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Wearing a Religious Habit

4/30/2015

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"Since they are signs of a consecrated life, religious habits should be simple and modest, at once poor and becoming. They should meet the requirements of health and be suited to the circumstances of time and place as well as to the services required by those who wear them. Habits of men and women which do not correspond to those norms are to be changed."
     - Vatican Council II, Decree on the Appropriate Renewal of the Religious Life (Perfectae Caritatis), 1965

Women religious have not always worn a "habit," a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order.

For example, when Angela Merici (who was beatified on this date in 1767) founded the Ursuline Order in 1535, the sisters lived in their own homes, didn't wear habits, and weren't limited to any apostolate. Vincent de Paul formed the Daughters of Charity as a secular congregation with no religious dress, no cloister, no veil. When Catherine McAuley founded the Mercy Sisters in Ireland, they wore contemporary clothes when they went out from the convent.

Before Vatican II, communities rarely questioned the practicality or appropriateness of a habit. It was part of who they were. Unlike male religious, a woman religious even wore her habit on vacation.

According to a 2009 study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate for the National Religious Vocation Conference, 90 per cent of men and 27 per cent of women for whom a habit is optional wore it at least once in a while, with 14 percent of men and 15 percent of women wearing it in all or most circumstances. In those communities that don't have a habit, 48 percent of the men and 23 percent of the woman say they'd wear a habit if they had that option.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame, for example, opt for contemporary clothing but still wear a special congregational ring or lapel pin to identity them as a religious.

- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw

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Thursday - Fourth Week of Easter

4/30/2015

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Jesus said to Thomas, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." (John 20:29)

What has been going on in this room is high drama. It's been going on between Jesus and Thomas. The rest of the disciples are watching.

You're watching too, but from off to the side.

You've just seen Thomas open himself to embrace the gift of faith.

Jesus affirms that Thomas is truly a believer.

Then after a pause, Jesus turns and looks off to the side - in my direction - but he seems also to be looking across the threshold of time and space. His eyes have the look of someone who sees distant faces in some far-off times and places.

Jesus gestures toward me and beyond me, and he says, "Blessed are those ... who have not seen ... and have believed."

He's talking about a lot of people across the ages.

He's talking about me.

- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw

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John's New Testament Books

4/29/2015

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Five of the 27 books of the New Testament are said to have been written by "John": The Gospel of John, the First, Second, Third Letters of John, and the Book of Revelation.

Most Scripture scholars today would say that there were four different "writers" and, while the Apostle John may have had some relationship to them and to their communities, he was not one of the writers.

One possible scenario is this:
  • Gospel of John: There were two writers, both of them members of the Beloved Disciple's community. One writer was the original author. Another writer added other traditional material, and arranged the Gospel in the form in which we have it today.
  • Three Letters of John: The writer of these letters was another member of the Beloved Disciple's community. He wrote after the time when the Gospel was written.
  • Book of Revelation: This was written be a person named John who is otherwise unknown. ("John" was a common name among Christians of that era.) He also was under the influence of the Beloved Disciple.

Whatever actually happened, the process was guided by the Holy Spirit, and these books are treasured as inspired writings.

- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw

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Wednesday - Fourth Week of Easter

4/29/2015

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Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28)

The risen Jesus is standing there in front of Thomas. The rest of the disciples are in a semi-circle, watching closely, listening to every word. You're off to the side taking it all in.

Thomas didn't make a move when Jesus invited him to "put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side." He just stood there looking into Jesus' eyes.

Then Thomas speaks to Jesus words that no other disciple has yet spoken to him. He addresses Jesus with the same words Israelites had used for centuries to address the one and only God. Thomas says very slowly: "My Lord and my God."

Everyone in that semi-circle is Jewish and knows what those words mean. They (and others) had addressed Jesus as Rabbi, Messiah, Prophet, Son of God. But the "doubting Thomas" is the first to address Jesus in the same words with which the Chosen People had addressed God.

Right before your eyes, we see Thomas look upon Jesus with the eyes of faith. Thomas recognizes that Jesus is not simply the first human being to overcome death, not simply someone sent by God, not simply special to God, not simply adopted by God. Jesus is God.

Everyone, myself included, moves their lips as they say quietly and fervently, "Yes ... Amen."

- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw

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No Job Guarantees For Religious

4/28/2015

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A man or woman may have expected vows of chastity, poverty and obedience when they entered religious life, but networking? Job interviewing? Resume writing?

In the last 30 years, many parishes and Church-related institutions are finding that they can't afford to pay a religious a liveable wage.

Employment is becoming more critical as religious congregations grow older. In the past, the constant flow of young men and women into convents and monasteries assured that older religious would always be cared for.

This isn't the case today. Many older religious seek paid employment long after most lay people of their age have retired.

- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw

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Tuesday - Fourth Week of Easter

4/28/2015

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Then Jesus said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your and and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." (John 20:27)

You're not just a spectator. You're filled with awe and wonder and reverence. You can't be just a spectator when the living, real, risen Jesus - who is God made visible - is standing right in front of you.

You glance quickly at the others. They're transfixed.

Jesus looks around. He's not staring, like you are. His is a look of warmth, like a mother looking at her children.

Then Jesus moves a few steps toward Thomas, not up close, or face to face, but simply nearer to him.

