Thought for the day from Julian of Norwich - Second Week of Lent

By contrition, we are made clean;  by compassion, we are made ready; by a genuine longing for God, we are made worthy.  It is by mean of these three that souls can attain heaven, as I understand it.  By these mediciones it is necessary for every soul to be healed.  Though healed, the soul's wounds are still seen by God, not as wounds, but as honorable scars.  

3/9/2018 – homily for Friday of 3rd week of Lent- Mark 12:28-34; Psalm 81:6-11, 14, 17

      “Shma Israel, Adonai elo – hey – nu, Adonai e – chad”  This is part of the Shema prayer that we hear in the Gospel today – “Hear O Israel – the Lord our God is Lord alone.”  This is a prayer that Jesus prayed on a daily basis as a practicing Jew in ancient Israel.  We can know that God is our Lord and master, but how does that affect our lives?  Through the psalmist, the Lord tells us:  “I am the Lord your God – Hear my voice.”  This might sound easy in theory, but in practice, it is not easy at all.  To know when the voice of God is calling out to you can be a tricky thing indeed.  When I was in seminary to study to be a priest, my classmates and I would struggle with God’s will for us as we discerned our vocations.  I bet all of us would like to be able to hear God’s voice speak to us loudly and clearly, but it doesn't always work that way. 

         Our Lenten disciplines are supposed to help us on our journey, they are supposed to help us distinguish God’s voice in the midst of so many other voices. Through fasting, almsgiving, and praying, we are to open our hearts to God, to hear his voice, to recognize his authority in our lives.  As I said – easier said than done.  But we can’t give up. 

March 12, 2018 – homily for Monday of 4th week of Lent – Psalm 30

     “Rejoice Jerusalem, and all who love her.  Be joyful, all who were in mourning.  Exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast.”  These words are the entrance antiphon for the beginning of yesterday’s mass on the 4th Sunday of Lent.  You may wonder why I wore a rose colored vestment yesterday.  You may wonder if it was a special feast day or something.  Yesterday was Laetare Sunday – from the Latin word rejoice.  It is named that because we should rejoice, for we have passed the halfway mark in our Lenten celebrations, for our Easter festival is near.  Our psalm today also talks about rejoicing, for the Lord has brought us up from the netherworld, preserved his people from those going down to the pit.   Strong words indeed.   Sometimes, we may feel like things are closing in on us, that the bad is overwhelming and overcoming the good in our lives.   Yet, we are to have hope, as we had hope yesterday on Lataere Sunday.   May we continue to accompany Jesus with our own crosses during this Lenten season, and may we be resurrected with him on Easter morning.  Amen, I say to that!

March 8, 2018 – homily for Thursday of 3rd week in Lent – Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9, Jeremiah 7:23-28

      “If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your hearts.”  As believers of Christ, we certainly do not want hard hearts, but in the busy world we live in, in all the different messages and cynicism that bombards us each day, in the frustrations and anger that may arise within us, we may easily develop hearts that are hard and jaded.  The grace of God calls out to us today in the middle of our Lenten journey, asking us to renew our hearts and come back to him.  Jeremiah spoke out to a people that had definitely hardened their hearts and stiffened their necks.  God reminded them through Jeremiah that he had sent them prophets and servants, but that often they had been rejected.  Echoing the reality that Jeremiah spoke about, we can reflect upon how we often reject God in a lot of ways in our lives, in our thoughts and in our actions, in the thoughtlessness and hardness in which we treat our brothers and sisters, in the way we do not make our faith a priority in our lives.  What can we do about that?  

        Thomas Merton had this to say: We can often hide the precepts of God’s wisdom in our hearts – the precepts of humility, meekness, charity, renunciation, faith, and prayer.  The values that the precepts and prayers communicate, the life that they are trying to give us, can remain completely hidden from our human eyes.   

         Let us open our hearts up to the Lord, to the values he is trying to teach us. Let us not turn our hearts away from him, not matter how much of a temptation that may be.  Let our hearts not become hardened. 

March 7, 2018 – Homily for Wednesday of the 3rd week in Lent – Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9; Matthew 5:17-19

      Moses is a key figures in the Old Testament, a key figure in the Jewish faith.  He is a key figure in our Catholic faith as well.  Moses gives the people their laws and he tells them that they must be careful to observe these laws because they come from God.  Our reading from Deuteronomy reminds us of the importance that God and his law are to have in our daily lives. God’s law is central to the Gospel message today as well. Jesus states that came to complete the laws given to us by Moses and that these laws are to be obeyed. There were probably some in Ancient Israel who hoped that Jesus came to abolish these laws. Jesus places importance in living in the spirit of the law and not just the mere letter of the law.  While this is challenging to do, it is infinitely pleasing to God.

        If you think about it, we don’t hear people talking about God’s laws very much in today’s modern world, do we?  We hear a lot about secular justice, about what is politically correct, about not wanting to offend anyone, about not limiting someone’s freedom to do what he wants.  We want to do what feels good or what is convenient.  But we don’t hear a lot about the content of God’s law. 

         A parishioner once told me that we need to set the bar high in our parish – high for our children, youth, and adults, to take responsibility for forming ourselves in the faith and in attending mass and celebrating the other sacraments of the faith.  We should not accept mediocrity or complacency.  We should live out our faith with passion and enthusiasm and love.  We as a Church want to reach out to members and to draw people into our community of faith, but we are also called to embrace God’s law and to proclaim it to the world as well.  God is a love and mercy.  Out of God’s love and mercy, he asks for our obedience. God expects a certain standard of conduct from us, that is for sure.  Let us approach our faith this Lent with open and obedient hearts. 

