Friday, August 31, 2018

9 de septiembre de 2018 - Vigésimo tercer Domingo del tiempo ordinario - Isaías 35, 4-71; Marcos 7, 31-37


     El profeta Isaías dice – “¡Sean fuertes, no teman!” – Nuestro Dios puede cambiar todo.  El puede abrir los ojos de los ciegos y los oídos de los sordos. El puede cambiar el clima – el puede poner el agua en la tierra seca. Hoy, escuchamos el mensaje de Isaías, escuchamos sobre el milagro de Jesús y el mudo – tenemos la invitación de reflexionarnos sobre este milagro y su significación para nosotros como seguidores de Cristo. 
     En el superficie del Evangelio, escuchamos sobre la sanación del hombre que no puede hablar, que no puede oir por las manos de Cristo. El objeto de esta acción es la sanación de este hombre que está pidiendo la ayuda de nuestro Señor. Pero, también, esta acción nos muestra Jesús como el Mesías, como el Santo de Dios.  El puede hacer los milagros afuera de la capacidades normales que los seres humanos pueden cumplir.
     Pero hay mas para entender.  Este milagro muestra la importancia de nuestra comunidad de fe. El mudo no viene solo a Jesús – sus amigos lo trae.  Y para muchos de nosotros también – nuestras familias y padres y padrinos nos traen a Jesús para nuestro bautismo. Los amigos del mudo lo trae a Jesús como una reflexión de su fe en él, como una reflexión de su amor y compasión para él.  Finalmente, nosotros necesitamos tomar la decisión de continuar nuestro camino de fe como jóvenes y adultos, pero siempre tendremos personas para acompañarnos en nuestro camino – la familia, los amigos, la comunidad de fe, y la comunidad de los santos también. 
     "Efatá.”  "Abrete."  Jesús abre mas que los oídos y la lengua del mudo.  El abre la vida de este mudo a su Bueno Nuevo.  Cada día en nuestro camino, Jesús nos da el desafío para abrir nuestra vida.  Los ojos, los oídos, y la boca; ellos pueden quedar cerrados por mucho tiempo – ciego a las necesidades de nuestros vecinos, sordo a la voz de Dios en la realidad en el mundo.  Cuando escuchamos la voz de Dios, muchas veces no tenemos la voluntad para mover y para actuar. 
     Cuando el mudo abre su vida a Jesús en el Evangelio, él tiene mas esperanza, él está reunificado con su comunidad.  Jesús explicó a los amigos del mudo que ellos no pueden decir nada a nadie, pero en su gozo, ellos proclamen la gloria de Dios a todos. 
     El amor de Dios nos toca y nos abre – pero necesitamos estar abiertos a este amor. La voz de Cristo habla muy claramente en nuestra vida – si escuchamos – vamos a reconocer sus palabras en nuestra vida, su verdad en nuestro mundo.  En nuestro bautismo, recibimos la oración “Efatá” en nuestros oído para recibir la palabra de Dios en nuestra vida, en nuestros labios proclamar nuestra fe.  Y hoy día, muchos años después de nuestro bautismo, Jesús puede abrir nuestra vida para mirar al mundo en una manera diferente, para hablar en una manera diferente, para tener una experiencia muy diferente en nuestra vida.

Thursday, August 30, 2018

5 September 2018 – Wednesday of 22nd week in Ordinary Time – Mother Teresa of Calcutta – Luke 4:38-44


      I remember that back on a Sunday morning in 1997, when I was a missionary in Ecuador, I was traveling home to my mission site by canoe, and upon arrival back home, turned on the short-wave radio, where on the BBC they were talking extensively about Princess Diana.  It took me a while to figure out that she had been killed that day in an automobile crash.  The world was shock and horrified when the details of what had happened came to light.  Princess Diana died on August 31, 1997, and just a few days later, her friend, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, would pass away.  Mother Teresa and Diana were two very different people – a humble Catholic religious sister working with the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India, compared to the glamorous Princess of Wales of England. However, they were friends they both admired each other.  Mother Teresa said this of Princess Diana: “"She felt very sorry for the poor. She wanted to do something for them. That's why she stood so close to me. Diana helped me to help the poor. She was very anxious with the lot of the poorest. That's why she is so beloved to me."
        As we hear about Jesus healing Peter’s mother-in-law in the Gospel today, we think about the healing presence of Christ that Mother Teresa brought to the world by her service and her example.  Mother Teresa lived her life as a servant of the Lord and a servant to those most oppressed and most vulnerable in the world.  She was a witness of our faith to so many, to both Christians and non-Christians alike. Mother Teresa was already working in the field of education as she served God as a religious Sister of Loreto when she heard God calling her to serve the poor of India in a special way, to found a new religious order to be a witness to the poor called the Missionaries of Charity.   It was not easy founding a new order, but Mother Teresa’s perseverance and determination drove her to be loyal to the calling she heard from God.  In the years since her death in 1997, the legacy of the Missionaries of Charity has only grown; the witness Mother Teresa gives the world continues today.  I recently saw a quote by Mother Teresa that got me to thinking.  She said: “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”  Yes, not many of us have a position in life like Princess Diana or Mother Teresa did, but with our daily interactions, some of which are very small, we can certainly touch lives in great ways.  May the prayers and intercession of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta inspire us all to be servants of the Lord in the special way God calls each one of us.


