Tag: Question Box

By Father Thom Hennen
Question Box

Many of us have older children who are no longer practicing the faith. How can we invite them back? How do we address the issue of receiving Communion if they have

been away from the Church for a long time and may need to receive the sacrament of reconciliation?

It is hard to see people we love and for whom we want the highest and best things walk away from something we hold so dear. Many parents of adult children who have stopped going to church heap guilt on themselves as though it is exclusively their fault their children did not keep the faith. Alternatively, they might heap guilt on their children, hoping to prod them back. Chances are if the “Catholic guilt” strategy didn’t work when they were teenagers, it won’t work now.

While guilt is not always a bad thing, it is also not the best motivation. We want people to practice their faith not because their mother threatens to haunt them from beyond the grave if they don’t or because they fear the pains of hell. Ultimately, we want people to embrace and live the faith because they believe it is good, true and beautiful. We hope that they recognize, like all of us, they are “works in progress” who need God’s grace in prayer and the sacraments to be more fully the people God made them to be. To this end, I think some gentle pressure can be applied appropriately from time to time, but it should be more invitation and less inquisition.

Regarding the confession question, personally I would avoid the approach of pointing out that they are not in a “state of grace” and therefore should not receive Communion. While this is language we sometimes use and while one should be properly disposed to receive Communion (i.e. not aware of any unconfessed serious sins), it tends to come off as judgmental, as though we know objectively the state of their soul.

Perhaps in addition to inviting them to come to Mass, you could also gently invite them to accompany you to the sacrament of reconciliation whenever it is offered in your parish. This shows that it is not just them who needs this sacrament. They likely already have a sense that they need and even desire this at some level but they are more likely to respond to an invitation than a threat. Hopefully, a good priest can lovingly guide them through the sacrament. 

As well as we think we know our family members, we need to remember that we don’t know all of their interior struggles or what made them either slip away from or shake their fist at God, the Church or religion in general. We need to pray for their peace and healing.

I often tell concerned parents, grandparents or siblings that in addition to praying for their loved ones to return to the faith, they should also pray for the person who may be that credible witness to draw them back. We tend to dismiss those closest to us and so a more effective witness may be a co-worker, friend or neighbor. As hard and effectively as St. Monica prayed for her wayward son, St. Augustine, he still had to encounter St. Ambrose to seal the deal.

Lastly, it is important that we first witness well to the faith, even if we are less than perfect. The more people see that some of the kindest, most well-adjusted, intelligent, giving and happy people they know also happen to be Catholic, the more likely they are to put two and two together.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Fr. Thom Hennen
Question Box

If someone does not believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again, can they be saved?

With challenging questions like this, I like to paint from the outside edges in, if that makes sense. It may be helpful to propose a couple of extreme positions and then see what more our Catholic faith teaches.

On the one extreme, we would find a kind of unbridled relativism that says that it doesn’t really matter what you believe. God is very nice and we are all forgiven and get to heaven no matter what. In this case, “you do you.” Figure out what “flavor” of belief or spirituality works best for you. If Jesus is your guy, cool! If not, fine. Above all, just be nice.

Our Catholic Christian tradition most definitely does not teach this, and this thinking can quickly devolve into syncretism (a blending of belief systems) or even an idolatry of self. Rather, we believe in one God who created all things and who sustains us in being, who revealed himself to us in various ways down through the ages, in covenant and word, and through the prophets. As Christians, we believe the fullness of God’s self-revelation came in the person of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. We believe that he fulfilled a necessary mission for the salvation of all the world by taking upon himself our sins and laying down his life on the cross for us. He conquered sin and death by rising from the dead and “charted the course” for us. If we do not believe this as Christians, then we are a sad people, blindly following a sad man with a sad story, who was needlessly martyred.

On the other extreme, we would find a very rigid and technical understanding of salvation. This can have various iterations. Evangelical Christians may ask, “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?” For them, the answer to that question makes all the difference. Many Catholics may believe that only by being a “card-carrying” member of the Catholic Church may one dare to hope for eternal salvation.

I’m reminded of the joke about St. Peter giving a tour of heaven to a newly admitted Lutheran. Walking past one large room full of people, St. Peter said, “We have to be very quiet while we go past this room.” “Why?” the Lutheran asked, to which St. Peter responded, “Those are the Catholics. They think they’re the only ones here.”  

Whether or not someone believes that Christ died for them does not change what he did for them and for us all. If we have been shown this and have come to know it, then we should embrace it. If we reject it, even while knowing it, then it will have dire eternal consequences. God forces salvation on no one.

The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) from the Second Vatican Council states: “Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace, strive by their deeds to do his will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience” (par. 16).

