SMU Catholic Weekly Blogs

Getting a Catholic Education at SMU

Strong academic reputation. Gorgeous campus. Lively social scene. These are among the brochure-ready reasons for choosing to enroll at SMU. All are true. Here’s one I bet nobody thought of: Get a top-notch Catholic Education. At a Methodist university? A Catholic education? I must be confusing Dallas Hall for Notre Dame’s Golden Dome (minus a certain statue).

I want to suggest that not only is it NOT a wild idea, but that it is distinctly possible and highly encouraged. It all depends on what we mean by “Catholic education”. To be Catholic requires more than rote knowledge of facts and moral rules. Catholicism is a comprehensive way of life – an organic, living tradition that has always enlisted faith and reason together in the pursuit of wisdom and truth about the natural and the supernatural. Only with this starting point in mind do the spiritual practices, the moral conclusions, the dutiful commitments to God and others that have added up from following Jesus in this way of life and that are integral to our shared Christian life begin to make sense and take on their fullest meaning. Doctrine, therefore, is essential, but it must be understood in the context of the God-seeking, Jesus-following, Spirit-led way of life that discerned it and developed it thoughtfully and prayerfully over 2000 years.

If this is what it means to be Catholic, then it is possible to turn every course at SMU into a Catholic course. Looking at each new class through this Catholic lens, every class – Marketing and Medieval Doorknobs, Physics and Basket Weaving – becomes a “Catholic” class. If to know God is to know the world created by God, then every lecture, every assignment becomes an opportunity to learn more about both.

But that’s not it. What we believe is not meant solely for hearty discussions and high fives at the Catholic “club” after class. Our Catholic Education is meant to have implications for how we live with others and for how it compels us to engage the culture we live in. A Catholic education at SMU ought to mean that we offer our insight and wisdom with conviction on serious matters that concern us all – human values, justice, and social responsibility, among others – and, by doing so, transform the campus culture in light of the Gospel.

Such a shift of perspective does not just happen, though. To make the leap to a mature understanding of our Catholic lives and, thereby, pursue a Catholic education that complements the world-class one you’re already getting at SMU, takes guts and time and study. That’s where SMU Catholic can help. Beginning this week on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m., we begin offering “/101/ Catholic Basics”. /101/ approaches the “basics” from this comprehensive point of view. The topics presented each week build a framework for a mature adult Catholic faith and lay the groundwork for seeking a Catholic education at SMU. Each “mini-course” lasts four weeks and ends with an anything-goes “Stump the Priest” session. The first “mini-course” starts this Thursday, asking “Did God write the Bible?”. Contact Erin Duffy for more details.

If we commit to this way of living and learning our faith, then we can truly get a Catholic Education at SMU. Now if we could only find a building tall enough for Touchdown Jesus.

Live What You Believe

As the new school year begins, so does the flurry of decision we have to make. Before the end of the semester many will choose classes, majors, minors, study abroad programs, clubs, scripts, Greek affiliations, friends, significant others, social destinations, jobs, careers, grad schools and wedding venues. The sheer volume of life-shaping choices going on around us is reason enough for all us to stop and take a deep breath. What will all the choices add up to? How can we know steps we are choosing will lead to a life well lived? How can we be sure that we are becoming the person God created us to be?

I have no answers, unfortunately, just more questions – two more, in fact, fundamental to the ones posed above: 1) What are you living for? 2) What, if anything, is keeping you from living fully for the thing I want to live for? Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk who lived in the mid 20th century in Kentucky, posed these two questions as central to discovering our very identity. He understood the inseparable nature of belief and action. He wrote, “If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents an unsettling picture of what can result from ignoring the crucial interplay between our actions and choices and what motivates them. In Luke’s Gospel, we encounter it this way: those who thought they were doing the “right” things find themselves on the outside looking in when the master tells them, “I do not know where you are from.” Jesus warns us to check what’s behind our actions. He challenges us to come clean: Do your actions really give evidence to what you believe?