6 September 2018 – Thursday of 22nd week of ordinary time - Luke 5:1-14


        Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen by trade.  They had a keen sense of what they needed to do to catch fish and make a living doing so.  Here comes Jesus after they had caught no fish all night long; he orders them to put out again in the deep water and to lower their nets for a catch.  Jesus is not a fisherman. They wonder: how does he know that there will be fish out there to catch?  Behold, they catch so many fish that their nets are in danger of tearing and their boats are in danger of sinking.
         God can call us to do some things in our lives that seem to be illogical or beyond reason; his call can go against everything we know and everything we've learned.  God's call can break all of our familiar patterns and take us from our comfort zone. Yet, God's call often takes us beyond anything we could ever imagine.
         Think about what would have happened if those disciples had been afraid, if they did not want to leave their comfortable profession as fishermen?  They would have never opened their lives to the fullness of God's graces if fear and trepidation would have kept them from breaking through their comfort zone. 
         Let us not let our set patterns and routines keep us from responding to God's call in our lives.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, may we find the courage to respond in faith. 

7 September 2018 - Friday of the 22nd week in ordinary time - Psalm 37


       Our psalm today states: “The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.”  It goes on to say that we should commit our way to the Lord, to trust in him and he will act.  The psalmist declares that the Lord “will make justice dawn for you like the light; bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.”  However, we all know that life is not always so straight forward.  Sometime we’re faced with great difficulties and struggles.  Trusting in the Lord and following his path does not mean that everything in life is always going to wonderful and perfect. 
     I really enjoy learning about the saints and learning from their journeys of faith.  This week, one of the saints on our calendar is Blessed Dina Belanger, a young woman who was born in Quebec, Canada in 1897.  Dina was a gifted musician and pianist as a youth; she studied the piano as a young woman in New York.  Yet, she felt God calling her to serve with joy as a religious sister of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary in Canada, where she taught music.  She had devout examples in her parents; they spent a great deal of time caring for the sick of their community as a ministry. Dina declared at a young age: “I want to be a saint.”  A mystic who saw great joy in her union with God through her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, Blessed Dina died at the young at of 32.  This is the message she received from Christ that brought her great joy: “My happiness is to reproduce Myself in the souls that I created through love. The more a soul allows me to reproduce Myself truly in itself, the more happiness and repose I feel in it. The greatest joy a soul can give Me is to let Me raise it to the Divinity. Yes, My little spouse, I feel an immense pleasure in transforming a soul into Myself, in deifying it, in absorbing it entirely in the Divinity.”
      When we face struggles in life, the examples of faith we have in our lives give us encouragement and strength.  May the prayers and intercessions of all the saints give us strength on our journey.  May we rejoice in the salvation we receive in the Lord. 

