4 WWW.THERECORDNEWSPAPER.ORG COMMENTARY THE RECORD JANUARY 13, 2022
Jan. 16, 2022: God as groom
KEVIN PERROTTA
The Bible contains tender images of God. God speaks of himself as a father who picks up a small child and brings her to his cheek or bends down to give her something to eat (Hos 11:1-4). God, the psalmist indi- cates, is like a nursing moth- er (Ps 131:2). The compari- sons give us a sense of the gentleness of God. We are invited to rest in his care as contentedly as a baby rests on a mom's lap after nursing. The tone of the imagery shifts considerably in today's first reading. God says that in his love for us, he is like a young man getting married. "As a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you" (Is 62:5). Gentle care but also some- thing much more is being symbolized here, as any man who has stood at the altar and exchanged vows can tes- tify. And not all of the "some- thing more" is as easy to connect with God as images of fathering and mothering. No two men have the same experience, but I'm pretty sure that my feelings of tri- umph, relief, awe and desire at my wedding were in the normal range. "This is finally happening! She is actually going through with this!" I also felt something deep- er than exultation, a kind of seriousness. The prospect of going through life with this amazing woman was delight- ful beyond words, but it made me quiet. "This is too great a gift to comprehend." If such a collision of feelings is experienced by a groom, how can the groom be an im- age of God in his love for us? Every biblical image of God is more unlike God than like him, but the images do give us insights into him. By comparing himself to a groom at a wedding, God leads us to see something about the depth and power of his love for us. His love is like a groom's, only infinitely more so. The image is food for thought - and prayer.
SPEAK TO ME LORD
This is an excerpt from an editorial that appeared Jan. 6 on the website of the Tennessee Register, newspaper of the Diocese of Nashville. Once again, forces in defense of the dignity of every human life are mar- shaling. On Jan. 21, hundreds of thou- sands of Americans from all across the country, including many from the Diocese of Nashville, will gather in the nation's capital for the annual March for Life. The march - held each year to mark the anniversary of U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion and to mourn the more than 62 million lives that have been lost in the ruling's after- math - will occur this year in an at- mosphere of heightened hopefulness. The Supreme Court appears closer than ever to overturning the precedent set in Roe. It is a heartening development to consider that once again our laws might recognize the inherent dignity and value of every human life from conception to natural death. But even if the court were to overturn Roe, our efforts to build a true culture of life would still be needed. Abortion and euthanasia, which are direct attacks on life, are always unac- ceptable. But church teaching on the respect for life has always been much broader than those issues alone. In his encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" ("The Gospel of Life"), St. John Paul II reminded us that society must respect, defend and promote the dig- nity of every human person, at every moment, and in every condition of that person's life. We are called to care for and protect human life, especially the lives of the most vulnerable among us. Since the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis has continually and consistently taught us, through his actions as well as his words, that Cath- olics are called to bring Christ's mercy and love to the margins of society, just as Christ did. Our place is beside the poor to feed and shelter and clothe them. It is be- side the sick to care for and comfort them. It is beside the elderly to recog- nize them and honor them. It is beside the sinner to help them find redemp- tion in Christ. Pope Francis' message is not new. It is the Gospel message that the church learned from Christ and has been preaching ever since. In 1998, the U.S. bishops released their statement "Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics," which was in- spired by the words of St. John Paul: "When we preach the liberating mes- sage of Jesus Christ, we are offering words of life to the world. Our prophetic witness is an urgent and essential ser- vice not just to the Catholic community but to the whole human family." In their statement, the bishops wrote that respect for all human life demands a commitment to human rights across a broad spectrum, both in our own country and around the world. Building a culture of life requires com- bating famine and starvation, the de- nial of health care and development around the world, the deadly violence of armed conflict and the arms trade that feeds that violence. On our shores, it means address- ing the long-lasting and devastating wounds inflicted by domestic violence, substance abuse, dangerous sexual ac- tivity and "a reckless tampering with the world's ecological balance," the bishops wrote. "We live the Gospel of life when we live in solidarity with the poor of the world, standing up for their lives and dignity," they added. Why does the Catholic Church stand up so strongly and so loudly for life? Because, as St. John Paul taught us, the Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' saving message to the world. Through the incarnation and birth of Christ, God reveals to us the dignity of all human life. In his encyclical "Evangelium Vitae," St. John Paul said the human person bears an indelible imprint of God and is the pinnacle of all creation. The source of our dignity is not only linked to our creation by God, but to our final end and destiny to spend eternity with the Father. So, as we witness another March for Life, let us remember that the march to create a true culture of life is a long one that is often difficult. But it is a march that is critical to realizing God's plan for his children. It is every Catholic's call to join that march and to do what they can, in acts small and large, private and public, to live the Gospel of life.
