Deacon Bruce Maltzen's
Homily for March 8, 2009
2nd SUNDAY in Lent, CYCLE B
In the past several months we’ve all encountered in our lives things that have added most likely immense stress. Perhaps you’ve either seen people laid off from their jobs at your work, or worse, you’ve been laid off. If you’re saving for retirement you may have seen your 401K nosedive about 50%. If you have credit cards, you may have seen the interest rate on them double and even triple even though you’ve been making your payments on time. You probably have noticed things becoming tighter and tighter in your budget as the costs begin to creep up. With all this stress, you may have noticed that people are more easily angered, quick to retort or even “looking for a fight”. Life seems to have sped up, with the weeks seeming to fly by without a chance to catch up on the important things – like quiet time and peaceful moments.
Do you feel that you need a place to go and just be quiet, a place where no one will try to ask you questions or tell you about the miseries of daily life? Where no one will try to tell you what to do?
That place exists. It’s in the chapel behind you, the place we call the Adoration Chapel. In it we take the time to just be quiet, to just relax in God’s hands, to allow you a moment of peace in this world. There you can let Him take care of you for that moment, let him soothe you with His loving embrace, let Him calm you with His peace. It is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (except during Mass) and it is there that He waits for you.
I know, I know, some of you are saying to yourself, “When in my day do I have time for that?” OR “That’s that prayer thing again, it’s just not for me”, OR “I can do that at home, why should I come here?”
Well, in answer to those, 1) you have time for anything you make a priority and shouldn’t peace and calm in your life be a priority? Or do you like having that background anger and stress roll about you all day? 2) Yes it is that prayer thing, but isn’t that what we are about? Isn’t that why you’re here today? Yes – prayer is for you, it is talking to God, and if you can’t talk to God about your life, who do you know that can help you and that you CAN talk to? And 3) yes you can do this at home, but it won’t be in that wonderful, amazing, beautiful presence of the most awesome person, the one who died for us when we didn’t deserve it. Here you can be face to face with God, something you can’t do anywhere else. Here you can talk directly to him in his physical presence, and He will listen.
We are fortunate here at Epiphany to have perpetual Adoration. Here we have Jesus available for that peaceful moment every day, every hour. But the only reason we have it is because a lot of people have signed up to take one hour a week, 1 hour out of 168 hours in that week, that comes out to 6 tenths of 1 percent of the week to spend it here in the Adoration Chapel on a regular basis so that others may also enjoy that peace, that tranquility, that moment of calm in their week.
What we are asking you to do, is try this out. Sign up to spend an hour in Jesus’ presence in either prayer or silence or reading. This hour that you spend with Jesus can be spent in any way you want –with your own favorite prayer book, reading the Scriptures, praying the Rosary, speaking to Jesus heart to heart as one does with a friend, or you may be so tired, troubled or worn out that you may just want to sit and relax and enjoy the peace that comes from simply being in his presence.
You may find that you want to spend your hour there in the night time, as that may be the only time you have available. This time spent there at night is especially peaceful and strengthening. You may find it more restful than some of the fitful sleeping you get at night.
Remember that sacrifice is the language of love. Christ sacrificed his life so that we might gain eternal life with Him. Here we can take a moment of that time and perhaps sacrifice an hour of our sleep to be with him.
Jesus wants nothing more than a chance to be with you, to listen to you and to talk to you. The least you can do is give him that chance. Give it a try, see what benefits your life will receive, if only 1 hour of peace and quiet.
I want to thank you for the wonderful response that you make today and leave you with one thought. We all hope one day to see God the Father face to face. On that day He will welcome his children with open arms and embrace them and spend eternity loving and caring for His children. What a chance to now to begin that relationship.
Your brother in Christ,
Deacon Bruce
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Catholics who don't represent
For those of you who have read my blog. Please read !
