No free market for monks...

It strikes me as strange that Benedictine monks would have to go to federal court in order to be allowed to sell the caskets that they make, but that is apparently the case in Louisiana. (story here)
I am familiar with caskets made by other monastic communities such as at St. Meinrad, Indiana, the Trappists at New Melleray, Iowa, and by the Benedictines monks of the Holy Cross in Chicago (www.monsterycaskets.com). I have admired the simple elegance of these caskets when I have seen them used in services and have appreciated that these represent a reasonably priced option for families who are often taken advantage of during a time of grief.
It seems that funeral directors in Louisiana were willing to act as a clearing house for sale of the caskets, but they wanted to buy the caskets for half of the $1,500 to $2,000 charged by the monks and then tack on $1,000 for their effort. I fail to see what interest that State of Louisiana has in requiring that caskets be sold only by licensed funeral directors -- particularly as their laws do not require that a casket be purchased at all. Perhaps it is just the interest of the legislators who wish to benefit from the financial support of the funeral industry.

Now let us continue to go forward...

I was pleased to see that attorney William McMurry who has made a living pursuing sexual abuse charges against priests has decided to drop his lawsuit against the Vatican and the Pope. I acknowledge that Mr. McMurry has helped bring a modicum of justice to some legitimate victims but have felt that he was over zealous at times in his quest for clients.
Now that we are saved the distraction of this particular law suit, there is an opportunity to increase the efforts we are putting forth in seeking assistance for victims and in assuring that policies and procedures are in effect at each of our parishes and schools to prevent future instances of abuse.
The problem of child sexual abuse is a societal problem and not merely a Catholic issue. I am proud of the steps that have been taken by dioceses across the nation in recent years to educate people about the issue of sexual abuse, to provide them with the tools to become more effective protectors of children and to assure the safety of children in our churches and schools. We now have a chance to step up those efforts and provide a model for public schools and institutions whose issues with the same problem has long been ignored.

Excommunicate her? Don't bother, she has already left.

Judge Sheila O'Brien published an op ed piece in today's Chicago Tribune which definitely caught my attention. (article here). In short, she lambastes the Catholic Church with unsubstantiated allegations, manufactured arguments, and ad hominem arguments. When she states, "We have waited for the civil authorities to empanel grand juries and bring indictments, but that has not happened," I wonder why as a sitting judge she hasn't done anything? She accuses the Church of protecting pedophiles but fails to cite a single instance. She claims the "hierarchy" will not open their books so they can see where the money goes, so I assume she has never reviewed the reports issued by the Archdiocese in which she resides which are available on line and published in the Archdiocesan paper.
Her piece is entitled, "Excommunicate me please!" I can only assume she lacks the courage of her apparent convictions.

Homily for 18th Sunday of Ordinary time

Marian Anderson (born Feb. 27, 1897, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S. — died April 8, 1993, Portland, Ore.) U.S. singer. She was immediately recognized for the beauty of her voice and her artistry at her New York City debut in 1924, but the fact that she was black made a concert or opera career in the U.S. impossible. Her London debut in 1930 and tours of Scandinavia established her in Europe, where she worked exclusively until 1935. When she was denied use of Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1939, Eleanor Roosevelt arranged for her to sing at the Lincoln Memorial, and the concert was broadcast to great acclaim. Her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, the first performance there by a black singer, took place in 1955, when she was in her late 50s.

The concert impresario Sol Hurok once remarked that Marian Anderson had not simply grown great, she had grown great simply:

"A few years ago a reporter interviewed Marian and asked her to name the greatest moment in her life. I was in her dressing room at the time and was curious to hear the answer.

"I knew she had many big moments to choose from. There was the night Toscanini told her that hers was the finest voice of the century. There was the private concert she gave at the White House for the Roosevelts and the King and Queen of England. She had received the $10,000 Bok Award as the person who had done the most for her home town, Philadelphia. To top it all, there was that Easter Sunday in Washington when she stood beneath the Lincoln statue and sang for a crowd of 75,000, which included Cabinet members, Supreme Court Justices, and most members of Congress."

Which of those moments did Anderson choose? "None of them," Hurok recalled. "Miss Anderson told the reporter that the greatest moment of her life was the day she went home and told her mother she wouldn't have to take in washing anymore."

I spent a day and a half last weekend at a seminar at Cardinal Stritch retreat house in Mundelein. The object of the seminar was to discuss the presentation of the Church’s position on same sex union in a manner that is both true and charitable.

Coleen Kelly Mast, one of the hosts of "The Doctor is In" on Ave Maria radio, in speaking on traditional marriage made a very telling distinction that, I believe, ties in well with the Scriptures today. She made the point that the ultimate goal of marriage is fulfillment for the individuals. That fulfillment comes from seeking the good of the other; it is a fruitful, mutual, self-giving. By contrast, same sex unions are by nature unfruitful and have the less lofty goal of gratification rather than fulfillment.

The thought of the distinction between gratification and fulfillment has remained with me for much of the past week. We live in a culture that constantly tells us to seek gratification, yet we long for fulfillment. The advertising industry is based upon implanting the thought in our minds that our lives are incomplete. They create false needs and then offer products designed to satisfy those needs.

We have become a nation of addicts seeking satisfaction, seeking gratification in the things of the world. As junkies seek heroin or cocaine, or alcoholics seek booze for momentary gratification, we are taught to seek money, power, prestige, possessions to satisfy our own needs.

Yet, like the junkie and the alcoholic, we never have enough. There is always the larger salary, the bigger home, the more luxurious car, the more exotic vacation, the newer video game that holds the promise of gratification. But none of these offer fulfillment.

You see, gratification is directed to the self and is sought outside the self. Fulfillment is directed toward others and toward God and is to be sought within ourselves and within our relationships.

Like Marian Anderson, we find our greatest moment, our fulfillment not in personal achievement, but in living for others. As Christians we judge our success not by the square footage of our homes, the number or cost of our automobiles, the balances in our bank or investment accounts, but rather in how closely we conform to the image of Christ.

As Christians, how do we measure our success? We look into the mirror and ask how closely we resemble the figure on the cross. As Paul said, “Stop lying to one another… You have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self.” So we are to seek what is above.

John Paul II put it this way in his address to the youth of the world gathered in Rome in 2000:

It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness, he is waiting for you when nothing else satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity…..

That is why we come here today and every Sunday. We come not for the gratification of hearing some preacher, beautiful music or elaborate pageantry. We come for the fulfillment of uniting ourselves with Jesus Christ. We come here to receive that to which we aspire. By nourishing ourselves with the body of Christ, may we conform ourselves more closely to Him and strive for the wealth that will last forever.

For in the end, we take with us only that which we have given away.

the homily as delivered in in mp3 format at http://chickoleary.com/homilies/8-1-10%20Chick%2018th%20Sun%20Ord.mp3

This looks good... but,.........

I'm too much of a cynic to trust the University of Illinois, however I am encouraged to see that they have invited Prof. Ken Howell to teach there again in the fall. But now he will be paid by the University and not by the Diocese of Springfield as was previously the case. On the surface it looks good... but I've been around the block before.
(story here)

Shuffle off this mortal coil in comfort and style

There is the old joke about the beggar who stood outside church each Sunday. Each week one congregant made a point to give the beggar $10. But one Sunday he handed the man a single five-dollar bill.
"What's the matter?" the beggar asked, "You usually give me $10!"
"I'm having a tough year," his benefactor responded.
"You're having a tough time," the beggar echoed, "so why should I suffer?"
I suspect that Dr. Stuart Weisberg could identify with the thinking of the beggar. Dr. Weisberg is a psychiatrist operating in Portland, Oregon who is opening a "Dignity House" to take advantage of the financial opportunities created by Oregon's "Death with Dignity Act."
Dr. Weisberg will be offering a range of services to those who wish end their lives including options such as media relations, a professionally edited video documenting the grand event, music, beautician services, catering, and even an option to spend three hours with Dr. Weisberg and his "therapy dog" for only $1200. (fee schedule here)
I'm sure the good doctor is simply concerned with allowing suffering people to find peace, and if he can pocket about $5,000 per head so much the better.

An interesting journey

I have been following news stories about Ken Howell, the adjunct professor at the University of Illinois fired for expressing the Catholic Church's teaching in a course on Catholicism and modern Catholic thought. (I know, it sounds ridiculous but there you have it)
Yesterday in searching for news stories updating the case, I ran across an article published in the Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette giving background on professor Howell. I was surprised to learn that he is a former Presbyterian minister who came into the Catholic Church in 1995 and that part of his journey came from an appreciation of the concept of redemptive suffering so valued in Catholicism. I came away with even great respect for professor Howell.
The story can be found here.