9 September 2018 – Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Isaiah 35:4-7A, James 2:1-5, Mark 7:31-37


       Last week we heard from the 1st chapter of the letter of James. James challenged us to be doers of God’s word, not just hearers, to not just passively receive our faith, but to put it into action.  Our reading last week ended by saying that a pure, undefiled religion is one that cares for the least in society, for the widow and the orphan.  We will continue to hear from James in our 2nd readings throughout the month of September.  From today’s reading from James, we get the sense that the Early Church struggled with some of the same issues we face in our modern world. The prominent, well-to-do members of the Early Church could be judgmental; they wanted to exclude the poor and the marginalized from their Christian communities.  As most of you know, as a missionary I got into the practice of traveling on the Greyhound bus when I needed to travel a long distance.  When I was a seminarian in Milwaukee, I would travel during the Christmas holiday and spring break to Winnipeg, Canada to visit friends up there; that trip would take about a day and a half.  One year, I arrived back in downtown Milwaukee at 4:30 am after my Christmas break in Winnipeg.  I walked from the downtown bus station to a bus stop on the street in order to take one of the early morning transit buses out to the seminary in the suburbs.  Here I was, standing downtown at the bus stop with my backpack with my big winter coat on. I guess I looked a bit grubby.  The next thing I knew, a van pulled up offering me a paper bag with a couple of sandwiches in it, wanting to escort me to a homeless shelter where I could get warm and get off the streets.  They thought I was a homeless person standing around downtown in the early morning hours with nowhere to go.  At least they wanted to help me rather than arrest me for being a vagrant.  If we believe that this is God’s Church and not our own personal Church, if we believe in God’s love and mercy and salvation for all, we have to really live out that ideal rather than just saying that we believe it.  We here at St Jude want to be a welcoming parish to all; hopefully that is reflection in our liturgies and our ministries.   In his writing and public speeches, Pope Francis has challenged us to be a Church that is welcoming and inviting to all, a Church that reaches out to the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized in a very intentional way.
         Isaiah tells us to be strong and to fear not, good words of advice in a rapidly changing world where we can be frightened very easily .  I recently saw a quote from the famous Catholic author Flannery O’Connor that said:  Often, human nature vigorously resists God’s grace because his grace changes us and change is painful.  There was a big change in the life of the deaf mute in today’s Gospel when Jesus touched his ears and his tongue, yelling up to the heavens: ““Ephphatha!” “Be opened!”  This mute wanted change in his life: to be able to talk and to hear, to be a part of his community in the fullest sense possible.  The mute’s friends brought him to Jesus, encouraging the mute to be open to change and be open to Jesus’ healing presence.  After this healing, his ears were not only opened to hear, but they were opened to the reality of Jesus in his life, to the reality of the salvation and redemption that Jesus offered.
      How can we be more open and more intentional on our journey?  We have already started our religious education program for children and youth.  We start our program for adults next week.  We are so blessed to have so many teachers and assistants who are willing to be there for us, to help us learn the foundations of our faith.  We want to encourage our adults to enter our adult faith formation groups that will be held during the Sunday School hour. I think that often Catholics think of adult faith formation as an afterthought, as being less important to the catechesis of children and youth.  However, according to our US Bishops, that is definitely not the case.  Back in 1999, the US Bishops issued a document entitled: Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us: A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States. In it, they state that “Adult faith formation, by which people consciously grow in the life of Christ through experience, reflection, prayer, and study," must be “the central task in [our] catechetical enterprise,” becoming “the axis around which revolves the catechesis of childhood and adolescence as well as that of old age.” (OHWB #5).  Wow, what a strong statement.  And if we practiced what that document says, our adult faith formation programs would be flourishing and bursting at the seams, just like they do in Protestant churches.  
         We will start this year’s adult faith formation with Gus Lloyd’s apologetics program.   Apologetics is perhaps a misunderstood concept in our modern Church.  In apologetics, we strive to learn more about our faith and learn how to articulate what we believe not only so we grow in our understanding of our Catholic faith, but also so we can answer questions that others ask us about what we believe as Catholics and  to enter into a healthy dialogue with those from other faith traditions.  Our apologetics classes will start on September 16, next weekend.  
       We are also going to have a come and see meeting for our RCIA program on October 2.  RCIA stands for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.  This program is for those who want to enter the Church or for non-Catholics who want to learn more about our faith.  

      In the spirit of James’ message of not being exclusive in our community of faith, of Jesus’ call of opening up the life of the deaf mute, I recall the following statement from our Good Leaders, Good Shepherds leadership program we had in our Diocese several years ago: “Authentic Catholics in the 21st century not only accept responsibility for their own faith journey; they also contribute to the journeys of others. They are unselfish in their efforts, charitable in their pursuits, and giving of their time.”  Let us be open to the way our Lord is calling out to us today in his Holy Word, not only in our own journey of faith, but in the journeys of our brothers and sisters. 

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

4 September 2018 – Tuesday of the 22nd week of ordinary time – Luke 4:31-37


        So often in Jesus’ ministry, the people questioned his authority and identity.  Many of them were not ready to listen to the proclamation of God's kingdom that Jesus tried to present to them.  However, in today's Gospel, the people recognize his power and authority.  Even the demon cries out: “I know who you are – the holy one of God!” 
         In our modern era, it seems like there is a great distrust of authority in our world – we don't trust our government, our elected officials, big companies, or other centers of authority in our modern society.  With the news that is coming out, a lot of people don’t want to trust the Church or her leaders.  Often, we might see a justification for this distrust of authority based upon our own experiences and how we see things functioning in our world today.  We get angry and frustrated at the different authority figures in our world; we can also see people lash out against God in frustration and anger.  Part of this frustration may come from the way we can never completely understand what God is all about – how there is always going to be a sense of mystery about our understanding of God, how our limited human understanding of the divine will never satisfy that longing deep inside of us. 
         We are called to accept God's authority in our lives.  And we are called to never give up in searching for Him in our lives, to grow in our faith and understanding of God in a quest that will take place during our entire lives here on earth.  May we never give up on that quest.  

Walking around my old neighborhood in West Rogers Park, Chicago







Photo 1 - house where I grew up on Morse Avenue
Photo 2 - street photo of Morse Avenue
Photo 3 - Photo of a "two flat" - apartment building where a childhood friend lived
Photo 4 - House a few blocks away where my dad lived before moving to the Morse Avenue house

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Prayers of the faithful - feast day of St Augustine - August 28 2018

Lord Jesus - you are the holy one of God - Lord have mercy. 
Christ Jesus - you call out to us in our need - Christ have mercy. 
Lord Jesus - you call us to follow you without reservation - Lord have mercy. 