After watching President Obama sign the act which rescinds the prohibition of spending federal dollars (translated: Our tax dollars) on Embryonic Stem cell research, I decided I'd had enough of watching on the sidelines as the moral and ethical backbone of this country is sliced away by those who could care less. As I watched, there in the crowd around President Obama was Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, a "renowned" Catholic. I went right to my computer sat down and wrote the following to the Archbishop of San Francisco:
To the Most Rev. George H. Niederauer
Dear Archbishop
Considering the following articles (excerpts) and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s outspoken support of Embryonic Stem Cell research and her specific appearance at President Obama’s signing of the act rescinding the prohibition of using more lines of Embryos for research, I believe it is in the Church’s interest and need that public scandal by Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi be met with a public ex-communication by her Bishop. She has for several years now been consistently on the morally wrong side of the life issues (specifically Abortion and Stem Cell Research). These are paramount issues in the Church’s eyes as expressed by Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II before him. I respectfully request that you consider this means of stating the Church’s ultimate decision on these matters and as necessary for the teaching of the faithful.
Respectfully yours
Deacon Bruce and Pat Maltzen
Archdiocese of St. Paul – Minneapolis
I now also plan to write emails to President Obama and to other members of congress identifying for them the wonderful things that have happened with ADULT stem cell research in just the past several weeks. Including the ability to program Adult skin stem cells to act EXACTLY LIKE embryonic stem cells. We have transgressed the line too many times and I believe we don't have forever to wait for God to bring us back into line like he did wiht His Chosen People, the Israelites, so many times before.
Please, please, please - write your congressman and senators. Write the President, write your bishop. Tell them all how you feel about the way we have ignored God's word and how we desparately need to come back to the founding faith and the Church.
Excerpts from previous statements by the church:
Vatican City, Oct 11, 2007 / 09:49 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict issued a plea to all scientists today to stop using human embryos for research because it violates their God-given human dignity.
However, Pope Benedict was adamant in condemning the destruction and manipulation of embryonic humans: "discoveries in this field invite man to a deeper awareness of the weighty responsibilities involved in their application," and "under no circumstances may a human being be manipulated or treated as a mere instrument for experimentation.”
He continued his warning saying, “[t]he destruction of human embryos, whether to acquire stem-cells or for any other purpose, contradicts the purported intent of researchers, legislators and public health officials to promote human welfare.”
Making sure that people realize that the he is not against all forms of stem-cell research, the Pope pointed out that the Church does not hesitate to approve and encourage somatic stem-cell research: not only because of the favorable results obtained through these alternative methods, but more importantly because they harmonize with the aforementioned intent by respecting the life of the human being at every stage of his or her existence."
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict said on Thursday (Jan 31, 2008) that embryonic stem cell research, artificial insemination and the prospect of human cloning had "shattered" human dignity.
In an address to members of the Vatican department on doctrinal matters, Benedict said the Church had a duty to defend the "great values at stake" in the field of bioethics.
He said this included total respect for the human being as a person "from conception until natural death," and respect for the natural transmission of life through sexual intercourse.
Practices like freezing embryos, suppression of embryos in multiple pregnancies, embryonic stem cell research, the prospect of human cloning and artificial insemination outside the body had "shattered the barriers meant to protect human dignity", he said.
"When human beings in the weakest and most defenseless state of their existence are selected, abandoned, killed or used as pure 'biological material,' how can one deny that they are being treated not as 'someone' but as 'something,'" he said.
Such practices "questioned the very concept of the dignity of man," he said in the speech to the department known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Bishops Urge New President to Keep Laws on Conscience Rights,Foreign Aid for Abortion, Embryonic Stem Cell Research
January 19, 2009WASHINGTON—The U.S. bishops urged President-elect Barack Obama not to rescind current policies that protect conscience rights of health care workers, prevent foreign aid to organizations promoting abortion, and ban funding of stem cell research that encourages destruction of human embryos.
They made the request in a January 16 letter from Cardinal Francis George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, shortly before President-elect Obama's inauguration. The letter followed by less than a week a previous letter outlining the bishops' broad policy agenda as the new Administration and Congress begin their work.
Cardinal George said some would expect the new president "to take executive action soon to reverse current policies" that uphold people's rights to follow their consciences and that respect innocent human life. Giving in to these expectations, he said, could be "a terrible mistake -- morally, politically, and in terms of advancing the solidarity and well-being of our nation's people."