To grapple with these questions honestly and consistently is difficult, even painful. Personally, I’d rather not, out of fear I may not like the answers. I fear I may discover that the way I live my life does not genuinely line up with what I say I am living for, or, even worse, that I refuse to give up what is keeping me from doing it. But that is the very reason I must. Asking these tough questions of ourselves gives us a way to check whether the values and purpose we claim to be about, as followers of Jesus, match up with the life-shaping choices me make as well as the ordinary, everyday ones.

Words for the Road Ahead

As I contemplated the message with which I wanted to end the school year, any words I considered sharing with graduating seniors and graduate students, or with others moving on from our community to join other ones elsewhere, seemed to fall short. So I turned to some of my friends for inspiration. After reading some of their words, I decided to simply cut out the middleman. So these words are dedicated to all of those who have shared the journey with us this year and are moving on to share their life in new places. God Bless you all.

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
~ Thomas Merton (1916-1968), Trappist monk, author, theologian

AT THE END OF LIFE we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done.
We will be judged by 'I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was naked and you clothed me, I was homeless and you took me in.'
Hungry not only for bread -- but hungry for love. Naked not only for clothing -- but naked for human dignity and respect. Homeless not only for want of a room of bricks -- but homeless because of rejection.
~ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

DO NOT LOOK with fear on the changes and chances of this life.
Rather, look with faith that as they arise, God, whose you are,
will deliver you from them.

He has kept you hitherto.
Do not but hold fast to His dear hand, and He will
lead you safely through all things. And when you cannot stand,
He will carry you in His arms.

Do not look forward to what might happen tomorrow.
The same Everlasting Father who cares for you today
will take care of you tomorrow and every day.
Either He will shield you from suffering,
or give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.
~Saint Francis de Sales (15670-1622)

Go Ahead, Ask the Dreaded Question

At this time of year, a question that will annoy almost any senior is “So, what are you doing next year?” With “next year” about to start in about a month, the question brings to the surface all sorts of anxiety about the future and one’s direction in life , not to mention saying goodbye to the good life of college. But Seniors aren’t the only ones that experience anxiety when questioned about the future. All of us to some degree and at different points in our life are unsettled about the basic questions of identity and purpose that underlie our choices about career and our discernment about vocation.

I believe much of our anxiety is rooted in confusion about what it means to have a vocation. As Catholics, we hear the term “vocation” and we automatically think “priest” or “nun”. We all understand what a career is. It’s often the answer to the “What do you do?” question we get from a stranger on an airplane. Career is related to identity. It helps define who we are. But vocation is something else. It’s related to our purpose. It does not so much describe what we do, but why we do it. But it is even more than finding a cause to motivate our work. Vocation is connecting our God-given talents and passions with God’s mission in the world. Frederick Buechner famously put it this way, “The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Sometimes our vocation can be what we do at our “day job”, but often it transcends it and manifests itself in our relationships, family life and religious practice. A vocation is discerned not chosen. To discern a vocation we need to pray, read the stories of our faith found in Scripture and in the lives of the saints, reflect on our daily lives, and seek the advice of people we trust. A vocation is a calling that we listen for in the everyday rhythms of our life. Our awareness of it evolves and deepens over time, with every step we take to live it out.

Below are some web resources designed to be helpful for any of us asking questions about the interplay between career and vocation and how to discern both.

So go ahead and ask the question: What are you doing next year?

www.practicingourfaith.org Click on “Discernment”. A great resource from the folks that fund our Vickery Meadow efforts. This project understands that our faith is something we live out, not just believe in. The Discernment section is rich with additional materials including a “Ways to Practice” the practice of discernment.

www.exploreministry.org For anyone considering a vocation in ministry, ordained or lay, this site offers helpful tools and guidance.

www.opportunityknocks.org If you’ve already discerned what you’re passionate about and want to see if you can make a living doing it, check out this job search site. It’s the Monster.com of the non-profit world. Type in a cause you are passionate about and find out who’s hiring.