PRIEST: As God’s People on earth, let us unite our prayers with all the saints in heaven for our needs, the needs of the Church, and the needs of the world .
1. For the Holy Catholic Church, the joyful mother of St Augustine and the company of saints, may she bring all her children to the Kingdom of God, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
2. For Pope Francis and all bishops, clergy and lay leaders, may they continue to help others grow in wisdom of their faith through the teaching of the Gospels, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
3. That all people of goodwill may receive true life and abiding peace through the redeeming Blood of Christ, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
4. For those who suffer persecution for their faith and righteousness, may they continue steadfastly in the way of the saints who walked before them, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
5. That in offering and receiving the Eucharist we may respond to God’s universal call to holiness, let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, hear our prayer.
6. For the sick and shut-ins, for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, we pray to the Lord. 
All:  Lord, hear our prayer. 
7. As we celebrate St Augustine today, we pray for all catechists and theologians, for their studies in the faith and for the faith and knowledge they teach us, we pray to the Lord. 
All: Lord her our prayer.  
PRIEST: Father of grace, we offer our petitions with the prayers of
St Augustine and all the Saints, confident in your mercy revealed in their heroic lives. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen. 

Rose Hill Cemetery - Chicago - Dall Family Plot

My great great grandfather David Dall, a ship's captain on the Great Lakes, came to Chicago from Scotland in the mid 19th century (after living for some years in Wisconsin).  He came from a long line of sea people from the kingdom of Fife in Scotland.  He and many of my Dall family ancestors, including my father, are buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the city of Chicago.  I almost got locked in their while visiting my dad's grave on a Sunday afternoon - that would have been very bad.  Bobby Franks, the young boy killed in the Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murder, is buried not too far from our plot.  Lincoln A Dall, my great great grandfather's youngest son, after whom I am named, is buried there.  He died in 1890 at the age of 25. (The LAD grave stone is his.)  I plan on being buried next to him when my life on earth comes to an end.  I remember visiting here with my dad when we were children.  It seemed like a very magical place to a young child.  










Tour of West Rogers Park - Chicago - Indian Boundary Park and Lunt Park

Until I was the age of 12, I grew up in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, the same neighborhood where my dad grew up.   I have a lot of good memories from there.  Growing up in Chicago, hanging out and playing in the parks was a way of life.  I visited the Lunt Street playground and Indian Boundary Park when I was back in Chicago last week.  I spent hours and hours at those two places as a child.  I remember as a child hearing that the Lunt Playground was once the location of a neighborhood jail.  And the photo of the pond at Indian Boundary park shows the place where my dad as a child fell through the ice during winter while ice skating and almost drowned until someone pulled him out.  






Monday, August 27, 2018

30 August 2018 – Thursday of 21st week in ordinary time – Matthew 24:42-51


         We don't know when the Lord is going to return – we don't know the day or the hour.  We need to stay awake, be vigilant, and be prepared.
         This Gospel message might hit home to us when we see how differently our lives can end here on earth.  We can see those who battle a long-term illness for years, that time helps them prepare for the end of life, with many of them making the effort to make right their relationship with God and with their brothers and sisters with the knowledge that the illness is terminal.  Yet, we can also see those who die so unexpectedly in an accident or a sudden illness.  They have no time to prepare; they don't go through a process where they are able to come to terms with their pending death. 
         Our faith calls us to examine our lives, to enter a cycle of repentance & conversion, to constantly grow in our faith.  I was reading about the life of one of the saints we celebrate this week, Joseph Calasanz, a priest from the kingdom of Aragon in Spain who was born in the mid-16th century and who lived until the old age of 92.  He was a very skilled canon lawyer, theologian, and administrator.  He held important church administrative posts in his diocese and in Rome.  Yet, he felt that God was calling to him to work toward providing poor children a quality education, a subject that received very little attention in his era.  In his way of being prepared and being vigilant for the coming of God's kingdom, Joseph examined his life and was willing to take a risk to change directions. Joseph worked toward building up God's kingdom here on earth, even when it brought a great deal of turmoil and frustration into his life.
         Lord, as you call us to be prepared and to be vigilant, may we never be afraid to live the life of faith to which you call us. May we live out our faith in courage and tenacity, always being prepared.

2 de septiembre de 2018 – Vigésimo segundo Domingo del tiempo ordinario – Marcos 7,1-8, 14-15, 21-23; Deuteronomio 4:1-2, 6-8


