Do You Underline Sentences in The Books You Read?

Hi there Catholic Family Podcast listeners and readers! Back yard-reading and blessings of the summer of 2009. Just in time for summer, we finished installation of a covered deck over our concrete patio and we’re already using it. Last Sunday, we had dinner out there – with a ceiling fan slowly pushing a gentle breeze above us. I also took the paper and some reading material out there.

Now – one of my habits – and it does annoy some folks when I underline sentences in books that I own. Sometimes I dog-ear the pages as an aid to find the underlines. All of a sudden I feel like Andy Rooney telling you about this habit of mine. Do you do this? Or are you a Ph.D. purist about books: don’t bend the spine, don’t write in them, leave the dust jackets on, etc.?

Let me tell you about two of the books that I have really abused. I do this to recommend books you may wish to take on a vacation with you. I’m hoping that you do take some inspirational reading with you as well as some escapism reading.

For inspiration – I recommend these two books:

-Living the Catholic Faith – Rediscovering the Basics by Archbishop Charles Chaput; Servant Publications, Ann Arbor, Michigan   (and)

-Grace in Every Season – Daily Reflections (Through the Year) with Catherine Doherty; Madonna House Publications, Combermere, Ontario, Canada.

There are probably no books in my relatively dense library of books – no books which are more underlined and dog-eared than these two. Here’s why and here are examples.

For Archbishop Chaput (who is the bishop that ordained me) – he lays out a wonderfully readable book that invites and challenges the reader to look at the Catholic faith they profess. And from a guided way of looking at faith aspects – the bishop asks you to pray and consider your reply. Here’s an example from page 136 of Chaput’s book in a chapter titled “The Family As Leaven:” (In a series of recommendations or ideas for the Catholic family, Archbishop Charles says): “Sixth, teach your children to develop the virtues of the heart. Help them to value fidelity instead of broken promises; patience instead of restlessness; simplicity in place of confusion; humility instead of pride; courage in place of cowardice; honesty instead of excuses; forgiveness in place of revenge; a hunger for justice in place of apathy. And seventh, teach your children to revere the sanctity of life.”

Whether you are yet to have children… or you have them and this is a handful to expect from where you are… or if you are a grandparent who does occasional babysitting, these are suggestions and challenges that can lead to loving Catholic Christian hearts in young people. One other quote from the Archbishop that I have used many times in my preaching: “… God doesn’t need ‘nice’ Christians, Christians who are personally opposed to sin, but too polite to do anything about it publicly.” BINGO!

Now Catherine’ Doherty’s book is a wonderful daily inspirational and reflective sort of book. Most topics are about one page.

And it’s on a variety of things to ponder and let wash over your satisfaction with where you are and what you’ve been doing. There are about 310 pages in this book – and I’d guess I’ve dog-eared 200 pages… maybe more. I’ve written about this particular topic here at Catholic Family – it seems so apropos for mulling over during summer: “Christian recreation is truly re-creation, a renewal, a re-gathering, a re-collection… it doesn’t mean doing nothing… Recreation is to re-create, to make new. It is done with God, for God, for his honor and glory.” The rest of Catherine’s reflection is about things that one might do on vacation – done with an eye to becoming a new person when you return to home and work. Let me assure you that swimming, sunning, reading a book – these are all part of her examples of God-based re-creation. Imagine swimming for God!

As I complete this column for you who visit the Catholic Family website – I will take your intentions with me as I leave for a while. My wife Dee & I will be doing some marathon driving; we don’t mind too much. We’ll be in Springfield, MO visiting our daughter and family. I’ll go to Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH for an annual priest and deacon retreat and conference. Dee will go on to Bedford County, PA to visit her mom and family and I’ll join them when I finish my retreat. And finally, we’ll leave the east coast area and drive to San Antonio, TX for the Catholic New Media Conference, sponsored by SQPN. You know you’re invited – and many famous podcasters will be there. [We may have to stop near College Station, TX and help midwife a baby while David is away. I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV… but I’m up for this assignment! Pray for the Sweeney’s, okay?]

