECEIVE YOUR PRODUCTS IN TIME TO CELEBRATE CATECHETICAL SUNDAY. This year’s reflection journal was edited by Michele Harris and the reflections were written by nine different NCCL members. The reflection book is entitled WELCOME! Open the Door – Pass through the gate – Seek the Christ. Sample pages from each of the writers are available on the NCCL Homepage (www.NCCL.org).

The 2013 NCCL pin represents the theme for Catechetical Sunday "Open the Door of Faith" with a beautiful 3 dimensional effect. The all metal pin is outlined in the same gold as the cross. The Alpha and Omega from the Catechetical Sunday logo are imprinted on the

shiny copper doors that open to our Redeemer, Jesus Christ hanging on a gold cross in a brushed copper room. The doors break through the gold outline to enhance the theme, Open the Door of Faith. The Spirit of God in each of us is the agent of the new evangelization and inspires each of us to open our heats and to go forth as catechist and teacher. Help your organization and order your materials from NCCL. Actual pin size is 7/8 inch.

CL Weekly will feature several pieces each week from June 3 – September 16.

This week we feature a:

Theological reflection by Dr. Harry J. Dudley, Assistant Director for Certification of Ecclesial Ministry, Secretariat of Catholic Education, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. His theological reflection is entitled Enter the Narrow Gate (http://tiny.cc/jc4uxw).

Piece to Share with Your Pastor ( For Clergy ) by Rev. Kris Stubna, Rector, St. Paul Cathedral,Diocese of Pittsburgh. His piece is entitled The Proclamation of the Risen Christ and can be downloaded at http://tiny.cc/hd5uxw.

Teaching Aid by by Petroc Willey, BD, STL, PhD, PhD (Lateran), Dean of Research, Maryvale Institute in England, Consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. The title of his piece is The Catechism: A Symphony of Faith and can be downloaded from http://tiny.cc/y9bvxw.

Parish Resource by Rev. John W. Crossin, OSFS, Executive Director, Secretariat of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This piece, Conversations in the Courtyard of the Gentiles: Learning from Interchurch and interfaith Dialogue, would also make an excellent parish bulletin insert and can be downloaded at http://tiny.cc/zj5uxw.

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You can download the complete list of FREE Resources which can also be found at http://tiny.cc/263uxw. Be sure to order your Catechetical Sunday materials from NCCL (www.NCCL.org).

Technology Safety Through the Eyes of Faith

As the new school year begins, check out this resource from the USCCB on ensuring children’s safety in our digital world. The website https://faithandsafety.org/ was designed to be as simple and practical as possible. It's intended to be a starting point for parents of faith who may not know where to turn, what to do, or just need some

quick information and practical guidance.

In the Resources for Families, we are reminded that all safety begins at home. The habits you exhibit about technology use in your home will be the same habits your children learn. You are invited to ask yourself what you consider appropriate or inappropriate uses of technology and then compare that with how you might be acting. There is a wealth of information available to help parents deal with the Internet, social networks, computers, mobile, and gaming devices.

Targeting of Churches and Christians Unacceptable

The United States should work with the international community to support Egyptians in ending violence, restoring the rule of law and building an inclusive democracy in their country, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace. In an August 23 letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, urged a path of dialogue and reconciliation that promotes peace, human rights and religious freedom in Egypt.

“Amidst the tragedy of violence and bloodshed in Egypt, our Conference has a special concern for the Christian community,” wrote Bishop Pates. “Extremists have scapegoated Christians, blaming them for the current state of affairs, and viciously attacked Christian churches, institutions and communities, destroying property and terrorizing people. The destruction of Christian churches and the targeting of Christians are unacceptable.”

Bishop Pates said that the bishops of the United States join Pope Francis in praying for “all the victims and their families, the injured and all those who are suffering.” He echoed the words of the Coptic Catholic patriarch of Alexandria, who commended the Muslims in Egypt who stood with Christians and defended their churches and institutions. Bishop Pates also expressed concern for Egypt’s poor and refugees, who are particularly vulnerable in a time of upheaval.

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“We urge the United States to preserve, and even increase, humanitarian and economic assistance,” Bishop Pates wrote. “Poor and vulnerable Egyptians should not pay the price of the political turmoil and violence gripping their nation.”

