Good of the Order suggest such measures as they may deem expedient and proper to advance the interests and welfare of the Order.
About God’s Will.
(Good of the Order - July 2011)
Joseph L. Gubasta, Ph.D.
“About God’s will.” I think of this often and usually in the context of the issues, problems and challenges being faced at the time of this thought. “What is God’s will for me at this time in this or these circumstances?”
I’ve come to realize that God’s will is the same for all of us, namely to “know, love, and serve Him in this world and be happy with Him in heaven.” Does this sound familiar? Many of us may have learned this response in our early Catholic education.
My point in addressing the topic “God’s will” is to suggest that what’s good for the soul is also good for the Order of Knights. How does this thought translate to our personal lives and the role of this Elder Council? Could the key be to what’s good for the Order depends on how each of us individually and fraternally addresses how we dedicate ourselves to furthering God’s Kingdom here and now?
In other words, as baptized Catholic Christians we are blessed with the grace to protect our souls from the Evil One. Grace is God’s gift to us so we can in fact be with Him for eternity. How we respond to this grace moment-to-moment determines our role in helping to further God’s kingdom of love in our lives and the other people with whom we come into contact over time.
If you are with me so far it should be obvious our mission in life is to save souls beginning with our own. In striving to do this daily we are in fact furthering God’s Kingdom here in our own corner of the world. To the extent we collectively apply the principle of saving souls to our Knights of Columbus good works, we will be doing God’s will, which in turn can strengthen the K of C as a Catholic fraternal institution capable of “moving mountains.”
A word of caution here. Good works are good but not all good works further the kingdom of God. Service in the name of Christ is good but what we call service may fall far short of using our God given gifts, talents, and skills for His glory and honor.
What are the implications of what’s been said for this Elder Chapter and its role in saving men’s souls while furthering God’s Kingdom here at St. Gertrude Church and around the Greater Cincinnati Metro Area?
What would this Elder Council look like if what’s been said became a guiding principle for what it does and how it does it?
A Call to Sainthood
Joseph L. Gubasta, Ph.D.
(Good of the Order – Elder Council, August 2011)
We are all gifted by God to be saints. A saint is a holy person who lives a Christ-like life using his or her God given gifts, talents, and skills to further God’s kingdom of love in ways that glorify our Creator.
If this sounds idealistic or unattainable consider what sainthood means. It can mean recognition by the Catholic Church after an extensive and prolonged study of holy people’s lives to include the verification of one or more miracles. From my perspective this is “Saint” with a capital “S.” It can also mean the legacy of selfless love that people leave behind as they prepared for eternal life with God. This definition of saint, with a small “s,” can apply to us.
Each of us was created to love, honor and serve God to the best of our abilities. God is doing His handiwork in and through us at this period of human history for His Divine purpose. It’s up to each of us to use our human and spiritual gifts in selfless love and service, moment-to-moment, throughout each day of our lives. This is the way to holiness. This is our way to eternal life.
Holiness happens through our conscious awareness of who we are as children of God and followers of Jesus Christ, while we go about our daily activities serving the people, and addressing the problems, challenges and opportunities we encounter. Holiness happens when we humbly admit our dependence on the Holy Spirit to guide us in Christ-like ways to do God’s will moment-to-moment. When we do this we become living saints.
As we live this way individually and fraternally, while addressing our Elder Council ministry and the “Order’s” programs and services, we will see miracles happen like: 1) more men attracted to our way of life and Catholic- Christian brotherhood; 2) many more humble men of wisdom and faith doing good works that further God’s kingdom for God’s honor and glory; and 3) we will recognize and use our spiritual gifts in miraculous ways.
How do we know this is possible? Read and study the lives of the saints recognized by the Catholic Church, especially the ones not widely known. In doing so you will discoverer that many of them lived simple, often obscure lives doing ordinary things in extraordinary ways. Over time many other people were attracted to them because of their humility and holiness. As God’s instruments of selfless love for other people and all that entails, these Saints left a legacy of lasting goodness. We have the same potential because we have the same God and the same spiritual gifts as our holy forefathers.
