Fr Frank's Space

frfrank — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:18:32 +0000

I confess, I have a certain draw to what some people call “Tabloid News” When my mother was still alive, and I would go home on my day off I would look forward to reading “The Enquirer”. My only connection with that type of format is the TV program, “Inside Edition” (comes on at 3:00pm) What made the news was a popular Catholic Priest in Miami who has a popular radio program. Well the papparazi (excuse spelling) saw him on the beach with a woman that he admits to loving. Of course the question of celibacy came up, and of course since it was eveyone’s opinion that priests should get married, well it must be correct. Well Here is another view that I frankly stole from a new blog site that is sponsored by the bishop’s conference. I thought it was pretty good, so I wanted to share it. Thanks

Celibacy — Fidelity: Topic de jour

Celibacy is topic de jour with the well publicized story of Miami priest whose dalliance was recorded in photos in a Spanish-language magazine. Discussing the issue, some points worth noting are that the Catholic Church’s teaching goes back to Scripture: Jesus was not married and St. Paul speaks of the significance of an “undivided heart.” (1 Cor 7 32-34)

The need for a priest’s undivided heart is paramount. At ordination priests assume a spiritual fatherhood, which means they called to be available to all. When people phone a priest they shouldn’t have to worry about imposing on his family time or taking him away from a sick child. The priest belongs to the people and his time should be theirs. Such service has been honored even in jokes. For instance, there’s the one about the Jewish man who calls a priest to his bedside on a rainy evening because “you wouldn’t call out a rabbi on a night like this!”

Priests obviously are not the only men called to think of others first and their families second. Doctors and policemen come to mind. But that choice is often hard on spouses and children who may not have the same sense of vocation. It’s one thing to be selfless for one self. It’s quite another to expect your loved ones to be so as well.

Another issue shining through today’s news reports is fidelity to a commitment. Lifetime commitments are respected by the church, whether it is a man’s promise of celibacy in the priesthood or a man or woman promising fidelity in marriage. Both commitments are entered into freely and, hopefully, with aforethought. It is painful to everyone involved when someone abandons a commitment. Like it or not, we all find inspiration in the commitments we see around us. To paraphrase John Donne, everyone’s fractured commitment diminishes me. That’s why wives grow anxious when they see infidelity. Elizabeth Edwards is example number one with her Resilience book tour.

People often point out that in the Eastern Rite churches, priests can marry, but it is worth noting they cannot marry once ordained. And when it comes to selecting their bishops, the Eastern churches choose bishops from among their celibate clergy. It’s more testimony to what the church sees as needed in its leadership, the spiritual fathers with an undivided heart.

Celibacy is not a matter of dogma; it’s a matter of discipline. Dogma is a matter of faith; a discipline is something put into place because it has a tangible, practical value in the life of the church here and now. Thus, theoretically it’s possible that the rule of celibacy could change. Whether or not it should will be discussed for a long time. Meanwhile, there’s no denying the benefit of celibacy to the church and society around it

Celibacy — Fidelity: Topic de jour

frfrank — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:44:14 +0000

Last weekend I was out with parishioners and we were talking about reading and what books were on our shelf. I have a priest friend, and on his side table next to his chair is a current novel, some kind of theology book, and another churchy style book. He circulates between the three of them. Well getting back to dinner with the parishioner. She stated that she wanted to go back and re read some of the classics that she read in high school. Which led us on a interesting discussion, about high school reading lists today. Do they still read the same classics? Maybe some of my readers can comment on this.

Well a few weeks ago I went on a road trip to get away after Easter to Quincy, IL. I went to college there. A part of the tourist part of trip was spent in Hannibal, Mo, the boyhood home of Mark Twain. I purchased a dvd of the Ken Burns series of Mark Twain and the next step is to re-read the classics, especially the Mark Twain classics.

( Oh part of the Quincy reading list was a Mark Twain short story, “The Man who corrupted Hadleyburg.” It was obvious to the residents at Quincy at the time that Hadleyburg was Quincy, and the people in the story were well know residents of Quincy that Mark Twain was ridiculing. ) Mark Twain was a humorist who said that “Humor does not come out of joy but out of sadness, There is no humor in Heaven.”

