Fr. JC Maximilian

The Book of Deuteronomy, from which we hear from in today’s first reading, is one of those books in the Bible that most people know little about. Basically Deuteronomy is written as a type of last will and testament of Moses. In it, Moses tells the Israelites, as they look across the Jordan Rive at the Promise Land, what they will need to do to properly manage their inheritance. Of course Israel’s real inheritance is not so much the physical land itself, as it is its special relationship with God. In the chapter from which our first reading is taken, Moses warns the Israelites about the temptation to disobey God’s commandments, and turn toward merely human sources of “wisdom” – namely sorcerers, diviners and magicians. God promises that He will continue to speak to His people through the prophets He will raise up. As God Himself spoke His Word to the Israelites through Moses, God promises to speak to His people Himself through the prophets. A true prophet only says what God tells him to say, and only does what the Lord tells him to do. Over the centuries the Israelites came to see this promise, given to them through Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy, as referring to a specific prophet who would give them the final message of salvation.

Of course for we who believe, we know that this hoped for final prophet is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God – the Word made flesh. In today’s Gospel reading we hear how the people were amazed at the preaching of Jesus “for He taught them as one having authority….” Of course Jesus’ authority came from the fact of His Divinity, yet for many people today the mere idea of a teaching from authority seems odd, if not absurd.

We seem to be living in an age when no real authorities are recognized. Everyone has an opinion, and we think that everyone’s opinion is equally good, equally valid. We wrap this idea up in terms of “freedom” – freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience – and say that we cannot “impose” our values and thoughts on others. From this mentality we get the “I am personally opposed to abortion, but…” politicians who what to divorce their baptismal commitment to follow Christ, from their public actions. For many in the modern world the very idea of obedience to an authority is laughable and quite outdated.

All of this comes from false understanding of freedom. It is an understanding of freedom as nothing more than license to do whatever I want to do. It is a content-less view of freedom, not rooted in any moral law based on human dignity, which ultimately becomes the law of the jungle where only the most powerful can be “free” and all the others are subjected to a totalitarianism of the powerful. Pope John Paul II warned the modern world about this false view of freedom in his encyclical, “The Gospel of Life.”

What is the genuine alternative to this “freedom as license” mentality that has so infected the modern world? How can we properly understand freedom? True freedom is properly understood only in terms of obedience.

Who was the freest human being to ever walk the earth? Was it not Jesus? Is not Jesus’ freedom the real source of His ability to speak with authority? We read repeatedly in the New Testament that Jesus only did the work His heavenly Father gave Him to do, and He only said what His heavenly Father gave Him to say. Jesus perfectly fulfills the description of a prophet that Moses gave in our first reading. St. Paul describes our salvation as coming because Jesus made up for the disobedience of Adam by His perfect obedience, even onto death, death on the Cross. It is because of Jesus’ obedience, even to death on the Cross, that we now have the freedom to live as the sons and daughters of God, to truly be what God created us to be. It is in this that we find real freedom, not the license to do what we want, but rather the freedom to become what God created us to be.

John Henry Cardinal Newman, the famous Anglican convert wrote extensively on this idea of the freedom of obedience. Newman lived in an age, like our own, that triumphed a radical individualism that denied God and rejected the authority of the Church. Newman came to see that there can be no access to the truth, and to real freedom, without a transformation of one’s life to Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Newman saw that Jesus ordained that this transformation of our lives should occur within a community of believers, namely the Church. For Newman obedience to the Church is a concrete manifestation of our obedience to God, and as providing the necessary training in order to obey God. “In other words, we obey the Church, which we can see, in order to obey God, whom we cannot see” (A.A.J. DeVille, “John Henry Cardinal Newman on the Freedom of Obedience,” Homiletic & Pastoral Review, November 2005, p. 30).

Newman was not naïve, he was aware of scandals within the Church, as we are so aware of today, were the legitimate authority endowed to the Church had been harshly used. However for Newman, this was just an indication that St. Paul was correct in saying that our divine treasure is housed in “earthen vessels.”

