Healing the entire human person

This is my homily for this past weekend (as I write this, it is still late Sunday evening in the Central time zone).  The readings for the weekend are here.

Tax Credits for Contributions to Catholic Scholarship Fund

FAQs 

What is the Angel Scholarship Fund?

The Catholic Community Foundation has established The Angel Scholarship Fund as a brand new opportunity to support our Catholic Schools and students in the Diocese of Cleveland. 

Begun in 2021, it is possible to “turn tax dollars into tuition” by making a charitable contribution to the Angel Scholarship Fund that is eligible for a 100% tax credit on the donor’s State of Ohio income tax return for the year the contribution is made. The maximum credit amount is currently $750 ($1500 if married filing jointly, where each spouse donates $7500

Are Catholic Community Foundation and the Angel Scholarship Fund part of the Diocese of Cleveland?

The Angel Scholarship Fund has been established to receive funds for and grant scholarships to Catholic school students throughout the Diocese of Cleveland. The Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) and its Scholarship Granting Organization are separate corporations and 501(c)(3) organizations that support the ministries of the Diocese of Cleveland. 

The Scholarship Granting Organization of the Catholic Community Foundation (the “Angel Scholarship Fund”) was in the inaugural class of organizations certified by the State of Ohio as a “Scholarship Granting Organization” (SGO). The Angel Scholarship Fund has been recertified as a Scholarship Granting Organization through December 19, 2023. At that time, we will once again apply for recertification.

What is Ohio’s new Scholarship Tax-Credit Program?

Begun in 2021, the Ohio General Assembly established a new program whereby Ohioans can receive a 100% tax credit against Ohio income tax liability for cash contributions to certified organizations that grant scholarships to students, including those attending Catholic schools. The maximum credit amount is currently $750. If you are filing a joint return and both you and your spouse make eligible donations, each of you can claim this credit (up to $1,500 total).

Who will benefit from this program?

The program will benefit Ohio Catholic schools and students by prioritizing scholarships for low-income families that seek higher-quality education opportunities for their children. It will also offer taxpayers the ability to reduce their Ohio state tax liability by making a contribution to Scholarship Granting Organizations such as the Scholarship Granting Organization of the Catholic Community Foundation (“Angel Scholarship Fund”). This is a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against your tax liability, or the tax you owe to the state of Ohio.

How does this new program work?

Donors can make undesignated contributions to the Angel Scholarship Fund, and the Angel Scholarship Fund can then award to any eligible student from any Catholic school,

or donors can make a contribution designated to benefit students at a particular school. 

The Angel Scholarship Fund, like any SGO, is required to prioritize “low income” (under 300% of the poverty threshold) recipients, but otherwise the law does not place limits on which K-12 students can be served or the number of scholarships that can be awarded. This program holds tremendous potential for bolstering our efforts to ensure the viability of our Catholic schools and has the potential to benefit every Catholic school in the diocese.

Will Angel Scholarships be awarded to applicants that are not “low income?”

All K-12 students that attend a school in the Diocese of Cleveland and apply are eligible to receive an Angel Scholarship. While applicants that are under 300% of the poverty threshold will be prioritized, applicants that are over this threshold are also eligible for an Angel Scholarship, based on availability of funds.

When will scholarships from the Angel Scholarship Fund be granted?

ASF designated contributions received in the current calendar year will be disbursed to schools the following year and applied to tuition for the fall of that year (e.g., contributions received in 2023 will be applied towards tuition for the 2024/2025 school year. Schools will be able to recommend Angel Scholarship recipients of their designated contributions beginning in the first quarter of of the following year.

* Please contact the school directly to apply for a "designated" Angel Scholarship, and/or complete a FACTS application to be eligible for an "undesignated" Angel Scholarship.

Who can contribute to the Angel Scholarship Fund?

anyone. However, only those persons with Ohio tax liability may be eligible for the tax credit.

Is there a cap on the amount I can contribute to the Angel Scholarship Fund?

No! Contributions of any size will be accepted, and generous giving is encouraged as a means for helping more students receive a scholarship towards a Catholic education. 

Can my contribution be directed to the school of my choice?

Yes. Donors to the Angel Scholarship Fund have the option of making:

An undesignated contribution that supports schools and students across the Diocese of Cleveland. You can find a list of schools at www.dioceseofcleveland.org/schools.

