Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 31, 2014

        I saw a wonderful meme on the Internet last week. The picture was of a little baby in the midst of being baptized. You could see the priest’s hand as he was pouring the water. The caption read, “Catholics: Pouring water on people before it was cool.” The reference, of course, is to the Ice Bucket Challenge that has been going around. People pour buckets of ice water over their heads or have others do the pouring. They then post videos of the event on Facebook or some other form of social media and challenge others to do the same. The purpose of all this silliness is to raise awareness about the disease ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The corollary, of course, is that those who take part are supposed to a donation toward research for the prevention and cure of ALS.
Shortly after the Ice Bucket Challenge began to circulate, I heard reports that the main group working on ALS research was using embryonic stem cells in their work. Fortunately, before anyone ever challenged me to anything, I received a message from a friend who promoted another organization. The John Paul II Medical Research Institute uses only adult stem cells. This line of research is morally acceptable to us Catholic, and it has so far proved to be more effective. This institute proved to be a good alternative, and the initial message I received gave me a chance to donate to a good cause without the dousing. And then Bishop Zubik took the challenge (with his donation going the John Paul II Medical Research Institute), and one of those I had urged to donate told me that I had to “be a good sport.” So last Sunday, after the school event in Fr. Wierauch Hall, I got a bucket of water dumped on me. By the time you read this, the video should be on our parish web site.
Especially because my challenge happened on a Sunday when I had baptized two babies, I was thinking about the Internet meme I quoted above. Baptism is our initiation into the faith, and this challenge seems like a form of initiation. I felt like I belonged to a certain “club” with others who have shared the experience. Baptism calls us to live our whole lives by faith, and the challenge to donate to a good cause means that the Ice Bucket Challenge is more than just a gesture. It has to be tied to action for the good to come out of it. Further, it calls us to make responsible decisions with regard to how we accomplish our goals. In Catholic teaching it is not enough to want to accomplish something good; the means we use to accomplish the end must also be morally acceptable.
For anyone interested in the John Paul II Medical Research Institute, you can find out more at their website, you can check out their website at jp2mri.org. You can also mail donations to:
                                        John Paul II Medical Research Institute
                                        540 E. Jefferson St.
                                        Suite 202
                                        Iowa City, IA 52245.
                                                                                             Father H