Redefining Security and Freedom

“It could have happened here.” That’s what many of us have been saying to each other on campus ever since the horror of Monday’s shootings began unfolding. While our hearts ache for the victims and their families, and for the entire Virginia Tech community, the unsettling thing is that we can relate too easily to the types of places and people and relationships associated with the tragic events. Our thoughts turn toward our own dorm rooms and classrooms, toward the people we know who are like the victims, and even like the shooter. Much of our anxiety is rooted in that sobering thought, “It could have happened here.”

The conversation naturally turns toward protection and safety. What can we do to make sure it doesn’t happen here, we ask. So we review emergency procedures. We commit to being more vigilant. We beef up security. All are reasonable things to do. Each helps.

We also try to make sense of the senseless, as if finding the “cause” of what went wrong there will better prepare us to avoid the same mistake here. We look for what broke, so we can fix it. Part of this process involves laying blame: on the system, on the administration, on the parents, on a violent society and even on ourselves. Again, all of these impulses are normal and each raises valid points that shed light on the particulars of the events.

But, ultimately, and this is the hard part for me to swallow, there is no such thing as a foolproof system of protection. There is no way to be 100% safe. Things like this, lamentably, just happen. The confluence of factors and reasons prove too complicated in each instance, turning any hope of prevention into a fleeting prospect. And so we are left with a vulnerability that makes most of us very uncomfortable. Our very freedom seems to be threatened when we admit to this vulnerability. But I believe if we linger on this sobering realization, we have an opportunity to learn something from our sadness – something about the true meaning of a freedom and security that comes as a direct result of our vulnerability, not despite it.

As people of faith, we believe that we are ultimately free when we are bound by nothing and we are secure when we are living as the person God created us to be with and for others. To find a definition of freedom and security that accounts for our inherent vulnerability, then, we need to look to Jesus. If the Incarnation – God becoming flesh; the Infinite becoming finite – is not an example of embracing vulnerability, then I don’t know what is.

Too often we confuse freedom with autonomy. We equate being in control with security. The great paradox at the center of life in Christ is that freedom and security come, not from independence, but from interdependence. One of the first steps we take toward truly being secure and experiencing freedom comes when we realize how much we need one another. Withdrawing from others in fear, in the name of safety, is a step away from freedom and security. In the Mystery of the Incarnation, we encounter God as the embodiment of freedom through total self-giving vulnerability.

Easter: More than one day

Easter is not just one day on the calendar. With last night's Easter Vigil, the Church began "the great Sunday" that lasts for 50 days. It is a 50-day celebration that starts today and lasts until Pentecost Sunday. Although, it would seem natural for Easter to feel more like an end to Lent, the time of repentance and conversion that prepares us to fully enter into Easter, it is, in fact, the celebration of new beginnings, of our salvation renewed, and of humankind reconciled to God.
It used to be that the Church's calendar used the term "after" to name the Sundays following Easter, as in the "the Second Sunday after Easter". Now, since the reforms that emerged from the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, those Sundays are "of" Easter, indicating that Easter is one unified feast lifting up Jesus' victory over death. The Ascension is on the 40th day of Easter (except when it is transferred to the Seventh Sunday of Easter) and begins a time of preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Pentecost Sunday – when we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit to the People of God – marks the end of the Easter season.
The changes to the Church calendar place the great feast of Easter, lasting fifty days, at the center of the Christian year. Throughout the Easter season, the Easter candle, lit for the first time last night at the Easter Vigil from a fire outside the Catholic Center, will be placed in a prominent place in the sanctuary and will be lighted at every liturgical service between Easter and Pentecost. White is the main liturgical color of the Easter season. The vestments of the celebrants at Mass will be white throughout Easter and return to the green of Ordinary Time only after Pentecost.
Easter is about new life. The Risen Jesus', fulfilled by his total self-gift, following God's call fearlessly even unto the cross. And it is about our new life, offered by God through the perfect sign of Divine Love, Jesus, and sustained forever by the Holy Spirit. The new life begins now, it not something waiting for us in the afterlife. It is to be made manifest in us daily by the turning of our hearts toward God and the expressions of authentic compa ssion for friend and stranger, making the Easter Miracle, the Resurrection, both a life-changing gift and continuous challenge that lasts far longer than this day or the 49 that follow.

