Category Archives: Religious Life

JUDAISM AND CATHOLICISM – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Apostles, Church, Community, Conversion, Early Church Fathers, Family, How to be Catholic, Jewish roots, Prayer, Relationships, Religious Life, Scripture, Spirituality, The Holy Land, Tradition

Most people do not think about it, but our Christian/Catholic faith grew out of Judaism and continues many of the same values and worship. I have grown to see this in so many ways. I was very fortunate to have contact with Judaism while in High School. My first job was at a local clothing store owned by Abe Brown, a practicing Jewish man. I started there when I was just 16 doing mostly menial work. As I came to know Abe, and his family, I saw the faith that they shared as a close knit Jewish family. Abe was always so kind to me and treated me with great respect. That impressed me. I worked my way up to being a sales person. He gave me so many positive values.

Several years later, I also was fortunate to find a great Jewish family who helped my wife and me out while I was newly married and in the service. I had just moved to a new assignment at Fort Hood, Texas and had only thirty two dollars in my pocket and no where to stay. The Army base housing unit put me in contact with Abe Weiss, a good Jewish man who owned a local clothing store. I was impressed by the similarity to my situation in my home town. Mr. Weiss owned some apartments and had one available in about 10 days. We hit it off very well and I told him that I was not sure what to do as I had only thirty two dollars to my name, and no where to stay until then. He told me that he had a spare bedroom in his house and invited my wife and me to stay there until the apartment was available. He also told me that we could join him and his family for his meals. Not only that, but he called the Red Cross and arranged for them to give me sixty dollars so that I could have some spending money. I thought to myself, what a good Christian thing for this Jewish man to do. I later found out that helping others was a very Jewish thing to do, a mitzvah, and Christians learned it from them. His hospitality inspired my wife and me to, several times, open our homes to those who were in need and crossed out path.

Recently, I had a person who I knew from the YMCA gym tell me about a dire situation that he was in. He was 40 years old, between jobs, and living in a very unpleasant, and possibly harmful situation. He didn’t have the money to get his own place, and seemed stuck in this bad housing that he was in. I prayed about it and felt the Lord tell me to invite him to live in one of the spare bedrooms that I had. He took me up on that and it has worked out very well for both of us. His mother told me that it probably saved his life and that she was so relieved by it. This man was Jewish by birth and choice, and had lived on a kibbutz in Israel to strengthen his faith. He is quite proud of his Judaism and has also embraced Jesus as the Messiah. I guess you could call him a Jewish-Christian. He says his Jewish prayers from his Sefer and also says Christian prayers, I have learned a great deal from him about Judaism. He is very intelligent and knows how to read and speak Hebrew. He asked if he could pray, out loud, his Jewish prayers (see picture) in my home and I told him that he could. I pray the Catholic Liturgy of the Hours and invited him to do so with me. He downloaded the free app IBREVIARY and we pray morning and evening prayers TOGETHER and he also prays his Jewish prayers. We also sometimes pray the long Office of Readings together. It is a marvelous time for both of us.

A few years ago I made friends with the Jewish Rabbi who headed the reformed synagogue in Patchogue. Recently he was transferring out of state and invited me to come to his last Shabbat service. Of course I brought my new housemate and we prayed there for 3 hours. It was beautiful. My friend hit it off well with the Rabbi, both spoke Hebrew, and the Rabbi asked him to read from the sacred scriptures. He was so thrilled. The Rabbi asked me to offer a prayer. It was a great time. I was so impressed by the reverence that was shown to the Torah, the sacred scriptures. I felt God’s presence there in such a real way. I had done many Inter-Faith services in that synagogue and felt the holiness there, but this time, being present with the Jewish liturgy, made me feel the holiness even more.

When you think about Christianity, it rose out of Judaism. Jesus, and His twelve apostles were all Jews and lived out the Jewish faith. The Christian scriptures (the New Testament) tell us about how the early Christians would go to their own homes for the “breaking of the bread” (the Eucharist) but go to the temple for the prayers. Those Jewish prayers evolved in to the Liturgy of the Hours that Bodhi and I pray together every day. There is no doubt that Christianity and Judaism share deep historical and theological roots. Even the Catholic mass has many parts that relate back to the Jewish passover liturgy. We both share the same Old Testament and we both pray daily prayers using the psalms. We both place a high value on TRADITION and the importance of communal prayers and of doing good deeds. I can’t help but to think of another good deed, or mitzva, that another good Jewish friend of mine did. He and I grew up in the same town and went to the same High School and knew each other, but really developed our present friendship through Facebook. We share many of the same values. He loves his Judaism, and I love my Christianity. A few years ago I was chosen as the Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick’s day parade in my village. Without telling me, he came from out of state to celebrate with me. His mitzva in doing that meant so much to me.

