Let Me Hear, O Lord

Today our lives are so directed by communications, by mass media, by technology.  Some TV and much Internet material can mesmerize even three or four year old children.  But how many times have you felt or heard expressed, "Going to church on the weekends, reading the Bible ... well, it's all so boring, boring."  As a priest of more than 36 years, I cannot find these remarks strange.  Nothing can be more boring than repetition for repetitions sake!

Many times I have been told, "That was an impressive homily."  Likewise, when parishioners or friends have been honest, I have been told "That homily didn't speak to me."  Repetition for repetition's sake is boring.

Thankfully, several Trappist monks led to a discovery of an ancient prayer style, Lectio Divina. This prayer form has been address by this blogger several times.  Nonetheless it is worthy of repetition!  But repetition to provide me and you with a reminder that Scripture-based prayer is most fruitful when a text is read and re-read several times ... not in haste.

In today's liturgy's first reading, Paul speaks about those who "hear" and those who "fail to hear:  "But the word that they heard did not profit them, for they were not united in faith with those who listened."  To reap the benefit of Scripture we must listen and listen and listen not because the text is so technical or beyond our understanding.  Rather we need to read and re-read so that we can allow the power of the words, indeed the power of the Holy Spirit, speak to us, to lift us out of the moment into a real union with God.

On Capitol Hill these days it is most unusual when I am out walking not to see many young and older people passing by with wires dangling from their ears.  Their recorded music is playing for them, lifting them out of the apparent monotony of walking in silence (a topic for a later reflection!).  But they have chosen specific selections of music to accompany their ambulations! It is music that lifts them out of the moment.  It is a key that opens doors for them to their inner selves.  The same is true with most music and poetry.  Why are there certain poems, books or pieces of music we visit over and over?  There is something in them that we listen to, something in the words that carries us from the rat-race we live in.

Scripture is no different.  Praying scripture is not something you "just do."  Lectio Divina invites us to reread a text, without racing to finish, but to allow its own tune to play out in our hearts and minds.

Consider today's gospel:  the paralytic man who is so determined to get himself into the presence of Jesus who is known to be a healer.  We see that his determination and the ingenuity of his friends got him there in front of Jesus despite the packed house!  If you are alive today with the excitement of the upcoming Inauguration and all the other DC events of this most unusual weekend and week, this gospel can speak to you about your own excitement, about the struggle that African Americans put forth since the days of President Lincoln.  Just as the paralytic's goal was achieved, so, too, the struggle of our African American community is seeing, politically, the results of so many years of struggle.  Likewise, if the financial challenges facing many people today are overwhelming, the struggle of the paralytic man and his success might easily open the heart to understand that Jesus will be with those who are suffering whatever setbacks, ills, failures and so on.

Scripture, through the Holy Spirit, will speak to you and me ... if, if, if we but allow time to be our companion in the journey through Ordinary Time and we are presented so many different events from the life of Jesus ... so often presented to us as the healer, the encourager, and, at times, the one who calls us to task.  But we will not experience this lifting out of ourselves from what weighs us down if we do not read and re-read what God is saying.

But, then, what a gift, what a grace:  praying this way is almost always certain to finish with peace and awareness of how blessed we are.  Go for it!  Walk down that pathway!  You will meet your God in the strangest of places that the scripture gives you!

 

Capitol Hill Happenings

For those who do not live in the DC area and may not be coming to town for the events of next week, this is a picture taken yesterday, facing the west side of the Capitol.  The stand in the middle is the TV camera tower.  You might be able to see the podium where all the activity takes place.  Just to keep you aware of what's happening here these days.  Several have inquired as to my planned whereabouts on the 20th.  Well, I am blessed to have a ticket to the best seat one can possible get if not invited to be on the stage with the President:  in front of my TV set just two blocks away from the event.  I do hope to be able to get to East Capitol Street and a good place for taking pictures and Mr. and Mrs. Bush descend the stairs of the East Front of the Capitol to take the helicopter to Andrews Air Force Base and their return to Texas.

Today, a slight change of pace during this season of "measured pace."  Several individuals have inquired about my use of a sentence that in essence was as follows:  Sins against the Holy Spirit are never forgiven.  What does the Church teach in this matter?  Most of us believe that God will forgive any sin.  So, what is this sin against the Holy Spirit?

Scripture references

"Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." [Mt. 12:32]

"But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin." [Mk. 3:29]

"And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." [Lk. 12:10]

So, it is clear that in the writings of the 3 Synoptic gospels there is such a thing as a sin against the Holy Spirit that cannot be forgiven.  Again, what is this sin?

Shaking up all the theological and dogmatic lingo, this sin can be expressed this way:  it is to deliberately refuse to accept his mercy by repenting, rejecting the forgiveness of his /her sin(s) and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps this sin can be best understood as a hardness of heart.

There are other sins that offend the Holy Spirit also cited in the Catechism:

1.  Despair --  "By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to his justice - for the Lord is faithful to his promises - and to his mercy." (C.C.C. # 2091)

2.   Presumption of God's mercy -- "There are two kinds of presumption. Either man presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high), or he presumes upon God's almighty power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit)." (C.C.C. # 2092)

3.   Impugning the known truth  -- (Clarification) To "impugn" the known truth means to attack it by word or argument, to resist it, to contradict it, or even to oppose the known truth or to challenge it as false.

4.   Envy the spiritual good of another --  (Clarification: Regarding the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians states, "All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually as the Spirit chooses." To envy the spiritual good of another is to question the Divine judgment of the Holy Spirit in His distribution of spiritual gifts. It is to be jealous of another person who has a gift different than one's own gift. Through envy, one rejects the gift that he has received from the Holy Spirit, determining in his own mind that the gift he has received is not good enough for him and he wants someone else's gift.)

5.  Obstinacy in sin,  (Clarification: To be "obstinate" means to resist the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, to be stubborn, to persist in sin, to be unyielding.)

6.   Final impenitence  --  (Clarification: "Impenitence" means to be uncontrite, unrepentant, hardened, unconverted, to be without regret, shame or remorse.)