March 6, 2018 - homily for Tuesday of the 3rd week of Lent - Psalm 25

      The psalmist asks the Lord to remember his mercies.  We want God’s mercy when it applies directly to our own lives, don’t we?  But, then, we don’t necessarily want God’s mercy for others, do we?  Sometimes, in those situations, we are a bit more strict in our interpretation.  That is the whole point of the Gospel today. I had found this prayer written by a Jesuit priest, based upon the Anima Christi, written by Ignatius of Loyola.  I thought it was very appropriate to today’s readings: 

Soul of Christ - 

Jesus, may you flow into me. 

May your body and blood 

be my food and my drink. 

May your passion and death 

be my strength and life. 

Jesus, with you by my side 

enough has been given. 

May the shelter I seek 

be the shadow of your cross. 

Let me not run from the love 

which you offer. 

But hold me safe from the forces of evil. 

On each of my dyings 

shed your light and your love. 

Keep calling me until the day comes, 

when with your saints, 

I will praise you forever. 

Amen. 

By David L Fleming, SJ 

Adapted from ANIMA CHRISTI

Old photo

I found this old photo when I was back visiting my sister Heather in California.  It was taken probably around 1986 or 1987 in Encinitas, California, at the home of my Aunt Alice, with my Uncle Spud and Aunt Bea in the photo as well, in addition to my mom on the right.  I drove down there to the San Diego area with my mom when I was back home in southern California for a visit.  At the time, I was working for an accounting firm in North Carolina.  What a great memory.  Everyone looks so happy.  My Aunt Alice was a very special, joy-filled person who worked hard her whole life and found joy in everything.  Everyone in the photo has passed on to eternal life, but I remember the joy they all brought to this world and to my life in particular.  

Visit with my sisters

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go out to Orange County, California, where I grew up as a teenager.  I stayed with my youngest sister, Heather, who lives in the city of Orange.  My sister Kimberley, who lives with her husband just outside of Boston, was there for a conference.  I had a wonderful visiting with them.  I also got to see my uncle and some old family friends.  We don't get together very often, living in different parts of the country, so this was a real treat.  You can tell that Kimberley and I both favor my mom's side of the family - you can definitely tell we are brother and sister.  

Friday afternoon masses

Starting in January, we have been celebrating mass out at Whitfield state hospital here in Pearl.  We are very thankful to God to have this outreach ministry in our parish.  Here is a photo of the chapel out there.  

The heart of a lay missionary

From 1996 to 1999, I served as a Comboni lay missionary, which is to say a Catholic lay missionary.  The Comboni Missionaries are a group of priests, brothers and nuns who minister mainly in places like Asia, Africa, and Latin America.  The US lay missionary organization is having a reunion this upcoming weekend in LaGrange Park, a suburb of Chicago.  When I start thinking of those three years in Ecuador, boy, does a lot pop up in my mind.  Blessed experiences.  Joyful experiences.  But also struggle and heartache as well.  We each were asked to write a paragraph for that lay missionary reunion, which I am unfortunately unable to attend, since I am unable to get away from my parish for a weekend during Lent.  Below is the paragraph I wrote.  Yes, certainly a lot of memories.  

Deep in the rain forest jungle in Ecuador, near the border with Columbia, I would travel every Friday afternoon from our mission site in the village of Borbón by motorized canoe for several hours to the village of San Francisco de Onzole. As I traveled under the hot sun of the equator, I would have to rest for a while just to rain my strength.  Nevertheless, on those journeys in the canoe, I would never tire of the awesome majesty of the immense rain forest around me, of the beauty of God’s creation.  Each weekend at that village, I would run a distance learning high school, where youth and adults from all over the rain forest would come to classes to earn a high school diploma, a rare opportunity for them.  I have so many memories of my mission experiences in Ecuador, of visiting remote villages, of the people, the sites, and the sounds.  Even though it will be 19 years this May since I returned from serving as a Comboni lay missionary, that experience is still a big part of who I am. That same missionary spirit accompanied me as I taught Spanish for four years at a critical needs public high school in the Mississippi Delta as a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps and as I currently serve as a diocesan priest in Mississippi.  My interest in social justice issues and liberation theology that was nurtured in me as a lay missionary is still a big part of my identity.  As a priest, my background as a Comboni lay missionary has led me to different experiences beyond my parish assignments: ministering to inmates in the state and federal prison system, reaching out to residents at the state mental hospital, involvement in pro-life movement and advocating for prison reform and against the death penalty, ministry to the Hispanic Catholic population in Mississippi, and a five time pilgrim to the Camino of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. My time in Ecuador was a time of great blessing and great challenge, an experience that is so very vivid to me even today.  

4 de marzo de 2018 –homilia - el tercer domingo de Cuaresma - ciclo B – Juan 2:13-25

     Jesús entró el Templo de Jerusalén, un lugar muy santo y muy sagrado.  Es el Templo de Dios, el Templo de su Padre.  En este lugar, Cristo miró muchas cosas: los vendedores con sus animales y hombres cambiando el dinero.  ¿Todo de eso en el Templo de Dios?  ¡Increíble! Una barbaridad en este lugar sagrado.