     En el Evangelio de hoy, escuchamos los fariseos y los escribas conversando con Jesús sobre la falta de lavar sus manos antes de comer como un rito de purificación.  Escuchando este Evangelio, yo reflejo sobre la manera que lavaba mis manos muchas veces en la selva cuando trabajaba allí como misionero en el país de Ecuador.  En nuestra cultura, es importante para tener manos limpios para eliminar algunos enfermedades también.  Podemos darnos cuenta que en esta conversación que Jesús tenía con los escribas y los fariseos, había un meta mas profundo que las manos limpias.  Jesús quería enseñar a su pueblo sobre las leyes y los mandamientos de Dios.
     Los fariseos y los escribas tenían una obsesión con las reglas y las leyes de su religión, pero no podían comprender el espíritu de estas leyes.  En nuestra lectura de Deuteronomio, Moisés enseñó sobre las leyes de Dios, sobre la vida y la libertad que podemos descubrir en ellas.  Tenemos la llamada para vivir estas leyes en justicia y sabiduría, para mostrar a nuestros vecinos la verdad de Dios en nuestra vida.
     Si reflexionamos sobre las enseñanzas de Moisés, podemos tener mas claridad sobre la interacción entre Jesús y los líderes judíos.  Los fariseos y los escribas pensaban que Jesús y sus discípulos faltaban el respecto a sus tradiciones, pero Jesús se daba cuenta que estas tradiciones vinieron de los seres humanos, no vinieron de Dios. En sus palabras radicales, Jesús tenía otro punto de vista sobre la purificación en nuestra vida, que es mas de una ritual. Podemos participar en los rituales, pero, al mismo tiempo, podemos faltar el respecto a nuestras relaciones con Dios y con nuestros hermanos.  Como Moisés explicó, la ley de Dios tiene su fundación en el pacto entre Dios y su pueblo, en las relaciones con nuestro prójimo. No podemos tener motivos y acciones en nuestros corazones que van a separarnos con nuestro prójimo, como el robo, la codicia, la injusticia, la envidia, o el orgullo.  Podemos tener las intenciones buenas, pero es fácil para manipular la ley a la sumisión de nuestro egoísmo.  En las palabras de Isaías, Jesús explicó que podemos proclamar a Dios con nuestros labios, pero si tenemos otras cosas en nuestros corazones, no somos seguidores de Cristo.
     Necesitamos mirar nuestros pensamientos y nuestras obras.  Necesitamos cambiar nuestros corazones.  Necesitamos abrazar la ley de Dios y su amor para tener un cambio adentro, para afectar nuestras acciones y nuestras palabras que salen. Podemos limpiar nuestras manos y nuestros platos – pero esta acción no va a limpiar nuestros corazones.  Es mas fácil para mirar las acciones afuera, como los fariseos y los escribas en sus rituales.  Pero tenemos trabajo mas importante en nuestra llamada de Dios – para limpiar nuestros corazones y nuestras almas.  

2 September 2018 - homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - James 1:17-18, 21B-22, 27


     There is often a beautiful symmetry in the readings we have in our Sunday liturgies.  For five Sundays in a row, ending last Sunday, we heard the Bread of Life discourse from John’s Gospel, with Jesus explained to us that he is the bread of life, the living bread that came down from heaven to bring us eternal life.  We Catholics see a direct connection between those readings in John’s Gospel and our belief in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist, in our call to live out the spirit of the Eucharist in our lives.  This Sunday, we hear the first of five readings from the Letter of James in our Sunday masses.  What is wonderful about James, is that it is an easy book to read, especially compared to some of the letters of St Paul and some of the books of the Old Testament.  James gives us a lot of wonderful, practical advice on how to live out a Christian life. 
      One of the phrases that sticks out to me in today’s reading from James is this: “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.”  A short concise sentence that contains a profound truth.  Our faith is often a dichotomy, of many aspects that might at first seem contradictory, but in reality, they compliment each other.  Our faith calls us to discover the divine and the transcendent in our lived reality, but it also calls us to infuse our faith into our temporal existence here on earth.  Our faith calls us to prayer, reflection, and contemplation, but it also calls us to actions and good works.  In our faith, we respect mystery and that which is beyond our human understanding, but we also look for greater comprehension and knowledge of those spiritual things that are within our human grasp.  We are called to respect the traditions of the ancient Church, the Church of the Apostles, the Matriarchs and Patriarchs and those blessed men and women throughout history who helped develop our faith, theology, and spiritual traditions.  But we are also called to dialogue with the modern world, with the signs of the times, with our present reality.  We see the world in its reality, but we also see the world through the lens of our faith, which means looking at it in a very different way.

      Being doers of the word means that our actions and our good works flow out of our faith and flow out of the Word of God that is with us.  And that is the phrase that the letter of James uses: “Humbly welcome (God’s) word that has been planted in you.”  If you read through this passage several times in the tradition of Lectio Divina, it is amazing how different words stick out to us, how God’s word speaks to our reality.  We need to take the time to study God’s word, to hear how it speaks to our own reality, to have it enter our hearts where we can ponder it and reflect upon it.  One phrase that was left out of today’s passage – James tells us to “be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to rouse your temper.” So often our listening to God’s word in its totality is interrupted by our own words and our own desires and our own whims, but our own anger and frustration and despair. Yet, can we humble ourselves to listen to God speak to us in his rawness and honesty?
      As I was reading the passage from the Letter of James in my copy of the Jerusalem Bible I have, a Catholic translation I often consult when I am writing homilies, I found a copy of a prayer written by St Anselm of Canterbury tucked into that page of the Bible. That Prayer expresses some of what we may feel when reflecting upon this reading from James.  Anselm was an 11th century Benedictine monk from Italy who became the Archbishop of Canterbury in England.  Anselm is a famous  theologian and philosopher from the Medieval period of Church history. He was named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Clement XI in 1720.  He is most famous for his philosophical proofs of God’s existence.  This prayer comes from Anselm’s influential book entitled the Proslogion, the Latin word for discourse.  When I find little gems like this, I don’t think it is chance or coincidence, but rather the working of the Holy Spirit.  This is Anselm’s prayer: 

