Celebration of the Ascension of Jesus Christ

From the Hermitage

Ascension Scriptures

Dear Friends,

My work continues in Millsboro with my brother.  Please pray that he regains the strength in his body.  His muscles are so weak after so many days in bed.  We are making progress but it will take some time for him to stand for more than a few seconds.  I am back in Lanham for two days before returning to being his nurse during these days of his life and mine.

-----------------------------

Today as we consider the Ascension of the Lord, we are given a unique moment between the day of Resurrection and Pentecost to reflect on the activities of the Apostles and other disciples. Let me suggest thinking about the time between the Ascension and Pentecost.  Contemplate with me, if you will, about what was going on in that upper room that was located "one Sabbath's day walk."  The Jewish law was that walking more than 1000-2000 yards was restricted.  However, the rabbis proposed having food to eat at the far distance and calling that spot a 'domicile.' So the frequently mentioned "upper room" must have been very close to the temple in Jerusalem.  A group of some 20 people gathered in the upper room after the Ascension event.  They were directed by the Christ to gather there in prayer.  

Try to imagine that you were able to see into that room as they prayed and shared their thoughts.  For us today, perhaps we might imagine how Peter must have felt.  Suddenly he nightly aware of his new responsibilities as he alone is now the leader of the Apostles and disciples and the growing Church.  This is Peter, the sinner.  The one who had denied he was a friend of Jesus.  This was Peter who failed to recognize Jesus on occasion.  The Peter who spoke back to Jesus who was speaking about the two faces on a coin.  Imagine how he must have felt now as all of his friends looked to him as the new leader but who also had experienced Peter's failures!

Have you ever taken on a new position in your place of employment?  If that has happened to you, how did you feel when someone may have half-heartedly teased you about the different weaknesses you had shown before your promotion!

Also in that room were the brothers, James and John.  Remember their stupidity or genuine human weakness?  "We want to sit on your right and left in your new kingdom."  And how many times have we express desires for one thing or another that we really should not have asked for.  The two brothers must have thought about that moment now that the Apostles were on their own in the new Church.

Of course Mary, his mother was there that day.  What must she have thought?  Surely she was aware the He had a very unique and singular vocation.  But how easy is it for a mother to lose her son?

About each of us?  Walk back to that upper room.  Know the others don't see you.  But listen as they talked and prayed about their future and the hope that the promised Holy Spirit would be for them.  What runs through your heart and mind as you try to imagine what it would be like to have seen Jesus taken up to heaven and you are left to be on your own?  How do you feel you have succeeded or failed in the mission God has given to you?

Again, please let us pray for each other during these days before the Holy Spirit's Pentecost is commemorated in our Church and hopefully in our lives.  What is it that the Holy Spirit is asking of you now.

Oops! What An Error!

No one said a word after my parish Mass.  Surely the absence from the day to day life in parish while playing nurse Milt for my brother really threw me a curve ball:  Pentecost is TWO  Sundays ahead of us!   Wow!  What an error!   So, humiliated, I confess my stupidity.  However, how wonderful to do some advance press for the Holy Spirit!  That gospel for today was the curve ball put up before me. As well as the first reading!  Too many early references to the Holy Spirit in today's set of readings!  I hope my carelessness has become a means of stirring up some interesting the presence of the Holy Spirit in you lives!

Never so embarrassed!

Fr. Milt

Just 8 Day Before ...

From the Hermitage

Dear Friends,

It is a genuine few moments of thanks that I have returned to my "home" here in Lanham for 24 hours.   I return to be with my St. Matthias Family that I truly miss now that I am helping my brother in his illness in Delaware.  Let me assure any of you who are or have been a nurse or caretaker for the sick and needy, never have I appreciated your vocation as much as I do now that I have been working these past several weeks with my brother in his difficult days of recuperation.  Thankfully his illness and incapacitation have reduced his excessive weight by almost 100 pounds!  We are praying and trying now through physical therapy to enable him to stand on his feet once again.  It is so encouraging to find him sitting bedside with his legs dangling to the floor as he does special exercises -- all of this around 6:30 AM each morning.  He is determined to be walking very soon.   I continue to rely upon your prayers for his improvement and the ability to do what we take for granted:  putting feet on the floor and advancing them forward without even thinking about what a gift walking can be!  Now to the Sunday reflection.

6th Sunday of Easter

When we awoke to a bright sunrise this morning, was there any awareness that we are fast approaching the celebration of Pentecost?  Surely if we were only one week away from another special day, we might think or say to others: "only one more week and we celebrate special day."  Do we think or say today:  Just 8 days before we celebrate  the day when Jesus, risen from the dead said:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you

another Advocate to be with you always.

John 14:16

For Jesus it was not sufficient that he would come upon our earth and live with the community of believers in Jerusalem and other smaller towns and cities.  He had the strong desire to empower us with an Advocate of power, a Counselor or, as we might say, a prized stand-in for himself and our Creator Father.  This Holy Spirit is "Another Advocate."  Take note:  we should not forget Jesus' promise that the gift of the Holy Spirit is additional assistance, counsel and strength for us.  Jesus was well aware of the challenges, the temptations, the world would throw before us, the work of the Evil Power.   Jesus did not want anyone of us to be left abandoned, without a real power to overcome whatever would separate us from himself and the Father.  He did not want anyone of us to walk through life as one abandoned, as an orphan.