      Los judíos quieren una explicación, un signo que puede explicar las palabras y las acciones de Cristo en el Templo.  Pero, Cristo respondió con las palabras enigmáticas que no dan claridad a sus preguntas.  Respondió que ellos pueden destruir este templo, y en tres días, lo levantará.  Pero, Cristo, no hablaba sobre un templo de ladrillos y piedras.  El hablaba sobre el templo en nuestros cuerpos humanos.   Como los judíos fueron al Templo en Jerusalén para un encuentro con Dios, en nuestro mundo moderno, vamos a nuestra parroquia cada domingo para tener un encuentro con Dios.   Encontramos nuestro Señor en este edificio en nuestra comunidad cristiana, en la iglesia, en nuestros hermanos en Cristo. Somos el nuevo Templo como Jesús era el Templo de Dios que resucitó en tres días después de su muerte en la cruz. 

      Nuestro espacio sagrado en nuestra parroquia es un lugar donde podemos encontrar Dios, donde podemos tener una experiencia con la presencia divina con nuestra comunidad de fe.   Pero, también, no podemos olvidar que el nuevo Templo de Dios está presente en cada ser humano.  No podemos quedar fijado en la presencia de Dios en un edifico, porque Dios supera los limites de un lugar físico. 

       Muchas veces, queremos poner los limites en nuestras relaciones con Dios, limites en nuestra experiencia con él.  A veces, queremos poner nuestro Dios en una caja.  En Cristo resucitado, tenemos un encuentro con Dios vivo.  Los vendedores y los mercaderes en el Templo en el Evangelio estaban allí para su propio interés, para su propia ganancia.  Necesitamos abrir nuestros corazones a la voluntad de Dios, a Cristo que vive en nuestra presencia, al mensaje del Evangelio.  

       Estamos aquí en la temporada de cuaresma con Dios.  Tenemos las disciplinas de oración, de obras de caridad, y de ayuno para practicar durante estos 40 días.  Estas disciplinas pueden ayudarnos en nuestra camino de fe.  Si, Cristo vive.  Él vive con nosotros en una manera especial durante la temporada de cuaresma.   Demos gracias al Señor por esta presencia y este camino cuaresmal. 

28 de febrero de 2018 – el segundo domingo de Cuaresma – La Transfiguración – Marcos 9,2-10

       Empezamos el tiempo de cuaresma con una mancha de cenizas en nuestra frentes en el miércoles de ceniza.  En el domingo pasado, empezamos el primer domingo de cuaresma con el Evangelio de Cristo en el desierto con las tentaciones. Hoy, en el segundo domingo de cuaresma, tenemos el encuentro de Jesucristo y tres de sus queridos apóstoles en el Monte Tabor.  La iluminación de Cristo y sus apóstoles es el centro del Evangelio de hoy.  Cristo va al monte con tres apóstoles.   En este monte, la divinidad de Cristo se revela a estos discípulos por medio de una luz milagrosa, por medio de iluminación. En esta luz brillante, Pedro, Santiago y Juan pueden ver y comprender quién es realmente Jesucristo.

       Todos nosotros probablemente necesitamos algún tipo de iluminación en nuestras vidas para que podamos percibir la manera que Dios está verdaderamente presente con nosotros.  El monje Tomás Merton cuenta cómo su vida se iluminaba mientras caminaba por el centro de la ciudad de Louisville, Kentucky.  Mirando a la multitud en el centro de la ciudad, Merton se vio con ternura a la gente en la calle, a pesar de que era desconocida para él. C. Merton dijo que en este experiencia, era despertando de un sueño de la separación que existe en su vida, del punto de vista que tenía, de la renuncia y la santidad falsa que tenía en su vida.  Merton se sintió mucha alegría de ser miembro de la raza humana, de compartir su humanidad con la humanidad de nuestro Salvador, Jesucristo.  Merton era monje durante 17 años cuando tuvo esta iluminación. Se le hizo darse cuenta de que a pesar de que era monje, que era todavía una parte del mundo, y la santidad no era una cualidad independiente que solo puede  tener en el monasterio.  Merton experimentó la santidad en el centro de esta ciudad sabiendo que él se unió con la humanidad de sus hermanos en el mundo.

       Caminamos con Jesús en el desierto durante estos 40 días de cuaresma, un camino muy duro.  Pero, el Evangelio de la Transfiguración de Jesucristo hoy es un aviso de la luz que siempre está con nosotros en la presencia de Jesús en el mundo, como Jesús es de hecho la plena manifestación de la luz de Dios. La luz que brilla en Jesús en la transfiguración - la luz que brilla en Jesús en su resurrección en la celebración de Pascua al fin de nuestro camino cuaresmal - es la luz de su triunfo sobre las tinieblas del mundo.  En nuestro camino de 40 días de cuaresma, vamos a emerger de la tinieblas también. Tenemos la llamada de ser hijos de la luz.  Las disciplinas cuaresmales de la oración, el ayuno y las obras de caridad pueden ayudarnos en el camino a la iluminación.

       Sin embargo, a contemplar la Transfiguración, no debemos olvidar que Jesús y sus tres discípulos no permanecieron en la cima del monte para siempre. Bajaron y trajeron la iluminación al pueblo en la llanura. También, debemos traer la iluminación que recibimos como discípulos de Cristo a nuestro prójimo. Debemos llevar las enseñanzas de nuestro camino cuaresmal a nuestra vida diaria y para el resto del año.  Continuamos nuestro camino cuaresmal en este segundo domingo de Cuaresma. Mi oración hoy es que la luz de la Transfiguración nos anima y nos da fuerza en nuestro camino cuaresmal.