It was evident in reading his life that this was true. He was able to experience life and accept it with all of it’s joys, sorrows, disappointments, hurts, and was able to reflect on them. He discovered that joy comes from living all of that life.

Ok some more of my favorite Mark Twain quotes, I have a coffee cup that says,

“When Angry count to 4, when very angry swear.”

“Better to keep quiet and have people think you are stupid, then open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

And my all time favorite: Heaven goes by favor, if it went by merit, your dog would go in and you would stay out.

frfrank — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 13:19:02 +0000

Called by Name

This evening I am baptizing three adults and receiving another two. I will also confirm them. Oh by the way, here is a true confession, I love to confirm. Last year I was able to celebrate with our 8^thgraders when Bishop Imesch had to cancel. Maybe it’s a secret desire to be a Bishop, but it has to be very secret and deep into my subconcience, very deep. I think what I like about it is that it is one of the many sacraments that we are called by name. I think it is interesting that we are discouraged from using names when people come up to receive communion, but we are called by name at the sacraments of the Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, Ordination, Confirmation, and of course Baptism. It’s actually a part of the ritual when we see that big red N. in the ritual book.

Psycologically I think it is very powerful when someone uses our name in a conversation. I always tell the story about a storekeeper who asked me my name and used it three times in the course of our transaction. At the end I think I would have bought anything from her. Of course the opposite is true. One of my pet peeves is when I call on the phone to order something and the conversation goes like this. “Good morning, how can I help you” “ Good morning, my name is Fr. Frank Vitus, and I would like to place an order.” Then the next question out of their mouth is: “Can I have your name please?”

Why is it so hard for us to realize that God calls us by name, when we celebrate those sacred times in our life, the time when God invites us to enter a relationship with Himself. It’s a personal call. I want to tell my protestant friends that I am sorry, you did not invent the concept that we have to have a personal relationship with Jesus. However, I wonder if they realize that we have to then respond to that call. We have to continually listen to the Lord in our life.

Another think I think is interesting that in Western Art the resurrection is always portrayed with Jesus gloriously stepping out of the tomb, The stone rolled back, the Roman guards scattered on the ground. However in Eastern Rite Iconography Jesus is never alone. He leaves the tomb hand in hand with Adam & Eve. Our first parents, representing all of human kind. He continually renews his promise to each and everyone of us personally, it should not grow old, grow stale, we can forget it’s ever there. It has to be eternally heard each and every morning at the Sun rise, and the beginning of a new day. We should live the Resurrection each and every day.

frfrank — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:53:17 +0000

BLOG

The other day I was asked to celebrate a mass at a New Wine Retreat. New Wine is a certification program for lay ministers. There is a new class graduating, and they conclude with a retreat. Also we had a meeting with a a woman that volunteered her services for our school. The company helps organizations define themselves by developing a logo. I guess in the corporate world this is called branding. We were asked how we view our parish.

As you know I watch too much television, and when I purchased my last car I received a 3 month trial membership with “XM” radio. I listened mostly to the classic radio network. I discovered the program the “Battling Bickersons” I heard my parents talk about it all of the time. It’s about a couple who argue all of the time. I was also surprised to discover that the old TV show Ozzie and Harriet” was also a radio program. So when I was asked by the lady who is helping us form what we do as a parish I thought about a contrast between two radio shows. “Ozzie and Harriet” , what did Ozzie do anyway, and the “Battling Bickersons.”

