Christmas Break

A Blessed and Merry Christmas to each and every one of my blog readers.  May you find time to just be with family and enjoy their presence and the amazing present of Jesus Christ that God gave to us.

3rd semester is wrapping up

This week, I have completed an oral final and two papers.  I have one more written final on Friday morning and then the semester is over and I get to rest and recharge in Maine for three weeks before starting up again in early January.  I probably will not be blogging over the break unless something really exciting happens.

I have a couple of papal documents that I want to read (triggered by my moral theology class), some liturgy documents, a DVD course on great artwork, several science fiction books, in addition to my usual daily Mass and prayer time.  I brought too much to do, but you know what they say about "idle minds and hands".

It is hard to believe that with the completion of one more semester, I'll be halfway complete to my degree in Divinity and, God willing, my ordination to the priesthood.

From the Proslogion by Saint Anselm, Bishop (1033-1109)

I made an error a few days ago.  I should have read the 2nd reading for the Feast of St Ambrose, but I read the regular second reading instead.  O Happy Fault.  It spoke to me. In particular the sections in bold below spoke loudly.  I had to stop and reread them 3 or 4 times.  Of course, the last paragraph in italics is often known as St. Anselm's prayer.


Insignificant man, escape from your everyday business for a short while, hide for a moment from your restless thoughts. Break off from your cares and troubles and be less concerned about your tasks and labors. Make a little time for God and rest a while in him.

Enter into your mind’s inner chamber. Shut out everything but God and whatever helps you to seek him; and when you have shut the door, look for him. Speak now to God and say with your whole heart: I seek your face; your face, Lord, I desire. 

Lord, my God, teach my heart where and how to seek you, where and how to find you. Lord, if you are not here where shall I look for you in your absence? Yet if you are everywhere, why do I not see you when you are present? But surely you dwell in “light inaccessible.” And where is light inaccessible? How shall I approach light inaccessible? Or who will lead me and bring me into it that I may see you there? And then, by what signs and under what forms shall I seek you? I have never seen you, Lord my God; I do not know your face.

Lord most high, what shall this exile do, so far from you? What shall your servant do, tormented by love of you and cast so far from your face? He yearns to see you, and your face is too far from him. He desires to approach you, and your dwelling is unapproachable. he longs to find you, and does not know your dwelling place. He strives to look for you, and does not know your face.

Lord, you are my God and you are my Lord, and I have never seen you. You have made me and remade me, and you have given me all the good things I possess and still I do not know you. I was made in order to see you, and I have not yet done that for which I was made.

Lord, how long will it be? How long, Lord, will you forget us? How long will you turn your face away from us? When will you look upon us and hear us? When will you enlighten our eyes and show us your face? When will you give yourself back to us?

Look upon us, Lord, hear us and enlighten us, show us your very self. Restore yourself to us that it may go well with us whose life is so evil without you. Take pity on our efforts and our striving toward you, for we have no strength apart form you.

Teach me to seek you, and when I seek you show yourself to me, for I cannot seek you unless you teach me, nor can I find you unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you in desiring you and desire you in seeking you, find you in loving you and love you in finding you.

December 6th

8:00 this morning

The chapel at the Seminary participated in its usual Thursday morning Mass.  Nothing different than usual except that I was the reader (lector) today.  It was not planned that way, it was just that way on the schedule.

Today's Mass was said for the third anniversary of the death of Carmen Lowe.  She was mentioned in the opening and in the prayers of the faithful.  I felt a twinge both times.  I still miss her, but it is getting easier to bear.

Rest in Peace Carmen.  Keep those heavenly choirs in tempo and in tune. 

Patron Saints

Last year, my spiritual director asked me if I had a special relationship with any saint. I did not.  But I did not forget his question and did think about it.  He also told me that you don't find a patron saint, they find you.

In a quiet moment last month, it became clear to me that a saint was trying to get my attention.  I let the thoughts come together, did some research on him and believe that he is a good model for me.

He was married but never fathered any children of his own.
As a priest, I will be spiritual father to many who are not my own.

He worked with his hands, was a laborer, tradesman and a carpenter.
I love to get my hands dirty on a good woodworking project.

He is noted for being in the bible, but never saying a word in the bible.
I've been called terse and taciturn many times.

A book about him says, "His silent life speaks volumes about love, obedience, integrity and the value of good work".
If I can live up to those ideals, I'd be a very happy camper.

St Joseph, you cared for Mary and Jesus, will you be my spiritual father as well?

I am weak

The Office of Readings for October 25 had a portion of a letter from St. Augustine as its focus. As I read it, I had a glimmer of understanding about something that has been bothering me. 

I had to look up the reference, I am not a bible scholar.  It was from 2 Corinthians 12:6-9.

"...but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.  Although if I should wish to boast, I would not be foolish, for I would be telling the truth. But I refrain, so that no one may think more of me than what he sees in me or hears from me because of the abundance of the revelations. Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me,  "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.^"

I am weak.  Some of you know that I have some issues with balance and vertigo.  It is not constant, but enough to remark upon.  My doctors have eliminated about everything they can think of, so I live with it.  I take over the counter medication for it when it gets really bad.

I am weak.  I have Type II diabetes.  I control it with diet, exercise, insulin and other medications.  This is a progressive disease that always gets worse.  So far, I am lucky with no serious complications.

I am weak.  My weakness allows me to relate to others with weakness.  My weakness makes me a better seminarian and, I pray, a better priest in the future.


The bold sections below spoke to me...

Second reading
From a letter to Proba by Saint Augustine, bishop
We do not know what it is right to pray for

You may still want to ask why the Apostle said: We do not know what it is right to pray for, because, surely, we cannot believe that either he or those to whom he wrote did not know the Lord’s Prayer.

He showed that he himself shared this uncertainty. Did he know what it was right to pray for when he was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to bruise him, so that he might not be puffed up by the greatness of what was revealed to him? Three times he asked the Lord to take it away from him, which showed that he did not know what he should ask for in prayer. At last, he heard the Lord’s answer, explaining why the prayer of so great a man was not granted, and why it was not expedient for it to be granted: My grace is sufficient for you, for power shines forth more perfectly in weakness.

In the kind of affliction, then, which can bring either good or ill, we do not know what it is right to pray for; yet, because it is difficult, troublesome and against the grain for us, weak as we are, we do what every human would do, we pray that it may be taken away from us. We owe, however, at least this much in our duty to God: if he does not take it away, we must not imagine that we are being forgotten by him but because of our loving endurance of evil, must await greater blessings in its place. In this way, power shines forth more perfectly in weakness. These words are written to prevent us from having too great an opinion of ourselves if our prayer is granted, when we are impatient in asking for something that it would be better not to receive; and to prevent us from being dejected, and distrustful of God’s mercy toward us, if our prayer is not granted, when we ask for something that would bring us greater affliction, or completely ruin us through the corrupting influence of prosperity. In these cases we do not know what is right to ask for in prayer.

Therefore, if something happens that we did not pray for, we must have no doubt at all that what God wants is more expedient than what we wanted ourselves. Our great Mediator gave us an example of this. After he had said: Father, if it is possible, let this cup be taken away from me, he immediately added, Yet not what I will, but what you will, Father, so transforming the human will that was his through his taking a human nature. As a consequence, and rightly so, through the obedience of one man the many are made righteous.

Ministry of Reader

Step 1 - Ministry of Acolyte - 12/07/2011 - Complete
Step 2 - Ministry of Reader - 10/31/2012 - Complete
Step 3 - Transitional Deacon - January 2015 (maybe June 2014) (God willing)
Step 4 - Priest - June 2015 (God willing)

That's my classmate Mark on the left, me in the middle, Aidan on the right.
Ken, the Master of Ceremonies, is standing behind us.
On the far left, is Bishop Hartmayer from Savannah, GA doing the installation.

"Burst of Joy"

This picture is titled "Burst of Joy".