Holy Week, Sacred Rhythm

Often the academic calendar is at odds with the schedules of our religious traditions. Although we may need to strain to hear it amidst the building pressure of a semester at its end, this week the sacred beat of our faith calls all Christians into a deeper rhythm that recognizes and celebrates God’s reality in the world. We recall our history and our hope. We cycle through the mysteries of life, death and resurrection. We are transformed into Easter people once again.

In today’s Palm Sunday celebration, we remember and become part of Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. We wave palms. We sing our way into the church. But although the liturgy begins on a decidedly high note, it is not long before we put down our palm branches to hear of the betrayal that ends with Jesus crucified on the cross. With Palm Sunday, often called Passion Sunday, we kickoff the holiest week of the year. What follows the end of Lent on Wednesday is Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Together referred to as the Triduum, or more often as Holy Week, they are, in reality, one liturgy spanning three nights.

With each, we are invited to reflect more fully on the mystery of Jesus’ saving sacrifice on the cross and the promise of his resurrection from the dead. On Holy Thursday, we touch the intimacy of Jesus’ self-giving way in the ritual foot-washing. On Good Friday, we embrace with Jesus the cross of death as the way to a life beyond all understanding. On Holy Saturday, we proclaim with joy the history of God’s saving love throughout all the ages. If you have never experienced the three-day Triduum liturgy, then I encourage you to take part in our community’s Holy Week prayer this week beginning each day at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel of the Annunciation at the Neuhoff Catholic Student Center.

In an opportunity unique to our campus, this week we have a chance to model for all unity among the many Christ-following campus communities. Beginning on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m., the Catholic community will join other Christians from a variety of campus ministries including Campus Crusade for Christ, the Wesley Foundation, Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Canterbury Episcopal, Victory Campus Ministries, Young Life and many others for a 24-hour prayer vigil on campus. Like Jesus prayed on the night before his death, we will be praying for unity among the people of God so that “they may be brought to perfection as one” (John 17:23). Jesus’ prayed that unity among his disciples would be a clear sign of the Father’s love. So we gather, in response to Jesus’ prayer, through the night on Tuesday and continuing all of Wednesday, leading up to a campus-wide prayer and worship service at 8:00 p.m. in the Umphrey Lee Ballroom. Check out the Facebook group SMU 24 Hour Prayer for more details about location and sign ups for specific times.

On Tap: Cold Brew and Hot Topics

This week, we’ll kickoff our Theology on Tap speaker series on Thursday night at the Tipperary Inn in Lakewood. Each night at 7:00 p.m., we’ve invited a dynamic speaker to offer some inspirational food for thought to go with our drinks. The setting will be relaxed with plenty of time to enjoy good company while learning to live out our faith as adults.

Here’s the lineup: (Check out smucatholic.org for updates.)

March 8th :: I’m Spiritual, Not Religious…Can I Still be Catholic?
Do spirituality and religion really have to be at odds? Is it possible to “be spiritual” without some kind of organized set of religious practices? The truth is being “religious” means more than knowing the rules. Dr. Judy Henneberger, SMU’s own Associate Chaplain, leads off the series with a look at the rich Catholic spiritual traditions and explores how we can learn to be both spiritual and religious.

March 15th :: Beyond a Paycheck: Finding the Path to Passion and Purpose
Whether you are contemplating life after graduation, are already staring at the walls of your cubicle, or are enjoying the view from your corner office, SMU alum Fr. Anthony Lackland will offer thoughts on how to stop looking for the "right job” and start listening for “God’s calling.” God calls all of us to serve by passionately sharing our unique gifts and talents -- and it doesn't have to happen AFTER work and weekends. Learn how to turn your passion into your day job.

