RESURRECTION MAGAZINE FALL 2020 VOL. 1:2
READING THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
NO PRAYER IS EVER WASTED
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
FR. STEVE SPEAKS ON THE UNIQUE AND CHALLENGING TIMES IN WHICH WE LIVE.
A STORY OF RETURNING TO THE CHURCH AND THE "MONICA'S" THAT NEVER STOPPED PRAYING.
RESURRECTION SCHOOL CONTINUES TO CONNECT STUDENTS WITH TRUTH, GOODNESS, AND BEAUTY.
MISSION DRIVEN
AUTHENTICALLY CATHOLIC
SUPPORTIVE OF FAMILIES
WHO WE ARE Located in the heart of the city of Lansing, the Church of the Resurrection exists to help everyone in our parish family live in the light and hope of the resurrection.
IN THIS ISSUE READING THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
FR. STEVE MATTSON
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DRAWING NEAR BEN POHL 6 BEING HEALED DAN DOWSETT 7 NO PRAYER IS EVER WASTED
BEN POHL 8
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND AMBER WHITING 10 YOUNG COUPLES AND FAMILIES
LIZ HANSEN
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ILLUSTRATING CATHOLIC FAMILY LIFE SEAN O’NEILL 12 INVENTIVE CHARITY
LIZ O’NEILL 14
WHAT IS BEAUTY?
BRIAN FINK 15
COVER: CHRIST IN THE STORM ON THE SEA OF GALILEE This piece from Rembrandt van Rijn (d. 1669) depicts Christ’s calming of the storm at sea. While the crest of the wave and the bow of the ship are brightly illumined, we see a subtle, seemingly growing light emanating
from the recently roused Christ, who will soon silence the storm. In 1990, Rembrandt’s work was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA. It has not been found.
EDITORIAL
T
he image on the front cover of this issue of Resurrection Magazine is entitled “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” by Rembrandt. The painting is a strong reminder that in these turbulent times, Jesus is still Lord, even though our perception may be that He is sleeping. Nothing happens that He has not ordained or allowed and it is up to us to trust Him. In this issue, Fr. Steve echoes this theme and reminds us that “He has not abandoned us.” Reflecting on the signs of the times, Fr. Steve encourages us to engage in “honest prayer from the heart.” “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Phil 4:6). This is the way to true peace in the midst of turmoil. Don Sweeney shares with us his intriguing story and the moment of grace when he returned to the church after 54 years. It is a story of healing relationships, the mysterious workings of the Holy Spirit, and the thrill of playing Solitaire with God! Ben Pohl relates how the Lord has worked powerfully through our Healing Encounters to touch the lives of those who attend. We have seen some remarkable physical and psychological healings take place and the Holy Spirit’s anointing seems to be very present during these healing services. Dan Dowsett gives testimony to the healing power of God through his story of forgiveness and reconciliation. How did our Resurrection School cope with the lockdown? Teacher Amber Whiting explains this in
EDITORIAL TEAM EDITOR SEAN O’NEILL MANAGING EDITOR
BEN POHL
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an article that demonstrates the value of relationships among students and teachers, especially amidst the challenges of online communication. As Amber says, “The students’ obvious joy in reuniting after months of separation is a strong reminder of our call to community…no matter how far the distance between us.” Liz Hansen describes the activities of the Young Families and Couples group and how their regular get-togethers are enriching the lives of children and parents alike as they live the life of faith and have fun while doing it! Peter and Debbie Herbeck visited the parish on three consecutive Thursday evenings during September to give talks on family life. Here we get a flavor of the wisdom they imparted through their dynamic presentations. Liz O’Neill explains what the Saint Vincent de Paul Society is doing to help the disadvantaged and poor within the environs of the parish, and update us on the transition that is currently underway. And lastly, Brian Fink gives us a short reflection on beauty based on the painting of St. Augustine on the back cover of this issue. God is good and we wish to share with you in this issue all the ways he is blessing us at the Church of the Resurrection!