Proclaim the Gospel of life
EDITORIAL
Eucharistic Revival
DR. KAREN SHADLE
In this new year, the Church in the United States will embark on a Eucharistic Revival - a grassroots move- ment of Catholics across the country, "healed, converted, formed and unified" by a re- newal of our collective de- votion to and belief in the Eucharist. Our encounter with Je- sus in the sacrament of the Eucharist, where he is alive and present among us, ought to be a profound and life- changing one. This is not to say that every reception of Holy Communion is accom- panied by proverbial fire- works. Anything done over and over again can become routine. But occasionally this familiar sacrament of ours should overwhelm us, set us afire, smack us in the face and knock us off our feet. But does it? In my discus- sions with other Catholics, especially those around my age, I find that many have never truly encountered Je- sus in the Eucharist in this kind of transformative way. For too many, the Eucha- rist is a habit learned long ago, with vaguely understood meaning. There is a palpable lack of enthusiasm, a tepidity that plagues our relation- ship with the sacrament. The Eucharistic Revival seeks to stir up an intensity that has been somehow lost and give all of us another chance to encounter Jesus. An encounter is more than a mere meeting, more than just occupying the same space. An encounter spurs movement, action and change. It inspires us to do things a new way. There is no better example of encounter than the story of the Magi, heard in the Gos- pel each year on the Feast of Epiphany. The wise men are generally thought of as benign figures in the nativ- ity drama. They traveled so far, followed the star and even brought gifts! It is easy to forget that, according to Matthew's gospel, these men were essentially spies on a re- connaissance mission for the jealous King Herod. But - thank goodness - they had an encounter with Jesus, one so deep and profound that they changed their plans on the spot. Instead of return- ing to Herod, they "departed for their country by another way." It was an encounter that changed their course of travel and the course of his- tory. The real importance of the Magi is not their journey to Bethlehem, but their jour- ney away from it. Two-thousand and 22 years later, our encounter with the living Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament should also change us, alter our be- haviors and spur us to deci- sive action. That could look like many things: changing a personal habit, volunteer- ing in the community, re- sponding to a vocational call, switching careers, reconcil- ing a broken relationship, committing to attend Mass more regularly. This is the kind of kick in the rear that a revival seeks to affect. There are many ways and places to encounter Jesus, but this year the Church especially calls us to encounter him like the Magi - in the flesh - in the Holy Eucharist. As we do so - again or perhaps for the first time - may it change our lives forever.
BETWEEN AMENS
The Bakhita Empower- ment Initiative at Catholic Charities of Louisville pro- vides direct services to sup- port and empower survivors of sex or labor trafficking as they become more stable, self-sufficient and improve their overall health and well-being. Over the past 13 years, we have come along- side more than 450 survivors with services ranging from emergency housing to long- term case management and family reunification. Each program participant has a unique journey. We don't often know what hap- pens after a program par- ticipant exits our program, but sometimes we receive messages letting us know that they just bought their first car, got a promotion at work or just reunified with a spouse or child after years apart. We look forward to these unexpected messag- es, these glimpses into their journey after their time in our program. In 2019 we established the Bakhita Advisory Board whose members are former program participants, who now work with us as peers, advising our program and engaging in public-facing ways with the community. Advisory Board Members share some about their jour- neys, what led them to join our Advisory Board, the cur- rent work they are doing and their hopes for the future. Saul Tellez Escobedo, Bakhita Advisory Board Chair, shared these words recently at the National La- bor Trafficking Conference, hosted by Catholic Charities of Louisville: "To all those people who are oppressed, who are forced to work, I want them to know that there are federal, state and local agencies that can help us. There is simply the need to raise your voice. "I was a victim of traffick- ing. I was deceived. I was brought to this country. They promised me a salary I did not receive. I am part of this country now. I am working now, as part of the Bakhita Advisory Board, where I am learning more about the sub- ject, how to help people and how to get them the knowl- edge that there is someone who can help us, that we are not alone. "We should try to fight together, all united, with- out having stereotypes of race, culture, languages or skin color. Make a team, one team, to be able to end those