March 4 2018 – 3rd Sunday of Lent – Cycle A – John 4:5-15, 19B-26, 39A, 40-42

        One of the experiences that inspired me to be a missionary was the time I spent as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea, West Africa.  When I arrived on Kassa Island off the coast of the capital city, I moved into a little hut made out of mud bricks. I had to walk over a mile on a steep, narrow path in order to draw water from a well for my drinking and bathing needs. And that water was light brown in color.  The first time I went to the well, I saw this large group of about 25 women gathered there, waiting their turn to get water, chatting and socializing.   All of a sudden, several of the women started laughing and screaming and pointing to the bucket that they had just pulled out of the well. I wondered what the commotion was about.  Finally, I saw a large turtle coming up in the bucket of water, wiggling and squirming, quite a surprise to all of us.  As I got my water and started on the way back, I realized that I was the only man present, surrounded by all these women with huge containers of water that they carried on their heads.  From that first day I moved into that village in Africa and starting doing my chores, I realized that I was then living in a very different culture, with rules and traditions that were sometimes very new to me.  In fact, I was the only Christian living on this island of approximately 3,000 inhabitants, most of whom were Muslims or followers of various African tribal religions.  Out my faith and my own experiences, I served the people of that island as a Peace Corps volunteer.

         I thought about my experiences in Africa  as I read about the Samaritan woman at the well in today’s Gospel.  Jesus meets her in the midst of her reality, just as he meets us in our own reality as well.  Jesus is tired and thirsty from a long journey; he meets the Samaritan woman at the well and asks her for a drink of water.  This may not be shocking to us, but the social norms of ancient Israel saw this as a very bold act.

         The well was the source of water and the source of life for the small communities of ancient Israel.   Women gathered at the well a couple times a day to get water for their families.  The mid-day sun was very hot, so this task was performed in the early morning and evening hours as the women all came together at the well at about the same time.   Getting water at the well was not just a chore, but also a social gathering for the women, a break from their difficult lives.

         The Samaritan woman at the well was alone in the hot mid-day sun, suggesting that the other women were shunning her.  It was daring that Jesus spoke to her in public, since men in that society didn’t speak to women unknown to them in public places.  Boundaries and barriers were set up in biblical times to keep certain people apart.  Jewish law and tradition kept the Jews of Judea from having contact with Samaritans, since the Samaritans had intermarried with the local people and were seen as having corrupted their Jewish heritage. Jesus breaks through this barrier, willingly sharing a drinking vessel with the Samaritan woman, which would have been seen as unclean by the Pharisees due to the strict Jewish purity laws. 

         Sometimes life does not turn out the way we expect – we know that from our own experiences.  Sometimes we face adversity or tragedy, challenges or struggles.  Jesus senses that there were such things going on in the life of the Samaritan woman.  He reaches out to her.  She, in turn, reaches out to him.  Previously, she had been unable to turn away from the hurts and sins that had held her back in her life of faith, but now she has a conversion through her interaction with Jesus.  She becomes his disciple in the context on her lived reality.  Her conversion and testimony help convert her entire town into believers in Jesus.  What started out as Jesus reaching out to a woman in a way that was condemned by traditional Jewish law turned into a significant interpersonal interaction that brought about her own conversion and the conversion of an entire town.
        We are to seek God in all things.  We seek him in the midst of adversity and struggle, in the midst of challenges and tragedies.  In a book by a Jesuit priest from India, Paul Countinho, he asks the question:  How Big is Your God?  Is our God just a theology or a set of rules or a bunch of writings in Scripture?  Or is our God an experience and a relationship?  Does our God challenge us to live out of faith, not just study it and read about it?  The Samaritan woman used her relationship with Jesus to change the way she lived, to go out to evangelize others.  Are we willing to do the same?

March 1 2018 – Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent – Luke 16:19-31

      Today, as we hear the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, I think of some of statistics regarding poverty and income inequality in the United States.  One article I read talked about the Silicon Valley in northern California, with rich communities like Palo Alto and San Jose.  One in three children in those communities as said to be at risk of hunger.  The median home value in Palo Alto is $2.7 million.  As of October 2017, the average rent of an apartment in Palo Alto is $3,250.   Another article stated that while the number of Americans who receive food stamps is falling, which peaked at 47.6 million Americans in 2013, 42.6 million American still receive food stamps.  And in newspapers and on the internet you will find numerous articles about the increase in wealth inequality and income inequality in our country.  In 1970, the top 1% wealthy individuals in the US earned about 10% of the total income – now it is more than 20% of total income and growing.   One recent study claims that the gap in the wealth that different American households have accumulated is more extreme now than any at time since the Great Depression in the 1930s.  The average income of the top 1% of our country is $1.15 million - more than 25 times the average of $45,500 that the rest of the country earns.  