READING SIGNS
THE OF THE TIMES
FR. STEVE MATTSON
O
ver the past few months, I have been drawn often to the poignancy of one of the optional Eucharistic Prayers. The name of the prayer is “Jesus, the Way to the Father,” and in it, the priest prays as follows: Grant that all the faithful of the Church, looking into the signs of the times by the light of faith, may constantly devote themselves to the service of the Gospel. Keep us attentive to the needs of all that, sharing their grief and pain, their joy and hope, we may faithfully bring them the good news of salvation and go forward with them along the way of your Kingdom. Right now, amidst the uncertainties of our time, heightened by COVID-19 concerns and racial/political unrest, this has been my prayer. May we all constantly devote ourselves to the service of the Gospel. And may we be attentive to the needs of all...and faithfully bring them the good news of salvation by word and deed. No surprise: it’s all about love. Loving God, our neighbors, and ourselves as God would have us love. The sort of love God commands us to exhibit toward ourselves and our neighbors is not merely sentimental. It must be informed by the scriptures and the witness of our Lord and the saints, who spread the Word and who lived lives marked by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
Early in the summer, we offered a Formation Course on love of God and neighbor. Listening to the other two talks and preparing for my own talk helped me reflect on how absolutely vital prayer is to living a life marked by love. That’s true for you and it’s true for me. Simply put, we cannot love God or neighbor without spending time with the One who is Love. Spending time with God in prayer, honest prayer from the heart, can help us know how much we are loved and how much God longs for us to trust Him. He is untroubled by these times. He is Lord of these times. He has purposes for what He is allowing, which we may not know until the end of time. But He has not abandoned us. He is with us. He is in us. He is living through us. Now that we are months into the pandemic, one thing we can’t ignore is that our lives have been changed. Perhaps you feel the same way as I do. I realize now how much more dependent I am upon the Lord than I thought I was pre-COVID. We’re trying, like everyone else, to make plans as best we can. But we can’t see clearly enough what the future will hold, so our plans are necessarily provisional. It’s frustrating and humbling to have to continue to say, “We’ll see,” “We hope so,” “At this point, we’re planning on it.” We are invited right now to keep praying and trusting the Lord. I think that’s the only way we can experience peace.
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EASTER ISSUE Did you miss the inaugural issue of Resurrection Magazine? Don’t worry! You can view and download previous issues at corlansing.org/magazine.
Stacia DeVries gave a great testimony at our last Healing Encounter. What she shared encouraged me greatly. She testified with candor and humility about how the Lord has been faithful to her and to her family amidst the hardships, loneliness, and pain of her mother’s death. All of that during the COVID shutdown. After she shared, I realized how valuable the exercise was that she had modeled for us. I invited those present (and I invite you now) to take time to do what she had done. In other words, let’s each reflect on how the Lord was present in the midst of these difficult times, without dismissing or discounting how difficult they are.
He is untroubled by these times. He is Lord of these times. He has purposes for what He is allowing, which we may not know until the end of time. But He has not abandoned us. In her testimony, Stacia shared these powerful words from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:4-7). Love, joy, and peace. Those are the first three Fruits of the Spirit; in times of anxiety and uncertainty, they are compelling evidence of the Lord’s presence in our lives.
Visit tinyurl.com/sdtestimony to watch Stacia’s testimony on our YouTube channel, beginning at 19:15. Reading the “Signs of the Times” as we continue this new school year and year of formation and growth in our parish, may we always be prayerful. May we also be attentive to the Lord’s never-ending love at work in our lives. May the Lord help us notice the touches of His healing and His consoling love in our lives, even amidst uncertainty, suffering, and sadness. And let’s never forget that the Lord is near. May we never forget that. And may the peace of God, indeed, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. - Fr. Steve Mattson is Pastor of Church of the Resurrection.