If holiness is the pathway to eternal life and sainthood, we are all on this path now and our membership in the Knights of Columbus provide opportunities to use our gifts, talents and skills to further God’s Kingdom of selfless live for His honor and glory. One need not take my word for this. Consider this: “Holiness [and sainthood] is not a luxury for the few; it is not for some people. It is meant to be for you and me, and for all of us. It is a simple duty because if we learn to love, we learn to be holy.” Mother Theresa
Questions:
Do you know your human and spiritual gifts?
If so do you use them routinely to further God’s kingdom?
Building Bridges in God’s Earthly Kingdom
Joseph L. Gubasta, Ph.D.
(Elder Council, September 2011)
Presentation Guiding Principles:
Further God’s Kingdom through personal and spiritual development, Council fellowship and service.
Encourage the men to identify and appreciate their unique giftedness plus the gifts, talents, and wisdom of their brother Knights.
Stimulate dialogue focused on ways to ensure responsible stewardship of Council time, talent, and treasure in the context of serving God, the Church (St. Gertrude Parish and larger church), and community.
Presentation:
Our task as Knights and brother’s in Christ is to build each other up in ways that help to further God’s Kingdom. How can we do this? St. Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians (5:12-22), wrote this:
Key Points:
Food for Thought:
In our secular society we are surrounded by “experts, professionals, and self proclaimed know-it-alls” who continuously vie for our attention, time, and money. These people appeal to our immediate and short-term physical and emotional needs, wants and desires with little or no regard for our spiritual health and eternal life. We need to identify ways and means to replace the voices of human folly with the wisdom of God.
Action:
Prayer:
Holy, almighty and immortal God we pray for the grace and gifts to know, love and serve you in this, your earthly kingdom, especially through our membership in the Elder Council of the K of C. We ask this in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, through the influence of your Holy Spirit, and the intercession of our Blessed Mother. Amen!
When preparing my remarks, and while standing before you each month, I’m aware that you may already be in step with much of what is said. Therefore, if what I’ve shared in the past, or may say today and in the future is nothing new consider the words spoken as affirmations that you are well on your way to saving your soul, holiness and sainthood.
Each of my presentations is included on the Archbishop Elder Council’s web site. I’ve been told that this site is visited by people around the area, nation, and other countries. Therefore, as I pray about, and prepare each “good of the order” lecture, it’s in response to inner promptings that direct my efforts not knowing who will hear or read them.
This is the context in which I prepared this talk entitled: A Call to Community. My attention was drawn to our principles: charity, unity, and fraternity. Unity and fraternity surfaced and were given further attention. Grappling with these topics I sought insight into what these principles should look like and how could they be practiced. What resulted are my comments about our call to relationships, that is community.
Call to Community:
Jesus’ mission and ministry was about relationships of love; first with His Father, then with other people. Jesus established the Church and all of its affiliates to continue His work of doing God’s will in God’s way. The Knights of Columbus organizations play a significant role in fulfilling the mission and ministry of Jesus. It does so by inviting men to serve the Church and all of human kind in various ways through selfless love.
The number size and diversity of programs and services within K of C councils and chapters does not guarantee effectiveness in terms meaningful to people. An appropriate measure of effectiveness is the degree to which the servants and served experience being loved. St. Paul, in his letters to the Ephesians (Ch.4) and Philippians (Ch. 2), addressed this point in his call for unity. Throughout Church history, individuals have sought unity in community with others. The term community is often used but seldom defined. A definition relevant to us is: A community exists when participants listen and understand one another, when they respect each other’s gifts and accept each other’s limitations, when they celebrate their differences and bind each other’s wounds, and when they are committed to struggling together rather than against each other.