Cardinal Newman knew that the only solution to the chaos of a world drunk on the false freedom of license is the freedom of obedience. Newman offers these words which still ring true for us today: “…to all those who are Perplexed in any way soever, who wish for light but cannot find it, one precept must be given – obey. It is obedience which brings a man into the right path; it is obedience which keeps him there and strengthens him in it. Under all circumstances, whatever be the cause of the distress – obey” (Sermon XVII, Parochial and Plain Sermons). “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Psalm 95), rather obey and know true freedom.

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One thing that I miss from my previous assignment is preaching. At St. James I was able to give a 1 minute homily at weekday Masses, and preached each weekend. Here at Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony, they typically do not have a homily at weekday Masses, and our deacons preach two weekends a month. This, the fourth weekend in the month, would normally be a weekend for me to preach, however the bishop has told us to show the “Bishop’s Annual Appeal” video this weekend, and enough people to give money to the diocese. Alas, another weekend without a homily. Once I get moved into my room (they tell me Monday it will be done), I can start to unpack my boxes of books, and hopefully get more settled so that I can write a weekly reflection on the Scriptures, even if it is not my weekend to preach.

In the meantime, one of the neat things that the Diocese of Trenton has developed is RealFaith TV. It is a youth oriented program, with teenagers as the hosts/reporters, that is broadcasted on several TV stations within the Diocese. They also have a webpage (I believe I have a link to it on the side, but it is www.realfaithtv.org), which has some articles and from which you can download past episodes of the show (and it will not cost you $1.99 like some other shows will). One aspect of the webpage is the “Ask Father” column, where people can write in asking questions. The moderator of the site recently sent me a question from Kyle, a soldier currently serving in Iraq. He stated that he really felt that God was calling him to be a soldier, and he wanted to know if he might be off track in his thinking. Here is the response I wrote.

Dear Kyle,

First let me offer a prayer that you will, and your comrades, will remain safe as you continue your duty in Iraq. I also think it commendable that you have started to read the Bible again, and have started to pray more. If you do not already have it, may I recommend that you get a copy of FULTON SHEEN’S WARTIME PRAYER BOOK. Just ask your Catholic Chaplain if he has any (there is a group in the US raising money to provide them for free to any member of the Arm Services who wants it; http://sheen.catholicexchange.com/military.html). If the chaplain does not have any, just send your name and unit, and I will buy one to send to you.

Now to answer your question, in Matthew 5:21, Jesus recalls the commandment, “You shall not kill.” In doing so, our Lord is asking all of His followers to work for true peace of heart. You should also keep in mind that Jesus, as the anticipated Messiah, was referred to as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:5), and He declared, “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matthew 5:9). Clearly the Christian must work for the promotion of peace, but what do we mean by peace?

A good place to look for the Church’s teaching on peace is the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC #2302-2306). Picking up from the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo, the Catechism says that “Peace is not merely the absence of war, and it is not limited to maintaining a balance of powers between adversaries” (CCC #2304). In his classic book, The City of God, St. Augustine defined peace as “the tranquility of order.” This means that true peace “cannot be attained on earth without safeguarding the goods of persons, free communication among men, respect for the dignity of persons and peoples, and the assiduous practice of fraternity” (CCC #2304).

Because of the injustices and evils that typically accompany all wars, the Church teaches that all governments and citizens are obliged to work for the avoidance of war (see CCC #2307-2308). However, due to the effects of Original Sin, the Church recognizes that the danger of war persists, therefore “governments cannot be denied the right of lawful self-defense, once all peace efforts have failed” (quoted in CCC #2308 from a document from the Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes #79 §4).