All of the above can be found, along with other areas of Catholic interest on the Canadian website Catholic Doors Ministry.  This question is answered in the FAQ section of the website.

The picture was taken at St. Joseph's on Capitol Hill.  Pictured are the bases of the candle stands on the altar.

He Continues To Be Present For You

Today's Scripture Readings

With the "measured pace" of Ordinary Time both readings for today's Eucharistic Liturgy help us see how Jesus came for all to remove "evil spirits," the powerful "demons" that weighed heavily upon so many of his contemporaries.

You and I make look at the bad things that happen each day and see them as the result of human ill evil.  Think what these burdens might be.  Notice!  The word "burdens" rather than "evil spirits" or "demons."  We seem, as mentioned yesterday, to have lost a consciousness of what these realities are in our lives today.  Perhaps this is a cultural removal of God from so much of what we do.  

An interesting Op Ed article by Michael Gerson in today's Washington Post offers a thought or two about this theme.

The events in the Gospel reading remind us, yes, once again, that this Jesus we profess to follow is ever-present for us.  There is a genuine truth that we might recall:  if we do not name experiences that harm our spiritual lives, how can we ever fully understand the effective graces Jesus brings to us even today.  Listen or read the final words of St. Paul in today's first reading, a part of the Letter to the Hebrews:  Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

The more we read and reflect on the changes put before Jesus during his life and how he confronted them, the more will we come to an ever present awareness that God does not abandon us to the evil spirits in our world, in our own lives.  Reflection on these scriptural moments of Ordinary Time regularly, we strengthen our belief that Jesus who came among human kind once years ago, will always be present to us.  He is present in the struggles you and I face each day, the moments of depression, the experiences of frustration, the discouragement that levels our resolutions, the sorrows that challenge our faith, and the different kinds of allurements that lead us to opt for sinful words or actions.  His support for our mission during this Ordinary Time we cannot forget:  "... he is able to help those who are being tested."  Recall today's Gospel events:  Jesus came to heal the ailing mother of his new colleagues, Simon and Andrew, as well as others brought to him in their illnesses, their burdens.  He will help you if you come to know him well.  That is a promise!

The Future Journey

Yesterday's readings set out what might be understood as a broad agenda using the Ordinary Time season of the Church's calendar to see in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ God's message to each of us.  Those readings were much like what we expect in an inaugural address -- a clarion call to walk with a new leader.  Today's gospel story shows us that the Church is not delaying in giving us an opportunity to step back and watch this young teacher at work, to show where he is walking.  It is a clear invitation to follow.

Religion in the time of Jesus, especially Judaism, was confronting the evil spirits that were seen as challenging their God.  Seeing evil spirits behind the many tragedies in our world today, however, seems not to be what many accept.

Read today's and every day's Washington Post.  Encountering the reports of so much armed conflict, killing of young people, discrimination, abuse, abortion -- any inhuman activity, can anyone deny that evil is not just simply present in our society but powerfully present?

The encounter Jesus has with the young man clearly possessed by evil is given to us at the outset of this year's Ordinary Time readings to assure us one fact:  there is evil in our world that cannot be brought to Jesus for his attention and divine assistance in overcoming it.

Hear Jesus speak to the man:  "Quiet!  Come out of him!"  And it happened as Jesus commanded.  Here at the outset of Ordinary Time's measured pace, Jesus offers you and me his assurances that he can overcome any evil.  His death has become the power that overcomes evil.

Obliquely the incident in Mark's gospel account is both a reminder and a challenge to us.  With the help of God -- if we but turn to him -- evil in our world can be suppressed ... even ended.

 

R I P Pio Cardinal Laghi

Word has been received today that Cardinal Laghi, one time Ambassador from the Holy See to the United States has died in Rome.

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Him, Lord.

The "Ordinary Time" Walkd

Today we begin, once again, Ordinary Time.  These are days that provide us the opportunity to live our spiritual life, our times of prayer, in a kind of quiet.  These are days that are different from the special seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter.  These days will carry us through some 34 weeks of a measured pace in our spiritual journey.  Measured journey!  Keep that in mind whenever you hear the phrase, Ordinary Time.  It helps set the "atmosphere" of the season!

The first reading puts before us a particular message for the journey.  When we care to learn anything today, we either revert to "the old fashioned way ... we read about it" or we turn to the modern way and open us the Google treasury.  On the spiritual journey, however, we need neither a library nor a computer -- although these can help at times.  On our spiritual journey the finish line is bringing ourselves to recognize how God has spoken to us along the way.  To hear God we do not necessarily have to read!  Hopefully, through prayerful reflection, sparked by words from Sacred Scripture, we will come to realize that God has spoken to us through the life, death and resurrection of his Son.  His life is what we need to not read the "old fashioned way" or even the modern way.  Ordinary Time invites us simply to look at and hear how his life speaks to us in different circumstances and at different times of our lives (that is each day ... each day is different that the previous ones!!).

Perhaps it was Jesus' invitation to the Kingdom of God that brought two sets of brothers to follow him without hesitation -- the event we see in today's gospel.  Ordinary Time provides us with the chance to see and experience in the life Jesus.  He lived the compassion and care of a loving Father that books or computers cannot make as clear.

Let the celebration of the daily Eucharist that impacts our lives more through action than words alone be a walking stick that accompanies us on the Ordinary Time journey.

Public Ministry Inauguration

The celebration of the Baptism of Jesus Christ is a reminder to all Christians, whether baptized as a baby or later in life, that baptism is the moment or event of a new birth. By a splash of water over the head or a dunking in water or an immersion into a a river or pool, the person being baptized is given a new birth into a community of faith.  Regardless of the "brand" of Christianity, baptism does not exist without water.  Someone once said, "There is no way to experience baptism without coming out on the other side dripping wet."  

From the readings offered in today's Eucharistic liturgy, what can we bring home to our own prayer.  There are three points that I would like to present for your consideration this morning.