Achieving Unity in Community
The clauses in this definition help to build relationships of selfless love. They identify the steps we must take as we journey together in our work and fraternal ministry relating to planning, problem solving, decision making, and service. For community building to occur we must:
These points outline how Jesus treated people. They recognize the realities of human imperfection, sinfulness, and factors that cause frustration and chaos. Ignoring these realities can cause confusion, discord, and chaos instead of desired results when addressing council issues, problems and opportunities. Community building as described sets a Christian standard for human interaction in service with and for other people. Community building is an ongoing process that offers participants opportunities to grow in their appreciation and love for self and others while striving to serve God and our neighbors. This is good for the Order.
Food for Thought
The various Archbishop Elder Council program and service initiatives identified for 2011-2012 provide forums for community building and bonds of unity when planning and implementing these projects. Are we willing to exercise the aforementioned suggestions as necessary while working together for good of the Order?
Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, we pray for the grace to live in a manner worthy of the call you have given each of us, with humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving for unity in mind and spirit through the bond of peace. This we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, and through the intercession of our Blessed Mother. Amen.
Introduction:
In a previous lecture it was noted that: Jesus’ mission and ministry were about relationships of love; first with His Father then with other people. Jesus established the Church and all of its affiliates to continue His work of doing God’s will in God’s way.
Jesus was connected to people in various ways and he built relationships by addressing their needs as he discerned them. This approach also applies to all affiliated with the Knights of Columbus. Therefore, the degree to which we as Knights build relationships of love with our triune God and serve one another in the same spirit we are doing good for our brothers and sisters and the Order.
Call to Community
How do we develop these kinds of relationships? Through practice with one another as our individual and corporate needs dictate. We and other K of C organizations are a collection of men that comprise communities of believers. The definition of community is one offered by M. Scott Peck, M.D.: A community exists when participants listen and understand one another, when they respect each other’s gifts and accept each other’s limitations, when they celebrate their differences and bind each other’s wounds, and when they are committed to struggling together rather than against each other.
Characteristics
We can measure success in council leadership, community building and the way we go about out fraternal business against the following characteristics that challenge us to be:
Relationship Implications
It is difficult to foster relationships of love with people we do not know if those relationships do not exist with the people we live, work, worship with and serve. This kind of relationship building highlights Christian ways and means to serve within our councils, chapters and the marketplace. This approach to our ministry will benefit the Order.
Food for Thought
What effect could our council, chapter, and brother Knights throughout the country have on the organizations, institutions, and Nation if they routinely practiced these characteristics of community and relationship building within their professional, social and service networks of influence?
Let’s Pray
Lord Jesus we praise and you for being the way, truth and life that leads to furthering God’s kingdom at this time. We thank you for the gifts of our lives and ask your Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. We pray that the spirit of community, namely love and peace, will prevail over the ignorant and evil influences that surround us. We ask this in your name and through the intercession of your Blessed Mother. Amen.
With Lent behind us and the Easter season just beginning how did we do this Lent? Were any of your resolutions and works done in the name of the Order? This is what I’d like to reflect on now.
The Challenge:
We live in a society full of promises and promotions. Now-a-days most people are walking and talking ads. There are few items we wear, own or use that aren’t branded in some way for all to see. However, this kind of endorsement is usually not the case when it comes to our faith beliefs and our affiliation with the Church, our parishes, and the Knights of Columbus. When thinking about proclaiming our Christian beliefs, as well as promoting the Knights of Columbus, a statement attributed to St. Francis of Assisi came to mind, namely: “Preach the Gospel and use words if you have to.”
Food for Thought:
With marketing in mind let’s think about giving God credit in humble ways. You’ve heard it said in previous lectures that to be Christ-like we should seek holiness. One way we might do this is to select and/or initiate council activities and projects that help us grow in holiness. I suggest this would be a good issue to discuss with this leadership group and other members when doing annual planning of council activities. A valuable by-product of this activity would be for us to define what “holiness” means and use that definition as a benchmark against which to choose and support various projects.
