Young Adult Catholics

YoungAdultCatholics – a blog of NextGen at Call To Action

YAC Blog welcomes Call to Action’s New Director!

Posted by yacblogteam on July 3, 2009

Call to Action announced today that the board has chosen a new director, Jim FitzGerald. Jim  has served on the Call to Action board and is the coordinator for Next Gen Faith Sharing CommUnions in the Boston area. (See the official announcement about Jim’s background below.) It is so exciting to have a member of our own young adult community assuming leadership!

The YAC Blog Team congratulates Jim on his new position and offers prayers of hope for his and Call to Action’s success and growth.

At this exciting time of transition, what are your hopes for the future of Call to Action, of the church reform movement, and for young adults within these movements for justice?

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

In What I Have Failed to Do

Posted by Jessica Coblentz on July 1, 2009

“…I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do…”

My gaze lowers every time the Penitential Rite begins at Mass. I wish this was a gesture of reverence. It’s actually an act of embarrassment:  Despite growing up in the Church, I don’t know the words to this prayer—this prayer that many recite every Sunday at Mass!  I’ve simply never belonged to a community that regularly recites it in the Mass, so I never learned it.  I’m an employed Catholic minister, though, and a theology student, so naturally I’m a little humbled, even embarrassed, by my lack of the fundamentals here.

One blessing of the Rite’s unfamiliarity is that I am compelled to actually pay attention to its words rather than unthinkingly delivering them like many habitual prayers at Mass. Every time I hear it I listen closely, trying to memorize it as I stare at the floor and pretend to lip synch the words (watermelon, watermelon, watermelon…). There is one early line I never miss.  I actually say the words out loud because I never forget them: “I have sinned…in what I have failed to do.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Attributes of God

Posted by Theodora Ranelli on June 28, 2009

I want to cross myself during the basmalla. Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem. In the name of God, most Gracious, most Merciful.  It is not an attempt to discredit Islam.  But no, no – I think I discovered the trinity there, during the basmalla.  Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem.

The greatest sin in Islam is shirk, which is attributing partners to God.  Shirk can be anything that puts something on the same level as God.  Shirk can be anything from money to the trinity to Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten Son of God.  How can the basmalla be Trinitarian….o.k. it’s not Trinitarian in the traditional Christian sense of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  So put that out of your minds now!  I mean that the Trinity is only One God, too — in the way that Islam is — despite the tricky way that Christianity puts it into pieces.  And I discover the God I grew up with, One God, in the basmalla.

A lot I know about Islam boils down to acting on intention.  It is important to take time to make the intention and not rush through the prayer.  The sign of the cross, in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is about intention.

How can you do Islam when Islam and Christianity have differing views on Jesus? And what about the trinity?

My idea of the trinity was instilled in me by priests.  I remember priests telling me that Jesus is close to God like all of us are close to God.  Jesus is God like all of you are God.  In a sense, it means that all humans are divine.  That’s a tricky thing to say, especially in the context of Islam.  The priests didn’t mean that all humans are God, just that all humans have the Divine spark within us.

I didn’t grow up praying directly to Jesus and seeing Jesus as a savior.  If anything, I grew up on Mary.  The priests I knew didn’t talk about Jesus as God’s Only Son, as if it’s like the Rabbi’s son in Fiddler on the Roof – there is only one Rabbi and he has only one son. I didn’t grow up with the trinity being three different Gods.  God doesn’t beget, nor is God begotten.  There isn’t a Mrs. God that God had sex with to make Jesus.  Jesus isn’t God’s only son.  We’re all creatures of God.

Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem.

Many Christians see the trinity they way I heard it summed up by an Eastern Orthodox theologian; Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the left hand and the right hand of God.

To put it in line with Islamic theology, the Trinity are the attributes of God that fold into the Essence.  I don’t mean that Jesus himself is an attribute, but that Jesus’ divinity is like al-wajid (The Finder).  Jesus’ attributes are like something existing before time, something transplanted into Jesus.  Something transplanted into all of us, which we can all aspire to. Jesus’ attributes are kind of like fana (death before death); the kind of closeness to the Essence of God many of us try to procure.  This metaphysical closeness of Jesus to God, the bida (innovation) involved in Jesus’ fana. This energy is involved in that kind of swooning to God; the closeness of the Divine Proximity to Jesus; and the closeness of the Essence of God to us if we open ourselves up.

