Knocking from the Inside

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Bill Schmitt

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. We Catholics immediately know this Gospel passage, and we picture Jesus requesting entry into our lives, into our hearts.

This is a wonderful image, especially with Easter on our minds. But Pope Francis has shed a new light on it by turning it around and prompting us to think about it as New Evangelists. Sometimes, he says, Jesus may be knocking from inside and asking to go forth from the Church, from our hearts, into the world through us.

Now that’s an even more compelling image–to be pondered by the Church, by the professional writer, by the Catholic educator, by all Catholics with roles in the public square. We are called to accept the Lord into a close personal relationship, but we are also sent–in the closing words of every Mass. We must go forth to give glory to the Lord through our lives.In a sense, we must be releasing Christ’s love into the world wherever we go.

This is a key mission of the Catholic school and a reason why so many graduates of these schools have gone forth to make excellent contributions, through the values they’ve learned, to the lives of their families, their communities, their Church, and the world. Thus, Catholic schools are a beautiful tool of evangelization, including the New Evangelization to disengaged Catholics.

Likewise, someone entrusted with the mission of communicating to the world as a writer must help send forth the Good News to others through well-chosen words of faith, hope, and charity. Gifted writers are not given the gift so that they might hoard it. Powerful words can be the instruments through which the Lord’s message bursts forth from our hearts and lovingly breaks through the barriers set up by the disengaged and the disheartened.

On this Easter, when the tomb of Jesus is found empty, it’s exciting to think of our Risen Lord using our vocations (in education, in communications, and in many other fields) to become a “doorbuster” to enter hearts and bring hope.

PS — If you like the kind of judo-flip that Pope Francis does with the image of Jesus knocking, you’ll appreciate the eye-opening explanation that ACE’s Father Joe Corpora  gives to the parable of the unjust judge. See the great six-minute video. Remember the parable about the widow pleading ceaselessly to the unjust judge until he gives her what she wants? Father Joe explains that it’s helpful to see ourselves as the unjust judge. As with Jesus knocking, the kingdom of heaven is persistently requesting that we — as individuals and as a world hungry for love, holiness, and justice — pay attention and humbly receive the gifts of grace persistently offered to us, so that we might find true peace.

 

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Why This Blog is Called “Word”

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Bill Schmitt

Since the exciting election of Pope Francis, lots of people have been quoting the guidance attributed to St. Francis: Preach always, when necessary use words. By saying this, St. Francis would not have been deeming words unimportant. To the contrary, according to Catholic wisdom, we sometimes fast from things to show how important they are, to show that they should be valued and respected, not wasted or taken for granted.

That point is the perfect segue into my explaining the name of this blog, “Word.” It’s one of my favorite words–a word not to be taken lightly because it represents something properly valued by people, and by the Church in particular. Words have been rich in meaning to me from my grammar school days, instruments of learning and fun, vessels of potential power and influence, the common currency for building relationships and exercising one’s reason and faith.

Thanks to my father, himself a wordsmith, and to my Catholic school teachers, who took words seriously, I wound up building a career (I hope it was also receiving  a vocation), as a writer, trying to demonstrate good stewardship in the world of words. All of this made me want to give this blog the simple title, “Word.”

It’s my privilege to have written a book that is scheduled to be published by the University of Notre Dame, with the title, Words of Life. This phrase draws upon the “Word of Life” mural that has become better known as “Touchdown Jesus.” This is the mural on the front of the Hesburgh Library, whose upcoming 50th anniversary is the motivation of the book. John the Evangelist liked the word “word” and used it to describe Jesus Christ—the utterance of God the Father from all eternity, the truth and wisdom of God, allowing Jesus to say, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

This helps to make Christ the perfect teacher, and indeed the mural also symbolizes Notre Dame’s embrace of Christ the Teacher. It’s an embrace reflected in the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), where I’m privileged to be on the communications staff.

“Word” has not lost its power of authority and validation. The Urban Dictionary tells us that the word can be used to say, “I’m telling the truth,” or “That’s the way it is,” or simply “Amen.” It can also mean confirmation or affirmation more generally, as in “Good idea,” or “That’s okay.” This “word” helps to build relationships of trust, and we need words like that. Such words refer to both the mind and heart—to faith and reason, you might say—and so they’re multi-dimensional just as people are. While precision is important in a communicator’s choices of words to convey a message, I’ve always thought that the Catholic Church encourages a dynamic and vibrant vocabulary—not just a legalistic, technical jargon like some institutions—because it likes evocative words.