Related to this first point is our willingness to offer support and participate in K of C initiatives that will help to exercise and proclaim our faith in behavioral terms. Are there things we could (or should), do that will “stretch” us individually and as a council? In other words, are we willing to leave some room for God to work with and through us? Does this council have one or more “miracle” stories to share? Miracle in this context means there was evidence of Divine Providence playing a significant role in council work and service outcomes.
A final thought concerns doing works that proclaim our love for God and neighbor. At first glance one might think we do this all the time. This is our identity as Knights. We’re about charity. This is true, however, are we consistent in developing some degree of relationship with the people we serve? Do those people see us as Christ-like Knights or do they consider our donations, use of time and talents as simply support for their causes like they’ve received from other individuals or organizations, many of which were not Christian? This reminds me of a story:
A retailer was dismayed when a competitor selling the same type of product opened next-door to him, displaying a large sign proclaiming "Best Deals".
Not long after he was horrified to find yet another competitor move in next-door, on the other side if his store. Its large sign was even more disturbing- "Lowest Prices".
After his initial panic, and concern that he would be driven out of business, he looked for a way to turn the situation to his marketing advantage. Finally, an idea came to him. Next day, he proudly unveiled a new and huge sign over his front door. It read, "Main Entrance"!
Because we live in a constantly changing secular society, doing good works isn’t good enough if we aren’t honoring God and furthering His kingdom in a visible way. We are (or should be) a sign of contradiction in what we do and how we do it. We should make it our business to seek Divine insight and inspiration about the opportunities and requests that come our way. We should find ways to become the “main entrance” to a God centered way of doing our business. To do so as Knights of Columbus will be good for the Order and the Catholic Church.
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, we praise you for blessing us and our brother Knights. We seek to honor and serve you individually and through the Order of Knights. During this Easter season we await the coming of your Holy Spirit to enlighten and empower us to further your kingdom in our part of the world. We look to your son Jesus as our teacher and servant leader. We ask for the grace to follow his example in all that we say and do. This we pray in His name and through the intercession of our Blessed Mother. Amen.
K of C Member Holiness is a Leadership Responsibility
Joseph L. Gubasta, Ph.D.
Good of the Order Presentation, Cincinnati Chapter Knights of Columbus
(October 5, 2011)
Introduction:
What’s good for the order is our holiness. Considering the demographics of our membership many of us are living the last half of our mortal lives. This suggests we are nearing the time when our new lives will begin for eternity. Therefore, as Catholic Christians and members of the Knights of Columbus, our focus needs to be on saving souls, starting with our own and the people we serve. As Council and Chapter leaders we have opportunities to encourage and help our K of C brothers grow in holiness. To the extent we do this our membership will grow. Both of these outcomes, holiness and membership growth, is for the good of the order.
Presentation:
Our active participation in the Knights of Columbus and Catholic Church is of critical importance to our salvation. The Knights offer us opportunities to live a Christ-like life in society. Our participation in the Knights offers us a variety of ways to live in charity, unity, and fraternity. Doing so is one path to holiness. Doing so in the name of Christ and our founder, the Venerable Michael McGivney, is for the good of the Order.
Since our Church calls us to further God’s Kingdom of unconditional love the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council invite and challenge us to do this through good works. However, good works are good but if they don’t further God’s Kingdom they may be irrelevant. If our good works don’t offer opportunities for us to use our God given graces and gifts we aren’t able to glorify God as God intends. We honor and glorify our triune God every time we exercise our human and spiritual gifts. In doing so, we also strengthen our Church and the Order of Knights.