Your brother in Christ,
Deacon Bruce
After watching President Obama sign the act which rescinds the prohibition of spending federal dollars (translated: Our tax dollars) on Embryonic Stem cell research, I decided I'd had enough of watching on the sidelines as the moral and ethical backbone of this country is sliced away by those who could care less. As I watched, there in the crowd around President Obama was Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, a "renowned" Catholic. I went right to my computer sat down and wrote the following to the Archbishop of San Francisco:
To the Most Rev. George H. Niederauer
Dear Archbishop
Considering the following articles (excerpts) and Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s outspoken support of Embryonic Stem Cell research and her specific appearance at President Obama’s signing of the act rescinding the prohibition of using more lines of Embryos for research, I believe it is in the Church’s interest and need that public scandal by Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi be met with a public ex-communication by her Bishop. She has for several years now been consistently on the morally wrong side of the life issues (specifically Abortion and Stem Cell Research). These are paramount issues in the Church’s eyes as expressed by Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II before him. I respectfully request that you consider this means of stating the Church’s ultimate decision on these matters and as necessary for the teaching of the faithful.
Respectfully yours
Deacon Bruce and Pat Maltzen
Archdiocese of St. Paul – Minneapolis
I now also plan to write emails to President Obama and to other members of congress identifying for them the wonderful things that have happened with ADULT stem cell research in just the past several weeks. Including the ability to program Adult skin stem cells to act EXACTLY LIKE embryonic stem cells. We have transgressed the line too many times and I believe we don't have forever to wait for God to bring us back into line like he did wiht His Chosen People, the Israelites, so many times before.
Please, please, please - write your congressman and senators. Write the President, write your bishop. Tell them all how you feel about the way we have ignored God's word and how we desparately need to come back to the founding faith and the Church.
Excerpts from previous statements by the church:
Vatican City, Oct 11, 2007 / 09:49 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict issued a plea to all scientists today to stop using human embryos for research because it violates their God-given human dignity.
However, Pope Benedict was adamant in condemning the destruction and manipulation of embryonic humans: "discoveries in this field invite man to a deeper awareness of the weighty responsibilities involved in their application," and "under no circumstances may a human being be manipulated or treated as a mere instrument for experimentation.”
He continued his warning saying, “[t]he destruction of human embryos, whether to acquire stem-cells or for any other purpose, contradicts the purported intent of researchers, legislators and public health officials to promote human welfare.”
Making sure that people realize that the he is not against all forms of stem-cell research, the Pope pointed out that the Church does not hesitate to approve and encourage somatic stem-cell research: not only because of the favorable results obtained through these alternative methods, but more importantly because they harmonize with the aforementioned intent by respecting the life of the human being at every stage of his or her existence."
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict said on Thursday (Jan 31, 2008) that embryonic stem cell research, artificial insemination and the prospect of human cloning had "shattered" human dignity.
In an address to members of the Vatican department on doctrinal matters, Benedict said the Church had a duty to defend the "great values at stake" in the field of bioethics.
He said this included total respect for the human being as a person "from conception until natural death," and respect for the natural transmission of life through sexual intercourse.
Practices like freezing embryos, suppression of embryos in multiple pregnancies, embryonic stem cell research, the prospect of human cloning and artificial insemination outside the body had "shattered the barriers meant to protect human dignity", he said.
"When human beings in the weakest and most defenseless state of their existence are selected, abandoned, killed or used as pure 'biological material,' how can one deny that they are being treated not as 'someone' but as 'something,'" he said.
Such practices "questioned the very concept of the dignity of man," he said in the speech to the department known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Bishops Urge New President to Keep Laws on Conscience Rights,Foreign Aid for Abortion, Embryonic Stem Cell Research
January 19, 2009WASHINGTON—The U.S. bishops urged President-elect Barack Obama not to rescind current policies that protect conscience rights of health care workers, prevent foreign aid to organizations promoting abortion, and ban funding of stem cell research that encourages destruction of human embryos.
They made the request in a January 16 letter from Cardinal Francis George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, shortly before President-elect Obama's inauguration. The letter followed by less than a week a previous letter outlining the bishops' broad policy agenda as the new Administration and Congress begin their work.
Cardinal George said some would expect the new president "to take executive action soon to reverse current policies" that uphold people's rights to follow their consciences and that respect innocent human life. Giving in to these expectations, he said, could be "a terrible mistake -- morally, politically, and in terms of advancing the solidarity and well-being of our nation's people."
Your brother in Christ,
Deacon Bruce
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