O my God teach my heart where and how to seek you,
where and how to find you…

You are my God and you are my All and I have never seen you.
You have made me and remade me,
You have bestowed on me all the good things I possess,
Still I do not know you…

I have not yet done that for which I was made….
Teach me to seek you…

I cannot seek you unless you teach me
or find you unless you show yourself to me.
Let me seek you in my desire, let me desire you in my seeking.
Let me find you by loving you, let me love you when I find you.
AMEN.  

Saturday, August 25, 2018

31 August 2018 – Friday of 21st week in ordinary time – Matthew 25:1-13


      Today's parable from the Gospel of Matthew about the maidens is probably familiar to us, especially with its teaching that we should be prepared at all times since we do not know when Jesus will come again.   Perhaps we can also identify with the foolish, unprepared maidens at one time or another in our lives when we have not been as prepared as we should have been.  We can remember those times when we procrastinate in life, putting something off to the last minute. We might have put off writing a paper for a college course, having to stay up all night to get it done.  Or to leave late for an important appointment, only have to rush on the road to get there.  We need to learn from those times we are not ready the way we should be.  Those of us who put ourselves under the rule of God's kingdom as Christ's followers should always be ready and prepared to play our role in the on-going story of God's relationship to us.  
         The main fault of these foolish maidens was not that they fell asleep or that they failed to have oil in their lamps, but rather that they were not ready to welcome the bridegroom with joy when he arrived.   We, too, are to joyfully welcome the coming of God's kingdom to all, to welcome Christ's arrival with joy when he comes again.  And I wonder: How do we express the joy of God's kingdom in our own lives?   How do we communicate this joy to others? 

29 August 2018 – Wednesday of 21st week of ordinary time – the Passion of St John the Baptist – Mark 6:17-29


       The liturgical color red can represent the Holy Spirit, but it also signifies martyrdom or the death of a person for our faith, which we commemorate today in the passion of St John the Baptist. 
         It was John's prophetic voice that brough God's message to the people of Ancient Israel, preparing the way of the Lord.  However, it’s John’s prophetic voice that got him into trouble.  He charged the highest-ranking governmental official of the region, Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, of making an unlawful marriage with Herodias, the daughter of one of Herod's brothers & the ex-wife of another brother. Speaking out against Herod landed John in prison and ultimately to his death. 
         Herod is puzzled by John, but he is attracted to him as well.  Herod feared John, he listened to him, he saw him as a holy, righteous man.  Yet, Herod was willing to sacrifice the life of John the Baptist in order to maintain his own honor and power.  Wanting to show the people his power and control, he ultimately showed what a weak leader he really was. 
         It seems that at one point, Herod was willing to listen to John's proclamation of God's word, but Herod cared more about the world, which silenced God's message in him. 
         How is God’s message silenced in our own lives.  Our Christian faith is more than just knowing about Jesus, more than just admiring him and hearing his word.  Herod heard what John the Baptist had to say, even admiring it in some ways.  However, as followers of Christ, we’re called to do more: to let the word of God find fertile ground in our lives, to let his word grow and become a part of our very being.   
         In the midst of the reality of our lives , the word of God speaks to us in our own lives, wanting to take root.  All of us can be messengers of God's word in all that we say and do.  We can bring God's word and God's love to others, no matter what is going on in our lives.

28 August 2018 – Tuesday of 21st week of ordinary time – St Augustine of Hippo - Doctor of the Church – Matthew 23:23-26


       “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.”  By the opening statement of this morning’s Gospel reading, we know the message we are going to hear is very strong and harsh.  Jesus was upset in the hypocrisy he saw in the scribes and Pharisees.  He saw them worrying about outward appearances and insignificant things, all the while they ignored what was going on in their interior, ignoring what mattered most to God.
         We look at today’s Gospel reading through the lens of today’s saint: celebrate today: St. Augustine.  Augustine was the bishop of Hippo in North Africa.  He lived in the late 4th and early 5th centuries.  Augustine is not only a Doctor of our Church, but he is one of the main theologians who influenced the development of Western Christian theology in the early Church. Augustine’s influence is still strongly felt in our Church today.  In his writings, especially in the Confessions that he wrote, Augustine look at the hypocrisy that was present in his own life, as he compares the hollow joy he had in his reckless life before his embrace of Christianity to the true joy he has found in his faith.  Augustine writes: “During all those years of rebellion, where was my free will? What was the hidden, secret place from which it was summoned in a moment, so that I might bend my neck to your easy yoke? How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose! You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure, you who outshine all light, yet are hidden deeper than any secret in our hearts, you who surpass all honor, though not in the eyes of men who see all honor in themselves. . . . O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation." 
       May the joy of Christ that St. Augustine radiates, may the joy we may find in looking at the hypocrisies in our own life and in trying to be faithful to living out the Gospel in our lives, be a part of our faith and hope that we place in Christ. 