A contribution that is designated to benefit students of a specific Catholic school.

In either case, scholarships to low-income families will be prioritized. Please note, designations can be made to schools, not students.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Proposed Oklahoma Tax Supported Religious Charter School

Some of you have probably read about the proposed Oklahoma Catholic charter school, which would be tax supported:

Taxpayer-funded Oklahoma Catholic school likely to draw Supreme Court review | National Catholic Reporter (ncronline.org)

I know we have discussed the subject of public funding of religious schools before.  Most of us would at least see some potential problems.  But that is not the subject I primarily wish to discuss. What I want to discuss is the fact that this school would be virtual.  But first bear with me for a bit while I excerpt some background information from the NCR article;

What I'm reading

Creator: MR1805 Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Copyright: MR1805

Image at https://media.istockphoto.com/id/528281396/photo/mocha-dick.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=ZihMvlSotOjjQUwUpe2TGoE7VQM83vzz1QOd8QEl4Ws=

At some point within the last month or so, I realized I had never read Moby-Dick.  So, books being cheap on Kindle, I bought Moby-Dick a few days ago and have started to read it.  I'm something like 10%-15% through it so far.  I've got to say: so far, it's a ripping good yarn - much better than I had been led to expect.  Who misled me into thinking it would be a slog of a read?  Decades and decades ago, I remember being told by a teacher (which is kind of unforgivable) that the book is very hard to read, extremely long, and filled with digressions.  Hey - I've read fat 19th century novels before and not only lived to tell about it, but actually enjoyed the experience.  And as for digressions, I'm a fan, if they're interesting.

One of the things that has worked for me is that the edition I purchased is annotated as I would wish it - not too many footnotes, and the footnotes not so lengthy that I lose the thread of the plot, but also not letting too many now-obscure words and phrases pass by without a gloss.  One of the footnotes noted that Melville held some views on Christianity which the church media of his day considered heretical, and the opposition of the religious press was a major factor in his not becoming a successful writer during his lifetime.  And I suppose Moby-Dick would fail any number of political-correctness litmus tests today, as when Ishmael regularly refers to Queequeg as a savage and a cannibal.  But so far, I'm really enjoying it.

What are you reading these days?

Worst. Food. Ever.

Photo: Meredith Food Studios, posted at https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14295/seven-layer-salad/

My wife loves me.  In our freezer, we keep a supply of frozen vegetables from the grocery store.  We try to eat fresh veggies with our dinners but it's not always convenient.  I had some periodontal surgery earlier this week (receding gums - I think I'm getting old), in the wake of which I was somewhat limited in what I could chew, e.g. no steak for me for a while.  So that evening, she cooked me some fish, which is nice and soft, and asked me if I could eat some cooked frozen peas, and I said yes.  That's how I know she loves me: I like cooked frozen peas, and she doesn't.  But she made them anyway, for me.

A bit later, when we were pondering whether or not to keep the leftover peas (we bat about .500 when it comes to consuming leftover vegetables), she said that she would put the peas in the fridge in a Tupperware container, and then the next day when the peas were cold, she would mix them with mayo and eat them that way.   I responded by making retching sounds; it didn't sound very appealing to me.  But I mentioned that occasionally my mom used to come up with this cold dish concoction in a cake pan consisting of lettuce, peas, mayo, sprinkled grated cheese, and various other things.  It was the sort of thing she might bring to a pot luck dinner.  Ah yes, my wife responded, that's called seven layer salad.  That's right, I agreed.  After which I waxed eloquent about how much I detested seven layer salad.

So a few minutes ago, she stopped by my desk to show me what she had created for her lunch today: cold peas mixed with mayo, with shredded cheese sprinkled on top.   I guess it was three layer salad.  I would have made more retching noises but was on a phone call with a client.

Having thought about the matter for another 15 or 20 seconds, seven layer salad may be the dish I like the least - it is the thing from the buffet line at a parish pot luck that I would be least likely to put on my plate.  Although I've had chilled vegetable soups (Cucumber cream soup?  Really?) that might be tied for worst.

What's the food you detest the most?     