In an August 23 memo to all U.S. bishops, Bishop Pates and Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona, chairman of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), said that CRS is working with the Church in Egypt to help those most affected by the violence and unrest. CRS is currently helping to rehabilitate church schools that have been burned and looted. Their ongoing work includes: educating refugee children; aiding young women vulnerable to sex trafficking; helping people find work during the recent years of turmoil and economic uncertainty; and fostering dialogue and acceptance among religions. Last year CRS began a program with the Coptic Catholic Church that has brought together thousands of Christians and Muslims.

The full text of Bishop Pates’ letter is available online: Letter to John Kerry (http://tiny.cc/ne5d2w)

The full text of the memo from Bishop Pates and Bishop Kicanas is also available online: USCCB and CRS (http://tiny.cc/ng5d2w)

Sadlier Offers a FREE Webinar on Vocation of the Catechist – THIS WEEK

Join the Rev. Michael A. Carrano on Tuesday, August 27 at 1:00 p.m. EDT for this Sadlier Webinar Echoers of the Word: The Vocation of the Catechist. Click here to register for this Webinar https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/273734038.

The vocation of the catechist stems from Sacred Scripture and the words of Jesus. As a catechist, one is called to “echo” the life, teachings and ministry of Jesus. With that responsibility comes the need to be spiritually connected to Christ and to “teach as Jesus did.” The presentation will look at the spiritual and practical aspects of the call to be a catechetical witness of the Gospel. Attendees will have the option to request a Certificate of Attendance.

Rev. Michael A. Carrano was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Brooklyn in 1970. During the course of his forty- three years, he has been a parish priest; Principal of a Catholic School; Diocesan Director of Youth Ministry and Adolescent Catechesis and College Campus Ministry; Director of Religious Education; Pastor; and is an Adjunct Instructor at St. Francis College, Brooklyn.

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Pope Francis: 'Faith and Violence Are Incompatible'

The Holy Father reflected on the words of Christ in last Sunday’s Gospel that he said needed to be explained “so that they are not misunderstood.” The Gospel of Luke recounted Jesus telling his disciples: “Did you think that I came to bring peace to the earth? No, I say to you, I came to bring division” (Luke 12:51).

“What does this mean? It means that the faith is not something decorative, ornamental; living the faith is not decorating life with a little religion, as if life were a pie and faith like the whipped cream that you use to decorate it,” the Pope explained. “No, faith is not this. Faith entails choosing God as the basic criterion for life, and God is not empty, God is not neutral, God is always positive, God is love, and love is positive!”

The Pope continued saying that it is not Christ who intends to divide men against each other, rather the choice to follow Jesus may divide us “even from the closest bonds.” “Following Jesus means rejecting evil, egoism, and choosing the good, truth, justice, even when that requires sacrifice and renunciation of our own interests,” the Holy Father said.  “And, yes, this divides.”

The Holy Father also reminded the faithful that the Gospel in no way authorizes the use of force in spreading the faith, saying that the true force of Christians “is the force of truth and love” “Faith and violence are incompatible! Faith and violence are incompatible!,” he exclaimed. “But faith and strength go together. The Christian is not violent, but he strong. And with what strength? That of meekness, the force of meekness, the force of love.”

FREE Professional Development Webinar – Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Ave Maria Press, in partnership with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, the National Association for Lay Ministry, and National Federation of Priests' Councils presents a series of free, online workshops on professional development for parish ministers. This webinar

Open the Doors: Seven Approaches to an Encounter with Christ is offered on Tuesday, September 10 at 3:00 pm EDT. You can register at PDW - 09-10-2013 (http://tiny.cc/g1vv0w). For a complete listing of professional development webinars in this series, please visit www.avemariapress.com/webinars .

Open the Doors: Seven Approaches to an Encounter with ChristTuesday, September 10, 2013 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT

In the spirit of this year’s Catechetical Sunday theme “Open the Doors of Faith,” Lee Nagel, Executive Director for the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, will share the seven

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key elements in creating an environment that engages those present and facilitates an encounter with the Risen Christ. These elements include: 1. Preparedness: Open Your MInd to What God is Offering; Then Stop, Look, and Listen 2. Balance: Ritual and Novelty, Comfort and Challenge, Safety and Risk 3. Prime the Pump, Make Connections, Engage the Senses, Activate Learning Styles 4. Seven-Minute Chunks with Catholic Service Announcements 5. Quiet Moments for Reflection 6. Review 7. Go Forth Blessed All registered participants will receive practical pointers and useful techniques that are immediately applicable to any environment.