This is the gift we celebrate next Sunday.  Today I bring this forward so that we might say to ourselves: "Just 8 days more and we commemorate the gift of power, the treasure of the Holy Spirit."

And so ... during this week ahead including today during at least one of the times you might visit with  the Wonderful World of Wisdom (www!!!), google Prayer to the Holy Spirit and recite the prayer Catholics have recited to the Holy Spirit for centuries:

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful

And kindle in them the fire of your love;

Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created

and You will renew the face of the earth.

Amen.

Likewise you might share in the gift  promised to the people of Belgium by their famous Cardinal Mercier which is a secret of sanctity and happiness.  Take 5 minutes each day, quiet your probably very busy imagination, close your eyes to everything visible (don't do this while driving or cooking!!!) and your ears to all eternal sounds and withdraw  into the sanctuary of your baptized soul which is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Once there, speak to the Holy Spirit:

Holy Spirit, soul of my soul, I adore you.

Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me.

Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it.

I promise to submit to everything that

you ask of me and to accept all that you allow

to happen to me.  Just show me what is your will

Amen.

Oremus pro Invicem!

Fr. Milt

The Gift of Peace

From the Hermitage

Sacred Scriptures

Dear Friends,

First, I ask again for you prayers for my brother who returned to the hospital last Friday.  Today he will undergo a colonoscopy to determine the cause of some internal bleeding.  Of course Jack is concerned that the procedure could lead to serious issues, like cancer.  However, he continues to remain silent, quietly allowing the medical profession to care for him and for his family and friends to continue their prayers for God's intervention into his life at this time.

Now to the reflection for today:  in the gospel today we hear Jesus speaking of his promise to guarantee peace to each of us.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid ...."

How frequently we encounter these words of Jesus!  I feel the need to ask myself at this time of great turmoil in my heart because my brother is going through seemingly unending health issues:  when will God's peace be restored to my brother and to those of us who help him physically as well as through the spiritual world of intercessory prayer on his behalf?  What is this peace that we are seeking?

It is an internal awareness that God is the person in control.  It is accepting the reality that God is using this seemingly non-ending journey through suffering and pain to bring us to understand what His peace means for us.

I do believe God give each of us an invitation to find in the sufferings and other such trials in our lives the opportunity to engage in very personal and quiet prayer with Jesus Christ.  It is in these moments with Jesus, our brother, who suffered so much for me, that we need the graces of the Holy Spirit to have hearts and minds that are open to the voice of God that we encounter.

Let the pains and frustrations we encounter each day become the key that opens our hearts to learn my clearly what God's mission in this life is for each of us.

Oremus pro invicem!

Fr. Milt

Trusting God's Presence

From the Millsboro Hermitage

From the newspapers, the TV and radio, and on many of the worlds blogs and social media, we are reminded of how low humanity can sink.  Human beings stealing young women and placing them in horrific penal situations where their bodies and minds are raped.  This occurring in the modern world.  This when our various societies have hope to advance to a level when human life was not considered as something cheap, something than can be taken from families.

Surely the families of the more than 300 young women who have been stolen and hidden from the world in a state of abuse and fear must have thought the words of Jacob in the Old Testament.   Recall that his son Joseph, the youngest of 12 sons, had been captured and dropped in a deep hole in the earth because his brothers did not like him; brothers who were envious because he had been favored more than themselves.  "All these things are against me" (Gen 42:36).   

And in our lives are there not moments when we find ourselves overwhelmed by events or people in our lives?  Do we not utter the very words of Jacob or others that are very similar?  These are days when our hope and even our faith are challenged.  Why does this or that happen to me?  

At this time you should recall words from the prophet Isaiah: 41:10. "Do not fear: I am with you;do not be anxious: I am your God.I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."

Use these words as a reminder that at times we might feel like Jacob.  However, we should also incorporate the words of Isaiah to assist us in strengthening our faith, our hope.  Be strong enough to incorporate the virtue of trust.  Seek to learn why God has allowed such moments to enter your life.

Perhaps the words of a very successful entrepreneur, Napoleon Hill, may also be helpful:
"O Divine Providence, I ask not for more riches but more wisdom with which to make wiser use of the riches you gave me at birth, ..."  Shouldn't ours be the vocation to recognize the riches God has given each of us despite the losses we might encounter and offer our gratitude?  

Oremus pro invicem!

Fr. Milt

Vocation Sunday/Mother's Day

From the Millsboro Hermitage

From Lanham Hermitage

Happy Mother's Day Moms

Dear Friends,

The first part of this reflection was created in Millboro yesterday morning.  The second half will be created at the end of this complete reflection from the usual Hermitage in Lanham.  

Greetings from Lower Delaware.  There is salt in the air.  Cloudy skies.  Cool breeze.  Hershey, my canine companion, is at my feet.  My brother is in the next room snoring!  He is rebuilding his strength and seems to be determined to be walking in two weeks' time.  This will be marvelous especially since it will give him the freedom from the public commode that stands by his bedside.  Keep praying, please!