It is a Pulitzer Prize winning photograph by AP photographer Slava "Sal" Veder take on March 17, 1973.  The photograph depicts Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm being reunited with his family, after spending more than five years in captivity as a POW in North Vietnam. The centerpiece of the photograph is Stirm's 15-year-old daughter Lorrie, who is excitedly greeting her father with outstretched arms, as the rest of the family approaches directly behind her.


The topic was "Faith in Heaven".  The retreat master spoke about our longings for heaven, for eternal peace, reunification with loved ones.  Then he passed out copies of this picture.  You may have seen it before if you have enough years on the planet.  This is the pure joy and excitement of a former POW and his family being reunited after 5 years.

Then, the retreat master said, "Our perceptions of heaven are off because we are expecting too little."  He said other things too, but I did not hear him.  I just looked at that young girl and the joy on her face and thought of my Carmen.  (I'm tearing up just typing this now).  She looked so much like that when I met her in college.  I think she even had an outfit like that.

Is she waiting for me in heaven with her arms open like that?  Are the rest of my loved ones also waiting in line behind her?

The picture and the reflection had a big impact on we few widowed seminarians.  Many of us were wiping the tears away.

The Labyrinth - Part 2

While on retreat at the Passionist retreat house in West Hartford, I walked the labyrinth.  The centerpiece of this labyrinth is a large stone sculpture.  Other labyrinths that I have traversed have a crucifix at the center, so this was new for me.

The artist suggest that the circle represents the eternity of God and the emptiness of the circle suggests we need to empty ourselves as we journey.

Well, I took that thought with me into the labyrinth and developed a few thoughts of my own.  In the beginning, I saw the sculpture as an empty human being, needing God to fill him up, to make him whole. From various angles, I saw people who knew that and could see the empty space within themselves and from other angles, those who could not see the void within.

Halfway through the walk, I saw completely through the structure from the back to the front.  Then I saw a circle and the circle was God.  Nothing exists outside the circle and the entire universe exists inside of, and is bound inside the circle by God.

The rocks that made up that circle were smooth, rough, flat, curved, large, small, light and dark just like the wondrous variety of life that we see in God's marvelous gift of creation.

When I arrived at the center, I noticed that people had been bringing petitions and rocks to the center to stuff into cracks, crevices and niches of the sculpture.  I presume they carried the rocks to drop their burdens off with God.  I added my prayer to God for their petitions and unburdening if they were for their greatest good and His will.

On the walk back out, I noted the footprints of my fellow travelers as we walked the path to God together - but separate.

The Labyrinth - Part 1

There is something about a labyrinth that appeals to me.  I know that many of my brother seminarians would disagree, but I find a mirror of our spiritual journey in a labyrinth.

Just to put us all on the same page, a labyrinth is not a maze, you cannot get lost, but you move closer to and further from the center throughout your journey.  (Here is a sample path)

Christians borrowed the labyrinth from the pagans during medieval times so that they could do pilgrimages without traveling thousands of miles.

There are probably dozens of ways of walking a labyrinth.  Here is my way.  I start with a prayer while looking at the goal.  I take seven steps, why seven?  I don't know, it just feels right. I say another prayer.  I repeat until I reach the goal.  What prayer? It depends.  I do vary it quite a bit.  I say Hail Marys, Our Fathers, Glory Be, spontaneous prayers, sometimes followed by silence to listen, sometimes not.  I pay attention to my orientation to the goal.  Sometimes closer, sometimes further away, sometimes facing the goal, sometimes turned away.  See what I mean about a spiritual journey?  Sometimes we are close to God, sometimes far away, sometimes turned to God, sometimes turned away. 

Walking  a labyrinth this way does require some time.  I've never actually times it, but I suspect it takes an hour or so to get into the center of the labyrinth.

Once in the center, I take some time to closely examine the center structure and then walk out slowly thanking God for this quiet time with Him.  A couple of final prayers just before I finish complete my walk.

Next Time -- My walk in West Hartford

Retreat Week

Classes are over today.  After tomorrow's Mass, our class will be heading to West Hartford for a week long silent retreat.  This gives us time to think, pray, and be quiet with God. 

You may recall that last year's retreat led me to a new and I believe better place to be in my Seminary life.  I trust that this year will be a beneficial time for me as well.

The faculty has been cooperating and we only have one assignment due the week after the retreat, so no pressure there.  The week after, however... let's just say that there will be a lot of time devoted to writing papers and studying for midterms.

Seminary Life

What happens when you put 65 men in close quarters, living, sleeping, studying, eating together almost 24 hours a day?  Well, lots of things, but the one I want to mention today is disease.  When 1/4 of those men go out to health care facilities once a week for assignment and 1/2 of those men go out to parishes once a week for assignment, they bring back diseases.

Last week,  almost 1/3 of my class was down with a bad cold.  I dodged that bullet.  I had a blocked ear, and suspected that I may be getting the cold, but my sinus medication cleared that right up.  Sunday morning (yesterday), I suspected that I was fighting something and sure enough a bit after lunch, I was sure.  I did not dodge round 2.  It appears to be a walking cold, last week some of our guys did not get out of bed for 2 days,

Life in the seminary. We had similar rounds of diseases last year, I guess it is all part of our discernment.  We need to get all these things going around to toughen up our immune systems.  There will be few enough of us out there in the future that coverage for sick priests is going to be an issue.

This semester

This semester's weekly schedule is a bit different than last years.  The Tuesday Pastoral Assignment really breaks up the week in a unique manner.

Sunday - Mass & brunch, then free time
Monday - Classes in A.M., free time, Mass @ 4:45
Tuesday - Mass @ 7:00 A.M., then Pastoral Assignment
Wednesday - Classes in A.M., Mass @ 11:45, then free time
Thursday - Day Off
Friday - Classes in A.M., Mass @ 11:45, then free time
Saturday - Classes in A.M., Mass @ 11:45, then free time

The Free time includes group prayer, private prayer, meals, exercise, study, etc.
Evenings are typically free time as well.

The blip in my schedule this week is an Wednesday overnight trip back to Maine to see my family.

Annual Lawn Party tonight

The Lawn Party is our biggest social event and fundraising activity of the year.  Friends and benefactors of the Seminary come to visit, chat and eat.  The word in the hallways is that we will be hosting about 350 guests tonight.  Where do we put them all?   Right here!

Back to my home parish for a quick visit

I've been asked to go back to my home parish to play the organ for Saturday night's Mass.  I did not get a chance to get back there this summer and was not able to get there on Tuesday night due to some homework load, so this would be my first visit back since last spring.  It will be good so see some familiar faces at the parish again.

I typically go back and play once a month to give the Music Director a day off.  It is a nice break in my routine here at the seminary.  I frequently bring some seminary brothers along to sing of just visit a different church.

A Week of New Experiences

There will be several new experiences for me this week.

Sunday and Monday I will be serving as Acolyte at Mass in our new chapel with our new procedures for serving.

Tuesday I will be making my first visit to my pastoral assignment in Franklin.  Tuesday evening I will be leading a Communion service at a local Ultreya.

Wednesday, I am serving as Antiphonarian for the first time this year.

Fall Semester, 2nd year classes

Yes, two posts in one week.  Miracles do occur!

I have 4 classes and a pastoral assignment this semester. The classes are Pastoral Counseling, Moral Theology, Synoptic Gospels and Theological Anthropology (Humanity's view of God through the ages).

On Tuesdays, I have an all day pastoral assignment.  I will be working at a parish based health care program in a nearby town.  Each Tuesday my supervisor will have a list of communion calls, hospital and nursing home visits for my team mate and me to make. This pastoral assignment will last the entire year, so I'll be heading out every Tuesday this Fall and Spring. 

Morning of Recollection

We're spending this morning in silence.  A guest speaker (some of you know Mary Ann McLaughlin) started us off with a reflection on "Christ's Presence in my Life".  Somewhere in the middle of her presentation, I realized that my connection to Christ is tenuous.  I do the Liturgy of the Hours and the daily Mass of the Church, but the personal relationship with Christ, the reason for those actions, is weak.