While the Catholic Church teaches that baptism is necessary for salvation (see the Catechism of the Catholic Church par. 1257), and while our beliefs and actions absolutely matter, we also have no window into anyone’s conscience but our own. We must be careful not to tie God’s hands or decide for God who he can or cannot save.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Father Thom Hennen
Question Box

Q: How should I deal with distractions in prayer? When I am praying the rosary or other prayers I often find my mind wandering and wonder if my prayer is any good.

A: Distractions are inevitable in prayer. I can tell you that priests get distracted in prayer too.

I think our Lord is very patient and understanding with this. One wonders if in his sacred humanity Jesus also found himself distracted in prayer. What if a fly landed on his nose or his knees started to ache or he saw a bird out of the corner of his eye? What if his stomach started to growl or he suddenly remembered something his mother had asked him to do? I am not saying that Jesus willfully distracted himself or that he wasn’t trying to give his full attention to the Father, but simply that being fully human (even as he is also fully divine), his own attention span was subject to the same interruptions and agitations as all of us.

In time, we need to learn to live with and pray through our distractions. We might even pray about them. I often tell people, “Don’t be distracted by your distractions!” What I mean by this is don’t make your distractions bigger by dwelling on them. Refocus, resettle, re-center. You might even laugh at yourself or at the situation and smile as you turn back to God and say, “OK, Lord, I’m back.”

At the same time, if you are burdened by a persistent thought, maybe this is the Holy Spirit trying to get your attention. Rather than being frustrated by your distraction, you might turn it into a prayer and address our Lord, saying something like, “Lord, I find myself so distracted, consumed by this thought. I give it to you. What are you trying to show me or teach me through this?” You might pray for the people or situations that keep springing to mind. In a sense, nothing is unworthy of bringing to God in prayer.

You mention the rosary in particular as a time when you might easily become distracted. Again, I am guilty of this too. I am a runner and I often tell myself that any run is better than no run. In the same way, I think any rosary, however imperfectly prayed, is better than no rosary. Any prayer is better than no prayer. Because of our distractions and our own poor estimation of the quality of our prayer, I think we can easily talk ourselves out of praying. This is certainly not what God wants. Good prayer is as much about consistency as it is about content or duration. The more we develop the habit of prayer, like learning an instrument, the more we can freely improvise.

One of the beauties of the rosary is that it is meant, I think, to allow us to drift somewhat between the repetition of the prayers, the meditation on the various mysteries, and more personal intercessory prayer.

A related question that often comes up is about falling asleep in prayer. I recall once during a holy hour on a retreat practically falling out of my chair before catching myself, eliciting some chuckles from those around me. Our weariness in prayer is no doubt a direct result of our weariness in our life or work and the feeling of being truly at peace in prayer. I advise against settling down to prayer with a pillow, blanket and glass of warm milk, but don’t be too bothered if you start to doze a little.

Be at peace about your prayer. Keep praying and let God be the judge of it.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Thom Hennen
Question Box

What is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

When I taught senior theology at Assumption High School in Davenport, one of the questions on the final exam of the second semester was always, “What is the Assump­tion of the Blessed Virgin Mary?” There was no way I was going to let those seniors graduate from Assumption High School not knowing for what their school was named. It was meant to be a “freebie,” but occasionally a student would still miss it. In the same way, I think some Catholics remain confused about this. With this solemnity approaching Aug. 15, an explanation may be timely.

In 1950 Pope Pius XII declared in the apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus (which means “Most Bountiful God”) that the Blessed Virgin Mary “when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory.” He goes on to say, “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son’s Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.”

It is important to note that in officially declaring this, Pope Pius XII was not saying anything new. The Church didn’t just start believing this in 1950 but had in fact believed it from the earliest times. Pius XII notes, “In their homilies and sermons on this feast the holy fathers and great doctors spoke of the assumption of the Mother of God as something already familiar and accepted by the faithful.” He then goes on to quote some of these early Church fathers.

It is fitting that second only to her Son, Mary would share in the Resurrection, given her pivotal role in our redemption. It was, after all, through her that the Word became flesh. Everything that made Jesus truly and fully human he received from her, including a body, which he would lay down for us on the altar of the cross and give to us in the Eucharist.

There have been differing opinions about whether or not Mary actually died. Some might argue that because she was preserved from the stain of original sin since her conception (the Immaculate Conception), she would not have undergone physical death, as that was seen as the “wages of sin” (cf. Romans 6:23). In the Eastern churches, they refer to Mary’s “dormition” or “sleeping,” perhaps to soften this some.