We are all aware of parishes when they become the “Battling Bickersons” After all it’s the number one reason why people don’t go to church. What do you hear them say, I don’t believe I want to associate with those hypocrites at our parish. Or we hear about the “IN group” who thinks they run everything. (thinks is the operative word)

Then I get back to my homily on ministry, and I defined it as serving people. To me the classic statement for ministry comes from Jesus when he tells the apostles that The son of man has come not to be served but to serve, and give his life for the ransom of the many. Also one of the psalms states O Lord you are my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot. So who are we dealing with, we are serving the needs of people. People who have faults, failures, dissappontments the whole gamut. When I was a young boy I was enthralled with a book about vocations to the priesthood. The forward was from Cardinal Ritter, who was the Cardinal archbishop of St. Louis. He likens the parish priest as the Marines. Those who are in the front lines having the closest contact with the people of a parish Church. Parish lay ministers have to minister to all sorts of types, The Battling Bickersons, to the Nelson Family. To sum up I thought of a passage from Mary Chase’s Play, “Harvey” Elwood P. Dowd is an eccentric, kind man who happens to have a 6 ft rabbit as a close friend. His sister Veta, and niece who he lives with seek to get him the mental health he so desperately needs. At the very end of the play…

CABBY – You ain’t kiddin’. On the way out

here, they sit back and enjoy the ride.

They talk to me. Sometimes we stop and

watch the sunsets and look at the birds

flyin’. Sometimes we stop and watch the

birds when there ain’t no birds…and look

at the sunsets when it’s rainin’ – heh -

we have a swell time. And I always get a

big tip. But afterwards? Oh oh!

VETA – “Afterwards – oh-oh”? – what do you

mean “afterwards oh oh”?

CABBY – They crab, crab, crab! They yell

at me – watch the lights – watch the

brakes – watch the intersection. They

scream at me to hurry. They got no faith

- in me or my buggy – yet it’s the same

cab – same driver, and we’re goin’ back

over the very same road. It’s no fun -

and no tips.

VETA – My brother would have tipped you

anyway. He’s very generous. He always has

been.

CABBY – Not after this he won’t be. After

this, he’ll be a perfectly normal human

bein’ – and you know what stinkers they

are. Glad I met ya – I’ll wait.

Lent 2009

frfrank — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:56:19 +0000

Remember the Movie Network. I remember when it first came out I was a student and when you walked around on campus everyone had thier head out the window and were shouting out ,”I am mad as hell, and I am not going to take it anylonger.” Well I wish I had the power to do that because during lent I would like to start a chant.
“Do Something” Don’t give up things for lent but “Do Something” “Do Something” about your spiritual life, “Do Something” about your personal relationships, “Do Something” about what bugs you at work. Don’t just sit there “Do Something”

There I got that off of my chest now. It’s something I have always tried to do during lent. So please let your lenten discipline include something that you will be doing, rather than the old giving things up.

frfrank — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:14:48 +0000

Joseph Cardinal Cardiijn was ordained a priest in Belguim. During the war he organized young worker groups to follow Catholic action and teaching. It became Cardijn’s mission in life to help young workers find the answers to their new problems and, in the process, to try to bridge that “abyss,” which had opened up between the working class and the church.

The Young Christian Workers movement, which Cardijn founded, became the most influential Catholic Action movement of the first half of this century, and the see-judge-act method Cardijn developed has become the most popular model for Catholic social action from Europe to Latin America and from South Africa to the Philippines and the United States.

During World War I, Cardijn was appointed chaplain of the Christian Trade Unions and oversaw the Malines archdiocese’s social work. He was twice arrested by the German occupation force. During the second imprisonment, Cardijn smuggled out instructions for the workers’ study circles he had initiated and his ideas about “the right methods of the apostolate as adapted to save the working class. “It was from these notes that Cardijn later wrote the Manual of the Young Christian Workers movement.

After World War I, Cardijn continued his work among young workers with a new organization he called Trade Union Youth. It soon expanded into cities throughout Belgium and was renamed Young Christian Workers (YCW). The 2 movement came also to be known as Jocism, after its French name Jeunesse Ouvrire Chrtienne (JOC).

Two CFM groups emerged, almost simultaneously, in the early 1940s–one in South Bend, Indiana, one in Chicago, Illinois.