Beauty and Beer: Monks' Outreach is Part of New Evangelization

Even before retired Pope Benedict XVI set up a pontifical council for new evangelization and convoked a world Synod of Bishops on the

theme, a new group of Benedictine monks was using Latin and liturgy to reach out to those whose faith was weak or nonexistent.

Now they've added beer to the blend, and people are flocking to the monastery in Norcia, the birthplace of St. Benedict, about 70 miles northeast of Rome in the Umbrian countryside.

But for the 18 members of St. Benedict's monastery, life is still about prayer. "If the prayer doesn't come first, the beer is going to suffer," said Father Benedict Nivakoff, director of the Birra Nursia brewery and subprior of the monastery. The monks in Norcia initially were known for their liturgical ministry, particularly sharing their chanted prayers in Latin online-- http://osbnorcia.org/blog -- with people around the world.

But following the Rule of St. Benedict means both prayer and manual labor, with a strong emphasis on the monks earning their own keep. After just a year of brewing and selling their beer in the monastery gift shop and through restaurants in Norcia, financial self-sufficiency seems within reach, and the monks are talking expansion.

But even with the talk of expanding the brewery, and perhaps exporting some of the brew to the United States, the Mass and the liturgical hours are still the centerpiece of the monks' lives. "Our life is very much unified by the liturgy, which forms a kind of skeleton around which everything else takes shape," Father Folsom said.

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Father Nivakoff said the monks began brewing Aug. 15, 2012, with three goals: contributing to the monastery's self-sufficiency; solidifying bonds with the town; and reaching out to people who are "turned off by religion." For those who wouldn't think of going to Mass, he said, the monastery gift shop gives them a contact with the monks "in a setting and over a product they feel comfortable with. There's a spiritual gain for them, even though they aren't looking for it."

In many circumstances, Father Nivakoff said, "we have to preach the Gospel without preaching the Gospel -- just through the example of Christian charity and being kind to people."

"Beer is something that often can break down barriers," he said. "The beer is a catalyst" for bringing people together and giving them something to talk about, but the conversations at the monastery often do not end with the beer. Father Basil Nixen, the novice master, said the beer enterprise has raised the morale of the monks and reinforces their sense of community because all the monks are called on to help with some aspect of producing, bottling, distributing and selling the beer.

"Here in Norcia, we're at a very important place for evangelization" because so many tourists and pilgrims come through the town, he said. "We're continually sharing with others our life, above all the liturgy. People come to the monastery for the beer," he said, but they leave realizing God brought them to Norcia to meet him. Making beer "perhaps dissipates any fear that we might be judgmental or overly critical of them," he said. People assume beer-making monks will accept them. Yu can watch a three (3) minute video about these monks and their philosophy at http://osbnorcia.org/blog.

Mia Offers Her Doggie Thoughts on the Bell Tower

Background: In 2005 St. Peter the Fisherman in Two Rivers Wisconsin dedicated a brand new church. A bell tower was to be constructed at a later date. This past Spring work on the bell tower was begun and by mid Fall, the tower along with beautiful new bells, will be dedicated. Mia has been closely overseeing the project.

Hello everybody. I have been so excited lately that I am feeling like a real ding-dong. Ba, ha, ha, I just made a big joke because, whats I’m excited about, is the new bell tower!

Every day when I take Mia Papa for his walk, I have a looks at the tower. One day I wanted to “do something special” by the tower as a memberance of me, but Mia Papa said, “No, no, bad dog.” I thinks that is a funny nickname for me, but Mia Papa, never smiles when he says it!

Did you know that sheep dogs and big bells are almost the same? I didn’t think you did, so let me tell you, so you will know, in case anyone ever says to you, “How are sheepdogs and big bells the same?” Whew! That was long words to write and wore me out, so first I must take a nap! Zzzzzz.

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I’m back! Ready to tell you all about sheep dogs and bells. You see one of my important jobs as a sheep dog is to shepherd, to guide, and direct sheeps and people on the right way. I keep them from rocky paths and big steep cliffs and growly things and other stuff that could give their tummy a real scare!