March 22nd :: The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment while Keeping your Clothes On
New York editor Dawn Eden tells about her conversion from a Sex and the City lifestyle to a way of life that embraced hope, holiness and integrity. Hear about how she's bringing chastity back and the life change that has put her at the front of a sexual revolution. Read more about her and her book that is getting rave reviews at www.thethrillofthechaste.com or see her on YouTube.

March 29th :: Living with Courage and Commitment in a Crazy World
Authentic relationships are at the heart of the search for purpose and meaning in our lives. Monsignor Milam Joseph doesn’t usually need a microphone and he won’t when he closes the series with a challenge to all of us: live boldly with others and for others. To be true followers of Christ, we must take up Jesus’ mission of healing into a broken world.

Don't Forget the Almsgiving Part

In Ash Wednesday’s Gospel reading, Jesus refers to three ancient spiritual practices: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. When practiced with openness and consistency, each can lead to a deeper encounter with the Divine Mystery of God. Thanks to meatless Fridays and the practice of “giving up” something for Lent, most of us are familiar with fasting during Lent. Likewise, during Lent many of us may be inspired to spend some extra time in prayer, perhaps by meditating on the Stations of the Cross or attending a reconciliation service before going to confession. Both practices offer worthy ways to make an extra effort during Lent. Hopefully some will bear fruit well after its 40 days are up. But what about the practice that Jesus begins with in the Gospel reading: Almsgiving? How will we stretch to go beyond spiritual practices that are often focused on ourselves and reach out to serve others?

Here are just a few ways to help us focus on almsgiving this Lent.

Operation Rice Bowl: A little spare change can go a long way, especially if all of us are collecting it. Operation Rice Bowl is a national project that benefits both the local and international aid efforts of Catholic Relief Services. After Mass, pick up your own “Rice Bowl” coin box and start putting your spare change in it instead of in between the sofa cushions.

Tutoring in Vickery Meadow: Beginning this week, meet at the Catholic Center at 3:00 p.m. every Wednesday to head over to help kids for Vickery Meadow with their homework and make some friends along the way.

Service Projects: Throughout Lent, pitch-in on other worthwhile projects in Vickery Meadow like a field day with games and fun for the children.

For more details on all of these opportunities contact Laura at larellan@smu.edu.

Be a Smart Catholic

Next time you're at the keyboard, putting off getting started on a paper, kill some time on these sites. I picked them on their ability to educate relatively quickly on important burning questions. When you’re done, you won’t be any closer to being finished with the paper, but you may have learned a few things nonetheless.

Where in the Bible does it say that!?
ScriptureCatholic.com
Catholics don’t have a reputation for knowing their bible. Now we have some help from scripturecatholic.com. The author of this site has created an easy to navigate site that lays out scripture references related to the basics of Catholic belief. He also includes excerpts from ancient Christian writings that give evidence to early church practice. The site could use commentary that interprets the scriptures in context but it still provides a helpful beginning point for studying scripture and church tradition.

How can we prove God exists?
www.peterkreeft.com
This site contains essays and audio from a much more seasoned Catholic writer and apologist, philosopher Peter Kreeft. Kreeft is the author of more than 45 books and lectures around the country. The site’s “featured writings” tackle tough topics like the existence of God, the divinity of Christ and Heaven and Hell while offering insightful essays on prayer, time and love. Go hear when you’re ready to think hard – remember Kreeft is a philosopher – and go beyond simplistic answers.

What is the Catholic position on ________ (fill in the blank)?
www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects/csmg2007.htm
If you are looking for solid material on contemporary issues like the war in Iraq or poverty in America, check out these “backgrounders” issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The page lists position papers and congressional statements that spell out the American Church’s stance on a wide range of domestic and international social concerns based on our Catholic social and moral principles.

How can I do something meaningful to help?
campus.crs.org
Catholic Relief Services – the American Church’s international relief agency – provides a website specifically geared to a campus audience. Their Campus Connections site contains resources for college students, faculty and staff on the most pressing international issues like the genocide in Darfur, fair trade, and the AIDS pandemic in Africa. Go there to be informed and moved to take action.