         These statistics on the rich and the poor are alarming, aren’t they?  But, perhaps there is another way we can look at the rich and the poor.  According to a homily given by Early Church Father St John Chrystostom, the rich man is not the one who has collected many possessions, but rather the one who needs no possessions.  The poor man is not the one who has no possessions, but the one who has many desires.  If we see someone who is greedy for many things, we should consider him the poorest of all, even if he has acquired a great deal of money.  Yet, if we see someone with few needs, we should count him the richest of all, even if he has acquired no material possessions at all.  Just as we would not not call a person healthy who was always thirsty, even if he enjoyed abundance and lived by rivers and springs, the same standard should be given in the way we perceive someone as wealthy. Some is not healthy if they are always desiring someone else’s property. If one cannot control his own greed, even if he has wealth in extreme abundance, how can he ever be perceived as affluent?  According to St John Chrysostom, those who are satisfied with what they have, who are please with their own possessions, even if they are the poorest of all by the material standards of our secular world, they are really the richest of all by the lens of faith.  Don’t these views of St John Chrysostom give us a lot to ponder?  

3/2/2018 - Friday of the 2nd week of Lent - Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13A, 17B-28A

      I read an article in the periodical Psychology Today about adult sibling relationships.  The article stated that while few adult siblings have severed their ties completely, more than 1/3 of them who were surveyed describe their relationship as rivalrous or distant. Some responded that they do not get along with their sibling or have very little in common, that they do not spend much time together.  Some of them used words like "competitive," "humiliating," and "hurtful" to describe their relationships both as children and adults. Old conflicts and old hurts often prevent them from maturing in their relationships as they become adult and prevent them from seeing each other in a new light.  Siblings know how to push each others buttons and get under each other’s skin. 

       As we hear about Joseph and his brothers today, of the way Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, may we think about the jealousies, envies, and grudges that we may be holding onto in our own lives.  Through our Lenten disciplines, may we look at ways to build bridges, mend relationships, and get past old hurts. 

2/28/2018 - Wednesday of the 2nd week of Lent - Matthew 20:17-28

      What strikes me in today’s Gospel is that while Jesus discloses some shocking news to his disciples, telling them that he will be condemned to death and will be crucified, the mother of James and John responds by wanting her sons to be at a place of honor. I would have thought that she would have just hugged Jesus and showed some love and compassion for what he had disclosed. Yet, I think about the mother of James and John, Mary of Salome. In the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, there are statues of Zebedee and Mary of Salome to the side of the main altar.  I am always drawn to these statues when I enter the Cathedral at the end of my pilgrimage in Spain, seeing how they stand vigil at the altar dedicated to their son, James, who was sent to bring the Gospel message to the people of Spain.  James and John were called the Sons of Thunder by Jesus – we can imagine that their very fiery personalities earned them such a title. I can imagine that Mary of Salome is concerned for the welfare of her sons, asking Jesus to give them a place of honor in his kingdom.  We have to give her credit.  Even knowing that Jesus will die a terrible death, she still has confidence that Jesus will reign in his Father’s kingdom.

      Yet, Jesus our Gospel today contains another message: that we need to be a servant, that we need to die in order to live, that the first will be last and the last will be first, that whoever loses his life will save it.  It is a message that is so counter-intuitive to the ways of the world. I love this quote from Thomas a Kempis, the medieval German author of Imitation of Christ:  “Nothing, how little so ever it be, if it is suffered for God's sake, can pass without merit in the sight of God."  Remember the Latin word that is printed on our rubber wristbands this Lent – Sacrificium – Sacrifice.  We are called to make sacrifices for our faith, rather than to seek the place of honor. May the Lord lead us to humbly continue our journey this holy season of Lent.

27 February 2018 - Tuesday of 2nd week of Lent - Matthew 23:1-12

      Like he has done at other times, Jesus criticizes the hypocrisy of the scribes and the Pharisees, admonishing them to leave behind their arrogance and to be humble servants.  How can we be servants?  It certainly does not mean being a doormat for everyone.  As a Church we try to reach out to the community, to be helpful and collaborate.  I remember when I was the pastor in Tupelo, we did a lot to collaborate with the community, from hosting 4 AA meetings a week, to having rehearsals of the community theater, to even hosting a Methodist church’s daycare program for more than a year when their facilities were destroyed by a tornado, when the other Methodist churches in town refused their pleas for help.  Usually these groups were very cooperative and very gracious, but sometimes, we had a really bad experience with a group, and it would put a damper on what we were trying to do as a parish.  In Lent, it is a good time to look to see how we are being servants in our lives, the way Jesus was a servant.  And being a servant sometimes means challenging people and saying words that are sometimes difficult for others to hear.  How are we reaching out to our brothers and sisters? 

Book Review - Ramanus Cassario, OP - The Seven Last Words of Jesus

The Seven Last Words of Jesus

1. Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.

2. Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.

3. Woman, behold your son.

Behold your Mother.

4. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

5. I thirst.

6. It is finished.

7.  Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

These are the seven last phrases spoken by Jesus before his death.  This book is a mediation on these last words of Jesus, which is a common practice during the season of Lent and during Holy Week.  I have read this book before.  It was a good practice to read in preparation for the holy season of Lent.  It is a very easy read and is highly recommended. 

Book Review - Bel Canto - by Ann Pachett

I served as a missionary in the country of Ecuador from May 1996 to May 1999.  I remember when I was there, in December 1996, members of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement took hostages during a party at the official residence of the Japanese ambassador to Peru.  At the time, Peru's president, Alberto Fujimori, was of Japanese ancestry.  After about 4 months time, commandos stormed the residence, in which all the militants were killed, including 2 commandos and 1 hostage.  This true life incident seems to serve as the inspiration for Bel Canto, this novel written by Ann Patchett.  I previously read her book Run, which I also enjoyed.  A parishioner of mine in Tupelo, Betty Montgomery, who was an English professor at a community college and who wrote her PhD dissertation at Ole Miss on the fiction of Flannery O'Connor, recommended the novels of Ann Patchett to me.  I had been wanting to read this book for some time, and finally got around to reading it.  Her prose is very wonderful.  A lot of the story deals with the dynamics between the hostages and their captors.  It is definitely a well-written novel, one that will be read for years to come.  