During my summer assignment, my summer vacation and this school year so far, I have been filling my spare time with reading for pleasure, TV and the internet.  I think a refocus is required of me.  If I do not have a deep personal relationship with Christ and cannot point out his presence in my life every day, how can I lead a congregation to become closer to Christ?

My daily prayer habits have all but disappeared over the summer.  I need to get back into those good habits and pronto.  I'll pray on it and your prayers for me would be most welcome as well.

Chapel renovation

Our chapel has been under renovation this summer.  Here is the new look.

Seminary - Year 2

Well, I am back at the seminary.  I arrived last night and attended the planning meeting for orientation.

The new men arrive today.  I am on the team to help them get acclimated to seminary life.  Classes don't start until next week, so in the meantime it is time for prayer, discussion and Mass while we greet the new and returning seminarians.

Summer is ticking away

I've been enjoying  my summer with family.  I've had several friends come visit from my old neighborhood and have showed them around town.  In less than a week, I will be packing up and heading back to the seminary.  I am on the orientation team this year.  A week from today, I will be welcoming the new class to the seminary.

Time flies.  Year two is just around the corner.

Oh, and I could not help notice that you have kicked this blog over 10,000 page views.  Thanks for reading and commenting.

Vocation Reflection

All the seminarians from Boston were asked to speak at the Masses at their summer assignment.  Here is my reflection...

The voice woke me up from a sound sleep. “Now will you follow me?” I did what any man would do. I got up, looked out the windows, checked the radio (it was off), checked the house and went back to bed. 

 

The next week, in our bulletin, was a notice for a Vocation weekend. I belatedly put 2 and 2 together. The call that I had been hearing since I was a young altar server was suddenly getting much louder. I could consider this call again, because earlier that year my wife of 30 years had died. My vocation of marriage could possibly be replaced with a vocation of Holy Orders. I remembered my wife’s words from many years ago, “If anything were to happen to me, you’d never get another girlfriend, you’d just become a priest”. Perhaps she knew something about me that I did not know.

As I continued to discern this vocation, I put up many barriers as to why it was not possible. Every time I raised a barrier, God crushed it, usually within days. I needed money to live on for 4 years at the Seminary; my IBM pension matured with a corresponding letter. My family may not be behind this; my agnostic brother called me and told me how excited he was that I was thinking of entering the seminary.

God continued to speak and I continued to listen. I must admit that when I visited the seminary and many of the men told me that they quit their jobs and sold their houses and came, I had serious reservations. I could never do that. I developed spreadsheets to work out the finances. I could keep the house. I could rent out my house. I could buy a condo. God continued to speak and very slowly, I heard and understood. I resigned from IBM and sold my house. I did buy the condo in Maine and my dad and sister are living in it. I need some place to sleep on my days off and holidays.

The most amazing part of being in the Seminary is my brother seminarians. They are always there for you; in sickness, study slumps, low moments, Patriots games, shopping trips, pub crawls, meals, and chapel time. They raise you up when you are down and keep you from getting too high on yourself when you need that as well. They frequently speak with the voice of God perhaps without even realizing it. 

 

One wise brother told me early on that “chapel time” was more important than study time. It took me two months to understand what he was saying, but my personal, quiet “chapel time” is an important part of my day at the seminary. I sit in God’s presence and listen for His voice. I don’t expect to hear it like I did 2 years ago, but I still listen for His voice every day.

God is speaking, are we listening?

My Summer Assignment - part 3

Some of you have noted that I have not posted in a while.  Thanks for reminding me.

For my friend Bill who suggests that my emails are very terse, perhaps a longer post is in order.  I have two things that I feed the need to blog about today.

First, I firmly believe that my current role is pastoral service.  What does that mean?  Well, I'm here to assist where I can, listen a lot and not step on too many toes.  For instance, at our two daily Masses, we have a reader and a server. These folks have been sharing their gifts with the faithful for years.  Should I take over because I am a seminarian and an acolyte?  I say "no".  If somebody is on vacation or is sick, I'll take the open spot, but I do not want to interfere with their ministry and their gifts. I check in at every Mass to see if I am needed, but if I am not, I can participate in the Mass from the pews just as well.  Now some of my seminarian brother do not agree with this stand, and that is OK, we can disagree and still be brothers.  My summer supervisor fully supports this stand and in his years of pastoral experience is glad that I came in the door with that expectation.

Listening is a skill.  Not arguing is also a skill.  On Saturday and Sunday when I stand outside to greet the parishioners, I can get an earful.  Sometimes, people just need to vent.  If I can say something positive, I will.  I don't argue, I just listen.  You cannot please everyone, but it is also important to listen to the minority voices to balance the viewpoints and acknowledge their concerns.

Second, I am envious (but not to the point of confession) of some other bloggers who can write so well of their emotional and spiritual struggles on their pages.  So much of my blog is day to day stuff and not deep thoughts.  Those who know me know that I am a deep thinker and feeler, but rarely share those thoughts and feelings.  A good friend told me once that when I do speak up, people listen because it happens infrequently.  So, my first point here today was an attempt to voice one of those deeper thoughts.  The life of a priest (or laity) is one of pastoral service.  We are called to care for each other and consider our thoughts and actions. My spiritual director told me we are responsible for our second thought and our first action.  Let's think it through and then act on our thoughts with pastoral service in mind

Deacon Ordination

I attended the ordination of our own Tom Macdonald to the order of deacons this morning. Tom and I share the same home parish and I saw some familiar faces from there. Tom is two years ahead of me in his studies in Rome.  Congratulations Tom!

This would be a good time to mention a bit about our parish vocations.  We have 2 deacons already, Art and Dick. We have 2 men in permanent deacon formation, Bill and Fran.  We have nun, soon to make her final vows, Kelly.  Tom and I round out the vocation list for clergy and sisters. We also have many parishioners who take their vocations of mother, father, husband, wife or single very seriously.  It is a great parish.

Many of our men entering 4th year at Blessed John have been ordained as deacons as well this summer.  I'm looking forward to seeing them this fall and serving with them at Mass.

Boston Seminarian's Retreat 2012

I attended the Boston Seminarian's Retreat last week.  It was 3 days and two nights to reflect on our possible vocation and meet others from other seminaries.  It was a pleasant time with walks in the woods, views of Buzzard's Bay and time to talk with other like minded men.

Cardinal Sean's Blog has a picture of two of us from Blessed John Seminary listening to the Cardinal.  Scroll down about 3/4 of the way to see us.  

At the Ordination of Boston Priests

I served at the Ordination today.  

This should take you to the picture with me in it.  Yes, that is me in the back following the Cardinal.

My Summer Assignment - part 2

My summer assignment is at a busy parish.  There are myriad opportunities to get involved and I have had to say "no" to some because it is possible to be too busy here.   The seminary gives us a list of 30 or so activities that we might want to "try out" over the summer.  The goal is that over three summers, we would experience most, if not all, of the activities.  In the first week here, I checked off 15 of those activities.  As I said, it is a busy parish.

Today was the final Mass for the school as the academic year ends today.  I have been told that it gets a bit slower when the school is no longer in session.  I will see next week.

Next week also brings the Boston seminarian retreat (three days) and the ordination of six men as priests.  We have a representative from Blessed John getting ordained and he has asked me to serve at his ordination.  More about those events next time.

My Summer Assignment

I have started my eight week assignment at St. Agatha's.  It seems to be a very busy parish and school with two priests, a lot of folks on staff and many active parishioners.  So far, I've been meeting people and attending Masses and having a good start in that regard. 

More details as I take on new challenges here.

Serving where I can

I had the opportunity to serve twice this weekend.  One was planned, the other completely unplanned.