DRAWING NEAR BEN POHL
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n the second chapter of his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul highlights that his audience, Gentiles of a Greek city, had been living with “no hope and without God in the world.” They had been “strangers and sojourners,” living outside of a covenant relationship with God. But now, because of the grace of Jesus Christ, those “who once were far off have been brought near” to God. Allowing Jesus to bring us near to God is at the heart of the gospel, and it is the heart of our Healing Encounters at Resurrection. On the second Saturday of every other month, we gather to pray, praise, and experience the nearness of God. As Catholics, we know that the new covenant established by Jesus Christ culminates in communion with God, which we celebrate in the Eucharist. At these healing services, we enthrone Jesus, present in the Eucharist, in a monstrance atop “the burning bush,” a structure holding many lit candles, which echoes the moment when God drew near to Moses on Mount Horeb. The night includes an “approach,” where Fr. Steve brings the monstrance down and allows those gathered to come forward and touch the humeral veil, just as the woman with the hemorrhage said to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I shall be made well” (Mt 9:21). At our most recent Healing Encounter, to avoid gathering in a tight space in front of the burning bush, Fr. Steve brought the monstrance to
“If I only touch His garment, I shall be made well” (Mt 9:21). each person throughout the Church, so that everyone could draw near to God. The time of adoration also includes moments of quiet prayer and reflection, praise and worship music from Guine Christian and others, and concludes with a time of corporate prayer for healing. After benediction, those gathered are welcomed to stay and pray personally, pray with a team from our healing ministry, or go to confession. Though we have not recently offered prayer ministry at these events, we continue to offer online and in-person sessions and hope to offer this ministry at Healing Encounters in the future. Even when the pandemic began and our Healing Encounters were moved online, many were still able to tune in and draw near. Viewers from as far afield as Chicago watched the live-stream, some of whom followed up by seeking prayer ministry from Resurrection’s healing teams. Even though the pandemic has caused much suffering and pain, God’s healing graces continue to abound as we draw near to God through Jesus Christ. - Ben Pohl is Director of Campus Ministry at Lansing Catholic High School.
BEING HEALED
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DAN DOWSETT
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could never have imagined that one day the Holy Spirit would touch my heart in such a profound way, to allow me to understand that I must forgive others in order to begin to really understand God’s love. I grew up in Lansing with my mother and two brothers. My biological father abandoned our family when I was four years old and I spent the next forty years loathing my father. My formative and teen years were without direction or guidance. I grew up without faith and had no formal religious education. I learned to shelter my pain with layers of lies and I created a facade to cope with life. I was married in the Church in 1974 and converted to Catholicism in 1989. Little did I know that God had been protecting me my entire life. While preparing for a weekend retreat, I read the scripture story about the prodigal son and it made a profound impact on my life. The Lord’s Prayer took on new meaning: “And forgive us our trespasses, AS we forgive those who trespass against us”. I knew that the Lord wanted to forgive my sins and that he was telling me to forgive those who had trespassed against me. I knew that I had to forgive my father, sadly, postmortem. I forgave my father during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It was powerful! Sometimes it can be easy to make excuses about why we don’t need to or shouldn’t have to forgive someone. But Jesus is very insistent in His teaching: “Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should
I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times’” (Mt 18:21-22). Though this teaching is difficult, I love this word of encouragement from Fr. John Riccardo. He reminds us that not forgiving only leads to more difficulties, but when we choose to forgive we can actually imitate God! “Every time I remember the people that have wronged me, I have a choice. I can pray for them and forgive them, or I can become bitter and angry and resentful all over again. It’s my choice, and it’s the same with all of us. Forgiveness is a high-point of Christian prayer; only hearts attuned to God’s compassion can receive the gift of prayer” (Fr. John Riccardo). The sadness of my early life turned into a beautiful story of forgiveness. My wounded heart has begun to heal. I have more work to do and I am grateful for the Healing Encounters at Resurrection and for the prayer ministry teams, which have helped me continue my healing journey. - Dan Dowsett is a Resurrection parishioner and member of the parish healing ministry team.
Visit tinyurl.com/ddtestimony to watch Dan’s testimony on our YouTube channel, beginning at 7:40.
