From the Desk of Father Martin, November 20

Praised be Jesus Christ! Someone told me recently about the boy who tried to baptize the family cat in a toilet. The cat was having no part of it and so the kid ended up rather wet with a few scratches. The boy’s Dad, a pastor, mentioned that maybe the cat didn’t want to be baptized. “Then he shouldn’t have joined my church,” said the boy. This weekend we pray for the safety of all of our deer hunters. It seems that whenever one talks about hunting someone suggests that it is contrary to God’s will. Before refuting that, we can first turn to Temple Grandin, the famous professor of animal science, who insightfully said about animals, “Nature is cruel, but we don’t have to be. We owe them some respect.” Anyone who has ever farmed knows that working with animals can be frustrating at times – our cows had a liturgical calendar hidden somewhere in the barn which allowed them to pick Christmas and Easter as good mornings to escape their pens and raise a ruckus. Just the same, while we learned to train the animals to respect their masters, we were never allowed to use inordinate force. Parents who spank their children recognize the sometimes fine line between corrective love and cruelty. We were spanked out of love, though that was wasted on me at the time! The point of this digression is that God gave us the animals for our own good. Butchering a cow for its meat is not intrinsically cruel, though there are certainly places that cut corners and treat animals badly. For Scriptural evidence, Acts 10:14 has always been a passage buttressing the claim that God intended for us to eat meat if we so choose. For those who choose not to eat meat (i.e. our vegetarians and vegans), we respect your right to decline when we grill burgers or fry up some bacon. Thankfully we live in an area where people are closer to the food chain and recognize the merits of raising animals only to ultimately kill them and eat them. The irony is that the people who are least inclined to be cruel to animals are those who spend the most time with them, such as farmers and hunters. So good luck this weekend to the men and women scouring the forests for fourfooted furry friends! On a separate note, we’re scouring the parishes for a few good men that might feel drawn to become permanent deacons. “The Permanent Deacons of the Diocese of La Crosse, like their brother deacons around the world, seek to live their vocation as humble images of Christ the Servant (the word “deacon” is derived from the Greek diakonia, which literally means “service”). They are men mostly with wives and families, though typically their children are older. They have had -and often continue to have-active careers, and before they began their formation toward the permanent diaconate they were already serving their parishes as dedicated members of the laity. But they felt a deeper call and followed it, and now serve the Church as ordained members of the clergy. The permanent deacons of this Diocese provide an invaluable service in visiting the sick and the homebound, preparing couples for marriage, teaching in the RCIA and faith formation programs, preaching the Gospel, administering baptism, officiating at weddings and wakes, assisting at the altar, carrying out administrative tasks, and more. But of all these forms of diaconal ministry, it is the service of charity-to the weakest, the most vulnerable, the suffering, those who hunger for heartfelt care, but also for the reassuring light of Christian faith and truth-that lies at the very heart of their vocation to the permanent diaconate.” Want to know more? Please contact me and I’ll let you know about the discernment retreat to be held on February 3-4, 2017.
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May God grant you and your family a restful and peaceful celebration of Thanksgiving!
Your friend in Christ,
Father Martin