Quinceañera (keen-seh-ah-NYAIR-ah) is Spanish for “fifteen -year-old girl.” It is also the word used for the Latin American celebration of a girl’s entrance into young adulthood on her fifteenth birthday. Some people compare it to an American Sweet 16 party, but because a religious ceremony is part of the celebration it’s actually more like a thirteen-year-old girl’s bat mitzvah in the Jewish tradition.  A quinceañera usually begins with the Order for the Blessing on the Fifteenth Birthday (Bendición al cumplir quince años), which can take place within or outside Mass. A party that resembles a wedding reception follows. A quinceañera can also be like a wedding in that some weddings can get out of hand and become more of a production than a celebration of love.  That’s not to say that parties aren’t important.  It’s important to celebrate a wedding and to celebrate it well. In the same way, it’s important in some cultures to celebrate a girl’s fifteenth birthday. Your friend wants to give thanks to God for the life of her daughter, and that surely is a wonderful thing to celebrate.  So join your friend in the celebration. Thank God not only for the life of her daughter, but for the lives of all of the children in your life.

August 1, 2010

Is the pope a bishop? - Why is the pope called the Bishop of Rome? - Katie

Dear Katie,

Many people mistakenly believe that cardinals and popes have been promoted and are no longer bishops. But that’s not true: Bishop is the highest level of ordained ministry.  A cardinal is a bishop who has been appointed to the College of Cardinals by the pope.

Members of the College of Cardinals are the pope’s chief advisors; when the pope dies, members under the age of eighty elect one of their own to succeed him as Bishop of Rome. There are usually no more than 120 voting members of the College at one time.  According to the Code of Canon Law, the Bishop of Rome is pope and head of the Catholic Church. Saint Peter was the first Bishop of Rome, and whoever follows him as Bishop of Rome also follows him as the head of the Church (331). 

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus singled out Peter:  “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” This is the foundation of the tradition that nowadays sees Benedict XVI, current Bishop of Rome, as pope of the Catholic Church. Not all Christians believe he is the head of the Church by God’s design, but no one else makes a serious claim to be the 264th successor of Saint Peter.

By the way, St. Peter’s Basilica isn’t the cathedral of St. Peter. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome.

Born Bertha Bowman in Yazoo City, Mississippi, in 1937, Thea Bowman was the only child of Mary Esther, a teacher, and Theon, a doctor who left a promising career in New York to serve African Americans being denied medical care in Mississippi.  Bertha attended a school run by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. At age nine she converted to Catholicism and at age fifteen joined the Franciscan sisters. She took the name Thea in honor of her father.  Sister Thea became a college professor and a founding faculty member of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies in New Orleans, where she taught black literature, religion, spirituals, and preaching.  She was also a popular speaker at colleges and parishes.  In 1984 she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Thea vowed to “live until I die” and continued her rigorous speaking schedule. At the United States bishops’ June 1989 meeting, she challenged them to continue to evangelize the black community, to promote full participation of blacks within Church leadership, and to understand the value of Catholic schools in the black community.  Sister Thea Bowman died in 1990, but her journey of enlightenment and inspiration lives on.

Dear Kristine,
There are two types of scapulars. The first type is a rectangle of cloth, maybe eighteen inches wide. It has an opening for the head, lays over the shoulders, and extends over the wearer’s back and front almost to the floor.  The word scapular comes from the Latin scapula, “shoulder.” It’s part of the religious habit of the Franciscans, Carmelites, Dominicans, and others.  The second type of scapular consists of one or two small (about 1/2-inch by 3/4-inch) pieces of cloth or wood that hang from the neck on two pieces of string or cord. Each side has a picture or prayer.  Of the many types of sacramental scapulars, the most common, and the one your mother probably won, is the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It’s worn around the neck as an expression of commitment to the Mother of God and to living a holy life with her help.  Some people wear the jerseys of their favorite sports team. A sweatshirt might say,  “Property of the Chicago Bears.” A scapular says in its own way, “Property of the Mother of God.” Usually worn beneath one’s outer clothing, it’s a personal expression of devotion and a prayer for Our Lady’s protection.