NO PRAYER IS EVER WASTED BEN POHL
D
on Sweeney grew up in Flint during the golden age of the city and the peak of its Catholic schools and parishes. He attended St. Michael parish on the north side of downtown for thirteen years of Catholic education. Don followed in the footsteps of many Catholic boys before him, serving at the altar during Mass and learning the Latin responses and prayers. In time he would train new altar boys and serve as a lector. Don and the Catholic system which he embraced seemed to be doing everything right. So how did it come to be that Don would leave the practice of the Catholic faith and not return for 54 years? Don attended the University of Michigan Flint and began putting his faith into action. But soon he recognized a disconnect between what was preached and what was practiced: “I was involved in the anti-war movement, social justice movements, and I just didn’t see the Church as a focal point of that...I drifted away.” Where was the Church practicing what she preached and living the message? During this time, Don struggled to find the integrity and consistency he longed for from the Church. Nevertheless, Don did not lose sight of Christ during his time apart from the fold: “I never gave up my faith in God, but gave up my faith in the Church.” He would soon meet his wife, Olga, at UofM Flint and they married at St. Michael’s Byzantine Catholic
Church, where Olga grew up. Olga, a woman of great faith, never ceased praying for her husband’s return: “Every morning for about forty years I asked God for the grace to persevere in my prayers for Don. I prayed the Memorare daily, asking our Blessed Mother for her help, and I always prayed to St. Monica.” Though Don would attend the baptisms of their three children and go with the family to Mass on Christmas, he kept the Church at a distance. However, the flame of faith was never fully extinguished: “All that time I would ask for signs; sometimes asking, sometimes daring, you know, ‘hit me with lightning if you’re there’ kind of things.” Like so many of us, Don was looking for a sign. At the same time, the Holy Spirit was preparing to introduce Don to the Church that he had struggled to find so many years before. In 2018, Don and Olga’s daughter Mary and her family joined the Church of the Resurrection and soon after began sending their children to Resurrection School. Don would attend important church and school events for his grandchildren. It was these simple connections that resonated with Don and showed him things that were missing from his past experiences of the Church. This summer, not knowing that Don’s interest in the Church had increased, Olga shared with Don her desire to have their wedding blessed for their 50th anniversary. One day, while considering her request,
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Don had a thought while playing one of his favorite games, Klondike 7-Card Solitaire: “I hadn’t won in a couple of weeks. The chances of winning are 1 in 8.7, I looked it up. I hadn’t won in a while, and Olga asked again. So I said to God, ‘If you’re there, if I win three games of solitaire in a row, I’ll have heard you.’” “So I played and these games I got terrible cards but I was winning. It got to a certain part and I’d won three games, I thought. But I could not remember for the life of me whether I had played two or three games, I just blanked out. I could not remember, which is very odd for me. So I played a rubber game and lost and I just didn’t know so I had to play a tiebreaker. I won.” This moment was perhaps the “twitch upon a thread” for Don, a moment of grace and encouragement giving him a final boost back into the Church. But the solitaire games, the prayers of his wife, and her recent request were not the only gifts Don was receiving. Others were praying for him, including his daughter Mary: “Over the years when I prayed for my dad, my prayer was always that God would remove whatever obstacles stood in his way. I remember Bishop Boyea once talking about people needing an Ambrose and a Monica in their lives, and that family members were not likely to play the role of St. Ambrose (being the one to convince their loved one with their words), but rather family members should pray like St. Monica.” Mary’s children were also praying for their grandfather. Mary’s oldest, Charlie, recounts: “From as young as I remember I was always praying for my Grandpa to come back to the Church.” Don was blessed with multiple Monica’s in his life! Not only that, Don had begun to find in the Church of the Resurrection and in Fr. Steve, his Ambrose. Through Olga and Mary’s family and their connection to Resurrection, Don witnessed the authenticity and integrity that he had yearned for in his early years. He was particularly touched by “the community, the involvement, the diversity...so [he] made an appointment with Fr. Steve and said, ‘It’s time for me to come.’”
When any soul returns to the flock of the Good Shepherd, there is great awe and joy, as Mary recounts: “When I heard my dad was meeting with Fr. Steve, I was immediately brought to tears, knowing God was doing something big. Being at his first Mass back was surreal - it was a humbling experience, one that the Lord used to remind me that He hears every prayer. No prayer is wasted or is too big for Him.” Don’s return to the Church was a momentous occasion for his family. But instead of being simply the climactic ending to years of prayers and searching, it has also been a new beginning. Like St. Augustine, who was buoyed by the prayers of St. Monica and drawn in by the church and the preaching of St. Ambrose, Don’s return has been the start of a new work of God’s healing. “I come from a very dysfunctional upbringing...I’m 72 years old and I’m just [now] letting go of the resentment I held toward a very dysfunctional father...I try to pray for my father, which I had never done in 72 years.” With his own journey being evidence of the power of prayer, God is surely now using and answering Don’s prayers, too. For, as Don and his family now know for certain, no prayer is wasted. - Ben Pohl is Director of Campus Ministry at Lansing Catholic High School.
