The Pequeños pepper



The Pequeños pepper

Newsletter of Los Pequeños de Cristo

In This Issue...

A Sermon for Our Time

CAC on the Move: Archdiocesan Retreat Center Marches in June 2001 Gay Pride Parade

Extraordinary Problems: Local Eucharistic Ministers

We Are in Church, Right? Sense of the Sacred in Church

Pro-life News: Issues of Concern to Archdiocesan Catholics

Archdiocesan Newspaper Features CTA Sister: Chittister is Boycotted in Other Dioceses

A Sermon for Our Times

Excerpts from a Homily Presented June 24, 2001 - Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist

by Rev. John Carney

Today we celebrate the birthday of John the Baptist – June 24th, six months before the eve of the birthday of Jesus. We have begun summer and the days are getting darker now; when Jesus is born, the days begin to grow in light. How appropriate! John said, “I must become less so that he can become more.” We’re here to learn something from John, because he was the “great prophet,” the last and greatest prophet showing the people the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “No man born of woman was greater than John.” So I’m going to talk about prophecy.

There are some requirements if we are to be prophets. First, we have to have knowledge of the call. Now that was easier for John than it is for us. The circumstances of his birth were amazing. His mother and father were Elizabeth and Zechariah. They were advanced in age, and Elizabeth and had no children. God gave Zechariah and Elizabeth the power to conceive this child, John, even though they were past their childbearing years. Zechariah didn’t believe it when the angel told him he was to be a father at last, and so he was struck dumb in punishment for his disbelief. Mary couldn’t understand it when she was to conceive, but she believed. Zechariah refused to believe, and was struck dumb as a result.

And so we heard the account of his birth and how he was named John, which means “the graciousness of God,” and how from the very beginning it was clear to everyone that this boy was something else! He was marked from the beginning of his life.

In addition to knowledge of the call, you have to accept it. John accepted it; even in the womb he accepted it. Do you remember the beautiful story, that after Mary conceived she went to the hill country to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth, who was with child. And two women met, with each carrying in her womb an important person – John and Jesus (but of course, every person in the womb is an important person.) When they met, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped for joy, and so John the Baptist, even in the womb, accepted his role as the great prophet. What a beautiful and poetic story. What a pro-life story!

However, many prophets tried to refuse their call. Jeremiah said, “Oh, I am too young to be a prophet.” Isaiah said, “I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips. I can’t be your prophet!” Abraham and Sarah were called to be the father and mother of a great nation when they were in their 90s. Sarah laughed because she didn’t believe. They said, “We’re too old!” Moses tried to get out of his call by telling God he wasn’t articulate enough.

What’s your excuse? You now have knowledge of your call, but what’s your excuse? One of the most famous excuses today is, “Well, I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. Who am I to judge?” Well, you’re a prophet, that’s who you are to judge! You better judge sin! John judged sin, Jesus judged sin…and it cost them their lives. This stupidity today that “I don’t want to be judgmental” is a coward’s way out of shutting your mouth in the face of sin, that’s all that is!

And saying, “Thou shalt not judge, lest you be judged” means you don’t condemn – you don’t tell anyone to go to hell. But indeed, if you don’t call people on their sins – if you don’t speak as a prophet – you’re helping them get to hell. So don’t hide behind that one. You must accept your call to be a prophet.

Also, prophets tend to be single-minded in their devotion to God. They also tend to practice virtues of asceticism. Prophets are known for fasting and prayer. John lived by himself in the desert, he dressed oddly, he ate a diet of locusts and wild honey, and he did all that so that he might prepare for his prophetic mission – to announce Christ. All of that asceticism is not about punishing the body, because the body is holy. We are wonderfully made; fearfully made, as we said in the Psalm today. Asceticism – fasting and prayer – is about denying your impulses; denying yourself so that you might live for God.