Bells do the same thing. When you hear a bell ring it is saying, “Yoo-hoo, person there, stop and pay attention”. You want to know which bell my Mia Papa does not like at all? The one on his alarm clock! Every morning when that goes off he slaps at it and says “grumpfh”! I wiggle my butt and say, “Up we go, breakfast time!” But I digress.

So, some bells wake us up, and others tell us when the treat is done cooking in the oven or microwave. Some bells make people appear at the door, well at least in my house, anytime I hear a “ding-dong,” I can be pretty sure someone will be at the door, like maybe Nanny to take me for a hot dog and maybe shopping at a rummage sale where we might find a new doggie jacket with pockets to hold my treats…but I digress.

Really big bells, like those in our tower ring out just before Mass, saying “Okey, doeky, we are ready to start, time to be with God.” At a funeral the bells say, “someone has just gone to be with God” and sometimes church bells ring during the day to say “time to stop and pray to God”. Church bells are special, because they are the voice of the Shepherd calling the sheep, and I likes that thought, very, very much.

How excitable we all should be as our tower is getting all builddid up. Soon the BIG bells will ring out good news. Did you know that my friend, Gracie Poodledog acts like a bell? When she comes to visit she is all hoppy like, and “boings” around the room, “boing… boing… boing…” she gives me a headache, but otherwise I like to listen to bells pretty much. I can’t wait to hear our St. Peter bells ring out over all of Two Rivers. And Jesus will like it too, because you know why that will be? Because every time the church bells ring, it will mean someone is standing at the door to Jesus’ house, ready to come in for a visit!

-Mia

The Wisdom of Tenderness: Jean Vanier on Lived Compassion, L'Arche, and Becoming Human

Considered by some to be a living saint, Jean Vanier created L'Arche, a model of community for people with mental disabilities that celebrates power in smallness and light in the darkness of human existence. The French Canadian philosopher and Catholic social innovator speaks about his understanding of humanity and God that has been shaped by Aristotle, Mother Teresa, and people who would once have been locked away from

society. Watch this episode of On Being with Krista Tippett at Jean Vanier on the Wisdom of Tenderness (http://tiny.cc/zw8d2w).

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2017 List

Each August since 1998, Beloit College has released the Beloit College Mindset List, providing a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall. Prepared by Beloit’s former Public Affairs Director Ron Nief and Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride, the list was originally created as a reminder to faculty to be aware of dated references. It quickly became an internationally monitored catalog of the changing worldview of each new college generation.

Mindset List websites at http://themindsetlist.com/ and http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/, as well as the Mediasite webcast and their Facebook Page receive more than a million visits annually. You can also order their book The Mindset Lists of American History: From Typewriters to Text Messages, What Ten Generations of Americans Think Is Normal from the NCCL Amazon Bookstore.

I find this list to be extremely helpful because what is true for college freshmen would be true for every student in our faith formation programs or religion classes. It is a good dose of reality when thinking about examples one might be using or even terminology that is different.

When the Class of 2017 arrives on campus this fall, these digital natives will already be well-connected to each other. They are more likely to have borrowed money for college than their Boomer parents were, and while their parents foresee four years of school, the students are pretty sure it will be longer than that.  Members of this year’s first year class, most of them born in 1995, will search for the academic majors reported to lead to good-paying jobs, and most of them will take a few courses taught at a distant university by a professor they will never meet.

The use of smart phones in class may indicate they are reading the assignment they should have read last night, or they may be recording every minute of their college experience…or they may be texting the person next to them. If they are admirers of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, they may wonder whether a college degree is all it’s cracked up to be, even as their dreams are tempered by the reality that tech geniuses come along about as often as Halley’s Comet, which they will not glimpse until they reach what we currently consider “retirement age.”

Though they have never had the chicken pox, they are glad to have access to health insurance for a few more years. They will study hard, learn a good deal more, teach their professors quite a lot, and realize eventually that they will soon be in power. After all, by the time they hit their thirties, four out of ten voters will be of their generation. Whatever their employers may think of them, politicians will be paying close attention.

The Mindset List for the Class of 2017

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For this generation of entering college students, born in 1995, Dean Martin, Mickey Mantle, and Jerry Garcia have always been dead.