Today's celebration in the Church seems to be focused on the reality of vocations.  As soon as someone says "vocations," most usually think of priesthood, diaconate or religious life   We tend to overlook the full inclusion of the word like the lifetime collector of our rubbish, those who working in fields producing our vegetables,  the men and women whom we call first responders, etc. etc. etc.  So often we forget that motherhood, like fatherhood, is truly a unique vocation

Stop for moment to call to mind how you would define the word "vocation."  Deep within us God has embedded, as we computer and video aficionados might say; something in our DNA that bring us to a specific way of living our lives.

We priests celebrate our vocation primarily in the life of the sacrament but especially in the Eucharist which brings us to the altar of sacrifice.  As well we are somewhat defined by our bringing sacraments to the sick, consoling the bereaved, baptizing, witnessing marriages, etc.  Today, however, we celebrate a unique and wonderful vocation that works at a different kind of altar that we priests and deacons do.

The vocation I write about today, now in Lanham, is the one every one's mother should to follow as well and strongly as she could.  Mother's day could be a marvelous time to look at the many ways a mother lives her vocation.  Such an exercise my require a full day's composition.  Her's, as mother is truly a singular vocation of distinction.  

Imagine what an artist might do if she were asked to paint a picture that could be titled "Motherhood."  How can anyone honestly put before the world all the pains, the joys, the losses, the frustrations, the caring, the hugging, the guidance and the frustrations mothers give to their marriage partner, their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  Theirs is truly a 24/7/365 vocation especially when she has brought children into the world.

Today, try to imagine what kind of Motherhood painting you would create or, if you cannot paint, one  you might ask an artist to do for you as a gift for your mother.

Let us raise our voices in thanksgiving to God for our mothers, those with us and those who have left this world for a heavenly reward.  Amen!  Amen!  Amen!

Oremus pro invicem!

Fr. Milt  ... who thanks God for all the love and care given to me by my mother, Margaret!

From the Hermitage

Sacred Scripture

Dear Friends,

I regret that I was unable to provide some thoughts for you over the last few days.  However, my life has begun to change for at least a month or so.  I am leaving the Hermitage for the next month or more to be available for my brother who is ending some 40 days of hospitalization later this afternoon.  Later this morning, after packing up what will be necessary, I will drive to his home in Millsboro, Delaware.  Jack will be discharged later this afternoon.

My brother is a sick man.  He is suffering from chronic congestive heart failure, an enlarged heart, two kidney that are minimally working and he is a diabetic.  Likewise he suffers from COPD but has never smoked a cigarette in his lifetime.  Seconday smoke was the culprit!  The most challenging factor is that he has neuropathy in his feet and legs:  thus standing, walking etc. are almost impossible at the present time.   So, it is remarkable that he is able to do almost anything.  However, the five doctors attending him believe it is possible for him to have a reasonable lifestyle with family and friends apart from the hospital.

It is because of Jack's inability to be mobile that I am moving in with him to be present through the day when no one would be at the house other than the dog he loves, a pet that is both deaf and blind.

As I start out on this ministry, I have many questions about myself.  I know this will not be easy.  Some of you may have chosen to walk this journey with a loved one or close friend.  Thus far I have come to have a genuine appreciation for the vocation of doctors but especially of nursing.

All throughout Lent, when I would visit him during his four hospitalizations and to times in a rehabilitation center, I have watched a man who was well over a healthy weight in the hospital or rehab center struggling just to stand up for more than one minute.  

What is most distressful for me is the inability to heal division between himself and two of our siblings.  This for me is truly painful.

I am not certain that I can keep up Prayer on the Hill at this time.  The first few days of my new journey should make clear to me what "extracurricular" duties I can handle.  I am not alone on this walk.  Thankfully, one of Jack's daughters who lives in Annapolis, together with her wonderful and fun loving husband, are working out a schedule of "relief" for me on two days a week.  Likewise, Jack's fiancé will be available in the evenings and on Sundays.  With this additional coverage, I do plan returning to the Hermitage on Saturdays and Sundays to assist Fr. Jeff with the parish Mass schedule.  Of course, I will not be able to assist during the week as I have done for the three years I have lived at St. Matthias parish.

Would you please remember my brother, his fiancé, his daughters and their families in your prayers as we begin his rehabilitation at home?  Especially I ask you to pray to St. John Paul II with whom I worked for four and a half years for his intercession with God on behalf of my brother and his support team. 

I do not wish to leave you without a source for your prayer.  As I have suggested in the past, please visit the Jesuit prayer ministry at Creighton University.   Creighton Daily Reflection Another Jesuit source on Google would be www.livingspacesacredspace.com

Oremus pro invicem!!!

Fr. Milt

Fully Alive!

From the Hermitage

“The glory of God is the person fully alive,” Ireneus of Antioch.

Dear Friends,

Words from a wise person become treasures for those who seek to know themselves and who desire to understand God's will in their lives.  For most folks, having to deal with boring, uninspired, selfish individuals is so far removed from "fully alive."