26 de agosto de 2018 – Vigésimo primer Domingo del tiempo ordinario – Juan 6,60-69


           Hoy, continuamos a escuchar el sexto capitulo del Evangelio de San Juan.  Esta lectura nos enseña mucho sobre nuestra fe católica – es por qué escuchamos muchas lecturas de este capitulo este mes de agosto.
         Jesús explica a sus discípulos que él es el pan de vida, que su carne y su sangre son la verdadera comida y la verdadera bebida que nos dan la vida eterna, que Cristo permanecerá en nosotros, y que permaneceremos en él, si recibiremos su cuerpo y su sangre. En el Evangelio, escuchamos dos respuestas diferentes a las palabras de Jesucristo.  Unos de sus seguidores quieren huir después de escuchar su mensaje, pero otros quieren continuar el camino como discípulos, creyendo que él es el hijo de Dios.¿Qué podemos decir sobre el Evangelio de hoy?  En verdad, tenemos alternativas en nuestro camino.  También, necesitamos reflexionar sobre la perspectiva que tenemos en nuestra fe y en las enseñanzas de Cristo.  Y necesitamos tener conciencia sobre la gracia de Dios que está presente en nuestra vida de fe. 
         Hay dos grupos de discípulos en el Evangelio con dos perspectivas muy diferentes – y hay perspectivas diferentes en nuestro mundo moderno también.  Como católicos, tenemos el desafío para mirar nuestra vida por la lente de nuestra fe en lugar de la perspectiva de nuestra sociedad secular.  Muchas veces, no estamos de acuerdo con los valores de nuestro mundo.  Podemos huir, pero tenemos el desafío para quedar con Jesús. 
         Jesús explica - "Por eso les he dicho que nadie puede venir a mí, si el Padre no se lo concede"  No podemos hacerlo solitos – necesitamos la gracia de Dios para ayudarnos en nuestro viaje.  Celebramos la Eucaristía cada domingo como una comunidad de fe para darnos esta gracia y la comida espiritual.   La Eucaristía nos sostiene y nos alimenta.  Podemos tener una vida autocomplaciente.  Podemos hacer los movimientos de vivir en nuestra fe sin desafíos y sin vida nueva. 
         Con la gracia de Dios, podemos abrir nuestros mentes a su presencia en nuestra vida.  Por la gracia de Dios, por nuestra fe católica, tenemos una relación con Cristo.  En nuestra relación con Cristo, necesitamos el arrepentimiento y la conversión para crecer y para aprender. Como Pedro, si creemos en las palabras de Jesús como las palabras de vida eterna, necesitamos quedar con él.  

Visit with Sister Paulinus




In my travels this last month, I had the opportunity to visit Sister Paulinus Oakes, a mentor of mine when I first became a priest.  She is a Sister of Mercy.  She is now at a home for retired nuns from her order in St Louis.  It was wonderful visiting her and celebrating mass with the sisters.  

26 August 2018 - Reflection - 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time - Cycle B - John 6:60-69


       We are at our final Sunday of hearing readings from the 6th Chapter of John's Gospel; we've been following this chapter 5 Sundays in a row. This chapter teaches us a great deal about our Catholic faith, which is why our Church devotes so much time to it in our lectionary cycle.  
         In the Bread of Life Discourse in John’s Gospel, Jesus tells his followers that he is the bread of life, that his flesh and blood are true food and true drink that bring us everlasting life, that he will remain in us and we will remain in him if we partake of his body & blood.  In today's Gospel, we hear two very different responses to Jesus' words.  While some of his followers turn away after hearing these difficult words, others pledge their devotion to him, convinced that he is “the Holy One of God.”  Today's Gospel tells us several things about our own faith as followers of Christ. First, we're faced with real choices to make as believers in our faith.  Second, we need to consider the perspective we use in approaching our faith and Jesus' teachings.  Third, we need to be aware of how God's grace is constantly at work in our lives. 
        I try to stay ahead of writing my homilies - trying to write them at least a couple of weeks in advance.  Unfortunately, due to some events in our Church and in the world, we are faced with some difficult times again, a reality I hadn’t anticipated when I first wrote my homily.  Our reality can change so quickly.  I mentioned the themes of choices, different perspectives, and God’s grace working in our lives. Those themes speak to us today as we in the Church confront a very hard reality.  When I was at the mission appeal last weekend in Our Lady of Hope in Rosemont, Illinois in the Archdiocese of Chicago, the pastor of the parish, a young Polish priest, started by saying that there are no words that can express the anger, frustration, confusion, and shock that we’re feeling in the Church right now.  We’re all trying to come to terms with the recent Pennsylvania report of abuse in our Church and news from our own Diocese as well. In this past week, I have had friends and parishioners reach contacting me, asking what we can do.  
        As the pastor of your parish, I am committed to providing a safe environment to all, to put the safety and wholeness each one of us of prime importance.  Since the first abuse scandals surfaced in our Church more than 15 years ago, our Church and its leaders have made a commitment to a safety and protection program.  We need to examine now the ways that program has failed.  Many of the accusations being made public now are decades old.  Most of the priests accused are either deceased or not in active ministry. But the pain they caused is real.  The sins they committed are real. 
         We must be committed to atone for and learn from the sins of the past.  We must be committed to dialogue, to honesty, to transparent communication, and to transforming our culture here in the Church.  We must be committed to prayer.  We must be willing to listen to some very difficult realities and be willing to reach out to those who need healing.  This will be a difficult and challenging process.  Our Diocese is going to be communicating with and listening to us pastors in the upcoming weeks about this reality and our response.  We will need the prayers and cooperation of all.  
        These are difficult times, for sure.  But I think about the calling I received as a priest.  That calling came out of the missionary work I did in Canada and South America and in Texas, along with the four years of teaching I did in the Mississippi Delta.  That work was not always easy. There were crises that I had to face.  But I felt the call to serve: to serve God, to serve the Church, to serve you, the people. There were days when I was not sure I could go on.  But I trusted God and trusted the calling I had, and I endured in my ministry.  This process of change, transformation, and renewal will be a long journey for us in the Church.  But it is a commitment we are called to as disciples of Christ.  