Basil the Great on the Love of God

Basil the Great was one of a group of theologians from Cappadocia who were active after the Council of Nicaea in formulating Trinitarian theology, especially the role of the Holy Spirt. He was also one of the founders of Eastern Monasticism.

This is from the Office of Readings for today. It is a good example of how the East deals with anthropology, i.e. its understanding of the human condition.

From the Detailed Rules for Monks by Saint Basil the Great, bishop

The ability to love is within each of us

Love of God is not something that can be taught. We did not learn from someone else how to rejoice in light or want to live, or to love our parents or guardians. It is the same – perhaps even more so – with our love for God: it does not come by another’s teaching. 

This seems to me to be in profound contrast with our great investments in religious education.

As soon as the living creature (that is, man) comes to be, a power of reason is implanted in us like a seed, containing within it the ability and the need to love. When the school of God’s law admits this power of reason, it cultivates it diligently, skillfully nurtures it, and with God’s help brings it to perfection.

The underlined area summarizes the Greek concept of paideia, which is related to the Greek word for a young person. It can be translated as either culture or education. It became important for Christianity because of the Greek concept of logos, which can be translated as either word or reason. Logos, or reason shaped life; Jesus is the Word of God, the Divine Logos.

  For this reason, as by God’s gift, I find you with the zeal necessary to attain this end, and you on your part help me with your prayers. I will try to fan into flame the spark of divine love that is hidden within you, as far as I am able through the power of the Holy Spirit.

  First, let me say that we have already received from God the ability to fulfil all his commands. We have then no reason to resent them, as if something beyond our capacity were being asked of us. We have no reason either to be angry, as if we had to pay back more than we had received. When we use this ability in a right and fitting way, we lead a life of virtue and holiness. But if we misuse it, we fall into sin.

Note that humanity is seen as basically good, and rationale although we can make both good and bad choices. 

  This is the definition of sin: the misuse of powers given us by God for doing good, a use contrary to God’s commands. On the other hand, the virtue that God asks of us is the use of the same powers based on a good conscience in accordance with God’s command.

Again humanity is seen as basically good and naturally attracted to love.

  Since this is so, we can say the same about love. Since we received a command to love God, we possess from the first moment of our existence an innate power and ability to love. The proof of this is not to be sought outside ourselves, but each one can learn this from himself and in himself. It is natural for us to want things that are good and pleasing to the eye, even though at first different things seem beautiful and good to different people. In the same way, we love what is related to us or near to us, though we have not been taught to do so, and we spontaneously feel well disposed to our benefactors.

The Orthodox have not accepted Augustine's notion of original sin so their anthropology is more positive, not only was humanity created in the image and likeness of God, our humanity has also been taken into the Godhead in Christ. 

  What, I ask, is more wonderful than the beauty of God? What thought is more pleasing and wonderful than God’s majesty? What desire is as urgent and overpowering as the desire implanted by God in a soul that is completely purified of sin and cries out in its love: I am wounded by love? The radiance of divine beauty is altogether beyond the power of words to describe.

Whereas Western theology has generally talked about humanity in terms of redemption (wiping away sin) or salvation (becoming whole or health again), the Eastern concept is one of becoming godlike in union with Christ and the Holy Spirit

Archbishop Charles Scicluna advocates optional celibacy for the priesthood

 This article on the NCR site took me a little by surprise:

Vatican doctrine official says celibacy should be optional for Catholic priests | National Catholic Reporter (ncronline.org)

The reason I was surprised is that it usually isn't prominent members of the hierarchy who are advocating for a change in the celibacy rule.  From the article:

Chalking the door

Have any of you seen, or observed the custom of chalking the door on Epiphany? It would appear like this:

20 + C + M + B + 24

It looks like an equation. But 24 is for the year, the crosses are for Christ, C is for Caspar, M is for Melchior, and B is for Balthasar; the names ascribed by tradition to the three wise men. Actually we don't know that there were three, just that there were three gifts mentioned in the Gospel. The letters also represent the Latin words, Christus mansionem benedicat. Translation; Christ bless this house. 

I had not seen the custom prior to living in our present town. It is usually on the lintel of an interior door. It may be a Polish custom, since our parish has Polish roots.

We haven't done it in our house, but I may if I can find a piece of chalk. 

Perfect families, holy families

This is my homily for yesterday, the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Cycle B.  The readings for last Sunday are here.