Catholic household blessing - thought for these first days of Lent

Merciful God, you call us forth from the dust of the earth; you claimed us for Christ in the waters of baptism.  Look upon us as we enter these 40 days, bearing the mark of ashes.  Bless our journey through the desert of Lent to the font of rebirth.  May our fasting be hunger for justice.  May our alms be a marking of peace. May our prayer be the chant of humble and grateful hearts.  All that we do and pray is in the name of Jesus, for in his cross you proclaim your love for ever and ever. 

Book Review - Mercy in the City: How to Feed the Hungry, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Visit the Imprisoned, and Keep Your Day Job - by Kerry Weber

Written by a young lady who had been a Mercy Volunteer Corps Associate, a graduate of a Catholic University, and a graduate of a journalism school, this book looks at the works of mercy from a practical perspective, how the author approached them in the midst of her Lenten journey one year.  I found it very interesting how she related works of mercy to helping out a soup kitchen, trying to visit prisoners, and sponsoring someone entering the Church through the RCIA program.  It is always good to see how someone approaches the "rules" and values of our faith in the context of trying to apply them in daily life.  A very interesting book - and not a difficult read at all.  

Book Review - Forgiveness: A Lenten Study - by Marjorie Thompson

I had purchased this book from Better World Books, where I get a lot of used books.  We all know that forgiving someone is often one of the most difficult things we do in life.  The books starts out with a quote from Bishop Desmond Tutu from South Africa: there is "no future without forgiveness."  Indeed, without forgiveness, there is no future worthy of human life and there is no community as God intended it to be in his originating vision of creation.  In a wound that is so wounded, that is so full of strife and violence, forgiveness is the source from which we find new life.  This book goes through different aspects of forgiveness, such as its importance to community, how we need to self-examine ourselves before we can forgive, how we need to be honest and we need to repent before we can actually forgive, how reconciliation and restoration can be achieve as fruits of our forgiveness.  There are study guides at the end of the book for each chapter.  Having read this book just before the start of Lent was very much a gift for me.  

Book Review - The Practice of the Presence of God - by Brother Lawrence

Brother Lawrence was a Carmelite brother in the 17th century.  A book of his thoughts and some letters have been put together and are considered a spiritual classic in Catholic literature.  This is not very difficult to read.  It is written in a straight-forward, old fashioned style.  I remember reading this many years ago.  It was good to revisit it again. 

Book review - Mother Teresa of Calcutta: A Personal Portrait - by Father Leo Maasburg

Father Leo Maasburg, a priest and personal friend of Mother Teresa, wrote this book, telling first hand stories about Mother Teresa, her ministry, and his interactions with her.  He tries to give a very balanced, honest portrait of this humble religious sister who had such an impact on our world.  He gives a lot of detail about his interactions with her and actual events that occurred.   Mother Teresa has a lot of good quotes, which, like the quotes of St Therese of the Little Flower and Pope Francis, are very down to earth and easy to understand.  I really enjoyed this book.  Our parish book clubs will be reading it during Lent.  

Book Review - Psalms - by Ernesto Cardenal

When I served as a lay missionary in Canada and in Latin America for six years, when I was discerning a calling to the priesthood while teaching Spanish in the Mississippi Delta at a public high school, there were a lot of priests and leaders of the Catholic faith that served as an inspiration to me.  Ernest Cardenal is many things: a poet, an author, a politician in his native country of Nicaragua, a priest.  He spent time at the Trappist monastery in Kentucky.  He founded at artists' colony on an island in Nicaragua.  He served as the minister of culture in the Sandinista government from 1979 to 1987.  There is a famous photo of Pope John Paul II shaking his finger at Cardenal, scolding him when he visited that country.  This book of psalms is very provocative.  Imagine how someone in our day would write the psalm based on our reality and what we see around us. This book was written in Central America in 1969.  Think about what was going on in our own country at that time.  As I hear about retirees from the US raving about the opportunity to retire in Ecuador, I think of a very different place and time in that country when I served as a lay missionary in the jungles, of seeing someone murdered right before my eyes, of being mugged on a busy city street in broad daylight with a knife held up to my throat, of police throwing canisters of tear gas at people in the streets,  of attempted military coups and frozen bank accounts, of my lodgings being robbed six times in a matter of weeks, the last time with the door being taken off the hinges.  Cardenal reflects the era of revolution, oppression and violence that was going on around him, of the poor who had no opportunities and no hope.  It is easy to label him as a leftist rebel who is an enemy of democracy and capitalism.  But what he says very much resonates with my experiences of Latin America.  My heart was touched by these poems in this book.  Having said that, it is raw, and honest, and not for the faint of heart.  