Asceticism is not very popular today. Indeed today, religion in America is primarily, I believe, a “feel good experience.” Religion is supposed to be something that makes us feel good. Let me offer some evidence of that. Every Saturday I read the Albuquerque Journal and I look in the religion section, section B, and there they have the “Religion Calendar.” This is religion, OK, not social stuff, but religion, and of the eleven events yesterday, six of them made me scratch my head. The first religious event was “Even Mindedness in Yoga.” Another was “Coming-out Stories” – To Celebrate Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender Pride.” “A Seminar in Real Estate Planning, Social Security, and Pre-planning Funeral Arrangements.” That’s a good idea, but is it religion? And then there was “A Christian Self-esteem Class.” You want self-esteem? Read Psalm 139. “I praise you. I am wonderfully made.” Isn’t that beautiful? Every one of you is wonderfully made, because God made you. That’s self-esteem. And then there was “A ‘What is Thought’ Workshop.” And the last one was “Veggie Town Values.” This is religion?

Even closer to home, there are Catholic organizations that offer events that seem very strange to me. The Spiritual Renewal Center offered something called a “Celtic Belief System Workshop.” Here’s a description from the center: “[The leader] will show how the Celtic ancient belief system informs modern spirituality. We will be fortunate to pre-celebrate the ritual of the Spring Equinox. Bring something green--anything: clothing, herbs, a stone -- and your own Spirit-Quest.” Say what? The Spiritual Renewal Center is also offering a “Tai Chi Chih Retreat”: “This retreat is sort of a spirit-dance for the soul. You learn the gentle prayer movements which are movement-mantras. Beverly (the instructor) is a certified instructor and herbalist.” Can you see John the Baptist coming out of the desert doing movement-mantras?

Then there’s the “Center for Action and Contemplation” in our archdiocese. Here is their advertisement for a retreat: “The retreat will begin with three days of instruction and practice in contemplative prayer, including both Eastern and Western spirituality led by Ruben Habito, who was an ordained Jesuit priest working in Japan and now teaches Zen Buddhism. This will be followed by three days of the integration of contemplative prayer with social action; spending each morning at a volunteer work site, followed by a half day of meditation and yoga.” What is this man, who gave up the priesthood of Jesus Christ, doing in our Catholic institution teaching?

We don’t need more gurus, we need more prophets, and that’s you. Like John, if you do follow the call to be a prophet, you will suffer for Christ. This is not a “feel-good religion.” John’s head and body ended up in two different places at his death. You must deny yourself; you must decrease so that Christ can increase. (

CAC on the Move

Center for Action and Contemplation Joins Albuquerque’s Gay Pride March

On June 9, 2001 Albuquerque’s 25th annual Gay Pride Parade marched down Central Avenue. A number of the participants were bizarrely costumed, sporting neon colored “fright wigs” and enormous cone shaped bosoms. The Gay/Pagan community was represented by SWEFA (the South West Earth Festival Association) and its affiliate CASHEW, marching behind a banner with a pentagram logo and the motto "Pagan Pride." Other pagans carried signs reading: “We all come from the Goddess,” and “Magic is Afoot.”

Also joining the parade was the Center for Action and Contemplation, an organization founded by Fr. Richard Rohr and situated on the property of Holy Family parish. Its group walked behind a self-identifying banner, so there was no mistaking the CAC presence or its support of the Gay Pride movement.

The May/June 20001 Friends of the CAC, a Newsletter of the Center for Action and Contemplation, published an article about the parade, titled “A Day for All of Us: A Personal Reflection on Gay Pride Day,” by Ellen Grigsby. Grigsby writes: “Most lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (lgbt) people and our families live and die in closets. Most public discussion of families and family values/needs silence us out of existence, as though we have no families, as though we are not families. Most churches teach that our sexuality/sexual identity/gender identity are (sic) inferior and sinful. Indeed, it was not until 1999 that even 50 percent of the people in this country had decided that our ‘lifestyle’ was ‘acceptable.’ So, every year, straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people march together down Central Avenue in support of lgbt civil rights. For me, it is a sign of God’s transforming and liberating grace that we can come together in spite of all the hurt and history that would divide us....On Gay Pride day (sic), for instance, I can almost believe the time is near when no lgbt child will ever again hear that her/his sexuality/gender identity is not God’s gift....Gay pride day (sic) is a day for all of us.” (