As much as there is similarity between Judaism and Christianity, there are differences. It is important to recognize those and respect each other. In the Vatican II council, the Catholic church recognized that the Covenant that God made with the Jewish people is a very real and STILL existant part of His plan. Even though many Protestant religions feel the need to evangelize the Jews and make them Christians, Catholics do not do this. I think that it is import for us to celebrate both are similarity, and our difference. God chose the Jewish people as the “apple of God’s eye”. Christianity arose from Judaism and we both recognize ONE GOD and see Abraham as our father of faith. We both live by the ten commandments and the need to treat our neighbor well, and help meet his needs. We both look forward to the end of time where God will make all things new and redeemed. God is good.

SUFFERING: A Catholic Perspective by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Agony and Difficulty, Anxiety and Worry, Blessed Virgin Mary, Charity, Church, Cross to Bear, Crucifixion, Death and Dying, Divine Mercy, Early Church Fathers, Forgiveness, Holiness, Holy Spirit, How to be Catholic, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Relationships, Religious Life, Saints, Scripture, Sin, Suffering

Most of us desire true happiness and true peace and true joy in our lives. It is only right to desire it.. I also think that God desires the same for us; afterall, we are His children. But truthfully, often life is filled with a great deal of suffering. Also, some people have more suffering than others and we can’t help but to wonder why. The Church tells us that suffering is a consequence of Original Sin. I think that the Catholic Church is one of the few, if not only, religious body to have significant answers as to why we suffer, and more importantly, how we deal with suffering.

The Catholic Faith teaches us that there are two main attitudes towards suffering. First of all it says that we must do all that we can to try to prevent and alleviate the suffering of others. We are called by Jesus to reach out to those who suffer by feeding the poor, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger (or those who feel alone), clothing the poor, caring for the sick and visiting those in prison (Matthew 25: 31-46). He also tells us to bring the Good News to those who haven’t heard it. The scriptures are filled with examples of Jesus taking away the suffering of others.

The second attitude toward suffering relates to our own suffering and how we are called to handle it. As much as the scriptures are filled with how Jesus alleviates the suffering of others, it is also filled with how He Himself has suffered. Jesus was often mistreated, humiliated, and given terrible physical suffering. If Jesus endured suffering, why should we think that we won’t? This article is based upon dealing with the sufferings that may befall us.

All of the suffering that we endure must also consider the suffering that Jesus endured. It is in His suffering, that we can make sense of our own suffering. As a matter of fact, the Church invites us to unite our suffering to the suffering of Jesus, and in doing so see how we participate in making a change to this world and to ourselves. The suffering of Jesus on the cross, can show us how to endure our own suffering and turn it towards the redemption of the world. Jesus was the redeemer and source of all redemption, but we can join our suffering to His to continue His redemption for all peoples. St. Paul even goes so far as to say that, “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the Church”. (Corinthians 1:24) It should be noted that St. Paul suffered greatly, He was beaten, stoned, imprisoned, shipwrecked and came close to dying several times. He also had is own “thorn in the flesh”. We do not know what that was, but we do know that he cried out to God several times to remove it due to the pain it caused him.

St. Paul tells us that God allows us to endure suffering and causes us to benefit from that suffering. He says in Romans 5: 3-1 that suffering produces endurance which builds character which leads us in to HOPE. This combination of enduring suffering while embracing hope helps us realize that our source of strength is God Himself. It helps us to acknowledge our total dependance upon God. Paul goes on to tell us that his suffering has him “boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses” and to see that in his own weaknesses, the strength of God shines forth. In Galations St. Paul says, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ… Let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus”. The “marks of Jesus” were probably scars from all his own beatings but some wonder if St. Paul was the first to receive the stigmata.

St. Paul wasn’t the only one who talked about suffering. St. James tells us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1: 2-4). St, Peter says, “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear this name”.(1Peter 4:16). He again adds, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will and continue to do good, entrust their souls to a faithful Creator” (1Peter 4:19). St. Peter also tells us, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, and strengthen you” (1 Peter 5:10). St. Timothy says, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). St. John, in his Gospel has Jesus saying, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”. There is no doubt that suffering is a part of the Christian life in this world.