I had planned and did serve at a seminary brother's ordination to the priesthood here in Maine on Saturday.  It was a beautiful ceremony in Lewiston, Maine.  Bishop Malone of the Portland Diocese , soon to be Bishop Malone of the Buffalo Diocese, presided.  I was the cross bearer and for those in the lingo, a potted plant for the rest of the ceremony.

On Sunday, the priest stopped by before Mass and said, "We need a lector".  I said, "yes", then checked the readings... ouch.   You know the reading...

 "We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God."

I may have messed up on Phrygia, but it went pretty well overall.  Thanks for the chance to serve.

Chapel under renovation

The chapel at our seminary is under complete renovation this summer.   For reference, it used to look like this.  When I visited last weekend to get my bicycle, it looked like this.

The rector seemed pleased with the progress and that is good news.  He is very concerned that it be complete by the time the new guys get there at the end of August.

My life outside the seminary

From now until June 2nd, I am home in Maine.

Rather than bore you with the mundane life  "on vacation", I'd like to reflect back on the medical issues the family who lives with me in Maine has suffered this year.  With all this going on, I still managed to concentrate on my studies (most days).

You have probably read about my vertigo attack and hospital say last September.

My brother-in-law had a serious heart situation where the doctors told him the next  heart attack would be his last.  They seem to have backed off from that statement, but still.

My dad had a major heart incident while visiting family in Alabama.  He was in the hospital for 5 nights.  He elected to forgo the surgery and oxygen tank.  At 92, he can do whatever he wishes.

My sister just had an aggressive, cancerous, golf ball sized brain tumor removed.  She is starting  followup treatment next week.

It has been an exciting first year at the seminary.  But, thank God, we are all here and still doing OK.

The first year winds down

Today was the last day of classes.  Tonight we have a festive dinner for the 4th year seminarians.  Bon Chance, Class of 2012.

We have already completed one final and 1 final paper for two of our classes.  Still have another paper and an oral final to complete finals week.

Then off to Maine for three weeks with family before my summer assignment.

Wedding Homily #2

    On behalf of Arthur and Karen welcome and thank you for coming to share in their joy during this special moment in their lives.  It is traditional in the church for the priest to offer a few words of reflection.  Since I came to priesthood later in life, I am fortunate to have personal experience of thirty years of marriage to draw upon in these comments. 

    Now humor me when I share this analogy. Some of you may find it odd initially, but I think you will see the connection. This is a place I’m familiar with and, often, think of it when I reflect upon my past marriage.
The analogy: Marriage is like an extended trip to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

    Yes…I noticed a few chuckles…I’m not talking about Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck, but the physical place itself. For a few moments, let me take you on this journey and explain why.
    We start on Main Street, USA.  This represents your home life up to this point.  This is where we find friends, families, careers, faith life and religious upbringing.  The gospel today speaks about this, “a wise man built his house on a rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffet the house.  But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.”  A solid tradition of love, family life and religion is a rock upon which two people can build a life together.  Choosing to start a marriage together here in the Church in the presence of God is a wonderful sign; an acknowledgment of the source of all strength, our Lord and Savior. A firm commitment to your faith can help set roots on Main Street.
    After leaving Main Street, there are many choices.  Let's go to the right and visit Tomorrowland.  Tomorrow, you will spend the first complete day as husband and wife.  The vows you will make in a few moments will be put into practice tomorrow and every day “until death do you part”.  If I learned anything in my marriage, it is to pay attention to the words of our second reading, “love is patient.. it is not quick-tempered... it does not brood over injury.” For all of your tomorrows, remember to be patient with one another.  Remember your love for each other and remember to forgive each other quickly.  In most marriages there are plenty of opportunities to say, “I'm sorry” and then kiss and make up.  Please don't wait for your spouse to do it first.
    Continuing our circle around the park brings us to Fantasyland.  In deference to Eva and your friends and families, I'll leave that land to your private time and skip right over to Frontierland.    There will be many new frontiers to cross in your life together.  Some already have been handled like living arrangements and custody questions, but more are coming.  They may creep up as pizza toppings, favorite restaurant, how to handle your finances or which car to buy.  As those frontiers come, please keep in mind the words from the first reading today, “and the two of them become one body”.  Through the grace of God, after today, you are a husband and wife, united in God, one body, but still two minds.  Work together on these new frontiers as you find them.  Frontiers can be a bit rough and unpredictable.  Keeping God in a prominent place in your life together can provide a stable point to build upon to handle the rough times.  Visiting that little frontier church can bring a group of like minded new friends into your life to help as well.
    The final place to visit is Adventureland.  Your life together is a new adventure just starting.  Keep the excitement in your life.  Plan each day as a new adventure together.  Plan those days together and you will never have to worry about growing apart.  At times, there may be different plans for adventure, but compromise and love will always win out. Please don't think that I am saying that all your adventures must be together.  Couple time is really important, so is some private time.  Make room for both in your relationship.
    So, I leave you with Father Chris' recipe for a good long marriage. Stay rooted on Main Street, where God, family and love are always present, but also spend your tomorrows conquering new frontiers and having adventures together.

Supervisor's dinner

Our seminarians go out to parishes, nursing homes, hospitals and other locations for pastoral assignments.  We invite the supervisors in for a festive dinner to thank them for their support.  Since I was on the committee, I was asked to take a role.  I took the role of witness speaker.  The topic assigned was "Preparing for the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Vatican II".   Here is the text of my talk.


I am a child of Vatican II.  When Vatican II convened, I was 6 years old.  When it adjourned, I was 9 years old.  My life in the Church, for all practical purposes, has been entirety post Vatican II.  I remember learning my “Prayers at the Foot of the Altar” for Altar boy class in English.  I was in the first class to learn them in English rather than Latin.  So while Latin is the official language of the Church, to me it is a foreign language, not an old familiar friend.  What Mass and parish life was like before Vatican II, I know only from history books and stories.  Some of you are likely shaking your heads at my simplistic views, while others may be remembering your similar stories.

Even with these incomplete credentials of mine, I can suggest that without Vatican II, I would not be standing here before you tonight.  I would probably not be discerning a vocation to the priesthood.   One thing that I know for certain about Vatican II is that it put out a welcome mat to wider participation by the laity in new ways.  You can see that here in tonight's audience.  75% of the seminarians are still laity (although we may forget that on occasion).  Over 60%  of the invited supervisors are members of the laity.  The members of the laity serve a much bigger role in the Church today than they did 50 years ago.

My journey towards the seminary has taken a longer, more indirect path. When I was an altar boy, my parents had friends who loved organ music and soon I was taking organ lessons.  In Junior High School, I left the altar boy ranks and became an organist.  This led to a 42 year avocation (so far) of playing the organ in church.  That regular weekly rehearsal and Sunday Mass kept me in close contact with several churches and their priests as my job moved me around the country.  It has been the backbone of my volunteer Church life and has helped to keep me connected to my parish.

I branched out to teaching religious education for children, confirmation classes, RCIA and my favorite, adult education in the faith.  Later came liturgy committees, parish councils and special committees.  Finally I started volunteering at several prisons and even helped start annual 3 day retreats at those prisons for the inmates.  I am not sure that all of those roles would have been possible before Vatican II and its new focus on the role of the laity.  It certainly provided me with great experiences and insights into parish life since I was involved in so much of it.

When my wife died 2 years ago, God made it clear to me that it was time to spend some serious time on my discernment process.  As I complete my first year here at Blessed John Seminary, I can look back and thank the Holy Spirit for inspiring that new focus on the laity in Vatican II.

A Baptism at a Seminary?

Absolutely!  Our chapel is not part of a parish, so it is not normally done.  But sometimes exceptions are made.  This was a worth while exception.

Last year, a young, single lady found out that she was pregnant.  Not wanting an abortion, she went to the Pro Life Office in the diocese.  One of our seminarians was working there on assignment.  He heard her story, and we took up a collection to help her with some financial needs.  She joined us for Mass last year and on the 4th Sunday of Advent, Kayla Marie was born in to this world. 