Have you noticed the recent change in men's dress down clothing?  Bright colors dominate the dsiplays in most department stores.  Why did this come about?  Or how?  It is my opinion that the traditional had become dead weight in the life of men who like excitement, who enjoy brightness in their lives.

When we are men and women who find religion exciting, who spend countless hours helping others, who take time each day to speak with God, who reflect on what the Holy Spirit can do for us, when we have these experiences, most of us a models of a life that is fully alive.

Take some time today to evaluate yourself:  Am I am person my God and my friends would easily describe as "fully alive"?  Is your relationship with God a source of brightness in your life?  Do you allow the Holy Spirit to charge your batteries on a regular basis?

The Knights of Columbus has a Latin sentence of two words that is meant to be a signal to the individual Knight to be like Jesus who certainly was not dull or lacking in challenges to his friends.  Consider what these two words might mean for you whether you are a Knight or not?  Vivat Jesus!  Let Jesus live!  And we might add:  "in our hearts!"

Oremus pro invicem!

Fr. Milt

With the Knights of Columbus

From the Hermitage

Dear Friends,

I will be away with the Knights of Columbus for the next several days attending the annual convention of the State of Maryland councils of the Knights.  The reason for this besides my being a Knight of Columbus is that effect July 1st, I will assume the duties as the Maryland State Chaplain.  When you think of the Knights of Columbus, I would ask that at that moment you ask God to bless me and my work with the outstanding men who do much to help their parishes and the goals of the Knights.

The daily reflections should resume on Monday or Tuesday of next week.

Oremus pro Invicem

Fr. Milt

Understanding

From the Hermitage

Pope Francis' Wednesday (April 30, 2014) Audience Instruction

Dear Friends,

Among those who may follow or occasionally visit this blog site are not just the baptized but the confirmed.  How often, among those who have been fully "incorporated" in the Roman Catholic Church, even in a month's time, do we turn any attention to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Yesterday Pope Francis continued his Wednesday catechesis, treaching or recalling the blessings we share because of the Holy Spirit we received on the day of our Confirmation.  The Pope's most recent "classroom session" was focused on the Gift of Understanding.

His words led to a consideration of this special gift as seen in the experience of the two disciples who fled Rome after the Crucifixion of Jesus.  This is one of the Resurrection stories that most of us do recall.  In the discovery experience, these disciples may well mirror the experiences of so many of us.  Jesus comes to us in ways we may not immediately understand.  Recall the words of the two disciples that were recorded by the Evangelists.  They went like this as one asked the other:  "Weren't our hearts on fire as He opened our eyes to see that this is the Lord, this is Jesus Christ?"

The gift of Understanding, born in our baptism and faith, said the Holy Father, enables us to discover in our experiences those moments when God speaks to us.  It is the gift of Understanding that assists us in our confusion, in our sense of being lost, to discover if the Holy Spirit is trying to help us open our minds and hearts to the call of God, to the voice of Jesus, our Savior.

Consider during this day if this particular gift of the Holy Spirit is one that each of us can gainfully employ to strengthen our faith.  Remember this blogger's repeated teaching:  faith is our personal relationship with God the Father, with Jesus and with the Holy Spirit.

Our God is a didactic God ... doing all He can each day, each moment of our lives, to instruct us, to guide toward that moment when we accomplish what His will is for each of us.  Understanding, one of those seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, may well be described as the lesson plan for helping us come to know, to understand and to use the Gift of Understanding.

Oremus pro invicem,

Fr. Milt

What is This Light?

From the Hermitage

Sacred Scripture

... the light came into the world,

but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

Dear Friends,

Our faith ancestors, the Apostles and their disciples, continued to live on in what they had learned from Jesus.  St. John speaks of this enthusiasm, this belief, this dedication, as "living in the light."  For the advocates of Jesus' mission, also the Father's mission, simply attesting to the light was only a part of what it meant to be a follower of Jesus.  

Living in the light is no different today!  In the reading from Acts of the Apostles today, St. Paul recalls the experience of those dedicated to the Risen Lord Jesus.  Although placed in jail by the High Priest and his friends, miraculously the bonds of jail were released for them by an angel.  Rather than run away the freed company returned to teach and preach.  They are examples of courage.  Let me quote a lawyer from Omaha, Nebraska:  "courage is fear that has said its prayers!"

Today there are many would be followers of Jesus who are confined in jails of different kinds.  Indeed some are jailed because of their support for social justice, their commitment to those seeking to be the individuals God wants them to be.  There are others who find it very difficult, if not almost impossible, to surrender to God's will for us.  

Looking at our own lives and how we are living or at least wishing we were living the life of the light, some are confronted by the satisfaction derived from the sins that are so difficult to toss away.  Self-knowledge requires much courage, truly "the fear that has said its prayers."

As we move from the torture and death of Calvary Hill, we who have been baptized into the light are called to confront those fears that our society and  our passions that have more control over us than the light.  To live and to proclaim "I am a follower of Jesus Christ" requires genuine courage.  I seek to live as Jesus' mission demands of me."  These are proclamations that require much prayer and conviction.  This light is a way of life that can only succeed with knowing what life God wants of me.