Many of the early Christians suffered greatly, some to the point of dying for the faith.. Those that did die for the faith, the martys, have always been seen by the Church to be special people to God. Many of the Saints suffered and I thought that it would be good to include some quotes from them.

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity says, “For my heart is always with Him, day and night it thinks unceasingly of its heavenly and divine Friend, to whom it wants to prove its affection. Also within it arises this desire: not to die, but to suffer long, to suffer for God, to give Him its life while praying for poor sinners.”

St, Ignatius of Loyola adds, “If God sends you many sufferings, it is a sign that He has great plans for you and certainly wants to make you a saint.”

St. John of the Cross tells us, “The road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane. In other words, he must be truly resolved to suffer willingly for the love of God in all things.”

St. Faustina, who gave us the devotion to the Divine Mercy says, “In order to purify a soul, Jesus uses whatever instruments he likes. My soul underwent a complete abandonment on the part of creatures; often my best intentions were misinterpreted by the sisters, a type of suffering which is most painful; but God allows it, and we must accept it because in this way we become more like Jesus.”

St. Madeline (Sophie Barat) says, “As iron is fashioned by fire and on the anvil, so in the fire of suffering and under the weight of trials, our souls receive that form which our Lord desires them to have.”

St. Ignatius of Loyola again adds, “ If God gives you an abundant harvest of trials, it is a sign of great holiness which He desires you to attain. Do you want to become a great saint? Ask God to send you many sufferings. The flame of Divine Love never rises higher than when fed with the wood of the Cross, which the infinite charity of the Savior used to finish His sacrifice. All the pleasures of the world are nothing compared with the sweetness found in the gall and vinegar offered to Jesus Christ. That is, hard and painful things endured for Jesus Christ and with Jesus Christ.”

St, Theresa of Avila tells us, “Suffering is a great favor. Remember that everything soon comes to an end . . . and take courage. Think of how our gain is eternal.”

St. Faustina again says, “Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Saviour; in suffering love becomes crystallised; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.”

St. Therese of Lisieux told her novices, “I always want to see you behaving like a brave soldier who does not complain about his own suffering but takes his comrades’ wounds seriously and treats his own as nothing but scratches.”

St. Francis de Sales tells us, “All the science of the Saints is included in these two things: To do, and to suffer. And whoever had done these two things best, has made himself most saintly.”

Even Mary, the Mother of Our Lord, suffered. The prophet Simeon foretold Mary’s Suffering when he said to her, “a sword will pierce through your own soul” (Luke 2:35).

The list of quotes could go on and on.

It is so important for us to see that suffering, as much as we don’t necessarily desire it, can cause many good things to happen.

1 – It joins us to the redemptive suffering of Jesus when offered up to Him.

2 – It is a means for us to grow spiritually.

3 – It can allow us to bring about a greater good.

4 – It can reveal God’s presence to us.

5 – It can help us gain courage and endurance.

6 – It helps us appreciate the suffering that Jesus did for us.

7 – It can help us to have greater love and compassion for others.

Our Catholic faith tells us that Suffering is a Consequence of Original Sin. It isn’t something that God gives us. HOWEVER, God can use it to better us and to bring us closer to Him. All that we have to do is let Him.

THE GIFT OF RELIGIOUS LIFE: FOR ALL PEOPLE – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Charity, Church, Community, Diaconate, Holiness, Holy Orders, Marriage, Religious Life, Saints, Service, Spirituality, Vocation

From its very beginnings, the Catholic Church has always followed the command of Jesus to go out in to all of the world and preach the Good News.   That is the Church’s primary mission, evangelization.   In order to do that the Church also has to maintain a community of believers who are continually learning more about the faith and their relationship to God and are continually receiving the gifts that God gives them to grow and complete their purpose.   The Church, by its very nature, is communal.   It is a body of people who work together to learn more about the faith, grow in the faith and then spread the faith.  Jesus himself relied upon a group of believers, the 12 apostles, and  the many followers and “the women” to start His Church and to spread the Good News.  The need for community is strong and the benefits of community bring about strength.

