Relevant to Dan Brown ’s comments of fact, he never challenged the divinity of Jesus, – my lifetime hero.  However, if someone chooses to “Google it,” Brown’s facts seem to bear some truth about the life of Jesus, DaVinci the artist, and to the Catholic Church. 

The Church’s secretive bureaucracy still doesn’t “get it.”  To contemporary Catholics, what the church has always led us to believe often hasn’t jibed with the facts.  After the Nicene Council of 325 A.D., Catholic leadership was joined at the hip with royalty and leaders, regardless of how cruel and corrupt they might have been.  Many clergy, including Father Tomaso, who challenged the authority of the church, often ended up dead or cast out of the church.

The fact is that Jesus, and his Divine message to fight for the poor, the downtrodden and the powerless, was stolen by and for the rich and powerful.

Dan Brown ’s “facts” make history more consistent with contemporary, scholarly knowledge for Catholics who are now far more informed, educated and critical than Catholics in Father Tomaso’s era.

This furor over a novel has opened up a Pandora’s box of concern for all denominations and churches who will have to preach more in contemporary terms than in the unquestioning language of yesteryear.

  Already, the comedians on TV have taken advantage of the controversy.  One comedian wondered whether anyone dying of thirst in the desert would follow Moses in the desert for 40 years.  Another questioned what Abraham’s wife had to say when he intended to sacrifice their son.  Did she suggest a psychiatrist or a long stay in a sanitarium?

The tenets of the church, I believe, are divinely inspired but the clergy are as human as we are and susceptible to manipulating the masses and indulging in corruption.  The DaVinci Code is not a scholarly tome but a signal that a change in Catholic preaching and teaching is needed to truly include Jesus’ original message to serve the poor and to get the focus off of serving the desires of the powerful.

Many questions must be answered for Catholics—for instance, why have the Republicans been allowed to use abortion as a political issue in past years but have not established any abortion laws?  Why does the church resist contraception at U.N. meetings but allow millions of children to die due to aids, hunger and lack of medical care?  Why are women not accepted into the priesthood?  Why are married men not allowed into the priesthood? Why doesn’t the church speak out regarding the corruption of the Republicans and the Democrats as well?

Pope John XXIII acknowledged collegiality.  Isn’t it time for the laity to exert themselves and have a dialogue with clergy as equals and become co-owners of the Church once again?  Does it take a revolution?

Padre Franco says that the DaVinci Code book is a 5 bell ringer that frees up scholarly investigation and speculation from denominational complaints and the movie is between a 2 and 3 bell ringer for its convoluted story and slow pace.  In both cases, Padre Franco remains a staunch Catholic, as did Father Tomaso 400 or more years ago. 

Dear Joe:

Needless to say, I was shocked at your interest at the latest thriller, The Da Vinci Code.  Every time I hear a talk show on my favorite Christian station (103.3FM), I'd shut the radio off.  Why should I listen to something that's totally untrue and attempts to make false statements about The Bible? I have no use for the book or the movie because I believe in the Bible, and can't stomach someone making money on false accusations about Jesus, etc. etc.  I would not waste my time with such trash because I'd rather think of something positive – like the Real Bible!  How can you say this is healthy curiosity when it is sinful to be tempted to sway from your own faith? We do not need movies or books like this in the world, we need more Real Believers!  I'm ashamed of the association of Leonardo Da Vinci and this movie.  I went to art school and love Da Vinci's artwork and wish that this movie was never made.  I feel sorry for you.  I'm sorry that you actually took the time to listen to the book and see the movie.  It's a very sad world that there's actually many others that feel like you and feel curious and question our faith.   Our faith is not for questioning but for learning and understanding.  We should fill our minds with Scripture, not lies and anti-Christian fiction.  I'll keep you in my prayers that you find the true meaning of being Christian.

Yours truly, Eva

But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:6)

Some form of the word pray appears nearly 150 times in the New Testament. That leads me to believe prayer was important to Jesus and the early Christians. Jesus prayed alone a lot. Among the many times he prayed were after being baptized (Luke 3:21), when discerning who his followers thought he was (Luke 9:18), and before choosing the twelve (Luke 6:12-13).

I did not realize this when I began to develop a relationship with God through communication we call prayer. Almost 22 years ago, I had started practicing morning meditation and prayer because that was part of a formula I thought would help me to “be good.”

After several years of prayer and mediation motivated to ‘be good,’ I felt misled and desperate. I was doing all the “right” things I could and still was not getting what I wanted. I think my perception of God was much like Monty Hall on “Let’s Make a Deal” (if you do not know who that is, please ask someone over 45 or 50 or look it up on the internet). If I gave up the prize in my possession (or if I gave up things or situations I wanted for the sake of “being good”), God would give me the big prize behind curtain #3! I would be ecstatic and would live happily ever after. (OK, I had been heavily influenced by television and movies most of my life up to then.) I was 37 or 38 at the time. I had two deep desires at the time. I wanted a loving relationship with a person who might consider a life commitment to the relationship. I also wanted to find a place where people practiced the love Jesus taught, with their families, with their neighborhood, and in their workplace. In my family, in my neighborhood, and in my workplace I was being urged to be less than loving to other family members, people in the neighborhood and those who worked in my department and customers for no good reason (as if there is ever a good reason!).

During one of these morning periods of silence in the presence of God (as I understood God at the time), a thought came to me. “Perhaps if I spent as much time getting to know God as I would another human being with life partner potential, I would be better off.” That made sense. The good news is I did not ask God if we were astrologically compatible, as I might have done with a human at that time in my life.

That was over 16 years ago. Communication and working towards deeper relationship with God have taken many forms and brought me to places and situations much more loving and happier than I imagined could have been possible. Have I found those places and people I was looking for? Sometimes, but not always. I changed, though. I find most things that used to frustrate me easier to accept. I could not have done that without grace and I might not have recognized and embraced that grace without spending time with God in prayer.

I still spend time with God almost every morning. The motivation has changed. I do it because it feels good! I look forward to it. My relationship with God is a priority in my life. Like other relationships that are priorities, it takes work, sometimes it takes change in ways of communicating, and sometimes it is challenging. If I am willing to give the time and commitment, the relationship always deepens.

I am grateful to have volunteered for the Spiritual Development Committee Chair and feel blessed for your having affirmed my volunteering. By the time Communio publishes, I will have attempted the first committee meeting. I hope some of you participated. Thank you to those of you who did.

One of the opportunities for spiritual and community development might be our sharing a little bit about why prayer is important to us or how we work at developing a personal relationship with God in Communio. I would also be interested in reading how communication and relationship make a difference for individuals in the Community Liturgical experience and in some of the social action and/or ministries of St. Malachi

I went first – please be next!