The first point is that we should come to a realization that God is the source of life.  When the words "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" are said  to the person being baptized, we should see beyond the words to their significance.  This new birth is indeed the beginning of a new life ... a spiritual life ... a life with a special relationship with the Creator God.  At the same time the moment of baptism and the Sacrament of Baptism or Initiation as it is sometimes called, speaks to us of the sanctity of life.  This is why the Church is so strongly opposed to anything that would end that life unnaturally.

Perhaps we should see beyond the actual pouring of water over another human being's head as a reminder.  It speaks out strongly about the place of God in our lives.  Yet, in our society today, how many are the ways that our citizenry seem to be in favor of prohibiting us from the daily experience of God in our lives?  We have become a nation that wants to wash its hands of a Creator God.  The God who created this world, the God who created you and me and all who share the air, the light, the rain, the sunshine, this God seems to be the object of so many modern day prophets who want God driven from our daily lives.  Baptism, which we are to witness here at St. Joseph's on Capitol Hill in just a few minutes, should be a reminder to us of our own baptisms.  Aware of that special moment in our lives, it is our duty to reject those who seek to push God from our daily lives.

While our Deacon will soon pour waters of baptism on a young child, you and I are called to celebrate what is "new."  This baby's baptism could be for us a moment of resolve to bring about a new relationship with God, or a new attitude in how we live our lives, how we work with others; it could be a moment when we renew our pledge to follow Jesus Christ where he leads us.  This baptism should remind us that we once were soaked in God's graces so that like Jesus, like this young child, we could go forth into the world sharing the Good News, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lastly this baptism we are about to witness this morning is a reminder that our baptisms were our own inauguration ... our being brought into the faith we profess in the Creed every Sunday. Every baptism we witness is a "re-calling" for each of us to walk out of this church and this sacred liturgy "re-charged" to bring the message of Jesus Christ, his message of love and new life to a world that seems to have lost its desire to incorporate God into each day's newness.

The celebration of Jesus' baptism and the baptism of this child are trumpet calls for us to go forth as Jesus did -- to bring the life of faith to others, to proclaim that we also accept Jesus Christ as our God and Savior. We should always remember this:  when we end this earthly life and stand before God, he is not going to ask me or you if our Pastors or Bishops or Popes did all they could to solidify our faith among us.  No, he will not ask about them.  He will ask you; he will ask me:  have you lived the life of a baptized believer?  What have you done to bring the faith to others through your life?

Living in a Miracle: What's in a snowflake?

In the first reading of today's liturgy we are confronted with the reality of evil in the world and how sin separates us from God.

But we are reminded in the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults that Jesus Christ is the ultimate Teacher of morality.  He made clear that every Commandment in the Law and the Prophets finds its roots in two fundamental principles:  love of God and love of neighbor.

A snowflake is truly a miraculous creation from the mind of God.  We know that each snowflake that falls is not like any other!  That is truly a miracle, isn't it?  What human being, what computer could possibly bring about such creations?

God's forgiveness is also miraculous, isn't it?  Just think of the millions of people who live in the USA alone.  Now think about the number of sins that mark your career as a sinner.  God makes a unique gift to bring about a reconciliation between each person and each sin.  It is overwhelming when you consider that Jesus taught that now sin except a sin against the Holy Spirit is forgivable because he loved each one of us with a love that is special to each of us.  And his love for us is miraculous, as well.  He loves each of us with a love that is special to ourselves.  So, we can rejoice in this:  we live in miracle not in a miracle.

RIP: Rev.Richard John Neuhaus

Noted convert to Catholicism from his Lutheran priestly life, Fr. Neuhaus is a recognized scholar, preacher, teacher and TV commentator (John Paul II's funeral and the election and installation of Benedict XVI) died yesterday, January 8th, after a relatively short illness with cancer.  Not know for any liberal thinking, Fr. Neuhaus was also the founding editor of First Things, vehicle for his conservative thinking but also a magazine with other excellent articles about the faith.

Not too long ago Fr. Neuhaus wrote two paragraphs about dying that anyone of us would well remember, especially if death is imminent for oneself or a loved one or if one has recently died. his words are meaningful, comforting and offer an insight into what dying means.

We are born to die. Not that death is the purpose of our being born, but we are born toward death, and in each of our lives the work of dying is already underway. The work of dying well is, in largest part, the work of living well. Most of us are at ease in discussing what makes for a good life, but we typically become tongue-tied and nervous when the discussion turns to a good death. As children of a culture radically, even religiously, devoted to youth and health, many find it incomprehensible, indeed offensive, that the word "good" should in any way be associated with death. Death, it is thought, is an unmitigated evil, the very antithesis of all that is good.

Death is to be warded off by exercise, by healthy habits, by medical advances.  What cannot be halted can be delayed, and what cannot forever be delayed can be denied.  But all our progress notwithstanding, the mortality rate holds steady at 100 percent.

Death is the most everyday of everyday things.  It is not simply that thousands of people die every day, that thousands will die this day, although that too is true.  Death is the warp and woof of existence in the ordinary, the quotidian, the way things are.  It is the horizon against which we get up in the morning and go to bed at night, and the next morning we awake to find the horizon has drawn closer.  From the twelfth-century Enchiridion Leonis comes the nighttime prayer of  children of all ages:  "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray thee Lord my soul to keep.  But if I should die before I wake, I pray they Lord my soul to take."  Every going to sleep is a little death, a rehearsal for the real thing.  

Eternal rest grant unto your servant, Lord.

A Leper's Example

The verb "to clean" and its various uses help us better understand the power of Jesus' love.  The leper asks, "Make me clean."  He does not say cleanse me.  Jesus responds immediately, "Be made clean."  The leper is not asking for a physical scrubbing or washing of the infections in his skin.  He is seeking a special power, a special care, that he perceives Jesus could exercise on his behalf.  How helpful and wonderful that power would be if it were at hand when there are burned pots and pans sitting in a sink after a big meal.  There's when "make clean" would make "cleansing" a piece of cake!

Back to the gospel event.  Why would Jesus immediately accede to a man, a man tortured with infections on his skin, whom he seemingly did not know?  St. Luke gives no direct answer to such a question.  Yet one word from the leper's lips and heart gives the answer.  The word? "Lord."