The Church makes a distinction between what in Latin is called, jus ad bellum (“just in going to war”) and jus in bellum (“just behavior in war”). The first deals with what is commonly known as the “Just War Doctrine.” Basically it states that four strict conditions must be met before competent public authorities, who have the responsibility for the common good, may be moral in fighting a war. These conditions are (taken from CCC #2309):
1. The damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
2. All other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
3. There must be serious prospects of success;
4. The use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

Now, a thorough discussion of the “Just War Doctrine” is not possible in this response to your question. Also, I believe that you are asking more about jus in bellum, or can a Catholic/Christian be a soldier. The simple answer to your question is “yes.” The Catechism states (#2310), “Those who are sworn to serve their country in the armed forces are servants of the security and freedom of nations. If they carry out their duty honorably, they truly contribute to the common good of the nation and the maintenance of peace” (again this idea is taken from Gaudium et Spes #79 §5).

To honorably carry out one’s duty means to respect and treat humanely all non-combatants, wounded soldiers and prisoners. While the Church greatly values the virtue of obedience, especially to competent authorities, blind obedience is no excuse for following orders that would be contrary to faith and morals, especially if they violate the dignity of persons, for all people (even one’s “enemies”) are made in the image and likeness of God. The Christian soldier is morally required to resist orders that command genocide. Likewise, given the state of modern warfare – especially in terms of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons – the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas is unequivocally condemned by the Church as a crime against God and humankind (CCC #2313-2314).

I realize that this is a rather long answer to your question, however yours was a very serious question. Yes, you can be both a Christian and a soldier if in doing your duty as a soldier you also “love your enemies” as Jesus teaches us.

Yours in Christ with the Immaculata,
Fr. J.C. Garrett
Parochial Vicar
Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Trenton

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As I write this there is banging going on over my head. They are installing the carpeting in my suite. My move here to the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony has been like a whirlwind, so much so that I still do not always feel like I am really here. As you know, I moved here about a month ago. I had requested from bishop a transfer from St. James, not because I did not like that assignment, but so I could be closer to my family as my father was being treated for terminal cancer. I had met with Bishop Smith on Dec. 1, got the call informing me of my transfer the next day, and had to report to OLS-St. Anthony by 6pm on Dec. 9. The night before my move my father took a turn for the worse, and was hospitalized. He would never return home, at least in this world, for God called him home to heaven on Dec. 20.

I have been tremendously blessed as a priest. At both of my assignments the other priests have been gems, and the parishioners have been wonderful. I mean, 6 months after being ordained and going to St. James I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The pastor of St. James, Msgr. Lowery, worried about me nearly as much as my mother. One of the most touching scenes, which I will treasure in my heart always, was waking up very early (about 6:30am) the morning after my second surgery and finding Msgr. Lowery quietly praying in the chair near my bed. Fr. Alex and Fr. Joe covered so many extra Masses as I recovered, and they put up with my irritability as my hormones were way out of wack. Later, when Fr. Mike replaced Fr. Joe, he too could be counted on to help in anyway, and his friendship, especially after my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer is another treasure. How can I ever say enough about the parishioners at St. James who offered countless prayers, and many cough drops (as I recovered my voice), for my health. They responded again with prayers and Masses after my Dad died; a good number even traveled across the State to attend Dad’s funeral. Thank you seems so inadequate — all of you will always be in my heart and prayers.

Then I arrived at OLS-St. Anthony. The welcome has been wonderful. Of course there are many people who either know me or my family from having grown up in this area. When my predecessor, the other Fr. Garrett (his first name), left Msgr. Gervasio was told that he probably would not be getting a replacement so he decided to make a major renovation of the suite so it would be a guest room. Just as they tore out the bathroom he found out that I was coming. Living in one room (old office, future guestroom) as they finish my suite might be a little inconvenient at times, but it is a little thing. Msgr. Gervasio and Fr. Oscar have been true brothers in the priesthood, supporting me during my father’s death (again taking some extra Masses), and have quickly become friends. The people at this new assignment have also been amazing — my family have gotten so many Mass cards. In fact, just yesterday (Friday, January 13), the Mass I celebrated at St. Anthony’s was for my Dad, requested by the sacristan there.