So what are the implications of these remarks for us as Council and Chapter leaders? By exercising our leadership rights and responsibilities, in ways that encourage and affirm the holiness of our council and chapter brothers, we will be honoring God and furthering God’s Kingdom. We will also help guide our brother Knights on their paths to eternal salvation. These two things, holiness and saving souls, are stepping stones on the path to furthering God’s Kingdom and are encouraged through the exercise of five leadership responsibilities or “rights” that I offer for your consideration. These “rights” include: 1) doing the right things; 2) for the right reasons; 3) with the right people; 4) in the right ways; and 5) at the right time. To exercise these responsibilities for the “good of the order” requires prayerful reflection and discernment. For example:
Leadership Rights & Responsibilities:
Doing the right things, requires that we address the issue of “good works,” and good works implies effort and activities that build God’s Kingdom here and now;
The right reasons addresses issues like motives and morality surrounding the “things” and opportunities facing each council and the Chapter;
Selecting the right people raises issues addressing each brother’s giftedness and level of participation. This implies we know their human and spiritual gifts, talents and skills;
In the right ways highlights outcomes. Our goal is to strengthen the Order and Church through our Christian witness of charity, unity and fraternity as our expression of selfless love;
At the right time relates to setting priorities plus considering resource requirements.
Leadership Implications & Action:
Is it necessary to fine-tune the way we do council and chapter business?
Concerning membership
How do we perceive and involve our members?
What do we have to offer prospective members?
How can we become a magnet to attract new members?
How do we define charity (i.e., good works) and how do they further God’s Kingdom within our parishes, communities, Chapter and State?
Are we interested in building huts or high rises; filling trenches or moving mountains?
Summary:
Our individual and fraternal journey toward holiness will benefit us and the Order.
How we perceive and practice charity may be irrelevant unless it furthers God’s Kingdom of selfless love.
Recognizing and using our human and spiritual gifts honors God our creator.
Exercising our leadership rights and responsibilities as outlined is of strategic importance to the Order’s good and our salvation.
Food for Thought:
What can we show and tell Catholic men that will interest and attract them to our fraternal way of life, strengthen their faith in God and the Church, affirm them as Christian leaders in their families and society, and invite them to become Knights?
Let us Pray:
Holy, almighty and immortal God we ask you to bless and affirm leaders at all levels of the Knights of Columbus here and around the world with the gifts of your Holy Spirit. This we pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ and through the intercession of our Blessed Mother. Amen!
Recently the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a ruling that would force almost all private health plans to cover sterilization procedures, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. This news was met with dismay by leaders of the Catholic Church and other organizations because, as written, the rule will force Catholic organizations and their employees to violate their consciences or severely curtail their services. This would diminish both religious freedom and access to health care.
The HHS mandate puts many faith-based organizations, ministries, and individuals in untenable positions. They must comply or possibly stop receiving Federal reimbursements, receive fins, restrict services, or even lose their jobs. This mandate also harms society as a whole by undermining America’s tradition of respect for religious liberty and freedom of conscience.
Challenge:
This issue is the latest of a continuous assault on the Catholic Church and the consciences of its members. Examples of other attempts to interfere with the Church’s role in society are commented on by Supreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori, and Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson, in the February 2012 Columbia. These government actions challenge us as member Knights of Columbus to stand with our Church leaders to do what is right and just. I’ve been asked by our worthy GK, Jonathan Pearson, to share several thoughts about this matter:
First, be not fooled or distracted by the illusion that this is solely a political issue because it isn’t. This mandate is the work of men and women who are the human instruments of evil at war against our creator God. Evil uses human beings in its attempts to create confusion, conflict, chaos, destruction, and death. These were Satan’s objectives in many of its assaults on human kind and this most recent attack appears intent on moving forward along this same path.
Consider this directive as an assault on Catholic Church leaders and the consciences of Catholic healthcare providers by calling into question their faith in Jesus Christ and Church membership. The enemy has its sights fixed on their faith and moral beliefs. Again, the battle plan against God is to employ the tactics of confusion, conflict, chaos, destruction and death against the Catholic Church and its members with the spiritual intent to destroy souls.
Second, be not afraid! Let’s look to our Lord Jesus Christ for leadership and direction. We can call on Divine intervention for protection and use the spiritual weapons at our disposal when faced with spiritual warfare. Those weapons are already in the minds and hearts of many men and women equipped for and battle tested in spiritual warfare. You may know some of them. If so, it’s time to call them to arms.