St. John in his first letter from today's first reading makes clear how significant that one word can be:  "The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God," he writes, "is the victor over the world."  Further on he writes "whoever possesses the Son has life."  This unknown victim of Hansen's Disease must have heard about Jesus and come to believe he was indeed much more than an ordinary preacher.

This event should remind us that when we bring the leprosy of our own sinfulness to God in asking pardon, he will speak to us with the same immediacy:  "I do will it.  Be made clean." There is no need for physical scrubbing or cleansing.  In using the very simple phrase "Father, I have sinned," we stand before God and hear his words:  "Be made clean."  This is the true wonder in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Don't overlook it!

A photo simply to tease on a cold but sunny Capitol Hill day.

One of the major challenges to anyone seriously reflecting on a verse from Sacred Scripture, especially a segment of the gospel such a that included in today's liturgy is to face what the words might mean for me.  Simply praying over words from the Evangelists or other parts of the Bible is certainly not allowing the messages do their thing in our lives.  The words almost always call for the reader and prayer to determine the vocation within a vocation.  Basically the question that results is something like this:  "And what am I supposed to do about this?

For some it may be easy to read and reflect on the words of Jesus, especially the words in today's gospel.  He puts forward the challenges his vocation has placed in his life.  Good.  Good for you, Jesus.  But is this meant for me also?

Here on Capitol Hill focus is far from many of the issues that Jesus raises.  New actions by the recently reconvened Congress addressing new issues seemed to be concerned with resolving how to save face with the Illinois Senatorial appointment; how this city is going to get around with so many jubilant visitors coming to see history take place on January 20th; and, possibly, just possibly, some interest in what the USA should be saying or doing about the tragic bombings between Israel and Palestine.

It is still early in the new year.  There remains time for us to evaluate the resolutions that make sense for the new year.  The silly ones have most likely already disappeared or we may not have taken them seriously at the outset.

What are we capable of doing for all the poor ... a growing population in this nation?  How can we help those millions ... yes millions ... who have lost their jobs in the last few months?  What are we going to do to assist the marginalized in our communities?  These are real questions and they are given greater solidity because they address real problems that are exploding in our communities.

Reaching Out To You

In the first reading for today's Eucharistic liturgy, the Evangelist, John, has written words that may seem both strange and not noticed before:  ". . . and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love" (1 John 4:18).

A normal person might react questioning the Evangelist's experience of fear and/or love. Certainly John knew how dangerous it was to travel the major roadways of his times.  The story of the Good Samaritan reminds us of the fear many had to travel those roadways alone.

However, the fear John is writing about is the fear of final judgement.  He is seeking to encourage communities to strengthen their love of God.  If a community, John believed, has a love for God and others, then they should not have a fear of judgement.

However, there are other fears that match the worries of those who travelled those dangerous roads or even those that weigh heavily upon us today.  In different circumstances we might be much like the disciples who were being battered by the waves.  Personally or a loved one might be given the news that terminal cancer has invaded the body; the call comes to a working Mom that her child has been seriously injured; or the father of a large family is notified that the company he has worked for for twenty years is closing ... today.  These are the waves that beat against the lives of many today.  And all of these people surely ask, "Where is God now?"

What we learn from this gospel story is that we never know exactly how God's love will come to us.  It could be the call from a "long lost friend."  Maybe it is having the opportunity to see an extraordinary sunset.  It might be the return of a "lost" son or daughter who has not been home for many years.

In all of these experiences, we will know his loving presence for us.  And we will know it all the more deeply if we have been a people who care for others, who share God's love for us with others.

Fishing Alone: Learning God's Love for ME.

Did you ever go fishing?  particularly on a lake or on a body of water where there was little obvious movement of the water?  where you had to sit quietly, awaiting a knock-at-your-door like nibble from the end of your fishing line? 

The "how? of the feeding of 5000 men is a mystery.  Forget trying to discover a solution:  it is mystery.  Think for a few moments on the "why?"  Why did Jesus not send the people back to their villages, to their homes to ease their hunger?  Not because they might have been hungry but, as St. Mark recorded the event, because "his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd" (6:34).

How many of us ever consider how often we encounter others who seem to be shepherdless, going through life without a rudder?  Or, perhaps, even in your own life this might be a reality whether or not you know it.

Jesus was moved with pity and concern for the large crowd because he loved them perhaps with a love they didn't know or experience.  If we were fully aware of God's love for us . . . imagine how our lives could or world be so different!

Perhaps the real mystery in this particular event in Jesus' life is why we find it so challenging to live each day in an awareness that our Creator God, our redeeming God and our enlivening God love us.  How different our lives could and would be if we took just a little time each day to drop our fishing line into the waters of God's love for us!  How rewarding our time with God would be if we simply let God be God, if we let our God tell us the many ways he loves us.

Epiphany 2009: Trust in Me

The root message in this feast day is that Jesus was brought into this world for more people and nations that Joseph and Mary.  His birth is a source of new life but not just for Judea and Israel.  Likewise he is more that light signaled by a bright star for three men who we might consider to be astrologists not astronomers!  Interestingly these gift bearers studied the stars that would give them a gift never imagined.

From these three kinds we are introduced to a "new way" not a "new age."  The revealing child of the Bethlehem manger came to them just as he comes to us during the days of the Christmas season to invite us -- yes, once again -- to a new way, a a good we do not fully understand or know.

At the present time I am read William P. Young's The Shack, Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity.  It is a missionary's vision of what an Epiphany experience might be in our times.  As with any Epiphany experience, we have to focus not so much on the three finders of the baby.  We are the wisdom figures in the story today.  What we need to focus upon is what the infant child is revealing both then and now.  How strongly does the message impact you life this year?

In all honesty, have you felt the grace of Jesus' birth knocking at the door of your heart and soul this year?  

We can celebrate this Epiphany day and all the Christmas season perhaps as we have in the past:  another celebration of present-time, family-time.  Truly good moments but far from the genuine purpose of the season.  With the three wise men do we have the wisdom to see, to hear and to sense the "new way," the revelation Jesus is giving us today?