Even so, I think one could argue that Mary’s participation in the passion of her Son was so complete that, while indeed free from original sin, she nonetheless (eventually) shared in his death. There is certainly precedent for the belief that she physically died and while Pius XII was careful to say “when the course of her earthly life was finished,” he nonetheless references the idea of Mary’s death in quoting from the Church fathers. Therefore, it is by no means heterodox to believe that Mary truly died and then was assumed, body and soul, into heaven.

It is worth noting a subtlety in the language here. While we say that Jesus ascended, we say that Mary was assumed, using the passive voice. This makes it clear that God is the agent of these wonderful mysteries. Jesus, who is God, ascends, as it were, under his own power. Whereas Mary, God’s creature (albeit without sin), is taken up by God.

At Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, where I serve as pastor, the Vietnamese community has a deep devotion to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the Sunday closest to the actual solemnity, when most of the community can gather, they have a special procession, Mass and celebration. If you have an opportunity, come check it out!

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport and vicar general for the Diocese of Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Father Thom Hennen
Question Box

What happens now that we don’t have a bishop?

First of all, we still have a bishop. Archbishop-elect  Thomas  Zinkula is still our bishop until he takes possession of the Archdiocese of Dubuque on Oct. 18, so we are not sede vacante (a vacant see) just yet. That being said, I imagine he may need to be back and forth some as he prepares to take on his new responsibilities.

By the way, if the announcement that Archbishop-elect Zinkula will be going back to his home diocese as archbishop surprised you, it is not totally without precedence. One of his predecessors, Archbishop Henry Rohlman, was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Dubuque in 1901. He was made Bishop of Davenport (our fourth bishop) in 1927 and then returned to Dubuque as coadjutor archbishop in 1944, to automatically succeed Archbishop Francis Beckman in 1946.

So what happens after October? Canon law addresses this. Pope Francis may appoint an apostolic administrator, as he did when  he accepted Archbishop Michael Jackel’s resignation in April for health reasons and Bishop Richard Pates (retired Bishop of Des Moines) stepped in to fill the gap. The fact that an apostolic administrator was not immediately named with the announcement that Archbishop-elect Zinkula would be going to Dubuque may be telling.

In a recent conversation with a brother priest who is currently studying Canon Law, he noted that an apostolic administrator is usually for extraordinary situations, so that he can step in right away. However, the more typical situation envisioned by Canon Law is for a diocesan administrator to be elected by the college of consultors. This is a group of six to 12 priests (we have nine) appointed by the bishop and who are called upon for certain functions such as this. The diocesan administrator must be a priest who is at least 35 years old and who is “outstanding in doctrine and prudence” (Can. 425). If the college of consultors fails to elect a diocesan administrator, then it would fall to the metropolitan (soon-to-be Archbishop Zinkula) to designate one.

The role of the diocesan administrator is to temporarily govern the diocese until a new bishop takes possession. In the meantime, Canon Law is explicit that the diocesan administrator is not to change anything (nihil innovetur). This does not mean that everything stops. The day-to-day operations of the diocese should carry on as usual. Initiatives begun under the previous bishop should continue as planned, but new major initiatives should not be undertaken and there are some things which Canon Law specifically prohibits, such as the appointment of pastors.

The reason the announcement is made months before the transition is intentional. It is so that both the diocese a bishop is leaving and the one he is going to will have time to prepare. As we know from when Bishop Zinkula was ordained and installed as our bishop in 2017, there is a lot that goes into the planning for this event. Also, we will need some time to make sure things are in place for “smooth sailing” while we are without a “captain.” As to when we might expect a new bishop to be named, who knows. I think the fact that we will be a truly vacant see (with no bishop) might put us closer to the top of the list, but even so, this process can take time. In the meantime, we are grateful for Archbishop-elect Zinkula’s outstanding service to our diocese these past six years. Let us pray for him and ask God to send us the new shepherd we need in the time we need.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport and vicar general for the Diocese of Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Father Thom Hennen
Question Box

How are we to interpret the “signs of the end” that are in Bible, for example in Luke 21? Is this only in reference to the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 70 AD?

This can be confusing. It is tempting and exciting to try to thread together the various visions of things to come in the Bible, to look for a precise key to understand how everything fits neatly together to give us a “roadmap to the apocalypse.” Of course, if you set out looking for this, you will probably find it, not because it is in the text but because you want to find it. This is a classic human error.

I once saw an evangelist on a Christian television network some years ago explaining in great detail what the dream of Nebuchadnezzar from the Book of Daniel meant for our time, never mind the fact that Daniel offers the interpretation right there in the text. It would be interesting to go back and see if anything this televangelist “predicted” ever came to pass. My hunch is that he would have to retract much of what he said. Good biblical scholarship and even casual devotional reading of the Bible draws meaning from the text and does not read into it. This is not to say that we cannot derive great personal meaning from the Scriptures or that they have nothing to say to us in our own times and circumstances. The divine author bleeds through every page and can touch the soul.