THE MEMORARE Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND AMBER WHITING
M
y first-grader bounced downstairs in his Darth Vader costume, lightsaber included, and asked me to turn on his weekly class meeting. “It’s Fun Friday!” he announced. “Mrs. Miller told us we could dress up for our meeting.” I happily helped him log onto Google Meet to see how his classmates and teacher were spending their Fun Friday. Every face on the screen was smiling. We’d been under stay-at-home orders for over a month by this time and frequent video chats with friends and teachers were quickly becoming a highlight of my children’s week. As a teacher at Resurrection, I really looked forward to my own weekly virtual meetings with my middle-school students. When school is in session, each day begins with students reciting the “Shamrock Pledge” to seek the truth, goodness, and beauty of God’s creation. In a normal classroom setting, it’s easy to help students recognize these things in their studies and their relationships. As we shifted into distance learning, the school’s challenge was to continue to provide opportunities, both academic and social, to discover God’s goodness. Principal Jacob Allstott helped ease the transition for students, encouraging them to find the beauty in their time at home. He ensured that students would still be greeted with an enthusiastic “Good Morning, Resurrection!” as he swiftly moved the morning announcements from the school gym to YouTube. Rachel Hurst initially planned twice-weekly online office hours to help her fourth-graders with homework
questions. The students did ask some questions, but the fourth grade’s priorities were clearly their friendships with one another and their teacher. The sessions turned into well-attended social gatherings, where students giggled with each other while answering the fun icebreaker questions Mrs. Hurst provided. Most of the teachers’ interactions with students were limited to meetings through a screen, but Sr. Mary Grace had the opportunity to share a special moment in-person with each of her second-graders as they received Jesus for the first time in Holy Communion. Instead of celebrating the sacrament together, each student received their First Communion at a private Mass with their family and teacher. School families, while balancing all the challenges that came with distance learning, went above and beyond to support our staff and strengthen our community. In early May, school staff woke up to yard signs reading “We love our Resurrection teachers,” designed and delivered by PTO members and their children. The first week of any school year is always full of hopeful anticipation, this year more so than in the past. The students’ obvious joy in reuniting after months of separation is a strong reminder of our call to community, to encourage one another and build each other up — no matter how far the distance between us. - Amber Whiting teaches middle school grammar and literature at Resurrection School.
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YOUNG FAMILIES AND COUPLES LIZ HANSEN
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hope I never forget Palm Sunday of 2020. Those intense, early days of the shutdown are already hazy for me, but there is one image I want to remember: a church parking lot full of families in their cars preparing to surprise a birthday boy, hours after his dad deployed to New York City to fight the COVID-19 pandemic as a Navy nurse. Those were dark days. It had only been three weeks since public mass had been suspended, but it already felt like an interminable, strange time, with no clear end, no news getting better, and no sense of how closely the virus might be lingering in our community. The political sharpshooting had also already begun, another painful and exhausting burden that dredged up deep reserves of bitterness and fear. Then we heard that Nick LaVoy, a parishioner, was being sent to the virus’ epicenter in the U.S., and that he was leaving early Palm Sunday, the same day as his oldest son’s birthday. As I talked to other women who knew their family, our hearts ached: what could we do? After some texts with Julie, Nick’s wife, we had a plan – a surprise car parade for Caleb doubling as a heartfelt thank you to their family. We hoped most of Caleb’s class would come. As our family drove into sight of Res (late, as usual), it was clear we’d underestimated the turnout. We pulled into the parking lot, the fullest it had been in nearly a month, and parked next to friends, our kids immediately scrambling to yell at their classmates through the windows. The school staff had also gotten word, and Fr. Steve was beaming as he walked among
his flock again. As we waved to more families pulling in, I realized we were all grinning, if not crying, like fools. I saw light that day. I saw a parish family determined to live out the virtue of hope at a time when it was easier to despair; a community that chose to manifest Jesus’ love in the form of balloons, handmade signs taped to minivans, and wild cheers. These months haven’t been easy. The temptations of division, resentment, and despair are still here, as is the burden of loneliness. But there is grace. This summer, some parish women began meeting at the Horrocks beer garden before grocery shopping: an open invite to check in and be in each other’s presence. Most of us sat at the outdoor picnic tables, some chose to pull up a chair farther away; some were masked, others not. But the mutual love and understanding was palpable, and the laughter loud. As a friend observed elsewhere, “I’m glad this is a group that strives to love each other more than prove our own points.” God saves us in community, and that’s the kind of community I pray our parish and school becomes more and more each day. That’s the love that saves the world. - Liz Hansen leads the Resurrection Young Families and Couples Group.
For more information about our Young Families and Couples group, email ResYoungFam@gmail.com or visit facebook. com/groups/resyoungfam.