In The Shack, MacKenzie, the principal figure, is stunned by the way the Father, Son and Holy Spirit appear to him in a rare encounter in a forest where three years earlier his youngest child had been abducted and presumed murdered.  Mack came to see what Magi discovered:  God, the Son of God, the Messiah was presenting himself in utter simplicity.  He is teaching form his supposed bed of strong that we more often than not create confusion in our lives because we try to fit God into our image of what a divine Creator should be.

Epiphany truly is a call to be "humbled, not humiliated."  God is inviting us to a genuine relationship with himself.  This feast is a true challenge to us because, if we are honest, we see that we humans have made a mess of God's creation -- from the Garden of Eden to the plea, the message, from Pope Benedict VI earlier today:  "End all war!  War and hatred are not the solution to the problem(s)."

Today's Epiphany is a calling to us to turn our world and hearts back to God.  "Trust in me." This is the message that comes to us from the child once again.  Let my love and care be the guiding star you should follow today in your times.  Yet, do we truly believe that for trust to become a reality, all of us, singly and communally and globally, have to believe that God loves us, each of of us.

This is what the wise men discovered ... and so returned to their kingdom "humbled, not humiliated."  It was a different Messiah than most expected.  The call was a true challenge ... even to each of us today.

Holy Name of Jesus

The picture is the coat of arms of the Society of Jesus, a fitting photo for the day when the Church honors the holy name of Jesus.

While John the Baptist continues as the main actor in today gospel reading, he would not want anyone to overlook his mission:  to bring others to Jesus.  His mission is very much like our own today.  John was willing to give even his life for Jesus and his role.  John knew from his very beginning that this man was the holy one of God, the Messiah, long-awaited in the land of the Jewish peoples.

Without using the phrase, "In the name of Jesus," John was preaching to make us ready to receive even more than the "name."  He was introducing us to the Son of God.

Joseph was told he would be the foster father of a child that was to be named Jesus.  Shortly after the death of Jesus and his resurrection, Peter and his band of Christ-followers set out on their missions, preaching and healing in the name of Jesus.  In those early days of our Church, the name of Jesus was the primary source for all the work of the apostles.  Recall how Peter would heal and say that his actions and the results were not his at all but rather the actions of Jesus.

We should not forget at this time these words from St. John's gospel:  "If you ask anything of me in my name I will do it" (John 14:13).  Do we stop to think about these words of Jesus?  We pray to him ... but do we think about the significance and the sacredness of his name?

Remember, gentleman of some years, the Holy Name Society?  Stand at a bar or a sporting event these days.  What do you hear along with a string of expressions that seem to absolutely need the "F" word:   it is the sacrilegious misuse of the holy name of Jesus.  And so often, don't we just accept that as an ordinary adjective, noun or expletive --- forgetting that it is a name of God.

Can even begin to imagine the reaction of John the Baptist were he in such a situation today? John believed so much in Jesus as the Son of God and in that belief he found happiness.  Perhaps we might consider this:  does the misuse of the name of Jesus or other expletives with the name of God signify a latent self-centeredness, a place where there really is no joy?

The Baptist's Message

Today's gospel story may seem out of place ... we have already passed the celebration of the birth of Jesus and heard the Baptist's story.  However, today, we might look at one aspect of the young preacher's message:  KNOW THYSELF.  How often have we heard this two word sentence?

John's words are a challenge that we know not just who we are but who we are NOT.  This means that we have to understand who we are not, what we are not rather then who we think we are or who we think others want us to be or how we want them to see who we think we are.

The Jews who were speaking with John about the promised Messiah were simply trying to find out if John was the one, the long-awaited Messiah.  Right up front John denies that he is this person long-promised to the people.  And this is the challenge he offers us:  not to let our egos get in the way of what we are trying to do in our lives.

John clearly sees his mission:  I am not numero uno.  I am simply the messenger who has the mission of making ready a people to welcome the Messiah.  Because John is a man of great humility it is not difficult for him to make clear from the outset who he is NOT.  He can reply to the Jewish officials asking him about his messages, his baptism of repentance.  He immediately withdraws any doubts about his role.  He is not the Messiah.

From this reading today we are challenged to look at our own self-awareness -- who am I? -- and what role we have in life -- what is it that I am doing?   Like John our own baptisms call us to be like John, messengers of a gospel message that touches every one's life.

Today's photo:  from Flickr files.

BASIL THE GREAT AND GREGORY NAZIANZUS

Not a picture of any of the saints, but it does reflect the eastern Church's style ... one that seems to have learned much for the saints the Church honors today.  Basil and Gregory were 4th century Bishops who were eventually designated as Doctors of the Church.  An irony in their "heritage" is that between them there are ten relatives of the two Bishops who are also saints!

As Bishops Basil and Gregory, both who preferred the monastic life to the active life of the diocesan clergy, became involved in the theological controversy of their day ... primarily dealing with the Trinity.  He preached and wrote much about the equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son.  His preference for the monastic life led Basil to found the first monastery located in what is now Turkey.  He insisted that monks should take time to care for orphans providing them with a decent education.

Gregory also wrote and preached that there was indeed and equality within the Trinity.  He wrote "The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have this in common --- they are uncreated and they are divine."

Each year the Church celebrates their feast day on the 2nd day of the calendar year.  This surely is a recognition of the significant contribution they made to the early Church.  In the early years of the Church's history, after the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, controversies arose about the divinity of Jesus and what we know today as the Trinity.  Arianism was being taught.  The Arians held a position which denied that Jesus was God.  Gregory challenged another heresy of the time.  Apollonarius denied the existence of a rational soul in Christ's human nature.  He maintained that the body of of Jesus was glorified and spiritualized form of humanity.  We don't hear much about these issues today because, quite frankly, many do not fully comprehend the cultural and spiritual waves that were a part of the growing experience.  Suffice it to say that our Church today would most likely be very different had the saints not been so vocal in preaching what their prayer and reflection instilled in their minds and hearts.

These saints possessed and were possessed by a zeal for the faith that is very different from the experience most of us have today with regard to the Church and the "mysteries" which cannot be solved simply because they are mysteries.