problems. And if we cannot finish it, we can tell these bad people 'Here we are. There are more people working for the good and we are going to keep fighting.' "It is about all of us do- ing our part, so we aren't impacted by this. That we treat workers well. That we don't threaten them. That be- cause someone is a different color, from another country, or doesn't speak the language and taking advantage of that. "Be good employers. That will always be the most im- portant thing for workers." Saul and I spent some time together recently drop- ping off to community busi- nesses outreach materials with information to access services. Saul reviewed the materials and advised us on the businesses we should vis- it, providing his insight into how to best get information into the hands of those who really need it. It's always lovely to spend time with Saul, particularly now, as colleagues and friends. Saul's journey is inspiring. He has moved into a space where he is advocating on behalf of others, challenging us to do better work, and encouraging us to focus on improving the circumstances of those who need our support. January is Human Traf- ficking Awareness Month. Learn more about human trafficking and the work of the Bakhita Advisory Board by visiting www.cclou.org. Share what you learn on so- cial media so others can learn about Saul's journey and the work being done every day to prevent human trafficking and support survivors. Marissa Castellanos is the director of Catholic Charities of Louisville's Bakhita Em- powerment Initiative.
The journey forward and toward others
MARISSA CASTELLANOS
SHARE THE JOURNEY
President Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D., Archbishop of Louisville Editor Marnie G. McAllister Advertising Director Jennifer L. Jenkins Editor Emeritus Glenn O. Rutherford
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THE RECORD
Archdiocese of Louisville
First Reading: Is 62:1-5 Psalm 96:1-3, 7-10 Second Reading: 1 Cor 12:4-11 Gospel: Jn 2:1-11
Throughout 2021, this col- umn provided a range of rec- ommendations and suggested actions to improve your finan- cial literacy. More specifically, the advice included calculat- ing a monthly budget, identi- fying various buckets of sav- ings, examining retirement plan features, establishing time horizons for investments and considering estate plan- ning decisions. The new year provides an opportunity to review last year's actions and create a to-do list for this year. The previous 12 columns included advice that should be consid- ered on an annual basis. An action for this month is to review these recommenda- tions and determine if fur- ther analysis, or an update to your previous list, should be considered. Previous Cents & Sensibility columns may be read at https://therecord newspaper.org/editorials- commentary/cents-sensibil ity/. Establishing financial goals can be part of the new year resolutions, but just as one might decide to diet or ex- ercise more, as time marches on these resolutions are often pushed aside. This column attempts to provide advice each month that makes the decision-making less complex and suggests simple actions that are empowering. Readers are being in- undated in January with news headlines urging you to "Spend Less and Save Smarter in the New Year" or "Spend More in the New Year." These conflicting ideas, and the advice offered in the articles, can be con- fusing and cause an over- whelming urge to do nothing. However, not having a plan is not a plan. A suggestion to begin the new year with confidence, and to continue to improve your financial security, is for you to be willing to discuss financial goals with others including partners, family and friends. For some reason, such a discussion is difficult despite the importance of the topic. An opening question to assess is "how am I (or are we) doing?" To avoid what could be an uncomfortable discussion about salary, com- pare your success in terms of percentages and not dollar amounts. You may ask, "How do my monthly net income allocations percentages com- pare to others?" This ques- tion is a friendly conversa- tion starter. A good model suggestion is to allocate 50 percent of your monthly net income to fixed amounts, such as housing and living expenses. Twenty percent can be allocated to emergency savings and the remaining 30 percent can be allocated to entertainment and travel expenses. The percentage allocation can change each year de- pending on circumstances, but the model highlighted above is a good place to start. For example, the past two years have disrupted many budgets as items set aside to spend on entertainment or travel may be accumulat- ing. This year maybe those dollars could be allocated to improve your savings bucket amounts. January's second action item is to have the conversa- tion! If you are worried about aging family and friends, en- courage them to have the conversation too. Beth Stegner Peabody is CEO of Stegner Investment Associates, Inc., and a gradu- ate of Sacred Heart Academy.
Creating a new to-do list for the new year
BETH PEABODY
CENTS & SENSIBILITY
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