Oración de Cuaresma - Iglesia Católica

Señor Jesucristo, te pedimos durante esta Cuaresma que abras nuestra mente y muevas nuestro corazón para que te sigamos más fielmente.  Sabemos que moriste por nosotros cuando aún éramos pecadores, y sabemos que aún lo somos.  Pero, nos das el deseo de ser el pueblo que quieres que seamos: fiel, lleno de esperanza y amor.  Ayúdanos a aprovechar estros cuarenta días marcados por el ayuno, la oración y las limosnas para que podamos acercarnos a ti y darte más gloria.  Amén.  

Crucifix in Catholic Church of Santa María

Los Arcos, Spain

on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela

photo taken January 2015

Quote for Ash Wednesday and the Beginning of Lent - from Peter Chrysologus -

Fasting is the souls of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting.  If we have not all three together - prayer, fasting, and mercy - we have nothing.   

Thoughts on Ash Wednesday from the perspective of a Catholic Priest

I am not in a humungous parish.  I have four masses every weekend at my parish (not counting masses I might have at the neighboring prison on the weekend or at a parish about 40 miles away where I help out at the Spanish mass a couple Sundays a month.)  But, yesterday, I had 5 masses total, which included a mass at a neighboring liberal arts college.  We even had some people show up during the day asking for ashes, people who I have never seen before who may not even be Catholic.  For some reason, Ash Wednesday captures the imagination of a lot of people, whether they identify closely with organized religion or not.  This act of publicly receiving ashes on your forehead and declaring that you want repentance, conversion, transformation, and renewal - that is so appealing to so many people in our modern world.  today.  The world may change a lot, but some things still resonate. 

18 de febrero de 2018 – el primer domingo de cuaresma - ciclo B – marcos 1,12-15

     El primer domingo de Cuaresma siempre comienza con la historia de Jesús y su experiencia en el desierto, de sus pruebas y tentaciones en el desierto.  La tentación es algo que tenemos que enfrentar en nuestra vida de fe.  De hecho, parece que estamos tentados de una manera especial durante la Cuaresma.  Podemos renunciar algo como el chocolate durante la Cuaresma, y ​​durante el año, podemos pasar muchas semanas sin comer chocolate o de pensar en ello, pero la Cuaresma viene, y parece que podemos encontrar el chocolate en todas partes llamando a nuestro nombre.

      El Espíritu Santo de Dios que conduce a Jesús al desierto como se relata en el Evangelio de Marcos.  El Espíritu es el que pone a Jesús en el lugar de tentación por Satanás.  Sin embargo, sabemos que Jesús no estaba solo en el desierto.  Cristo estaba allí con los animales salvajes que lo amenazaban.  Pero, afortunadamente, estaba rodeado de los ángeles.  Todos de nosotros tenemos los demonios y los animales salvajes en nuestras vidas que querían destruirnos, no es así? Afortunadamente, tenemos los ángeles que aparecen para ayudarnos y apoyarnos también.  

        Desde el Evangelio de hoy de Jesús y sus tentaciones en el desierto, podemos aprender esta enseñanza: la Cuaresma es una temporada de transformación y renovación para nosotros, un don de Dios en este sentido. En el Evangelio de Marcos, se dice que Jesús está conducido al desierto después de su bautismo en el río Jordán.  Jesús necesitaba este tiempo de prueba, de tribulación, y de transformación antes de comenzar su ministerio con el pueblo de Israel.  Nosotros necesitamos en un tiempo de conversión y transformación también durante cuaresma en nuestra vida de fe. Todas las instituciones humanas están en necesidad de transformación y renovación, ya que por su propia definición, nada humano es perfecto.  La Iglesia, nuestra sociedad, nuestra vida - todas ellas están en necesidad de cambio y renovación. 

     En nuestras oraciones y nuestro ayuno y nuestras obras de caridad, en nuestro tiempo durante la Cuaresma en la misa y en el sacramento de la reconciliación y en la oración de via cruces, tenemos la llamada de sentir la presencia de Dios y de caminar con Jesús en el camino cuaresmal , para acompañarlo en su camino a la cruz.  Y si lo hacemos, si nos tomamos en serio la Cuaresma y realmente tratamos de honrar nuestras promesas cuaresmales, vamos a realmente sentir la alegría de la resurrección en el tiempo de Pascua.

       Necesitamos paciencia en nuestro camino cuaresmal.  Necesitamos un compromiso y la constancia durante nuestro viaje de estos cuarenta días. Necesitamos purgar y cambiar y transformar mucho en nuestras vidas para llegar la persona que Dios nos llama a ser.  Viajar en el desierto con Cristo no es fácil.  Tenemos los demonios y las bestias salvajes en nuestro viaje en el desierto – entonces, no será fácil.  Pero, con Dios, tenemos animo. Tenemos fe. Dios está con nosotros durante estos 40 días.

Ash Wednesday services - St Jude Catholic Church - Pearl, Mississippi - February 18 2018

6:30 am, noon, and 6:00 pm in English

4:00 pm at Millsaps College

7:30 pm in Spanish

The collection at the Ash Wednesday masses will fund out prison ministry outreach at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl.  

Blessings to all of you as we begin our holy season of Lent.  