While we believe the Bible to be truly the word of God, it is also composed by multiple authors over many centuries in different places, cultures and contexts. The Bible is not one book, but many books, with many different literary genres. For that reason, we should be careful not to pull from these passages more than was intended. In some cases, yes, passages may be referring to future events, but often, especially in what we call the “apocalyptic literature” of the Bible, what we are looking at is a commentary on events happening at the time. Often they express both the anxiety of a community’s situation and the hope for a more peaceful future.

As for that particular section of Luke (which parallels Mark 13), it is a good bet that this is in reference to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Most scholars date the writing of Luke’s Gospel around 85 AD, so after the destruction of the temple. I am not saying that Luke was creating this detail out of thin air, but that in light of this event he recalled what Jesus had said and wanted to make sure to include it.

The verses that follow the prediction of the destruction of the temple are more instructive. Here Jesus tells us not to be duped by people saying, “The time has come” (Luke 21:8). He mentions all manner of things that will inevitably happen but says that “it will not immediately be the end” (Luke 21:9). Here we are some 2,000 years later. Probably every age of the Church has thought it was living in the “end times.” Who knows, but obsessing about it or trying to nail down exactly when this will all happen is little help.

I remember once seeing a bumper sticker that said, “Jesus is coming — look busy!” I chuckled, but then thought, “I don’t think that will be enough.” We have to be busy about the work of the Kingdom every day, whether Christ returns tomorrow or we are called from this life.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport and vicar general for the Diocese of Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)

By Father Thom Hennen
Question Box

How is it determined which saints are observed on which calendar days? Why do some saints seem to get skipped some years?

The feast days of saints are most often determined by their death date or “heavenly birth­day.” How­ever, this does not always work if someone died on an already established feast day or if it would occur in a season that was not ideal, for example during Lent or too close to Easter. In those cases, the feast might get bumped a day or two or put on another significant date in the life of the saint. A good example would be St. Thérèse of Lisieux. She died Sept. 30 (1897), which is the feast day of St. Jerome, who died on that date in 420. St. Thérèse’s feast day is, therefore, observed on Oct. 1.

Other reasons can be chosen for a feast day as well. Pope St. John Paul II’s feast day is Oct. 22, the date he was elected pope. Pope St. John XXIII’s feast day is, fittingly, Oct. 11, the opening date of the Second Vatican Council. In the new general calendar (1969), St. Thomas Aquinas’ feast day is observed not on his death date (March 7) but on Jan. 28, when his relics were transferred in 1369 to Toulouse, France.

I realize I’m using the term “feast day” as we often do to refer to the observance of any saint or special day on the Church calendar. Technically, though, there are three “classes” of celebrations. In ascending order of importance they are: memorials (optional or obligatory), feasts and solemnities. Which class of celebration a saint gets has to do with how influential or important that saint is in the story of our redemption or in the history of the Church. The major feasts of our Lord get “top billing,” of course (Christmas and Easter, but also Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart and Christ the King). Mary also gets a couple solemnities: the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) and the Assumption (Aug. 15), plus her birthday (Sept. 8) is a feast. St. John the Baptist (June 24), Ss. Peter and Paul (June 29), also get solemnities for their essential roles.

Liturgically, solemnities call for the singing/recitation of the Gloria and the Creed at Mass. For feasts we sing/recite the Gloria but not the Creed and for memorials we do not sing the Gloria or recite the Creed. For solemnities, feasts and obligatory memorials, the priest celebrant does not choose which Mass to use. For optional memorials, he might decide to use the prayers for the regular weekday Mass instead. Personally, I try to celebrate every saint I can, especially during the long stretches of Ordinary Time. I love reading and sharing about the lives of the saints, these real men and women who went before us. Plus, I figure I can use all the help that I can get! I know it does not work this way, but I sometimes imagine the saints whose feasts I skipped not “voting for me” to get into heaven when my time comes.

As to why it seems like we skip certain saints’ feasts in certain years, this has to do with their feast day falling on a Sunday. Some solemnities and even some feasts will trump a Sunday in Ordinary Time but even the 16th Sunday in Ordinary time would take precedence over the memorial of a saint. That’s just how important Sunday is to us as our weekly commemoration of the day on which Jesus rose from the dead.

(Father Thom Hennen serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport and vicar general for the Diocese of Davenport. Send questions to messenger@davenportdiocese.org)