A slow and careful reflective reading of the first words from today's scripture reflects the kind of thinking that is so different from contemporary thinking.

Mary, Mother of God January 1, 2009

Today the Church celebrates not just another of the titles of Mary but surely the title that sets Mary apart for any other woman ever born, apart from any saint.  The title, Mother of God, is redoubtable ... it is awesome and powerful.

It is this title, this reality in the life of the virgin Mary, that attracts so many to her.  Mother, Mother of God and our Mother in a spiritual sense.  But Mary is also our sister for all of us are born from Adam.

As we celebrate the beginning of a new year today, let us ask Mary to assist us through her powerful intercession with her Son and the Father.  There is much we need personally, in our Church and in our world.  Let us bring to her as we would to a mother and/or a sister, the burdens that weigh heavily upon us  as well as all others seeking to make the world a better place where peace drives out war and division.

God our Father,

may we always profit by the prayers

of the Virgin Mother Mary,

for you bring salvation

through Jesus Christ

her Son.

Amen.

December 31st: Te Deum ... We thank you, God!

Today an ancient prayer, the Te Deum, has special significance for the Church.  This prayer is sung today in any one of several styles to express gratitude to God for the year that is ending today -- with an extra second added at 18:59:59!

The photo above:  can be a sun rising or a sun setting; a new year beginning or an old year ending.  The Te Deum prayer that follows is more than enough for your prayer or reflection today.

You are God: we praise you;

You are the Lord: we acclaim you;

You are the eternal Father:

All creation worships you.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,

Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:

Holy, holy , holy, Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you.

The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.

The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:

Father, of majesty unbounded,

your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You Christ are the King of glory,

the eternal Son of the Father.

When you became man to set us free

you did not spurn the Virgin's womb.

You overcame the sting of death,

and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers,

You are seated at God's right hand in glory.

We believe that you will come, and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help your people,

bought with the price of your own blood,

and bring us with your saints 

to glory everlasting.

Amen.

May the goodness and love of God become so manifest in your lives during the new year that most of us would find you almost too good to understand!!!

In the seminary we had a wonderful custom for ending our letters.   We would write

Oremus pro invicem!

 In English:

Let us pray for one another!

Amen!  Amen!  Amen!

December 30th: 6th Day of the Christmas Octave

Now let us continue the reflection offered yesterday, a few thoughts that arise when going through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola or reading them.  You are invited along this path for the following reasons:

New Year's resolutions are in the air

Sinful habits weigh upon many seeking true freedom

Daily use of the Examen helps overcome a fault or sin that has become a habit

The following paragraphs describe a way to get the very best to use the Examen.

Through a brief time of prayer, each evening, I come to a far deeper insight into my sins and their malice.  How?  The graces help produce a greater fervor and openness to the healing power of Christ in the sacrament of Reconciliation (at a later time).

This is what Ignatius proposes for someone who wishes to remove a fault or a sin from his/her life.  There are five steps that make up the Examen.

+ offer thanks to God for the favors granted to me;

+ seek help from the Holy Spirit to enlighten me so that I may see my sin or fault as God sees them;

+ look back over the events of the day to see sinful act whether in thought word or deed, whether omission or commission and the tendencies or roots of such sinful behavior;

+ express my sorrow and ask God's forgiving love to heal me;

+ pray for the graces to amend my life.

Being a very practical man and one who seemed to be endowed with the gift of an organizer and a psychologist, Ignatius offers the following structure that actually is a part of the third part of the Examen -- recording the faults or sins of the day.

Ignatius suggests a recording using the following structure ... the "dots" representing the count of failures for the day.

          Week One          Week Two          Week Three          Week Four

SUN     .                        . .                     .                            .

MON   . .                           . .                      .                              . .

TUE     . . .                         .                           . . .                          . .

WED   . . . . .                     . . . . . .              . . . . .                       . . . . . . .

THU    . . .                         . .                     . .                             .

FRI      . . . . . .                   . . . . .                . . . . . . .                   . . . . . . . .

SAT     . .                           .                           . .                             . . .

SUM    22                         19                    18                            14

Analysis:

It seems progress is being made ... even after one month.  But notice Wednesdays and Fridays seem to be "bad" days.  Ignatius would suggest you review those two days to see what is there that is bringing you to fail.  Perhaps Wednesdays is a day when a boss or family members make special demands on you ... e.g.  reports due, taking the kids to soccer.  Friday may be a day when you are just tired or a day when you are annoyed because you cannot do something special on the weekends, etc. etc.  You have to look and see.

A page such as this is an excellent way to gradually erase a bad habit or a fault or a sin from your life.  Likewise, this kind of charting can be used if you are trying to build up a special virtue in your life.

Back to reflection on New Year's Eve resolutions:  if you make resolution to use the Daily Examen each evening, determined to employ its purpose to remove a fault smoking, drink, cussing, misuse of the Internet, immoral activity, respect for a spouse or children or a coworker, fidelity to Church obligations, etc. etc., in short time you will begin to see success.

Good luck and may this instrument help you in the new year.

December 29th: 5th Day of Christmas OctaveAs

As strange as it may seem, St. John's letter in the readings for today's Eucharistic Liturgy has prompted a review of St. Ignatius Loyola's "Examination of Conscience" as laid out in the Spiritual Exercises.

What brought this about?  The Evangelist makes clear that we best come to know Jesus when we know and live the life of "his commandments."  As we begin to consider thoughts of a new year and the annual "game" of resolutions, we might turn to our spiritual lives.  Perhaps we should examine whether our spiritual lives have suffered during this past year because we lack a sense of the importance of the role the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus should have in our lives.

When Vatican II and the social revolution that occurred in the 1960s, Roman Catholics experienced upheaval in their Church and personal lives.  The rigidity of past centuries were quickly tossed out because Catholics liked changes permitting hot dogs on Fridays, for example!  Many of us felt a new kind of freedom when that famous "window" of Blessed Pope John XXIII was opened by the Council Fathers.  In the minds and lives of many Catholics little was left untouched by the changes.