Extraordinary Problems

by Stephanie Block

True story: At one of the more blessed parishes in the diocese – a parish with a wonderful priest who has great reverence for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament – a young man of 23 stood behind an older woman, waiting on line to receive the Precious Blood from an extraordinary Eucharistic minister. As the chalice passed from minister’s hand to communicant’s, they fumbled and splashed a good amount of its Contents over the latter’s blouse. Minister and communicant exchanged uneasy and uncomfortable smiles, but there was no offer of a purificator. No one seemed to know what to do. The one with the dripping blouse made a few, swift swipes at the soaked area, splashing Precious Blood on the floor to be trampled by the next communicant, and went quickly back to her seat.

The young man was at a loss as how to handle the situation. He didn’t want to make a fuss and “embarrass” anyone, but he was deeply disturbed and the discomfort remained with him. If the chalice truly contained the Precious Blood, as he believed it did, the Lord’s Blood didn’t cease to be precious because it reached the wrong destination. Therefore, however unwittingly, he felt that a grave dishonor had been done the Lord to which he, by his own inaction, had contributed. But what should he have done?

Why are the laity put in such a painful position? Two years ago, Los Pequeños distributed to all the pastors of the Archdiocese a copy of “Instruction on Certain Questions Regarding the Collaboration of the Non-Ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priests.” The “Instruction” was personally approved by the Holy Father in forma specifica, which means it has the same binding force as the Code of Canon Law. Article 8 reads: “To avoid creating confusion, certain practices are to be avoided and eliminated where such have emerged in particular Churches.” The paragraph then lists “the habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass.”

The Church has a number of reasons for discouraging the use of extraordinary Eucharistic ministers in all but the most extraordinary circumstances. One, very practical consideration, not discussed in the “Instruction,” is that few laity, however well-intentioned, have the formation to adequately handle a situation like the one described above. A two-hour training in proper Eucharistic etiquette is no substitute for the interior disposition developed (one would hope) during four years of Seminary to incline a person to react to an accident of spilt Blood with authority and decisive reverence. There is no question that at this particular parish, the pastor would have taken pains to respond properly, had he known of the incident.

The young man, still fretting over his inaction, marveled that in the face of such cavalier treatment, there is any belief in the Real Presence at all. Sadly, he’s right.(

We Are in Church, Right?

by Valerie Lubitz

There were three entries in a recent Sunday bulletin:

Have you noticed how noisy it is when people raise and lower the kneelers in Mass? It is so noisy and distracting! PLEASE take time (about 5 seconds) to slowly raise and lower the kneelers so the noise level is kept to a minimum. REMEMBER, we are in Church!

When taking photographs at weddings, 1st Communions, Confirmations, etc., please remember the importance of respecting the church and having reverence for the Altar. Please stay away from the Altar area. Also, when taking photographs for a baptism, please do not stand on the pews. We must respect the house of God.

REMINDER – Food and drink are not allowed in the worship area. No Exceptions! Thank you!

While it’s commendable that the pastor or the parish staff are concerned about proper respect during Mass, one wonders why Catholics are behaving in such a thoughtless way. Looking at the decor of this particular parish, one is struck that supernatural references are nearly non-existent: there are no crucifix, stations of the cross, statuary, or stained glass windows in the church. The tabernacle is off to the side and the altar is dwarfed by a backdrop of impressive southwestern architectural details. On the other hand, the “gathering space” between the front door and the sanctuary is large and welcoming. Could it be that the congregation unconsciously feels that its task is less to “worship” and more to “fellowship?”