So, living with the light, living with the Lord Jesus:  what does it ask today?

To Love the Lord Jesus Christ

From the Hermitage

Sacred Scripture

Dear Friends,

In reflecting upon the activities of the Apostles and other disciples as described in the writings of St. John, proposed for our liturgy today, I was called by the Holy Spirit to words of a man who was my Superior General when I was a Jesuit.  Blessed in a special way by God, I had several occasions to spend time with Father Pedro Arrupe, SJ.  Words that he spoke, off the cuff as we say, to a group of religious women, came to mind.  Let me share those words with your this morning.

Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love and it will decide everything.

How many times these words have come into my mind!  Again this morning.  They speak so clearly of one of the most powerful experiences a human being can have and share ... falling in love.

Recall, if you will, how your heart, your mind, your everything changed when you found yourself in love.  Love can be the controlling reality in your life.  Obviously what the Apostles and many early disciples discovered was a definite love for Jesus and from that a love for the mission they shared as preachers of the life they shared with a man who taught them so much.

Whether married, or married once before, whether a widow or widower, whether a husband or wife together raising a family, whether a man or woman who as been smitten by another, read and re-read Father Arrupe's insightful reflection on what it means to fall in love and the many ways being in love can change your life.

Then, consider your relationship with God, especially Jesus Christ.  For sure the Apostles and disciples of Jesus had the advantage of living with and working with Jesus during his years of teaching and preaching.  But we are graced by God to know so much about Jesus, so much that can ignite the fire of love within our own hearts if we allow that to happen.  Recall Jesus' meeting with the Apostle Thomas who could not believe what the Apostles told him after Jesus' first appearance to them:  "You believe, Thomas, because you have seen me and touched my body.  Blessed are those who have not seen but who believe."  

Have you ever had the feeling of being in love with Jesus Christ?  Has a love for Jesus ever gotten you out of bed in the morning, determined what you will do with your evenings?  I do not know your answer but I do encourage your knowing the last sentence.

Fall in love, stay in love and it will decided everything.

Being Reborn? What?

From the Hermitage

Sacred Scripture

How has this story of Nicodemus and the challenge to be "born again" impacted you?  Do you wonder if Jesus is joking?  Did it strike you as totally senseless to encourage someone to be "reborn"?

Well, for a few moments, stand before a mirror -- at least sometime today, stand before a mirror and ask who is this woman, this man I am looking at?  If God were behind the mirror, looking at me, what and who would he see?   What would he see that is more than skinny, overweight, dark skin, light skin, white hair, black hair, red hair, no hair or just a little hair?  How about the successes, the failures, the disappointments, the dedication to causes, the family produced, the life partner?  It truly is important to recognize who and what all these beneath the skin realities had done to make us who and what we are.  And all of this is to be reborn?  Imagine what some of those present with Nicodemus would say: those who think it impossible, absurd or again, perhaps a joke?

Changing the past, changing all those realities that formed us, is as unrealistic as jumping back into Mom's womb.  So, what God sees is what we are giving him whenever we encounter him.  But it is the invitation that Jesus delivers in our mail every day whether email or snail mail.  He invites us to become what God wants us to be.  Perhaps the question might be:  are you kidding me?  How can I remake what has been made over the years?

The real question?  How can I become what God intended if I am not that already?  Well, there is an answer.  Spiritual rebirth, what we are considering, is the providence not of another degree, not a change of occupation etc.  It is the providence of the Holy Spirit and water!  Yes, Spirit and water!  The water of baptism!  It is the Spirit and the waters of baptism, a new baptism, that can remake what we present as ourselves at this point in our lives.  This can be quite frightening:  imagine me changing at the age of almost 73.  I am not 37!  How can this rebirth happen?  Where can it happen?

What Jesus assures you and me is this:  Be not afraid!  Be not afraid as Saint John Paul II said so often.  Jesus is calling us to a new world so frequently.  It is a new world:  a world beyond our previous experience.  It is a world where the Holy Spirit offers us liberation for the past for the excitement of the future.  So be sure:  it is frightening.  It's back to the diving board!!!  If we hope to achieve a true freedom in our lives, we must trust.  A small word but a word that challenges us in so many way ... unless we trust the Holy Spirit to lead us where God wants us, to guide us to a personal spiritual rebirth.

Divine Mercy Sunday

Jesus, I Trust in You

(photo from St. Joan of Arc Parish)

Sacred Scripture

Dear Friends,

After many years of listening to the struggles in the hearts of many penitents, I know the graces of this particular day of celebrating the mercy of God abound for every sinner.  At the same time I have come to recognize that the way we have learned about sin, forgiveness, confession etc. is too often wrapped in guilt.  So tight was God's mercy wrapped that many fail to understand fully the abundant love and kindness of God.  For many mercy has to be bought.  It is not there for us unless we throw ourselves on the sword of our own inability to accept the reality of divine mercy.

No doubt admitting to sinfulness is difficult.  Why?  Because, I believe, we have missed the real meaning of divine mercy.  How many times did we hear the words "Do not be afraid." come from the lips of St. John Paul II!  Many times.  He was man who was so closely linked with God in understanding how intense God's love for us was and forever will be.  Today pray to this new saint for a deeper understanding of so great a mystery and gift.