Blessings. See you in July! Happy Re-creating! Deacon Tom

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The Family That Prays Together…

This year – 2009 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Fr. Patrick Peyton, CSC. He was a famous priest back in the 1940’s and 1950’s and beyond. If you don’t yet know of him (or have forgotten about him) – please stick with this column.

It is interesting to me that Father Peyton wrote his autobiography and titled it All For Her – and he had such great devotion to the Rosary and to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as did the late, great John Paul II. And you likely remember the late pope’s motto which was Totus Tuus: ‘totally yours.’ This was a statement of devotion to Mary.

Let me quote from Fr. Pat’s book:

I was born on January 9, 1909, in a picturesque valley in County Mayo in the west of Ireland. On one side were the Ox Mountains; on the other was the Atlantic Ocean.

From my earliest memories, I saw my father with the Rosary beads in his hands and my mother holding hers. My older brothers and sisters and I knelt around them, praying. Father began with the Sign of the Cross, then the Apostles’ Creed, the Our Fathers, the Hail Marys, the Glory Be’s. What impressed me most was the voice of my mother talking to Mary: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.”

For the first 19 years of my life, this was our daily practice as I grew from childhood to boyhood to my teens.

In good times and bad, in sickness and health, in poverty and hard work, we ended each day speaking to Jesus and His Mother, offering them the greatest tribute that could possibly be given, making the greatest act of faith, and honoring Mary above all the angels and saints.

Because of the daily family Rosary, my home was for me a cradle, a school, a university, a library and, most of all, a little church.”

For the sake of space, I’ll just summarize a bit of the story of this Irishman who became the leader of the Family Rosary Crusade. This prayer effort to promote the rosary and family prayer began a journey to fame and holy success when the Mutual Radio Broadcasting Network (the largest radio network at that time) offered a half hour radio broadcast to the entire United States. The first broadcast was on Mother’s Day and Fatima Day, May 13th, 1945. The show was reported to be one of the most listened to – most favored broadcasts ever. Fr. Peyton had a winning format for his radio broadcasts – he got a number of famous movie stars, bishops and other leaders to come to the studio and participate in prayer. They were often interviewed and it was a most popular approach to this Catholic devotion. Imagine trying this today!

Fr. Peyton built up the devotion to family prayer and the rosary throughout the U. S. and later around the world. There is a story told as follows. Once in Bogota, Columbia, as he had completed a Crusade and was mingling with the crowd, a young priest laughed at him and cried out, “Father Pat, the people need bread and meat and you give them rosaries.” In gentle Irish fashion, Fr. Peyton said, “Son, they need both bread for the body and bread for the soul.”

I mention this bit of biography and history about Fr. Peyton for a couple reasons – to remind us how much we have lost… most of us anyway. The motto of Fr. Peyton’s Rosary Crusade was, “The Family That Prays Together, Stays Together.”

Some people might respond that they pray a night prayer with their children… something like, “Now I lay me down to sleep.” Perhaps in later years, an Our Father and or a Hail Mary… but consider the testimony and example that Fr. Peyton gave to us. My wife Dee and I pray Evening Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours) together just about every night. We pray this together and voice our petitions for family, the sick and other intentions we carry in our hearts. This has made a big difference – a very big difference in our lives and devotion and faith.

Yet I have encouraged Dee that we need to do the rosary together more often. And in that vein – I encourage members of the Catholic Family Podcast to try – try adding more prayer together. Don’t feel as if you have to do it all. Take a small segment of prayer and be faithful to it. Perhaps start with a decade of the rosary – along with a different intention each time you do it.

When kids share in prayer intentions – the poor… the needy… deceased members of the family… for orphans… for peace – it gives them a holy and world connectedness far beyond saying a single Hail Mary at bedtime.