This morning Kayla Marie joined the ranks of the baptized in the Catholic Church.  Her mom (and her dad) were in attendance along with many friends and members of the Pro Life Office.

For Greater Glory

We have had the opportunity to preview the movie "For Greater Glory" twice in the last week.  It is "A chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country."

This will be opening to 700 theaters on June 1st, with a rating of R for the violence portrayed.

This movie makes you think, less than 100 years ago a country effectively banned Catholicism, shot priests, and exiled Bishops.  Sadly, many people will never see this movie because of the limited release, appeal and rating. Do look for it and look for parallels in the culture here in the USA today.

Wedding Homily #1

    On behalf of Kevin and Susan, welcome and thank you for coming to share in their joy during this special moment in their lives.  It is traditional in the church for the priest to offer a few words of reflection.  Since I came to priesthood later in life, I am fortunate to have personal experience of thirty years of marriage to draw upon in these comments. 
    If you are anything like me, there are movies that can suck us in whenever they are on TV.  One of those movies for me is “The Music Man”, especially the older, classic one.  Now Professor Harold Hill and Marian the Librarian never get married in that movie, but I like to think they were on their way to getting that done next.  Now I can see a bit of Professor Hill and the librarian here in Kevin and Susan.  Kevin's is not a con man like the good Professor was but he had a “bit of the devil” in him in his younger years.  He certainly put Susan firmly in his sights several years ago and did not give up in trying to get her to be his wife.  Susan is not a librarian, but she does certainly seem to know what she wants in life and has a sensible way about going to get it. 
    One of the most forgettable songs in the movie is “My White Night”.  I cannot even hum a bit of it for you.  However, it has some amazingly useful words.  At one point the lyrics say, “I would like him to be more interested in me than he is in himself; and more interested in us than in me.”  If every bride and groom could live by those words, what wonderful home lives they would have.  Let me rephrase those words for you.  If Kevin loves Susan more than he loves himself and loves the two of them together more than he loves Susan; while Susan loves Kevin more than herself and loves the two of them together more than she loves Kevin we will be celebrating their 25th and 50th anniversaries sometime down the road.  The very examples of love that you both grew up with in your own families should be useful to you.  Family life is important to you both and this new expanded family you will share will be full of love and joy.
    Susan and Kevin have chosen to get married here in the Church in the presence of God adding yet another dimension to their wedding day and their marriage.  God is part of every marriage ceremony here in the Church as He has been a part of your lives up to this point.  As we heard in the 2nd reading today, “hold onto what is good, love one another with mutual affection,... do not grow slack in zeal”.  These are powerful words and a strong challenge.  I can speak from personal experience that your words to each other, at times, will be taken the wrong way and will cause pain.   Be quick to apologize,  be quick to reach out to the other, be even quicker to acknowledge that you may have been wrong.  Remember that Christ lives in each of you; strive to see God in each other every day.  Pray privately every day and pray together every day.  I know that sounds strange, but let me add a bit more.  Spouses  need private time and couple time.  In that private time, I usually spent some time in prayer.  If I did not, my wife noticed and called me on it.  She could tell, just in how I was relating to her, if I was praying or not.  So, do pray in private and together.   I also invite you to pray with the community wherever you decide to live by staying connected to God through His local Church. 
    This day will soon, perhaps too soon, come to an end.  There will be glitches (there always are), it will not be absolutely perfect.  But your memories of it will be perfect.  To paraphrase my wife, “It wasn't a perfect day, but there were perfect moments”.  That is a good model for your married life.  Not every day will be perfect, but you can forget the bad and remember the good.  Look for those perfect moments and cherish them.  God willing, there will be thousands upon thousands of days and perfect moments for you to spend with each other as a married couple and with the children you plan on bringing into the world. 
   

Summer Assignment - preview

...after famine, a feast of postings...

I met with my summer assignment supervisor today and I can now reveal that I will be at St. Agatha's in Milton for an eight (8) week assignment beginning on June 2nd.   I will be living in the rectory there and learning what life is like in the rectory and the parish. 

Triduum - Part 2

Let's review... as a first year seminarian, I am still very much a member of the laity.  As an instituted Acolyte, I am the least extraordinary minister of the Eucharist and am allowed to serve at the altar.

Going into the Triduum, I knew that I would be playing the organ on Holy Thursday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.  That's been my job for the last 30 or so years, and there was no reason to change that now.  The music director was amenable, so we went with that plan.  I let the pastor and liturgy committee know that I would be available on Good Friday (the organ is silenced)  for any role they needed.  They did not need, so I sung with the choir on Good Friday. 

I suspect that the same type of arrangement will take place next year as well.  It is likely that will be my last time at my home parish for the Triduum.  The following year, my third year, I will probably be assigned to another parish for the year, and their needs would come first.  It is all rather nebulous now, but it will become clearer in the future.

I must confess that I learned a lesson in humility during the Triduum.  I expected to be on the altar on Good Friday.  Most of my classmates served every Mass of the Triduum...I played the organ and sang in the choir.  God's plans are not our plans.  I need to meditate on that much more often.  It is not about me, it is about God.

Triduum - Part 1

I have been remiss in posting my Triduum activities.

I went back to my home parish of St Catherine's.  The priests there kindly put me up in the rectory for three nights while I was there.   The absolute highlight of the weekend for me was not actually Triduum related.

On Saturday afternoon the pastor invited me to make two communion calls with him.  I gladly accepted.  He prepared the oil for anointing and gave me the pyx with consecrated hosts and a small prayer book that he uses. We made the 2 visits and I watched as he blessed and talked with 2 elderly women.  I offered them both Communion. 

As we were heading back to the rectory, we got an emergency call from the hospital.  There was a stroke victim and the prognosis was not good.  We drove to the hospital and the pastor gave an anointing and we prayed with the family.

It was indeed a privilege to watch an experienced pastor shepherd the Lord's flock.  I was blessed to be able to watch and participate.

Funeral #2

On behalf of the Pastor, the staff and all of us here at St. Catherine's, please accept our deepest condolences on the loss of your husband, your father, your friend. Pamela, while I know what it is like to lose a spouse after 30 years of marriage, I cannot imagine your shock at losing Henry on a vacation celebrating those 30 years. 

 

Your time of planned joy, a trip to celebrate your life together, had a much different outcome than you had planned. In the first reading today, we hear that there is a “time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.” This is probably not the time for laughing and dancing, but it is certainly the proper time for weeping and mourning. We must, however, temper our sorrow with the thought that there is more to life than this existence on this earth. God knows what it is like to watch a loved one die. He watched His own son suffer and die on the cross for us. Our pain and suffering is no stranger to our God. 

 

The paschal candle, burning brightly with the light of Christ, reminds us that Christ is the resurrection and the life. Those of us, who in faith, believe in Him, will never die. If we keep that promise in our hearts, we will more easily find “a time to build” and a “”time to heal”.

When Henry first arrived at the entrance of the Church today, there was an American flag on the casket. This flag represents his service to his country in Kuwait and we honor him for that service. He treasured his friendships with his VFW brothers. Those brothers are well represented here today as well. In long standing practice, we remove the flag here in the Church and replace it with a white shroud. That white cloth reminds us of the spotless garment that Henry wore at his baptism. Henry was baptized into the family of God's children. As a member of God's family he participates in the eternal life of Christ. Henry may be dead in this world, but he lives on in Christ. As Christ said in the gospel, “Do not let your hearts be troubled” and “In my Father's house, there are many dwelling places”. We trust that Henry is on his way, even now, to a place that God has chosen for him. That brings us a measure of comfort and peace, knowing that God is caring for Henry now.