This call to arms is essential but it does not replace appropriate human efforts to protect our freedoms of conscience and First Amendment Rights, i.e., freedom of religious liberty. However, to rely on this strategy alone may prove hazardous to our health, no pun intended.
Third, what else can we do? Consider this:
In conclusion, keep in mind the Catholic Church holds the moral compass for human-kind throughout the world and history. It proclaims the wisdom of God through Jesus Christ and the cross. There will always be people out to destroy the Church and its members. These people are not working or themselves, they are slaves of an evil power they don’t recognize or understand. Pray for them, have pity on them, and stand firm on your faith convictions.
To set the tone for this first of the “New Year” lecture let us pray:
This prayer expresses both humor and humility and makes the point that we are human and often need help – especially from the Almighty. In a personal sense will 2012 be a year of new beginnings or a continuation of old ways? In truth, this year will probably be a bit of both. However, as we start the new year, I hope one aspect of our lives, that being Knights of Columbus members, will cause us to ponder how we will respond to the opportunities before us to grow in holiness, work to further God’s Kingdom here at St. Gertrude Parish and the larger Church, in our communities and elsewhere. As brother Knights we are called to charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. We are called to rise above the standards of social acceptability and political correctness and live according to the teachings and example of Jesus. How we respond to the opportunities and challenges facing us is important because the world as we know it is watching.
May you enjoy many blessings and graces this year to grow in sanctity and individually show your world who a Knight of Columbus is and collectively what The Order is about.
A Closing Thought:
We are all accountable to someone or something. Let’s not forget our Christian responsibilities to live according to God’s will, Word and ways.
We are a fraternal organization called to do good works (charity), promote unity, and work together to serve and support of our church and country (fraternity and patriotism).
During our lifetime we’ve seen and been affected by the ever increasing advance of secularization and anti-catholic sentiment among many people especially people in leadership positions and those in the public eye.
Unfortunately, many people in these leadership positions exercise their power and authority outside the framework of Christian virtues and values. As a consequence we’ve witnessed in our lifetime decay and moral decline throughout our nation in all aspects of our society. At present, and from a human perspective, it appears this downward trend will continue unless we as individuals and collectively as catholic Christians and Knights do our part.
Furthering the Kingdom
In this context I suggest doing our work as we have in the past may not be good enough. As council leaders, active Catholics in our various parishes, and members of other social systems throughout the area and region, we have many opportunities to honor our triune God by furthering God’s kingdom here and now.
How can we do this? First, let’s keep in mind who we are and who we are serving. The ways we live our lives and fulfill our roles in the “Order” need to reflect the reality that we are in a spiritual (not economic, political, or class, etc.) war. Our heritage and destiny are linked to Jesus Christ and it’s from Jesus and the Holy Spirit that we draw our courage and strength.
In addition, to be victorious in the spiritual battles facing us we also need to be obedient to the king of the universe, not slaves to our own passions or subjects of the leaders who are instruments of the prince of this world. To be victorious in the war against evil we need to be virtuous and value centered role models.
Brothers, we are all gifted by our creator in ways we often don’t recognize or appreciate. This observation applies to our self awareness and recognition of our brother Knights. As Catholic Knights of Columbus we have the opportunity and responsibility to act in faith when striving to carry out our mandate to be charitable, promote unity, work fraternally, and defend the Church and what it stands for.
Food for Thought
As Council leaders, I suggest we challenge ourselves and exercise our leadership responsibilities in somewhat different ways. For example:
Let’s pray
Merciful Father, look with favor on us as we strive to honor you in fulfilling our roles as Knights. The time is now to live our lives according to the virtues and values proclaimed by your Word, our Lord, Jesus Christ. We ask for the grace and gifts of the Holy Spirit to live in faith, hope and love. May our lives dispel the darkness that surrounds us. As always, we pray this in the name of your Son and through the intercession of your Blessed Mother. Amen