For many accepting God's forgiveness is difficult.  Why?  Again, because do not understand God's mercy.  Jesus taught us the answer:  "God has forgiven us."  Repeat:  God has forgiven us!  His words were not "God will forgive you."  Quite a difference, isn't it?"  In our growing up we learned so many ways of wrapping up God's forgiveness.  We seemed to make it His mercy so mysterious that we had to punish ourselves just to get a peek at it.

Recall, if you will, the time the Risen Christ questioned Peter about his love.  "Do you love me, Peter?"  Three times Jesus places the question to him.  What is missing in Jesus' acceptance of Peter's honesty about himself, about his love for Jesus:  "You know that I love you."  Jesus does not question Peter about his failures, does he?  Not once.  He just wants to have Peter say it:  Yes, Jesus, I do love you!  How difficult that must have been for Peter.  Yet, what was Jesus response to Peter statement of his love for him?  "Feed my lambs; feed my sheep."  Jesus entrusting to Peter awesome responsibilities.  It was not something like "Now face your sinfulness and ask for my forgiveness."  Not at all!  Peter, I am entrusting to you my lambs, my sheep.  To you I give the keys for my church!

Again, without any extraction of sinfulness, Peter is given divine mercy!

Stand on Calvary and hear what Jesus said to his Father as he neared his final breath:  "Father, forgiven them."  Even before those who brought about his death realized their faults, he has forgiven them by asking the Father's forgiveness.  

And recall another moment:  "Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven."  Jesus did not say, "Their sins will be forgiven."  THEY ARE FORGIVEN.  You live under the compassion of  DIVINE MERCY.

Let me share words from a Jesuit priest writer:  "The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not to wipe away our faults.  It is to make us more loving....  It is to show we believe that the wrongs done can bury us in shame, but we choose another option; they will make us more honest to ourselves and humble to those around us."  These words can help us better understand the reason behind Jesus' talk and questions with Peter.  This insight of the priest teach us again the awesome gift of Divine Mercy.

Again let us pray today to St. John Paul II to intercede for the graces to set ourselves free from wrapping God's Divine Mercy so tightly that we prevent ourselves and others from knowing and sharing the greatest gift of God to each of us sinners.

Oremus pro invicem,

Fr. Milt 

Gone Fishing!

From the Hermitage

Friday of Easter Week 2014

Sacred Scripture

Dear Friends,

Let me share with you words from a communications expert who wrote a reflection on the two readings chosen for today’s liturgy.  Read the thoughts  of this woman before perusing the writings of St Paul and St John.

Both of these accounts tell me wonderful things about our God:  God has a sense of humor, cares about our basic needs (such as breakfast and walking}; knows things we can’t (where schools of fish are lurking); and, most of all has a very simple plan for salvation.  I repeat:  I am entertained, captivated and comforted all at once. 

This professional writer and marketing expert made me stop and consider how I present my own reflections.  Perhaps there is too much academia “lurking” in my style.  Certainly I don’t often, if ever, present events in the gospels or any scripture as entertaining, captivating [maybe sometimes this does happen] and comforting.  And why not?

Today’s expert brought me to do more than place myself at the scene (a la St Ignatius of Loyola’s directions in the Spiritual Exercises).  Perhaps, if we preachers and even our laity, in our homilies and our conversations, attempted to related the humanness of Jesus, just perhaps an undisputed change might happen in our own lives as well as those we preach for or those we simply talk with in our daily lives.

Imagine this:  I am walking through the aisles at Costco and meet a parishioner.   After the “I didn’t know you shopped at Costco’s.” the conversations always turns to the “how’s this” and “how’s that” conversation.  What would the parishioner say or feel if I began with “I am so fine, Mary.  But I am really excited because I was reading St John’s gospel story about the time Jesus prepared breakfast for the apostles who were getting ready to come back to shore because fishing had proven fruitless that morning.  And he even told them were the fish were lurking!  And he even laid out a simple plan for our salvation.  As I said, when I took the time to listen to what Jesus had been saying to the apostles and watching in my mind all that happened that morning, wow, I felt so good.  This is the kind of Jesus all of us need to know.  Okay, enough from me.  It's time for me to go fishing!”

Even more astounding, imagine saying the same thoughts while talking with the ladies in the beauty salon or if any man would say the same thing at the barbershop.   And "omg" [Oh! My God" as the text messages might read!!] what would happen if anyone shared such enthusiasm about reading a part of the gospels while having dinner with the family?

Oremus pro invicem,

Fr. Milt

"Why are you amazed at this?"

From the Hermitage

Thursday of Easter week - 2014

Sacred Scripture

Dear Friends,

A question:  How sincere are many, perhaps most Christians, particularly our sisters and brothers of the Roman Catholic religion, in their understanding and practice of hope, of genuine trust that petitions for themselves or other made to God will be granted by him?

