In harrowing times: Christ keeps us hopeful

		Notes from the  Vicar General  Msgr. Paul J. Swain

As we prepare for Holy Week, when we walk with Jesus to the cross and beyond, we face uncertain, even harrowing, times.

There are indications that the war in Iraq may not be as extended as some have thought. Yet each casualty of a brave man or woman in the military, or an innocent civilian caught in the middle, is heartbreaking for their loved ones. The future there remains uncertain.

An unidentified but deadly new virus is circulating the world to add to those diseases already shadowing us.

Economic uncertainty, decline in contributions as a result of the sexual abuse scandal, and the fall off in investment income have brought personal and institutional budget constraints.

Good stewardship has required budget cuts for the diocese and some parishes, including layoffs of personnel. The result will be reduced ministry and service.

That litany of gloom should not discourage or deter us. One lesson from the Passion of our Lord is that Christ transforms gloom to celebration, challenge to hope, and old worries to new life. There is much about which to be optimistic.

We can be optimistic

Whatever one thinks of the justification for war in Iraq, the unselfish efforts by the young women and men in the military is impressive. As one commentator noted, the grandchildren of those who freed Europe and Japan in World II and funded the reconstruction of their enemies, are serving with the same courage, sacrifice, and altruistic principle. They encourage us and give us hope for the future.

Advances in medical science and treatment techniques, coupled with the dedication of medical personnel, are resulting in an extension of projected life spans. Many, who in the past once diagnosed with cancer or other diseases would have been without hope, remain with us and inspire us. There is growing recognition that a strong spiritual base helps in physical healing, which should encourage us.

In the Church, there is a tension between employing good business practices developed in the secular world and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us. Many have concluded that business decisions outweighed pastoral perspective in dealing with sexual abuse cases, to the detriment of victims and ultimately to the Church.

Every year diocesan and many parish funds are professionally audited to assure proper stewardship. To support needed ministries maximizing investment returns is necessary to keep parish assessments from becoming burdensome.

It is true, however, that the Diocese of Madison Diocesan Services Appeal is low per Catholic compared to the other dioceses in Wisconsin. Investment decisions must be guided not only by the hope for good returns, but also on the basis of socially responsible principles that further Catholic social teaching.

The Church is not a business. It is an instrument to carry on the mission and ministry of Christ. Rediscovering that truth, albeit in a sad way, should encourage us.

For He is risen

Next week we will recall and be renewed by the passion of Christ. He washed the feet of the Apostles as a model of service for us all. He instituted the Holy Eucharist as a sign of his love for us at all times.

We will venerate the cross "on which hung the Savior of the world," bowing humbly in worship. We will come together in vigil and prayer, recognizing that Christ is the light who overcomes all darkness. We will do so confident that one day we will share his victory over death if we remain faithful.

These are harrowing times, as was the case when Jesus walked the way of the cross. Easter reminds us that Christ overcomes, that He is risen. This truth is enough to cast aside momentary gloom. He is risen indeed.

'The presence of God among them':
A meditation for Lent

		Propagation  of the Faith  Msgr. Delbert  Schmelzer

The cry is familiar to us all. And yet it is still a shock to the heart as we hear it each Holy Week - the cry of Christ on the Cross, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

But haven't we sometimes felt abandoned ourselves? As we cope with the serious illness of a precious child or parent? As we are told, late in our working career, that our job has been terminated?

In the gray loneliness that follows the death of a beloved wife or husband or parent? When hope seems to have disappeared?

God does not abandon

In the midst of our darkness, we remember that God did not abandon his beloved Son, but raised him from death to glory. And God does not abandon us.

We can remember this because we are men and women of faith. But millions upon millions in today's world cannot be comforted by the truth of God's eternal love because they don't know it. In anguish and distress, they must surely face despair.

Spreading the message

The heart of the church's work, 20 centuries in and out, is to help all people of the world to hear and cherish and live in the fact that God, in Christ, has saved us and is with us day by day.

Children and adults who have lived long years without knowing this flourish in the knowledge that God loves them and is with them.

In South America, local Sisters bring this Gospel truth to life among children, teaching them about Jesus and our faith. They bring smiles and the love of the Lord to little ones in an orphanage.

Out in a rural area, the Sisters run a clinic, offering the healing love of Jesus to the poor, praying with them, perhaps holding the hand of a grandfather, mother, or child who is ill. Sister Alphonsa wrote to the Propagation of the Faith saying that the people see the Sisters "As God's presence among them."

Messenger of Gospel

In Tanzania, East Africa, local Fr. Filemoni Machagija is an eager messenger of the Gospel. His parish has 15 "small Christian Communities." In East Africa and elsewhere, such small communities of Catholic people are a means to encounter Christ and to encounter him in each other.

The priest says that one year he managed to obtain 70 Bibles, a tremendous help for the members of the small Christian Communities. They can now hold the Word of God in their hands as well as in their hearts and souls as they discuss the depths of God's love for them.

"Our main concern in our pastoral undertakings is to serve both spiritually and materially," said Machagija. He adds that the assistance that comes through the Propagation of the Faith "is helping us a great deal to fulfill this task."

Prayer, sacrifice of all

In Africa and Asia, in the Pacific Islands and remote areas of Latin America, our sisters and brothers - most of them desperately poor, many of them suffering - come to experience God's love and presence through mission Sisters and priests, Brothers and lay catechists.

But not through them alone. The missionary work of the church relies on the "prayer and sacrifice" of everyone who has been blessed with the gift of faith - on us.

Our lenten prayer

In faith, we see Christ suffering today in the wars and wounds, in the poverty, in the seeming-abandonment of people all over the world.

Can our lenten prayer be that his life-giving love may be known by the poorest and neediest of our mission family? As we offer prayer and our special lenten gifts through the Propagation of the Faith, we are in effect telling our brothers and sisters in the missions: "God will never abandon you."

God wants everyone to know his love for us.

Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer is director of the Propagation of the Faith for the Diocese of Madison. Contributions to the Propagation of the Faith may be sent to: P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744-4983.