The Church has had many different forms of community over the ages.   For many years religious orders grew in large numbers and helped to accomplish the Church mission.   Recently, especially in the Americas and in Europe, the number of people entering religious orders has decreased, but at the same time there has been an increase in lay people becoming involved with the traditional religious orders to work with them.  I really believe that this has been a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit at work.  I know of so many good Catholics who are part of “secular” or “third order” movements working with the traditional Franciscan, Dominican, Carmelite (etc) orders where they experience the gift of this community and continue the work of this community without giving up marriage or jobs or family.  They continue the order’s mission right in the midst of today’s culture.   They become like monks or sisters right within the workplace of everyday living.  They also bring with them the fruits of these orders.

I have been fortunate to be one of the people to do this.   I have been a member of the Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre and I would like to share with you some of the experience I have had there with this community.  To do this, I would like to share a little history of our group.

The Society of Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre started over a dozen years ago by three deacons of my diocese who had originally started in formation to become brothers in Franciscan orders.   After some discernment during their formation, they felt the call to marriage and to work within the normal workplace.   After many years of marriage and secular work, they then felt the call of the Holy Spirit to become Catholic Permanent Deacons.  God’s Spirit later put upon their hearts the original call to Franciscan spirituality and they began meeting to discern how to answer that call within the life that God had called them to.   After meeting for some time, they felt called by the Lord to make a decision to follow Franciscan Spirituality and meet together as a group.   One of the members is a Canon lawyer and Judge in our Diocesan tribunal.   He was able to use his canon law skills to develop a way to form a legal society of deacons who follow Franciscan spirituality.   He then approached our diocesan Bishop who thought the idea was a good one and the Society of Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre was formed.  It started with the three original founders and has grown to over a dozen members.   I am so blessed to be one of them.

We meet together as a group once per month where we pray together the liturgy of the hours, talk about our journey with the Lord, plan charitable actions for the group and do a study together as a group.   Sometimes we study a book, and sometimes we study a movies series such as Fr. Dave Pavonka’s Wild Goose series.   We also go together on retreat every summer for 5 to 6 days.  In the midst of all of this we try to grow in our Franciscan spirituality to strengthen our work as parish deacons and evangelizer’s of God’s Word.

All of us have to take the vows of the Third Order Regular Franciscans and have gone through the normal stages of community life, Aspirant (someone thinking of joining), Postulant (praying with the group and learning about the group), Novitiate (continued training and beginning of temporary vows, Solemn Profession (taking perpetual vow to be a full member).  The vows for the Franciscan Deacons are centered on poverty, chastity and obedience.   Since Permanent Deacons are usually married men who own homes and have jobs, these three vows are further explained.   Poverty for us is embracing a simple lifestyle, especially regarding possessions.  Chastity for us is being true to our marriage commitment.  And obedience to us is continued obedience to our Bishop and to our faith.  Part of our foundational training and additional training is learning more about St. Francis and Franciscan Spirituality.  We have read and studied together several books on both Francis and Claire.  The gifts that these two people brought to the Church are both simple and profound.  Studying these two great people and their relationship to God has most certainly helped my spiritual life and desire to serve God’s people.

All of the religious orders emphasize prayer and community and we certainly do that in our meetings.   We often have dinner together in a restaurant before our meetings and that helps the sense of community grow among us.   Most orders also emphasize work of some sort.   Now in our Society, we are all diocesan deacons who are assigned work within our own parishes (and the diocese) and this is seen as our main form of work.  However, we also keep a tie with the Franciscan Society of the Atonement in Graymoor, NY.    Several of the men in our group actually attended their formation there when they were thinking about becoming friars and brothers.   We have a very close bond with the Friars of the Atonement and part of our “work” is with them.  We often go up to Graymoor for weekends to help with the retreats and special days that we run.   Several members of our community have advanced that by becoming Tertiary’s of the Atonement order.   They still meet with us in our group but have expanded their connection with the Society of the Atonement.

I am so glad that the Lord drew me in to the Society of Franciscan Deacons of Rockville Centre.  I have always loved St. Francis, even when I was a Methodist.   I was actually ordained a deacon on October 4th, the Feast day of St. Francis.   Our society has helped me form closer relations with my brother deacons and has helped me grow in my own spirituality and in my service to the Church.  Yes, I am saddened by the lack of vocations that many of our orders are experiencing, but I am also thrilled with what the Lord is doing with “third order/secular” groups today in the Church.  If you are feeling a need for more community especially as lived out by a particular Saint, I would suggest you seek out a “third order or secular” group near you.   I know that my involvement in our group has greatly helped me in my walk with the Lord and has helped me to grow in my service to Him and His people.