Since those shaking days, have we not turned away from a true respect for the Commandments?  The communal life of the Church and reaching out to those who are different than ourselves -- the poor, the lonely, the sick, the marginalized -- in our society and Church. 0 Unfortunately, so it seems, the Commandments, the laws of the Church and some of Jesus' teachings seem to have been "tossed under the bus" of our forward rolling society and Church.

Today's first reading begins with a rather strong reminder:  "The way we may be sure that we know Jesus is to keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3).  And just a few words further in the letter we read:  "This is the way we may know we are in union with him:  whoever claims to abide in him ought to walk just as he walked" (emphasis mine).

The birth of Jesus is the beginning of a new relationship between God and his people.  Here we see how God pours out his love upon all of us, his children.  We call it a new covenant.  We come to recognize a new reality, a new responsibility if we are to be "in union" with Jesus, if we are "to walk as he walked."

So today we might ask ourselves the following:  (1) Do I seriously consider my union with Jesus as made better when "his commandments" are guiding my daily life? and (2) Do I honestly consider my way of life within the "holy family" of the community of believers as guided by "his commandments"?

Tomorrow the reflection will look specifically at Ignatius' proposed practice of the daily Examen. 

Holy Family Sunday: What is Our Community Today?

Yes, for you record keepers:  a picture used once before!

Working my way through the readings for today's Eucharistic celebration, I felt as though my journey had taken me to AARP or the local office of the Social Security Administration!  We are introduced to Sara and Abraham, Anna and Simeon.  If you don't know the facts, here they are: Sara was in her 90s and Abraham was 100.  Tradition or fact, who knows which, has it that Sara continued her secret of long life until her death at 127 years!!!  So, imagine the reaction of their families (if they were alive??) and friends when either would say: "We're pregnant!"

St. Luke's gospel presents Anna and Simeon.  The Evangelist reminds his readers that Anna in no spring chicken.  She "was of great age."  But nowhere do we learn or have an indication of Simeon's age.  Artists often present him as good old St. Nick or Santa Claus.  We do know that he was "righteous and devout."  Like many others, Simeon was awaiting for freedom to come to Israel.  His waiting was special as he experienced a revelation from God that informed him that he would "see the Christ of the Lord."  When the Child Jesus was presented in the temple, Simeon knew.  This was the long awaited Messiah.  And with this the curtain closes on Simeon.

However, on this day of the Holy Family, let's play with the experience of Simeon for a few moments.  Let's ask "What if?"  What if Simeon was a younger person that any of the other three people in today's readings.  From artists' renditions of Simeon, one could easily surmise that Simeon was not ancient.  Rather, it seems he was a man in the "prime time" of his life. Just perhaps the Evangelist and the Holy Spirit were offering us a model for living life in our own "prime time."

Did you ever lives through a part of your life when you were captivated by a powerful dream? Simeon had that experience.  The revelation or dream daily must have given a particular impetus to Simeon's life.  He could not but wonder when God would fulfill the promise of the prophets who spoke for the Divine Power.  Holding the Child Jesus in his arms, Simeon "held the dream that had held him from childhood."  And don't all of us have a dream or two that gives us the inspiration or power to go forward, to live the dream?  Dreams like starting up one's own business, like having a family, like becoming a doctor, lawyer or candlestick maker. And on the day when the dream becomes a reality, were you not like Simeon, holding a diploma, a license, a new child --whatever -- probably looking up to the heavens with words of gratitude and perhaps "release."  Release?  Remember Simeon-like words:  "Lord, you can dismiss this follower -- not to die but to live life to its fullest.  The dream is no longer fantasy. It is real.  Now you go forward into life with a realization of new purpose.

How relate this to the Holy Family feast day?  One dimension of Simeon's experience relates to community.  The readings draw us into a very special and different family:  Abraham, Sara, Anna, Jesus, Mary and Joseph and, of course, Simeon.  We stand together with him.  We are part of that family.  As he held the baby, Simeon said:  "... my eyes have seen your salvation which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for the revelation to the Gentiles, and a glory for your people Israel"  Our new-found friend, Simeon, looked at the infant face and saw much more than a baby.  He saw "the face of God for the whole world."

Throughout both Old and New Testament writings we can find one of the roots of creation: God's people need community each and every day.  It is community that gives our Church its life.  And most people long to experience genuine community in our cities, our neighborhood, and in our homes.  Even in our nation today, following the recent elections, there has grown strong the hope and desire for a United States of America, from one coast to the other. Perhaps this has been God's dream, Simeon's dream -- yes, even our dream -- that we are a truly bonded family.

Like Simeon who left the temple with a new purpose, we leave our respective churches today not to die but to live out more fully our reality as a salvation people; to live as the family, the community God has planned for us to be.

Just a little game of "What if?" can truly bring us so much closer to our God.  Strange isn't it?

I don't think so!

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2008: SEEING? BELIEVING?

How often is the phrase "seeing is believing" used to give a confirmation to something not easily accepted as it is? Today the Church celebrates the feast of the apostle and evangelist, John.  This is the person who has made known to us the mystery of faith in so far as faith can be "known."

John affirmed forever in his writings the mystery we celebrate at Christmas, the mystery of Emmanuel, God is with us.  Remember that our ancestors were promised a messianic figure. Many of them could not get beyond the notion that this promised messiah would be a kind.  But John would remove the regal expectations with a few words that have brought the faithful to their adoring knees:  "et Verbum caro factum est."  "And the Word was made flesh."

John's experiences and his words share with all believers and all who are seeing to know their Creator the reality of the eternal life of God the Father present in the person of the child Jesus. In this Jesus God became visible to all those who had been seeking to know the true God.

Throughout the days of the Christmas season the daily readings in the Eucharistic liturgies will give us reflections on this extraordinary gift -- Go being with us.  The danger we must over come or avoid is a failing to recognize this reality because it can easily be lost in history or because we simply take it for granted.

May these days of Christmas celebration -- until the feast of the Epiphany -- afford us the opportunity to encounter a genuine awareness of God's gift to us in the birth of Jesus.  Looking at a representation of the manger scene, how strongly does the event impact our very being, our soul?  When John found the tomb to be empty, it was then that "he saw and believed."  And you, blog reader, when did you truly see and believe?  Can you remember ... or do you take your faith for granted?