At the wake, I heard stories about Henry, both good and less than perfect. He and Pamela may not have had an “Ozzie and Harriet” marriage, but who can claim that today? Henry was human, he had faults and don't we all. What does our God think about our human failings? He loves us just as we are, no matter how often we fail. There were some damaged relationships between Henry and some members of his family. That does not make those involved bad people, just human beings. I understand how a falling out can occur. For the better part of a year, my mother and I barely spoke. I know how that can affect a relationship. It is never to late for any of us to have a conversation with Henry. He will hear you and might respond in ways you never expected. 

 

In the second reading today, we heard “Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over Him”. In a similar manner, death has no more power over Henry. Death has no power over those who believe in Christ.

Let us remember Henry as God saw him, a beloved son trying to do his best for his family in this world.

Easter Break

Easter break starts on Wednesday.  After joining my home parish for the Triduum, I'll be in Maine with the family for the week after Easter.  I cannot believe that my first year at the seminary is almost over.

Funeral Homily #1

    On behalf of the Pastor, the staff and all of us here at St. Catherine's, please accept our deepest condolences on the loss of your wife, your mother, your friend.  It is always a sad time to say goodbye and this goodbye is bittersweet. 

    I lost my own mother to Alzheimer's and I can appreciate the slow sense of loss of Marjorie that you must have experienced over the last six years.  As the Alzheimer's progressed, I'm sure that you saw less and less of the woman you loved and more and more of a stranger.  Those lucid moments followed by times of confusion are painful to watch.  The woman that you saw most recently in the nursing home has little resemblance to the woman of your cherished memories.  If we looked only at those facts, we would be living in a depressing world indeed, however we look at life with the eyes of faith.

    Behind me today is the Paschal candle, burning bright with the light of Christ.  It is a reminder to us of the suffering, death and most importantly, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We have in Christ a God who suffered.  We have in Christ, the light of the world, an image for us of the first fruits from death.  We believe that Christ rose from the dead and He promised us everlasting life with Him.  This is our hope.  This is our strength to go on.  There is more to our existence than these few years here on this world.

    St. Paul asks us in the second reading. “What will separate us from the love of God”. He answers the question immediately, “neither death, nor life will be able to separate us from the love of God”.  God's love for us is beyond our ability to comprehend.  It is a perfect, complete love for all of His people.  Through her Baptism, Marjorie joined God's family.  She became God's daughter.  The white pall on the casket reminds us of her spotless baptismal robe and those baptismal promises that brought her into God's chosen people.

    Through our faith, we have confidence in life after death.  Through God's mercy, we believe that Marjorie is even now on her way to her eternal reward, completely sound of mind and body.  As we heard in the gospel today, “everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day”.  We know that Marjorie believed, so we know that she will have eternal life.  She may have died to this existence, but she lives on in the life of Christ.

    Our belief in this continued life can comfort us, perhaps not fully today, but in time.  Today's first reading reminds us that “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces.”  Nobody expects today to be a time without tears, but the time will come when the tears will subside.  Not because we love Marjorie less, but because we have come to accept our loss and realize that she is likely waiting for us to be reunited with her in the place God has prepared for  us all.  I am sure that with some time, today's loss and pain will be replaced with your best memories of the woman you all loved.

    If we remember Marjorie's life long love of music, we can just picture her playing and singing with the heavenly choirs, keeping them in tempo and helping them to sound their best.

Homily Change

For the next four weeks (with a week off for Easter break) I will be departing from homilies based on the current Sunday's readings.  The current assignments are funeral and wedding homilies.  There will be two of each.

Homily L5-B Lent, Fifth Week, cycle B

Every time I enter the house of some good friends of mine, I stop and read the plaque on the wall of the kitchen.  It is a hand made, cross-stitched message that reads, “Anyone can count the seeds in an apple...but only God can count the apples in a seed”.  I'll repeat that. “Anyone can count the seeds in an apple...but only God can count the apples in a seed”.  They know that I like that plaque so when it was missing from its usual spot one day, I looked around and they said, “It is in the living room.”  I went into the living room, and sure enough, there it was.  They made me a duplicate plaque when I entered the seminary.  It hung in my seminary room for 4 years and hangs in my bedroom today.

We can take an apple seed and plant it in the ground.  With our care, watering and fertilization and God's miraculous gift, it grows into a seedling and then a sturdy tree.  Eventually crop after crop of apples can come from this one tree.  Each crop bearing hundreds of apples each with another handful of seeds.  Those seeds can start the process all over again. The simple message of the plaque is made manifest in the actual planting of a single seed.  Our one seed produces more apples that we will ever know, but God knows.

Today's gospel speaks of another seed, a grain of wheat.  “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain if wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”  In the same manner of the apple seed, this grain of wheat can produce a whole stalk of wheat if it is planted.  That stalk can then produce more stalks until an entire field is planted and the harvest feeds an entire village for a year.

It took me many years of hearing this passage before I realized that Jesus was not talking about wheat. He was talking about His own death and the results of His death.  Unless He (the grain of wheat) died, Christianity (the fruit) would never be able to spring to life.  Later in the same passage, Jesus says “It was for this purpose that I came to this hour.”  Jesus knew that His Father had a plan.  That plan ended with Jesus dying on the cross to redeem us and give us life. That life started as seedlings named Peter and Paul and grew into the millions of believers today.

Last week, we heard the famous passage from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son”.  God gave us His Son knowing full well that Jesus would be crucified. God planted Jesus as a grain if wheat, His seed, there on the cross and in the tomb.  Is there a parent here that could give their son or daughter away knowing that they would be killed?  I trust that the answer is “no”.  How can we possibly understand God's action?  God's ways are not our ways, but we do know from that passage that God loves the world.  God loves us.  Everyone of us, just as we are, warts, flaws, sins and all. We must never forget that.  We must never allow anyone to talk us out of that.  God is love and God loves us all. He showed us His love by giving us His only Son.

That plaque that I like so much, it is not about apples and seeds.  It is about the power of God to see what we cannot see.  It is also about how God works through us.  In our lives, we plant seeds again and again.  We plant seeds of faith, seeds of love and seeds of hope.  Those seeds sometimes die where they are planted.  Often, those seeds bloom where they are planted and new faith, new love and new hope is born and thrives.  Those new seedlings frequently bring more faith, hope and love into the world.  We will never know how much faith, hope and love results from our seeds, but God will know.  This is our legacy, not our wealth or possessions, but how much love we leave behind in the world.

What seeds have we planted today?

Another seminarian leaves us

Wow...

That's all I can say.  Less then 2 months left in the semester and one of my brothers in the class of 2015 has packed up his room and moved back home.  It was not a complete surprise, he'd been away for a week or so dealing with some issues at home. 

It is a discernment process.  We started with 16, we're down to 13.  We have to trust that God calls us to be in the correct place at the correct time.

Homily L4-B Lent, Fourth Week, cycle B

Imagine for a moment, that this church is closed. Some of our brothers and sisters in this diocese could imagine that very easily as their churches were closed in the last decade . But imagine with me some more, every church is closed, plundered, torn down and we were all  moved 500 miles away. That is the plight of the Israelites in today’s first reading and the psalm.

Israel had many gathering places to hear the Word of God, but only one Temple and altar to offer sacrifice. All this was taken away from them when they lost the war with Babylon. As a result of that loss, the temple was destroyed and the people forcibly marched to Babylon as slaves. In this new land, there was no Temple and the Israelites found it difficult to worship.  Perhaps the words of the psalmist mean a bit more now: “How could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land?”

For 50 years, the Israelites were once again slaves, wandering in a spiritual desert. How wonderful the news that we heard in the first reading must have been. Persia defeated Babylon and released the enslaved Israelites to return to Jerusalem. The king of Persia even provided help in rebuilding the Temple. Surprisingly enough, after only 50 years removed from their religious practices, many Israelites did not want to return to Jerusalem.  Many did return and for the next 500 years or so, Israel would worship at the Temple in Jerusalem and there would be some semblance of the norm in their worship of God.

