God Does Speak to All but Is Best Heard in the Silence of Our Hearts
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THE CATHOLIC PAGES 10-11 Catholic Schools Week celebrated February 17,ommentator 2017 Vol. 55, No. 1 SERVING THE DIOCESE OF BATON ROUGE SINCE 1963 thecatholiccommentator.org C WELCOME HOME Teens reach out to refugees By Debbie Shelley The Catholic Commentator “It is difficult to talk about it,” Adhra, 17, said with eyes briefly downcast when asked about her life in poverty-stricken Tanzania, which borders the notoriously vio- lent Democratic Republic of Congo, before coming to the United States with nine relatives. But on Feb. 5 she, like other young refugees from her area, Syria and Iraq who were re- Iraqi family settled over the past receives year in the Baton welcome Rouge area through See page 19 Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge (CCDBR), smiled and giggled as they did something teens normally do – hang out. Their new friends, youth from Baton Rouge Jewish congregations Beth Shalom Refugee teens recently resettled by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge and Jewish teens bonded over activities, such Synagogue and B'nai Israel, eagerly as making origami swans, and food at a meet-and-greet social at Beth Shalom Synagogue on Feb. 5. Photo by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic SEE REFUGEES ON PAGE 19 Commentator God does speak to all but is best heard in the silence of our hearts By Richard Meek Amazingly, the pieces quickly fell in place and she Dina Dow, director of Evangelization and Cateche- The Catholic Commentator plans to open the center in August. sis for the diocese, said she has “definitely” heard God “I feel like it was all God,” she said, adding that she speak to her through prayer, meditation and what Katie Roettger was at a crossroads. believes God spoke to her. “I don’t know how to ex- some might label “coincidences.” Weary of spending lengthy commute times to the plain it.” “I do hear God in my heart and I do hear God in my Catholic Life Center, where she is the young adult Hearing God remains one of the great mysteries of mind,” she said. “All of the time. Heart and mind go to- ministry coordinator for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, the Catholic faith. Some say they hear God on a regu- gether because our conscious is God’s voice within us.” her frustration continued to mount, especially after lar basis, while others are more skeptical. If indeed God does talk to us, why do some say they the flooding when a normally 20-minute drive was So does God really communicate with his followers? are unable to hear? Does God really play favorites, tripled. “Yes, he does,” said Father Miles Walsh, pastor communicating with only a select few? The tipping point came one morning when emo- at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Baton Rouge. “I Perhaps the answer is simply opening one’s ears tion took over and she cried out, “Why do I have to do think it’s important to stress when the Lord made us and soul. this? Why are there so many other moms doing this?” he made us a unity of body and soul. There is a paral- “ ‘In order to really hear something, we have to It was at that moment the idea was planted for lel between the nature of the body and the nature of listen,” Father Walsh said. “We have to tune in. God Roettger to open a part-time care center for young soul. speaks to us in different ways and that is according children in the Brusly area. Rather than “getting a “Just as we can see physically we can see spiritu- to him.” little angry” during her dreadful commute, she began ally, just as we can taste physically we can taste spiri- He added that paying attention is important be- using the time to ask for God’s guidance. tually and see how good the Lord is,” he added. “Cer- cause God speaks to people in a variety of ways, in- “I started praying if this is meant to be let there be tainly the same is true with hearing. Hearing is one cluding Scripture or a timely comment from a friend. no obstacles,” Roettger said. of the mort important senses that we come to know.” SEE SPEAKS ON PAGE 20 2 The Catholic Commentator February 17, 2017 St. Polycarp’s life example of trust Letting go of anxiety As a second generation leader of the death, coming to him in a dream of his By Dina Dow and others is perfected in how we act and Catholic Church, St. Polycarp was one of pillow turning to fire. After that dream, think. Thus, our center is on him, our those rare individuals who was actually he told friends he would be burned alive. So be perfect, just as your heavenly choices are founded on him, and our lives able to mingle with the The vision began to play Father is perfect. (Mt 5:48) are a light of him for others to see. This is Apostles and hear first- out one day when Chris- Do not worry about tomorrow; to- where the notion of being “salt and light” hand their experiences IN tians were being attacked morrow will take care of itself. comes to fruition. The of walking with Je- SA T by wild animals in Sufficient for a day is its more love we show, the ho- sus. OF T TH the arena. An excit- own evil. (Mt 6:34) Life-Giving lier we become. The move St. Polycarp, a HE MON ed crowd became even The Sunday liturgical forgiving we are, the holier disciple of St. John the more blood thirsty, and de- readings for the next two FAI H we become. The more mindful Evangelist, also faced his own challeng- manded that St. Polycarp be found. weeks illuminate a deep per- we are of God’s presence, the es, specifically having to carry on the St. Polycarp briefly went on the run spective of the meaning of life-giving faith. holier we become. message of Christ after all of the eyewit- before police located him in a farm. Isaiah and St. Paul call God’s people to Fight or Flight nesses were gone. Once the Apostles had However, before being led away by his be holy as God is holy. We also see Jesus Hence, Jesus turns the notion of revenge all died, St. Polycarp was left to answer captors, he fed them and was able to radically shifting instruction on how to on its side with a new way of responding to previously unasked questions, relying spend two hours praying. respond to our enemies. He also reassures those who hurt us. Instead of “getting even” on his own knowledge to carry on the He was eventually brought to the are- his followers that God remembers them, so he teaches to refrain from attack and pray teaching of Christ. na and set on fire. But witnesses report- let go of anxiety and trust in his care. for them. Here we see the reality of the spir- St. Polycarp, who was appointed the ed a miracle, seeing the fire form an arch Call to Holiness itual work of mercy “bear wrongs patiently.” bishop of Smyrna and is considered around St. Polycarp. Instead of burning, One may ask, “How can I be holy let A friend once told me, “Don’t add fuel to the one of the most important leaders of witnesses reported a glow around him. alone perfect like God?” St. Thomas fire; rather pour on the kindness and fight the early church, understood there was When his captors saw he was not being Aquinas said that holiness is a virtue “by back without your fist.” only way to answer questions of faith, burned, they stabbed him. Eventually, which our mind applies itself, and all it How many times do we want to set and that was to imitate the life of Jesus it was St. Polycarp’s own fire that extin- thinks and does, to God.” St. Thomas’ sis- another straight because of a hurt they through his own life. guished the flame. ter asked him, “How does one become a instilled upon us? Bishop Robert Barron He could be stern, but when faced St. Polycarp’s life has become an ex- saint.” St. Thomas simply said, “Desire it.” of Los Angeles in his “Catholicism” se- with dissension among the Christian ample of how even in the most difficult of We must want to be holy. ries says there are two kinds of respons- community he was a man of forgiveness challenges we should all turn to Christ. What exactly does it mean to be holy? es to harm: fight or flight. We can stand and respect. The feast of St. Polycarp, who died at Holiness is when we become more like firm and fight with the love of God, or we St. Polycarp had a vision of his own the age of 86, is celebrated Feb. 23. Jesus in all that we do. Our love for God SEE FAITH PAGE 6 It is one of the few sports where having criminals are human beings who are in a good time does not lay solely on a win need of redemption like anyone else. Fa- or a loss. As for my prediction … when it ther Brown even hears the confession of comes to LSU baseball I’m always an op- the perpetrator in some stories. timist. Omaha (Nebraska, site of the col- lege world series). QWho is your role model? What is your favorite book and Qwhy? Though he probably would rather I Anot say, Father Miles Walsh (pastor, A book (really a collection of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Baton Rouge) Abooks) that I can read any time for is my role model.