Friday, Dec 26th: Feast of St. Stephen: We are in a Season of Miracles

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Surely most of us remember Erma Bombeck.  Her words often could lift us from whatever was weighing heavily upon our shoulders.  These words that follow speak much about St. Stephen, the first of martyrs after the death of Jesus.

When I stand before God at the end of my life,

I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left,

and could say,

'I used everything you gave me.'

We respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit in different degrees.  Some of us have excellent hearing.  Others are not so gifted.  Today's saint, Stephen, was a man who gave all he had to being a follower of Jesus.  He must have been quite the person to encounter:  "St. Luke describes him, in the Acts of the Apostles, as "filled with grace and power, (was) working great wonders and signs among the people."  Opponents challenges his preaching and teaching but (again from Acts) "they could not withstand the wisdom and spirit which he spoke."  His presentations so enraged the opponents that they "threw him out of the city, and began to stone him."  The opponents just couldn't hear whereas Stephen heard so very well and was committed to his God.

Recently I wrote about a young man whose aorta ruptured during a heart procedure.  More than ten minutes were required to make a restructured vessel because of the deterioration in the aorta.  John's doctors eventually determined that he was in a permanent vegetative state.

Today, while distributing Holy Communion, John's dad, Bob, came forward to receive the Eucharist but first said:  "Father, he's no longer in a vegetative state.  Pope John Paul is helping us."

On one of my visits to John, I entrusted a zuchetto (the small white cap the Pope wears) that Pope John Paul had worn to Bob.  It is a gift I truly treasure.  When Bob told me that the doctors felt that only a miracle would work, I brought the zuchetto to him and suggested that he put it on John's head and pray to Blessed John Paul II for his intercession on John's behalf.

John's dad is truly a man who determined to listen to every opportunity from the Holy Spirit for his son.  Each day he places the zucetto on John's head and prays to the great Pope for his intercessory help.  At the same time he has been so clearly willing to accept whatever John's future might be.  But he, too, believes that Christmas is a season of miracles.  In a way we might see that there is no way of restricting the power of God.

Nativity of the Lord, Jesus 2008

Piazza St Pietro --- Citta del Vaticano

From St. Joseph's Parish on Capitol Hill I send you my Christmas greetings and a promise that tomorrow morning at our 10:30 AM Mass I shall remember all those who read these words either tonight or tomorrow.

These are days when all of us, I believe, feel close to our families and friends or, if there are divisions there, we have that feeling deep within calling us to do what we can to bring about division.

These are days when emotions run on high.  The Christmas music, the gatherings with family and friends, the decorations on homes and in stores --- all remind us once again that we are not a forgotten people ... not one of us is forgotten by the Lord Jesus.  The creche in St. Peter's Square is a reminder of that promise of the Lord that he would always be with us.

Enjoy these days with the Lord in whatever way you can find time just to look at a creche. Trying to imagine what it would be like if your could be one of the men or women who stood at the scene that change the history of the world.  How would you speak to that child?  Let me share the story of the experience one of our readers, a very special friend of mine, who lives in a Chicago suburbs.  She is a wonderful lady, a woman of incredible faith and determination to be as strong as she can in fighting a illness that brings her low too often.  Yet, there is something about the Nativity that reminds me of my friend.  Because she is a blond, let's just call he "Blondie."

Just a day ago I received a box in the mail from Blondie.  There were three items in the box:  an account of a very special moment; a box of home made cookies; and a "glittery, messy, weird little star" sprayed with gold paint.  Here's the story and the reason for the star.

An Episcopalian Pastor told a story about her childhood.  In those formative years, she want proof that stars exist in the daytime too.  Follow some research and when adults were not around, the young girl stood up inside the chimney of the large family-room fireplace.  To her surprise, through the chimney opening she could see the stars shining brightly during the day.

The Pastor told his congregation the purpose of the story to trust what you cannot see but is surely there.  So the stars in all their various configurations become symbols of faith.

What are stars all about?  These huge, powerful "islands in the sky" are always there.  When the clouds hide them, there are always there.  On the brightest day at noon they are there.  My friend, like the little girl, knows that the stars are always there -- even without trying to look up the chimney of a fireplace.

It was a star that led the wise men and shepherds to the most extraordinary moment of their faith journey.  Today there are stars in my life that I cannot see every day.  One is Blondie who shared the story about the little girl.  There will always be "stars" that lead us on in our faith experiences.  Like the little girl, like Blondie we have to be strong enough to believe the stars are always there for us as reminders of God's grace acting in our lives ... surely through the stars in our lives.

A Christmas star brought people to see the long-awaited Messiah.  There are many stars in our lives that are trying to lead us ever closer the the Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, God with us.  So find yourself a star you can hang in one of the rooms in your house.  Let it be a reminder that there are many good things in your life even though they may not always be easy to see.

Don't be afraid or think it silly to be a star gazer.  Try it.  In a short time, you will come to understand how remarkable God's love and care are for you.  Probably you will soon find that you could be hanging many, many stars above your head somewhere in your home because as Christmas teaches us.  God allows many stars to shine in our lives.s

Merry Christmas, dear readers.  May these days be a time of peace and happiness for you.  May you find stars, huge and powerful, in your life, all along your journey to the Lord.

The O Antiphons in Reverse: Tomorrow, I will be with you.

The Benedictine monks arranged the O Antiphons in the order presented for a specific reason.  "If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one  a unique Latin phrase is formed.

E  Emmanuel

R  Rex (king)

O  Oriens (radiant dawn)

C  Clavis (key)

R  Radix  (root) 

A  Adonai (Lord)

S  Sapientia (wisdom)

The two words ERO CRAS can be translated as "I will be tomorrow," or "I will be with you tomorrow."  What has been the object of our prayer for the last seven days concludes with what would be the words of Jesus himself:  "Tomorrow I will come."  Thus the octave end with great joy and peace:  Emmanuel, God, is with us.

Thanks to Rev. William Saunders who published an article on the O Antiphons in the Arlington Catholic Herald.