Denver Catholic

23 DENVER CATHOLIC | AUGUST 24-SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 in very brief form the whole of the biblical story, from the creation of Adam and Eve to the early history of the Church as told in the Acts of the Apostles, all the while helping his student to see that the story the Bible tells is intimately related to the move- ments of his own heart. But Augustine also makes clear that the biblical history he recounts for his hearer is the pre-history of the Church. As he says, "Indeed, everything that we read in the holy scriptures that was written before the coming of the Lord was written for the sole purpose of drawing attention to his coming and of prefi guring the future Church." And he makes clear that in this present time, between the rest that God observed at the end of creation and the rest that He will eventually enjoy in His saints in heaven, "true rest and true hap- piness" is found only in the Church and through what he calls her "sac- ramenta," the Latin word he uses to describe the sacred signs through which we gain Church entry and a real connection with the story the Bible tells. It's not surprising that the Cate- chism of the Catholic Church has been constructed upon the same pattern of catechesis presented by this very infl uential Father of the Church, which is, in turn, the biblical pattern as well. What it presents is an appeal, an invitation to restless hearts, recog- nizing as it does that "The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God" and that only "in God will he fi nd the truth and happiness he never stops searching for" (CCC No. 27). The whole structure of the Cate- chism presupposes that the only way to enter the rest God promises to his chosen people in the Bible is to respond to that scriptural Revelation with faith, a faith which is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed. I often tell my students in the "Ladder of Ascent" program that we o¨ er here in the Archdiocese of Denver Catecheti- cal School that, especially in the Holy Mass, but also in that "liturgy of life" which is the Christian living of the Beatitudes, the words of the Scripture come to life, climb o¨ the page and move around in the room! While it is true that the popularity of Bible study in the Church today is a real sign of hope, the only way to actually enter the story the Bible tells, is to study the Catechism and to embrace the life of faith in the Church that it describes and which the Bible promises. In order for the promise of this new Catholic interest in the Bible to be realized, we must do more than just read about that promised rest, we must live in full the Church's faith that alone makes it attainable. In the spirit of Augustine the catechist, let me suggest that you not just "take and read' the Bible, but also take up and read your Catechism. For as we are told in chapter four of the Book of Hebrews as regards the urgency of observing Christian life in the Church, "while the promise of enter- ing his rest remains, let us fear lest any of you be judged to have failed to reach it….Let us therefore strive to enter that rest" (Heb 4:1, 11). E cclesia semper reformanda: The Church must always be reformed. These words have hit home recently in the midst of a crisis of confi - dence in the Church. The sins of our leaders have dis- couraged us, although we can also recognize a profound crisis of faith and holiness a¨ ect- ing all the members of the Church. The Lord calls his entire Church to renewal through prayer and a life conformed to him. In this renewal, we must pray for our leaders especially, our bishops, priests, deacons, and religious, because we depend on them to model the Christian life for us and to support us in our own growth. A Benedictine monk has shared profound insights on the importance of adoration in the life of priests and the need for everyone to pray for the holiness of priests. This anonymous monk has shared the inspirations he received of Jesus speaking to him in prayer: In Sinu Jesu: When Heart Speaks to Heart: The Journal of a Priest at Prayer (Angelico, 2016, with imprimatur from the Bishop of Meath). Although the work addresses itself most directly to priests, I found much encouragement in the book through a call to a stronger friendship with Jesus through adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. For instance, take this message from December 20, 2011: "The prac- tice of adoration is not diª cult. It is a gentle abiding in My presence, a resting in the radiance of My Eucha- ristic Face, a closeness to My Eucha- rist Heart. Words, though sometimes helpful, are not necessary, nor are thoughts. What I seek from one who would adore Me in spirit and in truth is a heart afl ame with love, a heart content to abide in My presence silent and still, engaged only in the act of loving Me and of receiving My love. Though this is not diª cult, it is, all the same, My own gift to the soul who asks for it. Ask then for the gift of adoration" (208). We can be afraid of silent prayer because we do not know what to say or do. The book invites us simply to be with Jesus and to spend time with him in love. We do not have to worry about making good use of the time, as this puts the emphasis on us, but to allow Jesus to act in us as we fi x our attention and our heart on him. "Give me your attention and I will work the wonders of My merciful love in your soul. Hold yourself facing Me. Abide in My presence gently, without forcing yourself to produce thoughts, feelings, or sensations . . . All that is necessary is faith, and with faith, hope, and with hope, the love that binds the soul to Me and makes union with Me a reality" (200). Although the message of adoration applies to everyone, the author relates the development of his own vocation to form a Benedictine monastery dedicated to perpetual adoration for the sanctifi cation of priests. "By the prayer of adoration for My priests, you are working with Me for them. You are working with Me to lift them when they fall, to bind up their wounds, to deliver them from bondage to evil, to open them to My gifts, and to obtain for them a great openness to the sanc- tifying action of the Holy Spirit. Your union with Me in prayer lessens the resistance of many priests to entering resolutely upon the path of holiness that I am opening before them" (119). The book contains many beautiful prayers (compiled also in an appen- dix), which guide us in responding to Jesus' call for increased trust through prayer. Here is one exam- ple: "My Jesus, only as Thou willest, when Thou willest, and in the way Thou willest, To Thee be all glory and thanksgiving, Who rulest all things mightily and sweetly, and Who fi llest the earth with Thy manifold mercies. Amen" (131). In addition, it proposes a Chaplet of Reparation, also called an O¨ er- ing of the Precious Blood for Priests, which enables us to join the mission of praying for priests. "On the Our Father bead: Eternal Father, I o¨ er Thee the Precious Blood of Thy Beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb without blemish or spot, in reparation for my sin and for the sins of all Thy priests. On the Hail Mary beads: By Thy Precious Blood, O Jesus, purify and sanctify Thy priests. In place of the Glory be to the Father: O Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named, have mercy on all Thy priests, and wash them in the Blood of the Lamb" (269). In Sinu Jesu calls us to a deeper love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacra- ment, as well as inviting us into the needed mission to pray for our shep- herds. In a time of discouragement, it o¨ ers us hope through the power of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament to renew his Church. A mission of hope: Pray for priests The Catholic Reader R. Jared Staudt, PhD, is a husband and father of six, the director of formation for the Archdiocese of Denver, a Benedictine oblate, prolifi c writer, and insatiable reader. DR. R. JARED STAUDT To register for Biblical and/or Catechetical School classes, visit sjvlaydivision.org.

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