ILLUSTRATING
CATHOLIC FAMILY LIFE SEAN O’NEILL
“W
e’re not experts; just a man and a woman, a husband and wife who love the Lord.” This was how Peter and Debbie Herbeck opened the first talk in our fourth formation course, this time on the topic of family life. Peter is the vice president and director of missions for Renewal Ministries. For more than thirty years, he has been actively involved in evangelization and Catholic renewal throughout the US, Canada, Africa, and Eastern Europe. Peter is a co-host of the weekly television program “The Choices We Face.” He also hosts the daily radio show “Fire on the Earth,” is the author of several books and is a frequent conference speaker. Debbie, a Messianic Jewish Catholic, is, among other things, the founder and director of Be Love Revolution, a ministry to young women, and director of the Renewal Ministries School of Catholic Bible Study. She has authored or co-authored several books on Christian witness and faith. Debbie has worked extensively in youth and women’s ministry for the past thirty years, evangelizing on university campuses, speaking at conferences and retreats, leading mission trips for youth, and directing Pine Hills summer youth camp. Peter and Debbie, have four children and seven grandchildren, and reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The first talk in this series on family life focused on the bond between husband and wife and the Herbecks
reminded us that the main focus of the married relationship should be to help each other get to heaven. “Which sounds nice,” said Debbie, “but it has very practical implications for the couple.” For one thing, for both husband and wife, this involves Jesus being first in each of their lives. That in turn means allowing each other to spend time in daily prayer, seeking strength and love from the limitless love of Jesus. Married life is the place, par excellence, where the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself ” must be lived out. The talk was entertaining, dynamic and insightful and included very practical advice about many aspects of married life, including how to have a successful argument! Learning how to speak to each other with charity and coming up with workable “rules of engagement” is part of the growing pains of any relationship. Using anecdotes and illustrations from their own experience the Herbecks shared their wisdom on how a husband and wife can continue to love each other and grow closer in intimacy even through hard times and difficulties. In the second talk, the Herbecks shared how they expanded the ethos of their married relationship under the headship of Jesus to encompass children and, latterly, grandchildren. Their advice on parenting, again, was peppered with copious illustrations from their own life together and practical hints about how to go about leading children to come to know the Lord and make him the center of their lives through family
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ST. JOHN PAUL II ON
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY Fatherhood and motherhood are themselves a particular proof of love; they make it possible to discover love’s extension and original depth. But this does not take place automatically. Rather, it is a task entrusted to both husband and wife. In the life of husband and wife together, fatherhood and motherhood represent such a sublime “novelty” and richness as can only be approached “on one’s knees” (Gratissimam Sane, 7) - Visit tinyurl.com/letterfamilies to read St. John Paul II’s complete Letter to Families.
Visit corlansing.org/formation-audio to watch all three formation sessions with Peter and Debbie. prayer, the celebration of the Lord’s Day, and practicing hospitality. They also included some very helpful advice on disciplining children in love, husband/wife communication, sharing family responsibility for chores, forgiveness and reconciliation, and regulating the use of media. In talk three, Debbie and Peter showed what a healthy family environment should look like and gave many examples from their own experience of their strategies for evangelizing their children as they grew, what was appropriate at the various different stages and how they led their kids to come to know Christ in a personal way and live out a real, vibrant and committed faith life. They spoke about the influence that healthy friendship groups had in their kids’ development as Christians
and the importance of connecting with like-minded Christian families for support. It is a wonder how Peter and Debbie managed to pack such rich and powerful testimony and wisdom into three talks! This course will be a tremendous resource for our parish families for many years to come. It was a real privilege and pleasure to host Debbie and Peter at the Church of the Resurrection for this formation course and all of those who attended the course either in-person or virtually enjoyed their wisdom, sense of fun, and dynamic presentations. We hope to invite the Herbecks back in the future to share with us their profound witness to Christian marriage and family and their message of hope in these exciting but challenging times. - Sean O'Neill is Director of Outreach, Formation, and Ministry at Church of the Resurrection.
NEXT FORMATION COURSE Coming this December we offer the fifth course in our formation program, entitled “The Power of Prayer.” The course covers three aspects of prayer that are crucial during the unprecedented times in which we live. The talks explain how we can use signs and wonders, including physical and emotional healing, to
accompany the proclamation of the gospel. The course also presents the Catholic perspective on redemptive suffering and inspires us to engage in the spiritual battle by equipping ourselves with tools that can combat the world, the flesh and the devil in our lives. Registration for the course will be available on our website soon.