Monday, August 20, 2018

3,000 posts and counting

When I started this blog some years ago, little did I know that I would write 3,000 posts one day, which I achieved with my last post.  I have been in three different postings since I started this blog, serving in the Mississippi Delta, in Northeast Mississippi, and now in the metro Jackson area.  It has been wonderful being able to share my homilies and my thoughts with all of you, my readers.  Blessings. 

8/21/2012 – Tuesday of 20th week of ordinary time - Ezekiel 28:1-10, Matthew 19:23-30


        Today's readings warn us how the excessive attachment to riches can lead us away from the Gospel.  Ezekiel calls out the city of Tyre as an example of a community that puts its trust in its earthly treasure rather than in God.  Ezekiel reminds us how something other than God can become an idol for us, how it can rule our lives.  Ezekiel prophesied that utter destruction would come to those who allow money to rule their lives.
         In our Gospel, Jesus speak about this same theme, how riches can be an obstacle to attaining eternal life.  For me, in my life of faith, participating in charitable works of mercy as fruits out of my journey of faith has really helped me realize what is most important in life.  Whether we volunteer at a soup kitchen or help build a house for Habit for Humanity, whether we visit the sick or the shut-ins or the prisoners behind bars, works of mercy will help us experience God in a very real way, helping us live out the values of the Gospel in our lives. 
        Do we place our trust in God the Father, or do our worldly goods or other treasures rule our lives?  That is a good question we can ask ourselves.   

24 August 2018 – Feast of St Bartholomew, Apostle - Friday of the 20th week in ordinary time – John 1:45-51


        Today we celebrate the feast of St. Bartholomew.  The apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the lists of the apostles in the New Testament, but many Scripture scholars identify him as Nathaniel, which is the reason for the Gospel we hear today.  Nathaniel is a man from Cana in Galilee who is summoned to Jesus by Philip.  When Philip tells Nathaniel that they have found Jesus, Nathaniel wonders how anything good can come from Nazareth.  Philip invites Nathaniel to come and see for himself.
         Like Nathaniel, we come to our faith with our preconceived notions and prejudices.  The judgments and assumptions we make can hinder us along our journey of faith.  Nathaniel goes to see Jesus for himself.  Jesus immediately pays him a compliment, saying that there is no duplicity or deceitfulness about him.  Even in the midst of his flaws and his prejudices, Nathaniel seeks the truth, and Jesus in turn sees the goodness and honesty in him. 
         In the midst of our flaws and our short-comings, may we also genuinely seek out our faith just as Nathaniel did.  May we never give up in seeking out truth, no matter how difficult that search may be. 

23 August 2018 – Thursday of 20th week in Ordinary Time – Ezekiel 36:23-28


     We in Mississippi seem to have adequate rainfall most of the time, although I think there are times that the farmers in our area don’t have adequate water for their crops. Even though we have had a lot of rain this summer, I still have to water my herb garden at times.   Earlier this spring, the city of Cape Town in South Africa, a city with a metropolitan area of almost 4 million people, can close to completely running out of water, of having to ration water so extremely that we can barely imagine.  We often have images of water in holy scripture. Today, we have an image of water from the prophet Ezekiel, a cleansing image that is heard both in our first reading and in our psalm response:  “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.” What do we need to be cleansed from today?  What idols are we fixated upon?  What impurities are holding us back?  When we think about cleansing our lives in this sense, even though water is a good symbol for us, the working of the Holy Spirit and our cooperation and response to God are what will bring it about.  May the Holy Spirit renew us.  May the Holy Spirit cleanse us.