As they put the carpet in today, the toilet and sink on Monday, and the furniture arrives Tuesday, I will settle more into this new assignment. One thing to get used to is not having to prepare a homily for every Sunday. Here at OLS-St. Anthony we have 8 permanent deacons, and they preach on the 1st and 3rd Sundays. This month, another one of my preaching weekends will be taken by the Bishop’s Appeal video. Hopefully, once I unpack my books and settle into my suite and office, I will start to write more reflections on this blog, and not just wait for my preaching weekends. I still want to finish my Liturgical Footnotes, and maybe start a discussion on a spiritual/theology book.

To quote St. Peter at the Transfiguration, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.”

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In our first reading today the Prophet Isaiah declares, “See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples.” At times we truly seem to be the people living in darkness. Just this week, while on vacation, I heard a news report about a man in Italy who has filed charges accusing the Catholic Church of committing fraud and swindling people because it teaches that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This atheist contends that not only is Jesus not the Son of God, since he denies the existence of God, but he even denies that Jesus existed as a historical person. He claims that the Church just made up the person of Jesus in order to con people out of money.

The denial of Jesus is nothing new. At the time St. Matthew wrote his gospel, there was a massive effort by the religious leaders in Israel to reject Jesus as even being a good religious teacher. Yet at the very time the religious leaders in Israel were rejecting Jesus, He was being welcomed by an increasing number of people in the Gentile world. Now, however, it seems as if Jesus is being pushed out of all aspects of public life. “Darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples.”

Yet despite all this darkness we must exclaim with Isaiah, “Your light has come.” The word “epiphany” means “manifestation,” and during the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord the Church celebrates the manifestation of Jesus as the Christ to the whole world. The very first line of the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, proclaims, “Christ is the Light of nations. That this may be so, this Sacred Synod … eagerly desires that the Gospel be proclaimed to every creature” (LG #1). Lumen Gentium goes on to say, “The Feast of the Epiphany moves all the faithful to share the concerns and labors of the Church, which prays and works at the same time so that the entire world may be incorporated into the People of God, the Body of the Lord and the Temple of the Holy Spirit” (LG #17).

These statements from the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church formed the foundation for another document from the Second Vatican Council, the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (Apostolicam Actuositatem). This decree noted that due to secularization and anti-clericalism, priests and religious often do not have effective access to many areas of society in many countries. Therefore, if the Church is going to be present there, lay people would have to do the job. The Council Fathers pointed out that from our baptism there arises a duty to participate in the mission of the Church, each according to our state of life.

Unfortunately, in the years following the Council, this call to the laity to participate in the Church’s mission became largely confined to activity within the Church’s institutions. Large numbers of the laity became Readers and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion at Mass. Others took jobs in their parishes or diocesan centers. Now please do not misunderstand me, lay ministry and activity in the parishes and diocese is a good thing – A VERY GOOD THING. It is because of the many wonderful lay volunteers at so many of the sick and homebound receive the Eucharist, and are reminded that they are still part of our parish family. However, lay ministry is no substitute for the apostolate of the laity. “Apostolate” comes from the word “Apostle” which means “to be sent.” The Second Vatican Council makes it overwhelmingly clear that the primary apostolate of the laity is to carry the Gospel out into the world. You are called to evangelize the workplace, the marketplace, and the public square. If this is not done darkness will continue to cover the earth.

This might sound rather scary, but imagine the risks that the Magi took as they left their comfort zones: ridicule from family and neighbors, dangers on the road, uncertain moments. The perseverance of the Magi is due in part to their interior fortitude, a virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in pursuing the good. Fortitude enables us to embrace sacrifice and renounce comforts for a good and just cause. Fortitude reminds us of Christ’s admonition, “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

“The Epiphany reminds us that we should use every available means to bring our friends, relatives and colleagues close to Jesus. This may begin by lending someone a book of sound doctrine, by giving to others encouraging words which help them to start on their way; by speaking to an acquaintance of the need for spiritual formation” (Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol. 1, p. 333). If we live this apostolate we can make the today’s Psalm response a reality, “Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”

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