The story, related to humankind by St. Luke in the scripture verses of Acts of the Apostles, chapter 3, verses 1-26, is an instance of one's man's faith in God and another's conversion to belief in Jesus Christ, instilled in the man's heart by Peter and John.  Apparently for many days and perhaps years the crippled man would be taken to Solomon's Portico to beg alms from those at the Temple.  When Peter and John saw the man, Peter said to him: I have neither silver or gold but what I do have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazorean, walk!"

And then it happened:  Peter gave him "his hand to life him up and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.  He leaped up, stood, and walked around, and went into the Temple with them ... praising God."  It was a miracle!  It was a man's faith and Peter's belief and trust in the power of Jesus, the Risen Lord, that brought about the miracle.

To the Jewish people who rushed Peter and John in a state of utter amazement, Peter asked, "You, Isrealites, why are you amazed at this?"

Genuine faith, that is a genuine belief in the Son of God  that was in the mind and heart of three men (Peter, John, and the crippled man) God used to teach those who were in the Temple that day that it is our faith in Jesus Christ that can bring about the miraculous.  It is this faith which can be more powerful, at times, that the powers of doctors and medicines.  A person's surrender to the will of God often times makes the cure of seeming impossibility a reality.

If we Christians are truly committed to God's will for us, our willingness to surrender all we want or the way we live, perhaps we would encounter for ourselves and others the power of God's miraculous intervention on behalf of our petitions especially for others.

Just a thought:  do I really believe in Jesus Christ? [pause for an answer] and the teachings of his life?  Do I surrender my sinful ways to live my life as God wishes?  Am I willing to examine my faults and sins and then sincerely make the effort to abandon them?  Do I allow the teachings of Jesus Christ and his Church empower me to be his messenger, his bearer of remarkable deeds?

Oremus pro invicem!

Fr. Milt

Hearts Healed!

From the Hermitage

Wednesday of Easter Week

Sacred Scripture

Today's gospel brings us to the event that probably has a personal meaning for many who struggle to know God's will.  The two disciples walking to Emmaus because their hopes for a messiah have been dashed.  They had not yet hears the news about Jesus and his resurrection.  They were frightened by the idea that they might become victims because they had associated with Jesus.  They were good friends of the man who was put to death because his message and some actions offended the ruling religious leaders in Jerusalem.  Even more frightening  was the hurt that all they had invested in time and belief in Jesus was lost.

Surely there have been similar situations that have confronted believers.  Events have occurred in their lives that have shaken them.  "Why," they might ask. "why did I allow myself to be so blind?"  When they asked themselves that question, they too were walking to Emmaus.

Have you been on this road at one time or another in your lifetime.  Have you put your stock in another person's word or promises?  Have you invested time and talent in a project that failed?

If you have, have you been able to set with Jesus in quiet prayer to allow him to speak to your heart?  Have you allowed the Holy Spirit entrance into you heart?  Have you allowed  Him to show you what may have been a mistake on your part?  

What have you learned form some moments with God?  In many instances the deepest question is a simple one:  How can I live with myself after seeing a genuine blindness that might have occurred because you were committed to someone or to something that promised a new way of life, a new experience in goodness?

What the disciples experienced on that first Easter Sunday easily can be an experienced similar to moments many of us have endured.  If this is so, now is the time to invite Jesus to dinner for a heart to heart conversation.

Never Give Up!

From the Hermitage

Easter Tuesday 2014

Sacred Scripture

Dear Friends,

Listen to what the Jewish people hear from Peter:  "this Jesus whom you crucified" you must realize now that he is both Lord and Christ.  And imagine you are standing there with the people who hear this horrible words.  What do you see?  It is not the same spirit that was in the hearts of some who were calling out "Crucify him.  Crucify him."  No, what we encounter is a people who are "cut to the heart."  They seem to recognize their guilt and want to get themselves on the right way.  Peter is not angry, is not pointing his finger at them in condemnation.  No, what Peter said to them was that it was not too late for them to feel spiritual healing, forgiveness for what has happened.  Repent and you will be graced by the Holy Spirit.  At the same time Peter tells them their repentance and what they can say to their children and "to all those far off" will bring the gift of forgiveness."  Forgiveness comes from God, the Father, "to all those far off."  Peter exhorted the Jews who came to him to "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."

The message from the one who denied knowing Christ during the trial of Jesus affirms for the people and all generations to come that it is never too late to walk away from sin, to give up whatever it is that holds a person back from knowing Jesus and what he taught us.

Do you always or most often think of Jesus as dead?  Peter's assurance to all generations is that he is not dead, that he indeed has risen from the dead as he said he would.  This is the message we receive each day:  it is never too late to shed whatever sinfulness separates a God-given life from his love and care.

Did you succeed in fulfilling the hopes and perhaps promises made on Ash Wednesday?  Friends, it is never too late to accomplish what you must have considered important for your life at this time.  If sin persists, repentance will bring participation in the graces of the Holy Spirit.

The challenge for us who have so many different ways to know about Jesus -- the bible, writing that are easily had through the world wide web, simple prayer on a consistent basis, regular use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation -- is to never forget that it is never too late to come before God seeking pardon and reconciliation, sharing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Oremus pro invicem!  Please help me today with your prayers as I have an especially challenging mission to accomplish for someone .... And it is not easy.  Many thanks!

