Vo l u m e 49 March – April 2020 Issue No. 2 In This Issue page PRESIDENT’S President’s Column 1 COLUMN Announcements 4 By Gaylen E. “Sacrament of Reconciliation” by Fr. McKay 6 Welcome dear friends, to this “Navigating the Waters” by Jim R. 8 edition of the Chalice. I have a “The Gift of Suffering” by Tom W. 10 confession to make. It is my fault this edition is so late to reach you. I am ”What to do in the Spin Cycle?” by Chris B. 12 sorry for this, and want to do better Call for Chalice Articles 14 next edition. But left to my own devices, I will probably fall short again. Prayers 15 And so, I must ask God for help to do Prayer Requests 16 better, and pray for the willingness and discipline to start earlier. And then start writing sooner. I share this with you because the theme of this Chalice edition is the sacrament of Penance. Also, there was not much of significance to write about the last two months. Unless you want to count Holy week, the Passion, Death, and the Resurrection. Or the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday. And then there’s this Covid-19 thing. First, the Resurrection – to paraphrase Church historian Jaroslav Pelikan, “If Christ died, nothing matters. But if Christ is Risen, nothing else matters”! We are taught that “The Paschal mystery has two aspects: by His Death, Christ liberates us from sin; by His Resurrection, He opens for us the way to a new life.” (CCC 654). One could say that the Paschal mystery is the greatest love story of all time! Bishop Baron called this Easter “an explosion, an earthquake, a revolution.” As to why it matters so massively, he tells us that “If the Resurrection is only a bland symbol or a projection of our desires, then tyrants have nothing to fear from it. But if it is a fact of history, an act of the living God in space and time, then sinners have real cause to repent.” So, repent we must, but we need God’s help to do so. Because of my human nature, my frailty and weakness, I fall short of how I would like to be, how God would have me be. My new life in Christ, washed free of sin in Baptism, is threatened by sin. But Continued on next page March – April 2020 President’s Column, by Gaylen E. (Continued) God is Love, and in His love and mercy for us, He continues to reach out to us to offer reconciliation to Him. This is made possible by the gift of grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, also called the Sacrament of Forgiveness, Confession and Conversion. I didn’t pay attention as a child and teenager being raised in the Church. But today I use the tools the Church has provided us, and I find the US Catechism for Adults very helpful when it comes to the teachings of our Catholic Faith. And it was the Conversion section that captured my attention, because it explained so much of what I have experienced in my spiritual journey. “The Sacrament of Penance must be seen within the context of conversion from sin and a turn to God. Sin harms our relationship with God and damages our communion with the Church” (237). Conversion is about turning away from my sinful and weak nature and turning toward God. As a recovering alcoholic, this makes complete sense to me. It is what I was taught in the spiritual journey of the 12 Steps. I confess that I am a mess, and that I can’t fix myself with myself. I came to hope, and then believe that God could restore me. I made a decision to turn and convert my life from my will to God’s will. To convert from a life of sinfulness to a life of holiness. To convert from a life of selfishness and self-centeredness to a one of love and service to my neighbors, starting with my own family. To convert from a life of fear to a trust in God. And I fall short. But I get up, dust myself off, ask for forgiveness, make amends, and try again. And I know that God’s love and mercy is greater than my sins, and that by His grace, I will have a chance to succeed the next time. “On Easter Sunday, God gave the As a recovering alcoholic, in Penance and the Eucharist, I can rely upon the apostles the power to forgive our sacramental presence of Christ, and His sins, so that it is possible that sin power and grace, to reconcile me with God and others, in a way that would committed can be forgiven.” never be possible on my own. That is why God entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Church. On Easter Sunday, God gave the apostles the power to forgive our sins, so that it is possible that sin committed can be forgiven. Our priests, through Christ and the Holy Spirit, have this power. Praise God. ********************* Now about that Covid-19. I have another confession; I haven’t been to Mass in over a month! Nor have I gone to any of the 900+ AA meetings in the many church basements in Cleveland. And what’s more, chances are, you haven’t either! Our families, neighbors and our nation are going through a dark and treacherous time, with unthinkable numbers of suffering and death. Many have lost loved ones. And as if this weren’t difficult enough, many of us have lost our jobs, and the ability to provide for ourselves and our families. Information is often contradictory, and we may not know where to turn. It is easy to become overwhelmed in fear, and with few solutions in hand, to fall prey to despair. Page 2 - The Chalice March – April 2020 President’s Column, by Gaylen E. (Continued) But there is cause for hope. The stars shine brightest on the darkest of nights. And God uses the cracks in our lives to shine through the light of His presence and love. We are not alone. We have God, our families, and the fellowship of His Church and our 12 Step programs. And while we may not be able to meet in person, the Holy Spirit still works through God’s gifts of technology. So, we meet online. We communicate with each other through the safe distance of our cell phones and social media. While safe distancing demands that we isolate, we cannot afford to isolate from the support of each other in recovery. We cannot believe the lie that tells us we can make it on our own. Since we cannot meet in person, the Calix Board has responded by expanding our National Calix Online weekly meetings. We would like to expand these national meetings further, and would welcome Unit leaders and members to contact us with suggestions or offers to host meetings. Many local groups have established their own Zoom accounts for this purpose. The Society has also opened up our Zoom account for availability. Further details are inside the Chalice. ********************* Finally, I would like to share a prayer. Page 3 - The Chalice March – April 2020 Announcements 2020 Annual Calix Retreat - Cancelled Ø Because of the Covic-19 pandemic, the Annual Calix Retreat will not be held this year in 2020. We will move forward with plans to hold the retreat in late summer 2021. This was such a difficult decision for the Board to make because we love seeing you, and we will miss your fellowship so very much. Ø Because the election of new officers takes place during the annual retreat, the Board decided to retain all current members of leadership for another year until we hold the 2021 retreat. The cancellation / postponement of a retreat is unprecedented as far as we know, and there are no protocols in our bylaws to address what to do in a situation like this. However, given the circumstances, the Board agreed that this was the right thing to do. Page 4 - The Chalice March – April 2020 Announcements Even MORE Online Calix Meetings As we follow directives to shelter in place and isolate to aid in our community's response, we are reminded of the dangers of isolating from our support groups in sobriety and spirituality. And of the hope we find in the Risen Christ, our Catholic faith, our Church, and the fellowships of Calix and our 12 Step programs. In response, the Calix Society has increased the number of Calix online meetings. We welcome you to join one or more, to see how you may both benefit from and contribute to it. Below is the schedule of weekly meetings: Note: For the duration of time when we cannot meet in person, the Tuesday and Thursday Online meetings are now weekly, along with our Wednesday and Saturday meetings. Tuesday - 8:00 p.m. ET - A 12 Step Approach to the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius - 11th Meditation Wednesday - 8:00 p.m. ET - Beginner's Meeting Thursday - 8:00 p.m. ET - Calix and the 12 Steps - Liturgy of the Hours Saturday - 12:00 p.m. ET - Lectio Divina We use a technology platform called Zoom for our online meetings. For those who have never joined a Zoom meeting, Zoom is a format which accommodates many people at one time via video conference or by phone. Join from your computer by clicking this Link. If joining by telephone, dial 1 646 558 8656, and enter Meeting ID: 761562941 Whether by computer or phone, use this passcode: 19491949 International numbers available: click this link.