{"id":1764,"date":"2017-10-15T00:11:18","date_gmt":"2017-10-15T00:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=1764"},"modified":"2025-06-06T15:46:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T15:46:09","slug":"new-windows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/new-windows\/","title":{"rendered":"New Windows"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n(Adoration chapel windows in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.)<\/p>\n

I’ve spent an hour at the adoration chapel almost every week for a few years now. Signing up seemed like a good idea at the time.<\/p>\n

It still does. But this sort of spiritual practice doesn’t come naturally to me. That’s not a criticism of anything or anyone.<\/p>\n

We’re “all one in Christ Jesus,” as Galatians 3:28<\/a> says. And we’re not all alike. This is a good thing, or should be. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 863, 1830-1831, 1934-1938)<\/p>\n

<\/a>One Faith, Many Cultures<\/h4>\n

<\/a>Some of our liturgy hasn’t changed in two millennia, and won’t. Some has. Folks keep finding new ways to celebrate the sacraments. (Catechism, 1200-1210)<\/p>\n

Change gives some folks conniptions. Not me. (June 4, 2017<\/a>)<\/p>\n

I think new cultures and changing times add to an already-rich heritage. (Catechism, 1200-1201)<\/p>\n

I don’t live in 1st century Jerusalem or 11th century Esztergom<\/a>. I live in 21st century Sauk Centre. Older families around here are mostly German or Irish. Most are Catholic. But our faith isn’t about who our ancestors are.<\/p>\n

It’s what we believe. (Catechism, 142-165)<\/p>\n

Many Catholics speak my native language, American English. Many grew up speaking Portuguese, Swahili, Japanese, one of the Malayan languages, or another language.<\/p>\n

The Catholic Church really is catholic: \u03ba\u03b1\u03b8\u03bf\u03bb\u03b9\u03ba\u03cc\u03c2<\/a>, universal. We’re not tied to one era or culture. (June 4, 2017<\/a>; July 24, 2016<\/a>)<\/p>\n

<\/a>Divine Mercy Devotion in Sauk Centre<\/h4>\n


\n(The Eucharistic adoration chapel in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, 2014.)<\/p>\n

Helena Kowalska grew up in Poland. Today we know her as Saint Faustina Kowalska<\/a>. Folks around here heard about her Divine Mercy devotion a few decades back. It seemed like a good idea.<\/p>\n

The devotion was okay for individuals and informal groups back then, but wasn’t approved for pubic devotions.<\/p>\n

Sometimes being Catholic means waiting until folks at the Vatican have time and opportunity to evaluate what we think is a good idea. This was one of those times.<\/p>\n

The good news for us was that private Divine Mercy devotions were<\/strong> okay. Local priests knew about it, we weren’t ‘being sneaky.’ We just understood that plans for public devotions would have to wait until we got official approval.<\/p>\n

Folks around here, those I’ve talked to, had a pretty good idea what the hold-up was. We figured the Church would probably get around to sorting out a translation glitch, and that’s another topic.<\/p>\n

‘Going public’ didn’t happen until a pope who spoke Polish read Faustina’s diary. Then she was canonized.<\/p>\n

Public Divine Mercy devotions got official approval, too. That let folks get to work on plans they’d made.<\/p>\n

When we got the green light, some of the local Divine Mercy folks set up a Eucharistic adoration chapel.<\/p>\n

It was in a repurposed convent near St. Paul’s parish church.<\/p>\n

That’s the ‘other’ parish in town.<\/p>\n

Along with St. Alexius down the road, we’re a three-parish cluster. My household and I are attached to Our Lady of the Angels, just down the street.<\/p>\n

I signed up for my hour when the chapel was in the old convent.<\/p>\n

The room wasn’t overly large. I liked it, and wouldn’t have minded having the chapel stay there.<\/p>\n

But change happens. An addition was built by St. Paul’s, parish offices were combined and moved there. It made sense. None of the local parishes are particularly huge.<\/p>\n

Early plans for the addition had been very economical. The diocese told us to try again, and make it look good.<\/p>\n

Being Catholic includes paying attention to legitimate authority, so that’s what we did. Now we have an addition that is functional \u2014 and looks good, too.<\/p>\n

The new chapel is in the addition, much larger than the one I started in. I liked the old chapel. I like the new one, too.<\/p>\n

I also enjoyed looking out into the deeps of God’s sky through the formerly-clear windows.<\/p>\n

That ended on the second and third of October, week before last. The chapel’s stained glass windows were ready then. Eucharistic adoration moved elsewhere while they were being installed.<\/p>\n

I was experiencing something like a cold, so I missed the first Wednesday I’d have had with the new windows. Venturing out seemed imprudent.<\/p>\n

I was back this week. I liked windows I could see through, and like the new ones. Someone did a very good job with the stained glass. The colors are much richer than my photos show. The chapel looks brighter, too. I think it’s a good change.<\/p>\n

<\/a>A Requirement, and Many Options<\/h4>\n

<\/a>Jesus has “the words of eternal life.” Peter said that. (John 6:68<\/a>)<\/p>\n

I’ve talked about the Eucharist before, and why I think Peter had the right idea. (November 20, 2016<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The Eucharist started at our Lord’s last meal before the crucifixion. Matthew 26:26<\/a>–28<\/a>; Mark 14:22<\/a>–24<\/a>; Luke 22:19<\/a>–20<\/a> and 1 Corinthians 11:23<\/a>–26<\/a> talk about it.<\/p>\n

The Eucharist and Mass aren’t options for Catholics. They’re at the core of our faith. (Catechism, 2177-2183)<\/p>\n

Eucharistic adoration is optional. Basically, it’s spending time with our Lord.<\/p>\n

I’m glad I signed up. I think it’s a good idea. But regular Eucharistic adoration certainly doesn’t make me more pious than folks who haven’t made it part of their lives.<\/p>\n

Quite a few folks who haven’t signed up for a regular time come in for a few minutes, or hours. Some are as old or older than I am, some probably took a little time off from work. Some may have been going from one job site to another. My hat’s off to them.<\/p>\n

Again, Eucharistic adoration isn’t something all Catholics must do. It’s an optional part of our faith. We’ve accumulated many devotional practices over the millennia. I don’t think one person would have enough time to follow them all.<\/p>\n

<\/a>“…Whoever has Seen Me….”<\/h4>\n

<\/a>I believe that Jesus is the Christ.<\/p>\n

I don’t know if it would have been easier or harder two millennia back. Either way, I’d probably have been like Thomas.<\/p>\n

I like things to make sense, and I like evidence. I also, happily, knew when to stop asking questions. That trait, at least, I have in common with St. Thomas. (April 16, 2017<\/a>; October 28, 2016<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Thomas wasn’t the only one having a hard time understanding what our Lord was saying and doing.<\/p>\n

“Philip said to him, ‘Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.’
\n“Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”?’…”
\n(John 14, 8<\/a>–9<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Quite a bit happened right after that. Jesus was tortured, executed, buried \u2014 then stopped being dead. Thomas had a hard time believing the others. But he knew when to stop asking questions. (John 20:27<\/a>–28<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Our Lord finally convinced the surviving Apostles that they weren’t seeing a ghost (November 27, 2016<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Then he gave them \u2014 us \u2014 standing orders, said he’d be back, and left. (Matthew 28:19<\/a>–20<\/a>; Acts 1:8<\/a>)<\/p>\n

If it had been anybody else, we’d have stopped getting ready for his return long ago.<\/p>\n

But Jesus isn’t anybody else. And that’s another topic:<\/p>\n