There are times to unleash the power of words. The Church has made the decision that the Mass, in its new Roman Missal translation, is one place where an abundance of words and their elaborate nature generate a sense of overflowing love and praise and thanksgiving. I anticipate that Pope Francis will help to lead the way in showing people the other side of Church wisdom–seeing the need to leave some room for sparse language, indeed for silence, so that actions can speak louder and listening can take place. As with so many Catholic insights, in this case taken from an insight of the Hebrew Scriptures, to everything there is a season. Sometimes words should gush with excitement, and sometimes they are more authentic and powerful in small quantities. They are one of the key tools of the New Evangelization, and their effectiveness in telling truth and giving life will depend partly on our wise choices about their use.

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Pax et bonum, Pope Benedict

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Bill Schmitt

I am taking a moment to write this post at 1:57 local time, Feb. 28, just a few minutes before Pope Benedict officially renounces the role of Holy Father. The beautiful bells of Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart started ringing at 1:52, offering an eight-minute tribute to the Pope, the Papacy, and the Church that journeys onward. The bells always bring a beautiful sound right outside my office window here at the Institute for Educational Initiatives, but they touch a melancholy note today because it really does feel like a worldwide family is fatherless at the moment–yes indeed, the bells just stopped, it is the 8 pm time of resignation in Rome. I am thankful that the Lord is always with us, that the Holy Spirit is always guiding us as individuals and as a Church, and we shall not be left orphans. Bells like these at Notre Dame always ring out hope, especially valued during this Lenten season when we are especially mindful of the Cross, which is truly our only hope, as the Congregation of Holy Cross wisely points out. As Francis of Assisi used to say, Peace and all good things, Papa Benedict.

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GK Chesterton on Education

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Bill Schmitt

It was a treat to welcome Dale Ahlquist, the president of the American Chesterton Society, to South Bend last week. I’ve met him in person a few times, including a visit to the ACS annual national conference in Minneapolis several years ago, and it’s been my pleasure to participate in two Chesterton reading groups on campus, including one led by my friend Father Charlie Gordon, CSC.

Chesterton’s insights are awesomely eloquent, pithy summations of wisdom grounded firmly in the Catholic faith and dealing with just about any topic in life.

Because I bought a couple of books at Ahlquist’s appearances, including a dictionary of sorts titled The Universe According to G. K. Chesterton, I know that GKC has a great definition of education: “truth in a state of transmission; the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to the next.” It reminds me of the quote from Pope Benedict XVI in which he told Catholic educators in the United States that an education in faith “nurtures the soul of a nation.”

Chesterton is a champion for truth, for the notion that truth exists–which is why it’s worth transmitting to others, including the next generation. Ahlquist talks about this championing of truth in an episode of his EWTN series, “The Apostle of Common Sense.” And the Universe book I just bought includes a nice definition of truth (accentuating the dynamic, interactive power of truth) taken from GKC’s writings. Truth, he says, is “a fact with meaning; a living fact; a fact that can talk; a fact that is conscious of other facts; a fact that can explain itself.”

 

 

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“Rekindle the Fire” — Sparks from Kelly & Burke-Sivers

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Bill Schmitt

Yesterday’s “Rekindle the Fire” conference for Catholic men, sponsored by the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, is going to stay in my mind and heart for a long time to come. The speakers offered energizing and informative insights about where the Church and society stand today—and what that implies for our involvement in the New Evangelization.

One of the speakers was Matthew Kelly, whose book Rediscovering Catholicism, is an international best-seller. His work on increasing engagement among today’s Catholics is worth getting to know. Two ways to start: Visit his website at dynamiccatholic.com, and watch his YouTube video.

Starting around the 7:00 minute mark, Kelly points out that Catholic schools save Americans about $18 billion a year—one of the many stories that the Church needs to communicate better. Meanwhile, he acknowledges that we also need to make a bolder mark on the world as people of prayer and spirituality, not just a big institution.