What does this history lesson from 2500 years ago mean to us today? Nobody is plundering and burning our churches. We are free to worship here. I believe the war, this time, is much more subtle. In the last 50 years, the attack on the values that our Church has taught for 2000 years have increased. We must remember that those values were handed down by the unchanging God. We have changed and see things differently, but God has not changed and His laws and values have not changed.


In many of our lifetimes, we have seen changes in abortion law, assisted suicide law, contraception law and practice of religion in public spaces law. We have taken step after step to remove ourselves from the Ten Commandments and replace them with the will of the majority. We’ve removed Christ from Christmas. Outside of the Church they don’t even acknowledge that the 12 days of Christmas are AFTER Christmas day. God forbid that we put up a public display of the nativity on anything other than Church property. We’ve removed God from schools. Public prayer is banned unless it is just a moment of silence. We’ve had battle after battle about removing God from our Pledge of Allegiance and our dollar bill. Atheism is growing in leaps and bounds. The enemies of God would have us worship God in our own little private spaces for one hour a week and never utter a peep about God outside that hour. If we don't see the hand of Satan in this, then we're just not paying attention.  We are more like the Israelites in Babylonian captivity than we might care to admit. Our worship is hollow if we cannot live it fully in our lives.  We need to ask God for His strength, His courage and His wisdom to combat this trend in our increasingly godless society.

In our Gospel today, we heard: “And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.” Living in the darkness is not a new problem in our world; it has been with us for millennia. The question we must ask ourselves is: “Are we going to sit by idly and live in the darkness?” If we just accept the changes in the world that move the world away from God, we are part of the darkness. God has been calling humanity for millennia to turn to Him and follow His ways. Now is the time to turn and follow Him into the light as we heed the words of the Gospel: “Whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.”

Homily L3-B Lent, Third Week, cycle B

Sorry, no homily this week, we're on spring break.

Let me offer a single sentence to reflect upon...

"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up"

Homily L2-B Lent, Second Week, cycle B

In 1995, I was part of a musical group that performed Marty Haugen's “Song of Mark”.  This was a 2 hour musical production with band, adult and junior choirs and several soloists.  Just before intermission, the song “So Good to be Here” is performed. The song wonders what James and John and Peter may have been thinking up on Mount Tabor as they witnessed the transfiguration.  It is a bit whimsical and tongue in cheek, but always made me wonder.

What was going through the apostles minds as they saw this amazing sight on the mountain top? Would the apostles be thinking, as the song suggests, “no people to feed”?  “Had it to here with your neighbor” “Just kick back and write the Good News?”  or “So good to be here with Jesus” as they were setting up the tents for Elijah and Moses?

No matter what they were thinking, the actor that played Jesus then sings, “We must walk down the mountain to the valley below”.  Unfortunately, that is true.  Every time that we have an experience on the mountain, we must return to the valley. Our mountain top experience may have been a spiritual retreat, a quiet time in the woods, or some other experience, but eventually we have to leave the mountain and come back to reality. But what do our lives look like in the valley?

That very question was asked of me when I was on a retreat.  If I was videotaped for a week and the tape was played back, could people watching tell that I was a Catholic?  Does my life in the valley show that I am a Catholic?  I'm afraid to say that they probably could not tell then.  The question haunted me.  As I went about my life I saw the sin and poor choices I was making.  I realized that my videotape did not look much different than any atheist.  I do believe that I changed my behaviors to reflect the life in the valley that I wanted to live. Looking back, one consistent high point of my videotape was my Mass attendance. 

Some find that Mass is their mountaintop experience.  This is not really surprising to me.  We have just heard the word of God.  In a few moment we will be partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ.  We are in the presence of God here, just like Peter, James and John were.  A former parish had rugs at all the doors to remind us of this.  As we entered, we would read “Enter to Worship”.  As we left we would read “Leave to Serve”.  This is a good example of the mountain/valley experience.  We spend an hour praying and worshiping God and then leave to spend the rest of the week in the valley.  But this begs the question again.  What do we do with the 167 hours a week that we are not in Mass?  We keep doing the good things that we are doing.  We re-examine our choices to make sure they are good choices.  We let the world see the Christ in us that we recharge every week here at Mass.

I wonder if our life in the valley can help bring our fellow Catholics back into the pews.  For every one here in the pews today, there are 6 other Catholics who rarely, if ever,  enter a church.  Many believe that it is the job of the priests to bring these people back to our Church.  It is the job of all the priesthood, and by our Baptism, we are all part of the priesthood.  If the job is left just to the ordained, we are leaving the job to less than 0.5% of the possible workers.  If by our example we can get people to once again say “See how they love one another”, they will come back.

In that musical, at the end of the song, as the apostles leave the mountain top, the choir sings... “From the peace of the mountain to the trials down below.  You are called now to labor, be the seeds God will sow.  Bring new hope, bring true healing to that world of woe.  Walk on, walk on into the valley.  Walk on, walk on into the valley.”

Homily L1-B Lent, First Week, cycle B

I remember the water. I don't remember why we were so late, but I remember the water. It was pitch dark when we arrived at the camp. It was literally one of those “cannot see the hand in front of your face moments”. In the 60's an hour west of Portland, there was no light pollution. We could not take a step without flashlights. I remember that it was hot. We were all hot and sticky from the car ride. As soon as we arrived, we all headed down the steep slope to the lake, stripped to our shorts and jumped in the water. It felt like cool silk on our skin. It cleansed us and restored us, but I'll never forget that feeling on swimming in cool silk.

Today's readings talk about Noah and the flood and Jesus in the desert; too much water and too little water. The flood in Noah's time washed away all that was bad in the world and allowed a fresh start. We see in our sacrament of Baptism, the same cleansing. Our original sin is washed away along with any other sin we may have committed. (I feel compelled to remember our adult RCIA candidates who will be baptized here.) But Baptism does more that that. It joins us into this family, this community of Christians. If you glance around the church, you will see your brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all united in Christ in our baptism. Those you see here are just a small part of the family. All the baptized in the world are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We remember the washing away of Original Sin, but sometimes we forget that we are here together with Christ, still alive and with us, every day.


When you came into Church today, is was still winter. In a few short weeks, it will warm up and we will see the beginning of the spring rains. Do you remember how everything can be a bit grimy and dusty after a winter? Then the spring rain comes and cleans everything up so nicely. The sidewalks are clean and there is a wonderful fresh smell in the air. Then, as God promised, he sends a rainbow for us and Him to see. I know what I do when I see a rainbow. I always look around to point it out to somebody. I want to share the vision with those around me, my community. I'm always a bit disappointed if I am alone and cannot share the rainbow with somebody.


Picture Sunday Mass with me, as a spring rain. Our lives have gotten a little grimy and dusty. We step away from those lives for just an hour and turn our focus to God. His Word and His Eucharist cleanses us. We join our brothers and sisters in the community of the baptized and praise our God in word and song as he washes the dust from our souls. The priest (or deacon) combines water and wine. Wine to represent Christ, water to represent us. We partake in His communion and sit and reflect afterward in the rainbow of God's love. If more Catholics saw the Sunday Mass that way, we'd be building an addition on the Church to seat them all.


Sunday Mass can help us stay clean, but once in a while, we get filthy dirty either from work or play. You know the kind of dirty that I am talking about. The kind where your mother would hose you off before she'd let you come in the house. She'd make you leave your closes in a pile by the door and run you right into the shower. Physical dirtiness can be taken care of pretty quickly. We've all removed that kind of dirt. Spiritual dirtiness takes just a little more effort.


Jesus was in the desert being tempted by the devil. We can only presume that Jesus did not have a lot of life giving water in the desert. He was probably thirsty. As any human being would be, Jesus was tempted. Because of this, He knows our struggles and how hard temptation is to resist. When we succumb to temptation, Jesus wants to reach out and heal us. He wants to help us out of that personal dessert where we feel dirty and dry and dusty and wash us again in those waters we first saw in Baptism. Reconciliation can be that hose that washes us off before we come into the house. Every Wednesday night this Lent, priests will be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Come and let the healing waters flow over you once again. Hear those words n the absolution: “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”


Water cleanses and unites us in Baptism, Water represents us in the Eucharist, Water cleanses us again in Reconciliation. Come to the water...the silky refreshing water.