July 11, 2010

Any tips for long-distance godparents? - My two-year-old goddaughter’s mom has taken a job in another city. I’m heartbroken.  How can I be a good godparent when I’m 2,000 miles away? - Ann

Dear Ann,

There’s never been a better time to be a long-distance godparent. Telephone plans with free long-distance calling, e-mail, social-networking sites, digital cameras, and webcams make keeping in touch inexpensive and easy.  Your goddaughter is very young, so regular webcam visits are your best bet for making sure she knows who you are. Keep them short; forcing her to sit still longer than she wants to will make your visits an ordeal. And don’t be hurt if she’d clearly rather be doing something else. Just say hello, tell her you love her, and let her go. Send stickers and pictures available at Christian bookstores through the mail and discuss them during your web visits. Give her parents a box of pre-addressed, stamped envelopes so she can send you her artwork.  During your web visits, hold them up and admire them.  As your goddaughter gets older, you’ll communicate in more sophisticated ways —email, phone conversations, text messaging, social-networking sites—plus whatever else has been invented by that time. But the important thing isn’t the way you keep in touch.  It’s that you keep in touch regularly—not just on special occasions—and build a faith-filled relationship that will last a lifetime.

Dear Joe,

Strictly speaking, to break a government law does not automatically constitute the definition of sin, so it needn’t be mentioned in the sacrament of reconciliation. By definition, sin  damages (or, with grave sin, destroys) communion with God and the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1472).  Some actions may not be objectively destructive to our relationship with God and the Church—and therefore are not sinful—but they may affect others. Church members are part of society, which depends on its citizens to abide by the laws. Saint Paul encouraged everyone to obey the authorities, for all authority that exists is established by God (see Romans 13:1–7).  Not all sins are equally offensive to God; similarly, not all civil laws are equal in their gravity. To knowingly travel a few miles over the posted speed limit isn’t the same as intentionally setting a forest fire in a posted area.  The danger is in thinking one’s actions are without consequence. Sensible civil laws are designed to ensure the safety and well-being of citizens, and many municipalities outlaw fireworks because of the hazards they pose.  When any civil law is broken for mere self-indulgence or when breaking the law places others at risk, the act has the potential of constituting the definition of sin. In that case, it would rightfully warrant reconciliation.

June 27, 2010

 

What does the Church teach about body art? - What does the Church teach about tattoos, body piercing, and shaping? - Jane

Dear Jane,

I’m a bit squeamish when I see a piercing in a place other than an ear, and when I see tattoos covering a large part of a person’s body.

I wonder what they’ll think about that tattoo in ten or twenty years. But these things are a matter of taste; for example, I don’t think there is anything wrong with earrings, but others might.  The Church has no teaching on tattoos, piercings, or shaping (when a body part is purposely reshaped to fit a cultural ideal).  Leviticus 19:28 says, “Do not lacerate your  bodies for the dead, and do not tattoo yourselves,”  which clearly forbids both tattoos and piercings, but then the next verse says, “Do not clip your hair at the temples, nor trim the edges of your beard.” I broke that law this morning when I shaved.

In the introduction to the Book of Leviticus, the bishops teach us that “the laws contained in this book serve to teach the Israelites that they should always keep themselves in a state of legal purity”(www.usccb.org/nab/bible/leviticus/intro.htm).  We may not have the same obligation of legal purity, but it is important for Catholics to remember 1 Corinthians 3:16: “You are the temple of God.” We should do nothing to deface the temple of God. So if you do get a piercing or a tattoo, never forget you are God’s temple.

June 13, 2010

What is Lectio Divina ? - My friend is doing something called Lectio Divina. It sounds very New Age. What does the Church think of it? – Janice

 

Dear Janice,

This method of listening to Scripture is anything but New Age—it was practiced in monasteries throughout the Middle Ages—and it has the Church’s approval: In October 2008, Catholic bishops recommended Lectio Divina as an easy way for Catholics to become more familiar with the Bible.  The practice of Lectio Divina is quite simple:

   1. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you listen. Then slowly read a short Scripture passage aloud. Listen for a word or phrase that strikes you.

   2. Think about why this word is so striking at this moment. Does this word touch your life right now?

   3. Ask God’s help in making an important choice, or ask what the word or phrase that struck you in step 1 means in your life.

   4. Close your eyes, let go of all thoughts, and remain silent before God.

These parts have a logical progression, but it’s not a hard-and-fast method. People who have been doing Lectio Divina for a long time sometimes move back and forth between parts.  If you do Lectio Divina regularly, over time your understanding of God’s Word will deepen.

What happened to Corpus Christi Sunday? - I understand Corpus Christi Sunday is now called The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. When and why did this change? - Linda