Denver Catholic

2 I CATHOLIC LIFE NOVEMBER 27, 2013 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER ARCHBISHOP'S COLUMN Author: family is answer to West's ills BY NISSA LAPOINT MOST REV. SAMUEL J. AQUILA The Pilgrims can teach us about Advent This week we will celebrate Thanksgiving and begin the liturgical season of Advent. While the two events may not appear to be related, I believe that the spiritual practices behind Thanksgiving can prepare us to live Advent well. The most widely accepted story about the first Thanksgiving is that it was held in November 1621 in Plymouth, Mass., after settlers from the Mayflower were able to raise their first successful crop of corn. The tradition of setting aside a day to thank God for his blessings was one that the Pilgrims brought with them from England, but this practice has a spiritual counterpart that is often forgotten today. In times of difficulty, the Pilgrims would declare days of fasting and penance to purify themselves and to help them see how God was working in the trials they were experiencing. The spiritual principle underlying this is one that we can benefit from as we begin Advent and get ready to renew our welcome of Jesus with the celebration of Christmas. Just as we clean our house and prepare food when we are expecting guests, we are called to prepare our hearts for Christ's arrival. And the more ready we are to welcome him, the more thankful we will be, and the more our families will be filled with the joy of Christmas. One passage of Scripture that illustrates this principle well is Chapter 5 of St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, where he urges the Christians of Ephesus not to abandon the true God by returning to pagan practices, but to dedicate their lives to seeking God's will. "Therefore do not be foolish," St. Paul writes, "but understand what the will of the Lord is … always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father (emphasis added)" (Eph 5:18, 20). The ability to give thanks "always and everywhere," he explains, flows from the true God and our rejection of immorality. In other words, we are able to give thanks when our hearts are pure and our wills are conformed to God's. This is something that we should imitate, especially as we walk through Advent toward Christmas, toward the manger in Bethlehem where Jesus came into the world as a child. If we spend Advent purifying our hearts as the Pilgrims did in the times of difficulty that preceded their first harvest, and as St. Paul encouraged the Ephesians, then we will be able to prepare a deeper and more intimate place in our hearts and families for as we rejoice at Christmas. This is the true meaning of Christmas: welcoming Jesus, encountering him, loving him and giving thanks to the Father for the gift of his Son, Emmanuel, "God with us" (Matt 1: 23). I encourage everyone in the archdiocese to spend this Advent seeking God's will and purifying your hearts through his grace. Let each of us cry out each Advent morning, "Lord, purify my heart and make it like yours." The world needs to see the authentic joy that comes from welcoming Jesus at Christmas, especially since attempts are made every year to remake the celebration of Christ's birth into a secular holiday. Just last week, SkyView Academy, a public charter school in Highlands Ranch, decided to cancel its involvement with Operation Christmas Child. The program delivers shoeboxes filled with gifts to poor children around the world, accompanied by a message inviting them to consider Christianity. The school decided to pull out of the program because it received a letter from the American Humanist Association threatening a lawsuit if it did not suspend its involvement. The Humanist Association's action demonstrates their lack of understanding of the values upon which our country was founded and is a rejection of the historical event of Christmas. The local story of SkyView Academy is one example of See Aquila, Page 4 Author-researcher Mary Eberstadt is returning to Denver Dec. 5 to discuss the role of the family in the modern world. The author of "How the West Really Lost God: A New Theory on Secularization" is the guest speaker at the next Archbishop's Lecture Series on the John Paul II Center campus in Denver. Eberstadt will give a talk titled "Save the Family, Save the World: 'Lumen Gentium' and What We Know Now." She told the Denver Catholic Register that family is held in lower esteem than ever before and Western society will have to confront this "cognitive dissonance." "Sooner or later, people are going to have to face the fact that using the traditional family and traditional faith as everybody's favorite whipping boys is detrimental to civilization itself," Eberstadt said. "Part of what I'll be discussing in Denver is the evidence for just that—and right now, it might seem like a countercultural argument to make. But I don't think it will seem nearly as countercultural in the years to come." The public is invited to her presentation 7 p.m. Dec. 5 in Bonfils Hall at 1300 S. Steele St. in Denver. The lecture is free. Eberstadt is consulting editor to Policy Review. She also wrote "Adam and Eve After the A POSTER promotes author-researcher Mary Eberstadt's Dec. 5 lecture on the family and its role in culture. Pill: Paradoxes of the Sexual tradition in the Denver ArchRevolution." diocese where some of the The lecture series, started brightest thinkers give insights by former Denver Archbishop on current topics. Charles Chaput—now archCall 303-715-3230 for more bishop of Philadelphia—is a information. Christians rally for toy drive BY JULIE FILBY Denver-area Catholics stood with members of SkyView Academy community in Highlands Ranch at a rally Nov. 20 after the religious liberty of students at the charter school was threatened by the American Humanist Association. SkyView ended their affiliation with Operation Christmas Child, an evangelical-run toy drive for impoverished children, after receiving a letter from AHA demanding the school cease participation on grounds it violated separation of church and state. The American Humanist Association advances a "humanist" worldview encompassing atheism, agnosticism, rationalism, naturalism and secularism, according to their website. "Our school has never endorsed any particular religious view," the SkyView Administration and Governing Board wrote in a letter to parents Nov. 15. "Sadly, the parent that objected to the OCC project did not reach out to the school before escalating the issue with the AHA and the media. This contradicts SVA's ... parent handbook procedures for conflict resolution. In any case, we are taking action today to remedy the situation." Students running the voluntary service project continued the toy drive off school grounds, according to school parent Kendal Unruh, an evangelical Christian. "Obviously the school has chosen not to engage in a costly legal battle," she said. "But these students, trained not to be bullied by bullying tactics, are demonstrating their ... constitutionally-guaranteed rights to exercise their Christian faith." At least 200 shoeboxes plus $1,000 cash were collected See Rally, Page 7 DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-722-4687 OR CIRCULATION@ARCHDEN.ORG Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 General Manager Karna Swanson Denver Catholic Register (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the first week of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. The Register is printed by The Denver Post LLC in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. Editor Roxanne King Subscriptions: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic Register, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or e-mail circulation@archden.org. Business Manager Michael O'Neill Editorial: 303-715-3215 or editor@archden.org Advertising: 303-715-3253 or dcrads@archden.org Circulation: 303-715-3211 or circulation@archden.org Online: www.DenverCatholicRegister.org

• Cover