Getting back to our Catholic roots

It will officially be Lent 2016 starting Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10.
Rose and I will be sharing this blog again throughout Lent. This year we are writing about a book we both have a copy of. It's called "Rediscover Catholicism" by Matthew Kelly, and mine  is a gift (was supposed to be summer reading) from my parish, St. Francis de Sales, last Easter. I started it but never finished. Not sure where Rose got hers or whether she's read any of it before now, but we are going to be reading and writing about it for the next seven weeks. Thank you, Rose for suggesting this as our topic this Lent.
I was going to start with the first two chapters, and I will get to those.
But I was struck by the prologue, and so I will first reflect on that on this Ash Wednesday.
Imagine a billboard on a busy street or highway anywhere (the book suggests Chicago). No pictures or images (think of the billboards we saw a few years ago, all white with smallish black text on it). One in Salisbury said something like this: "What is it about 'thou shalt not commit murder" that you don't understand? Don't make me come down there." God
Well, this would be similar, but here's what it would say: "This year Catholic Charities will provide 2.2 million free meals to the hungry and the needy of (fill in your hometown, the number mentioned is Chicago). We don't ask them if they are Catholic -- we just ask them if they are hungry."
This is inthe prologue, and while it would look unremarkable and to the uninitiated, perhaps even self-serving, it's significant.
In all the controversy and ugliness the Church has endured in recent years, some people, even some Catholics have forgotten what the church is really about. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis is reminding us of our roots, setting an example for us of the humble servant who shows preference for the poor and marginalized, the corporal and spiritual acts of mercy. The church has gotten lost in its missteps -- and they are horrible, make no mistake -- but lost sight of the enormous good it does in the world.
We have ministries in my community that exist for the purpose of helping the homeless and marginalized. They are not Catholic, which should not make a difference. But they use people's poverty and need to proselytize, to manipulate people into professing faith in God in order to get help.
The proverbial billboard message is a stark reminder that Christians should be about the mission of feeding the hungry clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting prisoners, ministering to the sick and homebound and giving drink to the thirsty. Not about making sure they are Christian or willing to profess anything as a condition for getting that help.
There is also a Catholic ministry to the poor in our community. The sisters who run this ministry will pray with the people they help, but they do not make it a requirement to receive help. These nuns are wonderful people who are always smiling, happy, prayerful people who seem to have boundless energy and stamina to help those who need it most. They find joy in life's simple things.
Pope Francis also reminds us of the spiritual acts of mercy, which some folks might find more taxing: Instruct the ignorant, pray for the living and the dead, forgive all injuries, patiently bear all wrongs, warn the sinner, comfort the sorrowing and counseling the doubtful.
The Holy Father also tells  us to be good stewards of all of God's creation, and that includes our environment -- the trees, the land, the water, the air and everything that shares those resources with us. But that's not the focus of the next several weeks.
Ironically, last year one of the topics we reflected on was the plight of refugees. Since then, we've faced the Syrian refugee crisis, which has not only divided our nation and much of the western world, but also taxed the resources and patience of Europe and to a lesser degree, the United States. When we wrote those reflections, little did we know.
And so starting Ash Wednesday, we will each write about four chapters of the book, two chapters per blog entry, twice a week each.
Next up will be "Our Universal Hunger" and "The Prevailing Philosophy." See you in a few days!