Burnie Bauer was a member of the first Catholic Action group started by Father Louis Putz, C.S.C., at the University of Notre Dame. After leaving Notre Dame in 1940 and marrying, he formed a Young Christian Students group. Subsequently, Burnie and his wife Helene expanded this group to include couples. They applied the Jocist method of Observe, Judge, and Act to the common problems of young married couples trying to live Christian lives.

In February 1942, a group of seven men began meeting in a Chicago law office, arguing and theorizing about the role of the layman in the church. Pat Crowley was one of these. They, too, used the Jocist method and in time moved into issues of husband-wife relationships. In 1943, they sponsored a day of recollection for husbands and wives. This action was the beginning of the Cana Conference. At about the same time, the wives formed their own group, and one of their actions spawned the Pre-Cana Conference.

When Helene and Burnie Bauer met Pat and Patty Crowley at the Cana Convention in August 1948, the nucleus of the Christian Family Movement was formed.

For an index of the documents in the archives concerning CFM and the persons who were important in starting the movement, click on this link:

Spreading the Word

In June of 1949, 59 delegates, representing the Movement in 11 different cities, met for the first national seminar. By this time, CFM had its own publication, ACT, contact with similar groups in other cities, and official church recognition. Pat and Patty Crowley were elected Executive Secretary Couple and served as leaders of CFM for nearly 20 years. Within a year, more than 2,500 copies of the first CFM program, For Happier Families, were distributed. CFM had become a nation-wide movement.

CFM quickly spread across the country in the 1950s and went on to generate new ideas and new organizations in the 1960s. The first was the Foundation for International Cooperation. FIC placed foreign students in homes and continues today to sponsor family tours to other countries. The second, the Christian Family Mission Vacation, enabled entire families to help the impoverished for two summer weeks. In 1966, the International Confederation of Christian Family Movements (ICCFM) was founded to coordinate CFM in some 50 nations. Two years later, in 1968, CFMers hosted Spanish CFMers who brought the Marriage Encounter to the United States.

**********************************************************************

Christian Family movement had it’s roots before WWI when social issues became important to people during the Industrial Revolution. the communist Russia was organizing workers, and Catholics felt they needed to organize workers around Christian Principals. It was during this time that a Belgium Priest, Joseph Cardijn founded the Young Christian Worker movement in France. The Young Christian Workers movement, became the most influential Catholic Action movement of the first half of this century, The see-judge-act method Cardijn developed has become the most popular model for Catholic social action from Europe to Latin America and from South Africa to the Philippines and the United States.

The organization became known as Joscist’s after it’s French name Jeunesse Ouvrire Chrtienne (JOC) The groups would meet and discuss issues that pertained to their life and work. This movement came to the U.S. it started with young married couples They used the same model as the European Jocist groups to Observe, Judge, and Act, to the common problems of young married couples trying to live Christian lives. Two CFM groups emerged almost simultaneously in the early 1940’s one in South Bend Ind, centered at Nortre Dame University, and the other in Chicago, IL. In February 1942, a group of seven men began meeting in a Chicago law office, arguing and theorizing about the role of the layman in the church. They, too, used the Jocist method and in time moved into issues of husband-wife relationships. In 1943, they sponsored a day of recollection for husbands and wives. This action was the beginning of the Cana Conference. At about the same time, the wives formed their own group, and one of their actions spawned the Pre-Cana Conference.

This spread throughout the entire Midwest.

Why am I giving you this little history in Catholic Social Action, is because I was always impressed with the method of Observe, Judge, and Act. To me it is the ready answer to a lot of situations where we feel we are getting nowhere and just spinning our wheels. So I observed, judged, and now it’s time to be more faitful to by blog .

frfrank — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:57:07 +0000

Blog2
Bishop Martin Mcnamara 1948-1966, Died)
Romeo Roy Blanchette (1966- 1982)