1. Eminem and LL Cool J could show up at parents’ weekend.2. They are the sharing generation, having shown tendencies to share everything, including possessions, no matter how personal3. GM means food that is Genetically Modified.4. As they started to crawl, so did the news across the bottom of the television screen.5. “Dude” has never had a negative tone.6. As their parents held them as infants, they may have wondered whether it was the baby or Windows 95 that had them more excited.7. As kids they may well have seen Chicken Run but probably never got chicken pox.8. Having a chat has seldom involved talking.9. Gaga has never been baby talk.10. They could always get rid of their outdated toys on eBay.11. They have known only two presidents.12. Their TV screens keep getting smaller as their parents’ screens grow ever larger.13. PayPal has replaced a pen pal as a best friend on line.14. Rites of passage have more to do with having their own cell phone and Skype accounts than with getting a driver’s license and car15. The U.S. has always been trying to figure out which side to back in Middle East conflicts.16. A tablet is no longer something you take in the morning.17. Threatening to shut down the government during Federal budget negotiations has always been an anticipated tactic.18. Growing up with the family dog, one of them has worn an electronic collar, while the other has toted an electronic lifeline.19. Plasma has never been just a bodily fluid.20. The Pentagon and Congress have always been shocked, absolutely shocked, by reports of sexual harassment and assault in the military.21. Spray paint has never been legally sold in Chicago.22. Captain Janeway has always taken the USS Voyager where no woman or man has ever gone before.23. While they've grown up with a World Trade Organization, they have never known an Interstate Commerce Commission24. Courts have always been ordering computer network wiretaps.25. Planes have never landed at Stapleton Airport in Denver.26. Jurassic Park has always had rides and snack bars, not free-range triceratops and velociraptors.27. Thanks to Megan's Law and Amber Alerts, parents have always had community support in keeping children safe28. With GPS, they have never needed directions to get someplace, just an address.29. Java has never been just a cup of coffee.30. Americans and Russians have always cooperated better in orbit than on earth.31. Olympic fever has always erupted every two years.

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32. Their parents have always bemoaned the passing of precocious little Calvin and sarcastic stuffy Hobbes.33. In their first 18 years, they have watched the rise and fall of Tiger Woods and Alex Rodriquez.34. Yahoo has always been looking over its shoulder for the rise of "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.”35. Congress has always been burdened by the requirement that they comply with the anti-discrimination and safety laws they passed for everybody else to follow.36. The U.S. has always imposed economic sanctions against Iran.37. The Celestine Prophecy has always been bringing forth a new age of spiritual insights.38. Smokers in California have always been searching for their special areas, which have been harder to find each year.39. They aren’t surprised to learn that the position of Top Spook at the CIA is a equal opportunity post.40. They have never attended a concert in a smoke-filled arena.41. As they slept safely in their cribs, the Oklahoma City bomber and the Unabomber were doing their deadly work.42. There has never been a national maximum speed on U.S. highways.43. Don Shula has always been a fine steak house.44. Their favorite feature films have always been largely, if not totally, computer generated.45. They have never really needed to go to their friend’s house so they could study together.46. They have never seen the Bruins at Boston Garden, the Trailblazers at Memorial Coliseum, the Supersonics in Key Arena, or the Canucks at the Pacific Coliseum.47. Dayton, Ohio, has always been critical to international peace accords.48. Kevin Bacon has always maintained six degrees of separation in the cinematic universe.49. They may have been introduced to video games with a new Sony PlayStation left in their cribs by their moms.50. A Wiki has always been a cooperative web application rather than a shuttle bus in Hawaii.51. The Canadian Football League Stallions have always sung Alouette in Montreal after bidding adieu to Baltimore.52. They have always been able to plug into USB ports53. Olestra has always had consumers worried about side effects54. Washington, D.C., tour buses have never been able to drive in front of the White House.55. Being selected by Oprah’s Book Club has always read “success.”56. There has never been a Barings Bank in England.57. Their parents’ car CD player is soooooo ancient and embarrassing58. New York’s Times Square has always had a splash of the Magic Kingdom in it.59. Bill Maher has always been politically incorrect.60. They have always known that there are “five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes" in a year.