And then, like a mother to a determined child, Jesus tells him that if he wants to see and touch his wounds, he can. Most of all, Jesus says, he wants Thomas to join the rest and become not simply an observer, but a believer.

"Take the step, Thomas. Don't just remember me. Believe in me ... not who I was, but who I am. Love me, as I love you."

You no longer think of what's going on between Jesus and Thomas. You start to think of what's going on between Jesus and you. You hear that same invitation directed toward you: "Don'y just remember me. Believe in me ... not who I was, but who I am. Love me, as I love you."

- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw

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Gradual Formation of the Gospels

4/27/2015

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Are the words and actions of Jesus in the Gospels presented exactly as they happened? Most of those who interpret the Bible in a literal sense would say "yes." Some at the other extreme say that nothing is really historical. There is a more reasonable approach.

In 1964, the Roman Pontifical Biblical Commission issued an instruction which described three stages int he development of the Gospels.

  • Stage One: The public ministry of Jesus. This is the stage during which what happened, happened.
  • Stage Two: The preaching/teaching of the followers of Jesus (30-70 A.D.). This is the stage of "oral tradition" - telling the stories about Jesus. (Some traditions may have been written down, but none of these writings have survived.) The purpose of telling these stories was not to present a biography of Jesus, but to convey the meaning of his life.
  • Stage Three: The writing of the Gospels (approximately 70-100 A.D.). The authors, drawing upon the traditions passed on in Stage Two, selected material that would nurture the faith of the community for whom they wrote. Each used some material that the other three evangelists didn't use (or didn't have).

Thus the Gospels do not present a photograph of Jesus, but rather a portrait that conveys a depth and truth far greater than a list of bare facts. The process by which they came into existence was guided by the Holy Spirit, and the end-product reflects the truth that God sent Jesus to proclaim.

- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw

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Monday - Fourth Week of Easter

4/27/2015

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Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." (John 20:26)

I am with the disciples who are still int he house they rented with Jesus for their stay in Jerusalem.

A whole week has gone by since the rush of events on the Sunday after the crucifixion. Now that they've seen the Lord, they have apologized to Mary Magdalene for their skepticism.

But Thomas has been a problem. They've pleaded with him, argued with him. Peter took him for a long walk. But still, Thomas says, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

A few have given up and think Thomas should be thrown out. Some others say to "give him time." Some others ask my opinion.

Then, it happens. Suddenly, right there in the middle of the room, is Jesus himself.

Silence. Not a sound. What will he say to you this time? What will he say to Thomas?

With the kindest smile you ever saw, he simply says, "Peace be with you."

You feel a week's worth of arguing dissolve.

- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw

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Finances and Religious

4/26/2015

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Unlike diocesan priests, religious men and women take a vow of poverty, in addition to vows of obedience and chastity.

In many cases, they receive stipends from their ministries to cover the basics for living. Some religious send their paychecks directly to their congregations with whom they arrange their annual living expenses (housing, car, tuition, etc.). Other religious have local bank accounts and send in a predetermined portion of their check to their community.

For many years, a parish generally negotiated a sister's salary with her religious community. Some received a stipend; others didn't.

Religious were excluded from participating in Social Security until U.S. legislative changes were made in late 1972. One reason they wren't allowed to join was because religious who took a vow of poverty had no personal income upon which to levy the Social Security tax. Nor were religious usually included in pension programs. In 2006, the annual Social Security payment for religious averaged $4,290.08, in comparison to the national average of $12,024.

With inflation, rising medical costs, declining vocations, and the aging of congregations, communities suddenly found that "the Lord will provide" wasn't the responsible way of dealing with a growing financial crunch. Some communities were building-rich but cash-poor. Others remained traditionally close-mouthed about their financial situations ... right up to the brink of financial ruin.

Spurred by media reports of elderly nuns eating dog food to cut costs, the U.S. bishops okayed a special December collection for a retirement fund for religious in 1988.

- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw

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Fourth Sunday of Easter

4/26/2015

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Heart of Religious Life

People often place a lot of expectations on men and women living out their religious life.

Many of these expectations are external, even peripheral to the heart of religious life. And many of them come from our own ideas about religious life.

I can imagine saying to a religious (a question somewhat parallel to the one put to Jesus in the Gospel): "Tell me in plain words - are you a real nun?" I'd be speaking out of my own expectations. For one person, it might mean that if the religious are wearing a habit, they shouldn't; or, if they aren't wearing a habit, they should. Or it could have something to do with their apostolate. Or perhaps where they live.

Jesus answered questions about his own role as Messiah by going straight to the heart of the matter: "The blind see, the deaf hear ... doesn't that speak for itself? I am the Good Shepherd who gives his life for his sheep - isn't that the heart of being the Messiah? I am at one with the Father - what could be a better sign than that?"

What is at the heart of religious life? Poverty, the simplicity of life lived out in so many ways. Celibacy, the extraordinary kind of love that reaches out to more people than might otherwise have been possible. Obedience to the gifts of the religious community, the charism of each religious order that helps bring out the full colors of the many-splendored family of Christians.

How these spiritual commitments are expressed may vary, as it has for centuries, and I might have my own opinion on how they should be lived.

But the witness that religious men and women give can't be denied.

- Little White Book, Diocese of Saginaw
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