Archbishop Charles Chaput says, “Raising a family is heroic work.” You can be a spiritual hero if you lead the effort to bring more prayer into your family – all of the family, together. Please remember to pray for our bishops, priests, deacons and nuns. And the souls in Purgatory.

Thank you… May your family stay together – in good times and in bad. Dedicate yourself to Mary and ask for her help. Blessings.

Deacon Tom

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Wives & Daughters: Bearers of the Resurrected Christ

Christ is risen… Alleluia. He is truly risen… Alleluia! Hello and blessings once again. The theme that’s in my heart (again) is how this season leads many of us (well me at least – and a few others that I am in contact with) to want to ‘green up’ their lives… add some spring thinking to their souls. For some, we are so glad to be finished with Lent. And gosh, wasn’t it long this year?

Last year at this time, I wrote about a ‘resurrection’ in our attitudes towards women. I wrote about using the E-5 Program which calls men to fast and pray for their wives… their girlfriends (if not married)… and for daughters and sisters and cousins and granddaughters… praying also for women of past relationships. I think my feelings about this topic are there for a number of reasons.

First – how vividly I remember Mel Gibson’s portrayal of Mary and the women in his Crucifixion movie of a few years back. Mary virtually ‘floated’ through the movie and especially at Christ’s most potent hours – the way of the Cross and his crucifixion. A good wife – a good mother sometimes ‘floats’ from need to need and service to service – always where she is called.

And then, there are those Scripture images of the (sleep-deprived) women coming at first dawn light to anoint the precious body of Jesus. There is the image of Mary Magdalene asking the ‘gardener’ if he knew where they had taken ‘her Lord.’ We are told Christ’s resurrection was announced to women first. Women were so faithful throughout the life of Jesus. How many women are up during the night, only to be up early with their chores at the start of a new day?

Easter is all about Christ’s victory over death – we know this. Yet don’t women seem to add a special grace and beauty to Easter? My heart is filled with love for today’s women of Christ as we all go to Church on Easter. I love the little girls in their Easter dresses and some with hats or bonnets. I love that many women seem to want to dress up on this day: “Greetings Risen Lord – I bring you praise and worship in my better Easter clothes!” In their finery, women add to the beauty of what Christ has accomplished for all of us.

This leads me to a theme that I find myself returning to quite often… I hope I don’t bore you. It would be my prayer that this Easter season leads us to a resurrection of the dignity of the women in our lives and in our families… a resurrection in our prayers and attitudes about women of our past.

And to share what I’m getting at – let me re-tell a story from when I was in the seminary. At that time, we deacon candidates were studying and working on many things – our spirituality, our knowledge of Scripture… philosophy, theology… the Catechism. Yet, we were always working on our marriages… working to improve our love and our expression of total gift of self to the other.

One weekend when we were on retreat at the St. Malo Retreat Center outside of Estes Park in Colorado, husbands and wives were together for a liturgy. A good friend name Joe Gerber was assigned to preach a ‘homilette’ that evening. The Gospel readings had to do with marriage but they could well have had to do with women in general.

Joe spoke about Blessed Virgin Mary as the first ‘bearer’ of Christ – and how our wives are bearers of Christ to their families in these times. Joe did something that has stuck with me for all these years. Without having arranged this before hand – he called his wife Julie to come forward and Joe came down and around in front of Julie. He said, “Julie, I now recognize Christ in you – and I honor Christ truly present in you.” Joe then genuflected to Christ’s presence in his wife. WOW! Did Joe ever get it – this is the truth.

I share with you in this column – asking you to help return the sense of dignity to our wives and the other girls and women in our lives. Sure it’s okay to kibitz and fool around – for many of us that is our real style. But in some and certain ways – let our daughters, our granddaughters and especially our wives know that we believe they are the bearers – the current generation bearers of the resurrected Christ.

Blessings of Easter. Deacon Tom

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