This idea of trinity was not instilled in me by Muslims, but at Church – by the priest telling us to look around and see God within the hearts of the believers.  “Jesus isn’t in Church, Jesus is in everyone you meet,” he would say.  Jesus is not God any more than any of us are God.  I want to cross myself at the basmalla because Most Gracious, Most Merciful are attributes of God, much like the Christian trinity.  It all blends into one God.  Jesus’ fana and the Holy Spirit are just attributes of God.  Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Catholic Guilt

Posted by Lacey Louwagie on June 22, 2009

Both my parents were raised Catholic, but only a couple of my mom’s siblings still attend Church. I asked my mom whether she would have continued to go to Church if she hadn’t married my dad (who comes from a more strict Catholic background), and she said yes. Hoping for some insight into my mother’s spirituality, I asked her what would have made her continue attending Church while the rest of her family fell away. She said, “Well, I’ve always had a high propensity for guilt.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Real World

Posted by Rick Beitman on June 21, 2009

I graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2007, and upon receipt of my diplomas, I was pretty secure in my progressive, liberal values as well as my Catholic faith. There were many events and trials that of course prompted some soul-searching in college, which is to be expected. Nothing really challenged my faith so much in college so much as the post-graduate world.
After graduation, I found employment with one of the U.S.’ major network carriers and have worked there for the past two years. Two years of living in this so-called ‘real world’ I had heard so much about, I learned a lot: paying rent and other bills, living with a roommate, the regular 9 to 5 thing, and contending with people both from a personal and customer service standpoint.
People are selfish. And people are greedy and dishonest. People can be mean-spirited, shortsighted, and two-faced. My idealistic world shattered in slow motion.
Now, don’t misunderstand me, I didn’t live in a vacuum of naïveté before the working world. I had my fair share of reality doses prior, however it occurred on a more daily basis outside of a more homogeneous, educational environment. Gradually, this began to chip away at my faith.
The recent economic crisis has made it apparent to Americans that the world is not such a cheerful place, and it seemed to me like people were showing their true colors more, and they weren’t always bright ones. Seeing how people were treated, and how people treat others made it increasingly difficult to see Christ in others.
My dismal worldview made me question my faith. I had always gone to mass every Sunday, prayed usually, and was always involved in my faith community. I began to wonder, what the hell is the point? And on the inside, I felt like my faith didn’t mean anything to me anymore. It was dead.

I can’t recall when this ironic epiphany happened, because I continued to go through the motions for however many months. It wasn’t until my trip to Europe during these past couple weeks that I reexamined my faith.
My mom had never been to Europe and I wanted to take her during my two-week vacation. One of the benefits of working for an airline is that you get to fly although it’s standby. I made an itinerary, booked the hotels, purchased the EU Rail Pass, and set up a host of activities spanning from Vienna to Amsterdam.
We departed on a holiday weekend and flights from Phoenix to our east coast hub were full, so I looked towards other alternatives. I figured we could make it to the hub of one of our partner airlines, and attempt to fly on them to get to Munich. After a bit of a runaround from both gate and ticket counter agents, three oversold flights, and being stuck in a midwestern airport all day, it became apparent we would not be making it to Germany at all that day.
While it goes with the territory, we nevertheless were haggard and a bit dejected. After a couple calls to Reservations, and with assistance from airport staff from my carrier, we managed to get on a flight to our transatlantic gateway on the east coast, and at least had plans to get out the next day to Frankfurt on my airline.
We thought an overnight stay would be the last of our worries, however mom’s bag was lost and out international reservation obviously needed to be amended (which can be touchy). We received help from a kind agent in the baggage service office of yet another airport and she advised the bag would likely be found within 24 hours.
We were burnt out and considered the possibility of not going to Europe at all. Mom wasn’t prepared to go two weeks without clothes, and we had to consider the possibility of returning to Phoenix. We slept on it.
The next day, I headed to the airport to check on mom’s bag. Miraculously, it was there, just as the agent had stated, which demonstrated that the system does work. Okay, one down, and one to go; I headed to the ticket counter to change the reservation. A ticket counter agent was very helpful but mentioned it was difficult to fix because it was international and travel had already commenced. She contacted System Support and it was fixed in ten minutes. That was it. We would be on our way to Frankfurt.
As I walked out the airport to hail a cab, I received a cell phone call from John, a friend and former coworker who had transferred to System Support.
He said, “Hey Rick, I was in your record. The ticket counter called me. When I looked at the reservation, I thought, ‘Hey, I know that guy!’ Anyway, I talked to my boss and we fixed it.”
I was a bit astounded, “No way. John, I did say a little prayer, and you answered it.”
After a dozen encounters with agents from the airport, Reservations, and System Support, mom and I were set. Some of them were friends, and others were strangers. And it was then I began to relearn that God did create us to live in community. We do need each other. And in my hour of need, people heeded the call.
A prayer had been answered. And as experience had taught me to distrust people, this new experience, forced me to reevaluate my dismal outlook towards people. True, my faith was dead. Fortunately, that’s why we believe in the Resurrection.