It’s a good Protestant building. However, if the pastor wants his people to remember that they are, after all, in church, and to demonstrate respect and reverence in the building, he must give them something to lift their minds away from one another and up to God. (

Pro-life News

Planned Parenthood Contest, Aptly Named: The Albuquerque Journal announced the “Mis-Adventure Maze Art Contest” for students between the ages of 13-19. The announcement reads: “This is an interactive game involving serious decisions regarding health and sexuality for teenagers. You could win $350 and be given credit for the artwork in the game.” The entry deadline was July 1. (

New Poll Shows Decline in Abortion Support: Public support for legal abortion, a bit wobbly in recent years, has slipped back to its lowest level in polls since 1995, according to a new ABC News poll.

Fifty-two percent of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, down from 59 percent in January and almost back to where it was (53 percent) last summer. Forty-three percent say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases.

Other polls, using questions pro-life advocates consider more fair and fleshing out one's true belief on abortion, reveal opposition to abortion ranges from 55 to 60 percent and support for abortion from 40 to 45 percent.

Among white Protestants who describe themselves as born-again or evangelical, 63 percent say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. Among non-evangelical white Protestants, 66 percent say abortion should be generally legal.

Catholics, by contrast, look like the public at large in their views on abortion, despite the opposition from their church. Fifty-five percent of Catholics say abortion should be generally legal, and 28 percent say their religion is the main factor in their opinion on the subject -- in both cases about the same as the population at large.

Methodology

The ABCNEWS/Beliefnet poll was conducted by telephone June 20-24, among a random national sample of 1,022 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Fieldwork by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa. (

Archdiocesan Newspaper Features Call to Action Sister

by Stephanie Block

The May 2001 Newspaper for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, People of God, reprinted Laurel Nelson-Rowe’s “Sister Chittister Urges Following Christ’s Example ‘To Question.’” The article covered Chittister’s April 20 address to the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) annual convention , held this year in Milwaukee.

While acknowledging that the dioceses of Peoria, Illinois and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania had deliberately not allocated funds for their teachers to attend the NCEA Convention, and would not award those attending any educational credit, in protest of the NCEA inviting Chittister to be a keynote speaker, the article was far more interested in the challenges Chittister hurled from her lectern. “Ask why women are forbidden to ask for the fullness of spiritual life,” Chittister was quoted, as if women in the Church don’t have that fullness available to them.

“Remember, today’s heresy is tomorrow’s social dogma,” Chittister was reputed to have said – though nowhere did the Nelson-Rowe article or the People of God suggest that this is a preposterous remark.

Why was Sr. Joan Chittister boycotted by the dioceses of Pittsburgh and Peoria? Chittister, a columnist for the National Catholic Reporter, makes no secret of her support for women’s ordination. She frequently speaks at Call to Action conferences, pushes the “gay and lesbian” movement, denigrates rightful Church authority, and denies legitimate traditions. On March 8, 1997, Chittister told Catholics at the College of St. Catherine that the foundation of the Church is “turning to sand” and that Catholics should be grateful to those bishops who assist the dissolution of an “authoritarian, sexist, remote, ritualistic” Church. “The fact is,” Chittister continued,” the white, medieval male certainties are dead. We need a respect for holy uncertainty. We need a new worldview.”

At the annual Siena Lecture at Notre Dame College in Ohio (1994), Chittister said that Catholic students ought to imitate Eve as “the image of God, who calls us to our real selves and makes us mourn the limitations we have put on ourselves in the name of God.”

An article written by Chittister for her NCR column (and reprinted in Call to Action’s publication, Spirituality/Justice Reprint 2/96) in the wake of the Vatican’s declaration about the impossibility of a female priesthood was unambiguous. “I am now more convinced than ever that this subject is not closed, in fact, has not even been opened...Women’s Eucharists may well begin to break out all over now, just as communion in the hand became common when people realized that what was at issue was authority and not the nature of eucharistic devotion, just as universal language did when people realized that male pronouns were not the essence of God’s message to humankind.”

It is greatly to the credit of Bishops Myer and Wuerl that they have, by their actions, protested legitimizing the dissenting opinions of Call to Action’s Sr. Joan Chittister. (

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Volume III, No. 8 August 2001

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