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Burrito Boyz – A Father Teaches His Son

A group of teens known as the "Burrito Boyz" has made and delivered more than 33,000 breakfast burritos to San Diego's homeless. But it took a mentor to inspire them. Let's call him Burrito Dad.

Michael Johnson grew somewhat alarmed at son Alec's gizmo-packed Christmas list two years ago, so he decided to impart some perspective. According to Yahoo, he and wife Mehrnaz thought feeding the homeless might do the trick. Thus, the family and Alec's friend Luke Trolinger set about wrapping 54 egg-and-cheese burritos one Sunday in November and handed them out.

More than 130 Sundays later, their nonprofit Hunger 2 Help is rolling in good will. It has grown to seven Burrito Boyz and other volunteers, all of whom help make hundreds of tortilla-wrapped meals. They operate out of Johnson's business, Long Island Mike's Pizza, and distribute the food to a neighborhood in need.

"Anything can happen if you take the first step," the dad told Yahoo. "I’m shocked at what’s happened with this little project. Now there’s a major impact." The father has the kids working with assembly-line precision. "We have somebody scoop the eggs, have somebody ... on the cheese,” he explained to NBC San Diego in 2011. “And then folders, we put in a pan and then we put it right in the oven.”

He reminds the crew to make eye contact and get to know their customers. "We ask for so much, and they ask for so little," Trolinger told CBS in the segment below. "They get just a burrito and they're so happy."

Johnson also noticed changes in son Alec from the get-go of their burrito mission. "My son looked to me as a young man that day," he told CBS. But to the area's homeless, Alec is one of the Boyz. “They’ve got the most beautiful hearts," burrito recipient Jazzmine Sharp told the Union-Tribune. You can watch a two (2) minute video from CBS.

The Blessings of Religion: Why Faith Is Positive for Society

Father John Flynn, LC writes that events in Egypt may well raise concerns again about the role of religion in society. While extremism or violence in the name of religion is certainly deplorable, overall religion is a positive influence. This was made clear in a book published late last year by Rodney Stark, a former professor of sociology and author of numerous books on Christianity’s impact on society.

In his book, America's Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists Stark insists that all the claims he makes for the positive impact of

religion are backed up by reliable research. There is a substantial body of evidence that social

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behavior is greatly influenced by religion, said Stark. He put at 247 the number of studies published between 1944 and 2010 that found a positive effect of religion on reducing crime, deviance and delinquency.

One survey found that young people who never attend a church are about four times as likely to have been picked up by the police compared to those do go to church. The positive impact of religion holds for both whites and African Americans and across the varying levels of education and income. Honesty, drug and alcohol use and regular attendance at school are other social behaviors positively affected by the level of religious participation.

The more religious a student is, he added, the better the performance at school and the higher the achievement scores obtained. While some have argued that the correlation between religion and educational success is due to higher income levels, this is disproved, Stark argued, by the results showing that the religious effect on schools achievement holds even more strongly for African American and Hispanic students. Religious parents, he concluded, “are better parents, who raise better-behaved and better-educated children.”

All of the world’s major religions, he commented, stress the importance of generosity, and surveys show that all around the world people who are religiously active are more generous to others.

Reduced to Joy

Beloved as a poet, teacher, and storyteller, Mark Nepo, now in his sixties, has written Reduced to Joy, a book of seventy-three poems. Retrieved and shaped over the last thirteen years, these poems are about the nature of working with what we're given till it wears us through to joy.  About joy, Nepo says, "Often, what keeps us from joy is the menacing assumption that life is happening other than where we are." Of the book, he says, "Poetry is the well from which all my books rise.  It's where I always go to listen, always stunned by what arrives.  It's how I know the inner world.  I bring these poems back from the deep like shells from the sea that we can look at together." Profound and accessible, Nepo's poems are tools for staying close to what matters.

One reviewer wrote that he “joins a long tradition of truth-seeking, wild-hearted poets—Rumi, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver.” Here are two of his poems that caused me to stop and ponder. If interested, you can order Reduced to Joy from the NCCL Amazon Bookstore or get it in the Kindle Edition Reduced to Joy.

WHERE IS GOD?

It's as if what is unbreakable—the very pulse of life—waits foreverything else to be torn away,and then in the bareness that

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only silence and suffering andgreat love can expose, it daresto speak through us and to us.