Fr. Milt

Time to Set Forth

From the Hermitage

Monday of Easter Week

Sacred Scripture

Dear Friends,

Surely I prayed yesterday for all of us with the intention that the genuine joy in its fullest sense may have settled our hearts!  Peace and joy are the most significant gifts from the Holy Spirit for us.

Now for several weeks our first reading will be taken from the writings of St. Luke, the Acts of the Apostles.  These words and remembrances from the Evangelist may help in understanding the beginning days of this church that we call our Roman Catholic Church.  Perhaps at the outset of the Easter season taking time to read the Acts from start to finish may be what we need to seal any thoughts about post-Lent resolutions.

It is always a joy to celebrate Easter Sunday morning Masses:  the congregations are usually filled with a lively heart.  The greetings received after Mass relate a spiritual excitement.  The liturgy and the "message" in the homily along with a filled church make for a strong celebration.  People want to be happy.  Pray-ers like to celebrate not the ending of Lent but the sense of accomplishment.  Some forty days of dedicated prayer and other spiritual activities need to be concluded with joy: what is a cake without icing!

Despite the tiredness most priest experience by the time we reach the dismissal of the last Mass for the Sunday of all Sundays, there is a sense not only of "job well done by all in the parish," but there is finally a time for some quiet reflection after experiencing the power of the Sacred Triduum.

The joy experienced in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is truly a blessing.  There were many hours of "hearing" sins, failures, disappointment, hatred, loss of control, feelings of hurting God.  Yet, so often after a few simple words, hopefully stirring up once again a realization of the gift of forgiveness, there is always a sense of humble gratitude to a loving and caring God.  It is a feeling that is heard so clearly in three simple words:  "Thank you, Father."  It is also the tone driven by a heart that has encountered a forgiving God, a loving Father.

In the days of this Easter week, join me in a daily recap of the experiences that you have felt in your heart during times of Lenten quiet and prayer.  Consider what "happened" to you as a result of your prayer, as a consequence of opening up your heart in the effort of reconciliation with God.  Examine the thoughts you might remember from the 40 days of reflection -- or whatever number of days you may have taken time to be with God.

May The Lord's presence be the gift of Easter for you again or,  perhaps, as you have not experienced it before.

Oremus pro invicem!

Fr. Milt

No Room for Fear

From the Hermitage

Easter Sunday 2014

Yesterday evening, in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis began his homily with these words.

"Do not be afraid!  I know that you are looking for Jesus

who was crucified.  He is not here; 

for he has been raised ....

Come, see the place where he lay"

 (Mt 28:5-6)

The opening words, "Do not be afraid," were often used by Blessed John Paul II whom the Church will officially canonized one week from today.  These two Pope suffered much during their pre-papal day, usually in quiet and behind the scenes of their public lives.

As both Popes said on different occasions, Easter, this is the high point of the Gospel message the four evangelists and our Church has preached since the first Easter Sunday.  What we celebrate today is what we say so often from pulpits throughout the world:  this is the Good News.

This day and what it is stands for us as the basis of our faith, that is our relationship with God.  What is so important to realize and remember more that on one Sunday each year is that if Jesus, the Christ, were not risen from the dead, the very mission of our Church would lose its impulse, its very reason for being.  It was from that first Easter Sunday that the apostles and other disciples set out the mission of the Church.  Their message is not different today.  It has always been the same:  "Jesus, Love incarnate, died on the cross for our sins."  Yes, indeed he did.  But God, his Father, our Father, wanted the apostles and disciples and us to know that Jesus is the Lord of life and death."  It was the love of Jesus for the Father and for all human kind, that he willingly suffered with his love being the driving force in his very being that through his death and rising has overcome, has triumphed over, hatred,  mercy has overcome our sinfulness,  goodness has challenged evil and truth has smashed lies, and life has triumphed over death.

The message of Easter Sunday is the very reason people of every religion persuasion tell others "Come and see!"  Where there is frailty, sin and death, the Good News of the Gospel, regardless of the words used, the Good News stands as a testimony to love that is unconditional and forever faithful.  It is the message of Easter Sunday to us today to step out of ourselves to help anyone being "crushed by life's troubles, sharing with the needy, standing by the side of the sick, the elderly and the outcasts.  The message is the same in each religion:  Come and see!  See that Love is more powerful, that love gives life, and love "makes hoe blossom int the wilderness."

Let us, with our Easter joy, turn to the Lord today.  Let us seek and find Him.  Let us realize that our Father is truly "ours" and we can never see ourselves as orphans.  We can always turn to the Father who gift to us this day is love beyond all telling.

And, as we pray today, let us petition with great intensity that God will help us overcome the scourge of hunger in our world.  Let us pray that we always seek to protect the vulnerable in our societies, children, women and the elderly -- these are the vulnerable who are at time exploited and then abandoned.  Today is the day when we look everywhere to recognize the failure of our societies to overlook the life that was given to each person born on this earth.

Lord, we ask you in prayer today to help all the people of our earth.  You conquered death, now "grant us life, grant us your peace."  Amen.