Ash Wednesday at the seminary

It is Ash Wednesday... Will you leave the ashes on when you leave church?

Here at the Seminary, it is a day of recollection.  We are in silence until after dinner. Our former rector, Bishop Uglietto, will be leading us through this day of reflection.

May this Lenten season be a time of reflection and preparation for us all.

Homily OT7-B Ordinary Time, Seventh Week, cycle B

My friend Irene cannot say “no”. As a result, she is in crisis several times a week. I know this because she sends me an online message of “Chris!!!!” with four exclamation marks. The next line is always “I did it again”. What she did is this: She accepted an invitation to a party or an event or a concert and then another invitation came along for something “better”.

She asks me for advice. I tell her the same thing every time. “Learn to say 'No':. Honor your commitments.” This results in a slew of messages appearing on my screen telling me that she did say no, but they were persistent and this is a really cool concert.

In the years that I have know her, this has happened hundreds of times. Irene has trouble staying faithful to her commitments.

In today's second reading, Paul is being accused of not honoring his commitments. It is doubtful that any of us got that message among the multitudes of “yeses” and “nos” in that reading so some explanation may be in order. Paul had written to the Corinthians and told them he was coming to visit. Then he became ill and did not show up. The Corinthians were upset. The beginning of this reading is the end of the explanation saying, in effect, I am not wishy washy. I did not flip flop. In his words “yes and no”

Paul goes on to explain that he is always faithful to God and God blesses him for it. He suggests that the Corinthians should also be faithful to God so that God will bless them as well. This message echoes the words heard in our opening prayer today. “Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things we may carry out in both word and deeds that which is pleasing to you.”

We see this theme echoed in the Gospel in the faith of the four men who carried their friend to Jesus. They were a bit unorthodox in the approach of removing the roof and lowering their friend down, but their faith was strong. Jesus rewarded their faith by healing their friend of his sins and of his paralysis.

How do we reconcile the faithfulness and commitment of Paul and the four men compared to Irene? Well, Irene is not alone and she is a product of our culture today. We live in a culture that puts a lot of emphasis on instant gratification and little emphasis on faith and commitment. We live in a culture that measures success by how much money we make and not by how happy we are in our lives.

We cannot change our culture with a snap of our fingers, but we can change ourselves. We can choose to be faithful and committed to God. For mot of us, our parents made a promise for us that we would be faithful to God at our Baptism. We made our own promises at Confirmation. But for many, we did not do much more with out faith after that. It occurs to me that this might be a good time to consider a change.

On Wednesday of this week, the Church will observe Ash Wednesday. While it is not a Holy Day of obligation, attendance at Mass is encouraged. Leaving your ashes on for the day is a sign of faith and commitment to God. Practicing the fast and abstinence on this day is also a sign of faith and commitment.

For Lent, many of us will continue the practices we learned in our youth. We 're going to give something up. That is a wonderful thing, but we can do more. How about doing something positive this year. Something that only God knows. Don't tell anyone else, just do it. In past years, I have tried these positive ideas.

Attend daily Mass (before I was a priest, of course). Even if a day is missed, try.
Put a few dollars aside each day and at the end of the week sent it off to a worthwhile charity.
Purchase a gift card each week and give it to the homeless.
Find an extra 15 minutes each day to pray and read a good book related to our faith.
Take some time each day and read a gospel. Spread the readings out over 40 days to complete it.

Again, don't tell anyone, just make a secret promise to God and do it.

Lent is a wonderful time to renew our faith and commitment to God. I pray we all find a meaningful way to make this time a season of growth in our faith.

Misconceptions of the Seminary

I touched on this on Facebook, but I can get into more depth here.

I'm in a seminary, not a monastery.  We have no fences. 
The only walls we have keep our roof up.

I can have visitors, in fact I have had several in the last few weeks.
I can come and go most days without any problems.  We are encouraged to get out of the building on a regular basis.
I do have certain mandatory attendance events that limit my availability.
It is best to think of it as graduate school, you'll have a pretty good feel for it.

(Rereading this section, it sounds desperate. It is not, just factual)
>Care packages are allowed (hint hint).
>Your cards and letters are most welcome and read again and again.
>Your phone calls are anticipated with joy.
>Lunch and Dinner invitations are the highlight of my week.

Homily OT6-B Ordinary Time, Sixth Week, cycle B

He reached out and shook my hand, looked me straight in the eye and said, “Thank you for treating me like a human being.” I was shocked. I blurted out, “How else would I treat you?” He said, “In here, nobody treats us as humans.” I really needed to get away and think about this, but when you are visiting inmates in prison, there are not a lot of options for escape.

I found myself on a team leading a three day weekend for the inmates after a long journey. I had not planned on working with inmates, but the Deacon was very convincing. He brought up all the scripture passages, “I was in prison and you visited me”, “To proclaim liberty to captives”. Most of all, he played the Catholic guilt card, hard and often. I finally said, “Yes”.

The weekend was filled with wonderful moments. The inmates were genuine and open with us. They shared their stories with us and listened to our stories with respect. More than a few tears were shed. The other members of the retreat team were amazing - deeply faithful men and women. On the last day, the inmate thanked me, shocked me and shamed me. I had written off an entire section of society as not worth my time.

Prisoners are isolated and ostracized in today’s society. In the time of Jesus, lepers were in a similar state. They were required to stay one hundred yards away from others and shout, “Unclean, unclean” to keep people away. They were shunned and excluded from society.

And yet, in the gospel passage, a leper approached Jesus and asks to be healed … if it is Jesus’s wish. He does not request or demand healing. He asks Jesus if He wished to heal him. Jesus demonstrated something that we tend to forget today. He loves us more than we can ever understand. When we come to Jesus and ask, He will respond. When we ask Jesus what He wishes, He will answer.

Jesus responded to the leper with great love. Jesus reached out and touched the leper. We know that Jesus could have healed the leper from a distance. He healed others without touching them. Jesus did not need to touch the leper to heal him, but He did. He touched the leper to show His disciples that they did not need to be afraid. They could safely reach out and cure the sick.

But there is more. The Church views sin as a spiritual leprosy. It tarnishes our souls. It moves us further away from God. Jesus did not just heal the leper of leprosy. Jesus healed the leper of his disease AND his sin.

Sin, like leprosy, starts small but grows over time to envelop more and more of our life. If I have a sweet tooth, and I do, I can have a little something from time to time. If I let it grow, it will. I’ll start having sweets for desserts, pastries for breakfast, candy between meals, handfuls of stuff while I watch TV. It grows from a sweet tooth to gluttony, if I let it. Sin grows so easily, we can miss its effects in our lives. 

I used sweets as a real example in my life, but there are many other examples that may be present in our lives. I know there are more in my life that I have struggled with in the past and some I still struggle with. There are mostly legal things that we get wrapped up in and lead us to sin: Alcohol abuse, cursing, gambling, lying, gossip and a sharp tongue. There are illegal things that can take us down the path even easier: Drug abuse, stealing, murder. When we hold up a mirror to our lives, what do we see that might not look good and pure to God? What might God see that we may be ignoring?

We are all sinners. We all need the healing touch of the love of Jesus. We can and should confess our sins to God every night, but we can do more. Every week, there are men waiting to share the healing touch of Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Men who have felt the power of sin in their own lives and have felt the healing of Jesus. Men who want to tell you that Jesus loves us. Men who want to help us all find our way home to God.

Remember those inmates on the three day weekend? Two priests came in on that weekend and offered Reconciliation. Every single inmate went in to talk to a priest. 

Where is the leprosy, the sin in our lives? Will we come to Jesus and ask him for His healing touch?