Jan 10^th is the anniversar y of the death of Bishop Blanchette. He worked closely with Bishop McNamara as the diocese was founded. I spent some time as a pastor giving church tours, I began this at Sts Peter & Paul as a RCIA presentation, It kind of grew there into something that I did twice a year and the church was pretty full. I went to two books that I found at the art insititue in Chicago that had to do with symbolism in Chrisitan art and the fascination with these two books led to a ministry at StS Peter and paul as the official tour guide. Of course the art work was not limited to one church, so I continued to explain the symbols that were included in churches.This led me to giving a tour of our local cathedral to our 8^th graders. The cathedral sponsored a tour, but one year our 8^th graders were not able to attend. So I did the tour. In preparing for this I was overly impressed by two items in our cathedral. One Bishop McNamara’s name does not appear on the cornerstone, but the people of the church of Joliet appears where the bishops name should be. Also this let me to another realization If we see pictures of Cathedrals, St. Patricks in new York. We see a massive abundance of stairs Joliet was built without any, maybe one step about two inches high. Also the many doors in the cathedral led me to think about the New Jerusalem as it appears in the book of Revelation, where there are 12 gates to the city. Four facing each direction. Much like a shopping mall to let everyone from everywhere in to it’s protective walls. Then I thought about Bishop McNamara in 1955, before the American disabilities Act building his cathedral for the people. So all may enter easily. The Cathedral was also built on joliet’s highest point. So the steeple can easily be seen from anywhere in the area. These three items can’t be accidents. Did he think of that?

I then reflected on Bishop Blanchette, and I was proud of one tradition that he started that I am proud that continues in our diocese to this date. When the sexual abuse crisis was at it’s height, and dioceses were selling property to cover the cost of the abuse, some one came up to me and said sarcastically, “Well, I suppose Joliet will have to sell it’s bishop’s mansion to cover the cost of abuse.” I was proudly able to say that our bishops have never lived in a mansion. Bishop Blanchette lived for a time at St. Francis College, now a university, and he then moved to the Frankfort Franciscan motherhouse, in their retirement home, while he was still bishop, much before he retired. Bishop Imesch followed his example and moved into a home that is located in my own home parish. In fact it was the home of my first heart throb as a junior high student. The family moved and was purchased by the parish for a convent. The point is it was on the East side of town. And if you are a native Jolietan you would know that the east side is not only on the wrong side of the tracks but it’s the wrong side of the river. The area to this day gets no attention from the Joliet City government.

Our present bishop lives in a house in Crest Hill, IL. Crest hill was one of those towns that grew after WWII. The town built affordable housing so our veterans could start the baby boomer generation. Again you would be hard pressed to find anything that resembles a mansion in Crest Hill.

frfrank — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:33:37 +0000

Yesterday is but today’s memory, tomorrow is today’s dream.

Kahlil Gibran

Yesterday was but a dream and tomorrow is but a vision but “Each today, well-lived, makes yesterday a dream of happiness and each tomorrow a vision of hope. Look, therefore, to this one day, for it and it alone is life.”

When I was a newly ordained priests fax machines were the rage, and the things that we receive on e-mails today were sent on fax machines 20 years ago. I rmember receiving one that I retyped and had by my desk. It was a play on the beutiful sentiments above. It read,

“Yesterday was but a dream and tomorrow a vision but today was a real #bleep* I thought about that when I was reflecting on the celebration of the new year. We have hopes and resolutions for the future, and we go over the past year events. but we need to worry about today. Today is where we live so to speak. Again, remembering back to ancient days in the seminary and college, and Zorba the Greek was the book everyone was reading. It’s filled with marvelous qoutes, but this one was my favorite. When we live in today we celebrate a freedom that no one can take away from us, so to close off this New Years post let’s hear from Zorba.

Zorba the Greek

Look, one day I had gone to a little village. An old grandfather of ninety was busy planting an almond tree. ‘What, grandad!’ I exclaimed. ‘Planting an almond tree?’ And he, bent as he was, turned around and said: ‘My son, I carry on as if I should never die.’ I replied: ‘And I carry on as if I was going to die any minute.’ Which of us was right, boss?” (Chapter 3, page 35)

frfrank — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:52:49 +0000

OK it’s time for the twelve days of Christmas, as we begin Day 5 “Five Golden Rings.” In high school and seminary choir, always my favorite part to sing. As always the media gets it wrong when we worry about the 12 days coming before or after, or if we try to total the gifts for the price. There is also a wonderful BBC skit that talks about thank you notes from a woman who is thanking her so called suitor for her gifts. I never realized that at the end of the 12 days the person who receives the gifts has received 12 partridges in a pear three, 24 turtle doves 36 french hens, and you get the point, all the way to the 144 drummers. However, that is not what the song is about. The meaning is given at the end of the blog.