It seems to say, if you want to last,hold on to nothing.  If you wantto know love, let in everything.If you want to feel the presenceof everything, stop counting thethings that break along the way.

The Art of Facing Things

There have been times I’ve been hurtful or forgotten who you are, times I’ve mistaken you for one of the dark faces I’ve never put to rest. Times you’ve done the same. Times we’ve worked out our pain or fear, using each other as the block of wood to carve our way to truth; feeling awful when we remember that the one we carve is the one who has loved us through everything.

But this is the messy art of facing things: knocking over what I love with what I avoid; only to learn again that this is not of our timing.

It doesn’t matter what thorns we carry or how we squirm to avoid their pain. We unfold as long as we love, pried into blossom.

The first piece I read by Mark Nepo was in his book entitled Finding Inner Courage and it was entitled The Art of Facing Things; the same title of the poem in his latest book. The essay can be read after this introductory sentence, “If each wound faced is a letter in God’s name, how many for the secret language we need.” If interested in reading this piece, please go to The Art of Facing Things. You can also order Finding Inner Courage from the NCCL Amazon Bookstore in the Kindle Edition.

The Blessing Cup

Patricia Polacco has written and illustrated more than 90 picture books. One of my favorites, with great spiritual connections, is The Keeping Quilt: 25th

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Anniversary Edition, also available as La Colcha de Recuerdos = The Keeping Quilt (Spanish Edition). Polacco tells NPR's Jacki Lyden that early life had a profound effect on her work. Her

latest story takes readers back to the times of her grandparents, to the shtetls, or towns, of Russia.

The story follows a young girl, Anna, as her village is going through the pogroms, or persecution aimed at the Jews. Anna doesn't understand why this is happening to her family. You can listen to the interview with Patricia Polacco at The Blessing Cup (http://tiny.cc/bswd2w)and learn more about her and her commitment to serve children as well as the traditions with which she was raised.

You can order The Blessing Cup from the NCCL Amazon Bookstore.

Saint Louis and the Last Crusade

Several of us just returned from our conference planning meeting in St. Louis. Whether you are attending the conference or not, this is a good opportunity to share the life of one of our saints from whom our host city took its name. Louis IX of France was a good king and a faithful witness to Christ, even to his captors. His feast day was yesterday. You can order Saint Louis and the Last Crusade from the NCCL Amazon Bookstore.

Knowing Jesus and His Message – Conociendo a Jesus y su Mensaje

This is an excellent resource. Immediately following the Learning Session on this resource at the NCCL Conference and Exposition in San Diego, the NCCL Bookstore sold over twenty (20) copies of the book in English and Spanish.

Based on the protocol used to evaluate elementary religion series, the book used fifteen standards for Pre-K and K

through Grades 7 & 8. Included with the binder is a CD with all the materials available for duplication. This is an ideal help for any elementary catechist regardless of the series you might be using. Check out the following and use the Order Form.

PREFACE - Knowing Jesus and His Message (http://tiny.cc/nysql) EXPLANATION - Knowing Jesus and His Message (http://tiny.cc/xuvw8) Standards - Explained (http://tiny.cc/65wmc) Normas y Fundamentos (http://tiny.cc/zfrg2)

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ORDER FORM - Knowing Jesus and His Message (http://tiny.cc/9j0mb)

Looking For A Good Book?

Stop by the NCCL Bookstore. Purchasing books, CDs, DVDs, and other products on Amazon through the NCCL Bookstore (http://astore.amazon.com/natioconfefor-20) helps support this valuable online ministry.

If you are an on-line shopper and you frequent Amazon.com, please enter through the NCCL Amazon Bookstore as the organization benefits from every purchase you make. It’s an ideal way to support our ministry. Just go to our Home page (www.NCCL.org) and click on the Store tab or click on http://astore.amazon.com/natioconfefor-20 and it will take you directly to our bookstore. It doesn’t matter what you buy, as long as you enter through the NCCL Amazon Bookstore, we get a percentage of your purchases.

We are just building our bookstore and adding titles every day, so if you have any suggestions for books you believe should be available through our bookstore, please drop NCCL a note. All books mentioned in CL Weekly are available at the NCCL Bookstore.

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“FOLLOW” us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NCCLonline – What’s going on in your catechetical environment?

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