Another powerful speaker at the annual diocesan men’s conference on Feb. 9 was Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, who happens to be a Domer, class of 1988. He called upon the 1,100 attendees to build a closer relationship with God and with other people through a deeper engagement with Scripture, the Mass, and the fullness of the Catholic faith.

We were delighted to host Deacon Harold today at ACE’s home on campus, Carole Sandner Hall, so he could meet with old friends, including Fr. Joe Corpora, who leads our Catholic School Advantage campaign.  See the story of his vocation to the permanent deaconate.

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New Evangelization, Schools, and Souls

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Bill Schmitt

The New Evangelization is something all Catholic communicators will want to learn more about and ponder more deeply. It was my pleasure to attend a Men’s Prayer Breakfast at South Bend’s Little Flower Parish this weekend, where Bishop Kevin Rhoades talked about the New Evangelization as a top priority in his leadership of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. His remarks helped to crystallize the New Evangelization in my mind.

Evangelization, in its basics, is nothing new, Bishop Rhoades clarified: The Church is called to evangelize, to spread the Good News. But the New Evangelization, an idea promoted by Pope John Paul II, “is directed principally to those who are baptized but have drifted away.” This evangelization, as described by Blessed JP2, must be “new in ardor, new in methods, and new in expressions.” Intensifying under the papacy of Benedict XVI, the New Evangelization is a multi-faceted outreach to an increasingly secular society where, even among many Catholics, the sense of mystery and the transcendent — indeed, the awareness of God – are in danger of being lost. The New Evangelization, Bishop Rhoades pointed out, must begin with us as people engaged in vibrant prayer, nurtured by the sacraments, and immersed in a pursuit of holiness.

As a communicator for the Alliance for Catholic Education here at Notre Dame, I was gratified to hear the Bishop say there are a number of encouraging signs that can help propel the New Evangelization forward, including a stronger Catholic identity emerging in many Catholic schools. I know the building up of schools’ Catholic culture is a priority for ACE. Spiritual growth among Catholic educators is a pillar of ACE’s formation of teachers and principals. ACE chaplain Father Joe Carey, CSC, is writing a series for our website to help teachers grasp lessons from the Church’s Year of Faith. The Notre Dame ACE Academies schools in Tucson and Tampa-St. Pete remind their students every day that their top two goals are “college and heaven.”

The word “heaven,” as a reminder that we are destined for eternity, adds a touch of ultimate meaning, purpose, and urgency to our pursuit of holiness and thus kicks the New Evangelization into a higher gear.

I have come away from the Prayer Breakfast with a clearer understanding of, and a more zealous approach toward, the New Evangelization. It’s something we all have to take personally as part of our daily lives as Catholics. I’ll be looking for more ways to stay informed about the New Evangelization. Please send me your ideas!

For now, as regards the New Evangelization in Catholic schools, I can point toward a Jan. 29. 2013, statement (for Catholic Schools Week) by Bishop Joseph P. McFadden, chair of the Committee on Catholic Education for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The “Whispers in the Loggia” blog offers insights into the New Evangelization and many other Church endeavors.  And Notre Dame’s own Institute for Church Life publishes an online journal about the New Evangelization.

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Father Ted: Here’s a Prayer that Always Works

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Bill Schmitt

First words, like first impressions, are very important. I consider it auspicious to start this blog — this blog simply called “Word” — with some words that can’t fail. They can be found in this video by Father Robert Barron, the noted scholar and evangelist  of the Catholic faith, but he attributes them to Father Ted Hesburgh, CSC, our President Emeritus here at Notre Dame.

Father Barron reports he heard Father Ted give a homily in which he said, “Here’s a prayer that always works.”

This prayer that Father Ted has always loved, as many people know, consists of three words: “Come, Holy Spirit.” Yes, that says it all. Find this reference at about 10 minutes into the video, and stay tuned to hear Barron’s insights about the prayer … a prayer that’s mostly about listening, being receptive, rather than submitting a wish-list. I can’t claim to be good at adopting this attitude, but I’m trying, and I realize such an attitude prompts one to use words sparingly but powerfully. Thanks, Father Ted! Holy Spirit, please help me to use my words temperately but efficaciously in my work and in this blog.

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