Chris Lee

Patrick Gorman

Lent is a season of preparation and recollection of our Baptism. This is the sixth in a series of several articles reflecting upon the Sacrament of Baptism.

When I was studying liturgy, there was a running joke with both teachers and students — “If you don’t know the answer to a question, write down that it is a mystery” (because so much of our faith is a mystery — something which we will never understand completely in this life).

The mysteries of our faith are not like the mysteries we read. They are not a puzzle to be figured out if offered enough clues but rather realities that need to be lived and that each of us reflect upon.

Baptism: Immerse yourself in mystery

Patrick Gorman

Lent is a season of preparation and recollection of our Baptism. This is the sixth in a series of several articles reflecting upon the Sacrament of Baptism.

When I was studying liturgy, there was a running joke with both teachers and students — “If you don’t know the answer to a question, write down that it is a mystery” (because so much of our faith is a mystery — something which we will never understand completely in this life).

The mysteries of our faith are not like the mysteries we read. They are not a puzzle to be figured out if offered enough clues but rather realities that need to be lived and that each of us reflect upon.

Strategy for the New Evangelization

I once gave a sermon in which I mentioned Keith Richards, the lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones.

I recounted how struck I was by a passage from Richards’ autobiography in which the guitarist described the almost maniacal dedication with which he and his bandmates set out to learn Chicago blues.

“Benedictines,” he said, “had nothing on us.” I urged my listeners to approach their spiritual lives with the same “Benedictine” focus and fervor that the young Rolling Stones had in regard to the blues.

Cutting Edge

On March 19, 2015

Chris Lee

Be compassionate

We have a loving and compassionate God, and Jesus calls us to practice these virtues in our lives. This is our mission as Christians.

When I was growing up, we learned the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. They are tools for living a good Christian life, showing us how to be compassionate.

Corporal Works of Mercy

Jesus tells us about the Corporal Works of Mercy in Chapter 25 of the Gospel of Matthew. He challenges us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, and bury the dead. We will be judged by how we do these things.

At first glance, we might think that we are rarely presented with opportunities to exercise many of these good works. But, if we look a little closer, we might be surprised at how often we are presented with ways to do some of them.

Around the Diocese

On March 12, 2015

Chris Lee

Thanks be to God! Prayers are answered as priest’s mother rescued


	Very Rev. Paul Ugo Arinze is pictured on a visit to Nigeria with his parents, including his mother Virginia, right, and father Michael, left (now deceased). Also pictured is Sr. Harriet Ogo Okafor, a member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy, who is a relative of Virginia Arinze. (Contributed photo)

BELOIT — Very Rev. Paul Ugo Arinze has been touched by the “outpouring of support and love” from people throughout the Diocese of Madison who prayed for his mother, Virginia Arinze, who was rescued after being kidnapped in Nigeria.

Father Arinze, pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) Parish in Beloit, made a quick trip to Nigeria on March 2 to see his mother in the hospital. He returned to Beloit on March 6.

Mother’s condition

“She was still in the ICU when I arrived in Nigeria in critical but stable condition,” he said after his return. “She had suffered from extreme dehyration, dislocated shoulders, and a knee injury and was complaining of internal pain all due to the extreme way she was handled and the conditions her captors put her through.”

By his second day in Nigeria, Mrs. Arinze made “tremendous improvement” and was responding positively to her treatment, Father Arinze said.

“She was moved from ICU to a regular critical care room on March 5. According to her doctors, she will still be in the hospital for another week or two before her release. Investigations into the circumstances of her kidnapping and those who were involved are still ongoing.”

Abducted at gunpoint

Mrs. Arinze was abducted at gunpoint from her home in the city of Awka on the afternoon of February 21. The abductors claimed to have some ties to the terrorist organization Boko Haram, but the Nigerian authorities are doubtful of that claim, said Father Arinze.

“She was held outside all through her days in captivity, exposing her to rain, sun, and other elements,” he said.

Women’s convention to be held June 16-17 in Middleton

MIDDLETON — Since becoming president of the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (MDCCW) last spring, Rosa Ropers has challenged women to “Live, Learn, Love, and Share Our Catholic Faith,” the theme for her two-year term.

The former religious education coordinator brings her love of learning to the leadership position and is looking forward to presiding over her first convention June 16 and 17 at St. Bernard Church, Middleton.

Letters to the editor

On March 12, 2015

Chris Lee

Pray the Rosary daily for world peace

To the editor:

There was a write-up in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald about the kidnapping and rescue of the mother of Fr. Paul Arinze. I was overjoyed when I heard of her rescue.

Even more awesome was the fact that she distracted herself by praying the Rosary on her fingers all through this frightening ordeal. What a powerful weapon is Mary’s Rosary, and how she shows her care for those who pray her Rosary faithfully!

Eye on the Capitol

On March 12, 2015

Chris Lee

Budget hearings offer chance to make a difference

When the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) staff talks to groups around the state, we emphasize that faithful citizenship is a 12-month obligation.

During the latter part of March, Catholics and others who want to be heard on how and where the state should spend our money will have a chance to do so.

They can show up at one of four hearings on the 2015 budget bill. The hearings, conducted by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance, will take place over a two-week period beginning on Monday, March 23, and concluding on Friday, April 3.

Putting God first in our lives

Artistic representations of the Ten Commandments often depict two stone tablets on which there are two tables of inscriptions.

This portrayal follows from a classical division of the commandments in which there are two specific categories: those that order humanity’s relationship with God and those that order human relationships with one another.

If we consider the Bible as a totality, it becomes apparent that the Scriptures give priority to the first table, those commands dealing with God.

Baptism: What really happens

Patrick Gorman

The last four articles have reflected upon the elements of the Baptismal ritual leading up to the actual Baptism.

Some of these elements are the welcoming of the candidate for Baptism, the sign of the cross, the blessing of the water, and the renunciation of sin and profession of faith.

The actual Baptism is really quite simple. The Baptism takes place with water which is either poured over the head of the person being baptized or in which he/she is immersed (standing or kneeling in the water), while the baptizer invokes the Trinity:

“I baptize you in the name of the Father (water), and of the Son (water), and of the Holy Spirit (water).”