2/25/2018 – 2nd Sunday of Lent – Mark 9: 2-10

      We in the modern world take books for granted.  I have so many books on my shelves that I have no idea how many I have, but they certainly number in the hundreds.  But, for most of human history, books were a rare commodity.  In Ancient Israel, the scribes, those who were literate and who copied and interpreted Sacred Scripture, held a very special role in society. Johannes Guttenberg changed the world in the year 1440 with the invention of the printing press.  Things changed dramatically when books could be massed produced for the public.  Today, with the internet, the ipad, and with e-readers like the Kindle, things are changing once again. The Bibles that were produced by the monks and the scribes before the invention of the printing press were very fancy indeed.  They contained elaborate illustrations and what was called illuminated letters.  A simple letter takes on a whole new life by the way it is illustrated and illuminated.  The opening letter of a Scripture passage was embellished into a very fancy image such as this.  Back before the turn of the millennium in the year 2000, St John’s Benedictine Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota commissioned a hand-produced illuminated Bible, the first one to be commissioned by an abbey or monastery since the 15th century with the invention of the printing press.  It took about 13 years and a cost of over $8 million dollars to hand-produce this one Bible. The calligrapher of the Queen of England was one of the main collaborators of this project.  I cannot even imagine the work, imagination, and courage that it took to produce this Bible.

      I bring up the Illuminated St John’s Bible because illumination is at the heart of today’s Gospel on this Second Sunday of Lent.  Jesus’ assent on Mount Tabor with Peter, James, and John is a pinnacle event in his earthly life and ministry, as his divinity is revealed to these three close disciples by means of a miraculous, supernatural light, by means of illumination. It took this blinding light for Peter, James, and John to see and understand who Jesus really was.  All of us probably need some sort of illumination in some aspect in our own lives in order for us to perceive how God is truly present in our lives. 

    Trappist monk Thomas Merton tells a story in his book Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander of how his life was illuminated while walking through downtown Louisville, Kentucky one day.  Looking out at the crowds in the central shopping district, Merton was overwhelmed by his love for the people around him, even though they were strangers to him.  Merton said it was like he was waking from a dream of separateness and self-isolation in world, of renunciation and false holiness. Merton felt an immense sense of joy of being a member of the human race, of sharing his humanity with the humanity of our savior, Jesus Christ. Merton had been a monk for 17 years when he had this illumination.  It made him realize that even though he was a monk, he was still a part of the world, and holiness was not a separate quality that he could just experience in his life in the monastery.  He experienced holiness on that busy street corner in knowing that he was united with, not separate from, the humanity of his brothers and sisters.

       During the 40 days of Lent, the Transfiguration of Jesus today reminds us that the light is always with us in the presence of Jesus in the world, as Jesus is indeed the full manifestation of God’s light. The light that shines from Jesus at the transfiguration – the light that shines from Jesus in his resurrection at Easter time at the culmination of our Lenten journey – that is the light of his triumph over darkness.  In our day, on our journey through the 40 days of Lent, we are to emerge out of the darkness.  We are to truly be children of the light. The Transfiguration is the perfect model for us of how Christ can illuminate us in our commitment to be his disciples.  And the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and works of charity are what can help us on the road to that illumination.
      As we contemplate the Transfiguration, we must not forget that Jesus and his three beloved disciples did not remain on the mountain forever.  They came down and brought the illumination of this event to the people down below.  We also must bring the illumination we receive as disciples of Christ to the world around us.  We must bring the insights and growth that we receive on our Lenten journey to our daily lives and to the rest of the year.  As we continue our Lenten journey on this Second Sunday of Lent, let us feel the light of the Transfiguration encouraging us and giving us strength.

February 23, 2018 – Friday of First week of Lent – Ezekiel 18:21-28

       Ezekiel brings forth the message of the Lord this afternoon, telling us that the Lord does not delight when a wicked man stays in his wickedness and earns punishment, but rather the Lord delights when the wicked man turns his back on his evil ways and changes his heart. We have so many in our world today who turn their backs on both God’s and man’s laws, who want to stay on those evil paths, who do not want to hear the Lord’s voice calling out to them. We may say that God’s laws and man’s laws are unfair, but what about the ways that we break those laws, that we give into temptation and into sin?

       We hear this message during the first week of Lent. Lent in about changing our ways and turning back to God.  It is usually hard to break old habits and to reform our lives. It is usually very hard to break out of the chains of addictions, out of our laziness and complacency. But that is what the Lord is calling us to do.  And he will rejoice when we are able to do so.   

2/22/2018 - Homily for the Chair of Peter - Matthew 16:13-19

     Today, we celebrate the feast of the Chair of Peter, the Apostle, a celebration which links us to the universal Church and to the faith of the apostles that has been passed down to us.   This feast has been celebrated in Rome since the 4th century. The principal diocese of the Catholic Church is Rome and the Pope is its bishop.  Many of the faithful may think that the Pope’s cathedral is St Peter’s in Vatican City, but it is actually the Church of St John Lateran. In the Gospel today, we hear how Christ builds his Church upon Peter, the rock. The unity of our Church is expressed by the solidarity and unity that each diocese and each Bishop has with the Diocese of Rome and with each other.  In an age when many churches try to distance themselves from denominations and a central authority, priding themselves on their independence and their ability to speak for themselves, we Catholics pride ourselves in the universality of our faith, for the rituals we have practiced for centuries, and for our rich history and traditions.  When the Pope speaks formally from the Chair of Peter, it is the faith of the whole Church that he proclaims, not just the personal faith of one person.  As Jesus gives Peter a mission in today’s Gospel, it is a mission we all share in as disciples of Christ. Today, as we celebrate the Chair of Peter, may we pray in solidarity with Pope Francis, and with our Pope Emeritus, Pope Benedict XVI, giving thanks for the leadership we have in our universal faith.