INVENTIVE CHARTIY LIZ O’NEILL
T
he Society of St. Vincent de Paul (St. Vincent’s) is undergoing some important changes. As you may know, St. Vincent’s moved its food pantry to the former parish office building on Grand River Avenue in 2017. Since then, a small but dedicated and cheerful group of volunteers have continued to help new and returning clients access much needed food, personal hygiene items, utility and rent support, and constructive financial advice. When COVID-19 hit Lansing, some new procedures were put in place to keep things safe for everyone because so many members were considered high risk due to age. But it’s difficult to tell someone who has seen at least a couple of wars, the moon-landings, recessions, depressions, and gas prices going from 40 cents a gallon (1970’s) to $4.25 (2011), to play it safe at home rather than come along to St. Vincent’s! Certain determined heroes continued to come along to help keep the ministry going. St. Vincent’s President, Chuck Lott, was able to adjust operations to the new set-up and help the youngsters who were drafted in to discover the true St. Vincent spirit. Our thanks go to Stacia DeVries and several other volunteers, especially Thomas Crowley, Angela Krause, Chelsea Niemiec, and Trina Zavislan, who all worked hard to get food delivered in the Lansing area. A property recently became available opposite the
Church and Fr. Steve entered into negotiations with its owner. We are now happy to announce that, after some renovation work and preparation, St Vincent’s new venue will be at 1545 Michigan Avenue. Since Chuck Lott has been President of St. Vincent’s for the statutory term, Dan Dowsett will now be helping manage the transition to the new site. As Dan says, “SVdP helps the poor and needy in our community who need assistance with food, clothing, and healing. An essential part of our work is to love, respect, and recognize the dignity of every person that we serve. To quote our patron saint, St. Vincent de Paul: ‘Charity is infinitely inventive.’” There are many unsung heroes who have worked tirelessly over the years to keep St Vincent’s living out the message of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, but Chuck Lott’s leadership of the Society has been exemplary. Chuck will hate it, but if you see him, please thank him for his wonderful service to those in need in our parish neighborhood. - Liz O’Neill teaches Junior English at Lansing Catholic High School.
If you would like to support the Resurrection St. Vincent de Paul Society, please contact Dan Dowsett: dowsett.dan@gmail.com.
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WHAT IS BEAUTY? LOOKING AT PHILIPPE DE CHAMPAIGNE’S ST. AUGUSTINE BRIAN FINK
O
f all the cliches associated with beauty, perhaps the most famous is “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The phrase raises the question, though: What is beauty? The painting on the back cover, Philippe de Champaigne’s famous portrait of Saint Augustine, painted in the late 17th century, may provide a jumping off point. What is beauty, then? In a series of essays entitled “Only the Lover Sings: Art & Contemplation,” the Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper (d. 1997) defines beauty as “the glow of the true and the good irradiating from every ordered state of being.” Pieper understood beauty as a physical manifestation of truth and goodness that could be grasped directly by the senses. When we experience the joy of encountering something beautiful -the sun setting over Lake Michigan or leaves turning in autumn; the grin of a newborn or the hearty laughter of a grandparent; the resounding harmony of a full choir or the subtle meandering of a stream over rocks -- what we’re experiencing is the effect upon the
Beauty...is the way in which the senses experience the truth and goodness of God’s revelation. soul of a tiny sliver of God’s creation revealed in its fullness, flourishing as He intended. Beauty, then, is the way in which the senses experience the truth and goodness of God’s revelation.
Turning to the painting, our eyes are drawn to the three brightest points on the canvas. In the center, we see a representation of Saint Augustine’s mind being illuminated by the ‘light of truth,’ which hovers above the book of the bible. The light penetrates Augustine’s intellect and, having been received, is made manifest in Augustine’s hand as a heart aflame with love, one of the saint’s most memorable attributes. But let’s hear what St. Augustine himself has to say about our delight in beauty. Near the end of his Treatise on Order (A.D. 386), Augustine notes: “In this world of sense, we need to keep clearly before our minds the implications of time and space, so that if something here and now delights us in a fraction of time or space, we must understand that the whole to which that fraction belongs is something far better.” Ultimately then, we understand that the truth, goodness, and beauty we experience find their source in God Himself. And the more we open ourselves up to that love and receive it, the more the eyes of the soul will begin to “see” that love made manifest. - Brian Fink teaches middle school religion and history at Resurrection School.
ST. AUGUSTINE PHILIPPE DE CHAMPAIGNE
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