Mit herzlichen Grüßen,

Rick Beitman

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Institution, Shminstitution?

Posted by kate dugan on June 19, 2009

It’s something that’s been on my mind a lot lately: what is the relationship between the institutional Catholic church and my Catholicism (or anyone’s Catholic identity)? Can there be a distinction? Are the two a symbiotic relationship?  Or is it antagonistic? My lack of clarity on these questions has, recently, started to bother me.  I blog today in search of your insight.

I was recently asked to give a reference for a possible presentation at a Catholic conference.  I am a pro at giving references—I have been fortunate enough to have had a series of great bosses and wonderful coworkers.  But for this particular conference, they wanted to talk to my local bishop about me.

Um.  Until then, I wasn’t even sure what my bishop’s name is (it is, by the way Archbishop Brunett).  After some conversation, the conference folks were willing to take my local priest as the reference.

But I just moved to Shelton, Washington.  Even though I have attended Mass here a couple of times, I haven’t had a heart-to-heart with the priest.  He wouldn’t even recognize me, I bet.  And my hometown priest retired a while ago.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

this time, the signs

Posted by Julia Walsh on June 18, 2009

Last week I joined my sisters and our affiliates at our General Assembly. It was a phenomenal experience. Since I am a newbie (novice), it was my first assembly. I was excited to observe, listen and learn how communal discernment can work in such a diverse (yet united) group.  These meetings are a pretty big deal and only happen every four years. Sometimes major community changing things happen. I think I witnessed something different.

Gathered around the theme “hearts aflame for mission,” we prayed and listened and debated and discussed and responded. We were graced with comfortableness with the uncomfortable mystery and tension that surrounds us.  Evidently we experienced a paradigm shift because Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

A Loving Father, A Compassionate God, & A Just Church

Posted by Ryan Hoffmann on June 18, 2009

I sent a card off in the mail yesterday to by Dad back in Iowa.  Like most Americans, I wanted to honor my Dad’s presence in my life, share with him how much I admire him for his loving ways.  I couldn’t help but think of my Dad’s “loving ways” in relation to my sense of God and Church.  I admire my Dad because he is unconditionally loving, a good listener, supportive of the best I offer, gentle in his demeanor, compassionate in his approach, open to mystery – I could go on.  My Dad’s masculinity doesn’t  masquerade as hard-handed, non-emotional, detached from feeling, closed.  When I misbehaved it was a meaningful conversation.  When he disagreed with me it was a chance to dialogue.  This is what I most admire about my Father – gentleness and compassion, even in times of struggle and frustration.

I can’t help but think of God as the same “Abba” type – radically loving and unconditionally inclusive.  When I misbehave its meaningful prayer and healing, the chance to have a “coming to God” moment.  God and I dialogue through challenge and strife, hurt and pain, myself always aware of his constant presence and support.  This is a compassionate God with attributes like my human father.  Perhaps I should mail a card, or at least acknowledge in some special way this coming Sunday, what my God is for me.

Lastly, I can’t help but think of communities that have been a witness to this type of loving existence and relationship. My Dad embodies what many in today’s Church know to be true – hope wins over fear, love conquers hate.  While the institutional Church hasn’t always espoused this philosophy, it’s leaders are continually being called to exist as true fathers (and hopefully someday mothers) of the Church – patient and kind, compassionate and loving, radically inclusive and openly just.

At the heart of it all,  maybe it’s how we define Fatherhood and Motherhood that really matters.  My hope is that this is defined in relational terms: loving fathers/mothers, a compassionate God, and a just Church.  We have already experienced the alternative.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Thanks, Dad

Posted by Jessica Coblentz on June 17, 2009

Through some of the most formative years of their children’s lives, parents are often the most consistent example of what it means to be human, to be a mature adult. And while we all know that parents can pass on negative impressions to their children, they also have the potential, and perhaps the responsibility, to expose their children to a healthy, fruitful way of living in our world.  In this sense, I think that every parent has the potential to be a child’s hero.

My dad has always been my biggest hero. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »