When I used to teach high school I would ask my students, “Did Jesus sin?” Often they would answer something like this: “Yes, of course. He was human.” And that is where I would point out their assumption that it is truly human to sin, as though sin itself was a defining quality of our humanity. By that reasoning, are we more human if we sin more? And isn’t it a good thing to be human? It follows that to be more human by sinning more is good, right? Umm...maybe not. In fact, sin is precisely not in keeping with our truest humanity. And when we hear of someone who has committed particularly grave sin, don’t we say things like, “How inhuman! How could another human being do that?” We know that while sin is very much a part of the “human condition,” it is not authentically human to sin. We know that we are called to a higher standard, by virtue of our being made in the image and likeness of God. The Second Vatican Council went further by reminding us that, in fact, Jesus Christ is the measure of our humanity: “The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light...Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and his love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear” (Gaudium et Spes, 22). Of course, the other reason the Church has constantly taught that Jesus was without sin is that he is also fully divine, and God cannot sin against himself. Now, was Jesus tempted? Yes! We hear all about it in the Gospel for this 1st Sunday of Lent (Matthew 4:1-11). We also read in the Letter to the Hebrews that “we do not have a high priest [Christ] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” Think of that for a moment: that Jesus was “similarly tested in every way.” That should bring us great consolation in our own 40 day retreat in the desert this Lent. There will be no bulletin next week as we will be heading into spring break. Personally, I’m looking forward to bringing 10 of our students down to Holly Springs, Mississippi to do home repair projects with Sacred Heart Southern Missions. Lauren Bollweg will be helping with that trip too. Tammy Norcross-Reitzler will be bringing 4 students to Chicago to work with Well of Mercy, a home for single mothers. Whatever you may be doing and wherever you may be going, I pray you have a safe and relaxing spring break. And let’s all commit ourselves this Lent to being more authentically human! -- Fr. Thom
Did you know Fr. Thom has a podcast? Fr. Thom and Megan Grady have started a podcast to discuss pop culture as well as topics regarding faith.
Understanding the Lenten Fast and Abstinence FASTING: Catholics age 18-59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday - only partaking in one full meal. Two other smaller meals (not equaling a full meal) and liquids are permitted. ABSTINENCE: Catholics over 14 years old must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all other Fridays of Lent. Abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not eggs, milk, or condiments made from animal fat. We are reminded each year that the obligation to do this penance is a serious one, but no one should be scrupulous in this regard; if health reasons or the ability to do one's work is seriously affected, these regulations do not apply.
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
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What makes for a successful Lent? You could give up something for 40 days and still not have a successful Lent. You could remember to fast and abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and not eat meat every Friday of Lent and still not have a successful Lent. You could take up some new worthy practice, such as exercising more often, and still not have a truly successful Lent. As important as these things are, they are largely external. The first reading for Ash Wednesday from the Book of the Prophet Joel reminds us, “Rend your hearts, not your garments.” In the Bible the practice of rending or tearing one’s garments was a sign of repentance (for example, when the Sanhedrin questioned Jesus after his arrest and the high priest, “tore his robes,” as a reaction to Jesus’ “blasphemy.”) Joel invites us to tear open our hearts and not let our repentance remain at surface level. Jesus asks the same of us in the Gospel as he reminds us not to perform good deeds or pray or fast in order to be seen by others, but to do all of these things quietly and secretly. I always find this ironic, given that on Ash Wednesday we all come to Mass and have our foreheads smudged with thick, black ash. I’m not saying we should abandon that time-honored practice as an outward sign (mostly to ourselves) of our need for repentance and commitment to growing in holiness, but it is far more important that we wear our ashes “on the inside.” This Lent, through whatever outward observances we may dedicate ourselves to, l pray that we will all strive to grow closer to the Lord and commit ourselves to that deeper, interior change that will endure well beyond these next 40 plus days. --Fr. Thom
Lent Begins on Ash Wednesday, February 26. Masses with the distribution of ashes will be offered at 12 noon, 4:30 pm, and 9:15 pm. Christian churches of many denominations offer the distribution of ashes in the same way as Catholics do, symbolizing our desire to use the season of Lent to renew our lives of faith. As such, all Christians are welcome to receive ashes at these masses.
Understanding the Lenten Fast and Abstinence FASTING: Catholics age 18-59 are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday - only partaking in one full meal. Two other smaller meals (not equaling a full meal) and liquids are permitted. ABSTINENCE: Catholics over 14 years old must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and all other Fridays of Lent. Abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not eggs, milk, or condiments made from animal fat. We are reminded each year that the obligation to do this penance is a serious one, but no one should be scrupulous in this regard; if health reasons or the ability to do one's work is seriously affected, these regulations do not apply.
Catholic Campaign for Human Development Internship: Are you Catholic? Interested in fighting poverty? Consider being an intern for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development! Applications are now being accepted until February 21.
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
Follow us online for news, events, prayer and spiritual resources, plus much more:
You may have noticed there was no piece from me in last week’s bulletin. That was not intentional. I simply forgot about it. My phone and email didn’t exactly light up with people wondering what had happened, so likely not much missed. But what if one day I didn’t show up for daily Mass, or Sunday Mass? What if there were only a part-time chaplain here, as was the case my first year here when I was still serving as the vocations director for the diocese in addition to my duties as chaplain? What if in the future there were no priest on staff here at all, but only a priest or rotation of priests to cover one Sunday Mass each week? The fact is, thanks be to God, much of the good ministry that happens here does not depend solely on me or any priest. Every day I am grateful for the gifts and passion that Tammy Norcross-Reitzler and Lauren Bollweg bring to our campus ministry team, as well as our Graduate Assistant, Abby Hammer, our Peer Campus Ministers, and our many student volunteers. This ministry simply could not exist without them. The Church in the modern era has thankfully seen an increase in the active participation of the lay faithful in ministry. This is one of the many fruits of the Second Vatican Council. We can certainly say that without the laity there would be no Church. At the same time, I hope we would recognize that the ordained priesthood is also essential to the life of the Church. There is an intimate bond between the priesthood, the Eucharist and the Church. To think we could have one without the others would be as foolhardy as to believe the Church could exist without the laity. To this end, at the request of Bishop Zinkula, this weekend and next throughout the diocese we are highlighting the need both for priestly vocations and vocations to the consecrated or religious life as brothers and sisters. Bishop Zinkula still has a letter from his bishop from when he was a young man encouraging him to think about the priesthood. It meant so much to him that he has kept it after all these years. This letter came as a result of someone in his home parish recommending him by name to the bishop as a part of diocesan wide campaign. Bishop Zinkula would now like to do something of the same here in our diocese. And so, in this “Called by Name” campaign, we ask our students, faculty, staff, friends and guests who regularly join our community for Mass to prayerfully consider submitting the names of young men and women who they feel may be called to one of these vocations of service to the Church. There will be cards in the pews that will be collected and these names will be submitted to the Bishop so that he might send a personal message to them. I recognize, of course, that the majority of our students are not from our diocese. But I also know that wherever they may be called, this could have great impact and that as a universal Church we cannot think only of our own needs. So, think, pray and share a name or two. As Jesus reminded his own disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.” --Fr. Thom
Catholic Campaign for Human Development Internship: Are you Catholic? Interested in fighting poverty? Consider being an intern for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development! Applications are now being accepted until February 21.
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
Follow us online for news, events, prayer and spiritual resources, plus much more:
When I used to teach high school I would ask my students, “Did Jesus sin?” Often they would answer something like this: “Yes, of course. He was human.” And that is where I would point out their assumption that it is truly human to sin, as though sin itself was a defining quality of our humanity. By that reasoning, are we more human if we sin more? And isn’t it a good thing to be human? It follows that to be more human by sinning more is good, right? Umm...maybe not. In fact, sin is precisely not in keeping with our truest humanity. And when we hear of someone who has committed particularly grave sin, don’t we say things like, “How inhuman! How could another human being do that?” We know that while sin is very much a part of the “human condition,” it is not authentically human to sin. We know that we are called to a higher standard, by virtue of our being made in the image and likeness of God. The Second Vatican Council went further by reminding us that, in fact, Jesus Christ is the measure of our humanity: “The truth is that only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light...Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and his love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear” (Gaudium et Spes, 22). Of course, the other reason the Church has constantly taught that Jesus was without sin is that he is also fully divine, and God cannot sin against himself. Now, was Jesus tempted? Yes! We hear all about it in the Gospel for this 1st Sunday of Lent (Matthew 4:1-11). We also read in the Letter to the Hebrews that “we do not have a high priest [Christ] who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” Think of that for a moment: that Jesus was “similarly tested in every way.” That should bring us great consolation in our own 40 day retreat in the desert this Lent. There will be no bulletin next week as we will be heading into spring break. Personally, I’m looking forward to bringing 10 of our students down to Holly Springs, Mississippi to do home repair projects with Sacred Heart Southern Missions. Lauren Bollweg will be helping with that trip too. Tammy Norcross-Reitzler will be bringing 4 students to Chicago to work with Well of Mercy, a home for single mothers. Whatever you may be doing and wherever you may be going, I pray you have a safe and relaxing spring break. And let’s all commit ourselves this Lent to being more authentically human! -- Fr. Thom