Also in our culture I always like to say at this time that we have a hard time celebrating an extended party. We get a party invitation and it’s from 7:00pm- 10:00pm and it’s over. When was the last time did we get a invitation for a party for new years eve and it lasted for a week. So it’s hard to have a 12 day celebration of Christmas. By the way, is William Shakespeare’s play, ” 12th Night” also about this time of year. When we think of the setting for the miracle at the wedding feast at Cana, if we admit that the wedding feast lasts longer than one day, then it’s not so unrealistic that they should run out of wine, and Jesus has changed 6 stone water jars holding 12 gallons into wine, anyway those numbers are also symbolic.

And getting back to symbols, and the 12 days of Christmas. I always think it is amazing that in times of great suffering and martydom when the church is repressed by governments or culture, it is then our faith is strengthened.

So here is the true meaning of the song…

The 12 Days of Christmas”

Origins and Religious Meaning

Catholics in England during the

period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. It was illegal to be Catholic until Parliament finally

emancipated Catholics in England in 1829.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written in England as one of the “catechism songs” to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a coded-message, a memory aid. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young Catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment. The authorities would not know that it was a religious song.

“The 12 Days of Christmas” is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song represents something significant to the teachings of the Catholic faith. The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help Catholic

children learn their faith. The better acquainted one is with the Bible, the more these interpretations have significance.

The song goes, “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…” The “true love” mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, but it refers to God Himself. The “me” who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the Church.

Day 1: The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them. The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.

Day 2: The “two turtle doves” refers to the Old and New Testaments.

Day 3: The “three French hens” stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).

Day 4 The “four calling birds” refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Day 5: The “five golden rings” represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus,

Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy..

Day 6: The “six geese a-laying” is the six days of creation.

Day 7: The “seven swans a-swimming” refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

Day 8 The “eight maids a milking ” reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

Day 9: The “nine ladies dancing” were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Day 10: The “ten lords a-leaping” represents the Ten Commandments.

Day 11: The “eleven pipers piping” refers to the eleven faithful apostles.

Day 12: The ‘twelve drummers drumming” were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

So the next time you hear “the Twelve Days of Christmas” consider how this otherwise non-religious sounding song had its origins in keeping alive the teaching of the Catholic faith.

frfrank — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:58:19 +0000

Among priests this week is referred to as confession week. Every parish is having thier annual advent penance services, and every priest is running around from parish to parish helping out. I also discovered a new web site during my early morning coffee. It is www.bustedhalo.com. It had a question box that I read this morning, the question was, “Why do I have to go to confession, doesn’t God know I am sorry for my sins?” I thought If I would answer that question, I would say ,”Yes, God does know that you are sorry for your sins, but do you know that you are forgiven from your sins?” To me that’s the crux of the issue. In ancient times there was a popular heresy called Pelagianism.

Wikipedia says: Pelagianism believes, In short, humanity has full control, and thus full responsibility, for its own salvation in addition to full responsibility for every sin . So we do everything and God does nothing. Well that is not what the sacrament has ever been about. Being basically immature we believe that it’s all about us, and it’s hard to admit that it is never about us. The sacrament is about God reaching out to us in a sacramental way through his church to show us that he loves us. I know it sounds too simplistic, but one of the best children’s penance service I have ever been to had the theme on the cover of the program book, ” I feel that I have just been hugged by God” That teaches us a reality about the sacrament that we don’t seem to share. We need to remember the story about the prodigal son. What is the most important part, the son deciding to return to the Father, or the Father waiting for the son to come back.